Parasha Yitro 5784 (2024) reading:
Shemote (Exodus) 18:1-20:23
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 6-9
Mattityahu (Matthew) 6:1-8:1
Fair Use: Pro-Israel Content, Academic Content, Autistic Content:
The following text is a written version and may differ slightly from the video dialogue.
Shalom and welcome to Nazarene Israel. I am Norman Willis. Welcome to Joseph’s parasha for the Genesis 35:11 Alliance of the kingship nation Judah, and the company of Josephite Christian nations.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 35:11
11 Also Elohim said to him: “I am Elohim Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.”
Administrative announcement: correspondence
Before we begin, as an administrative announcement, we want to respond to some very disrespectful comments on the last videos. Just for general information, we are a very small, very hard-working team, and we are chipping away at a mountain of work that needs done, trying to set the example. In the hopes that others will also realize that we all have the requirement to give to Yeshua’s kingdom and help it to grow.
There is not enough support. And if that is not clear enough, we have a few people supporting and working and helping. And we have many times more people who expect that we have nothing better to do than to spend our lives waiting on them and their needs hand and foot, and to spoon feed them, so to speak. And that is the majority, is babies in diapers who expect full time nanny care.
Romim (Romans) 12:3
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as Elohim has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
And they do not want to help Yeshua get what He wants (which is the kingdom His father sent Him to build). But they want this personalized support and service.
Little Red Hen situation
We have people angry that we cannot open the Sabbath Discipleship meetings right now because, frankly, I am filling more than one job right now.
Parashiot is an eldership role. But very sadly, we do not have a qualified elder currently, and we do not have enough support even to keep this going. And as I said in previous parashiot, I must slash the production time on the parashiot, to make time for the documentaries.
And I do not want to say, “Sorry, guys, your heart is not set on helping Yeshua to get His kingdom, so I do not really have time at my level.”
Mattityahu (Matthew) 13:10
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
I am so sorry if that hurts anyone’s feelings, but that is my reality. I need more time for the documentaries. And since there is not enough support, that can only mean that I take time away from the parashiot, to make time for the Beit Mikra documentaries.
So again, I do not know where entitled Ephraim gets the idea that I owe him my time, and all of us here at Nazarene Israel who work like 85-90-sometimes-100-hours-a-week without enough support. And entitled Ephraim wants us to add services to serve someone who is not doing anything to help, and who only wants someone to come spoon feed him like a baby!
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 4:6
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.
All I can say is, “I love you too much to do what the church system does for you. And I love you too much to lie to you like the Messianic book salesmen and the Messianic disorganization preachers do!”
Romim (Romans) 16:18
18 For those who are such do not serve our Master Yeshua Mashiach, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
Ephraim does not like it when we point out that he feels entitled to free everything. And that he feels overly privileged. We are working very hard to be able to do the prophetic and apostolic work to which we have been called.
Quite frankly, Nazarene Israel is the only ministry I know of that is even attempting to do the hard work of standing the tabernacle of David back up, according to Scripture.
We barely have time for personal care here, and people who have no intention of making a commitment to Yeshua want to take all our time.
Ma’asei (Acts) 15:16
16 ‘AFTER THIS I WILL RETURN AND WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID, WHICH HAS FALLEN DOWN; I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL SET IT UP;
So, so very sorry! But the answer must be “No”! We are speaking parables at you as part of the 4,000 and the 5,000, because like it was in Mark 6:31, there are so many people coming and going all the time, that we literally do not get time to eat, because we are trying to do so many things.
Marqaus (Mark) 6:31
31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
And I just wonder that men must have been nobler back in ancient times, that they put their faith and trust in Elohim and obedience to His words. But we literally do not have time to rest, and there is no deserted place in the internet age when people need you. And there is urgently more work than you can do, because right now people have no idea what Yeshayahu 10:22 really means. And what it will mean soon in all our lives!
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.
Nazarene Israel Mission
There is urgent work to do, and if you are not serious, then please, do not waste our time with disrespectful comments! The comments are open for those who are trying to be respectful, and constructive, and for those who want to recognize what both houses need to start doing to bring the Genesis 35:11 Alliance to reality.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 35:11
11 Also Elohim said to him: “I am Elohim Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.”
But I ask please the respect and the attention of certain Ephraimites, who need to learn to be realistic, and learn to want to obey the Renewed Covenant.
If you do not want to obey the Renewed Covenant, you are on the wrong channel. So please, just go away. Do not go away mad. Just go away until you want to hear what Elohim says, rather than men. (It is like, who do you worship?)
