A MONTHLY TEACHING LETTER
Letter
#5
This
is the fifth in a series of monthly teaching letters. If you have not received
any of my previous teaching letters, please send $2.00 for each back issue you
would like to have. These teaching letters are not just the average
run-of-the-mill type of letter. If you really want to learn the Scripture�s
deepest hidden truths, you will not want to miss any of these back issues. These
teaching letters will not go out of date. They will be just as informative ten
yeas from now as they are today. Again, I want to thank all those who are
helping to support this ministry. The last issue, I sent out over 150 mailings
and I keep getting new names almost daily. If you know anyone who might want to
receive this teaching letter, be sure to send me their name and address. I am
sure you are not getting the teaching from anyone else that I have been
presenting to you. How many preachers or teachers have explained the Greek
article to you before? I have been around church for 62 years and have studied
many Identity teachers in the last twenty years and I have only heard one
Identity teacher mention the Greek article on one cassette tape, and that was
Dr. W. G. Finlay from South Africa.
Now
Continuing The Topic:
JUST
WHO IS THIS PATRIARCH, JUDAH? (Part 5)
In
the last issue, I explained how Judah became a great blessing and also a vexing
curse. In this issue we are going to consider the blessing of Judah. To do this,
we will have to again read Genesis 49:8-12:
8
Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren
shall praise: thy hand shall
be in the neck of
thine enemies; thy father�s children shall bow down before thee. 9 Judah is
a lion�s whelp:
from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion,
and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10 The scepter shall not depart from
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of
the people
be. 11 Binding his
foal unto the vine, and his ass�s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his
garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall
be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
As
I said in the last issue, there is enough in this passage to fill several books.
I am not going to attempt to write several books on this passage, but I hope to
cover some of the main points with this lesson. I am not sure I can get it all
finished in one lesson, but however many lessons it will take, I will do it.
This passage simply cannot be passed up without some extensive comment.
WHY
JUDAH?
Why
is Judah singled out for this particular position in Jacob�s family? After
all, the first born male is supposed to receive the position of ruler, priest
and the inheritance or the birthright. Then why is Judah, the fourth born of
Leah, chosen as the ruling tribe? When we run into problems like this, we must
go to the basic law that governs the situation. The Law on this is found in:
Exodus
13:1, 2, 11-15:
1
And the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, 2 Sanctify (set apart) unto me all the firstborn whatsoever openeth the
womb among the children of Israel, both
of man and of beast, it is mine. ... 11 And it
shall be when the Lord shall bring
thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers,
and shall give it here. 12 That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord
all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh out of a beast
which thou hast; the males shall
be the Lord�s. 13 And every firstling of an ass thou
shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break
his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.
Exodus
22:29:
Thou
shalt not delay to offer the first of thy
ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the first born of thy sons shalt thou give
unto me.
Numbers
3:13:
Because
all the firstborn are mine; for
on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto
me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be;
I am
the Lord.
Luke 2:23
(As
it is written in the law of the Lord, Every
male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord.)
To
give you some idea of the importance of the meaning of �firstborn� from the
Scripture, I am going quote from The
Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, volume 2, page 540:
First-Born
....
(meaning first in sequence to be
born or,
figuratively, first in rank, preeminent). Normally the word means the older son
(Exod. 6:14; 11:5). He enjoyed prerogatives over his brothers, like receiving
the father�s blessing (Gen 27:1-4, 35-37), preferential treatment by the
father (43:33), respect as leader among the brothers, (37:22), and a double
portion of the inheritance, twice what any other son received (Deut 21:17). The
first-born might barter away his rights, as Esau (Gen 25:29-34), or forfeit them
for misconduct as Reuben, by incest (35:22; 49:3, 4; 1 Chron 5:1). The Lord
claimed first-born of men and animals for Himself (Exod 13:1-16). Such animals
were sacrificed and such sons redeemed, since God did not tolerate child
sacrifice as in heathen customs (13:11-15). Levites as a group were designated
for special service to the Lord in lieu of the first-born (Num 3:12, 13;
8:16-18). In the New Testament, Jesus is called the first-born son of Mary (Luke
2:7), who was a virgin before His birth but who had other sons after Him (Mark
6:3 cf. John 7:5). (There are two schools of thought whether Mary had
"other" children later.)
