AN INVITATION:



STOP AND TAKE A MOMENT TO VIEW THE NUMBER #1 GOOGLE RATED MESSIANIC VIDEO SO YOU CAN START TO SEE RAV SHA'UL IN A NEW LIGHT AS THE CHASID OF ALL CHASIDIM AND NOT A CONVERT TO A NON-JEWISH RELIGION









NOT A MESSIANIC BAAL TESHUVA YET BECAUSE YOU STILL HAVEN'T OBEYED MOSHIACH AND HAVEN'T YET MADE ZIKH GE'TOYVL'T IN DER MIKVE?












First let's get something clear about erroneous notions of Paul and his founding a new religion, which he didn't. True, the halakhah of his Judaism switched from the Pharisaic oral law to the Ruach Hakodesh, but his religion was still one of the Judaisms of the time, not a new non-Judaism Gentile religion.



WHY YOU NEED A SPIRITUAL HOME

IF YOU HAVE HIGH SPEED ACCESS, TAKE A MOMENT TO LISTEN TO THIS MP3 FILE BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO YOU THAT THEY ARE NOT TELLING YOU

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE HIGH SPEED ACCESS, TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE ABOVE MP3 FILE, BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO YOU THAT THEY ARE NOT TELLING YOU

The material you are looking at on your computer screen, the pages below,



are pages studied by Messianic believers at our messianic yeshiva, Omanim



Lema'an Yisrael (Artists For Israel) Messianic Yeshiva. No matter where in



the world you are right now, we want to welcome you onboard as a



fellow talmid at the first virtual messianic yeshiva on the Internet! You



net-surfed to the right place! One of the reasons our students study to



obtain Messianic S'micha to teach and enter Messianic ministry with large



classes of students is because of the chesed of Hashem using this Messianic



Yeshiva! In this file and in the other files on this web-site, you have more



than a complete seminary-level education, you have a complete messianic



yeshiva education as well. Take a look at the end of these pages for the



entrance exam that must be e-mailed in to us at office@afii.org and is



necessary for those seeking entrance to our virtual messianic yeshiva. May



you receive a barucha and may Hashem use you.



















The Kitvei Hakodesh are clear about Klal Yisrael. They will not



change their G-d: they will still believe in the G-d of Avraham,



Yitzchak, and Ya'akov. They will not change their religion. They



will still hold dear to Judaism as their faith. Nevertheless,



the Kitvei Hakodesh are clear: they will be changed by teshuva



and hitkhadeshut, all the Jewish people people in the world. And



they will be redeemed. One day they will look up into heaven and



they will see the Kodesh HaKodashim in heaven open, and they will



see not a changing of religions but a changing of Kohanim



Gedolim. And in this changing of the guard of the Kohanim



Gedolim in the Kodesh HaKodeshim in heaven, they will see a new



Kohen Gadol (after the order of Malki-Tzedek) replacing the old



Kohen Gadol. But this spiritual revelation will not cause them to



discard their Siddurim or their copies of the Shas. They will



not cancel Bar Mitzvahs or High Holiday Services. They will not



do away with Torah Services on Shabbos. They will still be loyal



to the Sinai Covenant and its mitzvot. They will change very



little, almost nothing as far as their Orthodox Jewish manner of



life is concerned. But they will be changed. They will see him



in heaven, wearing the garments that Caiapha once wore when



Caiapha unwittingly ordered the Akedah and had him bound and led



away, carrying the Scapegoat's burden of the evil Olam Hazeh.



They will see him--Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua,



standing in the Kodesh HaKodashim in Shomayim. They will see him



and they will weep. And the shul and the yeshiva will never be



the same after that. And they will have far better people to



produce materials such as the following, because there will be



thousands and thousands of rabbis and yeshiva scholars weeping as



I have wept for the Jewish people and looking up into heaven and



seeing the changing of the guard of the Kohanim Gedolim in the



Kodesh HaKodashim. But, until then, this meager offering is



presented with a prayer and with faith in the Kitvei Hakodesh and



in the Geulah Redemption of Klal Yisrael.























THE COMPLETE BOOK FOR ARTISTS FOR ISRAEL







COPYRIGHT (c) 1996 Artists For Israel International



All rights reserved.





































ONE: HEBREW













BERESHIS (GENESIS) 1:1-3:19 (1,039 WORDS FOR STUDY)



1 beh-ray-SHEET 2 bah-rah 3 Eh-loh-HEEM 4 et (es)



5 hash-shah-MY-yeem 6 vuh-et 7 ha-AH-rets



8 v'ha-AH-rets 9 ha-yeh-TAH 10 TOH-hoo 11 vah-VOH-hoo



12 vuh-KHOH-shekh 13 ahl 14 p'NAY 15 teh-HOHM 16 vuh-ROO-ahkh



17 Eh-loh-HEEM 18 m'rah-KHEH-feht 19 ahl 20 p'NAY



21 hahm-MY-yeem 22 vahy-YOH-mer 23 Eh-loh-HEEM 24 yeh-HEE



25 ohr 26 vah-yeh-HEE 27 ohr 28 vahy-YAHR



29 Eh-loh-HEEM 30 et (es) 31 ha-ohr 32 kee 33 tohv



34 vahy-yahv-DAYL 35 Eh-loh-HEEM 36 bayn 37 ha-ohr



38 oo-VAYN 39 ha-KHOH-shehkh 40 vahy-yeek-RAH 41 Eh-loh-HEEM



42 lah-OHR 43 yom 44 v'lah-KHOH-shehkh 45 KAH-rah 46 LAI-lah



47 vah-yeh-HEE 48 EH-rev 49 vah-yeh-HEE 50 VOH-ker 51 yohm



52 eh-KHAD 53 vahy-YOH-mer 54 Eh-loh-HEEM 55 yeh-HEE



56 rah-KEE-ah 57 buh-TOKH 58 hah-MY-yeem 59 vee-HEE



60 mahv-DEEL 61 bayn 62 MY-yeem 63 lah-MY-yeem 64 vah-YAH-ahs



65 Eh-loh-HEEM 66 et (es) 67 ha-rah-KEE-ah 68 vahy-yahv-DAYL



69 bayn 70 hahm-MY-yeem 71 ah-sher 72 mee-TAH-khaht



73 lah-rah-KEE-ah 74 oo-VAYN 75 hahm-MY-yeem 76 ah-sher



77 may-AHL 78 lah-rah-KEE-ah 79 vah-yeh-HEE 80 khehn



81 vahy-yeek-RAH 82 vah-yeh-HEE 83 lah-rah-KEE-ah



84 shah-MY-yeem 85 vah-yeh-HEE 86 EH-rev 87 vah-yeh-HEE



88 VOH-ker 89 yom 90 shay-NEE 91 vahy-YOH-mer 92 Eh-loh-HEEM



93 yee-kah-VOO 94 hahm-MY-yeem 95 mee-TAH-khaht



96 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 97 el 98 mah-KOHM 99 eh-KHAD



100 vuh-teh-rah-EH 101 ha-yah-bah-SHAH 102 vah-yeh-HEE



103 khehn 104 vaahy-yeek-RAH 105 Eh-loh-HEEM



106 lah-yah-bah-SHAH 107 EH-rets 108 oo-l'meek-VAY



109 hahm-MY-yeem 110 kah-RAH 111 yahm-MEEM 112 vahy-YAHR



113 Eh-loh-HEEM 114 kee 115 tov 116 vahy-YOH-mer



117 Eh-loh-HEEM 118 tahd-SHAY 119 ha-AH-rets 120 DEH-sheh



121 EH-sev 122 mah-zeh-REE-ah 123 ZEH-rah 124 aitz 125 p'REE



126 OH-seh 127 p'REE 128 leh-mee-NOH 129 ah-sher 130 zah-oh



131 voh 132 ahl 133 ha-AH-rets 134 vah-yeh-HEE 135 khehn



136 vah-toh-TSEH 137 ha-AH-rets 138 DEH-sheh 139 EH-sev



140 mahz-REE-ah 141 ZEH-rah 142 luh-meen-NAY-hoo 143 v'aitz



144 OH-seh 145 p'REE 146 ah-sher 147 zah-roh 148 voh



149 leh-meen-NAY-hoo 150 vahy-YAHR 151 Eh-loh-HEEM 152 kee



153 tov 154 vah-yeh-HEE 155 EH-rev 156 vah-yeh-HEE 157 VOH-ker



158 yom 159 sheh-lee-SHEE 160 vay-YOH-mer 161 Eh-loh-HEEM



162 yeh-HEE 163 meh-oh-ROHT 164 bee-r'KEE-ah



165 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 166 leh-hahv-DEEL 167 bayn 168 ha-YOM



169 oo-VAYN 170 ha-LAI-lah 171 veh-ha-YOO 172 leh-oh-TOHT



173 oo-l'moh-ah-DEEM 174 oo-leh-yah-MEEM 175 veh-shah-NEEM



176 veh-ha-YOO 177 lee-moh-ROHT 178 bee-r'KEE-ah



179 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 180 leh-ha-EER 181 ahl 182 ha-AH-rets



183 vah-yeh-HEE 184 khehn 185 vah-YAH-ahs 186 Eh-loh-HEEM



187 et (es) 188 shuh-NAY 189 ham-meh-oh-ROHT



190 ha-guh-doh-LEEM 191 et (es) 192 ham-mah-OHR



193 ha-gah-DOHL 194 leh-mehm-SHEHL-et 195 ha-YOM 196 vuh-et



197 ham-mah-OHR 198 ha-kah-TOHN 199 leh-mehm-SHEHL-et



200 ha-LAHY-lah 201 vuh-et 202 ha-koh-khah-VEEM



203 vahy-yee-TEHN 204 oh-TAHM 205 Eh-loh-HEEM



206 bee-r'KEE'ah 207 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 208 leh-ha-EER 209 ahl



210 ha-AH-rets 211 vuh-leem-SHOHL 212 bah-YOM



213 oo-vah-LAI-lah 214 oo-lah-hahv-DEEL 215 bayn 216 ha-OHR



217 oo-VAYN 218 ha-KHOH-shehksh 219 vahy-YAHR 220



Eh-loh-HEEM



221 kee 222 tov 223 vah-yeh-HEE 224 EH-rev 225 vah-yeh-HEE



226 VOH-kehr 227 yom 228 reh-vee-EE 229 vahy-YOH-mehr



230 Eh-loh-HEEM 231 yeesh-ruh-TSOO 232 hahm-MY-yeem



233 SHEH-retz 234 NEH-fehsh 235 chai-YAH 236 vuh-OHF



237 yuh-oh-FAYF 238 ahl 239 ha-AH-rets 240 ahl 241 p'NAY



242 r'KEE-ah 243 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 244 vahy-yeev-RAH



245 Eh-loh-HEEM 246 et (es) 247 ha-tahn-nee-NEEM



248 ha'geh-doh-LEEM 249 v'et 250 kohl 251 NEF-fesh



252 ha-chai-YAH 253 ha-roh-MEH-set 254 ah-sher



255 shah-ruh-TSOO 256 hahm-MY-yeem 257 luh-mee-nay-HEHM



258 v'et 259 kol 260 ohf 261 kah-NAHF 262 luh-meen-NAY-hoo



263 vahy-YAHR 264 Eh-loh-HEEM 265 kee 266 tov



267 vah-yeh-vah-REHKH 268 oh-tahm 269 Eh-loh-HEEM 270 lay-MOHR







271 peh-ROO 272 oor-VOO 273 oo-meel-OO 274 et 275 hahm-MY-eem



276 ba-yahm-meem 277 v'ha-OHF 278 YEE-rev 279 ba-AH-rets



280 vah-yeh-HEE 281 EH-rev 282 vah-yeh-HEE 283 VOH-kehr



284 yom 285 chah-mee-SHEE 286 vay-YOH-mer 287 Eh-loh-HEEM



288 toh-TSAY 289 ha-AH-rets 290 NEH-fesh



291 chai-YAH 292 luh-mee-NAH 293 beh-hay-MAH 294 vah-REH-mehs



295 veh-chay-TOH 296 EH-rets 297 leh-mee-NAH 298 vah-yeh-HEE



299 khehn 300 vay-yah-ahs 301 Eh-loh-HEEM 302 et



303 chay-yaht 304 ha-AH-rets 305 leh-mee-NAH 306 v'et



307 ha-beh-he-MAH 308 leh-mee-NAH 309 v'et 310 kol 311 REH-mes



312 ha-ah-dah-MAH 313 leh-mee-NAY-hoo 314 vay-yahr



315 Eh-loh-HEEM 316 kee 317 tov 318 vay-YOH-mehr



319 Eh-loh-HEEM 320 nah-ah-SEH 321 ah-DAHM



322 bay-tsahl-MAY-noo 323 kee-duh-moo-TAY-noo 324 vuh-yeer-DOO



325 veed-GAHT 326 ha-YOM 327 oo-vuh-OHF 328 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem



329 oo-va-beh-hey-MAH 330 oo-veh-CHOL 331 ha-AH-retz



332 oo-veh-KHOL 333 ha-REH-mes 334 ha-roh-MESH 335 ahl



336 ha-AH-rets 337 vay-yeev-RAH 338 Eh-loh-HEEM 339 et



340 ha-ah-DAHM 341 beh-tsahl-MOH 342 beh-TSEH-lehm



343 Eh-loh-HEEM 344 bah-RAH 345 oh-TOH 346 zah-KHAR



347 oon-keh-VAH 348 bah-RAH 349 oh-TAHM 350 vah-y'vah-rech



351 oh-TAHM 352 Eh-loh-HEEM 353 vay-YOH-mehr 354 lah-HEHM



355 Eh-loh-HEEM 356 p'ROO 357 oor-VOO 358 oo-meel-OO 359 et



360 ha-AH-rets 361 veh-kheee-vuh-SHOO-hah 362 oor-DOO



363 beed-gaht 364 hay-YAHM 365 oo-vuh-OHF



366 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 367 oo-veh-khohl 368 chai-YAH



369 ha-roh-MEH-set 370 ahl 371 ha-AH-rets 372 vahy-YOH-mehr



373 Eh-loh-HEEM 374 hee-NAY 375 nah-TAH-tee 376 lah-khehm



377 et 378 kol 379 EH-sev 380 zoh-RAY-ah 381 ZEH-rah



382 ah-sher 383 ahl 384 p'NAY 385 khohl 386 ha-AH-rets



387 v'et 388 kol 389 ha-aitz 390 ah-sher 391 boh 392 p'REE



393 aitz 394 zoh-RAY-ah 395 ZAH-rah 396 lah-KHEHM



397 yee-heh-yeh 398 leh-ohkh-LAH 399 oo-leh-khohl



400 chai-YAHT 401 ha-AH-rets 402 oo-leh-KHOHL 403 ohf



404 hash-shah-MY-yeem 405 oo-leh-KHOHL 406 roh-MES 407 ahl



408 ha-AH-rets 409 ah-sher 410 boh 411 NEH-fesh



412 chai-YAH 413 et 414 kohl 415 YEH-rek 416 EH-sev



417 leh-ohkh-LAH 418 vay-yeh-HEE 419 khehn 420 vay-yahr



421 Eh-loh-HEEM 422 et 423 kohl 424 ah-sher 425 ah-SAH



426 v'hee-NAY 427 tov 428 meh-OHD 429 vah-yeh-HEE 430 EH-rev



431 vah-yeh-HEE 432 VOH-kehr 433 yom 434 ha-shee-SHEE



435 vah-yuh-khoo-LOO 436 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 437 veh-ha-AH-rets



438 vuh-KHOHL 439 tseh-vah-AHM 440 vah-yuh-KHOHL



441 Eh-loh-HEEM 442 bahy-YOM 443 hah-shuh-vee-EE



444 meh-lahkh-TOH 445 ah-sher 446 ah-sah 447 vahy-yeesh-BOHT



448 bah-YOM 449 hash-shuh-vee-ee 450 mee-KOHL



451 meh-lahkh-TOH 452 ah-sher 453 ah-sah 454 vah-y'vah-REHKH



455 Eh-loh-HEEM 456 et 457 yom 458 hash-shuh-vee-ee



459 vah-yuh-kah-DAYSH 460 oh-TOH 461 kee 462 voh



463 shah-VAHT 464 mee-KOHL 465 muh-lahkh-TOH 466 ah-sher



467 bah-RAH 468 Eh-loh-HEEM 469 lah-ah-SOHT 470 EH-leh



471 tohl-DOHT 472 hahsh-sha-MY-yeem 473 veh-ha-AH-rets



474 buh-hee-bahr-AHM 475 buh-YOHM 476 ah-SOT 477 Adonoy



478 Eh-loh-HEEM 479 EH-rets 480 v'shah-MY-yeem 481 vuh-KHOHL



482 SEE-ahkh 483 hahs-sah-DEH 484 TEH-rehm 485 yee-heh-YEH



486 vah-AH-rets 487 vuh-KHOHL 488 EH-sev 489 hahs-sah-DEH



490 The-rehm 491 yeets-MAHKH 492 kee 493 lo 494 heem-TEER



495 Adonoy 496 Eh-loh-HEEM 497 ahl 498 ha-AH-rets



499 vuh-ah-DAHM 500 AH-yeen 501 lah-ah-VOHD 502 et



503 ha-ah-dah-MAH 504 veh-EHD 505 yah-ah-LEH 506 meen



507 ha-AH-rets 508 veh-heesh-KAH 509 et 510 kohl 511 p'NAY



512 ha-ah-dah-MAH 513 vahy-yee-TSEHR 514 Adonoy



515 Eh-loh-HEEM 516 et 517 ha-ah-DAHM 518 ah-FAHR



519 meen 520 ha-ah-dah-MAH 521 vahy-yee-PAHKH 522 beh-ah-PAHV



523 neesh-MAHT 524 chai-YEEM 525 vay-yeh-HEE



526 ha-ah-DAHM 527 luh-NEH-fesh 528 chai-YAH 529 vahy-yeet-TAH



530 Adonoy 531 Eh-loh-HEEM 532 gahn 533 beh-EH-dehn



534 mee-KEH-dehm 535 vah-YAH-sehm 536 shahm 537 et



538 ha-ah-DAHM 539 ah-sher 540 yah-TSAR 541 vahy-yahts-MAHKH



542 Adonoy 543 Eh-loh-HEEM 544 meen 545 ha-ah-dah-MAH



546 kohl 547 aitz 548 nehkh-MAHD 549 leh-mahr-AY



550 vuh-tov 551 leh-mah-ah-KHOHL 552 vuh-aitz



553 ha-chai-YEEM 554 beh-TOHKH 555 ha-gahn 556 vuh-aitz



557 ha-DAH-aht 558 tov 559 vah-RAH 560 veh-nah-HAHR



561 yoh-TSEH 562 meh-EH-dehn 563 leh-hahsh-KOHT 564 et



565 ha-gahn 566 oo-mee-SHAHM 567 yee-pah-REHD



568 veh-hai-YAH 569 leh-AHR-bah-ah 570 rah-SHEEM



571 shehm 572 ha-eh-KHAD 573 pee-SHOHN 574 hoo



575 ha-soh-VEHV 576 et 577 kol 578 EH-rets 579 ha-khah-vee-LAH



580 ah-sher 581 shahm 582 haz-zah-HAHV 583 oo-zah-hahv



584 ha-AH-rets 585 ha-HEE 586 tov 587 shahm



588 hahb-DOH-lahkh 589 veh-EH-vehn 590 ha-SHOH-hahm



591 vuh-SHEHM 592 hahn-nah-HAHR 593 ha-shay-NEE 594



ghee-KHOHN



595 hoo 596 ha-soh-VEHV 597 et 598 kohl 599 EH-rets 600 Koosh



601 veh-shem 602 hahn-nah-HAHR 603 ha-sheh-lee-SHEE



604 chee-DEH-kehl 605 hoo 606 ha-hoh-LEHKH 607 keed-MAHT



608 ah-SHOOR 609 vuh-hahn-nah-HAHR 610 ha-ruh-vee-EE 611 hoo



612 fuh-RAHT 613 vahy-yek-KAHKH 614 Adonoy 615 Eh-loh-HEEM



616 et 617 ha-ah-DAHM 618 vahy-yah-nee-KHAY-hoo 619 vuh-gahn



620 EH-den 621 leh-ahv-DAH 622 oo-leh-shahm-RAH



623 vah-yuh-TSAHV 624 Adonoy 625 Eh-loh-HEEM 626 ahl



627 ha-ah-DAHM 628 leh-MOHR 629 mee-KOHL 630 aitz 631 ha-gahn



632 ah-KHOHL 633 toh-KHEHL 634 oo-meh-AITZ 635 ha-DAH-aht



636 tov 637 vah-rah 638 lo 639 toh-KHOHL 640 mee-MEHN-noo



641 kee 642 buh-YOM 643 ah-KHOHL-khah 644 mee-MEHN-noo



645 MOHT 646 tah-MOOT 647 vahy-YOH-mehr 648 Adonoy



649 Eh-loh-HEEM 650 lo 651 tov 652 heh-YOHT 653 ha-ah-DAHM



654 leh-vah-DOH 655 EH-eh-seh 656 lo 657 AY-zehr



658 keh-nehg-DOH 659 vahy-yee-TSEHR 660 Adonoy



661 Eh-loh-HEEM 662 meen 663 ha-ah-dah-MAH 664 kohl



665 chai-YAHT 666 hahs-sah-DEH 667 vuh-et 668 kohl 669 ohf



670 hahsh-sha-MY-yeem 671 vahy-yah-VAY 672 el 673 ha-ah-DAHM



674 leer-OHT 675 mah 676 yee-krah 677 lo 678 vuh-KHOHL



679 ah-sher 680 yeek-RAH 681 lo 682 ha-ah-DAHM 683 NEH-fesh



684 chai-YAH 685 hoo 686 sh'MOH 687 vahy-yeek-RAH



688 ha-ah-DAHM 689 sheh-MOHT 690 leh-CHOHL 691 ha-beh-he-MAH



692 oo-leh-OHF 693 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 694 oo-leh-KHOHL



695 chai-YAHT 696 has-sah-DEH 697 oo-l'ah-DAHM 698 lo 699



mah-TSAH 700 EH-zehr 701 kuh-nehg-DOH 702 vahy-yah-PAYL



703 Adonoy 704 Eh-loh-HEEM 705 tahr-day-MAH 706 ahl



707 ha-ah-DAHM 708 vahy-yee-SHAHN 709 vahy-yee-KAHKH



710 ah-KHAHT 711 meets-tsahl-oh-TAHV 712 vahy-yees-GOHR



713 bah-SAHR 714 tahkh-TEHN-nah 715 vahy-yee-VEHN 716 Adonoy



717 Eh-loh-HEEM 718 et 719 hats-tseh-LAH 720 ah-sher



721 la-KAHKH 722 meen 723 ha-ah-DAHM 724 leh-eesh-SHAH



725 vah-y'vee-EH-hah 726 el 727 ha-ah-DAHM 728 vahy-YOH-mehr



729 ha-ah-DAHM 730 zoht 731 ha-PAH-ahm 732 EH-tsehm



733 meh-ah-tsah-MAHY 734 oo-vah-SAHR 735 mee-beh-sah-REE



736 luh-ZOHT 737 yee-kah-REH 738 ee-SHAH 739 kee 740 meh-EESH



741 loo-kah-CHAH 742 zoht 743 ahl 744 ken 745 yah-ah-zahv



746 eesh 747 et 748 ah-VEEV 749 vuh-et 750 eem-MOH



751 vuh-dah-VAHK 752 beh-eesh-TOH 753 vuh-ha-YOO



754 luh-vah-SAHR 755 eh-KHAHD 756 vahy-yee-huh-YOO



757 sheh-nay-HEM 758 ah-roo-MEEM 759 ha-ah-DAHM



760 veh-eesh-TOH 761 veh-lo 762 yeet-bo-SHAH-shoo



763 veh-hahn-nah-KHAHSH 764 ha-yah 765 ah-ROOM 766 mee-KOHL



767 chay-YAHY 768 has-sah-DEH 769 ah-sher 770 ah-SAH



771 Adonoy 772 Eh-loh-HEEM 773 vahy-YOH-mehr 774 el



775 ha-eesh-SHAH 776 ahf 777 kee 778 ah-MAHR



779 Eh-loh-HEEM 780 lo 781 tohkh-LOO 782 mee-KOHL 783 aitz



784 ha-gahn 785 vah-toh-MEHR 786 ha-ee-SHAH 787 el



788 hahn-nah-KHAHSH 789 mee-p'REE 790 aitz 791 ha-gahn



792 noh-KHEHL 793 oo-mee-p'REE 794 ha-AITZ 795 ah-sher



796 beh-TOHKH 797 ha-gahn 798 ah-mahr 799 Eh-loh-HEEM



800 lo 801 tohkh-LOO 802 mee-MEH-noo 803 v'lo



804 teeg-guh-OO 805 bo 806 pehn 807 the-moo-TOON



808 vah-YOH-mehr 809 hahn-nah-KHAHSH 810 el 811 ha-ee-SHAH



812 lo 813 moht 814 the-moo-TOON 815 kee 816 yoh-DAY-ah



817 Eh-loh-HEEM 818 kee 819 beh-YOHM 820 ah-khohl-KHEHM



821 mee-MEH-noo 822 veh-neef-kuh-KHOO 823 ay-nay-KHEHM



824 vee-h'yee-TEHM 825 kay-loh-heem 826 yod-AY 827 tov



828 vah-rah 829 vah-TEH-reh 830 ha-ee-SHAH 831 kee 832 tov



833 ha-aitz 834 leh-mah-ah-KHOHL 835 vuh-KHEE



836 tah-ah-vah 837 hoo 838 lah-ay-NAHY-eem 839 vuh-nehkh-MAHD



840 ha-aitz 841 leh-hahsh-KEEL 842 vah-tee-KAHKH



843 mee-peer-YOH 844 vah-toh-KHOHL 845 vah-tee-TEHN



846 gahm 847 luh-ee-SHAH 848 ee-MAH 849 vahy-yoh-KHAHL



850 vah-tee-pah-KAHK-noo 851 ay-NAY 852 sheh-nay-HEHM



853 vahy-yay-duh-OO 854 kee 855 ay-roo-MEEM 856 hem



857 vahy-yeet-peh-ROO 858 ah-leh 859 tuh-ay-NAH



860 vah-yah-ah-SOO 861 la-HEM 862 khah-go-ROT



863 vah-yeesh-meh-OO 864 et 865 kol 866 Adonoy 867 Eh-loh-HEEM



868 meet-hah-LEHKH 869 bah-gahn 870 luh-ROO-ahkh 871 ha-YOHM



872 vah-yeet-chah-BEH 873 ha-ah-DAHM 874 vuh-eesh-TOH



875 mee-p'NAY 876 Adonoy 877 Eh-loh-HEEM 878 buh-TOHKH



879 aitz 880 ha-gahn 881 vah-yeek-RAH 882 Adonoy



883 Eh-loh-HEEM 884 el 885 ha-ah-DAHM 886 vahy-YOH-mehr



887 lo 888 ah-YEH-kah 889 vay-YOH-mehr 890 et



891 kol-KHAH 892 shah-MAH'tee 893 bah-gahn 894 vah-ee-RAH



895 kee 896 ay-ROHM 897 ah-NOH-khee 898 vah-eh-chah-VEH



899 vay-YOH-mehr 900 mee 901 hee-geed 902 leh-CHAH 903 kee



904 ay-ROHM 905 AH-tah 906 ha-meen 907 ha-aitz 908 ah-sher



909 tsee-vee-TEE-chah 910 leh-veel-TEE 911 ah-KOHL



912 mee-MEH-noo 913 ah-KHAHL-tah 914 vahy-YOH-mehr



915 ha-ah-DAHM 916 ha-ee-SHAH 917 ah-sher 918 na-TAH-tah



919 ee-mah-DEE 920 hee 921 nah-t'NAH 922 lee 923 meen



924 ha-aitz 925 vah-OH-khehl 926 vah-YOH-mehr 927 Adonoy



928 Eh-loh-HEEM 929 lah-ee-SHAH 930 mah 931 zot 932 ah-SEET



933 vah-toh-MEHR 934 ha-ee-SHAH 935 ha-nah-KHAHSH



936 hee-shee-AH-nee 937 vah-oh-KHEL 938 vah-YOH-mehr



939 Adonoy 940 Eh-loh-HEEM 941 el 942 ha-nah-KHAHSH 943 kee



944 ah-see-TAH 945 zot 946 ah-ROOR 947 ah-TAH



948 mee-KOHL 949 ha-beh-heh-MAH 950 oo-mee-KHOHL



951 chay-YAHT 952 has-sah-DEH 953 ahl 954 geh-khoh-NEH-chah



955 teh-LEHKH 956 vuh-ah-FAHR 957 toh-KHOHL 958 kol



959 yeh-MAY 960 chay-YEH-chah 961 v'ay-VAH 962 ah-SHEET



963 bey-neh-CHAH 964 oo-VAYN 965 ha-ee-SHAH 966 oo-vayn



967 zah-ah-CHAH 968 oo-vayn 969 zahr-AH 970 hoo



971 yeh-shoof-CHAH 972 rosh 973 v'ah-tah



974 the-shoo-FEH-noo 975 ah-KEV 976 el 977 ha-ee-SHAH



978 ah-mar 979 hahr-bah 980 ahr-BEH 981 eets-voh-NEHCH



982 veh-he-roh-NEHKH 983 beh-EH-tsehv 984 teh-luh-DEE



985 vah-NEEM 986 veh-el 987 ee-SHEHKH 988 teh-shoo-kah-TEHKH



989 veh-hoo 990 yeem-SHOHL 991 bakh 992 oo-leh-ah-DAHM



993 ah-mahr 994 kee 995 shah-mah-TAH 996 leh-KOHL



997 eesh-teh-KHAH 998 vah-toh-KHOHL 999 meen



1000 ha-etz 1001 ah-sher 1002 tsee-vee-tee-CHAH 1003 leh-MOHR



1004 lo 1005 toh-CHOHL 1006 mee-MEH-noo 1007 ah-roo-RAH



1008 ha-ah-dah-MAH 1009 bah-ah-voo-REH-chah



1010 beh-eets-tsah-vohn 1011 toh-chah-LEH-noo 1012 kol



1013 yeh-MAY 1014 chai-YEH-chah 1015 veh-KOHTS



1016 veh-dahr-DAHR 1017 tahts-MEE-ahkh 1018 lach



1019 vah-ah-khahl-TAH 1020 et 1021 EH-sehv 1022 hahs-sah-DEH



1023 beh-zeh-AHT 1024 ah-PEH-chah 1025 toh-KHOHL



1026 LEH-chem 1027 ahd 1028 shuv-CHAH 1029 el



1030 ha-ah-dah-MAH 1031 kee 1032 mee-MEH-nah



1033 loo-KAHKH-tah 1034 kee 1035 ah-far 1036 AH-tah



1037 veh-el 1038 ah-fahr 1039 tah-shuv















GENESIS 1:1







1 beh-ray-SHEET 2 bah-rah 3 Eh-loh-HEEM 4 et (es)



5 hash-shah-MY-yeem 6 vuh-et 7 ha-AH-rets



















The above seven Hebrew words, read right to left, are the first



words in the Bible, Bereshis 1:1. In this Hebrew course, we are



going to read these seven words plus the first three chapters of



Genesis (up to the end of Gen. 3:19), and examine each of the



1039 words found there. In this way we will be able to not only



master the alphabet and the essentials of pronunciation and



grammar, but we will also be able to study in depth three of the



most important chapters in the Bible. This experience should



help us as we pursue a lifetime of study of the rest of the



Hebrew Bible. Let's look at these words one by one. [But first



get a CHUMASH and make an enlarged xerox of the first three



chapters of Bereshis (Genesis) and then take a red pen and number



the first 1,039 words up to the end of Gen. 3:19.



1. beh-ray-SHEET "in-the-beginning" is the first word. Find this



word in your Hebrew Bible. We are going to look at it's letters



one by one, right to left. This will just take a few minutes.



Then, as soon as we finish this one word, we are going to learn



the entire Hebrew ALEF BET, memorizing a different letter for



each prophecy about the Moshiach!!!!! The first syllable of



beh-ray-SHEET is made up of a consonant BET (it is pronounced "b"



as in "beginning") and a SH'VA, two vertical dots below the



letter, which, when it is vocal, has an "eh" sound as a



half-vowel as in "math-EH-ma-tics." The first syllable is



pronounced "beh." The second syllable is made up of a consonant



RESH (it is pronounced "r" as in "ray"), a vowel TZAYREH made up



of two horizontal dots below the letter pronounced "ay" as in



"pray," and a silent ALEF. The second syllable is pronounced



"ray." The third syllable is made up of, first, a consonant



SHIN. The letter SHIN is pronounced "SHEEN" and the sound is



pronounced "sh" as in "sheet" and is not to be confused with SIN,



a letter pronounced "SEEN" and the sound of the letter pronounced



"s" as in "see"). Notice the SHIN has a dot above the right side



and the SIN has a dot over the left side. Then we have a vowel



called CHEEREEK GADOL (a dot followed by a YUD and pronounced



"ee" as in "TREE"), and a consonant called a TAV (pronounced "t"



as in "tent"). (Note that TET also has a "t" sound; compare word



number #33 "tov"). The third syllable is pronounced "sheet." If



you take your Chumash and look at the CHEEREEK dot under the



SHIN, you will see a tipcha accent mark, a kind of slanted mark



to the left of the CHEEREEK. This is a musical note helping the



Baal Koreh or Reader sing or chant the reading in shul. It tells



us the proper pronunciation, that the accent is on the last



syllable, "beh-ray-SHEET." The accent is on the third syllable.



We know this thanks to the tipcha. We you buy a Biblical



Hebraica at your local Bible Society headquarters, a list of



these accents is provided in a handy book mark card. The "beh"



is the prefixed preposition meaning "in." Related words to the



root RESH ALEF SHIN are "rosh" ("head") and "ree-SHOHN" meaning



"first"). Now, if you want to jump in and learn the entire ALEF



BET then turn to Tehillim (Psalm) 119 where you get an acrostic



with eight repetitions of each letter of the ALEF BET with a new



letter introduced as the first letter for each new eight verses



of the Psalm: 8 ALEF's, 8 BET's, 8 GIMMEL, DALET, HAY, VAV,



ZAYIN, CHET,



TET, YUD, KAF, LAMMED, MEM, NOON, SAMECH, AYIN, PAY,



TZADE, KOOF, RESH, SIN/SHIN, TAV. Make a copy of each letter



and write it out eight times with its name as you study Psalm 119



and you will be ready to continue your lesson. Or here's a



better way to learn the Hebrew ALEF BET. Let's memorize a



different letter for each prophecy about the Moshiach, and



especially a key word in each prophecy that begins with that



letter. For example, TZEMACH (TZADE-MEM-CHET) starts with a



TZADE in Zecharyah (Zechariah) 6:12, where it says that YEHOSHUA



(Joshua/Yeshua) will have the name TZEMACH (MOSHIACH THE



"BRANCH" [OF DOVID]). So look it up in your Tanakh and memorize



TZADE--ZECHARYAH 6:11-12 YEHOSHUA SHMO TZEMACH



MOSHIACH. Then, learn some Hebrew calligraphy and start



designing a tract or a poster with the letters of the Hebrew ALEF



BET and the names and titles and prophecies of Moshiach in the



Tanakh. Hebrew sounds fun now, right? It is more than fun. It



is the most serious thing you can learn, and means the difference



between Shomayim and Gehinnom for 14 million Jewish people and 6



billion Gentiles now living on the face of planet earth.



ALEF, Moshiach is the "EH-ven" ALEF-VET-FINAL NOON, the "Stone"



that the builders rejected, TEHILLIM (PSALM) 118:22







BET, Moshiach is "beh-KHOHR" BET-CHAF-CHOLOM-RESH,



TEHILLIM (PSALM) 89:28(27), the "Firstborn" heir, the most



exalted king of the earth GIMMEL Moshiach is the "GOH-ehl"



"Redeemer"







GIMMEL-CHOLOM-ALEF-LAMMED, RUTH 2:20; IYOV (JOB)



19:25-26







DALET Moshiach is the "DEH-rekh ha-chay-YEEM" "the way of Life"



DALET-RESH-FINAL CHAF, YIRMEYAH (JEREMIAH) 21:8







HAY Moshiach is the one born of "ha-al-MAH" "the virgin" YESHAYAH



(ISAIAH) 7:14 HAY AYIN LAMMED MEM HAY with a miraculous



"he-ra-yohn" "conception" (RUTH 4:13)







VAV Moshiach is the one who will be violently killed "V'AYN LO"



"and not for himself" (DANIEL 9:26) VAV ALEF YUD FINAL NOON



ZAYIN Moshiach is the "ZEH-rah ha-ee-SHAH" "Seed of the Woman"



BERESHIS (GENESIS) 3:15 ZAYIN-RESH-AYIN and the "z'ROH-ah



HASHEM" "THE ARM OF THE L-RD" YESHAYAH (ISAIAH) 53:1



ZAYIN-RESH-CHOLOM-AYIN







CHET Moshiach is the "chem-daht kol ha-Goyim" "the desired of all



nations" CHAGAI (HAGGAI) 2:7 CHET-MEM-DALET-TAV meaning the



desired object







TET Moshiach is the one led like a lamb to the "The-vakh"



"slaughter" YESHAYAH (ISAIAH) 53:7, a word that refers to the



slaughter of animals, since Moshiach died on Pesach as a korban



pesach at the same time as the lambs were being



slaughtered by the kohenim TET-VET-CHET







YUD Moshiach is the one who will "yatz-DEEK"



YUD-PATACH-TZADE-SH'VA-DALET-CHEEREEK-YUD-KOOF



"justify" many, make them have a right standing before Hashem



YESHAYAH (ISAIAH) 53:11







KAF Moshiach is the one sold for thirty pieces of "KEH-sehf"



"silver" KAF-SAMECH-FINAL FAY ZECHARYAH (ZECHARIAH)



11:13







LAMMED Moshiach is the one born in "beth LECHEM"



LAMMED-SEGOL-CHET-SEGOL-FINAL MEM "house of BREAD"



MICHOH (MICAH) 5:1 (2)







MEM Moshiach is the "Moh-SHEE-akh" MEM-SHIN-YUD-CHET who will



be



violently killed and cut off from his people, but not for himself



DANIEL 9:26; YESHAYAH (ISAIAH) 53:8











NOON Moshiach is the one whose "NEF-esh" NOON-FAY-SHIN has to



undergo suffering YESHAYAH (ISAIAH) 53:10-11 and become an



"ah-shahm" guilt offering for the "transgressions of Israel"



YESHAYAH (ISAIAH) 53:8











SAMECH Moshiach is our "SEH-vel" bearer SAMECH-VET-LAMMED,



our



"burden" bearer, who carries away our sins YESHAYAH (ISAIAH)



53:11-12







AYIN Moshiach is the RIGHTEOUS "ahv-DEE" "My Servant"



YESHAYAH (ISAIAH) 53:11 AYIN-VET-DALET-YUD







PAY Moshiach is the one put to death and cut off from the land of



the living for the "PEH-shah ahm-mee" PAY-SHIN-AYIN



("transgression of my people Israel") YESHAYAH (ISAIAH) 53:8;



49:5; He is also our Pesach PAY-SAMECH-CHET korban lamb







TZADE Moshiach is the "tzad-DEEK ahv-DEE" "My Righteous Servant"



YESHAYAH (ISAIAH) 53:11 TZADE DALET YUD KOOF







KOOF Moshiach is the BEN YOSEF HAADON "SON OF JOSEPH THE



L-RD" who commands us to come "qah-ROHV" "near"



KOOF-RESH-CHOLOM-VET BERESHIS (GENESIS) 45:9-10;



MALACHI 3:1; YESHAYAH (ISAIAH) 1:24; ZECHARYAH



(ZECHARIAH) 4:14; 14:4; 6:5







RESH Moshiach is the "ro-EH" who is stricken



RESH-CHOLOM-AYIN-HAY



ZECHARYAH (ZECHARIAH) 13:7; see also YESHAYAH (ISAIAH)



53:8



SIN/SHIN Moshiach is the SEH HAELOHIM (LAMB OF G-D)



BERESHIS (GENESIS) 22:8; SHEMOT (EXODUS) 12:5-13; YESHAYAH



(ISAIAH) 53:7 SIN SEGOL HAY







TAV Moshiach is the one who brings the TORAH of the Besuras



haGeulah to the Nations



TAV-CHOLOM-RESH-KAMATZ-HAY (TORAH) YESHAYAH



(ISAIAH) 42:4







Now that we know our letters of the ALEF BET, let's return to



word #1, beh-ray-SHEET. This very important word tells us that



the creation had a definite beginning in historical time. There



was a time when the creation did not exist, indeed before time



itself. In the timeless eternity of G-d Himself, there was only



Eh-loh-HEEM and the Ruach Haelohim (the Spirit of G-d--Gen.1:3)



and the Dvar Hashem, the Word of G-d--Psa.33:6).



Genesis 1:1-2:1 tells us that G-d used His Spirit and His Word to



create everything that exists. So behind the finite universe



stands not G-dless Evolution but the Creator G-d. The



"steady-state" theory of the universe is a scientific speculation



that asserts that the universe had no beginning and will have no



end. This theory is refuted by this word beh-ray-SHEET which



asserts that the universe does have a beginning and also carries



the inference that the universe will have an end. Therefore,



Genesis is not merely a book of origins; it is an eschatological



(or end-times) teaching which is the way Revelation, Ezekiel,



Isaiah and other parts of the Bible interpret it. The "big-bang"



cosmological theory is more favored by scientists today than the



"steady-state" theory. The "big-bang" theory asserts that the



universe began with a primordial explosion and has a finite size



and age, meaning it had a definite beginning and will one day



have a definite end. It is not our purpose to speculate about



these theories, as to which is scientifically more defensible,



only to comment that the "steady-state" theory is Biblically



refuted. This does not mean that we are endorsing the "big-bang"



theory. But this idea of a definite beginning and a definite end



is what the Bible teaches, and this is also what the science of



cosmology (a branch of astronomy concerned with the origin of the



universe) has tended to confirm. However, scientists go through



great theoretical contortions trying to get around all the



enigmas involved in the fragmentary and frequently changing



character of their purported empirical scientific evidence (of



which much defies theory). They postulate the "big-bang theory"



and assert that the universe exploded into existence perhaps some



20 billion years ago, more or less, and project that the earth is



between 4.5 and 4.7 billion years old and that humans evolved



from some sort of apelike primate ancestor 2.5 million years ago.



Then, just when they are certain of their results and have



convinced themselves that their cosmological scientific theories



fit all the complexities of new astronomical discoveries, the



fossil record, radio-carbondating, paleontological discoveries,



etc, conflicting new data emerges and they are left to flounder



around with a lot of empty and passing ideas and unsettled



"conclusions" that are more a matter of blind faith than



scientific fact. "For the heavens are as high above earth as



G-d's thoughts are above our thoughts," Isaiah 55:9 says, and



things without number are beyond our comprehension. So we cannot



endorse any scientific theory. But we can find out what the



Bible teaches. Biblical faith is sure of this: if we reject the



words of Genesis and look elsewhere for an inerrant cosmology, we



will never find one, because mere man, unaided by the inspiration



of the Ruach Hakodesh of G-d, can never write an inerrant



cosmology, and to this, at least, the ever collapsing theories



and endless disputes of scientists eloquently concur.







2. bah-rah "(He) created" is the second word. You have had all



of these consonants. What are they? Review #1. The new vowel



point KAMATZ looks like a small T under the consonants BET and



RESH and is pronounced with an "ah" sound as in "card." This



same small T is sometimes a KAMATZ HATOOF pronounced "o" as in



"soft" in words like #450, meaning "from all" and pronounced



"mee-kohl" (#450), not "mee-kahl." The G-d of Israel is always



the subject of this verb in the Hebrew Bible, never man or pagan



deities. No one can "bah-rah" except the G-d of Abraham, Isaac



and Jacob. "Mother Nature" cannot "bah-rah," G-dless "Evolution"



cannot "bah-rah." Also, as every spiritually reborn believer



knows experientially, not psychotherapy, not human science, nor



human endeavor of any kind, but only G-d can "bah-rah" the new



creation we have in Moshiach Yehoshua. This verb bah-rah is in



the perfect tense, meaning the action is complete. G-d



accomplished the creation of everything and this is a finished



work. Since only G-d was in the beginning and everything else



came to exist as part of His creation, creation is creatio ex



nihilo, out of nothing. Without the use of pre-existing



materials G-d "called into existence the things that do not



exist" (Romans 4:17).











3. Eh-loh-HEEM "G-d" is the next word ALEF and CHEEREEK GADOL



we



have already had. Review #1. ALEF is a silent consonant. A



syllable in Hebrew never begins with a vowel. It always consists



of a consonant plus a vowel or a consonant plus a vowel plus a



consonant. CHATAF SEGOL under the first letter looks like five



dots and has an "eh" sound. LAMMED has an "l" sound. CHOLOM is



a dot above the consonant and has an "oh" sound. It can be



written with or without a VAV and in either case has an "oh"



sound. The second syllable is "loh." HAY is a consonant with an



"h" sound. And the "m" consonant is called a MEM but looks like



SAMECH but is more rectangular when it comes at the end of a word



as FINAL MEM as here (SAMECH has an "s" sound as in "six"). This



syllable is pronounced "heem." In your Biblia Hebraica the accent



mark under the HAY and to the left of the CHEEREEK marks this



word as the middle of the verse. This accent is called an atnah



(meaning "rest"). The word Eh-loh-HEEM is plural in form



(CHEEREEK YUD FINAL MEM is a plural ending) but singular in



meaning, here construed with a singular verb, "He created," not



"They created." (However, see Gen.35:7 Elohim "They were



revealed" to him. Also, see Ps.58:12.) This plural is called



"plural of majesty." So in the word for G-d we have the idea of



plurality in unity, the One G-d who is eh-KHAHD "one" in the



sense of complex unity, not yah-KHEED "one" in the sense of



absolute, uncompounded singleness. See these last two Hebrew



words in Deut.6:4 and compare Gen.2:24 and Jdg.11:34. 4.



"et" untranslated sign of the direct object is the next word,



which tells you that "the heavens and the earth" are the direct



objects of the verb and therefore are the objects of the verb's



action. Note the ALEF and the TZAYREH and the TAHV. Review #1



if you've forgotten these.







5. hahsh-shah-MAH-yeem "heavens, sky" is the next word. Note the



short horizontal dash under the HAY. This is called a PATACH and



is pronounced "ah" as in "card." The dot inside the SHIN doubles



the letter. We have already had all the other letters. What are



they? HAY is the definite article "the," used here because "the



heavens" and "the earth" (see #7) are nouns with unique



referents. Remember that a noun is the name of a person, place,



or thing. Notice here the plural ending CHEEREEK YUD FINAL MEM



as in Eh-loh-HEEM.







6. vuh-et "and (sign of direct object)" is the next word.



Notice the prefixed conjunction "and" VAV pronounced with a "v"



sound as in "vote." (Do not confuse this letter with ZAYIN



which has a "z" sound as in "zoo".) The name of G-d we will see



later contains the consonants YUD HAY VAV HAY.





7. ha-AH-rehts "the earth" is the next word. Notice the accent



under the ALEF indicating that this is the accented syllable. Do



you see the SEGOL? the KAMATZ? The last letter is a FINAL TZADE



which is the way the TZADE looks when it comes as the last



letter of a word. It is pronounced "ts" as in "fits" or tsuris



(Yiddish = "trouble"). Notice the definite article HAY at the



beginning of this word, "the earth." When compounded with "the



earth," "heaven" designates the whole cosmos; so this expression,



"the heavens and the earth" really means "everything." So Genesis



1:1 teaches an absolute beginning of everything that exists as a



direct act of G-d. This is why He alone is worthy of praise and



worship. Everything has its existence of Him and through Him and



from the good pleasure of His will.









GENESIS 1:2A





8 v'ha-AH-rets 9 ha-yeh-TAH 10 TOH-hoo 11 vah-VOH-hoo



12 vuh-KHOH-shekh 13 ahl 14 p'NAY 15 teh-HOHM









8. v'ha-AH-rets "and-the-earth" --Review #6 and 17.







9. ha-yeh-TAH "(she) was" --Notice the accent mark under the last



syllable. Look at the first syllable HAY KAMATZ. Look at your



three vowels (the SH'VA here is a half-vowel). Syllables that end



in a vowel-sound are called open syllables (meaning syllables



without a consonant ending), so we know to break the syllable



here and pronounce the word "ha-yeh-TAH," not "hi-TAH." This is



the way we write "she was" since "earth" is feminine in Hebrew.





10. TOH-hoo "nothingness. formless" --For the CHOLOM review #3.



Notice the SHURUK long vowel at the end, which looks like a dot



in the middle of a VAV. This has an "oo" sound as in "loot" and



is pronounced the same as KUBUTZ which is three slanted dots



under the consonant.







11. vah-VOH-hoo "and-empty, void" --On the prefixed conjunction



"and" see #6 and #8, here written with a KAMATZ instead of a



SH'VA. We had BET in #1. Without the dot it is VET and



pronounced "v" instead of "b" (vet, not bet). Notice the SHURUK.







12. vuh-KHOH-sheh~ "and-darkness" --See prefixed conjunction



"and." SH'VA is a half-vowel. It is pronounced quickly and softly



with the VAHV as "vuh." Do not confuse CHET



(pronounced "kh" as in "Sikh" or "ch" as in CHanukah) and HAY



(see #3) and DALET which has a "d" sound as in "doll" and FINAL



CHAF. Notice the two dots which must be written but have no



sound. This vowel has the same sound as the second letter CHET.



The dot in the KAF ("k" as in "kick") distinquishes it from the



CHAF. The KOOF also has a "k" sound. For the CHOLOM review #3.



Note the accent under the second syllable. For the SHIN see #1.



Note the SEGOL "eh" vowel under the SHIN.







13. ahl "upon" AYIN is a silent consonant like ALEF. Note the



PATACH and review #5. Note the LAMMED and review #3. This is a



preposition, since it is used before the noun in #14 and forms a



prepositional phrase with it modifying word #12.







14. p'NAY "faces-of, surface of" --PAY has a "p" sound as in



"put" and when the dot is absent is FAY with an "f" sound as in



"fit." FINAL FAY (see #403) is not to be confused with FINAL



CHAF. NOON is an "n" sound as in "not" but when it comes as the



last letter of a word looks like FINAL NOON in word #38 and is



not to be confused with VAV. Do not confuse GIMMEL which has a



"g" sound as in "get" with NOON which has an "n" sound as in



"not." TZAYREH is a vowel with an "ay" sound as in "pray" and is



two horizontal dots under the consonant. TSEREH can also be



followed by YUD as in #14 but is pronounced the same. (Do not



confuse TZAYREH with CHEEREEK which has only one dot under the



consonant and is pronounced "ee" as in "siesta" and may or may



not have a YUD following it.)







15. tuh-HOHM "the (oceanic) deep". "p'NAY" is said to be in



construct" with "tuh-HOHM" because p'NAY is closely connected



with the following word "tuh-HOHM" and also "p'NAY" has a



construct ending TZAYREH YUD. The accent under the second



syllable of "tuh-HOHM" marks this word as the middle of the



verse. Now let's review the alphabet, first the consonants,



then the vowels. Make sure you have a mental image of each one



and a sound in your ear for the sound of each as we go along.



You may have to go back over the last 15 paragraphs and look at



each word in the Tanakh and make flash cards for yourself. ALEF



BET VET GIMMEL DALET HAY VAV ZAYIN CHET TET YUD KAF



FINAL KAF



CHAF



FINAL CHAF LAMMED MEM FINAL MEM NOON FINAL NOON



SAMECH AYIN PAY FAY FINAL FAY TZADE FINAL TZADE



KOOF RESH SHIN SIN TAV. Make not of all of them as we go along



until you have mastered the ALEF BET. Now let's take the vowels.



KAMATZ (the vowel under the BET and the RESH in word #2),



PATACH (the vowel under the CHET in word #16),







TZAYREH (the vowel under the RESH in word #1),







SEGOL (the vowel under the RESH in word #7),







SH'VA (the vowel under the BET in word #1),







CHOLOM (the vowel dot above the HAY and to the left of the LAMMED



in word #3; also the third letter in word #15),







CHEEREEK (the vowel under the HAY in word #17),







KUBUTZ (the vowel under the CHAF in word #435, first word in



Gen.2:1, vah-yuh-khoo-LOO),



SHURUK (the last letter in word #93, yee-kah-VOO),







CHATAF KAMATZ (I could not find one in the first 1039 words. You



will see one only rarely. It is a KAMATZ with a SH'VA to the



right of it. Go to Ezekiel 39:14 and look at the next to the



last word, the first letter CHET and you will see a CHATAF KAMATZ



under it), CHATAF PATACH (the vowel under the ALEF in word



#424),







CHATAF SEGOL (the vowel under the ALEF in word #3).









Make flash cards for yourself for all vowels and the entire ALEF



BET using the relevant words I am giving you form Gen.1:1-3:19.



These will be learned by memorization and repetition, but it will



be fun because we are going to master this material and see the



doctrines of our faith in the words in the process. Just as you



did not learn English by listening to a lecture, so neither will



you learn Hebrew by merely staring at these pages. You must



become like a child with a crayon and write out your alphabet



and, as it were, once again make your own copy of "See Dick run.



See Jane run. See Spot run." Otherwise you will be like the kid



who says he can't ride bicycles and has never even got on one.



Practice writing in your own handwriting the first several verses



of Genesis. Purchase a large print Hebrew Bible (preferably the



Biblica Hebraica Stuttgartensia which I will show you how to use



and which will come in very handy when we get to the messianic



prophecies.) As you write each letter down, look it up above.















GEN.1:2B







16 vuh-ROO-ahkh 17 Eh-loh-HEEM 18 m'rah-KHEH-feht 19 ahl 20



p'NAY



21 hahm-MY-yeem













16. vuh-ROO-ahkh "and-Spirit-of" --Notice the PATACH is



pronounced before the CHET and not after it, as in mo-SHI-ach



(see Daniel 9:26) (Anointed One, Messiah). This is called furtive



PATACH and we will discuss it later.







17. Review word #3. The same Spirit of G-d in Exod.31:3 that



filled the artist Bezalel and equipped him to build the



tabernacle is at work here in creating the earth.







18. m'rah-KHEH-feht "brooding" from the root RESH CHET FINAL FAY



meaning "to hover tremulously, shake, tremble" as in Deut. 32:11



where it describes an eagle hovering over the young in its nest.



Like a giant eagle egg was the earth under the hovering Ruach



Hakodesh. See how your knowledge of Hebrew helps you read the



Bible on a whole new level of comprehension. You should now have



the motivation to want to read the next three chapters of Genesis



with us. The MEM at the beginning indicates it is a participle



or verbal adjective, here modifying "Spirit of G-d."







19. review #13.







20. review #14.







21. hahm-MY-yeem "the-waters" --The short vertical accent under



the first MEM indicates the end of the verse, and the large



colon-like marks after FINAL MEM always follow this accent and



function as the period of the sentence. Notice the dot in the



first MEM. A dot in a letter preceded by a full vowel indicates



doubling of the letter and the dot is called dagesh-fort.



(Remember, SH'VA is only a half-vowel, not a full vowel.) So the



"m" is doubled "hahm-MY-yeem." The usual form of the definite



article "the" prefixed at the beginning of a noun is HAY PATACH



with the dagesh-forte' in the following letter (doubling the



letter); see #5. However, notice the exception in #7, because



there is no dagesh-forte in the ALEF in #7 since HAY CHET AYIN



RESH ALEF do not have the dagesh dot in them. The doubling



dagesh or dot should not be confused with the pronunciation



dagesh that makes a BET out of a VET, a KAF out of a CHAF, and a



PAY out of a FAY, and can also appear in a GIMMEL, a DALET, and a



TAV, though not all these letters are pronounced differently in



modern Hebrew. This is called the b-g-d-k-f-t dagesh. So when



you see a dagesh dot in a letter, ask yourself if it is a



doubling dagesh or a b-g-d-k-f-t pronounciation dagesh.











GEN.1:3





22 vahy-YOH-mer 23 Eh-loh-HEEM 24 yeh-HEE 25 ohr







26 vah-yeh-HEE 27 ohr

















22. vahy-YOH-mehr "and-(He)-said" --Note the dagesh-forte in the



YUD, which indicates there are two YUDS "vahy-YOH-mehr." There



are two main tenses in Biblical Hebrew: the perfect tense, which



are actions that are completed as in "He said;" and the imperfect



tense, which are actions that are not completed as in "He will



say, He usually says, He might say.." The word ALEF MEM RESH,



is 3rd person masculine singular perfect of "he said." Here it



is a divine fiat that not only commands but commands effectively,



actually declaring the future and then causing what it declares



to come into being; see #24 and #26. In #22 the YUD indicates the



imperfect "he will say" but the VAV PATACH DAGESH conjunction



"and" not only connects this sentence with the preceding, it also



makes the imperfect "he will say" equivalent to the perfect "he



said," so we call it a VAV CONVERSIVE. The VAV PATACH DAGESH



VAV



CONVERSIVE is often attached to verbs in a sequence and reverses



their tense. When a verb is in the imperfect tense, the addition



of the VAV PATACH DAGESH VAV CONVERSIVE changes its



meaning to



that of the perfect tense. If the verb is in the perfect tense,



the addition of the reversing VAV changes its meaning to that of



the imperfect tense. If you looked up #22 in your Hebrew lexicon



(language dictionary) you would have to look up the word under



the root form ALEF MEM RESH. Remember that roots have three



letters and all other letters are prefixes and suffixes added to



the root. You have to subtract all of these to find the root and



therefore be able to know how to look up the word in the



dictionary. This is a very high frequency word and must be



memorized. Put it on your vocabulary flash cards. Remember the



conjunction "and" VAV SH'VA connects but the reversing VAV PATACH



DAGESH connects and changes the tense of the verb.







23. review #3.







24. yuh-HEE "shall be" or "let be" from HAY KAMATZ YUD KAMATZ



HAY



"he was"--see #9. The SH'VA is always vocal SH'VA if it is in the



first syllable like this. Compare the silent SH'VA in #28. The



initial YUD indicates the imperfect tense as in #22. However,



this tense is called the jussive, although in this case it is



written exactly like the imperfect. The jussive tense expresses



volition "let it be." G-d wanted light and that's what he called



forth and got. There are three kinds of imperatives in Hebrew



that you need to know about: cohortative ("let me/us do some



action [first person]), imperative ("you do some action [second



person]); jussive ("let it/him/her/them do some action [third



person]). Do not feel overwhelmed with all this; you will be



seeing all this new material over and over again as you go along



in Gen.chps. 1-3 and it will eventually sink in. Don't get



discouraged. Allow your mind to get the repetitions it needs to



begin to clarify everything conceptually through repetition.



This is how we learn.







25. ohr "light"





26. vah-yuh-HEE "and-(there)-was" --This word is written like an



imperfect verb with an initial YUD but has the CONVERSIVE VAV VAV



PATACH DAGESH in front of it, which switches it to a perfect "and



there was." Compare the two words "#26 and #24 to see how the



CONVERSIVE VAV VAV PATACH DAGESH throws the switch from



imperfect



to perfect, incomplete action to completed action. The CONVERSIVE



VAV VAV PATACH DAGESH is not merely a conjunction connecting the



previous part of the sentence. The CONVERSIVE VAV VAV PATACH



DAGESH converts the imperfect ("shall be") into a perfect tense



("there was").





27. see #25. The hyphen at #26 indicates that this word is to be



accented with #26 and pronounced with it.











GEN.1:4





28 vahy-YAHR 29 Eh-loh-HEEM 30 et (es) 31 ha-ohr 32 kee 33



tohv 34 vahy-yahv-DAYL 35 Eh-loh-HEEM 36 bayn 37 ha-ohr 38



oo-VAYN 39 ha-KHOH-shehkh

















28. vahy-YAHR "and-(He)-saw" --Notice the letter YUD indicates



imperfect tense "he will see" but the CONVERSIVE VAV VAV PATACH



DAGESH makes it perfect. Is the SH'VA silent or vocal? Review



#24. The root for "he saw" is RESH ALEF HAY in the Hebrew



dictionary.







29. review #3 if you need to.







30. review #4 if you need to.







31. review #25. What is HAY KAMATZ? Review #21. Why is there no



dot in the ALEF? Review #21. Look at the horizontal stroke or



hyphen-like mark (it's called a makkef "binder" and shows that



these two words are bound together and there is only one major



accent and it is on the last word of those bound) between #31 and



#30? Review #27. "The light" is the object of the verb of



perception "and-He-saw." Note the sign of the direct object #30.







32. kee "that" --This word can mean various things, depending on



the context: "that, but, except, because, for, when, if, as,



like." See p.155, William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and



Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Eerdmans, 1971.





33. tohv "good, beautiful, fit for its purpose" --Note the TET.



Notice the creation reflects the goodness of its Creator. This



little word refutes the gnostic false teacher Cerinthus (I



Yochanan 2:22, OJBC) who taught that the creation and the body



are evil and that therefore the divine good Moshiach could not



actually be the same as the dying man Moshiach Yehoshua in a real



(presumeably evil, according to Cerinthus) body.







34. vahy-yahv-DAYL "and-(He)-caused-a-division/separation" --from



the root VET DALET LAMMED ("to divide") with the HAY preformative



(indicating "cause to divide"). (We will explain what happened to



the HAY later; it has disappeared and the dot in the YUD is the



only trace of it.) If you look this word up in The Englishman's



Hebrew Concordance (p.181, Baker Book House Publishers) you see



that G-d is in the business of separating and causing division.



In Ezra 9:1 the Jews had not kept themselves separate from the



neighboring people and their detestable practices. In Num. 16:21



G-d said to Moses and Aaron, "Separate yourselves from this



wicked (Korah's) assembly so I can put an end to them at once.



But even before this, G-d caused a division between Cain and Abel



and between the children of Ishmael and Isaac. In Luke 12:51-52



Moshiach Yehoshua is the light causing a division in a household.



Notice the imperfect YUD and the CONVERSIVE VAV, VAV PATACH



DAGESH.





35. review #3.





36. bayn "between" --Notice the FINAL NOON.





37. review #25 and #31 if you need to.





38. oo-VAYN "and-between." The conjunction VAV SH'VA ("and") is



generally found written like a SHURUK before MEM FAY and VET and



vowelless consonants. Compare #36 and #38.







39. review #12. Do you see the definite article. Do you



remember why there is no dagesh dot in the CHET? Review #21.







GEN.l:5





40 vahy-yeek-RAH 41 Eh-loh-HEEM 42 lah-OHR 43 yom



44 v'lah-KHOH-shehkh 45 KAH-rah 46 LAI-lah 47 vah-yeh-HEE



48 EH-rev 49 vah-yeh-HEE 50 VOH-ker 51 yohm 52 eh-KHAD











40. vahy-yeek-RAH "and-He-called" --Notice the KOOF and review



#12. From KOOF RESH ALEF a root meaning "to call, to proclaim, to



read." This last definition is important in terms of certain



Masoretic marginal notes in your BHS (Biblica Hebraica



Stuttgartensia). The Masaretes were a new type of Hebrew Biblical



scholar and they came on the scene after 500 C.E. They developed



a system of notations to help preserve their critical and



explanatory notes of their authoritative exegetical guide to the



grammar and pronunciation etc of the Hebrew Bible. They would not



altar the consonantal text, but if they felt there was a scribal



error in the consonantal text, or if they knew of a textual



variant, they would put the word "to be read" KOOF RESH YUD



"kerey" in the margin with the abbreviation KOOF with a dot above



it and they would put this word's vowel points under the word in



the consonantal text. For example, in BHS Gen.8:17 the form that



is KAF TAV YUD VET (written) in the consonantal text is that Noah



VAV YUD TZADE ALEF "came out" but the word in the margin is in



the imperative HAY YUD TZADE ALEF "Go out". Taking this reading



as perferred, the New Revised Standard Version translates, "Then



G-d said to Noah, 'Go out of the ark.." whereas the NIV



translates the consonantal text, "And Noah came out..." The BHS



text is the so-called Masorah (collection of notes) of these



scribes plus a reproduction of Codex Leningradensis (1008 C.E.)



plus the critical apparatus at the bottom of the pages indicating



portions where other manuscripts or versions differ or where



scholarly research brings the BHS text into question. All of



these witnesses help us stay close to the original inerrant



autographs of the infallible Biblical authors. KOOF RESH ALEF =



he called YUD KOOF RESH ALEF = he will call + CONVERSIVE



VAV,



VAV PATACH DAGESH = "he called."







41. review #3.





42. lah-OHR "to-the-light" --The preposition "to, for" is



LAMMED.







43. yohm "day"





44. v'lah-KHOH-shehkh "and-to-the-darkness" VAV = "and" LAMMED =



"to, for" HAY PATACH DAGESH = def.art."the"--Notice the HAY of



the article elided (ignored) and its vowel PATACH is given to



LAMMED. We have had this word. Learn it. Review #12. 45.



KAH-rah "he called" --Review #40. This is the simple stem or



root of the verb. Most Hebrew roots consist of three letters



called radicals. The root is generally given in its simplest



verbal form, 3rd person masculine singular perfect.







46. LAHY-lah "night" --Notice we have a chiasmus (reversal in the



order of words" in verb/indirect object here:



"cal1ed-light/darkness-called." This expresses unity between the



two acts of naming as one action.







47. review #26.







48. EH-rehv "evening" as in erev Shabbat or Friday evening.



49. review #26.





50. VOH-kehr "morning" --Notice the accent under the VET.



51. review #43.





52. review #3. The cardinal "one" may be used for the ordinal



"first" in Hebrew. See Gen. 2:1 ha-eh-khad "the first." There



are those who assert that this "first day" must be a twenty-four



hour solar day. However, evening and morning appear three days



before the sun and moon, which the text says are to be for "days



and years" (1:14). Psalm 90:4 gives us the impression that a



cosmic day, from the divine point of view, might be a thousand



years or more, indeed a whole age or epoch. Since this section



has to do with life and eternal life and eternal righteousness



(Gen. 2:9,17; 3:22-24), the larger point seems to be that if even



G-d finds eternal rest at the end of his "week" of good works,



will not there be Chayyei Olam eternal life and rest and



righteousness and "glory and honor and peace for everyone who



does good" (Rom. 2:l0)? Made in the image of G-d to live by every



word that proceeds from the mouth of G-d, Man cannot live his



life's work-week for bread alone (Deut. 8:3; Yochanan 6:27),



since there is no true rest or food for his soul except in G-d



(Matt. 11:29). And those who doubt this fundamental teaching of



Torah should remember that the creation has been so ordered from



the beginning. Not only so, G-d will bring every deed into



eternal judgment when evening comes at the end of life's brief



"week" (Eccles. 12:14; Gen. 29:27-28; Dan. 9:24). The good G-d we



see at work in Gen. 1:1-2:3 reflects Himself in His good creation



in which everything is put together "decently and in order," the



"luminaries" of Day 4 interdependently pointing back to the



divine "light" in Day 1, the "birds and fish" of Day 5



symbiotically related to the separated rain clouds and oceans of



Day 2, the animals and man of Day 6 beneficially dependent on the



dry land and vegetation of Day 3, and, finally. all this divine



time of creative work dependent on the Sabbath of eternity, where



G-d returns when His good cosmos is finished, for this is where



He started "in the beginning" (Gen. 1:1).















GEN. 1:6





53 vahy-YOH-mer 54 Eh-loh-HEEM 55 yeh-HEE 56 rah-KEE-ah 57



buh-TOKH 58 hah-MY-yeem 59 vee-HEE 60 mahv-DEEL 61 bayn 62



MY-yeem 63 lah-MY-yeem













53. review #22.







54. review #3.







55. review #24.





56. rah-KEE-ah "dome"--This word is found in Ezek. 1:22-23



"spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what



looked like a dome, sparkling like awesome crystal." It is the



atmosphere seen as a vaulted ceiling or dome. The PATACH under



the AYIN is called PATACH furtive. Review #16.







57. buh-TOHKH "in midst of"







58. review #21.





59. vee-HEE "and let (it) be" review #24. This is YUD SH'VA HAY



CHEEREEK GADOL + "and" VAV so that the SH'VA contracts to



HEEREEQ forming VAV CHEEREEK.







60. mahv-DEEL "causing-a-division" --review #34. This is a



participle or a verbal adjective as indicated by the preformative



MEM. Because this participle follows the verb "to be" it



expresses continuing future action.







61. review #36.







62. MAH-yeem "waters"





63. lah-MAH-yeem "from-the-waters" = LAMMED = "from, to, for"



--Notice the KAMATZ replaces the normal PATACH under the MEM in



#62 and #63 because it's the last word in the sentence, the voice



rests upon it, strengthens the vowel, and words with such vowel



changes are said to be "in pause." Notice the final accent in the



verse, which is called siIluq. Look under the MEM. Notice the



aof passuq which looks like a colon (:) and marks the end of the



verse.















GEN.1:7







64 vah-YAH-ahs 65 Eh-loh-HEEM



66 et (es) 67 ha-rah-KEE-ah 68 vahy-yahv-DAYL 69 bayn 70



hahm-MY-yeem 71 ah-sher 72 mee-TAH-khaht 73 lah-rah-KEE-ah 74



oo-VAYN 75 hahm-MY-yeem 76 ah-sher 77 may-AHL



78 lah-rah-KEE-ah 79 vah-yeh-HEE 80 khehn









64. vah-YAH-ahs "and-(He)-made"--not SHIN but SIN. The root is



AYIN SIN HAY "he made" with the imperfect form "he will make" YUD



AYIN SIN HAY and VAV PATACH DAGESH conversive.





65. review #3.







66. review #4.







67. ha-rah-KEE-ah --review #56.







68. review #34.







69. review #36.







70. review #21.







71. ah-SHER "which" --This is a high frequency relative pronoun



meaning "who, which, that." Memorize it.





72. mee-TAH-khaht "from under" TAV CHET TAV means "under" and



MEM CHEEREEK FINAL NOON means "from" and the NOON is



assimilated or absorbed when the two words become one.





73. Study #56 and #63 and you ought to be able to figure this one



out by yourself.







74. review #38.







75. review #21.







76. review #71.





77. may-AHL "from upon" MEM CHEEREEK FINAL NOON = "from" +



AYIN



PATACH LAMMED "upon" with the FINAL NOON absorbed



lengthening the HEEREEQ under MEM to TZAYREH





78. lah-rah-KEE-ah "to the dome"





79. review #26 "and-it-was"





80. khehn "so" --The note in the textual apparatus of BHS for



#79 and #80 tells you that the Targum Ha-Shivim (Septuagint)



transposes this phrase to the end of verse 6. You will notice



that the symbol for the Greek translation of the Tanakh is an



ornate looking G. Cp = chapter. The two a's separated by a dash



next to 7 means that everything between those two a's is referred



to. Cf means compare. Each footnote is separated by parallel



double vertical lines. The apparatus footnote tells you that the



Targum Ha-Shivim translates "And G-d saw that it was good" into



Greek and inserts it at the end of verses 4,10,12,18,21,31, and



8. However, this is an inept attempt at standardization because



the Masoretic Text has this formula seven times to show the



complete perfection of G-d's works. If you want to know more



about the ancient versions referred to in the apparatus at the



bottom of each page (Samaritan Pentateuch, Syriac [Peshitta],



Latin Vulgate, Targum Onqelos, etc), get Ernst Wurthwein's The



Test of the Old Testament, Eerdmans Publishers, 1979.













GEN.1:8







81 vahy-yeek-RAH 82 vah-yeh-HEE 83 lah-rah-KEE-ah



84 shah-MY-yeem 85 vah-yeh-HEE 86 EH-rev 87 vah-yeh-HEE 88



VOH-ker 89 yom 90 shay-NEE











81. review #40. The little "s" like mark under the RESH in your



BHS is an accent.







