News Letter 5850-007
10th day of the 2nd month 5850 years after the creation of Adam
The 2nd Month in the Fifth year of the Third Sabbatical Cycle
The 21st  day of Counting the Omer
The Third Sabbatical Cycle of the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Earthquakes, Famines and Pestilence

May 10, 2014

Shabbat Shalom Family,

Today is the 21st day of the counting of the Omer. It is also the third weekly Sabbath that occurs within that 50 day count.
For those of you who will be keeping the “Second Passover” for biblical reasons, the 14th of the second month is from sunset May 13th to sunset the 14th when the lamb is killed. The first Holy Day is from sunset May 15th when the Passover is eaten until sunset the 16th when the Holy Day ends.
What are those Biblical reasons you could not keep the first Passover at its appointed time? I bring this up because at Passover this year, we were told how many people are now keeping the second Passover in Israel and then, for convenience sake, are staying to keep Shavuot just a couple of weeks later. They say they are on a far-off journey  (because they live in a far-off country) and feel this justifies them keeping the second Passover, something that is allowed by Yehovah but only for specific reasons.

During the the second year out from Egypt, the circumcised nation of Israel observed the Passover in the Wilderness of Sinai. However, certain men were ceremonially unclean from touching a dead body. These men could not partake of the Passover so they asked Moses:

Why are we kept from bringing the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel (Num 9:7).

The answer wasn’t obvious so Moses inquired of Yehovah as to what should be done.

The Lord said, Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the Lord. In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it…according to all the statutes for the Passover they shall keep it. But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the Lord’s offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. (Num 9:10-13)

Read that last line carefully. If you are not on a real journey and if you are not unclean or you choose not to keep the Passover in the 1st month, you will be cut off. Seriously consider, please, what Yehovah is saying here.
Here is something else to consider in regards to this 2nd month:

Methuselah was the oldest person recorded in the Bible and was 969 years old when he died. Noah was 950 and Adam was 930. There were others whose ages approached 900 years as well.

Methuselah’s name makes it ironic that he would be the one who lived the longest, since his name actually contains the Hebrew word for death. The name, as a whole, is often signified as meaning “man of the dart” or “man of the sword.” The name may mean even more than that.

Hebrew names in the Bible were often significant and have meanings behind them. For example, “Peleg” means “division.” Peleg lived when the earth was divided into its linguistic divisions at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 10:25). Abraham means “father of a multitude” which reflects the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 15:5, 17:5. We could go on and on with Hebrew names that accurately describe those individuals.
The word “muwth” means “die/death” in Hebrew. The first part of Methuselah’s name means “mortal.” Taking “meth/muth” and combining it with “selah,” some have suggested that this signifies when the Flood would come. Dr. John Gill, a leading Hebrew scholar of the 1700s, said this about the name Methuselah:
“…and that Enoch had a son, whose name was Methuselah, is affirmed by Eupolemus {r}, an Heathen writer; and Enoch being a prophet gave him this name under a spirit of prophecy, foretelling by  it when the flood should be; for his name, according to Bochart {s}, signifies, “when he dies there shall be an emission,” or sending forth of waters upon the earth, to destroy it. . . . [Notes by Gill: {r} Apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 17. p. 419. {s} Thaleg. l. 2. c. 13. col. 88. so Ainsworth.] 2

He was affirming previous scholars, such as Eusebius, Samuel Bochart (French Bible scholar in the 1600s who compiled an Arabic dictionary), and Henry Ainsworth (commentator and Bible scholar [including Hebrew] of the late 1500s and early 1600s), who had said this before. Commentators Jamieson,

Fausset, and Brown concur with Gill. They stated:
“This name signifies, “He dieth, and the sending forth,” so that Enoch gave it as prophetical of the flood. It is computed that Methuselah died in the year of that catastrophe.”3

However, this interpretation that some have suggested does not come from only the Hebrew. The transliterated name in Greek as used in Yehshua’s genealogy in Luke 3:37 is:
“the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan.”
The Greek from ????????? or “Mathousala,” according to the New Testament Greek Lexicon, literally means:
“when he dies, there shall be an emission”4

This is merely reiterating what previous scholars have suggested. But this definition may be why many scholars affirm that Methuselah’s name means “when he dies it shall come” or “upon his death there will be a major change.” Therefore, they say that this may have helped signify that the flood would come once Methuselah died. Methuselah’s father, Enoch (not Cain’s oldest son, but Noah’s great-grandfather) was said to be a prophet. But considering Enoch was a prophet, could the name he gave to Methuselah also have been prophetic? Many believe so.

