News Letter 5849-059
19th day of the 13th month 5849 years after the creation of Adam
The 13th Month in the Fourth year of the Third Sabbatical Cycle
The Third Sabbatical Cycle of the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Earthquakes Famines, and Pestilences
March 22, 2014
Shabbat Shalom,
We have one announcement to give those of you who have been asking about Shavuot in Israel this year. My friend Marsh Dumlao, along with another friend, Avi ben Mordechai, are working together to host another tour of the land. Israel in June is beautiful and green and just awesome. Please contact Marsh or Avi and have the trip of a lifetime. Also know we are planning on keeping the Feast of Sukkot in Israel in 2016 for the Sabbatical year. This will be a challenging feast as we keep the Sabbatical Year from Aviv 1, 2016 to Aviv 1, 2017. Start saving your shekels – we hope to see you there.
Shavuot in Israel with Avi ben Mordechai
Shalom Chaverim,
This year – 2014, If you are considering a journey to Eretz Israel, consider coming for Shavuot with Avi ben Mordechai. As always, our programs are packed with plenty of value. This years events – from June 3 to June 16 include:
– Le’il Shavuot in Jerusalem – 8:30PM to 4:30AM attending all-night biblical studies and lectures from the minds of some of Jerusalem’s sharpest rabbis and scholars, giving you a “hands-on” look into understanding Yeshua’s parable of the “Ten Virgins” of Matthew 25.
– Two hour relaxing Jordan River rafting with some exhilarating white waters possible.
– One hour Sea of Galilee sailing experience late in the afternoon towards sunset.
– All day Jeep safari truck back-country ride to four major “off-the-beaten-path” archaeological sites in the Western Judean Hills and the Coastal Plain.
– All day Herodium and Tekoa studies on location with Jewish historian Bruce Brill.
– Two-hour hike to the brow of the hill of Gamla to determine if perhaps this place is the real Nazareth and hometown of Yeshua!
– Short (40 minutes round trip) hike to the cave and actual water spring where Eliyahu confronted the prophets of Ba’al – 1 Kings 18:33-35. Then, a hike to the Brook Kishon for a location study where a mass execution was done according to 1 Kings 18:40.
All this and so much more for Shavuot 2014.
For complete details go to www.cominghome.co.il and click on the Shavuot 2014 graphic link at the bottom of the page OR go to www.torahonlocation.com and click in the menu on Featured Event.
Would love to see you here this year, if possible. Pray about it to find out if this program is right for you!
Avinoam ben Mordechai
Israeli State Licensed Tour Guide # 10237
cominghome@cominghome.co.il
Shavuot in Ohio
I want you all to know I will not be on the above tour. I will be speaking to a group during Shavuot in Ohio, presenting 6 teachings during these few days. So if you are in the area and want to learn about Shavuot and the coming blood moons, the wars and famine they warn us of, then come out and spend Shavuot with us in Ohio.
Shavuot Weekend 2014 is June 6-8, 2014. We will hold our annual Shavuot campout weekend with fellowship and teaching.
Joseph Dumond of sightedmoon.com and author of Prophesies of Abraham, Remembering the Sabbatical Years, and the soon to be released book – The 2300 Days of Hell will be our speaker for the weekend.
The grounds will open at 2 pm on Friday with a Shared Supper at 6 pm followed with Josephs’s Opening Session at 7:30 pm. We will have teaching sessions on Shabbat and Shavuot as well as plenty of time for fellowship. The main meals (lunch on Shabbat and Shavuot) will be shared meals as well.
You are welcome to camp on the grounds, stay in a local motel, or commute.
We will be taking up a love offering.
RSVP by Friday, May 23, 2014 by e-mailing info@yaakovsflock.org or calling 740-666-0930. Feel free to contact us for more information or with questions.
More About The Speaker:
Joseph Dumond has been speaking publicly about the Sabbatical and Jubilee Cycles since August of 2005. On his website, he published a series of Newsletters which were later turned into his first book entitled “The Prophecies of Abraham” which deals specifically with the patterns recorded in the Patriarch’s lives based on the Sabbatical and Jubilee’s Cycles in history.
Since then, he has gone on to write “Remembering the Sabbatical Years of 2016” which was released in 2013. This book deals with every objection and question about the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. Joseph is about to release his latest literary work entitled “The 2300 Days of Hell” which will deal specifically with the “covenant made with many,” “The 2 Witnesses,” “the 2300 days of Daniel 8,” “Daniel 9:24-27” and “the 1260, 1290, & 1335 Days of Daniel 12” all of which can only be understood by understanding the Sabbatical and Jubilee year cycles and the Holy Days of Leviticus 23. This book also repeatedly warns of the harm coming soon to the Saints.
Joseph’s passion is this work. He has been shown these patterns and how they have affected Israel the people, both houses – Judah and Ephraim – as Scripture records right up to our modern day as to how they will impact our future. He has worked tirelessly to promote these teachings to present to unsuspecting Ephramitic and Judaic millions who have no idea what is about to be unleashed upon them, because they have not kept the Sabbatical Cycle nor the Covenant they agreed to at Mount Sinai. Judgment does, indeed, begin in the Household of Yehovah.
Joseph resides near Toronto, Canada with his wife of 36 years and has 3 grown children and 2 grandchildren.
The Crimean Situation and what is going on in plain site-Nazism
Before we begin this weeks teaching, I have to tell you about what is going on with the Crimean Peninsula and the Ukraine and Russian forces.
President Obama has stated publicly that President Putin is on the wrong side of history. So I first wanted to check that out and see if he was correct. I have learned that, once again, President Obama is not telling the truth, much like the Benghazi fiasco. As you read this history, please take special note of the many times Germany is involved and consider why they are. Also note just where Germany is in relation to Crimea. So what is going on?
