The Four Dispensations

Posted on May 26, 2014 by A Whisper, Screamed

The four dispensations: the Patriarchs, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles

The Patriarchs – The establishment of the human family leading to a called-out people, whose bloodline would allow for YHWH to enter the world in flesh.

Passover – The establishment of YHWH’s desire for all mankind, foreshadowing Yeshua.

Pentecost – The establishment of YHWH dwelling inside each one He chooses.

Tabernacles – The future establishment of YHWH ruling on Earth in person until the time of the new creation.

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Proof Salvation Is for Gentiles, Too

Posted on May 14, 2014 by A Whisper, Screamed

John 4:22 (Literal Translation) You worship what not you know; we worship what we do know, for the salvation is out of the Jews.

John 10:16 And I have other sheep that are not of this [Israelite] fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. And there will be one flock with one shepherd.

During Yeshua’s time, the Tanahk was Scripture; therefore, the Tanahk must bear witness for what He said to the Samaritan woman and His disciples. The list below will be updated continuously.

Genesis 12:3 (Literal Translation) And I will bless those who bless you; and he who curses you I will curse. And will be blessed, through you, all the families of the earth.

Genesis 18:18 “…since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?”

Genesis 22:18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Genesis 28:14 “Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Deuteronomy 32:21 They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

Deuteronomy 32:43 (Literal Translation) Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people. For He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance on His adversaries, and will atone for His land and His people.

2 Samuel 22
44“You have also delivered me from the contentions of my people;
You have kept me as the head of the nations.
A people I have not known shall serve me.
45The foreigners submit to me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46The foreigners fade away,
And come frightened from their hideouts.

Psalm 22:27 (Literal Translation) All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to YHWH, and all the families of the Gentiles shall worship before you.

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the Gentiles, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 65:2 (Literal Translation) O You that hears prayer, to [You] all flesh comes.

Psalm 66:4 (Literal Translation) All the Earth shall worship to You and shall sing to You. They shall sing to Your name. Selah.

Psalm 86:9 (Literal Translation) All the nations You have made shall come and worship before You, Adoni; [they] shall honor Your name.

Psalm 102:22 (Literal Translation) The peoples are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the YHWH.

Psalm 117:1 (Literal Translation) Praise YHWH, all [you] Gentiles; commend Him, all [you] peoples.

Psalm 145:21 (Literal Translation) The praise of YHWH my mouth shall speak. Bless, all flesh, His holy name forever continually.

Isaiah 2:2-4 (Literal Translation) It shall be in the last days that the mountain of the house of YHWH shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all Gentiles shall flow to it.

Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up into the mountain of YHWH, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go Torah and the word of the YHWH, Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the Gentiles, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Gentile shall not lift up sword against Gentile, neither shall they learn any more war.

Isaiah 11:10 (Literal Translation) There shall be [a] day a root of Jesse, which shall stand for a signal flag of the people. Towards it, the Gentiles seek and His rest shall be glorious.

Isaiah 14:1 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.

Isaiah 19:21 So YHWH will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge YHWH. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to YHWH and keep them.

Isaiah 19:24-25 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom YHWH of Armies has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

Isaiah 42:4 (Literal Translation) [He] will not fail nor be crushed until He has set in the earth judgment; for His Torah the coastlands shall wait.

Isaiah 45:14 (Literal Translation) Thus says YHWH, “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and the Sabeans, men of stature—they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you, ‘Surely [are you with the] God [and] none else—no other gods.’”

Isaiah 49:6 (Literal Translation) And He said, “Easy, become to Me [a] Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, [and] to restore the preserved ones of Israel. I will also give You [as] a light to the Gentiles, [and] become My salvation until the end of the earth.”

Isaiah 49:12 Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, And these from the land of Sinim.

Isaiah 55:5 Surely You shall call a nation You do not know, and nations who do not know You shall run to You, because of the Lord Your God, and the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified You.

Isaiah 56:3-8 (Literal Translation) Neither let the son of the stranger, that has joined himself to YHWH, speak, saying, “YHWH shall surely separated me from His people.”

Neither let the eunuch say, “Behold, I [am] a dry tree.”

For thus says YHWH, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and take hold My covenant, I shall give to them in My house and inside My walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.

“Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to YHWH, to serve Him, and to love the name of YHWH, to be His servants, every one that preserves the Sabbath, from profaning it, and takes hold of My covenant; I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

Says Adoni YHWH, Who gathers the outcasts Israel, “Yet, I will gather [Others] to Him besides those who are gathered to Him.”

Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

Isaiah 60:1-3 (Literal Translation) Arise, shine, for your light has come and upon, the glory of YHWH has risen. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth and thick cloud the peoples. YHWH will arise upon you and upon, His glory shall be seen. And shall come the Gentiles to your light and kings to the dawning.

Isaiah 66:23 (Literal Translation) “It shall be from new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, come all flesh to lying prostrate before Me,” declares YHWH.

Psalm 68:31 Envoys will come from Egypt. Cush will quickly stretch out her hands to God.

Jeremiah 3:17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil hearts.

Jeremiah 16:19-21 (Literal Translation) YHWH, my Strength, my Fortress and my Refuge, in the day of affliction, to You the Gentiles shall come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, “Surely lies our fathers have inherited, futility and of no benefit. Can man make himself gods yet are not gods?” Therefore, behold, I shall this once inform them, I shall cause them to know My hand (effort, power) and My strength; and they shall know that My name (authority), YHWH.

Jeremiah 31:27-28 (Literal Translation) “Behold, the days come,” declared YHWH, “that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the offspring of man, and with the offspring of beast. It shall be as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” said YHWH.

Ezekiel 47
22“It shall be that you will divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves, and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord God.

Daniel 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Micah 4:2-3 (Literal Translation) And many Gentiles shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of YHWH, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth Torah and the word of YHWH from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong Gentiles far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Gentile shall not lift up sword against Gentile, neither shall they learn any more for war.

Zechariah 2:11 (Literal Translation) And joined shall be many nations unto YHWH in that day, and they shall be a call-out people, and I shall dwell in your midst, and you shall know that YHWH of Hosts has sent me unto [you].

Zechariah 8:20–23 (Literal Translation) Thus says YHWH of Armies: “That shall yet come, peoples and inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us continue to go and pray before YHWH, and seek YHWH of Armies. I myself will go also.’ And yes, shall come many peoples and strong nations to seek YHWH of Armies in Jerusalem, and to pray before YHWH.”

Thus says YHWH of Armies: “In those days that shall take hold, ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard Elohim [is] with you.’”

Amos 9:11–12 “In that day I will restore the fallen tent of David. I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the Gentiles that bear My name,” declares YHWH, who will do this.

Malachi 1:11 (Literal Translation) “For from the rising of the sun and even to its setting My name shall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place, incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering. For My name will be great among the Gentiles,” said YHWH of hosts.

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Thought Splatters (Sip!)

Posted on May 1, 2014 by A Whisper, Screamed

The only time Scripture mentions submission to the assembly is concerning discipline (Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 5:5).

John’s Evangel never mentions the word faith. Why? Love is the result of faith.

Three items that seem to terrify most believers are 1) the testing of our faith, 2) the weirdness of the supernatural (unless we benefit from it) and 3) physical death. Are you one of them?

Did anyone notice that Yeshua used the phrase, “Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward,” three times in Matthew 6? See Matthew 6:2, Matthew 6:5, Matthew 6:16. To me, that means the words connected to that sentence are vital to our understanding.

Translation error: Genesis 3:16 has been translated to say, “…and your desire shall be for your husband…” except in the New Living Translation. The same word in Hebrew, el, is most frequently translated against, as in its second use in Genesis 4:8. “…and your desire shall be against your husband, and he shall rule over you,” speaks more in line with what has happened and is still happening between the sexes. This brings to mind the passages about living with a contentious woman (Proverbs 19:13, Proverbs 21:9, Proverbs 21:19, Proverbs 25:24, Proverbs 27:15-16). The NLT got this one almost right by using the word control instead.

You have heard it said that Grace is God’s unmerited favor. This is man’s definition, not Mine. This definition mentions neither My Son Jesus NOR does it mention the Cross. My definition of Grace is this: “I treat you with the favor Jesus deserves. He received what you deserved on the Cross. You believed on Him. I placed you IN HIM. And now I treat you LIKE HIM.” That is My definition of Grace. Jesus did nothing to deserve the way He was treated, so that I can say the SAME THING about you, too.

Why does God allow various version of the Bible to exist? It is the same reason for different denominations and doctrines—He wants each of His children to seek Him and His truth constantly. Never stop! Clawing and fighting to the top of Mt. Zion never ends until we leave this world. Only then will we know if we had reached the peak.

