The Gospel of God/Elohim - The Master Builder

 The Gospel of God/Elohim – the Master Builder

Lately, I’ve been dwelling on the “Gospel of God/Elohim” after seeing a translation from the “morphological GNT translation” that is used by the NASB95.  Normally it says, “The gospel of the kingdom of God/Elohim”.  But here are a few other verses in the NASB that leave out the Greek word for kingdom.   

Mark 1:14 “And after John had been taken into custody, Yeshua came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God/Elohim”.

2 Corinthians 11:7 “Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God/Elohim to you without charge?”

1 Thessalonians 2:8-9 “Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God/Elohim but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God/Elohim.”

1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God/Elohim?”

Romans 1:1-2 “Paul, a bond-servant of Messiah Yeshua, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God/Elohim, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures”

Galatians 3:8 “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God/Elohim would justify the Nations by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations shall be blessed in you’".

According to Hebrews, the first gospel – good news - to be proclaimed was to Abraham: "For when God/Elohim made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, 'Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.' And so, after he had patiently endured, Abraham obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all disputes. Thus Elohim, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for Elohim to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” (Heb. 6:13-20 emphases added).  There is abundant good news in the above passage.  When writing to Timothy, Paul reminds him of the gospel that was entrusted to him: “… according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God/Elohim, with which I have been entrusted” (1 Timothy 1:11).  

Elohim promised to multiply into the “fullness of the nations” Abraham’s life through his and Sarah’s son, Isaac, and then in the next generation, Jacob, ad infinitum. True to this promise, in our day the “fullness” has become very ‘full’ and is made up of the ones who respond to this gospel of God with the faith that was inherent and inherited from the forefathers.  Having this faith, we believe that the God of Israel did what He said He would do for Abraham and his progeny through Isaac and Jacob, and that is to multiply and then make them/us a blessing in the nations.

 Elohim’s multiplicity was accomplished when His people were under the curse of iniquity and sin as “sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).  But after Yeshua came to redeem them, they became the promised “blessing”.  ^“Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are the sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). Paul reiterates here what he said in Romans 4:16: “For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with grace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the seed/descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all… “  (emphasis added).

If it were possible for Elohim to lie, we would have no hope and our faith would have nothing to draw from. Elohim made one oath, and that was to Abraham. This oath is the testing ground of His very own nature. If He did not remain faithful to this promise, He would have had to relinquish His claim to holiness, righteousness, and faithfulness.

According to the above-quoted scriptures (from Hebrews 6), there are two immutable, unchanging, permanent things that Elohim has ordained, predestined, sealed, and finalized, and they are: "blessing I will bless and multiplying I will multiply you [Abraham]". Elohim's faithfulness to this covenant is our hope, which is an anchor for our Israelite soul. Your identity as sons of Abraham is a witness of the “Gospel of God”, who is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - “the God of the living” (Mathew 22:32). Yeshua proclaimed the gospel of God and taught us to pray “Our Father… “  

The fact that Elohim has a “Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world” (Hebrews 1:2), demonstrates powerfully, among other things, His way of culminating His salvation, redemption and “restoration of all things” plan which, by necessity, had to conform to this pattern. What is the pattern? It is a “building”. In this case, a building made up of “living stones” (1^st Peter 2:5). “Son”, “ben” in Hebrew, is rooted in “building” (b.n.h), layer upon layer, generation after generation (hence the genealogical listings in Scripture). The Master Builder not only had to have a “Son” – ben – who is the “foundation stone” (Is. 28:16; Ps. 118:22) as well as the “top stone” (Zech. 4:7), and a “a tested stone” of His Temple, He also had to ‘build’, gradually, layer by layer, a living structure made up of selected stones. It is no wonder that when Jacob blessed Joseph, he used the term “ro’eh even Yisrael”, “the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel” (Genesis 49:24). The very word “stone” – “even” (pronounced like the name Evan) – is made up of the letters “alef’, “bet” and “noon”. Alef and bet makeup “av” – father, while bet and noon make up “ben” – son.

