Yahweh's Will & Purpose

The God of the Bible---Yahweh by Name--- makes known His will and purpose. Every faith, whether religious or not, gets lived out by its adherents in various statements of will and purpose. These may originate in revelation, science and philosophy or other human endeavor. These become the "pillars", or load-bearers of our life, helping to make some sense of our existence and the purposes for our being.

The Bible is the revelation ascribed to the One God Yahweh: this God does not mince words or equivocate concerning his purpose and will. "Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you shall speak to the children of Israel." (Exodus 19:5-6) The plan and purpose of Yahweh are plain and clear: by covenant Yahweh undertakes "the work" of setting free a people. By choosing to hear and obey, this people ratify the covenant which is to be a relationship of Life and Blessing. "What other nation on earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name..." (2 Samuel 7:23) "And thou didst make thy people Israel to be thy people forever." (1 Chron. 17:22)

By means of a set of teachings and instructions---the Torah---a loving Father makes provision for this people to realize abundant life, and become a sanctified and holy (that is set-apart) people. Yahweh's will and purpose for his people is "that it might go well with you." (Deut. 6:33) The will and purpose of Yeshua (Jesus) are exactly the same as his Father's: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10) Continuing, "Jesus said to them,
'My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.'" (John 4:34) He was truly the living Word: Yeshua lived his life according to the loving instructions of his Father, that is according to Torah. Not altered, not diminished, not added to, not forsaken or set aside. Yeshua came not to establish a new set of instructions (Torah), neither new times or holy days, nor new religion...

So that none might boast: "by my power I have ransomed or delivered or saved my own life..." the God of Israel raises the final and all-sufficient ransom of his people: Yeshua. He is the Messiah/Sacrifice/Servant come to do his Father's will. He completes the work of redeeming "that people." The failure of that covenant people to obey---whether willful or inadvertent---brings forth the final chapter of Yahweh's redemptive plan. Yeshua is the Final Word from Yahweh; as Redeemer/Messiah/Sacrifice he confirms his Father's will and obeys. The will of Yeshua is the will of his Father. "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose...to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren." (Romans 8:28-29) "and Messiah Yeshua, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds." (Titus 2:14)

Some imply that Yahweh is either double-minded, or a capricious mind-changing God. Even more deceived and treacherous are those who characterize Yahweh as angry, vengeful, and wrathful while Jesus is loving, merciful, sensitive... "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought forth by the word of truth..." (James 1:16-18) Yahweh's purpose and will have not changed by as much as a jot or tittle.

"but you shall be called the priests of Yahweh" (Isaiah 61:6) agrees with Exodus; and Peter agrees with these two witnesses: "and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people..." (1 Peter 2:5, 9) And John confirms these three: "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father..."
(Rev. 1:6) "and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God... (Rev. 5:10) The beginning of the story and the end of the story are the same.

Yahweh's plan, will and purpose have remain unchanged: by his mighty arm one people, a people named Israel, are being called, redeemed, restored, set-apart, and sanctified. Grafted-in or native-born branches: makes no difference. All are short, separated and broken off, that is outside Yahweh's will and plan. A Messiah from Yahweh and a Torah from Yahweh---they are synonymous as the Living Word---are birthing together all Israel as a kingdom of royal priests and a holy nation. This Israel is the Israel of Yahweh. This is Yahweh's Word and he will accomplish it; that Word will not return to Yahweh empty or incomplete. (Isaiah 55:11) All the witnesses to Yahweh's plan and purpose agree: He wills to have a people of his own possession. Who is the man who dare contest such a will and presume to overthrow it?

Gathering Manna

" And Yeshua said to them, "I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to ME shall never hunger..." (John 6:35)
"And HE rained down manna on them to eat" ( Psalm 78:24)

Look for the following topics and more in the coming weeks, for greater insight into the Word of the Lord.

