There is perhaps no more infamous name in Holy Writ than that of Cain. He was the first murderer by committing an act of fratricide in killing his own brother, Abel. Aside from this very sad and painful story, some believers and non-believers have instead focused on the so-called “mark” of Cain to perpetuate racial bigotry, and prejudice towards Blacks to justify the institution of chattel slavery in America because of skin color and Anti-Semitism to a lesser degree against Jews throughout the world. Was there some inherent pathology in Cain which drove him to this desperate and regrettable act, or is there a broader lesson for all humanity in this tragic family saga that is only being told from a particular perspective? One can only wonder what Cain would have written about his side of the story if given the opportunity. Now it is time to reread the narrative again without being influenced by the traditional bias as much as it is possible.
Genesis 1: 14
God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night; they shall serve as signs for the set times (Heb. “moed”) - the [Feast??] days and years.
Genesis 4: 1-2
Now Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain [Heb. possession, something fixed or permanent], saying, “I have gained [acquired] a man [male child] from the LORD.” She then bore his brother Abel [Heb. breath, vapor, transitory]. Abel became a keeper of sheep, but Cain became a tiller of the soil.
NOTE: Several things are worth noting up to this point. Cain had the same occupation as his father Adam (Cp. Genesis 3: 23), and since there was no mention of Eve conceiving between Cain’s birth and her begetting his brother Abel, or a given time period between the births, these sons were in all likelihood twins; much like Jacob and Esau (Cp. Genesis 25: 21-27). Jacob and Esau started struggling in the womb as well as throughout life; albeit with their parents playing favorites [Isaac loved Esau and Rachel loved Jacob]. Abel seemed destined to have a short life because his very name refers to that of a temporary and not a lasting nature or existence, whereas his brother Cain has a name that connotes something more enduring or lasting.
Genesis 4: 3-5
And in the course of time [at the set/appointed time] Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the ground [First fruits??]; and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings and the fat thereof [Sin offering??] of his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his offering but to Cain and his offering he paid no heed. Cain was very much distressed (angry) and his countenance fell.
Leviticus 1: 2, 3b
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock-of the herd and of the flock. He shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD.
NOTE: Since the fall of Adam and Eve, the First Family could not have face to face communion and fellowship with God like they had in the Garden, and because of God’s holiness one can only approach Him through substitutionary blood sacrifices and offerings; which appears to be the case here. It is possible that in Genesis 4: 7b, that what is being talked about of a sin offering lying at the door [of the tent/tabernacle??] is perhaps a primitive tent where sacrifices were offered and the “Shekhinah” [God] descended and talked with these brothers. Since God’s nature is like that of a consuming fire, the sin offering would not be for any particular trespass as such but as protection and sanctification to allow Cain or Able to draw near to God [referenced from Mark Blitz, Pastor of ElShaddai Ministries-US]. Technically though, Abel is the first person to shed blood in the Bible because he offered up to God the firstlings of his flock and the fat portions thereof (Cp. Genesis 4: 4: Leviticus 4: 32-37). And how can one determine if this sacrifice was a lamb? (Cp. Revelation 13: 8)
Genesis 4: 8
And Cain had words with Abel his brother, and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him.
NOTE: Unlike Esau who wanted to kill his twin brother (Cp. Genesis 27: 41-45), but he later relented, Cain perhaps through some kind of struggle with his brother Abel, kills him. It is not known what precipitated this act and was Cain really angry at his brother Abel or at God? Did Cain even bother to bury his brother or leave his body for the vultures; and most curiously, where was Adam and Eve when all this was about to transpire? Talk about AWOL parents!!
Genesis 4: 12-14a, 15
[God said] “If you till the soil, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall become a ceaseless wandered on earth.” Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment [iniquity or guilt??] is too great to bear! Since you have banished me this day from the soil, and I must avoid your presence and become a restless wanderer on earth.” Cain left the presence [“Shekhinah”] of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod [Heb. Wandering], east of Eden.
NOTE: God’s punishment was that the soil would not produce for Adam either (Cp. Genesis 4: 17-18).
Genesis 4: 17-22
Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch [Heb. dedicated]. And he (Cain) founded a city, and named the city after his son Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad [Heb. fleet], and Irad begot Mehujael [Heb. smitten by God], and Mehujael begot Methusael [Heb. man of God], and Methusael begot Lamech [Heb. powerful]. Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah [Heb. ornament, beauty], and the name of the other was Zillah [Heb. shade]. Adah bore Jabal [Heb. stream]; he was the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and amidst herds. And the name of his brother was Jubal [Heb. music]; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and pipe (flute). As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-cain, who forged all implements of copper [brass] and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah [Heb. loveliness].
COMMENTARY: An alternative reading of this part of the Genesis story is that mysterious ‘mark’ of Cain just might be the precursor to the beginning of civilization and cultural advancement, and it is this painful bit of primordial pre-history that we would like to erase from our collective consciousness. It is that bitter acceptance in which human technological progress is all attributable to the legacy of Cain; of which we are the benefactors and inheritors. Thankfully, the author of Genesis left this part in as a reminder that addresses the dilemma of our seemingly instinctive “Darwinian” struggle of self-preservation to adapt and survive at all costs, as opposed to merely becoming extinct. It is savage, primal, ruthless, amoral, unapologetic, and yet within all of us there is also that ‘spark’ of the divine. However, it may be more palatable to extricate Cain from us in favor of the Abel/Seth genealogy, but to do so would deny that part of us that makes us completely whole.
Remember, in-spite of the terrible price that Cain paid in killing his brother and being cursed by God, yet he is the ultimate survivor. He is banished from his homeland, his parents are nowhere to be found, and he enters a strange and likely inhospitable country where he is unknown and has to struggle and find another way to make a living and take care of himself; but that’s not the end of the story but rather, just a new beginning. Whatever Cain might have been in the past, he gets married and starts a family. Not only that, but instead of simply tilling the ground as formerly, he does something even greater, such as building a city. From his descendants in the Mesopotamian basin or Mediterranean region, the world progresses from a more primitive development to some of its more advanced stages. Moreover, this is much earlier than the post-Apocalyptic world of the “Flood” in which Nimrod brings about another civilizing campaign through empire building (Cp. Genesis 10: 8-12).
Curiously, Seth’s descendants, as listed in Genesis 5: 1-28, in which the names of Enosh [Enos], Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared [Yared], Enoch, Methusaleh, and Lamech are mentioned, seems borrowed from or derivative of the 5 names of Cain’s line (Cp. Genesis 4: 17-22), such as: Enoch, Irad [Jared/Irad], Methujael [Mahalalel??], Methusael [Methusaleh], and Lamech. There is no mention of how long Cain’s descendants lived or if they had sons and daughters; which in all likelihood they undoubtedly did as well as Cain, too. This fragment may very well be all that remains of Cain’s side of the Genesis account and it is unfortunate because one can only wonder what else might have been written; Talk about revisionist history! Not only that, but the entire story could be an allegory just like when the Apostle Paul (Rav Shaul) wrote about the covenants, Sarah and Hagar and Mount Sinai; as in the following:
Galatians 4: 22-26:
For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are an allegory (symbolic; i.e.-not real or it literally means something else). For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar- for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children- but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Whatever the case may be, figuratively or literally, Cain’s “mark” is stamped upon all of the 6 billion or so of us living at the present time on planet Earth (Cp. Ecclesiastes 7: 20; Romans 3: 23), and it is written upon our very DNA, like it or not. The record of Human history on planet Earth is mostly one of violence, bloodshed, cruelty, warfare, and in some cases, unspeakable atrocities; yet, in spite of this sad chapter, we must decide whether or not we are going to be our “brother’s keeper” and to accept the [sin/peace??] offering of grace that has been provided by God at the door to our heart, “That it may be well with us [Humanity],” or will we instead, rise up and [continue to] kill our brother [family member, neighbor, stranger, etc.]? The choice is ours, and ours alone to make; which will it be?
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 28, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Is the Eucharist ("LORD'S SUPPER") in reality the Jewish Passover Seder?
The most solemn and special sacraments in all Christendom, called the “Eucharist” or LORD’S Supper is also one of its most Jewish practices, also. It is enjoined by clergy and parishioner with rapt attention, reflection, and reverence as a most sacred act of devotion. Among some Christian churches, a specially-decorated table is set in front of the members, before the throne or altar of God. Scripture is read, a prayer is spoken, and a song or hymn accompanies the partaking of a jigger of fruit of the vine (unfermented fruit juice in almost all cases) along with a piece of some type of unleavened bread, wafer, or cracker. One Christian denomination substitutes water for fruit of the vine and another one offers the option of drinking from one of two large cups (goblets) while receiving the sign of an ashen cross on your forehead. The times vary for this rite, as some observe it every Sunday, every first or fourth Sunday, and still for an even smaller minority, once a year. Now let’s see how all of this works out.
Luke 22: 17, 19-20
Then, taking a cup of wine [fermented??], He gave thanks [Heb. b’rakhah], and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. Also, taking bread [Heb. Matzah- “Bread of Affliction”], gave thanks [Heb. b’rakhah] broke it, gave it to them and said, “This is my body, which is being given for you; do this in memory of Me. He did the same with the cup after the meal, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant (Heb. Brit Berith), in My blood, which is being [will be] poured out for you.”
NOTE: According to Jewish tradition, four different cups [of wine] were used during the Passover meal (Heb. Seder), based upon the following:
Exodus 6: 6-7
Therefore say to the sons of Israel, I AM YHVH, and (1) I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and (2) I will rescue you out of their bondage. And (3) I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments. And (4) I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I AM YHVH, who freed you from the forced labor of the Egyptians.
COMMENTARY: The “Cup of Sanctification” is taken from (1) I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, where God would set apart the Israelites from the Egyptians that they may worship and serve Him; which is derived from the Heb. Abad, meaning to serve, worship, be a husbandman, etc. The “Cup of Deliverance” is taken from (2) I will rescue you out of their bondage, as God took them away from the rigorous labor inflicted by the Egyptian Pharaoh. The “Cup of Redemption” is where God said, (3) “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm” and inflicted upon the Egyptians grievous plagues, including the ‘Death of the Firstborn,’ which caused Pharaoh to let the children of Israel leave Egypt. And the last one is the “Cup of Acceptance” (4) I will take you to Me for a people (Cp. 2 Samuel 7: 23-24).
Now, according to the New Testament (Heb. Brit Hadashah) this practice is as follows:
1 Corinthians 11: 23-26, 33-34a
For what I received from the LORD is just what I passed on to you- that the LORD Jesus (Yeshua), on the night he was betrayed, took bread [Heb. Matzah]; and after He made the b’rakhah (gave thanks), He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this as a memorial to Me.” Likewise, He also took the cup after the meal (Heb. Seder), saying, “This cup is the New Covenant (Heb. Brit Berith) in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, as a memorial to Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the LORD until He comes. So then, my brothers, when you gather together to eat, wait for one another. If someone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it will not result in judgment.
NOTE: It would appear that the so-called Eucharist (LORD’S Supper) was part of the Passover Seder, which was observed by Jesus of Nazareth with His disciples before His crucifixion, and just like under the Old Testament, if participation in this part of the Feast was profaned [treated as a common meal], God’s judgment was incurred (Cp. verses 29-30). This would certainly involve more than just the miniscule sampling of fruit juice and cracker that is distributed within most, if not all the Christian Churches who celebrate this memorial [See verses 33-34].