If you match up the ages of the patriarchs, Methuselah died the same year as the flood, which occurred in the year 1656 after the creation of Adam (which would be the year 2181 B.C., as taken from the book The Prophecies of Abraham.)

Though some mistakenly think Methuselah died in the flood, this is highly unlikely. Methuselah was raised by a righteous parent (Enoch) who not only walked with God but was pleasing to God, so that he was taken away without tasting death. In fact, Methuselah may have actually helped Noah in the construction phase of the Ark, but his death preceded the Flood.

Keep in mind that it was common for prominent people to be honored with designated times of mourning after they passed (e.g., Genesis 27:41, 50:4; Deuteronomy 34:8; 2 Samuel 11:27). However, it stands to reason that there were many who had mourning periods that are simply not mentioned in Scripture.

Methuselah lived longer than any other man, it is recorded. He was the son of a righteous man, Enoch. He was also the grandfather of a righteous son, Noah.

Methuselah died the year of the flood and would have been mourned for 30 days, as we read of in Deuteronomy 38:8
“And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.”
We read in the book of Number about the law of those who touch a dead man:

11 He who touches the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean. But if he does not purify himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.13 Whoever touches the dead body of any man that is dead, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of Jehovah. And that soul shall be cut off from Israel. Because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still upon him. (Num 19:11-13)

Also, because of what we read in Genesis 7; that the flood came on the 17th day of the second month:

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, in this day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of the heavens were opened up. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 In this same day, Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ark. (Gen 7:11-13)

Because of this we can conclude that Methuselah died in the first month of the year near Passover.
Lamech was born in the year 874 after Creation and died in 1651, just 6 years before the flood occurred. What this means is that Noah was now responsible to bury his righteous grandfather. Surely, all honors would have been bestowed upon Methuselah for living the longest and being righteous himself also. This is why Noah was unclean for the Passover in the first month. And, as such, would have taken part in the second Passover on the 14th day of the second month.

When we use our computer programs we can check the sighted moon to see when it occurred in the year 2181 B.C. That is the same year that the flood took place, 1656 years after the creation of Adam. (We are using the Sabbatical and Jubilee charts from the back of the book: The Prophecies of Abraham.) And, because the computer program does not take into effect that there is no year zero, you must then go to the year 2182 B.C. to get the correct data.
In that year, in the second month, the moon was sighted on Thursday April 4th, 2181 B.C. (adjusted accordingly: go to http://www.torahcalendar.com/MOON.asp?JDN=2518113&TDAY=1)

Counting 14 days to Passover will bring you to Passover falling on Thursday. The High Day would be on the 15th, which was a Friday. The Sabbath fell on the 16th day of this second month. The Wave Offering would have been done on the morning of the 17th Day at 9 A.M.
On the 17th day of the second month, the flood came upon the earth.

In the exact same way Yehshua was raised from the dead on that Sunday morning, when He ascended to heaven with the now-resurrected saints, Yehovah raised up these righteous ones in the ark! – Again, on the exact same day which was also on a Sunday.
Something for you to think about this week:

Again, we want to let you know that we will be speaking in Ohio for Shavuot: Friday evening and 3 times on Sabbath and 3 times on Shavuot; two new teachings on the Truth behind the blood moons and the Case for war. I will show you what no one is showing you about the blood moons, and I will show you exactly what the Blood moons mean. Are you aware we have 6 of them in a row from 2014-2016? We also will explain the 21 proofs we have that war is coming, and when. We will also go over the 70 Shabua and the 2300 days of hell and help you all to grasp the danger that is directly in front of us.

You must contact Jocelyn Boutet and make sure we have space for you.  RSVP by Friday, May 23, 2014 by e-mailing info@yaakovsflock.org or calling 740-666-0930.  Please feel free to contact us for more information or with any questions.

Also for the July 1st weekend we are working on a speaking weekend outside Calgary, Alberta. That is the weekend of Friday, June 27 – Sunday June 29, 2014.
Here is info about the convention in Alberta.

Can you mention that www.gladstonemountainranch.com is in the southwest corner of Alberta, so people from British Columbia and Montana could be interested.  The approx. 100 per person pays for 2 nights accommodations, food, and the registration. That is cheap!  Accommodation is for Friday and Saturday night. If people want to stay Sunday night, they can stay at the ranch but have to make arrangements with the owner.  There is so much to see around here: the ranch is only 30 minutes from Waterton Lakes National Park, which is actually an international Peace Park;  Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump ( World Heritage site) Frank Slide, to name a few.