The difference between condemnation and judgment is that judgment declares good from bad, wheat from tares, holy from common; condemnation is the declaration of deserved punishment. As Jesus said, He came to save (correct) existence not condemn it.

We have this all backwards: we are fellowshipping with or like the world and giving believers sermons when it should be the other way around. We need to fellowship with believers and give testimony to the world!

Prayer is bending (submitting, surrendering, yielding) physically, mentally, and spiritually to the will of God, not wishing.

The Kingdom of God was not, is not, and will never be a religion, organization, or institution. The Kingdom is ALIVE; we (the Body) live because the Head (Messiah) is in control.

AD means Anno Domini, Medieval Latin for as in the year of the Lord not after death.

Assumption = willful ignorance; see Hosea 4:6, Acts 17:30, Ephesians 4:18

If anyone says it is unnecessary to either study Torah or sacrifice self, reprove that person. If the person persists, turn the person over to Christ and leave him or her alone. Our calling is too short for debates.

A lesson learned: moments of boredom signal chats with the Lord. Take advantage of them.

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What Do All Men Hold Dear?

Posted on April 22, 2014 by A Whisper, Screamed

paradosis – tradition

π – 80
α – 1
ρ – 100
ά – 1
δ – 4
ο – 70
σ – 200
ι – 10
ς – 200
______
666

euporia – prosperity or wealth

ε – 5
ὐ – 400
π – 80
ο – 70
ρ – 100
ί – 10
α – 1
______
666

Coincidence?

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Puzzling Passages Made Plain: The Levite and His Concubine – Part 2

Posted on April 21, 2014 by A Whisper, Screamed

Read first: Puzzling Passages Made Plain: Tossed to the Depraved

Puzzling Passages Made Plain: The Levite and His Concubine – Part 1

Turn the Light on…

Connection Lesson

1 Corinthians 13:9-10 (Literal Translation) In part, indeed, we know, and in part, we prophesy. When, on the other hand, the completion comes, the “in part” will be abolished.

When one examines the Tanakh and the New Pact (NT) very closely, the mind starts to build bridges connecting the two together. These bridges intersect each other and develop into an intricate map. As the number of persons involved over time increases (i.e. Israel – the man, to Israel – the people), the tales and lessons are no longer linear, but multi-dimensional, reaching out to us from the Father’s realm. To analyze Scripture this way, we look at a single point, for example, salvation, and see the concepts connected to it and the other concepts that connect to those linked to salvation.

Warrior→ Priest → Prophet → Jesus
↑             ↑               ↑
Yeshua or Yahshua (Jesus) – God saves
↑
Hebrew – teshuah – deliverance
↑
Hebrew – yasha – to deliver
↑
SALVATION
↓
Atonement – to cover over
↓
Skins to cover man’s nakedness
↓
Sacrifice – to give a life to spare (cover) another’s
↓
Abel’s sacrifice accepted
↓
Clean animals sacrificed
↓
Passover
↓
Sprinkled Israelites with blood
↓
Tabernacle/Temple
↓
Jesus’ sacrifice

Notice a trend here? Everything points to Jesus. Is it true for this tale?

Mirror Images

1 Corinthians 13:12 (Literal Translation) We see indeed right now, into a [distorted, polished bronze] mirror in a riddle, [soon] then however [we shall see] face to face; right now, I know from part; [soon] then however, I shall know, as also I have been fully known [by God].

The passage above typifies the normal view of Scripture until the Holy Spirit unveils a hidden or forgotten interpretation. How do we know if the interpretation is true? The Holy Spirit will only reveal things that give YHWH and His Son the glory with collaborating verses (the Law of Two or Three Witnesses). In addition, the markers pointing to Yeshua may not be in linear order. The future events in Genesis 3:15 are not in order, for example, and Saul, a Benjamite, became king before David, a Judean, did.

The following “distorted mirrors” in the tale aimed at Yeshua’s life and ministry, plus the result:

Mirror: She agreed to be a concubine.
Fruition: The Word agreed to become profane flesh – man is the most unclean creature.

Mirror: The concubine is from Bethlehem in Judah.
Fruition: Jesus is from Bethlehem in Judah.

Mirror: She left the Levite and returned to her father’s house.
Fruition: The Word left the Will and became the Son of Man (part of the world, a mortal) and Son of David [part of a bloodline or house (family)].

Mirror: Foreigners rule Jerusalem.
Fruition: Foreigners rule Jerusalem.

