"They entered the house as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, stabbed him and killed him; then they beheaded him, took his head and fled all night along the road through the ‘Aravah. They brought the head of Ish-Boshet to David in Hevron and said to the king, 'Here is the head of Ish-Boshet the son of Sha’ul your enemy, who wanted to take your life*. Today Adonai has taken revenge on Sha’ul and his son for the sake of my lord the king.'”*-2 Samuel 4:7-8

So yesterday, we established the necessary background for what's about to happen to Ishbosheth, the current king of northern Israel.

From verse 7, the action becomes fast and furious.

The two sons of Rimmon, pretending to get some wheat, entered Ishbosheth's house while he was enjoying an afternoon siesta...

And murdered him.

Afterward, they removed the head from the corpse and brought it to King David.

We don't have to guess at their motive.

Verse 8 tells us why they committed this vile act.

Since Avner was dead, they had zero hope the weak Ishbosheth would be a match for David.

So, they decided to gain David's favor by getting rid of his rival for the throne.

They thought by doing this, they would be viewed as loyal to the new king and hoped to be rewarded with top positions in David's government.

Even if they were right that Saul deserved to die because of his unfair pursuit of David, what had Ishbosheth done to deserve this?

The answer is absolutely nothing.

I love David's response when Ishbosheth's head was presented to him:

“As Adonai lives, who has rescued me from every kind of difficulty, when someone told me, ‘Here, Sha’ul is dead,’ thinking to himself that he was bringing good news, I didn’t reward him for his news but seized him and killed him in Ziklag. How much more, when criminals have killed an innocent man in his own house on his own bed, shouldn’t I hold you responsible for his death and rid the earth of you*?”*

David had them executed immediately.

No trial was even necessary because they had already arrogantly confessed what they did to Ishbosheth.

They murdered an innocent king, a fellow member of the tribe of Benjamin no less, while he was asleep, and they did it for selfish personal gain.

The Torah is clear nothing less than the death penalty applies in this situation.

David was completely just in executing these men.

However, from a Torah perspective, there is one area where David was WRONG.

Can you guess what it was?

We're told that David had the hands and feet of the men cut off.

Mutilating a corpse is forbidden by Torah Law.

However, it was the custom at the time and meant to be symbolic.

These sons of Rimmon had used their feet to enter Ishbosheth's home to commit murder...

And they had used their own hands to carry out the evil act.

So here's the takeaway for today.

Although it's human nature to do so, it can be fatal to assume other people possess the same mindset and character flaws you have.

Rekhav and Ba‘anah mistakenly thought that since they would've been pleased if someone had done for them what they did for David, David would've been thrilled and rewarded them.

Turns out no such thing. 

These men paid with their lives for that false assumption.

This is an important point.

We tend to project our own insecurities and belief systems onto other people.

Just because you struggle with a certain sin, doesn't mean everyone does.

Just because you have trust issues, doesn't mean others are being deceitful.

Just because you're highly responsible, doesn't mean others share your sense of duty.

Finally, do you know where our projections miss the mark the most?

In our relationship with God!

I leave you with these words from the prophet Yeshuyahu (Isaiah):

*“'*For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,'
declares the Lord.
*'*As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.**'"
-Yeshuyahu 55:8-9

See ya all next time!

"Now Y’honatan the son of Sha’ul’s had a son, and he was lame in both legs. He had been five years old when the news about Sha’ul and Y’honatan came from Yizre‘el. His nurse had gathered him up and fled; but as she was hurrying to get away, he fell and became lame. His name was M’fivoshet."-2 Samuel 4:4

Verse 4 gives us some important information as a precursor to the tragedy about to unfold.

David's closest friend, Jonathan, had a son named Mephibosheth.

When the nurse caring for Mephibosheth caught wind of the news that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle and the Philistines were fast overtaking the land, she grabbed the 5-year-old boy and fled.

But in a panic, she ended up dropping the poor boy, and the fall caused a back injury that permanently crippled him.

Mephibosheth was Saul's grandson and get this.

His mother was Rizpah!

That's right, homies.

It's the same Rizpah who Avner bedded down with for some horizontal boogie-woogie.

Some folks may disagree with this, but most of the ancient Jewish sages say it was the same woman.

There's also some evidence in the Bible, and this explains why Rizpah played a key role in this story and other ones.

Now notice how similar the names Mephibosheth and Ishbosheth are.

As I explained in an earlier lesson, the later Hebrew writers often replaced the word *"ba'al"*with "bosheth" because the use of the word "ba'al" was offensive to them.

Mephibosheth means something like "destroy ba'al."

Either way, it was meant to have a positive and righteous connotation.

Take a look at these verses from 1st Chronicles:

 ^(")Ner fathered Kish; Kish fathered Sha’ul; and Sha’ul fathered Y’honatan, Malkishua, Avinadav and Eshba‘al.  The son of Y’honatan was M’riv-Ba‘al*, and M’riv-Ba‘al fathered Mikhah."*-1 Chronicles 8:33-34

We see the names Ishbosheth and Mephibosheth were rendered as Eshba'al and Meriv-ba'al before it was deemed offensive to use the term "ba'al."