Our job in Nazarene Israel is to immerse serious, committed, true disciples in all nations, who will bring about the support structure for the Millennial reign outside the land of Israel.
We will talk all about it in the Abraham Accords series. But for now, please just know that since the parasha was unceremoniously dumped back in my lap when I was already greatly overcommitted and very overstretched, this is all the time that I have.
And my assistant and the contact person have very clear instructions that this parasha series is for those who want to help build the Genesis 35:11 Alliance in any real form.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 35:11
11 Also Elohim said to him: “I am Elohim Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.”
But we also (so sorry!) just do not have time for phone calls, and chit-chats, and reading books for you, and getting back to you on your tasks and your trash. (So sorry!!) Sorry to put it so bluntly, but some little baby spiritual children who want a spiritual mommy and daddy to pick up their room and do all their chores for them need to learn to want to grow up!
Romim (Romans) 12:3
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as Elohim has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Yeshua wants a mature bride
The rabbis might prefer a child bride that is at least three years and one day old, like it says in Talmud tractate Sanhedrin 69a.
“Rabbi Yirmeya of Difti says: We learn in another mishna (Nidda 44b) as well that one follows the majority even in cases of capital law: A girl who is three years and one day old whose father arranged her betrothal can be betrothed with intercourse, as, despite her age, the legal status of intercourse with her is that of full-fledged intercourse.”
[Talmud Tractate Sanhedrin 69a, Sefaria]
But Yeshua is not coming for a child bride! Yeshua is coming for a mature, adult bride! He is not coming for a lazy bride. You know the difference between children and adults.
Children have their needs and That is just what they are. They are legitimately brand new. We are talking about the first year of your faith you could be called a babe. And you just absorb, and someone needs to take care of it for you. No problem, okay. But beyond that you need to start growing in the faith just like children when they need to start learning to do something around the farm. They have chores this kind of a thing.
It is shocking in today’s world. By the time you reach the adult level, you do not just let them grow up wild until they are 18 and then bang, all of a sudden, they are adults. They need training in how to succeed. Because by the time you become an adult, you might take on a relationship with another, you might get married, you might have children, you might need to take your place in society and provide for others. And as a man you need to learn to take your place within the brotherhood.
Well, there are standards for taking your place within the brotherhood. The whole concept of brotherhood is like a lost concept in the house of Ephraim. And you try and talk with people about it, and they do not want to know.
Why? Because it is not easy and it is not free. But by the time you get to be an elder, now you need to be looking out for the best interest of everyone. But also, in a spiritual analogy, you need to be getting your spiritual family ready to take their place in the brotherhood. It is a very active kind of a thing. It is not a passive thing. And in this context, that means refusing the Esavite Roman-amphitheater model.
Esav’s model vs Yeshua’s model
In the Roman-amphitheater model, you pay a price of admission, you watch your entertainment, maybe you have dinner and a show. And then you are going to leave at some point, and you are going to have to pay a bill. But there is no real involvement. You are not becoming part of the effort.
And that is the problem with Esav’s model. It maybe works for step one, bringing in people who have no knowledge of anything and are brand new baby believers, to have an evangelical format like that. (This is another discussion for another time.) We just do not have room for the Roman amphitheater model here.
Because you have your show, and then you go. And this is what the 4,000 and the 5,000 wanted. They were not interested in taking part, or in getting involved. They wanted to have their problems healed. They wanted to have their questions answered. And they wanted to have dinner and a show. They wanted the fish and the bread, and then watched some miracles. And then to go without every wanting to become like Him.
This is where we need to understand He is our one and only Rabbi. And that is what you do in the rabbinical model. He is the only Rabbi we will ever have. But that is what you do in the rabbinical model. There is no secret, He came at the end of the second temple period for a reason. He is our example; we need to be imitating Him and not just talking about imitating Him.
And when you come into the Roman amphitheater and adore Him, whether there is an idol hanging on the wall or not, when you only adore Him (even without an idol), and you do not learn to become like Hiim, you have stepped into Mystery Babylon, brothers and sisters. You have adopted a model other than the one Yeshua participated in. And the model that Yeshua participated in requires participation. We talk about that in many other places.
So, if you are not willing to participate, and you are not willing to be someone in good standing, you are not going to stand up in front of the congregation in the second temple period if you are not contributing to that community.
Our mission here in this parasha series is in part to provide a real Acts 15 second-temple period parasha midrash (or commentary) that is pertinent to today’s times in the prayers of finding real elder candidates.
