Holy Scriptures and Israel

Gideon Levytam: 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 Levytam.

Gideon Levytam: The study of Acts chapter 5. That the Lord Jesus was hung on a tree, and that thought, you know, who his own self bear our sins in his own body on a tree. First Peter 2 and verse 24.

Gideon Levytam: And Paul often time use the word cross. And I know that there is various views about this. Some believe that it was a piece of wood up and down and across to cross it and his hands were stretched sideways. Other believe his hands were stretched upwards. Whichever way the issue is not how his hands were stretched. The issue is that he was hung. He died on a tree. There he was punished on our behalf.

Gideon Levytam: That's the issue. And I'm just saying that the Greek word here and the Hebrew word is simply mean tree. He was hung on a tree. In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 21, the Bible says cursed is the man who hung on a tree.

Gideon Levytam: And they hung him on a tree. He became a cursed for us. He was judged on our behalf. He was the just one and we are the unjust. He was judged that we will never need to be judged.

Gideon Levytam: See, Peter is now telling them, listen, God raised him, but you rejected him. And you have slain him and hung him on a tree. And he says in verse 31, him, God has exalted to his right hand to be a prince and a savior for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Gideon Levytam: You see, Peter is preaching the Gospel. That's what he's doing here. He's preaching the death of the Messiah. He's preaching the burial and the resurrection of the Messiah. That's the Gospel. He is preaching to his own brethren, the Jewish people in this case specifically to the religious leaders, the council.

Gideon Levytam: He is preaching to them the message of the Gospel and he says, him, Yeshua, God has exalted with his right hand to make him a prince. The Hebrew word for prince is sar. That's why he's called Sar-El, the prince of God, Yisrael Sar. And a savior, Mashiach.

Gideon Levytam: To give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. He gave them an opportunity, brothers and sisters, to say right there and then, God of Israel, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we acknowledge the Messiahship of Yeshua that he died for us and we repent. And we confess that he is the Mashiach. And we acknowledge him and we can now can have assurance of forgiveness of sins. What an opportunity they had.

Gideon Levytam: I'm sure the Spirit of God was moving there to seek to convict them to recognize the Messiahship of Yeshua. And you know, it is rather said that we see here what's happening here in the next verses. Peter says in verse 32, we are his witnesses of these things.

Gideon Levytam: And so is also the Holy Spirit whom God has given to them that obey him. See, Peter is saying to them, look, we are witnessing to you. We know what he said. We have been with him. If you remember in Act chapter 1 and verse 8, Yeshua said to them, you shall be my witnesses beginning in the city of Jerusalem. And then Samaria, and Judea, Samaria and then to the outermost part of the Earth. Everything began at the city of Jerusalem with their own brethren. There could not be any more central place that they could have gone. Right there in the midst of the leaders of the nation of Israel.

Gideon Levytam: And so, we are his witnesses. You notice here again and again, it's always him. God raised Jesus, Yeshua. And then him he exalted. He made him a prince. He made him a savior. And then it said, and we are his witnesses of these things. And also the Holy Spirit of God which had been given to those that obey him. And by the way, when Yeshua before he died, if you remember, in John chapter 14, 15 and 16, in the upper room in the city of Jerusalem, Yeshua said that the Holy Spirit will come. And the Holy Spirit will reside in you. And he will teach you those things. And he will be using you, the Spirit of God, to preach the message concerning me. The Spirit will not speak of himself. He will take a mine and he will show it unto you. We have it in the Gospel of John in chapter 14, 15 and 16. John 14 verse 16 and 17, John 15 verse 26 and 27, and John 16 verses 7 and 8. Those are the verses that Yeshua promised the coming of the Spirit of God.

Gideon Levytam: And surely he came. Acts 2. Formed the body of Messiah, indwelled in every believer, and used them in the preaching of the message of the Gospel. Now you would think, beloved brothers and sisters, that here is an opportunity for the leaders of Israel to turn their hearts to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through Yeshua the Messiah. What an opportunity.

Gideon Levytam: There will be a day, and we long for that, when the nation of Israel will come to terms with the person of Yeshua. And there is coming a day when Israel will finally recognize the struggle that had been going between the nation and the Messiah for 2,000 years already up to now will have to come to an end. Because there will be a day coming when Israel will fall before the Messiah. They will look upon him whom they have pierced and they will mourn. They will repent. They will confess as a nation. Collectively and individually.

