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Footnotes:
11Samuel 4
2Romans 11:26-27,
Jer. 11:16 |
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Many aspects of Torah reveal other aspects of Torah, all of which should point to Messiah, Who points us back to Torah. It is a never ending cycle of Life that YHVH has placed before us.
Most parashot have reminders, foreshadows and pointers to what will be read in the following weeks. Each reading, reminder and allusion reinforces our resolve to be obedient, shows us how to obey, and what not to do as examples found in the passages previously read.
We should not get anxious in thinking, “I have heard this before,” or “we will get to that later.” Each reminder in Torah is there for many reasons; yet, the main reason is to bring us ever closer to YHVH as His people of promise. Each part is more of the puzzle being shown to us. As that puzzle comes together, we gain more and more insight in how to walk in righteousness; and, we gain more revelation of Who YHVH is.
YHVH uses all things to reveal Himself. This includes the nations around us, not only to bless us or to curse us, but to reveal Himself to us. He reveals His Sovereignty through His people. He, also, brings more clarity about Who created humanity by placing His humankind within the nations of the earth. Each nation of this world has, does or will contain a portion of the population who belong to YHVH. That portion will, usually, have identifying boundaries, looks, actions or lifestyles that are just out of the ordinary from the rest of the nation’s culture. These people seek YHVH with all of their heart. These who listen to and walk in the Ruach Ha Kodesh and acknowledge Messiah as their Messiah, they are a remnant. These individuals are found in the population within the populations, or a microcosm, that lives to serve the one true Elohim of Israel.
Many segments of history have had large constituents of peoples that would make-up YHVH’s distinctive remnant. Many of these are the living survivors of past persecutions, pogroms and holocausts who have come back together to rebuild society or to live in community so as to keep the tenacity of their spirits alive in their children and their future generations. However, there are numbers of people who lose their identity and are meshed into the massive populations who become a majority and cease being a remnant. As interesting as this may sound to you, the reader, here within lays a fork in the road. For the Torah observant believer, our road lies slightly askew to majorities and the main populous. Usually, the majority is overrun with outside influences, intellectual thinking, compromise, and many other deteriorating factors or mixtures of everything conceivable to tear apart what was meant for His Glory.
Much of what is involved in creating and keeping a remnant is: first, there is an impetus for a remnant in contrast to everyone being a part of a homogeneous whole; and second, the remnant endeavors to stay in tact and separated in some way from the offensive outside influences or obscurities. The household of YHVH has had many remnants throughout the ages of Torah chronicles. Some such remnants have been found floating on an ark waiting for the waters to subside, others were asked to leave friend and family to sojourn in foreign lands in order to be progenitors of the seed that would inhabit that same land forever. Other remnants have been vanquished into exile while still others were sent out to make disciples of all nations. One main defining factor for each generation is that YHVH does preserve a remnant for Himself from each generation and population.
The time of Yosef is a great example of YHVH preserving a remnant of people for His own possession. We know that the reason for having Israel/Ya’akov move his household to Egypt is due to a famine encompassing the land, even the whole earth. Yet, we have to quarry a little deeper for more of an explanation as to why they moved instead of the household of Israel separating themselves to another place where they had already resided.
Just like the portions of Torah that instruct us, remind us and allude to other parts of Torah and Yeshua, the sojourning, finding refuge and the persecution is all part of the greater plan of the Creator for His people in which to walk. The particular Torah passages about the years of plenty followed by the years of famine is very close in nature to our lives and the way we journey. Many of us have journeyed from various backgrounds that built roots of faith and righteousness. YHVH saw fit to bring us out of these and into Torah, but we cannot throw out the baby with the bath water. Just because we are brought out of untruths, does not mean that the vehicle is void of good. YHVH did use that vehicle of Charismatic thinking, Baptist mentalities or Liturgical structure to bring us in to His way of Life.
Furthermore, we go through cycles where we seemingly hear His voice so plainly, or we see Truth like never before. Then, we enter more desolate regions of our searches where we are a bit stumped in situations and His voice is a bit more infrequent. Whether these times are due to our own doings or by His Sovereignty, is to be ironed out later. For now we must know that YHVH is taking care of us, even through years of plenty, for the conservation of a nation in years of famine that will ensue.
