News Letter 5846-011
30th day of the 2nd month 5846 years after creation
The 2nd Month in of the first year of the third Sabbatical Year
The Third Sabbatical Year of the 119th Jubilee Cycle
It is now the now the 42nd day of Counting the Omer which began on Sunday April 4, 2010

May 15, 2010

Shabbat Shalom Brethren,

Last week I mentioned an article by Keith Johnson about the name of Yahovah. My friends at jewsandjoes.com have given me another great article on this subject. If this is of interest to you also and you would like to learn more (without arguing and fighting over the name of YHWH) then please read carefully what is said at http://jewsandjoes.com/yhvh-yhwh-ha-shem-the-great-name.html#hovah

Also last week, I was shown an article about Mother’s Day which is now a week late for most of you. I have posted it at, “Mothers Day and its Pagan Origins” and many of you need to know and understand what this “holiday” means. We must remove all the sacred cows in order to be a Holy People before Yahovah. No exceptions.

In our Newsletter last week I also mentioned the newest USA disaster, the Gulf Oil spill. I strongly urge you to watch the following eye witness account: http://webfans.com/faithcast/view/558/bp-slick-the-source-05072010.html  Then consider the following verses:

Revelation 8:8  And the second messenger sounded, and what looked like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood (This passage has more than one meaning, but I am looking at the plain message right now).

Also, in Revelation 16:3 it states:  And the second messenger poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood, as of a dead one, and every living creature in the sea died. 4 And the third messenger poured out his bowl on the rivers and fountains of water, and they became blood.

Deny it if you want, ignore it to your own peril. But read the Scriptures and look at the eye-witness accounts. You decide what is happening and you decide where we are in Yahovah’s time clock. Order the book The Prophecies of Abraham and know for sure where we are in Yehovah’s time clock.

Many Messianic brethren are teaching and saying we are in the final 7 years with 2017 being the last Jubilee Year. I have shown you why this is wrong. You can read about it in: “ A False Teaching Abounds in Messianic Circles.” Now, with the oil slick turning red and much of the oceanic life in this area being killed, a new voice will rise up and say ‘See! This is the last seven years!’ They told you so, right? Next, two of them will go on to become the two witnesses and then a famine will come. But if you have not yet read The Prophesies of Abraham or proven those things I am sharing with you on this site, then you will be a possible candidate to be misled. Five of the virgins were ready and five gave up getting their oil ready. Which group will you be found in?

Here is the answer on how to solve the current oil problem:  http://northwestflorida.com/?q=node/25

It has been a wild week in the stock markets this week also. In an effort to stabilize the widening European debt crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), together with Eurozone countries, agreed to extend an unprecedented $147 billion (110 billion euro) bailout package to Greece in return for deep cuts to the country’s budget.

Under the three-year agreement reached late Sunday, Greece would receive $105 billion (80 billion euros) in loans from other Eurozone members and $40 billion (30 billion euros) from the IMF. The planned rescue is the largest ever attempted by the IMF and a first for the 16-member Eurozone. It still requires final approval from National governments.

What is the IMF?

The IMF, also known as the “Fund,” was conceived at a United Nations conference convened in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, in July 1944. The 45 governments represented at that conference sought to build a framework for economic cooperation that would avoid a repetition of the vicious circle of competitive devaluations that had contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The IMF’s responsibilities: The IMF’s primary purpose is to ensure the stability of the international monetary system—the system of exchange rates and international payments that enables countries (and their citizens) to buy goods and services from each other. This is essential for “sustainable” economic growth, increasing living standards, and alleviating poverty. Following the crisis, the Fund is clarifying and updating its mandate to cover the full range of macro-economic and financial sector policies that bear on global stability.

The IMF’s funds proved wholly inadequate to meet balance-of-payment needs during the Great Recession of 2007-09. So member countries tripled its lending resources to meet future balance of payments crises, which presumably did not include fiscal crises.

If Greece gets an IMF lifeline, bond speculators will logically attack the other Eurozone countries with large deficits–Portugal, Spain and maybe Italy. Rescuing them would empty the coffers of the IMF. Yet it would be politically difficult to say “no” to Spain or Italy after saying “yes” to Greece.

Just so you know, the USA is one of the major contributors to the IMF with 36,881,954,388 in SDR Allocations. Now consider the facts: The USA has two wars ongoing in Iraq and Afghanistan; it also has a major environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to contend with; and the USA still has not cleaned up from the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster. The US unemployment rate is at 10%.

The USA GDP is estimated for 2010 to be 14623.9 Billion dollars and the US Federal Debt As Percent Of GDP is 94.27 %

So, where is the USA going to get the money for the mother-of-all-bail-outs for the Europeans? It will come from you, the tax payer! Or perhaps from the printing presses in Washington. Most likely, it will come from both. Hyper-inflation is coming! Revelation 6:6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius ; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

A Denarius was a days wage for labor in Bible days. Now the price of wheat is about $4.80/ Bushel- as of May 2010.
8 quarts=1 peck 4 pecks=1 bushel

If a days wages ($1.00) buys a quart of wheat, then it would appear that wheat would have to sell for $32.00 per bushel.
If we use the minimum wage of the United States, which is about $6.00 per hour, then a days wages is $48.00 per day. That would mean that the bushel would have to sell for $1536.00. If this happened, our dollar would be less than worthless. Such situations have occurred before. Examples of this type of hyper-inflation would be Germany after WW2, or Argentina in the eighties. At the end of WW2, a wheelbarrow full of marks were required to purchase a loaf of bread.

How much bread does a quart of wheat make? The answer- about 2 medium-sized loaves. Would that feed your family for the whole day?

Actually, the average daily income in the US in 2006 was $185. Can you imagine paying $185 for two loaves of bread?

Here is my point: If the IMF could not meet the demand of the recession of 2007-2009, to stabilize currencies (which is it’s job and not to bail out Countries which it is now doing) then with so many countries printing money with no gold backing them, how is the IMF going to help countries like the USA when it defaults, because the IMF is going to run out of money too. Then what?

There is one way out and that is, if we all repent and begin to obey Torah. Otherwise, more and more disasters are going to come and each one is going to be worse than the one before. Ask this weeks victims in Oklahoma who were hit with multiple tornadoes or last weeks victims of Tennessee floods.

