Causes, cost, and consequences of sin.

The world, even the world of religion, doesn’t like the talk about sin, meditate on sin, or be accused of sinning. It is sad to see so many ‘churches’ even celebrating sin and instead of condemning sin, actually have made it into a virtue.

Loving your ‘brother’ does not include allowing him to die in his sins. Let us continue by studying what Jehovah says about sin.

First, we are all sinners and we continue to sin, even after surrendering to Jesus as our only High Priest, King, and Redeemer. As the whole world is constantly sinning, what separates us from them?

1 John 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 

The world, including all the false religions and false ‘churches’ are blurring the lines of what is sin. Redefining sin in our own terms does not rid us of sin, it only deadens us to our sin.

1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

This is one of the dividing points between true believers and the world of unbelievers. We must confess our sins, not just at the time of salvation, but continually as we still sin. We sin, not because we deny the problem, but because we still struggle with the flesh.

1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. 

Satan is a liar from the beginning. His slaves practice lying all the time. The whole world is full of lies at every level. The present lies as truth and most of the world just accepts it. If the word of Jehovah is not in us, what is in us? What terms doe Jehovah use for sin? Detestable is one of the more common terms He uses.

Deuteronomy 20:17  "But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you,20:18  so that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the LORD your God. 

Jehovah not only uses this very graphic term for the sin of the ungodly nations, He instructed and commanded them to destroy these people groups. Their sin left alone would only serve to tempt the Israelites to do the same. Jeremiah was alone to bring Jehovah’s condemnation of Judah before they were carried away to captivity in Babylon.

Jeremiah 32:31  "Indeed this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My wrath from the day that they built it, even to this day, so that it should be removed from before My face, 32:32  because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings, their leaders, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 

What were they thinking? Provoking Jehovah to anger and wrath is the extreme act of foolishness. How could the nation of Judah, after watching Jehovah condemn the 10 northern tribes and letting Assyria carry them off never to return, do the exact same thing?

32:33  "They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, teaching again and again, they would not listen and receive instruction. Jehovah’s patience is remarkable, we would not have been as patient.

What happens to anyone who refuses to listen to, learn from, or receive instruction? They flounder and fail. They become in a godly sense worthless. They can only continue in their self-afflicted ignorance and sin.

32:34  "But they put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. 

What!!! They brought these detestable idols and rituals into Jehovah’s Temple, in Jerusalem! How did they get this far from Jehovah? Where were the priests who were supposed to instruct them in the Law?

32:35  "They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. This is the sad conclusion of letting sin into our lives.

What sin satisfied us yesterday, will not satisfy us tomorrow. Sin like cancer only grows stronger until it has overtaken us and kill us. Unfortunately, sin and cancer often go undetected in their earlier stages. Such is the sad situation in the U.S. and the world today.

Have you confessed your sins today?

What have you been practicing?

Continued next Saturday.

What is Sin? Is the Law still valid today?

Unfortunately there are many false or deceived teachers, preachers, and ‘prophets’ today who loudly proclaim that Jesus abolished the Law? Is that true? Is it important?

What does Jehovah have to say about this? As we continue our study of the causes, costs, and consequences of sin, we must face these questions head on or directly.

Even John MacArthur was in error on the Law and sin in a recent sermon. Let us see what or who is right.

First, what is sin?

1 John 3:4  Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 

This could not be more clear, but what does it say? Sin is lawlessness or without the Law. By ignoring, disobeying, or misinterpreting the value and meaning of the Law we fall into the trap of redefining sin. Disobedience to the Law is Jehovah’s means of condemning sinners. Without the Law there would be no sin.

This was the sticking point for John MacArthur, when he said that there was no Law before Mount Sinai in Exodus 20. If that was true, how could Jehovah condemn to death the entire world, less 8 people, to die in a worldwide flood?

Since disobedience is the key to Jehovah’s righteous judgment and condemnation, the Law had to be known in some form and to some degree! The story of Cain and Abel should help inform us on this very unfortunately controversial matter.

Genesis 4:1  Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, "I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD." 4:2  Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 

4:3  So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. 

4:4  Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; 4:5  but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 

4:6  Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 

4:7  "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." 

4:8  Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Now as we carefully read this very familiar passage, let us look at it in regards to sin or lawlessness.

First, who instructed them to offer sacrifices? Second, why did Cain’s sacrifice not satisfy Jehovah? Third, Jehovah uses a warning of sin i.e. lawlessness crouching at the door!

What should we conclude? Even though we have no written evidence of Jehovah instructing Adam, Eve, Cain or Abel in the Law we do have evidence that they acted in accordance to what could only have been told them by Jehovah.

Acceptable vs. unacceptable sacrifices.

Cain’s displeasure in having his sacrifice being refused or considered unworthy. We could also say that while Abel followed the Law of Jehovah as he knew it, Cain made up his version i.e. he invented religion instead of trying to deepen his personal relationship with Jehovah. The world continues to do this today with all the ‘religions’ that are man’s way of creating Jehovah in their own image.

We have Jehovah’s warning about the sin being dangerously close to Cain. Finally, we have the end result of sin when it is not addressed according to Jehovah’s righteous commands.

Cain killed his brother! His anger at Jehovah was directed to his brother. Jehovah then punished Cain.

Gen 4:10  He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground. 

Genesis 4:11  "Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 4:12  "When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth." 

The one remaining question would be why did Jehovah not kill Cain? We have no written biblical answer to that question. But we do have some other references to inform us.

1 John 3:11  For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 3:12  not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous. 

Hebrews 11:4  By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. 

What can we now say about sin and Cain? Cain was the evil one! What is evil? How could his deeds be considered evil if there was no understanding of the Law of Jehovah and therefore no definition of what is evil? Clearly Cain knew better because Jehovah had made it known to Adam and Cain.

3:5  You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 3:6  No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 

3:7  Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;3:8  the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 

3:9  No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

3:10  By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. 

Here we have a final understanding of the dangers and nature of sin. Sin is unrighteousness. Not loving your brother, both natural and spiritual, is sin and unrighteousness. Cain did not love Abel, as he murdered him.

