What was the secret that saved Noach from the destruction of the world?

Genesis 6:9-22

Noah did so, according to all that God commanded him, so he did

.

(Gen. 6:22 MKJV)

What was the secret that saved Noach from the destruction of the world?

N

oach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. Noach walked with the Almighty. How could this be so? Because he did everything the Eternal told him. How can a man be righteous? By obeying what the Almighty says, as it is written in Romans 2:13: “For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. (MKJV)

How can a man be perfect? By obeying what the Almighty says, as it is written in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.” (Revised Version)

How can a man walk with the Almighty? By obeying what the Almighty says, as it is written in John 14:23b: “Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and we will make Our home with him.” (English Majority Text Verison)

The Eternal talked to Adam. The Eternal talked to Chava (Eve). The Eternal talked to Cain. The Eternal talked to Chanoch. The Eternal talked to Noach. The Eternal keeps talking to all men on earth in many different ways. The most definite way that He uses to talk to us is by sending His word through His Spirit. He who is open to receive the Eternal’s messages will be able to listen to them. The easiest way to receive His message is through His inspired Scriptures, the Bible. Now that we have access to the Scriptures, man has all he needs to listen to His voice through them, as it is written in Matthew 22:31a: “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God.” (MKJV) What is written in the Bible is what the Eternal is saying to us. Those who have opened their spiritual ears will receive personal messages when reading and studying the Scriptures inspired by Him, as it is written in Matthew 11: 15: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (MKJV)

Noach didn’t have the Scriptures as we do today, but his spiritual ears were open as well as his mind in order to receive hints sent from heaven. In this way, he could receive very precise words and very specific instructions about how to build the ark which later became the means of salvation for him, his family and all the animals. The secret that saved Noach from the world’s destruction was that he listened to what the Eternal told him, he took notice of these messages, and then, he did exactly, and I said exactly, what the Eternal had commanded. This was his salvation.

All those who have lost their souls throughout history, all those who have fallen to sin, all those who have failed in life, have one thing in common: they haven’t obeyed to what the Eternal has told them.

Dear disciple of Yeshua, take heed to EVERYTHING the Lord is telling you and be very careful to fulfill in DETAIL whatever the Eternal commands you to do. Then, you will secure your soul not only in this world but also in the world to come.

May the Eternal help you be faithful to what He commands you,

What are the implications that the covenant between The Eternal and Noach have nowadays?

And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

(Gen. 9:12-13 NKJV)

What are the implications that the covenant between The Eternal and Noach have nowadays?

A covenant is the strongest bond between two or more parties. In a covenant, there are privileges and conditions for all the parties involved. After the Flood, the Eternal established a covenant with Noach and his descendants including all future generations. All men are the offspring of Noach so this covenant applies to all humankind.

Further on, the Eternal made several other covenants with the children of Israel. However, it is important to remember that a later covenant cannot revoke a previous one.

In the covenant with Noach there is a blessing for all mankind (9:1). The Eternal committed Himself to protect the children of Noach so there will never be a flood upon the earth again. The sign of the covenant is the rainbow.

The conditions of the covenant for Noach and his children have been decoded by the rabbis through logical deduction of this passage. They are known as the seven Noahide laws or laws of Noach, and they are the same number as the colours of the rainbow. These seven laws are the main rules and they are mandatory for all sons of men for all generations.

They are the following:

1. Prohibition of Idolatry.

2. Prohibition of Blasphemy.

3. Prohibition of Murder.

4. Prohibition of Fornication (illicit sexual intercourse).

5. Prohibition of Theft.

6. Prohibition of eating blood or flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive.

7. Requirement to have law courts that regulate men’s behaviour according to the first six laws.

The Eternal didn’t grant men permission to eat animals until after the Flood. When the Scriptures refer to clean and unclean animals before the Flood, it doesn’t mean animals that were meant to be eaten or not, but ritually clean animals that could be offered to the Eternal. In Genesis 9:3 we see that The Eternal gave Noach and his children permission to eat all kinds of animals with no distinction between clean and unclean.

