Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest (Male): Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus Yeshua the Messiah and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective here is Gideon Levitan.

Gideon Levytam: The study of Acts chapter 1 cannot be united with a person who denied the fundamental word of God or somebody reject the deity of the Messiah or somebody reject the promises of the scripture. Whatever it is, we cannot unite on other basis or on other ground except the ground that we have in God's word. Now I know we deviate to that all kind of views about many many things, but I'm speaking beloved brothers and sisters among the people of God the necessity of believing in the unity of the body of all believers. And so you know Psalm 133 goes on it says it is like the precious ointment upon the head that went down upon the beard of Aaron's beard and went down to the skirts of his garments.

You know Aaron is a type of Yeshua the Messiah, the great high priest. And when the oil came upon Aaron's hair came down the side down to his beard and all the way down to his skirts and to the garment and all the way down to the bottom of the skirt of the garment that he had. And it's a picture of the Holy Spirit of God that poured upon the head speaking about the Messiah and all the way down to the rest of the people of God. It's a future, it's a picture of Israel's future restoration where the Messiah will be restored, when he will restore to his place and when Israel will acknowledge him and they will receive the blessings from him because the blessing going to flow to every Israeli individual in a Messianic age.

And we can receive that blessing as well as believers today. The blessings of the headship of the Lord Jesus in the church age can fall can come down upon all believers and it should come down upon all believers if those believers are submissive to the word of God. He continue and he doesn't speak about also about Aaron and Aaron's beard, but it goes on and it says in verse 3 it is like the dew of Hermon. And as the dew that descend upon the mountains of Zion and you notice that you know the dew is again another picture of the Holy Spirit of God.

Mount Hermon is the highest mountain in the land of Israel. It's again another picture of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. Who is the head? Who is the king? Who is superior than anyone else? And the blessing flow from him to the rest of the mountains of Zion. Again I would like to suggest brothers and sisters that it takes us to the future day when Israel going to be restored, when a Messianic kingdom going to be established, but the people that believed in Yeshua the Messiah even though they were anticipating the future day they believed in the unity of the people of God.

And they were working towards it. Sometime we have to be ashamed when we see that we have participated and have been part of dividing the people of God. And we don't realize that God knows everything. And God hates divisions. And we failed him so much. We know it. And God does not look at this and being pleased. He is grieved over this. And he help us allow us to experience this in our own life. Lack of joy, lack of power, lack of shalom, lack of peace because we have been part of these things. Now we fail and the Lord knows it and there's always room for restoration, always room for to confess before the Lord say Lord help me that I will be used to be part of that which unify believers rather than scattering the people of God.

You know it says at the end of Psalm 133 it says there the Lord commanded his blessing. The Lord's blessing is when the people of God are united together. And when the people of God in a spiritual state they desire to be a blessing to God's people and so they came back. They left Mount Olives, Har HaZeitim, they walked and they went all the way after coming down the slopes going up to the mountain in Jerusalem and then there went to the upper room and the Bible tells us in this verse all continue with one accord in prayer and supplication.

And notice there by the way with their women and Miriam the mother of Yeshua and with his brother. And apparently his brethren who early in the Gospels did not believe on him later on they became a believers that Yeshua the Jesus is truly the promised Messiah. And so they gathered together there and they have one accord united together. How far today we are from Acts 1 when they all began in one accord. And we look at the state of the church today and you can see how far are we from where we began. I want to read another verse if you turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4 for a moment.

And you ask and I may ask well how dear brother Gideon, how do we practice? How can we maintain? How can we seek to do to build or to unite the people of God? And the Lord is giving us an answer, the apostle Saul Paul giving us an answer in the book of Ephesians and he tells us it is a hard work. He tells us notice that he says in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 1 to 4 he said therefore I the prisoner of the Lord I beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called with all lowliness and meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another in love endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in bond of peace.

