November 30, 2013 Shabbat Bible Study
©2013 Mark Pitrone and Fulfilling Torah Ministries
November 30, 2013 – Year 1 Sabbath 38
Genesis 41:1-37 – Isaiah 29:8 – Psalm 34 – Matthew 2:1-23
Links:
B’reishith 41.1-37 – Remember last week that Yoseph, in prison for a crime he did not commit (likely so the lord high executioner could save face as the husband of a whore wife) interpreted the dreams of two inmates who had been close to Paroh, his butler and his baker. When he interpreted the dreams, and the butler was set free, he asked the butler to please remember him and his plight to Paroh. Now, it was 2 years later and Yoseph is still in the slam. The butler forgot about him, or so it seems. What probably actually happened is that the butler didn’t want to risk Paroh’s wrath again and he kept his mouth shut. After all, if this king is anything like Ahasuerus (the king in Esther), if he opened his mouth without being spoken to he could lose his head, or worse.
Then, on his birthday 2 years later (cf.40.20), Paroh had a dream that noone could interpret and he recounted it to his priests in the butler’s hearing. We can tell how agitated Paroh was by the extensive use of “behold!” – 10 times in the 2 recounts of the dreams (5 each). ‘Behold!’ means, “Pay attention! Listen up! Wake up!” Since Paroh was trying to get this thing interpreted, the butler spoke up (possibly to get in a better position with Paroh – political influence and all) about Yoseph. Paroh called for Yoseph who got cleaned and dressed up for presentation before the king. Yoseph probably had a beard up to this point, as that is the custom of Hebrew men, but he now shaved to go before Paroh, facial hair being an abomination in the Egyptian court.
Paroh said, “I’ve dreamed a dream and noone can interpret it for me, but I’ve heard that you can understand and interpret dreams. Can you help me out?” Yoseph’s answer was one that eschews self and exalts Y’hovah, “Well, I can’t, but Y’hovah will.” So Paroh recounted the dream, the 3rd time for Paroh if you include his dreaming them. Do you suppose there’s significance to the triple exposure to the dreams for him? It seems that Y’hovah was giving Paroh better and better recollection with each telling, as more details emerge each time (or Paroh embellished as he went – an all too human failing). Yoseph told him that the 2 dreams having the same meaning was meant to drive the point home to Paroh, that the dream was certain and Y’hovah was warning of his judgment that was about to come down.
Have you ever noticed that Y’hovah always gives a time of plenty before he lowers the boom? We in America [and, seemingly, the entire world] have reached the end of our time of plenty before he brings judgment and condemnation to bear on us. This judgment is going to affect the whole world, not just America, because the economic world pretty much revolves around her. When Israel is divided by order of the US president in search of a better legacy than the “Affordable Care Act” and the lousy, bloody, monetary rat-hole of a war that he’s continued to perpetrate on us, the last thing holding back Y’hovah’s wrath from us will be removed. I look for the boom lowering as early as this Pesach. I hope I am wrong. But I doubt it. Rulers of the world are unable to discern the signs of the times. Only those who are after Y’hovah’s heart can do it, and that doesn’t describe any contemporary world rulers I can think of. Perhaps if we were to all repent of our sins and turn from our wicked ways and pray [2Chron.7.14] Y’hovah would provide a bookmark in his timetable.
This chapter is ultimately about the end of days. Paroh’s interpretation was not just for him then: it is also for us now. Yoseph told Paroh that he had 7 years to prepare for the dearth, which was surely coming. Eddie has been giving the same warning for even longer than 7 years, as have Theresa and Bill and Ronald and I and almost everyone in this congregation. Two-house, Hebraic-Roots teachers, like Eddie Chumney, Monte Judah, Rico Cortes, myself and many others have been warning anyone who would listen for at least 10 years that Y’hovah’s wrath was coming for America. Most Americans won’t hear it still. American Xians think that Y’hovah doesn’t work that way anymore. They think that they have a free pass on the great tribulation. They don’t. There is no pre-tribulation rapture. My father asked me during the flooding of the Mississippi in the early 90s if maybe Elohim was trying to get our attention. My father was either NOT saved or was very quiet about it. He NEVER talked like that. But he got it. That WAS just one wake-up to America, and we failed to heed it. Jonathan Cahn has been preaching the Harbinger of a LOT of years. That was another wake-up call for America and her church. They aren’t awakening. They don’t see the signs of the times.