It's interesting how linguistic history evolves like that.

So why was this info inserted here in the first place?

So here's the thing.

The reason we hear about Mephibosheth here is to highlight the grief of what's about to happen to Ishbosheth.

Once Ishboseth is gone, there will be no one left to take over Saul's throne.

Mephibosheth was the last person with a close enough connection to Saul to be considered part of the royal family.

However, there ain't no way some lame dude is gonna become king.

The bottom line is that Saul's family line is about to end.

In a tribal society, there was nothing more tragic.

We'll continue the next time we meet.

Hello, I am a follower of Christ,been looking for my community for the past year. Too many Christian denominations and doctrines. I'm interested in Orthodox Christianity (I've tried Catholic mass and it's not for me)or messianic Judaism. I feel like MJ is more the direction I'm wanting to go because Jesus, my Lord and Savior, was Jewish. Please help me find a congregation(I'm in Saginaw TX). I almost went with lapid Judaism but through this group, found out some awful stuff about their leadership. All help appreciated

I asked this question to someone and they weren’t sure if there would be a resurrection for the unborn.

Where there be a resurrection for the unborn or they had to had been born to be considered for resurrection?

*“*Sha’ul’s son had two men who were captains of raiding parties, one called Ba‘anah and the other Rekhav, sons of Rimmon the Be’eroti, of the people of Binyamin (for Be’erot is counted as part of Binyamin, even though the Be’erotim fled to Gittayim and have lived as foreigners there to this day).”-2 Samuel 4:2-3

Alrighty, we’re given some important info in verses 2-3 in chapter 4 of 2 Samuel.

So let’s break this baby down.

Now that the setting has shifted to the north, we’re introduced to two unsavory characters who go by the name of Ba’anah and Rekhav. 

We’re told their father is Rimmon, who hails from an area called Be’eroth. 

And then we’re given some info about their tribal roots to help explain their relationship to Ishboseth.

Be’eroth was one of the villages assigned to the tribe of Benjamin after Israel first invaded Canaan under Joshua’s leadership.

Here’s the scripture reference:

*“*Each family group of Benjamin received some of this land. And these are the cities they owned: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, and Bethel; Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,  Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. There were 12 towns and all their villages.

The tribe of Benjamin also owned Gibeon, Ramah, and Beeroth*.  They owned Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel and Taralah.   They also owned Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. There were 14 towns and all their villages. All these areas are the lands the tribe of Benjamin was given.”*-Joshua 18:21-28

So notice at the end of the list, that the last city mentioned is Beeroth.

Folks from this city escaped to a place called Gittaim, near Beth-Horon, just a few miles northwest of Be’eroth.

Because of this, the city almost overnight became a ghost town.

Rashi, the great medieval French Jewish sage, said the exodus of this mixed-race town occurred during the time of 1st Samuel 31 when the Philistines attacked the northern tribes and killed Saul.

Why do I say mixed race?

Because this town was originally a village of gentiles (obviously!) when Joshua and his army showed up.

The tribe of Benjamin ended up conquering and settling in this area.

This village, like so many others, ended up intermarrying with the Israelites.

Keep in mind that at this stage in the Scriptures, a good three centuries have passed since Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan.

So, a whole lot of intermarriage went on between the Canaanites and all the 12 Hebrew tribes during this time -against God’s direct command, I might add.

By now, the people of Be’eroth were counted as part of the tribe of Benjamin. 

But many of them hadn’t forgotten their heathen Canaanite roots as evidenced by the way they called themselves.

That’s the situation here.

To the Israelites 2,500 years ago, the situation with Be’eroth was likely well understood.

So this detail was an important one worth mentioning.

Moving forward, what happens with these people makes it important to know where they come from and which tribe they belong to.

Why is this important?

Because their background and tribe could affect how others see or treat them, or it might play a role in future events in their community.

We’ll continue with this the next time we meet…

But for now, let’s transition over to the takeaway.

Speaking of the mixed-race town of Be’erot, I am reminded the reason God is against intermarriage has NOTHING to do with race.

It was always about religion, not race.

Adonai didn’t want His chosen people worshipping the gods of their pagan neighbors.

But the opposite was NOT true.

If a Canaanite decided to renounce his false gods and pledge allegiance to the God of Israel, he was fully grafted into the Commonwealth of Israel.

Two perfect examples of this are Ruth the Moabite and Rahab the Canaanite prostitute.

Ya feel me?

See ya all next time.

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

“By faith the prostitute Rahab, 
because she welcomed the spies, 
was not killed with those 
who were disobedient.”
— Hebrews 11:31

“In the same way, 
was not even Rahab the prostitute 
considered righteous for what she did 
when she gave lodging 
to the spies and sent them off 
in a different direction?” 
— James 2:25

“Boaz the father of Obed, 
whose mother was Ruth, 
Obed the father of Jesse, 
and Jesse the father of King David.” 
— Matthew 1:5

I've just saw a (violent) meme against Messianic Jews on a Jewish subreddit (a reform Jew and an orthodox Jew physically beating a Messianic Jew). I reported the OP.....it has thousands of likes at this point.

