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THE MESSIANIC PROPHECY BIBLE PROJECT
http://www.messianicbible.com
HEAR O ISRAEL
www.hearoisrael.org
SHEEPFOLD GLEANINGS WRITTEN BY JULIE PARKER
www.sheepfoldgleanings.com
MESSIANIC ISRAEL ALLIANCE
http://www.messianicisrael.com
AZAMRA TORAH FOR OUR TIME – RABBI AVRAHAM
GREENBAUM
http://www.azamra.org
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TORAH: Leviticus 25:1-26:2
HAFTARAH: Jeremiah 32:6-27
B’RIT CHADASHAH: Luke 4:16-21
All references: The Scripture 1998+ unless otherwise noted
“BeHar” (bet-hey-reish), means “on the Mount”, the deeper
meaning:
• “bet” is “house”;
• “hey” is “revelation” and;
• “reish” is “beginning”, “head” or “top”.
“BeHar” (on the mount) means the “house of revelation is on
top”. The numeric value of the letters is 207; which also equals:
• “ohr” or “light”;
• “a‟dabar” or “I will speak” and
• “a‟ra‟ah” or “I will appear”.
It’s also important to remember; that in Torah, there is no time.
Even though we’ve seen the construction of the “Mishkan” and
it’s inauguration, along with the consecration and ordination of
the priests, these words are spoken when Moshe is still up on
Mount Sinai for the third time and is a continuation of Exodus 34
when ‫ יהוה‬had him cut two tablets of stone.
This week our Parsha deals primarily with the Shemittah (the 7th year
in a cycle) and the Year of Jubilee/Yovel (the 50th year). These are the
cycles of 7 and 50 years that ‫ יהוה‬has established so that the land of
Israel might rest. The instructions for these years were to take effect
when they entered the Promised Land:
..'When you come into the land which I give you.. Leviticus 25:2
The Shemittah (7th year) and the Jubilee (50th year) are both based on
the number seven. The Shemittah cycle parallels the seven day
creation week, in that the 7th year is a year of rest. It also corresponds
to the idea that the earth will exist (the way we know it today) for six
thousand years, followed by one thousand years of rest known as the
7th millennium. The Jubilee year follows seven sets of seven years. The
Year of Jubilee is an 8th year, following the last set of seven years. The
Year of Jubilee can also be identified with Shavuot which is the 50th
day in the counting of the omer. Shavuot and the Year of Jubilee both
have to do with freedom. As an 8th day, the Year of Jubilee is also
identified with the 8th day of Sukkot in the fall and finds its connection
in the concept of eternity.
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And ‫ יהוה‬spoke to Mosheh on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the
children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land
which I give you, then the land shall observe a Sabbath to ‫יהוה‬.
(Leviticus 25:1-2 )
The exact day, that the children of Israel entered the Promised
Land is no longer known. Thus, the starting dates of the
Sabbatical Year and the Year of Jubilee are also no longer known.
We should however try to understand the prophetic significance.
The Sabbath-rest is a picture of the eternal and prophetic day
when we enter into His eternal rest. The Sabbath holds the key of
life for the Bride and her future life with her Bridegroom. The
Sabbath, a symbol of the wedding ring, marks the faithful Bride
and enters her into a heavenly order that brings about LIFE
beyond any earthly trapping. In so doing, our souls are being
transformed as our spirit has been transformed (1 Peter 1:9-16).
In his book on Leviticus, titled; “The Three Pillars”, David Milston
points out that, just like He chose B’nei Yisra’el as His “chosen
people”, Elohim also chose “Eretz Yisra‟el” over all the lands of
the earth. True, He owns it all, as Psalms 24:1 states; The earth
belongs to ‫יהוה‬, And all that fills it – The world and those who
dwell in it.