Ma’asei (Acts) 15:21
21 “For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
And another thing we are trying to is to help both houses see what they need to do differently. So that Joseph can not only come home, but that the Genesis 35 Alliance might be strengthened as the new NATO during the Messianic Age.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 35:11
11 Also Elohim said to him: “I am Elohim Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.”
Ephraim’s attitude
Most of Ephraim does not care about anything Elohim wants. He only thinks about what he wants. Frankly, it seems like many in Judah seem to think that our job as Josephites is to take abuse that is not supported by Tanach Scripture in any way, and my instructions are that if you are not respectful, then just to delete the comment. Because we want real dialogue here.
But Ephraim… how do you solve a problem like Ephraim? Ephraim seems to think that our job as Yeshua’s servants is to cater to their desires and tickle their ears to their complete satisfaction. But that is not how it is!
Timotheus Bet (2 Timothy) 4:3
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
We are Elohim’s servants, so we look to obey and enforce Elohim’s standards. And just to mention, there seem to be a number of people in Ephraim who seem to think that they are the Ruakh haQodesh, or they have the authority to tell us what we should be doing.
Romim (Romans) 12:3
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as Elohim has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
And we do listen to respectful input. But everyone needs to earn their position of respect in the community, by behaving respectfully. And if you are not going to respect Elohim by first obeying His rules, then what do you want from us? I think maybe you might want the Church, or the Messianic movement instead.
We do not do Babylon here! Maybe that is what confused you, is you were looking for the Mystery Babylonian church system, where it is enough to adore Yeshua—and you never need to learn to walk like Him, or obey Him? You claim Him as your king, but you look for excuses to disobey Him?
Hitgalut (Revelation) 18:4
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”
Please understand, the best we can do at this moment is to offer a hybrid Torah portion. Because I now have too many hats to wear, but here we are. So, this is partly an apostolic parasha that is designed to educate and build up future volunteer servant-leaders, who want to do everything that Elohim says to do—which is a lot more than most people in the Messianic movement have any idea, by the way they behave.
And it is urgent that we raise up real leadership that truly want to make a commitment to Elohim’s standards, and not lower Elohim’s standards. However, at the exact same time, there is also a need for evangelical tools to reach out to the people. But it is as my earthly father once told me. He said, “Norman, if you are being called into that line of work, there will always be a much greater demand for services than there ever is supply.” And he never told me a truer word.
Because most of Ephraim is like a crying adult baby in a booster chair, who wants everything for nothing, the way he wants it, right now. It is like most of Ephraim has the terrible twos! And he needs to learn that if you claim to be disciples of your Elohim, then you need to obey His rules—and that there are no options on this! That is it! (Zehu!)
Romim (Romans) 12:3
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as Elohim has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
We need people who are serious. And if you are not serious about serving Elohim, and obeying all His word, then how do you expect to survive?
Global perspective:
We hope to give more of the global perspective in the Abraham Accords series. We do not have time to unpack it here in the parashiot. But this is the thing that everyone misses. It is one of the keys that unlocks what we are supposed to be doing for Him as the Genesis 35:11 Alliance. So, taking a global perspective, let us look at B’reisheet 2:15.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 2:15
15 then Yahweh Elohim took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
[And to live together as a single family tending His creation.]
B’reisheet 2:15 tells us that Elohim took the man and put him in the Gaden of Eden to tend and to keep it. That is our mission and part of our job. That is what we were created to do. What He has always wanted is a single family of man that listens to Him and does what He says, and remains in a right relationship with Him. And to remain in a right relationship with each other. It takes a heart of willingness to do that. And there are rules to doing that which Elohim lays out in His written Torah and in the Tanach.
Let us continue to our Torah portion.
Torah portion: Yitro’s advice
Shemote (Exodus) 18:11
11 Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the elohim; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.”
So, what does this say? To us, this says that Yahweh is in the business of smashing pride. What does that mean? Or we obeying His word exactly as He said it? Or are we too proud for that?
Let us look at verses 13-24.
Shemote (Exodus) 18:13
13 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.
We will see this turn up again in the Brit Chadasha portion.
Shemote (Exodus) 18:14-16
14 So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”
15 And Moshe said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of Elohim.
16 When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of Elohim and His laws.”
Moshe is the judge, and he is also prophet that has temporal authority. He is the anointed judge. He listens in the Spirit and is able to make known the statutes of Elohim and His laws, and to interpret them. He listens to Elohim in the Spirit, that is the key to the whole thing.
Shemote (Exodus) 18:17-18
17 So Moshe’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good.
18 Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.
Who to appoint?
We can relate this to how it is here in Nazarene Israel. We are all busy trying to do the jobs of several people. But the job is here to do and it needs to be done. So, we are running double and triple time to get the job done.