Mirror: The young male servant (the flesh) wants the easy, tangible way.
Fruition: Peter and the disciples wanted the easy, tangible way: Matthew 17:4 (Mark 9:5, Luke 9:33), Matthew 16:23 (Mark 8:33, Luke 4:8), Matthew 8:25 (Mark 4:38, Luke 8:24), etc.

Mirror: “We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners, who do not belong to the people of Israel…”
Fruition: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

Mirror: By divine providence, the old man saw travelers in need and cared for them.
Fruition: By divine providence, Jesus and the disciples celebrated Passover.

Mirror: They washed their feet, ate, drank and made their hearts merry before she died.
Fruition: They washed their feet, ate, and drank at Yeshua’s Last Passover.

Mirror: The Levite offered his concubine to save every in the house.
Fruition: The Father offered His Son to save us.

Mirror: She did not want to be sacrificed.
Fruition: Jesus did not want to be sacrificed, “…not My will, but Yours be done.” Matthew 26:39, Matthew 26:42, Mark 14:36

Mirror: And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning.
Fruition: He became sin, though innocent, and it killed Him within three hours; the goat sacrificed on the altar; His crucifixion by those in ignorance (darkness).

Mirror: The woman died at the threshold.
Fruition: Jesus, the Door (John 10:7, John 10:9, John 14:6), died on the threshold to the Kingdom.

Mirror: Her hands were on the threshold.
Fruition: “It (My work in flesh) is finished.”

Mirror: The Levite puts her body (the sacrifice) on a donkey to take home.
Fruition: Jesus, the Word of God, Yah’s sacrifice, rides on a donkey to the Temple.

Mirror: The woman’s body cut into 12 pieces.
Fruition: “Here is My body broken for you.” The Word divided and fed to the 12 apostles (including Paul, since Judas left). See John 6:13, Matthew 14:20.

Mirror: The bloody pieces spread through Israel.
Fruition: The Word became flesh; “My flesh [Word] is true food, my blood [life], true drink”; “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Mirror: And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel…”
Fruition: The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” See Mark 2:12.

In Judges 21, another mirror image springs to life:

Mirror: Israel forces the Benjamites to wed foreign women.
Fruition: Paul, a Benjamite, spreads the Word to foreigners. See 2 Corinthians 11:2.

Prophetic Layer #3

Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

Luke 15:24 “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate.

Romans 6:5 For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. See 2 Corinthians 4:10, Ephesians 2:5, Philippians 3:10, Colossians 2:12, Colossians 3:1.

Ultimately, whatever happened to Yeshua will happen to us in some form. We, the called-out ones, are now the concubine and He came down from a high place (symbolized by Mt. Ephraim) to receive us. Although betrothed to Christ, we are willing to accept a lowly position (take crumbs from the Master’s table, become a bondservant rather than a free woman, poor in spirit, etc.)

“Foreigners” now rule physical Jerusalem, split between Jews and Muslims who refuse to see Yeshua as King and Messiah.

We sometimes accept false doctrine or get distracted, placing ourselves into a man-derived, Christian worldview, rather than a Christ-centered, heavenly view, which is supernatural. He woos us away from the comforts of what we know. Grace covers us during the transition.

Eventually, we sojourn with Him, but our flesh still wants what it wants. He corrects us and gives us moments of recovery. We learn that the world, including those who profess Christ as Lord and Savior, may not love or care for us. In those times, we must trust in Him for all that we need, even if we are capable of caring for ourselves. We allow Him to clean us up, eat and drink whatever He gives us, rejoicing and glorifying in what He does.

He uses creation to test our faith and destroy our self-focus. In turn, we must be willing to sacrifice everything we hold dear: family, job, wealth, dreams, interests, and even our very lives to serve Him and rescue others. When we die to self, our efforts also die, changing us into vessels ready for His use. Although imperfect, we deliver to the world the pieces of Himself He recreated us to be. The creation has been, should be and will be astonished at the spiritual power and authority of the called-out ones, even in the face of adversity.

In summary:

You are the concubine (the tainted soul).
You will run to either the Father’s will or the world.
You either are a foreigner in the world, or desire the world’s affection.
You will either embrace the Refiner’s fire, or be lukewarm (take the easy, physical way).
You will either rejoice with Him no matter what, or show Him your back.
You will be broken (sacrificed) so others can be fed His Word and Will through you.
You will become a new person by His process, not your own.