1. The Wisdom of Proverbs
2. The Thirsty Soul
3. When the Fathers Speak
4. Pinyon Haben: Redemtion of the First-Born
5. Abe, Jo & Mo ( Chimps, Champs, or Chumps)
6. Shema Yisrael
7. The Wisdom of Proverbs (Part 2)

congregation Beit Ephraim: Looking For a Messianic Fellowship in Maine?

congregation Beit Ephraim: Looking For a Messianic Fellowship in Maine?

Pillars Of The Faith

In the coming weeks, we will begin studying some foundational concepts of the faith of Israel. These topics are including, but not limited to:

1.Yahweh's Will & Purpose
2. The Teaching of the LORD
3. Yahweh's Sabbath's and Who Were They Given To
4. Who is the Bride of Christ?
5. Who is Israel?
6. What Are The Two Houses of Israel
7. Celebrating the Feasts of The LORD
8. A Kingdom of Priests

The Teaching of the LORD

There are many questions that we as believers need to answer in regards to our understanding of the holy days of the LORD. As believers in Jesus Christ (in Hebrew His name is Yeshua) we are told in the New Testament that "ALL Scripture is breathed by God and profitable for teaching, for correction,for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be fitted, equipped for every good work". (1 Timothy 3:16-17)
This passage says ALL SCRIPTURE, which includes the "Old Testament", as we have come to call it. Jesus would have called it the Tanach, which is the book containing the Torah ( Law), the major and minor prophets, the books of history, and the writings, which would include the Psalms and Proverbs.

Another point to remember here would be that when Timothy spoke about all scripture being profitable, there was no such thing as a New Testament. It had not yet been penned. He was speaking to believers here about the "Old Testament, or more acurately termed Hebrew Covenant", the only scripture available to all men. Obviously the Law was included in his description, and was deemed very important not to forsake.

Even Jesus Himself told His followers, "Do NOT think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to complete. For truly I say to you, until the heaven and the earth pass away, one jot nor one tittle shall by no means pass from the Law till all be done. " Matt. 5:18 (A jot is the name for the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and a tittle is also used in the Hebrew alphabet as well.) Jesus goes on to say that if a person breaks even the least of the commandments in the Law, and also teaches men to break them, that this person will be least in the kingdom of heaven, but that whoever does the commandments written in the Law, that person shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
"Whoever, then, breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever does, and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens". Matt. 5:19
It must be clarified here that the word Law is the Hebrew word TORAH, and the definition of torah is "the teaching and instruction of God"
It becomes very apparent from the words of Jesus, that His people, those who believe in Him, and follow Him, are NOT to forsake the Law. Jesus came to teach a redeemed people how to actually walk correctly, according to the Torah ( Law). Teaching is the very essence of Torah.

There has been great deception in the Body of Christ. The enemy of our souls, has destroyed all that which is good, and we have fallen victim to the wiles of the enemy. The Teaching of the LORD has not been done away with. The LORD GOD told His people that He was going to send someone to them to teach them His ways, and that they were to listen to His words.
"And the LORD said to me, 'What they have spoken is good. I shall raise up for them a PROPHET like you, out of the midst of their brothers. And I shall put my Words in HIS mouth, and HE shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be, the man who does not listen to MY WORDS which HE shall speak in My Name, I require it of him.'" (Deut. 18:18)

Jesus came to teach us the very Words of God. The Words of God are His Torah, His teaching and instruction for all men. The Words of Jesus are excellent Words. They are Words of Life,(Deut. 32:46-47) but we must have an understanding of who we are in Him. We must know that God has chosen us from the foundations of the earth . We must know that we are His people, a people he called to be His very own possession, and promised that we would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation unto Him. (Exodus 19:5-6, 1 Peter 2:9)
We must know that we are the Israel of God (Gal.6:16; 3:29)

If we fail to see who we are in the Lord, if we are deceived into thinking that the promises were not for us, than we are missing out on the restoration of all things. He has called us for such a time as this, a time to return to His teaching, His Torah.
In the coming weeks we will be studying The Pillars Of The Faith. Look for these upcoming topics and more:
What is the Sabbath, and who was it given to?
What is the Torah?
Who is this People Israel?
What are the Two Houses of Israel?
Why should I, as a believer in Jesus, celebrate the Feasts of the LORD?
Who is the Bride of Christ?