The history of the Crimean peninsula expands more than 2,000 years with many different conquerors and settlers throughout time. The Cimmerians, Greeks, Scythians, Goths, Huns, Bulgars, Khazars, the state of Kievan Rus’, Byzantine Greeks, Romans, Kipchaks, Ottoman Turks, Golden HordeTatars and the Mongols all controlled Crimea in its early history. In the 13th century, it was partly controlled by the Venetians and by the Genovese; they were followed by the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire in the 15th to 18th centuries; the Russian Empire in the 18th to 20th centuries; the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and later the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union. In 1991 it became part of independent Ukraine, as the Autonomous Republic Crimea together with the city of Sevastopol.
The Tatars were the predominant portion of the population in the mountainous area and about half of the steppe population. Russians were concentrated most heavily in Feodosiya district. Germans and Bulgarians settled in the Crimea at the beginning of 19th century, receiving a large allotment and fertile land and later wealthy colonists began to buy land, mainly in Perekopsky and Evpatoria uyezds.
(Are you taking note of the fact that Germans settled into the area in the 19th century? This is a moment you need to begin to think about.)
Crimean War
The Crimean War (1853–1856), a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Duchy of Nassau, was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining Ottoman Empire. While some of the war was fought elsewhere, the principal engagements were in Crimea.
(The Kingdom of Sardninia was a northern state of what is now Italy and the Duchy of Nassau was one of the German states before Bismark unified the country.)
Following action in the Danubian Principalities and in the Black Sea, allied troops landed in Crimea in September 1854 and besieged the city of Sevastopol, home of the Tsar’s Black Sea Fleet and the associated threat of potential Russian penetration into the Mediterranean. After extensive fighting throughout Crimea, the city fell on 9 September 1855.
The war devastated much of the economic and social infrastructure of Crimea. The Crimean Tatars had to flee from their homeland en masse, forced by the conditions created by the war, persecution and land expropriations. Those who survived the trip, famine and disease, resettled in Dobruja, Anatolia, and other parts of the Ottoman Empire. Finally, the Russian government decided to stop the process, as the agriculture began to suffer due to the unattended fertile farmland.
The Crimean War (pronounced /kra??mi??n/ or /kr??mi??n/) (October 1853 – February 1856)[7][8]:7 was a conflict in which Russia lost to an alliance of France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia. While neutral, the Austrian Empire also played a role in stopping the Russians.
The immediate issue involved the rights of Christians in the Holy Land, which was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. The French promoted the rights of Catholics, while Russia promoted those of the Orthodox. The longer-term causes involved the decline of the Ottoman Empire, and the unwillingness of Britain and France to allow Russia to gain territory and power at Ottoman expense. Russia lost and the Ottomans gained a twenty-year respite from Russian pressure. The Christians were granted a degree of official equality and the Orthodox gained control of the Christian churches in dispute.[9]:415Russia survived, gained a new appreciation for its religious diversity, and launched a reform program with far-reaching consequences.[10]
Russia and the Ottoman Empire went to war in October 1853 over Russia’s rights to protect Orthodox Christians. Russia gained the upper hand after destroying the Ottoman fleet at the Black Sea port of Sinope; to stop Russia’s conquest, France and Britain entered in March 1854. Most of the fighting took place for control of the Black Sea, with land battles on the Crimean peninsula in southern Russia. The Russians held their great fortress at Sevastopol for over a year. After it fell, a peace was arranged at Paris in March 1856. The religion issue had already been resolved. The main results were that the Black Sea was neutralised—Russia would not have any warships there—and the two vassals Wallachia and Moldavia became largely independent under nominal Ottoman rule.
(Here we have a key bit of information about neutralizing the Russian fleet at Sevastopol to prevent Russia from having any influence in the Mediterranean Sea. What I am about to show you is that Germany is doing the exact same thing again in 2014)
Crimea in the Russian Civil War: 1917–1921
Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, the military and political situation in Crimea was chaotic like that in much of Russia. During the ensuing Russian Civil War, Crimea changed hands numerous times and was for a time a stronghold of the anti-Bolshevik White Army. It was in Crimea that the White Russians led by General Wrangel made their last stand against Nestor Makhno and the Red Army in 1920. When resistance was crushed, many of the anti-Communist fighters and civilians escaped by ship to Istanbul.
Crimea changed hands several times over the course of the conflict and several political entities were set up on the peninsula. These included:
- Crimean People’s Republic — December 1917–January 1918 — Crimean Tatar government
- Taurida Soviet Socialist Republic — 19 March 1918 – 30 April 1918 — Bolshevik government
- German and Ukrainian People’s Republic occupation — May 1918–June 1918
- First Crimean Regional Government — 25 June 1918 – 25 November 1918 — German puppet state under Lipka Tatar General Maciej (Suleyman) Sulkiewicz
- Second Crimean Regional Government — November 1918–April 1919 — Anti-Bolshevik government under Crimean Karaite former Kadet member Solomon Krym
- Crimean Socialist Soviet Republic — 2 April 1919–June 1919 — Bolshevik government
- South Russian Government — February 1920–April 1920 — Government of White movement’s General Anton Denikin
- Government of South Russia — April 1920 (officially, 16 August 1920)–16 November 1920 — Government of White movement’s General Pyotr Wrangel
- Bolshevik Revolutionary committee government — November 1920–18 October 1921 — Bolshevik government under Béla Kun (until 20 February 1921), then Mikhail Poliakov
- Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic — 18 October 1921 – 30 June 1945 — Autonomous republic of the RSFSR in the Soviet Union
Crimea in the Soviet Union: 1922–1991
Interbellum Soviet history
See also: Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist RepublicOn October 18, 1921, the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as part of the Russian SFSR which, in turn, became part of the new Soviet Union.[5] However, this did not protect the Crimean Tatars, who constituted about 25% of the Crimean population,[8] from Joseph Stalin’s repressions of the 1930s.[5] The Greeks were another cultural group that suffered. Their lands were lost during the process of collectivisation, in which farmers were not compensated with wages. Schools which taught Greek were closed and Greek literature was destroyed, because the Soviets considered the Greeks as “counter-revolutionary” with their links to capitalist state Greece, and their independent culture.[5]
Crimea experienced two severe famines in the 20th century, the Famine of 1921–1922 and the Holodomor of 1932–1933.[9] A large Slavic population influx occurred in the 1930s as a result of the Soviet policy of regional development. These demographic changes permanently altered the ethnic balance in the region.