Yet, ‫ יהוה‬has chosen a specific Land for His chosen people. That
Land is Eretz Yisra’el. As He says of this Land in Deuteronomy
11:10-12: “For the land which you are going in to possess is not
like the land of Mitsrayim from which you have come, where you
sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden,
but the land which you are passing over to possess is a land of
hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of the
heavens, a land which ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim looks after. The eyes of
‫ יהוה‬your Elohim are always on it, from the beginning of the year
to the latter end of the year.
The rest of Leviticus will explain the conditions that ‫ יהוה‬has set in
order for His people to be given the treasure of the land. The land is
given, however, with a deed of trust which is the Torah. If men breach
the deed of trust (disobey Torah), then the rightful Owner of the Land
will send them away into exile until His appointed time of restoration.
First we begin with the instructions for six years of labour where
independent farmers will work the land. They will be required during
those years to give of their tithes to the priests and Levites, plus
special gifts to the poor. Then in the 7th year “their” land becomes
“everyone’s” land in order that all may have an equal share of the fruit
of the land. During the 7th year, no one declares ownership. Even the
animals have an equal share in the fruits of the land. The Shemittah
cycle is an essential rhythm in time designed to help all constantly
keep in mind that ‫ יהוה‬is the true Owner of the land and of His people.
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Why is it necessary for us to constantly be reminded that ‫ יהוה‬is
the true owner of everything? We have already seen a couple
reminders of ownership in the Torah. The first reminder was
given to Pharaoh during the plagues and was meant to teach
Him that the earth was ‫’יהוה‬s:
And Mosheh said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, let me
spread out my hands to ‫יהוה‬, let the thunder cease and the hail
be no more, so that you know that the earth belongs to ‫יהוה‬.
(Exodus 9:29)
The second time was when the Israelites had first reached
Mount Sinai:
‘You have seen what I did to the Mitsrites, and how I bore you on
eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. ‘And now, if you
diligently obey My voice, and shall guard My covenant, then you
shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples – for all
the earth is Mine – ‘and you shall be to Me a reign of priests and
a set-apart nation.’ Those are the words which you are to speak
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to the children of Yisra’ĕl.” (Exodus 19:4-6)
The Israelites were reminded that they must obey and love ‫יהוה‬
because He owns them and knows what is best for them:
“And now, Yisra’ĕl, what is ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim asking of you, but to
fear ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim, to walk in all His ways and to love Him,
and to serve ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim with all your heart and with all
your being, to guard the commands of ‫ יהוה‬and His laws which I
command you today for your good? “See, the heavens and the
heaven of heavens belong to ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim, also the earth
with all that is in it. (Deuteronomy 10:12-14)
The question is why all the reminders and the command to give
the land a Sabbath? Man inherently possesses a strong
sentiment of ownership. The idea of “mine” is fraught with
danger. A verse in Deuteronomy conveys this thought:
you then shall say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of
my hand have made for me this wealth!’ “But you shall
remember ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim, for it is He who gives you power to
get wealth, in order to establish His covenant which He swore to10
your fathers, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)
We learned in Torah studies Tazria and Metzora (Leviticus 12-15)
that if we did not learn to rest in His principles and allow ‫ יהוה‬to
have His life through us, that we would turn away from Him and
self determine our walk and become proud of what we have
accomplished in our own strength. This self government opens
the door for the enemy to build his kingdom through us. His
kingdom which includes immorality, debauchery, idolatry,
witchcraft, jealousies, covet ness, and fractions loaded with
bitterness, anxiety, stress and fear. These acts of the sinful
nature in turn, open the door to diseases and illness
(Deuteronomy 28). In the Book of Hebrews, we are instructed
not to put our trust in the carnality of the flesh. We are to
conform our nature to ‫’יהוה‬s nature and enter into His rest. This
is to be our daily exercise of our heart before ‫( יהוה‬Hebrews 4:113).
Do not be led astray: Elohim is not mocked, for whatever a man sows,
that he shall also reap. Because he who sows to his own flesh shall
reap corruption from the flesh, but he who sows to the Spirit shall reap
everlasting life from the Spirit. And let us not lose heart in doing good,
for in due season we shall reap if we do not grow weary. (Galatians
6:7-9 )
Leviticus 25 calls for us to honour every seventh year as a rest for
the land. All work on the land was to cease for that entire year.
