יִשְׂרָאֵל Watchmen of Israel

08/14/2021

Sabbath Torah Nugget ( #43)
The Journey from the Wilderness to the Promised Land
Y’shua (Jesus) THE Greatest Prophet

We are overjoyed each week as we discover new golden nuggets from the Torah ~ the teachings and instructions from our Heavenly Father ~.

We studied Debarim (Deuteronomy) 16:18 - 21:9 this week & particularly chapter 18 is where we get the famous passage promising Y’shua: Deb.18:15-19 – “YHWH your Elohim will raise up to you a Prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me; to Him you shall listen; according to all that you desired of YHWH Your Elohim in Horeb for 'I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brothers, like you, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak to them all that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whoever will not listen to My words that He shall speak in My Name, I will require it of him,”

In our different tools we use for studying, we found this article that we felt was so good that we decided to post it mostly as it was written…
Messiah in the Torah Portion

Since the invention of the printing, the Bible has been the most widely produced manuscript. More Bibles have been sold than any other book and more books have been written about the Bible than any other subject. A recent Google web search revealed some 22 million web sites with the word "Bible" in them.

Throughout the Internet is countless information on all types of religious subjects. There are also literally millions of books written by Christians, Jews, and others who all have their "say" on what the Scriptures really mean. TV preachers, rabbis, and local pastors each have their own personal interpretations. And, people love to read the writings of everyone from Max Lucado to Baal Shem Tov.

But who reads the Bible anymore? Honestly...do you spend more time reading about the Scriptures or reading the scriptures? How many hours a week do you spend on web sites or in books about the Bible? Now compare this to how much time you actually spend in the Word. Do you get more out of a commentary on the Torah portion or reading the Torah portion itself?

It is within the Torah that true and undefiled inspiration can be found. "And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear YHWH His Elohim, to guard all the words of this Torah and these statutes, and do them," Debarim 17:19. Don't take this wrong, there is much that can be learned from ministers of the faith who present encouragement. Yet, books, web sites, and commentaries (like this one) are just secondary sources. Reading these writings should never take the place of reading the Torah. Surfing the web for the latest revelation or insight should never take precedence over studying the Word itself.

Our current portion is titled "Shoftim" and speaks of the judges of Torah that were established for the nation of Yisra’el. These chosen officers were held to a high standard of knowing the Torah and establishing judgment within the community. "According to the sentence of the Torah that they shall teach you, and according to the judgments that they shall tell you, you shall do: you shall not decline from the ruling which they shall show you, to the right or to the left," Debarim 17:11.

The Judges helped Moshe interpret the Torah and decide on issues. For a time, the common Hebrews relied only upon the judges to establish halakhah, or the way to walk Torah. The words of YHWH were passed down from Moshe to the seventy leaders of Yisra'el onward to their students and the nation as a whole.

As time passed the word was written on scrolls. But everyone did not own a Torah scroll nor could the majority read Hebrew. Teachers or rabbis who had studied the Word developed their own perspectives on the Scriptures. These Rabbis presented their teachings at synagogues and gave the community at large a chance to choose which Rabbi to follow. This is how the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the school of Shammai , and the School of Hallel all came about. Each group was trying to follow the prophet Moshe and His revelation from Horeb. Each group was literally trying to walk in the standard of these original judges. A time was prophesied though in our same Torah portion that YHWH would raise a prophet or leader who would be the righteous judge that all of Yisra'el should follow.

"YHWH your Elohim will raise up to you a Prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me; to Him you shall listen; according to all that you desired of YHWH Your Elohim in Horeb for 'I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brothers, like you, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak to them all that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whoever will not listen to My words that He shall speak in My Name, I will require it of him,'" Debarim 18:15-19.

This prophet, or leader, who is spoken of in the Torah is Y'shua Ha Moshiach. "He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me," said the Messiah in John 14:24. Y'shua came in His Father's Name to properly interpret the Torah. He appeared to act as the Judge and Prophet of Debarim.

