FEAR AND TREMBLING

March 23, 2007

This morning was another one of those early-dawn stirrings for prayer purposes, accompanied by the oft-repeated ominous sensation. Since the Feast of Pesach is about to alight upon us, there is a heightened awareness of the enemies' schemes. I therefore turned to Psalm 83, which for the past few years has become a leitmotif (as many of you are well aware), of the state of affairs in the land and its environs. Praying this psalm for the umpteenth time, I was seized by an unusual sense of alarm when I arrived at verses 2-5, which read as follows: "For, behold, Your enemies, [YHVH] make an uproar; and those who hate You, [Elohim of Israel] have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones. They have said, "Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." For they have conspired together with one mind; against You [YHVH, the Elohim of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yisrael) do they make a covenant."

I realized that the company of those who cry, "let us wipe them out as a nation that the name of Israel be remembered no more," includes also those who cling to Replacement Theology, and oppose the restoration of the House of Joseph/Israel! I therefore submit to you this thought with fear and trembling, and pray that you too will travail in intercession for those in the body of Messiah who are speaking out and taking counsel against YHVH's people of the House of Joseph/Israel, or Judah/Israel. I pray that this will not engender criticism or judgment of our brothers, but, rather, an attitude of urgency and concern leading to supplication.

It was almost twenty-five years ago that I received revelation- understanding about the division which occurred within the House of Jacob. It was like a bombshell. At the time, I was reading the blessing that Israel (Jacob) pronounced upon Joseph and his two sons, Ephraim and Menashe: "And he (Israel) blessed Joseph, and said, Elohim, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the Elohim which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Messenger which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name (Israel) be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth…a great people…the m'lo-ha-goyim" [fullness of the nations], (Genesis 48: 15-17, 19).

The name "Israel", according to the above excerpt (and many other Bible references), was very obviously imparted to Joseph and his sons. This particular aspect of the blessing, therefore, becomes very important, as the enemies' goal is to wipe out the nation so "that the name Israel be remembered no more."

Additionally, Joseph's descendants were to fulfill the multiplicity provision of the covenant, which YHVH had made with their forefathers. Thus, they were to become the uncircumcised seed of Abraham (which was not hard to do as all of the Abrahamic seed was uncircumcised when born). In that state of un-circumcision they would become the "fullness of the nations/gentiles". It was in this manner that YHVH hid His treasured ones in the deserts of humanity. Paul, the Apostle, understood this mystery, which he explains in Romans chapters 4 and 11.

Throughout the books of the prophets YHVH addresses these two trees (etzim) - the olive tree of Judah (the "circumcised"), and the uncultivated ("uncircumcised") olive tree of Israel/Joseph. The prophet Ezekiel calls them "two nations": "And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations" (Ezekiel 37:22). Through the prophet Jeremiah, YHVH established the new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah (again, two trees, two nations, two houses). And although YHVH saw both of them as "Israel", yet He prophetically distinguished between them: "Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over" (Isaiah 8:14).

To my dismay, now knowing by the Spirit who is included in the company of the enemies of Israel, how could I continue to pray Psalm 83, which declares their (the "enemies'") dismal and formidable fate? "O my Elohim, make them like the whirling dust; like chaff before the wind. Like fire that burns the forest, and like a flame that sets the mountains on fire, so pursue them with Your tempest, and terrify them with Your storm. Fill their faces with dishonor, that they may seek Your name, YHVH. Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever; and let them be humiliated and perish, that they may know that You alone, whose name is YHVH, are the Most High over all the earth" (Psalm 83: 13-18).

Nevertheless, it bears repeating that we are not to be critical of those in the body of Messiah who are inadvertently opposed to YHVH'S PLAN of REDEMPTION. But instead we are to pray for them with fear and trembling, because if they were aware of what they are doing, they most certainly would not join the enemies of YHVH in their devises to wipe out the name of His people (be they of the one house, or the other).
YHVH is restoring the identity of His lost, rejected, un-circumcised, covenant people whose destiny and identity are described by the prophets. The two, Judah and Israel, are ordained to become one and there is nothing that can derail this plan. But at the same time, as we have observed, YHVH addresses in very strong terms those who are opposed to the restoration of the house/nation which carries the blessing of the name "Israel", that is Joseph and his sons.