I
would like to further quote on this subject of �first-born� from The
Interpreter�s Dictionary of the Bible, volume E-J, page 271:
...
As the first strength of the father, he became the next head of the family (or
clan or tribe), and embodied the soul and character of the social group,
becoming responsible for its continuance and welfare. As such he acted with a
certain authority, felt a greater responsibility (cf. Reuben; Gen. 37:22), and
received a preferential treatment (cf. Gen. 43:33). As his Birthright
he had claims on the family Blessing
(cf. Gen. 27:1-4, 35-37) and received a double portion of the family
inheritance.
From
all of this, we should see there are three key positions of the first-born.
They are in this order:
(a)
The ruler of
the family after the father dies.
(b)
The priest of
the family after the father dies.
(c)
The double
portion of inheritance to keep the family members together and see to their
needs (especially the mother if still living) after the father dies.
Since
we have some basic ideas about how the Hebrew family functions, let�s take a
look at Jacob�s family and how the inheritance was distributed accordingly.
Reuben, the first born of Leah was in line as ruler of the family, priest of the
family and the double portion of inheritance. But Reuben completely disqualified
himself for all three of these benefits of being firstborn. Consider what this
man lost in the space of a few moments of uncontrolled lust. Reuben could have
been the ruling tribe from which the Redeemer would come. Reuben could have been
the high priest with all of his children holding the offices thereof. Just
consider the blessings that went to Joseph with all the riches of the earth
which could have been Reuben�s also. Let�s read what Jacob had to say of
Reuben in Genesis 49:3-4:
3
Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my
might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the
excellency of power. 4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou
wentest up to thy father�s bed; then defiledst thou it:
he
went up to my couch.
Here
is the story of Reuben�s sin against his father as recorded in the
"Testament Of Reuben", The Lost
Books of The Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden, pages 221-222: chapter
1, verses 6-8, 37-40:
6
And behold I call to witness against you this day the God of heaven, that ye
walk not in the sins of youth and fornication, wherein I was poured out, and
defiled the bed of my father Jacob. 7 And I tell you that he smote me with a
sore plague in my loins for seven months; and had not my father Jacob prayed for
me to the Lord, the Lord
would have destroyed me. 8 For I was thirty years old when I wrought the evil
thing before the Lord, and for
seven months I was sick unto death. ... 37 For had I not seen Bilhah bathing in
a covered place, I had not fallen into this great iniquity. 38 For my mind
taking in the thought of the woman�s nakedness, suffered me not to sleep until
I had wrought the abominable thing. 39 For while Jacob our father had gone to
Isaac his father, when we were in Eber, near to Ephrath in Bethlehem, Bilhah
became drunk and was asleep uncovered in her chamber. 40 Having therefore gone
in and beheld her nakedness, I wrought the impiety without her perceiving it,
and leaving her sleeping I departed.
You
can plainly see, here, that Reuben was totally disqualified for the positions of
ruler, priest or to receive the blessing. It was necessary, therefore, to
appoint others of Jacob�s sons for these positions. Let�s take a look and
see how this process worked and how Judah was chosen for the position of ruler.
As a general rule, once the first-born is disqualified the position would go to
the second son and on down the line. Since Reuben was no longer qualified as
first-born, the position of chief ruler of the family would pass to the second
born of Leah, or Simeon. Lets now see what Jacob had to say about Simeon. We are
really going to have to include Levi along with Simeon as Jacob treated them
both equally in his prophetic destiny of his children. We will now read Genesis
49:5-7:
5
Simeon and Levi are brethren;
instruments of cruelty are
in their habitations.