Last week we wrote to you about Prostituting our Daughters. I have taken a lot of flack over that article from both the brethren and others for posting the pictures and stating the things I have stated: That those who say they do not have to keep the Sabbatical Year because they are not “In the Land” of Israel are also saying that, because we are not in the land of Israel, we can prostitute our daughters. This was also be the ad campaign I had on Facebook and on Google Plus. I have taken much grief for this but will still stand by what I have said.
I would like to share a few letters I got in support of my actions on this:

Joe, many thanks. I just read the Newsletter. Excellent and just what is needed. Shabbat Shalom my friend, Brian from Australia

Another from Texas:

Brother Joseph,

One of the best, most straight-forward and hard hitting articles I have read: Prostituting Our Daughters.

It is frustrating and maddening when we have “leaders and teachers” today in the Body of Messiah who will not “teach and lead” the Body in ALL commandment keeping.

I immediately recalled the same feeling as I had as a child in church, how I knew… even as a child… that my Father said in His Word: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy

And yet, all the teachers, preachers, pastors, and ministers taught me to keep sun-day holy. Had something changed?

This Sabbath Year keeping is just like that, only now it is the supposedly Messianic Torah-keeping body of teachers and leaders who, although I read in my Father’s Word, keep the Sabbath and Jubilee years; they are saying, no, we don’t have to, we are not in the land. That is like saying we don’t have to keep the Sabbath day because we are not Jews. It is all hypocrisy (whether known or unknown).

I know you receive the articles from Segulah’s Blog. but I also know you are very busy. I recently wrote an article about what we are doing for Passover. In it, I share my study of unleavened bread and the instructions for what we are to do during that week. This article hit home so perfectly in relation to the article I wrote.

Hypocrisy.

Each of these messianic leaders probably made sure their homes were free of yeast and leaven products and thought that to bring them righteousness… but reading and teaching Father’s Word and Instructions and looking for “loopholes” on how NOT to keep one of His commandments brings all the yeast and leaven cleaning to NOTHING. It is meaningless because there is still leaven there! It was not, in fact, removed.

Amazing.

I did love the article. I can just hear all the “self-righteous” folks being “offended” by the pictures, and missing the whole point.

Thank you for your zeal for His Word, the unrelenting pursuit of truth, and your courage.

Shabbat Shalom,

Lora

Another brother posted the following on his Facebook page. I was pleased to read about the many who also support this position and will be keeping the Sabbatical year in 2016.

May 2, 2014 at 2:17pm

FIRE!

You are asleep in your bed and it is 4 AM. You are deep in sleep and cannot hear anything. You are warm and cozy and do not have a care in the world.
Suddenly you hear this crash as your front door is kicked in and the sound of someone in your house. You are angered at the intruder, you are scared at what they are doing; and then you hear the words FIRE! FIRE! Anyone in here? You are still upset at being awakened from your sleep, but because you do not smell smoke, you are not sure if you should answer or find your gun.

In another situation, have ever tried to get your teen out of bed either in time to catch the bus for school or perhaps over the weekend? They hate it as you try to wake them up. You do it gently with a soft, soothing voice and they do not so much as move. You make even more noise and they then mumble something and roll over, pulling the blanket over their head. You give them 10 minutes and then a half hour; then, before you know it, over an hour has passed and they still have neither moved or gotten up. As a last resort, in comes Dad with the blow horn! They immediately jump out of bed and are as mad all get up at you! But now, at last, they are up.

Brethren, I did not wake up one day and decide I was going to teach about something no one else was or is teaching about. I had no use for religion and certainly was not qualified to teach. But I was being shown day by day more and more about the Sabbatical years and the prophecies they reveal. On my first trip to Israel I was asked in a general way by the tour guide “Who is going to stand up for Yehovah? Who is going to stand in the gap and defend the Torah no matter what?” I remember saying “Here I am Yehovah, pick me.” I had no clue what that meant, but I do remember saying it. I have told you all this a few times already.

Now when I yell “WAR IS COMING!” many of you are still in your sleep. That is, you are still in your christian belief system where you expect to be raptured out just in the nick of time. Or maybe you believe you are going to waltz into the promised land singing Kum Ba Yah, holding hands with Judah. You think “Jesus is coming” and because you are a GOOD PERSON you will be safe and all is going to be fine.