‘Natural’ disasters are ALWAYS a warning from our Creator to repent and go his way, and they usually follow some stupid action by the State or national government or a sizable portion of the people. Hurricane Katrina was a petered-out tropical depression that roared back to life at exactly the same time as the US-forced abandonment of Gush Katif and the Gaza by Israel. 2007’s California wildfires followed only 2 days after ‘Ahnuldt’ signed a law that removed and forbad reference to ‘man/husband and wife’, ‘mom and dad’, and almost every reference to a traditional family from California’s health textbooks in lieu of political gain (and a temporary political peace). Y’hovah will not be mocked or despised.
V.32 shows the interpretive principle that when Y’hovah says something 2x in rapid succession, you can take it to the mattress (safer than banks). After telling this to Paroh, Yoseph proposes a forced tax system on the people of Egypt that actually makes ours look mild. Everyone had to give up 20% of his land and his entire crop every year for 7 years. He was to bring his entire crop and then accept the rationed handout of the government. This is a complete tyranny, sold as benevolence, and I’m sure benevolence was Yoseph’s intent. But no politician or government EVER willingly gave up what it once controlled. Yoseph meant it for good, but Paroh used it for evil – AND used the good man Yoseph to do his dirty work. Just like a scheming politician. The main differences between Yoseph’s plan and the Social Security Administration is that 1) Yoseph was an honest administrator (unheard of anymore) and 2) his plan was for a specified length of time. If you haven’t picked it up yet, I don’t trust government as far as I can pick up its bloated backside and throw it. Hosheanu! Y’hovah. Q&C
YeshaYahu 29.8 – DISCLAIMER! The opinions about to be expressed are those of the author and not necessarily the opinions of any of the faithful listening today … but they SHOULD be!
In the week of Nov.21st 2007, Eddie read an article in his 5 minute about S1959, a bill that would severely restrict or completely nullify free speech in America, making any criticism of the government a crime (goodbye, 1st Amendment). While I was reading this chapter, I found Y’hovah’s answer to those legislators and the President (‘W’ Bush) who wants it implemented. Look at vv.18ff, but especially v.21. Y’hovah is telling us that in that day – the day of redemption –
20 the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: 21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.
The ‘iniquity’ watched for in v.20 is further described in v.21, and it looks just like SB1959. If it’s not too late, get on the horn with your senators and express your extreme opposition to this bill. It may help.
In light of the above, v.8 shows the outcome of the legislation. Those who would devour Zion at their leisure will not even taste victory before Y’hovah works in our favor. They’ll think that they are about to devour us, but at the last minute, Y’hovah will snatch victory from them and leave them hungry for our flesh and thirsty for our blood. Their souls are empty and faint from hunger and thirst that will not be satiated. I say, ‘Let them starve.’
Notice in the 1st few verses that Ariel, which is understood to mean Yerushalayim, is not after Y’hovah’s heart, but is in heaviness and sorrow, perhaps over the dividing of the land. Notice also that it is Y’hovah who is camping against her – IOW; he has brought the armies of the earth vs. Yerushalayim and Zion for the purpose of getting them to repent. For once it works. It is in this time of great distress that Ariel cries out to Y’hovah and he responds. This prophecy will be fulfilled in a few years at Yom haKippurim (2017?) when Israel cries out to her Elohim and he comes through the clouds with power and great glory. Just as Yerushalayim is about to fall to the NWO, she’ll look upon him whom they have pierced and shout aloud, “Baruch haba b’Shem Y’hovah!” and she’ll be delivered by Y’hovah Elohenu. HalleluYah! Hosheanu, Y’hovah Yeshua! Amein! Q&C
Ps.34 – Abimelech thought David was nuts because David feigned epilepsy. This brilliant idea David placed right at Y’hovah’s feet. It was certainly quick thinking on his part, so it was probably exactly what David says it was, inspiration from Elohim. You can see the incident in 1Sam.21. This is an acrostic Psalm, each of the 22 verses begins with a succeeding letter in the Aleph-Bet – v.1 = Aleph, v.2 = Bet, and etc.
