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Stones of Israel by Fran Regan
08/28/2010
Stones of Israel
CROSSED OVER Transitioned STONES 1 to 12 - 12 to 1 (sons of Israel/heart of Israel) TORAH flows like water (milk & honey?) TRIBES 12 Tribes – 1 Israel TWELVE definition of twelve is also two, second time, again – 12 Tribes - 2 houses - 1 Israel ALTAR place to draw near to Yah; worship HEARTS of stone -- of flesh -- [3820 – leb – beit, lamed – the feelings, the will and even the intellect; the center of anything] Deu 27: 1-10 “And Moses, with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, ‘Guard all the commands which I am commanding you today. And it shall be, on the day when you pass over the Jordan to the land which Yah your Elohim is giving you, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and plaster them with plaster, And write on them all the Words of this Torah, when you have passed over, so that you go into the land which Yah your Elohim is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as Yah Elohim of your fathers has spoken to you. And it shall be, when you have passed over the Jordan that on Mount Eybal you set these stones, which I command you today, and you shall plaster them with plaster, And build an altar to Yah your Elohim there, an altar of stones – do not use an iron tool on them. Build the altar to Yah your Elohim with complete stones, and you shall offer burnt offerings on it to Yah your Elohim and shall offer peace offerings, and eat there, and rejoice before Yah your Elohim And you shall write all the Words of this Torah on the stones – plainly and well.’ And Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, “Be silent and hear, O Israel: This day you have become the people of Yah your Elohim, And you shall obey the voice of Yah your Elohim, and do His commands and His laws which I command you today.” Joshua 4:1-10, 19-24 “And it came to be, when the entire nation had completely passed over the Jordan, that Yah spoke to Joshua saying, “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. And you shall bring them with you and leave them in the camp in which you spend the night.’” And Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe, And Joshua said to them, “Pass over before the ark of Yah your Elohim into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, So that this shall be a sign in your midst when your children ask in time to come (latter days?) saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yah. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a remembrance to the children of Israel forever.” And the children of Israel did so, as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as Yah had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and took them over with them to their camp, and laid them down there. Joshua also set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood. And they are there to this day. And the priests who bore the ark stood in the mist of the Jordan until every matter was finished that Yah had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hastened and passed over.” Between our Torah portion in Deuteronomy where Moses is instructing the children of Israel what to do when they cross over the Jordan into the land; and the passage in Joshua that is the fulfillment of that, the term ‘crossed or passed over’, meaning transitioned, is used 7 times (5674 – abar – resh, beit, ayin). Seven is the number of completion. This word brings to mind Genesis 12:6 “And Abram ‘passed through/crossed over’ the land to the place of Shekem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh…….[where Joshua later set up the stone of witness 24:26-27]. And Yah appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your seed I give this land.” And he built there an altar to Yah, who had appeared to him.” Just as Abraham left everything he had known behind him and was cut off from his former way of life; we, too, must completely ‘cross over’ or transition from our former way of life, before we can be Yah’s people – before we can inherit the land - before we can truly be ‘Hebrew’. Mentioned next is stones – setting up stones – 12 stones representing the 12 Tribes of Israel. Moses set up 12 stones: In Exodus 24:4, it states: “And Moses wrote down all the Words of Yah, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountains, and twelve standing columns for the twelve tribes of Israel.” Joshua set up 12 stones at Gilgal, (Joshua 4:20) 12 stones on Mt. Eybal (Joshua 8: 30-32) and 12 stones in the Jordan (as we just read above – Joshua 4:9) and, as we shall see, Elijah, set up 12 stones. In Genesis 28:11, 18 – Jacob (or Israel/father of the 12 patriarchs) took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep…” vs.18 - And Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a standing column, and poured oil on top of it. Then Jacob vows that if Elohim will take care of him and bring him back to this land, then” Vs. 22 “…then this stone which I have set as a standing column shall be Elohim’s house….” From this one stone that was to be Elohim’s house comes twelve. Twelve stones, twelve tribes - a tribe, (7626 – shebet - tet, beit, shin) by definition, means to branch off; a scion, i.e., lit a stick or fig. a clan or scepter, tribe – a