Because I am bringing you a message that is not what your teachers are telling you, people get upset with me in the same way you would if you had been woken from your sound sleep. Some people stay angry and constantly harp at me that I am being rude and arrogant for waking them up. Now that they are up, they will not forgive nor thank you because now they can see the fire and the danger they were in. These people then begin to attack and do so at every chance they see. Others call me a “Torah terrorist” and still others accuse me of “fear mongering.”

I am only quoting the same Scriptures found in your Bible and showing you how it is happening in real time. I do not have to make this stuff up. But so many want only to hear the good things, the health and wealth teachings. No one wants to hear that everything they have is about to be destroyed because they are not obeying Yehovah. Yet, that very thing is about to happen.

Many of you will even take offense at this article and will seek to shoot the one waking you up.
Others are now awake and can see the danger, so they get up, but they never tell anyone else in the house that there is great danger and these people are still asleep. Who is going to wake them up if you do not? Me? They will only get mad at me for disturbing their sleep.

This past week I was posting pictures of prostitutes working their trade; how those who say they do not have to keep the Sabbatical years because they are not in the land is the same as saying prostitution is legal because we are not in the land. These are those that say we do not have to keep the Sabbath Year because again we are not in the land.

Many of you were upset about the pictures. I had better not catch you on any beach with all those undressed, scantily clad people. So many of you already think you are above those women who are hookers and prostitutes. Brethren, my family and I were so involved in the sexual perversions of the 70’s and 80’s that if you all knew the depth of it you would not be talking to me at all. Some of you are so full of your own self righteousness that it makes me sick. I would rather be working with people who know they are not worthy than those who think they are righteous. I am not worthy and I know it. You are those white-washed sepulchres that Yehshua spoke of.

Mat 9:10  And it happened as Jesus reclined in the house, behold, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Him and His disciples. 11  And when the Pharisees saw, they said to His disciples, Why does your master eat with tax-collectors and sinners? 12  But when Jesus heard, He said to them, The ones who are whole do not need a physician, but the ones who are sick. 13  But go and learn what this is, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Have you forgotten how Yehshua was accused of spending his time with prostitutes and tax collectors?

Mat 21:23  And when He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority? 24  And Jesus answered and said to them, I will also ask you one thing; which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25  The baptism of John, where was it from? From Heaven or from men? And they reasoned within themselves, saying, If we shall say, From Heaven, he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him? 26  But if we shall say From men, we fear the people; for all consider John as a prophet. 27  And they answered Jesus and said, We cannot tell. And He said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. 28  But what do you think? A man had two sons; and he came to the first and said, Son, go work in my vineyard today. 29  He answered and said, I will not. But afterwards he repented and went. 30  And he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir; and did not go. 31  Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, The first. Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you that the tax-collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax-collectors and the harlots believed him. And when you had seen it, you did not repent afterwards so that you might believe him.

Joh 8:2  And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him. And He sat down and taught them. 3  And the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman taken in adultery. And standing her in the midst, 4  they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5  Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such should be stoned. You, then, what do you say? 6  They said this, tempting Him so that they might have reason to accuse Him. But bending down, Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger, not appearing to hear. 7  But as they continued to ask Him, He lifted Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her. 8  And again bending down, He wrote on the ground. 9  And hearing, and being convicted by conscience, they went out one by one, beginning at the oldest, until the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10  And bending back up, and seeing no one but the woman, Jesus said to her, Woman, where are the ones who accused you? Did not one give judgment against you? 11  And she said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I give judgment. Go, and sin no more.

None of you are any better than anyone else. Not one of you. Your righteousness is as a woman’s filthy menstrual rag.

Isa 64:6  But we are all as the unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as a menstruation cloth. And we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Yehovah sees all of us for what we are. Our own secret sins pollute and keep us from drawing closer to Him. He does not respect one over another. Not me, not you, no one.

Deu 10:16 Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stiff-necked. 17 For Jehovah your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, the mighty, and a terrible God, who does not respect persons nor take a bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger in giving him food and clothing.

Job 34:19  How much less to Him who does not lift up the face of rulers, nor regard the rich before the poor? For all of them are the work of His hands.

Act 10:34  Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Truly I see that God is no respecter of persons; 35 but in every nation he who fears Him and works righteousness is accepted with Him.

Rom 2:11  For there is no respect of faces with God.