1 Corinthians 5: 7-8
“Get rid of the old leaven [Heb. Hametz], so that you may become a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened. For indeed, Christ [Yeshua] our Passover [Heb. Pesach] lamb, has been sacrificed. So let us keep the Feast [celebrate the Passover Seder] not with the leftover leaven [Heb. Hametz] of wickedness and evil, but with the unleavened bread [Heb. Matzah] of purity and truth.
NOTE: The Apostle Paul uses the imagery and symbolism from the Passover Feast [Heb. Seder-meal] which the recipients of his letter doubtless observed, to point out uncorrected discipline regarding sexual immorality that was not repented of; and the effect of this sin could spread throughout the entire body of believers just like the action of leaven in dough. It must also be remembered that the Corinthian Church started from among the synagogue, with the ruler of the synagogue (Cp. Acts 18: 1, 4, 5b, 8, 17??) becoming a believer, as well as Gentile proselytes (Cp. Acts 18: 7, 8b), and it is more than likely that they continued to observe some of the Jewish religious customs and Feast Days.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 19, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Luke 22: 17, 19-20
Then, taking a cup of wine [fermented??], He gave thanks [Heb. b’rakhah], and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. Also, taking bread [Heb. Matzah- “Bread of Affliction”], gave thanks [Heb. b’rakhah] broke it, gave it to them and said, “This is my body, which is being given for you; do this in memory of Me. He did the same with the cup after the meal, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant (Heb. Brit Berith), in My blood, which is being [will be] poured out for you.”
NOTE: According to Jewish tradition, four different cups [of wine] were used during the Passover meal (Heb. Seder), based upon the following:
Exodus 6: 6-7
Therefore say to the sons of Israel, I AM YHVH, and (1) I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and (2) I will rescue you out of their bondage. And (3) I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments. And (4) I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I AM YHVH, who freed you from the forced labor of the Egyptians.
COMMENTARY: The “Cup of Sanctification” is taken from (1) I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, where God would set apart the Israelites from the Egyptians that they may worship and serve Him; which is derived from the Heb. Abad, meaning to serve, worship, be a husbandman, etc. The “Cup of Deliverance” is taken from (2) I will rescue you out of their bondage, as God took them away from the rigorous labor inflicted by the Egyptian Pharaoh. The “Cup of Redemption” is where God said, (3) “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm” and inflicted upon the Egyptians grievous plagues, including the ‘Death of the Firstborn,’ which caused Pharaoh to let the children of Israel leave Egypt. And the last one is the “Cup of Acceptance” (4) I will take you to Me for a people (Cp. 2 Samuel 7: 23-24).
Now, according to the New Testament (Heb. Brit Hadashah) this practice is as follows:
1 Corinthians 11: 23-26, 33-34a
For what I received from the LORD is just what I passed on to you- that the LORD Jesus (Yeshua), on the night he was betrayed, took bread [Heb. Matzah]; and after He made the b’rakhah (gave thanks), He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this as a memorial to Me.” Likewise, He also took the cup after the meal (Heb. Seder), saying, “This cup is the New Covenant (Heb. Brit Berith) in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, as a memorial to Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the LORD until He comes. So then, my brothers, when you gather together to eat, wait for one another. If someone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it will not result in judgment.
NOTE: It would appear that the so-called Eucharist (LORD’S Supper) was part of the Passover Seder, which was observed by Jesus of Nazareth with His disciples before His crucifixion, and just like under the Old Testament, if participation in this part of the Feast was profaned [treated as a common meal], God’s judgment was incurred (Cp. verses 29-30). This would certainly involve more than just the miniscule sampling of fruit juice and cracker that is distributed within most, if not all the Christian Churches who celebrate this memorial [See verses 33-34].
1 Corinthians 5: 7-8
“Get rid of the old leaven [Heb. Hametz], so that you may become a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened. For indeed, Christ [Yeshua] our Passover [Heb. Pesach] lamb, has been sacrificed. So let us keep the Feast [celebrate the Passover Seder] not with the leftover leaven [Heb. Hametz] of wickedness and evil, but with the unleavened bread [Heb. Matzah] of purity and truth.
NOTE: The Apostle Paul uses the imagery and symbolism from the Passover Feast [Heb. Seder-meal] which the recipients of his letter doubtless observed, to point out uncorrected discipline regarding sexual immorality that was not repented of; and the effect of this sin could spread throughout the entire body of believers just like the action of leaven in dough. It must also be remembered that the Corinthian Church started from among the synagogue, with the ruler of the synagogue (Cp. Acts 18: 1, 4, 5b, 8, 17??) becoming a believer, as well as Gentile proselytes (Cp. Acts 18: 7, 8b), and it is more than likely that they continued to observe some of the Jewish religious customs and Feast Days.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 19, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Hillary Clinton’s comment may be a wake-up call for Israel
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent statement at the summit called AIPAC should have been a reality check for the Israeli people; not to mention, another glaring example of American ‘hubris.’ While avowing unrelenting support for the nation of Israel, she went on to say that with all the sophisticated weapons and technology being developed by the enemy, [in light of this continually evolving situation], “WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROTECT ISRAEL ANYMORE.” This unfortunate comment should have caused some consternation among the Israeli political leadership including Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak; as well as outrage among Israeli citizens and other people as well. It says that if America wasn’t around to scare away all the enemies and haters of Israel who are bent on her destruction or annihilation, she would not even exist. Perhaps Israel needs to rethink its relationship with the United States, Western European countries, and her role within the United Nations as well.
In the Jewish Bible [“TANAKH”] there are some lessons to be learned from the Jews depending on or soliciting for military deliverance from other nations instead of their God. In 2 Kings 16: 1, 7, 9, King Ahaz of Judah paid tribute to Tiglath-Pileser to save them from the armies of the Kings of Syria and Israel. Also, in 2 Kings 17: 1, 3-4, King Hoshea of Israel conspired with the King of Egypt to come to his aid against Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, and when the Assyrian King uncovered the plot, he imprisoned King Hoshea and besieged the capitol [Samaria] for three years and carried away the people captive.
Later in 2 Kings 18: 17, 19-21, 32b; 19: 16, 19-22, 32-34, Rabshakeh, the Chief of Staff for Sennacherib King of Assyria taunted King Hezekiah and the people along the wall in Judah [the city of Jerusalem], and speaking for King Sennacherib, said, “Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD [Adonai??] should [can] deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (Cp. 18: 35). What is instructive for the political leaders of modern-day Israel is what King Hezekiah did as recorded in 2 Kings 19: 1, 20, 32, 34: And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth [and ashes??], and went into the house of the LORD. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib King of Assyria, I have heard.’ ” “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the King of Assyria: ‘He shall not come [set foot] into this city [Jerusalem], Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it. “For I will defend this city [Jerusalem], to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”
Ironically enough, the remnant of the children of Israel [tribe of Judah, no doubt] wanted to return back to Egypt, the very country which their ancestors were enslaved, as it says in Jeremiah 42: 9a, 10a, 13-14; 43: 7a: Thus says the LORD, “If you will remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. “But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the LORD your God, saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt where we shall not see war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell.’ ” So they went into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the LORD.” Eventually Egypt was defeated and Israel went into captivity, anyway (Cp. Jeremiah 46: 1-28).
The people of Israel as well as the rest of the world needs to recognize that God has on occasion punished the Jews for their transgression of His Law [Torah], which included plagues (diseases), military defeat, captivity and exile into foreign lands, but nevertheless, as it says in Proverbs 21: 31: The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the LORD. God will protect Israel from her enemies and will gather them from all the nations around the world to settle them in the land promised to the patriarch Abraham and codified in the Law [Torah] given at Mount Sinai; irrespective of the negotiations between the United States, Israel, the UN and the Palestinians about the settlement issue in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
Finally, it is not about having fighter jets with “STEALTH TECHNOLOGY” traveling at several times the speed of sound or having some of the best pilots in the world, or how many nuclear bombs they have, or equipping their soldiers with the latest in body armor and sensors to detect chemical, radiological, and biological weapons, and other such capabilities to wage modern warfare. The very opposite existed for their ancestors who were at a tactical disadvantage in almost every encounter before their enemies; especially when it came to the development of iron weapons. The one thing Israel had, though, was unwavering ‘faith’ in the promises of God and as long as she trusted in the LORD, Israel was victorious. The people of Israel need to be reminded of this because their sacred Scriptures teach:
Exodus 14: 14
The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.
Deuteronomy 1: 30
The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.
1 Samuel 17: 47
Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear [weapons]; for the battle is the LORD’S, and He will give you into our hands.
Zechariah 4: 6b
So he answered and said to me, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts [YHVH Sabaoth].”
The Jewish people, their military and political leaders need to return [repent] to their LORD God through living according with the Law [Torah] and not adopt the customs of America and Western Europe. When this happens, the blessings which come to Israel will flow throughout the entire world and we will all be better off because of this.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 23, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
In the Jewish Bible [“TANAKH”] there are some lessons to be learned from the Jews depending on or soliciting for military deliverance from other nations instead of their God. In 2 Kings 16: 1, 7, 9, King Ahaz of Judah paid tribute to Tiglath-Pileser to save them from the armies of the Kings of Syria and Israel. Also, in 2 Kings 17: 1, 3-4, King Hoshea of Israel conspired with the King of Egypt to come to his aid against Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, and when the Assyrian King uncovered the plot, he imprisoned King Hoshea and besieged the capitol [Samaria] for three years and carried away the people captive.
Later in 2 Kings 18: 17, 19-21, 32b; 19: 16, 19-22, 32-34, Rabshakeh, the Chief of Staff for Sennacherib King of Assyria taunted King Hezekiah and the people along the wall in Judah [the city of Jerusalem], and speaking for King Sennacherib, said, “Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD [Adonai??] should [can] deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (Cp. 18: 35). What is instructive for the political leaders of modern-day Israel is what King Hezekiah did as recorded in 2 Kings 19: 1, 20, 32, 34: And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth [and ashes??], and went into the house of the LORD. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib King of Assyria, I have heard.’ ” “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the King of Assyria: ‘He shall not come [set foot] into this city [Jerusalem], Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it. “For I will defend this city [Jerusalem], to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”
Ironically enough, the remnant of the children of Israel [tribe of Judah, no doubt] wanted to return back to Egypt, the very country which their ancestors were enslaved, as it says in Jeremiah 42: 9a, 10a, 13-14; 43: 7a: Thus says the LORD, “If you will remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. “But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the LORD your God, saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt where we shall not see war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell.’ ” So they went into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the LORD.” Eventually Egypt was defeated and Israel went into captivity, anyway (Cp. Jeremiah 46: 1-28).
The people of Israel as well as the rest of the world needs to recognize that God has on occasion punished the Jews for their transgression of His Law [Torah], which included plagues (diseases), military defeat, captivity and exile into foreign lands, but nevertheless, as it says in Proverbs 21: 31: The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the LORD. God will protect Israel from her enemies and will gather them from all the nations around the world to settle them in the land promised to the patriarch Abraham and codified in the Law [Torah] given at Mount Sinai; irrespective of the negotiations between the United States, Israel, the UN and the Palestinians about the settlement issue in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
Finally, it is not about having fighter jets with “STEALTH TECHNOLOGY” traveling at several times the speed of sound or having some of the best pilots in the world, or how many nuclear bombs they have, or equipping their soldiers with the latest in body armor and sensors to detect chemical, radiological, and biological weapons, and other such capabilities to wage modern warfare. The very opposite existed for their ancestors who were at a tactical disadvantage in almost every encounter before their enemies; especially when it came to the development of iron weapons. The one thing Israel had, though, was unwavering ‘faith’ in the promises of God and as long as she trusted in the LORD, Israel was victorious. The people of Israel need to be reminded of this because their sacred Scriptures teach:
Exodus 14: 14
The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.