I normally stay out of stuff and that is my inclination here....

I ignore hate received as a Torah-observant Christian as I could care less and Messiah is KING so who cares. I've never seen violent stuff before though.....

What intervention or support ( if any) would you like to see from non-Jewish brothers/sisters in Messiah in an online situation?

• Ignore?
• Say something?
• Report?
• Other?

My husband and I are going through how to celebrate the feasts and how to explain this to other people. The feast of first fruits is the only one that's tricky. Not everyone has a farm or cattle to bring as an offering. And on top of that the closest thing we have to the Levites in the USA are pastors.

So you could give an offering to the homeless but that defeats the purpose of the feast since you're not giving it to the pastor/priest and that was a noted focus. But giving to the pastor is weird because a majority of them either support themselves with supplemental income or are fully supported by the church by the tithe. So giving extra on top of the tithe seems odd either way. And I know this and offering is intended to be given in respect to YHWH, and support the Levites as they focus on their duties. But in today's world we don't necessarily have the means to do this. I don't own plants or livestock. And not a lot of people do.

Then I got to thinking. Moses and the Israelites didn't return to Canaan until after Joshua. They were stuck in the wilderness forty years after Moses died. I'm sure they had the livestock from when they left Egypt. But did that act as their first fruits? Did Moses and the Israelites celebrate this at all? I was hoping figuring that out might give me an answer for how to celebrate this in today's world.

I wondered for a moment if the instructions were given with the plan/understanding that they would be celebrated when they made it to Caanan. That they were instructed in preparation not in being made to celebrate those feasts until they arrive. But if that's the case what about Passover and the feast of unleavened bread? They did Passover before leaving and the unleavened bread as they ran. So if they celebrated those, wouldn't that mean the cycle of feasts was already in swing? Why would they celebrate two feasts for over 40 years, and not celebrate all the others?

I know people that celebrate by giving a money offering either to a church or to the homeless/person in need. But I'm always trying to be as accurate as I can when celebrating the feasts or obeying the laws. So what are we thinking? If y'all celebrate this feast, how do you? (Also ik 6/7 of the feasts are not joyful or happy feasts and I keep saying celebrating the feasts, but I thought saying 'practicing' might sound weird) If you made it this far through my long rambles, I appreciate it. And thanks in advance for replies.

Today we begin 2nd Samuel Chapter Four.

For the Complete Jewish Bible, click HERE.

For the King James version, click HERE.

"When Ish-Boshet the son of Sha’ul heard that Avner had died in Hevron, his courage failed; and all Israel became alarmed."- 2 Samuel 4:1

The scene now shifts to Mahanaim, north of David, across the Jordan, where the weak and effeminate Ishbosheth sits on his throne.

Keep in mind that what we're reading about here is taking place at the same time as the events at the end of chapter 3

While Avner's funeral is taking place, and David is grieving, Ishbosheth and the people in the north would've already heard about Avner's murder.

News traveled quickly back then.

Probably no more than 24 hours passed before the people in the north heard about the assassination of their great warrior leader. 

We're told in verse 1 that "all Israel" was quaking in their boots.

Again, "all Israel" in this context refers only to the northern tribes, not all of Israel.

So why were the people of the north so frightened?

They feared David would now take revenge for all the years they had fought against him.

Ishbosheth likely felt the same fear.

He also probably had mixed feelings.

On one hand, the man who made no bones about taking over his kingdom was now dead. 

But on the other hand, that same man (Avner), controlled the military and was the glue who held the northern tribes together.

Ishbosheth didn't possess the charisma or diplomatic skills to lead on his own or to deal with the tricky relationships between clans, tribes, and other nations. 

He realized he was in a far worse position without Avner. 

With Avner, he was safe and treated well—but without him, boy, he was in a dangerous spot, and he knew it.

So here's the takeaway coming to me today.

Just as Ishbosheth secretly resented Avner but knew he needed him, don’t we often feel the same way about the authority figures in our lives?

We resent our bosses...

But if they hadn't been bold and taken a great risk in starting up the business in the first place, we wouldn’t even have jobs.

Instead of feeling grateful, we act like spineless wussies complaining about trivial things like having to do a bit of overtime every once in a while. 

Or how about how immature kids resent their parents?

They cry because they don't like what's being served for dinner...

Or they complain about having to go to bed early because of school the next day...

But they don’t realize that without Daddy working hard every day, they wouldn’t have food to eat or a warm bed to sleep in at night in the first place.

And here's the thing:

Isn’t our relationship with our Creator the same?

Just as the Israelites grumbled in the desert after being rescued from Egypt...

We too complain about the sexual and dietary restrictions in our lives, not realizing our Father in Heaven knows best.

Ya feeling me here.

See ya all next time.

"So that day, all the people and all Israel understood that the king had had no part in the killing of Avner the son of Ner*.  The king said to his servants, 'You realize that a leader, a great man, has fallen today in Israel.'"-*2 Samuel 3:37-38

When we last left off, David was in the process of doing damage control to show he was in no way involved in the killing of Avner.