There is one body, there is one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all who is above all and through all and in you all. verses 1 to 6 I don't know if you caught this one word here that the word is in verse 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in bond of shalom, in bond of peace. Endeavoring means that you seek hard to do that, you work at that. You see we never are called to keep the unity of the body because the unity of the body is a positional truth that everyone who have accepted the Lord Yeshua the Messiah he is part of the one body, universal body that Yeshua have formed.

He keeps this body. You and I are never called to keep the unity of the body. But we are called to keep the unity of the spirit. That means that we are called to endeavor to work hard to seek, to pray, to be really working hard, laboring hard to maintain unity, practical unity among the people of God. And we have to admit to our own shame. Everyone of us in his own area of life we somehow instead of being a cause of unity we have end up to be a cause of dispersion. Look at the church today.

How do you think all this happened? Now of course I know Acts 1 we are not talking yet about the church because the church did not start as yet. It started in Acts chapter 2. But when you just imagine where we started there just before the church just at the beginning in the foundation there up till today 2,000 years later look at the condition that existing today. The scattering of the saints, the divisions of all sort of groups of Christians, all kind of names that have been given. You never have one name here that the church received except they call themselves believers in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

The Hebrew name for Christian it began with the word Christian come from the Greek word Christos come with the Hebrew word Messiah, Messiah. They were called Messiah followers in first century. They knew them because they followed the men from who were proclaiming to be the Messiah, the promised Messiah. And they surely did. They believed in the unity of believers. And so Paul in Ephesians chapter 4 he says how you going to be able to practice this in some sort of way? He says listen, you walk worthy of the vocation where you were called. You yourself first of all walk in a way humbly, in a humble way, in submissiveness to the word of God with all lowliness, with all meekness, with all longsuffering.

You see we do not need longsuffering with someone who is easy. We do not need longsuffering with someone who doesn't cause me and allow me to suffer and only with those that cause us hard time or we cause them a hard time we need longsuffering. Long and how long is long? It doesn't tell us how long, but longsuffering, lowliness, meekness, forbearing one another in love. That's what we need beloved brothers and sisters. That's was the early first century Jewish Hebrew Israeli believers held to. They gathered together in one accord in the same upper room and there they were waiting for direction from the Lord.

Also they believe in that. They believed in the unity of believers. And so in verses 12 13 and 14 we see this expression that they mentioned in one accord. By the way that word one accord if you notice in chapter 2 it says there were always one accord, chapter 2 verse 1. And if you will notice you move on in verse 24 of chapter 4 it is well mentioned there and when they heard that they lifted up their voice with one accord. One accord is mentioned often time in the scriptures, one accord. In chapter 5 and also if you will notice chapter 5 and verse 12 it's also said there in one accord by the hands of the apostle with many signs and wonders wrought among the people and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch, one accord.

There were many times the Bible teaches that they were in one accord together. They were gathered together and seeking to glorify Yeshua the Messiah. The last verse in the book of Acts is verse 25 of chapter 15. It seems good unto us being assembled with one accord that were the first gathering of the church in the city of Jerusalem of the assembly there. They gathered themselves in one accord many times. You could see this expression one accord is mentioned in the book of Acts. May the Lord really help us to see this as well to be motivated to seek the unity of the people of God.

So not only this now since they have believed in the unity of the people of God, but they didn't only believe in this notice that in the next verses verses 15 to 23 this is a bit longer section. They also believe those disciples in the written word of God. What you hold in your hand and I hold in my hand what we call the scriptures the this is the Old Testament, the this is the New Testament. What they held in their hand they believe in it. Of course they didn't have the New Testament the is yet.

So they believed in God's word whether it is the Old Testament or whether it is the New Testament it was going to be written. Now I heard many time people who says you know why do you believe in the Old Testament? This is old. That 's why we don't believe it. This is for the people on the past. But we have the New Testament. You see the Old Testament is old, is no longer important, no longer valid some will say. But you see notice that that these early Hebrew believers believed in the that this is indeed the word of God.