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour
be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill
they digged down a wall. 7 Cursed be
their anger, for it
was
fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will divide them in Jacob, and
scatter them in Israel.
You
can see from this that Jacob didn�t consider Simeon or Levi as good candidates
for the important position of chief ruler of the family. They simply didn�t
possess the cool head it takes to properly make qualified decisions at critical
times. For more on Simeon, let�s read from the "Testament of
Simeon", The Lost Books of The Bible
and The Forgotten Books of Eden, page 224, chapter 1, verses 5, 7-15:
5
Moreover, I became strong exceedingly; I shrank from no achievement, nor was I
afraid of ought. For my heart was hard, my liver was immovable, and my bowels
without compassion. ... 7 For in the time of my youth I was jealous in many
things of Joseph, because my father loved him beyond all. 8 And I set my mind
against him to destroy him, because the prince of deceit sent forth the spirit
of jealousy and blinded my mind, so that I regarded him not as a brother, nor
did I spare even Jacob my father. 9 But his God and the God of his fathers sent
forth His angel, and delivered him out of my hands. 10 For when I went to
Sheckem to bring ointment for the flocks, and Reuben to Dothan, where were our
necessaries and all our stores, Judah my brother sold him to the Ishmaelites. 11
And when Reuben heard these things he was grieved, for he wished to restore him
to his father. 12 But on hearing this I was exceedingly wroth against Judah in
that he let him go away alive, and for five months I continued wrathful against
him. 13 But the Lord restrained me, and withheld from me the power of my hands;
for my right hand was half withered for seven days. 14 And I knew, my children,
that because of Joseph this had befallen me, and I repented and wept; and I
besought the Lord God that my hand might be restored, and that I might hold
aloof from all pollution and envy and from all folly. 15 For I knew I had
devised an evil thing before the Lord and Jacob my father, on account of Joseph
my brother, in that I envied him.
There
are three passages in the next chapter of the "Testament Of Simeon"
worth quoting, page 225. chapter 2, verses 4, 10, 13-15:
4
Now Joseph was a good man, and had the Spirit of God within him: being
compassionate and pitiful, he bore no malice against me; but loved me even as
the rest of his brethren. ... 10 Therefore was Joseph comely in appearance, and
goodly to look upon, because no wickedness dwelt in him; for
some of the trouble of the spirit the face manifesteth. ... 13 For I have
seen it inscribed in the writing of Enoch that your sons shall be corrupted in
fornication, and shall do harm to the sons of Levi with the sword. 14 But they
shall not be able to withstand Levi; for he shall wage the war of the Lord, and
shall conquer all your hosts. 15 And they shall be few in number, divided in
Levi and Judah, and there shall be none of you for sovereignty, even as also
our father prophesied in his blessing.
JUDAH
RECEIVES THE BLESSING OF CHIEF RULER
At
this point, in this lesson, we know that Simeon is out of the picture as a
successor for Reuben as ruler, priest, or receiving the double blessing. We also
know, at this point, that Levi is ruled out, at least as a ruling tribe. We will
get back to Levi later. You can see here that this story gets more complicated
as we go along, but it will all make sense in the end. The main point to realize
is: Judah was next in the line of birth for the position of chief ruler and he
had all the necessary qualities needed for the position, thus Jacob gave him his
blessing in that regard. We now have the position of sovereignty solved but the
positions of priest and the double blessing of inheritance still remain.