Begin now to prepare your heart to receive the Truth of HIS WORD. Ask the LORD to safeguard your heart from the wiles of the enemy. Jesus came to lead us into ALL Truth, and teach us the TEACHING OF YAHWEH.

The Wisdom of Proverbs

Proverb: A short sentence expressing a well known truth or common fact. A maxim of wisdom. A moral sentence or maxim (principal of truth). The book in scripture containing a great variety of wise maxims, rich in truth and excellent rules for the conduct of all classes of men.

What a definition! In summary, a proverb is a principal of truth written down for the benefit of all men.
The proverbs are Truth!
Solomon asked for, and was granted wisdom from God above all other men.
"So God said to Solomon, 'Because you have asked this...see I shall do according to your words. See I shall give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there was none like you before you, and none like you shall arise after you." 1 Kings 3:11-12

Solomon is known to be one of the foremost authors of the proverbs. He penned the wisdom that was granted to him by God, for the benefit of all men.

Proverbs 2:6 says that "wisdom comes from Yahweh". In Proverbs 4:7 He tells us that the beginning of wisdom is: GET WISDOM!, and with all your getting, get understanding.

So if the beginning of wisdom is to get it, and we know that wisdom only comes from Yahweh, we must begin with the words of King Solomon in the first chapter of the Proverbs. Solomon begins his exortation in verse 1 by stating that the principals of truth that he is about to speak are indeed coming from him. He goes on in verses 2-6 to explain why he is speaking these "truths", and the benefits they will bestow. He states that they are for knowing wisdom, disciplne, and to receive understanding, and also to receive the discipline that wisdom brings, along with attaining righteousness, justice, and straightness. Insight will be given to the simple, and the young will gain knowledge, and discretion. (v. 3-4) He also addresses the wise in verse 5, and states that even he will increase learning, and those who have understanding will receive wise counsel. He concludes in verse 6 with "For understanding a proverb, and a figure, the words of the wise, and their riddles."

Simply put, no-one gets left out of the blessing. Everyone from the simple to the wise will gain more insight, wisdom and understanding by heeding the words of the proverbs.

Verse 7 of Proverbs ch 1 is where the actual words of Solomons wisdom begin. He states his first proverb(principal of truth).
"The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and discipline. " (Prov 1:7)

Fear of Yahweh, a reverential awe( reverence is a deep respect, affection, and worshipful attitude) .

So it is this deep respectful, worshipful affection that we have for Yahweh, this is the beginning of our knowledge. Those who have this "fear" are obedient to the principals of His wisdom, but on the other hand He tells us that one is a fool who despises the wisdom and discipline that He brings.

Let us not be found in the company of the fool.

Look for 'The Wisdom of Solomon part 2' a continued study on Proverbs chapter 1 coming soon

The Thirsty Soul

The Vision, when calling out to HIM in despair:
A desert land, dried and cracked. Hard, cracked, dusty, dry ground. A land forsaken of water!
Sprinkles of water, teaspoons of water, even small cups of water, pour out on this dry ground periodically.
It is dried up almost immediately. These small amounts will not quench the thirst of this land.

Is this my soul? My walk with YOU?

HE confirms the interpretation of the Vision: Psalm 143:6
"I have spread out my hands to YOU; My soul is like a thirsty land for YOU." Selah

"As a deer longs for the water streams, so my soul longs for YOU, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the Living God." Psalm 42:1-2

"O God, You are my God; I earnestly seek You; My soul has thirsted for YOU; My flesh has longed for you, in a dry and thirsty land without water" Pslam 63:1

This land is in need of water, the LIVING WATERS of YESHUA (Jesus Christ our Lord)
The vision is of us, His people, when we are not in HIS WORD daily. It is not enough to seek Him occasionally. We must immerse ourselves in Him, and seek Him with all our heart. We must be filled with Him or we will become a dry and thirsty ground unable to bear fruit.
It is only Yeshua who can provide this quenching water for our souls.