Shemote (Exodus) 18:19-20
19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and Elohim will be with you: Stand before Elohim for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to Elohim.
20 And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.
Judah has the zeal to do his own thing. And Ephraim has a zeal to adore the correct thing, but he does not want to do it. Well, part of the job here is the written Torah. Once Moshe makes the things known to the people, then it is up to the people to do it.
That is the difference. That is what people apparently understood back in the Midian. And that is what a lot of Ephraimites do not seem to understand today. If you are going to be in a relationship with Yahweh, it pays to be in the right relationship with Yahweh. That means when He speaks, we listen and we do it!
Shemote (Exodus) 18:21
21 Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear Elohim, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
‘Fear of Elohim’. This is where Ephraim falls down! ‘Men of truth’. Ouch! That is again where Ephraim falls down! ‘Men who hate covetousness’. (Ephraim has a lot of dumb greedy dogs who do not even know how to bark!)
Notices the military structure. We will see it again in the Brit Chadasha portion.
Shemote (Exodus) 18:22-23
22 And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you.
23 If you do this thing, and Elohim so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.”
Now, if you delegate, train, supervise, and review, and if Elohim so commands you… you need to listen in the Spirit and you get a witness in the Spirit. You will need to be listening in the Spirit, which is a forgotten concept among Ephraim.
Shemote (Exodus) 18:24
24 So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.
Okay, Ephraim. Do you know how many times I have had people tell me, “Norman, appoint 10 men!”? And do you know how embarrassing it is that there are not 10 qualified men in the entire house of Ephraim?
Shemote (Exodus) 18:21
21 Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear Elohim, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
Does not that mean they have to obey the whole Torah? Do we have 10 men in the entire house of Joseph who do their utmost to keep the whole Torah? Please introduce them to me. I would like to meet them. We should be working together to maintain a single unified ordered body. And a single unified and well-ordered nation.
Yeshua implemented the same structured-army concept.
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.”
Qualifications for elders
1 Timothy 3 tells us that an elder, or a bishop, or an overseer must be blameless. That means he must keep the whole Torah! Yes? No?
Timotheus Aleph (1 Timothy) 3:2
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;
We will cover the rest of the qualifications later, but these are Renewed Covenant manifestations of the same principles we read in the Torah portion. The requirement to obey the whole Torah did not go away! (As in, what are you thinking Ephraim?) That is an Esavite doctrine! You cannot just blow off any parts you do not like and be a disciple!
Shaliach Shaul (apostle Paul) left the apostle Titus in Crete, so that he could appoint elders in every city.
Titus 1:5
5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—
Note that Titus also was an apostle. Meaning that there were more apostles than just 12!) In fact, there are at least 20 named apostles in the Renewed Covenant! And it tells us in Ephesians 4:13 that this fivefold manner of organization would be the one that we would use until we come to the unity of the faith!
Ephesim (Ephesians) 4:13
13 Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of Elohim, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Mashiach;
And if you realize that Paul reported to the Nazarene council, or the Nazarene BDG in Jerusalem, and Titus reported to Shaul, and the elders reported to Titus, you talking about structure in the tabernacle of David! Just like we will see a Levitical priestly structure, we will also see a priestly structure for Yeshua’s order of Melchizedek.
And we will talk about the requirements later, but in Titus 1:7, once again, a bishop (or an elder) must be blameless as a steward of Elohim.
Titus 1:7
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of Elohim, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,
Sorry, can you show me anyone who is qualified to serve as a steward of Elohim, when he does not obey everything Elohim says to do? (Not sorry!)
Is it not the most stupid concept you have ever heard of in your life, that someone is going to be a steward for Elohim, and he is not already going to be actively doing everything he can to improve his Master’s kingdom? I think people must have been a lot nobler back in ancient times! That is about all I can come up with. Have we in Ephraim taken the license to come into compliance as we can as a license never ever to comply with Elohim’s full Torah ever?
The most important thing:
Shemote (Exodus) 19:5-6
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a set-apart nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”[Notice the great big “If”!]
Shemote (Exodus) 19:7-8
7 So Moshe came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which Yahweh commanded him.
8 Then all the people answered together and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” So Moshe brought back the words of the people to Yahweh.
Hearing and obeying His voice
If you do not get anything else, get this! This is a conditional promise! Our forefathers obligated us. We must both obey His voice, and keep His written covenant (and not replace or ignore His written covenant)! And be happy about it!
We do not get to practice Ephraimite “Torah Light”! We do not get to practice “Sabbath Ephraimism”! And please! You do not have to wait for a special invitation from Elohim to obey what is written right there on the page!
