Parasha Midrash Shemote 5784 (2024) reading:
Shemote (Exodus) 1:1-6:1
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 27-29
Luqa (Luke) 9
Fair Use: Pro-Israel Content, Academic Content, Autistic Content
In his video on the Zirkindshiur YouTube channel, Rabbi Sholom Zirkind asks the question “Where is Mashiach Hiding?” We ask, “Have you tried looking in Daniel 9:25?”
Spoiler alert. Daniel 9:26 tells us that Mashiach had to come before the end of the second temple period! So, that means Mashiach ben David is hiding where Levi least expects to find him—in the Tanach! (So, maybe if you would read the oracles of Elohim in the Tanach (instead of reading your own oracles) maybe you might find the Mashiach you are looking for? (Joseph will keep praying.)
Introduction
Shalom and welcome to the Prime Minister Parasha Midrash, where Mashiach ben Yosef elect for 5776 and 5777 gives mikrah and midrash advice to help the southern house of Judah turn away from the pedophilia and the self-idolatry in the Talmud, and return to Elohim’s pure words of Tanach.
Mishle 30:5 tells us that “Every word of Elohim is pure.” (Meaning it does not need improving!) Then verse 6 says not to add to His (Elohim’s) words, lest He rebuke us, and we be found to be liars.
Mishle (Proverbs) 30:5-6
5 “Every word of Elohim is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
6 Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”
In love, it seems kind of like Levi has gone pathological on us. So that is why this is where Mashiach ben Yosef vintage 5776 and 5777 turns up the volume to wake Judah up, and advise the prime minister what the word of Elohim really says!
(Because apparently, the rabbis do not know. And much worse—they are intent on faking it!)
Mister Prime Minister, leading Elohim’s nation without studying the written Torah and the prophecies—is not kind of that like driving blindfolded? And if your advisors believe a book that seeks to replace the words of Elohim, how do you know you are not headed off the cliff??
There is so much to say here in Parasha Shemote. We are literally starting a new chapter and a new book in Israel’s history! And it is going to be difficult to summarize what is important in one hour. So let us begin.
12 tribes, one unified nation
What is really going on in Egypt? And what is the real significance of the Exodus? The Exodus account it is not just an amazing story of how Israel was oppressed by Paro, and then got free with the help of Elohim. If we have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is also the story of how Elohim took 12 or 13 brothers from four different mothers and forged a unified nation out of them.
It is the story of how Judah and Joseph were forged into a single nation. And this is back in the days when Jews and Josephite Christians were still part of the same twelve tribes (who later became the two houses).
Judah might not like it, because he does not get to steal Joseph’s inheritance! But Elohim’s word says that there will be twelve tribes again in the end. Judah might keep asking Elohim to kill us with the Birkhat HaMinim, but Elohim says He will bring us home anyway!
And shame on Judah and Levi for teaching anything other than Elohim’s words! What are you thinking?? Has the whole tribe of Orthodox Levi lost your collective minds?
The kingship blessing
For a trip down memory lane, brothers, let us throwback to B’reisheet 15:10, where Avraham cut the sacrifices in two. (Keeping in mind that the nation of Israel was later divided into two parts: Judah, and Joseph.)
B’reisheet (Genesis) 15:10
10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.
Then in verse 13, Yahweh told Avram to know for certain that his descendants (Judah and Joseph, the Jews and the Josephite Christians) would be strangers in the land that was not theirs. And that Judah and Joseph would serve the Egyptians, and the Egyptians would afflict us and mistreat us for 400 years.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 15:13
13 Then He said to Avram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.”
And then in verse 14 Elohim said He would judge Mitzraim (Egypt), and then all twelve tribes would come out with great possessions. And this was to be a new beginning, for a new nation.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 15:14
14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Avraham was willing to go anywhere or do anything for Elohim. Avraham’s loyalty to Elohim was greater than his loyalty to himself, or even his only son. And not to say the wrong things, but does not that establish a standard for us, that we should put Elohim ahead of even our own children, or else we are not being faithful to Avraham’s example?