Watch this video of the flooding from Tennessee. If the USA can print money for the Europeans, why not for their own people?
http://webfans.com/faithcast/view/566/nashville-flood-2010-what-you-didnt-see.html

What happens when the Euro crisis hits the U.S.?

by Larry Edelson

Largely because of the sovereign debt crisis, the world’s second most important paper currency — the euro — has lost a massive 16% of its value in just over four months! At that rate, Europeans will effectively see HALF their wealth wiped out in just one year.

But as disturbing as that may be, I count three solid reasons why this great sovereign debt crisis could do even greater damage to the world’s MOST important paper currency of all — the U.S. dollar.

In Europe, governments are at least STARTING to cut their deficits.

But like four drunken sailors on shore leave, Obama, Geithner, Reid and Pelosi are still spending hundreds of billions of dollars we don’t have …

In Europe, the Central Bank is NOT aggressively inflating the money supply.

But like a deranged counterfeiter, Fed Chief Benjamin Bernanke is printing un-backed paper dollars like there’s no tomorrow!

In Europe, the governments and their people are not beholden to China or Japan to finance their follies.

But the U.S. is! And U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is begging China to effectively devalue the dollar by jacking up the value of the yuan …

In Europe, this great sovereign debt crisis has already pushed the euro off a cliff — driving it to 14-month record lows in the last week alone.

So I ask you: What will happen to the U.S. dollar — YOUR U.S. dollars — when global investors awaken to the fact that our government’s debt load is larger than that of most of these failing European nations?

The answer is clear: The tragedy now taking place in Greece and the rest of Europe is merely a sneak preview of the chaos that this great debt crisis is about to bring to America’s shores.

When you read today’s top news stories, simply substitute “The U.S.” for “Greece” … “Washington” for “Athens” … and “the U.S. dollar” for “the euro” … and you will, in effect, be reading tomorrow’s top news stories today.

This is NO TIME to go it alone!

It is too late for our government to prevent this crisis. The value and buying power of your money are about to be taken from you.
Now, more than ever before, the decisions you make and actions you take will determine how well — or even IF — your family weathers this horrific economic hurricane.

Another perspective on this issue is:
Europe WANTS a Lower Euro
by Bryan Rich
The euro is in devaluation mode … in a sharp 17 percent decline against the dollar over the past five months. And I’ve written extensively on why, and why it still has further to go.

Now I believe a covert policy decision has been made by the European Central Bank (ECB) to use currency devaluation as a tool for the European monetary union (Emu) to survive.

Of course, each individual country within the Emu doesn’t have the luxury of devaluing their currency when times are tough. They’re locked into a monetary union of sixteen countries. And monetary and currency policy decisions are made by the ECB.
That puts countries like Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain (the PIIGS) at a competitive disadvantage when trying to salvage themselves from debt burdens and feeble economic activity.

But now, it’s becoming evident that the Emu as a whole is prepared to take such drastic measures to keep the euro intact!
I think we’ll find that the ECB will aggressively reverse course on exiting from the emergency monetary policies they put in place to deal with the financial crisis of 2008 … returning to emergency mode, and in a big way. They’ll likely be forced to openly buy up the government debt of the weak economies to keep them breathing — i.e. print money, and a lot of it.

The plan requires that Germany, the core of the euro, participate in serving the interests of the lowest common denominator in Europe: The PIIGS. Of course, they’ve already done so by agreeing to provide bailout funds to Greece. But the next moves in the playbook will likely drag Germany headlong into it.

Germany: Swimming with the Fishes

Germany is the biggest, most robust country in the euro zone. It was among the first major economies to emerge from recession. Its economy is expected to grow by 1.5 percent this year, and 1.8 percent next year. So things are going relatively well for the Germans following the harsh recession.

Why, then, would Germany agree to be dragged down by the weak and expose themselves to potential inflation problems in the process? Why not just hit the eject button and remove themselves from the euro?

Here in a nutshell lies the problem: Germany has a lot to lose if other euro countries end up in shambles. It’s exposed on two fronts …

First, Germany is on the hook for $668 billion in PIIGS sovereign debt. Not to mention the fresh $30 billion they’ve agreed to give Greece.

A default, or worse, a string of defaults would be disastrous for German banks and European banks in general. European banks bought about half of the general government bond market last year.

And second, if these countries continue their downward spiral, Germany’s intra-Europe exports (10 percent of total exports) promise to dwindle with it.

So what does Germany gain from sacrificing for the weak?

For one, it averts the problems mentioned above. And two, it will enjoy a much weaker euro in the near future, thus providing a nice kicker for its exports outside of continental Europe.

ECB Already Taking the Plunge

Europe, the IMF and the ECB demonstrated this week that it’s ready to go all out to keep monetary union intact. They announced a massive multi-year bailout for Greece. And perhaps in a bigger move, the ECB is now accepting Greek junk bonds for collateral — jeopardizing the credibility and independence of the central bank.

As I was watching the ECB press conference following its monetary policy meeting this week, central bank President Jean-Claude Trichet looked flustered and measured his words very carefully. And two things gave me a sense that they had a plan, which included a much weaker currency:

1. He adamantly said a Greek default is “out of the question.”
2. And a biggie … he ignored all questions about the value of the euro, despite its slippery slide!

The Swiss National Bank must have sensed something, too. This week it chose to back away from buying euros as an intervention tactic to curtail the strength of the Swiss franc. Perhaps, the SNB knows that gobbling up euros at current prices is a recipe for losing money.

In sum, financial crises and sovereign debt crises typically go hand in hand. As do sovereign debt crises and currency devaluations. So be prepared to see a continued decline in the euro and other global currencies … and more capital flowing into the U.S. dollar in search of a safe haven.

Last week I wrote to you about the inflating prices of food. Here are some of the most startling year-over-year price increases in the U.S. markets: Fresh and dry vegetables up 56.1 percent. Fresh fruits and melons up 28.8 percent. Eggs for fresh use up 33.6 percent. Beef and veal up 10.7 percent. Dairy products up 9.7 percent.

I also wrote to you about the many disasters that are hitting the US and around the world over the past two months alone. Again, the ash of Iceland’s volcano has shut down much of Europe’s airspace.

Brethren, we are in the first year of the Third Sabbatical Cycle. As the value of the dollar goes down, the price of food is going up. Can you see what is happening yet?