Gideon Levytam: The prophet Zechariah is speaking about that. Chapter 12 and verse 10, speaking about the days that are coming ahead for the nation of Israel. But here, how said, it says in verse 33, look at this, look at the response of the leaders of Israel to the message that Peter and the apostles share with them. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart. And look at this. What do they do now? They took counsel how to slay the apostles.

Gideon Levytam: You see, what happened? I want to say that, that the same sun that melt the wax is the same sun that hardened the clay. The same message of the Messiahship of Yeshua and the love of God that softened the hearts of some individuals. It's the same message that hardened the hearts of others.

Gideon Levytam: Here we see the other side of the coin. If you remember, if you turn with me just for a moment back to chapter 2, Acts chapter 2, the same statement is mentioned earlier. When Peter was speaking in chapter 2 and verse 36 and 37 to the nation and he was speaking about Yeshua the Messiah and he said in verse 36, therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made that same Yeshua whom you crucified both Lord and Messiah.

Gideon Levytam: Look what the people did in verse 37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in the heart. Same thing. Like cut in their heart. And what do they do? Look, and they said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? How can we deal with this situation? And Peter told them, repent. Be baptized in the name of Yeshua the Messiah for the forgiveness of sins.

Gideon Levytam: But here, beloved brothers and sisters, with the leaders, the council, the Sanhedrin, the opposite happened. Instead of repenting, instead of asking, what shall we do? What they're doing here? They took counsel how they are going to slay them. They were more upset with them. Because right now, instead of the apostles being on trial, they were on trial. Instead of the apostles being accused, they were accused. Because they have rejected Yeshua the Messiah. And so, their heart were pricked. But the heart instead of being melted and broken before God with repentance and confession, instead, they took counsel how to slay them.

Gideon Levytam: And so here, beloved brothers and sisters, the next verses is a wise man by the name of Gamaliel is coming here into the picture. It says here in verse 34, to verse 39, we see a warning that were given to the Sanhedrin by a man by the name of Gamaliel. Notice that verse 34, and then stood up one of the council, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel. Now let me tell you a little bit of Gamaliel because first of all, his name Gamaliel, simply speaking of the fact that his name meaning that my God will recompense me or my recompense is of God. It's a Hebrew name, El, we know is God, Ligmol or the one who will recompense to me. What a beautiful name, Gamaliel.

Gideon Levytam: A few things about him. First of all, Gamaliel, he was a disciple of Rabbi Hillel. In the history of our people, Gamaliel was a disciple of Rabbi Hillel. Rabbi Hillel was a recognized rabbi by the nation of Israel and Gamaliel simply was a disciple of Rabbi Hillel. Secondly, he was the head of the school of Hillel. He was part of this council. But he was also the head of a rabbinical school.

Gideon Levytam: This Gamaliel here in verse 34. Thirdly, we find out that he was a teacher. Notice that, it says, there stood up one in the council, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel. He was a doctor of the law. Apparently, he was a teacher and he was the one that his teaching was very important for the nation of Israel. And fourthly, he was called by our people, not only Rabbi Gamaliel, but he was called Rabban Gamaliel. Rabban is a higher word. It is a higher word. This means he was the rabbi of the rabbis.

Gideon Levytam: That's why he's called Rabban Gamaliel. He was also, by the way, the teacher that the Apostle Paul, Shaul was under him. When Shaul was as the Pharisee, he was learning from this man by name Rabban Gamaliel. Look at Acts chapter 22 for a moment, and in the first a few verses we find out Paul saying when he was speaking, he was speaking there concerning the fact that he was under the schooling of Rabban Gamaliel.

Gideon Levytam: Acts chapter 22, when Paul was speaking to the multitudes, men and brethren, verse 1, and fathers, hear ye my defense, you remember after he was captured, which I make now unto you. And when they heard him speak in the Hebrew language to them, they kept the more silence, and he said unto them, I am verily a man which am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus, in the city of Cilicia, and yet I was brought up in this city, this is the city of Jerusalem, at the feet of Gamaliel. And I was taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and I was zealous towards God as you all are this day.

Gideon Levytam: Paul was brought up here in the city of Jerusalem under the feet of Rabban Gamaliel. This Rabban Gamaliel was a doctor of the law. He was part of the council. By the way, he was not a Sadducee. He was a Pharisee. He was Parush, he was not Saddiq or Zadok. So him, he's the one that right now here, Rabban Gamaliel is now giving, he is speaking to the council and he warning them when they are going to do any harm to the apostles.