Jas 2:1 My brothers, do not have the faith of our Lord Christ, the Lord of glory, with respecter of faces. 2 For if there comes a gold-fingered man in fancy clothing into your assembly, and if there also comes in a poor man in shabby clothing, 3 and if you have respect to him who has the fancy clothing and say to him, You sit here in a good place, and say to the poor, You stand there, or sit here under my footstool; 4 Did you not make a difference among yourselves and became judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him? 6 But you dishonored the poor one. Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats? 7 Do they not blaspheme that worthy Name by which you are called? 8 If you fulfill the royal Law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. 9 But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin and are convicted by the Law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Last week, I was going after those who teach others what they themselves believe: that you do not have to keep the Sabbatical years except when you are in the land. I exposed their hypocrisy and in so doing exposed the self righteousness of many of you. None of you are worthy to be saved. Not one of you.

Eph 2:8  For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Out of the billions of people on the earth Yehovah chose you. Think about that. He chose you. Not because you were better but because He could do something with you. You were just as bad if not worse than those whom you now think are of no value. You were just as bad as the prostitute, the child abuser, the rapist, homosexual, lesbian or any other disgusting person you can think of. YOU ARE NO BETTER. At least that is what you were.

1Co 1:26  For you see your calling, brothers, that not many wise men according to the flesh are called, not many mighty, not many noble. 27  But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28  and God has chosen the base things of the world, and things which are despised, and things which are not, in order to bring to nothing things that are; 29  so that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30  But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who of God is made to us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption; 31  so that, according as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

There are others out there spreading rumors about me. Those of you who listen to the gossip are just as guilty as those spreading the “Lasha Harah’ or evil tongue. By listening, you encourage those who slay a person’s reputation and by not stopping it, you abet it.
I leave you with this.

Luk 7:29  And all the people and the tax-collectors who heard Him justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, not being baptized by him. 31  And the Lord said, To what then shall I compare the men of this generation? And to what are they like? 32  They are like children sitting in a market and calling to one another, and saying, We have played the flute to you, and you have not danced; we have mourned to you, and you did not weep. 33  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, He has a demon. 34  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, Behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners! 35  But wisdom has been justified by all her children. 36  And one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And going into the Pharisee’s house, He reclined. 37  And behold, a woman, a sinner in the city, knowing that He reclined in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster vial of ointment. 38  And she stood behind Him, weeping at His feet, and she began to wash His feet with tears and wipe them with the hair of her head. And she ardently kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39  But seeing this, the Pharisee who had invited Him, spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, for she is a sinner. 40  And answering, Jesus said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he said, Teacher, speak. 41  There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42  And they having nothing to pay, he freely forgave both. Then which of them do you say will love him most? 43  And answering, Simon said, I suppose that one to whom he forgave most. And He said to him, You have judged rightly. 44  And He turned to the woman and said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, yet you gave Me no water for My feet. But she has washed My feet with tears, and has wiped them with the hair of her head. 45  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with ointment. 47  Therefore I say to you, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, he loves little. 48  And He said to her, Your sins are forgiven. 49  And those reclining with Him began to say within themselves, Who is this who even forgives sins? 50  And He said to the woman, Your faith has saved you, go in peace.

I know the sins I have been forgiven. I do not do the work of Satan, accusing the brethren.

Triennial Torah Reading

We continue this weekend with our regular Triennial Torah Reading

Gen 37     2 Sam 1-2        Ps 76-77          Mark 15

Setting Major Events in Motion (Genesis 37)

Chapter 37 of Genesis details the story of how Joseph’s brothers became jealous and sold him into slavery. Jacob’s favoritism of Joseph is the obvious cause of this jealousy, and the many-colored tunic he gives to Joseph is not well received by the others at all (verse 4). But what seems to be the final straw for the brothers is Joseph’s recounting of his dreams, perhaps with some haughtiness. Not only are the brothers incensed at Joseph, but even his father rebukes him.

As the story eventually unfolds, the dreams come true and Joseph’s family is eventually subject to him. And since the dreams come true, we know that they are no ordinary dreams—they are sent by God as prophecies. Yet the dreams are not only significant for the specific events they foretell, but for their instigation of further circumstances leading to one of the most renowned events in history. For these dreams of Joseph serve as a catalyst that sets in motion events that will not culminate until more than 250 years later with the Exodus from Egypt.

Remember Genesis 15. There God conveyed a prophecy regarding the descendants of Abraham—still called Abram at the time. God told Abram that his descendants would be strangers in a land that was not theirs and, further, that for a time they would be made slaves and afflicted (verse 13). So not only will Joseph’s dreams set in motion events that will enable the family of Israel to survive a future famine, but these same events will provide the means for bringing Israel and his sons to Egypt, where their descendants will eventually be made slaves, become a large nation, and ultimately be delivered in great miraculous power.