Part of His ministry was to teach students His Torah interpretations and commission them to teach others. In doing so, the Father's will would be spread throughout the world, and all throughout time. The sheep of Yisra'el were to look to their Shepherd for halakhah. "Y'shua answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do YHWH's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from Elohim or whether I speak on my own," John 7:16.

Y'shua is our Rabbi, our teacher, and our judge of Torah. He is Messiah. He is the One who has set the pattern for living out the Bible. Not Chuck Swindoll. Not Billy Graham. Not even Rambam. Y'shua, the Prophet. Y'shua alone. Have you been guilty of looking to others for inspiration before looking to the Messiah? Do you surf the net more than you spread open your Bible? This teaching on the Torah could go on and on about this subject. When it comes to Torah study, you could discuss everything from Moshe's hairstyle, lent, to the sacrificial Red Heifer. Why not let the Torah speak for itself. Try reading the Torah a little more this week. Pray for Y’shua’s Holy Spirit for inspiration. Let Y'shua, “your” Rabbi teach you.

Special thanks to Daniel Rendelman for this insight!

Blessings in Messiah,
Kevin & Michelle

12/27/2020

Sabbath Torah Nugget Haftarah ( #11)
The Journey from the Wilderness to the Promised Land
Two Houses / Sticks of Israel
We are overjoyed each week as we discover new golden nuggets from the Torah ~ the teachings and instructions from our Heavenly Father ~.
Our haftarah is found in Ezekiel 37:15-28. This is one of our favorite teachings in the whole Scriptures involving the restoration of all things! In the first part of the haftarah we see a dominant theme of the two houses becoming one! The word one or the idea of becoming one is seen several times in the opening verses. They will be reunited and never be separated again throughout eternity! This is the big theme of this week's Torah portion! Let's look at some thematic connections!
In Ez. 37:16 we see YHWH (LORD) telling Ezekiel to take a stick for Judah and then another stick for Joseph. This is connected to the opening passage of this week's Torah portion in Gen. 44:18-34, where Judah was the spokesman for the brothers standing before Joseph. We see the focus between Judah and Joseph here!
Our next connection in Ez. 37:17 is seen better through the Artscroll Tanakh (Jewish O.T.) where YHWH tells Ezekiel to bring them close to yourself. This is thematically connected to Gen. 45:4, Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” And when they came near,..."
In Ez. 37:18-19 we see that YHWH tells Ezekiel to explain to Israel the meaning of the two sticks becoming one. This is connected to Gen. 45:5-8 where Joseph explains to his brothers YHWH's plan for their deliverance and how He has reunited them!
Now let's look at Ez. 37:24,25 "...Daviḏ My servant is sovereign over them. And they shall all have one shepherd..." "...and My servant Daviḏ be their prince forever." This is connected to Gen. 47:12, "And Joseph provided his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread for the mouth of the little ones." Here we see that the brothers have accepted Joseph as their ruler!
Staying with vs.25 we read, “And they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant,..." This is thematically connected to Gen. 45:18 where Pharaoh says that He would give Jacob the best of the land of Egypt. In both portions we see Israel reunited in a special piece of land!
Our next connection is found in Ez. 37:27, "...I will establish them and multiply them..." This is connected to Gen. 47:27, "...And they had possessions there and bore fruit and increased exceedingly."
And finally, our last connection is every truth seeker's desire! In Ez. 37:27 we read, “And My Dwelling Place shall be over them. And I shall be their Elohim, and they shall be My people." This is thematically connected to Gen. 46:4 "“I Myself am going down with you to Egypt..." YHWH promises to be with Israel in both passages!!!
Wow! Our Torah portion of Joseph being reunited with his brothers is a prophetic shadow of the two houses of Israel (Joseph/Ephraim and Judah) being reunited and brought back to their land! Y'shua (Jesus) Himself, will be leading us and we will dwell with Him forevermore more!!! HalleluYAH!!!
Blessings in Messiah,
Kevin & Michelle