1 Corinthians 2:3-5 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

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Symbolism of Sheep and the Leg-Breaking Myth

Posted on April 20, 2014 by A Whisper, Screamed

Sheep 101

Break a leg?
There is a commonly-held belief that shepherds in Biblical times would break the legs of lambs that constantly wandered away. According to the “story,” the shepherd would then set the broken leg and carry the lamb on his shoulders until the leg healed, after which time the lamb would remain by the shepherd’s side for the rest of its life. While there is no way to know for certain what Biblical shepherds did, there is no such story in the Bible, and to do so would be cruel and impractical.

 

Shepherding the Flock

First, you may have heard that shepherd’s often break the legs of a lamb that has continually gone astray. The idea is that as the lamb heals the shepherd will keep it by his side and handle and feed it so individually that the lamb will never stray again. A good shepherd would never do that. Angie and I cringe every time we hear that story and it’s just not true. If God wanted you to believe that, He would have written it in scripture with the other sheep analogies. There are better ways of protecting lambs from hurting themselves and wandering off.

Secondly, we often hear those that say, sheep must be led and cannot be driven. This is another misconception. Actually, when you think about it, that’s what sheep dogs do! Sheep can be led by someone that they trust. But they can also be driven just like cattle.

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Symbolism of the Vine and Branches

Posted on April 19, 2014 by A Whisper, Screamed

The pruning of the vine causes the remaining branch nubs to produce sweeter fruit:

How to Prune Grape Vines for Fruit Development

Winter Pruning of Vines from Infancy to the Fourth Year

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Live by the Sword…

Posted on April 18, 2014 by A Whisper, Screamed

We were told to seek His protection, so He can guide us and others during the darkening days ahead. We will follow the Holy Spirit’s lead, whether or not guns are involved.

After all I have been through, I cannot hold any position strictly concerning this issue. Too many stories in the Bible have the Lord directing His people into doing unusual things. Obedience requires me to be flexible for I do not know what the Lord has in store for me.

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The Best Bread

Posted on April 9, 2014 by A Whisper, Screamed

Once upon a time, there was a little boy who had so many allergies, he could not partake of communion. He, being young, did not have a care, but the adults determined he had to participate in some way. “Gluten-free wafers,” one suggested, and yet another, “Look, rice crackers!”

The mother sighed. “Nay, his problems are too numerous, illnesses too great.” She smiled at their kindness. “Fear not, the Father in heaven is giving my child the best bread of all—Jesus, the Manna that never spoils, the unleavened Bread of Life. The Holy Spirit feeds this Bread to his little spirit by the reading and interpretation of Scripture, examples of the Messiah’s work occurring all around us, His inspiration to him via prayers, and the love of those close to him. If there is a lesson to be learnt by a child such as this, it is the understanding that ritual is not what is important, but that the nourishment of soul and spirit, the true meaning of imbibing the bread and wine, is paramount.”

The End

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Puzzling Passages Made Plain: The Levite and His Concubine – Part 1

Posted on April 8, 2014 by A Whisper, Screamed

I received the inspiration and most of the words for this post three week ago… and sat on it. “Why bother?” I thought, “No one is going to get it. It will either look like genius or madness.” The spouse got a synopsis of it and agreed with my feelings. All I know is that if I do not write it, He will give the assignment to someone else. *sigh*

Since this is getting massive, so I will enter this section now and continue with the rest. I strongly recommend checking out Puzzling Passages Made Plain: Tossed to the Depraved prior to reading.

Thank you, Kelley, for the slight change in focus; He agreed with you.

Judges 19 tells a tale that is difficult for people—in particular, women—to process. Always remember, we cannot judge the past with the mindset of the present, or compare a culture to ours, believing ours superior. The keys to analyzing the deeper level of any story in the Bible are 1) look at the symbolism (Scripture interprets Scripture) and 2) everything points to the Father’s plan and His Son’s role in it. This post will address both of these.

He Created Both Male and Female

First, keep in mind that the Father duplicated all of His attributes into man, then split those attributes evenly into man and woman, right down to life-creation. Man and woman in union is the physical symbol of the Father Himself. When the speaking and living breaths of Yah (spirit) entered the man (flesh) and he became a living soul (life, personality – heart, mind, self-effort), this demonstrated the subordination of the soul (life, personality) to the flesh or the spirit. Without the soul, man would be just a meat robot. This means the male, who came first, represents either the flesh (beast, outside of Yah’s will)…

Job 18:3 Why are we regarded as cattle and considered stupid in your sight?