Further on, when the people of Israel were set apart from the rest of the nations to become a priestly nation for the rest of the nations, He restricted the animals that they would be allowed to eat. Thus for the children of Israel there are different dietary laws compared to those for the rest of the nations. A son of Noach can eat all kinds of animals, but the children of Israel cannot eat ritually unclean animals.

Dear disciple of the Messiah: Commit yourself not only to fulfill these rules given through the covenant with Noach, but to teach them to others because they apply to all mankind. In this way you will contribute towards the betterment of the world.

May the Eternal grant you strength to be faithful,

Ketriel

What was the secret that saved Noach from the destruction of the world?

Genesis 6:9-22

Noah did so, according to all that God commanded him, so he did

.

(Gen. 6:22 MKJV)

What was the secret that saved Noach from the destruction of the world?

N

oach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. Noach walked with the Almighty. How could this be so? Because he did everything the Eternal told him. How can a man be righteous? By obeying what the Almighty says, as it is written in Romans 2:13: “For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. (MKJV)

How can a man be perfect? By obeying what the Almighty says, as it is written in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.” (Revised Version)

How can a man walk with the Almighty? By obeying what the Almighty says, as it is written in John 14:23b: “Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and we will make Our home with him.” (English Majority Text Verison)

The Eternal talked to Adam. The Eternal talked to Chava (Eve). The Eternal talked to Cain. The Eternal talked to Chanoch. The Eternal talked to Noach. The Eternal keeps talking to all men on earth in many different ways. The most definite way that He uses to talk to us is by sending His word through His Spirit. He who is open to receive the Eternal’s messages will be able to listen to them. The easiest way to receive His message is through His inspired Scriptures, the Bible. Now that we have access to the Scriptures, man has all he needs to listen to His voice through them, as it is written in Matthew 22:31a: “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God.” (MKJV) What is written in the Bible is what the Eternal is saying to us. Those who have opened their spiritual ears will receive personal messages when reading and studying the Scriptures inspired by Him, as it is written in Matthew 11: 15: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (MKJV)

Noach didn’t have the Scriptures as we do today, but his spiritual ears were open as well as his mind in order to receive hints sent from heaven. In this way, he could receive very precise words and very specific instructions about how to build the ark which later became the means of salvation for him, his family and all the animals. The secret that saved Noach from the world’s destruction was that he listened to what the Eternal told him, he took notice of these messages, and then, he did exactly, and I said exactly, what the Eternal had commanded. This was his salvation.

All those who have lost their souls throughout history, all those who have fallen to sin, all those who have failed in life, have one thing in common: they haven’t obeyed to what the Eternal has told them.

Dear disciple of Yeshua, take heed to EVERYTHING the Lord is telling you and be very careful to fulfill in DETAIL whatever the Eternal commands you to do. Then, you will secure your soul not only in this world but also in the world to come.

May the Eternal help you be faithful to what He commands you,

Ketriel

What do Enoch and Elijah have in common?

Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.

And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

(Gen. 5:21-24 NKJV)

What do Enoch and Elijah have in common?

The first eleven chapters of Genesis cover a span of around two thousand years of mankind’s history. Almost 6000 years have passed since the creation of Adam. That is to say that in eleven simple chapters, the Eternal narrates a third of men history. This fact teaches us that every word, letter and even space between letters have something of great importance to tell us.

The Scriptures don’t say much about the prophet Enoch, Chanoch in Hebrew. Only four short verses in Genesis talk about his life. The Eternal decided to write to future generations just a few words about this very important character of his time. Therefore, in these four chapters, there are great truths that were revealed to us in order to help us understand the end of times and to be perfected for the events that are to come.

There are three main revealed aspects of Chanoch’s life: his family life, his walking with the Almighty and his supernatural disappearance.

At 65, something that had a profound impact in Chanoch’s life happened, and his life style changed completely. Before this, he had not walked with the Eternal, but after this, he started such an intimate relationship with Him that his end in this world wasn’t like the others’. What happened when he turned 65? He had a son for the first time in his life. The birth of his son, Methuselah or Metushelach in Hebrew, changed his life forever. The name Metushelach means “they died, he sent” or “their death, he sent”. If we study the number of years of this chapter’s generations, we will find out that precisely on the year of Metushelach’s death, the Flood came upon the world and killed everyone but eight.