Besides exile and redemption, this Psalm is about the fear of Y’hovah. The first few verses build up to it in vv.7-11, and the rest of the psalm gives instruction in it. Let’s look at a few particulars. David begins with his thanksgiving to Y’hovah for his deliverance from sure death at the hands of Abimelech. I mean, REALLY, what was David thinking, anyway? Obviously, it’s a time when he did NOT counsel w/Y’hovah first. But Y’hovah remembered David anyway, and delivered him. It is probably that realization that has David on such a spiritual high. It’s obvious in the whole Psalm. David was saying, “WOW! Did I ever blow it this time! But Y’hovah STILL delivered me! HalleluYah!” He spent the first 6 verses praising Y’hovah for his deliverance.
Then in v.7 he starts getting down to the fear of Y’hovah. 1st he tells us that Y’hovah protects those who fear him. Remember that fearing Y’hovah is not just abject terror, nor is it merely reverential awe. Fear of Y’hovah is all that and more. When it comes down to where the rubber meets the road, it is always having his requirements in mind, always thinking of what HE wants us to do and think, enquiring of him BEFORE we walk into the lion’s den or make a precipitous move. It’s LACK of this fear of Y’hovah that almost got David killed. What are your plans for the future? Have you asked Y’hovah what HE thinks about it? Are you moving ahead of him, like David did? Have you sat in silence and awaited his reply? If not, why not? BTW, I am as guilty in this as anyone, so don’t think I am just preaching at you. I’m kicking my own butt, too. Q&C
In v.7, the Malach-Y’hovah encamps around those who fear him. Do you get that? They don’t camp around his tent; he pitches his tent around them. If we’ll fear him, he’ll protect us as noone else is protected. The Malach-Y’hovah is the warrior and right hand of Y’hovah. He is Yeshua haMoshiach. Is there ANY danger that can overtake us, if we fear him? Try trusting him just once, and you’ll see that he is good.
In v.9, David calls those who fear Y’hovah ‘saints’. The Hebrew word is k’dashaiv, set-apart ones. I thought that only NT believers were called saints. Does this mean that ‘saints’ is not an appellation reserved to the church? That’s right, it’s not. The KJV’s use of ‘church’ is strictly in the Brit HaDashah. In the Tanakh it uses the word ‘congregation’. It alludes to the church in the Tanakh in Acts 7.38, where it says ‘church in the wilderness’. The greek word is ekklesia, and has a direct correspondence to the Hebrew word, kahal. I am pretty certain that Stephen was NOT speaking Greek to the Yerushalayim Sanhedrin. He was speaking either Aramaic or Hebrew and probably used the word kahal here. The point is this; there is no difference between the believers in the Tanakh and the believers in the Brit. All who fear Y’hovah are saints and members, echad, in the body of Moshiach. They are ‘k’dashaiv/hagios’ and of the ‘kahal/ekklesia’.
In our Haftarah portion today we saw Ariel. Ariel referred there to Yerushalayim, but the word is the same as the name of the constellation represented by a young lion. In the greek zodiac his name is Leo. He is the Lion of the tribe of Yehuda in the Hebrew mazzeroth. In v.10 we see what happens to young lions who run ahead of Y’hovah. They lack. David applies this to himself and warns other ‘young lions’ to take heed, to fear Y’hovah, to not go ahead of him. This is difficult to do.