Deuteronomy 1: 30
The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.
1 Samuel 17: 47
Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear [weapons]; for the battle is the LORD’S, and He will give you into our hands.
Zechariah 4: 6b
So he answered and said to me, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts [YHVH Sabaoth].”
The Jewish people, their military and political leaders need to return [repent] to their LORD God through living according with the Law [Torah] and not adopt the customs of America and Western Europe. When this happens, the blessings which come to Israel will flow throughout the entire world and we will all be better off because of this.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 23, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Discussion of the term "Kindling a Fire"
Dear Pastor Mark Biltz (El Shaddai Ministries, 27 Adar 5770):
On Shabbat, during the teaching on Vayakehl (Exodus 35-40), you mentioned or explained that Exodus 35: 3 and James 3: 5 are referring to the same thing; but is this really the case? Let’s take a closer look. The first thing that needs to be considered is the ‘context’ of the particular circumstance. In order to better understand the passage in Exodus, it is necessary to view a few others, namely:
Exodus 20: 9-10
“Six days shall you labor and do all your work (Heb. Mela’kah [labor/occupation/business]), but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
NOTE: The labor that cattle [or some other farm animal] could possibly do includes treading out the grain, carrying a load, or perhaps plowing up a field.
Exodus 23: 12
“Six days shall you labor and do all your work (Heb. Ma’aseh [labor/work]), and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.
NOTE: God was not only concerned about the people and the stranger within their gates, but the Sabbath was for the animals, too. This same word (Heb. Ma’aseh [labor/work]) is mentioned in (Exodus 31: 14; Leviticus 23: 3; Deuteronomy 5: 13; Jeremiah 17: 21-22)
Leviticus 23: 7
“On the first day you shall have a holy convocation [dress rehearsal]; you shall do no work (Heb. ‘abodah [customary/occupational]).
Now, taking a look at Exodus 35: 3, it reads: “You shall kindle (ignite, start, etc.) no fire (Heb. “esh”) throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day (Shabbat).”
In Numbers 15: 32-35, a man was found picking up sticks on the Sabbath day [possibly gathering them to start a fire, but the reason is not given], and this was such a dilemma that those who found him brought him before Moses, Aaron, and the rest of the congregation. Interestingly, it says in verse 34 that because it had not been explained what to do [perhaps the exact form or method of capital punishment], the offender was kept under guard until the LORD told Moses what to do; and the sentence was “Death by stoning.” The Law [Torah] had already stated that anyone who profanes ‘Shabbat’ or God’s commandments would be cut off from among the people [but it didn’t say how to handle a case such as this until now]. This man’s act could also have been viewed as “presumptuous sin” as mentioned in verses 30-31.
Now, James 3:5 says: Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature: and is set on fire of hell.
While the Hebrew word for ‘fire’ in Exodus 35: 3 is the noun “esh” but the phrase in James 3: 5 in a rare Greek word “phlogizo” and it is used ONLY at this place and it carries the meaning of to cause a blaze, ignite, inflame with passion, etc.). There is no direct equivalent or correspondence between the two different terms as the meanings aren’t the same. James was not reminding those to whom he penned this letter (although they were doubtless some from the twelve tribes of the Dispersion-Cp. 1: 1), who were in all likelihood Messianic Jews [Jews who accept Yeshua as the Mashiyach] about Shabbat, but rather to guard one’s speech and how like a little spark can set a whole forest ablaze. In the vernacular of a comedian from the 1970’s, who used to say, “Loose Lips sink Ships.” James touched upon this earlier in James 1: 26 as well as James 3: 8. The Wisdom of Solomon has this to say in Proverbs 18: 21, which states: “Death and Life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit [to their sorrow, shame, regret, and destruction??].
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 13, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
On Shabbat, during the teaching on Vayakehl (Exodus 35-40), you mentioned or explained that Exodus 35: 3 and James 3: 5 are referring to the same thing; but is this really the case? Let’s take a closer look. The first thing that needs to be considered is the ‘context’ of the particular circumstance. In order to better understand the passage in Exodus, it is necessary to view a few others, namely:
Exodus 20: 9-10
“Six days shall you labor and do all your work (Heb. Mela’kah [labor/occupation/business]), but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
NOTE: The labor that cattle [or some other farm animal] could possibly do includes treading out the grain, carrying a load, or perhaps plowing up a field.
Exodus 23: 12
“Six days shall you labor and do all your work (Heb. Ma’aseh [labor/work]), and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.
NOTE: God was not only concerned about the people and the stranger within their gates, but the Sabbath was for the animals, too. This same word (Heb. Ma’aseh [labor/work]) is mentioned in (Exodus 31: 14; Leviticus 23: 3; Deuteronomy 5: 13; Jeremiah 17: 21-22)
Leviticus 23: 7
“On the first day you shall have a holy convocation [dress rehearsal]; you shall do no work (Heb. ‘abodah [customary/occupational]).
Now, taking a look at Exodus 35: 3, it reads: “You shall kindle (ignite, start, etc.) no fire (Heb. “esh”) throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day (Shabbat).”
In Numbers 15: 32-35, a man was found picking up sticks on the Sabbath day [possibly gathering them to start a fire, but the reason is not given], and this was such a dilemma that those who found him brought him before Moses, Aaron, and the rest of the congregation. Interestingly, it says in verse 34 that because it had not been explained what to do [perhaps the exact form or method of capital punishment], the offender was kept under guard until the LORD told Moses what to do; and the sentence was “Death by stoning.” The Law [Torah] had already stated that anyone who profanes ‘Shabbat’ or God’s commandments would be cut off from among the people [but it didn’t say how to handle a case such as this until now]. This man’s act could also have been viewed as “presumptuous sin” as mentioned in verses 30-31.
Now, James 3:5 says: Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature: and is set on fire of hell.
While the Hebrew word for ‘fire’ in Exodus 35: 3 is the noun “esh” but the phrase in James 3: 5 in a rare Greek word “phlogizo” and it is used ONLY at this place and it carries the meaning of to cause a blaze, ignite, inflame with passion, etc.). There is no direct equivalent or correspondence between the two different terms as the meanings aren’t the same. James was not reminding those to whom he penned this letter (although they were doubtless some from the twelve tribes of the Dispersion-Cp. 1: 1), who were in all likelihood Messianic Jews [Jews who accept Yeshua as the Mashiyach] about Shabbat, but rather to guard one’s speech and how like a little spark can set a whole forest ablaze. In the vernacular of a comedian from the 1970’s, who used to say, “Loose Lips sink Ships.” James touched upon this earlier in James 1: 26 as well as James 3: 8. The Wisdom of Solomon has this to say in Proverbs 18: 21, which states: “Death and Life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit [to their sorrow, shame, regret, and destruction??].
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 13, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Should the “Holy Land” be occupied by the Palestinians or the Israelis?
The issue over who should live in the Holy Land cannot be settled by the United Nations or political negotiations, but rather by the Word of God, and if helpful, by the Social Sciences. Since the Palestinians claim to be descendants of the Philistines, then it is prudent to find out who they are and where they came from.
Genesis 10: 6, 13-14
The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the “Philistines” and Caphtorim). {Cp. 1 Chronicles 1: 12}
The part of the country that became the home of the Israelite people was named by the Romans “Pelishtum” where the term ‘Philistines’ (Heb. land of the strangers/sojourners) is derived from. The Philistines lived in the southernmost part of the coast of Canaan. On a stele at the Temple at Medinet Habu, Pharaoh Rameses III is depicted as boasting over the defeat of a “Sea Peoples” in 1188 BC called “Peleste” who are identified as the Philistines. Thirteen years later they were firmly settled on the coastal plains of southern Canaan. Afterwards, they conquered more territory, including the central uplands, Galilee, and the trans-Jordan (Cp. 1 Samuel 31: 7; 2 Samuel 5: 18-20, 22, 25). The land that the Philistines occupied was referred to either as Philistia, Palestina, or even Palestine interchangeably (Cp. Exodus 15: 14; Isaiah 14: 29, 31; Joel 3: 4). Jerusalem was named as the capitol city (Cp. 2 Chronicles 28: 27).
The territory of the Philistines, having been occupied by the Canaanites, formed a part of the “Promised Land,” and was assigned to the tribe of Judah (Cp. Joshua 15: 1-12); including such cities as Jerusalem, Gaza, and Hebron (Cp. Joshua 15: 8b, 47, 54). Doubtless, this inheritance led to the area being called the land of Judea [Judah]. It seems that part of this land is included in the Eastern border of Canaan or Palestine as found in Numbers 34: 10-12. Philistia, as such, was a plain on the SW plain of Palestine. It was 40 miles long on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between Gerar [where Abimelech resided during the time of Abraham in Genesis 20: 1-2; 21: 32] and Joppa; it was 10 miles wide at the northern end, and 20 miles at the southern end. According to Deuteronomy 2: 23; Jeremiah 47: 4; Amos 9: 7, the Philistines came from the country of “Caphtor” which is seen by some as a reference to the island of Crete. Others believe that they are indigenous to the Middle East region, as derivative from the Egyptian word ‘Coptos’ which refers to someone from either Egypt or somewhere in Africa. It is plausible that both points of view are correct in that in some earlier period in prehistory, Europeans could have settled in Canaan, intermingled with one of the tribes or clans of Casluhim, becoming the more dominant one and totally assimilating the weaker group into their own; thus creating their own unique cultural, social, political and religious identity in this Mesopotamian region.
It would also appear from the Anthropological as well as Archaeological record that the ancestors of the Palestinians were more culturally advanced, as far as technology, than their later rivals, the Israelites. While the progenitor and Patriarchal father of the Hebrews/Israelites was wandering around in Canaan from place to place as a nomad, the Philistines were already established as a people or latent kingdom; it seems. Of course, this still doesn’t answer the question of whether what came first, “the Chicken or the Egg?” To be sure, the Philistines or Palestinians did occupy through military conquest some part of what is now the 'Holy Land' and that entire region was called “Palestine” at one time or another. This does not mean that other Canaanite tribes or clans [nations??] did not already live there at that time or even before the arrival of the Philistines. The one thing, though, is that the Philistines never occupied, as far as the historical record shows, Jerusalem [“Jebus’’]. This city was the stronghold of the Jebusites, whom King David defeated, moved his capitol from Hebron to there, and where it was later called “The City of David.” (Cp. 1 Chronicles 11: 1, 3-5).
So now then, as far as the Palestinian peoples right to Statehood being ‘legitimate,’ based upon the historical and Scriptural evidences which are known at this time, it would not seem to support the disputed area in which they want to occupy. This does NOT mean, however, that the Palestinians should be a people without a homeland and denied any sense of dignity, respect, autonomy, economic security, a cultural identity, and allowed to live in peace; which they deserve just as much as their Israeli neighbors. It seems that in all the political rhetoric, confrontations between the Israeli military and the PLO or Hamas [as well as occasional interference from Arab countries in the area], violence, and murder, both sides seem have forgotten the basic tenets of their Faith, as doubtless found in numerous passages from the Muslim holy Koran and the Jewish Tanakh, which is: “Love thy Neighbor as Thyself, and what is Hateful to You, Do Not do to any Man.”
