05/16/2009 Sabbath Meeting Transcript

And for many of us, two weeks, two Shavuot from tonight will begin what is called a double Sabbath. That's when we're going to observe the Feast of Shavuot, Feast of Weeks, also called Pentecost, and it's going to be on the 31st of what the world calls May in approximately two weeks from tomorrow.

We're going to go over some scriptures on the topic of Shavuot. If you go to EliYah.com/calendar, you'll notice on the fifth month there is the 31st day, and that is the day marked for Pentecost.

I'm going to talk today about what exactly is Pentecost and the importance of the feast that's mentioned and the commemorations of this feast.

To properly understand it, we have to first understand Passover. Almost two months ago, we shared some studies and some scriptures on the meaning of Passover, spiritual meanings and literal meanings from the book of Exodus.

During that time, during the Feast of Passover, actually starting with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is right after Passover, that is the time when the people were commanded to bring forth the barley harvest and offer that unto Yahweh. In Deuteronomy 16:6-11, I'm going to be reading from the New King James version.

Leviticus 16:6 - "but at the place where Yahweh your Elohim chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Egypt.

Leviticus 16:7 - "And you shall roast and eat it in the place which Yahweh your Elohim chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents.

Leviticus 16:8 - "Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly to Yahweh your Elohim. You shall do no work on it.

Leviticus 16:9 - "You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain.

Now we're talking about the Feast of Weeks. That's the time they would begin to harvest the barley.

Leviticus 16:10 - "Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to Yahweh your Elohim with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as Yahweh your Elohim blesses you.

Leviticus 16:11 - "You shall rejoice before Yahweh your Elohim, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, the Levite who is within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where Yahweh your Elohim chooses to make His name abide.

So seven weeks are counted from the time that this sickle was put to the grain, and that's the barley grain first harvested during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That was to be kept. Again, you can look in Leviticus 23. I'm going to read from verse 6 to verse 11.

Leviticus 23:6 - `And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Yahweh; seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

Leviticus 23:7 - `On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.

Leviticus 23:8 - `But you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.' ''

Leviticus 23:9 - And Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying,

Leviticus 23:10 - "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: `When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.

Leviticus 23:11 - `He shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

So if you happen to have a calendar in front of you, and you go back, and we know that the 11th of April was the first day of Unleavened Bread, and so that was also a Sabbath. It was a double Sabbath. I shouldn't say a double Sabbath. It was a Sabbath for two reasons. One that it was the first day of Unleavened Bread, and two, it was a regular Sabbath during the week.

So that particular day would have been the Sabbath, and so on the day after the Sabbath, it says, the priest shall wave it, wave the sheaf of barley grain.

So we're looking at what the world calls April 12th being the first. And then what you want to do from that point is to being to count weeks. We have April 19th, 26th, that's two weeks. May 3rd, three weeks. May 10th, four weeks. May 17th, five weeks. May 24th, six weeks. May 31st--I'm sorry.

Actually, you should count from the Sabbath. But you count each Sabbath each week, and then the day after the Sabbath being the 31st of May would be the day of Shavuot or Pentecost.

We're going to count from each Sabbath until the morrow after the Sabbath, until the day after the Sabbath. The sheaf of barley grain was waved before Yahweh as an offering. You count the seven weeks. We're going to continue to read here.

Leviticus 23:12 - `And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to Yahweh.

Leviticus 23:13 - `Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahweh, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin.

Leviticus 23:14 - `You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

Leviticus 23:15 - `And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed.

Leviticus 23:16 - `Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Yahweh.

So we count 50 days after the Sabbath that occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread to arrive at the proper date for the Feast of Weeks. It was called the counting of the omer. This year, once again, if you look at the Sabbath that occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, go back to April 11th. If you were to count 50 days, you would arrive at May 31st.

The reason why it's called Pentecost, Pentecost is the Greek word for 50th. We continue to read here. If everybody understands, we'll move on.

Leviticus 23:17 `You shall bring from your habitations two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to Yahweh.

This is wheat we are bringing. These are wheat offerings. The wheat is brought to the priest. We have two harvests. We have the barley harvest, which is ripe and ready during Passover, and we have the wheat harvest, which is the winter wheat, which is actually sown in the fall. The winter wheat harvest is ready by about 50 days after the barley harvest.

They would bring that and the two wave loaves, and they are to be the firstfruits of the wheat harvest.

Leviticus 23:18 - `And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to Yahweh, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to Yahweh.

Leviticus 23:19 - `Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of peace offering.

Leviticus 23:20 - `The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before Yahweh, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to Yahweh for the priest.

Leviticus 23:21 - `And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

What about us? Do we need to bring some kind of sheaf of barley or bring two loaves of bread or these other offerings? We are not able to. There is no priest available with a tabernacle or temple functioning for us to bring these items to the priest for them to be offered.

While we cannot do those things, we can rest and keep a holy convocation unto Yahweh, and we can rejoice. We're able to rest. We're able to rejoice. We're able to be thankful to Yahweh for the wheat harvest.

How many of us have eaten bread this past year? Anybody eaten bread this past year? I'm sure we've all eaten lots of bread. Most of us, unless we're allergic or something, have eaten some of the wheat harvest that Yahweh provided for us.

This is the time of year when the winter wheat harvest is ready in the climate of Israel and actually in some of our climates, as well, depending on where you live. This is a time to give Yahweh thanks for the mighty things that He has done. A lot of us may not think in terms of farming.

Farming has been--I don't know how you'd put it--but it seems farm work nowadays is put down a little bit. We went out and bought, this week, we bought 100 chickens we're going to raise for eggs and hatching and different things.

And when you talk to people about chickens, they just kind of laugh a little bit. There's something about chickens, and the barnyard, and everything that's supposed to be a little bit funny.

