Love Israel

Intro Voice: Shalom, and welcome to V'ahavta Yisrael, a Hebrew phrase which means "You shall love Israel." We hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher, Dr. Baruch, shares his expository teaching from the Bible. Dr. Baruch is the senior lecturer at the Zera Avraham Institute based in Israel.

Although all courses are taught in Hebrew at the institute, Dr. Baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in English. To find out more about our work in Israel, please visit us on the web at loveisrael.org. That's one word, loveisrael.org. Now, here's Baruch with today's lesson.

Dr. Baruch Korman: In this passage that we're going to learn from it today, there is an important concept. And that concept is called in Hebrew Rosh Chodesh, or the new month. We see that the calendar is very important in the scripture. And the biblical calendar reveals to us certain days, and we could call these days festivals or the Lord's appointed days.

And when we look at the New Testament in Colossians chapter 2 and verse 17, we learn something. That these days have a significance in regard to what is coming. Now, when Paul writes those things that are coming, what is he referring to? The answer is he's referring to the kingdom of God.

Meaning, the various things that were mentioned in verse 16 of Colossians chapter 2. And we're speaking about the dietary laws, we're speaking about Shabbat and also the festivals and the new moon. All of these things have a kingdom significance. Why is that? Because we read in Colossians 2 verse 17 that they reflect a shadow of what is coming. What is coming? The kingdom of God. And the substance of which, meaning that which is there that casts the shadow, is who? Messiah himself.

So, when we look at the new month, the dietary laws, Shabbat, and the Lord's appointed days, these festivals, they all have kingdom significance and they all are connected directly to Messiah himself. All of this has great significance. Now, when we look at the passage that we're going to be studying from today, we learn something concerning how this new month was observed.

It is not treated as a Shabbat, which means there's no restrictions placed upon it. And therefore, we see that people would gather together as families in order to celebrate the new month. Now, this word for month, *chodesh*, comes from the Hebrew word *chadash*, which means "new." And I've shared with you many times that this word "new" has a kingdom connection.

So, that which is new and different is the kingdom of God. As we observe the new moon, this new month, what can we expect? Well, we're going to see how there is a restoration to the will of God. So with that said, take out your Bible and look with me if you would to 1 Samuel and chapter 20. 1 Samuel chapter 20, we're going to begin in verse 1.

Now again, there is something that has been dominating this section of scripture from 1 Samuel. And again, we're talking about Shaul's plan, that is King Saul, and his desire to put David to death. He is obsessed with that and he is persistent in his desire to kill David. And nothing is going to change in what we're studying today. Look if you would to 1 Samuel chapter 20 and verse 1 where it says:

"And David fled from Naioth, which is in Ramah. And he went and he said before Yonatan, 'What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father that my soul he seeks?'" Now, this word *nefesh*, it can be translated literally as a soul, but most Bibles see it referring to the very essence of an individual and it might be translated in your Bible "my life." And that's fine. It's speaking about a person, an individual, the life of someone, or we can see it in a more spiritual way that it concerns the very essence, the soul of a person.

So, David is fleeing and he goes to Yonatan, his close friend, his confidant, someone as we're going to see in a moment that they have entered into a covenantal relationship one with the other. And he goes to him because of the situation that he finds himself struggling with. And what is that? The fact that the king over Israel is wanting to put David to death.

And because of that, he turns to Yonatan for assistance. And we see that Yonatan is someone who is close to David, believes in him, and is loyal to David. Well, let's move on to verse 2 where it says, and Yonatan responds. "And he said to him, *'Chalila.'*" Now, *chalila* is a Hebrew idiom and it can be best understood as "God forbid."

It is a way of saying something is not going to take place, that he is against it. And that's what Yonatan is saying about his father and his father's desire to put David to death. He's saying it is not going to take place, I'm against that. And he says, as we keep reading simply, "And you will not die. Behold..." And he's going to explain something to David.