And Avraham had two sons, Ishmael and Yitzhak (Isaac). Tragically, in B’reisheet 21:9, Ishmael mocked Yitzhak (which in the context of the kingship and the birthright can be life threatening). So, sadly, Ishmael got himself sent away.
As a result, when Avraham died, the kingship passed directly to Yitzhak. Done! (Because after Ishmael got himself sent away, there were no other children of the promise. So, it was simple father to son.)
But then for his part, Yitzhak had two sons, Esav and Yaakov (Israel). Esav was the first born, but Esav did not want the duties and responsibilities of kingship. Esav preferred hunting to the things of Torah, so Esav would have been a really bad king.
In contrast, Yaakov valued the things of Torah, so Yaakov traded Esav fair and square for the kingship. It is not nice, but someone had to do a good job of being king, and Esav was not going to do it. So, it pretty much had to be done.
The only hard part is that when you are going to be king, you pretty much need the blessing to go along with the kingship, or else your kingship will be ineffective (Elohim forbid).
The kingship role
So, Yaakov had the kingship, but now what happened?? Yaakov only wanted one wife, but because he played tricks on other people, other people played tricks on him. And he got four wives. And now, twelve (or thirteen) sons. So, to which one of his twelve (or thirteen) sons does Israel pass the kingship, so that all his children are treated fairly, and give a good and glorifying witness to Elohim’s name?
Well, last week we saw that Reuven defiled himself sexually. (Ouch!) So, he is out. Then we saw Shimon and Levi defile themselves through cruelty toward Joseph and others. (And Levi would do well to consider that deeply.) So, then the kingship passed to the fourth-round draft choice, which was Judah.
(Big sigh.) And Judah did not exactly rape Tamar. It was more like Tamar seduced Judah through trickery because Judah was playing tricks on her. And then to make matters even more interesting, Judah did not actually become a king until the era of kings. So, what do we do in the meantime?
The kingship could maybe be called the “temporal priesthood”, because it ministers to the nation regarding those things that are affected by time. We are talking about lawyers, guns, and money. And it is not nice to say, but the reality is that until Elohim is through using Judah and Joseph (and secretly Ishmael) to fix up the world, you need someone good in charge of your army. Because until Mashiach’s millennial reign is established, there will be huge upheavals.
And if you want to survive, then you had better put as king the very best that you have who knows lawyers, guns, and money. Because you are going to need him! Only, if you want to survive in the long run, your king had also better obey Elohim!
Moshe (or Deuteronomy) 17:18 says that the king shall write for himself a copy of this written Torah of Moshe in a book. And it should be the same written Torah as the one before the Levitical priests. And he needs to consult Elohim’s oracles daily, so he knows how to lead his nation to do what Elohim says (rather than what the Talmud says).
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 17:18
18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites.” [The written Torah of Moshe, approved by the Levitical priests, not the rabbis!]
And that is because Judah HaNasi is not Mashiach Nagid of Daniel 9:25.
Daniel 9:25
25 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.”
Priesthood role
Then you have the priesthood. And the priesthood represents the timeless king, which is Yahweh. And the temple is like His embassy, and the priests are like His ambassadors. And the priesthood is supposed to advise the faithful king as to what the oracles of Elohim command and counsel, so the king can then implement the words of Elohim.
But what does the king do when the priesthood counsels him with their own words, instead? (It is like Korach’s rebellion all over again.)
Yahweh’s prophets
The prophets are basically quality control. So, when you get a selfish king or a corrupted priesthood (like we have today in the rabbis), that is when Elohim raises up a prophet. And the job of a prophet is basically to risk his life to call out evil and corruption in the kingship, and the priesthood, and the people.
Foretelling
And there are two different kinds of prophecy. The first kind is the kind everyone thinks of, which is ‘foretelling’, when the prophet “foretells” (or “predicts”) the future.