If you cannot hear His voice yet, that is one of the main reasons we have the written word. That is one of the main things the written word is for. That way we can know exactly what is the correct interpretation.
When we all listen to the King and obey His words, then you do not need Talmud, or papal Talmud, or Ephraimite “Torah Light”! But if we break the covenant now that we have given our word, it is the death penalty!
Rabbi Mizrahi and the orthodox rabbis want to put you to death if you keep the Torah.
But Elohim says that He will put us all to death if we do not keep His Torah!!! So now we must decide who we fear more: the rabbis, or Elohim!
And Levi and Judah hated Joseph long before they hated Yeshua! And it is literally a question that each one of us will have to face in the years ahead. So, start preparing your children!
B’reisheet (Genesis) 37:20
20 “Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”
But brothers, what do we have that is more important to do in life, than to hear and obey His voice, and do everything that He says in His written covenant? Anything? What will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 28:20
20 “…teaching them to shomer (guard , obey, observe) ALL things that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amein.
Right now, almost no one is going to escape destruction, because almost no one is truly doing or helping with the true Great Commission to establish the true kingdom. And we are confident that it will be built by the ones He wants to save.
Warning to the non-remnant
And we apologize for any less-then-polished language, but our job is to lower the death rate from the approximate 99.9999% as it is right now, to a simple flat 90%! And we believe that if we preach really hard over the next 30 or 40 or 50 years, shouting from the rooftops (or the social media channels or whatever we have), maybe we can build the survival rate up to 10%.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 10:27
27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.”
So, our prayer is for 10% of the house of Joseph to start obeying everything that is in the Tanach and the Brit Chadashah. And putting Him and His words first.
Shemote (Exodus) 19:5-8
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a set-apart nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
7 So Moshe came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which Yahweh commanded him.
8 Then all the people answered together and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” So Moshe brought back the words of the people to Yahweh.
That is what it means. It means we must develop a personal one on one listening relationship with the Son and His Spirit. And then once we do that personally, we need to do it corporately, because that is His chosen method of governance for the world.
And if you want to escape the destruction and take part in the global government that will grow without end, the very first thing you need to do is to indicate your acceptance and commitment toward Elohim and His words, by obeying at least the minimum standards that He gives in His word.
We are talking about the three-tithe structure which is for our internal governance. And we are talking about obeying the internal organization in 1 timothy 3, and in Titus 1:5, and in the Torah portion this week, and in many other places.
Titus 1:5
5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—
And if we want to show Him commitment, and if we want to be disciples for real, then one of the basic things that we all need to do is to start doing everything of the Tanach and the Brit Chadasha that we can do.
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 9:24
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
And not just read the Scriptures from cover to cover. And not just do the good ethical parts. But to obey all the statutes, ordinances, precepts and protocols established by Yahweh Elohim Tzavaot, and by His Son, Mashiach Nagid.
And we start trying to build Him the kingdom His father sent Him to establish. And that means the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19–21, where our job is to make real disciples in every nation who truly do everything that is written in the word
Matthew 28:20
20 “…teaching them to shomer (guard , obey, observe) ALL things that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amein.
And that behave as His body, and that we unify His body on a single foundation of apostles and prophets (apostles and elders) like it says in Ephesians chapter 2:19–22.
Ephesim (Ephesians) 2:20
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yeshua Mashiach Himself being the chief cornerstone,
And the way we do that is to implement the fivefold ministry protocol that Yeshua Himself gave us in Ephesians chapter 4:11–16. And we get involved, and that we implement it for ourselves, our families and our assemblies.
Ephesim (Ephesians) 4:11
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
And you cannot be independent. (Boasting of no affiliation.) You cannot have a ghosting body. You need a real body. And this real body is the stick of Ephraim of Ezekiel 37:16.
Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 37:16
16 “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’”
We must form it first. And no, it is not easy. And no, it is not free, nor should we want it to be! Because if it was easy, then anybody could do it, right? And so how would we distinguish and set ourselves apart from the masses of Ephraim who are headed for destruction because they do not really care? They are too busy drinking and playing tennis.
I mean, what? Yeshua died so we can sit around and read about what we are supposed to be doing? And no one in Ephraim cares? Because that is the extent of our love and commitment for Him? And we are back to the Lost Tennis Tribes–where ‘love’ means ‘nothing’?)
Yeshua says in Yochanan 14:15 “If you love me, then, keep My commandments.
Yochanan (John) 14:15
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
The Then Things (or the Ten Commandments) deserve their own special treatment much better than we can give them here. So, let us go to our Haftarah prophetic portion.