The intention was for the people to put all their trust in ‫ יהוה‬and
His principles to provide for their very existence. If they
committed to this rest, and obeyed ‫יהוה‬, there would be
abundant provisions in the sixth year to help prepare and keep
them in the seventh year of Sabbath rest. ‫ יהוה‬would cleanse the
land from all defilement (physical and spiritual) and keep the
enemy far from their doorstep.
Since no sowing and planting is allowed, the poor and the wealthy
together ate of the abundance of the prior year’s harvest thus
promoting unity and peace. No one was allowed to store produce and
treat it as their own. Thus there would be no strife that originated
from the attitude of “this is mine”. In the seventh year, all were equal.
Because there was a suspension of work in the 7th year, the sages
have said that this was to facilitate the study of Torah. Today we study
Torah on Sabbath, but imagine a whole year of freedom to study!
There is great danger for those who continually work without limits
(such as Shabbat) and have no time for matters of spiritual interest.
‫ יהוה‬knows that the individual needs time to recover from the
influence of the world at frequent intervals…thus He gave man the
Sabbath. What the Sabbath is meant to achieve for the individual, the
Shemittah is meant to achieve for the nation as a whole. No rivalries,
no competitions….just sharing, equality, and community trust as the
Creator lovingly sustains His people.
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‫ יהוה‬wanted the Israelites to learn that their mission on earth was not
to be slaves to the soil, addicted to tilling it, gathering in the crops and
enriching themselves as did the other nations. They had a much higher
and more noble purpose. They were to reflect the nature of the
Creator who because of their obedience would provide them with the
land and their sustenance.
“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we
drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ “For all these the gentiles seek for.
And your heavenly Father knows that you need all these. “But seek first
the reign of Elohim, and His righteousness, and all these matters shall
be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)
Therefore, the Shemittah year should lift man out of his greediness
and his materialism. He would have to forego profit and ownership in
order to gain the right spiritual values.
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Brought holiness or a set-apartness to those abiding in ‫יהוה‬
which in turn brought glory to His Name.
• Shemittah was when hearts were checked to see if any course
corrections were needed.
• Shemittah is about separation; from common to holiness and
from acceptable behaviour to walking in the footsteps of our
Messiah;
• Shemittah is the release of past debts and restoration of
freedom To help the poor and to prevent greed from taking
hold in people’s hearts.
• Shemittah was designed to maintain and strengthen the
relationship between ‫ יהוה‬and His people and taught them
that ‫ יהוה‬is the source of all blessings.
• Shemittah promoted a compassion for the poor and a
responsible stewardship of the land. (Deuteronomy 15:1-2).
So the pattern is…6 units (days, years, thousands of years) of struggle
and toil, with the 7th being a taste of the Kingdom, for it is in fact a
picture of the 7th millennium when the Messiah rules. Six days, six
years are for sowing:
‘Six years you sow your field, and six years you prune your vineyard,
and gather in its fruit, (Leviticus 25:3)
‫ יהושע‬also sowed in the parable of the sower:
And He answering, said to them, “He who is sowing the good seed is
the Son of Aḏam, and the field is the world. And the good seed, these
are the sons of the reign, but the darnel are the sons of the wicked one,
(Matthew 13:37-38)
Therefore, for six (6,000) years, ‫ יהושע‬has been sowing sons of the
kingdom into the field (which is the world).