82. review #3.







83. review #78.







84. review #5.







85. review #26.







86. review #48.







87. review #26.







88. review #50.







89. review #43.





90. shay-NEE "second." Notice in the BHS that the FAY to the left



of this word means paragraph, indicating a new paragraph begins



after that letter.















GEN. 1:9



91 vahy-YOH-mer 92 Eh-loh-HEEM 93 yee-kah-VOO 94



hahm-MY-yeem



95 mee-TAH-khaht 96 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 97 el 98 mah-KOHM 99



eh-KHAD 100 vuh-teh-rah-EH 101 ha-yah-bah-SHAH



102 vah-yeh-HEE 103 khehn















91. review #22.







92. review #3.





93. yee-kah-VOO "let be collected" --The root is KOOF VAV HAY



"he collects." The passive stem is indicated by a NOON



preformative. The word for the place for the tevilah immersion



is mikvah meaning a "gathering/collection of waters" using a MEM



prefix which is often used in noun-formations. Study this word



carefully. The YUD indicates the imperfect or jussive (review



#24) 3rd person singular. The dagesh forte in the KOOF indicates



the absorbed NOON prefix of the passive stem of the root. See



also #108. Many Jewish people believe they must take a mikvah to



remove a state of ritual impurity. This is a ritually prepared



bath for purification in accordance with various regulations.



Strictly observant Jews often attempt to purify themselves in



this way before Sabbaths and Festivals. Also, following the



menstrual period, a woman is required to immerse herself. This is



TET VET YUD LAMMED HAY "tevilah" or total immersion. This occurs



following seven "clean" days after the woman's last menstrual



period. Many Jewish women even take their dishes to the mikvah or



"ritualarium" to be immersed before ever using them. A complete



immersion is necessary. This ritual goes back to the kohanim in



the Torah who had to cleanse themselves from ritual impurity



derived from contact with unclean objects or circumstances. That



there were such ritual bath facilities at the time of Moshiach



Yehoshua is clear from excavations at the desert fortress Masada.



It is therefore clear that Yochanan the Tevilah immersionist was



a kohen (hereditary priest) navi (prophet) offering a tevilah



haTeshuvah "immersion of repentance." It is an absurd lie to say



that this is a Gentile ritual foisted on the Jewish people. See



Deut.23: l0-11.







94. review #21.







95. review #72.







96. review #5.





97. el "to"



98. mah-KOHM "place, location."







99. review #52







100. review #28. vuh-teh-rah-EH "and-she-shall-be-seen" --The



subject ("dry land") is feminine. TAV is a prefix for the



imperfect 3rd pers. fem. sing. just as YUD is a prefix for the



imperfect 3rd pers. masc.sing. Look at #21 to see why, although



the NOON prefix of the passive N-stem assimilates into the



previous letter, in this case, since it is a RESH there is no



dagesh forte in the RESH. See Isaiah 53:10 YUD RESH ALEF HAY "he



will see" which is predicated about Moshiach at the time of his



Resurrection after Moshiach was "cut off out of the land of the



living" (53:8).





101. ha-yah-bah-SHAH "dry land" = feminine noun. Notice the



def.art. HAY PATACH DAGESH "the"







102. review #79







103. review #80.











GEN.1:10







104 vaahy-yeek-RAH 105 Eh-loh-HEEM 106 lah-yah-bah-SHAH



107 EH-rets 108 oo-l'meek-VAY 109 hahm-MY-yeem 110 kah-RAH 111



yahm-MEEM 112 vahy-YAHR 113 Eh-loh-HEEM 114 kee 115 tov











104. Review #40.







105. Review #3.





106. Review #101. LAMMED prefix means "to, for." Review #97



and #78.







107. Review #7. EH-rets = "land."







108. Review #93 and #38 and #97. oo-luh-meek-VAY



"and-to-collection-of"







109. Review #21. In Biblical Hebrew there is no word to express



the English word "of' when it indicates either possession or



description as in "the house of Ruth" or a "word of kindness."



However, in Hebrew, when two nouns are linked together to create



a single idea, the first noun carries with it the meaning "of."



This noun is in what is called the construct state.







110. Review #40. kah-RAH "he-called"





111. yahm-MEEM "seas" YUD KAMATZ FINAL MEM = "sea." Notice



the KAMATZ under the YUD becomes PATACH when the plural is



formed



by adding CHEEREEK YUD FINAL MEM at the end, making the form



you



see here "seas".







112. review #28.







113. review #3.







114. review #32.







115. review #33.















GEN.1:11







116 vahy-YOH-mer 117 Eh-loh-HEEM 118 tahd-SHAY 119 ha-AH-rets



120 DEH-sheh 121 EH-sev 122 mah-zeh-REE-ah 123 ZEH-rah 124



aitz 125 p'REE 126 OH-seh 127 p'REE 128 leh-mee-NOH 129



ah-sher 130 zah-oh 131 voh 132 ahl 133 ha-AH-rets 134



vah-yeh-HEE 135 khehn









116. review #22. The simple stem is called the Qal stem. The



n-stem or passive stem is called the nifal stem. The h-stem or



causative stem is called the hifil stem. For example, "he ate"



is the Qal or simple stem. The nifal stem is "it was eaten," and



the hifil is "he caused to eat, he fed."







117. review #3





118. tahd-SHAY "she-shall-cause-to-spring-forth, sprout, be green



--The TAV prefix indicates the imperfect tense "she shall." The



PATACH under the TAV indicates that this is a HAY causative stem



verb "she shall cause." On this see also #122 and the causative



PATACH under the YUD in #34. The root is DALET SHIN ALEF and



we



see on page 75 of William Holladay's A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic



Lexicon of the the Old Testament (Eerdmans, 1971) that it is a



jussive as in #24, "let her sprout."







119. review #7.







120. DEH-sheh "grass, vegetation" see #118 DALET SHIN ALEF "be



green"







121. EH-sehv "herbs, plants"





122. mah-zeh-REE-ah "causing to seed" --Root ZAYIN RESH AYIN.



Notice the furtive PATACH and review #56 and #16. The prefix MEM



indicates the word is a verbal adjective or participle. We must



ask what noun it modifies and the answer is #121, "plants



yielding seed."







123. ZEH-rah "seed." The noun form of the previous word, the verb



ZAYIN RESH AYIN "it seeds, he sows." This is a very important



word. Yehoshua says that Abraham looked forward to seeing his



day (Yochanan 8:56). Yehoshua means that Abraham's seed in Gen.



12:7 refers to the Moshiach (see Gal. 3:16). David's seed (II



Sam. 7:12) also is a Messianic term. Isa. 53:10 says the



Moshiach shall see his seed (believers). The Seed of the Woman,



also a Messianic term, in Gen. 3:15 is ZAYIN RESH AYIN HAY "her



Seed."







124. aitz "trees, tree." --Look at 2:9, 17; 3:5,22. The "aitz



haDa'as tov varah" ("tree of the knowledge of good and evil" is



the tree of moral autonomy where men add to G-d's commandments



(Deut. 4:2) their own will and their own traditions (Mark 7:9)



and reject G-d's word in order to honor their own ideas about



what is good and evil. There is a way that seems right to a man



but whoever turns aside from the law and goes that way (Josh.



1:7) will find that its end is death (Prov. 16:25). On the other



hand, there is also the "aitz haChayyim" (the tree of life) which



if a man eat of it, he will live forever. This tree points to



Moshiach Yehoshua (Yochanan 5:46; 6:51; Rev. 22:l-2).







125. p'REE "fruit"





126. OH-seh "making" --This is a participle of ALEF SIN HAY "he



made" The CHOLOM indicates a participle or verbal adjective and



here it modifies "fruit trees."







127. review #125. "Baruch atah Adonoy Eloheinu Melech haOlam



bore p'ri hagafen. "Blessed art thou 0 L-rd our G-d, King of the



universe, who creates the fruit of the vine." Moshiach Yehoshua



gave this blessing over the Kiddush cup at his Last Pesach.



128. leh-mee-NOH "to-his-kind" --The pronoun suffix "his"



(CHOLOM) is at the end. The inseparable preposition LAMMED SH'VA



is at the beginning. The noun is MEM CHEEREEK YUD FINAL NOON



"kind."





The Bible says that G-d created the first member of each kind and



put the seeds of reproduction in each so that it could perpetuate



its kind. Evolution teaches that species simply evolve from one



to the other, and that if you have apes and you wait long enough



some of them will evolve into higher forms, that is, human beings



through ape like/man like inter-species "transitional forms."



This speculation is by no means proven to be true.







129. review #71.







130. zah-oh "his seed"





131. voh "in him." Notice the inseparable preposition BET SH'VA



"in." For the suffix review #123.





132. review #13.







133. review #7.







134. review #26.







135. review #80. Gen. 1:12













GEN.1:12







136 vah-toh-TSEH 137 ha-AH-rets 138 DEH-sheh 139 EH-sev 140



mahz-REE-ah 141 ZEH-rah 142 luh-meen-NAY-hoo 143 v'aitz 144



OH-seh 145 p'REE 146 ah-sher 147 zah-roh 148 voh 149



leh-meen-NAY-hoo 150 vahy-YAHR 151 Eh-loh-HEEM 152 kee 153 tov













136. vah-toh-TSEH "and-she-caused-to-bring-out"--the PATACH under



the VAV is causative --(review #118). The root YUD TZADE ALEF



means "go out" in the Qal stem and in the hifal stem stem it



means "caused to go out" or "bring out" (review #116). The TAV



is imperfect 3fs "she will cause to go out" but the VAV PATACH



DAGESH CONVERSIVE converts it to the perfect "she caused to go



out."





137. review #7.







138. review #120. The New Revised Standard Version punctuates



this by putting a colon after #138.







139. review #121.







14O. review #122.







141. review #123.





142. luh-meen-NAY-hoo "to-his (its) kind" --Review #128. The HAY



SHURUK ending is the full form of the pronominal suffix meaning



"his" or "him." The TZAYREH under the NOON is a connecting



vowel.





143. review #124.







144. review #126.







145. review #125.







146. review #71.







147. review #130.







148. review #131.







149. review #142.







150. review #28.



151. review #3.







152. review #32.







153. review #33.















GEN. 1:13



154 vah-yeh-HEE 155 EH-rev 156 vah-yeh-HEE 157 VOH-ker



158 yom 159 sheh-lee-SHEE















154. Review #26.







155. Review 148.







156. Review #26.







157. Review #50.







158. Review #43





159. shuh'lee-SHEE "third." What does the FAY mean after #159 in



BHS? It means new paragragh. The SAMECH before the first word



in Genesis mean Sedarim. There are 167 Sedarim or lessons in the



Torah. This mark divides the Hebrew Bible into 452 lessons. On



page 85 in the BHS you have the counts for Genesis. It says "Sum



of the verses of book, thousand and five hundreds and thirty and



four 1000 500 30 4 and mid-point is "VAV AYIN LAMMED (makkef)



CHET RESH BET FINAL CHAF (this is the middle verse--see p. 43 in



BHS) and paragraphs 45. As the Masoretes counted also every



letter, they could avoid scribal errors where words were



inadvertently added or subtracted from the text as the scribe's



eye skipped on the text as he was writing. On page 353 in BHS we



are told that there are 79,856 words in the Torah. In this



course we will read 1039 of them. According to page 353 in the



BHS, there are also 400,945 letters in the Torah, but we will not



count them; we will take the Masoretes' word for it. Amen?











GENESIS 1:14







160 vay-YOH-mer 161 Eh-loh-HEEM 162 yeh-HEE 163 meh-oh-ROHT



164 bee-r'KEE-ah 165 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 166 leh-hahv-DEEL



167 bayn 168 ha-YOM 169 oo-VAYN 170 ha-LAI-lah



171 veh-ha-YOO 172 leh-oh-TOHT 173 oo-l'moh-ah-DEEM



174 oo-leh-yah-MEEM 175 veh-shah-NEEM











#160. Review #22.







161. Review #3.







162. Review #24.





#163. meh-oh-ROHT "luminaries" --The MEM in front, if taken



away reveals, the word ALEF CHOLOM RESH or "light."





#164. bee-r'KEE-ah "in-dome-of" --This word is in construct



with #165 (review #109). Review #1 and #56.





#165. review #5.







166. leh-hahv-DEEL "to-cause-a-separation." Notice the HAY.



This word is the causative hifal stem. On LAMMED SH'VA "review



#97.







#167. Review #36.







168. Review #43. Do you see the definite article? Review #21.







#169. Review #38.





#170. Review #46. Do you see the definite article? Review #21.



The luminaries (carefully not mentioned by name since many



worship them as g-ds--see Deut. 17:3) divide the day from the



night, the moon lighting the night, the sun lighting the day.



SHEMESH is the name for "sun" and yah-RAY-ach is the name for



"moon."







#171. veh-ha-YOO "and they shall be" --This is the verb "to



be."







#172. leh-oh-TOHT "for signs (that is, of fixed times)" --ALEF



CHOLOM TAV = "sign"







#173. oo-leh-moh-ah-DEEM "and for seasons" from MEM CHOLOM



AYIN



DALET = mo'ed = "season" --Notice the plural ending. Review #3.



The conjunction VAV SH'VA before a consonant with SH'VA (in this



case LAMMED SH'VA) is written SHURUK (SHURUK is always written



with VAV used as a vowel-letter).







#174. oo-leh-yah-MEEM "and days" --Review #43.





#175. veh-shah-NEEM "and-years" --SHIN NOON HAY "sha-nah" =



"year." On Rosh Hashanah we say shah-nah tov-ah.













GEN.1:15







176 veh-ha-YOO 177 lee-moh-ROHT 178 bee-r'KEE-ah



179 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 180 leh-ha-EER 181 ahl 182 ha-AH-rets



183 vah-yeh-HEE 184 khehn











#176. Review #171.







#177. Review #163. Contrast the feminine plural ending here



CHOLOM TAV with the masculine plural ending we've encountered



many times thus far CHEEREEK YUD FINAL MEM.







#178. Review #164.







#179. Review #5.





#180. leh-ha-EER "to-cause-to-shine/light" from the verb ALEF



CHOLOM RESH = "be/become light" in the hifil stem HAY ALEF YUD



RESH with the causative force here in the infinitive. Review



#116.





#181. Review #13.







#182. Review #7. "to-cause-to-shine/light upon the earth."



Charles Darwin's speculations would lead one to believe that what



looks like design and a Designer in nature (the so-called



Teleological Argument for the existence of G-d) is actually



"natural selection" wherein, for example, the skunk's



odor-generating capacity was not designed and put there by G-d



for its protection but was a chance variation or mutation



retained in the process of evolution for its advantageousness in



the survival of that species. But natural selection cannot



explain the inorganic adaptation in the universe, wherein the



earth and the sun are in such a relationship to each other that



life and breath are possible, a fact that indicates there is



design and a Designer in the universe, as this verse teaches. Had



the earth not been designed to have the particular size and mass



and position in the ecosphere (region around the sun) that it is



favored with, it would not have the kind of atmosphere it enjoys,



with oceans and clouds of water (review Gen. 1:6-8), oxygen-rich



air, and a temperature conducive to life. Slightly closer to or



farther from the sun and the earth might never have developed



life. Mercury essentially has no atmosphere and Venus has one



that is 90 times denser that the earth's and is composed



primarily of carbon dioxide, with some sulfuric acid. Can earth's



favored status be decribed by any "survival of the fittest



planet" theory? Of course not. Also, to say that the earth's



size, mass, ecospheric position, etc is a fortuitous accident



producing a breathable atmosphere quite gratuitiously and without



a Designer's plan is as absurd as asserting that Rembrandt's



paintings were produced by paint accidently spilled on a canvass.



The causative force in word #180, a hifil stem infinitive, shows



that there is a Designer and the sun and the moon were formed by



Him in order to cause light to shine on the earth, "leh-ha-EER"





#183. Review #79 and #26.







#184. Review #80.















GEN.1:16







185 vah-YAH-ahs 186 Eh-loh-HEEM 187 et (es) 188 shuh-NAY 189



ham-meh-oh-ROHT 190 ha-guh-doh-LEEM 191 et (es)



192 ham-mah-OHR 193 ha-gah-DOHL 194 leh-mehm-SHEHL-et



195 ha-YOM 196 vuh-et 197 ham-mah-OHR 198 ha-kah-TOHN 199



leh-mehm-SHEHL-et 200 ha-LAHY-lah 201 vuh-et



202 ha-koh-khah-VEEM















#185. Review #64.







#186. Review #3.







#187. Review #4.







#188. shuh-NAY "two-of" --Review #90. This is in the construct



state of the number sh'nayim (where the dual ending of CHEEREEK



YUD FINAL MEM for objects that go in pairs) has been altered to



TZAYREH YUD to show this word is in contruct with #189.



#189. Review #163. ham-mah-ohr "luminary, light" (HAY MEM ALEF



CHOLOM RESH) is masculine noun, although in the plural it has a



feminine plural ending. Review #177.







#190. ha-guh-doh-LEEM "the great" --Notice this adjective



(called an attributive adjective) follows the noun it modifies



and agrees with it in the masculine plural ending (it has



CHEEREEK YUD FINAL MEM since #189 is a masculine plural noun).



An attributive adjective agrees with the noun it follows in



gender, number, and definiteness.







#191. Review #4.







#192. Review #163.







#193. ha-gah-DOHL "the great" --Review #190.





#194. leh-mehm-SHEHL-et "for-dominion-of" from MEM SHIN



LAMMED



"he rules, has dominion. This is a very important thematic word



in Genesis and the Hebrew Bible. The sun and the moon rule over



the day and the night (Gen. 1:18), the husband rules over the



woman/wife (Gen. 3:16); Mankind is to rule over the fish of the



sea and birds of the air and all creation (Gen. 1:28); Joseph



will rule (Gen. 37:8); Moshiach is to be a ruler in Israel (Micah



5:1-2); Psalm 8:6 (7) says, "Thou madest him to have dominion;



Anti-Moshiach will rule, Dan. 11:43; Moshiach will rule (Zech.



6:13) and will have dominion from sea to sea (Zech. 9:l0). By



using this linking the matic word you can show what Moshiach



Yehoshua meant when he said the Bible is speaking about him,



really, all the way through (Luke 24:27). This kind of in-depth



study of the Scriptures is impossible without some grasp of the



Hebrew. The first MEM is a noun preformative. The TAV is a



feminine ending. You know the inseparable preposition LAMMED



SH'VA (review #97. It can mean "to" or "for," in this case



"for").







#195. hay-YOHM "the day" --Review #43.





#196. Review #6.







#197. Review #163.





#198. ha-kah-TOHN "the small."







199. Review #194.





#200. Review #46. Do you see the definite article HAY PATACH



DAGESH?







#201. Review #6.







#202. ha-koh-khah-VEEM "the stars" --KAF CHOLOM CHAF VET



"koh-KHAHV" = "star." A koh-KHAHV will come out of Ya'akov



(Jacob) according to Num. 24:17. A false Moshiach was named "Son



of a Star" or Bar Kokh-vah and hundreds of thousands of Jewish



people perished because they listened to a rabbi who taught them



to believe in such men and to reject the true Messianic



prophecies and doctrines of our Shluchim. (This took place



during the time of the Second Jewish revolt about a hundred years



after the resurrection of the Moshiach.)







Ironically, this rabbi is considered a hero to this day, and no



one blames the "false Moshiach holocaust" he was partially



responsible for on him, though those who use blanket statements



to blame the Holocaust on followers of our Moshiach would never



blame their hero rabbi. This is terrible hypocrisy and



irrationality. Incidently, while you're learning Hebrew, you



probably should pick up a little inexpensive paperback, The



Signet HEBREW-ENGLISH ENGLISH/HEBREW Dictionary, by Dov Ben



Abbe



(Signet New American Library, 1977). If you look on page 143 in



the Hebrew half, you will see how to pronounce koh-KHAV. I also



recommend Zevi Scharfsteins Shilo Pocket Dictionary because it



has many important Biblical and theological words.













GEN.1:17







203 vahy-yee-TEHN 204 oh-TAHM



205 Eh-loh-HEEM 206 bee-r'KEE'ah 207 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 208



leh-ha-EER 209 ahl 210 ha-AH-rets













#203. vahy-yee-TEHN "and he gave/set/put" --Root NOON TAV FINAL



NOON, "he gave/set/put" --The dagesh forte is an assimilated NOON



as in #72. This is a Qal imperfect with VAV CONVERSIVE giving it



perfect force. Review #22.





#204. oh-TAHM "them" This is the sign of the direct object ALEF



TAV (review #4) with the masculine plural pronominal suffix



KAMATZ FINAL MEM, condensed together.







#205. Review #3.







#206. Review #164.







#207. Review #5.







#208. Review #180.







#209. Review #13.







#210. Review #7.















GEN.1:18







211 vuh-leem-SHOHL 212 bah-YOM 213 oo-vah-LAI-lah



214 oo-lah-hahv-DEEL 215 bayn 216 ha-OHR 217 oo-VAYN



218 ha-KHOH-shehksh 219 vahy-YAHR 220 Eh-loh-HEEM 221 kee



222 tov







#211. Review #194.







#212. Review #43 and #l.







#213. Review #38. #44, #46.







#214. Review #34. Remember HAY = causative. What is LAMMED?



Review #42.







#215. Review #36.







#216. Review #25.





#217. Review #38.







#218. Review #12.





#219. Review #28.







#220. Review #3.





#221. Review #32.







#222. Review #33.













GEN.1:19







223 vah-yeh-HEE 224 EH-rev 225 vah-yeh-HEE 226 VOH-kehr 227 yom



228 reh-vee-EE











#223. Review #26.







#224. Review #48.







#225. Review #26.







#226. Review #50.







#227. Review #43.





228. ruh-vee-EE "fourth" --Now count from one to four:



eh-KHAD (one) shuh-nayim (two) shalosh (three) ahr-ba (four)











GEN.1:20







229 vahy-YOH-mehr 230 Eh-loh-HEEM 231 yeesh-ruh-TSOO



232 hahm-MY-yeem 233 SHEH-retz 234 NEH-fehsh 235 chai-YAH



236 vuh-OHF 237 yuh-oh-FAYF 238 ahl 239 ha-AH-rets 240 ahl



241 p'NAY 242 r'KEE-ah 243 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem











#229. Review #22.







#230. Review #3.





#231. yeesh-ruh-TSOO "they shall swarm" from SHIN RESH FINAL



TZADE "it swarmed" --imperfect active 3rd person plural.





#232. Review #21. Notice that this is the subject of #231.



#233. SHEH-retz "swarm" or, collectively, swarms. This noun is



formed with the same root letters as #231.





#234. NEH-fehsh "soul, being, breath"





#235. chai-YAH "living thing" (a feminine noun) --Translate



#234 and #235 together as "living creatures." When this word is



chayyim it means "life."







#236. vuh-OHF "and bird"





#237. yuh-oh-FAYF "he shall fly" --Imperfect 3rd person



masculine of AYIN VAV FINAL FAY "he flew."





#238. Review #13.







#239. Review #7,







#240. Review #13.







#241. Review #14.





#242. Review #78.







#243. Review #5.

















GEN.1:21







244 vahy-yeev-RAH 245 Eh-loh-HEEM 246 et (es)



247 ha-tahn-nee-NEEM 248 ha'geh-doh-LEEM 249 v'et 250 kohl



251 NEH-fesh 252 ha-chai-YAH 253 ha-roh-MEH-set 254 ah-sher



255 shah-ruh-TSOO 256 hahm-MY-yeem 257 luh-mee-nay-HEHM 258 v'et



259 kol 260 ohf 261 kah-NAHF 262 luh-meen-NAY-hoo 263 vahy-YAHR



264 Eh-loh-HEEM 265 kee 266 tov













#244. vahy-yeev-RAH "and-(He)-created" --Review #2. Do you see



that this is imperfect "he-will-create" YUD VET RESH ALEF with



CONVERSIVE VAV PATACH DAGESH?







#245. Review #3.







#246. Review #4.







#247. ha-tahn-nee-NEEM "the sea-monsters" --Root TAV NOON YUD



FINAL NOON --This word is used of the powerful creatures G-d has



made. In Isaiah 27:1 the word is used of Leviathan the serpent



whom the L-rd will destroy and who symbolizes the power of evil



and the anti-G-d nations.







#248. Review #190. An adjective, when attributive, follows its



noun, and agrees with it in gender, number and definiteness.



Compare the endings of #248 and #247.







#249. Review #6.







#250. kohl (not kahl) This KAMATZ is a KAMATZ HATOOF and is not



pronounced like a KAMATZ. It means "all." It can also mean "any."



Review #15.







#251. Review #234.







#252. Review #235.





#253. ha-roh-MEH-set "the (one) creeping/moving" --A participle



from the root RESH MEM SIN "he creeped/glided along/moved



about." The participle stresses the doer of the action. The



participle is also like an adjective modifying in this case word



#235, a feminine noun. Therefore we should not be surprised to



see a feminine ending TAV on this participle.







#254. Review #71.





#255. shah-ruh-TSOO "they swarmed" --Review #231.





#256. Review #21.





#257. luh-mee-nay-HEHM "to their kinds/types" --Review #128.



HAY SEGOL FINAL MEM at the end of this form is a pronominal



suffix 3rd person masculine plural "their."







#258. Review #6.







#259. Review #250.





#260. Review #236.





#261. kah-NAHF "wing" --This word is found in Daniel 9:27 where



it means "wing" ..."and on a wing will be a desolating



abomination: even until the End, even one being decreed (by G-d),



overwhelms the desolator." This passage is about a wing of the



Beis Hamikdash that the Anti-Moshiach will desecrate. The



winglike top corner of the Temple could be the pinnacle of



Mat.4:5, or possible the winglike top corner of the altar.





#262. Review #142.







#263. Review #28.







#264. Review #3.







#265. Review #32.





#266. Review #33.



















GEN.1:22







267 vah-yeh-vah-REHKH 268 oh-tahm 269 Eh-loh-HEEM 270 lay-MOHR







271 peh-ROO 272 oor-VOO 273 oo-meel-OO 274 et



275 hahm-MY-eem 276 ba-yahm-meem 277 v'ha-OHF 278 YEE-rev



279 ba-AH-rets















267. vah-yeh-vah-REHKH "and (He) blessed" from the root BET RESH



FINAL CHAF, "he blessed." Now here you have a new stem, the piel



intensive stem. The characteristic of the intensive piel stem is



dagesh forte in the second radical or letter of the root, in this



case RESH. However, as we saw in #21, RESH rejects the dagesh



dot so you cannot use that indicator to identify this word as a



piel. You must just memorize it as a piel stem.







#268. Review #204.







#269. Review #3.





#270. lay-MOHR "to say" --We translate this as "saying" and



know that what follows is a direct quotation that should be put



in quotation marks.







#271. peh-ROO "be-ye-fruitful" --a Qal imperative 2nd person



plural of PAY RESH HAY, "he bore fruit/was fruitful." Yochanan



15:5,8 is an allusion to this verse.







#272. oo-ruh-VOO "and-multiply-ye/increase ye --a Qal



imperative 2nd person plural of RESH VET HAY "he multiplied.



#273. oo-meel-OO "and-fill-ye" from the root MEM LAMMED ALEF



"he filled" a Qal imperative 2nd person plural.





#274. Review #4.







275. Review #21.







#276. Review #111.







277. Review #236.







#278. YEE-rehv "let it multiply" --Review #272.







#279. Review #1 and #7.















GEN.1:23







280 vah-yeh-HEE 281 EH-rev 282 vah-yeh-HEE



283 VOH-kehr 284 yom 285 chah-mee-SHEE













#280. Review #26.







#281. Review #48.







#282. Review #26.







#283. Review #50.





#284. Review #43.







#285. khah-mee-SHEE "fifth."













GEN.1:24







286 vay-YOH-mer 287 Eh-loh-HEEM 288 toh-TSAY 289 ha-AH-rets



290 NEH-fesh 291 chai-YAH 292 luh-mee-NAH 293 beh-hay-MAH



294 vah-REH-mehs 295 veh-chay-TOH 296 EH-rets 297 leh-mee-NAH



298 vah-yeh-HEE 299 khehn













#286. Review #22.







#287. Review #3.





#288. toh-TSAY "let her cause to bring out" hifil imperfect 3rd



person feminine singular at YUD TZADE ALEF "he went forth."



Review #136. This word in the hifil means "produce" both here



and in #136.







#289. Review #7. This is the feminine subject of #288.





#290. Review #234 end #235.







#291. Review #234 and #235.







#292. luh-mee-NAH "to her kind" --Review #128 and note the



difference between the masculine singular pronominal suffix



CHOLOM and the feminine singular pronominal suffix KAMATZ HAY,



here and in Gen. 3:l5 "her seed" (i.e. the Moshiach). The dot in



the HAY is not a dagesh but a mappiq to differentiate the 3fs



suffix from a feminine noun ending KAMATZ HAY, as in the next



word, #293, which is a feminine noun.







#293. beh-hay-MAH "beast, animal, cattle"





#294. vah-REH-mehs "and creeping things" --Review #253.





#295. vuh-khahy-TOH "and beast of." The TAV tells you that



chay-YAH "beast" is in construct with #296. The CHOLOM is an old



ending, now obsolete. This word "beast" is what the King of



Babylon becomes in Dan. 4:13(16) for seven "times" or years. In



chps 13,17,18 in the book of Revelation the King of Babylon is



the Anti-Moshiach "Beast" who makes unsaved people take the "mark



of the Beast." See. Rev. 16:2. Although the word in Daniel is



Aramaic, it is the same word. Remember that Anti-Moshiach Beast



Hitler who made the Jewish people carry the mark of his tatoo,



marking them for death. This kind of word study helps one follow



Yochanan's thought. The Anti-Moshiach will be a killer, like a



wild animal, and he will have not one shred of humanity or human



compassion or mercy. Don't confuse this word for the noun



"beast" with the word (verb) for "be/stay alive" or the word



meaning "life," Chai, or this same word in the plural, Chayyim.







#296. Review #7.







#297. Review #292.





#298. Review #79.







#299. Review #80.













GEN.1:25







300 vay-yah-ahs 301 Eh-loh-HEEM 302 et 303 chay-yaht



304 ha-AH-rets 305 leh-mee-NAH 306 v'et 307 ha-beh-he-MAH



308 leh-mee-NAH 309 v'et 310 kol 311 REH-mes 312 ha-ah-dah-MAH



313 leh-mee-NAY-hoo 314 vay-yahr 315 Eh-loh-HEEM 316 kee 317 tov













#300. Review #64.







#301. Review #3.







#302. Review #4.







#303. Review #295.







#304. Review #7.







#305. Review #292. "after her kind."







#306. Review #6.







#307. Review #293.







#308. Review #292.







#309. Review #6.







#310. Review #250.







#311. Review #253.







#312. ha-ah-dah-MAH "the ground, the earth" --Keep in mind that



this word is made of the same root radicals or letters as Man



(ALEF DALET FINAL MEM, which is like saying that the first man



was named Mr. Mud (which is surely what his name was after the



fall!). This word-play is lost in English. Another reason to



learn Hebrew. There is the Adam from the mud and there is the



Adam from Shomayim.





#313. Review #292.







#314. Review #28.







#315. Review #3.







#316. Review #32.







#317. Review #33.















GEN.1:26







318 vay-YOH-mehr 319 Eh-loh-HEEM 320 nah-ah-SEH 321 ah-DAHM



322 bay-tsahl-MAY-noo 323 kee-duh-moo-TAY-noo 324 vuh-yeer-DOO



325 veed-GAHT 326 ha-YOM 327 oo-vuh-OHF 328 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem



329 oo-va-beh-hey-MAH 330 oo-veh-CHOL 331 ha-AH-retz



332 oo-veh-KHOL 333 ha-REH-mes 334 ha-roh-MESH 335 ahl



336 ha-AH-rets















x#318. Review #22.







#319. Review #3.





#320. Review #64. See the NOON -- this tells you the form is



1st person common plural "we." However, here the verb is not



imperfect but cohortative--"let us make." G-d is speaking to His



Spirit mentioned back in 1:2. Up till now G-d has used the



jussive ("let there be"); now He uses the cohortative ("let us



make") as He prepares to use His Spirit in the creation of a



unique spiritual being made in His image, namely Mankind. Because



of the complexity in the being of the One G-d, He can communicate



with his rational creative Word (Ps. 33:6) and also with His



Spirit. Man, who is likewise both rational and spiritual can



deliberate within himself like G-d does in Gen. 11:7 NOON RESH



DALET HAY "let us go down" and Isaiah 6:8 "Who will go LAMMED



KAMATZ NOON SHURUK for us?"





#321. ah-DAHM "mankind" (not a proper name here in this verse).



ha-ah-DAHM "the man." Ah-dahm = Adam.





#322. bay-tsahl-MAY-noo "in-our-image" --Notice the



inseparable preposition at the beginning of the form. Review #1.



The root is TZADE SEGOL LAMMED SEGOL FINAL MEM "image" as



in



p.306 in your Hebrew lexicon and as in Gen.5:3 "when Adam had



lived 130 years he had a son in his own image." Review #321 to



see how human beings resemble G-d in a way that animals, lacking



rationality and a human spirit, do not. Notice the pronominal



suffix "our" (NOON SHURUK at the end of the form. Not "my image"



but "our image." Elohim HaAv, and Ben haElohim Moshiach Chochmah



of G-d (Psa. 2:7; Mishle 30:4) and the Ruach Hakodesh. Moses was



made aware of the complexity within the unity of the One G-d who



is Eh-loh-HEEM and Roo-ahkh ha-Eh-loh-HEEM, the Spirit of G-d and



D'vahr ha-Eh-loh-HEEM, the Word of G-d. It is foolhardy and



faithless to assert that such an idea is foreign to the Hebrew



Bible when it is literally staring right at you there in the



text.







#323. "kee-duh-moo-TAY-noo" according to our likeness" as in



Ezek. 1:26 where it says that on G-d's throne was the "likeness



as the appearance of a man" --the root is d'mut DALET SH'VA MEM



SHURUK TAV "likeness." KAF SH'VA "as, while, according to" is



an inseparable preposition.





#324. vuh-yeer-DOO "and let them rule" --root RESH KAMATZ



DALET KAMATZ HAY "he rules." This is jussive 3rd person masculine



plural. Man is like G-d in that he can rule over the rest of the



creation with G-d-like dominion.





#325. vee-duh-GAHT "over the fish of" --root DALET GIMMEL HAY



= "fish." The TAV tells you it is in construct with #326.



Review #109.







#326. Review #111.





#327. oo-vuh-OHF Review #236. There are a few rules to



remember concerning when the SH'VA is pronounced with an "uh"



sound. (Otherwise it is a silent syllable divider as in #324.)



SH'VA is generally pronounced at the beginning of a word as in



#1. SH'VA is generally pronounced if there are two of them, in



which case only the second of them would be pronounced as in



#231. A SH'VA under a dotted letter is generally pronounced as



in #189. A SH'VA is generally pronounced when it follows CHEEREEK



as in #325 or #397, when it follows SHURUK as in #330, when it



follows CHOLOM as in #826, when it follows TZAYREH, as in #853,



and when it follows KAMATZ as in #255 (though there are



exceptions, so let the accents help you). The SH'VA is generally



silent in the following CHATAF PATACH, CHATAF SEGOL, CHATAF



KAMATZ







#328. Review #5.







#329. Review #293.







#330. Review #250.



#331. Review #7.







#332. Review #250.







#333. Review #294







#334. Review #253







#335, Review #13.







#336. Review #7.















GEN.1:27







337 vay-yeev-RAH 338 Eh-loh-HEEM 339 et



340 ha-ah-DAHM 341 beh-tsahl-MOH 342 beh-TSEH-lehm



343 Eh-loh-HEEM 344 bah-RAH 345 oh-TOH 346 zah-KHAR



347 oon-keh-VAH 348 bah-RAH 349 oh-TAHM















#337. Review #244.







338. Review #3.







339. Review #4







#340. Review #321 and #312.





#341. buh-tsahl-MOH "in His image" --Review #322 and #128.



#342. buh-TSEH-lehm. Notice the accent. Review #322.





#343. Review #3.







344. Review #2.





#345. oh-TOH "him" Review #204. When for any reason it is better



to put the suffix somewhere else rather than at the end of the



verb, it can be connected with the sign of the direct object ALEF



TAV as here, CHOLOM + ALEF TAV = #345. Review #128.



#346. zah-KHAHR "male"





#347. oo-neh-keh-VAH "and female" from NOON KOOF VET HAY



"female." The inseparable conjunction ("and") VAV before a



consonant with SH'VA becomes SHURUK as here and also in #327 and



#330. When you see the ending KAMATZ HAY as here, it is an



indication of feminine gender. Notice mankind is ma1e and



female, humanity being incomplete one without the other, and the



complex unity of the Echad G-d not reflected without



male-and-female, two who can generate three. A similar



reflexion of G-d and his complex personhood is found in Daniel



7:13-14.







#348. Review #2.







#349. Review #204.

















GEN.1:28







350 vah-y'vah-rech 351 oh-TAHM 352 Eh-loh-HEEM 353 vay-YOH-mehr



354 lah-HEHM 355 Eh-loh-HEEM 356 p'ROO 357 oor-VOO



358 oo-meel-OO 359 et 360 ha-AH-rets 361 veh-kheee-vuh-SHOO-hah



362 oor-DOO 363 beed-gaht 364 hay-YAHM 365 oo-vuh-OHF



366 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem 367 oo-veh-khohl 368 chai-YAH



369 ha-roh-MEH-set 370 ahl 371 ha-AH-rets















#350. Review #267.







#351. Review #204.







#352. Review #3.







#353. Review #22.







#354. Iah-HEHM "to them." Review #63.



You need to know these pronominal suffixes.







3ms HAY SHURUK or KAMATZ YUD VAV or CHOLOM "his,"







3mp HAY SEGOL FINAL MEM "their, them" (as in this word #354)



3fs HAY KAMATZ or KAMATZ HAY with mappiq (see #292) "her"







3fp HAY SEGOL FINAL NOON "their, them"







2ms FINAL CHAF with KAMATZ "you, your"







2mp CHAF SEGOL FINAL MEM "you, your"





2fs FINAL CHAF with SH'VA "you, your"







2fp CHAF SEGOL FINAL MEM "you, your"







1cs CHEEREEK YUD "my, me"







1cp NOON SHURUK "our, us" (see #320)







#355. Review #3.







#356. Review #271.



#357. Review #272.







#358. Review #273.







#359. Review #4.







#360. Review #7.





#361. veh-khee-vuh-SHOO-hah "and subdue-you (plural)-her" from



KAF VET SHIN, "he subdues" --Review 3fs pronaminal suffix in



#354. Notice the KUBUTZ under the SHIN and review #15. This is



the SHURUK written defectively. #356, #357, #358 and this word



are all masculine plural imperatives or commands. These are



commandments to the human race. You should be aware of all the



imperatives in the Bible because obeying G-d is your duty. All



these imperatives look like the 2mp imperfect active verb without



the TAV in front.







#362. oo-ruh-DOO "and rule ye." Review #324. Another imperative.



Does not G-d command us to rule and reign and be overcomers?



Remember Revelation's refrain "to him who overcomes I will



give...?" Notice this word and how it unifies the meaning: The



sun rules over the day, the moon rules over the night, the tree



rules over eternal life, mankind rules over creation in the



divine image and after the divine likeness, the husband rules



over the wife, the Moshiach will rule over (actually crush



Satan's head) the seed of the Serpent, and G-d rules over all.



The Fall is rebellion against this G-d-ordained ruling order in



the cosmos. The Olam Hazeh is in rebellion, just as Rav Sha'ul



was as long as he was part of the world and attacking the



Messianic Jewish people. Do you think it's time you stop your



rebellion?







#363. Review #325. Is the SH'VA pronounced? Review #327.







#364. Review #111. Notice the definite article. The article



cannot be prefixed to a noun in the construct state (#363 is in



the construct state--review #109); if the article is needed, it



is given to the noun following, as here.





#365. Review #236.







#366. Review #5.







#367. Review #250.







#368. Review #295 "living."







#369. Review #253.







#370. Review #13.







#371. Review #7.















GEN.1:29







372 vahy-YOH-mehr 373 Eh-loh-HEEM 374 hee-NAY



375 nah-TAH-tee 376 lah-khehm 377 et 378 kol 379 EH-sev 380



zoh-RAY-ah 381 ZEH-rah 382 ah-sher 383 ahl 384 p'NAY



385 khohl 386 ha-AH-rets 387 v'et 388 kol 389 ha-aitz 390 ah-sher



391 boh 392 p'REE 393 aitz 394 zoh-RAY-ah 395 ZAH-rah



396 lah-KHEHM 397 yee-heh-yeh 398 leh-ohkh-LAH













#372. Review #22.







#373. Review #3.





#374. hee-NAY "Look!" This word means "pay attention."



Unfortunately, we don't pay attention to eating habits, even



though G-d has made the gift of vegetables and green, leafy herbs



and fruits available "for food" to the human race. Nutritionists



know that these will not have the adverse effects on health that



other types of diets have. Obese people often lose weight by



eating lots of vegetables and cutting down on other foods. This



verse needs to be meditated on by people who are foodoholics.



Look at what Prov. 23:20-21 says about the glutton ZAYIN CHOLOM



LAMMED TZAYREH LAMMED who gorges himself on flesh/meat.



#375. nah-TAH-tee "I have given" --Qal perfect 1st common



singular. Someday when you are depressed and you feel you have



nothing, take your Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of



the Old Testament (Baker Book House Publishers) and look up NOON



TAV FINAL NOON "he gives" and see the hundreds and hundreds of



times it occurs on pages 851-863 in that book and you will be



overwhelmed with all G-d has given you and the world and the



Jewish people.





#376. Review #42 and #354.







#377. Review #4.







#378. Review #250.





#379. Review #121.





#380. zoh-RAY-ah "seed-bearing" This is a participle as we see



from the CHOLOM. Participles are also indicated by a preformative



MEM. Review #122.







#381. Review #123.







#382. Review #71.







#383. Review #13.







#384. Review #14.







#385. Review #250.







#386. Review #7.







#387. Review #6.







#388. Review #250.







#389. Review #124.







#390. Review #71.





#391. Review #131. Notice the dagesh makes it "boh" instead of



"voh."







#392. Review #125. This is in construct with #393. Review #109.





#393. Review #124.







#394. Review #380.





#395. ZAH-rah "seed" Review #123 and #3 (the accent we spoke of



in #3 has lengthed this vowel because it is "in pause").



#396. Review #42 and #354.





#397. yee-huh-yeh "he/it shall be" imperfect 3ms of #24. Is the



SH'VA pronounced? Review #327.





#398. luh-ohkh-LAH "for food" --See the verb "he ate" in #116.















GEN.1:30







399 oo-leh-khohl 400 chai-YAHT 401 ha-AH-rets 402 oo-leh-KHOHL



403 ohf 404 hash-shah-MY-yeem 405 oo-leh-KHOHL 406 roh-MES



407 ahl 408 ha-AH-rets 409 ah-sher 410 boh 411 NEH-fesh



412 chai-YAH 413 et 414 kohl 415 YEH-rek 416 EH-sev



417 leh-ohkh-LAH 418 vay-yeh-HEE 419 khehn

















#399. Review #250. "and-to-every-of."







#400. Review #295.







#401. Review #7.







#402. Review #250.







#403. Review #236.







#404. Review #5.







#405. Review #250.





#406. Review #253. Do you see the CHOLOM that makes this a



participle? Review #380.







#407. Review #13.







#408. Review #7.







#409. Review #71.







#410. Review #131.







#411. Review #234.





#412. Review #235. Translate #234 and #235 as "breath of life."



#413. Review #4.







#414. Review #250.





#415. YEH-rehk "green" from YUD RESH KOOF "green."





#416. Review #121.







#417. Review #398.







#418. Review #79.







#419. Review #80.















GEN.1:31







420 vay-yahr 421 Eh-loh-HEEM 422 et 423 kohl 424 ah-sher 425



ah-SAH 426 v'hee-NAY 427 tov 428 meh-OHD 429 vah-yeh-HEE 430



EH-rev 431 vah-yeh-HEE 432 VOH-kehr 433 yom



434 ha-shee-SHEE















#420. Review #28.







#421. Review #3.







#422. Review #4.





#423. Review #250.







#424. Review #71.







#425. Review #64.





#426. Review #374.







#427. Review #33.





#428. meh-OHD "very, exceedingly." This 13 an adverb modifying



the adjective #427. The perfection and harmony of the universe



and the earth and all that is in it is "very good."







#429. Review #26.







#430. Review #48.







#431. Review #26.







#432. Review #50.







#433. Review #43.







#434. "ha-shee-SHEE" "the sixth." Go back and make sure you can



count from one to six in Hebrew.















GEN.2:1







435 vah-yuh-khoo-LOO 436 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem



437 veh-ha-AH-rets 438 vuh-KHOHL 439 tseh-vah-AHM















#435. vah-yuh-khoo-LOO "and they were finished" from the root



CHAF LAMMED HAY "he finished." Review #116 and #267 where you



were introduced various verb stems and the force of their



meaning. In the piel (intensive active) stem, this verb means



finish. In the pual (intensive passive) this verb means "be



finished" which is the meaning here. The KUBUTZ in verbal forms



marks the passive, and under the first radical or letter of the



root, as here, marks the pual stem.





#436. Review #5.







#437. Review #7.







#438. Review #250.







#439. tsuh-vah-AHM "their hosts, array" from TZADE VET ALEF,



"army, host." The L-rd is the L-rd of Hosts or Armies in the



Bible, Adonoy Tz'vaot. --Notice the pronominal suffix, "their



array." Review #354.















GEN.2:2







440 vah-yuh-KHOHL 441 Eh-loh-HEEM 442 bahy-YOM



443 hah-shuh-vee-EE 444 meh-lahkh-TOH 445 ah-sher 446 ah-sah



447 vahy-yeesh-BOHT 448 bah-YOM 449 hash-shuh-vee-ee



450 mee-KOHL 451 meh-lahkh-TOH 452 ah-sher 453 ah-sah















#440. vah-yuh-KHAHL "and he finished." Review #435.





#441. Review #3.







#442. bahy-YOHM "by the day" Do you see the definite article has



been omitted? When the definite article HAY PATACH DAGESH is



preceded by a preposition (as here) it is omitted and its vowel



is thrown back to fall under the preposition. Do you see the



dagesh of the definite article in the YUD? What two things tell



you the definite article is hidden in this word? Remember it is



not "by day" but "by the day." Moshe Rabbeinu is teaching, "If



G-d can finish all His work by the Sabbath, why can't you



Sabbath-breakers finish all your work by the Sabbath?" #443.



hah-shuh-vee-EE "the seventh". (Jewish people "sit shivah" or



seven days as a period of avelut (mourning) when a loved one



dies). Review #248.







#444. muh-lahkh-TOH "his work" Review #354. This is a noun MEM



LAMMED ALEF CHAF HAY = "work, occupation. workmanship, service."



Shliach Sha'ul says that whoever is not willing to engage in



this, let him not engage in eating either (II Thes. 3: 10).



#445. Review #71.







#446. Review #64.





#447. vahy-yeesh-BOHT "and he rested" Qal imperfect with



CONVERSIVE VAHV. --root SHIN VET TAV "he rested." This is where



we get the noun SHABBAT or Sabbath, which we see begins on Friday



evening and ends on Saturday evening, with Yom Rishon, Yom



HaAdon, actually starting on Saturday evening and ending just



before Sunday evening, according to the Biblical reckoning that a



day begins at evening. The early believers in the Brit Chadasha



observed both days (I Cor. 16:2; Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:l0; Acts



21:20) and, since the thing that ultimately matters is the new



birth, we're warned not to take an arrogant attitude toward



either day or toward anyone who observed either day (Rom.



14:5,l0). However, in Jewish ministry we cannot neglect starting



messianic synagogues with a full array of week-end services where



we minister on both Shabbos and Yom haAdon the days like the



first Brit Chadasha Kehillah in Yerushalayim.







#448. Review #442. The preposition can mean "by, in, on, over,



with." Here it means on.







#449. Review #443.







#450. mee-KOHL --Review #250 and #72. "from all of."







#451. Review #444.







#452. Review #71.







#453. Review #64.















GEN.2:3







454 vah-y'vah-REHKH 455 Eh-loh-HEEM 456 et 457 yom



458 hash-shuh-vee-ee 459 vah-yuh-kah-DAYSH 460 oh-TOH 461 kee



462 voh 463 shah-VAHT 464 mee-KOHL 465 muh-lahkh-TOH



466 ah-sher 467 bah-RAH 468 Eh-loh-HEEM 469 lah-ah-SOHT



















#454. Review #267.







#455. Review #3.





#456. Review #4.







#457. Review #43.







458. Review #443.







#459. veh-yuh-kah-DAYSH "and he made holy, he sanctified, set



apart" --from KOOF DALET SHIN "he was holy." This is the piel



(intensive or causative) stem. Review #267 and look for the



dagesh forte in the second radical or letter of the root.



#460. oh-TOH "it" Review #204 and #354.





#461. Review #32.







#462. Review #32 but here it means "because."





#463. Review #447.







#464. Review #450.







#465. Review #444.







#466. Review #71.







#467. Review #2.







#468. Review #3.







#469. This is the Qal infinitive of the verb you had at #64.



There are two infinitive forms, the infinitive construct and the



infinitive absolute. When you see a preposition (as here) affixed



to an infinitive or pronominal suffixes attached to the end, you



know it is an infinitive construct. The infinitive construct is a



verbal noun, the name of the action or state expressed by the



verb. Here "to make" = "in making. creating." So here we see



that rest is holy, not worldly recreation. Notice the SAMECH in



the right hand margin of BHS next to this word and review #159.



This is the end of the first of 167 Sedarim in the Torah.











GEN.2:4







470 EH-leh 471 tohl-DOHT 472 hahsh-sha-MY-yeem 473 veh-ha-AH-rets



474 buh-hee-bahr-AHM 475 buh-YOHM 476 ah-SOT 477 Adonoy



478 Eh-loh-HEEM 479 EH-rets 480 v'shah-MY-yeem













#470. EH-leh "these" --This is a demonstrative pronoun. You



need to learn it. Also "this" ZAYIN SEGOL HAY (masculine) and



"this ZAYIN CHOLOM ALEF TAV (feminine).







#471. tohl-DOHT "account/history of generations." Here we see



that the creation of the heavens end the earth was an historic



event as opposed to the Greek idea of the eternality of the



universe. This word #471 is a major organizing word for



outlining the book. See its reappearance 5:1; 6:9; 10:1;



11:10,27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2.







#472. Review #5.







#473. Review #7.







#474. buh-hee-bahr-AHM "when to be created them" or "in their



being created." Review #2. This is a Nifal (passive stem)



infinitive construct (review #469) governed by the preposition



BET. The nifal NOON has become dagesh forte in the VET (review



#203). The other sign that this is a nifal infinitive construct



stem is the KAMATZ under the first radical with the HAY in front



of it. Do you see that the pronominal suffix is "them" or



"their" (review #354).







#475. Review #448 but here no def. article.







#476. Review #469.







#477. The original pronunciation of YUD HAY VAV HAY is sacred



but we say Hashem (literally, the Name). The JW cult



mispronounces and blasphemes his holy name. Jewish people read



Adonai and put the vowel points of that word under this word in



order to remind them not to use the sacred name itself. Review



#6.







#478. Review #3.







#479. Review #7.







#480. Review #5. We need to make this verse more fluent in



English, "This is the history of the generations of the heavens



and the earth when they (the heavens and the earth) were



created."















GEN.2:5







481 vuh-KHOHL 482 SEE-ahkh 483 hahs-sah-DEH484 TEH-rehm 485



yee-heh-YEH 486 vah-AH-rets 487 vuh-KHOHL 488 EH-sev 489



hahs-sah-DEH 490 The-rehm 491 yeets-MAHKH 492 kee 493 lo 494



heem-TEER 495 Adonoy 496 Eh-loh-HEEM 497 ahl



498 ha-AH-rets 499 vuh-ah-DAHM 500 AH-yeen 501 lah-ah-VOHD 502 et



503 ha-ah-dah-MAH















#481. Review #250.







#482. SEE-ahkh "desert shrub of"--Review #16 to pronounce the



last syllable.







#483. hahs-sah-DEH "the field" Root SIN DALET HAY = "field,



land."







#484. TEH-rehm "not yet" --This is en adverb, here modifying



the verb in #485.







#485. Review #397.







#486. Review #7.







#487. Review #250.







#488. Review #121.







#489. Review #483.







#490. Review #484.





#491. yeets-MAHKH "he sprang up" --Root TZADE MEM CHET "he



sprouted, branched out." This verb has the same root letters



found in the noun for the allegorical name of the Moshiach, "The



Branch" TSEH-mahkh in Jer. 23:5-6 and Zech. 3:8; Ezra 3:8;



6:11-12. and it says Yehoshua/Yeshua is "his" name. In Acts 7:45



we find out that the Greek word for Yehoshua, Joshua, and Yeshua



is all the same word, proving that the Hebrew name of our



Messiah, Yehoshua, according to the Brit Chadasha and the Tanakh



Scriptures is the name of Moshiach. (See HOW TO POINT TO



MOSHIACH IN YOUR RABBI'S BIBLE on this word from our AFII



website at http://www.afii.org ) This is a Qal imperfect 3ms



verb. Remember the imperfect tense has the incomplete idea that



the action of the verb had not yet come to pass or is not



completed.







#492. Review #32.







#493. loh "not, no."





#494. heem-TEER "he had caused rain" --The root is MEM TET RESH



"he/it rained" but the HAY preformative means it is the hifil



stem of the root. Review #116.







#495. Review #477.







#496. Review #3.







#497. Review #13.







#498. Review #7.







#499. Review #321.







#500. AH-yeen "was not" --This is a substantive (noun) meaning



"nothing" but it is used as a predicate "and there was not." See



the word used in Dan.9:26, "And after the 62 heptads Moshiach



will be cut off and there was not to him." Or "Moshiach will be



cut off [violently killed] and not for him [i.e. for himself, see



Isaiah 53:5 "he was wounded/pierced for OUR transgressions," not



for HIS transgressions.]







#501. lah-ah-VOHD "to work" --Qal infinitive construct of the



verb AYIN VET DALET "he worked, served." The CHOLOM is a sign of



the Qal infinitive construct. Review #469.







#502. Review #4.







#503. Review #312. In the beginning, everything is barren



because the L-rd had not yet "worked" the land by causing rain



to fall on it, and there was not yet a man to "work" the land by



tilling it or farming it. We see here that when man comes an the



scene, G-d intends him to be a fruitful co-laborer with G-d (I



Cor. 3:9).















GEN.2:6







504 veh-EHD 505 yah-ah-LEH 506 meen 507 ha-AH-rets



508 veh-heesh-KAH 509 et 510 kohl 511 p'NAY 512 ha-ah-dah-MAH















#504. veh-EHD "but spring".







#505. yah-eh-LEH "it used to go, rise" --Qal imperfect of AYIN



LAMMED HAY, "he went up." The imperfect in past sense expresses



duration or customary action.







#506. Review #72. #507. Review #7.







#508. veh-heesh-KAH "and He watered" --Root SHIN KOOF HAY "he



gave to drink, he watered." This is the hifal stem. Do you see



the HAY? The CONVERSIVE VAV VAV PATACH DAGESH gives the



verb



the



same force as the verb in #505. Review #21 for why there's no



dagesh or dot in the HAY.







#509. Review #4. #510. Review #250. #511. Review #20.



#512. Review #312.















GEN. 2:7







513 vahy-yee-TSEHR 514 Adonoy 515 Eh-loh-HEEM 516 et



517 ha-ah-DAHM 518 ah-FAHR 519 meen 520 ha-ah-dah-MAH



521 vahy-yee-PAHKH 522 beh-ah-PAHV 523 neesh-MAHT 524



chai-YEEM



525 vay-yeh-HEE 526 ha-ah-DAHM 527 luh-NEH-fesh 528 chai-YAH















#513. vahy-yee-TSEHR "and He formed" Root YUD TZADE RESH "he



formed" --This is the Qal imperfect with CONVERSIVE VAHV VAV



PATACH DAGESH







#514. Review #477. #515. Review #3. #516. Review #4.







#517. Review #321.







#518. ah-FAHR "dust." If one sees how a dead body decomposes and



in time becomes dust, it does not take much of a chemist to see



that such is the "stuff" of which the body is made and returns.



Man is made of dirt, he works or tills the dirt, and he returns



to it (see 3:19 where the same word is used), but if we are the



clay, G-d is the potter who shapes us (see #513).







#519. Review #72.







#520. Review #312.







#521. vahy-yee-PAHKH "and He breathed" from the root NOON FINAL



NOON FAY CHET meaning "to blow." The NOON is assimilated into



dagesh forte in the PAY. Do you see why it is perfect and not



imperfect? CONVERSIVE VAHV changes imperfect to perfect. G-d



breathed the breath of life into Man's nostrils (Gen.2:7), and it



is through the nostrils that man breathes so also lives. (See



Isa.2:22, which says "Turn away from mortals, which has only the



breath in its nostrils. Of what account are they?") The sneeze of



the son of the Shunammite woman in II Kings 4:35 showsthat life



has returned. But more profoundly Yochanan says, "In Him was (the



breath of divine) life, and the life was the light of Man"



(Yochanan 1:4) and he breathed on them (to regenerate them in the



divine life) and they received the Ruach Hakodesh (Yochanan



20:22).







#522. beh-ah-PAHV "into his nostrils" --Root is ALEF FINAL FAY



nose. 3rd masculine singular suffix, review #354.







#523. Review #234. This word is in construct with #235.







#524. Review #235.







#525. Review #24 and #26. --"and he became" (the subject of this



verb is #526.







#526. Review #321. #527. Review #234. #528. Review #235.















GEN.2:8







529 vahy-yeet-TAH 530 Adonoy 531 Eh-loh-HEEM 532 gahn



533 beh-EH-dehn 534 mee-KEH-dehm 535 vah-YAH-sehm 536 shahm



537 et 538 ha-ah-DAHM 539 ah-sher 540 yah-TSAR















#529. vahy-yeet-TAH "and he planted" from NOON TET AYIN "he



planted" Review #203.







#530. Review #477. #531. Review #3. #532. gahn "garden".



#533. beh-EH-dehn "in Eden." Notice the accent.







#534. mee-KEH-dehm "from East, in East" --KOOF DALET FINAL MEM



=



East. Review #72.







#535. vah-YAH-sehm "and he put" --Root SIN YUD FINAL MEM = he



put.







#536. "shahm" there. #537. Review #4.







#538. Review #321. #539. Review #71.







#540. Review #513.































GEN.2:9







541 vahy-yahts-MAHKH 542 Adonoy 543 Eh-loh-HEEM 544 meen



545 ha-ah-dah-MAH 546 kohl 547 aitz 548 nehkh-MAHD



549 leh-mahr-AY 550 vuh-tov 551 leh-mah-ah-KHOHL 552 vuh-aitz



553 ha-chai-YEEM 554 beh-TOHKH 555 ha-gahn 556 vuh-aitz



557 ha-DAH-aht 558 tov 559 vah-RAH















#541. vahy-yahts-MAHKH --Review #491. The PATACH under the



preformative is an indicator of the hifil stem. Review #116. "he



caused to sprout forth."







#542. Review #477. #543. Review #3. #544. Review #72.



#545. Review #312.



#546. Review #250. Before an indefinite noun (without the



definite article) this word may mean "all kinds of."







#547. Review #124. "all kinds of trees."







#548. nehkh-MAHD "being pleasant"--from NOON CHET MEM RESH



"to



be desirable" --The NOON indicates nifal. Review #116.



#549. leh-mehr-AY "to sight" Review #28. The noun is formed out



of the verb by the prefix MEM.







#550. Review #33.







#551. leh-mah-ah-KHOHL "for food." "Good for eating." Review



#398.







#552. Review #124.







#553. Review #295. Do you see how the plural ending might be a



"plural of extension" (as in AYIN CHOLOM LAMMED MEM YUD



FINAL



MEM which is the plural of AYIN LAMMED FINAL MEM "ancient time,



ages" and in the plural means everlasting ages or eternity or



forever as in Isaiah 51:9 (cf. Isa. 53:1) regarding the Z'ro'a



Hashem Moshiach)? Remember the plural ending of Elohim is not a



true plural but a plural of majesty or plural of excellence."



The word #553 is in the Hebrew Bible used of endless life not



only in Daniel 12:2 but from the beginning, right here, as is



clear in Gen. 3:22 "he might reach out his hand and take also



from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever." So the notion



that the concept of Chayyei Olam (Eternal Life) is a late idea



in Judaism is a liberal untruth. Such was the Besuras haGeulah



from the beginning. We are making every sacrifice to see Jews



and Non-Jews delivered from judgment because as Daniel 12:2 makes



clear, Shomayim and Gehinnom are forever.







#554. Review #57. "In the middle of" suggests its central



importance.







#555. Review #532. #556. Review #124.







#557. ha-DAH-ahs "the knowledge" from the root YUD DALET AYIN



"he knew." Review #248. Notice the accent under the second



syllable.







#558. Review #33.







#559. vah-RAH "and evil RESH AYIN = evil. Review #124 for the



meaning of this expression.















GEN. 2:10







560 veh-nah-HAHR 561 yoh-TSEH 562 meh-EH-dehn



563 leh-hahsh-KOHT 564 et 565 ha-gahn 566 oo-mee-SHAHM



567 yee-pah-REHD 568 veh-hai-YAH 569 leh-AHR-bah-ah



570 rah-SHEEM















#560. veh-nah-HAHR "and river/stream."







#561. Review #288. "going forth" The CHOLOM tells you this is an



active participle of the Qal stem. Review #406.







#562. meh-EH-dehn "from Eden." Review #72.







#563. Review #508. leh-hahsh-KOHT "to cause to drink, i.e. to



water." This is a hifal infinitive construct (note the



HAY).Review #469.





#564. Review #4. #565. Review #532.







#566. oo-mee-SHAHM Review #72 and #536.







#567. yee-pah-REHD "it divides itself." Note the assimilated



NOON seen as dagesh forte in the PAY. The nifal can be either



passive or reflexive, here reflexive. Review #116. The KAMATZ



under the first radical is the second indicator of the nifal



stem.







#568. veh-hay-YAH "and it became" Review #9.







#569. leh-AHR-bah-ah "for four" --Review #228.







#570. rah-SHEEM "heads, head streams" --Review #1. The Zohar



speaks about three heads in Elohim, see EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO



GROW A MESSIANIC SYNAGOGUE and EVERYTHING YOU NEED



TO



GROW A MESSIANIC YESHIVA on our website. Download the files.











GEN. 2:11







571 shehm 572 ha-eh-KHAD 573 pee-SHOHN 574 hoo 575 ha-soh-VEHV



576 et 577 kol 578 EH-rets 579 ha-khah-vee-LAH 580 ah-sher



581 shahm 582 haz-zah-HAHV















#571. shehm "name" not to be confused with #536.







#572. Review #52.







#573. pee-SHOHN. Scholars believe that this river flowed into



what is today the Persian Gulf, an area which is important in the



beginning of the Bible and may prove important in end-time



prophetic fulfillments in our own day.







#574. hoo "he/it" (is).







#575. ha-soh-VEHV "the one winding" --Root SAMECH VET VET "to



turn around, go around, surround." Do you see this is a



participle? Review #406.







#576. Review #4. #577. Review #250.







#578. Review #7 and #546.







#579. ha-khah-vee-LAH "the Havilah" In Gen. 25:18 Havilah is



Ishmaelite territory and seems to be in southwestern Arabia.



#580. Review #71. #581. Review #536.







#582. haz-zah-HAHV "the gold" --Do you see the definite article?



ZAYIN HAY VET = "gold."















GEN. 2:12







583 oo-zah-hahv 584 ha-AH-rets 585 ha-HEE 586 tov 587 shahm



588hahb-DOH-lahkh 589 veh-EH-vehn 590 ha-SHOH-hahm















#583. Review #582. Remember #38 because it falls before a



consonant with SH'VA.







#584. Review #7.







#585. This is archaic. ha-HEE "the that(f.)" here used as a



remote demonstrative pronoun modifying #584, which is also



feminine. Review #470.







#586. Review #33. #587. Review #536.







#588. hahb-DOH-lahkh "bdellium" --a fragrant yellowish



transparent gum to which manna is compared in Num.11:7.



#589. veh-EH-vehn "and stone of" This word "stone" refers to



the Moshiach in Dan.2:35 and Psalm 118:22. The "Builders" of



Judaism rejected this Stone (Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 53).







#590. ha-SHOH-hahm "the onyx."















GEN. 2:13







591 vuh-SHEHM 592 hahn-nah-HAHR 593 ha-shay-NEE



594 ghee-KHOHN 595 hoo 596 ha-soh-VEHV 597 et 598 kohl



599 EH-rets 600 Koosh















#591. Review #571. #592. Review #560.







#593. Review #90 and #248. Do you the definite article?







#594. ghee-KHOHN --This river is associated with the Nile and



Egypt as is the river at #573.







#595. hoo "that (m.) (was)" --Here the remote demonstrative



pronoun "that (m.)" modifying the masculine noun #592 has the



force of a copula or "linking verb." Review #585.







#596. Review #575. #597. Review #4.







#598. Review #250. #599. Review #7 and #546.







#600. koosh "Cush" (this word may indicate western Iran here



although normally it refers to ancient Nubia or modern northern



Sudan, a land of famine and fundamentalist Islamic despotic



government now. This word describes one of Gog's allies, along



with Iran and Libya in Ezekiel 38:5 when an end-time invasion of



Israel takes place.)



































GEN. 2:14







601 veh-shem 602 hahn-nah-HAHR 603 ha-sheh-lee-SHEE



604 chee-DEH-kehl 605 hoo 606 ha-hoh-LEHKH 607 keed-MAHT



608 ah-SHOOR 609 vuh-hahn-nah-HAHR 610 ha-ruh-vee-EE 611 hoo



612 fuh-RAHT















#601. Review #571. #602. Review #560.







#603. Review #159. #604. hee-DEH-kehl "Tigris."







#605. Review #595.







#606. ha-ho-LEHKH "the one running/going" Qal active participle



(see the CHOLOM?) of HAY LAMMED FINAL CHAF "he went, walked."



The



participle often serves as the equivalent of a relative clause,"



which flows etc" --From this root we get the noun halakhah,



which is the legal part of the Talmud where the rabbis discuss



how one must "walk," according to the laws of the Bible and their



own traditions, which they call "the oral law."







#607. keed-MAHT "eastward of" Review #534.







#608. ah-SHOOR "Assyria" See Micah 5:5. This is Iraq, which



the Bible says will invade Israel. (The Northern kingdom of



Israel and its capital Samaria were invaded and destroyed in 722



B.C.E. as a partial fulfillment of Micah's prophecy.) "The



Assyrian" is the eschatological enemy of Israel, like Gog in



Ezekiel (both invade Israel in the last days). Apparently, Micah



expected the Moshiach to come at the end ofthe Assyrian (Iraqi?)



crisis in the last days.







#609. Review #560. #610. Review #228.







#611. Review #595. #612. fuh-RAHT "Euphrates"



















GEN 2:15







613 vahy-yek-KAHKH 614 Adonoy 615 Eh-loh-HEEM 616 et



617 ha-ah-DAHM 618 vahy-yah-nee-KHAY-hoo 619 vuh-gahn



620 EH-den 621 leh-ahv-DAH 622 oo-leh-shahm-RAH















#613. vahy-yeek-KAHKH "and he took" from LAMMED KOOF CHET "he



took" but here the LAMMED is assimilated as in #203. Do you see



the imperfect indicator YUD and the conversive VAV that makes the



imperfect perfect? Review #22.







#614. Review #477. #615. Review #3. #616. Review #4.



#617. Review #321.







#618. vahy-yahh-nee-KHAY-hoo "and He caused to put/rest him"



hifil stem from NOON VAV CHET "he gave rest, put" with 3rd



masculine pronominal suffix ending "him" --Review #354.



#619. Review #532. #620. Review #533.







#621. Ieh-ahv-DAH "to work her (i.e. the garden)" --Review



#501.







#622. oo-leh-shahm-RAH "and to cars for/keep her" 9DV "he keeps,



watches" Review #621. The infinitive form ofthe verb is



"infinite," without the limits of person, gender,number, or



tense and does not need to agree with any other word in the



sentence. In English, "I went to serve," serve is an infinitive



indicated by the word "to" and the unconjugated form of the verb.



#621 and #622 are both infinitive constructs. So G-d put man on



earth to till his garden and to keep it. The purpose for which



man was created was to work and take care of G-d's world as



G-d's steward. Ecclesiastes (Kohelet) says man should find



pleasure in this. The Thessalonian epistles says that man, even



regenerate man, must work. Here in this verse we find the



reason. It was for this cause that we were created in the



beginning. One of the things that requires work is Textual



Criticism. This is the task of reconstructing the original



inerrant text of the Bible from the available manuscripts,



versions, and ancient translational clues. If you look at page



192 in your Biblica Hebraica and look at Lev.20:l0 you will see



five Hebrew words sandwiched in between two a's. These five words



are ISH ASHER YINAF ES ESHET. If you look down at the bottom of



the page in the BHS textual apparatus, you will see the note 10



a-a > G min, dl (dttg). This means that these Hebrew words are



absent from the Septuagint, and that you should delete them,



because this is dittography, the accidental duplication of a



letter or letters in a single word or group of words. If you



notice, these five words are an almost exact duplication of the



first five words in the verse. The scribe's eye skipped and he



unwittingly copied these words twice. Now do you see why you need



the Biblica Hebraica? How can we begin preaching a text until we



have first established the text? See p.218.























GEN 2:16







623 vah-yuh-TSAHV 624 Adonoy 625 Eh-loh-HEEM 626 ahl



627 ha-ah-DAHM 628 leh-MOHR 629 mee-KOHL 630 aitz 631 ha-gahn



632 ah-KHOHL 633 toh-KHEHL















#623. vah-yuh-TSAHV "and He commanded" from the root TZADE VAV



HAY, "he commanded." This is imperfect with CONVERSIVE VAV.



The PATACH under the first radical indicates it is a piel



intensive stem. We get the word MITZVAH from this same root,



meaning a deed, duty, or commandment. Orthodox Jews believe they



have found 613 MITZVOT in their Scripture which they must obey.



The problem is that "merit" gets involved in their thinking. In



THE TORAH: A MODERN COMMENTARY (UNION OF AMERICAN



HEBREW



CONGREGATIONS, NEW YORK, 1981), the comment says that "the



mainstream of Judaism" refused to make the "tale of Eden" an



important aspect of its world view and maintained that the only



road to salvation was through g-dly deeds (mitzvot) rather than



through belief in a Moshi'a (savior), and that "while man tended



to corruption (Gen. 6:5; 8:21), he was not basically a corrupt



creature." Notice the Pelagianism dressed up like Judaism. The



comment goes on to assert that by carrying out G-d's commandments



man can overcome or at least control the yetzer hara and thereby



develop his impulse for good. In this view mitzvot innoculate



against sin. Later we will analyze the Pelagian error in this



statement. For right now, realize that the early Jewish



followers of Moshiach in the first century had zeal for the



mitzvot (Acts 21:20) but did not rely on mitzvot for salvation



(Eph. 2:8-9). To reach the Orthodox Jews and the Chassidic Jews



with the Good News, messianic synagogue planters need to be



raised up by G-d and trained to establish shuls that are zealous



for the mitzvot and which put themselves as if subject to the Law



to win those who are under the Law (I Cor. 9:20). To see what



that entails, one must ask, "When we see the Orthodox Jewish man



hurrying to shul every day, which laws is he so zealous to



observe?" To answer the question, start by reading Abraham



Chill's THE MITZVOT, the commandments and their rationale, Keter



Publishing, 1974.