The Third Sabbatical Cycle brings with it diseases, earthquakes and famines. We are only about to begin the third month and yet all the signs are right there in front of you and many of you sit there and do nothing. You think you are safe because you “believe in God.” Yet, what does the Word tell us?  “Even the demons believe and they shudder.”

James 2:17 So also belief, if it does not have works, is in itself dead. 18 But someone might say, “You have belief, and I have works.” Show me your belief without your works, and I shall show you my belief by my works. 19 You believe that Elohim is one. You do well. The demons also believe – and shudder! 20 But do you wish to know, O foolish man, that the belief without the works is dead? 21 Was not Ab?raham our father declared right by works when he offered Yitsh?aq his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that the belief was working with his works, and by the works the belief was perfected? 23 And the Scripture was filled which says, “Ab?raham believed Elohim, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness.” And he was called, “Elohim’s friend.” 24 You see, then, that a man is declared right by works, and not by belief alone

Hebrews 11:7 By belief, Noah?, having been warned of what was yet unseen, having feared, prepared an ark to save his house, through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to belief. 8 By belief, Ab?raham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he was about to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going

Noah feared and was moved to build the ark even though he did not see the danger coming. Abraham, too, obeyed when he was told to leave and both of these righteous men acted and did something when they were told to act. Abraham was also protected from the many dangers that came with Nimrod afterwards. Had Abraham not left Haran, we would most likely not be reading about him now.

Many of you were told about the need to keep the Sabbatical Year last year, from Aviv 2009 to Aviv 2010. Some of you kept it and obeyed. You acted. Others found excuses in order not to obey. The same as some do for the Holy Days and again others for keeping the Sabbath Holy.

Some of you dismiss everything said here because you have your tickets for the rapture. You’re just not sure whether you’re on the “pre-trib” or “post-trib” train with the 144,000. But take note of this verse in Revelation 14:12 Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of Elohim and the belief of ?????.

These 144,000 guard the commandments! That is, they keep them. All of them! And they include the Sabbatical Year as well as the annual Holy Days and the weekly Sabbath on the 7th day. If you’re not doing this, then you are not keeping the commandments. Again, 1 John 3:4  Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

Again this week- I urge you to read the article: ” The Mark of the Beast ”

The only way you can escape these coming calamities and disasters, the only way your family will be safe is if you repent from your rebellion against Yahovah and His Torah and from breaking His commandments. Repent from working on the Sabbath, from ignoring the Holy Days and replacing them by keeping other days, and from planting and harvesting on the Sabbatical Years. The next one begins at Aviv 2016 and goes to Aviv 2017.

In order to prove you have repented, you will have to keep Holy the next Sabbath from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday; In order to prove you have repented, you will have to keep Holy the next Holy Day of Shavuot, or Pentecost, which is on May 23, 2010 this year, You will also have to observe the other Fall Feasts this year. In order to prove you have repented, you will have to keep Holy the next Sabbatical year from Aviv 2016 to Aviv 2017. And this means you will have to plan for it the year before and make arrangements to keep it.

Just as Noah and Abraham did, you will have to act upon the fear of Yahovah. You must act in order to protect your family from what is coming even though you do not yet see it. You can no longer play the ostrich game; you can no longer play the religion game. You must study and you must act!

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim.

Triennial Torah Cycle

We will continue with this week’s triennial Torah Study. Our triennial Torah reading this week which is laid out to cover the entire bible in 3 ½ years.

Gen 9      Josh 21-22      Ps 19      Mat 12:22 – 13:23

Genesis 9

In this chapter we will cover three things. The eating of blood, the covenant of the rainbow and the curse of Canaan.
In verse 4 we are told not to eat the flesh with its life in it, that is with the blood in it. Once again long before there was a Levitical priesthood we have a law from the time of Noah about not eating the blood of animals. Long before there was any one called Judah.

This is a law of Yahovah and not of the Jews or of any group. It is from Yahovah.

This past fall I wrote an article on the Doctrine of Balaam. I urge you to go back and read it and focus in on the part concerning the blood.

I want to add this now as it has been on my mind for the past few weeks.

4 “But do not eat flesh with its life, its blood. 5 “But only your blood for your lives I require, from the hand of every beast I require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I require the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood is shed, for in the image of Elohim has He made man.

Please note the following verse from Exodus 29: 12 and take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all the blood beside the base of the altar.

16 and you shall slaughter the ram, and you shall take its blood and sprinkle it all around on the altar.

We read in Leviticus 1:11, 15, 4:7, 18, 25, 30, 34 5:9, 7:2, 8:15, 19 how the blood was poured out at the base of the altar and around the altar.

We have just read how the blood was the life in Genesis 4. The word life is Strongs #5315 and is Nephesh- a breathing creature, from # 5314 Naphash – to breathe

The blood is poured around and also at the base of the altar. Then when we read in Revelation we see that those who are under the altar where the blood is poured out are the saints.

Revelation 6:9 And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the beings of those having been slain for the Word of Elohim and for the witness which they held, 10 and they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Master, set-apart and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each one a white robe, and they were told that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brothers, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

It is the blood of the saints as an atonement that is poured out at the base of the altar.

Now I wasn’t going to do this but I have to share this article sent to me by Beau Beamesderfer.

Notice above that the saints are not saying Forgive them O Master for they know not what they have done. No the saints are saying how much longer before You avenge our blood on the evil ones of the earth.

The Life is in the blood and the Lives of the saints like the blood is under the altar.

Read what Beau has shown us and then think what it means.

What do Luke 23:34, Acts 7:60 and Psalm 3 have in common?
(Luke 23:34 [KJV])

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

(Acts 7:59-60 [KJV])
And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

(Ps 3:7 [KJV])
Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies [upon] the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

You may be looking at these passages and wondering what they have to do with each other. It may be obvious what Luke 23:34 and Acts 7:60 have in common, but it is not obvious what Psalm 3 has in common with the above two passages. If we analyze the two passages of Luke and Acts, we may be able to see how Psalm 3 and several other Scriptures listed below are associated.
Let’s look at the interlinear of both the Greek and the Aramaic.
We will start with Acts 7:60 in the Greek.

Notice that in the Greek the negative (“NO”) is before the word for “standing”. When we look at the translation of the text, there is no word for “standing”. Actually the opposite is true, we have the word “lay”.