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Jeremiah relates sowing to the Renewed Covenant:
“See, the days are coming .. that I shall sow the house of Yisra’ĕl and
the house of Yehuḏah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. “And
it shall be, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, and to break
down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict, so I shall
watch over them to build and to plant,” declares ‫יהוה‬. .. I shall make a
new covenant with the house of Yisra’ĕl and with the house of
Yehuḏah, (Jeremiah 31:27-31)
Leviticus 25:3 also refers to 6 (6,000) years of pruning.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. “Every branch in Me
that bears no fruit He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit He
prunes, so that it bears more fruit. “You are already clean because of
the Word which I have spoken to you. “Stay in Me, and I stay in you. As
the branch is unable to bear fruit of itself, unless it stays in the vine, so
neither you, unless you stay in Me. “I am the vine, you are the
branches. He who stays in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit.
Because without Me you are able to do naught! (John 15:1-5)
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‘And you shall count seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times
seven years. And the time of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be to
you forty-nine years. ‘You shall then sound a ram’s horn to pass
through on the tenth day of the seventh month, on the Day of
Atonement cause a ram’s horn to pass through all your land. ‘And you
shall set the fiftieth year apart, and proclaim release throughout all the
land to all its inhabitants, it is a Jubilee for you. And each of you shall
return to his possession, and each of you return to his clan. ‘The fiftieth
year is a Jubilee to you. Do not sow, nor reap what grows of its own,
nor gather from its unpruned vine. ‘It is a Jubilee, it is set-apart to you.
Eat from the field its crops. ‘In the Year of this Jubilee let each one of
you return to his possession.
(Leviticus 25:8-13)
Yovel comes from a Hebrew root meaning a joyful sound,
associated with the sound of a trumpet. Strongs #8643 teruah
meaning: a shout or blast of war, alarm, or joy.
This special year was holy, sanctified and set apart to accomplish
‫’יהוה‬s special purposes. Yovel was announced to Israel on Yom
Kippur – the Wedding Day, in the seventh month, on the tenth
day when atonement was made. A trumpet was blown to
proclaim liberty, freedom, and release for people suffering
economic and social hardship. Everyone who had sold their
family property had it restored to them, all land was given back
to its original owners and those who had been forced to sell
themselves into slavery were released.
“The Spirit of ‫ יהוה‬is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to bring
the Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted,
to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to
send away crushed ones with a release, to proclaim the acceptable
year of ‫יהוה‬.”
(Luke 4:18-19)
The yovel year prevented the rich from becoming too rich and
accumulating all the land of Israel, and the poor from becoming
too poor. The Israelites could not buy up the land of Israel
because the Land itself belonged to ‫יהוה‬. He is the owner of the
land of Israel. It is His to give and by His grace and mercy to lease
it out to the Children of Jacob as their inheritance (Leviticus
25:23).
“For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads
out its roots by the river, and does not see when heat comes. And
his leaf shall be green, and in the year of drought he is not
anxious, nor does he cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:8)
The drought mentioned is a reference to the shemittah and
yovel. The word drought is used as no fields were sown or
reaped during this time. If we are planted in ‫יהושע‬, He is the
stream of Living Water that nourishes us, and by obeying His
Word we will have no fear of famine but continue to bear much
fruit in a time of drought.
Blessed is the man who shall not walk in the counsel of the
wrong, And shall not stand in the path of sinners, And shall not
sit in the seat of scoffers, But his delight is in the Torah of ‫יהוה‬,
And he meditates in His Torah day and night. For he shall be as a
tree Planted by the rivers of water, That yields its fruit in its
season, And whose leaf does not wither, And whatever he does
prospers. (Psalms 1:1-3)
And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal,
coming from the throne of Elohim and of the Lamb. In the middle
of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life,
which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.
And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
(Revelation 22:1-2)
The yovel year marks a season of the right of return called an
ingathering for the people of Israel and the twelve tribes. At this
time many people will return, through repentance as they
witness ‫’יהוה‬s deliverance and see the truth in ‫’יהוה‬s Word. This
movement of repentance must in nature be followed by the
restoration of ‫ יהושע‬in the hearts of men. When we enter into
‫’יהושע‬s death and resurrection, that of crucifying our sinful
nature, we receive His resurrection power and are filled with the
Ruach HaKodesh entering intimacy with ‫ יהושע‬by obedience to
His ways (Acts 18:18-19:7; Luke 3:1-18).