“Thus says Yahweh, Judah and Ephraim will be sorry if they do not wise up, and start taking my words 100% seriously!” (That sort of thing.)
Forthtelling
The second kind of prophecy is when the prophet hears from Elohim, and then “speaks what he hears forth.” That is called, ‘forthtelling’.
And Judah and Levi almost never like hearing either foretelling or forthtelling, because they want to get away with their sin!
Anointed vs appointed
So, now talking about Moshe, Moshe was an anointed shophet (or an anointed judge). And without getting too deep, ‘anointed’ judges are different from ‘appointed’ judges, in that appointed judges are appointed of men. But anointed judges are anointed of Elohim.
And in contrast to Talmud tractate Eruvin 21b and other “we are demigods” fantasies by the rabbis, the authority of an anointed judge is much greater than that of the kingship or the priesthood, because he is anointed by Elohim to carry out a special transitional task.
“My son, be careful to fulfill the words of the Sages [soferim] even more than the words of the Torah. For the words of the Torah include positive and negative commandments, and even with regard to the negative commandments, the violation of many of them is punishable only by lashes. Whereas with respect to the words of the Sages, anyone who transgresses the words of the Sages is liable to receive the death penalty,”
[Talmud Tractate Eruvin 21b, Seferia]
(It is like brain surgery, and Elohim wants things done just exactly a certain way. And it must be done just right!) But how does the anointed judge know what ‘just right’ is?
First and foremost, before an anointed judge (or any kind of a prophet) does anything else, he prays, and then listens carefully for the voice of Elohim, and then he obeys it, and shares it with others. And that is his job. It requires turning yourself into a human antenna, so you can hear what Elohim wants whenever he wants to speak.
And your life is no longer your own. And get ready for people to talk bad! Because Judah and Joseph like being protected and served by Yahweh Elohim, and they like singing and dancing. But they do not like obeying Elohim’s words!
Moshe: a prophet appointed by Elohim
A lot of people think Moshe was Jewish, but Moshe was a Levite! And Moshe was a prophet, although he served in the kingship. But the key thing that made it all work was the forgotten and despised practice that everyone prays for, but almost no one does. Moshe was listening and submitted to the voice of Elohim at all times! (The same as king David [at least in his early years].) They had a perfect relationship between the Divine and man. Elohim spoke, and Moshe wrote.
In Shemote 4:12, Elohim told Moshe what to say, and Moshe said it. (Are we getting a feel for the kind of relationship the Commander of the armies of Israel wants from His troops?) Elohim said what to do, and Moshe did it!
Why does it seem today like Levi cannot to wait to rewrite the Torah, to make it more like B’reisheet 3:4?
B’reisheet (Genesis) 3:4
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.”
Elohim already said what to do. Now all we need to do is to obey what Elohim said! Without making changes! That is it! (Does it need to be any clearer?)
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 12:32
32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”
Obeying the Commander
Life in the priesthood is like life in the spiritual army. You suit up, and show up, and He tells you what to do, and you do it! Not one time in the military or in business did I ever get an order to rewrite all of their corporation rules to suit myself! I would be up on court martial charges if I did that! (And rightfully so!)
But Levi expects to rewrite the Tanach in each generation?? Are you serious???
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 12:28
28 “Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of Yahweh your Elohim.”
Mister Prime Minister, how would you feel if you gave an order as the chief executive, and then your staff decided to rewrite your orders, changing everything to suit themselves, except then they tell everyone that they are disseminating your instructions? So, they are issuing their own instructions, and then they are telling everyone that “This is what the prime minister said.”? How would you feel? And what would you do if your staff did that? (Elohim forbid!)
The Tree of Knowledge error
You know, in the Garden of Eden, all we had to do was to listen for what Elohim said to do, and then do it. And in Moshe (or Deuteronomy) 4:2 we see that Levi’s job was to teach the words of the written Torah to Israel, without changing them!
Devarim (or Deuteronomy) 4:2
2 “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your Elohim which I command you.”