He publicly grieved and ordered others to do the same.

He cursed Avner's killers even though they were his own sister's sons.

He mourned by walking behind Avner's dead body during the funeral parade - something reserved only for royalty.

David did everything he possibly could to distance himself from what had happened.

Unfortunately, we'll find out later that not everyone in the north believed he was innocent.

Later in chapter 16, we'll be told a story about a distant relative of Saul named Shimei, who publicly cursed David.

This man, no doubt from the tribe of Benjamin, threw stones at David and blamed him for Saul and Ishbosheth's deaths.

But having said that, the end of this chapter tells us most of the northern folks believed David.

They believed he was sincere and had shown the utmost respect for a great warrior.

Now, David may have been the King of Judah...

But he was still in a tough spot politically.

The closing verses of this chapter say...

"Even though I have just been anointed king, I feel weak today; and these men, the sons of Tz’ruyah, are too brutal for me*. May Adonai repay the criminal as his crime deserves!”*

This last verse reminds us that David hadn't fully secured his power yet.

If he was to be a righteous king who properly obeyed the Torah, he well understood that Yo'av and his accomplices had to be punished for the murder of Avner. 

However, these "sons of Zeruiah," as David called them, were like wild animals bent on violence.

Plus, their high positions in the royal court made it even harder for David to act against them.

So in the end, we see David lamenting his situation and the irony of being a king yet so powerless.

In his hopelessness, David surrenders the situation to God by saying, "May Adonai repay the criminal as his crime deserves!”

The takeaway for today is to realize that even the most powerful men in the world aren't as powerful and carefree as we might assume.

Like the rest of us, they are beset with common worries, family conflicts, health issues, and all of the problems that have plagued mankind since the beginning of history.

King Solomon said it best in his famous tome titled Ecclesiastes:

“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher.
“Absolute futility. Everything is futile.”

However, his conclusion is even more solemn as it is inspiring.

"Now all has been heard; 
here is the conclusion of the matter: 
Fear God and keep His commandments, 
for this is the duty of all mankind. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, 
including every hidden thing, 
whether it is good or evil."

See ya all next time.

Hello everyone! I (23M) have been on a spiritual journey of sorts for the past couple of years to find the faith that I believe is the closest to the truth and I am starting to feel like this is the one for me and I wanted to be 110% sure. For reference, I come from a Lebanese (🙏❤️) shia and black christian family so there was always some underlying motivation for me to seek the truth. Furthermore, with all due respect, I also never wanted the label of being a “Christian” due to how it was used against my black ancestors to enslave and mentally defeat, and the way it’s been used throughout history in general as a means to colonize, indoctrinate, and maintain a social (racial) hierarchy, so I’d rather call myself a follower of Christ (no real issue with the faith itself, but people who claim it). I also believe that the Sunday sabbath goes against the Law and is to be practiced on Saturday like Jews and a minority of Muslims do. I believe that Jesus is the way and this faith seems to be the best way possible to emulate Christ as he very much was a Jew and practiced/preached the Law and Jewish customs.

I believe in the trinity, but not the way it’s described by mainstream Christians as I don’t believe Jesus is God the Son but is the messiah + high priest + Son of God + Son of Man. Is there a decent unitarian following in this faith? Another thing that’s crossed my mind is the fact that I am half-Lebanese and although the biggest portion of my ancestry is tied to the Levant and may include ancient Hebrew ancestry, I honestly question the Jewish view of someone like me “infiltrating” their identity and culture even if I wasn’t half Arab (even tho i really should only care what God thinks, I have no qualms with being the only afro-arab Christ-following Jew 🤣). Finally, I would like to know if being Messianic impacted your dating life and search for a life partner as this seems to be a niche faith of sorts, although it’s Abrahamic. Thanks in advance 🙏

May God's Will be done in our lives and this day, may he have mercy on us and be gracious to us. Let the Day of the Lord be just a little further off, but even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus our Messiah.

A prayer to have a curse removed

אני אומר את התפילה הזו בשם ישוע

I say this prayer in the name of Jesus

אני מאמין שאתה בן אלוהים והדרך היחידה ליהוה ואתה מת על הצלב על חטאי וקמת מהמתים

I believe you are the Son of God and the only way to the Lord and that you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead.

על הצלב עשו אותך קללה כך אני יכול  להיגאל מקללה ולקבל את ברכתך

Upon the cross you made yourself a curse so I may be redeemed from a curse a receive your blessing.

אני אמון בך על רחמים וסליחה ומתחייב לך בחסד לציית לך

I trust you now for mercy and forgiveness and commit to you by grace and obey you.

אני מבקש ממך לסלוח ולשכוח את כל החטאים שלי ושל אבותיי שחשפו אותי לקללהואם אנשים פגעו בי אני סולח להם כאני רוצה יהוה לסלוח לי

I ask from you to forgive and blot out all sins of me and my ancestors that may have exposed me to a curse and if people harmed me I forgive them.As I would want God to forgive me.

