26 October 2010 (Shleshi/Bikkurim) Day #224, 5934 AM
Covenants and Servants
Israel and the Mystery of Marriage
"Why do the gentiles rage, and the people meditate on emptiness? The Sovereigns (kings, presidents) of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh and against His Messiah, and say, 'Let us tear apart their bonds, and throw away their ropes from us'. He who is sitting in the heavens laughs, Yahweh mocks at them, then He speaks to them in His wrath, and troubles them in His rage, saying, 'But I, I have set My Sovereign on Tsiyon (Zion), My set-apart (holy) mountain. I inscribe for a Law: Yahweh has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have brought You forth. Ask of Me, and I will make the gentiles Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth Your possession. Break them with a rod of iron, dash them into pieces like a potter's vessel.' And now, be wise, O Sovereigns; be instructed, you rulers of the earth. Serve Yahweh with fear and rejoice with tembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be enraged, and you perish in the way, for soon His wrath is to be kindled. Blessed are those who are taking refuge in Him" (Psalm 2, ISRV).
In reading Paslm 2 I was reminded both of Ashirah and those who generally reject Christ. The language is strong indeed. How prophetic this is of the latter-day Illuminist conspiracy.
Now does Psalm 2 match your typical Christian image of Yahweh and Yah'shua (Jesus)? The first thing that is quite clear is that those gentiles who do not receive the Messiah become the servants (slaves) of those who do in the Millennium. (Psalm 2 has not been fulfilled yet). The nations are not a commonwealth of equals with Israel in the Millennium, but are servant states. (You can see where the unsanctified, non-Messianic Jewish nationalism and Übermench mentality comes from). We see Messiah here not as the Gentle Lamb but as the Sovereign Lion, making His legitimate claim using a legitimate display of force, because the gentiles are only alive in the Millennium because of His undeserved loving-kindness. They believe only because the demons are bound and they see the truth with their natural eyes unlike Israel (true believers) who had to fight demons, strain hard to see reality, and 'see' the truth through the invisible Ruach (Spirit).
Thus while it is right to say that there are no pilegesh wives (concubines) in Messianic Israel, it is wrong to say that there are none at all - there will be servant-wives (pilegesh/concubines, the children of the second resurrection) who desire Holy Echad Marriage because of what they see with their natural eyes, believing because of their experience of the truth, but only begging admission because of their desperate circumstances (Is.4:1). These are the two other brides of Jacob (Israel), Zilpah and Bilhah, who are maidservants of Leah and Rachel. They will be stripped before they believe.
Accepting that Israel is served by the nations, and that shegalim (Israel) will be served by pilegeshim (gentiles), is very important to understanding the Millennial Zion. False piety is not called for. This is what Yahweh has said. But they - the shegalim - must, of course, rule in righteousness under their Husband (Yah'shua), rather like eldresses.
In the story of Leah ('Judah', Southern Two Tribes) and Rachel ('Ephraim', Northern Ten Tribes), these two only gave their maidservants to Jacob for ungodly reasons - one (Rachel) because she was barren, and the other (Leah) because she was competing for Jacob's affection, and assumed that by competing in the 'children stakes' she would obtain it. Rachel repeated the Sarah error. This, obviously, cannot be the mode of operation in the New Covenant. We are talking here not so much about multiplying children (which is an important part) but in multiplying the Light of Christ. To understand this, we must understand the rôle of the servant-bride. And as must be seen, the shegalim must start life as servants just as Yah'shua did, and retain that [servant] mentality throughout their lives, as King David the Shepherd did (but as Solomon did not).
The twin dangers on the female side are where the mistresses (shegalim) are haughty (as Sarah was) and the servants (pilegelshim) think they are suddenly mistresses (as Hagar believed) because they have received the affection of their Husband (Yah'shua). This can, and does, lead to jealousy - of Sarah (Torah-obedient) over Hagar (antinomians). That is why the shegalim are also foot-washers and the servants must know their place, not being presumptuous. Having grown up with servants in the Far East I think I can appreciate this. These, then, are the two orders that are reflected in the two types of believer in the world today. To live them means a complete reorientation of thinking from the Western mindframe.