At the moment of his son’s birth, Chanoch, who was a prophet, had a revelation of what was going to happen 969 years later, when this wonderful being that was just born, would die.

The revelation of the destruction of almost all mankind and of the earth itself caused such an impact on Chanoch’s life, that he started prioritizing his life in the right order. What am I living for if everything will be flooded then? It’s better to give myself entirely to what really matters, to what will last forever. After the birth of his first born, Chanoch started walking with the Almighty.

The birth of a son is a very important event in the life of any family. The impact of having a newly created being coming to Chanoch and his wife’s life helped him to get closer to the Eternal and walk with Him. This is the real purpose of children; to help their parents come closer to the Eternal and walk with Him. Many people see their children as a hindrance for achieving their dreams or an obstacle that prevents them from having a pleasant life. However, children are a gift from the Eternal given to each parent so they can come to know Him better and also so they can transmit the revelations of the Eternal to future generations.

Chanoch understood his role as a father and took his mission as a teacher and guide of his family seriously. After having Metushelach, he kept begetting sons and daughters and prepared them for what was to come.

When Chanoch walked with the Almighty he received very important revelations, which can be read in his book. In Jude 14-15 there is a short citation from the book of Chanoch about the judgement to come: “Now, Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the LORD comes with ten thousand of His saints, “to execute judgement on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” This prophesy was partly fulfilled with the Flood, but its ultimate fulfillment will come when the Messiah Yeshua comes.

The third aspect underlined by the Torah of Chanoch’s life is his supernatural disappearance. After a relatively short life, compared to the others from his and previous generations, the Almighty took him away. Where did He take him? He took him to the spiritual realm so that he would not see death, as it is written in Hebrews 11:5: “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (NKJV) This is a prophetic event that represents what will happen at the end of times when the saints and the faithful ones to the Eternal will be caught up to the air to be then taken to Jerusalem, in the land of Israel to partake of the Messianic kingdom forever.

Now, if we compare the life of the prophet Chanoch with the prophet Elijah, or Eliyahu in Hebrew, we see a similarity in these three areas we already mentioned. It is written about Chanoch, that he walked with the Almighty. Eliyahu said about himself that he stood before the Eternal to serve Him, (1Kin. 17:1). They both lived their lives before the Most High.

Part of Eliyahu’s spiritual task is to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. In other words, the restoration of family bonds so the earth is not completely destroyed with the upcoming of the judgement day, as it is written in Malachi 4:5-6 (or 3:23-24 in the Hebrew text) “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (NKJV) And also in Luke 1:17 it is written: “He will also go before Him in the spirit of Elijah, ‘to turn the heart of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the LORD.”

The third aspect we can stress of the life of Elihayu the prophet is his supernatural departure from this world, as it is written in 2 Kings 2:11: “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

So neither Chanoch nor Eliyahu went through death, both were taken in body and soul to the heavenly realm without having to die.

Our great Rabbi said that John the Baptist, Yohanan haMatbil in Hebrew, was Eliyahu, but he also said that Eliyahu would come again to restore all things (Matt. 17:11-12). Therefore before the return of the Messiah, we will be able to experience Eliyahu’s ministry in Israel and the rest of the world again.

The truth is that Chanoch and Eliyahu are still alive. They have been following, as two witnesses from the heavens, the development of the world for thousands and thousands of years. But, isn’t it appointed for men to die once and then be judged? (He. 9:27) Yes, so that is why both Chanoch and Eliyahu will have to die. They are probably the two witnesses that soon will be prophesying in the holy city for 1260 days (Rev.11). Chanoch is the witness to the gentiles and Eliyahu is the witness to the people of Israel. Both will be murdered by the beast but then, they will be raised from the dead and taken to heaven.

The Eternal is calling us to be a part of this end time prophetic movement. This is why it is essential that we become serious about our walking with the Eternal and our family life. This way we will be fully ready to face correctly the events that are coming upon the world.

I am waiting for the revelation of Chanoch and Eliyahu anytime in Jerusalem, but it seems to me that we will not see them until the Temple is rebuilt (Rev. 11). The truth is that it won’t take long until we can join them and become part of the restoration of all things before the great revelation of the Messiah, our dear Lord.