אני מוותר על כל מגע עם השטן וכל עבודה זרה וכישוף ואגודות סודיות שאינן אלוהים

אני אשמיד את כל החפצים שמייצגים אותם

I denounce all contact with satan and idol gods ,witchcraft and ungodly secret societies and will destroy all objects that represent them.

בשם של הוויה חסיד אמיתי בישוע המשיח ואני מבקש יהוה לשחרר אותי מכל הקללות שעלו עליי מכל סיבה שהיא

By the authority of being a true child of Christ Jesus I ask the Lord (in jesus’s name) to free me from all curses that came upon me for any reason.

בשם ישוע אמן

I say all this in the name of Jesus!

(Prayer originally composed by the late Derek Prince)

Shalom Jewish friends!

So I’m a gentile Christian, been lurking here for awhile. I have a question to ask:

How do I convey HaShem’s name (YH*H) in a respectful context? I often censor one letter like I did above, but in some cases it’s just not possible.

I’m trying to not break the third commandment, but it can be quite challenging if I’m talking to non-christians and non-Jews.

P.s. Just wanted to let you guys know that I support Israel and my Jewish brothers and sisters! Am Yisrael Chai!

"Afterwards, when David heard of it, he said, 'I and my kingdom are forever innocent of the death of Avner the son of Ner.  Let it fall on the head of Yo’av and all his father’s family. May Yo’av’s family always have someone with a hemorrhage or tzara‘at, or who has to walk with a cane, or who dies by the sword or who lacks food.**'”-2 Samuel 3:28-29

Boy, I tell ya, it's gotta be tough being a leader.

There are so many things outside of your control that can completely derail your plans to make peace.

For David, Yo'av killing Avner was one of those things.

Just as he was on the verge of uniting the northern and southern tribes, one of his chief subordinates (Yo'av) goes off and kills the de facto power of the north (Avner).

There's no doubt the northern tribes would've viewed Avner's death as something David plotted - as the beginning of David's plans to systematically get rid of any obstacles in his way to assume the throne over all of Israel.

David knew he had to take immediate action to nip this political crisis in the bud.

So he quickly declared his innocence of Avner's death.

He then proceeded to place a curse on Yo'av's family, saying that someone in it would always suffer from a discharge, have a skin affliction, need to walk with a cane, die in battle, or not have enough LECHEM or bread to eat.

The Hebrew words for discharge and skin affliction are ZUV and TZARA'AT.

If your English Bible says "leprosy", that's a complete mistake.

TZARA'AT refers to a variety of serious skin diseases and bad rashes that render a person unclean.

The point is some serious damage control had to be done.

Now, you might be thinking...

Wasn't it a great benefit to David that the North had just lost their legendary military leader? 

Maybe, but I'd say the consequences of the political fallout were far more dangerous.

There was no way the northern tribes weren't gonna be suspicious of Avner's death.

I mean think about it.

Yo'av killed Avner at Hevron, where David's headquarters were located!

So David had to distance himself from what Yo'av had done immediately.

Alrighty, let's switch over to the takeaway.

It has to do with the curse that David issued upon Yo'av and his family.

Out of all the sufferings he said would perpetually affect Yo'av's family, two are spiritual in nature.

Can you guess which two they are?

They are ZUV (a discharge of bleeding) and TZARA-AT (skin afflictions).

So here's the thing.

From a Biblical perspective, these suffering are NOT to be considered natural afflictions.

They are to be viewed as spiritual diseases even though the manifestations are physical.

Ya feeling me here?

So what does this mean for us?

To me, this is a reminder that if the external circumstances of our lives aren't consistentlygoing well...

It might be a good idea to see if there might be a spiritual cause.

I understand that believers can sometimes experience sickness, job loss, or other adverse events...

In a fallen world, no one is immune to adversity.

I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about consistently experiencing issues with an emphasis on the word*"consistently."*

When you often face trouble, the cause might be some sin in your life.

Those weekly porn binges you just looooooove to indulge in...

Going to New Age manifestation teachings instead of to God for your needs...

Breaking the Shabbat or eating unclean food regularly...

My point is to examine yourselves, folks!

Are you experiencing consistent blessings?

Or consistent curses in your life?

Either way, there could be a spiritual answer behind what's going on.

Remember, when you're obedient to the Lord and His commands, in due time, He will smooth out the rough patches for you.

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

"Therefore, my dear friends, 
as you have always obeyed
—not only in my presence, 
but now much more in my absence
—continue to work out 
your salvation with fear and trembling,"
-Philippians 2:12

I’m a 20 year old, ethnically Jewish believer in Yeshua Hamashiach, and I’ve been feeling called to go to Israel.

I’ve never left the United States and still need to get my passport (working on pricing it while being a broke college student but this is important enough to me).

I want to plan an Israel trip in the next maybe year or two (I’m graduating college in the next year/year and a half, so I also have to schedule it in), but all the resources I’m looking at either have outdated tour dates, or I have no idea if the websites are reliable.

If you’ve ever done it, or know any good resources, would you please recommend me some ways to sign up for pilgrimage tours?