If all of us don’t constantly strive to practice righteousness, by default we are practicing unrighteousness.

This once again brings to mind a much used phrase, “Practice makes perfect”. But, that is not really true. Only perfect practice makes perfect results, i.e. skills, lifestyle choices, and righteousness!

What are you practicing today?

What are you getting better at by your practice?

To be continued next Saturday.

Sorry for the delay, a problem came up.

I could not post this past Saturday but will be back this coming Saturday.

The causes, costs, and consequences of sin!

Sin is not a very common word found in “churches” today. No one really wants the conviction of their sin, but often call for the punishment of those who “sin” against them. Let us start at the beginning to add to our understanding and help us see more clearly how Jehovah sees our sin and His warnings, which often go unheeded.

Genesis 3:1  Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"

As a reminder to all of us, we cannot blame Satan for our own actions and sins. We have free choice, an amazing mind, Bibles everywhere, “churches” in every city in the U.S., and creation, which should leave us amazed and speechless. Needless to say, Satan often starts by questioning our knowledge of Jehovah’s Word.

3:2  The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3:3  but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" 

Did Jehovah actually say all of this? Where did she come up with not touching this fruit? She had most likely heard this from Adam, but in whatever time has elapsed, either Adam, Eve, or both of them added touching.

Gen 2:16  The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; Gen 2:17  but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." 

3:4  The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! 

We now go from Satan questioning our understanding of what Jehovah said, to now stating that what we had heard was wrong or worse, that Jehovah lied to us.

3:5  "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 

Jehovah never mentioned how to understand what evil meant other than it was opposite of good. Satan presents this as something worthy of pursuing. Jehovah knows both so why shouldn’t Adam and Even know? What is Jehovah withholding from them (and us).

3:6  When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 

While we know that the temptation in of itself is not sin, but by dwelling on it for even a few seconds more can lead to sin.

James 1:13  Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

1:14  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 

1:15  Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 

How long of a look at a beautiful women will it take for many men to go from tempted to sin? How long of a look would it take for women to do the same to a handsome man? What about your friends new car of house? Coveting, lusting, letting anger fester, etc. all our ways temptation leads to sin.

3:7  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 

Eyes open to entice you to sin is not a good thing.

R Zaccharias — 'Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-26

We are now coming to the close of this particular study. We have studied the appropriate passages in both the New Testament and Old or First Testament. I believe we have one more passage that confirms what we have already studied in great detail. We will start with Jehovah’s initial command or charge to the nation of Israel in Exodus

Exodus 19:5  'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 

As with all of Jehovah’s commands and promises of blessings, we begin with the one unchangeable, undeniable requirement for obedience. The blessings are conditional to the obedience.

19:6  and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel." 

Did the nation of Israel, which includes the house of Judah and house of Israel, ever become this kingdom of priests and a holy nation?

The sad answer is that it did not because they did not obey. But now in the New Testament something has changed. This is not an ethnic change but an inward spiritual change.

1 Peter 2:9  But you are A CHOSEN RACE,

Peter is writing to a ‘church’ or better said, an assembly, that they are all chosen. No one comes on their own desires or works.

A royal PRIESTHOOD,

This is a very important change in that we are all now part of a royal priesthood. We are not priests in an earthly temple as we are the temple of Jehovah. We are royal because we serve our great High Priest and King.

A HOLY NATION,

Totally separate, totally different, and ultimately pure and undefiled by the world.

A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION,

We have been bought with an infinite cost, the sacrifice of our Redeemer on a cross who has been raised to the right hand of the Father. He is now sitting not standing and there is no more sacrifices needed or required.

so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 

What is Jehovah’s purpose for choosing us? We are to proclaim what is now evident within us. We are to share our knowledge of Him and praise of Him. Lightness only comes from Jehovah, without Him there is only darkness, the realm of Satan.

2:10  for you once were NOT A PEOPLE,

This tells all of us, who are not considered ethnic connected, that this historical separation is now over. Only by Jehovah’s grace is this possible.

but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD;

Only Jehovah can identify, declare, and confirm this new reality. In fact, only true believers in the Messiah are in truly the people of Jehovah. Ethnicity, as we have learned, does not allow us to enter into this new reality.

you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY,

We were all alienated from Jehovah. From the beginning of His redemption from Egypt, only one nation did He choose. But, now salvation has come to all who accept His gift of mercy.

but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

Grace is unmerited mercy. We cannot earn it. We certainly don’t deserve it. Yet, He offers it to all who come to His Son. All of these marvelous truths are now ours.

The original priesthood had to be from the tribe of Levi and from the sons of Aaron. Jesus changed all of that. What Israel could not do has now been done to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

We are the Temple of Jehovah’s Spirit. The Holy of Holies is internal not external. All true believers have received all mentioned above.

There is no distinction and no hierarchy. We are all equal in worth at the throne of Jehovah.

Come back next Saturday as we begin a new study on the causes, costs, and consequences of sin.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-25

We are coming to a close in the Biblical truth about the true Israel and the true Jew. As we have learned, the true believer in Jesus Christ as their High Priest, King, and Redeemer is the true spiritual Israel. As previously mentioned, there is just one ‘church’, one body of Christ, and one Israel. We will now look at more references as to the one body of Christ and what that means to all of us.

Romans 12:3  For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 

Once again we are reminded of being both united in faith and humbled by our faith. There is no hierarchy of faith. All are equal before the LORD. All that we have is a gift from GOD, none of our talents or gifts can we claim as our own. They are GOD given for His glory not ours. Now we know that we have to exercises our gifts for GOD to receive the glory, so we are not to be idle but must be active in using our gifts.

12:4  For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 12:5  so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 

Again we are reminded of the one body, even as we are each unique members. A body that doesn’t have use of all of its functions of its members would be considered handicapped.

12:6  Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 12:7  if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 12:8  or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 

Everyone is given one or more gifts from GOD, but no one gets to choose their gifts nor does anyone get all the gifts. As all are needed, it is imperative that everyone needs to use their gifts accordingly.