World War II and ethnic deportations
During World War II, Crimea was a scene of some of the bloodiest battles. The leaders of the Third Reich were anxious to conquer and colonize the fertile and beautiful peninsula as part of their policy of resettling the Germans in Eastern Europe at the expense of the Slavs. The Germans suffered heavy casualties in the summer of 1941 as they tried to advance through the narrow Isthmus of Perekop linking Crimea to the Soviet mainland. Once the German army broke through (Operation Trappenjagd), they occupied most of Crimea, with the exception of the city of Sevastopol, which was later awarded the honorary title of Hero City after the war. The Red Army lost over 170,000 men killed or taken prisoner, and three armies (44th, 47th, and 51st) with twenty-one divisions.[10]
Sevastopol held out from October 1941 until 4 July 1942 when the Germans finally captured the city. From 1 September 1942, the peninsula was administered as the General bezirk Krim (general district of Crimea) und Teilbezirk (and sub-district) Taurien by the Nazi General kommissar Alfred Eduard Frauenfeld (1898–1977), under the authority of the three consecutive Reichs kommissare for the entire Ukraine. In spite of heavy-handed tactics by the Nazis and the assistance of the Romanian and Italian troops, the Crimean mountains remained an unconquered stronghold of the native resistance (the partisans) until the day when the peninsula was freed from the occupying force.
In 1944, Sevastopol came under the control of troops from the Soviet Union. The so-called “City of Russian Glory”, once known for its beautiful architecture, was entirely destroyed and had to be rebuilt stone by stone. Due to its enormous historical and symbolic meaning for the Russians, it became a priority for Stalin and the Soviet government to have it restored to its former glory within the shortest time possible.
On 18 May 1944, the entire population of the Crimean Tatars were forcibly deported in the “Sürgün” (Crimean Tatar for exile) to Central Asia by Joseph Stalin’s Soviet government as a form of collective punishment on the grounds that they had collaborated with the Nazi occupation forces.[3]:483 An estimated 46% of the deportees died from hunger and disease. On 26 June of the same year Armenian, Bulgarian and Greek population was also deported to Central Asia. By the end of summer 1944, the ethnic cleansing of Crimea was complete. In 1967, the Crimean Tatars were rehabilitated, but they were banned from legally returning to their homeland until the last days of the Soviet Union. The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished in 30 June 1945 and transformed into the Crimean Oblast (province) of the Russian SFSR.
Post-war Soviet history
On 19 February 1954, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree on the transfer of the Crimean region of the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. This Supreme Soviet Decree states that this transfer was motivated by “the commonality of the economy, the proximity, and close economic and cultural relations between the Crimean region and the Ukrainian SSR”.[11]
In post-war years, Crimea thrived as a tourist destination, with new attractions and sanatoriums for tourists. Tourists came from all around the Soviet Union and neighbouring countries, particularly from the German Democratic Republic.[5] In time the peninsula also became a major tourist destination for cruises originating in Greece and Turkey. Crimea’s infrastructure and manufacturing also developed, particularly around the sea ports at Kerch and Sevastopol and in the oblast’s landlocked capital, Simferopol. Populations of Ukrainians and Russians alike doubled, with more than 1.6 million Russians and 626,000 Ukrainians living on the peninsula by 1989.[5]
Now we hear on the news of events in the Ukraine and do not give it any consideration because it is in another part of the world. But huge geo-politics are taking place and unless you know the history of this place and those involved you cannot understand the current situation. And by understanding biblical prophecy we can also see another huge event shaping up.
Once again, if you have not already watched the video on Assyria, please do so and then pay attention to what Germany is doing behind the scenes. To understand who Germany is also known as, please watch this video:
In the mid 1990’s, Yugoslavia fell apart and a number of new nations sprung out of it. Again, see the map above and the two articles linked here: Germany’s Conquest of the Balkans as well as: Yugoslavia is in fact the first victim of World War III.
It is now 2014, and Ukraine is involved in an uprising, with rioting in the streets as the rioters seek to oust the Government. In the following picture I want you to take special note of the red and black flags, as well as those with the three fingers. Notice also the European flags as well as the red ones with white writing on them. Why are there so many flags when this is supposed to be an uprising of the Ukrainian people? The other flags are also trying to oust the government but not for the Ukrainian people.
The black, white and red colors of the Nazi flag – the red and black colors were said to represent Blut and Boden (blood and soil). Black, white and red were, in fact, the colors of the old North German Confederation flag (made by Otto von Bismarck, based on the Prussian colors black and white, blended with the red and white of the medieval Hanse cities.) In 1871, with the foundation of the German Reich, the flag of the North German Confederation became the German Reichs flagge (Reich’s flag). Black, white, and red subsequently became the colors of the nationalists (e.g. during WWI and the Weimarer Republik).
Watch this BBC video and see just how the Nazi machine is working in Kiev, just as the brown shirts did before WW II. Remember our video on Assyria? Do you recall that the symbol of the SS was the double lightning symbol?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SBo0akeDMY#t=31
After admitting that the West backed literal Nazis in the armed overthrow of a democratically elected government in Kiev, the BBC then accused Russia and, in particular President Vladimir Putin’s defense of what is left of Ukraine, as a “Hitler-style land grab,” presents unparalleled deceit, and perhaps even desperation from the Western media.
