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BEHAR - ON THE MOUNTAIN

Leviticus 25:1 to 26:2
Jeremiah 32:6-27
1 Corinthians 7:21-24

The study of Behar in Leviticus continues with the teaching of holy lifestyles of the tabernacle along with the progressive revelation on Yahweh's Feast Days and how to celebrate them.

The Sabbatical Year – Shmita

Leviticus 25:1-7 "And Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to Yahweh. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to Yahweh. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land.  And the Sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the stranger who dwells with you, for your livestock and the beasts that are in your land - all its produce shall be for food.'"

The Sabbatical year follows the pattern given us in Creation when Yahweh worked six days and rested the seventh.

Genesis 2:2-3 "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made [filled/fattened]."

Rested is Strong's #H2323 (sha bat) meaning in Hebrew to cease, desist from labor and rest. It also speaks of restoration, as keeping the Sabbath restores us back into right order and relationship with our Creator. Enjoying intervals of Sabbath rest is the pattern Yahweh gives us all through Scripture. Resting in His principles is to trust and abide in His Word, both in the assurance that Yahweh will provide for all our needs and with confidence in Yeshua's faithfulness in His Covenant to us. This is faith, the goal of our salvation.

Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus/Yeshua Ha Mashiach."

We have been learning in the Torah studies of Tazria and Metzora (Leviticus 12-15) that if we did not walk out trust in Yahweh's directives for our life we would run the risk of turning away from Him and enter a self-determining lifestyle through our own strengths. This self-government opens the door for the enemy to build his kingdom through us. That kingdom would include immorality, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, jealousies, covetousness and fractions comprised with bitterness, anxiety, stress and fear. These actions are dishonoring and will lead to a life of pestilence, famine, poverty, disease and illness (Deuteronomy 28). In the book of Hebrews believers are instructed not to put our trust in the carnality of the flesh.

Hebrews 4:1-14 "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them [the Israelites at Mount Sinai]; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: 'So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest', although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: 'And God rested on the seventh day from all His works'; and again in this place: 'They shall not enter My rest'. Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, 'Today,' after such a long time, as it has been said: 'Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.' For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession."

Believers are to conform their nature to Yahweh's nature and enter into His rest. This is to be our daily heart exercise before Yahweh.

Philippians 4:4-9 "Rejoice in Yahweh always. Again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to all men. Yahweh is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus/Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things.  The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

The seventh day, called the Sabbath, contains a deeper understanding for those who enter Yahweh's rest on the Sabbath. Not only is the seventh day a weekly Sabbath-rest for us but it also holds a prophetic picture of an eternal day when we eternally enter into His rest. The Sabbath holds the key of life for the Bride and the future life with her Bridegroom. The Sabbath is a symbol of the wedding ring and is the sign of a faithful Bride. Honoring the Sabbath enters her into a heavenly order that brings about life beyond earthly trappings. Believers are learning not to walk in an earthly carnal nature (olam hazeh) but are learning to submit to our new heavenly nature (olam habah) by choosing to walk in the redeemed sanctified lifestyle. This is the difference between salvation and eternity. In so doing, our souls are being transformed as our spirit has been transformed (Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 9-16).

Galatians 6:7-10 "Do not be deceived [fellow believers]: Yahweh cannot be mocked. A man [believer] reaps what he sows. The one [believer] who sows to please his sinful nature [olam hazeh], from that nature will reap destruction; the one [believer] who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life [olam habah]. Let us [believers] not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we [believers who sow to please the Spirit] will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we [believers] have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

This study in Behar takes us beyond the weekly Sabbath rest and the High Holy Sabbaths found in Yahweh's Feast Days and has us look forward to the shmita or sabbatical year.  Leviticus 25 calls for believers to honor every seventh year as a rest for the land of Israel. All work on the land is to cease for that entire year. The intention is for the people to put all their trust in Yahweh. In following His directions He will provide for their very existence in that seventh year. If the people committed to this rest and obeyed Yahweh there would be abundant provisions in the sixth year enough to keep them in the seventh year of Sabbath rest.  If the land were allowed to rest, Yahweh would cleanse the land from all defilement (physical and spiritual) and keep the enemy far from their doorstep.

