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.

Guest (Male): The study of

Gideon Levytam: Hebrews chapter 11 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 implished him. 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 1st 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 by the way in in verse 32 as well. And you know the story of which is found in Judges 11 and 12 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 he's 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 shepherded 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 fell 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 it quickly. In verses 33 to 38 and I'll divide it for you as well. 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms wrought righteousness obtained promises stop 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 continued. 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 it. If we believe the Lord Jesus the Messiah God will help us who 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 is seen in a 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 is 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 problems 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. That it says in verse 35 B they were tortured. They didn't accept deliverance. It says that they didn't want it because they wanted to obtain a better resurrection. Which means that they wanted they accepted things from the Lord in submissiveness to him. And they knew that if God takes away their lives they're going to be resurrected.

They look beyond the human nature, the human eyes. They look beyond what you and I see by nature. They look at God and his promises. Verse 36 they had trials. Do you have trials in your life? We have sometime trials in our lives that we don't like to experience. But sometime trials are part of the life of the believer. Look at Abraham our father. When Abraham was told by the Lord to offer his son his only begotten son Isaac on Mount Moriah. And he trusted God and he went and he offered Isaac his son. He says others were mocked.

They laughed at them. They were joking and making them a laughing stock. And we can see that in the Psalms how the prophets and the psalmist often writing about I'm being rejected of my people. I'm being mocked by others. Today maybe you're going to go to your work on your job or your school and you are believer in Yeshua the Messiah and you're going to tell your friends that you believe in the Lord and how people will mock you at the office. They will mock you at the job. They will mock you at the school and they going to say what do you believe in this nonsense?

You see we believe in evolution. We don't believe in God. We don't need God in our life. We believe in this way. We have this way. And you have to stand for the Lord and said no. I believe that Yeshua is the Messiah. I'm a sinner. And he died for my sins. And I believe that what he said in his word is true. And you going to be laughed at and mocked at. You see they were mocked. They were mocked by people. And you know we can just build up upon those verses. They had trials.

They were mocked and they were scourgings. They were beating them. You know we hear of many believers today who suffered in many countries. They don't have liberties that you and I have. And they suffer and they been mocked. They been scourged. And the pain that they had to bear because of their faith in the Messiah. And here of course he's going prior to the coming of the Messiah of the Hebrew of the past who have experienced this and still trusted God. Then he continue others he says moreover of bonds and imprisonments. They put them in jail.

And they locked them and imprisoned them. Why they imprisoned them? Because they say that they believe in God. Why they imprisoned them? Because they said that there is only one God. And today the last 2,000 years of believers in Yeshua the Messiah they say the only way to God is through the Lord Jesus the Messiah, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. And many Christians, many believers in the Messiah end up to being imprisoned and in bond because of their faith. And you and I of course thank God for the country in which we live in and for the liberty that we have.

We can gather together and meet and read the Bible and sing about the Messiah. But can you imagine if you would have been in the past let's say in the former Soviet Union where Christians could not meet together when they had to hide in certain places. What about Muslim countries? When you can't express yourself publicly that you are a child of God you have to go to the underground. You have to be underneath. You have to take a pieces of the Bible and you will hide them someplace that you can just read some of the verses from the word of God.

And how different we are. We have no time to read the Bible. We have time for everything else but no time to read the Bible. We are too busy. That's the way we are. You see and that's what happened. But if we will not have these privileges that we taken away from us we will find how much we will long for the word of God to come to our life. And notice the next thing that it says here after talking about imprisonment they were stoned. You know when I think about stoning I think of course of the first Hebrew believer who was the martyr in Jerusalem Stephen who was stoned and he end up giving his life.

He look up to heaven and he saw the face of the Lord Jesus. And he says receive me to your place. Receive me to yourself Yeshua. And when he look and the Lord Jesus if it were already to accept him Stephen what did he do? He only told his brethren that Yeshua is the Messiah. And the history of our failures and nation and our disobedience and he was stoned for that. Now again the stoning here that he's speaking about is not about New Testament individuals. He's taking them back to the history of Israel. And there were those who were stoned because of their faith in the God of Israel.