Those who work on farms sometimes are viewed as unintelligent, uneducated people that are set back in some other era. I want to say that without the farmers, you wouldn't eat. That's the bottom line. Let's rejoice for Yahweh providing the food for us through the farmers and not look down on the farmers. Rejoice. The farmers are planting and harvesting, or they're raising animals.

I can say that Yahweh is the One who's ultimately giving the increase. The Pentecost is a time for us to be thankful to Yahweh for providing the bread from the earth and providing the harvest; otherwise, we wouldn't be alive. Put it that way.

He is providing the bread on the earth. There is a lesson in that. There is a lesson in that. He's not only providing a harvest in terms of the physical bread.

The events of these last days, I think, are significant in that Shavuot, Feast of Weeks, also traditionally would mark the approximate time when the Ten Commandments were given in Exodus 20. Scripturally, it does appear it would have occurred around that time.

Also, we know for a fact that Shavuot and Pentecost also happens to mark the time when the Holy Spirit was given in Acts 2. Both times were times of blessing when Yahweh would give something to man.

Acts 2:1 - When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

The disciples of Yahushua were gathered together. Why? They're all in one accord in one place. They're all gathered together to keep the feast on this day, 120 of them. On this day, Yahweh gave an outpouring of His Spirit, which ultimately resulted in 3,000 people being baptized in the name of Yahushua HaMashiach.

Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:39 - "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as YAHWEH our Elohim will call."

Acts 2:40 - And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."

Acts 2:41 - Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added [to them].

Acts 2:42 - And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

3,000 souls were saved. This is in contrast to the 3,000 who died when they disobeyed Yahweh by worshiping a golden calf soon after the giving of Yahweh's Ten Commandments, which was also around the time of Pentecost.

The letter kills, because we have not been obedient to it, but the Spirit gives life, because it gives us righteousness. We can praise Yahweh during this time of Pentecost for His mercy toward us through Yahushua our Master.

The Torah shows us the righteous and true path of life, but the Torah itself cannot give us life. It can only show us the right way of life, but it cannot give us life. There's a disconnect. The Spirit of Yahweh within us, through Yahushua our Master, brings us the life we need and the righteousness we need to be called His children and to dwell with Him forever.

Shavuot is a day of resting from servile work. That's business work. We can cook on this day. We can feast on this day. It's a day of thanksgiving for the wheat harvest Yahweh has provided. It's a day of remembering the giving of His Torah, Exodus 20, and the giving of His Spirit, Acts 2.

It's something we all can rejoice in. Some would say, "Yahushua fulfilled all that. Wasn't that already fulfilled? When the Spirit was given in Acts 2, didn't that fulfill the Shavuot?"

The whole thinking of fulfill means do away with is foreign to scripture. Just because Yahushua or something has been fulfilled does not mean you cease to observe. For instance, we know that baptism is a shadow or picture of our death and the Messiah's new life being born in us and us being brought up out of the water.

The baptism in water, isn't that a picture? Isn't that ultimately fulfilled when we die, and we are resurrected, and we become incorruptible? That's what those things are representing.

So does that mean we no longer keep the baptism commandment? Because it's fulfilled. It's already going to be fulfilled. It's a fulfilled picture when we realize our life in Messiah and everything, that we are dead, and the Messiah is alive in us. So we don't go down in the water anymore? No.

It's a physical representation of a spiritual thing that's occurring in our life and ultimately fulfilled totally and completely in the age to come when we are raised incorruptible. But we say we are born again. We say that we are saved, although ultimately those things will occur when we are resurrected.

Fulfillment does not mean abolishment. If I told my son to get me a glass of water, and he went and got a glass of water and brought it to me, then he fulfilled my commandment. That means he did it. He kept my word.

Yahushua kept the word of Yahweh. He kept the Torah of Yahweh completely. He fulfilled the commandment that says "Do not commit adultery." He fulfilled that commandment. Does that mean we can all go around and ignore that commandment now? No. We are called to also fulfill the law, because love is fulfilling of the law, and so we are called to fulfill the law of Yahweh.

In light of these things, we need to be keeping these feasts. They are a blessing. Christianity, as a whole--I mentioned this last week--they adopted--I say historical Christianity and churchianity--adopted pagan festivals and tried to make Messiah fit in them somehow and told lies. They said the Messiah was born December 25th, which is not true. That's provable from scripture.

They adopted this Mithraic pagan sun-worshiping festivals and tried to turn Messiah, make them fit into the Messiah and the scriptures somehow and observe those. All the while, there's these wonderful festivals that Yahweh instituted which picture the Messiah, which picture our salvation so beautifully and perfectly and wonderfully, and those are ignored.

Does something seem right about that, or does something seem wrong about that? I think something seems wrong about that. I think we need to return to the things that glorify and reveal the Messiah in awesome and wonderful ways, rather than trying to take a Satanic festival and fit the Messiah into it.

Let's take Yahweh's festivals, which already pictured the Messiah thousands of years ago, before He was even brought to the earth and did His awesome work and sent the Holy Spirit to us, I think we need to return to these things.

When Yahweh gives us His Spirit, there are many people that Yahweh would give His Spirit to, and there are some people He gives His Spirit to, and then He takes it away. Not everyone is going to endure to the end. Not everyone is going to endure to the end, and that's a sad thing. But Yahushua told us, "He who endures to the end will be saved."

Matthew 10:22 - "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

Why? Why? For His name's sake. What is His name? His name is not Jesus. That's for sure. Will be hated by all men for His name's sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. We want to be among those who endure to the end.