As I have said, shegalim (Torah-obedient believers) are also servants to their Husband (Yah'shua), just as the Husband (Yah'shua) is also the servant of Yahweh. Servants have stewardships or responsibilities, and are accountable. Husbands are accountable for the behaviour of their shegalim, just as the shegalim are accountable for their pilegeshim. Just as Israel was commanded to serve Yahweh only (1 Sam.7:3), so the shegalim are to serve their Husband only. Whatever other stewardships they may have are assigned by the Husband, and no one else. Thus when Yah'shua instructed Peter to feed His sheep, Peter's service to the brethren was conditional upon Yah'shua's Commission. All mandates or commissions come from a single source (with accountability in the reverse direction):
Father Yahweh > Yah'shua Son > Father > Mother > Children
Yahweh > Yah'shua > Chidren of 1st Resurrection > Children of 2nd Resurrection
Yahweh > Yah'shua > Torah-obedient Messianic Israelites > Antinomians
Yahweh > Yah'shua > Millennial Israel > The Nations
Yahweh > Yah'shua > Abraham/Israel > Sarah/Leah/Rachel > Zilpah/Bilhah/Hagar
Yahweh > Yah'shua > Husband > Shegalim > Pilegeshim
Yahweh > Yah'shua > Apostles > Pastors > Elders > Deacons > Laity
The entering into specific covenants creates other lines of accountability as, for example, to the witnesses in a marriage, which is what our relationship to Yahweh and Yah'shua is likened to. Thus [the nation of] Israel could covenant before Joshua:
"We too will serve Yahweh, because He is our Elohim (God)" (Josh.24:18, ISRV)
having been reminded of the pathway of servanthood:
"Far be it from us to forsake Yahweh (Husband) to serve other gods (husbands). It was Yahweh our Elohim Himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that Land of Slavery (Egypt), and performed those great signs before our eyes. {It was our husband who brought us out of the disgrace of singleness (Is.4.1) and from the slavery of having no covering, and performed the sign of his husbandship by loving us as Christ loves the Messianic Community/Church}. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we travelled. {Our husband protected us through our journey through the world and among all the false people and philosophies we encountered}. And Yahweh drove out before us all the nations {our husband was our shield against adulterous advances}, including the Amorites {lawless adulterers}, who lived in the land. We too will serve Yahweh, because He is our Elohim" (Josh.24:16-18, ISRV).
Then a salient reminder of the consequences of several covenant relations:
"You are not able to serve Yahweh. He is a holy Elohim; He is a jealous Elohim {as a husband should be}. He will not forgive your rebellion and sins. If you sorsake Yahweh and serve foreign gods {adultery}, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you {divorvce}, after He has been good to you" (Josh.24:19-20, ISRV).
What follows is worthy of note too:
"But the people said to Joshua, 'No! We will serve Yahweh.' Then Joshua said: 'You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve Yahweh'. 'Yes, we are witnesses,' they replied. 'Now then,' said Joshua, 'throw away the foreign gods {adulterous men} that are among you and yield your hearts to Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel.' And the people said to Joshua, 'We wills erve Yahweh our Elohim and obey Him'" (Josh.24:21-24, ISRV).
This is a marriage covenant. Joshua (Yehoshua) here is Yah'shua, the meaning of his name. Once this covenant had been made, Joshua drew up decrees and laws (v.25) which were recorded in a book (since lost). Then he set up a stone in a holy place as a witness (v.26).
This is no different from our own marriage covenants. The husband draws up the family rules and they must be obeyed. We do not know the rules that Joshua drew up and perhaps we are not supposed to. This was no little matter. The covenant of the nation of Israel is the same as the covenant of a simple marriage. Disaster follows disobedience. Just as Israel was "baptised" into Moses , so wives are "baptised" into their husbands and become their (the husbands') "disciples", coming under his discipline (which is what a disciple or talmid does) (1 Cor.10:2). Taking this step is therefore no small matter - it is very serious indeed. A bad ruler is a disaster for a nation just as a bad husband is for his family, as history attests.
(From the Diary of Lev-Tsiyon, 18 October 2003, England)
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