So here in Genesis 37, we get a glimpse of how God does His work and how He brings prophecy to pass. He takes an existing situation (Jacob’s favoritism and the resultant family jealousy) and then introduces a new element (Joseph’s dreams) to steer events toward His ultimate plan (Israel to Egypt and the Exodus). In this way, He brings prophecy about, all the while allowing those involved to make their own decisions along the way. It is truly amazing to see His power in action.

Incidentally, though there appears to be some confusion in the chapter as to whether Joseph is sold to Midianites or Ishmaelites, a simple explanation is given in the Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary’s note on verse 25: “a company of Ishmaelites—They are called Midianites (vs. 28), and Medanites, Hebrew (vs. 36), being a travelling caravan composed of a mixed association of Arabians.”

Also of note concerning this passage are facts uncovered by archaeology that argue against the idea that early Bible stories like that of Joseph were made up many hundreds of years after they were supposed to have occurred, as the biblical “minimalists” argue. Notice this from a recent book titled Is the Bible True? by a writer for U.S. News & World Report, Jeffery Sheler:

In Genesis 37:28… Joseph, a son of Jacob, is sold by his brothers into slavery for twenty silver shekels. That, notes [professor Kenneth] Kitchen, matches precisely the going price of slaves in the region during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries BCE, as affirmed by documents recovered from ancient Mesopotamia and from Mari, in what is now modern Syria. Other documents show the price of slaves rising steadily during later centuries. By the eighth century BCE, the price of slaves, as attested in ancient Assyrian records, had risen to fifty or sixty shekels, and to ninety to 120 shekels during the Persian Empire in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. If the story of Joseph had been dreamed up by a Jewish scribe in the sixth century, as some skeptics have suggested, argues Kitchen, “why isn’t the price in Genesis also ninety to one hundred shekels? It’s more reasonable to assume that the biblical data reflect reality.” (1999, pp. 73-74)

David Laments Saul and Jonathan;

Anointed King of Judah (2 Samuel 1:1-3:1)

The book of 2 Samuel spans the 40-year reign of King David, which begins as the book opens.
An Amalekite delivers the shocking news of Saul and Jonathan’s death, even reporting that he was the one who had killed Saul at Saul’s request. Yet “the Amalekite’s report of Saul’s death is different from the account in 1 Sam. 31:4, which states that Saul died by falling on his own sword. It appears that the Amalekite’s story is a fabrication. Perhaps he sought recognition or reward from David by claiming to have slain Saul” (Nelson Study Bible, note on 1:6-10; compare 2 Samuel 4:10). But having just had a run-in with a band of Amalekites (1 Samuel 30), and aware of God’s judgment on them (Deuteronomy 25:19), David was in no mood to consider the merits of the story and whether or not some sort of mercy killing had been in order. The Amalekite is thus rewarded with execution—on the basis of his own testimony.

Furthermore, “David’s execution of the Amalekite was a strong statement to those under his command that he had no part in Saul’s death and did not reward it in any way. Thus he exemplified respect for authority and distanced himself from the charge of being a usurper” (note on 2 Samuel 1:15).
After being chased and persecuted by Saul for so long, we read that David’s reaction to Saul’s death is not that of a carnal-minded human being. It is rather the reaction of one who lives according to the Spirit of God. Yeshua Messiah Himself taught this attitude, as revealed in Matthew 5:44: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” The type of eulogy given in this chapter is just another testimony of David’s respect, mercy, love and compassion for Saul and his sons.

David’s greatest mourning is, of course, for his best friend Jonathan. Recall how Jonathan deeply loved David, and David evidently loved Jonathan nearly as much in return: “The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1; see also 18:3; 20:17; 19:1).
Sad to say, there are those who have perversely twisted Jonathan’s love for David expressed in 2 Samuel 1:26—”surpassing the love of women”—to be what God would consider an abomination. But let’s look at the facts:

David’s sexual interest was toward women, as evidenced by his many wives and concubines—and his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. And Jonathan evidently married because he had at least one child—Mephibosheth (see 2 Samuel 4:4).

God had specific instructions regarding sexual relationships. “You shall not liewith a male as with a woman. It is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:22). “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them” (20:13).

Immediately before in 2 Samuel 1:26, the very same verse in question, David focuses on Jonathan being like a brother to him—and yet, more than a brother. David’s son, Solomon, used this proverb to denote a close relationship, saying, “There is a friend whosticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). What David and Jonathan shared was deep and true friendship—and perhaps even spiritual fellowship if Jonathan had God’s Spirit.

