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SCATTERED
AND RECALLED
We are a tribal people. We want to gather together in large groups. We
are inclined toward large cities. I live in If you will look at Genesis 11:4 And they said, “Come, let us build
us a city, and a tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for
ourselves; else we shall be scattered all over the world.” Building a city will bring them fame, hold them together, and most
critically, have them rely on each other and not on the CREATOR of the
Universe. Genesis 11:5-8 ETERNAL came down to look at the city and tower that
man had built, and ETERNAL said, “If, as one people with one language
for all, this is how they have begun to act, then nothing that they
propose to do will be out of their reach. Let us, then, go down and
confound their speech there, so that they shall not understand one
another’s speech.” Thus ETERNAL scattered them from there over the
face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. This reminds us of the Garden of Eden incident, where they ate the fruit
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is a sin because
firstly, they were told not to eat of it and, secondly, because if we
feel that we have the knowledge of good and evil we will not be
attentive or obedient to the CREATOR of the Universe. In my time in xianity I spent a lot of time and money on books, seminars
and lectures on “church growth”. I studied about churches in As part of the study I did for this program I found this passage in
Zechariah 13: 2-9 which seems to me to prophesy the demise of xianity.
Although I use the JPS Tanakh most of the time, I have the Judaica Press
Tanakh on my computer, which I use as a concordance.
In verse 7 of this passage the computer version is O
sword, awaken against My shepherd and against the man who is associated
with Me! Says the ETERNAL of Hosts. Smite the shepherd and the flock
shall scatter, and I will return My hand upon the little ones. In the mind of the shepherds
who is the man associated with ETERNAL? That’s right
jc [we are not to say the name]. As you will see, other parts of
the passage speak against the ‘prophets’, visionaries and so on who
are part of the church scene. Zechariah 13: 2-9 In that day, too – declares
ETERNAL of Hosts – I will erase the very names of the idols from the
land; they shall not be uttered any more. And I will make the
“prophets” and the “unclean spirit” vanish from the land. If
anyone “prophesies” thereafter, his own father and mother, who
brought him into the world will say to him, “You shall die, for you
have lied in the Name of ETERNAL”; and his own father and mother, who
brought him into the world, will put him to death when he
“prophesies”. In that day, every “prophet” will be ashamed of
the “visions” [he had] when he “prophesied”. In order to
deceive, he will not wear a hairy mantle, and he will declare, “I am
not a ‘prophet’; I am a tiller of the soil; you see, I was plied
with the red stuff from my youth on.” And if he is asked, “What are
those sores on your back?” he will reply, “From being beaten in the
homes of my friends.” O sword! Rouse yourself against My shepherd, the man in charge of My
flock – says ETERNAL of Hosts. Strike down the shepherd and let the flock scatter; and I will turn My
hand against all the shepherd boys throughout the land – declares
ETERNAL. Two thirds shall perish, shall die, and one third shall survive. That
third I will put into the fire, and I will smelt them as one smelts
silver and test them as one tests gold. They will invoke Me by name and
I will respond to them. I will declare, “You are My people,” and
they will declare, “ETERNAL is our Sovereign” Every time we think – there is not many of us on this walk, or we are
so scattered around the world – we are being made aware of the Tanakh
truth. As we shall see, ETERNAL said “If you are not obedient you will
be scattered around the world – but in a time to come I will call you
back.” It’s really happening – it’s happening for us now; not
because there is any special virtue in us but simply that a call went
out – and we heard it. In Leviticus 26 starting from verse 14 ETERNAL outlines an unfolding
series of punishments for disobedience. Beginning with diseases, lack of
national will, destructive weather patterns, failing crops, loss of
children, attacks against you. All things you see in the newspaper or on
television news. These punishments culminate in being scattered – this
is the worst thing. But there is good news to follow – for some. Leviticus 26: 14-33. But if you do not obey Me and do not observe all
these commandments, if you reject My laws and spurn My rules, so that
you do not observe all My commandments and you break My covenant, I in
turn will do this to you: I will wreak misery upon you – consumption
and fever, which cause the eyes to pine and the body to languish; you
shall sow your seed to no purpose, for your enemies shall eat it. I will
set My face against you; you shall be routed by your enemies, and your
foes shall dominate you. You shall flee though none pursues. And if, for all that, you do not obey Me, I will go on to discipline you
sevenfold for your sins, and I will break your proud glory. I will make
your skies like iron and your earth like copper, so that your strength
shall be spent to no purpose. Your land shall not yield its produce, nor
shall the trees of the land yield their fruit. And if you remain hostile toward Me and refuse to obey Me, I will go on
smiting you sevenfold for your sins, I will loose wild beasts against
you and they shall bereave you of your children and wipe out your
cattle. They shall decimate you and your roads shall be deserted. And if these things fail to discipline you for Me, and you remain hostile
to Me, I too will remain hostile to you: I in turn will smite you
sevenfold for your sins. I will bring a sword against you to wreak
vengeance for the covenant; and if you withdraw into your cities, I will
send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into enemy hands.
