(Our blog is taken from our Jewish Brother Jacob’s A Little Learning Together, which he often includes with prayer request emails he sends out)
Please note: Jacob uses a couple of abbreviations. One is KG for Koine Greek, the type of Greek the Renewed Covenant Scriptures (RCS) is written in. KG is much more Hebraic & Jewish than Attic Greek, the Greek of the philosophers. Jacob uses RCS in short for Renewed Covenant Scriptures because it is a much more accurate term than “New Testament”.
Jacob explains this in his teaching. For more – and why Jacob uses the terms he does – after reading our blog, please scroll up to the window The Deeper Hebrew & Jewish Roots of the Bible from A-Z. Simply click or tap the title, then click or tap + or picture to open the window.
Please scroll down to G Glossary.
Greetings all in Yeshua’s name!
I always have Jacob (not ‘James!) 3:1 in mind. In Greek It’s Jacob’s prohibition against many being teachers as ‘…greater judgement you in fact in the future receive’.
Regarding Israel as the LORD’S specially chosen in Ex. 4:22; I mistakenly thought of it as specially chosen, rather than the very related Hebrew word actually used, ‘firstborn’. In Ex. 4:22 Israel is called by the LORD ‘…son of Me, firstborn of Me, Israel’. The Jewish People are referred to as ‘specially chosen’ in Hebrew, in Dt. 7:6 as well as Ish.43:10 and Ps.135:4 (Hebrew).
Firstborn in Hebrew is not at all merely referring to the child that is the oldest. When a couple have multiple sons the Torah, we should notice, does not tend to refer to that child as ‘the oldest’. Rather, they are referred to as firstborn. The firstborn had both rights – and responsibilities – that his younger siblings did not.
This is very much the case with Israel; Israel as firstborn of the LORD, has rights and responsibilities that the Nations do not. Israel – not the post-Biblical Gentile Institution – was both given the Word and charged with taking it forward. We see this in Dt. 4-7, Ish.2:2-3 and in chapters 40-49, cf. specifically Ish. 42:6, 43:10, and Zech.8, just to mention some examples.
We also see this in the fact that the Twelve Yeshua personally called and sent out, were all and only Jews, as was Paul.
Ps. 147:19-20 more deeply in Hebrew says, “(He) actively tells His Words to Jacob; His statues and in connectedness His judgements to Israel”. In fact (this is not) done so for (the) whole of the Gentile(s) and His judgements they do not know, by experience, intimacy, and personal relationship. (It’s) imperative radiate out praise to the LORD’. (English ‘Halleluyah LORD’. Halleluyah means ‘radiate out praise like the sun’s rays, to the LORD’).
64 of 66 Books of the Bible are written by Jews; and even if Luke was Gentile, he draws from Jewish sources; not Gentile ones!
As firstborn Israel was rewarded accordingly when steadfast in its mission; when not, Israel was punished doubly. Cf. Ish. 40:1-2
Firstborn with the idea of preeminent is applied by Paul to Yeshua in Col.1:15. ‘….prototokos pases ktiseos’ ‘firstborn of all creation’. This is put last in the verse for emphasis. The word is used in Luke 2:7 referring to Yeshua as Miriam – not ‘Mary’s’ firstborn. However, in Col. 1:15 the word is used with the idea of preeminent.
based on Luke 2:7,The J Witnesses think that Christians have it wrong regarding Colossians 1:15. The J witnesses – mistakenly – see Yeshua in Col.1:15 as ‘first born’, meaning, not divinity. Evangelical scholars do correctly point out that Paul does not say in Greek about our wonderful Mashiach ‘first created being’. The J Witnesses unfortunately, as too often too many evangelical teachers, don’t look at the Bible’s original languages because they don’t know them. Doing so would have prevented the J witnesses from very wrongly concluding, that ‘first born’ in Col. 1:15 in context means literally ‘born first’; thus, not divine; which is not the case.
Col. 1:15 as referring to Yeshua as preeminent in creation Is borne out by Colossians 1:18. There, Yeshua is referred to also as ‘…prototokos ek twn vekron’… , ‘firstborn out from within, specifically identified in (probably) an absolute sense the dead ‘… Yeshua, it is very correctly pointed out, was not the ‘first’ out of the dead, i.e, ‘resurrected’. Yeshua though is preeminent to anyone resurrected before him. (Such as his friend Eliezer ‘Lazarus’).
The J Witnesses also – very incorrectly – think they are the witnesses, based on Isaiah 43:10. However as I point out to J witness when I come across them, if you start at Isaiah 43:1 you’ll see that the context of Ish.43:10 clearly applies to Israel! The J Witnesses – by taking Scripture out of context – completely incorrectly misapply Isaiah 43:10 to themselves!
A Little – But Important – Excursus
Speaking the truth in love Eph.4:15, the Western Religious System very incorrectly thinks it is charged with taking the Word forward.