As a backdrop against which we are to view this difficult quandary, it is advisable to refer to Psalm 37, which declares that it will only be the humble, or meek, who will qualify for the inheritance (ref Psalm 37:11; Matthew 5:5). Please keep in mind, therefore, that the prideful and self-righteous will not inherit the earth/land, and that includes those of us who are affiliated with the Whole House of Israel restoration. The Apostle warns us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, lest we be deceived (ref Romans 12:3; Galatians 6:3).

Ephraim

"How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity…it is life eternal (Psalm 133:1&3).

GRAVEYARD SCENE

March 16, 2007

For the past eight years Rimona and I have been involved in writing articles and sending them out, upon request. We also had a website with Rimona's "Hebrew insights into the weekly Parasha", and other articles. The Father laid on our hearts to freely give, as He has freely given to us. This includes work of service to the local body (that is those who want a relationship with us : -), and to our brethren overseas, as well as to none believers. Recently the domain that our website, 1st-born.com, was on closed down for some reason, and thus the materials are no longer available. We have decided to open blog spots (posted below) that will give you access to our teachings and articles. We have also been increasingly more active in teaching and building relationship between the House of Judah and the House of Israel/Joseph-Ephraim here, which means our time for writing, is somewhat diminishing. After many years of seeing only strife and contention between Ephraim and Judah, especially in the believing community, we are now beginning to witness the gradual collapse of those walls, and relationships being formed. This is happening among those who are not so interested in uniformity of doctrine, but in the unity of the Life of Yeshua and the Father, just as Yeshua prayed "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me" (John 17:23). "And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one" (John 17:22).

On Tuesday night we returned home quite late from the weekly meeting in Jerusalem, in which Ariel K. was teaching a mixed Ephraimite/Judaite group. Ariel emphasized the need for a strong willful desire, or passion, for an intimate relationship with the Father and the Son, which would then also create strong bonds with each other. But that goal can only be attained if we lay down our life, "die out to self", or empty ourselves of pride and self righteousness and embrace Him. He, Yeshua, the Life of the Word, must be our target, goal, and objective.

The following morning we woke up very early, feeling that we didn't get a good night's rest. But the Spirit would not let us go back to sleep, prompting deep intercession for the Body of Messiah. After about two hours I dozed off for about 3 minutes (according to Rimona), only to be jarred out of sleep by a dream.

In the dream I saw myself walking, accompanied by others, in the direction of a graveyard in order to attend a memorial service. There were about 4 or 5 people on my right, and a girl of about 15 on my left. For some reason I had turned to the young girl, and jokingly said to her that I hoped the person, whose memorial service we were about to attend, was not buried alive. We then arrived at a place where the path split, and the girl left and joined the others on the right, while I was left to walk alone. As I looked ahead I saw the grave. It was mounded with fresh light-yellowish colored sand with a wreath lying on top (apparently others had arrived before us). As the group proceeded to the grave, I realized that the shorts I was wearing were not the proper attire for the occasion. I watched the others go over to the grave and bow in memory of the deceased. Suddenly the earth beneath the pile of sand began to push upward; sand poured down from both sides into the hole, as if the body was coming up out of the grave. It made two such movements, with the second revealing more of the body, and much less sand was left on top. I did not see the wreath anymore. However, the others carried on as if nothing was happening. I woke up trembling from the sudden surprise.