(Acts 7:60 [KJV])
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

The interesting part with the translation in the English is that not only is the negative associated with the verb “stand” (the negative of stand is lay), but it is also then added into the sentence text. Let’s look now at the Aramaic. Remember that the Aramaic is read from right to left.

We see here in the Aramaic the same as we see in the Greek. The negative is applied to the verb “stand” and there is no other negative anywhere in the text.

It seems from the “original” texts that a better translation of the text would be one of the two translations:
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, stand not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

or

And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
My personal opinion on this translation is the latter of the two options. This makes Stephen’s words completely different than what they have been rendered in the translation and the teaching in his death is now different. Before we make too many conclusions, let’s look at the next Scriptural example, Luke 23:34.

The Greek text of Luke 23:34 places the negative before the conjunction in the sentence.

(Luke 23:34 [KJV])
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

The English translation renders this verse with the negative after the conjunction and the following verb. Let’s look at the Aramaic to see if the same is true. Remember that Aramaic must be read from right to left.

We see here again that the same is true in the Aramaic text; the negative comes before the conjunction.

Now we should ask “What is the purpose of the conjunction in this request?” If we look at the text, we can see that if we removed the conjunction, each part of the request would stand by itself. The text would read: “Father forgive them not. They are aware of what they are doing.” The conjunction brings the two statements together and makes them relevant to each other. “Father forgive them not for they are aware of what they are doing.”

Looking at these texts gives us a significantly different perspective. In both of these cases, Acts 7:60 and Luke 23:34, an innocent man is being put to death and each one is being stoned. (If you are new to thought of Messiah being stoned to death while hanging on a tree, please see the additional study at http://www.beamesderfer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71:the-stoning-of-messiah&catid=40:perspectives&Itemid=84)

The below verses are additional support for calling those who knowingly sin to be remembered by our Father. What we must understand is that neither Messiah, Stephen or David raised a hand against those people who persecuted them, but they did call on our Father to remember the sins of those individuals.

(Deut 28:7 [KJV])
The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

(Ps 59:1-5 [KJV])
To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not [for] my transgression, nor [for] my sin, O LORD.
They run and prepare themselves without [my] fault: awake to help me, and behold.
Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.

(Ps 68:21 [KJV])
But God shall wound the head of his enemies, [and] the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

(Rev 11:3-5 [KJV])
And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

(Jer 18:18 [KJV])
Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

(Jer 18:19-25 [KJV])
Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.
Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, [and] to turn away thy wrath from them.

Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their [blood] by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and [be] widows; and let their men be put to death; [let] their young men [be] slain by the sword in battle.
Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have dug a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.
Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay [me]: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal [thus] with them in the time of thine anger.

(Ps 109:1-31 [KJV])
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
For my love they are my adversaries: but I [give myself unto] prayer.
And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
Let his days be few; [and] let another take his office.
Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek [their bread] also out of their desolate places.
Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.
Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.
Let his posterity be cut off; [and] in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
Let it be unto him as the garment [which] covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
[Let] this [be] the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy [is] good, deliver thou me.
For I [am] poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
I became also a reproach unto them: [when] they looked upon me they shaked their heads.
Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:
That they may know that this [is] thy hand; [that] thou, LORD, hast done it.
Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.
Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save [him] from those that condemn his soul.

These passages above all point to asking our Father to remember the sins of those who sin against us, and our reliance upon our Father’s justice and judgment to be adequately applied to all those who sin against us. It is not for us to take these matters into our own hands.

(Deut 32:35 [KJV])
To me [belongeth] vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in [due] time: for the day of their calamity [is] at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

(Heb 10:28-31 [KJV])
He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
For we know him that hath said, Vengeance [belongeth] unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
[It is] a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Shalom

http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/act7.pdf
http://www.aramaicpeshitta.com/AramaicNTtools/Peshittainterlinear/5_Acts/Actsch7.pdf
http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/luk23.pdf
http://www.aramaicpeshitta.com/AramaicNTtools/Peshittainterlinear/3_Luke/Luqach23.pdf

Here in Genesis 9 we have what has become the doctrine of white supremacy. This is taken from when Noah curses Canaan for the indecency that he and Ham did to him. Now that you have read this part of Chapter 9 please go and read this article on THE HAMITIC HYPOTHESIS at http://www.antipasministries.com/html/file0000094.htm

I do pray you all will stop what you are doing and go and read this one article. It truly is important in removing another false Christian doctrine that many of us may still carry.

Josh 21-22

Here in Joshua 21 we see the conclusion of chapter 20 and the giving of the cities to the Levites and also the cities of refuge which were commanded back in Numbers.

Jos 20:2-6 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Designate the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood. He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and state his case in the hearing of the elders of that city; and they shall take him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may dwell among them.

“Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand. He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the manslayer shall return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.'”

Num 35:6 “The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities.”

Num 35:10-15 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial. The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge. ‘You shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.”

Num 35:25-28 “The congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the blood avenger, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he fled; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee, and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he will not be guilty of blood because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return to the land of his possession.”

Num 35:32 “You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest.”

But in Chapter 22 after all is done and the Tribes are going back to there homelands a Civil war almost breaks out because the three tribes on the East of the Jordan set up a huge Altar.

The land has been apportioned, and the eastern tribes have fulfilled their responsibilities. Joshua now dismisses them to return home. The time and sacrifice has not been without its rewards, as they return with much wealth from the spoils of Canaan, which Joshua urges them to share with those who remained to take care of their land and families (verse 8 ). Before they go, Joshua exhorts them to follow YHVH’s law wholeheartedly (verse 5). So it comes as a great shock when word comes back that they have built a large altar beside the Jordan River apparently contrary to YHVH’s explicit commands (compare Deuteronomy 12: 1 “These are the laws and right-rulings which you guard to do in the land which ???? Elohim of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the soil. 2 “Completely destroy all the places where the nations which you are dispossessing served their mighty ones, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 “And you shall break down their altars, and smash their pillars, and burn their Ash?rim with fire. And you shall cut down the carved images of their mighty ones and shall destroy their name out of that place. 4 “Do not do so to ???? your Elohim, 5 but seek the place which ???? your Elohim chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His Name there, for His Dwelling Place, and there you shall enter. 6 “And there you shall take your burnt offerings, and your offerings, and your tithes, and the contributions of your hand, and your vowed offerings, and your voluntary offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock. 7 “And there you shall eat before ???? your Elohim, and shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to, you and your households, in which ???? your Elohim has blessed you. 8 “Do not do as we are doing here today – each one doing whatever is right in his own eyes. 9 “Because you have not yet entered the rest and the inheritance which ???? your Elohim is giving you. 10 “But you shall pass over the Yard?n, and shall dwell in the land which ???? your Elohim is giving you to inherit, and He shall give you rest from all your enemies round about, and you shall dwell in safety. 11 “And it shall be, that unto the place which ???? your Elohim chooses to make His Name dwell there, there you are to bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, and your offerings, and your tithes, and the contributions of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to ????. 12 “And you shall rejoice before ???? your Elohim, you and your sons and your daughters, and your male servants and your female servants, and the L?wite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you. 13 “Guard yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see, 14 except in the place which ???? chooses, in one of your tribes, there you are to offer your burnt offerings, and there you are to do all that I command you.).