We think we see what’s best for us, our families and our friends, but if we don’t ask counsel of Y’hovah and wait patiently and quietly for his reply, we may find ourselves in some VERY hot water, as did David. I have done this MANY times in my own life and I am still reaping the consequences of those impetuous actions I sowed. Y’hovah would have us learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before us. That’s why he tells the truth about the heroes of the faith, rather than idealizing them in scripture. We see them with all their warts and imperfections. But we also see what Y’hovah did to deliver them when they repented and trusted in him – when they FEARED him in the biblical sense of the term fear. If we fear Y’hovah we will want or lack NO THING. After all that intro, David gets down to ‘brass tacks’. He gives succinct instruction in the fear of Y’hovah. Q&C
Vv.11-22 gives that instruction. If you love life and want a long one you will take heed to what Dave is about to say. ‘Keep thy tongue from evil, thy lips from speaking guile’. Now he’s meddling. But that’s the easiest way for us to transgress. That’s why it’s the first thing David hits on. Watch your mouth. I really like the old saying, “Say nothing and people will think you a fool; Speak and you’ll remove all doubt.” ‘Depart from evil’ sounds suspiciously like ‘repent’, doesn’t it? ‘Do good’ sounds suspiciously like ‘obey Torah’, doesn’t it? Wow! Revelation! We are not to just seek peace; we are to pursue it. That means we don’t just look around and see where peace is, but when we see where it is we have to go and get it. This is peace with Y’hovah, which is not your average, run-of-the-mill peace. Men think peace = cessation of hostilities. Y’hovah says that ‘peace’ is being echad with our brethren and with him.
We can strive for peace with Y’hovah by doing his revealed will. We will find that we can’t actually do this consistently, because we are in a constant battle with our flesh. That is UNLESS we submit to Ruach in our lives. When we allow the Ruach haKodesh to live through us, we will do his will. When we take control of our own lives, we end up going our own way and getting off the Way of Y’hovah. We may be walking parallel to his Way and miss a lot of what he has for us. It’s when we are walking close to the Way, but not actually IN it that we get in the biggest messes, for it is then that haSatan will have power to influence us. We need to be following Moshiach so closely that the dust he kicks up as he walks settles on our feet as they drop into his footprints. One foot to either side of that path gets us out of the Way. So, keep both eyes on Yeshua to be sure you are in the Way. When you are in the Way, you will experience peace with Y’hovah. I often wonder how that feels. How about you?
Notice the words ‘righteous’ in the text. In v.15 the word is tsadikim, or plural righteous. The stuff in vv.17, 18 are about those who are righteous. This would be us when we are in the Way. In vv.19 and 21 the word is tzadik, singular. This is Yeshua haMoshiach. V.20 refers specifically to his time on the tree. V.21 deals with those who hate Yeshua. They will be slain by the wicked and will experience eternal desolation in the olam haba. We will not see desolation who trust in him. He will redeem us who are in his body. Just being in his body is not the same as being his Bride. The tzadikim are his Bride. His servants are those who are his, but are not tzadik in all they do. Are you of the tsadikim? Will you be at the end of days? Right now, only Y’hovah knows for sure. I certainly hope that you and I will be found worthy to be his Bride. Q&C
Mattityahu 2 – The 1st verses speak of the Royal reception of the King of kings. Herod, who was very jealous of his throne, to the point of having a bunch of his own kids killed because he SUSPECTED them of designs on his throne, gets a visit from 3 ‘wise men’ from the east. These were Chaldean astronomers. Rumor has it that when Daniel went into Babylon, he became the chief of the Chaldeans. Where did I hear that one? OH YEAH! It was in the book of Daniel.
Anyway, Daniel knew about the gospel in the stars and taught it to the Chaldeans, who were waiting all these years for the fulfillment of lots of prophecies found in the stars. They actually SAW the star from their homes in the east and followed it to BethLechem. They knew that this star heralded the arrival of the Moshiach, King of Yehuda, so where did they go to ask specific directions but to Herod in Yerushalayim. Humanly speaking, this was a big mistake. But it was part of Y’hovah’s plan, so it was no mistake. Contrary to cheesy Catholic inspired movies, there was no beam of light falling from the star onto the young Moshiach in the manger. His arrival was entirely unheralded in proper society. In fact, the Chaldeans were probably 2 years late to the scene. The only guys who got a birth announcement that night were the shepherds whose stable was being used for shelter by Yoseph and Miriam. They left their flock of lambs in the field to go and see the Lamb of Y’hovah lying in the feeding trough their sheep ate from.