(This is probably going to be really hard for Levi, is to realize that he is not a demigod with the authority to rewrite Elohim’s words! And we know you do not like it, but our prayer is that you will repent, so you can survive what is coming!)
Verses like Shemote 24:4 tell us that Moshe wrote down all the words of Yahweh.
Shemote (Exodus) 24:4
4 And Moses wrote all the words of Yahweh. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
And in places like Moshe (or Deuteronomy) 31:9 we will see that Moshe wrote this Torah and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, and to all the elders of Israel. We are not talking about an ‘oral Torah’. We are talking about the Chumash!
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:9
9 So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and to all the elders of Israel.
And verses like Deuteronomy 12:32 say not to change Elohim’s words! (As in, “Are you crazy??” Do not even think about changing his words! That is un-hinged!)
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 12:32
32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”
In Deuteronomy 17:18 we will see that when the king sits on the throne of his kingdom, he is supposed to write for himself a copy of the written Torah that was given to the sons of Levi to maintain. (There is no mention of a so-called “oral Torah”.)
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 17:18
18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites.” [The written Torah of Moshe, approved by the Levitical priests, not the rabbis!]
Why Moshe?
But why Moshe? (Let us ask that!) Moshe was not an enticer to replace the written Torah with Talmud! In contrast, Moshe was a pure son of Levi, who listened diligently to Elohim, and obeyed him! And Moshe was a prophet to both houses—meaning both Judah, and to Joseph. Moshe was a prophet both to the Jews, and to the future Josephite Christians. (Just as it is today, amein?)
What made Moshe special is that he listened diligently for Elohim’s voice 24-7 and hastened to obey it! (Concept!) And we will see that this trait of spiritual “shema”-ing (that everyone prays for, and almost no one understands or does!) is what prophets like Moshe and Yeshayahu and Yeshua did so well!
(You know, like we ask each day in the great Shema (in Deuteronomy 6:4), that we would hear His voice, and obey it? Except that almost no one does that anymore, probably because almost no one reflects on what Elohim says He wants?)
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4
4 “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh your Elohim, Yahweh is echad [united]!”
It is just unbelievable. Jews and Josephites want to be given leadership roles in leading Yahweh’s people to victory, but they do not even know what Elohim wants??? Are you kidding?
Do you know why Moshe is great? It is because Moshe did what Adam and Havvah were supposed to have done way back in B’reisheet 3! Moshe made a point of hearing what Elohim said! And then, (shocker of shockers), he hastened to do and to preach what he heard, without alteration! He did not change it. He did not rewrite it. He just rejoiced that he was allowed to do and preach it. (Concept!)
But today, it is like the rabbis figure that as soon as they have read enough books (and we are not talking Tanach), now they are qualified to replace the constitution that Elohim gave! In love, what are you thinking? Did you get some bad KaNeh Bosem? Maybe some bad ergot fungus back in the Mishnaic era? (What??)
Oh. hey, I know! How about the rabbis imitate the greatest Levite of all time, who always listened to Elohim, and then did what Elohim said, and then wrote down what Elohim had said, without changing the message?
But some Posek will ask, “Yeah but, Moshe had to establish the Torah for his generation, and we are just doing the same!” Except the Posekim are doing the opposite as what Moshe did. Because Moshe did not read a whole bunch of books, and then think up the Torah from the Tree of the Knowledge. Rather, Moshe heard the torah from Elohim’s mouth. Can you tell the difference?
A wake-up call to both houses!
Well, Judah and Levi make themselves easy targets. (And sad to say, they really need it!) But the problem is, so does Ephraim! And according to this week’s Haftarah prophetic portion, the house of Ephraim needs a wake-up call just as much as brother Judah (if not more so)!
Because right now, Ephraim’s walk is still so Romish that Orthodox Judah cannot even recognize Ephraim as being Hebraic, because of all the silly kid’s play games. (Let us let that sink in for a moment.) Judah does not know who we are, because we do not behave like Hebrews.