When Yahweh fills us with His Spirit, we want to be among those who still have it in the end. What do we need to do? I think there's a lesson in the life of Saul. Yahweh desires a restoration in us. He desires us to respond to His Word when He puts His Spirit in us. King Saul was such a man, he was anointed, he had the Spirit of Yahweh upon him.

In 1 Samuel 15, we're going to go over this chapter together, and I think there's some important lessons that we all can learn from.

1Samuel 15:1 - Samuel also said to Saul, "YAHWEH sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of YAHWEH.

1Samuel 15:2 - "Thus says YAHWEH of hosts: `I will punish Amalek [for] what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.

1Samuel 15:3 - `Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"

So Yahweh remembered what Amalek had done to Israel when Israel had come up out of Egypt in Exodus 17:8.

Exodus 17:8 - Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

Exodus 17:9 - And Moses said to Joshua, "Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of Elohim in my hand."

Exodus 17:10 - So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

Exodus 17:11 - And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

Exodus 17:12 - But Moses' hands [became] heavy; so they took a stone and put [it] under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

Exodus 17:13 - So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Exodus 17:14 - Then YAHWEH said to Moses, "Write this [for] a memorial in the book and recount [it] in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven."

In the Torah, we see this is a prophecy that Yahweh was going to accomplish, and He's choosing Saul to be the man to perform this act that he had spoken of in the Torah.

1Samuel 15:3 - `Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"

1Samuel 15:4 - So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah.

1Samuel 15:5 - And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.

1Samuel 15:6 - Then Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

1Samuel 15:7 - And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt.

1Samuel 15:8 - He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

1Samuel 15:9 - But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all [that was] good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

1Samuel 15:10 - Now the word of YAHWEH came to Samuel, saying,

1Samuel 15:11 - "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul [as] king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to YAHWEH all night.

1Samuel 15:12 - So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal."

I want you to notice here in verse 11, it says Saul turned back from following Yahweh. He turned back from following Yahweh. I think we can learn an important lesson in these verses as to whom Yahweh accepts and whom He does not accept.

I want to look closer as to why Saul was rejected by Yahweh. Our response to the giving of Yahweh's Holy Spirit ought to be one where our repentance remains genuine. Yahweh gives us His Spirit if we repent, are baptized in the name of Yahushua the Messiah, and believe in His Son, obviously.

But the repentance has to be genuine, and the repentance has to remain genuine. We should never choose to turn back to the vomit. Saul had turned back from following Yahweh. So he repented twice. He repented and served Yahweh, and he repented and served himself.

1Samuel 15:12 - So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal."

To Yahweh for all the wonderful works that He did? No. For himself. Saul seemed to be focused on himself and on the praise of men.

1Samuel 15:13 - Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed [are] you of YAHWEH! I have performed the commandment of YAHWEH."

Very interesting words, because either Saul was blind to his own disobedience or he thought partial obedience was still obedience, but partial obedience is not obedience. Partial obedience is disobedience.

1Samuel 15:14 - But Samuel said, "What then [is] this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"

So Saul is claiming to have kept the commandments of Yahweh, but not completely, because Samuel said, "If you've kept the commandments of Yahweh, why am I hearing the bleating of sheep? Why do I hear oxen if you've kept the commandment of Yahweh?"

In these words by Samuel, we find error that exists to this day. People say they obey Yahweh, but the truth is we are not obeying Yahweh if we choose to obey His commandments in our own way.

Partial obedience was not acceptable in the eyes of Yahweh. What we have is a very similar circumstance in our generations. People, when they are confronted with the truth of the need to keep the commandments of Yahweh, they are faced with a dilemma. If we begin to keep the commandments of Yahweh, as He commanded them, then we may not get the glory of men that we were getting before.

A lot of people work and spend their life trying to labor to get men to glorify them in some way, to receive the respect of men. If you start walking around with tassels hanging off your shirt, and doing things like keeping Pentecost, and feast days, and the Sabbath day, and start calling on the name of Yahweh, then you're probably not going to have the same kind of respect that you did before.

People are going to look at you differently. The commandments we're talking about keeping in the scriptures are things that are very visible, things that affect our lifestyle, things that affect the way we live from day-to-day, the way we talk, what we do on certain days, and the way we look.

Many will labor for the respect of men and what they do, but how many are willing to labor to get the respect from Yahweh. How many will labor to give Yahweh the glory in the things that they do? We need to be aware of these traps, and this is basically what Samuel is getting caught up in.

He had the Spirit of Yahweh, but we're going to find that he chose the glory of men. He was afraid of what people said about him. Saul was afraid of what the people would say about him.

1Samuel 15:15 - And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to YAHWEH your Elohim; and the rest we have utterly destroyed."

Very interesting reply. Saul had blamed the people for his actions, saying, "Those people over there brought them over. They decided to spare the best of the sheep and oxen. I don't know. They just did it."

But then when it comes to the part of the commandments being fulfilled of destroying things, "We utterly destroyed the rest." Doesn't his remind you a little bit like Adam trying to blame Eve?

"Well, this woman that you gave me..." Or Aaron when he blamed the people, and they worshiped the golden calf. "Well, you know the people. They this and they that."

Just like Eve, who saw the tree was good for food, the people saw the spoil from the Amalekites was good. Good food there, and so they chose their own way, rather than Yahweh's way.

It seems to me Saul was afraid he'd lose his honor among the people if he told them they needed to utterly destroy all these great-looking and soon to be great-tasting animals.

It seems that Saul was seeking the credit for destroying the Amalekites, but when the people desired to do something different than what Yahweh commanded, then Saul compromised obedience. That's an important lesson for us to remember.

Saul was trying to justify disobedience by setting forth his own standard of righteousness. His own standard of righteousness would have been, "Well, we can save the best of the animals, and then we'll sacrifice them to Yahweh.