Haftarah portion : Yeshayahu 6-9
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 6:9-10
9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 “Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed.””
Do this because they do not really care! And do this so that they will think they are seeing the Torah with their non-loving eyes, and they will think they are hearing the Torah with their non-caring ears, and they will think that they understand in their hearts. And because both houses think they have already got it, and they do not really care to make 100% sure that they are obeying the truth, they will not return, and they will not be healed.
Yahweh’s bozo filter
This is Elohim’s version of what we might call a ‘bozo filter’. Because if you do not really care, then He does not really want us coming for eternal life. Our election is not guaranteed! Our election is not a done deal, brothers!
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 8:11-15
11 for Yahweh spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:
12 “do not say, ‘a conspiracy,’ concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.13 Yahweh of hosts, him you shall set apart; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
14 he will be as a sanctuary, but also as a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 and many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken.” of both houses.
No matter whether you are of Judah or Joseph, or no matter which side of the Genesis 35:11 Alliance you are presently on, if you think you are in good stead, but you are not doing all of the Tanach that you can at this time, then, guess what?? It is time to do the hard math!
Isaiah 8:20 [Talmudistan Version]
20 “To the Mishnah and to the Gemara. if they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is…”
(Oh no, wait!)
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 8:20
20 To the law [Torah] and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this [Elohim’s] word, it is because there is no light in them.
(It is like, “What are you thinking?”) And if Ephraim does not do according to this word, then there is no light in him, either!
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 9:6-7
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty Elohim, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will perform this.
Orthodox Judah understands the need to work hard to establish a kingdom for their king. (And if they would read Daniel 9:25-26, they would know who it is.)
Daniel 9:25-26
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.26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.”
Ephraim (on the other hand) reads and learns all about what he is supposed to be doing. And that seems to be why he feels he does not need to do it–and that it is all one big joke, and that he will not be killed for disobedience, and rebellion!
And that is because they are more worried about conspiracy theories, than they are about obeying their Elohim (who controls the world and everything that ever happens)! That is how backwards most of Ephraim is! He is worried about the political sphere, instead of making things right in the spiritual sphere so that Elohim would set things right! (Definitely the cart before the horse.)
And here is another passage for both houses.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 9:15-16
15 the elder and honorable, he is the head; the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 for the leaders of this people cause them to err, and those who are led by them are destroyed.
Good and faithful servants
We see that happening in both houses. Judah gives the nod to the Torah, and then subverts it with the Talmud. In contrast, Ephraim reads all the right books, and he seems to think that is why he does not need to do what is written in them. Joseph’s son believes he is special and does not need to obey! Joseph’s son Ephraim believes he is privileged!
What do we suppose Elohim will say when we go to stand before the throne? Will we hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You obeyed my voice and also tried to do everything I and My Son said in the Tanach and the Brit Chadasha!… You supported my Son’s kingdom work faithfully, and you tried to help build My Son’s kingdom as best as you could! Enter into the joy of your Master!”?
Mattityahu (Matthew) 25:21
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Or will we hear, “Excuse Me, but if you read all My books, why did you not do what either I or My Son said to do?”?
Mattityahu (Matthew) 25:27
27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
Do you read all His books, but yet you somehow never seem to comply with the organizational or the kingdom aspects?
We are hoping to get the death rate down to 90% over the next 30 to 40 to 50 years. And how do we get the death rate down? We encourage people to do what One like Moses said to do, because Yeshua shows us how to walk out the whole Torah.
That means we need to imitate Him in everything, and walk (meaning worship) exactly like He walked, obeying the full Torah, Taryag (or 613) Mitzvot, the whole bit! And it is not enough to adore Him—we must imitate Him! (What part of ‘worship exactly like Yeshua worshipped’ do we not get?)
Brit Chadasha: Mattityahu (Matthew) 6-7
This week, the Brit Chadasha teaching is in Mattityahu 6-7. And just like every week, there is so much here. I had to slash my preparation time, to make time for the documentaries, so if the presentation is rough, then just think of it as live, or unplugged, or something like that. ‘Raw and uncut!’ (Because that is all the time we have.)
In Mattityahu 6:7, Yeshua tells us not to use vein repetitions.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 6:7
“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do [pharisees]. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
This is the siddur. Instead of praying by heart, you pray by imitation. (Is that not an imitation faith?)
And in Matthew chapter 6 starting in verse nine, the disciples prayer, that is a radical prayer. If we actually live that, it will bring the kingdom of heaven down to earth. But we must do it! (Not just read it! And not just talk about it over lunch.)
