Category Archives: Israel

This Side Of The Jordan

this side of the jordanThese are the words [hadavarim] which Moses spoke unto all Israel on this side of the Jordan; in the wilderness in the plain across Suph [the plain at Sinai], between Paran and Tophel; and at Lavan, and at Hazeroth, and at Di-zahav. (Deu 1:1)

Deuteronomy begins with Moses speaking to Israel’s seed on the plains of Moab, just across and a little south of Jericho. So when I read the words “this side of the Jordan” I assumed that the place we were standing on was the place called “this side of the Jordan.” I assumed this because sometimes my understandings are very small and unable to see the larger picture Yehovah is presenting for those who have eyes (spiritual eyes) that do see.

Sometimes it is easy to be blinded by our present circumstances and miss the reality of what Yehovah wants to do in our lives. I looked at the map in this picture and did not find a single one of those bolded places in the above verse. “What is going on here?”, I asked myself.

Then it hit me. Context, context, context is what this is all about; understanding Yehovah’s word within the context of Yehovah’s word. Where did Yehovah speak all His words [His davarim] to us prior to our coming to this place across from Jericho? Suddenly I realized that all these places on this side of the Jordan; were not that place opposite Jericho, but rather that place we have been since we crossed over the Red Sea (40 years before) and entered into Yehovah’s ruler-ship. These seem to be the places where Moses received the words of Yehovah and gave them to His son, Israel. Continue reading This Side Of The Jordan

Israel’s booty – Midianite Virgins And Livestock

Midianite virginsIn today’s lesson, Yehovah has commanded His son (Israel) to take vengeance for Him on Midian for what they did to us in the incident of Peor. We were to kill all their males and their women who had been with a male and then bring back the Midianite virgins alive. But we are still a bit new at all of this.

And they warred against the Midianites, just as Yehovah commanded Moses, and they killed all the males. They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those who were killed–Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the sword. And Israel’s son took Midian’s women [na-shi, the possessive plural form of  ish-shah] captive, with their children [ta-phim], and plundered all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods. They also burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their forts. And they took all their spoil and all their booty—in man and in beast. (Num 31:7-11)

It appears that the spoil is property (gold, silver and other possessions) which belonged to Midian’s seed, and the booty is their living and breathing property in man and in beast.

Moses was angry because we left all the women and children alive and brought them all back with us. He said,

Look [HELLO!], these women caused Israel’s seed, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against Yehovah in the incident of Peor, and there was a striking among the assembly of Yehovah. Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. But keep alive for yourselves all the women who have not known a man intimately. (Num 31:16-18)

So, the Midianite virgins were set aside for the Israel’s seed along with the flocks (sheep and goats), cattle and donkeys. This chapter gives us a description of how all the booty, the living property, was divided among Israel’s seed. Each of two groups of men received 50%  of the booty taken in the war and Yehovah also claimed a portion from each group.

This chart will help you understand more completely what I am reading and describing in my audio below.

675,000 Tze-one (sheep and goats)(Num 31:32)
72,000 Cattle (Num 31:33)
61,000 Donkeys (Num 31:34)
32,000 Midianite virgins (Num 31:35)

booty splitYehovah did not ask for any of the gold or the silver or any of the “stuff” which we recovered from Midian’s seed; it appears to me the things that have real value are the living and breathing property which can multiply itself in Yehovah’s kingdom. Continue reading Israel’s booty – Midianite Virgins And Livestock

Genealogy of Shem – Abram

Genealogy of Shem

Here is the chart in a 10mb PDF format. Click the following link to view it or right-click
and “Save file as” to down-load it to your system. Age Chart

The light of Elohim begins to shine in the midst of a very dark world. The 70 nations are now gathered with Nimrod (and his princes) at the helm. They are leading all of ha-a-dam’s seed into ways they should not go. It is in this context that the light of Yehovah is raised for all to see in the life of Abram who, we will see in future lessons, warns Nimrod to turn from his wicked ways.

And they [Nimrod and his princes] said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Gen 11:4)

Yasher 8:21 And all the princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together; Phut, Mitzraim, Cush and Canaan with their families, and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves famed, so that we may reign upon the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become scattered over the earth on account of their wars.

These wicked men, Ham’s seed, are rebelling against every thing that Yehovah has commanded them.

So Elohim blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. (Gen 9:1)

We are still building Nimrodian kingdoms for ourselves, and establishing our own statutes, and ordinances and judgments; nothing has changed! Yehovah saw what was happening in Babylon and divided the people, the men (with their families), all over the face of the earth. We can read this story in the first part of Genesis 11.

The remainder of this chapter is all about the genealogy of Shem through Abram. It is in this context, of the rebellion of ha-a-dam’s seed, in which Yehovah brings great light in into our very dark world through his current Melchizedek, Shem.

The Melchizedek, the highest ranking member in Yehovah’s kingdom on the earth, who came from the line of Seth, and then the line of Shem after the flood. Each Melchizedek had the rod of Elohim passed down to him by the previous Melchizedek. It went from Adam, to Enoch, to Methuselah, to Noah, to Shem, to Abraham, to Jacob, to Joseph, and finally it came to Moses just before he brought Yehovah’s people out of the land of Egypt. Continue reading Genealogy of Shem – Abram

Meat sacrificed to idols – 8 (an altar to Yehovah)

We saw last time that meat slaughtered to “se-i-rim” or “idols” is the opposite of meat slaughtered to Yehovah.

When I learn new instructions from my Father’s word, I always do my best to conform my life to my new understandings. And when I finally understood what Leviticus chapters 3, 7, 17 were saying about Yehovah’s clean meats, and especially the meat that comes from the herd (cattle) and the flock (sheep and goats), I had to make some major changes to my diet. I saw that there are many ways that a man can get kicked out of Israel for treating this meat improperly. And, the only meat we eat (from the herd or from the flock) is meat that we kill properly.

But currently we have no tabernacle, no temple and no priesthood, so what does a man do if he wants to eat beef, lamb or goat?

When we came out of Egypt the first time, we did not have a tabernacle for almost a year. So, I had to ask myself, what did we do then? What did Enoch, Methuselah and all the righteous men in the antediluvian world do? What did Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob do?

Continue reading Meat sacrificed to idols – 8 (an altar to Yehovah)

Jacob Dwelt In Heaven

We are looking at the contrast that Torah gives between the two brothers Esau and Jacob. Esau dwelt on earth and Jacob dwelt in heaven.

So the boys grew. And Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man dwelling in tents. (Gen 25:27)

In part 1 of this 2 part series we saw that Esau was a man who lived by his senses, especially his eyes, but also a man who learned from his life experiences; he was a man of the flesh who lived like all animals do. His decisions about living were based on what seemed right for him.  But Jacob was not a “mild, plain, peaceful or quiet” man as most translations make him out to be. Jacob was a complete, mature, whole, upright and perfect man who shunned evil and feared Elohim. He learned the ways of Yehovah from his family; Isaac, Abraham, Eber and Shem. Abraham lived for 39 years in the home of Noah and Shem; he knew Yehovah and His ways.

Jasher 9:6 And Abram was in Noah’s house thirty-nine years, and Abram knew Yehovah from three years old, and he went in the ways of Yehovah until the day of his death, as Noah and his son Shem had taught him… .

Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” (Gen 26:5)

Jacob was just like his father and his father’s father, a man who learned, loved and lived righteousness.

Today we are going to find out where these two contrasting men choose to dwell. Continue reading Jacob Dwelt In Heaven