Now, the Chaldeans came to see the ‘young child’, NOT the baby, Yeshua. In fact, the words young child are used 9x in the chapter. Herod used it 1st, so it appears he knew by his inquisition of the magi that it was 2 years since the star first appeared. He checked the prophecies and found that Moshiach would be born in BethLechem. The Jews, the leaders of the religion in J’lem, knew where he was to be born and that he possibly had been born, so why is there no curiosity to go and see him whom they have sought so long? Because they were comfortable in their political/religious positions, and were in no hurry to lose them. They probably colluded with Herod in plotting the young child’s demise.
It looks to me as if the magi lost sight of the star for a time, for they were glad when they left Herod’s and saw it again (v.10). This makes me think it was a comet, as a comet gets brighter and brighter and then IS lost for a short time as it rounds the far side of the sun. At its perigee it could have been EXTREMELY bright, maybe bright enough to be seen in daylight. It COULD also have been a planet in close conjunction w/earth and in retrograde orbit, seeming to move TOWARDS the west against the fixed stars.
The magi bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myhhr. I’ll let Bill tell you about the significance of the gifts. I’ll say this about them: I think Daniel had prepared them for this occasion and that he had taught the Chaldeans well on the King of kings. They knew he was to be worshipped. Only Elohim is worthy of worship. Dan had taught them well. He must also have taught them how to interpret dreams, for they knew quickly what to do.
There was weeping in BethLechem after the ‘Slaughter of the Innocents’, every male child 2 years and under. But who are Rachel’s children? Yoseph and BenYamin. This tells me that Herod was out to kill Moshiach ben David, while haSatan was after Moshiach ben Yoseph who is the Son of Y’hovah’s Right Hand. Yeshua did not come to be Moshiach ben David ben Yehuda. He came as Moshiach ben Yoseph to regather the lost tribes of Ephraim to Yehuda so that together they could reconstitute chol Yisrael. Anyway, “Rachel weeping for her children… because they are not” has to do with the exile and loss to human knowledge of the 10 tribes of the north. Yeshua will bring them (Ps.126.6) with rejoicing.
When Yoseph had his visitation in Egypt, he was told to go to the land of Yisrael (v.21), NOT Yehudah. Miriam is of the House of David; Yoseph is of the house and lineage of David. They would naturally want to return to the city of David. Yeshua IS gathering Yisrael from the 4 corners of the earth, even as we speak. He came to seek and to save that which was lost – Yisrael. That he didn’t bring them physically to haAretz at that time is a semantic point, in my judgment. What he accomplished on his tree DID draw/is drawing Ephraim Yisrael out of the nations. So he both DID and is drawing Ephraim back to the land. You can know who Ephraim is in the world by his love for the people and the land of Israel – Y’hovah’s land. Q&C
What follows is from my study of the Life of Yeshua haMoshiach. I hope you enjoy it.
42). Visit of the Magi Mat.2.1-12 – Wise men? Magi? Webster’s says they were philosophers from Persia/Parthia. The word ‘magi’ is from the same root as magic. These men were star-gazers who had witnessed the gospel in the stars. They knew the constellations and even the individual stars by name and knew what they signified from knowledge passed down from their fathers in the science, the prophet Daniel in particular, who was appointed the chief of the Chaldees by Nebuchadnezzar (Dan.2.48). They could predict with great accuracy the events of the gospel. They knew, for instance, that there would be one born King of the Yehudim and that he would be heralded by a special new star (possibly a comet, or a cluster of planets in conjunction). That is why they might have been considered magicians or astrologers. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. These men were applying true observational science to their faith that Elohim had told his story in the stars of heaven, even as he’d promised in Gen.1.14.
And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: (Genesis 1:14)
It was the appearance of this ‘star’ that made them aware of the birth of Yeshua. These men knew the heavens like you know your neighborhood streets. When something new appeared, like a new neighbor, they noticed immediately. When they saw the new star, they prepared an expedition to Yisrael to go and welcome the King of Yehuda.