In their zeal, a war party forms at Shiloh to deal with this brazen transgression. Before heading off to battle, a delegation of tribal leaders, headed by Phinehas, the son of the high priest, is sent to find out just why they have done this. The delegation reminds them of some of Israel’s past transgressions, and suggests that perhaps it would be better if they came over to the western lands after all.

The tribes explain, however, that things are not how they look to the western delegation. They say they built it as a “replica of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made” (Joshua 22:28), i.e., apparently a copy of the stone one that had been set up at Mount Ebal (compare Joshua 8:30-31). And, most importantly, this altar, they maintain, was not to be used for sacrifices as the original was, but rather to serve as a witness and reminder in years to come to Israelites on both sides of the Jordan that they too are a part of Israel, who also worship the true YHVH (Joshua 22:27-28). The explanation is quite acceptable to Phinehas and the tribal leaders. They return to Shiloh, and a civil war is averted (verses 30-34).

Ps 19

This is one of the great Psalms and I do hope you all read it slowly and then do it again.

1 The heavens are proclaiming the esteem of ?l; And the expanse is declaring the work of His hand. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, and there are no words, Their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He set up a tent for the sun, 5 And it is like a bridegroom coming out of his room, It rejoices like a strong man to run the path. 6 Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end; And naught is hidden from its heat.

This used to be one of my favourite hymns back at the World Wide Church of God. It was many years later before I realized what these 6 verses were referring to.

The Gospel In The Stars

These verses refer to the Hebrew Mazzaroth, later corrupted into Babylonian Astrology. Hebrew tradition holds that Adam, Seth, and Enoch picked 12 constellations of stars, each with a major star and 3 minor ones (called decans) and named them in such a way as to tell the gospel story. Being a nomadic people who slept in the open with their flocks, fathers would point out these constellations to their sons at night and use them to teach the redemption story. This was to give hope to the sons, who had heard stories of the fall of Man and his expulsion from the Garden, showing them that one day God would send His Son to redeem them. Their faith in God’s promise, written in the stars, is what saved them from their sins. Evidence shows that the Sphinx in Egypt is a monument to the Mazzaroth with the head of a woman (Virgo) and the body of a lion (Leo) combining the 1st and 12th signs and completing the circle of redemption. Some experts contend that the peculiar kind of erosion the sphinx has experienced could only have occurred if it had spent a period of time under water. If so, it’s a pre-flood memorial to the Gospel in the Stars.

In ancient Babylon, the 12 constellations were given different names, most of which bore no resemblance to the original Hebrew, and the 12 signs of the Zodiac were born taking God completely out of the picture. It’s the reason the Tower of Babel was destroyed and the people dispersed (read ). These Babylonian names survive to this day and are the basis for the abomination we call Astrology. In Israel the study of Astrology was a sin punishable by death (Deut. 18:9-12 KJV).

We are told in Job that Yahovah made the constellations and in Psalm 147 that He has named all the stars
Job 9: 9 He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south;
Psalm 147:4 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.

Yahovah has written the complete story of His plan of salvation in the Stars and night after night the heavens declare the glory of Yahovah, and they utter speech when you know the names of the stars in the constellations. In every language around the world these stars have the same meaning even if they sound different yet you will never hear their voice as David sings. They go around the heaven each night following the line or the ecliptic.

You read them when you see the sighted moon in each constellation each month. The other planets at this time of the sighted moon add to the information you can glean. This is what much of what Isaiah and also what John are looking at in Revelations. The woman giving birth to the child is the constellation Virgo. When Yahshua speaks of seeing Satan fall like lightening although literal in His case it also refers to the constellation Draco.

In Revelation 12 we read of Satan leading a third of the stars away with his tail. Again this is referring to the constellation of the that great serpent in the sky and one third of the stars are south of him as his head is near the virgin about to devour the child.
Hercules is another constellation that wrestles with the great serpent and has his heal wounded. And there is much more to this than what I am sharing now. But night after night the heavens declare the glory of Yahovah and if you know how to red then you too can know His plan for man. It is there every night, if you would only look up.

A great book on this subject is Mazzaroth by Frances Rolleston and can be read online at http://philologos.org/__eb-mazzaroth/

7 The Torah of ???? is perfect, bringing back the being; The witness of ???? is trustworthy, making wise the simple; 8 The orders of ???? are straight, rejoicing the heart; The command of ???? is clear, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of ???? is clean, standing forever; The right-rulings of ???? are true, They are righteous altogether, 10 More desirable than gold, Than much fine gold; And sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Also, Your servant is warned by them, In guarding them there is great reward.

http://www.eldrbarry.net/vbs/1/word5.htm

Verse 7 The Torah of ???? is perfect, reviving the soul.
The Torah”LAW” is considered in it’s widest sense, including all Divine Revelation (both law and gospel) as the guide of Life. Lit.:”That which is taught” – i.e. divine instruction. Cf Psalm 1:2, Psa 119:97. There is conveyed here a sense of completeness and perfection. It brings life to our souls. YHVH’s Word is a source of Grace for souls that need reviving. (Some versions use “converting” here). Before the Word can do anything else, we must be made alive – revived. Cf. Psa 119:29, 77, 174. Even taken in a narrower sense – as the Moral Law (the 10 Commandments), we can derive the same meaning in that these commandments cover every area of life in terms of both what we should and what we should not do. Yahshua summarized the Law in terms of loving God and loving our neighbor.