And so look what they've done. Moving on to the next verses in verse 15 all the way to verse 23 you'll notice how Peter directing the attention of the people to the scriptures. It says in verse 15 and here we get how many people were there in the upper room at that time. In those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples. And then it says in brackets the number of the names together was about 120. Apparently this large upper room there if it is the same upper room where Yeshua celebrated the Passover with his disciples had enough room there for about 120 disciples to gather together.

And those 120 it included the 11 apostles, it included many of the women, it included Miriam the mother of Yeshua and the brothers of Yeshua. About 120 people were there gathering together. And it is interesting that Peter take the leadership here. Interesting you notice that Peter takes the leadership because the Lord have already called him and challenge him before that he is the bitter one that will lead and feed his brethren. In fact Peter in the scripture is called the apostle to the circumcision, meaning the apostles to the Hebrews, the apostles to the Israelites, the apostle to the Jewish people.

He takes the leadership. You notice that in verse 13 that his name is mentioned first. It says in verse 13 they were all gathered together to the upper room where both Peter his name first, James, John and Andrew and so on and all the rest of the eleven's name are mentioned. Peter took the leadership and he began to direct the people the 120 to the word of God. And notice he takes such a verse that you and I might look at that we say where does he apply this verse? How does he know that that's apply to this men by the name of Judas who sold Yeshua the Messiah.

So he's standing there he stood up verse 15 and in the midst of all these disciples there in this upper room and then in verse 16 Peter speaks of the scriptures concerning Judas. And I want to remind you again the word Judas is simply the Hebrew word Yehuda. We mention Judas in the English scriptures to identify him differently than the other Judah, but this is really the same name is Judah Judah the men of the suburbs. And so Peter is speaking of him and notice that he said men and brethren verse 16 this scripture must needs have been fulfilled which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spake concerning Judas which was a guide to them that took Yeshua.

Now it's amazing how much insight Peter the Galilean had concerning the word of God. Even though the Lord Yeshua was not in the midst right now he went to heaven. He was going to come later on and he's going to through the Holy Spirit of God to guide the nation, to guide the believers there. And yet Peter had an insight concerning the word of God, the scriptures. And he takes this and he says look David already in the Hebrew scriptures spoke concerning this man that was a guide to them that took Yeshua. He is directing them to the scriptures.

Interesting brothers and sisters that Peter believed in the word of God in the simplicity of the word of God and he directed them to what David have said in the Psalms concerning this man by the name of Judas. Now you and I might ask how did he have this insight? I would like to suggest to you that already earlier in the Gospel of John let just turn for a second to the Gospel of John. John chapter 20 Yeshua the Messiah was there with his disciples. And if you remember in John 20 he gave the disciples the Holy Spirit.

You remember that? Look at this. In verse 21 then said Jesus to them again peace be unto you. As my father has sent me even so I sent you. And when he had said this he breathed on them. This is verse 22 and he says to them receive ye the Holy Spirit. Now that's interesting passage because remember we said that the Holy Spirit only came later on in the next chapter Acts chapter 2. And yet he had given to them the Holy Spirit of God in a unique way. Now I would like to say beloved brothers and sisters that the way in which they received the Holy Spirit of God in verse 22 receive ye the Holy Spirit they receive it in the same way under the Old Testament or under the economy of the law.

They received the Holy Spirit of God in the same way that other men of old like David received the Holy Spirit for a special vessel in a special way for a special time. And so they had the Holy Spirit of God. Of course not yet indwelling them in the same way that it will be later on in the New Testament when the body was formed, but they had the Holy Spirit of God to guide them, to enlighten them, to help them to understand the word of God. And so Peter received the same like the others the Holy Spirit of God to enable them to understand the scripture for that season, for that time.

Later on the Holy Spirit of God going to come upon them Acts chapter 2 going to unite them and to indwell them and never to leave them anymore. That will be in a new way under the new economy, under the new covenant. But here they received the Holy Spirit of God in verse 22 of John 20 by the Lord Yeshua himself for a special service. And so Peter he rising up in the midst of those disciples this 120 believers about and he's saying to them brethren this scripture must need to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas which was a guide unto them that took Jesus.