Edit: I obviously am aware of the war and would have to plan around that as well. This is more just WHEN I am able to at some point

We're told that Joab slaughtered Avner at the city gate.

There's some interesting symbolism here we'd be remiss to overlook.

In the ancient Middle East, the city gate often doubled as an outdoor courtroom where cases were tried and decisions handed down by the elders.

So, in Joab's mind, this reinforced that the revenge he took on Avner was perfectly justified - because this killing took place at the place of justice.

However, from a Torah perspective, was Joab's killing of Avner lawful?

The answer is NO.

This was cold-blooded revenge...

And it was wrong.

The Torah says...

"It is mine to avenge; I will repay.
In due time their foot will slip;
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them.”
-Deuteronomy 32:35

The New Testament reiterates this passage and quotes the same Torah passage in the Book of Romans.

^(")Do not take revenge, my dear friends, 
but leave room for God’s wrath*,* 
for it is written: 
'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,'says the Lord."
-Romans 12:19

This is one of many instances where we'll see the Torah misused and abused to accommodate the selfish tendencies of men.

Just as the gentile church does today...

So too did the ancient Israelites often rationalize their behavior to make it fit their Middle Eastern traditions.

By ascribing a Scriptural-based name or taking Bible verses completely out of context, wrong behavior is made to seem right.

The hypocrisy of praying over unclean foods the Messiah would have never eaten is a perfect example of this.

The Torah makes it clear that killing an opponent in battle is NOT a sin.

It is NOT a sin.

Peace protesters who hold up the 6th Commandment, which says "Thou Shall Not Kill" as justification for NOT going to war, are taking Scripture completely out of context. 

Again, no atonement is needed if one man kills another in battle - especially if that battle is a holy war.

This is a separate issue from the laws about the Blood Avenger and the established sanctuary cities.

Remember, sanctuary cities were only for those instances of accidental killings or what's termed "negligent homicide."

They had nothing to do with our modern ideas of manslaughter.

Ya feeling me here?

Sanctuary cities weren't created to protect murderers whose intention was to kill others...

And they weren't for soldiers who killed enemy soldiers in battle either.

Again, the killing of enemy soldiers in a battle is NOT a sin.

When Yo'av's brother Asahel chased after Avner, he had every intention of killing him.

Avner even warned Asahel to stop, knowing the young lad would lose his life if he kept up his attack.

But Asahel wouldn't stop.

So Avner had no choice but to kill Asahel.

This was pure self-defense.

Avner may not be the most likable character in the Bible, but his killing of Asahel was perfectly justified.

It was Yo'av who was incorrect by thinking Avner had killed his brother wrongfully and thus deserved revenge - as if he needed to flee to some sanctuary city.

No, homies, Yo'av was in the WRONG from a Torah perspective.

This brings us to our takeaway for today.

When we read these stories, it should be pretty clear what's right and wrong - IF we know the Torah.

The problem is most folks don't know the Torah.

That's why I feel so sorry for the Christians.

They have been robbed by unlawful church doctrines that say, "Jesus did away with the Law."

I don't know this from first-hand experience, but I've heard that in some churches, new believers are warned not to read the "Old" Testament because they're told it might cause them to lose their faith.

Can you believe this demonic deception being foisted upon them?

They're being told to NOT read God's Holy Word?!?!?!

The very same Word that Paul said was "God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

No wonder Christianity with its over 20,000 denominations is so freakin' screwed up.

They say they believe the Bible word-for-word.

Yet they've thrown one-third of the Scriptures into the trash can.

And then they take it upon themselves to change God's Law...

Like picking any day of the week to be the Shabbat just because it's more convenient, as long as there's one day of rest in the week.

Or how about the perverted worship of money?

Believing that God wants all believers to be filthy rich - and that if they're not, there's something wrong with their faith.

I could go on and on but I think you get the point.

The bottom line is that as followers of the Lord, we’re supposed to stand firm and not follow manmade traditions, customs, or holidays when they go against God’s Word. 

We shouldn’t make excuses or accept them. 

It ain't always easy to do...

But that’s what we’re called to.

Later homies.

A little background info: I grew up secular Jewish from an Israeli background. I went down a very deep new age/ plant medicine & psychedelic path that opened me up to a lot of trauma, dark magic, and demonic attachments. To cut the long story short Jesus found me and saved me from all the pain and trauma. I’ve been going through a really deep Christian deliverance process for the last 5 months renouncing and letting go of my old ways. One of those things was having to let go of yoga because it’s a Hindu practice and the moves open us up to demons. I’m trying my best not to fall into fundamentalist Christian fear and dogma especially as I consider myself more of a messianic Jew than a Christian as I am Jewish and won’t forget my roots. I know from the Jewish perspective yoga as exercise is okay and not worshiping other gods. I’d love to hear what messianic Jewish perspective around this is.

"Yo’av went to the king and said, 'What have you done? Here, Avner came to you, and you sent him away, and now he’s gone! Why?  You know Avner the son of Ner — he came only to deceive you, to learn what campaigns you’re planning and to find out everything you’re doing!**'"-2 Samuel 3:24-25

Here's something women might not know about men.