The witness (Statues) of ???? is trustworthy, making wise the simple;
“STATUTES” comes from a root word meaning “written” and emphasizes that YHVH’s Word has been permanently inscribed. Perhaps you could say “Carved in stone”. “Statue” comes from the same latin root. (Note: the Hebrew word used here is usually “Testimony”; cf. NASV.) The word “DECREES” (Psa 119:5) is quite similar in meaning, remember the unchangable decree that put Daniel in the lion’s den. YHVH’s Word is neither changing nor vague. We have YHVH’s Word in a form that can be studied and reflected upon (“making wise the simple” – the word “simple” contains the idea of those who are humble and teachable disciples), it is unchanging and completely trustworthy. Cf Psa 119:24, 99, 125, 144.

Verse 8 The orders (Precepts) of ???? are straight, rejoicing the heart

. “PRECEPT” stresses that which we are responsible before YHVH to carry out. A “Precept” is a charge stressing our responsibility, not just to adhere to the letter of the law, but to be everything YHVH has revealed in His will for us to be. (Psa 119:4) True happiness comes in life when we are living in accordance with the will of YHVH. No other way of life will make us happy or satisfy the desires of the heart. In a sense, like a “prescription” the Word of YHVH brings healing and joy to the heart – it’s the right medication for our hearts. cf. Psa 119:45, 93.

The command of ???? is clear, enlightening the eyes;
“COMMANDS” views the word in terms of conditions that YHVH has placed upon us and emphasizes both their authority as coming from our Elohim YHVH, and the guidance and direction which we find in the Word of YHVH. Thus The Word of God both draws our eyes to truth and serves as “a light to our path and a lamp to our feet.” (Psa 119:105) cf. 10, 32, 35

Verse 9 The fear of ???? is clean, standing forever
“FEAR” views the Word in terms of our proper response to it – “to fear” is to love and reverence. Unfortunately the negative connotations of our modern usage obscure the positive side of respect and awe in the presence of YHVH in view here. This is the same fear we have been telling about which Noah and Abraham had for YHVH. The same awe carries over into what He has spoken to us. We must receive it as YHVH’s Word and use it to cultivate inward piety in our hearts. (Psa 34:9; Prov 1:7; 14:27; 22:4; Isa 33:6.) By calling it “pure”, we are taught that all of YHVH’s Word whether Old or New Testament, history, prophecy, proverb, commandment or doctrine – is complete and important to us – we should not neglect any part of it – nor should we try to add to it. It is not a mixture of truth and error (as liberalism suggests) – nor of obsolete “law” superceded by Grace. Psalm 119 is commentary on using the Word to grow in Yahshua. What it produces endures forever. YHVH’s Word stands firm as so does what it can accomplish in our hearts.

The right-rulings (ordinances) of ???? are true, They are righteous altogether
“ORDINANCES” is “JUDGEMENTS” in some versions, and in the NIV “LAWS” in Psa 119. This word conveys the idea of justice and authority. (Think of “ordinances” as coming from a court of law). cf. Deut 1:17; Psa 119:75, 137, 160; Jer 1:16. Hence the stress on their truthfulness (sure) and on their righteous nature. From a believer’s vantage point, we see the justice of YHVH, which delivered us from our sins through Yahshua. In Him, we are pronounced righteous by the highest court in heaven or earth. cf. Psa 119:149, 156. We find security in YHVH’s declared Word of forgiveness and redemption.

Observe carefully that in these six descriptions of the purpose of the Word and their effects there is a definite progression: the Word first “revives”, then it “makes wise”, then it “brings joy” (makes happy), it “gives clear direction”, and creates a new attitude of heart, established upon YHVH’s righteous justice. The convert becomes a disciple, rejoicing in Truth, walking obediently, with fear and reverence, finding in the Word of YHVH security based upon YHVH’s declared justice and righteousness.

The Word is perfect, trustworthy, sure, radiant, right, and pure; altogether righteous and enduring forever. Hence, the Psalmist’s delighted response to the Word:

Verse 10 THEY ARE MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD, THAN MUCH PURE GOLD.
Earthly treasures are precious and desirable, most of all Gold, which doesn’t tarnish or rust. The eternal life we find offered to us in YHVH’s Word is much more to be desired and sought.

THEY ARE SWEETER THAN HONEY, THAN HONEY FROM THE COMB.
The sweet and pleasurable things of life are nice, but much more the sweetness and pleasure of knowing YHVH and of having the bitterness of sin removed from our hearts. There is nourishment in the Word to sustain that sweetness day after day.

Verse 11 BY THEM IS YOUR SERVANT WARNED;
We are warned by the Word of our duty, our danger and that YHVH alone can deliver us. YHVH’s Word is not idle reading, it is a message of life and death. In showing us our sin and our lack of holiness it drives us to Yahshua for mercy.

IN KEEPING THEM THERE IS GREAT REWARD.
The reward of keeping the Word of YHVH is not a wage, but a longed for gift. (Rom 6:23) To keep YHVH’s word involves meditating and hiding YHVH’s Word away in our hearts, it means we must not neglect it, and must obey it. In embracing YHVH’s Word, in obeying and keeping it, we have the best possible reward – our life, our treasure, our hope is in Yahshua and the glory we shall have when we are united fully with Him.

Lastly for this section in verse 12 David says to cleanse me from secret faults. Each of us must ask and be ready for the work that is about to start, when we ask Yahovah to cleanse us of our secret faults. Those faults that we have managed to keep hidden from all those around us and even from Yahovah or so we think. If you want to be pure and a part of His Kingdom, then ask YHVH to cleanse you of those secret sins you have hidden away. It will be a very humbling experience and it will take some time to cleanse you of these things but worth it.

Mathew 12:22-13:23

Much of this section in self explanatory, so I will comment on just two points.

The first one is the unpardonable sin which Yahshua mentions in verse 32. To answer this and what it is that will not be forgiven I refer you to http://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/unpardonable-sin-god-forgive.htm

For those of you who think you have sinned beyond forgiveness you will want to read this. If you are worrying about this sin at all you most likely have not committed it. I have been counseling a brother who is coming out of a pornographic and homosexual lifestyle for the past six months. It is very hard to turn away from this lifestyle. Many fall back after a while and begin to think they have committed the unpardonable sin. At least their christian friends tell them so. They have not- and as long as they continue to repent and strive to live this Nazarene way of life, they have not committed a sin that cannot be forgiven.