The woman at the well engaged in a conversation with Yeshua about drinking of the water, and the water that He has to offer. She questions Him about the water that He possesses, and He says to her, " Everyone drinking of this water ( the water at the well) shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I give him, shall certainly never thirst. And the water that I give him shall become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, " Master, give me this water, so that I do not thirst..." John ch. 4

It is Yeshua who is the Living Water. Only HE can quench our thirst and He offers it freely.

"And he who thirsts, come! And he who desires it, take the water of life freely. " Rev. 22:17

It is Yeshua who waters the dry and thirsty land, the dry and thirsty soul. His Words are the waters of life.

Let HIM come down like rain upon the tender grass, like showers, watering the earth. Psalm 72:6
We can see from the above passage that Yeshua is likened to water, and if we allow scripture to interpret scripture, we will see that the grass mentioned here is a reference to people. In Isaiah chapter 40 verses 6-7, he calls the people grass.
" All flesh is grass, and all it's loveliness is like the flower of the field. Grass shall wither, the flower shall fade, when the Spirit of YHWH has blown on it! Truly the people is grass! "

" For as the rains come down, and snow from the heavens, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so is My Word that goes forth from MY mouth- it does not return to ME empty, but shall do what I please, and shall certainly accomplish what I sent it for." Is 55:11-12

In the Vision of the Thirsty Soul, a deep well of water is poured out on this dry, cracked ground and as the water hits the earth, the very place where the water touches begins to immediately flourish into lush green grass with vegetation, and flowers springing up into everlasting life. The green of the grass spreads out all around and fills the earth with life, as the dry ground disappears. The ground is thirsty no more. Halleluyah!

Yeshua is this Living Water. He offers His Water to all those who are thirsty.
" If anyone thirsts let him come to ME, and let him who believes in ME drink. As the scripture said, out of HIS innermost shall flow rivers of Living Water. " John 7:37-38

For further study on this topic, see these additional scripture passages:
Isaiah 44:3
Psalm 92: 12-14
Psalm 72
Isaiah 51:12
Isaiah ch 40
Isaiah 12:1-3
Psalm 143:6

Jacob & Esau

If you fail Jacob, you aid Esau. (Old Yiddish saying)

When the Fathers Speak

Within the heart of a boy, now grown and graying, memory lay dormant for thirty-five years until Providence decreed its ripening. That memory rested under the accumulated experiences of those many years. However, like crocus buds beneath the receding snows of winter, nothing could thwart the appointed time of springing forth. The flowering of that memory forever altered the landscape of his manhood.

To all boys of seven and eight years, the most important business of each summer day in that suburb of Boston was to gather for play, for adventure, for re-modeling of last week's grand fortress hideaway. Bobby Stahler and I were probably the more serious and reflective of that tribe of friends. Among our stamp collections and books we were drawn together, and his Jewish home was different and wonderful in its mysteries. There was always a welcome there, and Bobby always seemed to have the newest and most fascinating toys. Yet, sadly in the midst of that abundance, as all boys seem primed to do, seeds of strife were set and a contentious competition sprouted.

For I was the leading pitcher of the Little League Red Sox, a baseball team of our neighborhood gathered from among that tribe of friends. But, Bobby had not been picked: he had been left behind. The rest of us went on to victory upon victory, and banquets, and newspaper stories, and to---glory of all glories---a radio interview on WBZ in Boston. Bobby was left to a pain and loneliness, an isolation I suspect partially imposed by his parents, nonetheless left unmitigated by me or the rest of our chums on that street---I was simply more concerned about perfecting my curve ball pitch for the up-coming tournament play-offs. I had neither the will nor the desire, nor the discernment to contend with all the demons of history.