JOSEPH
RECEIVES THE BLESSING
I
think it is generally understood, in Israel Identity, that Joseph received the
blessing (the double portion of inheritance). But, why Joseph? � he was the 11th
born of Jacob. While Joseph was the 11th of
Jacob, he was first-born of Jacob by Rachel. Now we know that Jacob loved Rachel
more than Leah, so it would seem that this would be the reason for Jacob giving
Joseph the blessing. It would be a logical and proper move on Jacob�s part,
but I think there was more to it than that. Let�s see what all Joseph got as a
result of receiving the blessing, Genesis 49:22-26:
22
Joseph is a
fruitful bough, even
a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over
the wall. 23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at
him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by
the hands of the mighty God
of Jacob; (from thence is
the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) 25 Even
by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall
bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth
under, blessings of the breast, and of the womb: 26 The blessings of thy father
have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of
the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of
the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
Another
passage which helps clear up the matter of Joseph getting the blessing is found
in 1st Chronicles 5:1-2:
1
Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was
the firstborn; but forasmuch as he defiled his father�s bed, his birthright
was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to
be reckoned after the birthright. 2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and
of him came the
chief ruler; but the birthright was
Joseph�s:)
WITH
THE BIRTHRIGHT OF A DOUBLE PORTION CAME SOME RESPONSIBILITY!
Just
because one was the firstborn and was eligible for the double portion
inheritance didn�t mean that this inheritance was all scot-free. By getting
the double portion meant some responsibility along with it. To show you this, I
am going to quote from Nelson�s New
Illustrated Bible Dictionary by Ronald F. Youngblood, page 598:
INHERITANCE
... In
ancient Israel the property of a deceased person was usually distributed
according to law or tribal custom. Written wills were rarely used. The real and
personal property of a father was normally divided among his sons. A larger
amount, usually a double portion, went to the eldest son, who assumed the
care of his mother and unmarried sisters. The birthright of the firstborn
son could be denied only because of a serious offense against the father, as in
the case of Reuben (Deut. 21:15-17; 1 Chr. 5:1). The sons of concubines normally
received presents of personal property. If there were no surviving sons, the
inheritance went to daughters. The daughters had to marry within the tribe,
however, or lose their inheritance. If a man died childless, his estate was
received by his brothers or his father�s brothers (Num. 27:9-11).
The
reason I say Joseph earned the double blessing of inheritance is because he took
care of the entire family, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers along with
nephews and nieces, besides his immediate personal responsibility for his own
wife and children, and you can�t get any more responsible than that!
While
Joseph was doing all of this for his family, remember how his brothers had
treated him by becoming jealous and plotting to murder him? Remember how they
sold him into slavery? I would like to read to you some excerpts from the
"Testament Of Joseph" out of The
Lost Books of The Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden, to show you some of
the other trials Joseph had to go through, starting with page 259, chapter 1,
verse 4:
4
I have seen in my life envy and death, yet I went not astray, but persevered in
the truth of the Lord. 5 These my brothers hated me, but the Lord loved me: 6
They wished to slay me, but the God of my fathers guarded me. 7 They let me down
into a pit and the Most High brought me up again. 8 I was sold into slavery, and
the Lord of all made me free: 9 I was taken into captivity, and His strong hand
succoured me. 10 I was beset with hunger, and the Lord Himself nourished me. 1I
I was alone, and God comforted me. 12 I was sick, and the Lord visited me: 13 I
was in prison, and my God showed favour unto me; 14 In bonds, and He released
me; 15 Slandered, and He pleaded my cause; 16 Bitterly spoken against by the
Egyptians, and He delivered me; 17 Envied by my fellow-slaves, and He exalted
me. 18 And this chief captain of Pharaoh entrusted to me his house. 19 And I
struggled against a shameless woman, urging me to transgress with her; but the
God of Israel my father delivered me from the burning flame. 20 I was cast into
prison, I was beaten, I was mocked; but the Lord granted me to find mercy in the
sight of the keeper of the prison. ...