NOTE: Some non-Biblical references for this study were: The Bible as History, William Keller, WILLIAM MORROW AND COMPANY, New York, 1981; Bible Dictionary, Smith & Peloubet, THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY, 1948; Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From? William G. Dever, Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Cambridge, UK.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 11, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Genesis 10: 6, 13-14
The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the “Philistines” and Caphtorim). {Cp. 1 Chronicles 1: 12}
The part of the country that became the home of the Israelite people was named by the Romans “Pelishtum” where the term ‘Philistines’ (Heb. land of the strangers/sojourners) is derived from. The Philistines lived in the southernmost part of the coast of Canaan. On a stele at the Temple at Medinet Habu, Pharaoh Rameses III is depicted as boasting over the defeat of a “Sea Peoples” in 1188 BC called “Peleste” who are identified as the Philistines. Thirteen years later they were firmly settled on the coastal plains of southern Canaan. Afterwards, they conquered more territory, including the central uplands, Galilee, and the trans-Jordan (Cp. 1 Samuel 31: 7; 2 Samuel 5: 18-20, 22, 25). The land that the Philistines occupied was referred to either as Philistia, Palestina, or even Palestine interchangeably (Cp. Exodus 15: 14; Isaiah 14: 29, 31; Joel 3: 4). Jerusalem was named as the capitol city (Cp. 2 Chronicles 28: 27).
The territory of the Philistines, having been occupied by the Canaanites, formed a part of the “Promised Land,” and was assigned to the tribe of Judah (Cp. Joshua 15: 1-12); including such cities as Jerusalem, Gaza, and Hebron (Cp. Joshua 15: 8b, 47, 54). Doubtless, this inheritance led to the area being called the land of Judea [Judah]. It seems that part of this land is included in the Eastern border of Canaan or Palestine as found in Numbers 34: 10-12. Philistia, as such, was a plain on the SW plain of Palestine. It was 40 miles long on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between Gerar [where Abimelech resided during the time of Abraham in Genesis 20: 1-2; 21: 32] and Joppa; it was 10 miles wide at the northern end, and 20 miles at the southern end. According to Deuteronomy 2: 23; Jeremiah 47: 4; Amos 9: 7, the Philistines came from the country of “Caphtor” which is seen by some as a reference to the island of Crete. Others believe that they are indigenous to the Middle East region, as derivative from the Egyptian word ‘Coptos’ which refers to someone from either Egypt or somewhere in Africa. It is plausible that both points of view are correct in that in some earlier period in prehistory, Europeans could have settled in Canaan, intermingled with one of the tribes or clans of Casluhim, becoming the more dominant one and totally assimilating the weaker group into their own; thus creating their own unique cultural, social, political and religious identity in this Mesopotamian region.
It would also appear from the Anthropological as well as Archaeological record that the ancestors of the Palestinians were more culturally advanced, as far as technology, than their later rivals, the Israelites. While the progenitor and Patriarchal father of the Hebrews/Israelites was wandering around in Canaan from place to place as a nomad, the Philistines were already established as a people or latent kingdom; it seems. Of course, this still doesn’t answer the question of whether what came first, “the Chicken or the Egg?” To be sure, the Philistines or Palestinians did occupy through military conquest some part of what is now the 'Holy Land' and that entire region was called “Palestine” at one time or another. This does not mean that other Canaanite tribes or clans [nations??] did not already live there at that time or even before the arrival of the Philistines. The one thing, though, is that the Philistines never occupied, as far as the historical record shows, Jerusalem [“Jebus’’]. This city was the stronghold of the Jebusites, whom King David defeated, moved his capitol from Hebron to there, and where it was later called “The City of David.” (Cp. 1 Chronicles 11: 1, 3-5).
So now then, as far as the Palestinian peoples right to Statehood being ‘legitimate,’ based upon the historical and Scriptural evidences which are known at this time, it would not seem to support the disputed area in which they want to occupy. This does NOT mean, however, that the Palestinians should be a people without a homeland and denied any sense of dignity, respect, autonomy, economic security, a cultural identity, and allowed to live in peace; which they deserve just as much as their Israeli neighbors. It seems that in all the political rhetoric, confrontations between the Israeli military and the PLO or Hamas [as well as occasional interference from Arab countries in the area], violence, and murder, both sides seem have forgotten the basic tenets of their Faith, as doubtless found in numerous passages from the Muslim holy Koran and the Jewish Tanakh, which is: “Love thy Neighbor as Thyself, and what is Hateful to You, Do Not do to any Man.”
NOTE: Some non-Biblical references for this study were: The Bible as History, William Keller, WILLIAM MORROW AND COMPANY, New York, 1981; Bible Dictionary, Smith & Peloubet, THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY, 1948; Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From? William G. Dever, Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Cambridge, UK.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 11, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Monday, March 8, 2010
Did God establish His Covenant with the Gentile Nations or the Jews?
The word translated ‘covenant’ is derived from the Hebrew term berith, which denotes the primary meaning of (1) “cutting.”
Genesis 15: 9-10
So He (God) said to him (Abram), “Bring Me a three year-old heifer, a three year-old female goat, a three year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and (1) cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not (1) cut the birds in two.
Jeremiah 34: 18-19
“And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they (1) cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it (Cp. Genesis 15: 9-10); the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs (officers), the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf-
Genesis 17: 9-11
And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. “This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; “and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant [berith-“cutting”] between Me and you.
Deuteronomy 10: 12-13, 16
“And now Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, “and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good? “Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked (rebellious) no longer.
Deuteronomy 30: 6
“And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”
Jeremiah 31: 31-34
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a New Covenant” with the house of Israel [not the Gentiles] and with the house of Judah; “not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, My covenant which they broke [continually], though I was a husband to them [Vulgate, LXX, Syriac- I turned away from them]. “But this is the ‘Covenant’ that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My Law [Torah] in their minds, and write it on their hearts (inward parts); and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
The Greek term diatheke is used in the New Testament for “Covenant” and appears in the following:
Matthew 26: 28
“For this is the blood of the ‘New Covenant,’ which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Cp. Mark 14: 24; Luke 22: 20; 1 Corinthians 11: 25).
Even Jesus [Yeshua] repeatedly reiterated:
Matthew 15: 24
But He answered and said, “I was not sent ‘except’ to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matthew 10: 5
These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles [nations], and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.”
John 4: 22
“You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.”
Since God was making His New Covenant offer of salvation to the Jews [His Elect], where do the Gentiles [believers in the Christ or Jewish Messiah] who comprise the Christian Church come in?
Romans 11: 1a, 2a, 11-12, 16-17, 24
I say then, has God cast away His people [the Jews or Israelites]? Certainly not! God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. I say then, have they stumbled that they [Israel] should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the [rest of] the world, and their [Israel’s] failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is holy; and if the fruit is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you [Gentiles], being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them [Israel], and with them became a partaker of the root and the fatness of the olive tree.
Galatians 2: 11-13
Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh-who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-that at that time you were without Christ [Messiah], being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise [no salvation or remission of sins], having no hope and without God in this world [subject to damnation??]. But now in Christ Jesus [Yeshua Mashiyach] you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Romans 9: 3-4
For I wish that I myself were accursed from Christ [Messiah] for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory [the “Shekinah” cloud], the covenants, the giving of the Law [Torah], the service of God, and the promises.
So, to sum it all up then, the teaching among some preachers, evangelists and theologians that God has somehow abandoned Israel in favor of the Christian Church [Gentiles] is not supported in the Scriptures. If anything there is abundant evidence of the very opposite and we ought to be thankful to God for Israel and pray for her continued protection and blessing because our very own fate is inextricably bound up with them.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 6, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Genesis 15: 9-10
So He (God) said to him (Abram), “Bring Me a three year-old heifer, a three year-old female goat, a three year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and (1) cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not (1) cut the birds in two.
Jeremiah 34: 18-19
“And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they (1) cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it (Cp. Genesis 15: 9-10); the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs (officers), the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf-
Genesis 17: 9-11
And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. “This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; “and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant [berith-“cutting”] between Me and you.
Deuteronomy 10: 12-13, 16
“And now Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, “and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good? “Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked (rebellious) no longer.
Deuteronomy 30: 6
“And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”
Jeremiah 31: 31-34
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a New Covenant” with the house of Israel [not the Gentiles] and with the house of Judah; “not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, My covenant which they broke [continually], though I was a husband to them [Vulgate, LXX, Syriac- I turned away from them]. “But this is the ‘Covenant’ that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My Law [Torah] in their minds, and write it on their hearts (inward parts); and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
The Greek term diatheke is used in the New Testament for “Covenant” and appears in the following:
Matthew 26: 28
“For this is the blood of the ‘New Covenant,’ which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Cp. Mark 14: 24; Luke 22: 20; 1 Corinthians 11: 25).
Even Jesus [Yeshua] repeatedly reiterated:
Matthew 15: 24
But He answered and said, “I was not sent ‘except’ to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matthew 10: 5
These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles [nations], and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.”
John 4: 22
“You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.”
Since God was making His New Covenant offer of salvation to the Jews [His Elect], where do the Gentiles [believers in the Christ or Jewish Messiah] who comprise the Christian Church come in?
Romans 11: 1a, 2a, 11-12, 16-17, 24
I say then, has God cast away His people [the Jews or Israelites]? Certainly not! God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. I say then, have they stumbled that they [Israel] should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the [rest of] the world, and their [Israel’s] failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is holy; and if the fruit is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you [Gentiles], being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them [Israel], and with them became a partaker of the root and the fatness of the olive tree.
Galatians 2: 11-13
Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh-who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-that at that time you were without Christ [Messiah], being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise [no salvation or remission of sins], having no hope and without God in this world [subject to damnation??]. But now in Christ Jesus [Yeshua Mashiyach] you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Romans 9: 3-4
For I wish that I myself were accursed from Christ [Messiah] for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory [the “Shekinah” cloud], the covenants, the giving of the Law [Torah], the service of God, and the promises.
So, to sum it all up then, the teaching among some preachers, evangelists and theologians that God has somehow abandoned Israel in favor of the Christian Church [Gentiles] is not supported in the Scriptures. If anything there is abundant evidence of the very opposite and we ought to be thankful to God for Israel and pray for her continued protection and blessing because our very own fate is inextricably bound up with them.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 6, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Saturday, March 6, 2010
The Land promised to Abraham’s Descendants
Genesis 10: 6
The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
Genesis 10: 15-18
Canaan begot Sidon, Heth, the Jebusite, Amorite, Girgashite, Hivite, Arkite, Sinite, Arvite, Zemarite, Hamathite. Afterwards the families of the Canaanites were dispersed.
Genesis 10: 19
The border of the Canaanite was from Sidon [A city of Phoenicia about 20 miles north of Tyre on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea or modern Saida, situated in the narrow plain between Lebanon and the sea] as you go towards Gerar [A very ancient city south of Gaza or the “south country” of later Palestine], as far as Gaza [one of the 5 chief cities of the Philistines SW of Palestine on the frontier toward Egypt]; then as you go toward Sodom [the plain of Jordan north of the Dead Sea], Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha [somewhere SE of Palestine near the eastern shore of the Dead Sea].