Gideon Levytam: You see, he commanded in verse 34 that to put the apostles out for a while. Because he wanted to speak to the council. And in verse 35, Gamaliel gave advice unto the council to be very careful. He's saying to them, men and brethren, men of Israel, take heed to yourself. What you intend to do touching these men. You better be careful what you are going to do to these men.

Gideon Levytam: And in the next verses, verses 36 to 38, he gave them two examples of the things that have happened in the past. He's saying to them, remember, before these days, in verse 36, there was a man by the name of Theudas. He was boasting himself to be somebody to whom the number of men about 400 follow, joined themselves to, but at the end he was slain. And all those that followed him, they were scattered and brought to nothing. You remember that? He was telling them.

Gideon Levytam: Then he gave them the second example. He says after that, another man arose by the name of Judas. He was of Galilee, and in his days there was taxing, and he drew away much people after him, and he also perished. And all even as many as obeyed him, they were dispersed. What he is telling them, listen, he's showing to them, he says, you better be careful what you are doing to these men, to these apostles, because look what happened before. There were those that elevated themselves and at the end they were dispersed. There was Theudas with the 400, and there was Judas or Judah with others who follow him. At the end they were scattered, they were dispersed. In other words, if it's not of God, it's going to disappear. If it is of God, it is another story.

Gideon Levytam: And he gave them this warning. And so in this next verse, he's saying to them, I'm saying unto you, verse 38, refrain from these men and let them alone. For if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught. Just leave them alone. Again and again you are trying to capture them, you put them in jail, you're putting them before the council. Again, he says, you better be careful. If it is for men, it's going to vanished. Rabban Gamaliel knew the scriptures. He says to them, if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it. Lest happily ye be found even to fight against God.

Gideon Levytam: Do you know, brothers and sisters, that he knew something that even though he was not a believer, we never read of him being a believer. Maybe he was a seeker. Maybe he had heard enough about Yeshua the Messiah from the time that Yeshua was still before his death, alive, preaching the message, sharing the purpose of his coming. But we do not know, but maybe he was a seeker, but we don't read of him a being a believer in Yeshua the Messiah, but he gave a wise counsel.

Gideon Levytam: If it is of God, it will not cease. If it is of men, it will vanish away. And I think of the thought that he's saying to them, if you are going to do harm to them, you might find yourself fighting against God. And that is exactly what happened over the generation when people are seeking to destroy the church of the assembly of Yeshua the Messiah, finding themselves at the end working against God. Because God has a purpose in raising up a company of believers in his son Yeshua the Messiah, whom he is going to eternally bless. This is the counsel, the purposes of God.

Gideon Levytam: In Isaiah 46 and verse 9 and 10, God said to our people, Israel, he said, remember the former things of old. For I am God and there is none else. I am God and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient time the things that are not yet done. Saying my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. God is going to accomplish what he is intending to accomplish. Nothing will stop the building up of the church of the body of the Messiah. And as we know it very well, 2,000 years later from the time that we are studying, how many times they have already tried to destroy the church of the living God. How many time men try to end up, to stop people from believing in Yeshua the Messiah. Satan attacking the people of God, the world influence and the flesh and the hatred towards God, the hatred towards the Messiah have never stopped the growth of the body of Messiah. Throughout the world today, we have believers who believe in Yeshua the Messiah and the body of Messiah is growing. Even though it's not always functioning right, but the people are getting saved and God's purposes will surely come to pass. And so he gave them this counsel.

Gideon Levytam: He said to them, listen, if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it. Who said that? That the seed of the church is the persecution of the believers. The more they persecute the believers, it's like sowing seed for others to come to faith in Yeshua the Messiah. You can't overthrow it. You can't end the building of the body of Messiah. Yeshua said, I will build my assembly and the gate of Hades shall not prevail against it. That's what he said. And here we see that in spite of persecution, the people, the church, the assembly is growing. And so, finally, quickly, in the last verses here of chapter 5, verses 40 to 42, look at the action of the council and also the action of the apostles.

Gideon Levytam: In verse 40, they actually listened to Rabban Gamaliel's counsel. It says in verse 40, and to him they agreed. And when they have called the apostle, they have beaten them. They commanded them that they should not speak in the name of Yeshua, and they let them go. Notice, by the way, that it is the first time that we read of the physical beating of believers. Here we read the fact that they beat them, they hurt them physically now. It's not only speaking against them,