Think about Jeremiah and they put him in a pit because he's trust in God. Think about Joseph that his brethren sold him and put him in a pit and sold him to Egypt because he was speaking for God. Think about that. How sad. And yet by faith they move on. And then he's talking about those that were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, tested, they were slain with a sword. And then he said look they wandered about in sheep skin and in goat skin. Verse 37. You know I think of David by the way that fled from his own son.

I think of David that fled from his own king Saul who sought to slay him hiding in caves in the cave of Adullam that we read it in the book of Samuel. The king of Israel who was supposed to be ruling over the nation fleeing from his own son. How sad. And yet God have allowed him to experience this in his own life wandering around wearing as it says here sheep skin and goat skin being destitute being afflicted and being tormented. You know destitute as far as I understand from the scriptures having nothing. Now if we are told that if you only have faith in God you should be having no problems in your life and you should be wealthy and rich and powerful and and have everything in the world then we have a problem with these verses here.

We have a conflict with these verses. These verses in Hebrews 11 teaches us simply this that the people of faith may be falling in one side or the other or even both. There will be more than one result in the life of a believer. There may be victory there may be deliverance and power or there may be suffering there may be mockings and seemingly defeat. And I'm using the word seemingly defeat because when we trust God and we follow the Lord and obey him and have faith in him we always going to be the victor even if they are seemingly defeat.

And that's what we learn here from this chapter. And so look at the conclusion at the end of the last two verses. Here we have the climax of this chapter. We read about God's provision for the people of faith. God have a promise and he's going to keep it. I tell you he said it in his word. All the promises are yea and a amen in Yeshua the Messiah. It says in verse 39 all these that mean all the one that I told you about they have obtained a good report. In other words they were good testimony through faith.

They were not perfect but they had a good testimony that they had a relationship with God and they have gone astray a time but they came back. They had a good report through faith. But then it says they received not the promise. See all these individuals here they gave us in the list Hebrew individuals really actually they are almost entirely they are part of the nation of Israel. But they did not yet receive the promise of God. What was the promise of God for Israel? The Messianic kingdom the Messiah to reign they to reign with him and the peace Shalom upon the face of this earth.

And that Israel is not the tail but Israel is the head. Already in the book of Deuteronomy before we read about the second half of the scriptures the Old Testament passage we read of God promise to the nation of Israel that he will bring about a time of a Messianic kingdom that Israel as a nation will be not the tail anymore but the head. And that he will bless them as a nation. But you see they didn't receive yet that promise. They all died. They all have been of course as believers they are in a place of blessing.

They are waiting for this to come to pass. And then he tell you the last verse why. He tell you that God in the last verse 40 God having provided some better thing for us the us here it's those Hebrew believers who have already believe in the Messiah and all believers in the present day church age. He provided better things for us. And then continue look at the second half of these verses that they these are those Hebrew from the past history without us. These are the Hebrew believers of present day and the rest of the believers in the church should not be made perfect without being together.

See what he's saying? They are waiting for the time that they together with us will become to full maturity, full development at the future day together when the time will come and the Messiah himself will take his rightful place in this world. And you see the verse is found in Revelation chapter five. And I'm going to close with this. It says in Revelation five and verse nine and 10. There we see a scene in glory. We see Yeshua the Messiah in heaven. And there we read and they sang a new song saying you are worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof.

For you were slain and you have redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongues and people and nation. And you have made us unto God kings and priests. And we shall reign on the earth over the earth. You see that? This verse in Revelation is really fit very much together with Hebrews 11 39 and 40 with the fact that God has a plan in mind and a purpose in mind that even if here in this world here and now we don't get all what we would like to see there is a purpose in God plan for you and I for all the believers.

One day he's going to bring it to pass that everyone that trusted him will receive the blessing that he has for them. Faith look to God's approval not to men's approval. Faith looks to the future and faith is looking for the reward that is coming from God and not from men. That's beloved what he's saying to the Hebrew believers of first century and that what he's saying for us today. May the Lord help us to simply trust the Lord and simply continue to follow him even when time are not always easy even when difficult times will come.

Can we say amen to that? Amen.

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 11:00 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.