He says to him, that is Yonatan saying to David, "What my father does, whether it is a big matter or whether it's a small matter, he does not do something until he reveals it to my ears." So, Yonatan says, "If this was the fact that my father was trying to kill you, I would already know. He would have told me this." He says, "Why should he conceal, that is why should my father conceal from me this thing?" And then it concludes, look at the end of verse 2, this expression in Hebrew *eyn zot*, which means "this is not," meaning this is not going to happen.

Now, David is very wise. Everything that David does, he does with understanding, and the root of that understanding is coming from the fact that David is committed to God's will. Understand something, this is an important biblical principle. When you are someone who is committed to the purposes of God—I can state that differently—when you are someone who is committed to the will of the Lord, God is going to honor you.

Why? Because you are honoring the things that are important to God. You are committed to him, you are his servant. So once we are committed to what is important to God, God is going to move in our life. God is going to provide. He is going to give wisdom. He is going to provide supernatural understanding so that we can have discernment and that we can see things in the way that we need to see them.

All of that comes from the Holy Spirit. So the Holy Spirit, if you're committed to the purposes of God, the Holy Spirit will work in your life in order to bring an expectancy or an expediency to your situation. God will assist you. You will be expedient in accomplishing his will because that is your objective. There's an agreement between you and God.

But be careful. When you are committed to what you want and you are doing your will, understand, as we saw last week with King Shaul, it is not going to end well for you. You are going to be brought to shame and you are not going to be successful. What did we see? We saw how the Spirit of God came upon Shaul.

And what did that spirit bring about and cause? Well, Shaul was placed upon the ground all day and all night. And he took off his clothes, which were an expression of shame. That's how it's going to end when we are committed to our desires, our plans, our purposes. So we see here that the last thing that Yonatan said to David, he says, *eyn zot*, meaning "this is not." This is not what's going to happen. This is not the reality of the situation. He doesn't agree with what David is saying. But read on. Notice what happens in verse 3.

"And David took an oath again and he says, 'Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes.'" Now, that word favor, *chen*, can also be grace. "And he says, 'It shall not be made known to Jonathan lest he is sad.' But then David goes on and says, 'However, as the Lord lives and as my soul lives...'" He's taking an oath. He's saying the very essence of the fact that God is, that God's alive and I'm alive, he says that, and notice how verse 3 concludes:

"That there is only a step between me and between death." What David is saying is "I'm very close to dying. This is your father's plan. You may not be aware of it. It may be normally that whatever your father's doing, he reveals it to you. But because he knows that this would be something that would grieve you because he understands our close friendship, he understands that we are in a covenantal relationship, because of this, he has said, 'Do not allow this to be made known to Jonathan.'"

Well, let's press on. Look at verse 4. "And Yonatan said to David, 'What you say...' And literally it's 'what your soul says.'" So he's talking about this from a spiritual vantage point. Whenever that word *nefesh* is used in the scripture, it's trying to bring a spiritual context to this discussion. So he says, "Whatever your soul says, I will do..." and then it ends *l'cha*, which means "for you."

Now again, what is being presented is something that's very clear to see when we look at it in the original language. And that is Yonatan is affirming a commitment to David. He says, "If you have a better understanding of this situation than I do, then whatever your soul says to me, whatever is the spiritual will of my Father—meaning God the Father—" he says, "I will do for you."

So again, verse 4 is concluding with Yonatan saying, "I am loyal to you. You tell me what should be done and I'm going to do it for you." Move on to verse 5. "And David said to Yonatan, 'Behold...'" And notice this next expression, *chodesh machar*, meaning "the new month begins tomorrow." Now, in Judaism, in the calendar, we need to understand something and it's this.

We find that this celebration, some months it's one day, but other months it's two days. Why? Well, we need to realize that the biblical calendar—now many people believe that the biblical calendar is a lunar calendar. It is not. It is both, both solar and lunar. Why? Well, because Passover must be in the spring of the year.