When Sarah sought to have a son through a surrogate mother, she said: “…perhaps I shall obtain children through her" (Genesis 16:2). “I shall obtain children” in the Hebrew original is designated by one word, “Iba’neh” – I shall be built by having a son. Notice that the verb used stems from the root, b.n.h, pointing to “building” and to “son”. In Genesis 30:3, we read about Rachel using the exact verb in precisely the same circumstances.  

Thus, the sanctuary or temple of the Almighty is made up of a chronology of living stones of those who have had the faith of their forefathers, “son” after “son”, reaching a “fullness” that receives “the promise to Abraham or to his seed/progeny that he would be heir of the world” (Romans 4:13 emphasis added). Notice the Hebrews’ quote above, regarding Elohim’s Son being the “heir of all things”.

When Elohim issues a word, it is more than an utterance, it is life. The words spoken to Abraham – the good news of the plan of redemption and restoration – started to materialize through him and have not stopped since.

The good news of Elohim’s Son, is that He came to restore the house of Jacob and set up the Father’s kingdom in that house by building it with living stones.  Therefore, “Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.  Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain; when he was one I called him, then I blessed him and multiplied him" (Isaiah 51:1-2 emphases added).  Today, you are the witnesses of the Gospel of God/Elohim and His Son.

An Ancient Fear Reappears

 An Ancient Fear Reappears

The topic of this letter is somewhat unusual as I seldom write about statistics, but an insight while reading past Shabbat's Parasha has prompted some ideas.

The first chapter of the book of Sh’mot/Exodus continues to tell the story of the Hebrew people, who were very fruitful in the land of their sojourn. But then a Pharaoh who did not know his Egyptian history came to power, or in the words of Scripture, “a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph".   By this time, as mentioned, the Hebrews were very prolific, compared to the local population.  Fearing that these foreigners, living among them, might join an invading army, the king decided to do something about it.  So, Abram’s vision that his seed would be in a very dark place for four hundred years was about to be fully manifest.  “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. And Elohim said to Abram, 'Know for certain that your seed will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years'” (Genesis 15:12-13).

We know the story. YHVH heard Israel's cry and sent a deliverer. But what if we were to superimpose the above scenario on our situation here in Israel, comparing ourselves to the Egyptians whose land was being filled with who may be termed as an alien people group? Let’s examine the numbers: The Jewish population of Israel is around 8 million.  The Arab population is Israel is close to 2 million, in the “West Bank” there are about 2.2 million Palestinians, and in Gaza 1.7 million, making a total of around 5 million Arabs.  The greatest concern that we are living with every day, just as did the Egyptians, is that if a foreign entity such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, or in Syria, or the nation of Iran were to invaded our state, the West Bank Arabs and those who are Israeli citizens may join the invading forces.  We have always been conscious of a possible fifth column in our neighborhood. 

This fearful concern almost came to pass on October 7^th. But Hamas made a tactical error as Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen, with the help of the West Bank Arabs and possibly also Arab Israeli citizens, had a specific date planned and coordinated, to attack the Jewish state together. Thus the enemy from within would join the ones from over the border.  Had that happened we would have been overwhelmed by thousands of rockets, drones, along with invading forces. The damage to our roads, communication systems, electronic power, and everything else would have made it very difficult to gather and mobilize our forces.    Thankfully, the Almighty Protector of Israel put it in the minds of Hamas leaders to attack when they did, thus throwing off the enemies' coordinated plans. Hamas jumped the gun but did succeed in breaking through. Once they did, the call went out on all the Arab networks and communication systems for all the Arabs to join in and that included the local population.  The failure of the all-encompassing plan gave us time to mobilize and within just a couple of days we had an army of over 300 thousand troops and armaments along the borders of Gaza, Lebanon, and in the West Bank. 

The government ordered every citizen to have their home shelters ready for use and initially for all communities, big and small, to post local guards 24/7 in and around their towns.  The population in the villages and towns along the borders of Gaza and Lebanon was evacuated. 