Tormented
By The Egyptian Woman
25
How often did the Egyptian woman threaten me with death! 26 How often did she
give me over to punishment, and then call me back and threaten me, and when I
was unwilling to company with her, she said to me: 27 Thou shalt be lord of me,
and all that is in my house, if thou wilt give thyself unto me, and thou shalt
be as our master. ... 31 And I sought the Lord early, and I wept for the
Egyptian woman of Memphis, for very unceasingly did she trouble me, for also at
night she came to me under pretence of visiting me. ... 33 And for a time she
embraced me as a son, and I knew it not; but later she sought to draw me into
fornication. ... 44 And again, at another time she said unto me: If thou wilt
not commit adultery, I will kill my husband by poison; and take thee to be my
husband. ... 49 And afterward she sent me food mingled with enchantments. 50 And
when the eunuch who brought it came, I looked up and beheld the terrible man
giving me with the dish a sword, and I perceived that her scheme was to beguile
me. ... 62 Then, accordingly seizing and opportunity, she rushed unto me while
her husband was yet without, and said unto me: I will hang myself or cast myself
over a cliff, if thou wilt not lie with me. ... 70 At last, then she laid hold
of my garments, forcibly dragging me to have connexion with her. 71 When,
therefore, I saw that in her madness she was holding fast to my garment, I left
it behind, and fled away naked. 72 And holding fast to the garment she falsely
accused me, and when her husband came he cast me into prison in his house; and
on the morrow he scourged me and sent me into Pharaoh�s prison. ... 74 And
often hath she sent unto me saying: Consent to fulfil my desire, and I will
release thee from thy bonds, and I will free thee from the darkness. ... 80 For
when I was in her house she was wont to bare her arms, and breast, and legs,
that I might lie with her; for she was very beautiful, splendidly adorned in
order to beguile me.
Joseph
Refused To Put His Brothers To Shame
Chap
II, v5 My brethren knew how my father loved me, and yet I did not exalt myself
in my mind: although I was a child, I had the fear of God in my heart; for I
knew that all things would pass away. 6 And I did not raise myself against them
with evil intent, but I honoured my brethren; and out of respect for them, even
when I was being sold, I refrained from telling the Ishmaelites that I was a son
of Jacob, a great man and a mighty. ... 9 And when I came to the Indocolpitae
with the Ishmaelites, they asked me , saying: 10 Art thou a slave? And I said I
was a home-born slave, that I might not put my brethren to shame. 11 And
the eldest of them said unto me: Thou art not a slave, for even thy appearance
doth make it manifest. 12 But I said that I was their slave. ... 43 Now after
four and twenty days came the Ishmaelites; for they had heard that Jacob my
father was mourning much concerning me. 44 And they came and said unto me: How
is it that thou saidst that thou was a slave? and lo, we have learnt that thou
art the son of a mighty man in the land of Canaan, and thy father still mourneth
for thee in sackcloth and ashes. 45 When I heard this my bowels were dissolved
and my heart melted, and I desired greatly to weep, but I restrained myself that
I should not put my brethren to shame. ...
The
Selling Of Joseph And His Non-retaliation To His Brothers
53
And straightway she sent a eunuch to the Ishmaelites, and asked them to sell me.
54 But since the eunuch would not agree to buy me at their price he returned
having made trial of them, and he made known to the mistress that they asked a
large price for their slave. 55 And she sent another eunuch saying: Even though
they demand two minas, give them, do not spare the gold; only buy the boy, and
bring him to me. 56 The eunuch therefore went and gave them eighty pieces of
gold, and he received me; but to the Egyptian woman he said: I have given
a hundred. 57 And though I knew this I held my peace, lest the eunuch
should be put to shame. 58 Ye see, therefore, my children, what great things
I endured that I should not put my brethren to shame. ... 61 And when my
brethren came into Egypt they learnt that I had returned their money unto them,
and upbraided them not, and comforted them. 62 And after the death of Jacob my
father, I loved them more abundantly, and all things whatsoever he commanded I
did very abundantly for them. 63 And I suffered them not to be afflicted in the
smallest matter; and all that was in my hand I gave unto them. 64 And their
children were my children, and my children were their servants; and their life
was my life, and all their suffering was my suffering, and all their sickness
was my infirmity. 65 My land was their land, and their counsel my counsel. 66
And I exalted not myself among them in arrogance because of my worldly glory,
but I was among them as one of the least.