#624. Review #477. #625. Review #3. #626. Review #13.



#627. Review #321 #628. Review #270.







#629. Review #72 and #250. #630. Review #124.







#631. Review #532.







#632. Review #116. Remember we said an infinitive can be either



an infinitive construct or an infinitive absolute. This is a Qal



infinitive absolute (the form that stands alone without pronouns



or prepositions) and we translate it "to eat." The KAMATZ under



the first radical and the CHOLOM between the second and third



radicals are the indicators.







#633. same root as #632. VERY IMPORTANT: the imperfect active



2ms. Do you see the TAV preformative? G-d is talking to the man



as the kohen of his own household and he is giving the



commandment to him, not to his wife. The man is the head of the



household, not the wife. Later we will see that the woman does



not check with the head of her household, her husband, before she



gets involved with the forbidden tree and the Tempter. She in



effect goes over the head of his office, like Korah in the



wilderness with Moses. She does not respect her head. I Cor. 11



is on this problem. And the man does not function as the kohen



of his bayis (household). Look at the verb --"you (masculine



singular) may eat." Notice the infinitive absolute emphasizes the



verb. This is why the translations say "you may indeed eat" or



"you may freely eat." Do you see the same root ALEF CHAF LAMMED



"he ate" used in both #632 and #633?















GEN. 2:17







634 oo-meh-AITZ 635 ha-DAH-aht 636 tov 637 vah-rah 638 lo 639



toh-KHOHL 640 mee-MEHN-noo 641 kee 642 buh-YOM



643 ah-KHOHL-khah 644 mee-MEHN-noo 645 MOHT 646 tah-MOOT

















#634. Review #72 and #124. #635.Review #124.







#636. Review #124. #637. Review #124.





#638. Review #493. #639. Review #633.







#640. Review #72 and #354. MEM CHEEREEK FINAL NOON (MIN)



takes



a special form before suffixes. The HAY is assimilated and



represented by dagesh forte in the NOON. mee-MEHN-noo = "from



it."







#641. Review #32. #642. Review #1 and #43.







#643. ah-KHOHL-khah "your eating" --This is an infinitive



construct. Review #469.







#644. Review #640.







#645. Review #633 on the force of the infinitive absolute. The



root in both #645 and #646 is MEM VAV TAV "he died." It looks



different because it is a so called "hollow verb. "dying."



#646. tah-MOOT "you will die." This is also an imperfect



active 2nd person masculine singular verb as in #633. Because



the infinitive absolute in #645 emphasizes the verb, the root of



which is repeated in #646, we should translate, "dying you will



die" into more fluent "you will indeed die." G-d is emphasizing



the lethal aspect of disobeying his commandment. So the text of



Gen. 2:17 is saying that the man who scorns G-d's sovereign and



revealed will in the Holy Scriptures and instead chooses moral



autonomy will eat the corrupting fruit of his sin. This is an



epochal commandment to the entire old humanity in Adam. We will



soon see in the narrative that man by nature is lost in the fall



and eats of this tree by nature and has a blind and stubborn



heart needing spiritual circumcision and a Deliverer. When the



Moshiach comes on the scene as the new Adam with the tevilah of



the Ruach Hakodesh and the spiritual rebirth for man, a new



humanity will begin to be fruitful and multiply all over the



earth in anticipation of the new heavens and the new earth and



the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. This new Adam will



say, "My food (not from the tree of the knowledge of good and



evil) is to do (not my own will as in moral autonomy) but the



will of him who sent me" (Yochanan 4:34).















GEN. 2:18







647 vahy-YOH-mehr 648 Adonoy 649 Eh-loh-HEEM 650 lo 651 tov



652 heh-YOHT 653 ha-ah-DAHM 654 leh-vah-DOH 655 EH-eh-seh



656 lo 657 AY-zehr 658 keh-nehg-DOH



















#647. Review #22. #648. Review #477. #649. Review #3.



#650. Review #493. #651. Review #33.







#652. Review #9. This is an infinitive. "to be"







#653. Review #321.







#654. leh-vah-DOH "in his separation, i.e. alone" BET PATACH



DALET = separation (noun). Review #354. It may not be G-d's



will for every person to marry, but it is G-d's will for people



not to be separate from Messianic fellowship. It is not good to



separate oneself from G-d's people and be alone. The mental



illness and spiritual immaturity we see even in believers often



stems from this problem, where people willfully cut themselves



off from Messianic chavurah and the Moshiach's Tish and go their



own way and stubbornly do what is not good for them.



#655. Review #64, especially Imperfect active 1cs, EH-eh-seh "I



will make." The mappiq dot in the last HAY in BHS is unusual and



is not followed by most manuscripts. It is not the feminine



singular suffix "her" as in "her seed" in Gen. 3:l5. Ignore it



here.







#656. Review #44 and #354.







#657. AY-zehr "helper." Man needs help. In separation he is



weak and not adequate, in the sense that he is in a situation



that is not good.







#658. keh-nehg-DOH "like opposite to him" NOON GIMMEL DALET =



"opposite to." Review #354 and #323, which can also mean



"like." This has the idea of complementary as opposed to



identical. The helper corresponds to and complements the



opposite sex. We will see later in the Torah (Deut. 22:5) that



G-d does not want the sexes to dress alike because to do so



obscures this aspect.



















GEN. 2:19







659 vahy-yee-TSEHR 660 Adonoy 661 Eh-loh-HEEM 662 meen



663 ha-ah-dah-MAH 664 kohl 665 chai-YAHT 666 hahs-sah-DEH



667 vuh-et 668 kohl 669 ohf 670 hahsh-sha-MY-yeem



671 vahy-yah-VAY 672 el 673 ha-ah-DAHM 674 leer-OHT 675 mah



676 yee-krah 677 lo 678 vuh-KHOHL 679 ah-sher 680 yeek-RAH



681 lo 682 ha-ah-DAHM 683 NEH-fesh 684 chai-YAH 685 hoo



686 sh'MOH















#659.Review #513. #660. Review #477. #661. Review #3.



#662. Review #72. #663. Review #312.







#664. Review #250. Remember this word can also mean "every."



#665. Review #295. #666. Review #483. #667. Review #6.



#668. Review #250. #669. Review #236.







#670. Review #5. Here the word means "the air."







#671. vahy-yah-VAY "and He caused to come/He brought" --Hifil



imperfect 3rd. masc. singular with VAV conversive of the root BET



CHOLOM ALEF he "he brought in." Normally you would have PATACH



under the preformative in a hifil stem (Review #541) but because



it is in an open syllable (a syllable without a consonant at the



end) it becomes KAMATZ here.







#672. ehl = "to" --This is a preposition. #673. Review #321.





#674. Review #28. This is an infinitive construct "to see."



Notice man is not predisposed by an eternal decree to do



everything. G-d watches man exercise a certain amount of



freedom here, which is something hypercalvinists don't allow G-d



the freedom to do. Even now we are "in the garden" under



surveillance in a sense, because G-d is watching to see if we'll



use our freedom to name sin in our lives and turn in teshuvah.











#675. mah "what~ (This is the interrogative "what?", a word



you will need to use a great deal in speaking conversational



Modern Hebrew.) For the task of learning this, you may want to



acquire Haiim B. Rosen's A textbook of Israeli Hebrew, University



of Chicago Press, 1966.







#676. Review #40. There is no VAV reversive so we translate it



imperfect "he would call/name" --Is the SH'VA pronounced? Review



327. yee-kuh-rah







#677. Review #131. This is "to it." Review #42.







#678. Review #250. #679. Review #71. #680. Review #676.



#681. Review #677.



#682. Review #321.







#683. Review #234. This word can also mean "creature."



#684. Review #235. #685. Review #595.







#686. Review #571 and #354. The CHOLOM pronominal suffix



changes the TZAYREH under the SHIN in "name" to SH'VA.



















GEN. 2:20







687 vahy-yeek-RAH 688 ha-ah-DAHM 689 sheh-MOHT 690 leh-CHOHL



691 ha-beh-he-MAH 692 oo-leh-OHF 693 hahsh-shah-MY-yeem



694 oo-leh-KHOHL 695 chai-YAHT 696 has-sah-DEH 697 oo-l'ah-DAHM



698 lo 699 mah-TSAH 700 EH-zehr 701 kuh-nehg-DOH



















#687. Review #40. #688. Review #321.







#689. Review #571. Notice the feminine plural ending on



CHOLOM TAV on this noun as opposed to the masc. p1. ending in



#553. Because man is able to label the rest of his world, he has



discernment on a completely different level than that of the



animal kingdom. Part of the divine image in man is the G-d-like



ability to assign names (cf.#40-#46).







#690. Review #250. #691. Review #293. #692. Review #236.



#693. Review #670. #694. Review #250. #695. Review #295.



#696. Review #483. #697. Review #321. --"but for the



man/mankind".







#698. Review #493.







#699. mah-TSAH "he found" --MEM TZADE ALEF "he found"



#700. Review #657.







#701. Review #658. "to correspond to" "to suit" "matching him."



As far as the animal kingdom is concerned, man is matchless. He



is not an animal. There is nothing in the animal kingdom that



corresponds to him. You could wait a billion years and the ape



family could not join and become part of the human family because



the human family is matchless and nothing in the animal kingdom



corresponds to it. Unlike an animal, "the human spirit is the



lamp of the L-rd, searching every innermost part" (Prov. 20:27).



















GEN. 2:21







702 vahy-yah-PAYL 703 Adonoy 704 Eh-loh-HEEM 705 tahr-day-MAH



706 ahl 707 ha-ah-DAHM 708 vahy-yee-SHAHN 709 vahy-yee-KAHKH



710 ah-KHAHT 711 meets-tsahl-oh-TAHV 712 vahy-yees-GOHR



713 bah-SAHR 714 tahkh-TEHN-nah













#702. vahy-yah-PAYL "so He made/caused fall --root NOON FAY



LAMMED, "he caused to fall."The PATACH under the preformative



YUD tells you the verb stem is hifil (causative force). Do you



see how the first radical of the root is a NOON that has



assimilated to dagesh forte in the YUD? Do you see the PATACH



hifil indicator under the preformative? Review #541 and #203.







#703. Review #477. #704. Review #3.







#705. tahr-day-MAH "deep sleep"







#706. Review #13. #707. Review #321.







#708. vahy-yee-SHAHN "and he slept" --root YUD SHIN FINAL NOON



"he slept"







#709. Review #613.







#710. Review #52. Notice this word is in construct with



#711 so we supply an "of." This is feminine of ECHAD.







#711. meets-tsahl-oh-TAHV "from ribs of him." Here we have a



feminine noun TZADE LAMMED AYIN. Review #689, #354 and #77.



The



word can also mean "side" as in Exod. 26:20 "the (north) side of



the tabernacle...," suggesting that male and female are made



equal, out of essentially the same essence, and are



complementary, different "sides" of the same thing, with humanity



incomplete without both, just as Elohim is incomplete without his



Dvar Hashem Moshiach and his Ruach Hakodesh (Gen. 2:24; Deut.



6:4).







#712. vahy-yees-GOHR "and He closedup" from SAMECH GIMMEL



RESH



"he shut/closed".







#713. bah-SAHR "flesh." This is a very important theological



word in the Bible. It can mean 1) meat or muscle of animals or



man; 2) humanity at large 3) what is frail or perishable about



the human race 4) in the Brit Chadasha Scriptures it is



translated with the Greek word SARKS and is a technical term for



the life of the old human nature unrenewed by the Ruach



Hakodesh.







#714. tahkh-TEHN-nah "in place of it (rib). The word can mean



"under" (Review #72). It can also mean "below, instead of," and



here it means "in place of." Review #354. Do you see the



pronominal suffix "her" referring to the rib which is a feminine



noun? The NOON is a connecting letter.















GEN. 2:22







715 vahy-yee-VEHN 716 Adonoy 717 Eh-loh-HEEM 718 et



719 hats-tseh-LAH 720 ah-sher 721 la-KAHKH 722 meen



723 ha-ah-DAHM 724 leh-eesh-SHAH 725 vah-y'vee-EH-hah 726 el



727 ha-ah-DAHM













#715. vahy-yee-VEHN "then He made/built" from the root BET NOON



HAY "he made/built." The Stone that ha-Bonim (the Builders)



rejected has become the chief cornerstone. (Ps. 118:22) The word



ha-Bonim in that verse is from this same root. The builders of



Judaism were destined to reject the Moshiach. See Isaiah 53.



#716. Review #477. #717. Review #3. #718. Review #4.



#719. Review #711 and #21 on the definite article.







#720. Review #71. #721. Review #613. #722. Review #77.



#723. Review #321.







#724. leh-eesh-SHAH "into woman"--ALEF SHIN HAY, means "woman"



(see #738). The word sounds like the word for "man" (see #740),



and the author will make a word play in Gen. 2:23 on these two



words "nashim" = plural.







#725. Review #671 and #354.







#726. Review #97. #727. Review #321.















GEN. 2:23



728 vahy-YOH-mehr 729 ha-ah-DAHM 730 zoht 731 ha-PAH-ahm



732 EH-tsehm 733 meh-ah-tsah-MAHY 734 oo-vah-SAHR



735 mee-beh-sah-REE 736 luh-ZOHT 737 yee-kah-REH 738 ee-SHAH



739 kee 740 meh-EESH 741 loo-kah-CHAH 742 zoht



















#728. Review #22. #729. Review #321.







#730. Review #470. This is the first time a human being speaks



in the Bible, so we should expect it to be an important saying,



"This (one)"



#731. See the definite article. PAY AYIN FINAL MEM = "time,



stroke." Here the article has demonstrative force "this time."



See Gen.29:34, where Rachel says, "Now HAY PAY AYIN FINAL MEM



this time my husband will become attached to me."







#732. EH-tsehm "bone" --Do you see the accent on the first



syllable. Look at your Biblica Hebraica.







#733. Review #732, #354, #72. #734. Review #713.



#735. Review #713, #354, #72.







#736. Review #470, #42.







#737. Review #40. "it (i.e. the flesh/bone) shall be called."



The KAMATZ under the first radical is a sign of nifal imperfect



3ms.





#738. Review #724. #739. Review #32.







#740. "Ish" = "man" --Review #72.







#741. Review #613. The KUBUTZ under the first radical of the root



indicates the pual verb stem (Review #435). "she was taken"



#742. "this (one)" --Review #470 and #730. Notice this is the



subject of #741.















GEN. 2:24







743 ahl 744 ken 745 yah-ah-zahv 746 eesh 747 et 748 ah-VEEV



749 vuh-et 750 eem-MOH 751 vuh-dah-VAHK 752 beh-eesh-TOH



753 vuh-ha-YOO 754 luh-vah-SAHR 755 eh-KHAHD













#743. Review #13.







#744. Review #80. This is an idiom (an expression whose



meaning cannot be derived from its constituent elements, as "kick



the bucket" is an idiomatic expression meaning "to die." "upon



so (#743 and #744)" means "therefore." Memorize it. These means



that Gen. 2:23 explains Gen. 2:24. "Therefore" means for this



reason.







#745. yah-ah-zahv "he will leave/forsake" AYIN ZAYIN VET =



leave. Notice the "he." It does not say the woman will achieve



the detachment from parents that the man achieves or should



achieve when he stops being a child and marries and starts his



own family. The woman may cling to her husband but she does not



forsake her parents as completely as the man does. This is a



shrewd psychological insight and means that in marriage



counselling the man should be advised to take a good look at his



prospective father-in-law and especially his prospective



mother-in-law since his fiancee is not likely to forsake either



one of them, especially her mother.







#746. Review #740. #747. Review #4.







#748. Review #354. ALEF VET = "father." Review #354. Moshiach



Yehoshua called G-d by the intimate and affectionate word for



Father (AB-bah) "dear Father." Can you?







#749. Review #4.







#750. Review #354. ALEF TZAYREH FINAL MEM = mother. Mommy



in modern Hebrew is EEM-mah.







#751. The VAV reversive makes it imperfect "and he will unite."



DALET VET KOOF = "he united."







#752. Review #724, #448, #354







#753. Review #171. Notice #525 and #527 where this verb is



often followed by LAMMED SH'VA in which case we do not translate



LAMMED SH'VA in English.







#754. Review #713.







#755. Review #52. Notice that a cluster of grapes is a



complexunity in Num. 13:23.



















GEN. 2:25







756 vahy-yee-huh-YOO 757 sheh-nay-HEM 758 ah-roo-MEEM



759 ha-ah-DAHM 760 veh-eesh-TOH 761 veh-lo



762 yeet-bo-SHAH-shoo



















#756. Review #171 with VAV conversive.







#757. Review #188, #354.







#758. AYIN RESH CHOLOM FINAL MEM = "naked, nude."







#759. Review #321.







#760. Review #724, #354. "his woman, his wife"







#761. Review #493.







#762. The root is VET CHOLOM SHIN = "was ashamed." This is the



hitpael stemnamed after the "hit" HAY CHEEREEK TAV that precedes



the perfect, imperative, and infinitive forms of the verb and



tells you that the verb has an intensive reflexive force as in



#762 which is a hitpael 3mp "they were intensely ashamed of



themelves". First there was the primal innocence before the Fall.



"The fall of mankind" refers to that sense of primal shame and



lost innocence that rebellious morally autonomous Man experiences



as part of his ontology (nature of existence). This verse



together with Gen. 3:7 tells us that there is now deep primal



guilt in every human being and that this is part of our very



nature as members of the race of Adam and we cannot be truly



happy and at peace with ourselves or anyone else until we have



regeneration and reconciliation with G-d.



















GEN. 3:1







763 veh-hahn-nah-KHAHSH 764 ha-yah 765 ah-ROOM 766 mee-KOHL



767 chay-YAHY 768 has-sah-DEH 769 ah-sher 770 ah-SAH 771 Adonoy



772 Eh-loh-HEEM 773 vahy-YOH-mehr 774 el 775 ha-eesh-SHAH



776 ahf 777 kee 778 ah-MAHR 779 Eh-loh-HEEM 780 lo



781 tohkh-LOO 782 mee-KOHL 783 aitz 784 ha-gahn















#763. veh-hahn-nah-KHAHSH "now the Snake" (Deut. 8:l5 speaks of



poisonous snakes.) The word for snake is NOON CHET SHIN,



Nah-KHASH. But we are going to see that this Snake has enough



power in his venom to bite the whole human race and therefore



enslave them all to the fear of death, because he is "the devil



that ancient serpent" (Rev. 12:9; 20:2; Heb. 2:l4-l5). See also



Isa. 27:1 and Job 26:13.







#764. Review #9.







#765. ah-ROOM, AYIN CHATAF PATACH RESH SHURUK FINAL



MEM "crafty, shrewd in the sinister sense of full of wiles, very



tricky." The author seems to be making a word play on "nude" AYIN



CHATAF PATACH RESH CHOLOM FINAL MEM and this word



"shrewd."



Compare words #758 and #765.







#766. Review #250 and #77. "more than all of" (notice that



comparison is expressed by means of the MEM CHEEREEK FINAL



NOON



preposition).







#767. Review #295. #768. Review #483.







#769. Review #71. #770. Review #64. #771. Review #477.









#772. Review #3.



#773. Review #22. #774. Review #97. #775. Review #724.











#776. Indeed?











#777. really? (#776 and #777 are together an idiom--review #744



-- with the thought something like, "Really? Just to think that



(G-d gave you such an unreasonable commandment)..." The Serpent



is acting shocked with G-d's supposedly severe commandment, which



he twists in a subtle lie that makes the commandment seem severe,



which it really isn't. The commandment is generous. Everything



is given to them except one thing: the license to be disobedient



and morally autonomous, proudly thinking that they are shrewd



enough to discern good from evil without G-d's teaching or the



Torah of his mitzvot.







#778. Review #22.







#779. Review #3. (Notice He is not called by His personal



covenant name (see #477) used by those who know Him but by a



remote label, which tells you something about the Adversary's



relationship with G-d.)







#780. Review #493.







#781. Review #116. This is imperfect 2mp ["you (plural) shall



eat"]. Notice Gen. 2:16 and see how the Snake twists the mitzvah



(commandment). The woman also garbles it. The reason that neither



one of them know it is because it was not given to either one of



them but to the kohen of the Bayis, the mashgiach ruchani



(spiritual overseer) of the mishpachah family unit, the man. Look



at #639 and #633 which shows that the commandment was 2ms, given



to the man, who is not even included in the discussion but these



two kehillah spliters. Don't miss this nuance in the Hebrew.



In a way, this is the first "Brit Chadasha kehillah split" in the



Bible, since the one in charge, the mashgiach ruchani of the



home, has his authority ignored, and a rebellious, demonic plot



is carried out with the help of a presumptuous "congregant" in



league with the devil and, moreover, a "congregent" who is not



in charge and has no kehillah office to be in charge but takes



over at Satan's urging.





#782. Review #72 and #250.







#783. Review #124.







#784. Review #532.



















GEN. 3:2







785 vah-toh-MEHR 786 ha-ee-SHAH 787 el 788 hahn-nah-KHAHSH



789 mee-p'REE 790 aitz 791 ha-gahn 792 noh-KHEHL













#785. Review #22. With verbs that have it for the first radical



of their root ALEF you will often see the CHOLOM after TAV in the



imperfect.







#786. Review #724. #787. Review #97.







#788. Review #763.







#789. Review #125 and #72. #790. Review #124.



#791. Review #532.







#792. Review #116. lcp imperfect "we may eat"



















GEN. 3:3







793 oo-mee-p'REE 794 ha-AITZ 795 ah-sher 796 beh-TOHKH



797 ha-gahn 798 ah-mahr 799 Eh-loh-HEEM 800 lo 801 tohkh-LOO



802 mee-MEH-noo 803 v'lo 804 teeg-guh-OO 805 bo 806 pehn



807 teh-moo-TOON



















#793. Review #125 and #72. #794. Review #124.



#795. Review #71.







#796. Review #57. #797. Review #532.







#798. Review #22. #799. Review #3. #800. Review #493.





#801. Review #116.







#802. Review #640. #803. Review #493.







#804. teeg-guh-OO "you shall touch" --Note how the NOON is



assimilated into the GIMMEL by means of dagesh forte. 2mp



imperfect of NOON GIMMEL AYIN, "he touched." Note that SHURUK



+



TAV = imperfect 2mp. Look at Gen.2:16-17 again and you will see



that she is adding to G-d's word, something Deut.4:2 specifically



forbids, and something Rabbinic Judaism and all non-Biblical



religions do. When Rabbinic Judaism at Yavneh (near Jaffa,



Israel), around the year 100 C.E., began formulating the liturgy



so that Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, could be transferred



from the Beis Hamikdash in Yerushalayim to the synagogue,



effectively substituting prayer and good deeds, confession and



repentance, for Lev. 17:11 "It is the blood that makes atonement



for the soul," the rabbis followed the sin of the woman in our



text here, Gen. 2:16-17, and added to G-d's word. They should



have believed Isaiah: Moshiach "gives his life as an asham guilt



offering for sin" (Isaiah 53:10). Remember the Reformation



watchword Sola Scriptura (the Bible alone is authoritative for



faith), which means that only the Bible can tell us how to 1ive



or how to interpret Scripture. Rom. 4:17 has to tell us how to



interpret Gen. 1:1. If we trust some liberal commentator we are



letting his words add to G-d's word. An even so helpful a



commentary as the Talmud must not be placed on the same par as



the Bible. We devote our attention not to man's word but to



G-d's inspired and anointed Word.







#805. Review #131. #806. pehn "lest/so that ...not"







#807. Review #645. This has an archaic ending in the final NOON



at the end. This verb is imperfect 2mp. Look at the indicators



and review #804. Note how KUBUTZ can be SHURUK as here.



















GEN. 3:4







808 vah-YOH-mehr 809 hahn-nah-KHAHSH 810 el 811 ha-ee-SHAH



812 lo 813 moht 814 eh-moo-TOON













#808. Review #22. #809. Review #763.







#810. Review #97. #811. Review #724.







#812. Review #493.







#813. Review #645. (This is a Oal infinitive absolute--Review



#632.) Here the Snake implies that G-d is a liar not to be



trusted and, surprisingly, the woman doesn't resist this idea or



the devil who conceived it.







#814. Review #807 and especially #646 ("you will indeed/surely



not die"--a direct contradiction).















GEN. 3:5







815 kee 816 yoh-DAY-ah 817 Eh-loh-HEEM 818 kee 819 beh-YOHM



820 ah-khohl-KHEHM 821 mee-MEH-noo 822 veh-neef-kuh-KHOO



823 ay-nay-KHEHM 824 vee-h'yee-TEHM 825 kay-loh-heem 826 yod-AY



827 tov 828 vah-rah















#815. Review #32. "For" (what follows is the secret evil reason



G-d supposedly has for giving his allegedly unreasonable mitzvah



commandment, according to the devil's big lie)







#816. Review #557. "he knows" yoh-DAY-ah (see accent in BHS,



Biblica Hebraica Stuttgartensia).







#817. Review #3.







#818. Review #32.







#819. Review #412.







#820."of your eating" This is a Qal infinitive construct with



the pronominal suffix given to you in #354.







#821. Review #640.







#822. veh-neef-kuh-KHOO "they will be opened" nifal perfect with



VAV reversive 3p from root ~ "he opened" --Which SH'VA is



pronounced? Review #327.







#823. Review #354. ay-nay-KHEHM your eye: from AYIN YUD FINAL



NOON = "eye".







#824. Review #171. Notice 2mp perfect with reversive VAV.



Notice in #822 and #824 the conjunction VAV is used to connect a



statement of time with the clause to which it relates. Note: in



the day of your eating then will be opened your eyes and then you



will be like G-d (morally autonomous).







#825. Review #32 and #3. "like G-d" Satan is saying that



equality with G-d is a thing that can be grasped (Phil. 2:6).



However, instead of becoming like G-d we are a race condemned to



"eternal shame" (Gen. 2:25; 3:7; Dan. 12:2) unless we have that



primordial shame washed away by the Moshiach's blood (Lev. 17:11;



Isaiah 53:10; Heb. 9:22; Babylonian Talmud Yoma 5a, Menahoth 93b,



Zebahim 6a), which is the only acceptable blood we have, now that



the center of Judaism, the Beis Hamikdash, has been taken away.







#826. Review #557. #827. Review #33.











#828. Review #124.



















GEN. 3:6







829 vah-TEH-reh 830 ha-ee-SHAH 831 kee 832 tov 833 ha-aitz



834 leh-mah-ah-KHOHL 835 vuh-KHEE 836 tah-ah-vah 837 hoo



838 lah-ay-NAHY-eem 839 vuh-nehkh-MAHD 840 ha-aitz



841 leh-hahsh-KEEL 842 vah-tee-KAHKH 843 mee-peer-YOH



844 vah-toh-KHOHL 845 vah-tee-TEHN 846 gahm 847 luh-ee-SHAH



848 ee-MAH 849 vahy-yoh-KHAHL















#829. Review #28. Imperfect 3fs with VAV conversive.







#830. Review #724. #831. Review #32.







#832. Review #33. #833. Review #124.







#834. Review #398. #835. Review #32.







#836. tah-ah-vah "delight" The verb ALEF VAV HAY for "want" or



"desire" (as found in the tenth commandment against coveting--see



Deut.5:21 "you shall not desire your neighbor's house etc") is



turned into a substantive or noun "delight" with the prefix TAV.





#837. hoo "he" (this refers to the tree). You need to learn some



of the independent pronouns: anachnu (we 1cp), ani, anochi (I



1cs), atem (2mp), atah (2ms), aten (2fp) at (2fs), hem hemmah



(3mp), hoo (3ms), hen hennah (3fp), hee (3fs)







#838. Review #823 and #42. #839. Review #548.



#840. Review #124.







#841. leh-hahsh-KEEL hifil infinitive construct of "to make or



cause to be wise" SIN CHAF LAMMED -- The way of death offers a



false wisdom and a g-d-like knowledge and beckons with



eye-catching, desirable allurements and pseudo-wisdom as well as



individualistic ethics.







#842. Review #613. #843. Review #125 and #72 and #354.



#844. Review #116.







#845. Review #203 and compare #375. First one person corrupts



himself/herself and then becames a "serpent of temptation" to



corrupt someone else.







#846. gahm "also"







#847. Review #325 and #42 and #354. "to her man/ her husband"







#848. ee-MAH "together with her" Review #354. = AYIN CHEEREEK



FINAL MEM "with, together with." "who was with her"







#849. Review #116. Compare #22 to see imperfect with reversing



VAV. "and he ate."



















GEN. 3:7







850 vah-tee-pah-KAHK-noo 851 ay-NAY 852 sheh-nay-HEHM



853 vahy-yay-duh-OO 854 kee 855 ay-roo-MEEM 856 hem



857 vahy-yeet-peh-ROO 858 ah-leh 859 tuh-ay-NAH



860 vah-yah-ah-SOO 861 la-HEM 862 chah-go-ROT













#850. Review #822. imperfect passive (nifal) 3fp with VAV



CONVERSIVE "and they were opened." This is a nifal stem



imperfect (note the dagesh forte in the first radical of the root



and also the KAMATZ under it).







#851. Review #823. Do you see how the form changes when it is



in contruct with the following word and we have to translate by



adding an "of"?







#852. Review #188 and #354.







#853. Review #557. Oal imperfect 3mp with VAV conversive.



Figure out the pronunciation. "vahy-yay-duh-OO" Do you see that



the SH'VA has to be pronounced and is just a silent syllable



divider. Review #327. #854. Review #32.









#855. Review #758. The plural is somewhat irregular here.



#856. Review #837.







#857. vahy-yeet-puh-ROO "and they sewed" root TAV FAY RESH; "he



sewed" This is Qal imperfect 3mp with VAV conversive. Yochanan



3:19 says that unregenerate fallen Man tries to use darkness as a



covering of evil deeds. Man is always sewing a web of concealment



to try to mask, even from his own eyes, his primal guilt and



fear before a Holy G-d.







#858. AYIN LAMMED HAY = leaf. Notice it is the contruct state



with #859.







#859. TAV ALEF NOON HAY = "fig (tree)" Is there any symbolic



significance of this verse in the Brit Chadasha Scriptures in



that the fig tree Moshiach Yehoshua curses (Mark 11:13-14,21) and



the one that blooms in the "summer" of the last days (Mark



13:28-29) as Israel comes to faith in our Moshiach is the



"covering" of the world, namely a symbol of the people both of



the Temple and the Jerusalem atonement, the Jews?







#860. Review #64. #861. Review #837.







#862. CHET GIMMEL CHOLOM RESH HAY = "loin covering girdle or



loincloth" The kohen wore a linen ephod as did King David. The



Second Adam Moshiach Yehoshua may or may not have had one (Roman



victims such as he was were often naked) but He knew only our



primal shame in such nudity, for he had none of His own.











GEN. 3:8







863 vah-yeesh-meh-OO 864 et 865 kol 866 Adonoy 867 Eh-loh-HEEM



868 meet-hah-LEHKH 869 bah-gahn 870 luh-ROO-ahkh 871 ha-YOHM



872 vah-yeet-chah-BEH 873 ha-ah-DAHM 874 vuh-eesh-TOH



875 mee-p'NAY 876 Adonoy 877 Eh-loh-HEEM 878 buh-TOHKH 879 aitz



880 ha-gahn



















#863. SHIN MEM AYIN = he heard. This word is found in the "Shema"



confession in Deut.6:4. vahy-yeesh-muh-OO "and they heard."



#864. Review #4.







#865. KOOF CHOLOM LAMMED = "sound, voice" Deut.4:l2 says that



this is the way G-d revealed himself, by his voice from the fire,



with no idolatrous form or image. In the Day of the L-rd, which



will be inaugurated with plagues and will climax in fire, there



will be the voice of the L-rd and the archangel(I Thes.4:16).







#866. Review #417. #867. Review #3.







#868. Review #606. This is a hitpael (Review #762) participle



meaning "walking." Review #762. This is a masculine singular



hitpael participle, as is indicated by the MEM.











#869. Review #532.











#870. Review #16. "In the breeze of" i.e. the windy or breezy



cooler early evening as opposed to "the heat of the day." This is



the word for wind or Spirit.







#871. Review #442.







#872. This is the hitpael of CHET VET ALEF, "he hid" --Review



#762, "he intensively hid himself." Notice Adam is supposed to



be the kohen of his home, but ironically the only thing he takes



the lead in is hiding from G-d."











#873. Review #321. #874. Review #724 and 354.



#875. Review #14.







#876. Review #477. #877. Review #3. #878.



Review #57."among"







#879. Review #124.







#880. Review #532. Notice that Man hides among the trees of the



garden. Like a modern day atheist hiding out in his faculty post



at the local university, Man uses his source of self-sufficient



knowledge and moral autonomy (a tree) to flee and hide from G-d.



















GEN. 3:9







881 vah-yeek-RAH 882 Adonoy 883 Eh-loh-HEEM 884 el



885 ha-ah-DAHM 886 vahy-YOH-mehr 887 lo 888 ah-YEH-kah















#881. Review #40. #882. Review #477. #883. Review #3.



#884. Review #97.











#885. Review #321. #886. Review #22. #887. Review #42 and



#354.











#888. "where (are) you? ALEF TZAYREH YUD = "where?" also ALEF



TZAYREH YUD FAY CHOLOM HAY = "where?" The CHAF



KAMATZ HAY is a fuller way to write the pronominal suffix for



2ms. Review #354. Morally autonymous man is lost and condemned



under the wrath of G-d, without a relationship of mishma'at and



shalom with the G-d he has offended and forfeited personal



knowledge of.















GEN. 3:10







889 vay-YOH-mehr 890 et 891 kol-KHAH 892 shah-MAH'tee



893 bah-gahn 894 vah-ee-RAH 895 kee 896 ay-ROHM 897 ah-NOH-khee



898 vah-eh-chah-VEH













#889. Review #22. #890. Review #4.







#891. Review #865 and #354. Notice how this word, which is the



direct object of the verb, should be in italics in your



translation because it is put before the #892 verb rather than



after it as in the normal manner. Sinners fear not idols but the



voice of the one true G-d who did not show his form or any



idolatrous image either to Adam or on the holy mountain in



Deut.4.







#892. Review #863. This is a perfect active Ics verb.







#893. Review #448 and #532.







#894. YUD KAMATZ RESH TZAYREH ALEF = "he feared" Qal



imperf 1cs with VAV conversive. The tragedy of man is that he



knows about G-d's existence but, unless G-d opens his heart, he



hides from G-d and shamefully flees from His presence. #895.



Review #32.







#896. Review #758. #897. Review #837.







#898. Review #872. This is the nifal imperfect 1cs with VAV



conversive. Notice the nifal (passive) often has a reflexive



force. We translate "I hid myself." We hide the self but G-d



wants the self made completely new in G-d's perfect image, the



Son of Man, the Son of G-d, His Word, Moshiach



Yehoshua.















GEN. 3:11







899 vay-YOH-mehr 900 mee 901 hee-geed 902 leh-CHAH 903 kee



904 ay-ROHM 905 AH-tah 906 ha-meen 907 ha-aitz 908 ah-sher



909 tsee-vee-TEE-chah 910 leh-veel-TEE 911 ah-KOHL



912 mee-MEH-noo 913 ah-KHAHL-tah



















#899. Review #22. #900. mee = "who?"







#901. This is a hifal (causative) perfect 3ms of NOON FINAL



NOON GIMMEL DALET "he made known" with the NOON assimilated



into



the GIMMEL. Remember if aletter elides, it simply disappears; if



it assimilates, it leaves a dagesh behind; if it is quiescent the



letter can be seen but is not heard, as is the case with the ALEF



in #899.



#902. Review #42 and #354. #903. Review #32.







#904. Review #758.







#905. Review #837 (notice: G-d is talking to the head of the



house, the man).







#906. Review #72. Notice the HEH interrogative HAY CHATAF



PATACH



prefixing the preposition. This signals a question being asked.







#907. Review #124 and #21. #908. Review #71.







#909. Review #623 and #354. This is a piel perfeat lcs. Notice



the suffix. He is still talking to the man. The dagesh forte in



the second radical is characteristic of the piel which has an



intensive active force.







#910. BET LAMMED TAV YUD is the negative "not" used with



inseparable prepositions such as #42.







#911. Review #116. #912. Review #640.







#913. Review #116. (Notice the absolute infinitive #911 and verb



#913 together emphasize the verb "I commanded you not to EAT"



--Review #633.)



















GEN. 3:12







914 vahy-YOH-mehr 915 ha-ah-DAHM 916 ha-ee-SHAH 917 ah-sher



918 na-TAH-tah 919 ee-mah-DEE 920 hee 921 nah-t'NAH 922 lee



923 meen 924 ha-aitz 925 vah-OH-khehl















#914. Review #22. #915. Review #321.







#916. Review #724. #917. Review #71.







#918. Review #375. Qal perfect active 2ms.







#919. Review #848 and #354.







#920. Review #837. The independent pronoun used as subject of a



verb is expressed whenever, as here, it is emphatic. "The woman



whom You put with me she gave to me from the tree and I ate."



Man blames both G-d and others for his sin, thus excusing



himself and trying to justify himself.







#921. Review #375. #922. Review #42 and #354.







#923. Review #72. #924. Review #124.











#925. Review #116. Notice this is a VAV conversive but the dagesh



forte has been rejected by the ALEF (Review #21) and the VAV



conversive has a VAV KAMATZ instead of a VAV PATACH in this verb.



While you may be sure that VAV PATACH DAGESH in front of a verb



makes it VAV conversive, not every prefixed VAV indicates VAV



reversive and you have to look at the context to see which are



simple conjunctions and which reverse the tense of the verb.











GEN. 3:13







926 vah-YOH-mehr 927 Adonoy 928 Eh-loh-HEEM 929 lah-ee-SHAH



930 mah 931 zot 932 ah-SEET 933 vah-toh-MEHR 934 ha-ee-SHAH



935 ha-nah-KHAHSH 936 hee-shee-AH-nee 937 vah-oh-KHEL



















#926. Review #22. #927. Review #477.











#928. Review #3. #929. Review #42 and #724.











#930. mah = what? Review #900 for another interrogative pronoun



you need to memorize.











#931. Review #470.











#932. Review #64. perfect active 2fs. "what this you did?"



#933. Review #22.











#934. Review #724. #935. Review #763.











#936. Review #354. NOON SHIN ALEF = "he deceived" See the HEH?



hifil perfect 3ms. Do you see the assimilated NOON of the root?



Notice the warp in mankind. Instead of repenting, demonic powers



are blamed. The nature tendency to sin that we will see in



Mankind from here on until we get to Moshiach is already in



operation. This is the doctrine of Chet Kadmon, Original Sin,



Rom. 5:12.







#937. Review #116.















GEN. 3:14







938 vah-YOH-mehr 939 Adonoy 940 Eh-loh-HEEM 941 el



942 ha-nah-KHAHSH 943 kee 944 ah-see-TAH 945 zot 946 ah-ROOR



947 ah-TAH 948 mee-KOHL 949 ha-beh-heh-MAH 950 oo-mee-KHOHL



951 chay-YAHT 952 has-sah-DEH 953 ahl 954 geh-khoh-NEH-chah



955 teh-LEHKH 956 vuh-ah-FAHR 957 toh-KHOHL 958 kol 959



yeh-MAY



960 chay-YEH-chah















#938. Review #22. #939. Review #477. #940. Review #3.



#941. Review #97.







#942. Review #763. #943. Review #462.







#944. Review #64 2nd person masculine perfect. See how the



personal indicators of the perfect are affixed at the end



instead of the beginning as in the imperfect.











#945. Review #470. This is a demonstrative adjective, pointing



out the thing that the Snake did.











#946. This is a Qal passive participle of ALEF RESH RESH, "curse"



"being cursed" --In the Bible when one curses someone or



something, one invokes G-d's judgment on that person or thing.



Notice how similar this word looks to #765. Do you think Moses



is making a point with this word-play? What is it?







#947. Review #837.







#948. Review #77, #250. In Hebrew we compare and say "more than"



by using the particle MEM CHEEREEK FINAL NOON in front of a noun



or adjective. "more than all"







#949. Review #293.







#950. Review #948. In front of the letters VET MEM FAY the



conjunction VAV SH'VA becomes the long vowel SHURUK.







#951. Review #295. #952. Review #483.







#953. Review #13.







#954. Review 2ms suffix in #354, telling you G-d is referring to



the belly of the masculine Snake and not the woman. GIMMEL CHET



CHOLOM FINAL NOON = belly.







#955. Review #606. imperfect 2ms.









#956. Review #518. #957. Review #116. #958. Review #250.







#959. Review #43.











#960. Review #295 and #354. The snake was worshipped as a g-d in



Egypt but Moses is saying that the "shrewd g-d of this world" is



cursed (the word "shrewd" and the word "cursed" sounding alike in



Hebrew). To crawl and eat dust is a figurative way of saying



"live in abject humiliation and defeat" as a vanquished enemy



(Ps. 72:9; Isa. 49:23; Mic. 7:17). The Snake g-d of the Olam



Hazeh this world is defeated by the true G-d, the G-d of Israel.



















GEN. 3:15







961 v'ay-VAH 962 ah-SHEET 963 bey-neh-CHAH 964 oo-VAYN



965 ha-ee-SHAH 966 oo-vayn 967 zah-ah-CHAH 968 oo-vayn



969 zahr-AH 970 hoo 971 yeh-shoof-CHAH 972 rosh 973 v'ah-tah



974 teh-shoo-FEH-noo 975 ah-KEV















#961. ALEF TZAYREH YUD VET KAMATZ HAY = enmity, personal



hostility. This is the "ancient enmity" (Ezek. 35:5) that is at



the center of this life and which only the death of Moshiach and



his love can excise. We are going to see this hatred and



hostility erupt in bloodshed and fratricide in the next chapter.



(See Brown, Driver, and Briggs, Hebrew Lexicon, p.33, Oxford,



1972, and its Index by Bruce Einspahr, Moody Press, 1976. See



also below in chapter five the additional material on Gen. 3:15.)









#962. SHIN YUD TAV "he set/put" imperfect 1cs.







#963. Review 136 and #354 2ms suffix "between you (snake)."



#964. Review #38.







#965. Review #724. Notice it is "the woman" with a definite



article just as it is "the virgin" with a definite article in



Isaiah 7:14, as if a Messianic allusion to this verse is implicit



in the definite article in Isaiah 7:14.







#966. Review #38.







#967. Review #763 and #354. 2ms suffix again "your (snake)



offspring." This word leads us to believe that we will see people



arising later in the story who are full of wiles and have a



nature that is wickedly shrewd, like the Snake (3:1). The



offspring of the Snake is set in contrast with the "Seed of the



Woman" here and with the "sons of G-d" in Gen. 6:2 and with the



seed of Moshiach in Isaiah 53:10, the Messianic believers. The



first such offspring of the Snake will be Cain the murderer. The



first "son of G-d" will be Abel the first g-dly worshipper to



offer an acceptable blood sacrifice and in a sense the first



martyr for true Messianic religion. The enmity between the sons



of G-d and the offspring of the Snake will continue throughout



the history of Man until the Seed of the Woman crushes the head



of the serpentine anti-G-d humanity, the Anti-Moshiach.



Expectation is building in this verse for a coming eschatological



Redeemer-Ruler, a Moshi'a Savior from sin and death, a "Great



Descendent" or "Seed" ZAYIN SEGOL RESH PATACH AYIN. In Genesis



we



see the "Fall" or "creation being subjected to futility" (Rom.



8:20) and the whole human race being brought under the bondage of



the law of sin and death (Rom. 6:23) and all this occurred long



before the death-dealing Law of Moses was given at Mt. Sinai.



Romans 5:12 tells us how to view this chapter. Adam is an



epochal figure whose failure and fall determines the character of



all encompassed in his epoch; that is, all of G-d-alienated



humanity is in need of the epoch of the second Adam, the New Man,



the Moshiach, and especially in need of the new life that flows



from him. When we look at the first man lying on the ground dead



(Gen. 5:5), the Bible is showing us the first sinner of a



sinning/dying epoch which only the Moshiach's death brings to an



end (II Cor. 5:14). This verse contains a promise so vast that



the Exodus from Egypt, the conquering of the land of Israel, the



building of the Beis Hamikdash, and the return from the Exile,



are all part of the process of making the way straight for the



coming of this One who will crush Satan's head. The theme of the



eschatalagical Deliverer is enlarged by Isaiah. Since Satan



deceives and tempts to sin, death is both sin's penalty and



Satan's power (Isa. 27:1). Isaiah shows us a deliverer coming



who can wrest this Satanic power away, pay sin's penalty, defeat



both sin and death itself (Isa. 53:10-12), and so reveal the new



life where the exile of sin (Isa. 59:2) is ended in a mighty



exodus from death's eternal torment (Isa. 66:24; 14:11; 48:22;



50:11; 57:21; 1:31). This deliverer will come from the line of



Seth (Gen. 4:25), from the offspring of Shem (Gen. 9:26), from



the family of Abraham (Gen. 12:3), from the seed of Isaac (Gen.



26:3) and from the sons of Ya'akov (Gen. 46:3) and from the tribe



of Judah (Gen.49:10), and of course, he must be Jewish and an



Israelite living on the land (Deut. 17:l5;l8:15).











#968. Review #38.











#969. Review #292. Notice the suffix #354. Keep in mind that



Khavvah (Eve) is a virgin here. The seed of the virgin is an odd



phrase, since the seed is in the man unless G-d works a miracle.



This is one of the first Biblical references to the Moshiach who



will be referred to again later in verses that seem to have this



passage in mind: Gen.49:10 (obedience of the wicked peoples



belongs to him), Isa. 7:14 (the "G-d-with-us" miraculous ben



haAlmah will be born of a virgin to the House of David and



Judah's enemies will be defeated) and Mic. 5:3 ("G-d will



abandon His people only until she who is imminently about to go



into labor and bring forth" finally gives birth to the Moshiach).



This is no etiological myth explaining why there is hostility



between the serpent world and mankind. The Serpent was no



ordinary serpent and the Seed of the Woman will be no ordinary



man. In both the Palestinian targums (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan,



Targum Neofiti, and Fragment-Targum) and in rabbinic literature



(Babylonian Talmud, Sot. 49b) is a Messianic interpretation given



to this text. Rom. 16:20; Yochanan 2:4; 6:70; 8:44 are some of



the Brit Chadasha passages that corroborate the interpretation



that sees both Satan and his "children" and the Moshiach and the



"seed" of the elect woman Israel that are with him (Isaiah



53:10).







#970. Review #837 and #920 on emphatic force of the pronoun. "As



for him (the Seed of the Woman Moshiach)" he...







#971. SHIN VAV FINAL FAY "bruise/crush." Notice the object



suffix and review #354. Qal imperfect 3ps. Compare Isa. 53:5



"he was crushed for our iniquities" using another word meaning



"crushed" DALET CHAF ALEF. That the same word is used in #974



and a serpent would not ordinarily "crush" a human heel is beside



the point. This is no ordinary serpent but the Tempter of the



whole human race.







#972. Review #1. This is called accusative of specification. "As



for him, he will crush you, that is, (your) head (,Snake)."



#973. Review #837. Because this is a 2ms we know it refers to



the Snake.







#974. Review #971. Qal imperfect 2ms with object suffix that is



3ms "him." Note the pronominal suffix HAY SHURUK (him) with the



connecting syllable SEGOL NOON.











#975. Review #972. "As for you, you will crush him, that is



(his) heel" This implies that the Moshiach will have to be



utterly crushed, he will have to die, but the lethal blow will



hit the site of his heel, one of the five wounds of Moshiach at



Golgotha. Ya'akov is the word for Jacob, and it means "he



grasps the heel."



















GEN. 3:16







976 el 977 ha-ee-SHAH 978 ah-mar 979 hahr-bah 980 ahr-BEH



981 eets-voh-NEHCH 982 veh-he-roh-NEHKH 983 beh-EH-tsehv



984 teh-luh-DEE 985 vah-NEEM 986 veh-el 987 ee-SHEHKH



988 teh-shoo-kah-TEHKH 989 veh-hoo 990 yeem-SHOHL 991 bakh















#976. Review #97. #977. Review #724.







#978. Review #22.







#979. Review #272. See #645 and #646 on the infinitive



absolute and verb, which together emphasize the idea of the



action. "to cause to multiply" hifil infinitive absolute.



#980. Review #272. "I will cause to multiply" hifil imperfect



1cs.







#981. AYIN TZADE VET CHOLOM FINAL NOON = pain, toil.



Review



#354. Notice this is a 2fs pronominal suffix. Compare it to the



2ms pronominal suffix in #971.







#982. HAY RESH CHOLOM FINAL NOON = "pregnancy,conception,



childbearing" Review #354.







#983. Review #981, #448.







#984. YUD LAMMED DALET = "bear, beget, father someone" imperfect



3ms. In Isaiah 7:14 it says that the virgin will be with child



(pregnant) and will bear (using this word #984) a son and she



will call his name Immanuel.







#985. plural of BET TZAYREH FINAL NOONi; = son (BET PATACH



TAV



bat = daughter).







#986. Review #97. #987. Review #740 and #354.







#988. TAV SHIN SHURUK KOOF HAY = "longing, urge, desire"



Review #354. Notice 2fs pronominal in #988 and #991 also. This



same word will be used in Gen. 4:7 when it says that "sin is



crouching at the door and its desire/longing is to have you." It



could have a negative meaning of wanting to control and



dominate. Her husband, however, is the one to whom she is



accountable, and her desire is for him (see #990).







#989. Review #837 and #920 on the emphatic use of the pronoun.











#990. Review #194. imperfect 3ms.







#991. Review #354. "over you (f.s.)"















GEN. 3:17







992 oo-leh-ah-DAHM 993 ah-mahr 994 kee 995 shah-mah-TAH



996 leh-KOHL 997 eesh-teh-KHAH 998 vah-toh-KHOHL 999 meen



1000 ha-etz 1001 ah-sher 1002 tsee-vee-tee-CHAH 1003 leh-MOHR



1004 lo 1005 toh-CHOHL 1006 mee-MEH-noo 1007 ah-roo-RAH



1008 ha-ah-dah-MAH 1009 bah-ah-voo-REH-chah



1010 beh-eets-tsah-vohn 1011 toh-chah-LEH-noo 1012 kol



1013 yeh-MAY















#992. Review #42 and #321. Moses will make a play on words



with "Adam" in verse 19.







#993. Review #22. #994. Review #462. #995. Review #863.











#996. Review #865 (see #997. He listened to the voice of his wife



rather than to the voice of G-d, whom Adam hides from in Gen.



3:10 just as the children of Israel similarly hide in Deut



5:24-21, a point in favor of common authorship, but more



importantly an important insight about fallen man).











#997. Review #724 and #354.







#998. Review #116. Do you see the VAV conversive?







#999. Review #77.







#1000. Review #124. Do you see the definite article? Adam's sin



was listening to a human voice rather than G-d's word, thus



effectively adding to the Bible (Deut. 4:2). This is where



Rabbinic Judaism and Biblical Judaism parts company. He chose a



life wherein he could obtain his own knowledge of good and evil



apart from the abundant life that G-d provides through his word.



Whoever chooses that life will find death, and whoever tries to



keep his life and go his own way searching for a knowledge of



good and evil will lose his life.











#1001. Review #71. This is a relative pronoun, introducing the



clause that follows, with the antecedent "tree (of the knowledge



of good and evil)" being referred to. G-d wants to talk about



the way of moral autonomy that he specifically forbade.



#1002. Review #623 and #354. Notice the 2ms suffix. G-d is



talking to the man, the priest of the home. The woman is ignored.



The father is ultimately responsible.



#1003. Review #270. What follows is direct speech.











#1004. Review #493. #1005. Review #116.







#1006. Review #640.







#1007. Review #946. Qal passive participle







#1008. Review #312. This is a feminine noun, as you see from



its KAMATZ HAY ending and from the 3fs suffix in #1011.



#1009. Review #354. BET AYIN VET SHURUK RESH = "because of"













#1010. Review #981 and #448. "by painful toil"







#1011. Review #116. Notice 3fs suffix referring you back to



#1008.











#1012. Review #250.







#1013. Review #43. Do you see the plural construct ending?



#1014. Review #295.















GEN. 3:18







1014 chai-YEH-chah 1015 veh-KOHTS 1016 veh-dahr-DAHR



1017 tahts-MEE-ahkh 1018 lach 1019 vah-ah-khahl-TAH 1020 et



1021 EH-sehv 1022 hahs-sah- DEH















#1015. "and thorn"







#1016. "and thistle"







#1017. Review #491 hifil. she (the ground) will cause to spring



forth/sprout.











#1018. "for you (2ms)" It looks like 2fs but the atnah puts the



word in pause and changes the vowel. This is why it is a FINAL



CHAF SH'VA







#1019. Review #116.







#1020. Review #4. #1021. Review #121. #1022. Review #483.















GEN. 3:19







1023 beh-zeh-AHT 1024 ah-PEH-chah 1025 toh-KHOHL 1026 LEH-chem



1027 ahd 1028 shuv-CHAH 1029 el 1030 ha-ah-dah-MAH 1031 kee



1032 mee-MEH-nah 1033 loo-KAHKH-tah1034 kee 1035 ah-far



1036 AH-tah 1037 veh-el 1038 ah-fahr 1039 tah-shuv













#1023. ZAYIN AYIN HAY = "sweat, perspiration" Review #448 "by



sweat of" Do you see the TAV contruct ending?







#1024. Review #522. literally "nostrils, nose" we translate"



brow" 2ms suffix.











#1025. Review #116.







#1026. literally "bread" we translate "food" In Mic.5:2 the



place of the Moshiach's birth is Beth-Lechem "house of bread"











#1027. "until"







#1028. SHIN SHURUK VET = "to turn beck, return" From this word



we get the word repentance teshuvah TAV SHIN SHURUK VET HAY =



teshuvah







#1029. Review #97.







#1030. Review #312. Do you see the play on words? It's like



saying "Mr. Mudd, by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread



until you return to the mud."











#1031. Review #462.







#1032. Review #640 and #354. "from her (the ground)"



#1033. Review #613 and #435 on pual. "you were roughly taken"



pual perfect 2ms passive intensive. The KUBUTZ under the first



letter tells you it is a pual. Notice also the dagesh forte in



the middle letter of the root. Remember the difference between



the active and the passive voice. In the passive voice the



subject is the recepient of the action of the verb rather than



the agent. The active voice is the state of the verb in which the



subject is doing the action.







#1034. Review #462. #1035. Review #518.







#1036. Review #837 and #920 on emphatic use of pronouns.





#1037. Review #97. #1038. Review #518.











#1039. Review #1028. Having completed this short Introduction



to Biblical Hebrew course, it is our hope that you see that "all



we like sheep have gone our own way" (Isaiah 53:6) eating from



the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but that Hashem has



laid on Moshiach the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6), and



therefore the Aitz of Moshiach Yehoshua (Deut. 21:23) has become



for us who are being delivered from Judgment the Aitz haChayim.



SHORT NOTE ON DIBLICA HEDRAICA STUTTGARTENSIA (8115):



If you look on the bottom of page 3 of the BHS you will see



various abbreviations. A few of them are important to recognize



now. For example, look at the symbol for the Samaritan



Pentateuch, a 5th century Hebrew document, and the Septuagint



(G), a 3rd-2nd century Greek translation. In Genesis 2:2, in the



fourth Hebrew word in the verse, HAY SHIN VET YUD AYIN YUD, we



see an a superscript pointing us to the bottom of the page in the



BHS textual apparatus. There we see that the Syriac (S) Aramaic



translation also supports the reading HAY SHIN SHIN YUD ("the



sixth") rather than the seventh day. This appears to be a



"correction" in these versions to make it clear that G-d was not



active on the seventh day. In this case the Masoretic reading is



preferable. At the front of the BHS, on pages XLIV-XLVIII, you



see other abbreviations, such as that for the Dead Sea Scrolls



(Q). Some of these you will begin to recognize.







































































TWO: TANAKH



















Before we begin studying the Bible together, let us remember the



danger that lies in only reading about the Bible. If you read



the notes we've given you and do not read what the notes are



derived from, i.e. the entire text of Scripture (in this case the



entire book of Genesis), then you are like the person born



without a tongue who did not eat the ice cream but only had the



experience described to him in a book. G-d wants to speak to you



directly through "every word that proceeds from the mouth of



G-d." His words are inerrant and will stand forever in the



theatre of mankind. All that our fallible little notes can do is



help to set the stage for you and to possibly raise the curtain.



If you don't have an on-going schedule to keep you actually



reading the Bible itself cover to cover, you may possibly "miss



the show" and these pages will be useless in the end, like



program notes given to you by an usher for a play you never saw.



So sit down now and read the book of Genesis, all fifty chapters.



Put the food of the Word of G-d directly into your mouth. Then we



can talk about it. We will proceed only on the assumption that



you have done that and will continue to do that as we go along



from book to book.



























BERESHIS (GENESIS)















....B'ray-SHEET ("in the beginning") is the Hebrew name for



Genesis. Many of the books of the Hebrew Bible are named from



their first words. This Hebrew word begins the first fifth of



the so-called "book of the Law of Moses" SEFER TORAT-MOSHE



II Kgs. 14:6). In view of the watchword Sola Scriptura (the



Bible alone is authoritative for faith), we must allow inerrantly



inspired authors of Scipture to give us our normative



interpretation of Scripture. For example, when we look at Genesis



1:1, we should remember Rav Sha'ul's teaching of the doctrine of



creation ex nihilo (Latin, "from nothing") that G-d "calls into



being that which does not exist" (Romans 4:17). With Rav Sha'ul's



inerrant teaching to guide us, we will not be tempted to



interpret Genesis 1:1 in any way that would have G-d creating the



cosmos from pre-existing materials. The book of Romans would



have us see the book of Genesis in terms of the sovereignty of



G-d, that G-d created the cosmos out of nothing and the chosen



nation of Israel out of nothing, since Abraham and Sarah were old



and "as good as dead" (Romans 4:19). So Genesis chps 1-11 are



about the creation of the inhabited world. And the book begins



with Adam, who is told to govern the world as the son of G-d,



being a type of "the one who is to come" (Romans 5:14; Genesis



3:15; 49:10 NIV), as expectation begins to build about a promised



eschatological Redeemer-Ruler, a Savior from sin and death, a



Great "Descendant" or "Seed" ZERAH. In Genesis we see the



"fall," that is, "creation being subjected to futility" (Romans



8:20) and the whole human race being brought under the bondage of



the law of sin and death (Romans 6:23) and all this occurred long



before the death-dealing Law of Moses was given at Mt. Sinai.



Romans 5:12 tells us how to exegete (interpret) Genesis 3. Adam



is an epochal figure whose failure and fall determines the



character of all encompassed in his epoch; that is, all of



God-alienated humanity in need of the epoch of the second Adam,



the New Man, the Moshiach, and especially in need of the new life



that flows from the Kingdom of G-d and G-d's great King Moshiach



and the Messianic Adamic fountain head. When we look at the



first man lying on the ground dead (Gen. 5:5), the Bible is



showing us the first sinner of a sinning/dying epoch which only



the Moshiach's death brings to an end (II Cor. 5:14). The six



days of creation may also stand for creationary epochs because



the Seventh Day or Shabbos may also point toward the millennial



epoch at the end of this age, if the book of Revelation (Rev.



20:4) and its creation theology is allowed to exert any force as



an interpretive key to the meaning of Gen. chp. 1-3. YOM can be a



period of in definite length in the Hebrew Bible. The age-day



interpretation fits well with the geological record. Moreover, if



the sun had not yet been created on Day One, you could hardly



have a 24-hour solar day on that "day" of no sun! If the sun were



not visible until day #4 (as in a long period where thick clouds



constituted the primordial atmosphere) such a description as



Genesis gives us could be reconciled with science. However, we



need to remember in all of this that Moses is not conducting an



amoral science lecture but rather is preaching a life-or-death



sermon (Deut. 30:l5) to get his Jewish people to stop violating



the law and get delivered from the wrath of G-d.







In a sense it would be better to read the book of Genesis last



instead of first. The reason is that Genesis answers all kinds of



questions that only get raised for the reader later in the Bible.



So it is only when you read Obadiah and Malachi that you really



start asking, "Who are the Edomites and when do we first hear of



their patriarch Esau?" Similarly, when Gog and Magog are



mentioned in Ezekiel, when Javan (Greece) is mentioned in



Zechariah, when Babylon (Shinar--Gen. 14:1) is mentioned in



Isaiah, when the Canaanites and the Moabites and the Amorites



(Noah's son Ham is the father of the Amorites) are discussed in



the rest of the Scriptures, Genesis is the place to turn to get



the Bible's theological introduction and overview of their



significance and determinative character. Genesis introduces us



theologically to all the major questions of life. What is



mankind? What is marriage? What is work and rest from work in



relation to G-d? In Proverbs it says that wine is a mocker



(20:1). How does the Bible first introduce us to that fact?



(Hint: see Gen. 9. Read also Lev. 10:8-11; Num. 6 :l-4; Luke



1-15; Rom. 14:2l.) How did the evil of polygamy begin? (Note



Gen. 4:19 and Lamech's overweening desire for both women and



violence--see Gen. 2:24 on monogamy.) What is sin? What is guilt?



Does man have to sin? (See Gen. 4:7). How in the human heart



did wickedness begin and proliferate over the earth? How did it



happen that the life-blood was set apart as holy in the



beginning, when G-d began to institute blood sacrifice as a



necessary aspect of the faith of Abraham? Where did Moses and



Joseph and the children of Israel come from? How did bondage,



especially bondage in Egypt come about? How can it be circumcised



and rolled away from the human heart so that we might know G-d



personally and become his true sons? Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh,



Enoch, Noah, Shem, Arphachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug,



Nahor, Terah and Abraham show us sons of G-d, whereas the sons of



the Serpent become a brood of "Lamech's" swallowed in a flood of



wrath. The coming "Descendant" is "the seed of the woman" and



"the son of Man" and is also part of the promise given to



Abraham.







Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua/Yeshua tells us this when he



says, "Abraham your father rejoiced at the thought of seeing the



day of my coming" (Yochanan 8:56) See correct spelling of the



Moshiach's name in the Hebrew Bible Neh. 7:39; see prophecy



regarding this name as Moshiach's name Zech. 6:12; Ezra 3:8. Now



this is important: Galatians 3:16 interprets in this Messianic



sense Genesis 12:7;13:15; 17:7; 22:18 and 24:7. G-d promised



many descendents but the fact that the word ZERA or SPERMA is



singular Shliach Sha'ul takes as a Messianic reference, not



merely a reference to the nation. Shliach Sha'ul sees the notion



of promise, including a promised esohatological covenant (Genesis



17:2), as central to the book of Genesis, because the Exodus from



Egypt, the conquering of the land of Israel, the coming of the



King Moshiach, and his inheritance of the nations are all an



unfolding of the promise that has its beginning in Genesis (the



word "Genesis" is from a Greek word meaning "origin"). Since a



gracious promise from a sovereign G-d who creates out of nothing



negates any notion of salvation through meritorious



works-righteousness, Shliach Sha'ul has Moses and Habakkuk to say



"amen" when Shliach Sha'ul teaches that righteousness was



credited to Abraham's faith when Abraham became the father of all



(Jewish people and Gentiles alike) who believe (see Genesis 15:6;



Deuteronomy 7:7-8; 9:4-6; Habakkuk 2:4). This is the teaching of



Yehoshua in Yochanan 6:28-29. Although the book of Genesis tells



us the origin of everything from marriage to polygamy and from



the Edomites to the Sodomites, Shliach Sha'ul shows us the most



important doctrine that originates from Genesis, the doctrine of



justification by faith alone (Romans 3:28).







Important prophecies in Genesis are these: one descendent of



Abraham will bless the nations (see Genesis 12:1-4; Isaiah



49:5-6); Abraham's descendants will be slaves 400 years in a land



not their own (Genesis 15:13); Abraham's descendants will be



delivered in the fourth generation (Genesis 15:14-16); the land



of Canaan would be given to Abraham's descendants as an



inheritance (Genesis 15:16-21) and the promise would be given



graciously and miraculously through Isaac (17:21; 21:12). If the



book of Revelation reads Genesis 3 with an apocalyptic symbolic



interpretation (see Revelation 12:9 and 20:2) then we should not



read it with an empty literalism as though it were just a story



about the origin of lethal snake bites (some famous rabbis have



made this mistake). On the other hand, we would make a big error



if we read Genesis 3 as a fictious myth, as though it weren't



dealing with facts and with the sober historical reality of the



human condition. Just because something is told in picture



language fraught with symbolism rather than with scientific



mathematical formulas does not mean that it is any less true or



that it did not in fact occur. The story in Genesis 3 is not a



mere parable. However, like a parable, the story points beyond



itself to its practical lesson, that the fruit of going our own



way (Isa. 53:6) against G-d's Word is death, and there is a way



that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death



(Prov. 16:25). For Man must live by every word that proceeds from



the mouth of G-d (Deut. 8:3). Satan is not literally a snake.



If he were, we wouldn't need the new birth, just medicine to



neutralize the venom. But Moses talks about the need for



hitkadeshut when he uses the metaphor of the "circumcision of the



heart" in Deut. 10:16; 30:6 and when he talks about the spiritual



change or new birth indicated when Abram and Jacob received their



new names as Abraham (father of many") and Israel ("he strives



with God"). On this, see Gen. 17:5;32:28.







Man is morally responsible before G-d and is commanded to yield



his heart in obedience. On the other hand, G-d is free to choose



and to judge. G-d is free to judge the attitude of Cain or to



sovereignly choose the younger rather than the elder son as the



heir of the promise. Judging from what we are saying here, would



you say that Shliach Sha'ul is dealing with the issue of the new



birth versus a works-righteousness religiosity when he refers to



Genesis and to the "children of the promise" in Romans 9:8? Is



Shliach Sha'ul seeing in Genesis the idea that only a sovereign



Creator can effect the new creation, and that self-righteousness



and self-efforts can never be our savior?







The world offers various g-dless cosmogonies (theories of the



origin and development of the universe) such as evolution. But



the Bible declares that without regeneration from G-d, Man is not



evolving upward from the beast but downward toward the Beast, and



the number of his name is 666, the number of unregenerated



Mankind at his most bestial. Without regeneration, man tends



away from the likeness of G-d and toward the likeness of the



unreasoning beast (Jude 10). If you come to the Bible looking for



information to support the latest scientific theory instead of



approaching the Bible to look for Yehoshua (Yochanan 5:39) and to



gather fruit from the Aitz HaChayim (the tree of life), you are



reading the Bible the wrong way, like a woman trying to find a



recipe in a telephone directory. The Bible was not written to



form us into gods who know exactly how old the universe is or how



scientists might someday create a human being from the mud of



matter. The Bible was written to give assurance of salvation and



to equip the man of G-d for every good work (Yochanan 20:31;



I Yochanan 5:13; II Tim. 3:16-11). Any fool might believe that



such a complex organ as the human eye could by evolution



spontaneously generate itself to see and rationally comprehend



the world, but a miracle is needed before a depraved heart can



believe that it has a need for G-d's Moshi'a (Deliverer), the



Moshiach. The Bible was written to tell us what is man,



something paleoanthropologists only pretend to know. They try to



divine that what differentiates humanity from the animal kingdom



is human speech or rational thought or the ability to use complex



tools or to walk in an upright manner on two feet. They can't



agree, however, and tend to put clever extinct species of apes



and "near-men" and "cave men" and modern man all in the same



genus, Homo (man). However according to the Bible, the genus of



Man is not alone defined by his rationality (which serves a



depraved will) but by the fact that Man is something that animals



are not: man is a sinner needing the covering of G-d's saving



hand, that is, a sinner needing the Moshiach. If we ask



ourselves, where does the notion of a suffering yet innocent



redeemer of the world originate, the answer again is Genesis.



Starting in chp 37, Joseph, like Yehoshua son of Joseph, is an



incognito prophet and savior, unrecognized by his own people,



envied and rejected as not from G-d, buried as dead, but raised



up by G-d to the right hand of supreme power to feed the bread of



new life to the whole world, including at last his own people who



do not recognize him until the end. (Rav Sha'ul may have had



this Joseph cycle in mind when he wrote Romans 11.)



This Anointed King, this Deliverer, will come from the line of



Seth (Genesis 4:25), from the offspring of Shem (Genesis 9:26),



from the family of Abraham (Genesis 12:3), from the seed of Isaac



(Genesis 26:3) and from the sons of Jacob (Genesis 46:3) and from



the tribe of Judah (49:10). Are you staying with me? Got a



dictionary? The word ZERA means what? ______________________



What does ex nihilo mean? _____________________







Read Gen. chps 6-10. Archaeologists are not ignorant of flood



strata in the geological record of ancient Mesopotamia. There



definitely was some kind of horrific flood in antiquity. Flood



stories are part of the memory of the human race and are almost



universally known. The death that swallows Adam and the



generations after him nearly swallows the whole human race in the



wrath of G-d unleashed in the great deluge. But once again there



is a Moshi'a savior figure, a kind of second Adam, and those who



find salvation in his ark survive, while all those outside him



are destroyed. See II Shimon Kefa 3:6. Possibly around 2166



B.C.E. Abraham was born in what is today modern Iraq. His home



was in the city of Ur of the Chaldees (part of today's Iraq and



Kuwait) and his people were Arameans, a Semitic group spreading



out from the Euphrates in Iraq. His family migrated to Haran (an



area near the Turkey-Syrian border 20 miles southeast of Urfa in



modern Turkey), where his father died, where his brother Nahor



settled, and where this Gentile named Abraham received his call



to make aliyah [he was the first foreign emissary of Moshiach's



shlichut (mission) to the Holy Land.] G-d chose to save Abraham



and to make him the founder of a nation (Israel) and the father



of many peoples (the Arab people come through his son Ishmael,



born when Abraham was 86). G-d chose to make him a prophet and



to give to him and to his "seed" both a covenant and a land and



various promises, including the promise of a Moshiach and



universal salvation, including the inheritance of the Gentile



nations. These covenant promises were renewed to Abraham's son



Isaac and Abraham's grandson Jacob. Jacob's name was changed to



Israel. The area of Haran is important because it was from this



region that Nahor's granddaughter Rebecca came, and she was



destined to become the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob.



Also, Leah and Rachel, the wives of Jacob, came from this region,



because the father of these girls was Laban, Rebecca's brother



and Jacob's uncle/father-in-law.







When we study Genesis, we see this 75 year old Abraham leaving



Haran and being guided by G-d to the land of Canaan with stops at



Shechem, the vicinity of Bethel, the Negev desert to the south of



Israel, Egypt, Bethel again, and then Hebron, where Abraham spent



most of his life. He is a prophet, proclaiming G-d to the heathen



Canaanites by "calling on the name of the L-rd." He acts not only



like a prophet (notice his prophetic intercessory ministry in



20:17 and in 18:23-32) but also like a kohen, building altars and



making sacrifices. But then appears a greater kohen, a



mysterious royal figure ruling almost messianically over the city



that became known later as Jerusalem. This kohen, a type of the



Moshiach, takes Abraham's tithe and blesses him (Gen. 14). Four



eastern kings then attack Sodom and, because Abraham's nephew Lot



lives there, Abraham rescues him. But the same G-d who leads Lot



to escape that homosexual stronghold Sodom, leads Abraham to



miraculously father a son (Isaac) in his old age and then to send



his servant (possibly the Eliezer of Gen. 15:2) to Laban to get



Isaac a bride (see Gen. 24). With the birth of Isaac (a promise



25 years in coming), the promise of the rise of the nation, the



possession of the nation's land (Israel), the coming of the



Moshiach, and the inheritance of all the nations of the



world--this great unfolding promise and its fulfillment--is



assured. This is why the visit of the Angel of the L-rd in Gen.



18 is so important (18:2,17,22,33; 19:1 seems to make the



inference that the Angel of the L-rd is G-d himself). Under the



guidance of G-d we see Abraham moving around to different places,



Hebron, the Philistine territory in Gerar, Beersheba, and Mount



Moriah (later the site of the Beis Hamikdash mount--II Chron.