scion is a shoot or bud of a plant, especially one for planting or grafting; a descent or offspring. This can’t help but remind of Ezekiel 37, as the 12 Tribes have been split into 2 houses or sticks and must be grafted back into one. Twelve – 6240/8147 – shenayim – mem, yud, nun, shin - dual of 8145 – double, second, again, second time, two, twofold, twice [interesting as Israel is identified both as two sticks/houses, as well as Twelve Tribes] Asar (6240) resh, shin, ayin – ten (only in combination) Stones – 68 – eben – nun sofit, beit, alef – from the root of 1129 – to build; a stone – obtain children, make, repair, set up The 12 Tribes have been divided into two nations or houses. They must be built again into one – or repaired. “And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.” (4:20). [Gilgal, 1537 –same as 1536, a var. of 1534 – a wheel, rolling thing, like cycles?] Waters represent nations, tribes, tongues, and peoples. Could this passage, on another level, be a prophecy of where Israel was destined to be scattered and then come out of – the ‘waters of’ the nations? Joshua also set up 12 stones in the midst of the Jordan. And it reads: (“…And they are there to this day”) and so are we. We are still among the nations and, as a whole, our hearts are still stone. But we can also see Yah beginning to write on these stones. From the fact Yah had the 12 men, one from each tribe, take up a stone on his shoulder and take it out of the Jordan, shows that bringing Israel out of exile is work. Yah uses His people to help His people. We have a responsibility – both to our brothes Israel (and Judah) and to our Abba – and a work to do. These stones are border stones, defining the Land. These stones are a sign of who Yah is. They are a sign of who we, as Israel, are. Wherever the stones are mentioned, so is the Torah. The Torah was to be written on these stones. To transition or cross over into the Land flowing with milk and honey or flowing with Torah, and live there forever, the Torah must be written upon our hearts. The Torah is to flow from our hearts to the whole world. As such, Israel is a sign and a blessing. Torah – 3384 – yarah – hey, resh, yud – to flow as water (milk & honey?) (i.e., to rain) The Covenant Yah said He will make with Israel is to write His Torah on our hearts, (3820) taking our hearts of stone and making them hearts of flesh – making them pliable instead of hard, loving instead of defiant and obedient rather than rebellious. And it is Yah who will do this. What is our part? To search for Him with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength – wherever we find ourselves even in the furtherest corners of the earth immersed in the waters of the nations. As we ‘cross over’ [transition, leave behind, begin anew], each one of us are to take up a stone on our shoulder. It is only Yah who can open eyes and transform hearts. But He works through His people. Even though in exile, (in the waters) we can still be stones of witness on which the Torah is written, bringing the hearts of the nations and peoples around us to Yah by the example of Torah in our lives. So these stones are also our hearts. Jeremiah 31:31-33 “See, the days are coming,” declares Yah, “when I shall make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant I made with their father in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares Yah. For this is the covenant I shall make with the house of Israel after those days, declares Yah: I shall put My Torah in their inward parts, and write it on their hearts. And I shall be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.” Ezekiel 11:19-20 “And I shall give them one heart, (12 stones to 1, restoration, bringing us back) and put a new spirit within you. And I shall take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, so that they walk in My laws, and guard My right-rulings, and shall do them. And they shall be My people and I shall be their Elohim” Ezekiel 36:26 “And I shall give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. And I shall take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I shall give you a heart of flesh, and put My Spirit within you. And I shall cause you to walk in My laws and guard My right-rulings and shall do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. And you shall be My people, and I shall be your Elohim.” Everywhere the stones are spoken of, the Torah is also. It is only through the Torah that we will dwell in the land and have a relationship with Elohim. An altar is also built each time the stones are set up. The altar is a place for man to draw near to Yah, a place where Yah puts His signature/shows His ownership of the earth. The altar is to be built of unhewn (or complete) stones. If we add to Yah’s Word or take away from Yah’s Word, we have used an iron tool on the altar. We have fashioned it/designed it the way we think it should be and so have defiled it. The altar is the holy of holies of our body, when our bodies are viewed as a temple. This is where Yah dwells. He said, “Let them build me a sanctuary so that I may dwell within them.” When His Torah is written upon our hearts of stone, transforming them into hearts of flesh, Yah will dwell within us, we will dwell in the land and He will be our Elohim. How important is the Torah? Joshua 8:30-35 “And Joshua built an altar to Yah Elohim of Israel in Mount Eybal, as Moses the servant of Yah had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Torah of Moses, ‘an altar of unhewn stones over which no man has wielded iron.