Mattityahu (Matthew) 6:9
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Set-apart be Your name.
(“Tov meod.”, there is some real dedication there, is there not?)
Ephraim’s heart
Brothers, please let me ask you—what are we doing here? What do we think is our purpose here? What are we called to do for Him? Is not our purpose to reestablish the single-family of man that takes care of each other, so we can take care of His planet, in spite of all the difficulties and manifold hardships that go along with that?
And how do we get there from here? Does Ephraim think it should be easy? Does Ephraim think it should be cheap? Does Ephraim love His Elohim so much that he wants to make free and easy sacrifices?
(You know, it is a good thing that my job is not to tickle ears!)
Some people are afraid that Yahweh is not there. Some people are afraid Yahweh will let you out-give Him. (Meaning, they are afraid that they will give to Yahweh, and Yahweh will not give him something more valuable back.) Are you afraid Yahweh will rip you off? Are you afraid that Yeshua’s program is not worth it? Are you afraid that Yeshua’s program is not a good deal?
Are you afraid that Yahweh will forget to save you if you pay your tithes and volunteer to help build His Son’s kingdom the right way (the way it is supposed to be done)? Are you afraid that you are going to give your dedication and devotion and love to Elohim, and that you will bring Him your heart, and it is all just going to be a net loss? Are you afraid He is a bad investment?
Maybe you do not trust Him? Maybe you do not trust what He says?
I have met a lot of Ephraimites through the years. And I have learn and grown myself. But there was this doctor who picked me up at the airport in something like a brand new Escalade. He takes me back to his 4,000 square foot brick house with a huge (Olympic size?) swimming pool. Him and the whole camp was like that.
The reason there is no money for Elohim is because there is no commitment to Elohim. They do not want what Elohim has to offer. They do not want Yeshua’s plan. They want a church where they come play Church. They want a Sabbath and Feast Church where they can come in and adore Yeshua. But they do not have to learn to become like Yeshua.
There was another sister who picked me up from the airport in a Mercedes. They take me back and they have just finished expanding their house and they have purchased another piece of property outside of town. And then they are building their dream home retirement house. And she is like, “How can you afford to tithe?”
Well, not everyone is rich like that. But it just seems like whoever they are, they have time and money for airplanes, vacations, hobbies, and fancy machinery. But they have no money or time for Elohim because they think it is all based on knowledge. And what they want is for someone to lie and to tell them it is all knowledge you need.
Where are our priorities?
The big question is, where are our priorities?
Mattityahu (Matthew) 6:22
22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is bad [evil, stingy], your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Yeshua is talking about the bad (evil) eye. What does He mean? In context, evil eye here means ‘stingy’, and Yeshua is talking about money. It is really amazing when you realize what is going on. Yeshua talks more about money than he talks about love. Why? Clearly, He is all about love. So why does He talk about money more than He talks about love? Because He knows where the people’s hearts are!
Mattityahu (Matthew) 6:24)
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve Elohim and mammon.”
Matthew 6:33-34
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
So, are we signing up for Yeshua’s program? Or we looking for excuses to get out of keeping Yeshua’s program? That is what He is talking about in the whole passage.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:4
4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?
Judah needs to remove the Talmud from his own eye first before he goes to judge Joseph by Tanach. And Ephraim needs to remove disobedience and rebellion first, and start doing everything Scripture says to do! Then we can say we are “keeping the Torah”.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:7
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
It is about submission. Put Him first! Just do it! This whole thing is one giant weed-out test to see who truly puts Him first out of love and obedience, (and who is just here for the reward). It is a Little Red Hen weed-out. And most Ephraimites think they do not even need to try.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:12
12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
The pagans turn this into “What goes around comes around”, and it is the same idea. If we do not live by this, then the rest of the commandment keeping is worthless! If we are cursing Joseph, or hating Judah, it is worthless!
With regard to the Abraham Accords—we are trying to reestablish a single-family of man that takes care of the planet, and takes care of each other, while listening to Him. That is the whole job, because it shows who truly loves Him, and who does not really.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:13-14
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
This is where 99% of Ephraim fails. They are looking for a broad, easy gate that leads to life (and it does not exist)! Ephraim, stop looking for a broad, easy gate that leads to life. It does not exist! And it should not exist!
Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:15
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”
Beware of false prophets who do not teach the need to do 100% of everything written in the Tanach and the Brit Chadasha! Because if we do not do all, then we are effectively replacing the Torah! Do you get what I am saying?
What is the difference between that and Esav?
Torahlessness!
Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! [Torahlessness]’
The people who sit, and rest, and read, and eat lunch at their friends’ house think they are doing everything! They think they found a broad, easy road so they do not have to do everything that is written in the Torah, and everything the Tanach and Yeshua say.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:24
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:”
Do not play games with your eternal salvation! Do not play games with your soul! He wants us to do exactly everything He says to do, exactly the way He said to do it! Because that is what builds the kingdom that His Father sent Him to build!
The kingdom is built when we do the things He said to do.
Luqa (Luke) 19:12
12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.”
He gives us our mina (meaning salvation), and then He sees what we do with it.
Luqa (Luke) 19:13
13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’
Maybe your spiritual philanthropist grandma and grandpa gave you $100, so that they could see what you would do with it.
Do you put it towards some wise use that builds a better world for a single-family of men, whose job is to love each other and to take care of the planet all while submitting and listening in the Spirit? (And then they are going to give you $10 trillion in the inheritance, because they know you are going to spend it on Elohim, instead of blowing it on yourself)?
Luqa (Luke) 19:20
20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.
Or did you do like 99+ percent of the people, and spend it on pleasuring yourself (in which case the hundred dollars is all you will ever get? Do we think Elohim does not record things in His book?
Look at how much Yeshua talked about this topic, and it is like it just goes in one ear and out the other! People hear all these words that Yeshua said at the very start of His ministry, and they are like, “La-te-da!”
“Give us a church service on Saturday, with low or no standards, and just call it discipleship, so we can carry on with our lives in the world! But we are not really going to seek first the kingdom of Elohim, and His righteousness, so that all the other things could be added to us!”
Hitgalut (Revelation) 18:4
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”
Yeshayahu 28:3 tells us that the spiritual drunkards of Ephraim will be trampled underfoot, because they did not want to make a commitment.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:3
3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, will be trampled underfoot;
Yeshua committed to them, but did they commit to Yeshua? Were they like the 5 wise virgins? Or like the 5 foolish ones?
Mattityahu (Matthew) 25:2
2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
We are talking about the Sloshers of Ephraim, who drink bad spirits while they study. And how you know it is that they do not show true fruits of repentance (change).
It is a serious message
And so, sorry if we do not speak “smooth things”. Only, to speak the truth in love, our goal here over the next 30, 40, or 50 years is to get the Yeshayahu 10:22 death rate down from 99.99+% (where we would guess it is today), down to 90%, in the 30, 40, or 50 years’ time.
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.
Does that tell you how high the standards are? And how hard Ephraim’s hearts are toward the one who gave His all for us?
Brothers, what does He call us to do for Him? What is actually commanded in His written word? Are we doing it in truth? Are we advancing the true good news of the true kingdom, which will direct the Genesis 35:11 Alliance?
B’reisheet (Genesis) 35:11
11 Also Elohim said to him: “I am Elohim Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.”
Faith without works is dead
Are we helping our Husband and King to get the kingdom His Father sent Him to establish? What fruits do we see in our lives that we are building upon the Rock?
Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:17
17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
What visible fruits testify that we are listening diligently for His voice, and are seeking to obey it as best we can? And what visible fruits testify of our obedience to all the written Torah that we can obey at this time?
Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:19
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Brothers, why should He choose us? Are we doing everything He said? Or not really? I ask you before heaven and earth if you are doing all that is written–and if not, why are you not?
As we go through this Torah midrash “hybrid” apostolic-prophetic and evangelical series, we are going to see again and again how Elohim commands us to organize, so we can win for Him as a team. That is why we saw last week that He called us out of Egypt by our armies.
Shemote (Exodus) 12:51
51 And it came to pass, on that very same day, that Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.
And that is why Yeshua commanded the people to sit down in groups of 50’s. That is because organized action is vastly superior to disorganized action!
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.”
Which is more effective on the battlefield, a trained army, or a rabble? The training and the coordination make a difference, do they not? (Oh, and hey, Ishmael has a state because he organizes!)
Are we organizing as He commands in His word, so we can win the spiritual war for Yeshua, and establish the kingdom His Father wants Him to establish in His absence? Or are we doing something else?
Have we made a genuine commitment to Him? And how does He know of our love, and our devotion, and our commitment, if we behave like the Lost Tennis Tribes (for whom ‘love’ means ‘nothing’)?
Rather, if we love Him, then we need to keep His commandments.
Yochanan (John) 14:15
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
We need to organize. But first we need to make a true commitment to the One who died for us. (Or are not we just wasting time?)
Shabbat shalom.
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We thank Yahweh Elohim for your love for His kingdom.