One must wonder what else the West would expect Russia to do directly along its own borders, when the media itself admits Nazis have overrun the Ukrainian capital (with the West’s assistance). Also consider the disastrous toll Russia paid during World War II when last they crossed paths with Adolf Hitler’s toxic Nazi ideology. It is believed that 20 to 30 million Russians died in that struggle; perplexing the mind that the West would now condemn Russia for minding the lessons of history. Russia is standing up against Nazism yet again before it is able to find a foothold from which to exact another historically tragic toll upon humanity.
Based on the history of this area, Germany is trying to cut off the Russian fleet from being a thorn in Germany’s Eastern flank as they go on to take control over the entirety of the Mediterranean Sea. This will prevent Russia from having access to the Mediterranean Sea. Russia has her one warm-water fleet at Sevastopol in the Crimean Peninsula. These are huge geo-political events with huge stakes at risk; and yes, this is WW III at work with Germany on the move. These events, seemingly insignificant to us in the West, are huge. Pay attention, now that you understand what is at stake.
The ‘Zeroah’ of YHWH
by Chad Wilhelm
Isaiah 40:1-26 is the first of seven “Haftorahs of Consolation,” an ancient sage teaching that coincides with the seven consecutive Shabbats that lead up to Yom Teruah, [“Feast of Trumpets” (Leviticus 23:24)] or also commonly called “Rosh Hashanah.” The Haftorahs are taken out of the book of Isaiah and are read along with the Torah portions from the book of Deuteronomy starting in Chapter 3:23 and ending in Chapter 30:20. In the Haftorah reading of Isaiah 40:1-26, commonly called “Shabbat Nachamu,” which means the “Sabbath of Consolation/Comfort,” we read the following passage:
Isa 40:10 “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.”
In the Tanakh it looks like this in the Hebrew:
More on the Hebrew text in a moment… Keying in on the English translation of Isaiah 40:10, let’s take a look at the words “the Lord GOD” and “his arm shall rule for him.” The Lord GOD in our English Bibles actually comes from the Hebrew words ???? (Adonai = ‘Lord’) and ???? (the four letter name of the Almighty, which is usually translated as LORD or GOD in English is ‘YHWH’=‘Y’od – ‘H’ey – ‘V’av – ‘H’ey, ‘Yahweh’). When it is written as Adonai YHWH, rest assured that this is the name of Our Heavenly Father. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at the second set of words: “his arm shall rule for him.” Breaking down this set of words, and what we have learned from the first set, we can see that our Heavenly Father’s arm shall rule for him. What does this mean? The Hebrew word for our English word ‘arm’ in this Scripture is ????? “v’zeroah” which comes from the word ???? ([H2220] ‘zeroah.’ However, what does it mean? The symbolism here is a picture of strength. The BDB (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon) defines the word ‘zeroah’ as:
1) arm, forearm, shoulder, strength
1a) arm
1b) arm (as symbol of strength)
1c) forces (political and military)
1d) shoulder (of animal sacrificed)
If we study out this Hebrew word ‘zeroah’ at the literal interpretative level of Scripture, the ‘arm of YHWH’ or ‘zeroah’ is a metaphor for the power of YHWH. At the hidden level of scripture, it is a metaphor for the Messiah, who is the mediator of the mighty acts of YHWH — creation, judgment, and salvation. The Heavenly Father is the master designer and absolute cause of all things, and the Messiah is the one who mediates the will of the Heavenly Father. At the hidden level of Scripture, statements that YHWH did something with a “strong hand (Hebrew= ‘yad’) and an outstretched arm (‘zeroah’)” teaches us that He (YHWH) did it through the Messiah. When we understand this concept, the Tanakh teaches us that Messiah is the mediator of creation, judgment, and salvation. Here are a few interesting Scriptures that this Hebrew word ‘zeroah’, which is translated into English as ‘arm’, can be found:
Jer 32:17 Ah Lord GOD (Adonai YHWH) ! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
The Scripture above relates to the creation account. YHWH is using His arm or ‘zeroah’ to create the heaven and the earth. Perhaps this is what the Apostle Paul was commenting on when he said:
Col 1:16 For through him (Messiah Yahshua) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created through him (Yahshua), and for him:
Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God (the Father), who created all things through Jesus Christ (Messiah Yahshua):
Continuing on, do we see the ‘zeroah’ or ‘arm’ of YHWH performing redemption or salvation?
Exo 6:6 “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD (YHWH), and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:”
Psa 77:15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
Again, the ‘arm’ or ‘zeroah’ of YHWH redeems His people, Israel. Is there any Scripture to validate the ‘arm’ of YHWH judging or punishing the nations or the people of Israel?
Isa 51:5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and my arm shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
Isa 30:30 And the LORD (YHWH) shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down (punishment) of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.
Again, we have seen from just a few selected Scriptures how our Heavenly Father uses His ‘arm’ or ‘zeroah’ to execute judgment, to bring forth redemption, or to bring creation into being. Interestingly enough, there is much to be said about the ‘zeroah’ within the first feast of YHWH – Pesach (Passover). In the annual Passover Seder, one of the components of the Seder is the shank bone of a lamb. The shank bone commemorates the lamb that was slain during the original Passover when the Israelites left Egypt. This shank bone is also called the ‘zeroah’, and because of this, the Passover lamb is equated to the ‘zeroah’. Remembering that the definition of ‘zeroah’ meant arm (as a symbol of strength), what can we conclude from the following passage from the prophet Isaiah?