Genesis 15: 18-21
On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt [Nile??] to the great river, the River Euphrates- the Kenites, Kenezzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Genesis 17: 8
Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God (Cp. verse 7).
Exodus 23: 31
And I will set your boundaries from the Red Sea to the sea [Chinnereth/Galilee or the Mediterranean??], Philistia, and from the desert (??) to the River [probably Euphrates; but could it be the Nile or the Jordan??].
Numbers 13: 29
The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea [Chinnereth/Galilee??] and along the banks of the Jordan.
NOTE: In Genesis 10: 15-18 the Canaanite families are mentioned somewhat differently as above because it seems that the Jebusites and Amorites are presented as a separate branch apart from their ancestral clan of the Canaanites as well as where they lived.
Numbers 14: 25a
Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley (??).
Numbers 34: 1-12
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance- the land of Canaan to its boundaries. Your (1) Southern border shall extend eastward to the end of the Salt Sea; your border shall turn from the southern side of the Ascent of Akrabbim [a pass between the Dead Sea and Zin], continue to Zin [a portion of desert tract between the Dead Sea and the “Arabah”], and be on the south of Kadesh Barnea [40 miles south of Beersheba, 65 miles southwest of the Dead Sea, immediately below the southern border of Palestine]; then it shall go on to Hazar Addar [4 or 5 miles away], and continue to Azmon [3 miles away]; the border shall turn from Azmon [a place named on the southern boundary of Palestine] to the Brook of Egypt [Wadi el-Arish], and it shall end at the Sea [Mediterranean- 50 miles south of Gaza]. As for the (2) Western border, you shall have the Great Sea [Mediterranean] for a border; this shall be your (2) Western border. And this shall be your (3) Northern border; from the Great Sea [Mediterranean] you shall mark out your border line to Mount Hor [the eastern side of the valley of the “Arabah” in the land of Edom {southern Jordan}, and on its eastern side the mysterious city of Petra or it could also be the Mount Hor in Lebanon or the northern peak about 10 miles north of the Phoenician city Byblos]; from Mount Hor you shall mark out your border to the entrance of Hamath [the principal city of upper Syria about 50 miles north of Damascus]; then the direction of the border shall be toward Zedad [about 30 miles northeast of Hamath]; the border shall proceed to Ziphron [about 10 miles farther east], and it shall end at Hazar Enan [70 miles northeast of Damascus]. This shall be your (3) “Northern border.” You shall mark your (4) Eastern border from Hazar Enan (“village of fountains”), to Shepham [“fruitful”;unknown location on eastern boundary of Palestine]; the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain [a landmark on the eastern boundary of Palestine and probably the main source of the ‘Orontes’ or Ain el-‘Azy]; the border shall go down and reach to the eastern side of the Sea of Chinnereth [Sea of Galilee]; the border shall go down along the Jordan, and it shall end at the Salt Sea [Dead Sea]. This shall be your land with its surrounding boundaries.
NOTE: The “Arabah” is a deep-sunken valley or trench in the land of Palestine from the slopes of Mount Hermon to the Elantic Gulf (Gulf of Akabah) of the Red Sea. Through the northern portion this extraordinary fissure the Jordan rushes through the lakes of Huleh and Gennesaret to the deep chasm of the Dead Sea. This portion, 150 miles in length is known to the Arabs by the name el-Ghor.
Ezekiel 47: 13, 15-19
Thus says the LORD God: “These are the borders by which you shall divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions [Ephraim and Manasseh??]. This shall be the border of the land on (3) the North: from the Great Sea [Mediterranean], by the road to Hethlon [the pass at the northern end of Lebanon], as one goes to Zedad, Hamath, Berothah [“toward the wells”; possibly modern ‘Beirut’], Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazor Hatticon (which is on the border of Hauran [Greek province of Auranitias or modern ‘Hauran’ east of the Sea of Galilee]). Thus the boundary shall be from the Sea [of Galilee??] to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus; and as for the north, northward; it is the border of Hamath. This is the (3) North side. On the (4) East side you shall mark out the border from between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan, and along the eastern side of the sea [Sea of Chinnereth or Sea of Galilee]. This is the (4) East side. The (1) South side toward the South [Negev], shall be from Tamar to the waters of Meribah by Kadesh-Barnea, along the brook of the Great Sea [Salt Sea or Dead Sea]. This is the (1) South side toward the South. The (2) West side shall be the Great Sea [Mediterranean], from the southern boundary until one comes to a point opposite Hamath. This is the (2) West side.
Numbers 32: 1a, 2, 5
Now the children of Reuben and Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer [a town on the East of Jordan which was in possession by the Amorites] and the land of Gilead [a mountainous region bounded on the West by the Jordan, on the North by Bashan, on the East by the Arabian plateau, and on the South by Moab and Ammon]. The children of Gad and Reuben came and spoke to Moses, the Elezar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan."
Numbers 18: 20
Then the LORD said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.”
Joshua 13: 33
But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance, the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them.
Numbers 35: 1-2, 7
And the LORD said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying: “Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites common-land around the cities. “So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be forty-eight; these you shall give with their common-land.
Joshua 21: 1-3, 41-42
Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel. And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The LORD commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their common-lands for our livestock.” So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their common-lands. All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their common-lands. Every one of these cities had its common-lands surrounding it; thus were all these cities.
COMMENTARY: There has been so much bloodshed being spilled in the Middle East over “the land” and Jewish Statehood in Palestine, especially in the capitol of Jerusalem; as well as the settlement issue and building projects displacing the many Palestinians who have lived in the region for Millennia. Anciently, it seems that the Palestinians occupied the land of Philistia to the West of Israel and not necessarily in modern upper northern Judea. Jerusalem or the land of mountain-dwelling Jebusites was included in God’s promise giving Abraham the land and borders belonging to the Canaanites. In reading the Biblical narratives comparing say, Genesis 10: 19 & Exodus 23: 31 or Numbers 34: 1-12 & Ezekiel 47: 13, 15-19, it would seem that the territory that was promised to Abraham’s descendants (the Israelites in this case) was not static. The land inheritance among the Levites (descendants of Aaron, Moses’ brother) is the most interesting part of the whole matter (Cp. Numbers 18: 20 & Joshua 13: 33 vs. Numbers 35: 1-2, 7 & Joshua 21: 1-3, 41-42).
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 4, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
Genesis 10: 15-18
Canaan begot Sidon, Heth, the Jebusite, Amorite, Girgashite, Hivite, Arkite, Sinite, Arvite, Zemarite, Hamathite. Afterwards the families of the Canaanites were dispersed.
Genesis 10: 19
The border of the Canaanite was from Sidon [A city of Phoenicia about 20 miles north of Tyre on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea or modern Saida, situated in the narrow plain between Lebanon and the sea] as you go towards Gerar [A very ancient city south of Gaza or the “south country” of later Palestine], as far as Gaza [one of the 5 chief cities of the Philistines SW of Palestine on the frontier toward Egypt]; then as you go toward Sodom [the plain of Jordan north of the Dead Sea], Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha [somewhere SE of Palestine near the eastern shore of the Dead Sea].
Genesis 15: 18-21
On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt [Nile??] to the great river, the River Euphrates- the Kenites, Kenezzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Genesis 17: 8
Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God (Cp. verse 7).
Exodus 23: 31
And I will set your boundaries from the Red Sea to the sea [Chinnereth/Galilee or the Mediterranean??], Philistia, and from the desert (??) to the River [probably Euphrates; but could it be the Nile or the Jordan??].
Numbers 13: 29
The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea [Chinnereth/Galilee??] and along the banks of the Jordan.
NOTE: In Genesis 10: 15-18 the Canaanite families are mentioned somewhat differently as above because it seems that the Jebusites and Amorites are presented as a separate branch apart from their ancestral clan of the Canaanites as well as where they lived.
Numbers 14: 25a
Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley (??).
Numbers 34: 1-12
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance- the land of Canaan to its boundaries. Your (1) Southern border shall extend eastward to the end of the Salt Sea; your border shall turn from the southern side of the Ascent of Akrabbim [a pass between the Dead Sea and Zin], continue to Zin [a portion of desert tract between the Dead Sea and the “Arabah”], and be on the south of Kadesh Barnea [40 miles south of Beersheba, 65 miles southwest of the Dead Sea, immediately below the southern border of Palestine]; then it shall go on to Hazar Addar [4 or 5 miles away], and continue to Azmon [3 miles away]; the border shall turn from Azmon [a place named on the southern boundary of Palestine] to the Brook of Egypt [Wadi el-Arish], and it shall end at the Sea [Mediterranean- 50 miles south of Gaza]. As for the (2) Western border, you shall have the Great Sea [Mediterranean] for a border; this shall be your (2) Western border. And this shall be your (3) Northern border; from the Great Sea [Mediterranean] you shall mark out your border line to Mount Hor [the eastern side of the valley of the “Arabah” in the land of Edom {southern Jordan}, and on its eastern side the mysterious city of Petra or it could also be the Mount Hor in Lebanon or the northern peak about 10 miles north of the Phoenician city Byblos]; from Mount Hor you shall mark out your border to the entrance of Hamath [the principal city of upper Syria about 50 miles north of Damascus]; then the direction of the border shall be toward Zedad [about 30 miles northeast of Hamath]; the border shall proceed to Ziphron [about 10 miles farther east], and it shall end at Hazar Enan [70 miles northeast of Damascus]. This shall be your (3) “Northern border.” You shall mark your (4) Eastern border from Hazar Enan (“village of fountains”), to Shepham [“fruitful”;unknown location on eastern boundary of Palestine]; the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain [a landmark on the eastern boundary of Palestine and probably the main source of the ‘Orontes’ or Ain el-‘Azy]; the border shall go down and reach to the eastern side of the Sea of Chinnereth [Sea of Galilee]; the border shall go down along the Jordan, and it shall end at the Salt Sea [Dead Sea]. This shall be your land with its surrounding boundaries.
NOTE: The “Arabah” is a deep-sunken valley or trench in the land of Palestine from the slopes of Mount Hermon to the Elantic Gulf (Gulf of Akabah) of the Red Sea. Through the northern portion this extraordinary fissure the Jordan rushes through the lakes of Huleh and Gennesaret to the deep chasm of the Dead Sea. This portion, 150 miles in length is known to the Arabs by the name el-Ghor.
Ezekiel 47: 13, 15-19
Thus says the LORD God: “These are the borders by which you shall divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions [Ephraim and Manasseh??]. This shall be the border of the land on (3) the North: from the Great Sea [Mediterranean], by the road to Hethlon [the pass at the northern end of Lebanon], as one goes to Zedad, Hamath, Berothah [“toward the wells”; possibly modern ‘Beirut’], Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazor Hatticon (which is on the border of Hauran [Greek province of Auranitias or modern ‘Hauran’ east of the Sea of Galilee]). Thus the boundary shall be from the Sea [of Galilee??] to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus; and as for the north, northward; it is the border of Hamath. This is the (3) North side. On the (4) East side you shall mark out the border from between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan, and along the eastern side of the sea [Sea of Chinnereth or Sea of Galilee]. This is the (4) East side. The (1) South side toward the South [Negev], shall be from Tamar to the waters of Meribah by Kadesh-Barnea, along the brook of the Great Sea [Salt Sea or Dead Sea]. This is the (1) South side toward the South. The (2) West side shall be the Great Sea [Mediterranean], from the southern boundary until one comes to a point opposite Hamath. This is the (2) West side.