Resting in the shmita year also brought holiness or a set-apartness to those abiding in Yahweh, which in turn brought glory to His Name. As the Children of Israel allowed the land to rest each seventh year, there was a measure of rest for the people as all life centered on agriculture.  In the shmita year, the people were not to plow their land, harvest crops or have a hired worker do the work for them. Everything stopped. Honoring the sabbatical year provided Israel the opportunity to return and draw close to Yahweh. Shmita is where the hearts are checked and course corrections applied. Shmita is about separation from common to holiness, and from the world's socially and culturally acceptable behavior to walking in the footsteps of our Messiah. The goal of the shmita is to return to our first love, back to intimacy with our Messiah in His Kingdom lifestyle and influences. The popular saying of taking a sabbatical comes from this Scripture.

Exodus 20:9-11 "Six days [years] you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day [year] is the Sabbath of the LORD/Yahweh your God/Elohim. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD/Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD/Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day [year] and hallowed it." (2 Peter 3:8 "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.")

Yahweh also instructed the release of past debts and restoration of freedom in the shmita year. All burdens of debt were lifted and cleared. This mandatory cancellation helped the poor and prevented greed from taking hold in people's hearts. The sabbatical year is for the soul of the people and the heart of the land, as all look to Yahweh for provision during this seventh year of rest. Shmita is designed to maintain and strengthen the relationship between Yahweh and His people. It is a sign that instills a reliance on Yahweh as the source and provision for all their blessings. His Covenant can be trusted to provide for all our needs.

Deuteronomy 15:1 "At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. And this is the form of the release: every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the LORD'S/Yahweh's release."

Shmita promoted a compassion for the poor and a responsible stewardship of the land. We see a preparation of this all through Scripture. The collecting of the extra manna on the sixth day for provision on the seventh day, the counting of the Omer for seven weeks, the seven day observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast Tabernacles with the first and last days of these feasts being Sabbaths. Shavuot, Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur are all Sabbaths, prophetic signs of preparation for future seasons/moedim in our lives that point to the Shmita and Yovel Sabbath years to come (Leviticus 23).

Hebrews 4:9-11 "There remains therefore a rest [Sabbath-day, Shmita and Yovel] for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest [Sabbath] has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest [Sabbath], lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience."

The Year of Jubilee - Yovel

Leviticus 25:8-13 "And you shall count seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.  Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land.  And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family.  That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field. In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession."

The Children of Israel were to count off seven sabbatical/shmita years or forty-nine years. The fiftieth year is to be holy and set aside as a sabbatical rest called yovel, the Year of Jubilee. Yovel comes from a Hebrew root meaning a joyful sound, associated with the sound of a trumpet Strong's #H8643 teruah meaning a shout, blast of war, alarm, or joy.

In the year of yovel, like the shmita year, the land in Israel is required to rest. This special year is holy, sanctified and set apart to accomplish Yahweh's special purposes. Yovel is announced to Israel on the Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur – the Wedding Day, in the seventh month on the tenth day when atonement was made. A trumpet is blown announcing liberty, freedom, and release for Yahweh's people. Those suffering from economic, social and physical hardship were to be released. Everyone who had lease their family property had it restored back to them. All land was returned to its original owner and those who had been forced to sell themselves into slavery were released.

Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of Yahweh GOD is upon Me, Because Yahweh has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty [Yovel-Year of Jubilee] to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of Yahweh, And the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that He may be glorified. And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations."

The land of Israel is never to be sold nor could it be given to a foreigner as the land belongs to Yahweh. The Children of Israel are Yahweh's caretakers of His Land just as Adam was Yahweh's caretaker in the Garden. The yovel year prevented the rich from becoming too rich and accumulating all the land of Israel, and the poor from becoming too poor (Leviticus 25:23).

The year of yovel is described through Jeremiah,

Jeremiah 17:8 "Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its root by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

The drought mentioned is a reference to both the shmita and yovel. The word drought is used as no fields were sown or reaped during this time. If we are planted in Yeshua, He is the stream of Living Water that nourishes us, and by obeying His Word we will have no fear of famine but continue to bear much fruit in a time of drought.

Psalm 1:1-3 "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of Yahweh, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."

Revelation 22:1-2 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of Yahweh and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."

The Right of Return

The yovel year marks a season of the right of return, an ingathering for the people of Israel, the twelve tribes and those associated with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Today, many people are returning as they witness Yahweh's deliverance and see the truth in His Word. Under Greek interpretation people were taught to look forward to 'rapture' as in 'leave the earth' but this is not the correct interpretation of the Scriptures. Yahweh's kingdom is to come to earth in you.

Luke 11:2 "So He [Yeshua] said to them, 'When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven'" (Luke 17:21).