Ephesians 4:1  Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 4:2  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 4:3  being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Paul begins this teaching with the somber reminders that we need to walk i.e. live in a humble manner to the very unique and specific calling from GOD. Here we read the emphasis on unity. Satan hates unity of the body so has many schemes to divide us in a myriad of ways. Our sinful flesh often agrees with his schemes and to the world we look like we cannot agree. You may have heard critics of the ‘church’ say that we all have the same Bible but all interpret to our own desires and purposes.

4:4  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 4:5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 4:6  one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Once again we are reminded of the oneness of our calling. There are not two or three bodies, even though it may look like it to the world. We all need to rethink why there is so much division in the true body of Christ.

How does GOD view this disunity?

4:7  But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Paul closes with this amazing reminder.

All we have has been specifically given to us by Jesus Christ. It is all a gift. A gift we neither deserve or can earn. All we can do is humbly, thankfully, and reverently just need to accept.

We may be on our last study next Saturday on the true Israel.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-24

I am sorry to be so late with this posting, my wife’s mother had to go to the ER with internal bleeding yesterday and the day just got away from me. We have now studied all of the most noted verses on Israel, Judah, and what it truly means to be a Jew. All point to two realities as we study further.

First, the ethnic line is in apostasy and will remain so until the Millennial Kingdom. The nation of Israel as we know it today is an idolatrous, ungodly, unrighteous nation that still denies their Messiah.

Second, the more important spiritual Israel is made up true believers in Jesus Christ as their King and High Priest. To further emphasize that point, we will now go to the lesser referenced verses and teachings.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27  For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. 

Baptism into just one body, not one for Israel and another for Judah and another for Christians. Jews and Greeks (all others) are united into the very body of Christ, the Church here on earth.

If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 

And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 

If they were all one member, where would the body be? Not everyone has the same gifts but we are all members. As with our own body, each member is vitally important in order for us to function fully.

But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 

This dispels the false notion that we don’t need one another. The ‘Church’ rarely teaches this even as it calls all to unity, usually unity in the local church.

On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,  whereas our more presentable members have no need of it.

But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 

Only true Christians can actually feel or experience this connection with other true believers. It is the working of the Holy Spirit within us. It is not of our own desire or work.

Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. 

We are one body, one true church, yet we are also individuals. Yet, we need the rest of the body as much as the body needs us to fulfill its divine calling.

No racial division, no age division, no ethnicity division, no division due to prior lives, financial standings, or educational degrees. There are no Republicans or Democrats in Heaven.

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-23

Last week, we left off as Jehovah instructed Moses to get the people ready to hear Him give His commandments to them. His initial instructions were very insightful, as He demanded complete adherence in preparation to His coming and His message. Nothing has changed in regard to His requirements as we must also come to Him on His terms alone. So while many will think I don’t need to read or hear these commandments, as I have heard them all before. Let us hear them with open eyes, ears and minds.

Exodus 20:1  Then God spoke all these words, saying, 20:2  "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 

20:3  "You shall have no other gods before Me.20:4  "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 

20:5  "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

20:6  but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 

20:7  "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. 

These first three must remain first or obeying the rest is futile and useless. There is only one true and living God. He begins by reminding them that just 90 days earlier, He brought them out of Egypt. While He used Moses and Aaron, it was Jehovah that performed all the miracles/plagues before them and destroyed the entire Egyptian army right before their eyes.

20:8  "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 20:9  "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 20:10  but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 20:11  "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. 

Most fail to understand the importance of the fourth commandment. It is the longest commandment. It is a reminder of what Jehovah did during the seven days of creation. It is not, as some teach, only for the ‘Jews’.

You may want to do some research as to the meaning and history of what we have come to know as the seven days of the week. Jehovah numbered 6 days and gave a name, the Sabbath, to the 7th day. Satan renamed all seven after the very gods he created to take worship away from Jehovah.

20:12  "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. 

20:13  "You shall not murder. 

20:14  "You shall not commit adultery. 

20:15  "You shall not steal. 

20:16  "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 

20:17  "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." 

There are come interesting points to make here include that the last ones are directed toward our relationship to fellow men and women, while first four are specific to our relationship to Jehovah.

Coveting is the last commandment and the only one that does not fall under the death penalty. Why? I believe that is true because as we let coveting fester in our hearts, minds, and bodies, we eventually will soon violate the other commandments, whereby we will fall under the death penalty.

20:18  All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 

20:19  Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die." 

20:20  Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin." 

20:21  So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where GOD was. 

Not only did the arrival of GOD strike fear into the hearts of the people, but His voice struck them with terror. Just hearing the voice of GOD made them fear for their lives.

20:22  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. 

20:23  'You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. 

20:24  'You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. 

20:25  'If you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it. 20:26  'And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed on it.' 

What can we learn from this reminder by GOD?

These commandments were emphasized because in just 40 days, they would violate every one of them.

All of this was already known by GOD, but not by Moses, Aaron, or the people.

Promises of blessings, covenants from GOD, and protection by GOD are all dependent of obedience to GOD.

As we have studied so far, the true sons of GOD are those who worship Him in Spirit and truth, which demands obedience to all matters to Him.

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-22

We ended last week with Jehovah giving His covenant to Moses. He first prepared Moses for His personal deliverance and declaration of His covenant. What did Jehovah require before He came down to speak to all of them? How do you prepare to meet GOD?

Exodus 19:9  The LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever." Then Moses told the words of the people to the LORD. 

19:10  The LORD also said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments;

19:11  and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 

19:12  "You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 

19:13  'No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain." 

How holy is Jehovah? What does He expect and require of us? How should we prepare to meet Him? Someday we all will be in front of Him. Will He be the same then, as on this day that is fast approaching the people of Israel?

The people have to do four things; Consecrate themselves, that is devote themselves to this coming event. Wash all their clothing. Stay clear of this mountain as it is death to all who touch it. Lastly, stay away from women, I take this to mean your wife. You are to prepare mind, body, and soul for this momentous event.

19:14  So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments.