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to Yah, and slaughtered peace offerings. And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the Torah of Moses, which he had written. And all Israel – the sojourner as well as the native – [notice – ALL Israel is described as the sojourner as well as the native in Yah’s eyes] with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of Yah. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Eybal, as Moses the servant of Yah had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the Torah, the blessings and the cursing, according to all that is written in the Book of the Torah. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who accompanied them.” In other words, the Torah is for ALL ISRAEL! Later, when Elijah comes on the scene, Israel is in apostasy and has been scattered (as she still is today). 1Kings 18:30-35 “Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come closer to me.’ And all the people came closer to him. And he repaired the altar of Yah that was broken down. “And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of Yah had come, saying, “Israel is your name.” And with the stones he built an altar in the Name of Yah. And he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. And he arranged the wood, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood and said, ‘Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.’ Then he said, ‘Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, ‘Do it a third time,’ and they did it a third time. (4 jars x 3 times = 12) And the water flowed [def. of Torah] around the altar, [built with 12 stones, rep. Israel] and he filled the trench with water too. And it came to be, at the time of bringing the evening offering, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘Yah Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, let it be known today: You are Elohim in Israel, and I Your servant, have done all these matters by Your Word. Answer me, O Yah, answer me, and let this people know that You are Yah Elohim, and You shall turn their hearts back to You again.” Then the fire of Yah fell and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. And all the people saw, and fell on their faces, and said, ‘Yah, He is the Elohim! Yah, He is the Elohim! Elijah ‘repaired the altar of Yah that was broken down. He built/repaired the broken altar with 12 stones telling us all Israel is in apostasy. If the stones of the altar represent our hearts and the tribes and if the altar is broken down, obviously our hearts and our nation are not right with Yah. We are not worshipping Him as we should be – as one. We are not guarding or doing His Commands. We are not living Torah. We have used an iron tool on the stones (our hearts) to design our own altar or way of drawing near to Yah. Elijah was attempting to bring the hearts of the children to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers to the children (12 stones back into 1) – as he is prophesied to do again – to restore them to Yah. There were 450 prophets of Ba’al or pagan sun worshipers that Elijah was both warning Israel against and competing with in getting out the Truth of Torah. What is Israel still so infected with today? What does 4 + 5 + 0 = __? With the Sabbath being the ONLY sign given from Yah that He is Israel’s Elohim and they are His people (Ezekiel 20:12,20) and the ONLY one of the 10 not kept by Israel (or Christianity) today, what does that tell you? The day substituted for Yah’s Sabbath is none other than the Day of the Sun. The more things change, the more they stay the same. In Malachi 4:4-6, Elijah comes forward to our day. “Remember the Torah of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel [which includes the sojourner, as well as the native] – laws and right-rulings. See, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yah. And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with utter destruction.” It is our hearts that determine who we are. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 “Out of the heart come the issues of life …” Proverbs 4:23 “Oh, that they had such a heart in them, to fear Me and to guard all My commands always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” Deu. 5:29 What is in our hearts identifies us with Yah – or not. “I have delighted to do Your pleasure, O my Elohim, And Your Torah is within my heart.” Psalms 40:8 At present, we could say Israel has heart trouble. Their heart is not beating in the rhythm Yah intended. They are sick, in exile. Our altar to Yah (our hearts, with which we draw near to Him) have to be undefiled, built with complete stones – all of our designs have to go. “Be silent and hear, O Israel: This day you have become the people of Yah your Elohim, And you shall obey the voice of Yah your Elohim, and do His commands and His laws which I command you today.” Israel is twelve tribes with one heart; and that heart has to beat strong in the rhythm of Torah.
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