Today, believers are in a season of repentance and return to Yahweh as in the days of John the Baptist who came in the spirit of Elijah. This movement of the spirit of Elijah (of repentance) must in nature be followed by the restoration of Yeshua (who is the Spirit of Elijah) in the hearts of men. When we enter into Yeshua's death and resurrection, that of crucifying our sinful nature, we receive His resurrection power and are filled with the Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh entering intimacy with Yeshua by obedience to His ways (Acts 18:18-19:7; Luke 3:1-18).

2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now Yahweh is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of Yahweh is, there is liberty." 

According to yovel, the people will also be returning to their allotted tribal lands (Ezekiel 48). In Scripture, those who return will do so by the power of Yeshua, our Kinsman Redeemer, through the price He paid for us that opened the way for the right of redemption under the law of the yovel year. Those far away (from Torah) living in darkness will see a wonderful revival in the Land. The Spirit of Yahweh is ingathering those today. Never before have so many repented and returned to their Scriptural roots. The Law of Redemption is Yeshua. He has provided the way back home. This is the true gospel, the Restoration of the Kingdom of Yahweh and the goal of our salvation and redemption.

Leviticus 25:10 "And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee/Yovel for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family."

Deuteronomy 19:14 "You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD/Yahweh your God/Elohim is giving you to possess" (Proverbs 22:28; Ezekiel 48).

Luke 4:16-21 "He [Yeshua] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of Yahweh is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of Yahweh's favor.' Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'" (Isaiah 61:1-3).

The Scattering of Yeshua's Sheep

Yahweh warns us that if we are consistently rebellious to His ways the land He gave us will physically spew us out in order to allow the land to lay fallow in the Sabbath years.

Deuteronomy 30:1-6 "Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where [you have been scattered because of disobedience to Yahweh's word] where Yahweh your God drives you, and you return [in repentance] to Yahweh your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you [the Marriage Covenant – the Gospel] today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that Yahweh your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where Yahweh your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out [because of your sins of dishonor] to the farthest parts under heaven, from there Yahweh your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Then Yahweh your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. And Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live" (Deuteronomy 28:15, 41; 2 Chronicles 36:20-21; Jeremiah 25:9-12).

History records what happened when the Israelite people did not keep His word of rest for the land. After the fall of Jerusalem, the children of Israel were captured and taken to a foreign land.

2 Chronicles 36:20-21 "He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of Yahweh spoken by Jeremiah" (Jeremiah 25:9-12).

Jeremiah 29:10 "For thus says Yahweh, 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.'"

Psalms 68:6 "God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, only the rebellious dwell in a parched land."

History Can Repeat …

Romans 11:17-21 "…And if some of the branches were broken off [House of Judah], and you [House of Israel], being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them [House of Judah], and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches [House of Judah]. But if you [House of Israel] do boast, remember that you do not support the root [Yeshua], but the root supports you. You will say then, 'Branches [House of Judah] were broken off that I [House of Israel] might be grafted in.' Well said. Because of unbelief they [House of Judah] were broken off, and you [House of Israel] stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches [House of Judah], He may not spare you [House of Israel] either."

The Law of Redemption

Leviticus 25:24-55 "Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold. If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. If an alien or a temporary resident among you becomes rich and one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells himself to the alien living among you or to a member of the alien's clan, he retains the right of redemption after he has sold himself. One of his relatives may redeem him: an uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in his clan may redeem him" (Leviticus 25:24; 25; 35; 47).

The Prodigal Son Restored

Matthew 11:5 "the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor [those who have been rebellious] have the gospel [the Law of Liberty] preached to them." 

The Law of Redemption (also called the Marriage Covenant, the Gospel and the Law of Liberty) is given to all twelve tribes of Jacob and those associated with them through the blood Covenant given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Galatians 3:8-9 "And the Scripture [Yeshua], foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles [Israel living among the Nations] by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed.' So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham."

In Luke 15:11-32, through the parable of the Lost Son, Yeshua teaches us the Law of Redemption from Leviticus 25 through yovel, the year of jubilee. In the story are two sons. The younger son represents the House of Israel and the other older son represents the House of Judah. The younger son asked his father (Yahweh) for his inheritance early. Doing this was to declare his father dead while he was still alive. With inheritance in hand, the younger son left his father's house and went to live in the world, leaving his father's teaching and instruction far behind. That which had provided basic human needs and abundant blessings in his life was no longer honored or of value to him. Not being thankful for what he had he reached out for the pleasures of the world and squandered his inheritance. With this, he lost his identity and fell into deep poverty physically, emotionally and spiritually. At the lowest ebb he sold himself and became a hireling living among the swine. Even the animals ate better than he did.