May the Messiah not find us sleeping when he comes,

Ketriel

How could Cain have avoided murdering?

But He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.

And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

(Gen. 4:5-7 NKJV)

How could Cain have avoided murdering?

Cain, Adam and Chava’s firstborn went through a very deep crisis. His offering to the Eternal wasn’t welcomed. The problem was not that The Eternal didn’t like what he had to offer, but the motivation in his heart when he did it. The Eternal sees what is in the heart and what lies behind actions. To Him, it is not as important what you do as why you are doing it. Cain brought an offering but this wasn’t welcomed. The verses we are dealing with say that the Eternal didn’t look at Cain and his offering. First, it is about Cain, and then, his offering. The Eternal wasn’t pleased with Cain and that is why He couldn’t receive his offering. What was Cain’s problem? His motivation wasn’t the right one. He sought after his own interest and not the Eternal’s. He presented an offering because of himself or to show off but not because he had an upright heart before the Eternal. The Eternal is not impressed by exterior actions that lack kavanah – a right intention.

Remember this, dear disciple:

What you do is not the most important thing before the Eternal, but why you are doing it.
Now, the Eternal who cannot be fooled, wanted to take advantage of the occasion and teach Cain a lesson of critical importance that could have saved his life and his brother’s. In some way, He expressed his disliking both of Cain and his offering. But Cain, instead of searching his heart and changing his attitude – make tshuvah – opted to follow his evil inclination – the yester harah – and gave place to an anger that burnt inside him such that his countenance fell. The Hebrew text literally reads that his face fell. What happens when the countenance falls? I think that three things happen; first, facial expression falls caused by a change of positioning of the muscles; second, a downward or wayward look; and third, the head is tilted downwards.

When anger filled Cain’s soul, he couldn’t show a joyful or happy face. His body language spoke the truth of what he had inside. The Eternal asks him why he’s burning with anger and why his countenance has fallen. In this way, He gave him a chance to reflect upon and change his attitude – to make tshuvah – but instead of hearkening to the Eternal’s correction, he decided to follow the path of evil. The Eternal gave him a very precise word in order to prevent him from continuing on the path of death but to choose life. With that word, Cain would have been able to choose another path. How? By making an inner choice to change his attitude. The Eternal said that Cain had the possibility of subjugating what wanted to take control of his being. Cain could have subjugated his anger and prevented his countenance from falling. Cain had been created to have control in this world and also in his inner world where a battle between good and evil was taking place. HaShem gave him the key to get out from the cage of sin. How could he have done that? By choosing the right thing and saying no to anger, envy and eagerness to harm his brother. It was all about an election. What great power did Cain have in himself! HaShem gave him the authority to subjugate sin in the very moment that evil was creeping in his soul.
But Cain would not change and the consequences were disastrous.

We can learn two things from this: If sin wants to take hold of our soul, we have the Eternal given authority to say NO and choose what is good. We cannot blame anything or anyone for our sins because we are responsible for giving evil room in our souls. If we choose what is good, even if our feelings are burning within us, the Eternal will assist us to subjugate our mind and overcome sin and its disastrous consequences. A great power is required for taking control of our minds, more than the power required for taking a city, as it is written in Proverbs 16:32: “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes the city” (NKJV). That power is within man. The Eternal told Cain that he could rule over sin. That is why only he was responsible for having neglected good and following evil and its consequences. Evil begins inside of us and in it is inside us that we have to win the battle between good and evil.

The second thing we can learn from this text is that The Eternal is not pleased by a fallen countenance. He created us to be glad, not depressed, fallen or bitter. We can choose not to let our countenances fall during times of struggle and adversity in our lives. WE can choose to change and lift our faces.
How can we do this when so many heavy burdens take over our soul and in so many times? The answer is in Psalm 121:

A Song of Ascents.
I will lift up my eyes to the hills- from whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved (slip); He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forever more.

The introduction to this Psalm says that it is a song of ascents. It is a song that helps you rise to spiritual heights. Praising the Eternal with songs is the only way I have found that helps me prevent negative emotions or feelings from taking over my soul during times of hardship. If I praise Him in spite of adversity, He helps me to lift up my face as it is written in Psalm 43:5: Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help (or salvation) of my countenance and my God.”
May your countenance always be up,

How did the first man gain that much knowledge?

Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He built it into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.

(Gen. 2:22-23 NKJV)

How did the first man gain that much knowledge?

Translations of the divinely inspired Scriptures will never be able to express the richness of the original text that came from heaven. In the original Hebrew writings there is a play on words with the terms for man and woman. The Hebrew word for man in this particular verse is ish. The feminine form is ishah which was translated as woman. Though in English the relation between these two words exists, it is more evident in Hebrew. We can then understand why Adam said:

“This shall be called ishah because out of ish she was taken”.

Now, before the creation of the woman, Adam had undertaken a very important task; to name all the animals. Originally, names weren’t used only to make a difference between one thing and the other; but to reveal the personality and mission of every living being. So Adam had a great ability to discern the nature and mission of each animal. How could he do this if he had just been created?

The answer lies in the verses cited above. First, it is written that the Eternal Almighty built a woman – ishah – and He brought her to the man. How could Adam know what the Eternal was doing while he was in a deep sleep? (2:21). This teaches us that even though the body was asleep or anesthetized, his superior soul – neshamah – was not asleep, but fully conscious; and that he could perceive what was happening around him. The first man, – Adam harishon – was created with that spiritual ability. His superior inner man had the spiritual ability to search, perceive, and understand everything that surrounded him, even what the Eternal had in His mind. Whatever the Eternal did and said, Adam was able to know through revelation. That’s the way human beings were created. This ability to perceive, though, was severely damaged when sin came into him through the forbidden fruit, and hence man, as we know nowadays, has but a trace of what he had in the beginning.

Adam knew, through revelation, not only how the Eternal had taken out one of his ribs and formed a new wonderful creature, but also how He had defined her. When Adam saw her, he gave the woman the same name that the Eternal had given her when He formed her – ishah.

The Hebrew Scriptures have at least five different terms for human being. We already know two of them, adam and ish. The term adam is related to the soil of the earth, adamah. The term ish denotes a higher being with royalty and dominion. Heavenly messengers, the angels, are defined using the term ish and even The Eternal uses this term to refer to Himself (אישׁ מלחמה Ex. 15:3).

Therefore, the Eternal and then Adam give a remarkable name to the woman, a name that implies honour and that reveals her nature and mission; she has a status of royalty and highness, thus, with the ability to reign together with her husband. He is ish masculine form – and she is ishah – feminine form – and both of them were created to reign together (Gen.1:26-28). The word ish is related to esh – fire.

The second man (1 Cor. 15:45, 47) was created with the same spiritual ability than the first one, without sin, but with a body similar to the body of sin of the first Adam after his fall. And in the same way as the first Adam, the second Man, the Son of Man, could perceive and understand, through his spirit, what was happening around him. He already knew that the man that climbed the tree was Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5) and he had already seen what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree (John 1:48). And in that way, he could reign in every circumstance guided by the Spirit of the Eternal.

But, as the verses we are dealing with show that the first man didn’t do anything but repeat the name that the Eternal had given the woman, the Son of Man didn’t do anything but repeat and transmit whatever the Eternal was giving to his spirit (John 5:19). The soul’s independence from the Eternal was the cause of the first sin.

The salvation program for man includes the restoration of the spiritual ability to search, perceive and gain information of everything that surrounds him. This restoration is available to all who enter the Messiah through the new birth as is written in 1 Corinthians 2:10: “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (NKJV)

Dear disciple of Yeshua, make an effort to submit your soul to the spiritual perception and live according to the knowledge that the Spirit of the Eternal reveals to you. Then, you will be restored as a human being and you will be able to reach the level of your first father – Adam, and of your second father – the Messiah. That is the right way of having control over circumstances. Man was created this way and this is the way the Eternal wants us to live our days and nights.

May the Eternal fill you with His Spirit,

Do all days of the week share the same importance?

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

(Gen. 2:3 NKJV)

Do all days of the week share the same importance?