Numbers 32: 1a, 2, 5
Now the children of Reuben and Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer [a town on the East of Jordan which was in possession by the Amorites] and the land of Gilead [a mountainous region bounded on the West by the Jordan, on the North by Bashan, on the East by the Arabian plateau, and on the South by Moab and Ammon]. The children of Gad and Reuben came and spoke to Moses, the Elezar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan."
Numbers 18: 20
Then the LORD said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.”
Joshua 13: 33
But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance, the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them.
Numbers 35: 1-2, 7
And the LORD said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying: “Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites common-land around the cities. “So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be forty-eight; these you shall give with their common-land.
Joshua 21: 1-3, 41-42
Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel. And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The LORD commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their common-lands for our livestock.” So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their common-lands. All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their common-lands. Every one of these cities had its common-lands surrounding it; thus were all these cities.
COMMENTARY: There has been so much bloodshed being spilled in the Middle East over “the land” and Jewish Statehood in Palestine, especially in the capitol of Jerusalem; as well as the settlement issue and building projects displacing the many Palestinians who have lived in the region for Millennia. Anciently, it seems that the Palestinians occupied the land of Philistia to the West of Israel and not necessarily in modern upper northern Judea. Jerusalem or the land of mountain-dwelling Jebusites was included in God’s promise giving Abraham the land and borders belonging to the Canaanites. In reading the Biblical narratives comparing say, Genesis 10: 19 & Exodus 23: 31 or Numbers 34: 1-12 & Ezekiel 47: 13, 15-19, it would seem that the territory that was promised to Abraham’s descendants (the Israelites in this case) was not static. The land inheritance among the Levites (descendants of Aaron, Moses’ brother) is the most interesting part of the whole matter (Cp. Numbers 18: 20 & Joshua 13: 33 vs. Numbers 35: 1-2, 7 & Joshua 21: 1-3, 41-42).
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 4, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Importance of the country of Syria in Christianity
Matthew 4: 23-24
And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
NOTE: This is the only narrative that mentions that Jesus’ fame spread beyond the Sea of Galilee/Tiberias, roughly 33° Longitude/36° Latitude, into the upper NE region of Syria.
Acts 9: 1-2, 19b
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the LORD, went to the high priest [in Jerusalem] and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus [Syria], so that if he found any who were of the Way (“ha Derekh”), whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
Acts 11: 19-22, 25-26
Now those who were scattered after the persecution of Stephen [in Jerusalem] traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch [Syria], spoke to the Hellenists [Greek-speaking Jews??], preaching the LORD Jesus [Yeshua]. And the hand of the LORD was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the LORD. The news of these things came to the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the Church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called “Christians” in Antioch.
NOTE: It was in Syria that the ‘Name’ which believers claim as the identification of their Faith was penned from here (Cp. Acts 26: 26; 1 Peter 4: 16). Even the offering or collection of the Christian Church was first practiced [as far as the Scriptures reveal] by the believers in Antioch (Cp. Acts 11: 27-30).
Acts 13: 1-3
Now in the Church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit (Ruach ha Kodesh) said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then having fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
NOTE: This is the only place in the New Testament where the Holy Spirit of God directs someone to a special ministry or work, and this occasion doesn’t appear to be the result of a dream, vision, or revelation; but audibly. This happens in Antioch [Syria] whereas it seems that decisions in Jerusalem were handled by the apostles and the elders at the Temple. This does not mean however, that the Spirit of God did not influence their decisions.
Acts 14: 25-26
Now when they (Barnabas and Saul) had preached the Word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch [Syria], where they had been commended [by the Holy Spirit] to the grace of God for the work which they had accomplished. Now when they had come and gathered the Church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. So they stayed a long time [many years??] with the disciples [at Antioch, Syria].
Acts 15: 1-2, 5-6, 13, 19-20
And certain men came down [to Antioch] from Judea [Jerusalem] and taught the brethren, “Unless you become circumcised according to the custom [tradition and not Law??] of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul [no longer Saul] and Barnabas had no small discussion and dispute [a heated argument] with them, they [the Antioch leadership] determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law [Torah] of Moses.” Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “”Men and brethren, listen to me: “Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.” Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church (assembly), to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.
NOTE: It seems that since the Church started in Jerusalem, doubtless somewhere among the Temple precincts with the 120, including the Apostles (Cp. Acts 1: 12-15; Acts 2: 1, 14), the authority over the New Movement emanated from Judea with those who were the first to share in this supernal grace.
Acts 15: 35, 40-41
Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch [Syria], teaching and preaching the Word of the LORD, with many others also. But Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches (assemblies).
Acts 18: 22-23
And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the Church, he went down to Antioch [Syria]. After he spent some time there, he departed [probably for the last time as recorded in the NT] and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening the disciples.
COMMENTARY: The Earthly headquarters for Christianity started in Jerusalem among the Jews who were converted while attending the Feast of the Day of Pentecost. It seems that the authentication of true conversion as well as the teachings had to be validated by the Apostles or their authorized emissaries who met at the Jerusalem Temple, but all of this must have radically changed with the destruction of the Temple in the year 70 AD; as well as the persecution, age-related mental impairment, imprisonment, and death of the Apostles, elders, and prophets of the Early Church.
Aside from the Church in Judea (Jerusalem), the only other Church assembly that had a similar organizational structure and wielded some Ecclesiastical authority, perhaps, is the one in Antioch [Syria]. Also, one cannot forget to think about the disciples in Damascus [Syria] who along with a believer named Ananias, helped Saul (Paul) in his early conversion. Doubtless, over the Millennia the Christians in Syria still continued to worship their LORD in the same manner as they have always done, especially by those who did not have to suffer from the oppressive heel of the Roman occupation force as those in Judea; and still in their native tongue of Syriac [Gr. Aramaic]. The liturgy and religious tradition is still practiced today among the Christians of not only Syria, but in Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Lebanon, etc. who still trace their faith practices back to the simple purity of “Apostolic Times.”
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 4, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
NOTE: This is the only narrative that mentions that Jesus’ fame spread beyond the Sea of Galilee/Tiberias, roughly 33° Longitude/36° Latitude, into the upper NE region of Syria.
Acts 9: 1-2, 19b
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the LORD, went to the high priest [in Jerusalem] and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus [Syria], so that if he found any who were of the Way (“ha Derekh”), whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
Acts 11: 19-22, 25-26
Now those who were scattered after the persecution of Stephen [in Jerusalem] traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch [Syria], spoke to the Hellenists [Greek-speaking Jews??], preaching the LORD Jesus [Yeshua]. And the hand of the LORD was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the LORD. The news of these things came to the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the Church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called “Christians” in Antioch.
NOTE: It was in Syria that the ‘Name’ which believers claim as the identification of their Faith was penned from here (Cp. Acts 26: 26; 1 Peter 4: 16). Even the offering or collection of the Christian Church was first practiced [as far as the Scriptures reveal] by the believers in Antioch (Cp. Acts 11: 27-30).
Acts 13: 1-3
Now in the Church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit (Ruach ha Kodesh) said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then having fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
NOTE: This is the only place in the New Testament where the Holy Spirit of God directs someone to a special ministry or work, and this occasion doesn’t appear to be the result of a dream, vision, or revelation; but audibly. This happens in Antioch [Syria] whereas it seems that decisions in Jerusalem were handled by the apostles and the elders at the Temple. This does not mean however, that the Spirit of God did not influence their decisions.
Acts 14: 25-26
Now when they (Barnabas and Saul) had preached the Word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch [Syria], where they had been commended [by the Holy Spirit] to the grace of God for the work which they had accomplished. Now when they had come and gathered the Church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. So they stayed a long time [many years??] with the disciples [at Antioch, Syria].
Acts 15: 1-2, 5-6, 13, 19-20
And certain men came down [to Antioch] from Judea [Jerusalem] and taught the brethren, “Unless you become circumcised according to the custom [tradition and not Law??] of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul [no longer Saul] and Barnabas had no small discussion and dispute [a heated argument] with them, they [the Antioch leadership] determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law [Torah] of Moses.” Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “”Men and brethren, listen to me: “Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.” Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church (assembly), to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.
NOTE: It seems that since the Church started in Jerusalem, doubtless somewhere among the Temple precincts with the 120, including the Apostles (Cp. Acts 1: 12-15; Acts 2: 1, 14), the authority over the New Movement emanated from Judea with those who were the first to share in this supernal grace.
Acts 15: 35, 40-41
Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch [Syria], teaching and preaching the Word of the LORD, with many others also. But Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches (assemblies).
Acts 18: 22-23
And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the Church, he went down to Antioch [Syria]. After he spent some time there, he departed [probably for the last time as recorded in the NT] and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening the disciples.
COMMENTARY: The Earthly headquarters for Christianity started in Jerusalem among the Jews who were converted while attending the Feast of the Day of Pentecost. It seems that the authentication of true conversion as well as the teachings had to be validated by the Apostles or their authorized emissaries who met at the Jerusalem Temple, but all of this must have radically changed with the destruction of the Temple in the year 70 AD; as well as the persecution, age-related mental impairment, imprisonment, and death of the Apostles, elders, and prophets of the Early Church.
Aside from the Church in Judea (Jerusalem), the only other Church assembly that had a similar organizational structure and wielded some Ecclesiastical authority, perhaps, is the one in Antioch [Syria]. Also, one cannot forget to think about the disciples in Damascus [Syria] who along with a believer named Ananias, helped Saul (Paul) in his early conversion. Doubtless, over the Millennia the Christians in Syria still continued to worship their LORD in the same manner as they have always done, especially by those who did not have to suffer from the oppressive heel of the Roman occupation force as those in Judea; and still in their native tongue of Syriac [Gr. Aramaic]. The liturgy and religious tradition is still practiced today among the Christians of not only Syria, but in Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Lebanon, etc. who still trace their faith practices back to the simple purity of “Apostolic Times.”
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 4, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Monday, March 1, 2010
Study in the Books of Exodus-Deuteronomy (receiving the Law [Torah])
Exodus 19: 1
In the third month (‘Sivan’- month of May) after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.
NOTE: Exodus 12: 18; 13: 4 refer to the Israelites departing Egypt on 15 ‘Abib’/Nisan or March 15th.
Exodus 19: 3a
And (1) Moses went up to God [on the mountain], and the LORD called to him from the mountain.
Exodus 19: 14
So Moses went (1A) down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their robes.
Exodus 19: 20
Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses (2) to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
Exodus 19: 21
And the LORD said to Moses, (2A) “Go down [the mountain] and warn the people, lest they break thru to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish.
Exodus 19: 24a, 25
Then the LORD said to him, “Away! (2A) Get down and then (3) come up [the mountain], you and Aaron with you. So Moses went down [the mountain] to the people and spoke to them.
AND GOD SPOKE ALL THESE WORDS:
The Ten Commandments; The Law of the Altar; Laws Concerning Servants; The Law Concerning Violence; Animal Control Laws; Responsibility for Property; Moral and Ceremonial Principles; Justice for All; Three Annual Feasts; The Angel and the Promises (Cp. Exodus 20: 1 thru 23: 32 NKJV).
Exodus 23: 32
You shall make no covenant [treaty] with them [Cp. 23: 23, 28- Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and the Jebusites], nor with their gods.
Exodus 24: 3a, 4a, 7
So Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people [(3A) after he had once again come down the mountain]. And they said, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.”