After prayer, this is what I believe to be the interpretation: The grave is that of Ezekiel's description of the dry bones of the whole House of Israel (both Judah and Ephraim). They are being united into one body by the power of the Spirit, but are still in the grave with the sands of time heaped up over them. In Ezekiel 37 it seems that the rattling of the bones, the putting on of the sinews, flesh and skin all takes place while they are still in the grave. But when the breath comes into them, they are filled with life and power to push up the earth and sand, and not beyond. We could be coming close to the time in which the Spirit is going to be breathing life into these two sticks or nations. Rimona thought that being dressed with shorts indicates that it was summer time.

The people to my right, I believe, were believers from the right wing conservative Evangelical and Charismatic circles, bible believing and lovers of Israel. They were all dressed in their Sunday church clothing while I was dressed as if I were going to a picnic. The wreath and the memorial service all represented their love for the land and the dry bones. My remark to the young girl apparently was not just a joke, but actually directed at all the ones to my right, as if to say that with their replacement theology doctrines they had buried alive the House of Israel. As we drew near to the grave there was a little island in the road, where the young girl had made her choice. This might be indicative of those who are in this relatively new Ephraimite movement, and who could be enticed with the dispensational doctrines of the right wingers. The left might mean the literal approach to the Word of YHVH, which gives glory to the faithfulness of a Covenant-keeping Elohim. Interestingly, all the others present, standing by the grave, were not aware in the slightest of what was happening right before their eyes.

Ephraim

WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

March 9, 2007

This is the Purim season, a festival which is celebrated by reading the book of Esther. In the days leading up to this holiday the Spirit has been highlighting a couple of very important points, namely: "wisdom and understanding". Esther obviously possessed these qualities, along with the commensurate conduct. In the construction of the Tabernacle, described in this week's Torah portion, with its articles and clothing; wisdom and understanding also played a very important role. For this work YHVH chose only those whose hearts were stirred to do the work, and then granted them these two precious qualities.

"And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom YHVH has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that YHVH has commanded" (Exodus 36:1). "And all the women whose heart stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats' hair" (Exodus 35:26).

Many years later, YHVH bestowed upon David's son this very same anointing: "And Elohim gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore" (1 Kings 4:29). Like others in the past who had a heart to serve the Most High, Solomon was given these wonderful gifts from Elohim. However, the question is, did these attributes come free or did YHVH supply them through the diligent study of the Torah? Because it was required of kings to write, read, and study the Torah, as it is written: "Now it shall come about when he [king] sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the YHVH his Elohim…and that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and not turn aside from the commandment…" (Deuteronomy 17: 18-20).

In Proverbs Solomon points to the Torah as the source of wisdom and understanding. The only written word of Elohim at the time of Solomon was the Torah, Joshua, Judges and possibly the book of Job and his father's Psalms. Thus this reigning king of Israel referred to the Word of Elohim as a source of wisdom and understanding.

James the apostle to the twelve tribes writes: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of Elohim, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). This "wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17).

Solomon states that the beginning of wisdom is the fear/reverence of YHVH and His Word (ref. Proverbs 9:10). But how do we obtain this fear or reverence? Let us listen to some wise counsel:

"My son, if you receive My [YHVH's] words, and treasure My commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of YHVH, and find the knowledge of Elohim" (Proverbs 2:1-5).

Where will we find this understanding and knowledge of YHVH's words and commands? As mentioned above, Solomon directs us to the Torah. "My son, do not forget my Torah, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you" (Proverbs 3: 1-2). "Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding; For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my Torah" (Proverbs 4:1-2).

If one forsakes Torah or turns a deaf ear to YHVH's instruction, that is YHVH's words for wisdom and understanding, there are some dire consequences in store that should be taken notice of.

"Those who forsake the Torah praise the wicked… "One who turns away his ear from hearing the Torah, even his prayer is an abomination" (Proverbs 28: 4; 9).

Therefore, "Trust in YHVH with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear YHVH and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones" (Proverbs 3:5-6)


Thus, if we are wise in our own eyes, leaning on our own understanding and do not acknowledge Him, the result will be sickness to our flesh and weakness to our bones.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom" (James 3:13).

Ephraim