After
Jacob�s death, the brothers of Joseph thought that maybe Joseph would try to
get even for all that they had done to him. After all, with Jacob gone, there
would be no longer a father�s influence over the family. The brothers knew
that if Joseph had any wrath saved up for them, this was the time it was going
to be made manifest. At this time, the brothers well knew what they rightfully
had coming to them. To understand this, let�s read Genesis 50:15-21:
15
And when Joseph�s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph
will peradventure hate us, and will certainly require us all the evil which we
did unto him. 16 And they sent messengers unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did
command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray
thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee
evil: and now we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of
thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18 And his brethren also
went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold we be thy servants. 19
And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am
I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but
God meant it unto good, to bring to pass as it
is this day, to save
much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your
little ones. And comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
At
this point, we can understand that the position of chief ruler went to Judah and
the blessing went to Joseph. Now we have to investigate what happened to the
priesthood. I am sure most of your know that Levi received the priesthood, but
let's see how it happened. Remember that Jacob said of Levi, Genesis 49:7, I
will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel? This prophecy was
fulfilled, exactly as described, with the Tribe of Levi. Because there in more
information in the "Testament of Levi" in The
Lost Books of The Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden, than there is in
the KJV, I am going to quote excerpts from it starting on, page 226, chapter 1,
verse 5:
5
And I was young, about twenty years of age, when with Simeon. I wrought
vengeance on Hamor, for our sister Dinah. 6 And when I was feeding the flocks in
Abel-Maul, the spirit of understanding of the Lord came upon me, and I saw all
men corrupting their way, and that unrighteousness had built for itself walls,
and lawlessness sat upon towers. 7 And I was grieving for the race of the
sons of men, and I prayed to the Lord that I might be saved. 8 Then there
fell upon me a sleep, and I beheld a high mountain, and I was upon it. 9 And
behold the heavens were opened, and an angel of God said to me, enter. 10 And I
entered from the first heaven, and I saw there a
great sea hanging. 11 And further I saw a second heaven brighter and more
brilliant, for there was a boundless light therein. 12 And I said to the angel,
Why is this so? And the angel said to me, Marvel not at this, for thou shalt see
another heaven more brilliant and incomparable. 13 And when thou hast ascended
thither, Thou shalt stand near the Lord, and shalt be His minister, and shalt
declare His mysteries to men. and shalt proclaim concerning Him that shall
redeem Israel. 14 And by thee and Judah shall the Lord appear among men,
saving every race of men (The
word �race� to mean people cannot be found in Scripture � it should be �every
nation of Adam�) 15 And from the
Lord�s portion shall be thy life, and He shall be thy field and vineyard, and
fruits, gold and silver. 16 Here, therefore, regarding the heavens which have
been shown to thee. 17 The lowest is for this cause gloomy unto thee, in that it
beholds all the unrighteous deeds of men. 18 And it has fire, snow, and ice made
ready for the day of judgment, in the righteous judgment of God; for in it are
all the spirits of the retributions for vengeance on men. 19 And in the second
are the hosts of the armies which are ordained for the day of judgment to work
vengeance on the spirits of deceit and of Beliar (Satan).
Chap. II, v.5 The light of knowledge shalt thou light up in Jacob, and as the
sun shalt thou be to all the seed of Israel. And there shall be given to
thee a blessing, and to all thy seed, until the Lord shall visit all the
Gentiles (Israel Nations) in His
tender mercies for ever. 7 And therefore there have been given to thee
counsel and understanding, that thou mightest instruct thy sons concerning this;...