19:15  He said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman."

19:16  So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 

9:17  And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 

19:18  Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 

19:19  When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. 

All of this is just a small display of the glory, power, majesty, and honor of our GOD. Imagine being there as the land was quaking, the top of the mountain was covered in smoke, thunder and lightning were present, and then fire from Heaven descended to the top of this mountain. All while the trumpet was getting louder.

All of this everyone could see, hear, and feel.

19:20  The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 

19:21  Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 

19:22  "Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them." 

19:23  Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, 'Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.'" 

Jehovah had already given these instructions to Moses, but He repeated them. Why? Emphasis could be the answer. But, Jehovah knew the hearts of the people and what they would soon be doing at the foot of this holy mountain. They would have no excuse.

19:24  Then the LORD said to him, "Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break forth upon them." 

19:25  So Moses went down to the people and told them. 

Moses spoke with Jehovah face to face, which is amazing in itself. But, Moses obeyed, which is a lesson for all of us.

How did this great meeting end?

More next Saturday.

Also, my book can now be found on Amazon.

The Title is “The Identify Theft of Jesus Christ”

The Lost Tribes of Israel-21

We will now take a brief look at what is referred to as the Mosaic Covenant. This is presented by Jehovah to Moses just 90 or less days from their leaving Egypt. But He first revealed this to Moses in Midian.

Exodus 19:1  In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 

19:2  When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. 

This mountain is not just any mountain, but the very mountain upon which Jehovah first called out to Moses.

Exodus 3:1  Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 3:2  The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3:3  So Moses said, "I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up." 

3:4  When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 

3:5  Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 

This will be reinforced and made abundantly clearer later.

3:6  He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 3:7  The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 

3:8  "So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 

3:9  "Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them. 3:10  "Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt." 

3:11  But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" 

3:12  And He said, "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain." 

Here we read the beginning of the revelation of Jehovah’s covenant to the tribes of Jacob/Israel. It will be reinforced and emphasized later after they leave Egypt. This mountain can now be visited in the southern part of Saudi Arabia, known as Midian. The mountain is referred to as Mount Sinai. The locals still refer to it as Moses’ Mountain. It has been fenced off and under armed guards in Saudi Arabia for years, but now is open.

19:3  Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: 19:4  'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. 

19:5  'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 19:6  and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel." 

Did these people ever really become a holy nation and kingdom of priests to Jehovah?

So once again, we read that obedience is the condition upon which all of Jehovah’s blessings rests. He will not bless those who do not obey, instead He will curse those who disobey. More later on this subject.

19:7  So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD had commanded him. 

19:8  All the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do!" And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD.

Just 90 days out of a 400 year period of being in Egypt and this large group is now publicly agreeing to do all Jehovah has commanded.

Would they?

Did they?

What did Jehovah do?

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-20

We left with the official divorce of the 10 Northern Tribes known as Israel or Samaria. But before we go onto more verses on this very controversial subject that has divided Protestantism, we should once again confirm why they were divorced. Jehovah’s promises of blessings, His covenants, and His redemption are all conditional on one thing. That is obedience. This cannot be overlooked, minimized, or relegated to being out of touch with grace. Let us review the covenant with Abraham.

Genesis 15:1  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." 

15:2  Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 

15:3  And Abram said, "Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir."

15:4  Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir." 

15:5  And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 

5:6  Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 

This covenant with Abraham has more than one part, but let us see if we can find some common threads that connect them.

First, Jehovah promised Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars in the heavens.

Genesis 17:10  "This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 

17:11  "And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 

17:12  "And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. 

17:13  "A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 

17:14  "But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant." 

Now we read that Jehovah gave very specific instructions as to His requirements for His covenants. He said who should be circumcised, when they should be circumcised, how they should be circumcised, and what happens if they are not circumcised. The covenant is broken when there is disobedience. Obedience is always required, that is our part of the covenant, just as it was to Abraham.

Genesis 22:10  Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 

22:11  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 

22:12  He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

22:13  Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 

22:14  Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided."

22:15  Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 22:16  and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 

22:17  indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 

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

Here we read a most often remembered time of Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac. This was the test the LORD gave to Abraham, not so Jehovah could confirm the heart of Abraham, but so Abraham could more fully understand that importance of complete obedience.

What have we learned?

First, Jehovah’s blessings require obedience.

Second, the nation of Judah/Israel/Samaria never fully realized the promise in this covenant. They were never in their history so numerous as the sands or the stars.

Third, this same nation never blessed directly all the nations of the earth. They constantly reverted to gross idolatry and immorality. They were captured, kept captive, and controlled by many other nations. The city of Jerusalem and Temple were destroyed more than once and rebuilt.

Lastly, the only seed that could and has blessed all the nations is Jesus Christ. Isaac did not bless all the nations. Jacob did not bless all the nations. Moses did not bless all the nations, etc. etc.

This is a messianic promise with the fulfillment being initially realized some 1400-1500 years later.

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-19

We left for a much needed vacation last week and returned refreshed and ready to continue.

We have now studied how the 10 northern tribes known as Israel never truly returned to the land known also referred to as Samaria. They were scattered all around the land of Assyria and remained idolatrous in a land of idolatry. But, what about Judah? Where they more righteous? Did they worship Jehovah alone? They had the Temple, the prophets, the sacrifices all in the city of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 3:1  God says, "If a husband divorces his wife And she goes from him And belongs to another man, Will he still return to her? Will not that land be completely polluted? But you are a harlot with many lovers; Yet you turn to Me," declares the LORD. 

3:2  "Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see; Where have you not been violated? By the roads you have sat for them Like an Arab in the desert, And you have polluted a land With your harlotry and with your wickedness. 

3:3  "Therefore the showers have been withheld, And there has been no spring rain. Yet you had a harlot's forehead; You refused to be ashamed. 

So often we find that we are just like Israel and Judah. We chase after all that the world, the culture, our idols of sports, entertainment, and media. We gradually sink into our own sinful idolatry and forget and deny all that Jehovah has given us, spoken to us, and created for us.