And where better to start your search for the King of Yehuda than Jerusalem, the capitol? At least that’s what I’d have thought, if I were one of them. They didn’t have, I assume, the Hebrew prophets to tell them that Moshiach would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5.2). So they went to the miniscule ‘k’ king to inquire of the capital ‘K’ King’s whereabouts. Herod was not pleased. Though he didn’t show it, all Jerusalem knew it (Pro.11.11, 28.15, 28, 29.2). When an unjust king is ticked you can bet the people hear about it and hide themselves. “Just how long ago did this star appear?”, he asked, setting the time in his mind. “So, the young upstart is 2 years old”, he must have thought. He knew it was Moshiach because that was the fact he demanded of the priests (v.4). Herod must have known the scriptures and believed them for he knew what to ask. This does not mean he was a believer, just that he, like the devils, believed that the scriptures are true. Herod missed the birth announcement of the shepherds, I guess. The priests must have, as well, or just didn’t believe it, or Herod probably would have known the Moshiach’s location before this. At any rate Herod gives up the info and off go the Magi on the last leg of the journey.
How humble Herod must have sounded, “Bring me word when you’ve found him so that I too may come and worship him.” This is the man who killed his own sons because he thought they might want to overthrow him. Sweet guy. How any of this paranoid monster’s kids survived childhood is way beyond me. Is it any wonder that the city was in an uproar? At any rate, the Magi were warned not to return to Herod by a dream and they obeyed (more evidence of a godly spiritual progenitor, like Daniel).
The star must have vanished for a time because: a) they inquired of Herod, saying, ‘We have seen his star in the east,’ but not ‘his star led us here,’ and b) they rejoiced when it reappeared just in time for their last leg (v.10). This supports the comet theory, since a comet will disappear from view for a few days or weeks while it is on the opposite side of the sun from earth on the perigee of its orbit. In fact, if it were a near miss it would have been out of view until it was past the earth’s orbit, for while it was between the earth and the sun it would have been lost in the brightness of the solar disc. And it would suddenly appear again and be quite large and bright, possibly even being visible in daylight. This is not to say that it WAS a comet, only that it may have been. Elohim could have prepared a special star even as he’d prepared a special great fish for Yonah. What can be observed and surmised from the passage just tends to undergird the comet theory to my mind. Whatever the star was, it went before them until it stood over the house where the Child was.
Notice in verse 11 that when they saw the child and his mother, they fell down (on their faces) and worshipped Him and not his mother. There is nothing here that promotes any Catholic doctrine of Mary. Catholics call it Latria, and say that means veneration not worship. But look at the word latria. Put it at the end of the word idol and you’ll see what it really means. Latria = worship, and latria of Mary, therefore, is Mary worship and idolatry.
The gifts were given to the Child, not his mother. They were: gold; a fitting gift to give a King at his birth and symbolic of his deity, frankincense; (Ex.30.34) which is used in the tent of the congregation to cover the putrid odor of sin when the people come before Y’hovah (I think this one came first), and myrrh; which was used as a spice to give a sweet aroma to the corpse until the day of burial (Jn.19.39-40). All the gifts from the Magi, therefore, point to the ministry of Yeshua and his reasons for coming to earth, to be the MelechTzadik High Priest; the tzadik Moshiach ben Yoseph and the Melech of melachim of Beit Ya’akov and chol Yisrael on the throne of his father, David. Q&C
43). The flight into Egypt (Mat.2.13-15) – In 1.20 the angel of Y’hovah appears to Yoseph in a dream. Here he is appearing in another dream to Yoseph. Notice that the word from the angel is an imperative, nothing the least equivocal. Joe is told to get his butt out of bed and run, like NOW man, with the ‘young child and his mother’. Herod is on the warpath and you just have time to escape, is the implication. Notice that Yoseph did not wait until morning. He got his wife out of the rack and they were off within minutes. Usually, when Elohim tells you to do something, that is the time to do it, not a few minutes or hours later. Lot comes to mind, when the angels had to drag him screaming and kicking from the world (Sodom). Has Elohim laid something on your heart to do or to pray for? Act on it immediately. That is Elohim’s timing,