Isa 53:1-6 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Who is the “he” or “him” in the Isaiah passage? It appears that the ‘zeroah’ is more than just a literal arm. Let’s take this same Scripture and fill it up with deeper meaning:
Isa 53:1-6 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm (‘zeroah’) of the LORD (YHWH) revealed? For he (Messiah Yahshua) shall grow up before him (YHWH) as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he (Yahshua) hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him (Yahshua), there is no beauty that we should desire him (Yahshua). He (Yahshua) is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him (Yahshua); he (Yahshua) was despised, and we esteemed him (Yahshua) not. Surely he (Yahshua) hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him (Yahshua) stricken, smitten of God (YHWH), and afflicted. But he (Yahshua) was wounded for our transgressions, he (Yahshua) was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him (Yahshua); and with his (Yahshua) stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD (YHWH) hath laid on him (Yahshua) the iniquity of us all.
Even the sages of old agree that the ‘zeroah’, or “Arm” of YHWH, speaks uniquely of the Messiah. What they do not agree on, however, is just who the Messiah is. For those of us whom the Father has revealed this passage to, we can see that the ‘arm’ of our Heavenly Father is His Son, Messiah Yahshua. Our Heavenly Father laid on His only begotten Son, Messiah Yahshua, the iniquity of us all. Perhaps this is what Isaiah meant when he said:
Isa 52:10 The LORD (YHWH) hath made bare (revealed) his holy arm (‘zeroah’ = The Messiah) in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation (Yeshua) of our God (Elohim).
John, the disciple of Messiah Yahshua, had similar words to say in this passage:
Joh 12:37-41 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, YHWH, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord (YHWH) been revealed [Isa 53:1]? Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
According to John, the disciple of Messiah Yahshua, Isaiah SAW the glory of YHWH – that being His Son, Messiah Yahshua! Isaiah did speak of Messiah Yahshua as we have just read Isaiah 53 which was written well before Messiah came to fulfill this prophecy. Turning back to our original Scripture (Isa 40:10) and keying in on what we have learned, we can conclude the following: That our Heavenly Father will send His Son, Messiah Yahshua, who will bring the reward of the Father with him and Messiah Yahshua has been given the authority from the Father to rule and reign. Does this statement line up with the following Scriptures?
Mat 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
[Matthew is quoting a scripture from Micah 5:2]
Eze 20:33-34 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
(This is a prophecy concerning the second coming of Messiah.)
Rev 19:15 And out of his (Yahshua) mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he (Yahshua) should smite the nations: and he (Yahshua) shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he (Yahshua) treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Our Heavenly Father).
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I (Yahshua) received (rulership) of my Father.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God (the Father) and of Christ (Messiah), and shall reign with him (Messiah Yahshua) a thousand years.
1Co 15:24-28 Then cometh the end, when he (Yahshua) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he (Yahshua) shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he (Yahshua) must reign, till he (Yahshua) hath put all enemies under his (Yahshua’s) feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him (Yahshua), then shall the Son (Yahshua) also himself be subject unto him (Heavenly Father) that put all things under him (Yahshua), that God (Heavenly Father) may be all in all.
(Messiah will rule and reign for a set time until all enemies are under his feet (Psalm 110); then he will be subject to the rule and reign of the Heavenly Father)
The underlying theme in this Haftorah passage is clear: Chad’s Version (CVB)
Isa 40:10 “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his Son, Messiah Yahshua shall rule for his Heavenly Father- Almighty YHWH (Rev 20:4): behold, the Heavenly Father’s reward (or payment) is with his Son, Messiah Yahshua (Rev 22:12), and his work before him.” (CVB)
Our Heavenly Father will send his Son Messiah Yeshua, a second time, to console and redeem Israel. He will return as Moshiach Ben David – executing judgment and justice on the ungodly (Jude 1:14-16) and bringing the reward of salvation unto those who believe and practice righteousness (Rev 14:12). These are comforting words to those who love and embrace our Heavenly Father – His Word and His Son, Messiah Yahshua, who is the ‘zeroah’ of YHWH!
Psa 98:1 A Psalm. “O sing unto the LORD (YHWH) a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.”
Shalom Aleichem~
I would like to add a little more to what Chad has shared with you. I want you to understand something. Two weeks ago we shared with you the article “What is the Gospel?” In it we showed you how Israel and Judah were married to Yehovah. “Betrothed” is actually a more accurate word here. It means they were engaged; and as such, as good as married.
Yehovah gave Israel a bill of divorce, but not to Judah. Again, this is the parable of the prodigal son. The older brother who was always at home is Judah and the rebellious son who went away whoring around is Israel. This is us. Because we have worshiped other gods we have committed adultery, the same as idolatry. Because of this and because of Yehovah’s own law that says a man cannot re-marry his wife if she has gone into another man; once he divorced her, Yehovah could not take us back even though He wanted to.
In the book of Hosea is the story of a man who searches out his adulterous wife and takes her back. It is about Yehovah wanting to take back Israel.
Last year I wrote you an article entitled I am Yehovah and beside me there is no saviour – this is your wake up call. Please, you need to go back and read this again. When we say the Shema, do we believe it or do we make excuses or exceptions?
Deu 6:4 Hear, O, Israel. Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. 5 And you shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
The constellation of Aries is pictured by a ram, or lamb, full of vigor and life; not falling in death as CAPRICORNUS is.
In the Denderah Zodiac its name is Tametouris Ammon, which means the reign, dominion, or government of Ammon. The lamb’s head is without horns, and is crowned with a circle.
The Hebrew name is Taleh, the lamb. The Arabic name is Al Hamal, the sheep, gentle, merciful. This name has been mistakenly given by some to the principal star, a. The Syriac name is Amroo, as in the Syriac New Testament in John 1:29 “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” The ancient Akkadian name wasBara-ziggar. Bar means altar, or sacrifice; and ziggar means right making; so that the full name would be the sacrifice of righteousness.
There are 66 stars in this sign, one being of the 2nd magnitude, two of the 4th, etc.