We also don’t connect the dots. That is we don’t see that our behavior has anything to do with our circumstances. We are merely victims of cosmic forces and evil people who don’t agree with us.

3:4  "Have you not just now called to Me, 'My Father, You are the friend of my youth? 

3:5  'Will He be angry forever? Will He be indignant to the end?' Behold, you have spoken And have done evil things, And you have had your way." Faithless Israel Called to Repentance.

Who is truly crying out to Jehovah in repentance and confession; both for themselves and for this nation? Most are afraid of calling anything out as evil, immoral, or ungodly. We fear men far more than we fear Jehovah. As has been said earlier, in seeking to not offend men, few take time to truthfully consider how we offend Jehovah.

3:6  Then the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king, "Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. 

3:7  "I thought, 'After she has done all these things she will return to Me'; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

3:8  "And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. 

So know we read about this writ of divorce to faithless Israel. Israel was a harlot, a sinful prostitute. She sought out other gods under every tree and high hill. These were common idolatrous places for human sacrifices, idol worship, and sexual intercourse under the guise of worship.

Judah was not innocent or more righteous than Israel. Why did Jehovah not give her a writ of divorce? He did send her away to captivity into Babylon. Daniel was one of just four named who were carried away.

Jehovah’s patience is often totally misrepresented and confused with grace or tacit agreement. Jehovah says no as she is a harlot as well. He calls Judah treacherous and more faithless than Israel!

3:9  "Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. 

3:10  "Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception," declares the LORD. 

3:11  And the LORD said to me, "Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 

3:12  "Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, 'Return, faithless Israel,' declares the LORD; 'I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious,' declares the LORD; 'I will not be angry forever.

Yet with all this horrendous harlotry and outright denial of the fear of Jehovah, He still calls them back. But they must repentant and confess their sins. They must deny and destroy all their idols. They need to forsake all of their old fellow idol worshipers. They must turn completely around and cry out to Jehovah for mercy.

This change of heart, this change of direction, this change of priorities, this change of plans, and this change of heart is more needed today than in perhaps any other time in history.

Do you feel estranged from Jehovah?

Do you wonder why certain things are happening to you?

Have you truly sought out Jehovah in fear and trembling?

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-18

We left off last week with the 10 northern tribes being taken away to Assyria. Did they ever return? The biblical answer is no. Let us finish the chapter we started with last week.

2 Kings 17:24  The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sephar-vaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. 

Assyria settled the people of Israel throughout the kingdom and resettled the land with people from other parts of the kingdom. There is no real returning of these 10 tribes to the land of Samaria. They were spread out and lived their idolatrous lives in the land that fostered this idolatry. They fit right into their new surroundings.

17:25  At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them which killed some of them. 

17:26  So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land." 

So here we discover their first problem or lie, they only considered that God was only over the land in question. They had no consideration for the God who created all the heavens, all the earth, and all the people.

17:27  Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into exile and let him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land."

17:28  So one of the priests whom they had carried away into exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. 

Here is the world’s solution to a problem that has no worldly solution. Let us appease this local god. Let us bring back one of the priests of this local diety and let him teach them just enough to rid the land of lions.

17:29  But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 

17:30  The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 17:31  and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim. 

The vast plurality of names of false gods only serves to bring to mind the range of cultures and languages. Satan uses the same gods, but lets the local culture and language worship and identify with it. Thus we find sun worship throughout the world. We find child sacrifice and fertility rites everywhere as well. Most often, it is the same idol with just a name from the language of the people in each area or nation.

17:32  They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. 17:33  They feared the LORD and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile. 

This seems to be an oxymoron; how can you fear the LORD and worship idols at the same time? Idolatry doesn’t make sense, even as it is practiced throughout the world today. Customs and traditions of men are preferred over the doctrines of the LORD, even in ‘Christian’ churches today.

17:34  To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the LORD commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel; 7:35  with whom the LORD made a covenant and commanded them, saying, "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them. 17:36  "But the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.

Has God not made this abundantly clear? Does the Bible not detail His warnings, His redemption from Egypt, and His bringing them into the Promised Land? It is too easy to see the sins of the twelve tribes in the desert and in the 10 tribes of Samaria, but so hard to see it right under our own noses!

17:37  "The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods. 17:38  "The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods.

17:39  "But the LORD your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies." 

Two problems! One we don’t really know God’s word as we should. We also forget what He has said. Neither is right, neither is safe, and neither is without eternal consequences.

17:40  However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom. 17:41  So while these nations feared the LORD, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day. 

Be aware of the strength and resiliency of false beliefs, traditions, and membership in a ‘church’. Church membership has no more bearing on your eternal salvation than does circumcision.

What have we learned?

1. The 10 northern tribes never returned to Samaria.

2. Adding a little worship of God to your plurality of other gods only increases your condemnation.

3. Having a little or small concept or understanding of God is eternally dangerous.

4. The world and the church is full of false teachers.

   More next Saturday

The Lost Tribes of Israel-17

There is no one who is truly lost by Jehovah. He doesn’t lose or lose track of anyone. He knows all whom He created in His image. So let us take a brief review of who are the lost tribes. They are lost because they were taken into captivity and never truly returned intact. Let us review this sad event in the history of the 10 northern tribes.

2 Kngs 17:1  In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned nine years.  17:2  He did evil in the sight of the LORD, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

Not one king in all of the history of the 10 northern tribes, known as Israel, was good but evil. Judah had both good kings and evil kings.

17:3  Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute. 

17:4  But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and had offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison. 

People sin against Jehovah all the time but don’t always feel the consequences of their rebellious sins. However, worldly kings don’t tolerate deceit and rebellion.

17:5  Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years. 

17:6  In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 

Three years is a very long time to be surrounded by enemies and held captive in your own cities without any chance of replenishing food or water.

17:7  Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods 

17:8  and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced. 

17:9  The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against the LORD their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. 

17:10  They set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 17:11  and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the LORD had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the LORD. 

17:12  They served idols, concerning which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this thing." 

