Holy Scriptures and Israel

Gideon Levytam: 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.

Guest (Male): The study of

Guest (Male): Hebrews chapter 11

Gideon Levytam: Simple obedience. Simple obedience. You know by the way how sin came into the world by disobedience. That's how sin came in. Don't eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said to Adam, Adam ate of it and he failed and he sinned and he plunged the human race into sin. That's how sin came into this world. Disobedience. And we have to say that many times in our lives we are disobedient. We don't obey. We don't obey our parents. We don't obey the law. We don't obey God. The natural man has an inclination to disobey.

We never been taught to disobey. We disobey by nature. Obedience brings blessings and bring results. And one verse in fact even we read we don't read even though the name of Joshua here in the Hebrews 11 but we know that he led the campaign against the city of Jericho. And so we read about Joshua or about the fall of Jericho that he failed by faith. It says in verse 30 and I am back to Hebrews 11 30. By faith the walls of Jericho fell. What whose faith? Joshua's faith. The nation's faith. They simply believed what God said and the walls of Jericho fell down.

You know the walls of Jericho represent human power, human strength. You never win against human strength with another human. Flesh does not win with another flesh. It has to be done with faith in God. If we have many walls that are lifted up before us in spiritually speaking in our life many challenges that we are facing with many walls of experiences, many walls of challenges, many walls of suffering and trials, the only way to go through those walls and the only way for those walls to fall down is simply by faith in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

That's what he's saying to us as he's writing to those Hebrews in verse 30. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed for seven days. And now he moving now not only he's speaking about Joshua. Joshua was a man of God but here we see something very interesting. We find in verse 31 of a woman that was not a Hebrew. She was not Jewish. She was from the city of Jericho. And it says in verse 31 her name was Rahab. Rahab you call it in English and Rahab actually was a prostitute.

She was a woman that was despised by the authority that was rejected by the system then. They were only using that woman for sexual relationship. She was a prostitute and it says here that she by faith the harlot, it says here the harlot Rahab, she did not perish with them that did not believe when she had received the spies in peace. Here we see a woman. By the way yesterday in our Bible class we talked about the Samaritan woman in John chapter four. The Samaritan woman in John chapter four, she lived with a man that was not hers and she was married already to five husbands.

And the Lord met her. The Lord came to win her to himself. He wanted to correct her. He wanted to be saved. You see the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah didn't come only for those that are high and mighty. He came to seek and to save those which were lost. Us. We were sinners. We deserved to be separated from God and he came for us. And he came to Rahab as well. And you remember the story about Rahab when the two spies came to the land to spy the land. It says about Rahab that she lodged him.

Maybe she thought they were coming for some kind of physical relationship but no foul was the thought. They didn't come for that. They came to spy the land, to see the land, to see the city. And they came to prepare things for the destruction of the city of Jericho. And you know what we read about Rahab. It says she said unto the men, I know that the Lord had given unto you the land and that your terror is fallen upon us. And that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you.

That's what she said. See Rahab heard. You know listen brothers and sisters, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Nobody need to twist your arm. Nobody need to twist our arm. Nobody need to give us all kind of thing. We hear the message of the gospel. We hear the message about the Lord Yeshua the Messiah who died for us. He paid the penalty for our sin and we need to accept it and believe it. Faith cometh by hearing. Hearing by the word of God. And Rahab heard. She heard about the God of Israel.

She heard about what Israel have done to the nations as they were traveling in their wilderness journey. She heard and she wanted to accept the God of Israel. And she took the spies. She hid them there. She said to those who sought to come to kill them that they have gone in another way and she led them down by the walls and let them go back to their own people. And the spies made a promise to her. He said to her, because you have done so you are going to be preserved by the Lord and you will not perish with the rest of the nation.

And so we read here in verse 31, by faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with them they did not believe. You notice that again the word faith and the word believe is mentioned so many times in this chapter. It's the chapter of faith. Simply people like that the harlot Rahab she didn't do much. She simply believed what God said and what God have done. And so through her faith she have committed herself to the God of Israel. And by the way when you read in the genealogy of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah in Matthew chapter one, guess who is in that genealogy?

We find out that she as well is found in the genealogy of the birth of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. And so precious to see this two individuals here by the name of Joshua and Rahab. While Joshua's name is not mentioned here but we know that it is through the faith that he had and Israel had that they have won against the city of Jericho. So these two individuals are being brought to the highlight as the writer is writing to those first century Jewish believers in the Messiah. So now after reading verses 30 and 31 now I want you to go down with me and to notice that from verse 32 all the way to verse 40 we have the heroes of faith mentioned.

Some at least some of them. But first of all in verse 33 we have some name mentioned. I do not know why the spirit of God chosen to mention those men but God knows why. And you know he giving us a list in verse 32 and it says listen, what shall I say more? The writer is saying. I said so much already about all these men and women that are part of the nation of Israel, part of the Hebrew nation. The vast majority of them if not all. And he says now what should I say more?