And you know what he did? He directed them to Psalm 69. And he there notice that I'm reading verse 17 for he was numbered with us. Judas was numbered one of the 12 he was and he had obtained part of the ministry. He was part of the ministry of the 12 apostles, but he said in verse 18 this man this is Judas he purchased a field with a reward of iniquity and falling down headlong he burst asunder in the midst and all his bowels gushed out. And I'm continue verse 19 and 20 and it was known unto all the dwells in Jerusalem in as much as that the field is called in the proper tongue that is to say the field of blood.

And now verse 20 for it is written. Here's the scripture. In the book of Psalm let his habitation be desolate and let no men dwell therein. And his bishopric or his overseeing let another one or another man take. In verse 20 we have a quotation of two verses in the Psalms that were written by David. Psalm 69 and verse 25 and Psalm 109 in verse 8. And I would like you for a moment to turn to Psalm 69 which we have also read today. Psalm 69 deals with the sufferings of the Messiah. In fact it was told or it been taught often time that Psalm 69 is a Psalm that deal with the Messiah's suffering and as the trespass offering.

You know we have five offerings in the book of Leviticus. We have the burnt offering, we have the meal offering, we have the peace offering, we have the sin offering and we have the trespass offering. Every offering is a picture of the Messiah Yeshua in his life and death. And there are five Psalms that really goes a line in the same line with each of the offering that are given to us in the Bible. The burnt offering is Psalm 40. The meal offering is Psalm 16. The peace offering is Psalm 85. The sin offering is Psalm 22 and the trespass offerings is Psalm 69.

And every one of these Psalms if you read them in connection with the five offering you will see how beautifully they speaks of the sufferings of the Messiah, the life and the death of Yeshua the Messiah. Psalm 69 verses 1 to 21 which we read today speak to us of the sufferings of the Messiah. But then it's continue which we didn't read today and I'm just going to read to you just a couple of verses after verse 21 which says they gave me also gall for meat and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

This is what the Lord Jesus have said in Matthew chapter 27. And then we read in verse 22 all the way to verse 28 this called by Bible teachers imprecatory verses. The verses that kind of speak against the enemies of the people of God. Imprecatory verses, they harsh and strong verses. One of those verses in Psalm 69 verse 21 the Psalm is David said let their habitation be desolate and let none dwell in their tent. In Hebrew it says He took this verse Peter interesting. And you notice it says they in Psalm 69 25 their habitation and their tents it's a plural.

And he took it and he applied it to Judas And there you notice I'm back now to Acts chapter 1 and I'm in verse 20 now. It is written in the book of the Psalm let his habitation notice he use a singular here in verse 20 like his habitation be desolate and let no men dwell therein. He took Psalm 69 verse 25 that apply in plurality to the enemies of the Lord. And he took it and he changes to a singular form and he apply it to Judas And he says as it is written in the book of Psalm let his habitation be desolate, let no men dwell in his habitation.

In other words he took it and apply it to Judas Psalm 109 in verse 8 continue that says and that his bishopric let another take. Bishop simply means he's episcopate in other word he's oversight somebody else suppose to take. Now what I want to emphasize here brothers and sisters that these verses shows us that these early believers believed in God's word. And they took it seriously. They believe that what God said in his word is true. It is God's word. Everything that was said in the scriptures whether it is Old Testament or whether it is New Testament it is indeed the word of God.

And we are to take it literally and accept it for what it says. And that is exactly what Peter directed the people, the believers in the upper room to the word of God where he told them he stood up and he said men and brethren verse 16 this scripture must be fulfilled. The scripture concerning Judas who was an enemy of Yeshua.

Guest (Male): You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levitan. Gideon teaches God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry write to Holy Scriptures and Israel box 1411 Niagara on the Lake Ontario L0S 1J0 or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 1 p.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program visit holyscripturesandisrael.com.

God bless you. Shalom Shalom.