When we insult each other, the nature of our insults is to accuse the other of acting like a female.

As politically incorrect as this is, that's the way it's always been among dudes.

Why do I bring this up?

Well, this is exactly how Yo'av insulted David when he expressed his anger about David meeting with Avner behind his back.

There is a very offensive sexual undertone in Yo'av's remarks that can only be discerned in the original Hebrew.

When we read this passage in English, it seems that Yo'av's only worry is that Avner came to find out about David's military plans and that David might have unwittingly leaked important information.

Many English Bibles will render Yo'av's complaint to David as him saying, "Avner only came to trick you."

But the undertone was that "Avner came to you only to seduce you."

This phrasing is pretty much identical to what Ishbosheth said to Avner when he called him on the carpet for seducing Rizpah, Saul's concubine.

You get the idea, right?

The whole point is that Yo'av was amazingly bold in what he said to David.

But what's even more amazing is that David took these offensive insults sitting down

This was blatant insubordination if you think about it.

But to understand why Yo'av went hog wild on David, let's examine what was going on inside of Yo'av's head.

Yo'av was well aware that if the northern and southern kingdoms joined under one king, there wouldn't be space for two top commanders.

Only ONE person could be second-in-command to the king.

Yo'av knew what Avner was up to - that he was attempting to finagle his way into becoming David's right-hand man.

He also felt humiliated because David had conveniently arranged the meeting with Avner while he was away.

His worst nightmares were unfolding right before his eyes.

Yet, Yo'av wasn't about to go down without a fight.

There was a reason he was a top military leader.

Immediately, Yo'av sent messengers to chase after Avner.

It seems he lied to Avner, telling him something about David needing him to come back.

 Avner had only gone a few miles north from his meeting with David in Hebron when the messengers reached him at a place called the Cistern at Sirah.

When Avner returned to Hebron, thinking all was well, Yo'av met him and led him to a quiet spot between the city gates.

Avner was in a relaxed mood and not expecting anything.

Big mistake on Avner's part.

Because at that instant, all of Yo'av's pent-up fury and rage was unleashed upon Avner.

The Scripture says "There he struck him in the groin, so that he died."

Yo'av's blade struck directly into Avner's manhood - the same manhood that had penetrated Ishbosheth's concubine.

So we have some more sexual undertone being expressed here, which is quite common in Scripture although our English Bibles mask out a lot of it.

Yo'av had accomplished two things with this death blow.

By killing Avner, Yo'av got rid of a rival for his role as David’s second-in-command. 

He also avenged his duty as the family’s GO'EL HADAM or "blood avenger." 

So what's the takeaway for today?

The first lesson is to realize this is a perfect case study of how fleshly men act to gain or protect their power.

Driven by ego, lust, and greed, men will lie, cheat, steal, commit sexual sins, and even murder to gain or protect their power.

In this case, this was a story about two men fighting each other over who would become the King's right-hand man.

However, the second lesson is to realize that it's not necessary to lower yourself to such sinful behavior to elevate yourself.

If you simply rest in God's Will and His plans for your life...

The Lord will protect you and take care of everything for you...

Without all of the stress, conniving, and backstabbing behavior...

Ya feel me here?

Over and out.

I leave you with these verses from the Psalms:

"The Lord says to my lord: 
'Sit at my right hand until
I make your enemies a 
footstool for your feet*.'"*
-Psalm 110:1

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

"Since, then, you have been raised with Messiah,
set your hearts on things above, 
where Messiah is, 
seated at the right hand of God.**"
-Colossians 3:1

"Then Zavdai’s sons came to
Yeshua with their mother.
She bowed down,
begging a favor from him. He said to her,
'What do you want?'
She replied,
'Promise that when you become king,
these two sons of mine may sit, 
one on your right 
and the other on your left.
But Yeshua answered, '
You people don’t know what you are asking.
Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?'
They said to him, 'We can.'
He said to them,
'Yes, you will drink my cup.
But to sit on my right and on my left 
is not mine to give, 
it is for those for whom 
my Father has prepared it*.”'”*
-Matthew 20:20-23

"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory 
and the exact representation of his being, 
sustaining all things by his powerful word. 
After he had provided purification for sins, 
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven*."*
-Hebrews 1:3

Hello friends, what is the go to English Messianic Translation?

I hope this is an okay post.

I found a few online, but I don’t know the consensus among Messianic Jews as to which is the more trusted one.

I found these online (Complete Jewish Bible, Tree of Life Version of the Holy Scriptures, Messianic Jewish Literal Translation of the New Covenant Scriptures, and New Jerusalem Version)

"Just then David’s men and Yo’av returned from a raid, bringing a lot of plunder with them*.* But Avner was not with David in Hevron*, because he had sent him off under safe conduct."*-2 Samuel 3:22

When we last left off, Avner was rubbing shoulders with the leaders of the northern tribes and getting them to support David as their king.

Afterward, he met with the leaders of the tribe of the Benjamin.