Its chief star, a (in the forehead), is named El Nath, or El Natik, which means wounded, slain. The next, b (in the left horn), is called Al Sheratan, the bruised, the wounded. The next g (near to b), is called Mesarim (Hebrew),the bound.
How is it there is no conflicting voice? How is it that all the stars unite in one harmonious voice in testifying of the Lamb of God, slain, and bruised, but yet living for evermore, singing together, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev 5:12)
The arm (shank) or “Zeroah” of Yehovah is also known as Yehshua. In the constellation of Aries, you see this arm/shank called Yehshua reaching out to grasp the two ribbons that hold the two fish. The one fish going up is Israel; the one going East is Judah. The Zeroah, the strong arm of the Lamb, known to us today as Yehshua, is all part of the body of Yehovah. They are one and the same.
The constellation of Aries is taking possession of the Two Houses of Israel- away from the Beast, Satan.
Isa 51:9 Awake! awake! Put on strength, O arm (Zeroah) of Jehovah. Awake! as in the days of old, in the generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab into pieces, piercing the sea-monster?
Isa 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm (Zeroah) of Jehovah revealed?
The word “Zeroah” means “arm” or “shoulder” and means strength. Again, look at the constellation of Aries. Are there two gods there? No there is one; Yehovah is one God.
Do you recall the passage above in Isaiah 53:1 that asks, “…to whom is the arm (zeroah) of the Yehovah revealed?”
From this question we understand that the zeroah is not readily seen and comprehended, unless it is ‘revealed,’ that is, unless the Spirit of Yehovah reveals its identity.
So let’s summarize what we have seen:
- The Zeroah is the ‘He’ who was wounded because our transgressions of Torah, according to Isaiah 53:5.
- The Zeroah is the ‘He’ by whose stripes, or wounds, we are healed and made whole, according to Isaiah 53:5.
- The Zeroah is the ‘Him’ upon whom Yehovah has laid the iniquity of us all, according to Isaiah 53:6.
- The Zeroah is the commemoration ‘Remembrance’ of the Passover Lamb, whose blood on the doorpost brought deliverance from death of the first-born of Israel, according to Exodus 12:1-14, at Passover.
- The Zeroah is the Lamb slain at Passover.
- The Zeroah is the Lamb slain as a Sacrifice, whose blood effected reconciliation or remission of sins, according to Leviticus 16:15-16 and 2 Chronicles 29:24.
- The Zeroah is the Messiah, according to the sages of old.
Now we ask again: To whom is the arm (zeroah) of Yehovah revealed?
“Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is Yehovah; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” – Isaiah 25:9
The word for Salvation is H3444
???????
yesh-oo’-aw
Feminine passive participle of H3467; something saved, that is, (abstractly) deliverance; hence aid, victory, prosperity: – deliverance, health, help (-ing), salvation, save, saving (health), welfare.For I am Yehovah your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior… – Isaiah 43:3
“You are My witnesses,” says Yehovah, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am Yehovah, And besides Me there is no Savior. – Isaiah 43:10-11
The word Savior here is H3467
????
yaw-shah’
A primitive root; properly to be open, wide or free, that is, (by implication) to be safe; causatively to free or succor: – X at all, avenging, defend, deliver (-er), help, preserve, rescue, be safe, bring (having) salvation, save (-iour), get victory.
Read these verses again. Besides Yehovah THERE IS NO SAVIOR. So who is Yehshua?
Thus says Yehovah: “…They will plead with you, saying: ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides Him.’” Truly, you are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior. All of them are put to shame and confounded; the makers of idols go in confusion together. But Israel is saved by Yehovah with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity. For thus says Yehovah, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; He did not create it empty, He formed it to be inhabited!): “I am Yehovah, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I Yehovah speak the truth; I declare what is right. “Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save. Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, Yehovah? And there is no other god besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; from My mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’ – Isaiah 45:14-23
“Yet I am Yehovah your God ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no Savior besides Me.” – Hosea 13:4
To whom will you liken Me and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be alike? …for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, …I bring near My righteousness; it is not far off, and My salvation will not delay; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory.” – Isaiah 46:5,9,13
For My own sake, for My own sake, I do it, for how should My Name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. “Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am He; I am the first, and I am the last. – Isaiah 48:11-12
Isa 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation.
“Yehovah is my Salvation” means “Yehovah is my Yehshua.”
Yehshua means “Yehovah is Salvation.”
It is Yehovah who died for you on the tree at Passover in 31 C.E. Your betrothed husband died so He could rise from the grave and now re-marry you. Yehovah who, by His strength of His arm, His Zeroah, has given His life for you. What did Yehshua say about “no greater love is this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Joh 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
Who has believed the report seen in Isaiah 53 — the astonishing news or tidings presented?
To those who have believed the report, the Zeroah Of Yehovah reveals Messiah Himself in the Passover seder, as it points to Messiah as Yehovah Himself, who is seen in the Isaiah 53 passages as the Passover Lamb. He is the Sacrificial Lamb whose blood has bought remission of sins, for all who would believe the report, and receive Him.
To those who have not yet believed the report, the Zeroah remains in the Passover seder as a memorial of the One who, in a figure, is looking up from the seder plate, continuing to yearn after His people, awaiting the day the lights go on.
Until then, let us continue to keep the Passover. Let us do this in remembrance of Him, the Zeroah of Yehovah, the Passover Lamb, whose blood on our own doorpost delivers us from death if we keep the commandments!
Triennial Tanach Cycle
Gen 30 1 Sam 16-17 Ps 64 Mark 7:24-8:38
Jacob’s Strange Deal (Genesis 30:25-43)
Verse 25 of chapter 30 begins a peculiar story that very few seem to understand. But understanding Jacob’s reasoning in his strange deal with Laban can help us to better see Jacob’s character development.