12/27/2020

12/25/2020

Sabbath Torah Nugget ( #11)
The Journey from the Wilderness to the Promised Land
Joseph the Bread Man &
Messiah the Bread of Life
We are overjoyed each week as we discover new golden nuggets from the Torah ~ the teachings and instructions from our Heavenly Father ~.
This past week we studied Bereish*t (Genesis) 44:18 - 47. Judah approaches Joseph to plead for the release of Benjamin, offering himself as a slave to the Egyptian ruler in Benjamin's stead.
Upon witnessing his brother's loyalty to one another, Joseph reveals his identity to them. "I am Joseph," he declares. "Is my father still alive?" The brothers are overcome by shame and remorse, but Joseph comforts them. "It was not you who sent me here," he says to them, "but YHWH" (LORD). It has all been ordained from above to save us, and the entire region, from famine."
The brothers go back to Canaan with the news. Jacob comes to Egypt with his sons and their families (seventy souls in all) and is reunited with his beloved son after 22 years.
On his way to Egypt he receives the Divine promise: "Fear not to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation. I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again."
Joseph gathers the wealth of Egypt by selling food and seed during the famine. Pharaoh gives Jacob's family the fertile land of Goshen to settle, and the children of Israel prosper in their Egyptian exile.
This week has another beautiful chiastic structure! Whenever you see two similar events occurring at the beginning and ending of a passage, you can bet a chiastic structure is on hand. A chiastic structure is a pattern organized as follows.
Generally, a story is divided into two halves. The themes of the first half of the literary unit are repeated in the second half of the unit in reverse order. Furthermore, the first and second halves of the story usually point us to the most important part of the story, the central axis. Refer back to Torah Nugget #7 to see the first one we shared and more explanation of it.
The chiastic structure can be developed as follows:
A) Genesis 45:1a—Joseph told Egyptians to leave the room
B) Genesis 45:1b—Joseph was revealed to his brothers
C) Genesis 45:2—Joseph wept
D) Genesis 45:3a—Joseph asked about his father
E) Genesis 45:3b—Brothers couldn't believe it was Joseph
F) Genesis 45:4a—Joseph asked brothers to come close
G) Genesis 45:4b—"I am Joseph your brother"
H) Genesis 45:4c-5a—Joseph said his brothers sold him to Egypt
I) Genesis 45:5b—Joseph was sent ahead to be a provider for them
***J) Genesis 45:6—Two years of hunger have past; Five more to go.***
I1) Genesis 45:7—Joseph was sent ahead for a great deliverance of his family
H1) Genesis 45:8a—Joseph said the Holy One sent him there
G1) Genesis 45:8b—Joseph was master over Pharaoh's household
F1) Genesis 45:9-11—Joseph requested that his father be brought close
E1) Genesis 45:12—Joseph tried to convince them that he was Joseph
D1) Genesis 45:13—Joseph sent a message to his father
C1) Genesis 45:14-15—Joseph wept
B1) Genesis 45:16—Joseph's brothers were revealed to Pharaoh
A1) Genesis 45:17—Pharaoh told Joseph's brothers to leave Egypt (simply to return with their belongings)
Notice how each element of the chiastic structure is thematically equivalent to its matching element. Level G may seem thematically unbalanced. However, the significance of equating, Joseph (your brother), with Joseph (master over Pharaoh's household) is straightforward when you remember the dreams he had. This is Joseph, the brother who had dreams that one day his brothers would bow to him because he would be master over them. The thematic connection with Joseph (master over Pharaoh's household) establishes that Joseph's dreams were right on! What are we to make of the central axis? The Torah seems to be emphasizing the facts that although two years of the famine have past, five more years remain.
Speaking of the number five, have you noticed how often it has been used in the story of Joseph's reconciliation with his brothers? Joseph suggested to store up a fifth part of the grain during the seven years of plenty. He gave Benjamin five times as much food and five changes of garments. Joseph presented five brothers to Pharaoh. He also made a law that the Egyptians would give Pharaoh a fifth part of their seed in the future.
The number five teaches us about grace. Joseph showed graciousness throughout this whole story. You see, grace is when you receive something good that you don’t deserve. Mercy is when you don’t receive the bad that you do deserve.
When Joseph first saw Benjamin after 22 years, he said in Gen. 43:29 “... Elohim (God) be gracious unto you, my son.” Joseph was sent by YHWH to Egypt for the salvation of his family and the then known world.
Concerning the number two: Genesis 37-43 teach us about Messiah's first advent. This was the time when 1) Joseph experienced a descent in stature, 2) his brothers rejected him, 3) he figuratively died and was resurrected, and 4) he was exalted to the right hand of Pharaoh. These are pictures of 1) Y'shua's (Jesus’) descent to the earth in the form of man, 2) His rejection by Israel, 3) His death and resurrection and 4) His exaltation to the Father's right hand.
We already know that when Messiah returns, all of Israel will accept Him. Therefore, it's not difficult to understand that Genesis 44-50 pertains to the second advent of the Messiah! That's right. The events of this week's Torah portion are a prophetic picture of future events when Y’shua will return and be reconciled to His brothers, Israel. Joseph revealed himself to his brothers after the famine had been in the earth for two years. This is no coincidence.