(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Cor. 6:2)
Why would Elohim send his Son into Egypt, which is typical of the world and its system? I don’t know, either. I was hoping one of you would know. But my guess is to illustrate the condition of the blood bought child of Elohim, who will often find himself in the world, but will trust Elohim to extricate him at the appointed time. Perhaps the phrase, ‘In the world, not of it’ can be seen more clearly and better appreciated when we see Yeshua and his family in Egypt for a time. They were in the world, but not dependent on or defiled by its system. Can Elohim call you out of Egypt? Are you so caught up in the world that you couldn’t get loose with a crow bar? If so, repent NOW. Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
It’s not in your outline because it isn’t strictly in the life of Moshiach, but Mat.2.16-18 tells what happened that very night. I think that as Yoseph and his family were going out the southwest side of town, Herod’s soldiers were entering the notheast side. They went house to house and killed all the male children 2½ years and younger, just to be sure he got the right kid. What a creep. How many times had Satan tried to destroy the line? Abel, the Nephilim, Chilion (Ruth’s husband), David, Solomon and his line, Jeconiah (Satan thought he had it beat here), then the trip from Nazareth when Mary was ready to give birth (90 miles on ass back at 39-40 weeks gestation was not a lot of fun, I’m sure. I might have made a litter), just to name a few. Then when he failed all those times, he took out his frustration on the children of Bethlehem and thereby helped fulfill prophecy. Elohim absolutely uses Satan as the means of fulfilling prophesy. Who do you think is going to put the thought into the Edomite anti-Messiah’s mind, ‘Yisrael would be a real plum, wouldn’t it?’ Who do you think drove the Sanhedrin into a frenzy of hatred to crucify an innocent man? Do you suppose Satan had a copy of Ps.22 for a reference to apply the torture on Yeshua, just to make sure he got it right? Not a chance, I think, because though Satan knows the scripture and believes it, I doubt he’d ever apply it willingly. Q&C
44). The return to Nazareth – Mat.2.19-23, Lk.2.39. Notice once again that the reference is to the young child. In the dream Yoseph sees AN angel of Y’hovah. This message is not as urgent, so it wasn’t necessary for THE angel of Y’hovah to carry it personally. Did that matter to Yoseph? There is nothing here that suggests he did anything differently. He got his butt out of bed, took the young child and his mother, and scooted immediately. Yoseph is a wonderful picture of humble obedience to the Father. He never says, ‘I’m tired. Can’t I rest until morning?’ Never do we hear a complaint from Mary, either. When Yoseph said, ‘Let’s go. Y’hovah told me to get out of Egypt,’ she got up and went – like NOW, without hesitation.
When they got back to Yisrael Yoseph found that Herod’s son was ruling in his place. The reaction of Yoseph hints to us that Archelaus was as bad or worse than his old man. His name means people-ruler, and I think refers to a tyrant. The root words are Arch meaning first, chief or ruling and Laos meaning people. Laos is also one of the roots in the city name Laodicea which means rights of the people, as in the peoples’ or person’s rights are more important than pure and true doctrine. At any rate, Herod was bad, Archelaus was worse. So Elohim tells Yoseph to go to Nazareth instead of Bethlehem. That was where he and Mary lived before the census and during their betrothal. Do you think maybe they didn’t want to go back there because everyone knew that Yeshua was not Yoseph’s offspring, and Yoseph wanted to spare his wife the taunting that would surely arise? Perhaps.
Lk.2.39 seems to contradict the account in Matthew, but it actually is just condensed. Luke was writing to a gentile who would not be concerned with how the prophecy was fulfilled, while Matthew was written to Yehudim who would. The prophecy seems to be in Judges 13.7 and concerns, historically, Samson. But Samson never fulfilled his Nazarite calling, except outwardly. He was a reprobate at heart until the last day of his life, when he finally called on Elohim to empower him. Yeshua was truly a Nazarite from the womb, being separated unto the service of his Father, Y’hovah, Elohim of Yisrael. Q&C
End of Shabbat Bible Study
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