3:1). This is where his faith endured its most difficult test,



prefiguring the vicarious, substitionary sacrifice in the coming



Beis Hamikdash, prefiguring the sacrifice of the Moshiach, and



prefiguring the sacrifice of every true believer who must put all



on the altar to follow the L-rd. But G-d's guidance, made real



to Abraham by the intervention of an angel (Gen. 22:11), came to



his rescue even in the midst of severe testing. Abraham was put



in the right before G-d by faith (15:6), as are all his Messianic



heirs and spiritual children according to the promise (Gal.



3:7-9,29).







Isaac's movements are also under the guidance of G-d from the



time he narrowly escapes death as a child until his dying day:



Mount Moriah, Gerar (Philistine territory), Beersheba. When his



servants dig a well, the L-rd invariably leads them to water and



the eyes of the heathen see "plainly that the L-rd has been with



you" (26:28). Even as a blind old man, Isaac's hands were guided



by the L-rd (see Gen. 27).







The Edomites, a people south and southeast of the Dead Sea, in



the country called Edom or Seir, raided Judah at the time of the



Babylonian invasion (Obad.11) in the 6th century B.C. and



possessed lands in the Negev desert (Ezek.35). But any claim they



might have made on the territory of Israel was forfeited by the



founder of their nation, Jacob's brother, Esau, who despised his



birthright and was supplanted by his twin brother Jacob. We see



the hand of G-d protecting Jacob, sending him away from Esau to



Haran, prospering him in spite of all Laban's deceptive



practices. As G-d was with Abraham and Isaac, so G-d guided



Jacob. Just as both Sarah and her maid-servant, Hagar, gave



Abraham offspring, so from Leah was born Reuben, Simeon, Levi,



Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. From Rachel was born Joseph and



Benjamin. From Rachel's maid-servant Bilhah was born Dan and



Naphtali. From Leah's maid-servant Zilpah was born Gad and Asher.



When Jacob's caravan left Haran, G-d was with him as he headed



for Gilead, protecting him from Laban. "The L-rd watch(ed)"



(31:48) and angels met him at the place he named Mahanaim and he



strove with G-d and prevailed until he received the blessing as



"Israel." G-d guided Jacob to Shechem and met him at Bethel,



leading him to Hebron. Through his son Joseph, G-d led Jacob even



to Pharaoh's court in Egypt. And the same G-d that led his son



Joseph to become a prophet in Egypt led Jacob's body to be



returned for burial in the promised land, where his tomb (Gen.



50) would become a sign pointing to the Moshiach's tomb and the



Exodus from sin and death. The tribes of Israel that Moses led



out of Egypt in the Exodus were given much assurance by these



stories from G-d's prophetic Word: G-d was likewise leading and



guiding and providing for them as he had for their fathers.



Joseph's movements under the guidance of G-d can be seen in three



days: the day his brothers rejected him as a prophet and as their



savior, refusing to do obeisance, selling him as a slave, and



burying him as dead; the day he was falsely accused and



imprisoned in Egypt; and the third day, the day he was raised to



the right hand of supreme power as a vindicated prophet and the



Moshi'a Savior of the world, ruler of all (Gen. 45:8). (See



I Cor. 15:4 "the third day")







The inference of Gen. 49:10 is that Judah's sovereignty



(shepherd's staff) will remain with that tribe until the coming



of David and the Son of David the Moshiach. See Ezek. 21:27 and



its near quote of Gen. 49:l0, "until he comes to whom it



rightfully belongs." Gen. 49:l0 says "the obedience of the



peoples" is his, that is the Moshiach's. In the Babylonian



Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b says that this is indeed a Messianic



prophecy.



GENESIS 3:15



And I will put enmity between thee (the Serpent) and the woman,



and between thy seed (the children of the evil one--Yochanan



8:44) and her seed; it (the seed of the woman) shall bruise thy



head (the Serpent), and thou shalt strike his heel. ["The Son of



the promise" is an important Messianic theme. The "seed of the



Woman" who is promised in Genesis 3:15 is to crush the Serpent.



This idea of the "Son of the Promise" underscored in Genesis



18:14 points toward the Deliverer foreshadowed also by others,



like Samson and Samuel, whose supernaturally orchestrated births



were a sign of divine rescue on the way. Moses tells us in



Genesis 49:10 that the Deliverer will come through Judah. But



here, even before Judah or Jacob, G-d miraculously brings into



being Isaac, just as G-d miraculously brings into being his true



people of the new birth. The supernatural birth of both people



(from the exile of sin) and the Moshiach (Immanuel) is a key



theme related to the doctrine of salvation in Isaiah.]



GENESIS 49:10



The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a ruler's staff from



between his feet until Shiloh (or if Shelo "until he whose it



is") come and the obedience of the nations (peoples) is his.































SHEMOT (EXODUS)















G-d's blessing on the people of Abraham (Gen. 12:3; 15:5) is such



that, according to Ex. 1:12, "the more they were oppressed, the



more they multiplied and spread." We see this in our own day in



the way the Nazi Holocaust of 1933-1945 led to the thriving



nation of Israel in 1948, growing with a vast exodus of diaspora



Jews from the Soviet Union, Ethiopia, and other lands. G-d keeps



his promises as we see in Gen. 15:13 and Ex. 12:40. There are



modern liberal scholars (not too many of them) who believe that



the Exodus from Egypt did not take place historically. Abraham



is declared to be a fictional character and his prophecy in Gen.



15:13-16 about the Egyptian Exodus is declared to be a post



events literary creation. But we know that it is an historical



fact that the Exodus from the Babylonian Exile began around 538



B.C.E. (see Ezra 1:1-4) and that Jeremiah was a real historical



character and his prophecy about the coming Babylonian Exodus in



Jer.16:14-15 can be dated before 586 B.C.E. when Jerusalem's



destruction made the Exile in Babylon complete. Now if G-d can



prove to us that the latter Exodus is historical, why should we



be skeptical that the former Exodus is historical? The doubters



living in the last decade of the 20th century are without excuse



for their unbelief, since they are themselves eye-witnesses of a



full scale Russian Exodus that promises to double Israel's



population in just a few years.







This book tells of the enslavement and deliverance of a people



and the birth and preparation of their deliverer. We hear of a



contest between the G-d of the people of the coming Moshiach and



the people of Pharaoh and his fals g-ds We learn of a



miraclous deliverance out of Egypt and the journey to Mt. Sinai



(Mt. Horeb). It is on this mountain that G-d reveals Himself



first to Moses and then to the people, requiring by means of a



covenant or contract that they be exclusively devoted to Him as a



holy nation, with His holy presence accompanying them on the



march by means of the mishkan and the kehunnah (priesthood)



carrying the law of Moses. As men had to enter the ark of



Noah's salvation to be saved from death, so we must enter the ark



of the true Messianic deliverance to be saved. And another



deliverer, the baby Moses, [MOSHE has the idea of "drawing out



(of the water)], was also in a tiny ark (the same word is used in



both stories: TEVAH meaning "vessel" is probably from an Egyptian



loan word meaning "chest" or "coffin"). In the case of both Noah



and Moses, the people would have to be submerged in a tevilah



into covenantal fellowship with their deliverer to be saved (see



I Corinthians 10:2; I Shliach Kefa 3:20f; II Shliach Kefa 2:5).



And just as the Noah cycle in Genesis shows a glimmer of



Messianic typology (see Matthew 24:38; Luke 17:27), so the book



of Exodus is also Messianic and eschatological. Both stories



point toward a new world coming which only a remnant preserved



through judgment will inherit. Moses is depicted not merely as a



prophet but as a mediator and judge/ruler who does a kohen's work



as well. When he says "a prophet like me" in Deut. 18:15, this



would include all these facets and by necessity would refer to



the Moshiach. This is confirmed by Isaiah, who declares that the



Prophet Moshiach will be a new Moses (Isa. 49:9-10). Look at



chapter 24:2, where Moses is a type (a perfect model pointing to



something higher) of Messiah because he symbolizes G-d's



mediator. Like the expected Moshiach-Prophet, Moses is also a



Mediator and law-giver (see Isaiah 42:4; Deuteronomy 18:18-19;



Isaiah 49:8-9), liberator, the inaugurator of the Kingdom of G-d,



the bringer of the covenant, the one delivered in order to be



G-d's deliverer, the one who rules and judges G-d's people and



raises up the divine dwelling of G-d in their midst, the



tabernacle, the MISHKAN OHEL MO'ED (the sanctuary of the tent of



meeting). Actually, Moses and Aaron together give us a picture



of the ruler-kohen Moshiach of Zechariah 6:13



(Yehoshua-Zerubbabel) and Psalm 110.







There is a recapitulation of the life of Moses in the life of



Moshiach Yehoshua. Both are saved from a slaughter of innocents,



both are called out of Egypt; Herod is a latter-day Pharaoh.



Twelve disciples to match the twelve tribes; there are forty days



in the wilderness to match the forty years of wandering, etc.



However, Moses is not a mere political leader bringing in a



this-worldly national liberation or revolution (this is only the



"Moses" of the "liberation theology" of Roman Catholic liberalism



in South America). He is a mediator pointing toward an



other-worldly G-d (G-d's angel goes before the Israelites--see



23:23; 33:2 and they see God--24:10). This G-d descends from



heaven and pitches His tent with His people, Himself dwelling



over the Aron HaEdut (ark of the testimony) where He sits



enthroned between the cherubim and over the Word He inscribed on



stone tablets. Moses sprinkles the elect nation (Exodus 24:8)



just as the Moshiach will sprinkle the elect nations (Isaiah



52:15). In both cases the elect are redeemed as a



blood-covenanted possession. Furthermore, in the book of Exodus,



Egypt's "new king who knew nothing of Joseph" (Exodus 1:8) is a



prefigurement of the Anti-Moshiach of the book of Revelation,



where the Exodus-like plagues of G-d's wrath (angry judgment)



fall on the Anti-Moshiach Beast's end-time Sodom civilization.



So Pharaoh's fall gives us a foreglimpse of the fall of the Beast



and his last-days "Babylon" civilization we see pictured so



vividly in Revelation 16 (see also Rev. 11:8). The Besuras



Hageulah of Yochanan is also organized much like Exodus, with



"signs" in both books convincing the people of the credibility of



each saving Mediator. While there are seven signs in Yochanan



there are ten signs building up to the Exodus of Moses. These



ten are Dahm (blood 7:14-24); Z'fard'im (frogs 8:1-15); Kinim



(gnats 8:16-19); Arov (flies 8:20-32); Dever (pestilence on



livestock 9:1-7); Sh'chin (boils 9:8-12); Barad (hail 9:13-35);



Arbeh (locusts 10:4-20); Chosech (darkness 10:21-29) Makat



B'chorot (slaying of firstborn 12:29-32). These are recited every



year in the Passover Seder, which is eaten with matzah and



M'rorim bitter herbs (see 12:8). Read carefully 12:1-27. Notice



the mixed crowd or rabble Erev Rav (large motley group) in 12:38



and remember the parable of the tares and wheat in Matt. 13:25.



Not all were prepared for holy battle (13:18).







Normally, passages like 12:37-39 are used in the Seder to explain



the matzah or unleavened bread. Ex. 12:42 explains why some



Jewish people stay up all night for the Chag festival. Read the



breath-taking description of the parting of what is traditionally



called the "Red Sea" (Yam Soof in Hebrew) in Ex. 14. and the



"Mi-chamochah Ba'Alim Adonai song in Ex. 15:11 found in the



synagogue liturgy. Notice a key theme of the entire Torah in



Ex. 15:13, "You guided them by Your strength to Your Holy Abode."







A Messianic theme in Exodus is the refrain we heard in Genesis



37:8, where Joseph's brothers taunt Joseph with the question: "Do



you think that you will indeed be king over us and rule us?" In



Exodus 2:14 Moses, even though he has been raised in a palace as



a prince, is likewise taunted, "Who set you as an official and



judge over us?" This is a continuation of the theme we will see



again in King David's life and in Isaiah 53 where, once again,



the spiritually anointed Leader is sent by G-d but rejected by



the people. In the case of both the Mediator of the Sinai



Covenant and also the Mediator of the (Jer. 31:31-34) Messianic



Brit Chadasha, the Savior-figure who "sprinkles" ["NAZAH"], with



the blood of the Covenant (Ex. 24:8; Isaiah 52:13) is called the



Eved (Servant) of the L-rd (Ex. 14:31; Isa. 52:13). Prince



Moses will be a type of the Moshiach, just as Joseph "prince



among his brothers" (Gen. 49:26) was. Genesis 49:10 tells us



that the obedience of the nations will come to the Moshiach



descended from the tribe of Judah, but Scripture gives us various



pictures of him. For example, the Jewish people (some of them,



that is) meant to do Yehoshua Son of Joseph harm, but G-d meant



to bring good out of it by saving many people (Genesis 50:20).



Also, Genesis offers the promise of land and life but ends with



everyone being sucked into a tomb (see Genesis 49:29-33), and the



body of Joseph going back to that tomb in a 400 year long trek



(Genesis 50:24-26; Exodus 13:19). But a victory over the defeat



of that tomb will occur when "the 70" (Exodus 1:5) burst forth



from the tomb of Egypt in a great exodus of "600,000" (Exodus



12:3?). This was possible because of midwives who didn't believe



in abortion (1:17), who did believe instead in the G-d of



Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the G-d of the living. This awesome



G-d commissions Moses (1:23-2:15) while he is a shepherd in



Midian on Mt. Sinai (Horeb) to deliver His people with Match



Ha'Elohim (the rod of God) performing signs and wonders (this



word wonder" mofet in Ex.7:3 we will see again in a key



Messianic passage in Zechariah 3:8). The G-d of Israel reveals



to Moses his personal covenant Name which contains his character,



that he is the G-d who always is (Ex. 3:14), the eternally



self-existent true G-d. This one true L-rd is the author of



salvation (Ex. 6:1-8), and he explains that he is going to



remember his covenant with the Patriarchs (Ex. 2:24) and then he



will plunder the Egyptians (3:21-22; 11:2-3 12:35-36) and harden



Pharaoh's heart before he brings out Israel from Egypt with a



mighty hand. G-d has many marvelous reasons for this (see 6:1;



7:3; 9:16; 10:1-2; 11:9; 14:4; 18:11). The plagues of the Exodus



were acts of judgment. The plagues were also deliberate



denigrations of the destructive deities and idol religion of the



Egyptians (12:12), the kind of Holy War that Moses and Joshua



will be continuing as preparations are made to invade the Holy



Land. Ex. 6:6 says "I am the L-rd, and I will free you from the



burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I



will redeem (I will be the Go'el) Redeemer, literally buying you



back from slavery by putting a blood sacrifice ransom on every



door). I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with



mighty acts of judgment." But in doing these acts of judgment, in



pouring out the plagues, G-d promises to "make a distinction



between my people and your (Pharaoh's) people" (Ex. 8:23; Gen.



3:15). This is the key to what Yochanan means in Rev. 3:10,



"Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep



you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to



test the inhabitants of the earth." Believers have been taken



out of judgment and they will not be "destroyed with those who



destroy the earth" (Rev. 11:18); just the opposite, they will be



raptured first (Rev. 11:12). G-d will "take" them like he took



Enoch and Elijah. However, not all the tribulation plagues of



Exodus necessitate evaculation for G-d's people to escape them



(see 8:22; 9:20-21,26,34; 10:23; 11:6-7). This should prompt us



to anticipate an imminent rapture but not to presume that rapture



is the only way G-d can protect his kedoshim while He pours out



bowls of wrath and plagues of judgment on the worldly people all



around his chosen ones. Like a typical reprobate who continually



refuses to humble himself before G-d (10:3), the proud



unregenerate Pharaoh does not believe even though all the



terrible plagues of judgment and wrath fall on him. But these



plagues the L-rd uses to distinguish between Egypt and Israel



(11:7), for He is redeeming a people of slaves set apart to



worship Him (10:26) and to become a free nation of kohanim to



G-d. The L-rd will make his covenant with his redeemed people,



and they will remember the covenant in a solemn covenant meal,



the Pesach Seder (chapter 12 Pesach). Chapter 13 hearkens back to



Genesis 22 and shows that only the first-born of the redeemed



will be included in the Pidyon HaBen redemption of the son--see



22:29b-30). When the first-born of Pharaoh and Egypt were struck



down while the first-born of Israel was preserved alive even



before the Red Sea parted, these events showed the Israelites



that they were being delivered from destruction by One who is



omnipotent and can alone assure their future (their future lay



with the ruling heir, the firstborn). The early Messianic Jews



had the same realization when they saw G-d likewise save and



raise his own firstborn Son from the dead and effect their and



His "exodus"--see Luke 9:30 and I Cor. 5:7. Matthew also



presents Moshiach Yehoshua as the New Moses, just as Isaiah looks



forward to a new exodus of salvation and the Moshiach to lead it



(see Isaiah 49:9-10). The Pesach lamb was a vicarious sacrifice



for the first-born heir, who represented the whole community and



its future. The Pesach Lamb purchased the redemption of those who



were saved and its blood on their houses literally bought them so



that they became the people whom G-d bought or acquired ["KANAH"]



Ex. 15:16; 12:23-27). Atonement money (30:11-16) was meant to



remind the Israelites of the ransom given in the blood sacrifice



of the Pesach lamb and in the tent of meeting, that is "the kofer



(ransom) given for your lives" (30:12). Trace the word for lamb



in Hebrew Seh from Genesis 22:7 to Exodus 12:3 to Isaiah 53:7.



Moshiach is the coming Passover Lamb, the redemptive-savior of



Abraham's progeny. He is the one that Isaac asks for (unwittingly



not only for his own redemption but also for the purchased



redemption of all Abraham's children by faith).







Sometimes, as in the case of the detour the Israelites took



through the desert rather than the more direct route to Israel,



G-d has a reason for making us take longer to reach our



objectives. The disheveled ex-slaves needed time to get



disciplined and organized. We talmidim also sometimes need more



time and therefore should not get discouraged when our long-range



goals are not reached over-night. See 13:17-18. The important



point is that we must wait on the L-rd who will remember his



people (2:24). The L-rd works very quickly when he wills to do



so. It took only three months for the L-rd to bring his



Lamb-redeemed (13:13-14) and Red Sea-mikvehed people to Mount



Sinai (Horeb) where he met with their mediator Moses for one year



and where Israel became a blood-covenanted nation! These latter



two events look forward to the mediator Moshiach on the Mount of



Transfiguration and the remnant Shluchim of Israel at the



Moshiach's Last Passover Seder, when we too became a



blood-covenanted people.







One of the twelve sons of Jacob was Levi. He had a son named



Kohath who had a son named Amram whose children were Aaron and



Miriam and Moses. Aaron had a son named Eleazar who had a son



named Phinehas (read about Eleazar's death in the last verse of



Joshua). In the book of Exodus Moses is depicted as a Levite who



in chapter 32 leads a vanguard of zealous Levites in setting the



standard of kedushah for the Israelites in the wilderness. Many



Hebrews are still slaves in Egypt, spiritually speaking,



worshipping the Egyptian bull G-d Apis (the golden calf) with



orgiastic worship (the Hebrew word L'Tsachek in 32:6 has,



according to the medieval rabbinic commentator Rashi, sexual



connotations). The point is that the called out kahal of the



Exodus is in need of a second Exodus, a new creation Exodus from



the "Egyptian" idolatry and bondage within and the hard-hearted



"Pharoah" of their own proud and unspiritual nature. Moses has



been to the mountaintop and has seen the pattern of G-d's coming



salvation (25:9,10; 26:30), but the people, lacking his vision,



murmur against G-d's leader, break the covenant, and perish



("without a vision the people perish" [Prov. 29:18]--not



realizing that there is a spiritual march and a discipleship



discipline necessary to reach salvation's goal.) The people



develop increasing carnality, rebelliousness, faithlessness,



ingratitude, unteachability, anger and cowardice until G-d



condemns them and replaces them with a new-born people that



emerges at the end of the forty year wilderness wanderings. Only



the new-barn "inherit the earth" of the land of Israel in the



end! But G-d is the Prime Mover of the Exodus; it doesn't depend



on Moses' eloquence (or lack of it--4:l0; 6:30) or even on



Israel's competence. He will say, "Israel, come forth!" and she



who was dying in chains in an unclean land of idols will come



forth living and free, destined for kedushah and hitkhadeshut.



Notice the power encounter is between the "New Age" Anti-Moshiach



pseudo-miracles and occult arts of magicians in Pharaoh's court



and the power of the Ruach Hakodesh (7:11; see II Thes. 2:9-10;



Rev. 13:11-18). We see that Anti-Moshiach oppression is of a



political and religious kind, and that it is diabolically



designed to hinder worship of the true G-d and His Moshiach (See



13:13).











In many ways Moses prefigures the Moshiach. Moses himself is no



messianic hero, however, but a limited man who needs Aaron as his



press secretary and spokesman, and Miriam as his music and



choreography worship leader. Through Jethro's advice, Moses



wisely admits his need for a vast division of labor as far as



leadership is concerned (18:18, 21), because the job of Shofet



(Judge) was getting too large for him. So we see Moses as a



model of the true spiritual leader, one who spends time on the



mountaintop alone in intercessory prayer and devekut with G-d as



well as in meditation on the Word, and then allows a host of



others to help him carry the load of work, which would be too



heavy for him to bear alone. He does this by supervising their



work which is compartmentalized and graded in complexity under



properly fitted leadership so that as problems go up the



hierarchy, most get solved before they reach him. Exodus 29:4



shows the kohen's total abulation looking forward to Moshaich's



tevilah. This kohen's washing is the source of the consecration



ritual for service to G-d (19:14) and the proselyte initiation



ritual which is Brit Chadashah tevilah. See the word (mikveh) in



Exodus 7:19 and Genesis 1:10. There is typology for this in the



parting of the Red Sea and in the washings of the kohanim as they



are installed in their ministry. Deliverance and redemption,



however,are not ritually received (rituals are commanded but as



"wilderness tests" of obedience and faith, not for their supposed



magical properties). Deliverance and redemption come through



emunah in the ransom of the Passover Lamb (later fulfilled in the



Moshiach) that heals us from the plagues of sin and death (Ex.



15:26; 23:25; Isa. 53:5,7).







The promised life G-d offers (later fulfilled in the mavet,



kevurah and techiyas hamesim of the Moshiach) is symbolized in



time (Shabbos and Festivals of Sacred Calendar) and in space



(Holy Camp, Mishkan and Promised Land).







In front of the OHEL MO'ED was the KIYYOR for washing and the



MITZBE'ACH of the burnt-offering. In the Holy Place was found the



golden SHULCHAN with the LECHEM PANIM and beside it, the



MENORAH.



In front of the PAROKHET on the KODESH HAKODESHIM was a



MITZBE'ACH HAKETORET. In the KODESH HAKODESHIM was the



ark of the



covenant with the ASERET HADIBROT on the LUCHOT AVANIM



inside and



the KAPPORET functioning as its lid, with the two cherubim facing



each other on top of the KAPPORET. Typology of Moshiach is seen



in the MISHKAN's construction, since he is the perfect pattern of



G-d's saving presence with men; he is the bread of life, the



Lechem Panim, bread of the Presence and he is the Shulchan upon



which all our sustenance rests; he is the menorah, the Lampstand,



the light of the world; he is the Mizbe'ach Haketoret (the altar



of incense), He is the sweet fragrance of salvation's incense; He



is the Mizbe'ach Ha'Olah, (the altar of burnt-offering); he is



the great Kohen Gadol, the acceptable sacrifice, the one MELITZ,



the kiyyor (basin) who washes us with the Ruach Hakodesh, the



law-giver, the door, the KAPPORET, the blood, the victim, and the



Word as well as the Presence who tabernacled with us in the



flesh. Isaiah says He is even the covenant (Isa. 42:6).



Exodus 30:30 is the origin of the word Moshiach. Kohanim were



anointed with a special oil, and among laymen only the Davidic



King (Himself a kohen after the order of Malki-tzedek) was



anointed. When David's dynasty became acknowledged as the



Messianic line, "G-d's anointed" (Moshiach) became a portentous



way of referring to David's Moshiach-bringing dynasty. (See the



Hebrew word in Psalm 2:2 and Daniel 9:26).







In the theology of Exodus, Egypt is not just exited; it is judged



and condemned, just as is the old humanity in the momentous



sacrifice of the Lamb of G-d. The true people of G-d is a



remnant within the "rabble." Not all Israel is Israel. The royal



idol of Pharaoh was a serpent g-d, a cobra, and the most



important of all Egyptian devils was Apophis represented by a



serpent. Genesis 3 has this in its background since Moses is the



author. The Serpent g-d of this world is being rejected.



Ironically, Moses finds he has a more gruelling challenge in



dealing with the people of G-d than he did with the people of



Pharoah. Nearly stoning him, they crave the sensual delights of



their former life of slavery, not realizing that these will bring



upon themselves the evil diseases of Egypt (see Exodus 15 and



Deuteronomy 7). The murmurers are always yearning to get out of



the ministry and have a "normal life." Doubting that G-d can



furnish a table in the wilderness" (Psalm 78:19), many fail to



endure to the end and be saved.







As we see in the Servant Songs of Isaiah, both Israel and



Moshiach are G-d's first-born Son (see Exodus 4:23; Psalm 89:27).



They are both the "seed" of Abraham, but Isaiah 53 says that



Moshiach makes atonement for the people. "For the transgression



of my people was he stricken" (Isa. 53:8). We see much typology



of Moshiach in Exodus: the Pesach lamb chavurah meal (with blood



protection for covenant-keepers), the manna "test of obedience"



meals (teaching not to "gather" faithlessly in the flesh but to



wait on the L-rd and trust in the L-rd's providence and his



provision), and the legislation about strangers and outsiders



needing to be consecrated in the covenant initiation of



circumcision to partake of Pesach, as well as the sections on the



Zekenim eating and drinking with G-d.







Exodus 36:2 speaks of the artists G-d used to make His worship



beautiful and acceptable to Him (see also Ex. 35:10-19;



35:30-36:7). If the worshipers sacrificing and meeting G-d at



the MISHKAN are a prophetic foreshadow or type of the people of



G-d, then each KEHILLAH should have its artisans and artists



today to coordinate and embellish the gifts and talents that each



worshipper is prompted by his own heart to bring to G-d's



service. In Exodus we see the leaders coordinating the arts and



the artistic contributions of the people for the esthetic



enhancement of worship. It's important to remember that



Solomon's Beis Hamikdash and other artistic achievements of great



beauty (such as the Bible itself as a literary achievement) are



used by G-d to attract the heathen to come and taste and see that



the L-rd is good. No Brit Chadasha kehillah should underestimate



the power of the arts in attracting outsiders.







Exodus chps. 35-40 tells about the building of the mishkan (a



type of portable royal pavilion-palace for G-d to dwell in as His



people travelled with Him toward the Promised Land of new life).



The fire and cloud (Ex. 40:34-38) associated with it from the



time of its completion are a sign that G-d indeed dwells there.







At the end of Deuteronomy we find Moses, old and ready to die and



yet not entering the promised land. G-d had almost killed him



once before (possibly in a deadly illness) over the mitzvah of



Bris Milah (circumcision) [Ex. 4:26]. In the book of Exodus we



learn about many Jewish matters of importance: the L-rd calls



Himself the Elohei Ha'Ivrim (G-d of the Hebrews) (7:16); the L-rd



gives the prohibition on travel and fire-building on Shabbos



(16:29-30; 35:3); the testing of Moses occurs (compare Ex. 17 and



Num. 20); we see the Amalek (17:14) people over whom King Saul



got in trouble for not killing their king (I Sam. 15:8), There



are other important themes. The people of G-d are called to be a



malchut of kohenim and a holy nation (19:6). The reverential



glory attached to the ministry is seen in the striking ceremonies



and clothing of the kohanim (28:40-43). We see the trumpet or



shofar and catch its esohatological significance (see 19:13,16



and I Thes. 4:16).







The Aseret haDibrot which form the basis of all other laws in the



Bible are introduced (20:1-17). A depiction of G-d's nature is



given to us (34:6-7). The fear of the L-rd is seen as a



preventative against sin (20:20). The redemption price of a slave



is thirty shekels of silver (see Zech. 11:12 and Matt. 26:15;



27:3,9). The typology of Moses the Judge points to Moshiach the



Judge, since, to come before such a Judge means to come before



G-d (see 22:9); the Angel (Messenger) of the L-rd will have the



Name or Presence of G-d in Him and will be virtually the



equivalent of the L-rd Himself and therefore a picture of Mal.



3:1--see Ex. 23:20-21.







The reason for the Holy War In the Holy Lend concerns the seven



indigenous peoples there who were made Charem (devoted under the



ban of destruction--Ex.23:32-33).







Much of this book is taken up with the detailed plans for



building the Mishkan as an acceptable place for G-d to dwell and



be met by His people. In fact it is called Ohel Mo'ed the tent of



meeting." Notice the fulfillment that comes with serving the L-rd



there. "The Israelites had done all of the work just as the L-rd



had commanded Moses. When Moses saw that they had done all the



work just as the L-rd had commanded, he blessed them" (Ex.



39:42-43).







On Moses' authorship, see 24:4,7 which says "Moses wrote down all



the words of the L-rd"..and read from "the Sefer HaBrit (Book of



the Covenant)." On the other "book," the Sefer HaChayyim,



referred to elsewhere in Scripture, see Ex. 32:33.







The Moshiach is Immanuel ("G-d-with-us"), the Word of G-d (G-d's



Wisdom, His Son) who descended from heaven to Mount Sinai to



dwell "with us" in the Devir (Kodesh HaKodeshim) of the



Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, where G-d pitches His Royal



Pavilion among His people and can only be approached with



Biblically specified blood sacrifice acceptably mediated.



The temporary Tent of Meeting that Moses set up before the



tabernacle was erected is mentioned in Ex. 33:11.







EXODUS 3:13







And Moses said unto G-d, Behold, when I come unto the children of



Israel, and shall say unto them, The G-d of your fathers hath



sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name?



what shall I say unto them?







EXODUS 3:14







And G-d said unto Moses, I AM WHO I AM: and he said, Thus shalt



thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.







EXODUS 25:40







And see that thou make them after their pattern, which was shown



thee on the mountain.



















































VAYIKRA (LEVITICUS)



















A whole book of the Bible is devoted to underscoring the fact



that Biblical (as opposed to Talmudic) Judaism is a faith



requiring shefikhat dahm (shedding of blood) for the SELICHAT



AVON. On Mt. Sinai the L-rd made it clear that He could not be



truly honored as G-d without blood (7:37-38). We were bought at



great price, and all the blood of bulls and goats pointed to the



blood of the Lamb of G-d who takes away the sin of the world.



When we meditate on this book we see at what great price of blood



the world was redeemed. For, as in the institution of the Brit



Chadasha (Matt. 26:28), so the Sinai Covenant was instituted by



blood sacrifice (Ex. 24:3-8). In Leviticus we see that this is



emphasized with no less than eight types of offerings: the sin



offering [CHATTAT] (Lev. 4:1-35; 6:24-30) to atone for specific



unwitting sin; different animals or offerings were required,



depending on the rank of the offender--ruler, kohen, or common



person, poor person, very poor person; the offerer laid his hand



on the victim and identified with it (as we must identify with



Moshiach); this blood alone was put on the horns of the incense



altar (4:16-18) in the Holy Place; on the Yom Kippur, this blood



was taken into the Kodesh HaKodeshim and manipulated as for a



leprous unclean people (Lev. 14:7; 16:14). The kohen performed



ritual eating with part of the meat in the Beis Hamikdash area;



the Moshiach's Seder looks back to this since we are Brit



Chadasha kohanim (Yochanan 6:49-58).







Next, the guilt or trespass offering [ASHAM] (the same word is



predicted about the Moshiach in Isaiah 53:10) to atone for



unwitting sin requiring restitution (this was also eaten; read



Lev. 5:14-6:7; 7:1-7; whenever G-d or someone else was defrauded



or cheated of what was rightly his, this sacrifice was necessary.



Like the leper who, because of his uncleanness, defrauds G-d of



acceptable service and needs the cleansing blood applied to his



ears, hands, and feet (see 14:12-14), so we, who have defrauded



G-d of much service because of our uncleannesses, need the blood



of the Moshiach applied to our whole being.







Next, the holocaust [OLAH or burnt offering] to atone for



unwitting sins in general; the kohen had to keep the fire burning



continuously (Lev. 6:8-13) because the victim had to be burned



completely and there were sacrifices morning and evening. In the



L-rd's work the minister has to keep the fire of spiritual



awakening burning continuously by not neglecting the Word and



prayer and other ministry duties (see Acts 2:42; Heb. 10:25).



Next, the cereal offering [MINCHAH] to secure or retain good will



(not a blood sacrifice but fine flour, olive oil, and



frankincense offered along with such); unless the offering was



for his own sin, the kohen could eat part of it (6:16; 1:9), and



this was one of his "mitzbe'ach rights," just as we have certain



mitzbe'ach rights at the Table of the L-rd that unbelievers have



no right to share (Heb. 13:10).







Next, the peace offering [SHLOMIM] or fellowship offering to



render thanks to G-d; the kohen took the sacrificial meat and the



cakes or wafers and gave them back to the repentant choteh to eat



wherever he chose. This is a picture of the privileges and



benefits that accompany the ministry of the laity and also points



to the Moshiach's Tish.





Next, the drink offering [NESECH] was denied the kohen and



completely poured out, just as our lives must be wholly expended



for the L-rd (see II Tim. 4:6) and we must not get involved in



civilian pursuits (II Tim. 2:4); (in addition there was the thank



offering [TODAH] for a blessing received,







Next, the vow offering [NEDER] upon completion of a vow, and the



freewill offering [N'DAVAH]"from a glad heart" (a voluntary



offering, such as was given at the three major feasts: Pesach,



Shavuos and Sukkot).







In some of these sacrifices, hands are laid on the victim, which



must be without flaw, and the victim then, with this physical



contact, becomes (through the gracious gift of saving emunah) a



substitute, and a vicarious kapporah is thereby appropriated for



the choteh (see Leviticus 1:4). With the touch of the hand and



the emunah of the believer, the sin transfers to the victim whose



bloody death expiates (removes) the chet from the choteh and



propitiates (appeases) the wrath or anger of G-d against sin.



Thus the sin is covered or atoned for. In Leviticus 4:1-3 we see



that sin doesn't get off scot-free...somebody has to pay. We see



the bull come forward to pay, just as later we see the perfect



victim, the filial Word of G-d the man Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach



Yehoshua, come forward to pay (as foretold in Isaiah 53). In



Leviticus 4:15 we see the zekenim of the community lay their



hands upon the head, just as later they unwittingly laid their



hands upon the head of the eternal Word Himself, the Moshiach



Kohen-Lamb. In this respect the Moshiach's death was not only an



Asham it was also a Chattat that is, a sin offering for the whole



community. In fact all of the sacrifices find their fulfillment



in the death of the Moshiach. On Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol



lays both of his hands on the head of the victim, confesses over



it all the perverse sins and transgressions of the people,



transfering them to the head of the doomed victim, who will bear



[NASAH] them away outside the makhaneh (camp) to the wilderness



where it will die (notice Lev. 16:22 and Isaiah 53:12 "He bore



the sin of many"). The covenant of salt referred to in Lev. 2:13



symbolizes permanence, which is an aspect of both salt's



preservative quality and G-d's covenant love for his people.



G-d spoke to Moses about such critically important matters from



the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting) (Lev. 1:1). And the chesed



Hashem is emphasized in the fact that Aaron, although he had made



a golden calf for the people and was completely unworthy to be a



minister (like Shliach Kefa and Rav Sha'ul), and although he in



no way earned by zechus the personal relationship to the King of



Kings that the Covenant offered, nevertheless, the grace of G-d



was such that G-d revealed to Moses how He wanted to be



worshipped in the Mishkan. Then G-d had Moses ordain Aaron and



instruct him to perform the holy duties of a kohen as are written



out in this book, the book of Leviticus. Nevertheless, not many



should become teachers and engage in the kohen's service of



teaching, since those who teach will be judged with greater



strictness (Ya'akov 3:1), and Leviticus warns us several times



about what will happen to kohanim who are careless in their



duties. In Leviticus 4:31 it says, "Thus the kohen shall make



atonement for him and he shall be forgiven." The perfect Word of



G-d, who came to Moses with this oracle, Himself came later as



our eternal kohen (Psalm 110:4) and made expiation for us with



his own flawless life poured out in a bloody death so that we



could be forgiven. This is "the ram of the guilt offering" (Lev.



5:16) that G-d promised to provide for Abraham (Genesis 22:11-14;



Isa. 53:l0). Leviticus 9 promises the glorious Presence of the



L-rd will appear to you if the enjoined sacrifice is accepted



(9:1,5-7, 23); Yehoshua is the Word of G-d's Presence appearing



among us as Immanuel (God-with-us). Notice I Cor. 15:5f says "he



appeared.







In chapter 10 we see that two kohanim went beyond what is written



and the L-rd permanently retired them from their S'MICHA



(ordination), just as many great spiritual leaders, involved in



the "illicit fire" of wine, women and financial corruption, have



likewise been ingloriously defrocked and wiped out of the



ministry by the L-rd. If we know the Moshiach and we are kohanim



who have entered the Tent of Meeting, then why do we break the



law and drunkenly crave wine (Lev. 10:9)? If you are in the



L-rd's ministry, you cannot go anywhere you want or do anything



you want; you must not go outside the entrance of the Tent of



Meeting lest you die" (10:7). We must not touch anything



unclean, lest we grieve the Ruach Hakodesh and break our Rev.



3:20 communion with the L-rd, to which Lev. 10:17 points. If



anyone thinks that he is so gifted and invaluable to the L-rd



that he can get away with secret sin, he should remember that G-d



had for kohanim only Aaron's four sons and G-d put half of them



to death! No man is indispensible with G-d; all of us can be



eliminated and replaced (G-d replaced the whole people of Israel



in the wilderness); so we should meditate on this book and fear



G-d. G-d seems to be saying in Lev. 10:2-3, "Offer right



sacrifices, O ministers, or you will be sacrificed." The



eye-witnessed detail in Lev. 10:5 reminds us of Acts 5:1-11 where



two other ministers committed high-handed sin. Aaron's sons



deliberately shunned the fire from G-d (Lev. 9:24) and offered



unholy fire (10:1) of their own choosing.







In chapter 13, we see that G-d's minister must examine the flock



and sometimes infected members must be quarantined and dealt with



apart from the others. Suppose you as a spiritual leader



interviewed a lonely bachelor with a history of fornication and



suppose he was seeking admission to your ministry because he was



"lonely" for lady companionship. Would you see this as "leprosy"



and quarantine him? Or would you play the Jewish matchmaker and



rush to "meet his needs?" We need to make sure that all of us



keep our "itch" (Lev. 13:30) under the examination of the Lord's



body through faithful submission to the House of G-d where we've



been called. Lev. 16:2 tells us about the Parokhet (or curtain



veiling the Kodesh HaKodashim) and about the Aron Kodesh (the



Holy Ark) and regarding the atonement cover or Kaporet where G-d



Himself appears. In Rom. 3:25 the word (ilastE/rion is the word



for Moshiach's sacrifice of atonement, and it is a direct



reference to this Greek word which is also found here in the



Septuagint translation of Lev. 16:2. So Yehoshua is where G-d



appears in holy sacrifice. Yehoshua sprinkles the nations in a



cosmic Yom Kippur sacrifice, according to Isaiah 52:15, since he



is the cosmic and eternal kohen of Psalm 110:4. Aza'zel is



generally translated "scapegoat" in Lev. 16:10. It cannot mean



demon (see Lev. 17:7).







In chapter 18 polygamy (18:18) and homosexuality (18:22) are



condemned and sexual sins are made one of the grounds for exile



which is threatened (compare 18:25 to 18:28; also 26:34). Since



the illicit and incestuous unions in Leviticus 18 seem to be



referred to in Acts 15:20 and Matthew 19:9, a case can be made



that Moshiach Yehoshua allowed no other grounds for divorce and



remarriage (other than porneia). Porneia would have been the



grounds for the annulment of Yosef's marriage to Miryam had she



been guilty of this kind of sexual deception during the



engagement period (see Matthew 1:19), and in that case had he



remarried he would be considered married only once (I Timothy



3:2). Other than these types of exceptions, Yehoshua considered



the marriage vow indissoluble. If one intends to be a leader in



G-d's work and if one knows that his calling entails it, one



should seek ordination, not necessarily a prestigious academic



degree. The Bible says nothing about prestigious degrees (except



that Moshiach Yehoshua condemns the idolatrous and caste-creating



use of titles in the L-rd's House -- Matthew 23:5-12), but it



says plenty (even in Leviticus) about ordination! Do you think



someone should not have to possess a medical license (that can be



revoked if they engage in malpractice) if they want to be a



doctor or a medical healer of bodies? If this is true, why do



you think you should be able to lead in the L-rd's work without a



similar recognized appointment holding you accountable for your



moral and doctrinal integrity? Just as Exodus gives minute



details for the building of the Mishkan, so Leviticus gives



minute details for how the kohanim are to be ordained so they can



be overseers who inspect the worshippers according to the exact



laws and regulations protecting the holiness of G-d's people.



G-d wants quality control and quality control inspectors to



insure holiness in his worshippers. This is why Shliach Sha'ul



lays down qualifying principles for the standards ministers must



keep (see 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1). Anti-clericalism is the



renunciation of the ordained ministry and is a reaction against



clericalism, wherein the clergy is turned into a caste system



that abuses ministerial privileges and lords it over the laity.



But anti-clericalism is itself a sin against G-d's Word because



G-d does want mesharetim (ministers, servants) and G-d does want



them authorized and accountable to those who appointed them.



In Lev. 8:22-32 we see the ordination ceremony. Moses



officiates. (See also Ex. 29:19-34 and its description.) Notice



that a man cannot ordain himself. Aaron and his sons are



dependent on the G-d who called them to dress them in the holy



garments of a kohen using his "dresser" Moses. The minister's



hands, ears, end feet are made holy and sanctified and



consecrated for avodas kodesh by the purifying blood. From now



on, everything the minister touches, or listens to, and every



place he frequents must be part of his holy business as a kohen



because it is all under the blood (see Lev. 8:23,30). The



minister's hands have been filled with holy work and he must be



about G-d's holy business (see 8:26-28). G-d will uniquely



sustain the minister in all this (Ex. 29:33), but the minister



must eat the offering G-d provides in the place where G-d assigns



him (8:31-36) and not journey out in his own stubborn will to



minister wherever he pleases. To do so might mean the death of



his ministry (see Lev. 8:35). These are some of the many deep



spiritual truths in Lev. 8, and there is a sense in which these



truths apply to both lay and ordained ministers, though the



specific teachings regarding ordination are emphasized.







In Leviticus 26:39-45, G-d promises he will expel and return the



Jewish people to the land of Israel as part of his moral dealings



with the world. Therefore, how can anyone write a treatise on



ethics and leave such matters out entirely? Shliach Sha'ul



didn't in his treatise on ethics called the Letter to the Romans



(Romans 9-11).







G-d is a land leaser and a leaser of harvests, according to



Leviticus 25:13-24. The Holy Land belongs to Him, and even the



Jewish people are aliens there resident with G-d. He will throw



unclean tenants out of his Holy Mishkan (dwelling, tabernacle)



and off of His Holy Land (Admat Hakodesh). Therefore, we must



repent of all our uncleanesses and tremble at His Word.



Against the rationalizing reductionism of the Midrash (Leviticus



Rabbah vii), Leviticus does not say the study of the Torah will



fulfill the imperatives of its commands. Leviticus 17:11 demands



divinely acceptable sacrificial blood, not mere Torah study.



Those who say that Leviticus gives no warrant for a Messianic



re-interpretation of its text should remember one important fact.



If a later canonical prophet of the Holy Tanakh points to the



Torah and gives it a typological Messianic meaning (as Isaiah



does by apocalyptically applying the word (asham) from Leviticus



to the Davidic Servant of the L-rd in Isaiah 53:10 and the word



NAZAH "sprinkle" from Leviticus to Isaiah 52:15), then a



Messianic re-interpretation of Leviticus is in fact implicit in



the Tanakh, and is not merely read in gratuitously by Messianic



believers. In the Torah, and especially in Leviticus, blood was



always associated with G-d's saving covenant and Holy Word, and



the Sovereign L-rd enthroned above the atonement cover over the



ark of testimony cannot be approached without biblically



prescribed blood acceptably mediated (note the Kohen Gadol on Yom



Kippur -- Lev. 16).







Since G-d is holy, there is no shadow or unclean thing in Him.



He is living; the unclean are dead. He must cover or remove or



atone for sin to stay in contact with unclean sinners seeking His



fellowship. We cannot experience His presence in congregational



worship unless we approach Him with acceptable sacrifice removing



our uncleanness. We bring the sacrifice he requires to his House



but not merely to the minister; we bring this sacrifice to the



L-rd Himself as the worshippers do in the book of



Leviticus. Meditating on Leviticus can help any believer



maintain a sacrifice of holiness: a clean mind, a clean body, a



clean house, clean clothes, and clean contacts (see Leviticus 15)



because we have been made clean and then holy or set apart for



exclusive service in Yehoshua, and every aspect of our lives must



reflect this. However, the dirty, the poor, the helpless are not



excluded from G-d's concern and neither should they be from ours



(19:14,32; 25:17,36,39-43).





Jewish feasts are Pesach and Chag HaMatzot, Shavuos (variously



called First Fruits or Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Harvest,



Rosh Hashanah (Trumpets) or the Jewish New Year, Day of Atonement



(Yom Kippur), Tabernacles or the Festival of Booths (Sukkot) (see



the reference to this festival's esrog and the lulav or palm



branch in Lev. 23:40), with its concluding day, technically a



holiday in itself, Shemini Atzaret, the Eighth Day of Assembly



referred to in Yochanan 7:37 and Lev. 23:39. (Purim is in Esther



and Channukah is predicted in Daniel 8:11 and mentioned in



Yochanan 10:22). The Jewish people rest on Shabbat (pronounced



Shabbos by Ashkenazic [European-origin] or Yeshiva-trained Jews).



Seven weeks after Pesach is Shavuos, the rest period for



harvesters, and this period is supposed to be literally counted



day by day from the waving of the sheaf (Hebrew Omer -- Lev.



23:10) by the kohen when the coming harvest is dedicated to the



L-rd until Shavu'os? when the harvest arrives. (In the Brit



Chadasha the Lamb of G-d was offered at Pesach and the Harvest



arrived seven weeks later at Shavu'os?). The nation itself rests



on the seventh month at Rosh Hashanah. Every seventh year is a



sabbatical when the land is to rest, and every seventh seven of



years everything is to rest, slaves are to be released, etc--this



is the year of Jubilee (see the 70 weeks of sevens in Daniel 9



when the Messianic Age brings in the final rest.) [On Shemittah



see Deut. 15:1f]







The Ner Tamid, or perpetual light above the synagogue ark and its



Torah scroll derives from Lev. 24:2.







Notice this key verse.







"You shall be holy because I am holy" (Lev. 19:2). The word



"holy" is a key word in Leviticus, appearing there more than any



other word. But Leviticus 19:15 is the "kingly law" of Yehoshua:



"You must love your neighbor as yourself." (Also see Deut.10:19.)



To love our neighbor there are times when we must with gentleness



and love, respecting his dignity as a creature in the divine



image, nevertheless rebuke him. G-d warns that we will incur



guilt ourselves if we don't rebuke him (Lev. 19:17). Sins of a



deliberate, willful, "high-handed" nature (remember Korah? --



Nu.16) could not be atoned for (Num. 15:30-31) and the book of



Hebrews uses this fact to warn the apostate against any



deliberate, willful renunciation of the L-rd. Deliberate



idolaters, Shabbos-breakers, blasphemers, murderers, adulterers,



false-witnesses and the like who disobeyed the Aseret HaDebrot



(the Ten Commandments) with a high hand were put to death in the



Sinai Covenant dispensation, and their sins were not atoned for



(see also Heb. 5:2; 6:4-6: 10:26-31; Deu. 17:12; Ps. 19:13).



This is why Shliach Sha'ul is quick to point out that his violent



crimes against the Messianic Jews were done in ignorance (I Tim.



1:13). The way some of the Pharisees are speaking against the



Ruach Hakodesh prompts Moshiach Yehoshua to warn them about



sinning beyond the reach of atonement and forgiveness.







Moses completed the building of the Mishkan (a type of portable



royal pavilion-palace for G-d to dwell in as His people traveled



with Him toward the Promised Land of new life) just as G-d showed



him on the holy mountain of Sinai, exactly one year after the



Exodus (Ex. 40:l7). But, just as G-d sometimes gives us



something first and only then shows us what to do with it, Moses



did not receive all these detailed instructions in Leviticus



until the month following the completion of the building of the



tabernacle. Lev. 27:34 tells us that these are the mitzvot? that



G-d gave Moses during the year that the people of Israel were at



Mount Sinai. These were given to insure the purity of the kohen



and the nation of kohanim, and to insure that G-d's House would



be kept clean enough for such a holy G-d to dwell there. The



decontamination process we see in Lev. 14:34 for houses infested



with dry-rot or fungus is necessary for these houses to be



inhabitable by a clean and holy people; similarly the Day of



Atonement provides a function to make it possible for G-d to



continue to dwell in His House in the midst of His people.



G-d made sure the book of Leviticus was included in the Bible so



that the people might be "no more dull of understanding" when it



comes to His Holy Covenant faith, His Holy presence, His



holiness, and His acceptable sacrifice.







I Yochanan 1:7 sees the death of the Moshiach as a sin offering.



Yochanan 1:29 sees it as a vicarious burnt offering, and Hebrews



sees it "outside the camp (Lev. 4:12; Heb. 13:13). The author of



Hebrews proves that Yehoshua was a kohen, for only kohanim could



offer the blood. As Ps. 110:4 and Isaiah 53 was fulfilled in our



Moshiach Kohen so this verse in Lev. 1:20 was fulfilled in Him:



V'Chiper Aleichem HaKohen V'Nislach Lahem. The kohen shall make



atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven. The Kohen Gadol



was anointed with oil (Lev. 8:10-12) just as the coming Moshiach



("Anointed One") Kohen would be the king anointed by the Ruach



Hakodesh (Isa. 42:1; Ps. 110:4).







Everything starts when you are confronted by sin (Lev. 4:28).



Then there is the vicarious part (you must touch Moshiach



Yehoshua -- Lev. 4:29) and the mediatorial part (the kohen makes



the kill and offers the blood, which is what He did).







When the kohen changes clothes, this typifies our regeneration as



kohanim of the Brit Chadasha (Lev. 6:10; Rev. 1:6).







Notice Lev. 9:l-6 gives us the order of G-d's salvation in that



first there is sacrifice and suffering, then there is theophany



and glory. This is one of the passages Shliach Sha'ul is



referring to in I Cor. 15 when he says the Moshiach died, was



buried and appeared, according to the Scriptures. Which



Scriptures? Scriptures like these in Lev. 9:1-6. Lev. 14:34 says



that Israel has been given to the Jewish people as a homeland but



Lev. 26:32-39 makes the point that by no means will they have



unconditional security in Israel if they sin in their unbelief in



the Scriptures (see 18:24-25,29; 20:22-26). The land will cry



out as it did against Cain and vomit them out.







This is a summary of some of the Mitzvot or commandments and



other points of interest to us in the book of Leviticus.







The Mikveh is variously prescribed in Lev. 15.







The key purpose of much of Leviticus is given in Lev. 15:31,



"Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separated from their



uncleanness, so that they do not die in their uncleanness by



defiling my mishkan that is in their midst. The law of kashrut?



(fit, proper foods) comes from Lev. 17:13 and 11:1-47.







Why many ultra-orthodox Jews wear the Pa'ot is given in Lev.



19:27.







Hebrews 10:25 was written with Lev. 19:30 in mind.







Astrology, New Age practitioners and every kind of occult lure is



rejected by Lev. 19:31; 20:6,27.







Sacrificing children (as in abortion) to the G-d Molech is



forbidden in Lev. 20:2-5.







Homosexuality is forbidden in 18:22 and 20:13.







Modern day Israeli jurisprudence needs to study Lev. 24:22 and



19:34 and look more kindly on Gentile believers? who want to live



in the Holy Land. Also see Ex. 12:49.







Lev. 27:30 mentions the tithe called Ma'aser meaning one-tenth.





LEVITICUS 16:14-17







14. And he (Aaron the Kohen Gadol) shall take of the blood of



the bull, and sprinkle (see Isa. 52:15, same word) it with his



finger on the front of the atonement cover; and before the



atonement cover shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger



seven times.



15. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for



the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that



blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it upon



the atonement cover and before the atonement cover.



16. And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because



of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of



their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for



the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in



the midst of their uncleanness.



17. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the



congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy



place, until he come out, and have made en atonement for himself,



and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.



















BAMIDBAR (NUMBERS)















Numbers tells the story of a remnant going forward while most



people backslide or lose their way in rebellion and self-will.



Israel is on her way from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab on



the border of Canaan, where, through the temptations of the



Moabites and Midianites, many will succomb to "Balaam's error" of



idolatry and immorality (see Numbers 25; 31:16 and II Shliach



Kefa 2:15 and Jude II) and rebel against the L-rd and His leaders



and die in the wilderness. "Balaam's error" surely turned the



L-rd against Israel then and it will turn the L-rd against the



Brit Chadasha kehillah today, though many who are lukewarm in the



Brit Chadasha kehillah think such sins are not so serious. But



Phinehas was the zealous minister (he was a kohen and, as the



grandson of Aaron, he serves as a "military chaplain" in Num.



31:6) who put to death Cozbi the immoral Midianite woman and her



Israelite lover (25:1-15), because of this same kind of sin,



which precipitated the holy war against the Midianites. Num.



10-21 tells of the 38 years, almost 40 years (1447-1407 BCE) of



wandering that the rebellious Israelites were divinely



sentenced to, wandering not only in the Transjordan but



particularly in the five different wildernesses of the Sinai



Peninsula: the Wildernesses of Zin, Shur, Etham, Paran, and Sin.



In eleven days they traveled from Mt. Sinai (Horeb) to the hill



country of the Amorites, Kadesh-barnea, which is about 40 miles



south of Beersheba. G-d had given the Amorites over to them, but



this became the fateful turning point of unbelief, and it was not



till near the end of Moses' life, some thirty-eight years later,



that these Amorites (both Sihon and Og were Amorite kings--see



Deut. 3:8; 4:47) were defeated. The people of Israel were so



close and yet so far from the Promised Land, but it was at this



time that they rebelled and were defeated by the Amalekites (Num.



11:39-45). It says these latter defeated them because they



"presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, even



though the ark of the covenant of the L-rd, and Moses, had not



left the camp." If we run ahead of the leadership the L-rd has



assigned over us, we run the risk of spiritual defeat as



believers.







From the book of Numbers we can learn much about the function of



administration (Greek diakonia), meaning the spiritual authority



to rule or administer a ministry--see Romans 12:7). Those who say



they lack this gift (and can therefore excuse themselves) are



wrong, because the Parable of the Talents emphasizes that we all



will have to give an accounting for our stewardship of our



talents (Matt. 25:14-30; Rom. 14:10; II Cor 5:10) and this would



include the way we administer the ministries G-d entrusts with



us. The message of Numbers is that we must humbly learn to



administer our assigned duties, because unclean rebellion will



bring chaos and death in the wilderness.







Num. 1:2 says, "Take a census of the whole Israelite community."



A first principle of Brit Chadasha kehillah growth strategy is to



count what you've got, and then to count what you've had, and



then to see if you are growing, and if so, at what rate. Here it



is ominous statistics gathering indeed, because we know from



14:29 this is in reality a body count of those rebels who would



be put to death in the wilderness for failing to carry their



burden of obedience in order to see the Promised Land (see



26:63-65). Compare the army muster in chapter 1 with the army



muster in chapter 26. In the L-rd's march to victory, the rebels



fell out of step with their G-d and were "numbered" for death and



were not called out to be part of the victorious assembly (kahal



or ecclessia from the root meaning "called out," that is, a



congregation called out from a world alienated from G-d, the Brit



Chadasha kehillah, the community of the elect, the chosen



people). G-d "had their number." Moses makes the first count



with Aaron and then, a generation later, shortly before his own



death, makes the last count with Aaron's surviving son Eleazar



(Aaron's generation having died off) serving as kohen gadol.



When you look at the white hair of the aging Moses and when you



look at Joshua and Caleb, you see that only non-rebels live to



see the promise fulfilled. The rebels lose the vision and perish



in the wilderness (Prov. 29:18). This is an important theological



idea in the book. The Levites are numbered in chapters 3 and 4,



and they are literal stand-ins for the Firstborn of Israel who



were in turn given to the L-rd in exchange for the Firstborn of



Egypt (see 3:11-13). Chapter 2 shows the "decent and in order"



way the tribal camp was masterfully arranged and administered by



their true Leader, the L-rd of Glory.







Num. 1:16 speaks the chieftains elected by their tribes, so the



election of zekenim (elders) and leaders by ministers and



congregations is not the injection of unbiblical politics into



Brit Chadasha kehillah polity or government. Therefore, we are to



be members of a congregation, having been "enrolled" or "counted"



or "numbered" [PAKAD] for war (1:3). The idea here is of a group



of troops divinely summoned into assembly to be counted and



enlisted by means of a military roll call and we are not to sniff



at or run from congregational business meetings and elections as



beneath us, though the danger of overweening bureaucratic control



and politicking in the L-rd's body is real.







Num. 1:47-53 shows there has to be a set-apart leadership to



protect the purity of the faith from the distortions of the



ignorant and the unqualified. The ministers literally camp around



the Word (the Aseres Ha-Dibros or Ten Commandments are in the Ark



of the Covenant) to protect sound doctrine. Therefore, semicha or



ordination is G-d's will for those accountable for sound doctrine



and the care of souls. Aaron and his sons (the kohanim descended



from Levi through Kohath and Aaron--see Ex. 6:16-20; Num.



4:5,15,19; 18:1-20) are distinguised from the Levites, who do not



touch the holy things or enter the sacred areas, on pain of



death, but assist the kohanim (see 1:47-53; 3:5-37; 18:2-7),



which non-Levites are not permitted to do. This is important to



keep in mind to understand the sin of Korah because as a Levite



he tried to usurp the kohen's authority. This was also the sin of



Antiochus Epiphanes who allowed the kehunnah to be usurped. "He



has allowed you to approach him, and all your brother Levites



with you; yet you seek the kehunnah as well" (16:10). Every



minister-baiting rebellious layman, every false teacher and false



prophet commits the sin of Korah (see Jude 11).







Chapter 2 highlights the wisdom of G-d as an administrator with



each tribe given its own position, each person his own clan,



family, and tribal grouping, each tribe its own order of breaking



camp, its own assigned leadership hierarchy, its own identifying



banner, its own order of march, its own position relative to the



mobile central sanctuary, with the Levites in the middle



protecting the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and with the tribe of Judah



(the tribe of G-d's anointed leader, the Moshiach) leading out as



the vanguard and with the tribe of Dan coming last as the



rearguard. Here is a place where the Word of G-d and the Moshiach



are connected in the Tanakh, as in the Logos-Moshiach in Yochanan



chapter 1. Judah is the tribe of the Moshiach (Genesis 49:10)



and is therefore the first to break camp (Numbers 2:3,9) and



makes the first offering (7:12) and sets out first in the march



from Sinai (10:14). See Proverbs 8:23 where G-d's Wisdom, His



Word, is "first" as well as Judges 20:18, where the Moshiach's



tribe is likewise called "first."







Notice in 3:5-10 there is full delegation of the work of the



ministry throughout the tribe of Levi, just as there should be



today in the Body of the L-rd. 4:16 says, "Responsibility shall



rest with Eleazar son of Aaron the kohen for the lighting oil."



Each believer has a responsibilty in the ministry that should be



delegated to him. Shliach Sha'ul says, "See to it that you



fulfill (the responsibilities) of your ministry (Col. 4: 17)."







In 3:11-13 we see the Levites as a type of the elect, those



called to be G-d's own possession, those who are not their own,



but have been bought with a price (3:44-51). However, since they



have no land and receive the MA'ASER (tithe) in compensation



(18:21-24), there is a definite corollary between them and the



L-rd's ministers.



In chapter 5 we witness a trial by ordeal for an allegedly



unfaithful wife that points forward to a better kind of probe,



the word of knowledge, a spiritual gift that has replaced this



Sinai Covenant lie detector test and, moreover, has made it as



applicable to men as to women. (See I Cor. 12:8)







In chapter 6 we see an example of a vow of commitment that the



laity, men or women, could take, the ascetic NAZIR (Nazarite)



vow, where they set themselves apart for temporary withdrawal



from the world unto G-d and this included avoiding intoxicating



beverages, contact with the dead, and cutting the hair.





Chapter 7 emphasizes that when one initiates any type of new



ministry one should first dedicate it formally to the L-rd.



Moreover, every Sabbatical year (seventh year) the unfarmed land



rested (Lev. 25:1-7 on Shemittah, see also Deut. 15:1f) and the



children of Israel rededicated themselves by gathering on Sukkoth



(the Feast of Tabernacles) and publically reciting the covenant



provisions of the Torah to which Israel under Moses had committed



itself (see Deut. 31:10; 15:9-18.). Also at the end of seven



Shabbaths of years of seven times seven years, the so-called Year



of Jubilee [Yovel] the Hebrew slaves went free, debt was



forgiven, and land was returned to the original tribal occupants



(Lev. 25:8-54). The poor were liberated from the debts and the



enslavement to the rich into which they had fallen, and the rich,



who had accumulated vast land acquisitions, were divested of some



of their filthy lucre. All this happened on Yom Kippur every 49



years (Lev. 25:8-9) and such is the essential background for



understanding Isa. 61 as Moshiach Yehoshua quotes it in Luke



4:18. This was theoretically how the law worked, if it were



actually enforced, which would keep too much wealth from falling



into the hands of a few. Unfortuately evil rulers do not always



enforce just and merciful laws, and the period of the 70 years of



Exile was actually a punishment for violating this part of the



Torah, as G-d said in effect, "I am not mocked: if you will not



give me my Sabbaths and let the land rest every seven years, I



will take my Sabbaths anyway and you will sit in Exile waiting



for the land to rest until its appointed Sabbaths are completed"



(see Lev. 26:34-35; II Chron. 36:20-21).







Chapter 8:6,15,21,22 show that your ministry begins with your



water initiation, and therefore we need to create pre-tevilah



instructional materials and classes so that we give Moshiach's



tevilah only to serious people willing to became serious talmidim



and lay ministers, not double-minded people intent on



backsliding. This means we must have pre-tevilah as well as



post-tevilah classes.







Chapter 8:19 shows where Shliach Sha'ul gets his ecclesiology.



He sees ordained ministers as MATANOT (gifts) to the Brit



Chadasha kehillah in Ephes. 4:11.







Chapter 9:15-23 shows that we must stay deep in prayer in order



to discern when the L-rd is moving us out in a new venture and



when he is encamping us. Many prayerless grumblers, their



feelings or their pride hurt by some imagined slight, stay with a



congregation only until their patience runs out or they get bored



and then they drift to something else, which instead of another



congregation may be the world, because these malcontents often



backslide completely. They moved without looking for the cloud



ascending from the Mishkan, without watching for the place where



it settled down (9:15-23). Their ears were not attuned to the



sound of the two silver trumpets, one blowing to assemble the



leaders (which departing backslider cares if he is a leader?) and



both trumpets blowing to assemble the whole congregation to move



out together (10:1-10). See I Thes. 4:13-18 on how our ears are



to be tuned to the rapture's trumpet. Read Ps. 90 to see the



wrath of G-d being revealed from Shomayim (Rom. 1:18) against



Israel in the wilderness.







Chapter 10:8 says that the Israelites didn't make war without



music. This shows how important the ministers of music are in



the L-rd's body. From 10:11 to 14:45 we march with the



Israelites from Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, which takes us no more



than 2 months. The complaining started here in the wilderness of



Paran and the Israelites provoked G-d to anger (11:1-3,4-35; Psa.



78:26-31; 106:13-l5). But, when Moses is rebelled against, we are



told that Moses is greater than a prophet and in this sense a



unique mediator of revelation (12:6-8); it surely is in this



sense that the Moshiach will be "like me" (Deut. 18:15), but he



too will have his Shliach Kefa's and his Judas's rebel against



him.







Chapter 11:25b says of those set apart for ministry with the 15th



century BCE lawgiver Moses, "And when the Spirit that was on him



(Moses) rested upon them, they prophesied but did not continue."



Is this unfortunate situation also true of you? Yehuda 1:20 says



that we should continue to daven in the Spirit (meaning leshonot)



as we build ourselves up in the most holy faith, studying and



meditating on the Scriptures.







In chapter 12 Miriam the prophetess has to be physically healed



to cure her of a rebellious mouth. Her offense was that she



slandered G-d's leader. 13:32 says that 10 of the 12 spies



slandered the vision of G-d's prophet and so turned the people



away from it, refusing to urge the people to conquest. For that



crime a whole generation wandered in the wilderness under divine



wrath and a death sentence (14:21-23, 34-35). Let us not give an



evil report by saying, "It can't be done here, the giants are too



big!" Such an unbelieving leader will be doomed to become a mere



caretaker of wandering dead men walking in their own blind flesh.



Numbers is a book that shows the folly of wandering in the lusts



of one's flesh. Num. 15:1-21:20 tell the story of this wilderness



wandering. And, lest the backslider harden his heart and go all



the way and apostatize, Num. 15:22-31 warns (along with Heb.



10:26) that there is no kapporah for deliberate, defiant sin. The



wilderness period was remembered by some of the prophets as the



time of Israel's apostasy (Amos 5:25-26), when she did not keep



covenant faithfulness with her L-rd (see Josh. 5:2-9 and compare



Acts 21:21). The TSITSIT (Num. 15:38) were to be worn to remind



the Israelites not to forget the word and follow their own lusts.



But the final refutation to the folly of the old-timers who focus



on the "giants" and say "it can't be done" is that it in fact was



done, with 1,820 fewer people the second time around, when the



Israelites finally went in and possessed the Promised Land



(compare the census in 26:51 and 1:46).







Chapter 18:21-32 says that not just anyone is to receive the



MA'ASER [tithe] but only G-d's ordained leadership. Some love the



tithes but not the years of ministerial training and the



accountability of ordination that goes with them.







Chapter 19:1-10 shows that because of our uncleanness we must



have faith in the kaparrah of Moshiach and have a tevilah into



him, for he is the antitype of the red cow who died outside the



camp and became the tevilah that cleanses us from our sins



forever.







Chapter 20:12 gives the ominous warning that even Moses would die



outside the Promised Land like Miriam (20:1) and Aaron (20:22)



because, although he was beseiged by rebellion from his own



mishpochah and others, Moses did not trust G-d enough to keep his



head in all situations (II Tim. 4:5) and did not obediently honor



the L-rd who delivers us from all our critics and slanderers.



Moses did not honor G-d as holy before the people and so he too



lost a blessing (27:14) Moses should have known that no weapon



formed against us will prosper. Then he would have honored G-d



as holy before the people no matter how they taxed their leader's



patience. The disobedience of the people does not excuse the



disobedience of the leader.







Notice that bitterness against G-d's leaders is just a step



removed from bitterness toward G-d himself (21:5).







Chapter 21:8 points toward the One who, though He was the Ben



HaElohim and without sin, yet he took the form of the likeness of



sinful flesh (Romans 8:3), the flesh of the corrupt children of



the Serpent (Gen. 3:15; Yochanan 8:44), and was lifted up, so



that men might look on him and live. See Yochanan 3:14-15. The



snake Moses lifted up on a standard at the end of the wilderness



wanderings, before the the conquest of the Transjordan began,



points to the Ben HaAdam Moshiach being lifted up and drawing all



men unto himself (Yochanan 12:32).







Balaam's donkey speaks because "the L-rd opened its mouth"



(22:28). The Syrian prophet Balaam with his talking donkey



points toward Saul the persecutor, who, on his horse on the way



to Damascus, wanted to curse the people of G-d, the Messianic



Jews, but could only bless them (24:9). Like the talking snake in



Gen. 3, this talking donkey is placed at a cross-roads as far as



human destiny is concerned. Those who make the decision of faith



will be blessed (24:9; Gen. 12:3). Balak (bah-LAHk) is king of



Moab (his G-d is Chemosh--Num. 21:29). And he looks down from a



mountain and sees Israel camping tribe by tribe on his territory



as they are passing through on their way to the Promised Land.



He in league with the Midianites, whom Moses will defeat in Num.



31 and whom Gideon will have to fight later in the time of the



Judges. King Balak knew he needed divine help to oppose Israel,



so he looked for the type of professional preacher who is always



harshly denouncing everybody, so he could unleash such a maggid



on Moses and the Israelites and defeat them with curses. So



Balak begins by trying to tell Balaam what to preach and what to



prophesy and attempts to persuade this Gentile prophet Balaam



(beel-AHM) to curse the chosen people. Of course, we know that



Balaam will be killed later (31:8) and G-d knows that even his



donkey knows the fear of the L-rd better than Balaam, but for the



moment money does not corrupt his ministry (22:18). Later, even



illicit sex will become a source of corruption to the true faith



as well (25:1). The most important prophecy Balaam utters is



24:17 which is the KOKHAV (star) that shall come out of Jacob and



shall become the star of David, the Moshiach.







Notice how Korah starts a rebellion against Moses in chapter 16



even though Moses has taken nothing for himself (16:15). It is



important to note that the only thing that keeps the people from



going down to Sheol is that they do not rebel against G-d and his



leadership (16:26-34). Our muttering can be the death of us



(17:25). The battle cry of Brit Chadasha kehillah-splitting



rebels is Numbers 12:2-3.







Chapter 27 (also 36) speaks of the equal inheritance promised to



women, so the laws of inheritance included provisions for



daughters. This should be seen within the larger context of the



book as a whole, since Israel was herself nearly disinherited as



a nation on at least two occasions (see chapters 11 and 14).



Moses had married a non-Israelite (12:1) woman, a fact that might



have set a bad example for the people about the sanctity of their



inheritance, but this was actually just a pretext Aaron and



Miriam used to challenge the authority of Moses for the sake of



their own personal ambitions. We see that G-d grants us our



inheritance as a gift, but we still have to fight the good fight



and seek first the kingdom in order to enjoy it (note the tribes



of Gad, Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph



received the Transjordan land as a gift but they still had to



fight with the other tribes first before, they could enjoy their



inheritance--see Num. 32).







Chapter 27:15-23 teaches that leaders should have assistants they



are equipping to take over their ministries (as Moses equipped



Joshua). The ministry can continue in a manner that is decent



and in order only when these transitions are anticipated and



prepared for.







See chapters 25 and 31:15-16 on the consequences of sexual sin.









Notice the Levites were given 48 towns but no land allotments.



Would it be a bad application of exegesis to say that the



Levitical towns and pastures (chapter 35) might be warrant for a



congregation providing its spiritual leader with a place to live



in?







In 35:13 we see there were six cities of refuge. Even today,



people who have disagreements in one congregation seek refuge in



another. But where there has been a case of unrepented sin and a



person flees one congregation to join another as a kind of "city



of refuge," spiritual leaders should co-operate in matters of



intra-congregational discipline.







Notice that the kohanim and Levites are responsible to Aaron



(18:3). A congregational board and its shammashim should be



responsible to the congregational leader. A "board-run"



congregation is not Scriptural, because they can make the



congregational leader a mere errand boy to do their bidding, and



he loses his prophetic voice in the body. However, leadership



must be shared, as Jethro emphasized to Moses.







