The Big House

an excerpt from Creation Gospel Workbook Five Vol. 3 "Metzorah"

There is a text beneath the text in the instructions concerning tzaraat, leprosy.  That hidden text is the principle of prison and captivity.  Sometimes the word beit, or "house" is used in place of other words for prison in Scripture: Gen. 39, 40, 41, 42; Judges 16:21 & 29, etc.  The idea of a leprous house as a solitary prison is antithetical to the "Temple House," a house of liberty to the captives on the mount of the moedim; the House is where Israel gathers as a righteous congregation.

The person or object plagued with leprosy is to be shut up in his own house, or prison, during the examination period of seven days.  Seven is not a magic number, but it is a number of significance. In a normal week, Israelites look forward to Sabbath all week long.  Each day is a day toward the fulfillment of the week, Shabbat.  Special things may be done during the weekdays to prepare for the delight of Shabbat.  For instance, a wife may purchase a special cut of roast or a husband may earmark a certain passage of Scripture that inspires him, saving it to share with the family, or a child may put together a special outfit to wear on Shabbat.  Each little personal preparation is a "remembrance," which doesn't mean simply to recall a past event, but to bring to mind and to take action.  This is how one can "remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy."  Each step of weekly preparation is obedience to the mitzvah, not just resting on the day itself.

Shabbat is a day of remembrance, but in order to observe it, one must prepare with vision.  Remembrance and vision work together, just like the male and female roles in Tazria.  Without a remembrance, there would be no vision; without vision, the remembrance is lost.  Even in the Jewish liturgy for Shabbat, the observance of the day is "in remembrance of the work of Creation..."   Present within the remembrance is the vision, for the commandment also says, "See, that the LORD has given you the Sabbath."

Those who rebel against or enter a state of confusion concerning the Shabbat have lost spiritual vision, which is a tragedy, because it is the Shabbat that develops keen spiritual eyesight within the Kingdom.  The Hebrew words for examining the leprous marks in the portion share the same root as that for vision.  A leprous prisoner who is shut up for seven days presumably would have his spiritual vision restored, repent, and prepare for the upcoming Sabbath of examination, just as the sevens of Revelation complete the examination for healing or sickness in the earth.  Indeed, the Thyatirans were threatened with a "bed of sickness" if they did not repent.  If the patient is well, he enters the Eighth Day.  If not, well...

A leper under examination was in a state of misgar, from the word soger, which means to be enclosed, to seal up, to bottle up.  A leper is a prisoner sealed away from the land of the living.  Isaiah gives clues as to the repentance required to liberate a metzorah.  The condition of a metzorah parallels the condition of the Israelites in Egypt (Mitzraim).  Mitzraim has the same root of tzar and the metzorah:

     The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn,   to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be    glorified. (Is 61:1-3)

Isaiah is referring thematically to Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits of the Barley.  The good news is in this context is the basar.   It is the flesh of the metzorah that is afflicted, and one of the catalysts of leprosy is bearing bad news.  For instance, Miriam was struck with leprosy for speaking against Moses' Cushite wife.  Joseph is sold into captivity for talebearing.  The afflicted is ani, alluding the "bread of affliction," or poor man's matzah, connecting the affliction of leprosy to his poverty of relationships.  Binding up the brokenhearted is a parallelism to proclaiming liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners at Pesach.  The "death days" of Unleavened Bread are thematically connected to those who mourn, recalling the bitterness of slavery in Egypt, and the planted oaks allude to the Third Day of Creation on which the trees sprouted, a day connected to The Firstfruits of the Barley.

Isaiah is prophesying of a time when the captives, including the lepers, will be healed. The days of vengeance allude to the fall moedim when the trumpets are blown to signal a last call to repentance and impending judgments.  Now compare the passage in Isaiah to Yeshua's usage in his hometown synagogue:

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,     AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD. 

     And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, 'Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'  And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, 'Is this not Joseph's son?'   And He said to them, 'No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, "'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.'"  And He said, "'Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.  But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came     over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Tzarephat, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.'  And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way. (Luke 4:18-30)

Yeshua purposely stops reading the passage from Isaiah when he reaches the part about proclaiming the vengeance of Adonai associated with the fall feasts.  It was not yet time for vengeance.  It was time for the good news and the release of the captive lepers from their tribulations, a time like Pesach.  It was time to search the House for leaven.

Yeshua put the congregation to the test.  Were they keeping Torah for the sake of their own righteousness, or was it to provide for the widow and the stranger the good news of the Healer's cure?  After all, this is the repeated message of the moedim throughout the Tanakh.  The feasts were special invitations for the nations to enjoy the Light of Israel and glorify the Father.  To highlight the heart of the moedim, Yeshua points out that a stranger was healed of leprosy and a widow fed in time of famine, and it was not because there was no shortage of widows and lepers in Israel.

Could the congregation humble themselves, or would the house have to be destroyed because of yeasty malignant pride, self-centeredness, bad news, and unforgiveness?  Luke says they were "filled with rage" at Yeshua's rebuke, just as King Uzziah was filled with rage when the priests rebuked his pride for offering incense in the Temple (2 Kings 7).  Uzziah was immediately stricken with leprosy on his forehead, the location of the mark of the yeasty beast, and he lived in a separate house the rest of his life, mourning his separation from Temple worship.  Yeshua's answer to that congregation was to pass through their midst.  Their leprosy was not healed, but spreading.  

If we are not cured after seven days of imprisonment, if we are filled with rage when someone says our mouths need perfecting in holiness, then will we be cured in the second seven days?  Do we prefer vengeance and impressive demonstrations of power to helping the poor and sick?  If our desire to see the end of days is for us to be held up as icons of right behavior rather than to see the release of as many prisoners as possible, then Old Man Chametz is not quite dead yet, no matter how many commandments we keep.