Psalm 49:12 and Psalm 49:20 Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 73:22 I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.

Proverbs 30:2 Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding.

Ecclesiastes 3:18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.”

Ecclesiastes 3:19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless.

2 Peter 2:12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction.

Jude 1:10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.

…or the spirit (guidance, within Yah’s will).

Genesis 41:38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”

Genesis 45:8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father [guide] to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Proverbs 20:27 The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one’s inmost being.

Job 29:16 I was a father [guide] to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.

Job 32:8 But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.

Isaiah 22:21 I will clothe Him with your robe and fasten your sash around Him and hand your authority over to Him. He will be a father [guide] to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah.

Daniel 4:8 and Daniel 4:9 [Nebuchadnezzar] said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me.

Daniel 5:11 and Daniel 5:14 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.

Therefore the female represents the soul (life, personality – heart, mind, self-effort) that either submits to the flesh (beast, against Yah’s will)…

1 Samuel 6:6 Why should you harden your hearts [souls, lives, efforts] as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After He had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?

Job 15:8 Do you listen in on God’s council [mind]? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?

Proverbs 6:26 For a prostitute’s [heresy] fee is only a loaf of bread, but an adulteress [apostasy] goes after a precious life.

Proverbs 6:32 He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.

Proverbs 29:3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes [heresies, distractions] squanders his wealth [gifts, blessings].

Ezekiel 13:18 …and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives [souls, hearts] of my people but preserve your own?’

Matthew 16:26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul [life]? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul [life]?

Romans 2:9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

…or the spirit (guidance, for Yah’s will).

Deuteronomy 4:9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart [life, soul], for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 23:19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart [life, soul] on the right path.

All of Proverbs 31

Hosea 11:3-4 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim [Israel] to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

Matthew 16:25 For whoever would save his life [soul] will lose it, but whoever loses his life [soul] for my sake will find it.

Romans 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

1 Corinthians 2:16 for, “Who has known the mind [soul, life] of the Lord so as to instruct him? [Isaiah 40:13, Jeremiah 23:18, Romans 11:34]” But we have the mind [soul, life] of Christ.

The order of operation goes as followed:

In His will: spirit↔soul→flesh
The soul willfully subjects to the spirit, and thus both control the flesh. The soul is the vehicle through which the spirit operates the outer man.

Against His will: soul↔flesh
The spirit (breath, wind) keeps you alive, waiting for the moment to convict you.

Decision or life in general: ¿spirit? →←soul→←¿flesh?
This is what Paul meant when he said the flesh lusts against the Spirit and Spirit against the flesh. The poor soul (pun intended) is stuck in the middle, trying to decipher which way to go.

Jesus Submits

The personhood of Jesus is the best example of spirit↔soul→flesh operation. He came from the Father (spirit) to bring life (soul) to the existence through the spoken word (Yah’s will) and later, put on flesh to show us what to do (Yah’s desire). Although He is part of Yah (spirit), He still says His life (soul) is in subjection to His Father Creator. The Father provided His Son guidance and sustenance (spirit and soul working together, directing the flesh) so He could fulfill His mission in this dimension.

In turn, symbolically, the Ecclesia (men and women both) submits to Christ’s headship (authority) as He tends to our needs, spiritual or otherwise, just as a wife submits to her husband and her husband to her needs (Ephesians 5:22-33). This is a mostly voluntary, symbiotic relationship. I say mostly voluntary because faith is a gift from the Father (Romans 4:16, 1 Corinthians 12:9, Ephesians 2:8) and He wishes to operate His creation through the volunteers He chose from the beginning of the world (Acts 13:48, Romans 8:28, Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 1:5, Ephesians 1:11, 2 Timothy 1:9, 1 Peter 1:20).

What was the point of this explanation? To show the importance of the soul’s submission in Yah’s plan and Yeshua’s role. Keep this in mind while reading the rest.

Prophetic Layer #1

Every story in the Tanahk (OT) contains a prophetic meaning or lesson. The Levite traveling through Mt. Ephraim in this tale represents the Father, the concubine, Israel. Making Israel as someone who agrees to be sex partner with without the legal conditions of wifehood symbolizes how far the relationship between Yah and Israel had disintegrated. Throughout the book of Judges, we witness Israel “playing the harlot” or flouting Torah (His Laws) repeatedly. Yah sends prophets to “speak tenderly to her” (woo her back, remind her of their pact).