Alcoholics slip up, food addicts and drug addicts do as well. But they get up and try again. It takes time and we all need to pray for our brethren who are coming out of sin and are struggling. James Dobson says that 80% of all men in Christian Churches (and this includes Messianic men)  are caught up in pornography. If you are one of these men, then write to me and let me explain some facts to you. Your life is on the line.

The other point I wanted to make was the “Sign of Jonah” that Yahshua speaks of in verse 39-40.

Jonah was in the fish for three days and three nights. This is for a total of 72 hours or 3-24 hour periods of time. This is not a Friday Crucifixion and Easter Sunday resurrection. So once again here is an article which will show you how to count to three.

• Newsletter 5842-020   The Sign of Jonah

The 613 Mitzvot

We continue to study the 613 laws of which we just had some come into play in this weeks Torah study above. You can download all these laws at http://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm and this week are also using for commentary the owner’s manual, which we have also removed any of the Christian overtones or anti Semitic overtones . http://theownersmanual.net/The_Owners_Manual_02_The_Law_of_Love.Torah

58. To lend to an alien at interest (Deut. 23:21) According to tradition, this is mandatory (affirmative). (Note this is actually verse 20. Always check your sources.)

20 “To a foreigner you lend at interest, but to your brother you do not lend at interest, so that ???? your Elohim might bless you in all that you put your hand to in the land which you are entering to possess.

“You shall not charge interest to your brother—interest on money or food or anything that is lent out at interest. To a foreigner you may charge interest, but to your brother you shall not charge interest, that Yahweh your Elohim may bless you in all to which you set your hand in the land which you are entering to possess.” (Deuteronomy 23:19-20) According to rabbinical tradition, charging interest to gentiles is mandatory. The Torah disagrees, although it is certainly permitted. The point of the passage, however, is that Israelites were to be set apart from the world—a family who loved each other and wouldn’t take advantage of each other. Part of that was a prohibition against charging interest on loans to one’s fellow Israelite (see #171).

The whole subject of lending and borrowing, on a national scale, was to be an indicator (one of many) of how well Israel was following Elohim. Moses promised them that if they “diligently obeyed the voice of Yahweh,” He would “open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.” (Deuteronomy 28:12) If they did not, they would “not prosper in [their] ways; you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually.” (Deuteronomy 28:29) The 3500-year history of the Israelite people reveals a sad proportion: a hundred verse-29 curses for every verse-12 blessing. We all need to come to terms with the fact that either Yahweh is a liar or we have not been “diligently obeying the voice of Yahweh our Elohim, to observe carefully all His commandments,”.

Marriage, Divorce and Family

59. To honor father and mother (Ex. 20:12) (CCA41).

12 “Respect your father and your mother, so that your days are prolonged upon the soil which ???? your Elohim is giving you.

Honor your father and mother. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which Yahweh your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12) This is the Fifth Commandment of the Decalogue. The case can be made that the Ten Commandments were listed in order of their importance. If that is true, then this is the most vital of the six that govern relationships between people. The word for “honor” is the Hebrew kabad, which at its root means “to be heavy, or to make weighty.” (It’s therefore the opposite of qalal. See #3.) We are not to take our relationship with our parents lightly, but rather we are to respect them, hold them in esteem, and take their instructions very seriously. Paul provides the practical application when he simply instructs children to “obey their parents in (or “out of respect for”) Yahweh, for this is right.” (Ephesians 6:1) The Exodus commandment adds the incentive of long life in the Promised Land for those Israelites who comply, something that could be applied equally to individuals or to the nation as a whole.

But there’s more to it. There is a virtually universal perception that God assumes a strictly male persona—a view that often leads to an un-scriptural and erroneous attitude that men are somehow “better” than women. It’s true that Eve’s starring role in the introduction of sin into the world earned her a place of permanent subservience (“Your desire shall be toward your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3:16). But God’s original and intended pattern was equal honor between men and women. As I pointed out in #8, Yahweh is referred to as “father” only once or twice in the Old Covenant Scriptures—most memorably in Isaiah 9:6, where the Messiah is called “Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” We aren’t surprised to find that the name Yahweh is a masculine form in Hebrew. But consider this: the word for “Spirit” (ruwach) as used of deity in passages like Genesis 1:2 (“And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters…”) is a feminine noun. Yahweh is not only our Father; “He” is also our Mother! The reason God designed us as He did—children of both our mothers and our fathers—was to demonstrate a spiritual truth: in order to be truly alive, we need to be born not only in body and soul, but also in spirit. Yahshua pointed out this very thing to Nicodemus in the third chapter of the Gospel of John.

So when Yahweh inscribes with His own hand on tablets of stone that we are to “honor our fathers and our mothers,” He is speaking of something far more significant than respecting and obeying our earthly parents (though we are certainly to do that). He is teaching us about the relationship He wants to have with us. He is our Father and our Mother—ultimately, it is He whom we are to honor (i.e., be serious about, give weight to). Yahweh our “Father” is our Creator, our Protector, our Savior. Yahweh our “Mother” is our Comforter, our “Helper,” the One who restrains evil in the world—the “maternal” aspects of deity. The attendant promise “that your days may be long upon the land which Yahweh your God is giving you” is thus clearly a reference to the eternal life that we who honor Yahweh will enjoy. As we explore these 613 mitzvot, we will discover that the same sort of spiritual truths will underlie each of the “ten commandments,” and indeed, the entire Torah.

This is why Mother’s Day undermines the 5th commandment to honor both Mother and Father, and not just one alone.

60. Not to smite a father or a mother (Ex. 21:15) (CCN44).

15 “And he who smites his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.

Do not smite one’s father or mother. “He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” (Exodus 21:15) If the honor due one’s father and mother is based, as we saw in #59, on the honor of Yahweh Himself, then to strike one’s parent is tantamount to striking God, because our parents stand in for God on this earth. The word for “smite” or “strike” implies the intention to inflict harm. Nakah means “to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively), to beat, wound, kill, slaughter, murder, punish, or slay.” (S) I can’t help but cringe when I think of those who beat Yahshua, spat on Him, and nailed Him to the tree. In a very real sense, they were “striking their father and mother,” and are thus worthy of death. But if we rebuff Yahweh’s Holy Spirit, we are no less guilty.