Yehoshua (Joshua) (called Yeshua in Nehemiah 8:17) is called the



Servant of the L-rd in Numbers 27:18, "the man in whom is (the)



Spirit," making him a prophetic sign of the One who is to come,



the Servant of the L-rd filled with "My Spirit" (see Isaiah



42:1). See also Zechariah 3:8; 6:12 where another later



Yehoshua is similarly pointed to as a portent or ominous sign of



the Moshiach.







The Bible of the Jewish Diaspora from the third century B.C.E.



until the Messianic era of Moshiach Yehoshua was the Greek, the



Septuagint. In Greek the name of Joshua/Yeshua/Yehoshua in



Nehemiah 8:17 and in the Torah is IEsous or Moshiach Yehoshua.



G-d always has his two witnesses because Deuteronomy 19:15 says



that everything has to be supported by two witnesses. So at



crucial junctures, like at the transition from the wilderness



into the Promised Land or at the return from the Exile, G-d had



as his two witnesses one man from the tribe of the Moshiach and



one man bearing the personal name of the Moshiach: that is, Caleb



from the tribe of Judah and "Yehoshua" (Joshua) entering the



Promised Land; and Zerubbabel from the tribe of Judah with



"Yehoshua" (the Kohen Gadol Joshua) returning from the Exile (see



the book of Zechariah). One set of two witnesses were raised up



from the "tomb" of Egypt and the wilderness, and the other set



were raised up from the "tomb" of the Babylonian Exile. Wherever



at least two witnesses meet, there is the L-rd with his true Brit



Chadasha kehillah in their midst.







Notice the elaborate dedication of the altar HAMITZBE'ACH in



Numbers 7.







The Israelites leave Mt. Sinai and eventually arrive in Moab



(Num. 22-36), with major stops at Hazeroth (10:11-12:15), Paran



(12:16-19:22), and Kadesh (20:1-21:4). There are some 18



encampments from Kadesh-barnea to the wilderness and back to



Kadesh-barnea (33:18-36). It is in the wilderness of Zin, at the



end of the wanderings, that Moses and Aaron anger G-d and are



also sentenced to die in the wilderness. Moab is the last stop,



where Moses' last will and testament, the book of Deuteronomy,



will be delivered. G-d commanded Moses to keep this travel diary



(Luke kept one undoubtedly in writing the book of Acts), and you



may wish some day that you had kept a spiritual diary. How could



Wesley have benefited the Brit Chadasha kehillah as he did with



his writing gift if he had not kept his journals?







Notice the L-rd speaks from the Mishkan in Numbers 1:1 and not



from Mt. Sinai, so the Word emanates from the tabernacle where



the glory of G-d resides. The Word of G-d will likewise



"tabernacle" in the Moshiach (Yochanan 1:14) and emanate from



Him. The Heavenly L-rd is travelling from Egypt to Israel



embodied in the tabernacle. The people, by murmuring against



Him, are opting out of being His heavenly fellow travellers. So



this paradigm will speak its object lesson for all time to Ideal



Israel.







Kadesh-barnea, (kah-DESH bar-NAY-ah) an oasis at the southern



edge of Israel, is the area the Israelites used as a staging



arena for their conquest of Canaan (Numbers 13:26), encamping



there while their spies scouted the land (13-14; Deut. 1). It



was from there that Moses tries to have a successful "kehillah"



business meeting to vote to take the land, a vote that took 38



years to attain, because the rebels were wandering in the



wilderness until they returned to the same place nearly forty



years later (33:36-37). Aaron died there. It was also at this



place that the Israelites complained about the hardship of their



wanderings, so angering Moses that he struck the rock (Num.



20:1-13; Exod. 17:1-7) and forfeited his own marching privileges



with those who went in and possessed the land.







We can conclude our services with the Aaronic benediction



(6:24-26) remembering, if a woman lights the Shabbos candles,



that the Aaronic kohenim lit the seven-lamped menorah (8:1-4).



We need to approach the study of this book with "fear and



trembling" and with Rom. 15:4 and I Cor. 10:11-12 in mind.



Notice the death of the Kohen Gadol provides release for the



guilty (35:25) just as the death of the Moshiach-Kohen (Psalm



110; Isaiah 53) provides release for us.











"There was an order of march for the Israelites, company by



company, when they set out," (10:28) and so there is for us.



Know your leaders and loyally hang tough with them.







Important verses to meditate on: Num. 32:23. Are you qualified



for work relating to the OHEL MOED tent of meeting (see 4:35)?



You have been charged with a literal responsibility to carry



(4:47); do you know what it is, and are you doing it? The



Israelites all had people over them in the L-rd (7:2); do you



(Heb. 13:17)? They brought to the Lord's House talents and



valuable things that could be used in the service of the L-rd



(7:4-5); what are you bringing to the L-rd? Look at 10:10. Some



live in New York City, the largest Jewish city in the world, and



feel no obligation whatsoever to remember them with a messianic



congregation or a messianic calender. Hobab a relative of Moses



by marriage, is offered a blessing for continuing in Jewish



ministry (10:32): that blessing is offered to you. 10:33-34



speaks of seeking a resting place, and how G-d does this for



us--compare this theme in Heb. chps. 3 and 4. Compare Moses'



question in 11:13 to Moshiach Yehoshua's question to Philip in



Yochanan 6:5. Some get out of step with G-d because of a good



thing; but if we put a good thing before G-d, He may give us too



much of a good thing, until it becomes loathsome to us, even a



plague--11:20,33.







It says the Spirit rested upon them and they prophesied--11:25.



Compare Acts 19:6 and the tevilah in the Ruach Hakodesh. Meditate



on Num. 14. So often we have heard, "They will never be able to



start a messianic congregation. They are Gentiles. Jews will



never go for this. It's going to fall apart. There are two many



giants againt them!" See 16:13-14. Men blame leaders instead of



their own sins--16:14. Men make false accusations--16:15. Avoid



the waters of Meribah ("Quarreling")--20:13. We need a different



spirit, the spirit of Caleb -- 14:24. The rabbis say that the



Gentiles can be righteous by following the laws of Noah, but



15:15 says the same sacrifice is necessary for both Gentiles and



Jews.







See 18:16 where you see the words PIDYON HABEN (the redemption of



the son) a ceremony on the 31st day of the firstborn Jewish boy's



life when five shekels (or silver dollars) are given to a Jewish



person, a Kohen, who buys the boy back or redeems him from the



L-rd, since all firstborn males of Israel belong to the L-rd.



This ceremony is not performed on a Shabbos and/or to the



firstborn of parents who are Kohens.

























































DEVARIM (DEUTERONOMY)















Scientists search for natural laws and governments enact civil



laws, but the greatest body of divine law ever given to man is



summed up by Moses in this book. Moses underlines the seriousness



and importance of Deuteronomy several times. He says that all



the words in it are "no trifling matter for you, but rather your



very life" (32:47; 4:1,3-4; 4:40). Indeed, with this book Moses



confronts all with life and death, exhorting all to choose life



(30:15,19-20). The life-span of individual Jewish people and



their protection from deportation and exile, their physical



health, prosperity, the well-being of their children, the esteem



of their nation in the eyes of the world (4:6-8), and their good



fortune in every aspect of life, even longevity of life (11:21),



even life itself, all hinged on their attention and obedience to



the words of this book. But what is true of them is also true for



everyone else, even for us who read the Bible and look to the G-d



of Israel for our salvation.







Moses and the people are poised just outside the territorial



borders of Israel, encamped at Moab (29:1), an ancient kingdom



east of the Dead Sea in what is today the modern country of



Jordan. Visualize their position. Look at a map. They are across



from Jericho, on the opposite side of the Jordan River. Moses is



now near death, one hundred and twenty years old (34:7), writing



and teaching the people his last hymn, depositing with the



kohanim and zekenim his last writings (31:9), laying hands on his



successor to leadership, Joshua (3:28; 31:7-8; 34:9), preaching



his last sermon, expounding and reinterpreting the Law that G-d



gave at Mt. Sinai (Horeb) in the context of a renewal of the



contractual agreement (covenant) between Israel and G-d as a new



generation prepares to obey the Law in holiness and actually go



in and take the Holy Land. Deut. 4:l4-49 sets the scene for the



whole book which Moses delivered as a sermon in Moab. When



Moses led the people of Israel to the threshold of the Promised



Land, he encountered, near the point where the Jordan runs into



the Dead Sea, Sihon king of the Amorites. This is in territory



that today belongs to the country of Jordan. Also, to the north,



in the area of Bashan, which includes the famous (formerly,



before the 1967 Six Day War, Syrian) Golan Heights, the army of



Moses encountered another famous Amorite king, the king of



Bashan, the giant Og (see 3:11). G-d authorized Moses to conduct



a holy war against these wicked peoples and put them under CHEREM



("destruction" 7:26, that is, devoting them to G-d). This means



that their destruction was necessary at that



particular time because they stood in the way of G-d's plan to



save the world by means of a holy land and a holy nation of



kohanim. For if at this early period the Hebrew nation was



corrupted by the heathen peoples occupying the Holy Land, there



would be no hope of reaching the other nations through the Jewish



people. This process of a necessary and just war had been



waiting since Abraham's time (Gen. 15:16) and G-d had Moses



actually begin the process to give Joshua and the others "on the



job training" in how to continue it (see 3:21-22; 7:1-6,17-26;



12:2-5, 29-31; 20:1-20). Og and Sihon and what G-d does to them



are a preview of how the L-rd will fight for Joshua and the rest



of Israel's G-d-ordained leaders in the years ahead--3:21-22.



The same G-d who fights against Pharaoh and Og and Sihon will



fight against the heathen occupiers of the Holy Land--7:l8. (At



the Second Coming, Moshiach Adoneinu will fight against the



heathen occupiers of the whole world.)







Destroying idols (a task Moses knows they won't carry out



completely--31:27) in the Holy Land is on the top of the list of



statutes and ordinances that they must diligently observe in the



land. In Deut. 12 we have the laws that will become Israel's own



eviction notice when they don't obey them and have to go into the



Exile.







Almost the whole book is a sermon, and the fact that, 38 years



before, the previous generation had been commanded to go in and



take the Holy Land by force and had nevertheless rebelliously



(9:23) and faithlessly disobeyed G-d is the chilling reality



giving such a dramatic setting to Moses' sermon. All of these



rebellious parents are now dead, having eventually perished in



the wilderness wanderings, inspite of Moses' intercessions



(9:18-29; 10:10-11). The question for decision (30:19) is



whether their children, this new generation of adults alive at



the time of the end of Moses' ministry, will repeat the mistakes



of their parents and die, or whether they will obey the Torah and



in holiness take the Holy Land and live to worship the L-rd there



in His Holy Dwelling (12:11-26; 14:23-25; 15:20; 16:2-16;



17:8-10; 18:6; 26:2; 31:11).







"You shall not act as we are acting here today, all of us



according to our own desires, for you have not yet come into the



rest and the possession that the L-rd your G-d is giving you"



(12:8-9). Each generation has an opportunity to obey G-d and go



in and destroy idols and possess what G-d has prepared for it.



This is true of all omanim l'ma'an Yisroel (artists for Israel),



but we should also be warned that the only time the word



artisan/craftsman [CHARASH] is used in Deuteronomy, it is used of



one who prostituted his talent to make an idol for himself



(27:15). Maggidim, as they use the arts in ministry, should



remember that the Word is preeminent and that the prophet is one,



set apart from the people who remains before the L-rd to get His



Word for the L-rd's flock (5:27-28).







It is important to know who the Hittites were (see Gen. 23:3).



They were a people whose kings had written contracts and treaties



with the nations (like Syria) who became their vassals (dependent



states). We know from scholars like M.G. Kline that a vassal



state was granted certain rights in return for loyalty and



obedience to the Hittite king, just as the land-use rights to the



Holy Land were granted to the chosen people by their Holy King,



the L-rd G-d. The covenant that G-d gave Moses at Mt. Sinai is



similar in literary form to the sort of covenant or treaty that a



Hittite king made with his Syrian vassal, including: a preamble



in which the Sovereign identifies Himself (Deut. 1:1-5); a



historical prologue in which the Sovereign rehearses all His past



benefits (Deut. 1:6-4:49); a "stipulations" section listing the



covenant requirements imposed on the vassal (Deut. 5:1-26:19); a



"covenant ratification" section including a provision for treaty



renewal and specifically listing the covenant sanctions in terms



of the kinds of curses and blessings that will encourage



compliance (27:1-28:63); and, finally, succession arrangements



for continuance of the covenant (see 31:1-34:1 where



Joshua/Yehoshua is designated as Moses' successor and also see



18:15-19 where the Moshiach and the prophetic tradition leading



to Moshiach's coming point together to Moses' ultimate successor,



the New Yehoshua, the Moshiach--Isaiah 49:8). But it is



important to remember that the above, often alluded to by



scholars, is not the whole story. More than merely copying the



form of an existing treaty, G-d, as a free act of grace, set



Israel "in His love," and then He laid out certain commandments



by which Isael was warned to "keep yourselves in the love of God"



(Jude 21) and "continue in my covenant" (Heb. 8:9; Acts 2:42).



The specific divine directive was to go into the land and rid it



of all idols (Deut. 7:5-6) just as the Great Commission of the



Brit Chadasha was to go into all the world and preach the Besuras



Hageulah (Matt. 28:19-20).







Around the 13th or 14th centuries (during roughly the same



timespan as the life of Moses) these Hittite kings gave their



Syrian vassals written covenants similar to the kinds of treaties



we see in Exodus and Deuteronomy (notice the Aseret ha-Dibrot



[the Ten Commandments] 5:6-21). This is a powerful argument that



Moses is the primary author responsible for the writing of these



books of the Bible. Those who deny Mosaic authorship discount



the facticity of 5:3, which is like depriving I Cor. 15 of the



eye-witness testimony of Shliach Sha'ul and the other Shluchim



that undergirds the truth credentials of the Besuras Hageulah



(see 11:7).







The Babylonian Exile and the Exile of 70 C.E. and every



"holocaust" that Israel has endured can be understood only in



terms of the Deuteronomy sanctions. The repeated pattern of



national sin and rebellion against the prophetic preaching of the



Torah of Moses followed by the invasion of foreign armies, siege,



exile, deportation, repentance in the diaspora, divine favor, and



return to the Holy Land can only be understood in terms of the



covenant blessings and curses such as are listed in Deuteronomy.



(Against those who read Anti-Semitism into 28:37, Zechariah 1:15



is an important tempering Scripture here, for there is no



one-for-one relationship between Israel's sin and her punishment



at the hands of the nations.) However, like a tenant being



evicted from his apartment because he broke the rental contract



or covenant with the landlord, so Israel has definitely been



evicted more than once to show the nations that the G-d of Israel



is the true G-d and means business when He commands Israel and



all nations to repent and believe in Him. Also, as far as



believers are concerned, when Shliach Sha'ul read Deuteronomy, he



made spiritualized applications along these lines to the covenant



communities he set in order (see I Cor. 9:9 and Deut. 25:4;



1 Cor. 11:27-32 and Deut. 28:15f) and warned the members that



sinning might get them evicted by means of sickness and death



from the Moshiach's Tish. We need to understand the covenant



aspect of our faith so that our disobedience and faithlessness



does not get us evicted from the place of blessing G-d intends



for our lives.







Israel is described in this covenant as a divinely set apart



people intended to enjoy a privileged relationship to their L-rd



(see 1:31; 32:6,9), one that is permitted by G-d as fulfillment



of His promises to the patriarchs (7:8; 29:12-13; 4:21), but



requires obedience to all the covenant stipulations (from the



heart, not merely legalistically), including transmitting the



teaching to each generation's children. This trans-generational



holy requirement is accomplished by constant teaching, example,



and pedagogical aids designed to indelibly etch on the memory and



the heart of young and old alike, and, not only this but also



consciously quarantining the nation, the family, and



impressionable minds from the heathen world (6:4-7:6). But the



most important stipulation of the covenant is also a gift:



hitkhadeshut [regeneration] (10:16; 30:6; see also Lev. 26:40-41;



Jer. 4:4; 9:25; Rom. 2:29). (The Moshiach is surprised that



Nicodemus could be a ruler in Israel and not understand this--see



Yochanan 3:3-10-and that the Pharisees could turn the law into a



bewildering maze of legalisms and thereby lose love and justice



and compassion). Salvation and right standing before G-d,



according to the authoritative message of Moses, does not come



through herculean feats of legalistic observance (30:11-13) nor



through merit based on humanly-derived righteousness (7:7; 8:14;



9:4-7) but through loving, loyal, obedient faith in the word of



G-d (30:14,20; 6:4-5,13,16; 8:3; 10:12; 11:1,13,22; 30:20) which,



according to Moses, necessitated love of the neighbor as well



(10:19). As far as human merit before G-d is concerned, even



Moses fell short and needed G-d's unmerited favor and mercy



(32:48-52). Nevertheless, G-d's mitzvot must be obeyed



(28:1,58-59), and the antinomian who lawlessly ignores G-d's



commandments does not love G-d (19:9; 30:16). Moreover, how one



responds to false doctrine is a test of one's true love of G-d



(13:3). Yet ultimately, loving G-d is impossible without



hitkhadeshut [regeneration] (30:6).







Deut. 1:39 says "your children who do not yet know good from



bad." Luke chapter 2 shows Yehoshua as a boy who was ready to



reach the age of moral accountability called in Hebrew Bar



Mitzvah. If you think children's ministry is not especially



important, underline the word children everytime it occurs in



chapter 6.







Chapter 1:16 can be applied to the modern community of believers



in this way: don't have cronies or cliques or favorites or you



will destroy justice and equity in the house of the L-rd's



people.







Chapter 1:29-33 is the Besuras Hageulah according to Moses that



was rejected at Kadesh-barnea (that fateful turning point of



unbelief) when the 10 spies gave the evil report. Every



generation has an opportunity to obey the L-rd and to follow Him



and to gain new ground for the Kingdom of G-d, or else to



hesitate, shrink back, and be lost. Every generation is put to a



test and a trial--either to march ahead in faith and take some



ground, for G-d or to rebel and "grumble in your tents" (1:27)



and die with a faithless hardened heart in the wilderness. If



even Moses, great though he was, fell short of the L-rd's holy



expectations and was punitively replaced, how much more should we



be careful to obey G-d's Word (3:25-28).





We don't take away from G-d's Word (4:2). Scripture interprets



Scripture. We worship G-d only at the divinely acceptable



mitzbe'ach and before the appointed kohen that He promises to



show us (by His canonical prophets--see 12:4-7) and we know from



all the prophetic puzzle finally filled in that the ultimate



altar and kohen is Yehoshua on the aitz haGeulah. Beware of



syncretism caused by adding to the canon (1:2; 12:29-32; 13:1;



Prov. 30:6) syncretistic pseudo-Jewish religion, adding to and



subtracting from the Torah (Moshiach Yehoshua is subtracted and



an autonomous-from-Moshiach Yehoshua-the-tree-of-life



pseudo-wisdom is added and pursued as in Gen. 3:6).







Why we study through the Word every year is clear from 4:9; 5:1.



Not to do so is to adversely affect our children (5:29).



Example: a couple takes their children to religious services, but



do not personally study the Word with them and disciple them; the



children grow up and marry nominal believers and suffer the



tragedy of divorce. Note: the next generation of children are



consequently the victims of broken homes. Do you see from this



example how the sins of the grandparents affect their



grandchildren? Could this not have been avoided if each



generation had been taught the Torah in the power of the Ruach



Hakodesh? Live in the Word! Don't let the thoughts of the L-rd



out of your mind or out of your heart? (6:7)







The unregenerate man can only obey the Bible legalistically since



he lacks the Ruach Hakodesh's power to rise to the law's higher



moral challenges and since he does not have the prophet's insight



into higher obedience in holy love. However, those who do not



grapple with the Law (thoughtlessly setting up a too sharp



antithesis between Law and Grace), are those who may choose an



easy and cheap, lawless "grace" that is more antinomian ignorance



than holy reverence for G-d's Biblically defined will. We are



not under the Law's penalty but we are not free from the Law's



moral severity. "Under (the dispensation of) Grace" means under



an even more severe morality, not an amoral lawlessness (see Rom.



6:1-14). Moreover, as Jewish people put there faith in Moshiach



Yehoshua, G-d does not intend for them to turn traitor to the



Sinai Covenant and its mitzvot. That would be cheap grace indeed!





In 7:12f concrete physical blessings including healing are



promised to the obedient. G-d also promises He is going to get



His victory among the heathen (7:24). That is the basis on which



we can attempt great things for G-d.







One reason G-d doesn't always answer our prayers quickly is given



in 8:2-3.







Deut. 12:28 warns against following other gods who have not



proved themselves to you. How did the true G-d prove himself? By



two Exoduses, one from the first death with Moses as the leader



(see the magnificent description in Exodus 14:15-31); the other



from the second death with Yehoshua as the leader. Also, the



true G-d has proved Himself by power encounters such as in



Numbers 17 and I Kings 19. This is why the gifts of the Ruach



Hakodesh must not be neglected today: power encounter is still



needed to defeat the idols of the heathen and show that Yehoshua



alone is Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu.







What implications can you draw from 16:19-20 about Bible



believers going into politics and about social justice being part



of the Besuras Hageulah? (See also 24:19-22).







Look at Navi in 18:15. This section foretells the prophet like



Moses that G-d will raise up in the Promised Land. Isaiah



49:9-10 speaks apocalyptically of the Moshiach as a New Moses.



The immediate (not final) fulfillment of this Deut. 18:15



prophecy is Joshua (whose Aramaic/English name is Yeshua/Yehoshua



-- see Nehemiah 8:17 in the Hebrew Bible). Joshua is a type of



Moshiach because he is an agent of chesed to the Gentile Rahab



but of cherem damnation to the seven wicked nations trodding down



the Holy Land, the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites,



Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. The rabbis likened David to



Moses, and since David's house will bring Moshiach the Lawgiver



(Isaiah 42:4), we should not be surprised that Moses says another



prophet is coming "like me," and the first prophet to come after



Moses has the name of Moshiach Yehoshua or Yehoshua/Joshua the



son of Nun. (See also the notes on the book of Joshua.)



Look at 19:15. The people of G-d, the local kahal assembly



called out for eschatological salvation, is at least two



witnesses according to Matt. 18:20. Note Moses and Aaron going



before Pharaoh, Joshua and Caleb entering the Promised Land, the



Kohen Gadol Yehoshua/Joshua and Zerubbabel returning from the



Exile to build the Second Beis Hamikdash, Yochanan and Shliach



Kefa rushing into the empty tomb at the end of the Besuras



Hageulah of Yochanan, and the Brit Chadasha kehillah being



raptured before the final destruction of the world's destroyers



(see Rev. 11, especially 11:18). Yehoshua sent the 70 out in



two's, which meant that he sent out 35 tiny Brit Chadasha



kehillot, and Shliach Sha'ul and Barnabus were themselves a Brit



Chadasha kehillah as they together planted many house Brit



Chadasha kehillot in the first emissary journey of Moshiach's



shlichut. More Brit Chadasha kehillot could be planted if this



fact were appreciated and people did not "despise the day of



small things" (Zech. 4:l0) as they planted new works for the



L-rd.







Deut. 22:5 tells why we have to have a dress code.







Read 22:15. Modern parents are often promiscuously irresponsible



in the matter of protecting their children's sexual purity. See



7:3-6.







Grace brings a marvelous "exception to the rule" in Deut. 23:3



for Ruth the Moabitess.







Deut. 27:26 emphasizes that the Law does not justify or clear of



guilt but brings everyone condemned to Moshiach needing salvation



(Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:19), for indeed Moses testifies that



everyone whose actions "do not elevate the words of this law" is



pursued by the law's curses. So from this verse (27:26) we see



the universal need for salvation from the curse of the law (Gen.



6:5; I Kings 8:46; Eccles. 7:20; Prov.20:9; Ps. 53:3; 14:3;



130:3; Isa. 53:6; 64:6; Mic. 7:2; Rom. 3:23; Gal. 3:22;



I Yochanan 1:8; 5:19). Further, we see that the whole reason the



Moshiach was accounted cursed and struck down by G-d (Isa. 53:4;



Deut. 21:23) was in order to make kapporah for us and redeem us



from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13). For the legal demands of



the Law entail curses (Deut. 27:l-26; 28:15-68) and these stand



against us and pursue us as part of the burning wrath of an



offended Holy G-d until the record is erased, the sin is expiated



(removed), and the penalty is set aside in the kapporah (Col.



2:14). And ultimately the curse on mankind is universal, not



limited to those who receive the Torah, but pursuing all the race



of Adam (see the curse section in Gen. 3:14-19) who forfeit



Chayyei Olam (Eternal Life) (Gen. 3:22-24) without regeneration



(Deut. 10:16; 30:6).







DEUTERONOMY







10:16



Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more



stiffnecked (stubborn).



30:6



And the L-rd thy G-d will circumcise thine heart, and the heart



of thy seed (descendants), to love the L-rd thy G-d with all



thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.



DEUTERONOMY 18:15-19



18:15



The L-rd thy G-d will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst



of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall listen;











18:16



According to all that thou desiredst of the L-rd thy G-d in Horeb



(Sinai) in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again



the voice of the L-rd my G-d, neither let me see this great fire



any more, that I die not.







18:17



And the L-rd said unto me, They have well spoken that which they



have spoken.







18:18



I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like



unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak



unto them all that I shall command him.







18:19



And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not listen unto my



words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.















YEHOSHUA (JOSHUA)















YEHOSHUA (JOSHUA, "the L-rd saves") was formerly named Hoshea



("salvation") until Moses changed his name (Num. 13:8,16). He



was from the tribe of Ephraim, meaning he was a descendent of



Yosef. The Greek Septuagint translates his name IEsous or



Yehoshua. He was Yehoshua the "son" of Joseph. Isa. 49:8 says



the Moshiach will be a new Joshua, "Thus says the L-rd; in a time



of favor I have answered you, on a day of yeshuah (Yehoshua =



"salvation" = also the name of Yeshua/Joshua--see Neh. 8:17 in



Hebrew Bible) I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as



a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the



desolate heritages." Zech. 6:12 says that Joshua/Yehoshua's name



(Ezra 3:8) is Tsemach (or "Branch" of David, that is, the



Moshiach). With all this in mind, we shouldn't be surprised if



we see Messianic typology in this book. Isaiah certainly did



when he read it (Isa. 49:8).







The book begins with Moses commissioning Joshua and telling him



over and over again to be courageous and strong in the Word. The



responsibility for a fierce military conquest is on his shoulders



and he must hear and heed the bold military plans of G-d and then



execute them with precision and fearlessness.







The Transjordan tribes (Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of



Manasseh) are told to seek first the kingdom of G-d and go over



to fight for the land of their brother tribes and then, they are



assured, G-d will grant them the enjoyment of their own



inheritance.







After the appearance to Joshua of the angelic commander of the



L-rd's army (5:13-15), Jericho is soon conquered. But sin in the



camp brings defeat when Ai is attacked, and only when the sinner



is dealt with does victory once again come to Joshua's forces.



Fulfilling Moses's command (Deut. 27:4-5), Joshua builds a



mitzbe'ach on Mt. Ebal and the people observe a covenant ceremony



there (Josh. 8:30-35). This is in central Canaan at the pass



between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. At the end of the book,



when hostilities have died down, Joshua assembles all Israel



again and charges them with a farewell address, and then gathers



them at Shechem for a ceremony of covenant renewal (24:1-28).



Loyalty to G-d is a theme of these sections and of the whole



book, and something Achan's sin showed that he lacked. When



Joshua copies the law (8:32) he is doing what the royal head of



Israel will one day be obligated to do (Deut. 17:18), adding to



the Messianic typology the Scriptures invest in him.







The first 11 chapters of the book of Joshua deal with the



invasion of Canaan under Joshua, the salvation of Rahab, and the



prayerless mistake with the deceiving Hivites of Gibeon. We see



that Joshua's base camp is at Gilgal, where G-d "rolled away" the



disgrace of Egypt when the Israelite men were circumcised



(compare GALOTI "I rolled away and GILGAL in 5:9). From this



place of spiritual cleanness and responsiveness to G-d (which is



what the BRIS MILAH symbolizes), G-d gives Joshua the bold plans



he needs to brilliantly take the whole land.







A good general knows that the point of initial attack has



strategic implications for every part of the total battle plan of



the war. Like a brilliant war strategist, G-d has Joshua take



Jericho and Ai first, then swoop south in a second campaign



against the cities there, and finally turn to the northern



campaign to secure the whole area in just three elegant moves.



We need to ask G-d to give us bold plans to take the whole area



where we're called for G-d. We need to become convicted by a



verse like 18:3, "How long will you be slack about going in and



taking possession of the land that the L-rd, the G-d of your



ancestors, has given you?" We need to pray for the strength of



Caleb (14:10-11) to do battle for the L-rd. Then we need to go



through the whole land and make a written description of what is



actually out there as we spy out the challenge of the field of



ministry G-d has given us (18:4). Then we need to ask G-d where



our "Shiloh" is, because that is where the tent of meeting is set



up, and that's where the people meet G-d (18:1) for edification,



prayer, and divine guidance (18:10) as G-d shows us our various



tasks and the ground he has already won for us. (Shiloh was where



the Mishkan was erected following Joshua's conquest of Canaan.)



As we execute the bold campaign plans that G-d gives us we can



rest assured that the victory is His and is on the way. Read the



major summary 11:18-20. Look at 13:6-7. We need to see the



"land" of our sphere of ministry as a target for spiritual



warfare to be claimed for the L-rd and to be apportioned out to



be conquered in revival. What is your apportionment? Where do



you live? Who are you ministering with? Does G-d want to move



you? (See 23:3-16.) Remember that your ministry is a sacred



trust given to you by the L-rd. Do not lightly leave one



fellowship and drift to another. G-d put you where you are and



only G-d should move you.







Chapter 12 lists the Israelite conquests. The occupation of the



land is described in chapters 13-31 with special emphasis on



Caleb of the tribe of Judah. The Transjordanian question of the



altar is settled in chapter 22. Deuteronomy forbade the disloyal



act of offering sacrifice anywhere except in the one central



sanctuary (Deut. 12:13-14). Those who believe that Jericho's



walls fell (Josh. 6) only in the imagination of this book's



author should read archeologist Dr. Bryant O. Wood's article in



the March-April 1990 issue of Biblical Archeology Review. A



study of ceramic remnants, carbon-14 dating, seismic activity in



the region and even some tumbled walls give impressive evidence



that the city was burned around 1400 B.C.E. Because Jericho is



in a rift valley, it is prone to earthquakes, geophysicists say,



that could cause the blockage of the Jordan River as well as the



destruction of the walls of the city. Earlier archeologists had



been digging in the wrong places and erroneously asserting that



there was no evidence that the city had been destroyed during the



period when the Bible indicates Joshua's conquest took place.



Review the notes in Deuteronomy and Numbers on the Messianic



typology in the book of Joshua. This is not a book on how to



have success in general but in particular, in particular



regarding the work of the great commission, which is to take the



whole world for G-d, Israel first and then the nations. This



whole book is prophecy in type, with Joshua the type of the



Warrior Word Yehoshua, and the book of Joshua a picture of the



whole body of Moshiach breaking out in the great commission march



to take the world for him.







The book is also a great teaching on the indispensable quality



that the L-rd's leader must have--strength! See 1:7-8 and



17:14-18. The strength comes from prayer and the Word. A



believer can go through the worst this world has to offer and be



as strong as a lion, if he meditates on every verse of the book



of Joshua. G-d has given us many promises from His Word to draw



strength from. Do you see from 17:14-18 why a leader has to be



strong? The people are only as strong corporately as their



leader. Leaders must be qualified and called, duly accountable



and under authority, and strong in the Word and in vision (29:18)



to serve the L-rd in purity and holiness with compassion for his



sheep.







Faith is a matter of heart knowledge given as a gift, even to



unworthy prostitutes like Rahab in Jericho (2:9,12). However,



faith is also a matter of the will, a matter of heart loyalty to



G-d which can affect a whole family if that family has one



loyal-to-G-d witness. Notice the recapitulation of the Passover



theme--Rahab's household will be passed over when G-d's holy



wrath rages and burns through Jericho, consuming the wicked. The



destroyer will see the red sign of covenant protection and pass



over all who are under its covering. With the Gentile Rahab's



"passover" she becomes a type of all the world's Nations coming



under the red sign of covenant protection in the Brit Chadasha



Pesach of the Moshiach's Tish. Rahab and Ruth lead the Gentiles



of the world into the Israel of G-d. Josh. 2:12 proves that G-d



blesses those who bless his people (Gen. 13:3), and Rahab, an



ancestor of David and Moshiach Yehoshua (Mt. 1:5), shows by her



life that it was always G-d's intention that "all the peoples on



earth will be blessed through you" (Gen. 12:3).





Note that Moshiach's tevilah (3:5) is to prepare for the battle



of serving G-d. It is also a symbol of covenant purificaiton



(5:2-3) as is circumcision (5:1-9; see Col. 2:11-13).







The ark of the covenant of the L-rd was where G-d's presence in



his Word dwelt. Josh. 4:7 says, "The waters of the Jordan were



cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the L-rd." In the



Brit Chadasha, the same eternal, saving Word who parted the seas



of chaos at creation and at the Sea of the Exodus and at the



water of the Jordan has triumphed over the sea of death itself,



bringing the order of the Olam HaBah into eschatological victory



over this world's present chaos.







The L-rd gives his mesharet a certain authority as a leader



(4:14) if he has a genuine place of recognized leadership in the



Brit Chadasha Kehillah. It is not necessary to get pushy to



establish this authority--it's there by the Ruach HaKodesh (Prv.



18:16).







The purpose of Biblical miracles and any true miracle that



happens today is to bring people to a point where they have a



saving fear of the L-rd and His inerrant Word (see Rahab's speech



in 2:9-13).







Then as now music and shouts of praise are important in breaking



the yoke of spiritual oppression in worship (See 6:5).







Josh. 6:18 is why we avoid worldly enticements and all the wicked



things the heathen covet. Whoever loves the world is an enemy of



G-d, and whoever covets what has been devoted to destruction may



become himself a thing devoted to destruction (7:12). This is



the crucial lesson that Achan can teach us, and it is the very



reason modern men need to get rid of their yoga and New Age books



and occult lore and extra-terrestial beliefs and any other



spiritual fixation that cannot be sanctified by the word of G-d.



Whoever defies G-d's ban on things like pornography and other



worldly things set apart for destruction and tries to hide such



things under his tent will find that G-d's anger has been aroused



and the blessing of G-d has been removed. Such sin can



contaminate others and destroy a whole ministry (see 7:2-5).



Chapter 6:21-24 is a picture of what actually happens when we



experience Yeshuat Eloheinu: people all around us go to Gehinnom



but we are spared, a fact that should bring fear rather than



conceit or arrogance (Romans 11:19-22).







Look at chapter 9. Can you discern when false brethren slip in



secretly among you? See Jude 4. You can't discern them if you



don't watch the people in your life in prayer (9:14-15). Are all



the people in your life really G-d's choice for you?







Chapter 14:6-15 is a case study to prove (through Caleb of Judah)



that the central theme of the Torah is true (l:8)--that loyalty



to the Word of G-d brings blessing. Look at the typological



preaching possibility in 15:16-17. Because He overcame the



world, the Elohim Avinu has given His Word the Bride of Moshiach.





To the extent that you don't dispossess HaSatan in your life, to



that same extent his children will clutter your life and "dwell"



with you "to this day." (See Josh. 15:63).







Chapter 18:1-6a gives us the kind of survey with bold plans that



congregation planters do before they plant a congregation.



Chapter 21:41-43 is a major summary. Read it. Chapter 22:1-6



says to seek first the kingdom of G-d and all these other things



shall be added to you as well.







Isaiah infers in Isaiah 49:8 that the Moshiach will be a new



Joshua. It is important to note that the immediate (not final)



fulfillment of the Deuteronomy 18:15-19 Messianic prophecy is



Joshua. Joshua is indeed both a prophet and like Moses because



it was to Joshua and not to Moses that G-d gave the revelation of



the exact boundaries of the tribal portions of Eretz Yisrael (the



land of Israel). Several times in the book Joshua proves he is a



prophet. "Thus says the L-rd," Joshua begins in 24:2, using the



formula of a prophet. Like Moses, Joshua has a burning bush



experience (compare Ex. 3:5 to Josh. 5:15). The Jordan river



parts like the Red Sea, and when Joshua stretches out his sword,



G-d gives him victory as when Moses stretched out his rod in the



book of Exodus. G-d says to him, "I will be with you as I was



with Moses" (Josh. 3:7). G-d hardens the hearts of the



indigenous Canaanite population just as G-d hardened Pharaoh's



heart (Josh. 11:20) and then G-d shows Joshua the brilliant



strategy he should use to defeat them. G-d says, "I will be with



you as I was with Moses" (3:7; 4:14). Moses died in the



wilderness because he angered G-d, but Joshua led the people



victoriously to the promised life in the Holy Land. Thus, Joshua



is a prophetic sign of the King Moshiach, the ruler from among



his brethren who, like Moses and Joseph the Moshi'a in Egypt,



would lead the true remnant Israel from the rebellious unbelief,



resulting in death, to the faith resulting in eternal salvation



and Messianic deliverance and inheritance foreshadowed in the



book of Joshua.







In the Torah there is the Aitz haChayim (the tree of Eternal



Life--Genesis 3:22) and the Aitz haKilelat Hashem (Tree of the



Curse of G-d--Devarim 21:23). The body of a man, even a King,



hanging executed in the open air was considered accursed by G-d



(that is, put under His judgment--see Joshua 8:29; 10:26).



Isaiah 53:4 says of the Moshiach, "We considered him stricken by



G-d." Isaiah 52:13-53:12 teaches that "My Servant," the Branch



of David, the Moshiach, had to become accursed as sin for us,



taking the punishment we deserve (Isaiah 53:5). All our sins and



rebellion had to be put on His head as the Yom Kippur scapegoat



(Lev. 16:21) and sin offering (Lev. 16:15) sprinkled on the



nations (Lev. 16:l5; Isaiah 52:15).







The book of Hebrews (Heb. 4:3,8,11) speaks of Joshua and the



promise of rest. The land of Israel was to be a place of rest



(Josh 1:13) from Israel's enemies (Josh. 21:43-45; 23:1). But



the reason for the Exile which came to Jerusalem roughly 800



years later is given in Josh. 24:20. However, Joshua says



clearly, "As for me and my household, we will serve the L-rd"



(24:15).







See Acts 7:45 in the Brit Chadasha which has )IEsou for Joshua,



but this is the same Greek word for our Messiah's name, this



means that his Hebrew name is Yehoshua or Joshua. Since the



Hebrew name of Moshiach Yehoshua was Joshua, we are reminded of



Moshiach Yehoshua when we read in Josh. 4:4 "Joshua summoned the



twelve men from the Israelites" (see Mark 3:14). Get out a map



of Israel. Notice that Moshiach Yehoshua had his headquarters



for his spiritual conquest of Israel in Capernaum. Joshua used



Shiloh (18:1-10) as headquarters for a time, but the covenant



renewal meetings of all the tribes were at Shechem (see Josh.



24). Shechem was especially revered because it was Abraham's



first campsite when he entered the Promised Land, and it was the



place where G-d appeared to him and where he built an altar after



the L-rd promised to give him the land (Gen. 12:6-7). For more



on this book, see HOW TO POINT TO MOSHIACH IN YOUR RABBI'S



BIBLE.







JOSHUA 24:29



And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of



Nun, the servant of the L-rd (Eved Hashem), died, being a hundred



and ten years old.















SHOFETIM (JUDGES)















II Thessalonians speaks of the Apostasy or religious rebellion of



the people of G-d in the last days, an event that ushers in the



revelation of the Anti-Moshiach, whom only the Second Coming of



Moshiach Nagid HaShofet (Moshiach Prince the Judge) can destroy.



But here in Judges we see the Apostasy of Israel. And we notice



that haMa'al (the treachery, defection, apostasy, revolt), each



time it occurs, receives a divine answer as G-d raises up another



Judge to effect Israel's deliverance from the bondage of idols



and foreigners with their foreign gods.







The period of the judges begins roughly around 1370 B.C.E. and



lasts about 300 years until the reign of King Saul. The judges



listed in this book are Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah/Barak,



Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson (we



will hear about two more judges when we read I Samuel--namely Eli



and Samuel). There is no monarchy during this period. One of



the sons of Gideon, Abimelech, makes an abortive attempt to set



up a dynastic kingship after the death of his father Gideon, but



this evil despot fails ingloriously and shares Sisera's shameful



fate (4:21) of being put to death by a woman (9:53). One of the



crimes of Abimelech was killing all his rivals, that is, the



seventy sons of Gideon. However, one escaped (Jotham) and on



Mount Gerizim delivered a withering diatribe satirizing the



monarchy (see 9:7-21), his curse (9:20) being fulfilled in 9:49.



All of this warns about evil kings ahead and also points to the



need for a "shepherd" king after G-d's own heart which was



idealized in David and in the Moshiach.







Judg. 21:25 states a theme of the book as well as a warning



against independent-minded religion: "in those days there was no



king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."



Judg. 18:30 shows how syncretistic heretical religion not



grounded in the inerrant Bible led to idolatry which would in



turn later lead to eventual exile and destruction. There are



those who trust their feelings in religion and don't care about



the rational-historical underpinnings of our faith. These are



the ones who waste no time on careful interpretation of the Bible



and do not discipline their feelings in careful submission to the



Scriptures. On this, see Judg. 18:20 where a religious man



experiences joy in the deadly doctrines he carelessly believes,



proving that feelings are an unreliable index of the truth. This



theme is noticeable in chp 17 as well: a rootless Levite, who is



completely independent from the larger religious body of Israel,



wanders around and eventually gets mixed up in heresy. In this



way a center of false religion was set up in the newly settled



city of Dan that rivaled the tabernacle at Shiloh. From this we



learn to beware of spiritual isolation: it says they "had no



relationship with anyone else" (18:7b). Many people today are



isolated in an independent congregation and loyal to a flock only



as long as it takes to get their needs met; then they break



fellowship and depart. Similarly, in this book we see that



Israel was willing to submit to its judges only long enough to



eliminate Israel's oppressors. Such wayward and temporary



submission amounted to no true accountability to G-d. Israel



during this period was constantly returning to her apostate



submission to the Canaanite g-ds, Baal and Astarte.







The people of Gibeah, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin,



committed an unspeakable crime similar to those committed by



Sodom and Gomorrah. The Benjaminites refused to allow their city



to be punished, causing a civil war in which their population was



so depleted that the survival of the Benjaminite tribe was



threatened. Judg. chps 19-21 tells this story and how a new



source of marriage partners was provided for the tribe of



Benjamin.







Notice that one must inquire at the ark of the Word of G-d



(20:26-28). This means that everyone, even the finest maggid



needs to be sitting under preaching and needs to be submitted to



leadership (Heb. 13:17). The L-rd's kehillah in Judg. 20:2 is



presented as an eschatological war muster, and 21:9 shows that



G-d keeps attendance. Some are willing like Gideon to "put out a



fleece" before they make decisions, but are otherwise uncovered



and unaccountable in the major decisions of their lives. Pray



for the Spirit of G-d to come upon you when you minister (see



3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6,19; 15:14).







Look at the picture of second generation nominalism in 2:10. The



young people in the congregation pose this threat and this



challenge, and give the congregation the opportunity to know



spiritual warfare (3:2).







In 6:29-32 we see that the fertility, sex-cult g-d Baal is



impotent and can no more protect his own altar here than he can



when challenged by Elijah in I Kings 18. This point explains how



Gideon got his name "Jerubbaal" ("Let Baal contend with him").



Samson was from the tribe of Dan. In 14:12 we see Samson the sage



or wise man. This aspect of him typifies Moshiach the Hakham



(Sage) as does also Solomon and the book of Kohelet



(Ecclesiastes) and all the Wisdom Literature in the Bible



(Proverbs, Job, etc).







Samson and Samuel and Yochanan of the Tevilah of Teshuva were



under a vow for their whole lives, as is anyone called to the



ministry. In the case of Samson and Hosea, it was G-d's



permissive will for G-d's prophet to marry an unbeliever, but



don't you try it (14:4). Intermarriage with the heathen led to



idolatry and apostasy, which in turn triggered G-d's anger and



resulted in G-d allowing an invasion of enemies and plunderers



(Aramaeans, Moabites, Ammonites, Amalekites, Canaanites, and



Philistines), and these were punishments for Israel's faithless



disobedience to G-d's command to go in and subdue the land and



cleanse the land of idolators and idolatry (see Ex. 23:33;



34:12-16; Num. 33:55; Deut. 7:2,5,16; Josh. 23:7,12). See the



notes on Jude 5-7 in the Greek section, and notice in Genesis the



"sons of G-d" (Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Shem,



Arphaxad, Shelah, Eber, etc) and you will see the weight of the



exhortation that Samson's parents are giving him in Judg. 14:2-4.





The secret of Samson's strength was in his uncompromised



commitment to G-d and His Word, symbolized by a secret vow. When



he lost that, the strength of G-d left him and he became an



ordinary man again, as every backslider knows. The tears from



the Ruach Hakodesh (Psalm 126:6) and the zeal for the Word of G-d



are all we as believers have. If we lose these, we are weak as



ordinary men and will be "ruled by the Philistines" (15:11).



Samson's weakness was impetuosity and lack of self-control in



regard to his flesh. The book of Proverbs was written to keep



others from making his mistakes.







Delilah betrays Samson for money. Moshiach Yehoshua was a judge,



the World Judge, who was also sold and betrayed for money by his



friend. Throughout this book we are told about each judge, that



he died, but Moshiach Yehoshua lives! Samson, like Moshiach



Yehoshua, is led off to judgment as weak as any man. There is a



Messianic paradox in the way this Judge's life ends: Samson is



mocked like Moshiach Yehoshua on the day of his death, a time



when he is ironically victorious in G-d (16:25). However, for



Samson as for Moshiach Yehoshua, there is weakness before



strength and humiliation before exaltation (16:21-22). Messianic



Psalm 110:3 says "from the womb of the dawn you will receive the



dew of your youth" (see also Isaiah 53:10-12).







In contrast to Delilah, Devorah is a role model for women in



spiritual leadership, an Em b'Yisroel (mother in Israel--5:7).







Look at Judg. 13:22. Notice that the Malach Hashem (the Angel of



the L-rd) was more than an angel. He was a theophany of G-d



himself (see Gen. 16:7,13), as the Word took on visible presence.



This was the Word of G-d before He came on the scene as Yehoshua



the man. His name is a mystery, an open secret that must be



disclosed in the knowledge of salvation by the Ruach Hakodesh to



the heart. "Yehoshua" (meaning "the L-rd is salvation" or "the



L-rd G-d of salvation") is revealed throughout the Bible. See



13:18 and the notes on Joshua and also Zechariah. Read the whole



Samson story starting at chapter 13. See Judg. 13:13, where the



Angel of the L-rd has the same name in Hebrew as the Moshiach



Himself in Isaiah 9:5-6, which is PAY SEGOL LAMMED SEGOL ALEF



("wonderful").







Notice Jephthah in chapter 11, even though he subdues the



Ammonites, makes a rash vow that is not grounded in the Word of



G-d and in G-d's will and it costs him dearly. This teaches us



to watch and pray in all our decisions.







In the book of Judges, whenever there is a crisis and the people



need to be rescued, G-d raises up a Moshi'a (Deliverer, Savior)



(from the verb YUD SHIN AYIN). However, the people seem to be



their own worst enemies. They fail to separate themselves from



the g-ds of the people of the land, which were a snare to them



(see 2:1-2). Since G-d himself is the Moshi'a (Deliverer) (He is



also the Judge--see 11:27), He allows the odds to be stacked



against those who are his servants, so that G-d himself will be



more obvious as the deliverer in the situation, that it is He



alone (Yachid) (11:34) who is the true Moshi'a. See the story of



Gideon starting in chapter 6.





Judg. 19:22. As in ancient Greece and in many modern cities,



homosexuality was common in Canaan.







Notice: Judah, because she is the tribe of the Moshiach of the



nations (Genesis 49:10) must go first (Judg. 20:18) and have



preeminence.







JUDGES 20:18



And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of



G-d, and asked counsel of G-d, and said, Which of us shall go up



first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the



L-rd said, Judah shall go up first.













RUTH















Neither Edgar Allan Poe nor any other modern writer formulated



the short story as we know it. It was invented by G-d long



before. Ruth is a short story, though of course, its material is



history and not fiction.







Judges and Ruth are so different in tone that it is amazing that



they take place during the same time period. In contrast to the



murder and lust of Judges, there is the wonder of how much Ruth



endeared herself to people who should have been strangers. A



miracle quietly transpires in this story, and people who might



have considered Ruth an enemy because of her Moabite ancestry,



were instead drawn to her by the cords of G-d's love. Love is a



wonderful thing. The story of Ruth is saying, look how G-d's



love binds people together, with a bond that even death cannot



sever, for G-d is the G-d of the living, and even the dead are



not beyond his protective, loving hand.







Look at Ruth's story. Ruth's husband Mahlon is dead, he left her



no son, Naomi he left no grandchildren. Mahlon's property is



languishing untilled in Bethlehem, and all seems hopelessly lost.



Who can help her? Who can reclaim the land and bring a harvest



of prosperity again? Who can redeem the dead? No one, it seems.



The land has seen famine, the dead are gone.







But is anything too hard for G-d? Read the story and watch G-d



go into action! Watch him redeem the lost property and put the



deed of ownership back into the name of the deceased. All right,



you say, G-d can redeem the land perhaps. But can G-d redeem the



dead? Can the dead live again? Can a corpse have a child?





Again we ask, is anything too hard for the L-rd? Look at this



true story, recorded in the annals of the history of King David!



In this true story, the dead man's widow even conceives the dead



man's child, giving us a foreglimpse of Isaiah's virgin in Isaiah



7:14! And what a child! The child that is on the way in this



story is the Davidic King of Judah, even the Moshiach! Now, the



story is saying, after all that, you, reader, should believe that



G-d is the G-d of the living, who can redeem the world and the



land and who can make alive even the dead.







Ruth had neither a Jewish mother nor a Jewish father! But she



has entered Ideal Israel (Y'shuron Yisroel, meaning "upright one



or "law-upholding one", a poetic name for the true Israel of G-d



--see Isaiah 44:2; Deut. 32:15; 33:26; 33:5) by faith alone (Gal.



2:15-21), by an individual choice to turn away from the former



heathenish direction she was going and by making a personal



decision to turn back and join the people of G-d and to take



their G-d as her God in true teshuva (1:16-17). (Moab symbolizes



for Naomi a heathenish neglect of G-d's people and G-d's House,



because Bethlehem means "House of Bread," and she has felt the



covenant curses of famine, death, and childlessness as a result



of her moving in a heathenish direction that neglects G-d's



House--Deut. 28:18, 21, 24). But Ruth has become a "supernatural



Jew" through the new birth and has entered "Upright" Israel by



what alone made her upright, that is, emunah (Hab. 2:4; Gen.



15:6; Psalm 106:31; Gal. 2:16), and Ruth has entered Upright



Israel ahead of those who say they are Jews but are still



spiritually uncircumcised, still heathen at heart, as Naomi seems



to be until she comes back to Bethlehem and begins to see G-d



bless one of the Gentiles, her daughter-in-law Ruth (contrast



Ruth 1:15 and Ruth 2:20). Ruth's regenerated, circumcised heart



made her part of the true circumcision, the true Israel of G-d,



and we who are regenerated in the Brit Chadasha kehillah have



also entered Israel with Ruth the Moabitess and with Rahab.



The point that the story is leading to is how great G-d's



blessing is on this Gentile woman--more than she could ever see



in her lifetime. (G-d has also similarly blessed us more than we



can see in our lifetime.) She became a direct ancestor of King



David and, through him, Ruth became a direct ancestor of the



promised Moshiach Himself! The irony of G-d's hand on Ruth's



life is a theme of the story. His providential care for her, the



way her footsteps are literally ordered by the L-rd (Psalm



37:23), the gracious way her faith is answered by his provision



--these are all highlighted by the fact that she is an outsider,



alone, a widow, a non-Jew, a foreigner, a member of the excluded,



(cursed by the Law--Deut. 23:3) Moabite people, a pagan who had



known only death and a false religion and was now poor and



helpless in a strange land.







G-d's special providential care toward those on their way to



salvation is a theme of Ruth. Everywhere this Gentile widow



turns, she is blessed, because she has been given a heart to



bless G-d's people (Gen. 12:2). Just as she does not forget her



mother-in-law, G-d does not abandon his chesed (covenant-keeping



loving kindness) with Ruth and with the living and the dead (Ruth



2:20). G-d makes everything work together for good for Ruth,



even a famine, even the death of her husband (Romans 8:28). G-d



uses the famine in Israel to get Ruth's future mother-in-law



Naomi to move from Bethlehem to where Ruth could meet her in



Moab. G-d uses the death of her husband to free Ruth to begin a



wonderful, spiritual pilgrimage. G-d, who withdraws the rain,



now brings the early rain and the later rain to end the famine



and bless the land with the harvest, which is a reward for



covenant-obedience (Deut 28:4). But, here is where the wonder



really begins. G-d leads the widows back to Bethlehem for a



harvest greater than they could ever imagine, a world harvest led



by the Moshiach Himself, the world Harvester "to whom the nations



belong (Gen.49:10)." (Notice carefully the Goel redeemer son of



Judah at the threshing floor in Ruth 3:2). The World Harvester,



the Moshiach will be born there in Bethlehem a thousand years



later (see Micah 5:2).







G-d gives Ruth a strange and marvelous love. G-d gives Ruth a



love for her mother-in-law and for the people of G-d. G-d gives



her the courage to say good-bye to her heathen sister and to go



to Israel with her mother-in-law. Then G-d brings her to a very



special man, a man of substance, a man of destiny, the most



wonderful husband she could ever have dreamed of, in fact a



husband far beyond her imagination, an absolutely unique man of



royal blood, the only man in the world who was Ruth's



contemporary and was at the same time destined to become a direct



ancestor of King David and of the Moshiach Yehoshua. And the



wonder is that G-d led this Gentile woman Ruth to find favor in



his sight and become related to him in holy covenant love. For



this man (Boaz) from the Messianic tribe of Judah become Ruth's



kinsman Go'el (redeemer), protecting the family, the dead as well



as the living. This man from the tribe of the Moshiach married



Ruth and redeemed (bought back) the land of Ruth's dead husband



and raised up an heir to carry the dead man's name. So the dead



man's inheritance was not wiped out. G-d is the G-d who saves



the living and the dead through a Redeemer from the tribe of



Judah. Here it is important to remember that APOLUTROSEOS or



HAPEDUT (redemption) as in Romans 3:24 means release on payment



of ransom. Had Moshiach Yehoshua not paid the ransom of his



blood as our Go'el (redeemer) we could never have been bought



back from sin and death and judgment. Our plight would have been



more hopeless than Ruth and Naomi, these two tragic ALMANOT



(widows).







In the Bible, G-d is also the protector of ALMANOT. In Bible



times, a woman without the covering of a husband was in danger of



exploitation or of sexual molestation or even being carried off.



Because of our sin nature and our sin practices, we were carried



off and on the slave market auction block of sin. We needed a



redeemer to buy us back. Moshiach Yehoshua is rich and can do



that because Moshiach Yehoshua is not in debt to HaSatan.



Moshiach Yehoshua has no sin nature and no sin practices. If we



humble ourselves like a poor widow and turn to him to redeem us,



he will put the wings of his garment over us and protect us from



all hurt and loss. Moshiach Yehoshua will be to us what Boaz was



to Ruth and Naomi. This book of the Bible is extremely important



because it shows the tribe of Judah and a coming redeemer of the



Jews and Gentiles, the Moshiach, who will fulfill Gen. 49:10.



The secret of Ruth's blessing was her faithfulness. She remained



where G-d placed her. She refused to leave her mother-in-law,



she remained with her in life and refused to leave her in death



(1:16-18). Ruth remained faithfully where G-d placed her. She



remained in Boaz's field. Boaz said, "Stay with my workers until



they finish harvesting all my grain" (2:21) and she obeyed him.



Ruth didn't go to the field of someone else where she might have



been harmed (2:22). The passage says "she stayed close to the



servant girls of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat



harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law"



Naomi (2:23). Ruth remained with the people of G-d, and she kept



her heart loyal to her L-rd and His people. She is a chayil



isha "noble woman" (see Ruth 3:11; compare same exact words in



Prov. 31:10).







Notice how G-d leads Ruth out of her heathen past into a future



place of blessing with G-d's people. G-d leads her to just the



right field, one that G-d can eternally redeem with new life and



an abundant harvest, a field that will become Ruth's own,



allotted for her before time ever was, her portion, signifying



eternal life (see Romans 9:6-11).







In the Bible, your land signifies your eternal inheritance in



G-d, your allotted portion forever. There are two kinds of



people in the world! Those who despise their birthright of



Chayyei Olam (Eternal Life) and neglect the House of G-d, and



those who love the people of G-d and the courts of G-d's Beis



Hamikdash. There's no redemption, no redeemer, no hope for the



land or the dead in "Moab."







Notice, on this field of the Redeemer of Judah, G-d gives Ruth



true Menucha (security--1:9; 3:1). He sustains Ruth with food



and a home and a husband and even makes her the great grandmother



of the great King (see Ruth 4:21-22). Judges 21:17 says that



marriage was given to get an heir to avoid extinction, to avoid



being wiped out. But the ultimate heir that Ruth will be given



is the Moshiach, the One that will burst out of the grave and



wipe out death itself.







Those with heathen hearts are still back in Moab. Ruth has come



to the Promised Land and she has had her heathen heart cleansed



and reborn in G-d's love, and she has come to hope in the G-d who



raises the dead. Her hope has cleansed her, too, as it says,



"every man who hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as



He is pure (I Yochanan 3:3)."







Then Ruth, who was humble enough to do any chore, any task, no



matter how menial--so great was her love for G-d's people--then



Ruth faithfully abides in G-d's love, and G-d makes Ruth's name



great. And in the story, all this providential blessing is



introduced so subtly that the reader barely see it as he reads.



Yet at the end of the story, G-d's grace becomes overwhelmingly



wonderful, just as when the believer reflects on the providential



care of the L-rd on his own life. Like Ruth, we find that G-d



was subtly blessing us all along, even before we knew him.



When going to the Jewish people, it is essential to identify with



them as Ruth did. When a Jewish person asks you about your



faith, if your deeds and your lips say, "My faith is Jewish.



These are my people," your sincere love and seriousness will get



a definite reaction from the Jewish people, as it did for Ruth.







The Go'el is introduced in the book of Ruth. Look at 3:9. The



Go'el is the kinsman-redeemer who shows kindness to the living



and to the dead, and redeems the inheritance of those who have



died. This is what the Moshiach does, and Boaz, the son of Judah



(Gen. 49:10) who takes the Gentile bride, is a picture of the



Go'el Moshiach Yehoshua, who rose from the dead to redeem the



Brit Chadasha kehillah.







Naomi had to be made empty in order that G-d could lead her back



to Him and fill her with blessing. There is a kind of chiasmus



in the fact that the land of Israel is empty when Naomi goes out



of it full, and the land is full when she comes back to it empty.



She had to leave a place called Beit-Lechem ("House of Bread")



and return marah ("bitter") to it. The name Naomi means



"pleasant", but life's blows make her bitter until G-d starts to



open her eyes as she sees a Gentile "daughter" blessing her and



being blessed by G-d with Israel's blessings, a Rom. 10:19;



11:13-14 fact which provokes Naomi to jealousy to come back to



G-d in her own heart. Only when things get as bad as they could



be in a heathen land, and all of her loved ones were dying, only



then did Naomi, bitter Naomi, turn around and repent of the



heathen direction of her life, and start heading back to G-d's



House and G-d's people. Then G-d blesses her through her return



to G-d's people. It's important to remember that the child in



the story, Obed, is called "Naomi's son." (See Ruth 4:17.)



Naomi's unredeemed property has to be purchased and it belongs to



her husband and her son Mahlon (both deceased) and the son Obed



also belongs to them and to Naomi. The child would be known as



Obed son of Mahlon son of Elimelech. The son would be Naomi's



protector and the heir of the land, insuring that it would stay



in the family. So G-d is making it evident to Naomi that He is



redeeming her life because she has returned to him. This is a



solemn warning to the backslider, but it has a loving expression



in this beautiful little book.







Ruth 3:12







Though it is true that I am a kinsman-redeemer, there is a



kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. [i.e. Moshiach]















SHMUEL ALEF (I SAMUEL)















This two-part work begins with the pollution of the religious



worship by Eli's apostate sons who were kohanim during the time



when the great prophet Shmuel (born ca. 1105 B.C.E.) was a child.



The two-part work ends with a foreshadowing of the purified Beis



Hamikdash worship which was the vision aof Moshiach of King Dovid



(died ca. 970 B.C.E.). A subtle indication of this is the linen



ephod (ephor) worn both by little Shmuel (1 Sm. 2:18) and many



years later by King Dovid (II Sm. 6:l4). The ephod of the Kohen



Gadol was an apron-like garment with an ornamented vest



containing the Urim and Thummim used to determine the will of G-d



(sacred lots that were cast to determine whether to go to war,



etc).







The kehunah (priesthood) we see being purified as the story of



I-II Shmuel unfolds looks forward to the perfect Moshiach-Kohen



who is coming (Ps. 110:4). A man of G-d comes to Eli and



prophesies to him about the kehunah (priesthood) of his ancestor



Aaron (see I Sm. 2:27f). Eli is told that he and his sons will



be replaced by another Aaronic family, which turns out to be the



family of Zadok. Eli's branch of the kehunah will be broken off



and "I will raise up for myself an "ne'eman (faithful) kohen"



(2:35), says the L-rd. Zadok and his sons will replace Eli and



his sons, just as Dovid the king after G-d's own heart will



replace Saul the unfaithful monarch and will take his crown (I



Sm. 28:17; Rev. 3:11). Yehoshua/Moshiach Yehoshua finally and



completely fulfills 2:35 through Psalm 110:4 and Zechariah 3:8



and Isaiah 53:10 (although Zadok was the immediate fulfillment).







One of the reasons King Saul angered G-d is because he usurped



the role of kohen (I Sm. 13:8-15), thus showing his lack of



respect for G-d's holy kehunah and for the king's covenant



obligation to keep the Law (see Deut. 17:11-20). When he



attacked and caused the death of the kohanim at Nob, that was the



last straw, though he had already been condemned for rebelliously



disobeying G-d in regard to the Amalakites (15:1-35; see Ex.



17:8-16; Deut. 25:17-19). The only kohen to survive the massacre



at Nob was Ahimelech's son Abiathar, who, because he later



supported David's son Adonijab instead of Solomon as David's heir



to the throne, was finally banished, leaving the Aaronic



kehunah to Zadok and his sons. Since Ahimelech and Abiathar are



descendents of Eli, we read the story of I-II Shmuel knowing



there is a curse on them and that their branch of the Aaronic



family tree will eventually lose the kehunah.







Eli should have feared G-d enough not to eat and drink judgment



on himself, especially in view of his unholy sons who were



kohanim (see Lev. 10:1,2,16-20). The backdrop of Eli's decadent



kehunah is the ominous military threat of the Philistines, who



are on the brink of subjugating the whole land and are already in



some sense holding sway (13:19-22), in spite of Shmuel's best



efforts (7:2-17). The sinful people discover that the ark will



not work as a good-luck charm or a magical weapon. Without



repentance and obedient holiness, Israel will be defeated, as



Samson found out in his own experience with the Philistines. But



the Philistine g-d Dagon cannot stand in the presence of the ark;



rather, it falls in broken obeisance. This means that if the



people of G-d through their sin lose the power of G-d, that does



not mean that G-d has lost his power. G-d is the true king of



Israel, and the people need to beware of the tyrannical



exploitation they may be asking for when they act like other



nations and demand a king. It turns out that King Saul, lacking



covenant loyalty to the Word of G-d, falls short of the



theocratic ideal, and his life becomes a foil against which to



view the description of the Moshiach in II Sm. 7:12-17, "But I



will not take my steadfast love from him (Dovid's Son, the



Moshiach), as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before



you (Dovid)."







In I Sm. 17 we see the killing by the youth Dovid of the



Philistine champion Goliath (10 feet tall and weighing in with a



150 lb. coat and a 19 lb. spear head) and thereafter the



beginning of Saul's jealousy and eventual unraveling (18:7-8).



Later Saul tries to kill David, but G-d puts a wonderful



brotherly love for Dovid in the heart of Saul's son Jonathan, who



rescues Dovid from Saul's murderous wrath and seems to know quite



unselfishly that Dovid and not he will inherit the throne



(20:13-15). David's wife Michal, Saul's younger daughter, also



helps Dovid escape (19:11-17). In the Philistine city of Gath



Dovid has to use his wits to save himself, pretending to be mad.



The Philistine king Achish later makes Dovid his mercenary and



gives him the village of Ziglag (though as his mercenary Dovid



outwits him and destroys non-Israelite villages in a holy war



rather than his own Jewish people). In any event, Achish is



convinced enough by Dovid's acting to let him do whatever he



wants (see 21:10-15) except fight side by side with the



Philistine (29:3-11), something Dovid doesn't want to do anyway,



especially against his own people. Up to this point Dovid with



his own private army seems to act like a sort of Jewish Robin



Hood, even hiring himself out as a private police force. When a



wealthy sheep owner Nabal (naval = "fool") rejects Dovid's help



and thereby proves himself a true "fool," his death opens the



door for his widow to become Dovid's wife. This woman, Abigail,



is carried off from Ziklag by Amalekites (30:2) along with "the



women and all who were in it" (it = Ziklag). In a foreshadow of



the coming rejected Moshiach, Dovid is almost stoned by his own



people, very much like Moses (Ex. 17:4; I Sm. 30:6), both of them



being the rejected "servant of the Lord" (Deut. 34:5; I Sm.



25:39; Isa. 53:11). Chapter 8:8 shows that G-d is a rejected G-d;



therefore, we should not be surprised that the Moshiach is a



rejected Moshiach (Isaiah 53). But notice that when Dovid the



King is rejected by the Jewish people, he is accepted by the



Gentiles, the Philistines (see Acts 28:28)! Then, after that,



the Jewish people accept him and crown him king,as we shall see



in II Shmuel. At the end of I Shmuel, signalling that the people



of Israel once again have no king and need Dovid their King to be



their deliverer, a horrible picture comes into view: Saul and



Jonathan and all Saul's sons are killed in battle by the



Philistines at Mount Gilboa.







The second chapter contains ominous warnings against those who



are dabbling in religion and have not had the new creation



experience of the new birth. What happens to the judge and kohen



Eli's materialistic and hedonistic minister sons happens to



Goliath and to Saul: G-d becomes their enemy! What a fearful



thing! Look at how the Eli kohen's household was replaced,



indeed how the Shiloh mishkan itself was replaced (Jeremiah 7:12,



14). Shiloh was destroyed by the Philistines and replaced as a



religious center by Gilgal in the Jordan Valley near Jericho.



The Jerusalem Beis Hamikdash itself became the replacement during



Shlomo's reign.







But the most poignant part of the early section in I Shmuel is



the story of Hannah and Shmuel. How important a mother is! Look



at the dividends received from making sure a child has good



training in the faith. Shmuel was the greatest man of his time,



but it was only because he had a great mother! If you can read



this section without tears in your eyes, there is something wrong



with your reading. Samuel was the last of the judges and a great



prophet, a Levite (I Chr. 6:26) who lived in Ramah in the



territory of Ephraim. Chapter 9:17 shows us a word of knowledge



in operation along with Samuel's prophetic gifts (I Cor. 12:8; I



Sm. 3:11-14; 9:16; 10:1-7). Notice that Ramah was his



headquarters but he had an annual preaching mission (I Sm. 7:16)



to various cities. He was rejected by the elders who wanted a



king (I Sm. 8:7). But no set-back ever stopped him from pushing



ahead for the L-rd. He was a man of prayer (I Sm. 12:23). He set



many things in order (I Chr. 9:17-26) in the House of the L-rd.



He left a valuable heritage in his writings (see I Chr. 29:29;



I Sm. 10:25). He organized an unforgettable Pesach (II Chr.



35:18). When he kisses (nashak) the anointed King (I Sm. 10:1),



he is acting out a Messianic prophecy (see Ps. 2:12). Notice



that the ruler Nagid (I Sm. 10:1), the coming Moshiach, is called



G-d's King, G-d's Anointed one Moshiach (see I Sm. 2:10; 10:1;



12:3,5; 16:6; 24:6; 26:9). See the doctrine of the resurrection



in I Sm. 2:6. The institution of the king came into being to



protect the people from their enemies. Since the greatest enemy



of man is death, this is the connection between the King Moshiach



and the resurrection of the dead (see I Sm. 10:1). Notice in



Hag. 2:5 it says, "the desired (Chemdat) of all nations will



come. This is a Messianic reference to I Sm. 9:20, "on whom is



all Israel's desire chemdat fixed, if not on you?" Micah 5:2, a



Messianic prophecy, may have come to Micah as he was meditating



on I Sm. 16:1, where G-d says to Samuel, "I will send you to



Jesse the Bethiehemite, for I have provided for myself a king



among his sons.







Notice chapter 3:7 shows that the living Word of G-d, the



Moshiach, must reveal himself to us and give us a new heart and a



new spirit or we have no knowledge of G-d. We must have "the



Word of G-d revealed" to us through a "spirit of wisdom and



illumination" (Eph. 1:17) or we may remain as ignorant of the



Bible as Eli's sons.







See I Sm. 6:4,l4, where the Word of the Covenant (in the Ark)



with the guilt (asham) offerings (Isaiah 53:10) returns to the



field of Moshiach Yehoshua. See Lev. 5:14-6:7; 7:1-6; 16:14-17;



Isaiah 52:15; Yochanan 6:53 on blood sacrifices and the Word.







Chapter 8:3 has Samuel repeating Eli's sin as nepotism



degenerates into second generation nominalism.







A minister must stay small in his own eyes (15:17) unless he



wants to be replaced. There is always a Dovid waiting to replace



you if you become a proud Saul.





When you go into the ministry, don't imitate anyone else. Find



what you do best and do that for the L-rd (17:39).







Look at 23:2-3. Israel's military strength is still a testimony



to the strength of G-d, even today.







But 20:31 shows the folly of building your own kingdom.







Chapter 21:4 points to the Dovidic kohenhood of the King



Moshiach, for only kohanim could eat this bread (see Psalm 110



and Zechariah 3:8). Only the nation of priests mamlechet kohanim



(Ex. 19:6; Rev. 1:6) of the Brit Chadasha can eat the bread that



Moshiach Yehoshua offers (Yochanan 6:53; Heb. 13:10).







Look at chapter 23:2 again. Do you inquire in the Word of the



L-rd every day about the day's proceedings and decisions? If you



do, your victories will increase.







Strongholds of En Gedi" (23:29) means in accessible places. Do



you have them? Have you learned to hide in the L-rd from Saul



and HaSatan? We need periods of quiet and rest every day in our



quiet time and daily devotions.







Look at chapter 24:6. Unlike Saul, Dovid would not allow himself



to become jealous of another minister or to attack (in envy) a



fellow minister. David feared the L-rd too much for that. Do



you?







Chapter 28 has an important lesson: after you expel sinners from



your place of authority or kingdom, make sure you don't get



carnal and go back and consult with them (see also Psalm 1).







Chapter 30:6 says to find your strength in the L-rd, not in how



well you are doing in relation to others or from the standpoint



of their expectations.







I Shmuel is an amazing character study of the tragedy of King



Saul. A slow breakdown in his character is carefully presented



to us as a warning. We too could become like him, jealous,



cracking under pressure, not obeying G-d with fearful care and



attention to detail, taking our eyes off G-d, laying down carnal



and arbitrary policies, getting out of step with the Spirit. If



we don't hate sin as much as G-d commands us to, He may lose



patience with us and replace us, if we abuse our privileges, G-d



doesn't want to be obeyed our way; He wants to be obeyed His way.