Proverbs 5:7-14 "Therefore hear me now, my children, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Remove your way far from her [immoral ways], and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one; lest aliens be filled with your wealth, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner; and you mourn at last, when your flesh and your body are consumed, and say: 'How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised correction! I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! I was on the verge of total ruin, in the midst of the assembly and congregation.'"

The famine that came to the whole country that year was a sign that it was a Sabbatical year. Mental and physical depravity overcame the younger son and chastened him. With a humble and contrite spirit he could see again and remembered that his father's hirelings always had food and enough to spare. His father's food was the Torah, the instructions for life that are always nourishing and satisfying.

Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days are coming," says God/Yahweh, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Yahweh."

Hunger for the food of His father, the Word/Torah – instruction and direction - caused the younger son to return. His father saw his son afar off and was filled with compassion. His never given up hope and was watching for his return. Joyfully he ran out to greet his son to receive him home. These references are all about the fall Feast Days the Sabbath season of ingathering, the season of our joy and the year of Yovel/Jubilee. As the son was repenting and about to ask for work as a hired hand, his Father interrupted him and unconditionally restored full sonship status upon him, thus fulfilling the Law of Redemption from Leviticus 25.

Luke 15:22-24 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry."

The robe, the ring and sandals are all outward signs of what a father gives to his firstborn son. Indeed, the House of Judah, the southern kingdom (consisting of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin and half the tribe of Levi under the leadership of Judah), held the premier or older son's position. They have always been with the Father and stayed faithful to the Torah, His instruction.  However, it was the younger son, the House of Israel, the northern kingdom (consisting of the ten tribes Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh), Naphtali, Gad, Asher and half the tribe of Levi under the leadership of Ephraim) that Yahweh declared was His firstborn son (1 Chronicles 2:1-2).  

1 Chronicles 5:1-2 "Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel - he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph's."

Jeremiah 31:9 "For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim [Joseph's son] is My firstborn."

The older son, House of Judah, who had obeyed his father (Torah) all this time showed great contempt at seeing his father's response to the younger son's return (House of Israel) and refused to give the right of return or redemption to his younger brother as written in the Levitical laws. The father pleaded with his older son but his heart had hardened and responded in jealousy declaring to his father,

Luke 15:29-32 "Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him".

Even though the older son (House of Judah) had stayed in his Father's house, his heart had become so embittered that it had turned his father's loving instructions into a hard judgmental law. This caused the elder son to decline far more than his brother and to spurn the truth, which was to love his brother.

1 John 2:11 "But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."

To despise or even block a repentant brother from returning under the Right of Redemption is very grievous act. The Gospel we have been given is for the restoration of the whole House of Israel – all twelve tribes of Jacob/Israel.

Matthew 10:6  "But go rather [preach the Gospel] to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).

John 15:10-12  "If you keep My commandments [instruction], you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

The Gospel of Yeshua

What was the sole purpose of Yeshua's life on earth and what was the reason for His death?  

Luke 4:19 "To proclaim the favorable year of Yahweh." 

Yeshua's ministry was during a Jubilee/Yovel year. Caiaphas, the High Priest at the time, explains to us,

John 11:49-52  "And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, 'You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation [all twelve tribes of Israel] should perish.'  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus/Yeshua would die for the nation [House of Judah – Jews and Benjamites], and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad[redeem the lost/scattered House of Israel – ten tribes –back with Judah, restored as one]".

What was the first questioning the believers asked Yeshua after His resurrection?

Acts 1:6 "Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, 'Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?'"

The Gospel is about the restoration of the whole House of Israel – all twelve tribes and those who sojourn with them. This is the restoration of Yahweh's Kingdom on earth and the resurrection of a people called Israel. Yeshua's whole earthly mission was for that sole purpose. If we are in Torah, this is our number one mission, to go out and seek the lost sheep of the House of Israel and restore them back through Yahweh's teaching and instruction back to His Kingdom. It is the sheep in and among the Church who are lost and not the Jews (the House of Judah). They already have Torah. To restore a people back to the Kingdom is to teach the principles and commandments of the Marriage Covenant. This is Yeshua's Kingdom mandate. Contained in this Covenant are His statutes, decrees and ordinances for our deliverance, freedom and ingathering. These are the levels of His Government  – called the Gospel.