But the Benjamites weren't as excited about the idea of David becoming king because it meant giving up the throne to a person who did NOT hail from their tribe.

This would've been a bitter pill for them to swallow.

Yet everyone knew if Avner was for David becoming king, who could oppose him?

Next, we're told Avner paid David a royal visit by bringing along with him 20 important leaders from the tribes.

A huge feast to mark the occasion was held and all the tribes agreed to pledge their allegiance to David.

The only remaining step was for the northern leaders to gather and officially confirm David as King.

David then sent Avner home, promising his safety.

Now, some interesting political things are going on here that we shouldn't overlook.

It was no accident that Avner came to see David while Yo'av was away on a raid.

David was smart.

He knew if Yo'av were there, a treaty with Avner wouldn't stand a chance, and Avner might not make it out alive.

Remember, Yo'av was now in a blood feud with Avner because Avner had killed Yo'av's brother, Asahel.

So, David made sure Yo'av was away.

But when Yo'av returned and found out about Avner's visit, he went into a RAGE.

Verse 22 points out that Joab arrived with RAV SHALAL or רָב שָׁלָל.

This means "great plunder" or "abundant spoils" in English.

Yo'av was feeling all proud of himself...

But then he found out a meeting with his sworn enemy had just taken place behind his back.

The true meaning of what he said to David can only be understood in the original Hebrew.

We'll dig deeper into this tomorrow, but here's what I want you to get for today.

The bold and angry way Yo'av expressed himself to David parallels the insulting manner Avner displayed toward Ishbosheth when he was called out for sleeping with Ishbosheth's concubine.

Just as Avner was so furious that he openly went ballistic on Ishobosheth...

So too did the enraged Yo'av go ballistic on David.

Both men (Avner and Yo'av) spoke in a way one should never speak to a king.

We'll pick this up the next time we meet.

I’m still pretty new to trying to keep Kosher (ethnic Jew raised in gentile Christianity) and have been really looking into it in scripture as I want whatever I do to honor God.

What do Messianic believe about Paul’s statements in Romans 14:20-23:

Don’t tear down God’s work for the sake of food. True enough, all things are clean; but it is wrong for anybody by his eating to cause someone to fall away. 21 What is good is not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The belief you hold about such things, keep between yourself and God. Happy the person who is free of self-condemnation when he approves of something! 23 But the doubter comes under condemnation if he eats, because his action is not based on trust. And anything not based on trust is a sin.

Specifically the “all things are clean” and “anything not based on trust is a sin” parts have stood out to me.

Do we believe that if our faith is strong enough then we can have clean consciences to eat whatever? Is that not what he’s saying?

[Jeremiah 29:11] “For I know the plans that I have in mind for you,’ declares Adonai, ‘plans for shalom and not calamity—to give you a future and a hope.” . Sometimes we have carefully curated plans for our lives and then suddenly those fall through and we feel like we are left with nothing… but remember that G-d sees beyond today's struggles, past our limited perspective, through the fog of uncertainty, and into possibilities we can't imagine! . When doors close, look for the windows He's opening. 🤍

.

Source: B’rit Hadasha | Messianic Jewish Synagogue https://www.instagram.com/p/DBtfYPnszoI

Hello, I am a gentile and I have been wanting to learn Hebrew for the longest time now! I have tried to find resources online, but none have seemed adequate. I am not quite sure where to get started… I was wondering if anyone could recommend specific resources? Thanks!

I forgot to mentions that I am looking to learn Biblical Hebrew as well as Modern Hebrew :)

(Workbooks/ books would also be great!)

Thanks again! 😄

One of the oldest traditions of the people of God is the weekly reading of His Word every Sabbath. Once again, the book has been read to its end and wound back again so we may read again from the beginning. This week’s reading is what is known as Parashat Bereshit, “The Beginning Portion,” and I am reminded how the story of Adam's fall can take on an entirely new meaning through Tisha B'Av.

Tisha B’Av is a day of mourning, commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of God during the third and final assault of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, as well as the destruction of the second Temple of God during the Siege of Jerusalem by future Roman Princeps Titus Caesar Vespasianus.

The connection has to do with Lamentations 1:1 and Genesis 3:9. In Genesis, God calls out to Adam, saying, "אַיֶּֽכָּה׃" "Where are you?" In Lamentations, the Prophet Jeremiah mourns over Jerusalem, saying, "How lonely sits the city once full of people!"

אֵיכָ֣ה ׀ יָשְׁבָ֣ה בָדָ֗ד הָעִיר֙ רַבָּ֣תִי עָ֔ם!

Jeremiah begins the passage with "אֵיכָ֥ה" (eicha), and God calls out, "אַיֶּֽכָּה" (ayeka). Note the similarity of the Hebrew letters. From this we can see that they are almost the same word, aside from vowel pronounciation. Often, words that are similar in this way also carry similar connotations.

The sordid accomplishment of sin and transgression is a creation of distance between us and our Creator. In the ruins of the Temple amid the destruction of Jerusalem, we may perceive a shadow of God's lament at the sin of Man.