Even Moses' hand was covered with leprosy as a sign when he placed it in his bosom; Adonai told him to do this because Moses said the people would not believe the word of his testimony.  Leprosy can occur both when we speak evil AND if we refuse to speak to the captives!  Moses' hand was to be used to bring salvation to Israel; he was not to hide its healing touch from those prisoners who desperately needed a touch of hope.  To come to knowledge of Yeshua and the Torah and fail to extend healing to other captives is evil.  If we want Yeshua to remain with us, then we must humble ourselves to speak to and to speak well of others.  If not, he will pass through our midst.


PROPHECY BY WAY OF THE TORAH




Kindle readers! The Seven Shepherds: Hanukkah in Prophecy is now uploaded and ready for its release on May 1. This booklet represents years of research condensed into a BEKY booklet. If you've not yet pre-ordered, I believe it's worth much more than the retail price because of its UNIQUENESS in the presentation of prophecy from the Torah, Writings, Prophets, and the Brit Chadashah. If anyone has assembled all these prophecies in a book since the First Century, I'd be surprised.
  
I've painstakingly researched the Scriptures, Jewish sources, and applied rules of hermeneutics to present word connections in a sound manner. Among the many topics in this small booklet are:

1. Prophecy of the burning bush and the father-in-law's sheep

2. The prophetic instructions to Israelite warriors prior to battle

3. The prophetic principle of Passover Sheni (second Passover)

4. The prophetic applications of doubled Passover and Sukkot        under different kings

5. The prophetic foundation-laying, completion, and dedication of the First Temple

6. The chiasm of the Month of Av to Passover and Chanukkah

7. The history and significance of the "first" Chanukkah

8. Chaggai and Zechariah, the twin prophecies of Sukkot both to the Jew and the nations

9. Chaggai's prophecy of Chanukkah

10. The Abomination That Causes Desolation in prophetic history

11. The 6th, 7th, and 8th generations from Adam and the coming millenia, including the loosing of the Adversary between the 7th and 8th millenia

12. The Jewish correlation between Micah's prophesied Seven Shepherds and Eight Princes to the arrival of Messiah.

13. Messiah's defeat of Edom, the Red One, at Chanukkah

14. Why the one mention of Chanukkah in the Brit Chadashah is one of the most powerful prophetic statements in the entire Bible

15. An explanation of the Bible's use of consecutive numbers to signal a transformation from the physical to the spiritual principle, including the prophecy of circumcision

16. The eight/nine branched menorah of Chanukkah and whether it is a man-made tradition that transgresses the Torah.    

17. Is there Talmudic paganism concerning Chanukkah?

18. How does Chanukkah connect to Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot, especially the seven messengers of Sukkot described in Revelation?

19. Why Chanukkah specifically addresses the mystery of the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

How many booklets hold this much information? This is a BEKY Booklet, but it is aimed less at curious Christians and more to
curious Messianics who have accepted the Shabbat and moedim, yet they have basic questions about celebrations such as Chanukkah or Purim.
 
This booklet is best bundled with another BEKY Booklet, TRUTH, TRADITION, OR TARE? GROWING IN THE WORD.

The paperback version of The Seven Shepherds will be ready within a week or so. We await proof copies to approve before hitting the "Publish" button.

Prepare to read this booklet slowly and read it more than once!

You may pre-order from this link:




  
LaMalah Children's Centre

Orphanage Update: More Good News!

A personal note from Centre Director Peter Ndungu

 Shalom In the name of Y'shua our Messiah
  
We hope and pray all is well with you and like us, you had a good feast. In Limuru we literally had a full house. Just prior to partaking of the memorial emblems, five adults made a covenant with our heavenly father by being immersed.One of those immersed was a lady around 70 years of age. Similar success stories were reported in Bomet, Kericho, Kisii and the other centers believers were gathered.

Since the schools are closed, LeMalah children had an opportunity to bond and interact with children from around here and others from far.
 
 
We had believers come from Naivasha , Nyandarua, Sirare, Bungoma , Nakuru Nyahururu etc and gather here in Limuru 
We give Abba all honor, praises and esteem.

 There was enough food. Even some left after all days were observed. We had close to 30 youth and they suggested they get 3 more days to stay together. The request was declined but it shows just how beautiful these FUB was.

We also had an opportunity to go to Malaba(Kenya /Uganda border) and share a Shabbat Message with the brethren at SunBeam Ministries.
If Abba wills and permits, we intend to have some travel to various areas in May.

We owe you lots of gratitude which we cannot easily express by words.  If it is His will we are still in need of the Beky Books, the solar lanterns and other Creation Gospel material. If anyone can help out with copies of Bibles and other books for the children, even used ones, we will be very happy and grateful. Even used clothing.

Blessings in all you do,

Peter  

We are saving toward the purchase of a vehicle for transportation.  This vehicle will not just be for the orphanage, but for Brother Ndungu and the other elders to continue traveling to teach the Torah both within Kenya and surrounding countries.   

The vehicle also will help in the procurement of less expensive maize (corn), a staple which has been affected by the famine in Kenya.  Local supplies are much more expensive, and although less expensive maize can be found, it is some distance from the orphanage.

If you can help toward this goal, as always, we welcome your assistance.  For those of you who send monthly support to the orphanage, we can't thank you enough for fulfilling Messiah's commission. 
 
Thank you for your faithful donations!  
 
http://www.thecreationgospel.com/donate/