Her father represents the world. Notice the Levite accepts five days of hospitality from the man. Five is the number of grace—judgment delayed. Yah once again removes Israel from the world (leaves her father’s home) to continue their relationship (the Masoretic text says they were returning home, the Septuagint says they were going to the Lord’s House in Shiloh).

Towards evening, the servant brings to his master’s attention that there is a city nearby where they could rest. The Levite corrects him, saying it was not a place of their brethren. This means the servant represents the desires of the flesh—whatever is easy and/or immediate.

The three pass on to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, but no one welcomes them into their home. This symbolizes sin, declared by “The Law of Hospitality” in Torah (Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Exodus 22:21, Leviticus 19:34, Psalm 146:9). The old man and his kindness is Yah’s provision in the midst of wickedness. Both the actions of the Benjamites and the old man represent the Father’s behavior towards believers and unbelievers alike, meaning we all go through the trials and triumphs of life (Genesis 3:16-19, Genesis 8:22, Psalm 65:9, Psalm 147:8, Ecclesiastes 3, Jeremiah 5:24, Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 13:24-30, 1 Corinthians 7:14).

Judgment comes in the form of perverts (Gentiles) who have no knowledge of or respect for Yah, yet are tools in His Hands. See Nebuchadnezzar, My servant, Judges 2:14, 2 Kings 17:20, 2 Kings 18:9-12, 2 Kings 24:2, 1 Chronicles 5:26, Isaiah 8:7-10, Isaiah 44:28 [2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Ezra 1:1-4], Daniel 6:25-28, Hosea 8:1 [Deuteronomy 28:49, Jeremiah 49:22, Ezekiel 17:3, Habakkuk 1:8]. The old man tries to dissuade them because the Father does not delight in the punishment of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23, Ezekiel 18:32, Ezekiel 33:11, Isaiah 55:7, 2 Peter 3:9). The offering of the concubine and his virgin daughter is a reminder that both the righteous and unrighteous suffer under judgment (Joshua and Caleb had to wander the desert with Israel, Isaiah 57:1, Ezekiel 21:3-4).

To return the favor of the old man, the Levite grabs his concubine and throws her to the perverts—judgment rendered. The four main judgments in Scripture are famine (no help from the city dwellers), pestilence (sin breeds sin, various forms of sexual abuse), war (wild beasts, continuous abuse unto death), and captivity (holding her hostage). Releasing her at sunrise symbolizes Yah gathering Israel back to the land (or rather, to Him) at a future date. The virgin daughter, Judah in this tale, is spared. This part tells us Yah chooses whom He blesses or destroys [Job 12:23, Exodus 1:15-20, Psalm 105:24, Jeremiah 1:10, Jeremiah 18:9-10,Jeremiah 31:28, Amos 9:11, Acts 17:26 (Isaiah 26:15)].

“…and her hands on the threshold.” This phrase alone should send serious students of Scripture into a flurry of research. Hand in Scripture symbolizes someone’s actions. In ancient times, people honored a guest by the sacrifice of an animal at the threshold of a home. There would be a grove in the stone or wood of the bottom of a doorway so the animal’s blood would flow across the entry. The guest had to step over the blood without touching it, or the guest would become unclean. They believe Yah or their gods would bless the guest, home and the family by this act. Yah took this to another level when He had the Israelites sacrifice lambs, catch the blood in basins, and paint the blood on the doorposts and lintel—a foreshadowing of men crucifying Yeshua by His Father’s will.

For this tale, the concubine’s death was the threshold sacrifice, saving the rest of the occupants. It is also a warning to Judah [the virgin (the soul) and the young male servant (the flesh)] not to break her pact with Him (the spirit). See Deuteronomy 32:25, 2 Chronicles 36:17, Psalm 78:63, Lamentations 2:21, Amos 8:13.

The division of the concubine’s body and a piece dropped into each territory of Israel was the declaration that the Law against Shedding Innocent Blood (Exodus 21:14, Numbers 35:33) had been violated. This situation foreshadows prophets (body parts = imperfect people) of Israel and Judah being persecuted (Jeremiah’s treatment, 2 Chronicles 30:10, 2 Chronicles 36:16) or killed (Nehemiah 9:26, 2 Chronicles 24:20-21), the latter causing the curse of innocent blood to be upon themselves (the flesh = land, dirt, clay).

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