The cycles that we traverse are very dynamic. They usually cause us to be part of varying remnants that are made by church splits, rallying cries and other causes that we take upon ourselves to be distinctly heard, known or understood. While it would stand to reason that our motives would usually be turned toward the world or others from which we are being separated, it may not be reasonable to assume that our actions and motives are pure and have a basis of holiness. YHVH is the one Who separates motives from the flesh and spirit where we cannot possibly discern. We may have glimpses and even be able to give clarity by Torah standards, but the repercussions of separation are far reaching. The lives of those we are sojourning along side are touched by us and us by them. However, the impact of our respective influences is determined by the voice of YHVH’s guiding our every step in this sojourn. Likewise, those who have separated from us are missing the opportunities to be ministered to by us and in a way that we are called by YHVH to minister.
Yosef was called to endure isolation and be a sole remnant while his father’s household lived in freedom and moderate comfort. The call of Yosef’s, however, was to be a forerunner for his family, so that they would be preserved, fed and have descendants that were beyond numeration. While YHVH’s voice may not have been heard or understood at the beginning of captivity, it was certainly very clear by the time Yosef disclosed his true identity to his brothers.
When we are pushed or prodded out of the nest of our comfort zones, it is time to start listening more intently to the voice of the Ruach. He is preparing us and others for a time to come. If others are not going with us, then the situation becomes one of trailblazing. Just as Yosef blazed a trail into the courts of Pharaoh, his family followed by occupying the best of the land and obtaining property while the rest of the inhabitants were selling theirs and themselves to Pharaoh. As a forerunner, Yosef was indispensable for the future wellbeing of Israel in the early residing of Egypt.
Like most movements of YHVH, once the masses discover the “pot of gold” they over trod, take control or devour for themselves all the blessings. Those who were once a part of the called out remnant assimilate into the masses and sadly the move of YHVH simply becomes a fad as His glory departs.1 YHVH will not ever be mundane and everyday or common, He is Holy. He looks for the next willing vessel to move out into the fray for the trailblazing to continue. The Kingdom of YHVH is never static, but is always advancing.
As we know, just as we left YHVH in the garden through Adam, we have also left Torah through our ancestors and even leave our first love of Yeshua through coercion, desertion and/or plain abandonment. Yet, the Father’s voice resonates in our hearts and we are called back to Truth. Each step of the process is just another form of being identified as a part of Israel. This process begins with being called out and then crossing over to the other side where His presence is waiting. At some point, the glory of YHVH’s presence moves and we are no longer within the cloud or by the pillar of fire. We must journey onward until His glory settles once again. There we set-up camp and spend more time with Him. At each station of the way, we lose some, gain others, but are always part of the remnant that He preserves for Himself.
It is by following His cloud or pillar of fire that we find His encampment. Once there, it is the place where He is found and His voice is heard. This is why it is so important to be within the cloud of His camp. His voice is readily heard if we are willing to follow His rules of engagement. By journeying and dwelling in His camp, we allow ourselves to be humbled and exalted by Him. Those who surround us, either friend or foe, are of no consequence to our intimacy with our Master. Our fellow sojourners, whether they are foreigners within our midst or outsiders, will be exempt from the blessings of YHVH if they fail to follow or follow in unbelief.
As the holy remnant of YHVH we are not to mix ourselves with the surrounding nations, nor are we to imitate their detestable ways. We are to be lights to them and yield to those who seek passage. We must test every spirit to see if indeed the Spirit of the Living YHVH speaks through them and lives in them. Remember that the Ruach HaKodesh will never lead His children to break His Covenant or disobey His Word. This process opens our doors for the world to be disciples of Yeshua in Spirit and in Truth, so that they will become worshippers thereof.
Being a remnant of called out believers, those that are not only called, but chosen, means that situations can be lonely and isolation is bound to be encountered. We must take heart to realize that we have the Helper and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Our Messiah is our Friend, and when all others leave, He sticks closer than a brother.
YHVH used Yosef to trail blaze a passage through land and time for the children of Israel. Initially, Yosef and his family went to Egypt to incubate a fledging nation and eventually the next generations were shaped and molded by the taskmaster’s whips of their slavery to the future Pharaohs. Moses became a trailblazer, leaving Egypt and finding YHVH at Mt. Sinai. Later, he would lead the children of the Promise back to that same mountain for the proclamation of the ages. Each and every generation has those that are to be forerunners, bearing the torch and clearing the path for others to follow. Both, the leaders and the followers are needed for the kingdom to be advanced. If you have found yourself as a follower, be the best follower of Messiah that you can be. Listening, obeying and being the mouth, hands and feet of Messiah. As for the called leaders, you must prepare for this last day remnant to walk out of the world and into the wilderness to meet with YHVH. It is only after that meeting, that we, as one nation, will be ready to inherit and inhabit the Promised Land.2 |
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