As far as the mitzvah’s prescribed temporal punishment is concerned, it should be understood that the death sentence for striking your earthly father or mother was reserved for Israel under its theocratic government. We today are not to exact this penalty. But Yahweh’s word is not obsolete: he who strikes out at the God who is represented in this life by his parents “shall surely be put to death.” There’s no getting around it.

61. Not to curse a father or mother (Ex. 21:17) (CCN46).

17 “And he who curses his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.

Do not curse your father or mother. “He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” (Exodus 21:17) This is even harsher than it looks at first glance in the English. The word for “curse” is one we’ve seen before—qalal: to trivialize, to bring into contempt, curse, despise, or revile. (See #3.) Admittedly, the death penalty seems a bit extreme for merely taking your parents lightly. But as we have seen, our mothers and fathers stand in the place of Yahweh on this earth. Ultimately, if we take God lightly, we shall “bear our sin.” Aside from the metaphor of father and mother representing God, keeping the parent-child relationship intact in Israel during the years between the exodus and the coming of the Messiah was a crucial factor in delivering our Deliverer to a lost world. Sending the promised Messiah into a dysfunctional society the likes of the Canaanites’, the Babylonians’, the Romans’, or today’s America for that matter, would have been, shall we say, problematical.

Yahshua once referred to this very passage: “Jesus replied, ‘Why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? For instance, God says, “Honor your father and mother,” and “Anyone who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.” But you say, “You don’t need to honor your parents by caring for their needs if you give the money to God instead.” And so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct commandment of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God’s commands with their own man-made teachings.”’” (Matthew 15:3-9 NLT) The “direct commandment” taught us about the relationship between God and man.

62. To reverently fear father and mother (Lev. 19:3) (CCA42).

3 ‘Each one of you should fear his mother and his father, and guard My Sabbaths. I am ???? your Elohim.

Reverently fear your father and mother. “Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: “You shall be holy, for I, Yahweh, your God, am holy. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am Yahweh your God.”’” (Leviticus 19:1-3) As if to confirm everything I’ve said in the last few entries, Moses now reports Yahweh’s instructions to “revere” one’s mother and father in the larger context of reverence for Him and separation from the world. The reference to “mother and father” here is in fact a bit incongruous if taken strictly as the earthly relationship between parents and children. But if you “read” it: “You shall revere Me and keep My Sabbaths,” it all makes perfect sense. Yahweh is our Father, our Mother, our reason for being, the One whose love brought us into existence. And again, it makes little sense to link reverence for our earthly fathers and mothers to the weekly Sabbath rest, but if you see that Yahweh is equating the Sabbath to our eternal salvation as He is identifying our parents with Himself, the picture becomes clear and stunningly beautiful: those who are holy—separated to Yahweh’s will and purpose—are children of their Heavenly Father/Mother, and it is these who will “keep His Sabbaths”—in other words, enjoy everlasting life. Why? Because Yahweh is their God.

63. To be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28) (CCA43).

28 And Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them, “Bear fruit and increase, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over all creatures moving on the earth.”

Be fruitful and multiply. “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:28) First, notice that when God created “man” in His own image, He created both male and female, i.e., both were made in the image of God. Men like Muhammad who treat women like cattle—as sub-human possessions—must answer to Yahweh for their disrespect. Second, notice that the “command” to be fruitful and multiply was a blessing—the ability to do this was the result of Yahweh’s love and goodness toward us. In fact, one of the implied consequences of Israel’s obedience was to be that their numbers would increase: “If you diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your God…[He] will set you high above all nations of the earth…. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-4) The converse, however, is equally true: “If you do not obey the voice of Yahweh…cursed shall be the fruit of your body…. You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity…. You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and daughters whom Yahweh your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you.” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 18, 41, 53) How ironic it is that our unwillingness to heed the voice of Yahweh will result in our inability to obey Him.

This mitzvah also flies in the face of the odd Victorian attitude that sex is somehow dirty or profane in itself—that its bliss is inherently sinful and those who enjoy it should feel guilt-ridden and embarrassed, and that sex is strictly for procreation, not pleasure. Within the context of marriage (which Yahweh Himself instituted) the godly order was: “A man shall…be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:24-25) Let’s face it: the Creator made the process pleasurable so we would “be fruitful and multiply.” That being said, it’s not the sex itself that’s holy, but the marriage bed—the context of pleasure through relationship. It’s a metaphor for our eternal relationship with God. That’s why Satan tries so hard to break down the bonds of family relationship, using sex, ironically enough, as a primary tool.

64. That a eunuch shall not marry a daughter of Israel (Deut. 23:2) (CCN136). (note this should be verse 1 and not 2. Always check)

1 “No one wounded, crushed or whose member is cut off does enter the assembly of ????.

A eunuch shall not marry a daughter of Israel. “He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of Yahweh.” (Deuteronomy 23:1) The mitzvah here bears no resemblance to what Yahweh said. The rabbis simply took the ball (so to speak) and ran with it. This has nothing to do with marriage or family, and everything to do with symbols. It’s not that God is somehow put off by those unfortunate enough to have become eunuchs; it’s that these poor guys were a ready metaphor for fruitlessness. Yahweh is teaching us that “entering into His assembly” in truth will be evidenced by spiritual “fruit” in one’s life, defined later by Paul as love (hence: joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—Galatians 5:22). Just as a physical eunuch is not equipped to father children, a “spiritual eunuch” is inherently unable to transmit the spirit of God’s love to those around him.

Does the Torah here unfairly condemn (as it seems to) the one who has been emasculated to an eternity separated from Yahweh? In a word, no. There are at least two examples of eunuchs in the Bible who were obviously true worshipers of Yahweh—Daniel (see 1:3) and the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8. So is this a scriptural contradiction? Not if you take the Torah’s directive in the spirit in which it was obviously meant. The prophet Isaiah clears the whole mess up for us: “Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh speak, saying, ‘Yahweh has utterly separated me from His people’; nor let the eunuch say, ‘Here I am, a dry tree.’ For thus says Yahweh: ‘To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant, even to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.’” (Isaiah 56:3-5)