While your Jewish Brothers are very very aware of it, unfortunately our Christian Brethren miss what Paul says in Romans 11:11. Their technical commentaries correctly point out that Paul’s Greek indicates that the purpose of salvation coming to the Gentiles, is ‘…eis To parazelosai autous‘ ‘(for the) purpose specifically identified as coming alongside and provoking them (Israel) to zeal’.
Dear ones please notice – para (‘alongside’); not uper (‘above’) Israel. The Greek for zeal is of course where zealous comes from. The overall context of Romans 9-11 deals with Israel in the Big Picture and the Gentiles understanding that – as well as their relationship to Israel.
Please notice: Paul doesn’t say salvation has come to the Gentiles ‘for the purpose of Christians converting the Jews to Christianity’! In short, Gentile followers are supposed to be so much more godly and Mashiach-like than Jews, that the Jews will look at Christians and say, “Wow; look at how much more godly they are, they have more love for God than we do, they have more love for each other than we do, they have more unity than we do; is this caused by their steadfast trustworthiness in the one they call the Mashiach – who is a Jew”?
Jews will then be stimulated to look more closely at Yeshua. Not because Yeshua is presented at the point of a sword, but because Jews see the love and tremendous godly character traits of Christians! Romans also shows us Paul’s overarching Big Picture emphasis on the Jewish People, which particularly in Romans 11 he follows up with after Romans 11:11.
Quite a number of Jewish Brothers who’ve been called to minister to our dear Gentile Brethren, have very much been motivated by Romans 11:11. Speaking the truth in love again, the approach of our presenting the Hebrew and Jewish basis of things is to ‘ provoked to jealousy in reverse’. Meaning, that when our dear Christian Brethren see what we have with life in Yeshua that has the deeper Biblical overarching Hebrew and Jewish approach, then our dear Christian Brethren will be stimulated towards that approach with Yeshua.
With a hopefully mature approach and a deeper understanding and appreciating of the Biblically Hebrew and Jewish based practice of love, mercy, forgiveness, etc., Christians become more like Yeshua. Thus, Christians can fulfill the purpose of salvation coming to the Gentiles vis a vis, the Jewish People!
Dear ones: salvation has not come to you just to ‘save you from Hell’ – which isn’t Yeshua’s true Gospel anyway. Yeshua’s Gospel, is just that – Good News! He’s working you towards the very great positive of the Kingdom! Kingdom, is mentioned 111 times in the Gospel; Geena ‘Hell’, 11 times.
Dear ones you have a bigger mission – function – purpose than being saved from Hell. It’s to ‘ come alongside’ and provoke Israel to zeal with what you have in Yeshua! Zeal, which in Greek one Greek text defines as ‘one who is eager’, is used in Acts 21:20 in reference to the mariades (‘myriad’), the many thousands of Jews who have placed their steadfast trustworthiness in Yeshua, and have zeal for the Torah
To Return
Ps. 89:27 (Hebrew), with the Psalm being Messianic, also uses the Hebrew ‘first born’. This use as applied to Yeshua is drawn from the Hebrew Bible. Unfortunately, what the Western System misses in using the Hebrew Bible largely as just a ‘proof text’ of Yeshua, is just how extremely close Yeshua is with both David and the Jewish People!
As we point out in our teaching – Revelation – the last book of the Bible – and written 5 and 1/2 or 6 decades after Yeshua’s Ascension, shows Yeshua is still part of the whole of the Jewish People – now, in Heaven! Cf. Rev. 5:5 & 22:16. For much much more please see our original teaching on Heaven, taken directly from the Greek text of Revelation! You’ll find it on our Home page in the third of our eight windows, under H Heaven.
Israel as Specially Chosen
Dt. 7:6 speaks of Israel as not only specially chosen, but in Hebrew, Israel is referred to as a ‘special treasure’. This term is used several times in the Hebrew Bible referring to the Jewish People!
Dear ones; with the LORD restoring the Jewish Brothers to their Gentile Brethren – after a 1600-year absence – and with your love and support, working together with your Jewish Brothers – cf. esp. Phpns 4:3, vss. 17-19 – you now have the renewed opportunity of fulfilling your Bigger Picture purpose of salvation. And, to be rewarded as the Philippians were Phpns. 4:17-19!
Praying For Our Enemies
While they were tremendous protests around the world when Israel was forced to kill Palestinian Muslims in the defending itself, very little if anything is heard about Hamas killing fellow Muslims now in Azza. Apparently for the world it’s only an issue when Jews are forced to kill Muslims; but, when one Muslims kill each other. This is also the case in a number of other places besides Azza!
God willing more on this in a separate email.
Thank you!
Jacob
Ps. 133 – Phpns. 2:2-3 – 3 Yochanon 5-8