It was Jehovah who sent the Assyrians to punish Israel. They had been warned repeatedly but ignored all the warnings. They had access to the truth, but instead persisted in living without it. This always leads to terrible depravity, debasement, and denial.

17:13  Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets." 

17:14  However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God. 

17:15  They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them. 

17:16  They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. 

17:17  Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him.

17:18  So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.

Jehovah let this go one for generations. He sent prophets, who they ignored. His Temple remained in Jerusalem, which they ignored. Too far to travel. Too hard to take time out of busy lives. No real relevance to how we live today.

Does this sound familiar? Clearly Jehovah took them out of the very land He had promised to them. But, Jehovah’s blessings are all conditional on our behavior. He will not bless idolatrous, disobedient, self-righteous people.

Unfortunately for them as for us, Satan will flood us with false teachers who deceive us and cater to our sinful nature, flesh, and worldly desires. Since this is true, who came back to live in this land known as Samaria?

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-16

As we studied last week, we all can begin to understand how the division and confusion began. Unless you seriously look at all the pertinent verses on this subject, you will only have a partial understanding, which means you will not be right but wrong most of the time. We also must contend against 100’s of years of traditions and Satan’s relentless pursuit of destroying the ‘church’ of Jesus Christ.

Let us look once again into the name, meaning or designation of the word Jew. Jew only refers historically to those of the tribe of Judah. The word Jew first appears in the Old Testament in Esther, once in Jeremiah, and once in Zechariah. To better understand how this all ties together, we must go back to the sons of Noah. We studied this earlier, so we will just review in this context. All the families, tribes, and nations on the earth came from these three sons. Gen 10:1  Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and sons were born to them after the flood. 

Geesisn 10:1  Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and sons were born to them after the flood. 

Of these three, we know that Ham was evil. From Ham we find Cush, Put, and Nimrod. From Nimrod we see they continued evil in his building of Babel, which is in Babylon.

Genesis 10:2  The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras. 

10:3  The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah. 

From all of these sons mentioned, we find a two that continue on in history, Magog and Ashkenaz. Gog and Magog not only are in the history of Israel, but are still seen in some ritual celebrations in England. The one that is important in our study is Ashkenaz.

But, first we need to reconfirm that only the sons of Shem are in God’s line to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the Messiah. All the other sons of Shem’s brothers serve idols and are the enemies of God and His people.

Genesis 10:20  These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, by their nations. 

10:21  Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born.

The word Hebrew comes for the name of Eber. Out of Shem’s lineage we find Peleg, Terah, and Abram. While Noah was a righteous man, he did not raise three righteous sons. There are numerous examples of godly fathers having godless sons. There is only one clear example of a godly father being recognized by God as raising godly sons.

While this should bring into our consciousness is that it is a very hard, challenging task for fathers to raise godly children. While it is hard and rare, it is not impossible.

Ezekiel 44:15  "But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer Me the fat and the blood," declares the Lord GOD. 

44:16  "They shall enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My table to minister to Me and keep My charge. 

44:17  "It shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and wool shall not be on them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner court and in the house. 

44:18  "Linen turbans shall be on their heads and linen undergarments shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat. 

44:19  "When they go out into the outer court, into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments. 

44:20  "Also they shall not shave their heads, yet they shall not let their locks grow long; they shall only trim the hair of their heads. 

44:21  "Nor shall any of the priests drink wine when they enter the inner court. 

44:22  "And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman but shall take virgins from the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest. 

44:23  "Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. 

Why, do you ask, do we need to discuss fatherhood in this study?

First, so we don’t look at Noah and his sons as the exception to the rule. Only Shem and his sons, not all of his sons, continued in the line of the Messiah.

Second, sons are either godly or ungodly, righteous or unrighteous. There are no almost good enough sons. We need to fully understand this as it will continue to be revealed in our study.

Third, only God identifies who is godly or righteous, not man.

Next Saturday we will try to identify why Jesus warns us in Revelation 3.

Revelation 3:9  'Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-15

Now that we have established that Jehovah brought many different nationalities into His kingdom here on earth of which we are one! What are the critical verses that have caused such a division within the ‘Protestant’ religion? We should now start to understand why there is such confusion? Jehovah is not the GOD of confusion, but Satan is! Satan will deceive, divide, deny, and create divorce among families and communities of faith. I will introduce a few of the many verses that cause concern.

Romans 2:28  For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.

2:29  But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God. 

Galatians 3:6  Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

3:7  Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 

3:8  The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU." 

3:9  So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. 

Romans 9:6  But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 

9:7  nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED." 

9:8  That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 

Ephesians 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 

1:4  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 

1:5  He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 

1:6  to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 

1:7  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 

1:8  which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 

1:9  He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 

1:10  with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 

1:11  also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 

1:12  to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 

1:13  In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 

1:14  who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. 

Revelation 3:9  'Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.

We will not go into depth on these verses today, but I want you to contemplate just what is said in all of them. I will summarize a few very important statements.

First, Romans 2 -Jew is known as a term that refers to being from the tribe of family of Judah. We, being in Christ, are really the ‘true’ Jews.

Second, Galatians 3-Again, the true ‘sons of Abraham’ are not related thru the flesh but by faith are solely related thru the Spirit.

Third, Romans 9-The true ‘sons of Abraham’ come thru the promise to Abraham not the physical flesh of Abraham.

Fourth, Ephesians 1-We were chosen by Jehovah before Abraham or Jacob were born. We are by faith all part of God’s chosen people and will enjoy the inheritance of being heirs.

Fifth, Revelation 3-Satan has deceived the entire world into believing that the only true, uniquely chosen people of God are those who self-identify as being a Jew. Jehovah says they are many are lying about their being a Jew.

As you can know see, this is a very difficult and controversial topic to study. It has been caught up in the rhetoric and defense of a variety of false beliefs to the extent that the ‘church’ no longer truly goes to the Word of Jehovah to find the truth about which they so vehemently proclaim, defend, and support.

We will continue let the Word of Jehovah be our sole guide in truth.

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-14

We left off with Ruth returning home to Naomi after a long, hard day of working in the fields of Boaz. As Paul Harvey used to say, now the rest of the story.