He's telling him look Hebrews, what I'm going to tell you more? I could tell you. I can give you list of individuals who are people of faith. Just like you. I can give you a list of them but just he's saying he says what can I say more? For the time would fail me to tell you of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets. He says listen, I'm writing to you such a letter. He says time fail me to write to you all these. I could tell you more about Gideon. I could tell you more about the Barak and about Samson and Jephthah and David and Samuel and the prophets.

I could tell you so much more. When we think about those names let me just tell you Gideon for example in Hebrew's name is Gideon. It's come from the Hebrew word a cutter down. But Gideon did not start as a great man of faith. In fact Gideon was a farmer that was afraid in the beginning and he was hiding from the Medianites. But God raised him up. He wanted to do something for God and for the people but he was afraid. Don't we feel afraid sometime? I do. If you say that you don't you are not saying the truth.

We have sometimes fear what's going to happen? What about this? And what about that? What about our children? What about our family? What about my job? What about my position? What about this? And you know sometimes instead of trusting God we turn around and we doing things with our own ingenuity. See we are very good at that. We are like Jacob. We have our own plans and our own agendas. And God tells us listen, I understand that you might be like Gideon afraid. You afraid sometime but he lifted him up and he told him you go in this your strength.

We find it in Judges six and seven and so on how Gideon by the strength of the Lord moved forward and trusted God. And speaking about Barak, you remember Barak? Barak needed a woman, a sister to encourage him. He in the beginning didn't want to go to fight the battle and Deborah Deborah, you remembered Deborah was a mother in Israel. Oh how we need those mothers in Israel. How we need those mothers in our assemblies, in our fellowship. A godly women who love the Lord and give good counsel. They don't usurp authority. They don't take their place that does not belong to them but they are godly sisters who give a good example and caring for the people of God and encouraging the leading believers and they are helping them, supporting them, praying for them.

That's what happened with Deborah. Barak, he says you know you go. She says you know if I'm going to go as a woman going to win that battle. And eventually Barak went and he won the battle. And so Barak we find him in Judges four and Judges five and we read about the story of Barak. He needed Deborah's assurance and encouragement which he received. And then he continues and says what about Samson? You would think about Samson. You know Samson by the way was the Nazarite. When he was born we read of him in chapter 13 of Judges and 14 when he was born even before he was born God spoke to his parents.

And he told them that this child that will be born going to be a Nazarite. He will not touch alcoholic beverages. He will have his hair grow long. Not a symbolic of rebellion but a symbolic of a being a Nazarite. He will not touch a dead person. Will not identify with sin. He will be separated unto me. But when you look at Samson and you remember the story of his life when he was born they call him sunny boy. Shimshon, little son. And Shimshon end up falling. He went after women. He went away and he got a stray and he end up losing his power when Delilah held him at her knees.

And he end up his hair to be cut off and he lost the power that he had. And that is exactly what happened to Samson. But you know beloved at the end of his life Samson that was such a powerful man when he was right with God. And then he became weak and empty and unable to do anymore things for God when he lost his power because he separated his relationship with the Lord. He disobeyed him. And he sinned. And at the end of his life you can see this man who was one could split the mouth of a lion.

He is blind because they took his eyes off. And he's chained to metal chains. And all the Philistines looking at him and mocking him as they brought him to the front there to have him play for them. And at the end of his life he turned to God. And he says God, I want you to help me now. He turned to God. He had faith. And you know what we read in the Bible the book of Judges. Judges 13 14 and actually Judges 16 that Samson killed in his death more of the enemies of Israel than he killed in his own life.

And you remember God gave him that strength and he pushed those pillars and the whole household fell down upon the Philistines and Samson won the battle for Israel in his death. He won more than in his life. He said he said may my soul die with the Philistines. And he died. But we read here that God is mentioning Samson in the book of Hebrews. What can I tell you? He says more of Samson he said about this man that even though he had strength in the beginning and he failed and he got astray when he was restored God had given him the restoration and blessed him and actually allow him to win more than what he have won in his life.

And that teaches us a very important lesson that when we go astray and we lose spiritual power, spiritual energy, there is always room for restoration. God is in the business of restoring his people. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We read in the Epistle of John first John chapter one. And so Samson is an example of a man of faith that failed from where he should have been and had been brought back by the Lord when he confessed it. And so he continued and he's speaking about Jephthah by the way in in verse 32 as well.

And you know the story of Jephthah which is found in Judges 11 and 12. Jephthah was a kind of a man who dedicated his daughter. You remember he dedicated his daughter to the Lord. And I know there's a lot of conflict about this passage whether he sacrificed her or not but he says the first one that is going to come out of the tent to meet me at my return. He said to the Lord I'm going to give it for you. And you remember it was his own daughter who came out to meet him when he returned from winning the battle.