See chapter 15 and what happens if we rebel against this



teaching. Saul's personal Meribah/Massah experience took place



at Gilgal where his rebellion cost him his ministry (review I Sm.



13:8-l4; Ex. 17:l-7; Num. 20:1-13; Ps. 106:32; 95:8; Deut. 33:8;



Heb. 3:8), repeating in his kingly person the experience of the



children of Israel in the wilderness. Also he repeated the sins



Israel committed when she entered the Promised Land: Saul almost



caused the death of Jonathan (compare Jephthah's daughter Judg.



11:39 and I Sm. 14:28-30) and Saul committed the sin of Achan



(compare Josh. 7 and I Sm. 15:13-23).







Notice the importance of spiritual song in 16:14-23. Very often



in a service there is not enough liberty in the Spirit to preach



until, through singing, the demonic oppression in the room is



lifted (see I Sm. 18:10-12). I Sm. 16:17 says that the L-rd's



musician must be an artist who can play well.







The man of G-d is necessarily a refugee in a wicked and



G-d-hating world, but G-d gives Dovid favor and guides his steps



to safety. See chapter 19. In chapter 22 we see the wickedness



of Saul, who has no respect for G-d's ministers. This is called



anticlericalism. Increasingly the world is filling up with Sauls



and preparing for the Great Tribulation when the Brit Chadasha



kehillah will be under a final massive assault of



anticlericalism. See 23:14.







Notice the connection of the Spirit of G-d with the new birth--



I Sm. 10:6. Notice that when Dovid seemingly lost everything at



Ziklag, he "strenghened himself in the L-rd his G-d" (30:6).



I SHMUEL 3:7



Now Shmuel did not yet know the L-rd: The Word of the L-rd had



not yet been revealed to him.







I SHMUEL 10:6



And the Spirit of the L-rd will come upon thee, and thou shalt



prophesy with them, and shalt be changed into a different person.













SHMUEL BAIS (II SAMUEL)



















The first few chapters chronicle the power struggle between the



house of Saul and the house of Dovid, including the murder of



Abner, the commander of Saul's army, by Joab, Dovid's commander.



It's important to understand that both Abner and Absalom's acts



of sleeping with royal concubines were efforts to prove each had



acquired royal status (see II Sm. 3:7; 16:22). During this time,



Dovid has to consolidate the military behind his regime and



persuade Israel and those backing the dynasty of Saul to receive



him as their king. The restoration of Michal as his wife



reenforces Dovid's status as Saul's son-in-law and therefore the



legitimacy of his claim to Saul's throne. In the course of the



book, all of the potential claimants to the throne from the house



of Saul are eliminated, with the exception of Jonathan's lame son



Mephibosheth whom Dovid spares to sit at his table. Jerusalem is



taken from the Jebusites and established as the capital of the



united kingdom. But David reminds us of Moses. Just as Dovid



arrives at his zenith, having been anointed king of Judah and



then seven and a half years later having been anointed king of



all Israel (both times at Hebron), he sins. Calamity arises



against him out of (his) own household" (II Sm 12:11). Dovid's



sons struggle for his throne, Absalom eliminating the firstborn



heir and preeminent claimant Amnon and attempting to seize the



throne, then Shlomo purging the oldest surviving son Adonijah,



but this is part of the story of I Kings.







In chapter II Sm. 6 Dovid dances in a white linen kohen's garment



before the L-rd and bitter Michal the daughter of Saul is



destined to die childless as she hardens her heart against G-d



and His people. When Dovid brings the ark of G-d to Jerusalem



and purchases the property for the Beis Hamikdash's construction



(II Sm. 6:l5-16; 24:21-25), he is making it possible for the Son



of Dovid to build the House of G-d, an act that will become one



of the most important prophecies of Moshiach. Notice the Angel



of the L-rd, so important in relation to the promise of an heir



for Abraham (Gen. 18) and so decisive in the Exodus (Ex. 14:19),



is now in evidence once again at the site selection of the



Jerusalem Beis Hamikdash (II Sm. 21:16), pointing to Isaac's lamb



(Gen. 22:7-8) that will be provided, the Lamb of G-d, the



Moshiach.







See the Messianic title in II Sm. 6:21 Nagid Al-Yiroel "prince



over Israel." (Compare Moshiach Nagid Dan. 9:25.) Notice David



"distributed food among all the people" (II Sm. 6:19) as his



greater Son does in the miraculous feeding of the 3,000 and the



5,000 in the Brit Chadasha Scriptures.







Notice very carefully the prophecy that Moshiach would come from



Dovid in II Sm. 7. See the obvious Messianic interpretation



given to this prophesy as it is rendered in I Chr. 17:13. The



fulfillment of the all-important promise in II Sm. 7:16 ("your



house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne



will be established forever") necessitated the resurrection from



the dead of Dovid's "seed" (zera) King Moshiach Yehoshua which



was done to fulfill the Word of G-d (II Sm. 7:21). Notice in the



Bible "the servant of the Lord" is another appellation for Dovid



(II Sm. 3:18; 7:5,20,25-29) and "my servant Dovid" another



appellation for the Moshiach (Ezek. 34:23), making "the servant



of the Lord" a Messianic title Avdi Davod as it is in Isa. 52:13;



53:11.







II Sam. 11 shows that Dovid was safer when he was poor and



fighting giants than when he was rich away from G-d's Messianic



battlefield. Run from your Bathshebas and find divine safety



with your Goliaths?







Rav Sha'ul uses the metaphor of a battlefield and the command to



"endure hardship" like a good soldier when Shliach Sha'ul deals



with the subject of the ministry and of doing the work of a kiruv



outreach worker for Moshiach (II Timothy 4:5). Study Uriah in



chapter 11 and you will see an illustration Rav Sha'ul could have



used.







Note the cronyism between Joab and David and avoid it. G-d hates



overweening bureaucratic control and religious politicking in His



House. Here it leads to Uriah's murder, adultery, and the host



of evils described in the remainder of II Shmuel.







In chapter 12 a perfect crime is ruined by a prophet with a word



of knowledge.







Notice that the L-rd is not mocked. "With the crooked G-d shows



himself shrewd" (II Sm. 22:27). Whatsoever you sow even as a



believer, you may indeed reap even in this life. II Sm. 12:11-12



show all the reprisals that follow the Bathsheba sin (see



fulfilment 16:21-22). There is punishment even in this life for



sin.







II Sm. 12:20 indicates that, nevertheless, Dovid allowed no root



of bitterness to crop up between himself and the L-rd.







II Sm. 13:15 shows us the difference between real love and lust.







One reason we need to watch in prayer: to have divine wisdom



against the wicked counselors HaSatan will use to infiltrate our



ministry, but whose wisdom G-d can turn into foolishness as He



did with Bathsheba's grandfather Ahithophel (see II Sm. 15:31;



17:14,23; Rom. 1:22; I Cor. 1:20).







Dovid's anguished love for his rebellious son who usurped his



father's throne at Hebron, Absalom, (II Sm. 13:39; 18:33) is a



picture of "G-d so loved the world" (Yochanan 3:16) and also it



pictures the anguished love for apostate Israel felt by the heart



of G-d in verses like Luke 13:34 and Rom. 9:1-3. Ittai, the



faithful foreigner, a warrior among Dovid's mighty men, is a



picture of faithful Gentiles being grafted in while the



unfaithful natural branches are cut off (see II Sm. l5:21; 18:2).







Remember vain, ambitious Absalom's long hair and how it got him



caught in the end? Avoid carnal ambition in the ministry or,



like Absalom, you'll be caught and ensnared by your own vanity.



(See chapter 15:3-4 for the modus operandi of this expert Brit



Chadasha kehillah-splitter).







In chapter 15, Hushai, Dovid's adviser, hangs back to be his spy



in league with the descendents of Aaron, that is, Zadok and



Abiathar and their messenger sons.







II Sm. 17:23 shows Ahithophel as a type of Judas, the man who



thought he could outwit the Son of Dovid and ended up hanging



himself. This type of betrayal is referred to in places like



Psalm 41:9 and 55:12-14. Even Dovid's own son Absalom betrayed



him, and betrayal is part of the sufferings of Moshiach we must



all endure. Shliach Sha'ul says, "Demas in love with this



passing world has deserted me" (II Tim. 4:10). Family members



(Micah 7:6; Matt. 10:36) and ministry partners sometimes do this



to us, and we must not grow bitter when it happens.







In II Sm. 19:17 Joab is replaced by David as head of the army but



this changes in chapter 20. Along with Abonijah and Abiathar,



Joab will be purged by Shlomo in I Kings as a fulfillment of



Dovid's curse (II Sm. 3:26-29,39) upon him for his



insubordination.







II Sam. 22:31 ("the word of the L-rd is flawless") is an argument



for the inerrancy of the Bible.







Look at "Let your hand fall upon me and my family" in 24:17. Here



we have the vicarious suffering of the Davidic Moshiach, toward



which Ezekiel 4 is also pointing (as well as Zch. 13:7). The



Beis Hamikdash with its vicarious sacrifices by the kohanim (Lv.



10:17-18) are also in view in this II Sm. 24:17 context. Moshiach



Yehoshua is the new Beis Hamikdash and the sins of Israel fall on



David's family when they fall on Moshiach Yehoshua. II Shmuel



shows the fall of Dovid from his throne and his ascension to it



again after suffering. This foreshadows what will happen to the



Moshiach who has "nothing" (Dan. 9:26) and loses his throne when



He is "cut off" (Isa. 53:8,12b) but regains it when he is



resurrected from this death and ascends to the right hand of



supreme power (Psa. 110:1; Isa. 52:13-15; 53:12a). We assume



Moshiach Yehoshua deliberately chose the Mount of Olives for his



Gethsemane weeping because of II Sm. 15:30; at least the divine



choice was deliberate. Notice that Moshiach Yehoshua has Shliach



Kefa, Ya'akov and Yochanan just as Dovid has "the Three" (II Sm.



23:19). When Isaiah says that the Dovidic Moshiach will be"



oppressed and afflicted" but he will "not open his mouth" (Isa.



53:7), Isaiah may be thinking of II Sm. 16:9-13. Also in Isa.



42:l; 61:1 he may be thinking of II Sm. 23:2. Notice the



Messianic Dovidic covenant (Brit Olam) is "an everlasting



covenant" (II Sm. 23:5), language used of the Brit Chadasha (Jer.



31:31-34; 32:40; Ezek. 37:24-26). Gen. 19:10 is in view in



II Sm. 22:44-46.







It is important to correlate one's study of the Psalms with the



study of I-II Shmuel (see Psalms).







The area of Edom, which was spared during the conquest of the



land, was later conquered by Dovid (II Sm. 8:13-14) just as



Balaam prophesied (Num. 24:18). Dovid also defeated Moab (II Sm.



8:2,13-14) just as Balaam had prophesied (Num. 24:17). Dovid



eliminated the threat of the Philistines (II Sm. 5:17-25; 8:1)



and the Arameans (modern Syria)--see II Sm. 8:3-8; 10:6-19--as



well as the Ammonites (II Sm. 12:19-31) and Amalekites (I Sm.



30:11). Finishing the work of Joshua, Dovid extended Israel's



borders from Egypt to the Euphrates, fulfilling prophecy (Gen.



15:18; Josh. 1:4). It is therefore not surprising that Isaiah saw



Israel's ultimate deliverer as not only a new Joshua (Isa. 49:8)



but also a new Dovid, or a "Branch" (Tzemach) descended from



Dovid's line (Isa. 9:6-7; 4:2; 11:1-10; 53:2; 7:14).







The word for the "Besuras Hageulah" or "good news" is found in



II Sm. 18:27.







II SHMUEL 7:16



And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever



before thee: thy throne shell be enablished for ever.











MELACHIM ALEF (I KINGS)















With Jerusalem in ruins and the Dovidic throne seemingly



destroyed forever, the prophetic author of I-II Kings sets out to



vindicate the Word of G-d to the faithful. There's a reason why



this has happened. Prophecy has been fulfilled. Curses have



overtaken the covenant-breakers. And G-d's word is still true,



and the Son of Dovid, the King Moshiach, will yet come. Dovid's



throne will rise again. This is the message of faith from the



midst of the Exile.







Two key passages are II Kings 25:27-30 and I Kings 9:6-9. The



Messianic hope is still alive in the Exile in Babylon. A



descendent of Dovid (Jehoiachin) is alive and being favored by



the King of Babylon as the book reaches its hopeful conclusion at



the end of II Kings 25. This means the Messianic promise is



still realizable and is in fact in the process of being worked



out, that is, in the fullness of time. The reason for the



destruction of all the other thrones, other than that of the



Moshiach, is given in I Kings 9:6-9, where Shlomo is given this



solemn divine warning (which the book shows by exhaustive



historical documentation was no idle threat): if you turn aside



from following me, you or your sons, and do not keep my



commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go



and serve other g-ds and worship them, then I will cut Israel off



from the land that I have given them; and the house that I have



consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight; and Israel



will become a proverb and a taunt among all peoples. This house



will become a heap of ruins; everyone passing by it will be



astonished, and will hiss; and they will say, 'Why has the L-rd



done such a thing to this land and to this house?' They will



say, 'Because they have forsaken the L-rd their G-d who brought



their ancestors out of the land of Egypt and embraced other g-ds



worshiping them and serving them; therefore the L-rd ham brought



this disaster on them.'"



In chapter II of I Kings we see Shlomo himself turn aside from



following G-d, and his backsliding is described in 11:4, "For



when Shlomo was old, his (foreign) wives turned away his heart



after other g-ds; and his heart was not true to the L-rd his G-d



as was the heart of his father Dovid." This turning point in



Shlomo's life (begun in 3:1) presaged the downfall of all the



kings and kingdom in I-II Kings. Doomed is the usurper's throne



of the Northern tribes of Israel, an apostate throne that both



detracts from the Messianic hope of Dovid's throne in Judah and



also divides G-d's kingdom. In 733 B.C.E. we will see the demise



of this kingdom of the Northern tribes in the Assyrian dispersion



(II Kings 17:5-23). The ten tribes of Israel were destroyed



because they raised up rival g-ds and sacrificed to them on rival



altars in rival sanctuaries (preferring Dan and Bethel to



Jerusalem--see 12:28-29) with a rival kohenhood (12:31) and their



kings sat on rival thrones at Shechem, Penuel, Tirzah, and



Samaria. Generally speaking, the kings of the Northern tribes



continue the sins of apostasy of their first king Jeroboem (931-



910 B.C.E.), and even Jehu (841-814 B.C.E.), who ruled in Samaria



for 28 years and fathered a 100 year-old dynasty, was no



exception, even though G-d used him as a bloody nemesis against



evil tyranical rulers inthe Holy Land. With the exceptions of



Asa (22:33), Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah, the kings of



Sudah also generally amount to a sorry lot.







At the beginning of I Kings we find the throne of Dovid, with his



choice of successor Shlomo, threatened by certain enemies. These



receive G-d's vengeance: Adonijah (who plotted to seize the



throne), Joab (who supported Adonijah's treachery), and Shimei



(who cursed Dovid and disobeyed his son Shlomo), as well as



Abiathar the kohen (of the accursed house of Eli--see I Sm.



2:27-36). Like Moses speaking to Joshua, so Dovid, from his



deathbed, speaks to Shlomo (2:1-9) and gives him his solemn



charge. The Beis Hamikdash must be built; so must the king's



palace and throne room and the walls around the royal city of



Jerusalem. By this time Zadok is wearing the high kohen's



vestment, confirming the prophesy against Eli calling for a new



line in the kehunah (see I Kings 2:35). At Gibeon, we see a



divine wisdom that rules and reign in life which all believers



should pray for. King Solomon goes to Gibeon to sacrifice and to



beseech such wisdom from G-d. The L-rd gives it to him "to



execute justice" (3:28). Like the Son of David we see in the



Brit Chadasha, Shlomo also wisely appoints 12 officials over all



Israel (4:7,27) and with great wisdom administers the kingdom.



I Kings 4:20-21 summarizes this period in the life of Solomon.



And just as the Beis Hamikdash became one of the wonders of



world-wide pilgrimage, so people came from all the nations to



hear the wisdom of Solomon" (4:34), divine wisdom which is still



wondered at in the wisdom literature of the Bible like



Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. In this, although she was initally a



"doubting Thomas" (10:7), even the Queen of Sheba becomes a



believer and Messianic Gentile pilgrim (10:6) symbolic of the



Brit Chadasha kehillah.







The Beis Hamikdash of Solomon (which took seven years to build



and stood less than 400 years) was extensively decorated and



overlaid with gold, that "the whole house might be perfect"



(6:22). Of course we know that the perfect Beis Hamikdash of the



Spirit was yet to come in the Moshiach's body (see Yochanan



2:19-21; 20:22), and that the Beis Hamikdash of this Son of David



(Solomon), having begun in 960 B.C.E., would be torn down in 586



B.C.E. Nevertheless, its dimensions and furnishings preach



through architecture, sculptor, painting, and other arts of the



perfection that was to come in the Moshiach. For example, its



Holy of Holies was designed as a perfect cube, approximately 30



feet by 30 feet by 30 feet. It was divided into (Oolahm)



portico, main (Haychal) hall, inner (duh veer) sanctuary. In the



portico were the ornate cast bronze pillars supporting the



entrance; in the main hallwere the golden tables for (Lechem



HaPannim) the bread of the Presence, the gold lampstands, and the



altar of incense; in the inner sanctuary was the Aron Brit (ark



of the covenant). The hayom mutzak (molten sea [a hugh bowl or



tank for the ablutions of the kohanim]) and the altar of the



burnt offering were in front of the steps leading up to the



portico. The Beis Hamikdash was adjacent to the palace of the Son



of Dovid (see the great judgment throne of ivory 10:18), and the



total symbolism of the complex of the house of the Lord/house of



His Anointed King of Kings (10:23) says that G-d, the sovereign



master of the universe and the head of Israel, can only be



approached through a kapparah blood sacrifice acceptably



interposed for G-d's covenant people by Moshiach's kehunah and



its mediation.







In the synagogue today, the Ner Tamid (eternal lamp) suspended



above the ark is a symbol of the Moshiach, for I Kings 11:36 says



"Yet to his son I will give one tribe, so that my servant David



may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem," the lamp being a



symbol of the permanence of the Davidic dynasty through the



coming Moshiach.







In I Kings 5, unfortunately, Solomon becomes like Pharaoh to his



own people, resorting to forced labor to build the house of the



L-rd, his own house, the Millo (fortification), and the walls of



Jerusalem. He did not enslave the Jews (see I Kgs. 9:22) but



there was apparently enough oppression that the Northern Tribes



could say to Shlomo's son, Rehoboam, "Your father made our yoke



heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and



his heavy yoke that he placed on us, and we will serve you"



(12:4). This became one of the causes of the division of the



kingdom into the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel after



Solomon's death. As Solomon succombs to the idolatry of the



foreign g-ds of his foreign wives and as he abuses his G-d-given



wisdom to entangle himself with ties with Egypt (note the



accummulation of horses and women--see the warning of Deut. 17:16



-17), we see that he is no perfect king. Only the Moshiach will



bring the perfect king with the perfect house and the perfect



kingdom. But we are co-laborers with G-d and we, like Solomon's



Beis Hamikdash builders, must work reverently (see I Kines 6:7).



Notice that the Son of David needed an artist for Israel (I Kings



7:13-14) and He still does today.







Notice that Solomon dedicated the Beis Hamikdash during the



(Succot) Feast of Tabernacles (8:2). Look at 8:10-11 where we see



the first Azuza Street experience among the (K'hal Yisroel)



assembly of Israel. Notice the Beis Hamikdash was the place



where G-d's Spirit and Presence and Name might dwell and the



place where the Word of G-d in the ark of the covenant was to



"incarnate" itself, in a sense, for I Kings 8:21 says, "There I



have provided a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of



the L-rd that he made with our ancestors, when he brought them



out of the land of Egypt." As such, the Beis Hamikdash points



toward "your son who shall be born to you (Dovid)." He will



"build the house for my name." (see I Kings 8:19.). The Moshiach



would be the eternal successor of Dovid (see I Kings 8:25; 9:5).



The "Lord's Servant" is the Davidic king (I Kings 8:59; Isa.



52:13-53:12), for it says that the L-rd "maintains the cause of



his servant and the cause of his people Israel." Dovid's throne



chair, ironically, becomes a cruel Aitz, however, because the



monarchy itself is destroyed by the Exile. Indeed, Pilate sits



where the Son of David should reign, but does so only in the



Millennium. After Rehoboam loses the kingdom about 926 B.C.E.,



never again does a descendant of Dovid (other than Moshiach



Yehoshua the Moshiach) rule over Israel.







When Solomon backslides (mainly in his old age), G-d raises up



adversaries against him (see ch. 11). The conquered peoples



rebel and the Northern tribes rebel also. Hadad the Edomite,



Rezon of Syria (Aram), and Seraboam are all instruments of



Solomon's punishment. Ahijah of Shiloh prophesies the division



of the kingdom and the ascendency of Jeroboam to the throne of



the Northern tribes (see 11:35). This comes to a climax when



(R'chev'am) Rehoboam (930-913 B.C.E.) tries to be a tougher



"Pharaoh" than Solomon.







Note carefully the prophecy concerning the coming righteous king



(Yo'shiyahu) Josiah (610-609 B.C.E.) in 13:3, who is named by



name (as Moshiach Yehoshua is in Zech. 6:11-12 and as Cyrus is in



Isa. 44:28f) and who will destroy this pagan altar later during



the time of Jeremiah's revival preaching. In chapter 13 we hear



about "the man of G-d who disobeyed the word of the Lord"



(13:26), a major theme of the whole of the book of Kings. Ahijah



of Shiloh is an important prophet. He prophesies the Assyrian



dispersion of the Northern tribes (14:15-16) and the kind of



dynastic destruction that will characterize the kings of the



Nothern tribes. In what transpires we see that Ba'sha (Baasha)



(908-886 B.C.E.) kills off (fulfilling the prophesy of 15:27-30)



the dynasty of Yerovaam (Jeroboam) (930-909 B.C.E.), Zimri



(885-874 B.C.E.) the house of Zimri, and (Yehu) Jehu (841-814



B.C.E.) the house of Omri, each a nemesis of G-d, and each



pointing to the assassinations and coups and countercoups that



lead to the demise of this apostate throne of Israel in 722



B.C.E.







The apostate people of the Northern tribes are worshiping the



fertility gods Baal and his consort Asherah because Omri, after



he establishes Samaria as his capital, marries his son Ahab to a



foreign Phoenician wife named Jezebel (princess of Sidon), who



had converted Ahab to this pagan faith of Baal worship and then



initiated a persecution of the true prophets of G-d on a vast



scale. G-d confronts the people by bringing an a tribulation



drought and forcing Ahab to search for terms with Elijah, who,



after being miraclously sustained in the wilderness and through a



widow in Zarephath, demands a contest on Mount Carmel in which



the true G-d and the true prophet alone will live, the others,



losing the contest, will forfeit their lives along with their



worthless altar. When the prophets of Bael are slaughtered



because their G-d cannot light his own sacrificial fire, the



divinely imposed three and half year drought concludes in a



mighty torrent of rain (proving the L-rd, not Baal sends the



blessing of rain, fertility and life), Elijah runs ahead of Ahab



to his second place of residence (not Samaria but Jezreel near



Mount Gilboa). There the wrath of Jezebel drives Elijah back



into the wilderness to hide once again and to come like Moses



redivivus to Mount Sinai (Horeb) where G-d commands that a purge



of idolatry be set in motion as Elijah anoints Hazed of Syria,



Jehu of Israel and Elisha as prophetic successor to Elijah (19:15



-16), all called to be the divine nemesis of idolatry and



apostasy. See the prophecy (21:20-24) that Jehu will fulfill.



After Naboth's ancestral property is seized and his life is



taken, Elijah announces the L-rd's word against both Ahab and



Jezebel (21:17-24). As the book concludes, Ahab and Jehoshaphat



are going to war against Syria, and the godly king Jehoshaphat



wants a prophecy from a prophet of G-d. Micaiah foresees (22:17)



the coming devastation and defeat and, as prophesied (21:19),



Ahab is killed in spite of all his precautions in the ensuing



battle.







Notice that those who try to use their holy office to



commercialize and profiteer off of G-d's holy things will not



find true prosperity (22:48).







The kohen Azariah in I Kings 4:1 is the son of Zadok.







The miracle that happened for Elijah at Mt. Carmel points back to



Lev. 9:23-24.







I and II Kings tell how an entrepreneur (any of the "dreamers who



do") named Shlomo built a Beis Hamikdash, which unfortunately, as



we see at the end of this two-part book, is destroyed by sin, as



the author of I-II Kings writing in the Exile to Jewish people in



the Exile, explains to them the reason for the Exile and its



devastation. The Beis Hamikdash of the body of Moshiach Yehoshua



was also destroyed by sin, but His Beis Hamikdash was destroyed



for sin. But sin led to the destruction of Solomon's Beis



Hamikdash and the Exile. Nevertheless, we see how Solomon was



given divine wisdom (see 1:5:13...the Bible is not



anti-scientific) and also prosperity in order to accomplish his



assigned task.







We should notice that King Shlomo was given many artists and



co-laborers. Indeed, even the kingship itself belonged to G-d



but was entrusted provisionally to Shlomo (II Sm. 7:14) and was



not the perogative of self-promoting men (1:1:37; 2:15). He



prayed for and received from G-d the wisdom (1:3:9) most of the



other kings in this story lack. Shlomo is a type of the Chochma



Elohim (Wisdom of G-d), who became the Moshiach (1:10:24). G-d



surrounded Shlomo with people of quality to help him carry a



heavy burden with expertise. He with the twelve mentioned in



1:4:7 is a type of the peaceful Mashiakh Ben Dovid who will reign



in peace on earth during the Millenium, just as his warrior/king



father Dovid is a type of the Warrior Word (Revelation 19:13)



who will come to destroy the wicked at the end of history. In



1:7:7 we see Shlomo as the anointed King/Judge typological



Moshiach figure (1:10:18), along with Hiram as the artist for



Israel (1:7:14), and in this pairing we see something similar to



what Moses and Bezalel (Exodus 31:3) had been in the Torah.



The Beis Hamikdash is that meeting place between G-d and where



the Ruach Hakodesh comes down when the Word of G-d tabernacles



with G-d's people (1:8:10) and G-d's people can approach his



presence. Without a vision for this communion of G-d and man,



the people perish. But G-d is faithful, even if men are not



(1:9:4-9), and we see in 1:7:51-8:16 the milestone the whole



first quarter of the Bible has been driving toward: the



completion of the Beis Hamikdash with the glory of G-d filling



it. What was lost in Gen. 3:19-24 (the hope of the glory of G-d



which is Chayyei Olam (Eternal Life)) is now beginning to be



regained--do a concordance study of the word "glory" in the book



of Romans to get a fix on the Besuras Hageulah as the Besuras



Hageulah of Glory) is starting to be regained. The Beis



Hamikdash being filled with glory is a picture of the coming



Incarnation and outpouring of the Ruach Hakodesh on the people of



G-d. Of course the promise in 1:8:25 remained unfulfilled until



the line of Dovid is raised to reign forever in resurrection



glory on Passover 30 C.E. Whenever a foreigner looks toward His



torn down but gloriously raised up Beis Hamikdash (I:8:4lf--see



also Amos 9:11) the Brit Chadasha blessing goes forth to that



foreigner. This is why we have been set apart (1:8:53) as a



tabernacle on the Great Commission march and we offer our



sufferings and levitical sacrifices as the House of our Suffering



L-rd to carry the Good News to the ends of the earth. The



itinerate prophetic bands of Elijah and Elisha and Shliach Sha'ul



and modern kiruv outreach workers for Moshiach and emissaries of



Moshiach's shlichut are just as much "the Brit Chadasha kehillah"



as stationary congregational preaching points. The true Brit



Chadasha kehillah is wherever the elect are rightly disciplined



by the proper hearing and sharing of the Word.







Dovid's great son had wisdom. G-d's greater Son was Wisdom, as



Proverbs 30:4 makes clear. It will not do to try to bring Israel



into Proverbs 30:4 as the Son, since the context reflects back to



Proverbs 8 and especially 8:30. Israel is scarcely mentioned in



Proverbs. The figure of a son toiling by the side of his father



was a familiar one, and is an arresting metaphor for G-d's



primordial Wisdom toiling creatively in the beginning with G-d.



Likewise, Psalm 2:7, Psalm 89:27-28, and Isaiah 9:5-6 are



passages where the Moshiach is pictured as G-d's Son, G-d's



B'chor (firstborn) in the sense of his, heir coming in divine



glory as in Daniel 7:13-14, that is, on the clouds with G-d to



"divide the spoil with the strong (Isaiah 53:12) and to govern,



eternally (Isaiah 9:6-7).







In chapter 11:4 we see that Shlomo's G-d-given wisdom was



foolishly seduced by a muddle-headed ecumenicalism just as the



prostitute religious community apostatizes in II Thes. 2:3; Heb.



10:26; II Tim 4:4; I Tim 4:1. If we join this apostasy we can be



sure G-d will always raise up a way to judge us (1:11:15-17).



This is a dominant theme in Kings--that "You only have I known:



therefore, I will punish you for all your sins..." since



"judgment begins at the household of G-d." G-d is a just G-d and



he will remove the guilt of His House from the blood of the



innocent by punishing the culpable, for G-d is a great King



(1:2:31). Solomon, Elisha, Jehu, Joash, Josiah, Nebuchadnezzar



all represent G-d's prophesied holy nemesis against sinners.







Rehoboam is a warning against an authoritarian style that tries



to L-rd it over the sheep and splits the Brit Chadasha kehillah.









You should be able to insert the prophets and their approximate



dates into the dates of the rulers of Israel and Judah so as to



get a fix on who is preaching to whom.







The life-or-death struggle with Rabbinic Judaism's Baalism



(Kabbalah occultism, Talmudic gnosticism, Rabbinic clericalism,



etc.) that Elijah fought is still going on.







In the Elijah cycle G-d gives his guerrilla warrior-prophet a



free room (I Kings 17) and his office was in Zarephath so that he



could have a one-man show to pull down the strongholds of Satanic



lies destroying the house of Israel. This was near the Jordan



where Elijah had once hid to begin his Mount Carmel fight for the



true Jewish faith which Yochanan of the tevilah of teshuva would



continue.





Ya'akov 5:17 tells us that this time of tribulation in I Kings



17-19 lasted 3 and a half years. It was then that Jezebel and



her husband King Ahab tried to shut the door of revival on the



prophet Elijah. But what happened? G-d rained down tribulation



on Queen Jezebel and King Ahab. G-d rained down a life-quenching



drought an their evil, G-d-rejecting world, a real tribulation



that went on far three and a half years. But did Elijah get



raptured before the trouble started? No. Did Elijah escape



being persecuted by the spirit of Anti-Moshiach in Ahab and



Jezebel? No. Was rapturing Elijah before this time of trouble



the only way G-d had of keeping the prophet from that hour of



trial G-d was bringing on the world (Revelation 3:10)? No.



Not at all. How we like to limit G-d with our neat little



prophecy charts! G-d didn't rapture Elijah before that three and



a half year tribulation! G-d hid Elijah in the desert for



"times, time and half a time"--three and a half years! (See also



Rev. 12:6.) And the earth helped Elijah (See also Rev. 12:16.)



The brook quenched his thirst and he ate meals catered by



ravens!) Then when the tribulation had served its purpose and



the false prophets had came to their Anti-Moshiach destruction,



then G-d raptured Elijah! The true Brit Chadasha kehillah was



hidden "underground" during the time of trouble. The true Brit



Chadasha kehillah of "7000 who had not bowed their knee to Baal"



gave their witness and risked martyrdom for G-d during Elijah's



three and a half year tribulation. The true Brit Chadasha



kehillah was a guerrilla group of refugees pursued by an evil



world yet bravely serving the L-rd at all costs, whether that



involved a sacrificial life-style or martyrdom.







I Kings 3:28



And all Israel heard of the judgment which the King had judged;



and they feared the King: for they saw that the wisdom of G-d was



in him to do judgment.







I KINGS 8:43



Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all



that the foreigner asks of thee: that all people of the earth may



know thy name and fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that



they may know that this house, which I (Solomon) have built, is



called by thy name.







I KINGS 17:3



Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the



Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan.















MELACHIM BAIS (II KINGS)















To the good kings of Judah (there are no good kings of Israel)



listed in I Kings (Sc.) a case could be made for possibly adding



Y'ho'ash (Joash) (835-796 B.C.E.), Amatz'yahu (Amaziah) (796-767



B.C.E.), Azarya (Azariah) (Uzziah) (792-740 B.C.E.) and Jotham



(750-735 B.C.E.). However it must be said of Joash that he



foresook the L-rd and served idols after the death of the kohen



Jehoiada (II Chron. 24:15-18); it must be said of Amaziah that he



backslid into the worship of Edomite idols (II Chr. 25:14-16); of



Azariah (during whose reign Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos began their



preaching ministries), that he tried to usurp the kohenhood and



was punished with leprosy (II Chr. 27:20); of Jotham, during



whose reign Micah was preaching, that he failed to cleanse the



Beis Hamikdash of its pagan influence which caused many to



continue their evil ways (II Chr. 27;2,6).







Fire comes down from heaven as at Mount Carmel to protect Elijah



in II Kings 1, and finally Ahaziah of Israel is told that he will



die and G-d's word is fulfilled (1:17). This means we are at the



year 852 and we will go all the way to 586 B.C.E. in this book.



The battle of Qarqar (853 B.C.E.) is not recorded in the Bible.



If it were, this might be the place for it. It was fought in



Syria and it held beck the Assyrian advance into the territories



of Syria, Israel, and Judah for a time.







The expression "company of prophets" (bnei hanevi'im) found



starting in 2:3 means "members of the prophetic order." These



were a confraternity of maggidim gifted with miraculous powers



and with the gift enabling them to prophecy. We hear of them in



Bethel and in Jericho.







That Elijah is Moses or even Joshua redivivus is shown by his



parting the Jordan River (II Kings 2). His rapture is also



described (II Kings 2) and Mal. 4:5-6 looks for just such a



prophet of repentance at the time of the Moshiach or the end of



days. Notice the Hebrew verse at the end of this section,



II Kings 2:10. Notice that Elijah's rapture, when it occurs, is



secret as far as the world is concerned, and, from Elijah's point



of view, according to II Kings 2:10, it is questionable as to



whether Elisha himself will see it. Also, see Heb. 11:5 which



says (quoting the Septuagint). As far as the people were



concerned it was a secret rapture like Enoch's because "he was



not found." Only Elisha saw him go up.







Elisha, having received a "double share of the Elijah's spirit,"



also parts the Jordan, purifies a poisonous spring of water



(2:22), curses small boys who jeer at maggidim with an attack by



mauling she-bears (2:23-25), prophesies the defeat of Moab and



calls forth water for a thirsty army which looked like blood to



their Moabite enemies (3:1-27), does multiplication miracles with



a jar of oil belonging to a destitute prophet's wife (4:1-7) and



twenty loaves of bread (4:42), cures infertility (4:8-17) and



raises the dead (4:18-37), neutralizes poison in some food



(4:38-41), cures leprosy (5:1-19), renders a judgment miracle



against Gehazi (5:19-27), retrieves a floating axe head from the



Jordan River (6:1-7), hears "in the Spirit" the military plans of



the king of Syria but is protected by horses and chariots of fire



(6:8-17), blinds these enemy soldiers of Syria (6:18-19), feeds



his enemies (6:20-23), foretells famine relief (6:24-7:20),



directs the Shunammite woman on how to survive a seven-year



famine in absentia (8:1-6), and prophecies the overthrow of the



Syrian king Ben-hadad by Hazael (8:7-15). In



9:4 we read about a "young prophet" who, at the command of



Elisha, anoints Jehu king of Israel and prophesies that he will



be the nemesis of G-d against Ahab and Jezebel, after which Jehu



kills Jezebel's son Joram (852-841 B.C.E.) king of Israel and



Ahaziah (841) king of Judah. Then Jehu killed Jezebel (9:30-37)



in Jezreel. (The wicked daughter of Ahab usurps the throne of



David and tries to slaughter her way to power as the queen of



Judah after this--her name, Athaliah queen of Judah, and she



rules Judah from 841-835 B.C.E. until little seven year old



Jehoash is restored to the throne by the godly kohen Jehoiada.)



The slaughter of wicked Ahab's dynastic heirs along with



adherents of Baal worship continues in ch. 10.







Jehoash of Judah repairs the Beis Hamikdash in II Kings 12, a



task that every Brit Chadasha kehillah has to do from time to



time. King Joash of Israel visited Elisha on his deathbed



(13:14) and received prophecies about coming wars with Syria.



When Elisha dies, a corpse resurrects after touching the bones in



Elisha's grave.







II Kings 15 gives us the gruesome story of how the various kings



of Israel kill each other off as the throne of Jeroboam moves



toward self-destruotion.







Notice the duplicated material (II Kings 18:13-20:19 = Isa.



36:1-39:8) not only in Isaiah but also in Jeremiah (II Kings



24:18-25:21 = Jer. 52:1-27).







In 734 B.C.E. the Assyrian threat has reemerged, Syria and Israel



are threatening King Ahaz (735-715 B.C.E.) of Judah for not



joining their alliance against Assyria. Ahaz trusts ruthless



King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria more than either G-d or the



prophet Isaiah and calls in Assyria's aid against these two



Northern enemies of Judah. The Assyrians attack (Shalmaneser V



and Sargon II begin and end this campaign) and Israel is defeated



and destroyed in 722 B.C.E. as Amos (760-750 B.C.E.) predicted



(Amos 5:2). But trouble is in store for Judah, as Isaiah warned.



In 701 B.C.E. Sennacherib's Assyrian army surrounds Jerusalem and



a great tragedy would have ensued had not G-d intervened (see



II Kings 18:13-19:37). Then, the king of Judah reigning during



this time, Hezekiah (715-686 B.C.E.) son of Ahaz became ill,



almost died, was healed and received 15 years additional life



with the "sign" of Ahaz's "sundial" having its shadow reversed as



G-d "backs up the clock," as it were (20:1-11). However, at that



time Hezekiah imprudently showed his royal treasures to a



visiting Babylonian delegation, opens the door for the Babylonian



Exile a little over a hundred years later. Hezekiah's worst



legacy was his wicked son Manasseh, the worst king Judah ever



knew: a single-handed cause of the punishment of the Exile



(21:1-18).







In II Kings 22:1-23:30, Josiah (640-609 B.C.E.) king of Judah



becomes acquainted with a lost book of the law of Moses and such



fear falls on him that he removes a foreign and idolatrous cult



from the Beis Hamikdash (622 B.C.E.) during a unique time in the



history of the Jewish people, when Jeremiah, Nahum, and Zephaniah



were preaching in Jerusalem. Its important to study all these



last five chapters of II Kings to get the historical background



necessary to read the book of the prophet Jeremiah.







Notice that when the Word of G-d is rediscovered, revival follows



(II Kings 22).







But the Kingdom of Judah was doomed. In 605 B.C.E.



Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon carried off into Exile many including



Daniel; in 597 B.C.E. Ezekiel was among the deportees, and in 586



the final destruction of Judah's kingdom was complete. Except



for the brief 100 year (167-63 B.C.E.) Maccabean period there was



never again a kingdom of Judah. The Northern tribes and the



tribe of Judah both broke faith with G-d and consequently both



their kingdoms perished (see II Kings 17:7-18 and II Kings



17:19-20;24:1-4). This is a major theme of II Kings. A few



kings to think about. Omri established Samaria as his new



capital and the site of his palace. He also promoted cultural



relations with Phoenicia, sealed by the marriage of his son Ahab



(Ach'av) to Jezebel. Jezebel was responsible for corrupting the



Northern Kingdom and his daughter Athaliah greatly hurt the



Kingdom of Judah. Ahab's son Jehoram and Jezebel were killed by



Jehu (Yehu) (ending the dynasty of Omri). Jehoshaphat



(Y'hosphafat) king of Judah reigned during this time. He was the



son of a G-d-fearing king of Judah, the energetic and religious



Asa. It was Jehashaphat who sent the princes, Levites, and



kohanim out to the people to teach the Law of Moses. The



unfortunate marriage of his son Jehoram (Yehoram) (both



Jehoshaphat and Ahab had sons by the same name) to Ahab's



daughter Athaliah was a result of the peace-making efforts



between his kingdom and Ahab's, but much grief came of it,



including a futile commercial navy venture with Ahab's Ahaziah.



Jehoram (848-841 B.C.E.) son of Jehoshaphat paid for his



murderous apostasy (he killed several of his brothers) in the way



Judah's enemies were strengthened in the time of his reign



(especially the Edomites, Philistines, and Arabs). He died of a



horrible disease of the bowels. About a hundred and ten years



later the Northern Kingdom is in its death throes ready to be



destroyed by the Assyrian Empire (722 B.C.E.) and Ahaz is king of



Judah (732-715 B.C.E.). He is the father of Hezekiah and the son



of Jotham; he is also the grandson of the leprous king of Judah



Azariah (Uzziah) and the great-grandson of King Amaziah (796-767



B.C.E.). Ahaz descended from Ahaziah (853-852 B.C.E.) through



Joash. Ahaziah was killed at Jezreel by Jehu (see Hosea 1).



Unlike these more godly individuals, Ahaz sold out to the



Assyrians in order to buy assistance from the military threat of



the evil Pekah king of Israel and Rezin of Damascus. This cost



Ahaz his military and religious independence, obliging him to



import from the Assyrians their pagan religious practices



(worship of stars and sun, child sacrifice, occult consultation



with wizards and necromancers, etc.) His son Hezekiah tried to



counter all this by a reform movement that included repair of the



Beis Hamikdash, destruction of idols, a Pesach celebration



involving people from the Northern Kingdom, organizing the



kohanim and Levites for regular religious services, reinstituting



the tithe, preparing for Assyrian siege by building a water



tunnel and many other godly acts. 701 B.C.E. was the year



Sennecherib held Hezekiah captive behind his Jerusalem walls



"like a bird in a cage." This also may have been the year



Hezekiah almost died but was given a healing and a



life-extension. You should know something about each king so you



could identify them by name if given information about them on a



test. For example, which king lived an extra 15 years and gave



the Babylonians a tour that Judah would live to regret?



Notice the foreglimpse of the Incarnation in I Kings 3:28, where



it says that the Wisdom of G-d was inside the King of Israel. We



should not be that surprised that the ultimate Beis Hamikdash and



the Moshiach are one and the same, since they are both called by



"My Name" (see I Kings 8:43 and Isa. 9:6; Jer. 23:5-6).





II KINGS 2:10



He (Elijah) answered, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you



see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if



not, it will not."















DIVREY HAYAMIM ALEF (I CHRONICLES)



DIVREY HAYAMIM BAIS (II CHRONICLES)















Since II Chr. 36:22-23 is virtually identical with Ezra 1:1-3a,



a case can be made for common authorship. If so, the author, if



he wrote I-II Chronicles as well as Ezra-Nehemiah (incorporating



the memoirs written by Nehemiah), could not have written this



work before 445 B.C.E. when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem. It



is certainly possible that Ezra is the author as the Talmud



attests. A later hand may have added a few touches, but the bulk



of the material may be the result of Ezra's ministry. If Ezra



were a young man in 458 B.C.E. when he embarked for Jerusalem, he



might still have been alive toward the year 400 B.C.E. which is



the approximate time when this corpus of literature reached its



final stage of editing.



Much of the Hebrew Bible was available to the Chronicler and many



other (now lost) writings as well. These he used to preach to



the post-exilic Jerusalem community his long sermon known to us



as I-II Chronicles.







Whereas the author of I-II Kings is writing from the Babylonian



Exile, the author of I-II Chronicles is a post-exilic Jerusalem



writer and one with a heightened Messianic expectation, who wants



to tell the whole story of G-d's electing love and providential



care, from Adam to Dovid's coming Son (this is the story the



genealogies are telling), viewing all of history from the point



of view of the Messianic covenant G-d made with Dovid (II Sm. 7).



In I Chronicles, chs. 1-10 lead to an idealized Dovid (in many



ways a typological portrait of the coming Mosiach); chs. 11-29



detail the events of Dovid's rule that have primarily Messianic



or eschatological significance. In II Chronicles, chs. 1-9 is



about Dovid's preeminent son Shlomo (also idealized into a



Messianic type--I Chr. 22:10--with a golden reign) and most of



this section is about the building of the Beis Hamikdash for the



G-d of Israel who is coming to dwell with His people forever;



chs. 10-36 are about Dovid's later sons, the kings of Judah, all



seen in a certain sense as foreshadows of the final "Dovid" who



would sit on "the throne of the L-rd." As Moses receives the



plans for the Tabernacle from G-d and hands on his ministry to



Joshua, so David receives instructions about the Beis Hamikdash



and hands on this divine legacy to Solomon (see I Chr. 22:13),



whose "peace" (shalom) points the people to Joshua's "rest"



(M'nucha) (see I Chr. 22:9). Everything divine emblem connected



with the planning of the Beis Hamikdash--the Levites, the



singers, the musicians, the gatekeepers, the orders of the holy



kohenhood, the Beis Hamikdash worship in the divinely chosen city



of Jerusalem--all these help the Babylonian returnees liberated



by the Persian Empire to see themselves not as merely in



Jerusalem worshipping at the Beis Hamikdash but as the



Exile-chastened remnant of Messianic salvation preparing the



ground for the coming of the long-awaited Messianic kingdom, as



it says in I Chr. 17:14, "I will set Him (the King Moshiach) over



My houseand My kingdom forever, His throne will be established



forever."







I Chronicles tells us much about leaders. The author of this



book was preaching at the beginning of a religious revival, and



he used the leaders of the distant past as models for those he



was exhorting to lead the spiritual awakening of his day.



According to I Chronicles, a leader is someone who offers goals



and honors those who reach them. "Whoever attacks the Jebusites



first will be the chief officer," David said (I Chr. 11:6).



A good leader is someone who gives something to every person who



follows him (I Chr. 16:3).







A leader is someone who has praise in his heart, more praise in



fact than those whom he leads, because one of his duties as a



leader is to exhort the people to praise (I Chr. 16:7).







A leader also fears G-d (I Chr. 16:30) more than those who follow



him, or else his followers have nothing to learn from him, for



what is wisdom but the fear of the L-rd? (Prov. 1:7)







A leader is a shepherd who counts the sheep and he knows when one



is missing. He is a keeper of the flock of G-d who knows that



G-d does not dwell in expensive religious edifices (I Chr. 17:5).



Therefore, a good leader would rather start a few home meetings



and have a dozen sheep counted in each one than wait (while



people perish) for the purchase of an expensive building to seat



the same amount.







A good leader has followers who know and do their duties (I Chr.



23:27-30). This means that every area of the ministry has



someone over it and accountable for it (I Chr. 27:25-34). A



leader is someone called by G-d to do something for G-d, and a



good leader is someone strong enough in the L-rd to do what G-d



has called him to do (I Chr. 28:10).





A good leader is someone who can uncover the skills of those he



serves, and can help them experience the honor of serving G-d



(I Chr. 28:21).







A leader can set a good example in giving and can the credibly



challenge others to give (I Chr. 29:5).







A leader in the Biblical context is a person "with a God-given



capacity and with a G-d-given responsibility to influence a



specific group of G-d's people toward G-d's purposes for the



group." Notice in this excellent definition these 4 ingredients



in a good leader: l)giftedness, 2)a sense of accountability to



G-d for those being influenced, 3)the group is limited and



definable and so defines the leader, 4)there is in the giftedness



the recurring ability to determine G-d's direction for the group



(this is why congregational leaders often resign--they sense they



have lost this ability for a particular Brit Chadasha kehillah).





Leaders love to rank themselves based on their supposed sphere of



influence: small group, community, intercommunity, regional,



inter-regional, national, international. A congregational leader



will tend to rank congregational leaders at the apex of his



leadership hierarchy. A researcher/strategist/theologian will



disagree and assert that researchers/strategists/theologians are



at the apex. The truth is that all are just little shepherds



tending to tiny (but important) aspects of G-d's vast master



plan.







Do you know your gift-mix? Is it expendable? Can you match your



leadership roles to your strengths?







What is your present role in the L-rd's body?







What are your personal goals?







What is your commitment to minions?







A good leader doesn't back away from challenges. Hebrew and



Greek may take a little work. But if J.W.'s are willing to do



the work to get out every day in a disciplined way and attempt to



use Hebrew and Greek to convince people that Moshiach Yehoshua



isn't divine, then how can a good leader do less than work as



hard?







I Chr. 10:13 tells why Saul died. This is a warning to us.



I Chr. 15:16 shows that the Word is to be brought forth in the



midst of joyful singing and wonderful music. If you have a great



pulpit ministry but neglect the ministry of music, the Word will



not be brought forth as it should be. There should be ministers



in charge of the music--see 15:27 and the worship service



depicted in II Chr. 29:20-30.







Study in Hebrew the clear Messianic prophecy at 17:10-14.



Study I Chr. 21:17. A rabbi might say, "We have no teaching about



King Dovid's Son, the Moshiach, which condones any Messianic



human sacrifice for sin." Oh, no? Look at I Chr. 21:17-where



Dovid makes a reference that would have to include the Moshiach



and the Moshiach's Beis Hamikdash when Dovid says, "O L-rd my



G-d, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let



this plague remain on your people." Meditate on the Messianic



"Son of Abraham" shown us in Isaac (Gen. 22) and Joseph and Jonah



(to say nothing of Isaiah 53) and you will see the Messianic



prophecy regarding human sacrifice and the Moshiach's person,



that is, His death and resurrection.







In chapter 28, notice how Dovid is a new Moses (the post-exilic



Chronicler is saying that the Moshiach who is coming now that we



are back from the Exile will be a new Dovid like Moses). Isaiah



says this explicitily in Isa. 42:4 and 49:9.







Do you make a sacrifice of thanksgiving every morning and every



evening (I Chr. 23:30)? If not, now you know why depression



sometimes attacks you.







Why the Song Service is important: When King Jehoshapat had to



fight a battle where he was horribly outnumbered, he appointed



"men to sing to the L-rd and to praise him for the splendor of



his holiness as they went out at the head of the army...(and)..



as they began to sing and praise, the L-rd set ambushes against



(their enemies)." (II Chr. 20:21-22)



Some will have itinerant teaching ministries (like that described



in II Chr. 17:8-9 though more will hopefully be teaching home



Bible studies and building them up until a congregation planting



can evolve).





Some of our students will become emissaries of Moshiach's



shlichut. What are the keys to becoming a kiruv outreach worker



for Moshiach? (Hint: they both have to do with spiritual renewal



and revival because without these, such



ministers are only entertainers performing an empty religious



charade.) One key is discovering and falling in love



with--almost as though for the first time--the Word of G-d. The



great revival under Josiah began when Hilkiah the kohen said, "I



have found the Book of the Law in the Beis Hamikdash of the L-rd"



(II Chr. 34:l5). A prophetess told Josiah the other key in



II Chr. 34:27--he humbled himself and was genuinely sorry for his



sins and wept.







One of the themes of II Chronicles has to do with what makes a



good leader. The author makes the point that what leaders need



is not necessarily "success" but revival. "Success" will destroy



some leaders: it says that after King Uzziah "became powerful,



his pride led to his down fall" (II Chr. 26:16). Again, it says



that "in those days (King) Hezekiah became ill and was at the



point of death. He prayed to the L-rd, who answered him and gave



him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did



not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the L-rd's wrath



was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem" (II Chr. 32:24-25).



Leaders tend to fluctuate between fear and discouragement on the



one hand and pride and arrogance on the other, because they



forget how unimportant they are in themselves, since, as G-d said



to King Jehoshaphat, "the battle is not yours, but the Lord's"



(II Chr. 20:15).







King Jehoshaphat "had some good in him," but he was always



getting himself in deep trouble by political alliances and



business partnerships with unbelievers (see II Chr. 19:2;



20:35-37). Do you have people entangled in your life who are not



God-fearing and regenerated? Ephesians 2:2 says that the spirit



of HaSatan is at work in them. How can light and darkness yoked



together expect to prosper and be blessed by the L-rd? We must



learn to keep the world at arm's length and show our unsaved



friends "mercy mixed with fear, hating even the clothing spotted



by corrupt flesh" (Jude 23).







If a nation yokes itself with a HaSatan-influenced (Ephesians



2:2) president, that nation will pay the consequences. Look at



II Chr. 28:19: "The L-rd had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king



of Israel, for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been



most unfaithful to the L-rd." Should believers care if an



unregenerate becomes president? Of course! One U.S. President's



favorite verse in the Bible was: "If my people, who are called by



my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and



turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and



will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (II Chr. 7:14).





But what does revival look like? One picture of it is given in



II Chr. 5:14 where it says of the kohanim in Shlomo's newly



constructed Beis Hamikdash in Jerusalem, that they "could not



perform their service because of the cloud (of the L-rd's



presence) for the glory of the L-rd filled the Beis Hamikdash of



G-d." What does it mean to say that a person is "walking in



revival"? And how important is this? King Shlomo answers that



question when he says that G-d steadfastly maintains the Covenant



with his servants who "walk before him with all their hearts"



(II Chr. 6:l4). Even many believers desperately need revival.







Some have neglected being faithful to a body of believers where



the L-rd wants them to be protected, like He protected little



seven year old King Joash. HaSatan was trying so hard to destroy



little King Joash that HaSatan even had his grandmother Athaliah



(daughter of Ahab, who usurped the Dovidic throne 841-835 B.C.E.)



trying to murder him. But the L-rd had him surrounded with



ministers and little Joash was hidden in the house of the L-rd



where HaSatan couldn't touch him. Do you have a Brit Chadasha



kehillah home where you are submitted under congregational leader



care? If not, you are like little Joash would have been had he



been wandering around on the streets with his demon-possessed



enemies looking for him.







It's so easy to neglect personal study of the Word and prayer and



let one's congregational leader do all that so we can be free to



give our heart to our careers and friends and relationships and



other things and just drop in for a few services or watch a few



religious television shows to convince ourselves that we are not



backsliding away from revival. But what does the Word say in



II Chronicles: "The L-rd is with you when you are with him. If



you seek him he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he



will forsake you" (15:2). Don't you realize you will dry up in



unfruitfulness unless you seek the L-rd in personal prayer and



Bible study and fellowship? People cannot he won to the L-rd by



you unless you are close to the L-rd. It ways this in II Chr.



15:9 about King Asa's personal revival, that "large numbers had



come over to him from Israel when they saw that the L-rd his G-d



was with him."







How does personal revival begin? It begins with the fear of the



L-rd, when you and I realize that we represent G-d to people and



therefore that we must fear the L-rd because He will hold us



accountable for how we live as his representatives. II Chr. 19:6



says it well. Here King Jehoshaphat is charging judges with



their responsibilities. However, he might as well be speaking to



us since believers will judge the world with Moshiach Yehoshua



and even angels (I Cor. 6:2-3). King Jehoshaphat says, "Consider



carefully what you do (in other words, how you live and speak),



because you are not judging for man but for G-d...Now let the



fear of the L-rd be upon you" (II Chr. 19:6-7). That's the



warning. Now here's the promise: King "Jotham grew powerful



because he walked steadfastly before the L-rd his G-d" (II Chr.



27:6).







Unfortunately, many of the wicked kings we study in this book and



in I and II Kings were willing to change their religious



commitments as light-heartedly as Catholics become Jews or



Protestants become Muslims today. Note what wicked King Ahaz



said when he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, "'The g-ds of



the kings of Aram (Syria) help them; I shall sacrifice to them



and they will help me'; but they were his ruin and that of all



Israel" (II Chr. 28:23). We do not ask anyone to change their



religion in order to prosper. We ask people to have the courage



to believe the truth. Then we identify with them and work with



them so that their religious expression of their commitment to



the truth avoids as much cultural dislocation as possible.



That's why we want to see established messianic synagogues in



Jewish neighborhoods and messianic mosques in Arab neighborhoods.



That's why we are focussing on cross-cultural outreach and



congregation planting. (See the author's two books, Everything



You Need To Grow a Messianic Synagogue and The New Creation Book



for Muslims.)







Many Israelis and Jews do not believe in hell. The Holocaust has



led many Jewish people even to disbelieve in G-d. However,



various kinds of holocausts are predicted in II Chr. 7:19-22,



since judgment begins at the household of G-d. This should make



Gentiles and nominal backslidden believers fear as well, because



if G-d did not spare the Jews, "neither will he spare you



Gentiles." (Romans 11:21). Look at the warning of II Chr. 7:19:



"But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have



given you and go off to serve other g-ds (like the humanistic and



non-Biblical g-ds of Talmudic Judaism and Secular Humanism) and



worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land



(holocaust!), which I have given them, and will reject this Beis



Hamikdash I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a



byword and an object of ridicule (anti-Semitism!) among all



peoples." This is the negetive message, a severe warning not to



neglect receiving the Ruach Hakodesh and the circumcision of new



birth (Deut. 30:6) so that one desires to study the Word of G-d



and so that one can be taught by the Holy Spirit to interpret it



correctly and not with a carnal and unspiritual mind. However,



on the positive side, we can point to the feet that G-d blesses



those who honor G-d's Word, showing how that anti-Semitic "Haman"



Saddam Hussein was militarily defeated on Purim, 1991, and how



America was miraculously blessed with less than 100 casualties in



the Persian Gulf War because she protected G-d's people and



obeyed Gen. 12:3.





But there is a greater positive message to be seen in



II Chronicles. Since Yeshua (Moshiach Yehoshua) is risen with



those he has already spiritually resurrected unto Chayyei Olam



(Eternal Life), his Body (the whole house of true believers) is



the everlasting Beis Hamikdash that G-d has made for his Word and



his Spirit to inhabit. If we are filled with his Spirit, the



gifts of the Spirit can operate in our life. G-d says in II Chr.



7:16 "I have chosen and consecrated this Beis Hamikdash so that



my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always



be there." G-d's Name is his personal self-disclosure. The



personal Word of G-d, the Moshiach of Israel, is that



self-disclosure of the Father. When we are filled with the Ruach



Hakodesh various gifts can flow through us: preaching, inspired



utterance, ministry, teaching, encouraging, contributing,



leading, comfort, supernatural wisdom, supernatural knowledge,



miracles, supernatural faith, healing, discerning evil or other



spirits (see II Chr. 18:21 when a false prophet like Rev. Moon is



unmasked because God's prophet can discern that he has a lying



spirit), tongues and their interpretation, planting a



congregation, leading someone or many people to commit their



lives to Moshiach Yehoshua, caring for G-d's people, helping and



more. Through the gifts of the Spirit we can be the eyes and



heart of Moshiach, for his eyes and his heart always dwell in his



Beis Hamikdash which is the people of G-d.



II Chr. 16:12 says "In the thirty-ninth year of his reign (King)



Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease



was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the



L-rd, but only from the physicians." The Bible does not teach



that when you are sick you should not see a doctor. However,



even if you do see a doctor, you should look to the L-rd to give



the doctor wisdom and to be the ultimate healer in the situation.



G-d promises not only to heal our land but to touch us



individually if we have a change of heart and repent and confess



that we have done wrong and have acted wickedly and if we turn



from our old ways completely and turn back to G-d (6:37-38).



Will you make a commitment right now to start putting personal



prayer, personal Bible study, and personal ministry first in your



life and to make ministry preparation a priority so that G-d can



use you? Ask G-d to give you the wisdom of Shlomo and the



discernment you need to yield to G-d for a total healing.



The glory cloud that appears at the dedication of both the



wilderness Tabernacle and the Beis Hamikdash of the son of Dovid



(Shlomo) is a type of the incarnation. See II Chr. 5:7-14 and



also Ex. 40:34-35; II Chr. 7:1-3. Notice what happens in II Chr.



5 when the Word in the ark enters the Beis Hamikdash: "then the



Beis Hamikdash of the L-rd was filled with a cloud." See II Chr.



6:32-33: both the Servant of the L-rd and the Beis Hamikdash are



to be lights to the Gentiles (a related theme is found in



Isaiah). Both the Moshiach and the Beis Hamikdash bear the Name



of G-d (Jer. 23:5-6; Isaiah 9:6). Note also II Chr. 7:4 where



the L-rd's Word entered His House in order to trigger divinely



acceptable blood sacrifice--all this is a type of the



Incarnation. Note II Chr. 7:19-22. The sins of Israel's kings



brought the Exile of Israel and the destruction of the Beis



Hamikdash (events which are themselves a prophetic picture of the



death of the Incarnate Word).







The hope of Scripture (including II Chronicles and Ezekiel) is



that Dovid's great Son the King Moshiach would raise up a Beis



Hamikdash worthy of the new holy age. His resurrection body is



that Beis Hamikdash. Like Joshua, who brings the people of G-d



toward their promised rest, so Shlomo the son of Dovid raises up



the Beis Hamikdash and brings the people of G-d toward Messianic



rest (II Chr. 22:8-9; Josh. 11:23; 21:44).





Look in the Hebrew Bible at the mention of HaSatan in I Chr.



21:1.







One can see why the Persian King Cyrus is called "Moshiach" in



Isa. 45:1, since he undertakes to cause the Beis Hamikdash to be



rebuilt. He is also mentioned climactically at the end of



II Chronicles, showing G-d's sovereign hand in the affairs of the



people He is saving.







I CHRONICLES 17:13



I will be a Father to Him, and He shall be a Son to Me...



I CHRONICLES 21:17-18



17. And Dovid said unto G-d, Is it not I that commanded the



people to benumbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil



indeed: but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine



hand, I pray thee, O L-rd my G-d, be on me, and on my father's



house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.



18. Then the angel of the L-rd commended Gad to say to David,



that Dovid should go up, and set up an altar unto the L-rd in the



threshing floor of Oman the Jebusite.







II CHRONICLES 6:10



Now the L-rd has fulfilled his word that he promised; for I have



succeeded my father Dovid, and sit on the throne of Israel, as



the L-rd promised, and have built the house for the name of the



L-rd, the G-d of Israel.















EZRA NECHEMYAH (NEHEMIAH)















Look at Ezra 3:8. Like Ezra the kohen, the Kohen Gadol Yehoshua



(Aramaic; Hebrew: Joshua) son of Jehozadak (alternately Jozadak)



and his son Joiakim were descendents of the Aaron-Zadok family



line. This man is the one in Zech. 6:11-12 whose personal name



is the Moshiach, giving us an extremely important and impressive



prophecy that pinpoints exactly what the coming Moshiach would be



named, Rebbe Melech Moshiach Yehoshua.







CHRONOLOGY: 722 B.C.E. Samaria falls as the northern kingdom of



Israel begins the Assyrian deportation and dispersion. ca. 712



B.C.E. Isaiah predicts Cyrus will be the name of the one who will



rebuild the Beis Hamikdash (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1, 13). 605 B.C.E.



Jeremiah predicts there will be 70 years of Exile (Jeremiah



25:11; 29:10). 586 B.C.E. Beis Hamikdash destroyed. From



586-516 (70 years) there is no Beis Hamikdash until it was



finally completed ca. 516/515 B.C.E. after many delays, when



King Cyrus of Persia conquers Babylon in 539 B.C.E. and sends the



Jewish Persian governor Zerubbabel and the Kohen Gadol Yehoshua



back to Jerusalem in 538 B.C.E. (Esther's story took place around



483 B.C.E. and Malachi may have prophesied around 433 B.C.E.,



after Nehemiah returned to Persia. Haggai and Zechariah



prophesied in Jerusalem around 520 B.C.E.) Ezra returns to



Jerusalem in 458 B.C.E. and Nehemiah returns in 445 B.C.E.



This corpus called Ezra-Nehemiah tells the story of how G-d's



people struggled and were divinely aided in finally rebuilding



the Beis Hamikdash and refortifying Jerusalem so that its walls



could protect its people, the restored remnant of Zareel. When



we read the book of Nehemiah we will see that the restored Jewish



commonwealth (with a Jewish Persian governor, Nehemiah) faced



many problems. Nehemiah tells us about unfair interest (Neh.



12), Tobiah the Ammonite camped out in Beis Hamikdash quarters



(Neh. 13), Shabbos-breakers, stolen tithes (see also Mal.



3:8-l2), and heathenish infiltration into the people of G-d by



such means as intermarriage of the holy people with foreign



idol-worshippers. But Ezra had to bring the people back to the



Word of G-d and make their purified worship of G-d a first



priority. So the altar and the sanctuary were first, and this



was primarily Zerubbebel and Yehoshua's work from 538-515 B.C.E.



finally completed after Darius I (522-486 B.C.E.) gave his



official permission, though the foundation of the Beis Hamikdash



was laid as early as 536 B.C.E. Then came the reforming work of



Ezra in 458 B.C.E. during the reign of Artaxerxes I (465-424



B.C.E.). Finally came the rebuilding of the walls when Nehemiah



arrived in 445 B.C.E.







Ezra 2:62 speaks of certain people who could not prove they were



children of Abraham and were therefore disqualified for the



ordained ministry. Today if you lack the witness of the Holy



Spirit within you that G-d is your Abba father (Roman 8:15-16)



you lack the new birth relationship to Abraham and his Son the



Moshiach necessary for salvation and for a call to the ministry.







In Ezra 2 and Nehemiah we see that ecumenical unity with



unregenerate religious leaders is impossible and forbidden by



Scripture. It is in fact just this that creates the apostate



Prostitute riding on the Beast in Revelation 17. The "Samaritans"



in Ezra-Nehemich were Assyrian imports from Babylon and



elsewhere, who claimed to worship the G-d of Israel but had



grossly compromised the faith. What fellowship does darkness



have with light?





Furthermore, marriage with unregenerate spouses is absolutely



forbidden, since they have no part in the congregation of Israel.



Today we see that many religious Jews are endogamous (marry only



within their own people) and this they understand to be one of



the mitzvot (commandments) according to Nehemiah 10:30. It would



not be socially realistic for ministers to simply ignore this.



Those called to minister to these Jewish people may need to



enculture ethnically to a great extent and, like Ruth,



incorporate themselves fully, remembering the endogamous Jewish



social structure reflected in Ezra-Nehemiah. Unless there are



hundreds of messianic synagogues, messianic yeshivas, messianic



Jewish singles ministries and youth ministries, etc. (creating a



socially realistic messianic Jewish marriage market for messianic



Jews) the Jewish religious community may see the messianic



movement as a sacreligious attempt to ethnically destroy their



endogamous tribal identity as Jews. Instead our "Ruths" (even if



like her they lack Jewish parentage) may become just as Jewish as



Ruth became, identifying Biblically with the Moabitess, and



thinking of themselves as "grafted in," humble members of Ideal



Israel, the kingdom of G-d. Our "Ruths" should put the Bible



first, and at the same time like her they are free to eat as



Jews, worship as Jews, marry as Jews, bury as Jews, and give



their children to marry as Jews. To marry a woman whose ethnic



orientation remains "outside the tribe" may hurt a minister's



credibility in Jewish ministry (see Neh. 7:63-64). These people,



who are called to do this, however, must always humbly submit to



the Bible and never to mere rabbinic "human precept" (Matt.



15:8-9) when it comes to such ultimate concerns as the definition



of who is a member of the true congregation of Abraham.



Arrogant, Biblically illiterate "Ruths" who idolize all things



Jewish and have a patronizing condescension toward anything



non-Jewish are not what the Bible is calling for. And all



believers should have a love that reaches out to all the people



groups of the whole world, not merely the Jewish people. The



Good News is to the Jews first but also the Greek! The "Ruth"



who only wants to learn to read her Hebrew Tanakh so she can



witness in the Jewish Deli but doesn't care to learn to read her



Greek Brit Chadasha so she can witness in the Greek Diner is not



a Biblical believer in the truest sense of Rom. l:16. The rabbis



may love her but the Moshiach may one day rebuke her. Becoming a



child of Abraham requires faith that works itself out in love



(Gal. 3:26-29; 5:6).







Our unscriptural timidity in making this Ruth-like ethnic



incorporation of joining the tribe and identifying with the tribe



in order to win the tribe is one of the unscriptural hesitations



in the body of Moshiach that is holding back the end-time revival



among the Jews. Matthew 28:18-20 commands us to make messianic



learners of whole peoples and tribes, not to destroy their social



structure and threaten their tribal existance by socially naive



congregation-planting strategies. Question: If you feel you must



be married, does your prospective mate share your vision and feel



called to minister to the same cultural people group where G-d



has placed you?







Leadership pointers in Ezra/Nehemiah: when in fear, worship (Ezra



3:3). This reminds you of the most important thing to remember:



that the hand of the L-rd is on you (Ezra 7:28).







Fast and pray for direction before you embark (Ezra 8:21).



When unbelievers are sanctified by G-d to offer you anything,



never compromise your testimony to them in your relations with



them (Ezra 8:22). Remember, ministry is not a mere business



proposition but every project must be a testimony to the L-rd who



drives money changers out of his Beis Hamikdash. Never take down



your guard (Neh. 4:23). As Shliach Sha'ul told Timothy, "Always



keep your head." This means never "provide them a scandal" with



which to reproach you. (Neh. 6:13)(Never let yourself be found in



an embarrassing position that compromises your testimony, since



your whole ministry can be hurt for years with hundreds of people



by one indiscretion.) Don't confide in the people you minister



to, and be very very careful in whom you confide or what you



divulge to anyone (Neh. 6:19). Never bring crass commercialism



into the Lord's household, for we are all, rich and poor,



brothers (Neh. 5:7). As a kiruv outreach worker for Moshiach,



never give unbelievers an excuse to reproach us for materialism



or commercialism (Neh. 5:9). Always keep promises (Neh. 5:13).







Notice the financial accountability in Ezra 8:33 where the



kohanim had to reweigh the Lord's treasure to insure no



misappropriation of funds. Do you understand petty cash receipts,



purchase orders,the receipt/disbursement ledger of accounting,



two signatures on checks, annual trustee board meetings to review



books of the ministry organization, filing a 990 form with the



IRS, etc.? Notice that the tithe is for the ministry and should



be handled by duly ordered, accredited, and accountable



ministers. Much money is wasted today buying mansions and Swiss



villas for charlatans because gullible believers don't follow the



Word (see Neh. 10:39). (Note: a not-for-profit religious



organization can engage in any activity as long as the proceeds



do not contribute to the profit of its officers and boards of



directors and as long as the activity is in line with its



religious statement of purpose. See Neh. 13:8 for a violation of



this).







When planting a congregation or starting a new ministry of any



kind, let your first step be to ask G-d to show you who your



"Levites" are (deacons, board members, staff) and begin sharing



the vision and the responsibility of the ministry with others.



(See 3:8 and 3:24.) Choose as leaders (see Ezra 8:18) people who



are more trustworthy and G-d-fearing (Neh. 7:2) as well as people



who have a natural leadership charisma or acknowledged spiritual



position in the community (Neh. 7:70) and/or enculturative



flexibility that accompanies the gift of Shliach, because if



these "catalyst" people can be won to your cause, those families



interlocked in their group are more apt to follow their leader.



Nehemich 4:18 says "The trumpeter stood beside me." This means



that if you are the leader you should have staff meetings and



inform your people of policy so that they understand that the



"trumpeter" stands beside you. Then they will be less likely to



press the panic button (or blow the trumpet) or make any big



decisions without clearing it in conjunction with your



G-d-ordained leadership. You should have brief well-organized



staff meetings to deal with problems as they arise (Neh. 4:20);



you should work hard (Neh. 4:21), and you should stay under the



covering of the community where G-d has placed you (Neh. 4:23).



Don't neglect the prayer life of that community for this is where



the saints watch.