Jacob had served Laban 14 years. Now he wished to depart and return to his father in Canaan. Laban, however, was eager to have Jacob remain, for God had blessed everything Jacob did while in Laban’s household, and Laban had grown rich. “Name me your wages, and I will give it,” Laban said (verse 28), hoping to entice Jacob to stay. “You shall not give me anything,” Jacob replied. This is essential to understand, for an inattentive reading of the story can make it seem as if Jacob separated the colored and spotted sheep from Laban’s flock and took them for his payment. He most emphatically did not. Jacob took out the colored and spotted sheep and gave them to Laban, whose sons took them away a distance of three days’ journey (verse 36). This left Jacob with only the pure white sheep.
The last clause of verse 32, “and these shall be my wages,” is a little confusing. The Hebrew literally says, “it shall be [i.e., in the future] my wages.” Jacob was not saying that the spotted and colored sheep he removed from the flock would be his wages. Instead, “You shall not give me anything,” were Jacob’s words. The spotted and colored sheep were given to the sons of Laban, who drove them three days’ journey away. Instead, Jacob was saying that in the future any spotted or colored sheep born in the flock that Jacob would tend would be his wages. But this seemed impossible to Laban—Jacob was left with only the white sheep! How could white sheep bear spotted and colored sheep? That is why Laban so hastily agreed to the deal: “Oh, that it were according to your word!” (verse 34).
Now, the beginning of verse 33 is most important. “So my righteousness will answer for me in the time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you….” This telling declaration marks a profound advancement in Jacob’s character development. When Jacob arrived in Padan Aram he was a grasping manipulator who relied upon his own innate abilities and craft to obtain what he wanted. But 14 years of service for Laban—during which Laban consistently outwitted him, and during which God blessed him in all that he did—had produced a change in Jacob. He had now progressed to the point where he relied upon his righteous conduct to secure blessings and prosperity from God. That is a dramatic change of heart, a major development in right character!
Verse 37 begins the equally odd business of the poplar, almond and chestnut branches. Many commentators suggest some kind of magic practice, or that the peeled rods were intended to cause the sheep to imitate the partly colored rods by bringing forth partly colored sheep. Yet this is certainly not what Jacob was engaged in here. Notice verse 38: “And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.” The word “conceive” is translated from the Hebrew yacham, literally meaning “to be hot,” and which, when speaking of animals, can mean “to be in heat.” By peeling the fresh cut rods (verse 37), Jacob caused the sap-filled meat of the rods to be exposed, thus possibly allowing the sap of the rods to mingle with the water in the watering troughs. Perhaps he believed this additive in the water would help to bring the animals to heat. It has also been suggested that the peeled rods were used as a sort of corralling fence, set up when the flocks came to drink to keep them together longer for mating. Verses 41-42 also inform us that Jacob practiced selective breeding, ensuring that the best of the flock would be subject to his treatment of the water.
But all this did not produce the spotted and colored sheep. These actions only aided Jacob in selecting which sheep would breed at what time. God caused the unusual coloration of the sheep. As Jacob said: “My righteousness will answer for me.” The production of colored sheep was God’s response to Jacob’s righteousness. Indeed, we later find out that Laban, seeing the results, kept changing the deal about which sheep Jacob would get—and, in every case, God followed suit with the coloration of sheep produced. Jacob explained to his wives: “God did not allow [Laban] to hurt me. If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked. So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me” (31:7-9).
Jacob had matured tremendously while in service to Laban. He had moved away from his grasping, manipulative ways and had come to the point where he understood that prosperity and protection are dependent on righteous conduct before God. And for that, God rewarded and prospered him. Jacob’s character, however, was to be further developed.
David Anointed and Saul Rejected (1 Samuel 16)
The search for a new king begins appropriately enough in Bethlehem, meaning “House of Bread,” for out of David’s lineage would spring the Messiah, the true bread from heaven (16:1-4; Micah 5:2; John 6:58). Bethlehem had been the town of Ruth and Boaz. Indeed, Jesse and his family were their direct descendants.
Young David was a man after God’s own heart, who, unlike Saul, would perform all of God’s will (Acts 13:22; Psalm 40:8). The fact that God sought those who would serve Him with all their heart was well known (12:20; 13:14; Deuteronomy 6:5). We would do well to emulate this desired quality in our own lives by studying David’s relationship with God.
The name David means “Beloved.” His name is mentioned more than a thousand times in the Scriptures. David as shepherd (1 Samuel 16:11) was a picture of Yeshua Messiah. First of all, Yeshua is the Good Shepherd who gives His life for the sheep (John 10:11; Psalm 22). Secondly, Yeshua is the Great Shepherd who rules from heaven interceding with the Father for us (Hebrews 13:20; Psalm 23). And finally, Yeshua is the Chief Shepherd who brings the Kingdom of God, rewarding His own (1 Peter 5:4; Isaiah 40:11; Psalm 80:1).
David was anointed, i.e. set apart for a special purpose, by Samuel (1 Samuel 16:13). Actually, this was the first of three anointings of David revealed in the Scriptures. You can read of the second anointing that takes place on the occasion of David assuming the kingship of Judah in 2 Samuel 2:4. And he is later anointed king of all Israel in 2 Samuel 5:3.
Saul, on the other hand, is rejected by God. The departure of God’s Spirit leaves him in a terrible spiritual, mental and emotional state. God’s Holy Spirit helps people to maintain sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). And to start with, Saul was a man who exhibited weakness in his character, such as needing the approval of men (1 Samuel 15:30). The removal of God’s Spirit only made things worse.
Amazingly, David a talented shepherd boy, had already achieved notoriety at a young age, not only for his musical ability, but also for his fighting skills (verse 18). He was a levelheaded, handsome young man with a pleasing personality—a natural to be chosen to perform in the court of the king. Saul immediately took to David with a real affection, making him his armor-bearer. David’s performance of soothing music on the harp was able to settle and refresh the disturbed state of Saul’s mind.