He was setting forth his own standard of obedience, his own standard of righteousness, rather than the one that Yahweh gave, the one He commanded. There is a grave error in that, and it's one very common among men to this day.

For instance, Yahweh gave the Sabbath. He said He sanctified the seventh day of the week. He commanded that no work would be done on that day, but then men will choose another day of the week to keep holy, one that's not even holy to begin with, and say, "I've kept the commandment of Yahweh. Blessed be His name. I've performed the commandment of Yahweh."

Yahweh looks at them and says, "No, Saul, that's not commandment keeping. That's not what I said. That's not the standard of righteousness that I issued, and wrote in stone with my own finger." The Sabbath is not on the first day of the week, and it never was.

It's called partial obedience. Partial obedience is disobedience. If you don't believe me, look what happened to Saul. But Sunday is what the people want. Even though many pastors know the real Sabbath is on the seventh day, people want to have church on Sunday, so they continue to have their gatherings on the first day of the week to please the people.

"Oh, but the people wanted to have it on the first day." Do we see a connection? We don't want to be like this ourselves. We can't be looking at what the people want. We need to be looking at what Yahweh wants. We cannot establish our own standard of righteousness. We have to look to the standard of righteousness that Yahweh Himself establishes and not turn to the right or to the left.

Obviously, Yahweh does not want leaders to compromise obedience just to please people. In Saul's case, because he was willing to fear men more than Yahweh and to justify his own ways of righteousness, which were not true, because of those things, Yahweh rejected Saul as being the leader of Israel.

1Samuel 15:16 - Then Samuel said to Saul, "Be quiet! And I will tell you what YAHWEH said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak on."

1Samuel 15:17 - So Samuel said, "When you [were] little in your own eyes, [were] you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not YAHWEH anoint you king over Israel?

Yeah, back then when you were little in your own sight, back when you were humble, when pride did not get in the way of my glory, didn't I establish you head of the tribes of Israel? Didn't I anoint you king, Saul, when you were little in your own eyes?

Remember the humble Saul when he was being anointed king. They couldn't even find him. He was hiding among the equipment. Brethren, we all need to remain humble, no matter where Yahweh takes us. Yahweh gets the glory, no matter what the accomplishments. He is the One who gives us life. He's the One that gives us the abilities that we have.

Psalms 115:1 - Not unto us, O YAHWEH, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth.

HalleluYah. We get caught up in the praises of men. We get caught up in this little world that we live in. There's lessons to be learned just by observing farm animals. I've been raising chickens now for about ten years, and it's kind of interesting, because you have these roosters, and they've established a pecking order, and there's usually one rooster that's basically king of the flock.

He gets whatever females he wants any old time, and nobody messes with king rooster. King rooster walks the tallest. They all try to walk tall. I'm not joking. The king rooster walks tall, and he flaps his wings, and makes a loud noise with his wings, and he's a very proud, proud chicken, no question.

They're in their own little world. I walk in, and the rooster tries to fight me, and he starts flailing out his neck feathers. I just kicked him, and that was the end of it. I didn't hurt him, but he didn't like it too well. I had some rubber boots on, I kicked him, and he never messed with me from that day forward.

Well, I guess what I'm trying to say, as far as the lessons are concerned, we're just like a bunch of chickens, because we get caught up in our own little world. And to us, everything is all important. What the other chickens think about us becomes all important. That's what the world is caught up in.

The things they drive, the things they say, the things they do is a lot of times caught up in the things of men and trying to be the king chicken, trying to be the king rooster, the pecking order. And Yahweh can come down at any moment and squash us like a bug! We've got to keep our eyes on who the true King is. That's where Saul had missed. Yahweh, the real King, sent Saul on a mission.

1Samuel 15:18 - "Now YAHWEH sent you on a mission, and said, `Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.'

1Samuel 15:19 - "Why then did you not obey the voice of YAHWEH? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of YAHWEH?"

1Samuel 15:20 - And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of YAHWEH, and gone on the mission on which YAHWEH sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

Really? Then why is Amalek still alive? But he thought he utterly destroyed--he may have been pretending a little bit--to have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

Here he is, he's saying, "I have obeyed the voice of Yahweh and gone on a mission which Yahweh sent me."

1Samuel 15:21 - "But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to YAHWEH your Elohim in Gilgal."

"Hey, I did my part." He's saying he did his part. No, he didn't. Partial obedience is disobedience. He's blaming the people. When a sacrifice is made to Yahweh, the meat is eaten by the priests and also by the people, and so the people were looking for the best of the food as a reward for their victory.

The army going forth to battle without taking spoil was not the usual procedure. It was not the typical thing done. Today, people seek rewards in the temporal form, things that will perish with them. Prosperity doctrines are becoming more prevalent.

So many people are studying the prayer of Jabez and seeking to heap up the riches in this age and to get the spoils from this age, but are not looking to the eternal King and the eternal rewards.

I think people in this generation need to spend more time studying the prayers of Nineveh. The prayers of a people who totally repented, that needs to be studied, so that everyone would seek to heap up the true riches in the age to come.

Maybe it seemed right in Saul's eyes. The people, let them keep the spoil. As long as I don't keep any, everything will be okay. Yahweh set Saul up to lead the people. To Saul this commandment was given.

Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way [that seems] right to a man, But its end [is] the way of death.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Saul ultimately went downhill from this point. Ultimately, it was suicide. Saul had to have known the prophecy Yahweh gave in the Torah about destroying Amalek, and Yahweh even reminded him of that when He gave the commandment, but he decided to blame the people.

The people took the spoil. The people took the sheep, the oxen, things that should have been destroyed, sacrificed to Yahweh. It seems such a minor thing. The things are going to be destroyed when they're sacrificed. Why not give it to Yahweh? What's wrong with that? It wasn't obedience; it's not what Yahweh said to do.