And he dedicated. He was a man of faith and he was willing to dedicate his daughter to God. Now some suggest that he actually did not sacrifice her because they could not have any human sacrifices but he I'm sure dedicate her to live alone separated in her life for the God of Israel. And then he continue by the way and he mentioned David. David, do you remember David? David first Samuel chapter 16 he was anointed by Samuel. He was the youngest of the family. He must have been the kind of a boy then he took care of the sheep on the field.

When he was in the field alone he took care of the lambs and the flock of his family. He was a real shepherd. And when he became a king he shepherd Israel. And David also failed. He sinned. And David also need to be disciplined by the Lord but David was a man after God's own heart. A man that loved God and wanted to please God the king of Israel. And even the Lord Jesus the Messiah is called in the Bible Ben David. Ben David Messiah Ben David Messiah son of David. David was also a man of faith.

And then he also mention Samuel. And the story of Samuel of course is found in Samuel chapter three specifically. You remember Samuel when he was a young boy and he was serving in the temple with Eli Eli the priest. And God calls Samuel. When he was a young man and he says Samuel Samuel. And Samuel hearkened to the voice of the Lord and he served him. He served God among the people of Israel. When Israel disobeyed he fell on his face and he wept before the Lord. When Israel got astray he failed. He was concerned with for the nation.

He was a man of faith. A man that loved God and loved the people of Israel. And you remember about Samuel. It was Samuel that had the privilege to anoint the first two kings of Israel. The first king is Saul. The second king is David. Saul was a man that was chosen by the nation of Israel. And David was a man that was chosen by God. And Samuel's name is mentioned here. So profound, so beautiful beloved brothers and sisters and remember again in context the writer writing to Jewish believers. And they needed assurance of others that have gone against the grain.

And they needed an encouragement. They followed the Messiah. They believed in the Messiah but they needed an encouragement to continue on. Look at the faith of all those people from Abel all the way to Samuel. One by one he's mentioning to them. And then he telling them now in verses 33 to 38 something very interesting. And I think we live in a time that people tell us that if you have faith you should never be sick. You should never have pain. You should never suffer. You should have a good bank account. You should have a big car.

You should have a big house if you have faith. And if you don't have what you should have you must have no faith. Well in the next verses we learn of two groups of people who lived by faith. And yet there's two types if you will. There are two results that came about with their faith in God. Some had a result that was victory, deliverance and power. Some had results that was suffering, mocking and seemingly defeat. Two groups or two results that come from faith. Look and let me read that quickly. In those verses 33 to 38 and I'll divide it for you as well.

33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed violent in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. And then pause here for a moment. All these verses these are nine fold victories and deliverance were a result of faith in God. They were victories. Notice what he says here. Through faith they subdued kingdoms. Through faith they brought about righteousness. Through faith they obtained the promises of God.

They believed and they received it. Through faith they stopped the mouth of lions. Remind us of Daniel. Through faith verse 34 they quenched the violent of fire. Remind us of the three young men Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael. We have it in Daniel chapter three that the fire did not consume them because they believed God. He continue. They escaped the edge of the sword. Out of the weakness they were made strong and they waxed violent in flight and they turned to flight the armies of the enemies of the aliens. And even women received their dead raised to life again.

You read it in the book of Kings of some of the miracles that happened where the boys and the children they were dead and how the Lord raised them to life. Simply believed God. And God gave them victories. God gave them the ability to quench the violence of fire, to escape the end of the sword simply because they trust him and they received the help from the Lord. Now all this sound fine. You see when we think about faith that's what we think about. If we believe the Lord Jesus the Messiah God will help us.

We will be able to be victorious. We'll be able to be the ones that they have power, they have deliverance, they have victory and everything is going to be great. And you see the first result is great. We like this result. But look at the second result from verse 35 B. The same group of people through faith it says others were tortured. And then not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. Verse 36 and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings. Yea moreover of bonds and imprisonments. Verse 37 they were stoned. They were sawn asunder.

You know Jewish history says that Isaiah the prophet was sawn asunder in half. They were tempted. They were slain with a sword. They wandered about in sheep skins and goat skin being destitute, afflicted and tormented. If you will ask me beloved brothers and sisters, what would you rather choose? What would you rather like to see happening in your life as a believer? Naturally speaking we all going to choose the first nine fold deliverance and victory and power that he seen in the life and the result in the life of these people. But the other result seems to be as if God is not helping these people.

As if God does not care and does not understand these people. And you see beloved brothers and sisters what he's trying to communicate with those Hebrews of that time and with us as well today. That it does not mean that if we have faith in God that our problem's going to be over. It does not mean that we will not suffer and we will not have difficulties here in this world. Faith in God is faith in the person of God and the trust in him even when things are not going our ways. Even if there's results that we don't like that's what faith is all about.

And that's why look at these people. When you think about that men of God and women of God who loved God and served God and yet look what it says. 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 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 1:00 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.