The Philistine Champion (1 Samuel 17:1-30)
In chapter 17 we will read about David’s great courage and faith in facing Goliath, the giant. The Philistines were forever taunting their neighbors the Israelites. The Philistines were in a superior position to the Israelites in trade and technology. One way the Philistines tried to keep the Israelites subservient was by their monopoly on instruments of iron. While the iron age had come to the Philistines, the Israelites were only able to manufacture implements made of the softer bronze. The ability to forge iron weapons gave the Philistines a decided military advantage over the Israelites.
On top of that, here comes Goliath of Gath, a one-man army who, at 9 feet 9 inches, would dwarf even the tallest of today’s professional basketball players! It is interesting that Goliath is mentioned as being from Gath. When the Israelites first came to the Promised Land, they encountered giants throughout it: “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33). Most of them, however, were wiped out by Joshua: “And at that time Joshua came and cut off the Anakim from the mountains: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities” (Joshua 11:21). But notice the next verse: “None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod” (verse 22). So this unusual lineage remained in these three Philistine cities only—and Goliath, 400 years later, was from Gath. Moreover, he was, we will later find out, not the only giant from that area (see 2 Samuel 21:15-22; 1 Chronicles 20:4-8).
The Hebrew expression translated “champion” in verse 4 literally means “a man who is a go-between.” Goliath offered a one-on-one, man-to-man, winner-take-all challenge to the Israelites. There were no takers. Though Saul was head and shoulders above his own people, he was certainly no match for Goliath. This presented seemingly impossible odds that virtually checkmated the king of Israel.
Three of David’s oldest brothers were among the fighting men on the battlefront. Young David’s responsibilities included keeping the sheep back home with an occasional trip to the front lines to bring supplies to his brothers and their leaders. Every day, morning and evening, for nearly six weeks, Goliath would come out and defy Israel to accept his challenge (verse 16). It frightened the wits out of the Israelite soldiers.
Then, one day, David happened to be there to hear Goliath’s challenge. What really got to David was the blasphemous reproach brought on the armies of the living God (verse 26). The word “uncircumcised” was a clear indication that the Philistines were not in a covenant relationship with the living God as the Israelites were. Goliath was the enemy of God’s people. David immediately recognized that it was wrong to allow this situation to continue.
David believed it was necessary to intervene at this momentous time. It was not a matter of pride or vainglory on his part. His motives were selfless, yet he had to endure the criticisms of his brothers (verse 28).
Psalm 64
In Psalm 64, last in the group of four psalms here, David prays for protection from those plotting against him and meditates on the sudden judgment that awaits the wicked.
The rebels “encourage themselves” by scheming and coming up with the “perfect plan” (compare verses 5-6). By saying that the inward thought and heart of man are “deep” (verse 6), David seems to be saying that they are hidden deep down where no one would see, following the question in verse 5. But Someone does see. The Nelson Study Bible states: “The arrogance of the wicked in their plots against the righteous is a continuing theme in the Psalms (Ps. 9;10; 12). Who will see [they think to themselves]: The wicked do not know, or do not care, that there is One who sees (73:11), and who will repay (75:7)” (note on Psalm 64:5-6). Jeremiah quoted God as saying: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:9-10).
Indeed, David believes that God will punish the wicked based on the principle of just retribution. Their “arrows” or “bitter words” (verses 3-4) God will shoot back at them (verse 7). “He will make them stumble over their own tongue” (verse 8) is not a reference to stuttering but that their own words will ultimately trip them up and bring them down. In essence, what they plan to do to others will “come back to bite them” and bring about their own downfall (compare Galatians 6:7).
This will be a lesson to all (Psalm 64:9). In addition to fearing God, they will “declare the work of God,” passing on to others what they have witnessed, and “wisely consider” what He has done (same verse). In light of God’s faithfulness, David in verse 10 encourages the godly to trust and rely on Him.
Mark 7:24-8:38
This portion opens with the event concerning the Greek woman who’s daughter had an unclean spirit who entreated Yeshua to heal her. His response was that He was to tend to the children of Israel first. The woman knew and understood His Words, but her response was one of such faith, understanding, and contriteness that He healed her daughter with just a word. The woman returned home to find her daughter well.
Yeshua then heals a deaf man who was also tongue-tied with simply some spittum and with His touch and command. His works were greatly published throughout the land that He made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak (fulfilling prophecy of The Messiah).
Yeshua again feeds a great mass of people with only seven loaves of bread and a few fish.
Following this, He and His disciples traveled by boat to parts of Dimanutha and the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, ‘trying Him’. He was greatly bothered by this because they were always asking Him for a sign, at this time, Yeshua denied them anything and He left them.
Yeshua and His disciples again entered the boat and Yeshua warns them about the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herodes. When the disciples thought Yeshua was speaking about bread, Yeshua was astonished at them and their lack of knowledge and understanding. He literally told them they were still hard of heart.
Yeshua heals a blind man so that he saw clearly, touching the man’s eyes two times.
Yeshua questions His disciples concerning His reputation, asking them, “who do men say that I am?” They answered Him all they had heard from the people. Then Yeshua asked them, “who do YOU say that I am?”
Kepha answered, “You are the Messiah.” Yeshua warned them to tell no one about Who He was. After that, He began to teach them that He has to suffer much, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days to rise again. Kepha responded in an argumentative fashion and was rebuked for it by Yeshua.
Yeshua called His taught ones near along with the crowd that was there and told them:
“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake, and follow Me.
For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for the sake of Me and the Good News, he shall save it.
For what shall it profit a man if he gains all the world, and loses his own life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinning generation, of him the Son of Adam also shall be ashamed when He comes in the esteem of His Father with the set-apart messengers.”
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