When you as a builder lay the foundation of a new ministry (Ezra



3:10) by starting that Bible study or fellowship or traveling



group, remember that you must first begin co-laboring with G-d to



woo and assemble the core people, prayerfully setting goals and



dates, visiting people, beginning mail (learn computers) and



telephone ministry, getting co-workers (see Ezra 6:18 for an



example of collaborative duty roster making) involved in direct



kiruv outreach for Moshiach, preparing Bible lessons, song



sheets, music, refreshments, etc. When you assemble your core



people, point out the need to them (Neh. 2:17) and share the



feasibility of your vision based on the planning and research you



have done (see Neh. 2:13, 17) and then share your testimony (Neh.



2:18) and build their faith until they are ready to make the



commitment. Avoid the prima donna: (Neh. 3:5) and those whose



spirits are not right (Neh. 2:20). When all is ready, have an



official kick-off night (Neh. 3:1) to dedicate the enterprise to



the L-rd. Help your co-workers develop a sense of ownership in



the enterprise, where they see they have a stake in its success



(Neh. 3:29). You may need to have a newsletter which lets all



the principal participants know what each other is doing (see



Neh. 3) and "render honor to whom honor is due" (Romans 13:7).



Ask the L-rd to give you the wisdom so that it can finally be



said, "the people's heart was in the work." (Neh. 4:6)





As a maggid, you seek the inspiration of the Ruach Hakodesh to



preach with this purpose: get the people to throw their weight



into the task of rebuilding the Household of G-d (Ezra 5:1-2).



Get the people to think about the legacy that they will leave to



posterity for the L-rd. By the beginning of Ezra 6, Cyrus had



long been dead but his legacy was not lost. What will your



legacy be? Zechariah and Haggai's preaching should be studied in



this context.







The people had the strength to make progress in building the



Kingdom of G-d through their ministry labors because they were



urged on by the expository preaching of the Word of G-d (see Ezra



6:14). Look at 7:6. As a scribe (Sofer), Ezra was not just a



calligrapher/copier; he was a trained teacher and interpreter and



prophetic expositor with a profound knowledge of G-d's laws and



commandments. All his studying finally paid off; someday so will



yours as a maggid through the arts who knows the Word and how to



rightly interpret it artistically and with spiritual power. When



are we going to make the "Ezra" commitment? It says, "For Ezra



had set his heart to study the teaching of the L-rd and to do it,



and to teach the laws and rules to Israel." (EZRA 7:10) Many have



had an opportunity to study, but because of their spiritual or



cultural myopia or immaturity have passed it by for various



superficial reasons and rationalizations. Now they don't have



the Ezra "study goods" and have only themselves to blame for



imminent ministry opportunities they are not ready to seize.



This is not a matter of the prestige of our teaching institution;



it is a matter having to do with the discipline of the learner.



Our goal is to get you to be expository maggidim through the



arts, to have a good theological library and to know how to use



it (see Neh. 8:8 for a definition Of expository preaching). This



is so you may go and establish new ministries throughout the



world and see many come to salvation.







A mesharet (minister) defined: someone who is "commissioned"...to



inquire or regulate Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of



your G-d, which is in your care (Ezra 7:14). Like an emissary of



Moshiach's shlichut speaking to his sending agency, Nehemiah



said, "Send me" (Neh. 2:5) and the Bible says the question came



back, "How long will you be gone and when will you return?" And



Nehemiah "gave him a date." So we see that Nehemiah did not go



drifting abroad indefinitely like many drifters I met in Israel



in 1981, but he had a project goal (to build a wall of



protection, spiritually and physically, in a particular place,



fortifying Jerusalem) and he had a time goal to finish his job



for the L-rd in a certain time frame. Furthermore, he did what



an emissary of Moshiach's shlichut must do with the spiritual



leaders and kiruv outreach workers for Moshiach that he is



training: he set a sacrificial example (Neh. 5:15).







An undisciplined person isn't fit to be a deacon, much less an



elder (I Tim. 3:8). Nehemiah trusted the L-rd and did not



succomb to intimidation and threats. He would not run or allow



himself to show fear in front of those he was leading (Neh.



6:11). However, the servant of the L-rd must not quarrel; he



must be kind to everyone, hoping that G-d will give his enemies



the grace to turn and to acknowledge the truth (II Tim. 2:24-26).







As an emissary of Moshiach's shlichut to Israel, Ezra had to



raise support, exempt ministry from taxes, and appoint



leaders! (Ezra 7:14-25). When your theological education has you



readied and you are found trustworthy by the L-rd and duly



approved and accredited, some of you will undoubtedly form



not-for-profit ministries, each with its own tax-exempt status,



tax deductible receipting legal capability, statement of purpose,



constitution and by-laws, name, board of directors or trustees



and officers. Then you will be doing the work of Ezra. This is



what your studies are meant to prepare you for. At the time of



Ezra, scribes were qualified to teach and preach. Unfortunately



very few Bible schools or seminaries today prepare real scribes



when they attempt to prepare people for the ministry. Knowing



Hebrew and Greek is not even a requirement in many schools.



Notice: when you do something for G-d, or even when it looks like



you might, many people under HaSatan's thumb are going to get



angry (see Nehemiah 3:10; 3:3f etc.). Therefore, don't tell the



wrong people or even the wrong believers what you intend to do



(Neh. 2:12), lest by casting your pearls before swine, they turn



a nd hurt you. Then later when things get off to their wobbly



start, don't let any tactless pessimist despise the day of small



things (Zeohariah 4:10). Do a secret and intensive survey of the



problem before you start grandly announcing to everybody that you



have found the solution (see Neh. 2:13--"I went by night"). If



you are going to start a congregation or new ministry, what kind,



with whom, where? Where is it needed? What is G-d's plan?



Where are G-d's co-workers?







To build a congregation, our objective is to win unbelievers to



the L-rd, leading them to confess him in prayer, before the



congregation, in the water, in the L-rd's Supper, and in



community commitment as members of the local body. Do you see



the sanctifying theme in the Pesach Seder and its discipling



tension in Ezra 6:21? We should keep records and lists each



month and totals each year of the exact number of people who



confessed the L-rd in the sinner's prayer, the number who



confessed him before the congregation, the number who confessed



him in the water, and in the L-rd's Supper, and in membership.



(Register your members--Neh. 7:5). We need the computer to help



us keep this hard data. (See member's pledge 9:38; 10:29;



10:39). Numbers are very important, and if we are not growing



something is desperately wrong and we need to keep changing our



methods until we find what touches hearts and wins countable



disciples. Half of our time needs to be spent "watching" in



prayer, not being ignorant of the Devil's devices, knowing that



HaSatan backs off when he knows you know what he's up to



(Nehemiah 4:9-10). We need to get new believers doing this so



that they are perfected and consolidated in their new faith by



learning to pray and then getting the leading of the L-rd in



where to go to witness for Yehoshua/Moshiach Yehoshua.



Notice that as an emissary of Moshiach's shlichut to Israel, Ezra



did more than organize a congregation; he also organized a school



or yeshiva--see Neh. 8:13 where he gathered the leaders to study



the Bible.







Questions: How could you use Ezra 1:2 in witnessing to Iranian



Muslims? How could you use Ezra 1:3-6 to raise your support as



an emissary of Moshiach's shlichut to Israel today? Could you



use Ezra 2:63 to make a case for the teaching that duly certified



mesharetim should be present when the ordinance of the L-rd's



Supper is served? When the tithe is collected (Neh. 10:38)?



What book of the Bible do you have to read to get more details on



Ezra 4:6? (Hint: see Esther 1:1.) How does G-d effect a



reversal in chapter 6 of Ezra? What might you ask the people to



do when you read the Word before you preach (hint: see Neh. 8:5)?







Ezra 1:8. Sheshbazzar may have been either the uncle of



Zerubbabel or his other name.







Ezra 4 begins telling how in 536 B.C.E. the work on the Beis



Hamikdash began but was delayed and interfered with. The author



then goes into a long digression after 4:4 in which he tells of



similar later opposition to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.



Finally, 4:24 resumes the story from where 4:4 left off. To



follow the digression, note the dates of Xerxes (486-465 B.C.E.)



and Artaxerxes I (465-424 B.C.E.). The narrative regarding the



Beis Hamikdash begins again at 4:24 with the year 520/5l9 B.C.E.



under Darius I (521-486 B.C.E.), who is the father of Queen



Esther's husband, Xerxes (also called Ahasuerus. It is during



this crucial year that the resumption of the Beis Hamikdash



building begins (see Hag. 1:15).







Enemies to the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the Beis



Hamikdash used intimidation, lawyer harassment, attempted



infiltration, lying, accusations, spies and informers to the



Persian monarchy. But, from the standpoint of Daniel chapter 9,



these "delays" were actually measured by G-d, who had already



predicted the exact year in which the Moshiach would begin his



ministry, calculated from the year that the decree would go forth



to rebuild Jerusalem. Also, the Beis Hamikdash was calculated by



G-d not to be completed until Jeremiah's seventy years were up,



so G-d was letting Israel's enemies slow things down until 516



B.C.E., when the 70 years would be up. See notes on Daniel.







See Ezra 6:14. Under the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah,



Zerubbabel and Yehoshua resume work on the Beis Hamikdash in 519.



Darius I makes a march in the archives for their authorization to



do this given to them earlier by King Cyrus. When this



authorization is found, Darius I gives his decree. Delay is now



over, the Lord's work proceeds. The Beis Hamikdash is completed



March 12, 516 B.C.E. 70 years after its destruction. The Beis



Hamikdash is dedicated by sacrifice and the Pesach is



celebrated--see chapter 6. Notice how this points to Moshiach



Yehoshua, who on the night of his arrest, had a Pesach and the



next day made the sacrifice. Then on the third day, G-d raised



up the Beis Hamikdash of everlasting life.







See Ezra 7:11. 458 B.C.E. is possibly the count-down date of



Daniel's first 69 "sevens" (Daniel 9:24-27). It works out if a



solar calendar is used. The commission of Nehemiah (Neh.1:1, 11;



2:1-8) in 445 B.C.E. is another possible count-down date of



Daniel's 69 "sevens" if a lunar calendar is used.







Look at 8:15. The Levites were the deacons of the Old Testament,



in charge of gates, supply rooms, implements (but not making



incense).







EZRA 3:8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house



of G-d at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the



son of Shealtiel, and Yehoshua (Moshiach Yehoshua) the son of



Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the kohanim and the



Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto



Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and



upward, to set forward the work of the house of the L-rd.



EZRA 7:12-16







12. Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the kohen, a scribe of



the Torah of the G-d of heaven, greetings:







13. Now I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel,



and of his kohanim and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of



their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. 14.



Foresmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven



counselors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according



to the Torah of thy G-d which is in thine hand;







15. And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his



counselors have freely offered unto the G-d of Israel, whose



habitation is in Jerusalem.







16. And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the



province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people,



and of the kohanim, offering willingly for the Beis Hamikdash of



their G-d which is in Jerusalem:









(Some scholars use a lunar calender and compute from the time



(445) that Nehemiah received a commission from the same king.



However, in either case, Daniel's 69 "sevens" puts us in the time



frame of the ministry of Moshiach Yehoshua.)







NEHEMIAH 7:3







The kohanim: the descendants of Jedaiah (throuqh the house



[family] of Jeshua)...































ESTHER















Five books of the Hebrew Bible are known as the Five Scrolls



(Chamaish Miglot). Song of Songs is read on the Shabbos of



Passover week (Sepherdim read it on Seder night and Friday



afternoons). Ruth is read on Shavuos (Pentecost). Ecclesiastes



is read on the Shabbos of the week of Tabernacles (Succot).



Lamentations is read of the Ninth of Av, a fast commemorating the



destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. And, finally, the book we are



studying, the Scroll of Esther, is read on Purim.







Both Esther and Job could be produced as plays or musicals with a



high professional production level. In Aaron Frankel's Writing



the Broadway musical, he shows how to lay out the scenario for a



story by identifying the points in the play, visualized as a



series of scenes, where the conflicts in each scene rise to a



crescendo requiring song and/or choreography. Here are a few



ideas on how to organize the telling of Esther's story in this



way. A few possible lyric lines for songs have been put in



quotation marks. Why not think of how you could write an



original play or musical to be presented every Purim in your



ministry, and to be usable in Jewish outreach? (Try your own



creative hand--you can polish the ideas below or come up with



better ones): Scene: Persian city of Susa (modern Iran). Time:



483 B.C.E.





Possible ideas for a scenario with a few song lyric ideas: King



Ahasuerus and company (tipsy): "Queen Vashti, you're not acting



very pretty." Queen Vashti could sing a song to her maidens to



go tell the King she is now a "liberated" woman. The chorus made



up of King Ahasuerus's counsellors ("wise men (chachamim)"--



Esther 1:13) could lament the rebellious female population of the



country and how Queen Vashti will start an insurrection in every



home. A national domestic revolt is imminent, right in homes of



the nation! These wise men could sing, "It's a scandal! Things



are getting out of hand! Queen Vashti refuses to come at the



king's command! (see Esther 1:12)." On a serious note, Esther



1:22 can be taken as an allusion to the fall of mankind in Gen.



3.







Esther singing in front of the harem: "So if I'm Jewish, why



don't I come out of the closet?" (Make sure the diction fits the



character and is in good taste and in agreement with Scripture.



Does this work?)(Look at Esther 2:10-11.) A certain dramatic



license is acceptable sometimes. Esther could sing or recite



some of the great Messianic prophecies in her Hebrew Bible, and



she could dream of the Moshiach being a great King just as she,



by the providence of G-d, might become a great Queen. However,



rather than try to keep her life and her throne, in a later scene



she is urged by her uncle Mordecai and her conscience to decide



to lose her life and her throne for the sake of her people's



salvation. The play's ending tells us, however, that whoever



loses his life can get it back through faith (Luke 9:24; see



Esther 4:14). But the drama could hinge on Esther as she reaches



this crisis decision to lose everything and so matures through



suffering, finally saying (or singing), "If I perish, I perish



(Esther 4:16), I must proclaim the truth." (Rav Sha'ul said, "I



am ready to die in Jerusalem"--Acts 21:13). Her attention could



be drawn to the example of the suffering Messianic figure of



Joseph, who said, "G-d sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a



remnant (sh'airit) on earth and to save your lives by a great



deliverance (Gen. 45:7)."







Mordecai (after he overhears the assassination plot of Bigtha and



Teresh against King Ahasuerus): "I keep my ears open so I never



lose my head--but why does everyone want someone's head? Why



does everybody hate the Jews? Let my life be given me--that is



my petition" (see also Esther 7:3). These are possible working



song titles. He can refer to his ancestor Saul's battle against



that race of anti-Semites called the Amalekites and their king,



Agag (see 3:1). Unfortunately, like Joseph, Mordecai is



forgotten. Instead, Esther 3:1 tells us that King Ahasuerus



promotes Haman. But those who are exalted will be humbled, and



pride goes before the fall. Mordecai is even in more danger when



word leaks out that he is a Jew (Esther 3:4). A yellow star



could be pinned on Mordecai, and a tattoo could be slapped on his



arm to dramatize 3:3-5. The pogrom plot begins ironically in the



month of Pesach in Esther 3:6-7 (the people are "sold" as in



Egypt--see Esther 7:4) and the pogrom countdown will be 11 months



long, finally to be executed on the 13th day of the 12th month.







Haman and Ahasuerus possible duet (after Haman gives him the



money for the king's treasury to pay for the pogrom): "I'd like



to propose a toast (to the death of the people of the L-rd of



Hosts.)" Notice that the shameful and death-dealing results of



racial hatred are so terrible that great bewilderment at the



horror of it all seizes the population (see Esther 3:15). Notice



also that any demonic pleasure anti-Semites enjoy is short-lived,



for what follows is like a terrible hang-over from an extended



drinking bout. But, meanwhile, while the wicked drink and get



drunk, the g-dly fast and pray for deliverance (4:1-3). And



those who are truly sober and ready to stand in the battle will



not run from their Jewish uniform of sackcloth in order to hide



in "civilian" clothes (Esther 4:4). It should be clear in this



drama that "prayer changes things," (see also 4:26) but prayer



requires courage and fearless confession of the truth in order to



make its effect, since faith without works is dead.







Mordecai and Esther duet based on Esther 4:14: "For such a time



as this." Chapter 4 is where the crisis of decision takes place.



Everyone is in a position of some kind of influence and can plead



for the salvation of the Jewish people. Therefore, everyone



should be able to identify with Esther's crisis. All believers



come to the royal dignity for such a time as this (Rev. 1:6;



I Kefa 2:5,9), and have a Rom. 15:27 obligation regarding the



physical well-being of the Jewish people. And if we fail at our



obligation, G-d will raise up someone else to do kiruv outreach



work for Moshiach among the Jewish people (Esther 4:14). But



since G-d has called us to the kingdom for such a time as this,



we should look for his divine favor (Esther 5:2,8; 2:15,17; 7:3;



8:5) and enablement and open doors (5:3). Notice that in Esther



ch. 6 Mordecai gets the favor Esther already has received, and



finally that favor spills out on the entire people of G-d



throughout the land. On the other hand there is an omen of



disfavor over taking the accursed Human in Esther 6:13. If we



ask the L-rd and trust him, he will give us something



supernatural that will be attractive and will win favor for the



cause of the Lord's people and their Scriptures.







Haman (after the scene at the end of chapter 5): "I'm happy and



light-hearted without G-d, (and I'll be even happier without the



people of G-d.







Ahasuerus: "What honor has been given to this man of G-d



(Mordecai)?" Great villain's aside: "Whom would the king wish to



honor more than me?--Esther 6:6)







Haman: "In all modesty, who would the King desire to honor more



than Haman the Magnificent? Haman the Incomparable? Haman the



Sublime? Haman the Glorious etc.?"







Possible trio: Esther and Ahasuerus and Haman: "Who but a devil



would dare to try to destroy the Jews?" (Haman could pretend



innocence as he sings along in the trio.)







Esther solo on 8:17: "How does one become a Jew?" (The fear of



G-d comes on you and your heart is cut by the circumcision of the



Ruach Hakodesh unto conviction and faith in the Moshiach of the



Hebrew Scriptures. Esther could recall stories she had heard of



the coming of the Moshiach who would be like Dovid and Joseph and



suffer for his people as a victim like one of Human's victims.)







What are some of the themes of this story?



1. Getting drunk gets Ahasuerus into trouble twice, once with a



divorce and the other time by flirting with anti-Semitism and



genocide when he plots a pogrom with Haman.







2. Women's rights (Queen Vashti refusing to bow to this



woman-crazy husband of hers) and resisting idolatry (Mordecai the



Benjaminite refusing to bow to Haman the Agagite--see I Sm. 15;



Ex. 17:14-16; Deut. 25:17-19).







3. Ahasuerus and his gradual deliverance from anti-Semitism as he



meets one beautiful Jew and has his mind, that Haman and HaSatan



nearly poison, delivered. This gets us into the roots of



anti-Semitism: see Esther 3:8, hatred of a people who are



different belies hatred of a G-d who is different. Why do people



hate the Bible and pass laws that contradict it? Because people



are lawless by nature and need a new heart.







4. Ahasuerus is delivered from anti-Semitism by, of all people, a



woman. (G-d can use a woman to do anything, and this is another



theme: the most unlikely and the weakest vessels can be used by



G-d for great purposes). And G-d can use unlikely people in



Jewish ministry, too, to effect a "great deliverance" (Gen.



45:7)!







5. Another theme: drunken lust to exploit people for the sake of



fleeting worldly power versus true Biblical sacrificial service



to G-d's people.







6. Notes on Esther's character: the closet religious witness, who



is ashamed of her faith. A big dramatic question to which the



play should provide a suspenseful answer is: will she or will she



not come out of the closet and, whatever the possible loss, tell



people what she believes?







7. Another theme: luck versus providence, and how G-d controls



both ("What a divine coincidence!" could be a refrain in the



score). G-d uses all things to arrive at his own final goal of



protecting his people and keeping them alive until the King of



the Jews returns: feminism, beauty contests, insomnia,



8. The enemies of the true people of G-d will always fall into



the pit that they have dug-Proverbs 26:27.







9. The origin of the festival of Purim and the coming



eschatological event it points to, where all the enemies of



Israel, all the Hamans lacking G-d's heart, will be separated out



and destroyed. Daniel 12:2; 7:13-14.







COMIC POSSIBILITIES: the King's don't-call-us-we'll-call-you



extermination of drop-in visitors, which builds suspense when



Esther drops in unannounced, etc. Also, look at the chance for



Haman to make a great extended double take (a la Oliver Hardy)



at the end of 6:10.







IMPORTANT STAGE BUSINESS: dealing with the King's ring and the



reversal when Mordecal gets it from Haman in 8:2. Seriously, the



Moshiach (see "My Servant" = the Moshiach Zech. 3:8, Isa. 42:1;



Hag. 2:23) is called G-d's signet ring in Hag. 2:23. See Esther



8:10 and the reversal from Esther 8:2. Why do the nations rage



against the L-rd and his anointed, his signet ring, the Moshiach?



On other reversals, see Mordecal's reversal, Esther 6:3-6;



Human's reversal, Esther 7:10; 8:5; 9:24; the Jewish people's



reversal 9:1; etc.







Haman is a type of the Anti-Moshiach in the Bible (along with



Pharaoh, the king of Babylon, Antiochus Ephiphanes, Caligula,



Nero, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and all anti-Semites. This book



makes the astounding statement that G-d is at war with all



anti-Semites, and G-d will curse those who curse the Jewish



people (Gen. 12:3). The Moshiach himself will return at the



final battle at the end of days (Armageddon), which will be the



last battle of G-d against anti-Semites. Esther 9:5 is a picture



of the Day of the L-rd in the Hebrew Bible (Amos 5:9-14; Zeph.



l:14-l8). See also Esther 9:2,16.







The whole show could be done in modern dress with Haman in a



fascist uniform. We need to create spectacles that will draw



outsiders to G-d's House, just as G-d did with the splendor of



the Beis Hamikdash and the annual pilgrimage festivals.



Typological exegesis of Esther. The Moshiach's bride will not be



ashamed of him, that he is from the tribe of Judah. The bride



that does not come to him (Vashti = apostate religion) forfeits



any privileged position and is replaced by the bride that "boldly



approaches the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and



find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16; Esther 5:2).







Notice, as in I Cor. 15:4, the turning-point day of deliverance



is "the third day" (Esther 5:1).







See 9:10. When we taste the dainties of the anti-Semites and



enjoy their fleeting pleasures, we lose our kingship and royal



power, as Mordecai might have (he didn't). However, Modecai's



ancestor learned this lesson the hard way when he seized the



plunder of Amalek (I Sm. 15:17-19), unlike Abraham who abstained



from the plunder (Gen. 14:22-24).







Notice Purim is to be a time of joy (simcha) and feasting and



gladness and a time to send gifts of food to one another and



presents to the poor (Esther 9:22). If this festival were



celebrated each year in the Brit Chadasha kehillah, less



anti-Semitism would befound there. A Purim play could help laugh



the HaSatan out of the sanctuary. Since, according to Romans



chs. 9-11 the Brit Chadasha kehillah "joins" Israel, Esther 9:27



applies to the Brit Chadasha kehillah, because the text says,"the



Jews accepted as a custom for themselves...and all who joined



them, that without fail they should continue to observe these two



days every year.







Mordecai's work in the last verse ("he sought the good of his



people and interceded for the welfare of all his (zar'o)



seed"--Esther 10:3) sounds like the Moshiach in Isaiah 53:12,10



("he made intercession for the transgressors...and he shall see



(zera) seed").







Important note: Saddam Hussein's army was destroyed on the very



day of Purim, 1991, proving any Haman who threatens to destroy



Israel can still be brought down by the G-d of Israel.





ESTHER 8:17







In every province and in every city, wherever the edict of the



king went, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with



feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities



became Jews because fear of the Jews had fallen on them.





















IYOV (JOB)



















The question for the sages of Israel that the book of Job (a



Gentile sage from Edom--see Job 1:1; Lam. 1:21) grapples with is:



in the face of the riddle of life's sufferings, what answer can



chachma (wisdom) bring to vindicate both G-d and suffering Man as



nevertheless righteous and worthy?







The divine answer comes in the form of a drama whose diction is a



long dialogue poem sandwiching its dialogical wisdom between a



prose prologue and a prose epilogue. It could be staged with Job



himself as the narrator who goes in and out of the story like the



protagonist in Arthur Miller's After The Fall or Tennessee



Williams' Glass Menagerie. Or it could have a Sherwood Anderson's



Our Town narrator, possibly using the Devil himself as the



narrator. Must reading for the art of writing a play is Sam



Smiley's playwriting: The Structure of Action (Prentice-Hall



Publishers.) Perhaps you could adapt this Bible drama for the



stage and use it as a community outreach project. If you got it



published, it could be used on stages throughout the world.







At the beginning of Job, a demonic wager puts both G-d (G-d's



worth in Himself) and Man (the worth of Man's love for G-d) to



the test. See 1:8-11; 2:3-5. Is G-d really worth anything (do



His people really believe so?), or is religion merely an opiate



of the people, as in Karl Marx's demonic challenge? Remember,



Job is a type of Moshiach, as we will show. Since Job's life is



exposed to Satanic attack as we see in these passages, this very



attack also points forward to the attacks of Satan against



Moshiach Yehoshua, both in the beginning of his ministry, at the



turning point after he shares with his Shluchim his coming death



on the Aitz, and at the L-rd's Supper (see Mark 1:13; 8:27-33;



Yochanan 13:2)







Chapter 1:21 offers the instinct of faith to answer life's



biggest riddle: why do we suffer? In fact, how can G-d be good



if He allows us to suffer? The answer of 1:21 must be probed in



depth as the protagonist (hero) is tested in depth, and this



probe necessitates a dramatic dialogical interrogation of both



G-d and Man, utilizing wise men or sages.







Chapter 3:1-31:40 offers the solution to the riddle given by



Job's three friends: you are suffering for sin; therefore, repent



and your sufferings will vanish!







In chapter 32:1-37:24, Elihu presents his solution to Job's



riddle: you are undergoing a divine discipline of love to deter



you from further sin; therefore, stop claiming innocence like the



wicked do before G-d, and stop calling G-d's justice into



question.







G-d's solution finally appears in chapter 38:-41:34. In brief,



G-d replies that to encounter G-d, whether in abasement or



abundance, is enough and is worth everything. Then, in the



epilogue G-d "restores what has been taken" (Yoel (Joel) 2:25;



Job 42:10f) and "all things work together (co-operate) for good



for those who love G-d and are called according to his purpose"



(Romans 8:28).







Have you ever had a Job experience? Our Moshiach did. Shliach



Sha'ul did. Shliach Sha'ul seems to be talking about all true



witnessing kaddoshim in II Corinthians chapter 4. Can you cast



your testimony in the form of a before-and-after Job experience



so that G-d gets the glory and is worth it all in the end? We



will overcome the devil by the word of our martiurias (Revelation



12:11).







There was once a minister who had a "Job" experience. He was



called on the carpet by his overseers, who accused him of heresy.



Then his family deserted him and he lost his home. Then his



friends came around and lectured him on not being a good family



man. Then all the religious people avoided him. He even lost



his ministry appointment and was left all alone. In all this he



had done nothing wrong, but he held on to his righteousness and



cried out to G-d for vindication.







This minister waited for G-d to vindicate his innocence and to



stop the mouths of his detractors. Satan was behind the whole



plot, because it was the ministry of the man of G-d that was



being unjustly discredited. After a long period of being put to



the test, the L-rd restored everything that He had allowed to be



taken from the man of G-d. In fact, the man of G-d received back



from the L-rd his ministry appointment, home, etc. Not only



that, the biggest publishing houses, colleges, Brit Chadasha



kehillot (even the President's Brit Chadasha kehillah) opened to



the man of G-d. Then he learned by experience what he had



believed already by faith: that G-d is worth everything and is



worth losing everything for. Do you see how Job could be done in



"modern dress?" Could you write a novel, a screenplay, a drama



on Job?







Have you had a Job experience of dying to self for our Moshiach



and coming back to life with "all these things added unto you as



well"? Could you write your personal testimony as a tract and



give it out in kiruv outreach for the Moshiach, using the theme



of Job in the way you tell your story of how G-d saved you and



proved Himself real to you at the end of your struggle of faith?





What is a theodicy? See chapter 36:2. What is the two-tier



structure of reality presented in Job? How is it like the



structure of reality presented in Revelation and the rest of



Scripture? What is a theophany? See 38:1-42:6.







Do you see how mesasretim who make outlandish salaries bring



HaSatan's accusation against them (1:9)?







Look at chapter 5. Eliphaz infers that Job is a fool (5:2) whom



G-d is correcting (5:17). He tries to comfort Job but wounds him



with false accusations. Job is pictured more and more as a



kicked-down sage, who is a type of Moshiach, and Job's wisdom is



that which comes from suffering in the flesh (I Shliach Kefa



4:1). Like our Moshiach, Job prays for his enemies in 42:8.



Look at 6:14. Shliach Sha'ul says, "All men forsook me."



Job's question in 9:2 is answered in Habakkuk 2:4.







Look at 9:33 and 16:18-21. Is not our Moshiach our defender,



paracletes meaning a friend of the accused person called to speak



in his favor) against Satan's accusations? See Job 31:35,



I Yochanan 2:1 (KJV). Job 33:23-26.







Job 14:14 is answered by Job 19:25-26. Remember the Go'el from



the book of Ruth? This word is found in Job 19:25.







Job 34:33 is a good point for Besuras Hageulah rejecters.



Chapter 38:33 is a good point for proud scientists who accept the



g-dless cosmogony of evolution instead of the book of Genesis



properly interpreted in the light of other Scripture. The whole



section starting from chapter 38 reveals the weakness, ignorance,



unworthiness and stupidity of puny man so prone to arrogance.







To sum up, in the book of Job the hero is presented by the



unknown author as the ideal man of wisdom literature, a sage,



prosperous, blessed of G-d and honored of men, one who is upright



in character and on no account can be tempted to curse G-d, so



great is his wise fear of the Almighty. A crisis occurs in Job's



life that leads him to seek G-d in a deeper way. So extreme is



Job's situation that nothing less than a personal encounter with



G-d will suffice. Job's despair brings him to the point of



discovering that philosophy and religion are amal m'nachamim,



"miserable comforters" (16:2). He needs to know G-d personally,



nothing less will satisfy the gnawing yearning within his soul.



He has many questions, many "whys" that only G-d Himself can



answer. Mere human wisdom and conventional piety, which the



other actors in this drama personify, are amazed and confounded



by Job's questions.







Only occasionally, and almost as an afterthought, do they ask



penetrating questions. For example, without appreciating the



profundity of the question, Bildad asks Job, "How can a man be



yitz'dak righteous before G-d?"







This is really the question of the whole book. If man serves G-d



and is blessed, how can it be proven that his service was not



mere unrighteous self-serving opportunism. On the other hand, if



man serves G-d and is not blessed but cursed, how can it be



proved that a) the righteous fare any better than the wicked



either in this life or in the next? b) that there is a



resurrection in any case? c) that there is a mediator in heaven



without whom no man can stand vindicated and redeemed as



righteous before a righteous G-d? Like Job, we must prove that



our suffering is not deserved but for the glory of G-d (I Kefa



1:12-17; Yochanan 9:3).







While Job stands rejected and forsaken with mockers around him



(17:2), he reminds the reader of the picture we have of the



suffering Servant of the L-rd in Isaiah 53 or the mocked Dovidic



King in Psalm 22 (compare Job 27:4 to Isa. 53:9). In the midst



of the false accusations Job "holds fast to his righteousness"



(27:6) and waits on the L-rd to confirm the innocence of his



cause (Job 42:7-8). So the mocked sage who becomes a fool that



the world curses and makes sport of is depicted here. We have



seen this picture before in that other sage, the judge of Israel,



Samson, being made sport of by the Philistines (Judg. 16:25) or



in the King of Israel, Dovid the sage, pretending to be mad



before a similar scoffing Philistine audience (I Sm. 21:13-15).



When sages like Moshe or Dovid are nearly stoned by the people



(Ex. 17:4; I Sm. 30:6) we see this reemerging picture of the



rejected, righteous Sage of Israel. Significantly, the Son of



Dovid is depicted as the sage par excellence in the life of



Shlomo in I Kings. Then II Chronicles intensifies this portrait



and gives Messianic prophetic significance to Dovid's Son as the



Moshiach Sage of Israel. Finally, Isaiah combines the two



portraits of the sage found in Job and Shlomo and depicts the



Dovidic Servant of the L-rd as the mocked and rejected sage



filled "with the spirit of wisdom" (Isaiah 11:2) who seems to



labor "in vain" but trusts his cause to the L-rd (Isa. 49:4) and,



after mockery and rejection (Isa. 53:2-4), is finally vindicated



by G-d as righteous (see Isa. 53:11-12). So the book of Job



gives us one of our most important glimpses of the coming



Moshiach.







This book does not merely pose the most pressing questions of



life. It also gives us some profound answers. We discover that



true faith has to be tested. The whole book is a test of Job's



faith, the integrity of which HaSatan throws into question in the



prologue. Job comments on this test by saying with the



affirmation of faith, "He knows the way that I take; when He has



tested me, I shall come out like gold." We also discover in this



book that faith is knowing G-d and being known by G-d, and mere



religious or philosophical assent is not faith nor can such



intellectualism substitute for a personal relationship where the



true G-d is personally known. "How can a man be yitz'dak



righteous before G-d?" The book of Job tells us that G-d



vindicates man's faith. Abraham the sage had faith in G-d and



G-d vindicated him as righteous (Gen. 15:6). The righteous shall



live before G-d by faith (Hab. 2:4).







But what difference does all this make if there is no



resurrection for the righteous? Is there a resurrection in any



case?







To get the answer of the book of Job we need Job 19:25-27, where



we also find the answer to the other question the book asks,



namely, is there a mediator in heaven without whom no man can



stand vindicated and redeemed as righteous before a righteous



G-d? The Job 19 passage should be studied with Job 16:18-21. In



these passages Job's faith affirm: the bodily resurrection of the



dead. He also affirms by faith the existence of a heavenly



mediator between G-d and man whom he called Edi (my witness) and



Sahadi (my advocate) (16:19) and mokhi'ach "my arbitrator" (9:33)



and go'eli "my redeemer" (19:25). And just as Job himself has to



make intercessor for his friends at the end of the book,



literally mediating between them and G-d (Job 12:7-8), so this



heavenly figure vouches for Job from on high (16:19) and at last



stands upon the earth when Job is bodily resurrected (19:25).



Like that other heavenly Messianic figure, the angel of the L-rd,



in Job 33:23 we see this heavenly Mal'ach (angel/messenger), this



Mailitz (Mediator) coming to Job's defense. However, he does



more. He provides a Kofer (ransom), redeems Job's soul from



going down into the Pit (Job 33:28), and makes it possible for



Job "to see the light of life" (compare the Messianic text of



Isa. 53:11 in the Dead Sea Scrolls to Job 33:28). But Isa. 59:20



says that the Go'el (Redeemer) coming to Zion is no mere angel



but the Moshiach. Therefore the word in Job 33:23 should more



properly be translated "messenger" than "angel" because the



Mal'ach (angel/mesienger) of the Lord" is no mere angel in Judg.



6:l4 (where he is called "the L-rd"), just as the Moshiach is no



mere Mal'ach (angel/messenger) of the Covenant" In Mal. 3:1



(where he is also called "the L-rd"). Therefore, seen from the



fuller perspective of the entire Hebrew Bible, Job is indeed



looking for the one the Jewish people called the Moshiach. Like



Job, Daniel also sees the coming resurrection and the resurrected



saints being given the kingdom at the end of days by a heavenly



Messianic figure (see Dan. 12:2; 7:13-14).









JOB 19:25







For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at



the latter day upon the earth.



















TEHILLIM (PSALMS)















No one has an excuse for not having a deep prayer life and



devotional walk with the L-rd! The software has already been



written for it! The L-rd has provided the most vigorous prayer



life you can imagine, and all you have to do is let the Ruach



Hakodesh put it into your mental computer. I'm referring to the



Psalms.







If the Moshiach, G-d's Word who is "the light that lightens every



man, is your "operating system" then you are not a religious



spectator but a Kingdom warrior like David and you are the target



of demons and hellish opposers of G-d. The Psalms have a



militant and embattled pressure, which, if they are the thoughts



of your prayer-life, will keep you in the race of the ministry.



They will also keep you on guard in the onslaught of demonic



battle as a victorious and rejoicing soul-winner.







Like the protagonist in Kafka's The Trial, the servant of G-d is



often hedged in on every side. Then he must fight his way out in



prayer as Dovid does in Psalm 35. Read Psalm 35:11-19. These



are the times when we are too weak to pray as we should (Romans



8:26). Then we can pray and sing in our heavenly prayer language



and in spiritual song, and we can also pray the Psalms, letting



G-d's Word to us become our word to G-d. There have been times



in my life when I was so weakened by HaSatan's plots that my



enfeebled prayerlife had to go on the "automatic pilot" of the



Psalms and all I could do was read the Psalms and sing them



antiphonally out loud to the L-rd days on end till I could



literally no longer speak. See Psalm 69:3. But thank G-d for



his Word which is a prayer warrior sword with which we can cut



our way free of every depressing confusion.







In short, the Psalms have been provided for us through Dovid and



other lyricists (these were originally lyrics used in worship



with musical accompaniment). Some of you may create melodies and



choruses to be used in worship utilizing the words of the Psalms



as your lyrics. A very important arts project to the body of



Moshiach right now would be to visit a Sufi meeting and do



research on how to develop messianic Muslim use of music with the



Psalms. Another research project could be to visit various



synagogues and do the same thing with a messianic Jewish use of



the Psalms.





Your familiarity with I and II Shmuel will help you not to ignore



the possible historical context of these Psalms, particularly the



ones ascribed to Dovid. For Example, Psalm 51 may refer to



II Shmuel 12, when Nathan exposed Dovid's sin with Bathsheba.



The 23rd Psalm may reflect the "valley of the shadow of death"



where Dovid fought Goliath or similar dangers he experienced.



For a full attempt at this kind of reconstruction of the Psalms



into their original historical setting, see the Reese



Chronological Bible, Bethany House Publishers.







Psalm 11 may be referring to Dovid's flight from Saul, when



HaSatan was trying to kill Dovid and Dovid was an innocent



refugee from HaSatan, who had in effect seized the throne by



possessing King Saul. (Look at Psalm 11:1-2.) All true believers



are refugees from the G-d who rules the kingdom of this world,



and take care when worldly spokesmen speak well of you, for if



they called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the



members of his household! (Matthew 10:25) And if they hanged on



the Aitz the head of the house, do you think HaSatan's government



will always let the members of the house reign already like



kings? (The Corinthians made this mistake--I Corinthians 4:8).



The Brit Chadasha makes clear that human government will



eventually become the Beast and the Brit Chadasha kehillah will



be persecuted by it. You must recognize that your existential



situation is the same as Dovid's. He was seated in heavenly



places with Moshiach Yehoshua just as we are (we are kohanim end



kings), but he was constantly embattled by the spirit of



anti-Moshiach in Saul and Absalom as a refugee king hiding in the



L-rd and always very weak in order to be strong in G-d. If this



is not true in your experience, it may be because you are sitting



around like Dovid's brothers when Saul's army was being



challenged by HaSatan's spokesman, Goliath. If all you have is a



comfortable Sunday morning religion, start witnessing and begin



some messianic ministry and watch your situation be instantly



transformed just as Dovid's was when he took Goliath's challenge



and got HaSatan's attention (see Psalm 69:9). Yet, like Dovid,



you will prevail in time because the battle is the L-rd's, and He



is the "savior of fugitives" (Psalm 17:7).







Psalm 110 proves that the Moshiach is HaAdon L-rd and will be a



kohen. When you put Ps. 110:1-4 together with Mal. 3:1; Zech.



4:14; 3:8; and Ezra 3:8 you get Yehoshua's sacrifice of Isa.



52:13-53:12.







Note Ps. 1:4 in the Jerusalem Bible: "It is nothing like this



with the wicked, nothing like this!" (lyric poetry expresses



passion).







Ps. 2:7-8 Today I have become your father-relationship, not



sexual concept. Moshiach Yehoshua is the only one, the unique



one of G-d, not the sexually (and therefore in the beginning



non-existant) begotten one of G-d. This is the heresy of Arius,



the first "J.W." Monogenes in Yochanan 1:14,18; 3:16 means



"unique one." Explain to Muslims that Moshiach Yehoshua is the



Son of G-d only in the sense that "like begets like," and the



Word is like the Father in his divine presence--not Son in the



sense that G-d got married and had a child who did not exist



until he was sexually procreated. The Word of G-d is his



personal Word uniquely of his own substance and perfectly



reflecting Him in fellowship, as a son does his father, but the



analogy breaks down on the human level since fathers pre-exist



their sons and the Father did not pre-exist his Word.





Another note on Psalm 2. Another reason it "has been given to



you not only to believe on him but also to suffer for him" (Phil.



1:29) is because there is a war going on and war always brings



suffering. Ps. 2 depicts the war going on between the Seed of



the Woman and His seed and the Seed of the Serpent and His



anti-Moshiach seed.







Psalms 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are individual prayers of entreaty.







5:3 Do you have a devotional life like this? Do you watch for



G-d in everything?







Read Psalm 8. The Word of G-d is called the Son of Man in



Yochanan 1:1,51 because He is the image of the invisible G-d



(Col. 1:15), and he is the light that enlightens every human



being created in the image of G-d (Yochanan 1:9). He is the



eternal Son of the Father who was destined to be incarnated as



the Son of Man and the "ruling heir" (Col. 1:15) into whom hands



all authority is given (Matthew 28:18).







Psalm 8:1-2 alludes to natural revelation, that G-d has made his



glory, majesty and power known to mankind in the stars and in



nature (Romans 1:19f), and even children are not ignorant of this



natural revelation, so men are without excuse. Dr. Allan R.



Sandage of the Carnegie Institution's observatories in Pasadena,



California, is a cosmologist and astronomer. Speaking of the



stars he says, "I find it quite improbable that such order came



out of chaos. There has to be some organizing principle. G-d to



me is a mystery, but is the explanation for the miracle of



existence why there is something instead of nothing."







Look at Psalm 13. Our entreaty is always in the context of



praise, for a double-minded man bitter in his lack of faith



should not think that he will get anything from the L-rd. In



Psalm 14 we see that no one is righteous before G-d, as Shliach



Sha'ul makes clear in Romans 3. Without faith it is impossible



to please G-d (Heb. 11:6), since no one but G-d is good (Mark



10:18). When Dovid speaks of Dovid's righteousness in Ps. 143:2;



18:20-24; 17:3; 7:8, he is speaking of the



righteousness of faith and faithfulness to G-d's covenant; he is



not contradicting Ps. 14:3. On the necessity of faith in regard



to righteousness, see Ps. 62:8; 78:21-22,37; 81:12; 116:8-10.



The type of guest the L-rd welcomes is seen in Psalm 15: one who



never uncharitably slanders someone else (15:3) and one who



stands by his commitments at any cost (15:4). Some of the



students who drop in at our school are so willing to drop out,



because they think G-d is as uncommitted to ministry preparation



as they are. "Demas in love with this passing world has forsaken



me and has departed," Shliach Sha'ul said, of one of his seminary



students.







Psalms 16:10-11 contains the hope of the resurrection of the King



of Israel. Shliach Kefa bases his first sermon on this in Acts 2.











Have you experienced not only the knowledge of salvation, but its



ground (what's behind it)--G-d's love for you? See Psalm 18:19:



"He rescued me, since he loved me. G-d loves even me! He saved



me because he loved me. Say it often to yourself. Use it often



in witnessing. Augustine used Psalm 18:25-26 to teach a rather



simplistic theory of double-predestination that Calvinists love



to espouse. However, to say that G-d has a "secret counsel"



whereby he has, irrespective of human response, condemned



arbitrarily to hell whomever He pleases is not Scriptural. To



claim one's election in this light can also lead to pharisaic



presumption, just as seeing reprobation in this light can lead to



Islamic fatalism and kiruv outreach and social irresponsibility.



Shliach Sha'ul warns about this pharisaic presumption in Romans



11 where, having assured us that all the people of G-d seen as a



corporate entity are once saved, always saved." But then Shliach



Sha'ul goes on and warns the believers in Rome that they should



not get presumptuous individually but rather fear that they could



be individually cut off. Moshiach Yehoshua also warned Messianic



maggidim in the strongest terms that they could be cut off



(Matthew 7:21-23). However, there is a doctrine of individual



assurance (II Shliach Kefa 1:10, see Psalm 37:23-24), just as



there is a doctrine of a universal call and unlimited kapporah



(I Tim. 2:4-6). The so-called "secret counsel" is not secret at



all, but the electing counsel of HaAv in His electing Word



publically reveal in the man Yehoshua the Moshiach (Matthew



11:27; Ephesians 1:3-7). However, this is not to say that



someone can, by sheer unaided human will, save himself. This is



the heresy of Pelagius, who rejected original sin (despite Psalm



51:5) and believed that man could choose salvation without any



help from G-d in circumcising the heart, which Pelagius said was



not desperately wicked. But Moshiach Yehoshua said, "You did not



choose me, but I chose you," meaning that G-d gives us a new



heart (Ezekiel 36:26), because with our own fallen heart of stone



we could never find G-d without G-d's help. However, if we will



to seek G-d (Yochanan 7:17), if we make ourselves a new heart



(Ezekiel 18:31), G-d will draw near to us (Ya'akov 1:8). So



human responsibility to respond to the Besuras Hageulah cannot be



minimized in the human responsibility for sin which is taught in



the so-called doctrine of total depravity. Having said all this,



it is nevertheless true, that our own choices, whether to accept



G-d's mercy in the Moshiach or reject it, even though these



choices are real and are our own, cannot overeach or dominate



G-d's choices, which are prior and decisive.



Psalm 19:7-10 and Ps. 119 deal with the inerrancy of the Bible,



which is the Book whose every word is authored by the Spirit of



the Word from the Father (see I Shliach Kefa 1:11, 3). This is



the doctrine of verbal, plenary inspiration of the original



autographs. These last two paragraphs will be covered in more



detail in the section on Historical Theology in this book. A



good setting for Psalm 22 is in II Shmuel 15:30 where Dovid



experienced something of the messianic rejection as the Moshiach



did on the Aitz.







See Psalm 27:1. If G-d is your strength, how strong are you?



Are you witnessing every day? See Psalm 10:10. Out of the



abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Above all, guard your



heart from growing slightly cold and your testimony from growing



slightly muted (Psalm 73:25-28).







See Psalm 49:7-9. Look at the Stephen-Saul debate in The Rabbi



From Tarsus monodrama for the significance of this verse. Only



a G-d-Man can save us. Therefore, any kind of Arianism that



loses the deity of the Word and any kind of gnosticism that loses



the fully human incarnation of the Divine Word leads to heresy



and to another "Yehoshua/Yeshua" and another (damnable) Besuras



Hageulah (Psalm 107:20; II Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:9). We are not



worshipping a human idol (Psalm 56:4).







Don't get idolatrous and become "star-struck" on religious



leaders (Psalm 62:9), but neither be arrogantly disrespectful so



as to presumptuously disregard the office of those who are



serving in the body of the L-rd.







Read Psalm 63 and ask yourself if you love G-d like Dovid loved



G-d, with a reckless abandonment. Dovid loved even his enemies



(Saul and Absalom) with a mad king's crazy kind of love (see the



picture of Dovid feigning madness with the King of the



Philistines Achish in I Shmuel 21:13.) This was why Dovid was a



man after G-d's own heart. Another "mad king" went to the Aitz



with this type of love, and Shliach Sha'ul said, "If we are out



of our minds, it is for the sake of G-d" (II Cor. 5:13). The



spirit of anti-Moshiach in Saul when he slaughtered the Kohen



Gadol Ahimelech (I Shmuel 21) was desperately trying to destroy



Dovid, but Dovid had faith to go right into the HaSatan's cave



with love so radical he would even let his rebellious son almost



destroy him, even as G-d so loved the rebelling world (Yochanan



3:16). David is a type of the Warrior Word who will return to



set up his victory over his enemies in the millenium.







Ps. 129:5 says of every Haman, every Hussein who hates Zion, "May



all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward."



However, soldiers who go into battle fighting for the L-rd's



people (if indeed it is the L-rd's people that they are



protecting) can look to a promise in Ps. 91:7, "A thousand may



fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it



(destruction) will not come near you. You will only look with



your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked." In 1948 when



Israel had to fight for her independence as a nation, in the 1956



Sinai campaign, in the Six-Day War in 1967 when Jerusalem was



reunited, and in the 1973 Yom Kippur war, we believers had grown



used to hearing about battlefield miracles being reported about



Israelis; but in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein's



anti-Israel troops were defeated on Purim, this time the miracles



we were hearing about were concerning American troops and, among



other things, the low number of casualties was truly



"miraculous," as top U.S. military officials readily admit. The



Bible says, "In Judah G-d is known" (Ps. 76:l; 147:19-20). It



also says that G-d will "rise up and have compassion on Zion



(Jerusalem), for it is time to favor it, the appointed time has



come (Ps. 102:13). Gen. 12:3 says that G-d will bless anyone who



blesses Israel. America defended Israel (remember the Patriot



missiles shooting down the Scud missiles fired at Israel?) and,



miraculously, had only 89 casualties in the Persian Gulf War and



the American economy is now starting to revive. So there is a



blessing for America now, and the same blessing that was on the



soldiers will be on you when you preach the Good News "to the Jew



first and also the Greek." "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May



they prosper who love you'" (Ps. 122:6). And when you go on the



street and begin street preaching you shall not be put to shame.



You shall have an answer for every objector (Ps. 119:42,46).







I was praying the Psalms to the L-rd today, and He showed me the



secret of how to be happy. "Happy are those who do not follow



the advice of the wicked (see Ps. 1:1; 26:4-5)." Happy are those



whose delight is in the torah (law) of the L-rd, and on his law



they meditate day and night (Ps. 1:2). Why are they happy?



Because "the law of their G-d is in their hearts; their steps do



not slip" (Ps. 37:31). "Happy is everyone who fears the L-rd, who



walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your



hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you" (Ps.



128:l-2). Happy are all those who choose the Derech HaChayyim



(the way of life)--Jer. 21:8. Such a person has found what



Ponce De Leon looked for in vain--the fountain of youth, because



Psalm 1:3 says he will be like a tree whose leaves do not wither!



That's us! And we yield our fruit in its season. The Bible says,



"The righteous flourish like the palm tree...they are planted in



the house of the L-rd. ..in old age they still produce fruit;



they are always green and full of sap" (Ps. 92:12-14).







What keeps us happy? Keeping G-d's precepts (Ps. 119:56). This



is just as true for the young as for the old. "How can young



people keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your



Word" (Ps. 119:9). Taking our eyes off selfish gain and empty



vanities and instead treasuring G-d's word and delighting in its



counsel--this is how we avoid sinning (Ps. 119:11,24,36-37). And



in every misery of life the L-rd's Word is our great consolation,



a delight that makes us wiser, more understanding with every step



we take in its light. "Great peace have those who love your law;



nothing can make them stumble" (Ps. 119:165)







The wicked are not so. They have no true taste for the Word of



G-d. The Bible is one book they don't pour over! They have no



knowledge, their hearts always go astray, and they do not regard



G-d's ways (Ps. 95:10). They do not call upon the L-rd (Ps.



14:4). The wicked refuse to take refuge in G-d but seek refuge in



money (Ps. 52:7). Trusting in their own works, they do not regard



the works of the L-rd (Ps. 28:5). Their G-d is not the true G-d



but a worthless idol, and "those who make them (idols) are like



them" (Ps. 115:8). Ps. 36 says there is no fear of G-d before



their eyes, and they do not really reject evil either, though, as



far as G-d is concerned, they flatter themselves in their own



eyes that their own iniquity cannot be found out or despised by



the L-rd. The wicked say in their heart, "G-d, you will not call



us to account" (Ps. 10:13). The drunkard may go to Brit Chadasha



kehillah, the bigot may go to synagogue, but G-d is not fooled.



True faith repents. Yet their heart is not steadfast towards



Him. They are not true to His covenant (Ps. 78:37). G-d is not



in all their thoughts. "They did not keep in mind His power, or



the day when He redeemed them" (Ps. 78:42). So G-d gave them



over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own proud counsels



(Ps. 81:12), and the L-rd who sees and is close to the lowly



"perceives the haughty from far away (Ps. 138:6).





To the ungrateful wicked G-d says, "What right have you to recite



my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate



discipline, and you cast my words behind you." (Ps. 50:16) "Not



another Bible!" he says, as you offer it to him. But the L-rd



replies, "Mark this, then, you who forget G-d, or I will tear you



apart, and there will be no one to deliver. Those who bring



thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the



right way I will show the salvation of G-d" (Ps. 50:22-23).



On the other hand, the L-rd "Is near to all who call on Him, to



all who call on Him in truth." Those who fear the L-rd will find



their desires fulfilled (Ps. 145:18-19). But as far as the wicked



is concerned, suddenly you will look for him but you will not



find him, the wicked will die, and on that very day their plans



will perish.







Not so the righteous. "For the righteous will never be shaken;



they will be remembered forever. They are not afraid of evil



tidings (bad news); their hearts are firm, secure in the L-rd.



Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they



will look in triumph on their foes. They have distributed freely,



they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever;



their horn is exalted in honor. The wicked see it and are angry;



they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked



comes to nothing" (Ps. 112:6-10).







What I have been giving you is some of the "wisdom" Psalms. These



have the wisdom theme that you get in the other wisdom literature



in the Hebrew Bible. The prophet has his contribution to G-d's



Word. The priest has his. The King of Israel has his. But this



kind of literature comes from the sage or wise man. You find



wisdom literature in the book of Job, in Proverbs, in Ecclesiates



and other places. What I'm talking about also relates to the



Messianic prophecies in the Psalms.





For example, while Job stands rejected and forsaken with mockers



around him (Job 17:2), he reminds the reader of the picture we



have of the suffering Servant of the L-rd in Isaiah 53 or the



mocked Dovidic King in Psalm 22 (compare Job 27:4 to Isa. 53:9).



In the midst of the false accusations Job "holds fast to his



righteousness" (Job 27:6) and waits on the L-rd to confirm the



innocence of his cause (Job 42:7-8). So the mocked sage who



becomes a fool that the world curses and makes sport of is



depicted here. We have seen this picture before in that other



sage, the judge of Israel, Samson, being made sport of by the



Philistines (Judg. 16:25) or in the King of Israel, Dovid the



sage, pretending to be mad before a similar scoffing Philistine



audience (I Sm. 21:13-15). When sages like Moshe or Dovid are



nearly stoned by the people (Ex. 17:4; I Sm. 30:6) we see this



reemerging picture of the rejected-yet-vindicated-as-righteous



Sage of Israel. Significantly, the Son of Dovid is depicted as



the sage par excellence in the life of Shlomo in I Kings. Then



II Chronicles intensifies this portrait and gives Messianic



prophetic significance to Dovid's Son as the Moshiach Sage of



Israel. Finally, Isaiah combines the two portraits of the sage



found in Job and Shlomo and depicts the Dovidic Servant of the



L-rd as the mocked and rejected sage filled "with the spirit of



wisdom" (Isa. 11:2) who seems to labor "in vain" but trusts his



cause to the L-rd (Isa. 49:4) and, after mockery and rejection



(Isa. 53:2-4), is finally vindicated by G-d as righteous (see



Isa. 53:11-12). So the book of Job gives us one of our most



important glimpses of the coming Moshiach.







Also notice particularly the following Messianic prophecies in



the Psalms. Ps. 2:2 and 20:6 which speaks about the L-rd and his



(Anointed, Moshiach), always with reference not merely to Dovid



but to Dovid and the Moshiach arising from his genealogy as it



says "to Dovid and his zera (his seed) forever" (Ps. 18:50;



II Sm. 7:12). I Chr. 17:11 explicitly states this as a prophecy



of the coming Moshiach, "I will raise up your zera (offspring)



after you (Dovid), one of your own sons, and I will establish His



kingdom. He will build a house for me, and I will establish His



throne forever. I will be his Father and He will be My Son (see



also Ps. 2:7; 89:26-27 the Son is called the B'chor) "the



Firstborn," the King of Kings). I will not take my steadfast



love from Him, as I took it from him who was before you (i.e.



King Saul). I will confirm Him in My House and in My kingdom



forever, and His throne shall be established forever." The



nations of the whole world will be His heritage and possession



belonging to Him (Ps. 2:8; Gen. 49:10; Ps. 144:2). Therefore



every king had better reverently "kiss the Son" (Ps. 2:12;



I Kings 19:18) and reverently bow to the coming Moshiach Ben



Dovid (see Ps. 18:43-45).







Dovid is prophesying about the eternal Moshiach-Kohen, the



eternal (cohen, kohen) that is coming (Ps. 110:4). Now by



definition a cohen must make a sacrifice. However, Dovid keeps



prophesying about violence being directed at his own person,



including himself and not only Dovid but also, more importantly,



the Moshiach arising from his genealogy. He says, Karu yadai



V'raglai "they have pierced/have bored/have dug holes in my hands



and feet" (Ps. 22:17; Zech. 12:10). However death is not the end.



"G-d will ransom my soul/life from the power of Sheol/the abode



of the dead, for He will receive me" (Ps. 49:l5). "Prolong the



life of the King; may His years endure to all generations! May He



be enthroned forever before G-d" (Ps. 61:6-7). "He asked you for



life; you gave it to Him--length of days forever and ever" (Ps.



21:4; 110:3-4). Although the necessary sacrifice is emphasized



in Ps. 50:5 ("Gather to Me My Chasdai My g-dly ones, who made a



covenant with me by sacrifice!"), the grave itself is defeated,



for G-d will not let His Chasid "G-dly One" (a title of the



Moshiach in Ps. 89:19, Chasid'cha "your G-dly One") see the Pit



of corruption (Ps. 16:10). Like the Pesach Lamb of G-d, he



"keeps all his bones" (Ex. 12:46; Ps. 34:20).







For further Messianic prophecies in the Psalms see Ps. 41:9;



55:12-15,20-21; 45:6-7; 69:7-10,19-21; 89:3-4,34-51; 118:22-23;



132:11,17-18; 145:13.







David was an ominous sign, a mofet (portent Ps. 71:7) of the



coming Moshiach just as the 520 B.C.E. Kohen Gadol



Yehoshua/Yeshua (Ezra 3:8) was a portent (Zech. 3:8) to many and



his name is the Moshiach's name (Zech. 6:11-12).







Notice both G-d and the Dovidic Moshiach are called Ro'eh Yisroel



"the Shepherd of Israel" (Ps. 78:71; 80:1) and the Moshiach is



addressed as G-d in Ps. 45:6 (see also Zech. 12:8 and Isa. 9:6).



The first objective of the Moshiach Ben Dovid was to provide a



dwelling place for G-d (Ps. 132:5). This was done only in one



Son of Dovid, Yehoshua, in whom came the Incarnation. Only here



did G-d raise up an eternal Tent for Himself, where His Spirit



and His Word could dwell with Him forever. Any other Beis



Hamikdash is fleeting (Ps. 39:4,12) and sinful (Ps. 51:5; 14:36;



53:2-3), fallen and dying. Only Moshiach Yehoshua was the



sinless kohen who rose from the dead and reigns forever as a



Tabernacle in which we may dwell with G-d with a clean heart and



a new and right spirit (Ps. 51:l0). Notice Avdi "My Servant" is



a Messianic title in Ps. 89:20 as it is in Isa. 52:13-53:12.



Read the Psalms through this month and sing to the L-rd a new



song (Ps. 149:1). Sing 27:1; 34:1-4; 68:19-30; 119:105; 125:2;



133:1; 134:1-2.







As you pray for your own and other ministries, be sure and read



the following: Ps. 20:1,4; 25:3-5,16-l8; 27:13-14; 30:5;



31:19-20; 32:8-9; 33:18-19; 34:18-19; 37:4-9,34; 51:1-19;



55:18,23; 56:11; 68:6; 73:25-26; 84:11; 86:16; 102:28; 103:8-18;



107:40-43; 112:6-10; 118:5-9; 121:1-8; 126:5-6; 127:1-2; 130:1-8;



138:3-6; 139:13-18; 141:3-4; 147:10-11.





"I cry to G-d Most High, to G-d who fulfills his purpose for me"



(Ps. 57:2). "Let me hear what G-d the L-rd will speak"(Ps.



85:8-9).







PSALM 16:9-11







9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh



(body) also shall rest in hope.







10. For thou wilt not leave my soul is Sheol; neither wilt thou



suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.







11. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is



fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for



evermore.







15(16) My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue



sticks to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of



death.







16(17) For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked



have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.







17(18) I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.



18(19) They part my garments among them, and cast lots (gamble)



for my clothing.







27(28) All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the



L-rd: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before



thee.







28.(29) For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor



among the nations.







29.(30) All they that be rich upon earth shall eat and worship:



all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none



can keep alive his own soul.







30.(31) Posterity shall serve him; future generations shall be



told about the L-rd.







31.(32) They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto



a people that shall he horn, that he bath done this.







PSALM 27:10



When my father and my mother forsake me, then the L-rd will take



me up.







PSALM 33:6



By the Word of the L-rd were the heavens made: and all the host



of them by the breath of his mouth.







PSALM 49:7(8)-9(10)



No man can by any means redeem the life of another, nor give to



G-d a ransom for him:







8(9) For the ransom of a life is precious (costly)--no payment is



ever sufficient:







9(10) That he should live on for ever, and not see corruption.

















MISHLE (PROVERBS)













The fear of the L-rd is the beginning of Wisdom (1:7,29; 9:10;



15:33) and "life indeed" (19:23). Moreover, whether to fear the



L-rd is a choice (1:29) with ethical implications (14:2; 16:6)



that are a matter of life and death (21:16). The aim of



acquiring wisdom is acquiring more trust in the L-rd (22:19) as



we seek Him (28:5). The waywardly complacent fool makes the



wrong choice (14:16,33; 15:17, 17:16), and the Book of Proverbs



strongly exhorts the pursuit of Biblical wisdom as something of



incomparable value (16:16; 23:23), asserting that whoever does



not tremble at the wise words of Scripture is a doomed fool



(19:16), even if he is outwardly religious (15:8; 21:27; 28:9)



and generally presumed righteous (20:9; 21:2; 30:12).









The Book of Proverbs deals with practical wisdom, with matters



like marrying well and finding a good spouse (see 18:22;



31:10-31). Also wisdom itself is something that is found. Wisdom



(chochma) is presented metaphorically as a lady street preacher



(1:20-33; 8:1-9:12) and is contrasted with the lethal allure of



Dame Folly (Aishet K'siloot "a woman of folly"), presented in



contrast as an adulterous street walker (2:16-19; 6:24-7:27;



9:13-18; 23:27-28; 30:20). Both women make strong appeals to the



passersby in front of their respective houses. The house of one



is blessed and the other is cursed (see also 14:1), and all who



enter the house of one or the other will share in either the



house's blessing or its curse. This poetic teaching against



sexual immorality falls within the larger theme of "bad company



destroys good morals" (I Cor. 15:33) which includes 1:10-19;



2:12-22; 3:31-35; 4:14-19; 14:7; 22:5,14,24-25; 28:7; 29:3; 31:3



and passages which deal with ethical qualities like envy, greed,



covetousness, violence, mercy, generosity, and kindness



(11:24-26; 15:27; 21:13,31,26; 22:9,16,22-23; 23:4-6,17; 24:1;



27:4; 28:20,22,25; 28:27; 29:7; 30:14-15).







Seen in a feminine image, Wisdom is the most desirable of women



and the tree of life (3:13-18; 4:22; 8:35-36--see also 11:30).



Seen in a masculine image, he is the Father's Son (Prov. 30:4),



working as a master worker, a carpenter's assistant used



instrumentally to create the world (3:19; 8:22-34).







PROVERBS 8:30 "Then I was by him (at his side), as an artisan



(craftsman). I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing



always before him."







(When the Word became flesh, he became the craftsman at Joseph's



side...Joseph the carpenter from Nazareth, Joseph the son of



Dovid; likewise, the Word in the beginning was the craftsman at



the side of G-d. The feminine metaphor with which this chapter



began has changed to a masculine one. Amon is a masculine noun



meaning artisan or craftsman. Another possible meaning is



foster-child. In any case, as Keil and Delitzsch have shown, at



this point in the chapter the feminine determination disappears.



See how the word is used in Jeremiah 52:15. To be filled with



the Spirit of G-d like Bezalel meant to be filled with wisdom to



build creatively as a craftsman--see Exodus 31:3. Thus Wisdom is



pictured as a craftsman with G-d, even as Yochanan 1:1 says, "In



the beginning was the Word and the Word was with G-d." In



Proverbs 30:4 more light is thrown on this passage: Wisdom is



like a Son, a Son working creatively at his Father's side.



However, Hosea 11:1-4 shows that the divine fatherhood is moral



and spiritual, in contrast to the sexual or physical ideas of the



Baal cults, or in contrast to the ignorant scoffers at the



Biblical doctrine of G-d the Father of His Word Yehoshua. These



critics show the same ignorant tendency to create a non-biblical



strawman "trinity" and then burn it down with ill-informed



polemics, like the ignorant railings of certain Muslims against



the Qur'anic version of the "trinity.")







PROVERBS 30:4 "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?



Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the



waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the



earth? What is his name, and what is his Son's name, if thou



canst tell?"





(It will not do to try to bring Israel in here as the Son, since



the context reflects back to Proverbs 8 and especially 8:30.



Israel is scarcely mentioned or thought of in Proverbs. The



figure of a son toiling by the side of his father was a familiar



one, and is an arresting metaphor for G-d's primordial Wisdom



toiling creatively in the beginning with G-d. Likewise, Psalm



2:7, Psalm 89:27-28, and Isaiah 9:(5)6 are passages where the



Moshiach is pictured as G-d's Son, his firstborn in the sense of



his heir coming in divine glory (see Daniel 7:13-14 on the Son



who comes in the clouds with G-d) to "divide the spoil with the



strong" (Isaiah 53:12) and to govern eternally--Isaiah 9:7(6).)







The folly of the Fall (Gen. 3:1-24) itself is alluded to in Prov.



3:5-7,-Trust in the L-rd with all your heart, and do not rely on



your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will



make straight your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear



the L-rd, and turn away from evil" (see also 11:2; 12:9; 14:12;



15:25,33; 16:5,18-19; 18:12; 19:3; 21:4,24; 25:6-7,27; 26:12;



27:1-2; 28:26; 29:23, which also touch on the sin of pride and



presumption).







The book advocates honoring G-d with the tithe (3:9-10) and



remaining docile before Him to hear and obey His Scriptural



commands (3:11-12; 10:8,17; 12:1,15; 13:1,13; 15:5,10,12,31-32;



19:20,25; 20:18,30; 21:11; 24:6; 25:12; 27:5-6,17; 28:23; 29:1)



lest one backslide (26:11; 28:4). Obeying G-d requires hard



work, diligence, and shrewd planning for future needs (6:6-11;



10:4-5, 26; 12:11,24,27, 13:4; 14:4,23; 15:19; 16:26; 18:9;



19:15,24; 20:4,13; 21:5,17,25; 22:7,13; 24:27,30-34; 26:13-16;



27:18,25-27; 28:19), as well as self-control (16:32; 19:19; 20:1;



23:19-21, 29-35; 25:28; 29:11,22; 31:4-5), straightforwardness



and honesty of speech (4:24; 6:12; 10:10-11; 12:17,19,22;



14:5,25; 19:9,28; 21:6,28; 26:23-28; 30:8) and foreswearing all



treachery, dishonesty, and injustice (3:29; 10:2; 11:1,9,20;



13:5; 16:11; 17:23; 18:5; 20:17,23; 22:28; 24:10-12,24-25;



38:13), remembering that G-d hates the slanderer (10:18), the



gossip (11:13; 16:28; 18:8; 20:19; 26:20,22), the sower of



discord (6:12-19; 13:10; 26:21), and the one who gloats (24:17)



or belittles people (11:12) or is bitterly vengeful (24:29;



25:21-22) or is a mocker (30:17).







Part of the task of teaching shrewdness to the simple (1:4) is



warning him not to offer property as collateral for his



neighbor's debts or to similarly go into debt himself (6:1-5;



11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:26-27; 27:13). Also he must be taught to



be sensitive to the reactions of others and how they are



perceiving him (25:17; 27:14,23).







"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses" (10:12),



"whoever walks with the wise becomes wise" (13:20), meaning that



we should stay in fellowship with fellow believers and maintain a



loving relationship with them (see 17:9). But "the one who lives



alone is self-indulgent" (18:1a). "What is desirable in a person



is loyalty" (19:22a; 20:6; 25:19; 27:10).







Notice that the sage no less than the prophet preaches the Torah



and warns about its curses (see 2:22; 10:30; Deut. 28:63-67)



This book was written "for the wise" (1:5) but it also written



for young people (1:8,10; 19:27; 22:6), who will perish without



discipline (13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15,17). This book



reminds and we always need reminding, that "a good name is to be



chosen rather than great riches" (22:1).







This is a book concerning self-control and common sense in



matters of work, diligence, speech, honesty, and sex.







Prov. 1:22. The fool does not study the Word, does not tremble



at the Word, does not acknowledge it by his life though he may



always be "learning" it (II Tim. 3:6-7). He has not been "made



into a learner with a teacher" according to Matthew 28:19-20. A



disciple is a "learner with a teacher."







Prov. 1:33 Fearing no mischance means not fearing what Sartre



feared, the radical continguency of life, that "anything can



happen." (See 29:25; 28:1 and do a concordance study on "fear" in



the book of Proverbs.





Prov. 2:1-5 We study to know G-d, to please Him in all things,



and to enjoy him forever.







Prov. 3:11-12 Can you take correction from ministers?







Prov. 3:31 One year the New York Post headlines on April 16



"MARVELOUS!" and the picture was a prize fighter bleeding and



knocked senseless. Do you have any idea how angry this kind of



stupidity makes G-d?





Prov. 4:13 This matter of spiritual study is a life-or-death



matter.







Prov. 4:22 Have you learned to use your Bible as a therapy system



to bring inner healing (and consequent bodily healing) to



yourself?







Prov.4:23 Be very careful upon what you set your affections.







Prov.5:8 Flee from the lusts of youth and avoid even the



appearance of evil. Learn to run from disgrace and hide from



temptation in the L-rd.







Prov. 5:17 Polygamy is out, monogamy is in.







Prov. 6:6-11 Get a job, and don't be dumber than an ant.



Prov. 7:11 Don't let any spirit drive you, whether it be the



demon of gluttony, autoeroticism, gluttony, gambling, or



workaholicism.







Prov. 8:22 Creation's wisdom is created, but the rationality of



G-d in creation is uncreated, and it was this power in G-d that



came on the scene as the man Moshiach Yehoshua. Humanity has



wisdom the animals lack because, unlike animals, we are create in



the image of G-d. But G-d always imaged Himself by his



rationality in the Logos, the logic of G-d. The Moshiach is the



Chochmah Elohim (the Wisdom of G-d) who gave Moses the pattern



for the Tabernacle on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 25:40).







Prov. 9:13 We should strive to act on the prompting of the Ruach



Hakodesh rather than on impulse.





Prov. 10:8 Be aware of the worthless speech in your life.



Prov. 10:9 Secret sins will disgrace you.





Prov. 10:l7 Stay under Brit Chadasha kehillah discipline. Become



a disciple.







Prov. 10:28 If you are moving into maturity in the Spirit there



should be deep joy in your life.







Prov. 11:2 is a key theme.







Prov. 11:7 Put this together with Ps. 1 to define who the wicked



are and use it to lead people to Biblical discipleship.



Prov. 12:2-3 This typical proverb shows that deism is wrong. G-d



actively and morally intervenes in his world, though his hand is



veiled to the unwise.







Prov. 12:11 Be an entrepreneur for G-d, one of the dreamers who



do.







Prov. 12:15 Do you know the difference between servile



"submission" and Biblical accountability?





Prov. 13:2 The whole world is filled with political treachery and



military violence. Work only with sifted people you have tested



first.