10 And He said to me: Levi, I have given thee the blessings of the priesthood
until I (Yahshua) come and sojourn in the midst of Israel. 11 And the angel
brought me down to the earth, and gave me a shield and a sword, and said to
me: Execute vengeance on Sheckem because of Dinah, thy sister, and I will be
with thee because the Lord hath sent me.
You
should notice, this puts a whole different picture on what happened at Shechem
than we have heard before. I wonder if Levi ever told Jacob of his vision and
the command of the angel to execute vengeance on Sheckem? Lets face it, there is
more to the story than has been told about this among ordinary sources. You will
notice in the 49th chapter of Genesis that Jacob picked a replacement
for the chief ruler and the blessing, but never picked a replacement for the
priesthood! Yahweh picked Levi for the priesthood and the story is here in the
"Testament Of Levi." Lets continue on with it in chapter2:
12
And I destroyed at that time the sons of Hamor, as it is written in the heavenly
tablets. 13 And I said to him: I pray thee, O Lord, tell me Thy name, that I may
call upon Thee in a day of tribulation. 14 And he said: I am the angel who
intercedeth for the nation of Israel that they may not be smitten utterly, for
every evil spirit attacketh it. 15 And after these things I awaked and
blessed the Most High, and the angel who intercedeth for the nation of Israel
and all the righteous.
Let�s
now take a look at what these Hivites (ancestors of today�s "Jews")
had in mind for all the females of this Hebrew race which Jacob came from! And
the Jews are still doing it to our women today! Now continuing at chapter III,
verse 6:
6
But I saw that the sentence of God was for evil upon Sheckem; for they sought
to do to Sarah and Rebecca as they had done to Dinah our sister, but the
Lord prevented them. 7 And they persecuted Abraham our father when he was a
stranger, and they vexed his flocks when they were big with young; and Eblaen,
who was born in his house, they most shamefully handled. 8 And they did to all
strangers, taking away their wives by force and they banished them. 9 But the
wrath of the Lord came upon them to the uttermost. 10 And I said to my father
Jacob: By thee will the Lord despoil the Canaanites and will give thee their
land to thee and to thy seed after thee, 11 For from this day forward shall
Shechem be called a city of imbeciles; for as a man mocketh a fool, so did we
mock them. 12 Because also they had wrought folly in Israel by defiling my
sister. And we departed and came to Bethel.
Evidently
these Hivites were relates to the people who Abraham and Isaac ran into when
they went to Egypt to avoid the famines which each experienced during their day,
Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 26:1-11, and in each case these people would have
violated Sarah and Rebekah respectively as this latter Hivite did to Dinah. Now
let�s see how Yahweh Himself makes Levi the priest of Israel. Continuing in
verse 14:
14
and I saw seven men in white raiment saying unto me: Arise, put on the robe of
the priesthood, and the crown of righteousness, and the breastplate of
understanding, and the garment of truth, and the plate of faith, and the turban
of the head, and the ephod of prophecy. 15 and they severally carried these
things and put them on me, and said unto me: From henceforth become a priest of
the Lord, thou and thy seed for ever. 16 And the first anointed me with holy
oil, and gave to me the staff of judgment. 17 The second washed me with pure
water, and fed me with bread and wine even the most holy things and clad me with
a holy and glorious robe. 18 The third clothed me with a linen vestment like an
ephod. 19 The fourth put round me a girdle like unto purple. 20 The fifth gave
me a branch of rich olive (symbol of Israel). 21 The sixth placed a crown on my
head. 22 The seventh placed on my head a diadem of priesthood. and filled my
hands with incense, that I might serve as priest to the Lord God. 23 And they
said to me: Levi, thy seed shall be devided into three offices for a sign of the
glory of the Lord who is to come.
Finally
in the "Testament Of Levi" it explains how Levi is confirmed to hold
the offices of priest. We will read chapter III, verses 31-34:
31
And after two days I and Judah went up with our father Jacob to Isaac our
father�s father. 32 And my father�s father blessed me according to all the
words of the visions which I had seen. And he would not come with us to Bethel.