Yahweh wants us to be circumspect, to be careful to keep His commandments, just as He commanded them, without man coming in and trying to change them and establish his own way that seems right to him.

1Samuel 15:22 - Then Samuel said: "Has YAHWEH [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of YAHWEH? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, [And] to heed than the fat of rams.

I wonder what will be the excuse of the merchant preachers on judgment day, who find themselves peddling Yahweh's Word?

2Corinthians 2:17 - For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of Elohim; but as of sincerity, but as from Elohim, we speak in the sight of Elohim in Messiah.

What about those who peddle the Word of Yahweh, while teaching people they don't have to obey fully? Will they be able to say, "Well, the people did it."

Brethren, we cannot put our eyes on men. We have to maintain a relationship with Yahweh, us and Him, without man's interference. Yahweh has to be first in everything that we do.

Notice in verse 22, Samuel said, "It's better to obey than to sacrifice."

The modern houses of worship, where most of the time there is no worship, there are many sacrifices of praise. People spend a lot of time lifting their hands up, closing their eyes, and seem to be really praising the heavenly Father. At least it looks like it. But it's better to obey than to sacrifice.

Psalms 141:2 - Let my prayer be set before You [as] incense, The lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice.

The truth is a person can sacrifice and lift their hands to Yahweh and do all these things all day long, but Yahweh cannot endure it if disobedience is acceptable in our eyes. An attitude of obedience to Yahweh is very important.

Saul did this little thing. He was utterly destroying the animals, but he was going to sacrifice some of them to Yahweh, but then David went out and committed adultery, he murdered a man, he stole a man's wife, he broke all these commandments, and yet he did not get rejected as king.

Saul and David both sinned against Yahweh, but David was given mercy and Saul was not. There was a marked difference between the two men. Do you know what the difference is? David truly repented. David understood repentance and was sincere when he sinned. In David's Psalm 51, he wrote Psalm 51 after being exposed in his sin against Yahweh, through what happened with Bathsheba.

Psalms 51:4 - Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done [this] evil in Your sight -- That You may be found just when You speak, [And] blameless when You judge.

The point is we all deserve judgment. Yahweh is righteous and blameless in His judgment, because we all deserve to be judged.

Psalms 51:5 - Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Psalms 51:6 - Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden [part] You will make me to know wisdom.

Psalms 51:7 - Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

He's not relying on his own righteousness. He's relying on the cleansing of Yahweh, His washing.

Psalms 51:8 - Make me hear joy and gladness, [That] the bones You have broken may rejoice.

Psalms 51:9 - Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.

Later on, in verse 16, he says this:

Psalms 51:16 - For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give [it]; You do not delight in burnt offering.

Psalms 51:17 - The sacrifices of Elohim [are] a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart -- These, O Elohim, You will not despise.

Psalms 51:18 - Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.

Psalms 51:19 - Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Even then, even in what they call the Old Testament, a man's sacrificing, a man's works did not make up for sin. A man had his only hope in the mercy of Yahweh; otherwise, when those men offered up their sacrifices to Yahweh with all those lambs and burnt offerings, all those things, that would have resulted in forgiveness for having kept the lambs and the things like that.

It always was, is today, and always will be that we have no choice but to rely on the cleansing and the washing of Yahweh, and He will do it.

Who can say that David, a man who stole a man's wife, committed adultery with her, and murdered her husband, didn't have grace? Grace is not a new idea. It's not a new thought. But how do we receive Yahweh's grace? Through true repentance.

David's repentance was very different than Saul's. When David was confronted with his sin, he repented. When Saul was confronted with his sin, he blamed others and even refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing at first. Going back to 1 Samuel 15...

1Samuel 15:22 - Then Samuel said: "Has YAHWEH [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of YAHWEH? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, [And] to heed than the fat of rams.

1Samuel 15:23 - For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of YAHWEH, He also has rejected you from [being] king."

That's a remarkable statement. The things that Saul is doing here are not only classified as rebellion, but he's saying rebellion is equal with witchcraft. Witchcraft! And stubbornness is idolatry. How can rebellion be like witchcraft? Witchcraft is tapping into the satanic powers, tapping into satanic power. That's what rebellion is, too. You're tapping into Satan's power. You're joining with him.

That's what Satan is all about. He's a rebel. He's rebelling against authority, rebelling against the authority that Yahweh Himself has over all the earth and all of heaven. When someone practices rebellion, it's equal with witchcraft, and stubbornness, the refusal to change, to put yourself before Yahweh, that's idolatry.

Ultimately, his rebellion did result in literal consulting with a medium, consulting satanic powers to accomplish various things. Our attitude toward the Word of Yahweh, brethren, is very important. When the Word convicts us, what's our attitude about it?

According to Yahweh, Saul's actions were rebellious, stubborn, witchcraft, idolatry, and his stubbornness made him choose his own way that seemed right, rather than giving Yahweh the honor and obeying His voice. In his rebellion, he refused to admit his sin up to this point. Finally, with these very harsh words spoken by Samuel, Saul admits it.

1Samuel 15:24 - Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of YAHWEH and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

He finally admits it. He acknowledges his sin. He admits he feared the people and obeyed them, rather than Yahweh.

Does Saul really repent now? Does Saul really repent from his heart? The original problem was Saul wanted to honor himself. He sought the praise of men more than the praise of Yahweh, so he obeyed their voice. Even after admitting he sinned, we see a continued element of man-pleasing.

1Samuel 15:25 - "Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship YAHWEH."

He admits it.

1Samuel 15:26 - But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of YAHWEH, and YAHWEH has rejected you from being king over Israel."