For balance, let us remember that Judah has problems. Judah has Joseph under a death curse, directly violating B’reisheet 12:3.
“For the apostates [meaning anyone who has left Orthodox Judaism, such as Yeshua (or Jesus), and everyone who follows Him] let there be no hope! And uproot the kingdom of arrogance speedily and in our days! May the Nazarenes and [all] the [other] sectarians [or the other “minim”] perish, as in a moment! Let them be blotted out of the Book of Life, and not be written together with the righteous! You are praised, O Adonai, who subdues the arrogant!”
[Wikipedia, Jerusalem Talmud-Birkat haMinim]B’reisheet (Genesis) 12:3
3 “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
And that is probably not going to change until after Armageddon (which is like the encore of World War 4, several decades from now.) However, Zekaryah 12:10 says that at the end of the encore of World War 4, Judah will finally look on Him whom they pierced, and they will grieve for Him, as one grieves for the loss of his firstborn.
Zekaryah (Zechariah) 12:10
10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
The reality is that Judah will probably continue to ask for Joseph’s death until that time. And that is because Judah and Levi are such loving, faithful brothers, who want nothing more than to obey the Tanach, right??
Listen. The reason we are talking to Judah and Levi in this way is that, even though you treat us evilly, Joseph still wants Judah and Levi to survive. But Joseph also knows that the only way you can survive is to start listening for Elohim’s voice, to obey it. To include all His written commandments, because we are responsible for everything He ever said.
Drunkards of Ephraim
I do not know who decided three short snippets in Yeshayahu all right next to each other for the Haftarah portion. To Joseph it just makes more sense to read the whole chapters. Rather than cherry pick the Tanach. Joseph reads cover to cover, to get the full context. And in this case, Joseph needs the full context, because the full context is him. Let us look at Yeshayahu 28, in context.
Verse 1 says that “Ephraim is special, and Ephraim does not have to do anything!”
Oh, no… wait! Let us read that again.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:1
1 “Woe to the crown of pride, to the spiritual drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower which is at the head of the verdant valleys, to those who are overcome with spiritual wine.”
We will unpack this in the Avraham Accords and the Four Horses series, but verse 3 tells us that the time is coming when “The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, will be trampled underfoot”.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:3
3 “The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot;”
Ephraim’s slothfulness
What does that look like, brothers? Does that look like Yahweh will be happy with resting and reading and making yourselves comfortable, and not doing much of anything else?
And what does verse 7 mean?
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:7
7 “But they also have erred through wine, and through intoxicating drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they are out of the way through intoxicating drink; they err in vision [they have no idea what they are supposed to be doing!], they stumble in judgment [they are not willing to do what their Rabbi said to do!].”
That sounds bad! That sounds like they are on the wrong road, or something, does not it?
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:8
8 “For all tables are full of vomit and filth [like the Trinity, and the book and DVD sales]; no place is clean.”
(You would think Ephraim was still dwelling with Esav it is so polluted!)
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:9
9 “Whom will He teach knowledge? And whom will He make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts?”
So, what can Elohim do? And whom will Elohim make to understand the message of what Ephraim needs to step up and do to save his life, and the chastity and freedom of his wives of his children? Who? Who can Elohim get from the house of Ephraim who even cares?
Those Ephraimites who have just barely weaned themselves from milk (because that is all they care)? Will he teach knowledge to those Ephraimites who have just barely drawn themselves from the breasts and are taking strained peas and carrots although by now they should be mature in the Word?
Because most of Ephraim is smart as a razor, but he uses it to gratify his sense of entitlement. He does not bring his “A-game”. He does not bring his best to the war. He does not try to integrate and steward all of his life’s resources and abilities, to give a full spectrum performance for the Son of Elohim who died to save him from paganism and idolatry, because he does not really care what Yeshua wants, does he?
And he makes excuses for himself. (You would think it was Judah.)
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:10
10 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”
To make a broader, easier religion than the one Yeshua and his disciples all walked. Just like Levi, we have created a new doctrine that speaks something other than what the written Torah says to do. And no one in Ephraim sees the problem, right, brothers?