There was no way for boys of that age and time to prevent the day of falling out. The demons of that awful day on Parker Street stole upon us with stealth and cunning, twisting the inconsequential trivia of the events of youthful friendship. To this day, the cause is unremembered: perhaps one of us bested the other in trading some stamps, but the argument, accusations, and harsh words fell like hammer blows on our friendship and fueled hot fires of destruction. How could I stand against the mocking words that slammed shut the door of our special world of stamps and faraway places of adventure?

That one stone, in my hand, the hand of a pitcher, could be launched with swift accuracy to close off the mind and the mouth that fashioned those clever words that hurt and drew hot, angry tears. For one moment, as my arm coiled, the heavens caught their breath, and Bobby and I looked into each other's eyes. He knew it was coming: the flash of terror in his eyes and the lurching, stumbling backwards revealed everything.

The course of that one stone was set, fixed, sure, and certain, for unknown to that pitcher lad, it carried the whole weight of history from that day at Shechem to the present (1 Kings 12:1-19).

There was none of the exhilaration and shout of triumph that had accompanied the "thunk" of David's stone on the head of Goliath of the earlier time. Just a sickening horror as my stone lacerated the flesh of Bobby's brow. There was no more talk, only a cry for his Father from a mouth edged with drops of blood; and a fleeing down the street home.

There are times in our lives when the God of our Fathers presses hard upon His land and His peoples. A dread and foreboding mounted upon the soul of that pitcher lad as he made his way up the street to his home, because when the Fathers speak, the earth shakes and trembles. An hour or so later Bobby's Father was speaking to my Father, and I knew there would be a reckoning with the son.

The gentleness of my Father took me by surprise---perhaps he knew the fear I was in---but that gentleness did not hide or compromise the determined purpose of my Father. I really expected to get a thrashing, altogether deserved and greatly feared. Instead of proceeding directly to the punishment, he asked me what had brought about such a falling out. I had no explanation in my tears, and whatever it had been was stupid and senseless in the re-telling. I shall always remember the love and tenderness of my Father as we talked, the much feared wrath tendered by some mysterious wisdom. My Father was angry and disappointed, and I was punished, yet what I most remember with fondness and admiration was my Father's character in those moments: his absolute determination that his will would prevail, seasoned with a real concern for Bobby and myself, and his loving insistence that things were to be set right. I knew in all this that my Father was quite serious.

The following morning was a Saturday. My Father was home for the weekend, and early on he told me he had spoken to Bobby's Father, and that Bobby was going to start up the street in a few moments. "You are to go down the street and meet Bobby," said my Father. "You are to apologize and tell him you are sorry, and you are to ask his forgiveness, and you are to make things right between the two of you. Do you understand?" my Father asked. I nodded and set out down Parker Street.

In a neighborhood such as ours, where the houses are close, and everyone knows everyone, and everyone knows everything about the neighborhood happenings, I knew all the neighborhood was watching as Bobby and I walked up the street toward each other. As I walked down the middle of Parker Street, I knew Mr. MacMillan and Mr. Frost, who tried to look busy with their small patches of grass, were watching and knowing and wondering.

In a little patch of warm sunlight surrounded by the shade trees of Parker Street, Bobby and I met. Words of sorrow and forgiveness were spoken in the shuffling of feet that only lads of that age seem prone to. Our hearts were tender toward one another again. Neither of us, I am sure, realized the special grace it would take to act out the hidden meanings of those fleeting moments in the sun of that morning in the middle of Parker Street.

Not long after, Bobby's family moved, and then my own family moved out of state. Even now years later, I wonder if those words of reconciliation were sufficient for Bobby. I wonder what marvelous and wise words Bobby's Father spoke to him that made it possible for him to walk to that very special place in the sun of that Shabbat morning, because it takes a special grace to receive an apology, forgive, and go on with life.

Now years later I hope that that day signalled the time of the Fathers when Ephraim would no longer be jealous, nor harass (and kill) Judah, and Judah would no longer harass (and kill) Ephraim. (Isaiah 11:13)

Midst the patch of sun on Parker Street, it was that very day for me.

To All Israel

Awake and Hear what the God of Israel has declared!!!