Prov. 13:13 and 30:5-6 are reasons why we believe in the



inerrancy of the Bible.







Prov. 13:20 Can you avoid a sterile quarantine from your unsaved



friends and still witness to them without losing your testimony



with them?







Prov. 14:22 What is your arts project? Do you have a vision to



reach the lost through the talents G-d has given you?







Prov. 14:31 Think about the poor we pass daily on the sidewalk



and how we insult G-d by the way we treat them.







Prov. 15:1 Learn to be soft and humble and gentle in speech as a



minister.







Prov. 15:19 Your nightly prayer should be, "Make me industrious



tomorrow, L-rd, and give me strength and wisdom to know what to



do to serve you.







Prov. 15:32 When someone rejects the Besuras Hageulah ask why



they hate themselves.







Prov. 17:19 This is a pitfall in the ministry: a bitter sarcastic



tone in the voice.







Prov. 17:22 Never let HaSatan have your sense of humor.



Prov. 18:13 is the first rule of counselling.







Prov. 22:6 is why you should consider children's ministry. My



Sunday School teacher was Rav Sha'uline and G-d knew all the



potential little Shliach Sha'uls she was investing in. With the



L-rd now, her works still follow her.







Prov. 22:15 Traces of original sin.







Prov. 23:20 Avoid gluttony.







Prov. 24:7 Have you ever noticed that the unsaved have little to



oontribute to a spiritual discussion? By the fruit of their lips



you will know them.







Prov. 24:19-20 The problem of the prosperity of the wicked is



solved.







Prov. 25:21-22 Love your enemies.







Prov. 28:4 The unspiritually broadminded are carnallym



muddle-minded.







Prov. 28:9 Backslilders can't pray.







Prov. 23:13 Why we need to confess the L-rd before the



congregation.







Prov. 28:25 Envy is at the root of most quarrels, though it hides



under other pretexts.







Prov. 28:26 Get in touch with Moshiach Yehoshua and follow his



promptings.







Prov. 30:7-9 The two-way temptation of money.







Prov. 30:20 G-d, show us our moral blindness and wretchedness.





PROVERBS 3:19



The L-rd by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath



he established the heavens.







PROVERBS 8:23



I was appointed from everlasting, from the first (beginning), or



ever the earth was (begun).







PROVERBS 30:6



Add thou not unto his words, lest he rebuke thee, and thou be



found a liar.















KOHELET (ECCLESIASTES)















Shakespeare said, "We owe G-d a death...but death is a fearful



thing."







There is an unconscious terror of death in Man, who knows that



the significance of his life shrivels at the words "unto dust



shalt thou return." In the gruesome shadow of death, the whole



life of Man is made to seem as so much empty and lonely loitering



at the gates of an infinite abyss. There is a word for this



emptiness in Hebrew, the word havel which means empty,



unsubstantial, a passing elusive vapor. This is what life is



without a personal knowledge of G-d.







The author, who calls himself Kohelet "leader of the Assembly,"



Ben Dovid Melech Byrooshalam "son of Dovid, king in Jerusalem,"



finds that death has thrown a shroud of gloom and meaninglessness



over every kind of work that man does "under the sun." G-d's



work endures (3:14; 7:13), but man's does not. Death sees to



that. And therein is the riddle of life. What can dying, man



gain from all his work (1:3)? What can mortal man achieve from



all his labor, in view of his rapidly approaching demise (2:22)?



There is a time to die (3:2), but death is life's biggest riddle.



What possible gain can workers have from all their life-long toil



(3:9) since death causes them in the end to toil "for the wind



(5:16)?" A generation comes and goes to death and is forgotten



(1:4; 2:16). Death makes all toil "wearisome" and predictably



futile and, since everything dies, everything is deja vu



(disagreeably the same). People of long ago and people yet to



come will both alike be forgotten and all their labors will be



forgotten because of that great leveller called Death. Death is



what makes life at heart such an unhappy business, and there is



nothing man can do about this crooked state of dying affairs



(1:15). So this life in itself is found wanting, and death is



the reason. Many who claim to be Jewish claim that life is



wonderful as it is, but these people are not Biblical Jews, any



more than that Jewish man Karl Marx was a Biblical Jew with all



his philosophizing about the worker's existence "under the sun.







The French philosopher Pascal noticed how we habitually block out



the thought of our own coming demise. We do this in order to



maintain a fragile sense of mental happiness. Death is an end



too incomprehensibly ominous to contemplate. Yet our thoughts



keep returning to glower at its reality. And though we try to



divert ourselves with continuous activity and company and



"unhappy business," we know that each of us must ultimately die



and see everything we have done unravelled into nothingness.



Where can we then find pleasure in anything we do? What in the



world, what under the sun, are dying men to do with their



meaningless lives?







The author makes a test of various activities and pursuits:



wisdom, madness, folly, pleasure, laughter, wine, women, song,



great building projects, great "life works," great acquisitions,



possessions, treasure-collecting, and he finds only emptiness and



meaninglessness in all these. Whatever pleasures these things



brought him were fleeting indeed. The more wisdom he acquired,



the more sorrow he became aware of. The more money he acquired,



the more vexation came with it. Death robs all men, because



everyone goes to the grave naked and penniless. So what use is



money, in the face of death? And since the sage and the fool



must both go to the same all-consuming grave, what use is wisdom,



in the face of death?







The author acquired much wisdom and his wisdom remained with him



(2:9), although wisdom can be ephemeral even in this life, in



view of senility and the effects of aging, so grimly portrayed in



ch. 12. But since man cannot extend his life or control what



happens after his death, all that his wisdom attains for him may



fall into the hands of some foolish oblivion as soon as he dies,



so what good is wisdom, anyway, in the final analysis? The same



fate (death) befalls everyone. No man has an heir he can really



trust, since even one's posterity is also subject to death and



chance, which can, and eventually will, given sufficient time,



play havoc with anyone's legacy. So death destroys life's



meaning. Death makes one hate life (2:17). Death makes one hate



one's work (2:18). Wise men, for all the work of their minds,



are no better than mad men or fools because all alike die.



Indeed, man is no better than the beasts who are also subject to



the same fate. And man is ignorant! Man doesn't know what G-d



has done or will do (3:11). Man doesn't know what will take



place after his death. Men doesn't know if his human spirit



awaits a fate different than animal extinction (3:20-22). Man



needs G-d to give him some answers, because if death completely



swallows and obliterates man, then Mankind that G-d created to



work and till the ground and have dominion over the animals is



himself no better than an animal.







This is the problem. Death. What is the answer? Is there



anything that death cannot obliterate? Yes, the author of



Ecclesiastes says. The work of G-d. It endures and death has no



dominion over it (3:14). But what is the work of G-d? What does



G-d do, in the final analysis? G-d judges everyone, and he has



appointed a time to judge the world (3:17). G-d judges the sinner



by bringing all things he does into judgment (11:9). The sinner's



life is dispensed with not as the sinner pleases but as G-d



pleases, and the wages of sin that G-d pleases to dispense is a



meaningless death (2:26). But death cannot obliterate this



judgment that G-d metes out. Therein is where lies the hope of



the resurrection from the death, which this book questions but



does not negate. The author does not merely say, "Eat, drink and



be merry, for tomorrow we die." In fact he says just the



opposite. He says, "I've tried that, and I don't recommend it."



G-d will bring everything into judgment (11:9); therefore, fear



G-d (5:7). Do not live for this world because this world in



itself is meaningless and empty and fallen and dying. Live for



G-d and enjoy everything that he gives you as a gift from him.



Otherwise, there is no pleasure in this life. Death is man's



lot. To be able to accept this as a fact of life is itself a



gift from G-d. G-d is a mystery and creation was created good



but it is now fallen (7:29). Man has limits to his wisdom. There



is no power in man that will save him from the day of death.



All he can say is that death cannot take away the good that the



G-d-fearer has. "It will be well with those who fear G-d,



because they stand in fear before him." The author seems to be



questioning and looking for something new under the sun (1:9-10),



which was what the Moshiach is when he comes walking out of the



tomb in his glorious resurrection body. Otherwise, "there is no



work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the abode of the



dead), to which you are going" (9:10). The righteous and the



wise and their deeds are "in the hand of G-d" who endures and



whose judgment not even death can thwart. This is the assurance



of wisdom that makes the resurrection of the dead the vibrant



hope and the only answer to the riddle that death poses to the



author of this book.







Philosphers like David Hume may say that they are not afraid to



die, but put a pistol to their breasts, then threaten to kill



them, and see (with Boswell and Yochananson) how the wisest



philosopher will behave. The illusions of genteel philosophy



will not help us face the rude indignities of death when they



brutally rap at the door.







The problem of evil as it churns bitterly around in our minds



often tempts us to doubt the existence of G-d, especially a G-d



who is safely removed from both suffering and death and waits



austerely in heaven to judge us. If we think of death's



inescapableness and even of Moshiach Yehoshua as "a nice, dead



prophet," where do we have to go with the guilt of our moral



failures as our years quickly arraign us into the courts of the



inevitable graveyard?







Facing the evil of the human condition and the absurd,



meaningless, sniper fire of death picking off everyone around us,



we begin to feel a deep inner unhappiness and anxiety. We ask



ourselves, what is lurking at the bottom of all our fears--is it



not the fear of death? Many psychological researchers are now



saying that the fear of death has a central place in human life,



so much so that some believe a culture's very concept of reality,



its model for "the good life," and its moral codes are all



intended to protect people psychologically from the ubiquitous



terror of death. Of course, Freud disagreed that every fear is



ultimately the fear of death. Yet he dais admit that "the dread



of death, which dominates us oftener than we know, is...usually



the outcome of the sense of guilt."







We suspect that a certain amount of our present sufferings come



from our own faithless treacheries haunting us from the past. And



the dread of something worse possibly coming back to torment us



after death prevents us from ever being fully at ease with our



dwindling and frail mortality. In light of death's unknown



hellish judgments, as Hamlet says, "the conscience does make



cowards of us all." Death is truly an awesome "undiscovered



country" from whose dreadful domain no traveller can return.



Yet the English philosopher Hobbes once wrote, "G-d, that could



give life to a piece of clay, hath the same power to give life



again to a dead man, and renew his inanimate and rotten carcass



into a glorious, spiritual and immortal body." This very point



is what separates the religion of the Bible from that of Homer,



for the Greek g-ds could not revive the dead. They were not truly



omnipotent. But omnipotence is precisely the claim of the G-d of



the Bible whose Hebrew prophets even predicted the coming of the



Moshiach. Their promise was that through this coming King and



Redeemer, G-d would personally destroy death and bring



immortality and bodily resurrection to light at last.







However, the Torah teaches that the penalty of unintentional evil



that must be paid to redeem G-d's people from ultimate divine



judgment is the death of a sacrificial victim called an Asham,



"ah-sham" guilt offering, which had to be brought to the kohen



for slaughter (Leviticus 5:14-19). The prophets said that the



coming Moshiach would be an eternal kohen and his death would be



a momentous "ah-sham" guilt offering for sin (see Psalm 110:4;



Isaiah 53:10). The merciful purpose of such a blood sacrifice is



to purify humanity from its unpunished sin so that all who turn



from evil and have faith can be justly forgiven. How significant



it is, then, that hundreds of years before their words were



fulfilled, the prophets of the Hebrew Bible predicted that "My



Servant" the Moshiach would be named Yehoshua (or Moshiach



Yehoshua--see Jeremiah 23:5-6; Zechariah 3:8; 6:11-12; Ezra 3:8).



Further, these Hebrew prophets predicted that the Moshiach would



offer himself as a blood sacrifice and then afterwards see the



light of resurrection life (see Isaiah 52:13-53:12 in the Dead



Sea Scrolls). As it says in Hebrews 2:14-15, this was to release



those who throughout their life have been subject to servitude



and bondage through their fear of death (thanatophobia).



Would you like to be freed from that great fear behind all your



other fears? Would you like to be delivered from the fear of



death and the dread of punishment? Would you like to have true



peace with G-d? Isaiah 53:5 says of the Moshiach, "the



punishment that brought us peace was upon him." His blood and



"his wounds can heal you" from the fear of death and the dread



of punishment (Isaiah 53:5). But faith comes from exposure to



the Word of G-d as it is obediently taught and studied and



faithfully proclaimed. Why rely only on your own thoughts when



you can seek to know G-d's? Reach out to Moshiach Yehoshua by



faith. Trust him to forgive your sins and receive Him and obey



Him as L-rd as you worship among a body of believers where the



Bible is believed and faithfully taught.







People don't get saved unless they feel lost. Ecclesiastes



(Hebrew, Qohelet) depicts the utter emptiness and futility of



life that only the resurrection of the Moshiach can alter. Do



you remember those instant writing pads you played with as a



child? You raise the sheet and all your work vanishes...That's



what life is like. The only thing that gets preserved is what



G-d calls to judgment (12:14). All else in this life is chasing



after wind.







"There is nothing new under the sun," (1:9) yet what is old will



also be lost, and memory will not give it permanence, for it too



will be forgotten. Only the Word of the L-rd will stand forever



(I Shliach Kefa 1:25) and our labors for the L-rd (I Cor. 15:58).



All empty hedonism, worldly amusements, materialism, secular



education, secular art, workaholic personal kingdom-building



(with or without nepotism) will pass away. The world with all it



craves for is coming to an end (I Yochanan 2:17). G-d rewards



sage and fool alike--with death! (2:16). Therefore, worldly



wisdom is an empty mirage. G-d is the only one capable of



escaping or breaking the empty cycle of vanity described in



2:24-26. This G-d did in the new creation age that is already



dawning in the resurrection of His filial Word, our Savior and



L-rd, Moshiach Yehoshua the Moshiach.







Eccles. 3:21-22 shows that had the Moshiach not brought in the



dawn of the resurrection age, there would be nothing for us to do



but to be happy in the ministry of our vocational calling.



However, since the resurrection has occurred, we can be happy in



our "tent-making" means to effect the Great Commission ends of



the work the Moshiach has assigned us (II Thes. 3:7-12; I Thess.



4:11-12; Eph. 4:23). This means denuding ourselves of our own



cultural and "class consciousness" regarding educational and



vocational status, and to take the Bible and Shliach Sha'ul as



our model in using the gifts of vocation (and even possibly



celibacy) to the Lord's advantage in doing cross-cultural



outreach at home and abroad.







Society is wicked, oppressive, and evil and the life of this



world--in itself--is not worth living, arising as it does from



the futile envy and mutual jealousy and ambition of dying men



(4:4). A philosophical skepticism about yourself will also keep



you from bringing worldly ambition into the L-rd's work, and will



keep you from vain, restless, striving in the ministry. Cure:



take a walk in the out-of-doors and meditate on Ecclesiastes.



Dream dreams for G-d (without a vision you die), but strip off



the vainglory and pompous arrogance (5:6).





Ask G-d to give you the ability to enjoy life and to keep your



heart "occupied with joy" (5:19). If you are a congregational



leader you will have to marry and bury people. Use the Word! Use



Song of Songs to marry and Ecclesiastes 5:1a etc., to bury.



Worldly humor is as empty and sinister as the jestors in Nero's



Circus or at Hugh Heffner's Playboy Club (7:5), and every



philanderer knows that a woman's worldly laughter is a prelude to



the bedroom (Eph. 5:4-5). This kind of affair is far worse than



the deprivations of celibacy (Eccles. 7:26-27). 8:15 shows that



radical abstinence (health-breaking fasts, etc.) is unbiblical



because it impunes the goodness of G-d's creation. The preamble



to all kiruv outreach for Moshiach is 8:5-6: the hope of the



worldly dead is extinquished.







Learn to live in humble and careful fear of the L-rd, asking him



daily for a wise heart (10:1-2), since you can ruin your whole



life's good works and good name with a little folly.







"Slaves I see on horsebeck" (10:7) means that the celebrities and



stars and princes of this world are in reality mere garbege



supervisors since their world is actually a junk heap at the



mouth of hell and not Moshiach's Kingdom.







A warning for flakey students: "Fools find hard work irksome; he



who does not know the way cannot go to town" (10:15). Our school



is to show you the way to do cross-cultural ministry at home or



abroad--a task more complex than pursuing a diploma at a diploma



mill. You must do the ministry, plant a cross-cultural fellowship



among Jews or Muslims, etc., write and perform a performing arts



ministry vehicle before an audience. If you cannot do anything



for G-d here as an outgrowth of our school, how can you hope to



succeed overseas or anywhere else?







Be careful what you say: it will fly away and be heard afar



(10:20).







Become a good steward of your time (11:6). Also the time is now



to get your time-management act together.







Notice the Faulknerian As I Lay Dying poetic "death tableaux" in



the picture of old age in 12:3-5.







Eccles. 12:12 warns about too many books wearing you out. But



don't throw out books related to Hebrew, Tanakh (Old Testament),



Greek, Brit Chadasha Scriptures Survey, Messianic Yeshiva



studies, Messianic Prophecies and Rabbinic Literature,



Judaeo-Christian History and Philosophy, Historical Theology and



Doctrine, Cross-cultural communication and the Arts and ministry



formation. This is our curriculum at Artists For Israel Institute



and books related to these subjects you never have too many of in



the teaching and preaching minstry of the body of Moshiach.









ECCLESIASTES 7:29



G-d made Man upright, but they have devised many schemes.























SHIR HA-SHIRIM (SONG OF SONGS)

















A book that is traditionally read at Pesach is Shir HaShirim "The



Song of Songs" (meaning "the best of all possible songs").



There are several reasons why Shliach Sha'ul is correct when he



interprets the book as making reference to the Moshiach and his



wedding banquet with his people. In Eph. 5:25-27, Shliach Sha'ul



says, "Husbands, love your wives." The Song of Songs contains



love poems and refers to the son of Dovid's Chatunah "wedding")



in 3:11. King Shlomo here, the son of Dovid, is not the ultimate



One who brings peace. One greater than Shlomo is here, the rose



of Sharon, the lily of the Valley (2:1), the fairest of ten



thousand (5:10). And He does have a bride who is faithful to his



covenant with her. She is the people of G-d. He is her king



(1:2-4,12) and her shepherd (1:7-8). Shliach Sha'ul says,



"Husbands, love your wives, just as Moshiach loved his people and



gave himself up for her in order to make her holy by cleansing



her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present her



to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of



the kind--yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish." On



the same theme, Song of Songs says (4:7), "you are altogether



beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. And the son of



Dovid's covenant bride is called (tahm-mah-TEE) "my perfect one"



(5:2; 6:9). It says, Look! "Who is that coming up from the



wilderness...leaning upon her beloved" (8:5)? And the answer is,



the people of G-d, for they were married in the wilderness, they



became wedlock in covenant marriage with the L-rd at Mt. Sinai,



and the Pesach is the wedding banquet, celebrating the covenant.



I Cor. 10:4 says that the beloved Rock they leaned on in the



Exodus wilderness was Moshiach. For I Cor. 5:7 says, "Moshiach,



our Pesach Lamb, has been sacrificed."







But to keep the bridal garments clean, we need to clean out the



old yeast (I Cor. 5:7). We need to catch the proud little foxes



that spoil the vineyard of our love relationship with the



Moshiach (2:15). We need to seek him, while he may be found. Song



of Shl. 3:l says, "Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul



loves." "With great delight" He wants you to sit in his shadow



(2:3) today. He wants you to be faint with love for Him (2:5)



today. Look, it says, who is this making His appearance like the



dawn, terrible as an army with banners (6:10)? Look, He is



coming, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills



(2:8). Even tonight he is standing at the wall you have built to



shut him out. A garden locked is your soul (4:12). But tonight



He is gazing into the windows of your inner most being. I'm



talking about Ha'arye Y'huda the Lion of Judah, the One to whom



the nations belong, the harvester of the world. He is standing



even now on His threshing floor, and you are Ruth lying at his



feet. "Kiss the Son, (Nahsh-koo bar), lest He be angry and you



perish in the way. Happy are all who take refuge in Him (Ps.



2:12). He is the "desired of all nations" (Hag. 2:7). He is



altogether desirable (Song of Shl. 5:16). He is saying to you in



love tonight, "Arise and come. G-d wants to make a Spring visit



to your soul. "For now the winter is past, the rain is over and



gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has



come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The



fig tree puts forth its figs (are not the Jewish people beginning



to turn to Him?), and the vines are in blossom; they give forth



fragrance." The Moshiach is saying to your soul tonight, "Arise,



beloved, come." (See 2:10b-13.) By His death He paid the



bride-price and purchased us for Himself, for His very own



(8:12). Now He wants to set a seal on our hearts forever (3:6).



By His resurrection, He proved that his "love is as strong as



death" (8:6). Right now you are a wall. He wants you to become



a door he can enter. It's time to turn from self and yield to



Him. Holy Covenant love requires that. Any bride can tell you.



But a bride must be clean and dressed in white especially at



Pesach time. If we come to Him confessing our need to be cleansed



by Him, we will be able to say, 'I am my beloved's and he is



mine" (6:3). "He brought me to the banqueting table, and his



banner over me is love" (2:4).







The Ruach Hakodesh wants to awaken love in your heart for the



Moshiach of Israel tonight. You must open to him and let him



ravish your soul. Although editors have tried to format this



love song as a drama, their attempts have not been persuasive.



Therefore, ignore any dramatic personae supplied in your Bible.



These are not in the Hebrew. We must let the Bible interpret



itself. This is where G-d affirms erotic romantic love in



marriage. Because marriage itself is a mystery, it echoes on a



human level the relationship between the Moshiach and his people.



For just as the old humanity was made male and female, so the new



humanity is made Moshiach and his bride.







Chapter 2:7 is a refrain. See 3:5 and 8:4. The significance of



this refrain seems to be that love must be allowed to grow



naturally, in its own time. It is not to be rushed or forced or



given an artificial stimulus. Promiscuous modern "dating" is



unscriptural and dangerous, like quick-chicken hormones, discos,



raunchy rhythm music and low cut necklines. Look at 3:4. Being



married is belonging to someone more indissolubly (Matthew 19:6;



Genesis 2:18) than one's own parents. This is a mystery, beyond



all comprehension, the way of a man with a virgin, that a man



leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife and



they become one body





The Brit



Chadasha Scriptures stands for the equality of women (Gal.



3:28;p I Cor. 7:4; 11:11-12), although this doctrine does not



obviate the hierarchy of function in the body of the L-rd and in



the family, where women and children do not L-rd it over men,



though women can hold offices and can speak for the L-rd as



prophetesses.







Look at 6:8-9. Like election, erotic romantic marital love is



selective, unique, personal and mysterious (why this girl and no



other?) It is likely that this poetry was used in the context of



weddings. Look at 7:1-7. The poetic imagery is oriental and



culture-bound. Just as one man can't see what another man sees



in his wife, so it is with cultural divergences in language, ways



of perceiving, customs, etc. That's why the gift of Shliach is



important. Those who have the cross-cultural gift to go to a



particular people-group can see beauty and worth in that



culture, whereas those without this gift cannot see the same



beauty and worth in that particular culture.





Look at 8:1. Loved ones long to be together--they are one flesh



and erotic love is the glue to hold them together in holy



matrimony for the sake of the children. See Malachi 2:15. Song



of Shl. 8:10-11 is a polemic against polygamy and its barter



mentality where the shared spouse becomes an object for loan. See



8:6. G-d is a furious cuckold with tender reconcilling heavenly



love in the one hand and furious betrayed love in the other. (See



notes on Hosea).







See Isaiah 7:14 notes on Song of Sol. 6:8.





SONG OF SONGS 6:8



There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins without



number.















YESHAYAH (ISAIAH)













The first six chapters of Isaiah summarize much of the rest of



the book. In his prophecy, Isaiah preaches against ethical



relativism (5:20), loitering drunks who disregard the L-rd and



his works (5:11,22), cut-throat land-grabbing nobility (5:8),



unjust murderers (1:15,21; 5:7), fortunetellers and fraternizers



with pagan mockers (2:6), idol worshippers (2:8), humanism



(2:22), blind guides leading the people into disaster (3:12), the



haughty rich who exploit in greed the penniless (3:15-16),



justice-subverting bribe-takers (5:23) and all those who reject



the Word of G-d (5:24). Invasion by foreign armies (5:26-30),



firey destruction, and exile (5:13,29) will cause a reversal of



fortune for these people, and the Day of the L-rd will cause the



haughty rich to be brought low (2:17) and the poor in spirit to



become purged in the fire and holy (1:25; 4:3).





Along with the survivors will come in the aftermath the Moshiach,



the Tzemach (Branch) of the L-rd (4:2) who is identified (in the



book of Isaiah itself, not merely in Jer. 23:5-6; 33:15 or Zech.



3:8) with the Tzemach T'zadik (Righteous Branch) of the L-rd and



of Dovid, the Tzadik Avdi the Righteous Servant of the L-rd



(53:11) and Dovid (37:35). This Moshiach-Servant is associated



with the L-rd in many ways: He too is "raised high and lifted up"



(compare 52:13; 6:1); He too is glorious, Jesse's glorious root



(compare 4:2 and 11:10 with 6:3, noticing also the word Shoresh



[root], linking 11:10 and 53:2); He too is the rallying



focal-point of the nations (compare 11:10 to 2:2-4 and see the



one "to whom the obedience of the nations belongs"--Genesis



49:10; see Ezekiel 21:27 [21:32 in the Hebrew Bible; Psalm 18:43;



Isaiah 42:1,4; 49:6); He too bears a divine name and governing



function (9:5-6); He too is Immanuel, (G-d-with-us), the



rightful owner of Israel's land (compare 8:8 and 7:14 to 5:5); He



too, this anointed Moshiach-Servant (11:2; 42:1), is righteous



(see 11:4-5 and 42:21; 51:5). The Moshiach-Servant, through the



Dovidic covenant, witnesses as a light to the Gentiles (9:6) to



those outside the covenant (Isaiah 55:3).







Job standing rejected and forsaken with mockers around him (Job



17:2) reminds the reader of the picture we have of the suffering



Servant of the L-rd in Isaiah 53 or the mocked Dovidic King in



Psalm 22 (compare Job 27:4 to Isa. 53:9). In the midst of the



false accusations Job "holds fast to his righteousness" (Job



27:6) and waits on the L-rd to confirm the innocence of his cause



(Job 42:7-8). So the mocked sage who becomes a fool that the



world curses and makes sport of is depicted in Isaiah 53. We have



seen this picture before in that other image, the judge of



Israel, Samson, being made sport of by the Philistines (Judg.



16:25) or in the King of Israel, Dovid the sage, pretending to be



mad before a similar scoffing Philistine audience (I Sm.



21:13-15). When sages like Moshe or Dovid are nearly stoned by



the people (Ex. 17:4; I Sm. 30:6) we see this reemerging picture



of the rejected-yet-vindicated-as-righteous Sage of Israel.



Significantly, the Son of Dovid is depicted as the sage par



excellence in the life of Shlomo in I Kings. Then II Chronicles



intensifies this portrait and gives Messianic prophetic



significance to Dovid's Son as the Moshiach Sage of Israel.



Finally, Isaiah combines the two portraits of the sage found in



Job and Shlomo and depicts the Dovidic Servant of the L-rd as the



mocked and rejected sage-counsellor (9:5-6) filled "with the



spirit of wisdom" (Isa. 11:2) who seems to labor "in vain" but



trusts his cause to the L-rd (Isa. 49:4) and, after mockery and



rejection (Isa. 53:2-4), is finally vindicated by G-d as



righteous (see Isa. 53:11-12).







The Moshiach is the eternal Kohen who sprinkles the nations with



a Cosmic Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) sacrifice. (Ps. 110:4;



Zechariah 6:11-13; Isaiah 52:15; Lev. 16:14-17).







The Moshiach is the Seh Elohim (the Lamb of G-d) provided from



heaven as the sacrifice in order that G-d's people might be



passed over and redeemed from divine judgment, as Isaac was and



as the nation of Israel was. G-d sent His Word and healed His



people from the plagues of judgment He poured out on the heathen.



G-d saved His people in order that they might make an exodus to



new abundant life in accordance with His gracious covenant



promise in the Moshiach (Gen. 32:8; Ps. 107:30; Isa. 53:5-6,10;



Deut. 7:15; Isaiah 42:1,6-7; 40:3; 42:16; 43:19; 49:5-26).



The words "son" and "child" are very important to Isaiah's



message. His own two sons are given portentous names (7:3;



8:1-3) and the conception of the second son in the womb of his



prophetess-wife is divinely timed. In chs. 7-9, Isaiah refers to



his own son and to Dovid's son, a son he calls "G-d with us" and



"Mighty G-d." Isaiah shows us a Deliverer who can rule the world



(9:5-6), and yet he marvels at this personage being born as a



humble child, just as a little child leads the rest of creation



in the future kingdom--Isaiah 11:6. The future kingdom is



described in passages which include 2:1-4; 4:2-6; 11:6-9; 25:6-8;



35:1-10; 60:1-22. The future king of this glorious kingdom is



described in passages which include 7:1-12:6; 32:1-20;



49:1-57:21; 61:1-11. The Moshiach is the Descendent of the Woman



who will battle that Ancient Serpent, Satan (Gen. 3:15), called



"Leviathan the twisting serpent" in Isa. 27:1.







The secondary, if not primary meaning of the word Ha'Almah in



Isaiah 7:14 is virgin because the same Hebrew word means virgins



in Song of Shlomo 6:8, since the king's female companions were



queens and either concubines or virgins (see Esther 2:13-14,17),



not mere unmarried maidens who may have previously cohabited with



another men--a capital offense in Israel and a disqualification



for the king's harem in the book of Esther. In Esther 2:13-14,17



there are two harems, one for the virgins, and one for the



concubines. Queen Vashti occupied another area, as did Esther



when she became queen. Many older Jewish Bibles admitted this by



translating its plural form as Almot "virgins" in Song of Shl.



6:8. In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet is referring to a "sign" for



the dynasty of Dovid, and the ultimate fulfillment of that



prophesy involves no one other than Yehoshua, G-d's Immanuel,



whose virgin mother was betrothed to a descendent of Ahaz's



Messianic Davidic dynasty--see Hebrews 7:14; Romans 1:3; Matthew



1:1,16; Luke 3:23,31. The legal right to the throne came through



the father--see Babylonian Talmud Baba Bathra 130a on Deut.



21:16. Also, see Ignatius' Epistle to the Ephesians, "Miryam of



the seed of David."







The Branch of the L-rd and of Dovid is called "the L-rd" in Mal.



3:1 and Ps. 110:1, since Adon refers to Hashem in Zechariah 4:14



and 6:5. Therefore, we shouldn't surprised if the name of G-d is



given to the Moshiach in Isa. 9:5-6. The Hebrew words Moshi'a



and Go'el found in the books of Judges and Ruth point to this



Savior/Redeemer figure, the Moshiach. See Isaiah 49:26. Three



kings serve as foils in Isaiah's depiction of the Moshiach: Ahaz



son of David, Hezekiah son of David (compare 7:4-17 and



27:1-7,21-35), and the Persian King Cyrus, called Moshiach



(45:1), because he saves the Jewish people from the Babylonian



Exile and sends them home to rebuild their land and Beis



Hamikdash. About 734 B.C.E. Rezin King of Damascus (Syria) and



Pekah King of Israel organized a coalition to rebel against



Assyria. When Ahaz refused to join them and they invaded Judah



(7:1), Ahaz apppealed directly to Assyria for help, beginning the



process of foreign invading armies and exile that would swallow



his throne in 586 B.C.E. Assyria captured Damascus (732 B.C.E.),



Samaria (722 B.C.E.) and Babylon (defeating Assyria) captured



Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. Isaiah warned Ahaz's son and successor,



Hezekiah about the coming Babylonian captivity (see 39:5-7 and



6:11-12). Isaiah also prophesied about the release from Exile



and the return to the land (48:20f).







For prophesies by Isaiah against the nations, see 13:1-14:23;



21:1-10; 43:14-15; chp. 46-47 (Babylon): 14:28-32 (Philistia see



ch. 20 on Ashdod); ch.15-16 (Moab); 17:1-11 (Damascus); chp.



19-20 (Egypt); 21:11-12 (Edom); 21:13-17 (Arabia); ch. 23 (Tyre);



23:4,12 (Sidon); 10:5-19; 14:24-27; 37:33-35 (Assyria); 18:1-7



(Cush, Nubia south of Egypt);







Isaiah was well aware of Deuteronomy 4:26-27 which says that sin



will cause the people to be "utterly destroyed...and...only a



small number of you will remain." Isaiah was also aware of the



covenant reprisals in Deuteronomy 28:32-33,36-37,41,45-62.



Therefore, when he begins to prophesy, he sees only a few



survivors left after G-d's scourge of judgment is finished (see



1:9; 10:22). Isaiah foresees that Assyria will be G-d's rod of



judgment (10:5) against Israel, though later G-d would destroy



the Assyrian hordes as He did the oppressive Midianites in Judges



7:22-25 (see Isaiah 9:4; 10:24-27). The fulfillment of these



very prophecies, as well as 30:31 and 31:8, about the destruction



of Assyria came in 701 B.C.E. (see 37:36-38) when the Assyrian



army was supernaturally defeated. Later, the capital of Assyria,



Nineveh, would be destroyed in 612 B.C.E., as Isaiah (31:8-9),



Nahum, and Jonah had predicted.







Isaiah also predicts the Babylonian captivity. (See Isaiah



39:5-7; 14:3-4) It is important to keep the historical facts in



mind: Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon brought down the



Assyrian Empire in 605 B.C.E. at the battle of Carchemish (see



Isaiah 10:9) in the Upper Euphrates in South Turkey,and Cyrus the



king of Persia brought down the Babylonian Empire in 539 B.C.E.,



when Cyrus took the city of Babylon and released the Jewish



people to return to Israel (see Ezra 1:1).







So Isaiah saw both the Assyrians and the Babylonians coming as



G-d's instruments of judgment on the unrepentant Israelites, and



he also foretold the great latter day exodus that would occur



when G-d would bring His people back from Exile and they would



stream into Zion with Messianic and Millennial fulfillment. In



fact, Isaiah foretold an end-time exodus which would eclipse the



Exodus from Egypt. It would be so great he says (Isaiah 43:18)



there will be "no need to think about what was done before." This



"streaming to Zion" theme is a recurring motif in Isaiah,



including the notion that G-d will make a supernatural causeway



(like the highway He made through the Red Sea) for the remnant of



repentant and humbled survivors to return to Him through the



wilderness. (See Isaiah 2:2; 4:5-6; 14:1-2; 27:12-13. See



especially 11:15-16, also ch. 35; 10:25-27; 40:3-11; 43:16-21;



46:3-4; 48:21; 51:10; 52:12; 56:6-8; 60:11-14; 63:9-13).



But Isaiah saw that the remnant would be pathetically few (1:9).



As we shall see in the second half of Isaiah, a remnant of one,



the Suffering Servant of the L-rd, will be sacrifically stricken



to death for the transgressions of the people as a whole (Isaiah



53:8,10). Over and over the recurring theme in Isaiah is that



the cataclysmic fires of judgment continually bring the ultimate



Day of the L-rd near, the Assyrian and Babylonian armies



functioning as divine proxies as the fires of their armies serve



to refine the wicked dross from the remnant (see Isaiah 1:25).







For all the rulers of the world are under the control of the G-d



of Israel. The theme of Proverbs 21:1 is seen in Isaiah 37:29



and in the passages about Cyrus. The "nations are but drops in a



bucket," but "the King's heart is in the hand of the Lord" and,



if invaders are allowed to punish G-d's wayward people, it is



G-d's method of refining out that faithless segment of the people



who refuse to fear G-d and repent. So, G-d, the refiner, has



this smelting process to remove waste products (dross) as he



tests the metal of His people's faith by means of foreign



military threats (see Isaiah 48:10).







Following each cycle of warning and judgment, there is a hopeful



promise of blessing, restoration, and the promise of the coming



of the Moshiach. Notice this judgment-restoration pattern in



relation to all the Messianic prophecies in Isaiah, esp. 1:2;



7:14; 9:6-7 (5-6, Hebrew); 11:1-5,10,12; 16:5; 22:22; 32:1;



33:17; 37:35; 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12; 55:3; 61:1-2;



63:1-6.







It is important to note that G-d uses military defeat and exile



to show His people that they are estranged from Him. He is "the



Holy One" and their sins have made Him hostile to them and have



placed them under His covenant ours. (Isa. 59:2). But the Good



News of Isaiah is the announcement of release from the exile of



sin (61:1-4) and from hellish divine estrangement through the



coming of the Moshiach, G-d's instrument of reconciliation (see



Isaiah 52:7-53:12). Through Him, those who repent will find



that, though their sins "are scarlet, they may yet be white as



snow (Isaiah 1:18).







See also Isaiah's teaching that hell is eternal torment in Isaiah



66:24; 14:11; 48:22; 50:11; 57:21; 1:31. Cf. also Dan. 12:2;



Matt. 25:46; Mark 9:48; Rev.20: 10.







The nation of Israel as servant (Isa. 41:8; 42:19; 44:1) is



restored from divine estrangement and exile (Isa. 42:1; 49:1;



52:13-53:12) by an individual, the Moshiach, the beautiful



"Branch of the L-rd," "David My Servant" (Isaiah 4:2; 33:17;



37:35: 52:13; 53:11) who restores the nation to a right



relationship to G-d (Isa. 49:5-6; 53:11).







Skeptics think Isaiah could not have foreseen the Exile (but see



5:13,29; 6:12; 27:8) and beyond so clearly (i.e. predicting Cyrus



King of Persia by name (Isaiah 45:3) and therefore postulate 2 or



3 or more other later unnamed prophets who suppoudly padded out



the more supernatural parts (i.e. 41:2,25; 44:28-45:5,13; 46:11),



cloaking themselves under Isaiah's name, as they wrate at various



times over 100 years after Isaiah's death. Some liberal scholars



believe "Second Isaiah" wrote chs. 40-55 from Babylon and "Third



Isaiah" wrote chs. 56-66 later still, from Israel after the end



of the Exile some 180 years after the death of Isaiah. Some



liberal scholars think they see the hand of even later "Isaiahs"



in chs. 56-66. But all this speculation does not build faith or



edify, nor is there any more exegetical warrant for these



theories than for the single author assertion, which the Brit



Chadasha Scriptures and Moshiach Yehoshua Himself affirms (see



Mark 7:6). We must remember that the writing prophets of the



Hebrew Bible were not ghost writers. It does not seem credible



that the Jewish people would know the names of the authors of



such tiny books as Obadiah and Yoel (Joel) but not have a clue as



to the identity of the author of Isaiah chapters 40-66, probably



the most magnificent section of prophecy in the entire Bible.



Furthermore, virtually every theme in chapters 40-66 of Isaiah



can be found, at least embryonically, in chapters 1-39, a fact



that makes multiple authorship an improbable hypothesis.



Also the many verbal parallels between chs. 1-39 and chs. 40-66



discredit this liberal theory. King Josiah is predicted by name



in I Kings 13:2 and Moshiach Yehoshua is predicted by name in



Zechariah 6:12 (cf. Ezra 3:8) nearly 300 years and 500 years



respectively before three sons of David were born. Since the last



of these predictions can be proven beyond all doubt, there seems



no excuse to doubt the other predictions or, for that matter,



Isaiah's authorship of the entire book bearing his name.



Isaiah's message is that, even though the nations will stream to



Jerusalem in the end (2:2-3), in the meantime in pride and



rebellion both Israel and the nations have exalted themselves



against the L-rd, and he will judge them in an awesome display of



power which will leave only a few survivors (1:9). Therefore, the



inference is, if G-d can "part the sea" for the Exile and the



Return, why can he not also use His right arm of power to raise



up eternally alive and victorious both the Moshiach and the dead



for the Millennium (2:4; 11:6-10; 24:23; 33:24) and the new



heavens and the new earth (65:17)?





ISAIAH 7:14



Therefore the L-rd himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a



virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name



Immanuel. [This word Ha'almah is translated "virgin" not only in



the rabbinically translated Septuagint but in older modern Jewish



translations of the same word in Song of Songs 6:8, so there is



no good reason not to trandate the verse as above.]



















YIRMEYAH (JEREMIAH)



















The g-dly king Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign



(640 B.C.E.) and forty years old when he was killed (609 B.C.E.).



Around Josiah's 21st year of life, the young prophet Jeremiah



began preaching. He was to have many years of preaching ministry,



during the following: the reign of the Josiah's 23 year-old son



Jehoahaz (609 B.C.E.) who ruled only three months in Judah and,



after being deposed and exiled by Pharaoh Neco, died in Egyptian



captivity (Jer. 22:11-12; II Kings 23:30-34); the reign of



Jehoiakim (609 B.C.E.), who was installed as king over Judah at



the age of 25 and ruled 11 years; the reign of Jehoiachin (598



B.C.E.), who was installed at age 18 and ruled little more than 3



months before he was taken prisoner to Babylon by King



Nebuchadnezzar; the reign of Zedekiah (597 B.C.E.) who was 21



years old when he began to reign and was blinded by



Nebuchadnezzar shortly before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E.



The evil reigns of these miserable sons of Josiah were prophecied



by Isaiah who said, "I will make boys their princes, and babes



shall rule over them" (Isa. 3:4). Jer. ch. 36 shows Jehoiakim



burning the Bible.







Jeremiah objected to G-d at his call that he was too young to



preach, but G-d silenced him (1:2). G-d appointed him to be a



preacher who would "pluck up and pull down, destroy and



overthrow, build and plant" (1:10; 12:14-17). Jeremiah's



preaching would cause stumbling blocks (6:21), testing and



refining the people (6:27). Fire would come out of his mouth and



destroy kingdoms (see 5:14; 23:29). Just as Elijah said there



would be neither rain nor dew except at Elijah's word (I Kings



17:1), so Judah would be uprooted and taken into Exile and then



(70 years later-- 25:11) Judah would be planted back in Israel



(31:28), but these cataclysmic events would happen only at



Jeremiah's word.







Immediately in Jeremiah's ministry G-d shows him the coming



crisis, represented by a "boiling pot, tilted away from the



north" (1:13). This pot was going to boil over and pour its hot



lava of destruction as foreign soldiers came down on Jerusalem



from the north. This threat from the north (1:14; 4:6; 6:1,22;



10:22; 13:20; 16:15; 25:9,26; 31:8) became concrete in the



persons of King Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian soldiers. G-d is



telling Jeremiah to preach that there is no escape from these



soldiers. The people have broken G-d's Law and now G-d is sending



His divine marshalls to put the people under arrest and take them



off to Babylon to serve a 70 year prison sentence in Exile. Go



peaceably Jeremiah preaches, and you will live. If the nation



humbles itself and waits on the L-rd, the nation will return. But



whoever attempts to resist the divine arrest will be put to



death. They will be like bad figs (24:8), and because of their



disobedience G-d will not give them a heart to know Him (24:7).



This was Jeremiah's hard message, which cost him dearly, and



brought great persecution down on his head. But, ironically,



weak, isolated Jeremiah, the maggid with the dangerous and



wrath-provoking message, is in much safer hands than the



sonerous-voiced false prophets and power weilding political



leaders, who stir up violence against Jeremiah as a traitor. For



the L-rd promises to protect Jeremiah but to put to death these



enemies of his, both Jews and Gentiles, with judgment beginning



at the household of G-d (see 1:18-19; 25:8-9,29) and climaxing in



the Day of the L-rd (25:33; 46:10). "Flight shall fail the



shepherds" (25:35), a prophecy that proved true for fleeing King



Zedekiah, the last king of Judah (52:1-11). All the wicked must



drink the lethal cup of judgment that is coming (25:28), even



ultimately that anti-Moshiach the king of Babylon (Jer. 25:26).





The reason for the coming Babylonian Exile is given in 5:18-19,



the land of Israel was full of elilim (idols). See also 9:12-16;



10:5,18,21; 16:11-13. The sin of Manasseh (15:4; II Kings 21:6),



especially child sacrifice (Jer. 7:30-34) brought great national



disaster of Judah, just as the abortion holocaust will bring



great grief on America. Consequently, G-d's wrath burns against



her, and G-d is going to turn Jerusalem into an abortion and it



will be no place to marry or to bear children (16:3-4).



Jerusalem will be like a rejected prostitute (3:2-3; 4:29-31)



because she has stubbornly rejected the L-rd, her true husband,



and has given herself in spiritual adultery to false g-ds, the



Seals and all the worthless foreign idols that have taken over



her land. Nothing short of the Babylonian exile would cure her



of this sin of changing her g-ds (2:11). What is amazing is that



the kingdom of Judah does not learn her lesson by seeing the



idolatrous northern kingdom of Israel go off (722 B.C.E.) into



captivity because of this very sin (3:6-10); Judah has to undergo



a similar punishment herself to get cured of idolatry. But, to



put it simply, the main fault that brought all this punishment on



G-d's people was refusal to listen to the prophetic Word of the



Scriptures (25:4-7; 32:33-35; 35:15-17).







Jeremiah did not have a popular message to preach (look at it--



13:19; also 15:10), and many people opposed him. Who wanted to



hear someone prophesy massacre and national desolation (see, for



example 9:22)? But all Jeremiah was preaching was Deuteronomy 28



and its covenant curses (see Jer. 11:2-4; 34:18). Nevertheless,



some men from Jeremiah's home town (Anathoth near Jerusalem) were



so embarrassed and infuriated by his preaching that they started



a conspiracy to kill him (11:8-23). The political leaders were



stupid, because they did not inquire of the L-rd (10:21); also



the wise, because they had rejected the Word of G-d (8:9). And



the rest of the people either scoffed at all preaching (5:12-13)



or championed the false prophets who contradicted Jeremiah's



message predicting war and judgment. Jer. l4:16 says that people



who listen to false prophets will be destroyed with them (so take



heed, you in the cults, or you who love your rabbi or your



priest). The false prophets were incompetent to warn against



coming disaster because G-d had not sent them (14:14) and they



had no knowledge (14:18). These spiritually stupid false



shepherds assured the people of peace even while the flames of



war were ready to ignite (6:14; 8:11; 23:30-40; 27:9-22;



29:8-19). The human heart is devious above all else and perverse



beyond understanding (17:9). Other lying false prophets in



Jeremiah are Pashhur the false kohen? (20:1), Hananich the false



prophet (28:1-17), Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of



Maaseiah (see 29:21-23 which says that a sexually immoral



preacher is by definition a false prophet). And look what



happened to Shemaiah of Nehelam who wrote a scathing letter from



the Exile against Jeremiah (29:24-32). False teachers (scribes,



rabbis) nullified the Word of the L-rd by their lying pen with



which they banded down their own traditions (see Jer. 8:8). A



true scribe (like Baruch) does not seek great things for himself



in a



tribulation world that is on the brink of destruction (45:5).



Because of these false political and religious shepherds (23:1-2,



11-22), the situation in the land was beyond remedy. The people



refused to know G-d (9:6). The time of repentance and revival in



Israel had past (8:20); doom and judgment were inevitable on



king, kohen, prophet, and inhabitant of Jerusalem (13:13). But



Jeremiah saw beyond the Exile and the Return and he had in view



the Brit Chadasha (31:31-34; 11:10; 22:9) and the coming of the



Moshiach (23:5-6; 33:14-18) and the shepherds that G-d would



raise up at that time: "I will give you shepherds after my own



heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding (3:15;



see also 23:3-4)."







With the ominous look of a weeping undertaker (9:1) called to



preside over the funeral and burial (in Exile) of the whole



nation, Jeremiah comes on the scene and makes his doleful



appearance (see 15:17). Jerusalem and its neighboring towns are



under a death sentence (33:5; 34:2,22). Read 16:1-9. Commanded



to celibacy (since what is going to happen to Judah now will make



it no place to raise children), Jeremiah is also instructed by



G-d that his devastatingly sad message will close down wedding



chapels (7:34). He is to shake the dust or the mourner off his



feet (16:5), since deaths en masse will now be divine punishment.



Mourning is futile when death is judgment and is coming like an



epidemic on the entire population. However there will be a



she'erit Yisroel (remnant of Israel), because G-d will not make a



full end of His people (see 4:27; 5:18; 6:9). A wonderful



restoration is prophesied (32:37-41; 33:6-33; 46:27-28). A great



end-time Exodus from the north is predicted in Jer. 16:14-l5;



31:8, which is a prophecy that is not exhausted by the Return



from Babylon but must surely also include Soviet Jews returning



from the Soviet Union (due north of Israel) in the greatest



Exodus ever, one that will shortly double the population of



Israel in our own time. The prodigal nation will come home



(31:13--"I will turn their mourning into joy") and will be



ultimately reconciled to G-d and to His Moshiach (33:14-18; cf.



Zech. 6:12; Ezra 3:8 his name is Yehoshua), through individual



moral accountability (31:10-11, 18-20; 29-30) and "one way"



(32:39), the way of the new birth circumcision of the Brit



Chadasha (31:31-34; 4:4; 9:25-26; 32:40; Deut. 30:6).





Because of the pressure that was on him, Jeremiah was tempted to



wallow in self-pity and to speak bitterly. But G-d promises that



if he will "utter worthy words" G-d will protect him and make him



a "fortified wall of bronze" (15:19-20). But the true prophet



must speak G-d's word faithfully (23:28).







We see Jeremiah as a type of the Moshiach (compare Jer. 11:19 to



Isa. 53:7). Like that other Messianic type Boaz in Ruth 2:20,



Jeremiah is a kinsman-redeemer (32:7), showing that G-d will



ultimately redeem his exiled land, showing hope in the midst of



bitter tragedy (32:24-25). He prophesied Es-Tzarah (the "time of



Jacob's trouble"--30:7) and the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash



(7:14; 22:5; 26:4-6) and the Exile and the coming of the Moshiach



who will be "raised up" out of this tribulation (30:9), just as



Yehoshua prophesied the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and the



Roman Exile and the Second Coming (see Mark 13:1-27). We see



Jeremiah buried in mud but then raised to the right hand of power



(given favor with both King Zedekiah and King Nebuchadnezzar) in



Jer. ch.38. See also 39:11.





Jer. 42:18 shows the folly of relying on the deceptive "help" of



Egypt. Here we see that we must not look at events or people but



listen to the word of the L-rd and rely on Him. When it comes to



Egypt, even after the Exile, some people never learn (44:7-10).



See 44:17-19,25; 7:18 on "the queen of heaven" a Canaanitish



g-ddess of fertility, Ashtoreth (Judges 2:13), a heathenish title



shamefully imposed on Miryam by the Roman Catholic Brit Chadasha



kehillah.







39:8 shows Nehemiah's job now awaits him. See also 52:14.



One disciple of Jeremiah's came over 600 years later. Read Jer.



16 and Romans 11.







Today Jewish people have been restored to their land (30:18) and



are honored in every field of endeavor (30:19).







Saddam Hussein of "Babylon" (modern Iraq) should have believed



30:16: "all who prey on you I will make a prey." Also see 50:24;



51:14,41,44,49,58.









On Jeremiah's preaching against the nations, see the following



chapters: Babylon (chs. 50-51); Philistia (ch. 47); Moab



(ch. 48); Egypt (ch. 46); Edom (49:7-22); Tyre and Sidon (47:4);



Ammon (49:1-6); Kedar end Hazor (49:28-33); Elam (49:34-39).



Historical facts and dates: 640 B.C. King Josiah, an



eight-year-old child, begins his reign. He will only live to be



40 years old and will be killed in battle by the Egyptians, but



during his reign there will be a breath of both revival and



reform.





627 Jeremiah is called of G-d to be a prophet. Ashurbanipal, last



of the great Assyrian rulers, dies. Judah is under tribute to



Assyria whom power was beginning to wane.





626 Nabopolassar begins neo-Babylonian Empire, revolting against



Assyria and beginning his 21-year reign. His son Nebuohadrezzar



would destroy the Jerusalem Beis Hamikdash in 586 B.C. 621



Discovery of the book of the Law in the Beis Hamikdash (Jer.



15:16)





612 Ninevah, the capital of Assyria, is sacked by the Babylonians



and Medes as Nahum predicted.







609 King Josiah is killed at Megiddo by Neco of Egypt who was on



his way to fight to rescue Assyria from Babylon. This is believed



to be the famous site known as Armageddon, where Revelation says



the final battle will take place.







609 Jehoahaz (Shallum) ruled Judah for three months before being



deposed by Neco and taken to Egypt in chains as collateral to



assure high indemnity payments.





609-598 Jehoiakim reigns over Judah as Egyptian vassal enthroned



by Pharaoh Neco. He was an evil king (see Jer. 22:21). 605



is the year of the Battle of the Assyrian city of Carchemish



(the ruins of which are on the Euphrates in what is today Syria



and Turkey) which fell when the Assyrian Empire finally succumbed



in defeat. Nabopolassar sent his son Nebuchadnezzar to defeat the



Assyrian ally Pharoah Necho and the Egyptians there (the



Egyptians had occupied the city but lost the war--see Jer. 46)



and then Babylonian soldiers entered Israel, taking Daniel etc



hostage (II Kg. 24:1). Jehoiakim abandoned Egyptian suzerainty



and became a vassal of Babylon. Because the people of Judah had



seen a few temporary victories of the Egyptians, they refused to



believe Jeremiah's prophesies about Babylon destroying Judah and



this brought persecution on Jeremiah. But Jeremiah trusted in no



foreign alliances, especially with Egypt (44:26,27). Later the



Pharoah Hophra did prove useless in protecting Jerusalem from the



angry hand of Nebuchadnezzar when he began his siege in January



of 588.







604 King Jehoiakim burns the Word of G-d (36:22f) but Jeremiah is



inspired to write it again, this time with a judgment upon



Jehoiakim (36:24-31).





601 Beause of a temporary victory of Egypt against Babylonia, the



pro-Egyptian party in Jerusalem persuades Jehoiakim that Judah



should side with Egypt again in spite of Jeremiah's warning



(Jeremiah 22:13-19). This act of rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar



spelled Jeholakim's downfall, and he received the burial not of



an honored king but of a donkey (23:19), for Judah's enemies were



armed by Nebuchadnezzar to attack her (II Kings 24:2).



597 Jehoiakim dies. Eighteen-year-old Jehoiachin (Coniah), who



only reigned three months, is captured. Nebuchadnezzar captures



Jerusalem and deports King Jehojachin to Babylon with many



others, including Ezekiel. Nebuchadnezzar replaces Jehoiachin



with Zedekiah (II Kings 24:17). Zedekiah, a third son of Josiah



to come to the throne, soon after permits nationalistic minded



nobles to imprison Jeremiah.







539 Zedekiah's revolt begins.







586 Nebuchadnezzar again occupies Jerusalem because Zedekiah had



entered into negotiations with Egypt (II Kings 25:1-7).



586 Destruction of Jerusalem. Zedekiah tries to flee but is



captured and taken to Nebuchadnezzar's throne in Riblah (in



modern Syria) and Zedekiah's family is slain and he is blinded



and taken in chains to Babylon where he died (39:6-7). Jeremiah



is released from prison by the Babylonians and given to the care



of Gedaliah.





586 Gedaliah appointed governor of Judah and assassinated.



Jeremiah is taken to Egypt where he predicts the conquest of



Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar (43:8-l3), fulfilled 568-567. 585



Jeremiah in Egypt.







Jeremiah was "a man of strife and dissension for all the land"



(15:10), a prophet nailed by the driving, firey hammer of G-d's



Word, a lonely, weeping prophet of vision who stood out against



the shallow optimism and political expediency that would lull his



nation into the inevitable divine judgment of war and national



disaster. But like Moshiach Yehoshua, Jeremiah was without honor



in his own hometown (11:21), which was three miles northeast of



Jerusalem, a village called Anathoth. He belonged to the tribe of



Benjamin.





What does G-d require of you? To feed on his Book until you get



'My words into your mouth'--then preach them. We want the L-rd's



ministries to grow numerically and we want to do all we can to



see new people discipled, but we need to remember that Jeremiah's



message was so strident (judgment, defeat, impending death and



disaster) that only a small number of people were friendly with



him. Ahikam hid Jeremiah when he would otherwise probably have



been killed after his third Beis Hamikdash sermon (Jer. 26:24)



Nahum and Zephaniah and Habakkuk were contemporary preachers.



Hilkiah was the g-dly kohen who discovered the book of the Law



during the early part of Jeremiah's ministry, and Huldah was the



prophetess who helped to spark Josiah's reforms because she



prophesied disaster would overtake his nation (II Kings 22:16; II



Chr 35:1-25). But most people seemed to shy away from Jeremiah.



After Josiah died, real persecution was in store for this lonely



prophet of G-d.







A key theme verse is 1:10. G-d has the nations in his hands like



a potter (18:5-10) molding clay pottery and when they displease



him, he can squeeze them into destruction like he did Nazi



Germany. In the same way G-d has uprooted and then replanted the



nation of Israel (31:27). Here is his promise: Stay in G-d's will



and under his discipline and he "will build you and not



overthrow, plant you and not uproot." (42:10) But here is his



warning: "I am going to overthrow what I have built, and uproot



what I have planted--this applies to the whole land. And do you



expect great things for yourself? Don't expect them. For I am



going to bring disaster upon all flesh--declares the Lord--but I



will at least grant you your life in all the places where you may



go (45:4-5). See 1:13-16; 2:19; 4:5f where Jeremiah also preaches



disaster.







The maggid (preacher) is not ignorant of what G-d is doing in the



world, and as a co-worker with G-d, the maggid's (preacher's)



words are actually G-d's hammers and planting forks.





Jeremiah foresees G-d's nemesis, Babylon, coming (just as



Yochanan in Revelation saw eschatological Babylon coming). And he



sees that since Babylon is G-d's marshall, the only thing for the



Jews to do is to put their hands up and submit to the arrest of



exile; otherwise, they will be fighting G-d and will be



destroyed. His message sounded like treason to unregenerate ears,



and most people would not listen to him though he preached for 23



years. (See 25:3-14 for a sample of his main message.) How would



you like to preach 21:8-10? The seventy year exile was an awesome



punishment, a virtual life imprisonment away from one's homeland.









Today, Jeremiah would also be rejected in this world and he would



probably also find himself in prison or assassinated. He would



probably shout "Howl, you shepherds, and yell...for the day of



your slaughter draws near...the peaceful meadows will be wiped



out by the fierce wrath of G-d (25:34,37)." Howl, King Fahd of



Saudia Arabia with your personal yacht the size of an oceanliner!



Howl Qadhdhafi of Libya with your women bodyguards and



international murder unlimited! Howl, Mayor of New York, you



Herod who would make it a crime not to hire perverts as



money-changers in the Beis Hamikdash! You will not go unpunished!



"For I am summoning the sword against all the inhabitants of the



earth" (Jeremiah 25:29). Jeremiah preached to the g-dless that



you have rejected the Word of the L-rd, so your wisdom amounts to



nothing! (8:9)







(But can you say all this with tears? See 8:19-23.)







Unregenerate men are repulsed by a Jeremiah. Unregenerate men are



not interested in what G-d is doing, only what man is doing



(humanism). See 1:16. What does the unregenerate do? See 2:13. If



the unregenerate loves a G-d, he loves a strange one. He says,



"It's no use" and joins the vast millions involved in the cults.



The Jews in Egypt told Jeremiah, "I can't give up my cult because



I'm so blessed by it." (chapter 44) The unregenerate follows the



willfulness of his own evil heart. The unregenerate person is



described in 4:22. Even if he is wealthy and cultured, he is



still a low-life rebel (5:4-5). He is persistent in rebellion,



clings to deceit, and refuses to repent (8:5).







Unregenerates, whether Jewish or Gentile, don't believe the Word



of G-d when it says that a holocaust is coming. They didn't



believe the Babylonians were coming, they didn't believe the



Nazis were coming, they didn't believe Moses (Dt. 18, 28) so how



could they believe Moshiach Yehoshua? (Jer. 5:12-14) And Gentile



Christians become proud and arrogant, forgetting that the root



supports them, not they the root.







A heart circumcision is needed, opening the heart and cutting



away the thickness. But the irony is that those who think they



are spiritual Jews are not and those who ARE spiritual Jews don't



know they are. Moshiach Yehoshua is the living Torah who cuts the



Brit Chadasha (Jeremiah 31:31-34) and only he can cut us with the



new creation circumcision. A hellish reprisal awaits all those



who refuse to submit to his circumcision and believe on Moshiach



Yehoshua Moshiach and him hanged on the Aitz (11:6-8). 34:18



shows us what the sacrifice of G-d (climaxing at Moshiach's Aitz)



means: repent or this will happen to you!





G-d threatens to withdraw the rain (as he is doing in Africa)



because the people are like fowlers lying in wait, setting up a



trap to catch people: the pimps, the hookers, the bar-hopping



nymphomaniacs, the porno store owners, the lottery ticket



sellers, the drunken mothers on welfare, the rock-crazed teeny



boppers (see 5:26). And the liberal rabbis, the liberal kohens



and liberal ministers, the cultists--they all preach an easy soft



set of lies and the people who hear them love it (5:31).



Then there is the problem of clericalism. A prosperous



professional clergy casts revels in its gnostic knowledge and



cult of adoration and won't do street preaching and be spit upon



by irate Jewish people. (9:22-23)







Do you realize that you are being raised up as G-d's watchmen?



(6:17) You are to watch and pray until you have a word from the



L-rd. You are to stand in the council of the L-rd, and see and



hear his Word, and then you are to proclaim it and obey it



(23:18,22) and turn his people back from their wicked ways. A



true maggid (preacher) has a true burden from the L-rd; it is the



application of a text to the discerned needs of the people he is



addressing. A maggid (preacher) can pray and get a word from the



L-rd for the people (42:4).







You are to tell people, "Don't trust your religion. Don't say,



"I'm Catholic! I'm Jewish!" (7:3) "I attended mass! I went to



High Holy Day Services! (7:8-10). And don't say a word about 'The



Queen of Heaven!' (7:18). In Jeremiah's third Beis Hamikdash



speech (Jer.26) he warned that G-d was going to make the Beis



Hamikdash like Shiloh. From the time of Joshua until the time of



Eli, Shiloh had been the place of Jewish worship. But remember



Eli and his wicked sons (I Sam. 2:12) who ministered there?



Consequently, the L-rd allowed the Philistines to destroy Shiloh



and Jeremiah is pointing to another army coming to do the same



thing to Jerusalem if the people do not repent.







Jeremiah is an example of a prophet who is a virtual refugee from



the existing authorities, both religious and political. We learn



a lot about the ministry from him. 22:15-16 speaks about the



sacrificial lifestyle of a man of G-d. He is faithful and



fearless for the sake of the flock. Hasn't G-d given you a little



flock? Do you let them stray and scatter? Get a partner and pray



about your little flock, pray about specific people and then go



together and minister to that person together. If you can be



trusted with one, G-d will add to your flock.







Who will shepherd the Israelis? (See 23:1-4)







Jeremiah did prophetic "street theatre" mimes, interpreted



dramatic actions and he was not afraid of the "flesh" of his



hearers (20:10-11; 1:18). Note the acted parable of the soiled



loincloth in chapter 13 and the interpreted mime with the yoke in



chapter 27. Also see 51:63-64. (This one was interrupted by a



mime meddler, a false prophet.) Jeremiah 26:2 says that G-d



commanded him to stand out-of-doors and preach in the open air.



He could do it because he knew he was sent (26:15). Has G-d sent



you to New York?







Why can't we have a street dance company (with musicians)? See



30:19; 31:4; 31:13.





Jeremiah 30:7 calls the tribulation the "time of Jacob's



trouble", but see 31:7-9. During Hitler's Holocaust the ships



started arriving in Israel. G-d was providing a haven of refuge



even during such tribulation.







The Israel of G-d is eternal (31:36); we have been grafted in and



so also will the remnant of all peoples and the last days



remnant of the Jewish people. The Brit Chadasha kehillah is a



miraculous Jewish-Gentile fellowship. However, the Jewish nation



is an esohatologically significant people group--see 46:28.



Notable verses: Jeremiah predicts who will defeat Babylon



51:11,28. The Moshiach will be called the L-rd (Jer. 23:5-6)



Notable themes: The reversal of the imprisoned prophet who is



obedient to G-d and freed while the disobedient people go off in



chains to exile is a key picture here. Thinking of Jeremiah in



the dungeon of King Zedekiah must have comforted Shliach Sha'ul



in the dungeon of Nero in Rome.







Zedekiah had to be physically blinded to realize he was



spiritually blind, as was also true of Saul.







We see what Nietzsche, Sartre, Lenin, etc., would like to do to



the Bible when King Jehoiakim cuts it up and burns it without



fear in chapter 36.







The Brit Chadasha kehillah needs kiruv outreach associations,



shlichut agencies, and other Brit Chadasha kehillah



organizations. An example of such an organization is found in



chapter 35. It is a "second decision" organization, requiring



commitment to a certain "mandate" and membership involves one in



committed activity beyond normal religious life. The prophet



Jeremiah and Baruch constitute a sodality as well. A sodality is



a grouping together based on common purpose or interest. Rav



Sha'ul's company in Acts 13:13 is another example.







The local Brit Chadasha kehillah sometimes does not see this



structure in the Bible and tries to control and destroy the



autonomy and legitimacy of these sodalities, which also sometimes



abuse their autonomy and fall into disrepute because they do not



realize that they are servants of the local Brit Chadasha



kehillah and not beyond its correction.







Sodality members who have leaders with no ordination by a larger



body are following a potential independent rebel who is



unaccountable to anyone. This is how Jim Jones and all manner of



cults and scandalous failures begin and is not Scriptural.



Get a prayer partner and start doing visitation outreach together



with the people you pray for. Follow Jeremiah's model and prepare



to go on the street and do either a brief sermon or sketch or



song.





Notice the very important prophesy that the exile would last for



70 years (Jer. 25:11-12). Daniel refers to this prophecy in Dn.9



Jeremiah's real estate inheritance activities are his prophetic



verification that the word of G-d regarding the restoration of



Israel would come true (see 37:12; 29:10).







Jer. 21:8 says that there are two ways, the Derech HaChayim, the



way of life, the way of covenant blessing, and the Derech



Hamavet, the way of death, the way of the covenant curse. The



fool chooses the way of death. He knows about the rental covenant



he signed with the Landlord, but he says, "I don't have to read



it, or study the fine print, I can forget about the rent due



notices, I can lay around in filth and create a fire hazard, I



can have noisy parties all night long and walk the dog without



going outside (I once had a neighbor who did that--but he was



very clean, he always insisted on hosing down the floor once a



day, no matter what the tenant below him screamed as his



apartment was flooded)." He never worried about the rent



covenant. No covenant curses will ever cross my threshold! he



said, as he hosed down his dogs and his living room floor. But



G-d's Word shows us something different. The wrath of the Lamb,



the covenant reprisals of the Lamb, those curses that crossed the



threshold to destroy the Egyptians, will not pass over you unless



you come out from among them and stand under the blood mark of



the Lamb. (If you stand under your own opinion or your own whim



or the way that seems right to you, you will be destroyed.) And



there's no way to touch both the two doorposts and then the



lintel with blood, as it says in Ex. 12:7 without forming a



bloody tav: not a Ku Klux Klan cross: Not a Gentile anti-Semitic



cross: a Jewish cross commanded by the G-d of Israel through



Moses. A mezuzah full of good works and religion on the threshold



is Jewish but not Jewish enough. The bloody tav of Moses is



necessary. Those without it can expect none of the diseases of



Egypt to pass them by. All over the world the curse of lust and



uncleanness and AIDS is crawling across millions of thresholds.



Following close behind crawls the curse of racism and poverty and



drugs and homelessness and crime and murder and prostitution and



abortion and genocide and war and ecological disaster and,



ultimately, Armageddon and "the End" itself. Do not boast about



tomorrow. Do not say, "When the overwhelming scourge passes



through" it will not touch you (Is. 28:18).





When we celebrate Pesach, we need to also celebrate Jeremiah's



Brit Chadasha and our redemption from the plagues of Egypt by the



Moshiach-Lamb who took our plagues.







Notice that G-d gave Jeremiah a very important and shocking, even



enraging, message and then did not tell him to share it with



Baruch and a few kindly souls in a quiet, sympathetic, Brit



Chadasha kehillah audience. No, G-d commanded Jeremiah to go



into the "lion's den" and preach in the Beis Hamikdash area



itself where a riot was inevitable (read very, very carefully



Jer. 26:2). This is our model of what preaching is, not a Brit



Chadasha kehillah ritual performed tamely between the offering



and the benediction for the benefit of a few religious folk, but



a dangerous, life-or-death confrontation ordered by G-d at a



particular place where G-d's enemies are given one final warning



before G-d's judgment disastrously falls upon them. A street



preacher in front of a Roman Catholic cathedral to irate



Catholics as they come out of Mass is closer to what Jeremiah was



doing when he preached than what most American clerics



(especially those who are wealthy and liberal) do when they



preach, particularly those whose pulpits are privileged spaces



for pampered, smooth-talking Pharisees.





If we have any illusions that humanism is right when it says that



human nature is essentially good, Jer. 42:1-43:7 should convince



us otherwise. The heart of man is desperately wicked--who can



know it? (Jer. 17:9) If Man were good, surely these "good" people



would say, "Jeremiah, we know you are a true prophet. We've seen



all that you prophesied in the last nearly 40 years come true. As



you predicted, Judah is now in exile in Babylon. Therefore, we



will listen to G-d and respect and obey you as G-d's prophet."



Instead read Jer. 43:2 to find out what they did say. Here we



see that man needs a supernatural miracle in his heart to bring



him to the point where he can know G-d and stop rebelling against



G-d's word (Lam. 1:18).







JEREMIAH 23:5-6







5



Behold, the days come, saith the L-rd, that I will raise unto



Dovid a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper and



shall execute judgement and justice in the earth.







6



In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely:



and this is the name whereby he shall be called, The L-rd Our



Righteousness.







JEREMIAH 31:31-34





31



Behold (Look). the time is coming, saith the L-rd, that I will



make a Brit Chadasha with the house of Israel, and with the house



of Judah:







32



Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in



the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the 2



land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a



husband unto them, saith the L-rd:







33



But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of



Israel; After those days (after that time), saith the L-rd, I



will put my torah within them (in their thoughts and emotions)



and write it in their hearts; and will be their G-d, and they



shall be my people.





34



And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every



man his brother, saying. Know the L-rd: for they shall all know



me. from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the



L-rd: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember



their sin no more.











[Notice this passage is talking about an intimate, inward



knowledge of G-d, of a sense of relationship, even fellowship



with G-d, as well as the assurance of forgiveness of sins; in



short, regeneration. Jeremiah foresaw Brit Chadasha Jews and he



understood that the Word of G-d would somehow effect the miracle



of the Brit Chadasha "in their hearts." Have you become a Brit



Chadasha Jew? You can. Yehoshua the Word of G-d (sharper than



any sword, able to circumcise and consecrate the most heathen



heart) says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any one



hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to him, and



dine in devekut with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)]



















EKHAH (LAMENTATIONS)













Lam. l:21; 2:21f speak of two phases of the Day of the L-rd, the



first already past in the fall of Jerusalem and the dissolution



of the people of Judah, and a second in store for the gloating



enemies of G-d's people. Therefore those who speak of "Israel's



Final Holocaust" had better be reminded that it will also be a



holocaust for all the nations of the world. Jeremiah is the



traditional author of Lamentations in the closing days of Judah's



conflict with Babylon around 586, the date of Jerusalem's final



capitulation to Nebuchadnezzar.







The ninth of Ab (August) is the Jewish commemoration of this



disaster, and on that day this scroll is read in the synagogue



following the evening services. The other minor fast days



associated in some way with this event are the Tenth of Tevet



(marking the beginning of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem), the



Seventeenth of Tammuz (which marks the first breach in the walls



of Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege), and the Fast of



Gedaliah (commemorating his assassination after he was appointed



Governor of the Jewish people by



Nebuchadnezzar).







In this book, Jerusalem is personified and she weeps bitterly



(1:2) because Judah has gone into the Galut (Exile)--see