Yahweh never says here, "I have pardoned your sin." Yahweh never tells Saul he's forgiven, even though he acknowledged his sin. I think we can see why, as we continue to read here.

1Samuel 15:27 - And as Samuel turned around to go away, [Saul] seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.

1Samuel 15:28 - So Samuel said to him, "YAHWEH has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, [who is] better than you.

What is going on in Saul's mind? Even right after he admits his sin, Samuel says, "I'm not going to go back with you. You rejected the Word of Yahweh, and Yahweh rejected you from being king over Israel." He turns to go away, and Saul tries to forcibly, physically prevent him from turning away. This is a man of Yahweh he is fighting.

What happened was the very words he said:

1Samuel 15:28 - So Samuel said to him, "YAHWEH has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, [who is] better than you.

What should have Saul done at that point? He should have got on his face. He should have said, "Yahweh's will be done. Who has he chosen to be king? I don't deserve to be king. I repent fully. I don't deserve anything. I don't deserve any honor. I don't deserve any grace."

He should have fully repented. Those actions would have demonstrated true repentance. But what did he do?

1Samuel 15:29 - "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He [is] not a man, that He should relent."

Then he said:

1Samuel 15:30 - Then he said, "I have sinned; [yet] honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship YAHWEH your Elohim."

The root problem still exists. We see the intent of his repentance from the beginning. "Turn again with me, go back with me that I may worship Yahweh." If Samuel doesn't go back with him, people are going to say, "What's going on? Are you king? Why didn't Samuel come back?"

It doesn't look like true repentance from the heart from Saul. It appears even his repentance is rooted in a desire for Samuel to go back with him so he can be honored by the people again. If Samuel refused to go with him, he'd have a lot of explaining to do and a lot of humbling himself to do. This is the kind of leaders Yahweh historically rejects. Talking about the Pharisees, and scribes, and so on, it says...

John 12:42 - Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess [Him], lest they should be put out of the synagogue;

So they believed in the Messiah, but they did not confess Him outwardly. They were willing to say in their hearts, "Oh, yeah, He's the Messiah," but they wouldn't say it outwardly. They were afraid of what men would say. They did not confess Him. They did not want to be put out of the synagogue and lose the praise of men.

John 12:43 - for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of Elohim.

Another example, Matthew 23:5 says...

Matthew 23:5 - "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

Seeking to be a man-pleaser is not an issue exclusive only to leaders. It's a common thing that prevents somebody from believing and truly serving Yahweh with a right heart. It also prevents somebody from accepting some new light, some new revelation that Yahweh wants to give.

There are some out there in mainstream church leadership--not everyone--some are genuine. Please don't get me wrong. There are some who know the truth, but they're too afraid to teach it, because they fear the people.

If they actually taught the truth, they would end up preaching themselves out of a job. There are a lot of church leaders like this who have chosen the praise of men more than the praise of Elohim. Yahweh wants a leader of an assembly to choose the praise of Yahweh more than the praise of men.

I have in my email box a reply some years ago from a leader of a mainstream church. Someone had sent my Sabbath study to a couple hundred church leaders. This man replies back to the study, and he said, "You had better be careful about this talk of shutting down all businesses on the Sabbath. Don't you realize how many of our supporters are businessmen? Do you think they will continue????"

He put four questions marks after that question. "Do you think they will continue to come to the church and contribute the way they do now, if we even suggest they must give up one-seventh of their income?"

That's what he said, and he calls himself a reverend. And the emphasis there in all capital letters are his. Never mind the truth! What about the income? Many are too concerned with feeding themselves. They don't care for the sheep, because they're hirelings.

At least this man was honest. I'll give him that. He was honest. Others will just hide it in their heart under a cloud of excuses. "Well, the Savior was risen on that day."

They obey the voice of the people, rather than the voice of Yahweh, maybe like Saul, thinking the people are somehow responsible. There was one minister I'm aware of who, back in the 50s and 60s, a person in the congregation came up to them and said, "The thing you were teaching today is not really true, because this Bible verse says this."

The man said, "Uh-huh, that's right." The person said to the preacher, "Aren't you going to correct it?" He said, "No." "Well, why not?" He said, "Why do I have to correct it?" She said, "Because the Bible says this."

And he said, "Yeah. Let me explain something to you. I went through school. I went through seminary, and I was hired to do a job, and that was to teach this particular denomination's doctrines. That's what I'm hired to do. That's what I am being paid to do is teach the doctrines of this denomination, and I can't do anything but that."

That is actually true. If you want to keep your job, you have to do what the boss tells you to do. Very dangerous, peddling the Word of Elohim. The hirelings who don't care for the sheep comfort the sheep and say, "Oh, yeah, keep coming on Sunday. It's okay. You don't have to change your lifestyle."

They're committing rebellion, witchcraft, stubbornness, and idolatry, because they're teaching partial obedience is okay. There's a church in town here who has the Ten Commandments written in stone right at the entrance. It says right there, "Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy."

But if you were to talk to them, partial obedience is okay. We all need to be aware of these things. I'm not trying to come down hard on anybody else. We all need to be aware of these things.

Ezekiel 34:2 - "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, `Thus says the Master YAHWEH to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

Ezekiel 34:3 - "You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, [but] you do not feed the flock.

Ezekiel 34:4 - "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.

Yahushua warned us:

Matthew 7:15 - "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Just as it is today, Saul had allowed the people to do a different way of worship than what Yahweh had commanded, because he loved the praise of men more than the praise of Yahweh. Like Saul, they thought they could sacrifice, worship, but doing it differently than the way Yahweh told them.

Today, many have chosen their own way of worship, choosing their own days to keep holy, the first day instead of the seventh day, keep their own holy days, holidays, pagan-rooted holidays, in favor of Yahweh's holy days, counterfeit names instead of the true names, etc., etc.