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:11-12
11 “For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people,
12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest,” and, “This is the refreshing”; yet they would not hear.””
“Obeying My voice, and doing everything I ever said is what will bring you the rest with which you will eventually cause the weary to rest, when you usher in Yeshua’s Jewish millennial kingdom. And this Great Commission which I have laid out for in Ephesians is the fivefold refreshing that will cause the kingdom to grow, if you would only obey it!”
Yet Ephraim would not even hear, or even incline his ear. Because why?
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:13
13 “But the word of Yahweh was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little,” that they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught.”
Is this what Ephraim calls ‘love’?
Because Ephraim is capable as anything. He is Joseph’s son. But he does care about Yeshua? Because he cannot be bothered to obey what Yeshua says to do!
It is “too hard!” It is “too much work!” And it costs “too much money!” So, Ephraim has convinced himself that there is nothing to do. Ephraim would rather play with his kids! Ephraim has other priorities than doing what his king said.
So, Ephraim does like Levi. He stacks a few precepts, and he stacks a few verses to make a whole new religion that looks nothing like what Yeshua walked. If you are not doing everything that Yeshua said to do, then it is still a Saturday church! The horse is still red! Your doctrine is still from Esav.
If you do not want to work for Yeshua, then maybe you want to go back to Esav’s house? If you do not like Yeshua’s program, then I am sure Esav would love to have you back!
Or you can go on stacking verses, and precepts. Playing with building blocks, like little children. That the vast majority of Ephraim might go and fall backward (like they are doing right now)! And be broken and snared and caught! (Because they did not care to get up off their chair!)
And if you think it cannot happen to you, because you ‘believe’ on Yeshua, and because you are walking a broad, easy Sabbath-and-feasts road, then read this verse again, Eph-raim. Because Elohim is giving Eph an ‘F’ score!
This passage is talking exactly to Ephraim. It is talking to those who are pulling the wool over their own eyes, day-dreaming that they are ‘keeping Yeshua’s Torah’ when all they are doing is what is easy, and free. Ephraim is fine as long as he can make free sacrifices. As long as Elohim does not take his money, and does not take his time, he is good with it!
A look in the looking glass
Do we have any real men in Ephraim?
Every time I have ever heard this Yeshayahu passage preached in an Ephraimite sermon, it has always been used to talk about the failures of the house of Judah, and the alleged superiority of the lazy privileged Messianic way.
The failures of the house of Judah are all too real. But if everything is ok in Ephraim, then why does Yeshayahu 10:22 tell us that although Israel (or Ephraim) shall be as numerous as the sand of the sea in these last times, only a remnant of Ephraim will return? And that the destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness, (because Ephraim did not care about what the One who saved his life wants).
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 10:22
22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them will return; the destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
In the east, they have the ‘concept of face’. If someone saves your life, you owe him your life. Well, Yeshua was a middle easterner. And Yeshua saved our lives! And now all we can do is to play with our kids? Our women and children come before Elohim? Is anyone in Ephraim planning on putting Elohim first, like Moshe? Is anyone in Ephraim planning on doing everything that the Renewed Covenant says to do?
I was on the Noachide Kiruv identity snatchers channel watching a video by Rabbi Yaron Reuven, where he accuses the Ephraimites of establishing a new religion for themselves, practicing what he calls, “Torah Light”. And I wrote to correct him and tell him what is really going on with Ephraim (not that he will listen).
But then it hit me. He cannot tell that Ephraim is Hebraic, because Ephraim does not behave Hebraic.
[Starting A New Religion, 2:15-3:30 | Rabbi Yaron Reuven]
Ephraim’s conditional love
You know Ephraim, in all fairness, Judah tithes and organizes like we will see the Torah command, and Judah thinks nothing of it. Judah has big problems, just like Ephraim. But at least Judah knows that you are not going to out-give Elohim! You are not going to do more for Elohim than Elohim is going to do for you. You do not have to hire protection from the tithe.