New Meaning to parable:
And He came to Natsareth, where He had been brought up. And
according to His practice, He went into the congregation on the
Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet
Yeshayahu was handed to Him. And having unrolled the scroll, He
found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of ‫ יהוה‬is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me to bring the Good News to the poor. He
has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away crushed ones
with a release. to proclaim the acceptable year of ‫יהוה‬.” And having
rolled up the scroll, He gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And
the eyes of all in the congregation were fixed upon Him. And He began
to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been filled in your hearing.”
(Luke 4:16-21)
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The context of this story was that ‫ יהושע‬was reading the Haftarah
(from the Prophets and the writings) portion (Isaiah 61:1-2a) in the
synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath. It is taught that in the first
century, the Torah and the accompanying Haftarah readings were read
through in three to three and a half years.
Since ‫ יהושע‬was quoting verses in Isaiah that referenced the Jubilee
and claiming to fulfil them, He was probably speaking in a Jubilee year.
In the first century, ‫ יהושע‬became the fulfilment of this prophecy. The
good news of the Kingdom and the salvation that He was able to offer
because of His death and resurrection brought freedom to all who
accepted Him. Every man has sold himself to sin and needs a
redeemer to release him from His bondage. This was the “liberty to the
captives” that ‫ יהושע‬claimed to fulfil. And the “acceptable year of ‫”יהוה‬
was a direct reference to a Year of Jubilee.
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‫ יהושע‬was meticulous about how much of the quote from Isaiah He
would read. What He stopped short of was the rest of Isaiah 61:2:
...and the day of vengeance of our Elohim, to comfort all who mourn,
(Isaiah 61:2)
This part of the prophecy will be fulfilled by ‫ יהושע‬when He returns as
a mighty and powerful warrior. There are two main aspects to the Year
of Jubilee:
• Freedom from slavery
• Return of the land to its original holder
We already saw that ‫ יהושע‬accomplished freedom for those who were
in bondage to the slavery of sin in His first coming. His 2nd coming will
bring vengeance on those who refuse to return the land to its rightful
owners? We can certainly see the birth pains of this future battle over
the land occurring today.
His 2nd coming ushers in the seventh millennium, and this will be
another Jubilee year.
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Leviticus 25:24-55 The Law of Redemption was given to all twelve
tribes of Jacob and those associated with them through the blood
Covenant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In Luke 15:11-32. ‫יהושע‬
teaches the Law of Redemption from Leviticus 25 through yovel, the
year of jubilee. In the story are two sons. The younger son represents
the House of Israel and the other older son represents the House of
Judah. The younger son asked his father (‫ )יהוה‬for his inheritance early.
Doing this was to declare his father dead while he was still alive. With
inheritance in hand, the younger son left his father’s house and went
to live in the world, leaving his father’s teaching and instruction far
behind. As he reached out for pleasures in the world, he squandered
his inheritance. He lost his identity and fell into deep poverty
physically, emotionally and spiritually. He became a hireling living
among the swine. Even the animals ate better than he did.
The famine that came to the whole country that year was a sign
that it was a Sabbatical year. Mental and physical depravity
overcame him and he was humbled. When the younger son was
humbled and had a contrite spirit he could see again and
remembered his father and that the hirelings always had food to
spare. His father’s food was the Torah, the Living Word that
would always nourish and satisfy hunger.
“See, days are coming,” declares the Master ‫יהוה‬, “that I shall
send a hunger in the land, not a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for
water, but for hearing the Words of ‫יהוה‬. (Amos 8:11)
Hunger for the food of His father, the Word, caused the younger
son to return with a repentant heart to seek work as a hired
hand. The father saw his son from afar off and was filled with
compassion. He ran to him joyfully (terminology for season of
our joy, the year of Jubilee), to receive him home. As the son was
repenting, his Father restored him back to full son status.