Ruth 3:1  Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? 

3:2  "Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. 

3:3  "Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 

3:4  "It shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do." 

3:5  She said to her, "All that you say I will do." 

This is a very controversial passage, yet Jehovah works through the decisions of men to bring about His plan. It almost sounds like some kind of entrapment, but as there is no passage in Scripture that describes this plan, it will have to be a plan by Naomi, perhaps inspired by generations of women.

It can be noted that Ruth had to clean up for her role. Few men are attracted to dirty, disheveled, and poorly dressed women. Even though Jehovah looks at the inside while men look on the outside, Boaz is already acquainted with Ruth’s godly character. Since she is younger than Boaz, she had to let him know that his age did not pose any problem for her.

3:6  So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. 

3:7  When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down. 

3:8  It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. 

3:9  He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative." 

3:10  Then he said, "May you be blessed of the LORD, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. 

3:11  "Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence. 

Here we read that Boaz affirms his own view of the character of Ruth by calling her a woman of excellence. He also knows alot about his standing to become her kinsman redeemer.

3:12  "Now it is true I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. 

3:13  "Remain this night, and when morning comes, if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the LORD lives. Lie down until morning." 

3:14  So she lay at his feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another; and he said, "Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor." 

His concern for her reputation is admirable and godly.

3:15  Again he said, "Give me the cloak that is on you and hold it." So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her. Then she went into the city. 

Once again, Boaz makes sure they are provided for but this time as a gift from him. It also shows his true desire to do exactly as he had stated.

3:16  When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, "How did it go, my daughter?" And she told her all that the man had done for her. 

3:17  She said, "These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, 'Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'" 

3:18  Then she said, "Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he has settled it today." 

Boaz will now show all that he is a man of excellence. He is also a man that doesn’t waste time or let a god-given opportunity go by him. You will notice that there is no record of Boaz praying to Jehovah to ask if he should go on with his plan, as this is what Jehovah had already clearly stated for widows within a tribe.

4:1  Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, "Turn aside, friend, sit down here." And he turned aside and sat down. 

Again we see how Jehovah’s providence brings the only other man, who can legally marry Ruth and buy the property from Naomi, right to Boaz.

4:2  He took ten men of the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down. 

4:3  Then he said to the closest relative, "Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 

4:4  "So I thought to inform you, saying, 'Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, tell me that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.'" And he said, "I will redeem it." 

Ten witnesses and the laying out of the sale of the land began early in the day. This un-named relative eagerly says he will buy the land. He has the means and recognizes that land doesn’t come up for sale too often, as it is usually leased until the year of Jubilee.

4:5  Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance." 

4:6  The closest relative said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, because I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it." 

4:7  Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 

4:8  So the closest relative said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself." And he removed his sandal. 

Well the price just went up or the cost became too high, so this un-named relative said no to Ruth.

How often does this type of decision come before us? Do we choose the wordly answer but balk at Jehovah’s more costly plan?

4:9  Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. 

4:10  "Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his birth place; you are witnesses today." 

4:11  All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. 

4:12  "Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the LORD will give you by this young woman." 

Boaz had the means, knew the Law, and was ready to assume the god-given responsibility presented to him. What was the result?

4:13  So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 

This is an important note. Ruth had been married in Moab but had to children. As soon as everyone was totally obeying Jehovah, He opened her womb.

4:14  Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. 

4:15  "May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him." 

4:16  Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 

4:17  The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi!" So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 

So what can we learn from this ending of Jehovah’s story for Ruth?

First, Jehovah’s plan for our lives are often first revealed in the seemingly small events of our lives.

Second, obedience is most important to fully realized Jehovah’s blessings.

Third,Boaz is remembered but the other close relative is forgotten. Un-named people can be considered not worthy of being remembered.

Fourth, we may never know what Jehovah’s has planned in the distant future when we obey in the present.

Fifth, Ruth is Rahab’s daughter-in-law and David’s great grandmother. She is also remembered as being in the lineage of Jesus Christ, as is Rahab, Salmon, and Boaz.

Matthew 1:5  Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 

How do you want to be remembered?

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-13

Sorry for missing last week, but we were called out of town and did not get back in time to complete this lesson. We will try to conclude out brief lesson on God’s providence with Ruth and then go on to our study on Israel.

Ruth 2:1  Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 

2:2  And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor." And she said to her, "Go, my daughter." 

How do two widows survive without husbands? One way to get food is to go into the fields and glean what is left from the reapers. No welfare and no handouts, just earnest, hard work in the sun all day.

2:3  So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 

2:4  Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, "May the LORD be with you." And they said to him, "May the LORD bless you." 

2:5  Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?" 

Three things should catch our attention. First, Ruth unknowingly found herself in the field of Boaz. Second, we see something about the man of Boaz, who gives a very godly greeting to his reapers. Third, Boaz took notice of Ruth, just one of the women gleaning.

2:6  The servant in charge of the reapers replied, "She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. 

2:7  "And she said, 'Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.' Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while." 

The servant knew alot about Ruth. Bethlehem was a very small town, probably full of people who were related in some way to each other. Also, note that Ruth asked permission for her to glean. This is a very humble sign of respect.

2:8  Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. 

2:9  "Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw." 

2:10  Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?"

Boaz was going to make sure she could safely glean without concern. He also extended her the favor of being able to find water easily. Ruth was surprised at Boaz’s kindness. His kindness was to let her work all day in the field to provide some grain for her and Naomi. He could have just said come back tomorrow and take all you want, but that was not God’s plan for widows.

2:11  Boaz replied to her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. 

2:12  "May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge." 

2:13  Then she said, "I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants." 

Boaz apparently knew alot about Ruth, probably because he had inquired and also Naomi’s return caused a stir in Bethlehem. Her leaving Moab to seek God’s blessings and protection is evidence that she had left al of her past.

2:14  At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar." So she sat beside the reapers; and he served her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left. 

2:15  When she rose to glean, Boaz commanded his servants, saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not insult her. 

2:16  "Also you shall purposely pull out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her."