Malachi 3:9-10
9 “You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.
10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
Judah trusts that if he will organize as a nation, and then do everything that is necessary to maintain a nation, Elohim will bless them for that. And He does, because you are talking about the richest people on earth! And they got that way because they organize, discipline themselves, and tithe. That is it.
So what is Ephraim’s problem? He hates money? He hates blessings from Elohim?
Ephraim says, “Torah. Torah, Torah! Torah, Torah! Torah!” But what Ephraim means is “Whatever is easy!” What Ephraim means is resting, eating together, and holding a Bible study at a friend’s house. And then Ephraim conveniently forgets the parts about organization and fulfilling the Great Commission together. Because they want to make sacrifices that are easy, and free!
Luqa (Luke) 9:23-24
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
24 For whoever desires to save his life [and his free time] will lose it, but whoever chooses to lose his life [and his free time] for my sake [for the sake of building His Father’s kingdom] will save it [for eternal life].”
Did you ever wonder, if Yeshua was here today, what would He really think of the level of dedication and commitment among the people He suffered for?
Luqa (Luke) 6:46
46 “But why do you call Me ‘Master, Master,’ and not do the things which I say?”
Brit Chadasha: organization and commitment
And for the Notzrim among us (and you know who you are). Luqa 9:2 tells us that Yeshua sent out His 12 shaliachim to preach the kingdom of Elohim.
Luqa (Luke) 9:2
2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of Elohim and to heal the sick.
We will see in this series how Moshe was sent to draw Israel out of Egypt, and to organize them, and get them to behave as the nation of Elohim. And we will see many lessons that those few Ephraimites and Jews who want to survive what is coming can use. But you have to apply it.
In Luqa 9:14, Yeshua told his disciples to sit down in groups of fifty. And we will see that Yeshua was just applying the recommendations of Moshe’s father-in-law Yitro, that the armies be organized by 10s, 50s, 100s, and 1000s.
Luqa (Luke) 9:14
14 For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.”
In Luke 9:23, Yeshua said to them all that if anyone desires to come after Him, let him deny himself, and take up his self-humbling device daily, and follow Him.
Luqa (Luke) 9:23-24
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
24 For whoever desires to save his life [and his free time] will lose it, but whoever chooses to lose his life [and his free time] for my sake [for the sake of building His Father’s kingdom] will save it [for eternal life].”
And in Luqa 9:30, Yeshua is transfigured, and He is talking with Moshe and Eliyahu. Does Yeshua rebuke Moshe and the Torah in the presence of Eliyahu? Or were Moshe, Eliyahu and Yeshua all three in agreement?
Luqa (Luke) 9:30
30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,
And in Luqa 9:62, Yeshua tells us that “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of Elohim.”
Luqa (Luke) 9:62
62 But Yeshua said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of Elohim.”
Meaning that no one who is not chomping at the bit to grow Yeshua’s kingdom for Him is fit to be His subject. (Check it out in the day of judgment!)
Prayers
I wish we had more time, but we had to cut it off at 13 pages. (Judah likes the number 13.) So, join us next week as we see how Elohim prepares to take twelve (or thirteen) separate tribes, and forge them into a single standalone nation like the nation of Israel will again one day be.
Please pray diligently for Yahweh to raise up a King Josiah figure for the house of Judah, to turn our cruel brother Levi back to Elohim’s words in the Tanach, that they might survive what is coming!
And please pray for the Sanhedrin to wake up and realize that the Talmud is not the word of Elohim! And that you are not supposed to kill Joseph for practicing the Tanach! And that Joseph loves Judah, but Judah’s pedophile Talmud is stopping Joseph from coming home!
See you again next week for Parasha Va’eira. And until then, remember to listen carefully for Elohim’s voice, and to do everything that He says to do. Including all of the written commandments that we can do at this time.
Shabbat shalom.
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We thank Yahweh Elohim for your love for His kingdom.