A Torah 2.0 instead of the true Torah that Yahweh Himself commanded. I've said all these things, brethren, because it needs to be said. I'm not saying these things because I believe I'm better than everybody else, just because I happen to know about the Sabbath and these other things.

I'm only saying these things because it needs to be said, not because I'm superior. It's by the grace of Yahweh that we all know the things we know, and I do believe there's a lot more for us to know, and to live, and to walk out. I don't think we have arrived.

We need to recognize the characteristics of wolves, of hirelings. We need to learn from these examples. Learn from Saul what kind of person Yahweh rejects, what kind of person He receives.

I share these words in the fear of Elohim, knowing that the trap is there for me just like anybody else. We all need to continually be aware of the fear of men. It should not be even a consideration when we seek the truth in Yahweh's Words. We can't be thinking, "Oh, what would so-and-so think if I was to do this?" Hm.

We need to be thinking, "What is your will, O Yahweh?" What would Yahweh think?

We should never attempt, like Saul did, to conceal selfishness and self love under a cloak of religious zeal and gratitude. This is the mistake of so many in this age. Just as Saul had secretly sought the praise of men, all the while claiming to honor Yahweh, with something that Yahweh expressly had forbidden, so it is with many today.

They think they honor Yahweh by doing their own ways, but they do not. In sadness, I grieve over the system of churchianity that breeds complacency and confidence in men, denominational systems set in place designed to stunt spiritual growth and keep things the way they are.

Every week, people will go to their church services--and they are services, because people pay and trust these shepherds to read and interpret the scriptures for them.

But what about the sheep? What about the sheep? Shepherds know to tell them what they want to hear. They're going to go to heaven. "In spite of the failure to repent, you will not surely die." In doing so, multitudes follow after them, and they pay them very well to tell them these things.

For some reason, they believe the success of their ministry is based on the number of people in attendance, rather than living a life of true repentance.

Many people in leadership have been led astray into believing the lie that we can receive eternal life without repentance. Because of this, they lead others astray with them.

As Yahushua said, "Can the blind lead the blind? They will both fall into a ditch." My heart is burdened for the sheep and has been for many years. The people of this age need to be warned. They need to be told. We need to warn them of this serious mistake that has caused lawlessness, Torahlessness to abound.

Yahushua predicted:

Matthew 24:12 - "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

What do we need to do? Some people want to go grab people by the neck, shake them, and scream sense into them. But our desire to share truth needs to be rooted in love for our fellow man. Sometimes I perceive it's more so out of desire just to win an argument.

Brethren, knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. We don't share the truth to win arguments. We share what we have learned because we love the other person, and we don't want to see them walking in the wrong ways that may lead to destruction.

Paul was writing to the Thessalonians, and he said...

1Thessalonians 2:5 - For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness -- Elohim [is] witness.

1Thessalonians 2:6 - Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Messiah.

1Thessalonians 2:7 - But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing [mother] cherishes her own children.

To them was given gentleness, selflessness, even though the people of Thessalonica really didn't have a very good reputation for being lovers of the Word. He could have went in there and just let them have it. Remember what was said about the Thessalonians back in Acts 17?

Paul went there after they'd gone to Berea. Brethren sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews, and these were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica. They received the Word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so--more noble than the Thessalonians.

We know the Thessalonian believers were noble. They did receive Yahushua, and Paul spoke well of them, but we remember that the way they were brought to Messiah was through gentleness, as a nursing mother cherishes her children.

It's true the Messiah also was the same way.

Matthew 11:28 - "Come to Me, all [you] who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:29 - "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:30 - "For My yoke [is] easy and My burden is light."

This is Yahushua's meekness, His lowliness, when He shares the Word. Let's also remember His boldness, His fearlessness toward the men-pleasing false teachers of His day.

We need to understand the distinction. We need to speak the truth about them, as Yahweh reveals to us, just as Messiah did. It may fall on deaf ears. The messages of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, even Yahushua the Messiah, a lot of it fell on deaf ears.

Yahushua often said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." But we are commanded to deliver those who are drawn toward death.

Proverbs 24:11 - Deliver [those who] are drawn toward death, And hold back [those] stumbling to the slaughter.

Proverbs 24:12 - If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does not He who weighs the hearts consider [it]? He who keeps your soul, does He [not] know [it]? And will He [not] render to [each] man according to his deeds?

Among those who are zealous for sharing the truth, there are some who I believe might be sharing it in an unscriptural manner. Anybody can threaten. Anyone can intimidate. Anyone can boast. Anyone can condemn. Anyone can judge. Anyone can discourage and tear down, but who will deliver them who are walking the way of destruction?

Who will reach out and be Yahweh's hand extended, to hold someone's hand in love and gently, patiently guide them into the way of life? Who will be the gentle and meek voice of the Shepherd sharing the words of wisdom, so that those will hear and recognize the Shepherd's voice in them?

James 3:13 - Who [is] wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct [that] his works [are done] in the meekness of wisdom.

James 3:14 - But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.

James 3:15 - This wisdom does not descend from above, but [is] earthly, sensual, demonic.

Demonic.

James 3:16 - For where envy and self-seeking [exist], confusion and every evil thing [are] there.

James 3:17 - But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

James 3:18 - Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

In peace, we sow His seed. Then the fruit of righteousness will grow. We cannot shove the seed into the heart of another person, threatening, intimidating, boasting, condemning, prejudging, discouraging, falsely accusing. It's called laziness and impatience. That's not how you witness.

It takes patience. Even the seed that falls on the good ground takes patience.

Luke 8:15 - "But the ones [that] fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep [it] and bear fruit with patience.

We are told that when we preach the Word, we preach it with longsuffering.