2:17  So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 

Boaz continued to show small amounts of favor to Ruth. He wanted to make sure she and Naomi could eat. Ruth worked all day in the sun and then after that beat our the barley! A very long day of hard, hot work.

2:18  She took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied. 

Let us not overlook the fact that Ruth saved some of the food provided to her by Boaz and now shares it with Naomi.

2:19  Her mother-in-law then said to her, "Where did you glean today and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed." So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, "The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz." 

2:20  Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed of the LORD who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead." Again Naomi said to her, "The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives." 

2:21  Then Ruth the Moabitess said, "Furthermore, he said to me, 'You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.'" 

Now Naomi recognizes the kindness of Boaz and gives blessing from God to him. Is Naomi less bitter now? The barley harvest is the first of two harvests. The wheat harvest comes closely after this. So Ruth has the chance to glean enough barley and wheat to sustain them through the winter until next harvest time.

Can you see how God works through the little, common events of life to make His plan complete? Too many of us have not noticed God in the small events of our ‘ordinary’ lives, but instead watched and waited for the ‘big’ events. What have we missed? What have we failed to thank God for in every new day?

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-12

The men’s Bible study, which I have taught for over 20 years, is also studying this very same topic. I failed to give you the important example of Jehovah’s absolute sovereignty in election in the story of Ruth. I will attempt to reveal this to you and then go back to our study on Israel. Of course, as we have studied, Ruth is a very important example of the ethnicity of Judah/Israel. Let us begin in Chapter 1.

Ruth 1:1  Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.  1:2  The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there. 

We will begin by identifying some very important facts.

First, we did not find any notice of Elimelech praying for wisdom during this famine. Second, Moab was off-limits to Israelites. While this prohibition was often violated, it does not nullify Jehovah’s warnings. Remember, the nations of both Moab and Ammon were the offsprings of the incest of Lot’s daughters.

Deuteronomy 23:3  "No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD, 23:4  because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. 

There are numerous passages in Judges, Kings, and Chronicles detailing the long-standing battles between Moab and Israel/Judah. Moab was an enemy nation, not a place of refuge. So Elinelech ignored Jehovah’s commandments and went to Moab.

1:3  Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. 

1:4  They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. 

1:5  Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband. 

Once again, they were prohibited from marrying outside the nation, especially Moabite women. But, they ignored this command and they both died without any children.

1:6  Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the LORD had visited His people in giving them food. 

1:7  So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 

1:8  And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 

1:9  "May the LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 

This is quite a touching scene, three widows with very few options. Interestingly, Naomi stayed in Moab until she saw the economy was better again in Judah.

1:10  And they said to her, "No, but we will surely return with you to your people." 

1:11  But Naomi said, "Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 

1:12  "Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, 1:13  would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the LORD has gone forth against me." 

This is just the first of Naomi’s blaming Jehovah for all of her problems, totally ignoring that they had disobeyed Him by leaving 10 years earlier.

:14  And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 

1:15  Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law." 

This is a very disturbing statement by Naomi, especially in light of the following testimony of Ruth. Naomi, who should have firmly known that the gods of Moab were not gods. Jehovah was the only true and living God, yet she was comfortable sending these young women back to an idolatrous, child-sacrificing life. It would seem that Naomi had presented Jehovah to them, but now seems willing to send them back.

1:16  But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 

1:17  "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me." 

1:18  When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. 

Ruth’s testimony is important in contrast to Naomi’s comments and the turning back of Orpah.

1:19  So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, "Is this Naomi?" 

1:20  She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 

1:21  "I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?" 

Here we once again find Naomi appearing to blame Jehovah for all her problems. Not once is there any indication of her recognizing any personal responsibility.

1:22  So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. 

Let us now begin to summarize some evidences of Jehovah’s calling Ruth and how His plans are never interrupted by man’s disobedience.

First, a famine in the land led Elimelech to go to Moab, even though it was against Jehovah’s warnings.

Second, the sons married Moab women, again a violation of His warnings.

Third, all of the men died and no off-springs. Jehovah had closed their wombs. Why?

Fourth, Naomi stayed 10 years, most of which without her husband. Why did she not immediately return to her home and extended family? Just like Lot’s wife, she may have enjoyed living in Moab.

Fifth, Ruth had miraculously turned her life over to Jehovah. But, how could she grow spiritually in Moab?

Sixth, they arrived exactly at the beginning of the barley harvest. This is very significant as we will see next week.

More next Saturday.

The Lost Tribes of Israel-11

Israel as a word or term is associated with many different entities or persons. This one fact has led to some of the confusion among the denominations. Let us look at this list.

First, it is the new name given to Jacob. Yet, in the New Testament, Jesus still refers to him as Jacob.

Matthew 1:2  Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

1:15  Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob.

:16  Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

8:11  "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;

22:32  'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."

It is also used for the nation of Israel. Jehovah describes Himself as the God of Israel. As we just read, He also refers to Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! So it would appear that He uses these names interchangeably.

The tribes of Israel refers to the 12 sons of Jacob/Israel and their extended families.

Genesis 32:28  He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." 

While we read that God changed his name on his way from the house of Laban, He still uses Jacob as well.

Genesis 46:1  So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 

46:2  God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here I am." 

46:3  He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. 

46:4  "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes." 

46:5  Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 

This seems rather confusing and contradictory. Is his name Jacob or Israel? Both are used in these 5 verses. This certainly has added to the differences in opinions on this important matter. God spoke to Israel by calling out Jacob. The sons of Israel carried their father Jacob.

Genesis 48:1  Now it came about after these things that Joseph was told, "Behold, your father is sick." So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. 

48:2  When it was told to Jacob, "Behold, your son Joseph has come to you," Israel collected his strength and sat up in the bed. 

This is the passage where Jacob/Israel blesses his sons and the sons of Joseph. Again we read of this dichotomy of references, Jacob and Israel in the same passages and verses.

We will continue on our study of this important division within Protestantism by adding to this confusion before God’s Word begins to reveal what is really meant. We can understand how godly men could have disagreed, but God is not a God of confusion.

More next Saturday.