If it was a lunar calendar, which is the Islamic calendar, we would find something. And that is, for example, Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, what happens to it? It's sometimes in the summer, then it moves to the spring and then the winter and then to the fall. It moves around the year. Why? Because the lunar calendar has many days shorter than a solar calendar.

And it's for this gap between the solar calendar and the lunar calendar that causes the seasons to be changed. But this is not so with the biblical calendar because we have in Judaism a correction. Every two or three years, there's an extra month, an extra 30 days. And we find that some months have 29 days, like a lunar calendar, but there are some months that have 30 days.

And we're looking at a month that is going to—and we'll see this confirmed—that has two days of celebrations. This is what we're going to see. So look at verse 5 where it says, "And David spoke to Yonatan, 'Behold, tomorrow is the new month. And I will sit with the king to eat. And you will send me and I will hide in the field until the evening of the third evening.'"

So it's two full days of the new month, the new moon celebration. And he's saying "I will hide there until the evening of the third day." Look at verse 6. "If your father should notice that my place is empty and he should ask from you 'Why is this?', you say that David has asked from me that he should run to Bethlehem, his city, that is the city of his family. Why? Because there is a sacrifice of these days there for all of his family."

So his family's observing it in a special way. "And David asked from me that he might go and attend this family celebration, this time of worship within the family." Now notice what happens. Look now if you would to verse 7. "If thus he should say..." who should say? Well, we're talking about King Shaul. "If he should say concerning this information..." and what would he say? Well, look at verse 7. "If thus he should say 'Good' and peace to your servant, this is a sign that everything is okay, that what Yonatan is saying, that there is no plot or conspiracy to kill David, then that would be true."

But if he should say that he becomes utterly angry, know that this evil from him is complete, meaning has been thoroughly thought out. Verse 8. Now, what is David asking? There's a very important word that appears here. The word in Hebrew is *chesed*. Now, I would suggest to you that this word *chesed* is the best Hebrew word for the biblical concept of grace.

Now, grace is an important word both in the New Testament, that Greek word *charis*, and the Hebrew word *chesed*. They are equivalent to one another. And this is what you need to know. When someone is talking about *chesed* or grace or *charis* if it's in the New Testament, we find that this word grace always leads, it has a foundational purpose, and that is what? That God's will would be fulfilled.

So, when we talk about grace, we're talking about that element that God provides, that God gives a believer. And that grace is going to cause that person to be committed to the will of God. So, if you're walking in grace, as you should be, you are going to be committed to the will of God. That is going to be the priority of your life, not your plans, not your desires, not your purposes, but rather you will be thoroughly committed to the will of God.

Well, this is what David is saying. And he asks, look at verse 8. He says, "And you shall do grace unto your servant. Why?" He says, "Because into the covenant of the Lord you have brought your servant with you." So David is saying very clearly, "We have entered into a covenant with one another." And what is the purpose of a biblical covenant?

Now, the word for covenant in Hebrew is the word *brit*. It is derived from a Hebrew word which relates to purity. So the primary purpose of a covenant is to keep both parties pure. Now, there's another aspect to a covenant. And what is that?

The primary objective of a covenant is not just purity but that this relationship is maintained. This is what's important. And David is saying this. He speaks, look again at verse 8, he says, "And you will do grace concerning your servant because into the covenant of the Lord you have brought your servant with you."

And he says, "And if there is in me some iniquity, you kill me. Why should you bring me unto your father? Why to this one do you bring me?" Meaning "You can just kill me yourself if there's some iniquity, if I am disloyal to our covenantal relationship." Now, their covenantal relationship, and hear this carefully, is based upon the word of God. Both Yonatan—that is Jonathan—the son of Shaul, the eldest son, and David, they have something in common.

Both of these men, based upon what's being emphasized in verse 8, *chesed*, this grace, what are they committed to? They're committed to the will of God. And when there is that commitment to the word of God and the will of God, what can we expect? God to perform and do grace, make grace with his people. Why? Because grace works in someone's life in order to bring about the fulfillment of God's will.