This was kind of a long-winded way to compare the present to what went through the minds of the Egyptians in their concern about the Hebrews.  Some of the local Arabs, and many of them in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) celebrated the attack on the southern kibbutzim and towns and on those who participated in the party that took place near the Gaza border on that fatal day. So, what do we do now?  We obviously cannot take the same measures that were taken by the ancient Egyptians. But maybe we can pray that the Almighty will send our Muslim enemies a deliverer who will lead them out of Israel to their 'promised land' in one or all of the 57 Muslim countries. Hopeful thinking? A figment of my imagination? Or perhaps the solution is found in the following statement? "When a man's ways are pleasing to YHVH, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Proverbs 16:7). 

Marriage - A Living Gospel

 We all have a testimony of how we were “saved” and our lives were transformed from our former ways (of being "lost") to a “Spirit-filled life” (having been "found").  This new way brought us in contact with others, who like us were now reading the Word and getting together in what is called “the church”. As for me, my hunger for the word was like a newborn baby whose instinct to survive was to get as much of the “El Shaddi” as I had time for. 

After the first ten years of playing in the sandbox with other like-minded Christians adhering to the Charismatic expression, at age 37 I suddenly found myself under a hupa in northern Israel committing myself and my life to a lovely Israeli woman.  We have now been together for almost 42 years.  As you probably noticed, I did not use the word “married”, because marriage is a process of unification, that is, of becoming one, as were the male and the female in the beginning.

In those first ten years of being a believer, I probably read or listened to the book of Ephesians thousands of times.  But there was a small section in chapter 5 that didn’t apply to a nice loving bachelor like me.  However, now that I was a husband, I had to take a closer look at what the word of Elohim was saying to husbands:

 ^“Husbands, love your wives, just as Messiah also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,  that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.  So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.  For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.  "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.  Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:25 -33 emphasis added).

After one week of this so-called marriage, all my ideas of how it should 'work' were simply obliterated.  From then on, the above has been a prayer, as accomplishing it seemed to be an impossible task. How do you “give yourself up”? Yeshua gave Himself to sanctify and cleanse us. Therefore, I thought to myself, 'His sacrifice was sufficient to do that for my wife and I'.  So how is it that we husbands have to also do what He did?  This did not make any sense to me. My religious fervor and frustration to try and “wash her by the water of the word”, meaning to correct her behavior by using scripture, only turned out to be a legalist effort to demand submission. I’m sure we all know the result of that!

We cannot escape Paul's comparison of the relationship between husband and wife to Yeshua’s relationship with the Kahal of Elohim.  Therefore, what Paul is saying is that the reality of the Gospel is lived out in a marriage 24/7.  This is not about religion. The key to understanding a living Gospel is seen in the beginning of Chapter 5.   "And walk in love, as Messiah also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to Elohim for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Ephesians 5:2 emphasis added). I am not sure how many marriages produce a sweet-smelling aroma of the presence of Messiah. But here again, we read “gave Himself ".  The Greek word “paradidomi” means to hand or deliver one's self over as an expression of loving one's wife.  But before we can do that notice the first three words, “walk in love”, just as the Messiah walked.  The Hebrew word for "walk" is “halach” and can mean the way one lives life. 

One of the scriptures that mystifies us the most, giving room to much pondering, is Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of Elohim, who loved me and gave Himself up for me" (emphasis added). Here again we read, “gave Himself up”.  Yeshua’s giving of Himself or delivering Himself up to death is what the living Gospel is all about. Therefore, as husbands who love their wives, we demonstrate that same 'delivery' of ourselves which is paramount to laying down our lives for our spouses.  In doing so we become a vessel or channel of the living waters of the Father’s love that will work His power to sanctify and cleanse, so that together we become a fragrance of Messiah as Paul indicates in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16:  "For we are a fragrance of Messiah to Elohim among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life".  Amazingly, the marriage is the testimony, the witness of the reality of the Gospel of the Kingdom on earth.  If it is not seen in the family then how can it be in a nation?

Perhaps the best way to conclude this letter is to take the counsel of Romans 12: “I urge you therefore, brethren/husbands, by the mercies of Elohim, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to Elohim, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of Elohim is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  For through the grace given to me, I say to everyone/husbands among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as Elohim has allotted to each a measure of faith” (verses 1-3).