NOTE: Moses had already written down [in the Book??] the Ten Commandments, plus sundry other statutes and ordinances up to that point, which God revealed to him previously. And Moses left it with the people before ascending up again on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments that God engraved on stone tablets.
Exodus 24: 12
Then the LORD said to Moses, (4) “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the Law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
Exodus 24: 13b
And Moses went (4) up to the mountain of God.
Exodus 24: 15a
Then Moses went (4) up into the mountain.
Exodus 24: 16
Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day (22‘Sivan’/ May 22nd and “Shabbat??”) He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
Exodus 24: 18b
*And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.*
NOTE: Moses was on Mount Sinai until 25‘Tamuz’ /June 25th). Also, there was no mention about Ten Commandments, two tablets of Testimony, or Covenant; but rather that Moses wrote all the words of the LORD (Cp. 24: 4a).
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
Offerings for the Sanctuary; The Ark of Testimony; The Table for the Showbread; The Golden Lampstand; The Tabernacle; The Altar of Burnt Offering; The Care of the Lampstand; Garments for the Priesthood; The Ephod; The Breastplate; Other Priestly Garments; Aaron and his Sons Consecrated; The Daily Offerings; The Altar of Incense; The Ransom Money; The Bronze Laver; The Holy Anointing Oil; The Incense; Artisans for Building the Tabernacle; The Sabbath Law (Cp. Exodus 25: 1 thru 31: 18 NKJV).
Exodus 31: 18
And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
NOTE: Were all the instructions from Exodus 25: 1 thru 31: 18 written on the two tablets of stone (front and back) or just the Ten Commandments?
The Golden Calf Incident:
*Exodus 32: 1*
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed his coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; as for this man Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
Exodus 32: 7
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, (4A) get down [the mountain]! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.
Exodus 32: 15
And Moses turned and (4A) went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The Tablets were written on the one side and on the other side they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.
Exodus 32: 19b
So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hand and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
NOTE: This probably happened on 25 'Tamuz' or June 25th.
Moses Makes New Tablets:
Exodus 34: 1-2
And the LORD said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. “So be ready in the morning and (5) come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me on the top of the mountain.
Exodus 34: 10a
And He [the LORD] said: “Behold, I make a covenant.”
NOTE: The first time this contractual term [“covenant”] is used between God and the children of Israel.
Exodus 34: 26b
“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk (??).”
Exodus 34: 28a
*So he was there with the LORD [(5) in the mountain] forty days and forty nights;* he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 34: 29
Now it was so, when Moses (5A) came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
NOTE: This seems like a second 40 day stay on Mount Sinai to receive the Law on the former stone tablets which Moses broke. This would mean that Moses came back down on 6 'Elul' or August 6th.
These are the words which the LORD commanded, saying:
Sabbath Regulations; Offerings of the Tabernacle; Articles of the Tabernacle; The Tabernacle Offerings Presented; The Artisans Called by God; The People Give More than Enough; Building the Tabernacle; Making the Ark of the Testimony; Making the Table for the Showbread; Making the Golden Lampstand; Making the Altar of incense; Making the Altar of Burnt Offering; Making the Bronze Laver; Making the Court of the Tabernacle; Materials of the Tabernacle; Making the Garments of the Priesthood; Making the Ephod; Making the Breastplate; Making the Other Priestly Garments; The Work Completed; The Tabernacle Erected and Arranged (Cp. Exodus 35: 1 thru 40: 33 NKJV).
NOTE: The Octogenarian Moses went up and down Mount Sinai ten times (total); quite a feat for someone of his age.
The Book of LEVITICUS:
The Burnt Offering; The Grain Offering; The Peace Offering; The Sin Offering; The Trespass Offering; Offerings and Restitution; The Law of the Burnt Offering; The Law of the Grain Offering; The Law of the Sin Offering; The Law of the Trespass Offering; The Law of Peace Offerings; Fat and Blood may not be eaten; The Portion of Aaron and his Sons; Aaron and his Sons Consecrated; The Priestly Ministry Begins; The Profane Fire of Nadab and Abihu; Conduct Prescribed for Priests; Foods Permitted and Forbidden; Unclean Animals; The Ritual After Childbirth; The Law Concerning Leprosy; The Law Concerning Leprous Garments; The Ritual for Cleansing Lepers; The Law Concerning Leprous Houses; The Law Concerning Bodily Discharges; The Day of Atonement; The Sanctity of Blood; Laws of Sexual Morality; Moral and Ceremonial Laws; Penalties for breaking the Law; Regulations for Conducts of Priests; Feasts of the LORD; The Sabbath; The Passover and Unleavened Bread; The Feasts of Firstfruits; The Feasts of Weeks; The Feast of Trumpets; The Day of Atonement; The Feast of Tabernacles; Care of the Tabernacle Lamps; The Bread of the Tabernacle; The Penalty for Blasphemy; The Sabbath of the Seventh year; The Year of Jubilee; Provisions for the Seventh Year; Redemption of Property; Lending to the Poor; The Law Concerning Slavery; Promise of Blessing and Retribution
(Cp. Leviticus 1: 1 thru 26: 45 NKJV)
Leviticus 26: 46
These are the statutes and judgments and laws which the LORD made between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses (Cp. 27: 34).
NOTE: This book does not mention Covenant, the Ten Commandments, the Testimony, the tablets of stone, or that the ‘finger’ of God wrote all of this.
The Book of NUMBERS:
The Sons of Aaron; The Levites Serve in the Tabernacle; Levites Dedicated instead of the Firstborn; Duties of the Sons of Kohath; Duties of the Sons of Merari; Census of the Levites; Ceremonially Unclean persons Isolated; Confession and Restitution; The Law of the Nazarite; The Priestly Blessing; Offerings of the Leaders; Arrangement of the Lamps; Cleansing and Dedication of the Levites; The Second Passover; Two Silver Trumpets (Cp. 3: 1 thru 10: 10 NKJV)
Numbers 10: 11-12a
Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month [20 ‘Iyar’ or April 20th], in the second year that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. And the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys.
NOTE: So it would seem that the children of Israel spent a little over 2 years camped at Mount Sinai before moving on to the next settlement.
Numbers 13: 25-26a
And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh.
Laws of Grain and Drink Offering; Laws Concerning Unintentional Sin; Penalty for Violating the Sabbath; Tassels on Garments (Cp. 15: 1-41 NKJV).
The Budding of Aaron’s Rod; Duties of Priests and Levites; Offerings for Support of the Priests; Tithes for Support of the Levites; The Tithe of the Levites; Laws of Purification (Cp. 17: 1 thru 19: 22 NKJV).
Inheritance Laws (Cp. 27: 1-11 NKJV).
Daily Offerings; Sabbath Offerings; Monthly Offerings; Offerings At Passover; Offerings At the Feast of Weeks; Offerings At the Feast of Trumpets; Offerings on the Day of Atonement; Offerings At the Feast of Tabernacles; The Law Concerning Vows (Cp. 28: 1 thru 30: 16 NKJV).
The Book of DEUTERONOMY:
The Ten Commandments Reviewed (Cp. 5: 1-21; esp. verse 22). These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
NOTE: This event essentially starts in Exodus 19: 9 thru 20: 19; esp. verses 9a, 16, 18-21; Deuteronomy 10: 4. It is interesting to note that according to the Deuteronomic narrative stated above mentions the LORD gave the children of Israel only the commandments which He wrote on the tablets of stone and delivered to Moses. The statement that He added no more is understood to mean that He added no more commandments than these Ten Commandments, or that He added no more additional requirements to observe on that ‘special’ day, or that He did not give the children of Israel any more statutes, ordinances, and commandments, period?
Jeremiah 7: 222-23
“For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you.” (Cp. Exodus 19: 5-5; Deuteronomy 6: 1-2)
Amos 5: 25
“Did you offer Me sacrifice and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?” (Cp. Deuteronomy 8: 2)
The Greatest Commandments (Cp. 6: 1-9 NKJV).
The Second Pair of Tablets; The Essence of the Law; A Prescribed Place of Worship; Punishment of Apostates; Improper Mourning; Clean and Unclean Meats; Debts Canceled Every Seven years; Generosity to the Poor; The Law Concerning Bondservants; The Law Concerning Firstborn Animals; The Passover Reviewed; The feast of Weeks reviewed; The Feast of Tabernacles reviewed; Justice Must Be Administered; Principles Governing Kings; The Portions of the Priests and Levites; The Cities of Refuge; Property Boundaries; The Law Concerning Witnesses; Principles Governing Warfare; The Law Concerning Unsolved Murder; Firstborn Inheritance Rights; The Rebellious Son; Miscellaneous Laws I; Laws of Sexual Morality; Those Excluded from the Congregation; Cleanliness of the Composite; Miscellaneous Laws II; Laws Concerning Divorce; Miscellaneous Laws III; Marriage Duty of the Surviving Brother; Miscellaneous Laws IV; Offerings of Firstfruits and Tithes; The Law Inscribed on Stones; Curses Pronounced from Mount Ebal; Blessings of Obedience; Curses on Disobedience (Cp. 10: 1 thru 28: 68 NKJV).
Deuteronomy 29: 1
These are the words of the ‘covenant’ (Cp. Exodus 34: 10a) which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides [in addition to] the covenant which He made with them at Horeb.
Deuteronomy 31: 10-11
So Moses wrote this Law [Torah] and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this Law [Torah] before all Israel in their hearing.”
NOTE: Are the words of the Law [Torah] which are read every 7 years during the Feast of Tabernacles [Booths; Cp. Leviticus 23: 33-36; Numbers 29: 12-38; and Deuteronomy 16: 13-15, on 7 ‘Tishri’/September 7] just all these or only the Ten Commandments (Cp. 5: 1-21; esp. verse 22)? Additionally, of the 40 years of Wandering, the children of Israel only spent 2 of them at the base of Mount Sinai or Horeb, and some time in the cities and villages of the Amorites, including Heshbon before they finally came to the plains of Moab (Cp. Numbers 21: 21-26; 22: 1).
Deuteronomy 31: 24-26
So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD saying, “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you.”
Exodus 25: 16
“And you shall put into the ark the Testimony (Cp. Exodus 32: 15) which I will give you.”
NOTE: Remarkably, there is no more mention about the Book of the Covenant or Law of Moses from the death of Joshua until the reign of King Josiah, where it says in 2 Kings 22: 8 that Hilkiah the priest finds the Book of the Law in the house [Temple] of God. This span of time covers about 1,342 years; give or take 40 years or so (Cp. 2 Kings 23: 22). Also, it says in 2 Chronicles 35: 18 that no Passover was kept since the time of the prophet Samuel, when presumably the Law of Moses was used to regulate the observance, but there is no mention of such an event or even the commandments of God in the writings during that period.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 16, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
In the third month (‘Sivan’- month of May) after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.
NOTE: Exodus 12: 18; 13: 4 refer to the Israelites departing Egypt on 15 ‘Abib’/Nisan or March 15th.
Exodus 19: 3a
And (1) Moses went up to God [on the mountain], and the LORD called to him from the mountain.
Exodus 19: 14
So Moses went (1A) down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their robes.
Exodus 19: 20
Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses (2) to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
Exodus 19: 21
And the LORD said to Moses, (2A) “Go down [the mountain] and warn the people, lest they break thru to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish.
Exodus 19: 24a, 25
Then the LORD said to him, “Away! (2A) Get down and then (3) come up [the mountain], you and Aaron with you. So Moses went down [the mountain] to the people and spoke to them.