Isaiah 9:6-7 "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

Matthew 10:5-6  "These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: 'Do not go into the way of the Gentiles [Nations], and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel [the ten lost tribes of Israel].'"

Matthew 15:24  "But He answered and said, 'I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel [the ten lost tribes of Israel].'"

Torah without the Spirit of the Holy One (Yeshua) will bring death but Torah with the Spirit of the Holy One (Yeshua) brings life. The people of God who practice Torah in their hearts with the Spirit of Yeshua are His firstborn. It is they who will enter in and enjoy the Banquet, the future Sabbath-rest of the yovel – they are His firstborn (Hebrews 4).

The living parable of the Prodigal Son foreshadows the Messiah our Kinsman Redeemer redeeming the lost sheep of the House of Israel who, as the younger son, squandered their inheritance and identity. It was the Messiah from the tribe of Judah, the House of Judah, who purchased his brother back and offered him the Right of Return through redemption according to the Covenant promises of Abraham. In doing so Yeshua also restored both brothers back to the land (1 Corinthians 7:21-24; Matthew 10:6, 15:24).

Yahweh's instructions state that in order to seek the Right of Redemption the redeemer must be a blood relative, have the funds to purchase the forfeited inheritance, be willing to buy back the life of the brother/relative and if the deceased kinsman had a wife, be willing to marry her. This person is called the Kinsman Redeemer. We are witnesses to this commandment in the Book of Ruth. It was Boaz who became Kinsman Redeemer for Ruth. Later their son became the ancestor of King David, the line of the Messiah.

We have been given the Right of Return through the blood of the Messiah. He has fulfilled His promise to us. We have been restored, as Yeshua is our Kinsman Redeemer.

Luke 7:22 "And He answered and said to them, 'Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them '" (Isaiah 29:18; Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18).

Man's Program

In the late 1800's, out of fear of poverty, the early Jewish settlers asked the rabbi's permission if, during the shmita and yovel years, they could be allowed to continue working the land. They accomplished this by temporarily selling the land to a foreigner who worked the land for them in the shmita and yovel years thereby circumventing the Torah principle and believing that technically they did not break the commandment.  Scripture specifically says there will be provision enough on the sixth day/year for the whole community if they observe the commands of Yahweh and let the land rest in the seventh day/year. This instruction is there to reveal heart issues and see if Yahweh's people will put their faith in Him. His people are to test Him in this and see if He would throw open the storehouses of heaven. Yahweh is indeed the keeper of His covenant and promises to His people.

Exodus 16:4-5 "Then the LORD/Yahweh said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day [year] that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.'"

Permission to work the land during Sabbath years is still granted in Israel today to strangers who work the land instead of the landowners. The good news is, there are more and more farmers turning to Scripture and obeying the shmita and yovel Sabbath laws so the land can have total rest. It has been reported that in the sixth year while preparing for the Sabbatical year an unusual supply of provision unfolds. In one testimony it was reported that olive trees produced 800 times more than previous years and grapes produced an exceptional vintage, both in quality and quantity, fulfilling Yahweh's promises concerning the sixth year in preparation for the seventh, and that He alone is our abundant Provider.

Sabbath Rest

In 2 Peter 3:8-15 Peter shared to believers about the future year of yovel and the day of Yom Kippur.

2 Peter 3:8-15 "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with Yahweh a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. Yahweh is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone [believer] to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of 'Yahweh will come like a thief' [synonym for Yom Teruah, day of Trumpets, the Season of our Joy]. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people [believer] ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends [believers], since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."

The Sabbath-rest of the land is so important. The commandments of shmita and yovel are spoken of in prophetic language. The Sabbaths proclaim freedom throughout the Land, not only for the inhabitants of the land but to those who are far away scattered throughout the Nations. They also will be released from their captivity and restored to their rightful inheritance in the land. Yahweh wants believers to look forward to another day, another yovel for the restoration of all Israel!

Jeremiah 17:7-10 "But blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought [shmita/yovel] and never fails to bear fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I Yahweh search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."

Shabbat Shalom,
Julie Parker

References

Living Words: Jeff Benner http://thelivingwords.ancient-hebrew.org

Sabbatical Years: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmita

Sheep Banner by Phil Haswell. Graphics by Stephen C. Hyland.