Furthermore, this is the prophetic significance of the two years of the central axis of our chiastic structure. Messiah will reveal Himself to Israel at His second advent, after 2,000 years, just as Joseph revealed himself to his brothers after two years of famine. The Scripture uses a famine of physical bread as a picture of a famine of spiritual bread, the true, unadulterated, Torah-based Word of Elohim (God).
Amos 8:11 states that a famine of "hearing the Words of YHWH" would one day come to the earth. It is only in this century (2,000 years after Y'shua's first advent) that the Torah has been restored to the body of Messiah as the true foundation for faith and practice. Please note the following thematic parallels:
• Just as Joseph's brothers rejected him when he was a youth, but later accepted his leadership after a long period of separation, so likewise, Israel rejected Y’shua at His first advent, but will accept His leadership after a long period of separation at His second advent.
• During the period of separation, Joseph was known to the Gentiles as a Savior, but unknown to his brothers. He spoke the Egyptian language, had an Egyptian name, dressed like an Egyptian and looked like an Egyptian. His brothers didn’t even recognize him when they were brought before him after twenty years of separation. So likewise, for the past 2,000 years, Y'shua has been known to the Gentile world as the Savior, but not known as the Savior to the Jewish world. His transformation into a Gentile has been so complete that most non-Jewish believers do not even see Him as a Torah-observant Rabbi any more. Furthermore, His Jewish brothers see Him as a false prophet to the Gentiles.
• Joseph was a Hebrew; however, during his long period of separation, he was outwardly transformed into a Gentile. So likewise, Y’shua is not known as a Torah-observant Rabbi, but as a Savior for the Gentiles who advocated the breaking of Torah (Sunday Sabbath, no more Biblical feasts, dietary restrictions, etc.). Note, during the first two years of the famine, Joseph provided bread for the world. The world would have perished if it weren't for Joseph, the Bread-Man of Life. Joseph's provision of bread is simply a picture of salvation through YHWH!
During the seven years of plenty, Egypt stored one-fifth of their grain so they would have enough to survive during the seven years of famine. If you saved one fifth of your income over the next seven years, do you think your savings would be enough to sustain you during seven years without a regular income? I seriously doubt it. Yet read what the Torah states about the grain Joseph stored during those seven years—Genesis 41:48-49!
I don’t know about you, but something isn’t adding up. If I saved twenty percent of my income for seven years, at the end of seven years I’d have 1 and 2/5th of my income saved, not money like the sand of the sea in great abundance. How could the grain he stored have become so large that “he ceased counting?”
Now read Genesis 41:53-57. Not only did Egypt have enough bread for them, they were able to sell bread to the entire then known world! Surely, this is not simple math we’re dealing with here. In fact, as you continue to read the account of the famine, you will realize that Egypt never ran out of grain. They only ran out of means to buy the grain a few times. Would it be too much to say that YHWH must have supernaturally multiplied the grain!?
Hmmm..., where else have we seen the number two, the number five, and food that was supernaturally multiplied? The story of Joseph feeding the then known world is a prophetic picture of the work of Y'shua feeding the 5,000 men with two fish and five loaves of barley bread!!! (John 6: 5-14)
Furthermore, Y'shua had the people sit in groups of 50 and 100 (5x20). As you can see, the thematic parallel is obvious, exact and purposeful. Just as Joseph graciously provided bread, so likewise, Y'shua provided bread for this group of people! The number five is the most prominent number in this story. Therefore, the Messianic significance of the number five in the central axis of our chiastic structure teaches us that Joseph is a picture of Messiah Y'shua, who provides bread to the multitude. Just as Joseph provided physical bread, so likewise, Y'shua not only provided physical bread, but also provided spiritual bread as well!!!
Can the connection be any clearer? Now our prophetic picture is complete. Joseph, the Bread-Man of Life, provided bread to the entire world. This is a picture of the work of Messiah Y'shua, who would provide the Bread of Life (Himself) as eternal life for the world!!! Awesome!!! But wait, there's more!
The Sign of the Messiah is written all over the story of Joseph's provision of bread! What would have happened to the people of the world had Joseph not provided them with grain during the seven years of famine? They would all have perished. This is also why we know the story of Joseph is a prophetic picture of the work of the Messiah. He brought life to those who would otherwise have died! This is the sign of resurrection. But wait, there's still more!
Note also, the bread that was multiplied was barley bread. We know the Torah's picture of the RESURRECTION of the Messiah is found in the third Holy Day, which is the Day of the Omer Wave Offering. This Holy Day is a shadow of Y'shua's RESURRECTION when the High Priest would wave the barley sheaves before YHWH! Whenever you see barley mentioned, hold on for a Messianic teaching.
In summary, we know that this picture of Messiah, providing Himself as the Bread of Life is a picture of our salvation. If we eat of that bread, we will not be touched by the second death. Do you think it's a coincidence that the number five (the number that teaches grace) is the number associated with the message of salvation through the Bread of Life? Of course not. We are saved by grace through faith. The Torah teaches us this through the story of Joseph, the Bread-Man of Life!
Thank you Tony Robinson for some great insights to this week's Toarh Portion!!!
Blessings in Messiah,
Kevin & Michelle