So let's just pause and get something very clearly stated, and that is this. If you are a child of God—how do you become a child of God? By means of covenant. What covenant? The New Covenant. And that New Covenant is established—and Messiah taught this on the night that he was betrayed. He spoke about the New Covenant.

And he says, "The New Covenant in my blood." Remember he took the cup and he spoke about how this cup is ratified, this new commandment or new covenant is ratified by my blood. So he lays down his life, he gives his body, and he sheds his blood in order that this New Covenant comes into being. And so we see that the New Covenant is directly related to the blood of Messiah, the death of Messiah. It is why he was sent into this world.

So what does that tell us? It tells us a very important biblical truth. If you have come into the New Covenant, you have received the grace of God, you have been redeemed, and that redemption is forever and forever. And what are you going to be passionate about? What is going to be the commitment of your life? It's going to be based upon the will of God.

And you're going to be transformed through this New Covenant into a servant of the living God. That is what every believer is committed to. That's how every believer should think of him or herself, as a servant of the living God. Now, I have a scripture that is one of my favorite ones. It's from the book of Romans chapter 7 verse 6.

It speaks about something, and that is through the Spirit, what do we do? We serve God. And how do we serve God? Not according to the oldness of the letter, but in the newness of the Spirit. Remember that word "new" relates to the kingdom. So through the Spirit of God that comes by means of redemption, we are now able to serve God in a new way, in a kingdom way where kingdom purposes are going to be at the foundation of our very being, what we're committed to, what we're doing, how our life is lived out. It's based upon kingdom truth.

So David is saying here, look at the end of verse 8. He says, "If there's some iniquity within me, you take and kill me. Why should this one to your father that you bring me? Just kill me yourself. It would be the right thing to do if I am disloyal, if I'm not committed to the purposes of God." Let's look at our last verse, verse 9.

And what does Jonathan say? *V'yomer Yonatan*, Jonathan said, *'Chalila.'* Now, *chalila* is a very important term. What does it mean? Well, we've seen it already mentioned earlier on in this text when Jonathan is saying to David, "Certainly, God forbid." Is another way we can think of it. That there is something in my father's heart that wants to kill you. Now, Yonatan wasn't aware of it, but we're going to see that it's going to be proved out.

In a very, very harsh manner, Yonatan is going to see that his father is committed to putting David to death. What David is saying is correct. So look again at verse 9. And Yonatan said, "*Chalila* to you," meaning God forbid concerning you. That "if I should know that it is evil—meaning that evil, that which is against God's will—has been determined from my father concerning you, that it should come upon you."

He's saying "God forbid, I am not going to be part of such a plan. You can trust me, David, you can rely upon me. I am going to be faithful." Now I said this earlier when he says, "Whatever your soul says, this I will do." He's going to repeat this in other words in verse 9. Look at how verse 9 concludes.

He's saying that if indeed evil, that which is against God's will, has been determined by my father, he says, "Then it I will declare to you." What he's saying is "If this is in fact true that my father is against you, that he wants to put you to death, then this I will declare to you." Again, what is he doing? Yonatan—in English, Jonathan—he is promising David that he's going to be loyal to—and here's the key—loyal to their covenantal relationship.

What is a covenant? It's an instrument that keeps purity and the relationship together. That's why God calls us into a covenantal relationship with him. So we walk in purity. Why is that important? What is pure God will bless. So that we can be people who do indeed serve God in spirit and truth and honor him in all of our ways.

Intro Voice: Well, we hope you will benefit from today's message and share it with others. Please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of loveisrael.org. Again, to find out more about us, please visit our website loveisrael.org. There you will find articles and numerous other lectures by Baruch. These teachings are in video form. You may download them or watch them in streaming video. Until next week, may the Lord bless you in our Messiah Yeshua, that is Jesus, as you walk with him. Shalom from Israel.