33 And when we came to Bethel, my father saw a vision concerning me, that I
should be their priest unto God. 34 And he rose early in the morning, and paid
tithes of all to the Lord through me. And so we came to Hebron to dwell there.
I
don�t know how much plainer it could be than this with Jacob paying his tithes
through Levi. This proves that the matter of Levi being the priest was settled
long before Genesis 49. Also the story of Tamar proves that Judah had the
signet, bracelets and staff (the ruling symbols of his tribe) long before
Genesis 49. And I am sure that the matter of Joseph getting the double blessing
was also settled much before Genesis 49. There is one more passage that I want
to quote from the "Testament Of Levi", chapter III, verses 37-38:
37
And each day he was instructing me, and was busied on my behalf before the Lord,
and said to me: Beware of the spirit of fornication; for this shall continue and
shall by thy seed pollute the holy place. 38 Take, therefore to thyself a
wife without blemish or pollution, while yet thou are young, and not of the race
(non-kindred) of strange nations.
As
I said before, the word �race� as a group of people cannot be found in
either the Old or New Testament. If you go to the Wilson�s
Old Testament Word Studies by William Wilson (which will take you from an
English word to a Hebrew word), page 337, there are only two references to the
word �race� and it means �path� in one place and �running� in the
other. And if you go to An Expository
Dictionary Of The New Testament Words by W. E. Vine (which will take you
from an English word to a Greek word), page 244, the word �race� means �a
contest� or a �racecourse.� It also says for �race� (kindred) see
�kind.� The word �race� in English can be used to denote people of
different ethnic groups, so it would be proper in English to say the � race of
Adam.�
Note:
2-9-2001, Revision: The research which I did on the word "race" is
correct. While the word race does not appear in either the Old or New Testament,
there are other words which imply race, and should be translated as such. 1
Peter 2:9 and Isaiah 49:6 are good
examples. Almost three years after I had written this teaching letter, I was
challenged on this. I checked in The
American Heritage Dictionary, which is a dictionary that traces most all the
European languages back to the Indo-European family of languages. Under
"race" #1, is says "[French, group of people, generation, perhaps
ultimately from Latin ratio, a
reckoning, account. See ratio.]" "[Ratio: Relation in degree or number
between two similar things; rate.] It would appear the word "race"
might be a comparison. If this is true, the word "race" may be an
offshoot of the Latin word "ratio" meaning "rate." They do
sound somewhat alike.
THE
KJV ON LEVI
In
the Old Testament of the KJV, nothing is mentioned of the Levitical priesthood
until Moses is born of a Levite father and mother, Exodus 2:1-2. It seems that
one Amram took him Jochebed, his father�s sister to wife and she bare him
Aaron and Moses, Exodus 6:20. Nothing more is said of setting up the descendants
of Levi to the Levitical priesthood until Numbers 3:6-13:
6
Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that
they may minister unto them. 7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of
the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the
service of the tabernacle. 8 And they shall keep all the instruments of the
tabernacle of the congregation, and charge of the children of Israel, to do the
service of the tabernacle. 9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to
his sons: they are wholly given into
him out of the children of Israel. 10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons,
and they shall wait on their priest�s office: and the stranger that cometh
nigh shall be put to death. 11 And the Lord
spake unto Moses, saying, 12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among
the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix
among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; 13 Because
all the firstborn are mine; for
on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto
me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am
the Lord.
Numbers
3:12 also affirms, along with The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs from the Lost
Books of The Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden, that the Levites were
chosen instead of the first born � the first born being Reuben. The KJV does
not state it in that way, but that is the reason. If Reuben hadn�t
disqualified himself, his children would have had the priesthood instead of
Levi. This does not mean that the first born male of each family in Israel is
not still the ruler, priest and responsible for the care for any widowed mother
or unmarried sisters if he is capable. He is still to receive his double portion
by Yahweh�s Law.
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