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and
put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
‘And bring the fattened calf here and slaughter it, and let us eat
and rejoice, because this son of mine was dead and is alive
again, and he was lost and is found.’ And they began to rejoice.
(Luke 15:22-24)
The older son, who had obeyed his father (Torah) all this time,
showed great anger refused to give the right of return and
redemption to his younger brother as written in the Levitical
laws. The older son was acting more like a slave than a true
faithful son. His mental attitude had brought him lower than his
brother’s. The older brother, the one who had been home all
that time, died in his heart and lost the blessing. Torah without
the Spirit will bring death but Torah with the Spirit brings life.
The people who practice Torah in their hearts with the Spirit of
‫יהושע‬, are His firstborn and they will enter in and enjoy the
Banquet, they are His firstborn. (Hebrews 4).
It was the Messiah from the Tribe of Judah, the House of Judah, who
"purchased" his brother back and offered him the Right of Return
through redemption according to the covenant promises of Abraham.
In doing so ‫ יהושע‬also restored both brothers back to the land (1
Corinthians 7:21-24; Matthew 10:6, 15:24).
‫’יהוה‬s laws state that to seek the Right of Redemption, the redeemer
must be a blood relative, have the funds to purchase the forfeited
inheritance, be willing to buy back the life of the brother/relative and if
the deceased kinsman had a wife, be willing to marry her. This person
is called the Kinsman Redeemer. We are witnesses to this
commandment in the Book of Ruth. It was Boaz who became Kinsman
Redeemer for Ruth. Later their son became the ancestor of King David,
the line of the Messiah. We have been given the right of return
through the blood of the Messiah. He has fulfilled His promise to us.
History records what happened when the Israelite people did not keep
His word of rest for the land. After the fall of Jerusalem, the children of
Israel were captured and taken out to a foreign land. (Jeremiah 29:10).
And those who escaped from the sword he exiled to Baḇel, where they
became servants to him and his sons until the reign of the reign of
Persia, in order to fill the word of ‫ יהוה‬by the mouth of Yirmeyahu, until
the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay waste she kept
Sabbath, until seventy years were completed. (2 Chronicles 36:20-21)
In ‫’יהושע‬s time and to this very day, the tribal lands have yet to be
restored according to Biblical prophecy. The people who lived in the
land during ‫’יהושע‬s time were under Roman rule and at that time all
twelve Tribes were neither in possession of the land nor in their
original Tribal divisions (Ezekiel 48).
When this would happen was the pressing question to ‫ יהושע‬from the
disciples over and over again:
• “Where is He about to go that we shall not find Him? Is He about to
go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and to teach the Greeks?
(John 7:35)
• “Master, would You at this time restore the reign to Yisra’ĕl?” (Acts
1:6)
At his trial approximately thirty years after ‫’יהושע‬s death, Paul said
Acts 26:6-7 “And now I stand and am judged for the expectation of the
promise made by Elohim to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes,
earnestly serving Elohim night and day, expect to attain. Concerning
this expectation, O Sovereign Agrippa, I am accused by the Yehuḏim.
Ephraim’s (the House of Israel’s or the younger son’s) punishment as
outlined in Ezekiel 4:5 was for 390 years. Leviticus 26:27-28 tells us if
there is no repentance the punishment will be sevenfold so the
punishment was for 390 X 7 years, or 2730 years.
721 BC marked the fall of the City of Samaria, the last bastion of the
Northern Kingdom. 2730 years from that date brings us to 2008 as the
end of the punishment.
734 BC which marked the year that Ephraim, or the Northern Kingdom
had lost all political and religious control of any territory it still held. It
had become a vassal state of Assyria. Going forward 2730 years to
1996, a year in which every feast of Israel was marked with a blood red
moon. The year of the Hal Boop Comet. The one hundredth Yubilee
year from Noah and the fiftieth Jubilee from ‫יהושע‬. The vast majority
coming to understanding the Messianic Age did so after 1996 (Quote
from Angus Wootten author of Restoring Israel’s Kingdom).