In chapter 2, David’s decade or more on the run is finally over. It is time for him to begin his succession to the throne. But instead of presumptuously taking the responsibility, David first asks God where he should go from Ziklag. (Ziklag was clearly not a place from which to rule, located as it was in the remote southern area of Judah.) After moving to Hebron, David is ceremonially anointed king of Judah, even though he was already officially anointed king over all of Israel by Samuel years earlier (1 Samuel 16:13).

But division ensues as Abner, Saul’s uncle and captain over Saul’s troops, presumptuously appoints Saul’s son Ishbosheth as king over Israel. So there are now, for the first time, two kingdoms in the land—Israel (led by the tribe of Benjamin) and Judah (by itself). There may have been several reasons for Abner’s actions: 1) To keep the crown in the family. 2) An attempt to hold onto power, as Abner has great influence in the affairs of state. 3) Remember that David rebuked and embarrassed Abner after sneaking into Saul’s camp.

In a confrontation between Abner and Joab (captain of David’s troops), what begins as a contest of strength between 12 young men from each side turns into a bloodbath. Abner, under Ishbosheth, loses 360 men, mostly of the tribe of Benjamin. David, however, loses only 20 men, including Asahel, Joab’s brother. It should be noted that the brothers Joab, Abishai and Asahel were David’s nephews, all sons of his sister Zeruiah (2 Samuel 2:18; 1 Chronicles 2:13-16).

For years the tribes of Israel remained engaged in civil war, during which time the “house of David” grew stronger and the “house of Saul” grew weaker.

Psalm 76,

another song of Asaph, is “a celebration of the Lord’s invincible power in defense of Jerusalem, his royal city. The psalm is thematically related to Ps 46; 48; 87” (Zondervan NIV Study Bible, note on Psalm 76). Like Psalm 75, this psalm would provide encouragement when enemy forces seemed unstoppable.
Jerusalem is referred to here in the abbreviated form of Salem (Psalm 76:2; compare Genesis 14:18). The victory over military forces God achieved at Jerusalem (Psalm 76:3) concerns God delivering His own oppressed people from an assault there, as the rest of the psalm makes clear.

Asaph declares God “more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey” (verse 4). The expression “mountains of prey” is interpreted by the next verse: “The stouthearted [referring to the invading enemies] were plundered.” Mountains are often symbolic in Scripture of kingdoms or nations. These enemy mountains, seeking to prey upon God’s people, have themselves become prey. As God elsewhere says to Israel of the end time: “All those who devour you shall be devoured; and all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; those who plunder you shall become plunder, and all who prey upon you I will make a prey” (Jeremiah 30:16; compare also Isaiah 31:4).

Though speaking of the victory as already accomplished in most of Psalm 76 (see verses 3, 5-6, 8-9), Asaph was prophesying here of the future (compare verses 10, 12). On one level the prophecy could be looking forward to the overthrow of Sennacherib’s army outside Jerusalem in Hezekiah’s day (see 2 Kings 19:35). Yet the main focus is God’s deliverance of the Jews there in the end time (see Zechariah 12:8-9)—as Psalm 76 shows that the rescue is part of God’s deliverance of “all the oppressed of the earth” (verse 9) when He breaks the spirit of rulers in an awesome show of power to “the kings of the earth” (verse 12). This could also represent God’s victory in delivering the people of spiritual Zion, His People, from the unseen spiritual rulers of this world bent on destroying them.

Fear of God, mentioned in three verses in this psalm (7, 8, 11), is an important theme here. “For the righteous, the fear of God is a response of awe, wonder, adoration, and worship. For the wicked, the fear of God is terror, for there is no escape from Him (14:5)” (Nelson Study Bible, note on Psalm 76:7).
Even the wrath of man directed against God will actually serve to praise and glorify Him (verse 10). This is because human attempts to fight against God (compare Revelation 19:19) will only demonstrate how irresistibly powerful He is (17:14). God in such cases counters with His own wrath. “The remainder of wrath” (Psalm 76:10), indicates “that particular judgments do not exhaust his wrath; a remainder is left to deal with other hostile powers” (Zondervan, note on verse 10). Indeed, God will deal with all hostile powers when Yeshua Messiah returns and establishes the Kingdom of God throughout the earth.
The middle phrase in the superscription of Psalm 77, which may be part of the postscript of Psalm 76, says “To Jeduthun”—the last of three occurrences of this designation in the psalms (see also the titles of Psalms 39 and 62). As mentioned regarding the previous occurrences, Jeduthun was one of David’s three music directors, apparently synonymous with Ethan, who was over the Merarite performers (i.e., of the Levitical sub-tribe of Merari), as Asaph led the Gershonite choir and Heman led the Kohathite performers (compare 1 Chronicles 6:16, 33, 39, 43-44; 15:17, 19; 16:41-42; 1 Chronicles 25:1, 6; 2 Chronicles 5:12; 35:15).