AND GOD SPOKE ALL THESE WORDS:
The Ten Commandments; The Law of the Altar; Laws Concerning Servants; The Law Concerning Violence; Animal Control Laws; Responsibility for Property; Moral and Ceremonial Principles; Justice for All; Three Annual Feasts; The Angel and the Promises (Cp. Exodus 20: 1 thru 23: 32 NKJV).
Exodus 23: 32
You shall make no covenant [treaty] with them [Cp. 23: 23, 28- Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and the Jebusites], nor with their gods.
Exodus 24: 3a, 4a, 7
So Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people [(3A) after he had once again come down the mountain]. And they said, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.”
NOTE: Moses had already written down [in the Book??] the Ten Commandments, plus sundry other statutes and ordinances up to that point, which God revealed to him previously. And Moses left it with the people before ascending up again on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments that God engraved on stone tablets.
Exodus 24: 12
Then the LORD said to Moses, (4) “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the Law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
Exodus 24: 13b
And Moses went (4) up to the mountain of God.
Exodus 24: 15a
Then Moses went (4) up into the mountain.
Exodus 24: 16
Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day (22‘Sivan’/ May 22nd and “Shabbat??”) He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
Exodus 24: 18b
*And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.*
NOTE: Moses was on Mount Sinai until 25‘Tamuz’ /June 25th). Also, there was no mention about Ten Commandments, two tablets of Testimony, or Covenant; but rather that Moses wrote all the words of the LORD (Cp. 24: 4a).
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
Offerings for the Sanctuary; The Ark of Testimony; The Table for the Showbread; The Golden Lampstand; The Tabernacle; The Altar of Burnt Offering; The Care of the Lampstand; Garments for the Priesthood; The Ephod; The Breastplate; Other Priestly Garments; Aaron and his Sons Consecrated; The Daily Offerings; The Altar of Incense; The Ransom Money; The Bronze Laver; The Holy Anointing Oil; The Incense; Artisans for Building the Tabernacle; The Sabbath Law (Cp. Exodus 25: 1 thru 31: 18 NKJV).
Exodus 31: 18
And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
NOTE: Were all the instructions from Exodus 25: 1 thru 31: 18 written on the two tablets of stone (front and back) or just the Ten Commandments?
The Golden Calf Incident:
*Exodus 32: 1*
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed his coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; as for this man Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
Exodus 32: 7
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, (4A) get down [the mountain]! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.
Exodus 32: 15
And Moses turned and (4A) went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The Tablets were written on the one side and on the other side they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.
Exodus 32: 19b
So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hand and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
NOTE: This probably happened on 25 'Tamuz' or June 25th.
Moses Makes New Tablets:
Exodus 34: 1-2
And the LORD said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. “So be ready in the morning and (5) come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me on the top of the mountain.
Exodus 34: 10a
And He [the LORD] said: “Behold, I make a covenant.”
NOTE: The first time this contractual term [“covenant”] is used between God and the children of Israel.
Exodus 34: 26b
“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk (??).”
Exodus 34: 28a
*So he was there with the LORD [(5) in the mountain] forty days and forty nights;* he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 34: 29
Now it was so, when Moses (5A) came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
NOTE: This seems like a second 40 day stay on Mount Sinai to receive the Law on the former stone tablets which Moses broke. This would mean that Moses came back down on 6 'Elul' or August 6th.
These are the words which the LORD commanded, saying:
Sabbath Regulations; Offerings of the Tabernacle; Articles of the Tabernacle; The Tabernacle Offerings Presented; The Artisans Called by God; The People Give More than Enough; Building the Tabernacle; Making the Ark of the Testimony; Making the Table for the Showbread; Making the Golden Lampstand; Making the Altar of incense; Making the Altar of Burnt Offering; Making the Bronze Laver; Making the Court of the Tabernacle; Materials of the Tabernacle; Making the Garments of the Priesthood; Making the Ephod; Making the Breastplate; Making the Other Priestly Garments; The Work Completed; The Tabernacle Erected and Arranged (Cp. Exodus 35: 1 thru 40: 33 NKJV).
NOTE: The Octogenarian Moses went up and down Mount Sinai ten times (total); quite a feat for someone of his age.
The Book of LEVITICUS:
The Burnt Offering; The Grain Offering; The Peace Offering; The Sin Offering; The Trespass Offering; Offerings and Restitution; The Law of the Burnt Offering; The Law of the Grain Offering; The Law of the Sin Offering; The Law of the Trespass Offering; The Law of Peace Offerings; Fat and Blood may not be eaten; The Portion of Aaron and his Sons; Aaron and his Sons Consecrated; The Priestly Ministry Begins; The Profane Fire of Nadab and Abihu; Conduct Prescribed for Priests; Foods Permitted and Forbidden; Unclean Animals; The Ritual After Childbirth; The Law Concerning Leprosy; The Law Concerning Leprous Garments; The Ritual for Cleansing Lepers; The Law Concerning Leprous Houses; The Law Concerning Bodily Discharges; The Day of Atonement; The Sanctity of Blood; Laws of Sexual Morality; Moral and Ceremonial Laws; Penalties for breaking the Law; Regulations for Conducts of Priests; Feasts of the LORD; The Sabbath; The Passover and Unleavened Bread; The Feasts of Firstfruits; The Feasts of Weeks; The Feast of Trumpets; The Day of Atonement; The Feast of Tabernacles; Care of the Tabernacle Lamps; The Bread of the Tabernacle; The Penalty for Blasphemy; The Sabbath of the Seventh year; The Year of Jubilee; Provisions for the Seventh Year; Redemption of Property; Lending to the Poor; The Law Concerning Slavery; Promise of Blessing and Retribution
(Cp. Leviticus 1: 1 thru 26: 45 NKJV)
Leviticus 26: 46
These are the statutes and judgments and laws which the LORD made between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses (Cp. 27: 34).
NOTE: This book does not mention Covenant, the Ten Commandments, the Testimony, the tablets of stone, or that the ‘finger’ of God wrote all of this.
The Book of NUMBERS:
The Sons of Aaron; The Levites Serve in the Tabernacle; Levites Dedicated instead of the Firstborn; Duties of the Sons of Kohath; Duties of the Sons of Merari; Census of the Levites; Ceremonially Unclean persons Isolated; Confession and Restitution; The Law of the Nazarite; The Priestly Blessing; Offerings of the Leaders; Arrangement of the Lamps; Cleansing and Dedication of the Levites; The Second Passover; Two Silver Trumpets (Cp. 3: 1 thru 10: 10 NKJV)
Numbers 10: 11-12a
Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month [20 ‘Iyar’ or April 20th], in the second year that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. And the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys.
NOTE: So it would seem that the children of Israel spent a little over 2 years camped at Mount Sinai before moving on to the next settlement.
Numbers 13: 25-26a
And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh.
Laws of Grain and Drink Offering; Laws Concerning Unintentional Sin; Penalty for Violating the Sabbath; Tassels on Garments (Cp. 15: 1-41 NKJV).
The Budding of Aaron’s Rod; Duties of Priests and Levites; Offerings for Support of the Priests; Tithes for Support of the Levites; The Tithe of the Levites; Laws of Purification (Cp. 17: 1 thru 19: 22 NKJV).
Inheritance Laws (Cp. 27: 1-11 NKJV).
Daily Offerings; Sabbath Offerings; Monthly Offerings; Offerings At Passover; Offerings At the Feast of Weeks; Offerings At the Feast of Trumpets; Offerings on the Day of Atonement; Offerings At the Feast of Tabernacles; The Law Concerning Vows (Cp. 28: 1 thru 30: 16 NKJV).
The Book of DEUTERONOMY:
The Ten Commandments Reviewed (Cp. 5: 1-21; esp. verse 22). These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
NOTE: This event essentially starts in Exodus 19: 9 thru 20: 19; esp. verses 9a, 16, 18-21; Deuteronomy 10: 4. It is interesting to note that according to the Deuteronomic narrative stated above mentions the LORD gave the children of Israel only the commandments which He wrote on the tablets of stone and delivered to Moses. The statement that He added no more is understood to mean that He added no more commandments than these Ten Commandments, or that He added no more additional requirements to observe on that ‘special’ day, or that He did not give the children of Israel any more statutes, ordinances, and commandments, period?
Jeremiah 7: 222-23
“For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you.” (Cp. Exodus 19: 5-5; Deuteronomy 6: 1-2)
Amos 5: 25
“Did you offer Me sacrifice and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?” (Cp. Deuteronomy 8: 2)
The Greatest Commandments (Cp. 6: 1-9 NKJV).
The Second Pair of Tablets; The Essence of the Law; A Prescribed Place of Worship; Punishment of Apostates; Improper Mourning; Clean and Unclean Meats; Debts Canceled Every Seven years; Generosity to the Poor; The Law Concerning Bondservants; The Law Concerning Firstborn Animals; The Passover Reviewed; The feast of Weeks reviewed; The Feast of Tabernacles reviewed; Justice Must Be Administered; Principles Governing Kings; The Portions of the Priests and Levites; The Cities of Refuge; Property Boundaries; The Law Concerning Witnesses; Principles Governing Warfare; The Law Concerning Unsolved Murder; Firstborn Inheritance Rights; The Rebellious Son; Miscellaneous Laws I; Laws of Sexual Morality; Those Excluded from the Congregation; Cleanliness of the Composite; Miscellaneous Laws II; Laws Concerning Divorce; Miscellaneous Laws III; Marriage Duty of the Surviving Brother; Miscellaneous Laws IV; Offerings of Firstfruits and Tithes; The Law Inscribed on Stones; Curses Pronounced from Mount Ebal; Blessings of Obedience; Curses on Disobedience (Cp. 10: 1 thru 28: 68 NKJV).
Deuteronomy 29: 1
These are the words of the ‘covenant’ (Cp. Exodus 34: 10a) which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides [in addition to] the covenant which He made with them at Horeb.
Deuteronomy 31: 10-11
So Moses wrote this Law [Torah] and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this Law [Torah] before all Israel in their hearing.”
NOTE: Are the words of the Law [Torah] which are read every 7 years during the Feast of Tabernacles [Booths; Cp. Leviticus 23: 33-36; Numbers 29: 12-38; and Deuteronomy 16: 13-15, on 7 ‘Tishri’/September 7] just all these or only the Ten Commandments (Cp. 5: 1-21; esp. verse 22)? Additionally, of the 40 years of Wandering, the children of Israel only spent 2 of them at the base of Mount Sinai or Horeb, and some time in the cities and villages of the Amorites, including Heshbon before they finally came to the plains of Moab (Cp. Numbers 21: 21-26; 22: 1).
Deuteronomy 31: 24-26
So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD saying, “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you.”
Exodus 25: 16
“And you shall put into the ark the Testimony (Cp. Exodus 32: 15) which I will give you.”
NOTE: Remarkably, there is no more mention about the Book of the Covenant or Law of Moses from the death of Joshua until the reign of King Josiah, where it says in 2 Kings 22: 8 that Hilkiah the priest finds the Book of the Law in the house [Temple] of God. This span of time covers about 1,342 years; give or take 40 years or so (Cp. 2 Kings 23: 22). Also, it says in 2 Chronicles 35: 18 that no Passover was kept since the time of the prophet Samuel, when presumably the Law of Moses was used to regulate the observance, but there is no mention of such an event or even the commandments of God in the writings during that period.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 16, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
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