When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a
single oven; they shall dole out your bread by weight, and although you
eat, you shall not be satisfied. But if, despite this, you disobey Me and remain hostile to Me, I will act
against you in wrathful hostility; I for My part, will discipline you
sevenfold for your sins. You shall eat the flesh of your sons and the
flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your cult places and cut down
your incense stands, and I will heap your carcasses upon your lifeless
fetishes. I will spurn you. I will lay your cities in ruin and make your
sanctuaries desolate, and I will not savour your pleasing odours. I will
make the land desolate, so that your enemies who settle in it shall be
appalled by it. And you I will scatter among the nations, and I will
un-sheath the sword against you. Your land shall become a desolation and
your cities a ruin. ETERNAL makes it clear that scattering us among the nations has the worse
consequences of all the punishments – but it is a punishment that He
can change if only we will. ETERNAL does remember the covenants He has
brought about. Turn to Deuteronomy 4; 29-31 which follows another
threatening passage where ETERNAL is to wipe out the bulk of the people
for disobedience and the survivors will be scattered to other nations
and join in false worship. But if you search there for ETERNAL you will find
Him, if only you seek Him with all your heart and soul – when you are
in distress because all these things have befallen you and, in the end,
return to ETERNAL your CREATOR and obey Him. For ETERNAL your CREATOR is
compassionate; He will not fail you nor will He let you perish; He will
not forget the covenant which He made on oath with your fathers. Most of the people I have shared stories with, on this walk,
tell of times of desperation where they have spent times in prayer
seeking ETERNAL – of just wanting the truth. When you are ready to ask the questions ETERNAL is ready to
give you answers. Sometimes the answer arrives before you know that you
are going to ask the question. I know that in my own case I had studied the Mormons, various
brands of xianity and celtic spirituality. I did a course with a
Christian Science teacher to try to understand healing. It was only when
I gave up trying to find the perfect church [if I had found it and then
I joined it – it would not have been perfect any more!]. I finally
realised you have to go to the source. Ask ETERNAL and be ready to
accept His answers. The understanding that we are a scattered people, a remnant,
has taken time to arrive. Once we accept that ETERNAL will call who He
will call – He, thankfully, is not relying on our efforts to build His
family here – we can concentrate on studying His word and
demonstrating it in our life. ETERNAL will act in our lives, see
Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O ETERNAL, that man’s road is not his to
choose, that man, as he walks, cannot direct his own steps.
We could not have imagined the steps ETERNAL would take us
through to reach this point – nor do we know what is to come. We do
know that we have to study, to be obedient, to do as well as we can
whatever work He gives us, to be ready to act when He directs. I feel I should mention that it does not matter whether you
can prove some Israelite ancestry. The stranger who attaches himself or
herself to ETERNAL, and is obedient, is treated equally with the
Israelite. It is outside the scope of this teaching but the Tanakh is
really clear about this – if you need some references I would be happy
to supply them. ETERNAL does what He says. Many times He told the people of That is not the end of the story. The blessing for all of us,
is that there is not only a promise of scattering, but an even better
promise of recalling. Isaiah 11: 10-13 In
that day, the stock of Jesse that has remained standing shall become a
standard to peoples – nations shall seek his counsel and his abode
shall be honoured. In that day ETERNAL will apply His hand again to
redeeming the other part of His people from Assyria – as also from
Egypt, Pathros, Nubia, Elam, Shinar, Hamath and the coastlands. He will
hold up a signal to the nations and assemble the banished of Jeremiah 31: 7-10 For thus said ETERNAL: cry
out in joy for Jacob, shout at the crossroads of the nations! Sing aloud
in praise, and say; Save ETERNAL, Your people, the remnant of Hear the word of ETERNAL, o nations, and tell it in
the isles afar. Say; He who scattered ETERNAL makes the way to return straightforward. “A level
road where they will not stumble”. Although we are going to be tested
on this walk it is not something that is impossible to achieve. Amos 9: 8b,9. But I will not wholly wipe out the House of Jacob – declares ETERNAL For I will give the order and shake the House of
Israel – through all the nations – as one shakes sand in a sieve and
not a pebble falls to the ground. ETERNAL does not plan to lose anyone He wants to recall.
“Not a pebble will fall to the ground.” This is a blessed calling – this walk that we share,
although we are scattered about the world. This is living a Tanakh life.
It may not have your name written in large letters, but the Tanakh is
talking about you, when it talks about the recalled people. It is OK to
be on your own or part of a really small group. Jeremiah 3: 14 Turn back, rebellious children – declares ETERNAL. Since I have
espoused you, I will take you, one from a town and two from a clan, and
bring you to I will look forward to seeing you there! |