In great duress over some unnamed circumstance, Asaph has poured out his heart to God, knowing God has heard him (verse 1). He speaks in verse 2 of “the day of my trouble.” While seemingly personal, this may, like some of the other psalms in this section, reflect a time of national tragedy—particularly considering the focus of the end of the psalm on God’s past intervention for Israel.

Asaph has lifted his outspread hands to God in prayer through the night as he just can’t get comfortable or go to sleep (verses 2, 4a). Thinking about God is only troubling to him (verse 3) because he doesn’t understand why God is permitting or causing what is happening. He doesn’t know what to say (verse 4b).
In verses 5-6, Asaph is trying to put the present situation into perspective by thinking on the past. Yet this engenders the question of why God is not showing mercy as He has before. In its note on verses 7-9, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary states: “The formulation of questions has a therapeutic effect…. These questions go from the present situation of rejection (v. 7) to the cause: the Lord’s ‘anger’ (v. 9). In asking these questions and in expressing his doubts, the heart of the psalmist comes to rest; for he knows the God of Abraham…will remain faithful to ‘his promise.'”

Though in turmoil, Asaph determines to recall and meditate on God’s mighty intervention of times past (verses 10-13). If the added italicized “is” in verse 13 (NKJV) is dropped, as it could be, the clause here, starting with the end of the previous verse could read, “…and talk of Your deeds—Your way, O God—in the sanctuary.” The next line reflects what he would say: “Who is so great a God as our God?”

Through the remainder of the psalm, Asaph thinks about God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt in the days of Moses and Aaron (verses 14-20). Asaph’s mind is moved as he meditates. “Unconsciously he has jumped from (a) talking about God, to (b) talking to God. Then he finds himself in prayer (c) confessing God’s greatness, and finally (d) he seizes on the fact that of course…he belongs to that people whom God has already redeemed” (George Knight, Psalms, comments on verses 12-15).

Asaph concludes the psalm with declarations of God’s sovereignty over the “waters”—a symbol of chaotic, threatening forces. The waters here are viewed as the thunderclouds of storm (verses 17-18) and the mighty sea, which God divided to lead his people through (verses 16, 19-20). “Lost in contemplation of the greatness of God, the poet seems thoroughly distracted from his pain. He does not mention it again, not daring to compare it to the greatness of the Almighty” (Nelson Study Bible, note on verse 20). God is in control, and His aim is to deliver His people—as He surely will, in the proper time as He determines.

Mark Chapter 15

The chief priests, elders, and scribes council together. There decision – to bind Yeshua and deliver Him to Pilate. The chief priest accused Yeshua of many things and Yeshua never replies. Pilate is concerned about the accusation of the claim of Kingship only and asked Yeshua, “Are you the Sovereign of the Yehudim?” Yeshua does answer Pilate with, “you say it.” He does not deny He is the Sovereign of the Yehudim. Even as the chief priest continued to accuse Yeshua, He did not answer a word to His defence, and Pilate marveled.

At a festival, Pilate was in the habit of releasing to the Yehudim one prisoner. The man for this occasion was Barabba – a murderer. Pilate was willing (and wanting) to release Yeshua and he asked the people: Yeshua or Barabba. And they cried for Barabba as the priests stirred them up to do. Pilate asked what to do with Yeshua, the Sovereign of the Yehudim, and the crowd cried out, “Impale Him!”

So Pilate released Barabba and delivered Yeshua to a company of Roman soldiers to be mocked and beaten. Then, they led Yeshua away to be impaled. He was impaled in the third hour, His garments were given away through the casting of lots.

He was impaled with two others who were lawless men. The crowed passed Him by while on the tree hanging, blaspheming and mocking Him. At the sixth hour darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. Yeshua cries out and then breathes His last. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. A captain in the Roman guard saw all this and proclaimed Yeshua to truly be the Son of Elohim – he believed!
When evening drew near, Joseph of Arimethea went to Pilate to beg for the body of Yeshua, to remove Him, dress Him, and place Him into the tomb before sunset.