In the late 1800’s the early Jewish settlers, in fear of poverty,
asked the rabbis that during the shemitah and yovel years
permission be granted to continue working the land in Sabbath
years. They accomplished this by temporarily “selling” the land
to a foreigner who worked the land for them in the shemittah
and yovel years thereby circumventing the Torah and believing
that technically they did not break the law.
Permission to work the land during Sabbath years is still granted
in Israel today to “strangers” who work land. However there are
more and more farmers turning to scripture and obeying the
laws of shemitah and yovel Shabbat so the land has total rest. It
has been reported that in the sixth year while preparing for the
Sabbatical year an unusual supply of provisions unfolds. In one
testimony it was reported that olive trees produced 800 times
more than previous years and grapes produced an exceptional
vintage, both in quality and quantity, fulfilling ‫’יהוה‬s promises. 2
Peter 3:8-15
Wrong application: Isaiah 58:1-6
We can do all the right things and say the right words yet the
prophet declares that something can still be seriously wrong. The
message is for each one of us today.
Right Application: Isaiah 58 :1-14
We can do all the right things and say the right words yet the
prophet declares that something can still be seriously wrong. The
message is for each one of us today. Is it possible that we are not
walking in the full blessing of ‫ יהוה‬because we have not extended
the same mercy of freedom that we have received from ‫ יהוה‬to
others?
The Bride of Messiah will be those who more than others shared the
gift of RELEASE to people who are trapped in their own devices, many
of us don’t even realize we are trapped and deceived.
But refuse foolish and stupid questions, knowing that they breed
quarrels. And a servant of the Master should not quarrel but be gentle
towards all, able to teach, patient when wronged, in meekness
instructing those who are in opposition, lest somehow Elohim gives
them repentance unto a thorough knowledge of the truth, and they
come to their senses, out of the snare of the devil, having been taken
captive by him to do his desire.
(2 Timothy 2:23-26)
..since a promise remains of entering into His rest, let us fear lest
any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the Good
News was brought to us as well as to them, but the word which
they heard did not profit them, not having been mixed with belief
in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter into
that rest, .. And yet His works have come into being from the
foundation of the world. ..“And Elohim rested on the seventh day
from all His works,” and in this again, “If they shall enter into My
rest...” Since then it remains for some to enter into it, and those
who formerly received the Good News did not enter in because
of He again defines a certain day, “Today,” saying through Dawiḏ
so much later, as it has been said, “Today, if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts.” For if Yehoshua had given them rest,
He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there
remains a Sabbath-keeping for the people of Elohim. For the one,
having entered into His rest, has himself also rested from his
works, as Elohim rested from His own. Let us therefore do our
utmost to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same
example of disobedience. ... (Hebrews 4:1-13)
And He came to Natsareth, where He had been brought up. And
according to His practice, He went into the congregation on the
Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet
Yeshayahu was handed to Him. And having unrolled the scroll, He
found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of ‫ יהוה‬is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me to bring the Good News to the poor. He
has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away crushed ones
with a release, to proclaim the acceptable year of ‫יהוה‬.” And having
rolled up the scroll, He gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And
the eyes of all in the congregation were fixed upon Him. And He began
to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been filled in your hearing.”
(Luke 4:16-21)
Now ‫ יהוה‬is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of ‫ יהוה‬is, there is freedom.
(2 Corinthians 3:17)
The Sabbath teaching is about RELEASE! – Writing off the debt of
others. The definition of un-forgiveness is “demanding payment
for some wrong committed against you”.
“And his master was wroth, and delivered him to the torturers
until he should pay all that was due to him. “So also My heavenly
Father shall do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not
forgive his brother his trespasses.” (Matthew 18:34-35)
We have the power to bind and release when we extend mercy
and forgiveness when it is required.
“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you
retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” (John 20:23)
Note that some relationships might be difficult or impossible to
restore and may even require that you distance yourself
completely from them; however forgiveness from the heart is
not an option.