2Timothy 4:2 - Preach the word! Be ready in season [and] out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

That takes labor. It takes patience. It takes praying, weeping, hoping, knowing, seeking diligently the mind of Yahweh through it all. Yahweh help us, because I know I fail in this sometimes.

We must labor. We can't be lazy in our witnessing.

"Well, you're not changing fast enough. You need to move faster! You need to change now! You're not going fast enough! What are you doing over there? You're going to be condemned."

That's laziness. That's impatience. That's not of Yahweh's Spirit. We don't want to be the wicked and lazy servant.

Matthew 25:25 - `And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, [there] you have [what is] yours.'

Matthew 25:26 - "But his lord answered and said to him, `You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

Matthew 25:27 - `So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

Brethren, if you've been given a talent of gold, don't hide it. Either make use of it or give it to somebody who will.

Matthew 25:28 - `Therefore take the talent from him, and give [it] to him who has ten talents.

Matthew 25:29 - `For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

Matthew 25:30 - `And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Let's not be unprofitable. Let's not be impatient and lazy. When you plant seeds into a garden, you don't shove the seed so far into the ground that it's not going to grow and then cover it up and smash it with dirt and hard-pack it.

Nothing will happen. You won't get anything out of that seed. You just gently pull the soil back, put the seed into the soil, cover it back up, pat it down a little bit, and wait for Yahweh to make the seed grow.

You can't make it grow, no matter how hard you try. You can yell at that seed. You can scream at it. You can pound it. You can do anything you want, but you can't make it grow. You could even water it, and it may not grow.

The reason why is because we're just farmers. One may plant, one waters, one plants, but Yahweh gives the increase. The truth is...

1Corinthians 3:7 - So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but Elohim who gives the increase.

The same is true when we witness. We aren't anything. We're just planting and watering. Elohim gives the increase. HalleluYah. Out of a heart of love, with patience and longsuffering, it's time to cry out into the world that we have to restore. We have to restore. Restore. Restore!

Yahushua did not come to take away the Torah. He came to magnify it.

Isaiah 42:21 - YAHWEH is well pleased for His righteousness' sake; He will exalt the law and make [it] honorable.

Exalt the Torah and make it honorable.

Isaiah 42:22 - But this [is] a people robbed and plundered; All of them are snared in holes, And they are hidden in prison houses; They are for prey, and no one delivers; For plunder, and no one says, "Restore!"

It's time to deliver those who are drawn toward the ways of death, who are hidden in the prison houses in the form of churches, houses, and synagogues, that are for a prey, no one delivering them for a spoil, and no one saying restore, as they are plundered, none delivering.

They are plundered by the shepherds who destroy and not restore. Does that mean we're all called to be preachers of thousands and tens of thousands? Are we all called out to be evangelists? Are we called to go out and be teachers? Not necessarily. We have families. We have a great work to do in our children.

To mothers who think you have no work with Yahweh, look to the children you have borne and know you have a great work ahead of you. Guide those children in the way of righteousness. You have a blessing that will reach from generation to generation. Your influence will influence many others your child comes in contact with later in life.

For those of you who are doing a work for Yahweh, I have noticed something. It seems that attempts to organize Yahweh's people together have failed. Communes have failed. Organizations have failed. Attempts to get everybody together and do this one thing, everybody being forced into a box has all failed.

Why? There is no established authority from Yahweh is one reason. Maybe it's not time yet. Yahweh has to build it. We're all scattered.

But as we're scattered, we go everywhere preaching the Word. Our scattering--not that we want to be scattered--we want to be together, but if we are scattered, and this is the calling, this is where Yahweh places us, let's go everywhere preaching the Word.

If we all gather in one place out in a remote area of Montana somewhere, and we neglect the teaching of the Word, and everybody focuses on building a community or whatever they're wanting to do, then how can the people in our generation hear?

All I know is it's time to do the work of Yahweh. We need to be about our Father's business.

Luke 10:2 - Then He said to them, "The harvest truly [is] great, but the laborers [are] few; therefore pray the Master of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

The Shavuot of Acts 2, the Spirit of Yahweh was given, and a great work was done. A foundation was laid by the apostles, and that day started the spread of the Good News unto all the nations.

This coming Shavuot, I want us to consider the responsibility that we have to share our faith and not hide our talent in the sand. Why are we here on this earth? Why are we here? Is it just to live comfortably and enjoy the work of our hands?

I think Yahweh wants us to be the arms and the body of the Messiah, reaching out to others continually. Even if we aren't the arms, we are doing something. We are redeeming the time. We are being something useful for His work.

If we're just focusing on our own work, our own pleasure, our own desire, and we're ignoring the work Yahweh has called every single believer in Yahweh to do for Him, we're just hiding our talent in the sand.

The harvest is great in this age. This is a great time to be alive. Let's raise Him for the harvest. Let's seek to be the harvest and seek to gather others together to be part of the harvest, because Yahweh wants to pour out His Spirit of truth on so many more.

We just need to be willing vessels that will pour out as He will pour into us. Let's allow the overflowing oil flow onto others, filling their cups, so that they might also pour onto others. Let's be living examples of the body of Yahushua the Messiah every day, not just to those in the world, but to our own children, our own families.

Let's be laborers. May Yahweh send forth the laborers. May Yahweh make all of us laborers. May Yahweh do a work in us, because we are nothing without Him.

Psalms 119:126 - [It is] time for [You] to act, O YAHWEH, [For] they have regarded Your law as void.

May Yahweh continue to do His work in us. It is time to find and to walk in the way of truth. It is time to restore what man has made void. It is high time that Yahweh's Torah be proclaimed as the standard for all men to live by without pretense, without fear of man, and without excuse.

May Yahweh bless you, and may He have mercy on us all.