02/18/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ejLoVGBXc

02/10/2020

https://www.archaeology-world.com/800-ancient-stones-with-hebrew-writing-in-puerto-rico-authenticated/?fbclid=IwAR1XdghflFQwAxspIZ-z4ciy5ey43hu4BB7N4HyYP-kTxOL1XWyHFryKnwQ

02/10/2020

Former Sudanese deputy prime minister says door to normalizing ties with Israel could open if it persuades US to lift sanctions on Sudan.

01/29/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6uc8eeacNk

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined Fox and Friends to discuss Trump's Middle East peace plan. FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX...

01/29/2020

https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/The-Deal-of-the-Century-What-are-its-key-points-615680?fbclid=IwAR3UddVSqJwr5IkhsezYsaMa6R9xxSSehlRZvrEPVxDakCiyBU6kde6uwc0

Three years in the making, the “Deal of the Century,” US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, has finally been revealed.

01/27/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR1gAHX49ZY

Be prepared to survive the Coronavirus pandemic. Go to http://preparewithdavid.com today! As the death toll from the mysterious Coronavirus continues to rise...

01/27/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmzeYYWntxw&list=TLPQMjcwMTIwMjDYNwspyllJ7g&index=9

Bill Gates - founder of Microsoft - talking about using vaccinations, health care and abortion (reproductive health services in liberal double-speak) to cont...