After having established the tasks of the lights in the firmament and having created the human being in the own image and likeness of the Almighty, the Creator introduces a specific period of time in this world that He separates in a very special way. This period of time consisting of 24 hours from sunset to sunset once a week is called shabbat – Hebrew word for recess. This is the only day of the week that has been blessed.

When the Eternal made a separation between light and darkness (1:4,18), between waters and waters (1:6,7) and between day and night (1:14), He used the Hebrew word badal which means to divide, to separate, to set apart, to differentiate, to exclude. But when He separates the seventh day from the rest of the days of the week, He uses a different word – kadash – which means to set apart for a divine use or purpose, to dedicate, to bestow, to sanctify, to consecrate. While the word badal is used for all the other areas of the creation, the word kadash is focused on the Eternal. When something is set apart using the word kadash, it means that this “something” is dedicated to the Eternal to be of His sole possession and over which He has all rights. When something has been dedicated to the Eternal, it cannot be used by anyone else or for anything else than the divine service.

The Shabbat, the seventh day of the week, Saturday, has been reserved for the Almighty from the very beginning of the creation. It is His day and He has reserved all the rights to do what He pleases with it. This is the reason why mankind has the obligation of honoring that day in a special manner. Thus, this day becomes a temple in time during which man can worship the Eternal by ceasing his intervention in creation, just as He did, and relate to Him in a very special way and receive from His glory.

I cannot find anything in the Scriptures that says that Shabbat has been taken from mankind and given exclusively to the people of Israel. Our great Rabbi said: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mk. 2:27 NKJV). Shabbat was made for Adam – the human being – and his descendants.

The Eternal separated the Shabbat and held His hand from creating. In this way, He taught Adam – the human being – how to sanctify the Shabbat by not intervening in the creation during that day. Adam was created in the image and likeness of the Eternal; that is why he did as his Heavenly Father and rested on the seventh day, dedicating it for the glory and sole possession of the Eternal.

Get ready to stop your weekly activities during 25 hours before the sunset of the next sixth day of the week (Friday). Cook all the food you will need for the Shabbat before sunset. Buy everything you need before sunset so you can enjoy all the goodness that comes from the Eternal. Turn off anything that is not essential for living and make a real break. Begin a time of relationship with the Eternal through prayer, worship and good meals, study of the Torah and rest at the congregation and at home. Then, you will experience some of the purpose of this day that was introduced the day after the creation of man. Only the one who steps in the Shabbat to sanctify it will be able to understand and experience the great blessing that the Eternal has given precisely on that special day.

The one who learns to remember and to keep the Shabbat will experience spiritual growth and will have a good foundation to become the man he was destined to be.

Who are the people that are not the people?

They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.

(Deut. 32:21 NIV)

Who are the people that are not the people?

Since the sons of Israel took as gods those who were not God, in Hebrew lo-El, לא-אל – HaShem takes a people that are not a people – in Hebrew lo-am, לא-עם. In the level p'shat, the simplest level of interpretation, it means that Israel was going to be mistreated by a people that are not considered a people. According to Rashi it is the Kashdim (Chaldean) and Esav (Romans). The Chaldean is the same people as the Babylonians, inhabitants of the ancient Chaldea, the country of Babylon. That empire destroyed the first temple. According to Nachmanides, the Kashdim weren't a nation in their beginning but HaShem increased them in order to use them to conquer and dominate over the world. Gur Aryeh says that the Kashdim had no intrinsic significance because they had no language or writing of their own and therefore they weren't part of the seventy main nations. A descendant of Esav founded Rome. The Romans destroyed the second temple. Gur Aryeh, based on the Talmud, claims that Edom was not considered a nation either, for they did not originally have their own writing or language.

The text can also be interpreted from a higher level with an argument that says that the Gentiles receive the possibility of entering and partaking with the divine people, due to Israel's apostasy. This opportunity is provided by Yeshua's work.

In the same way as Israel considered as their gods that which was not God, HaShem considers those from among the Gentiles who have converted as his own people. Within the spiritual Israel there is a people, more numerous than the Jews, who are of Gentile origin, whom the Eternal has taken as his people through Yeshua the Anointed One. These Gentiles have, through adoption, the legal right to be called Avraham’s sons and Elokim’s sons. Therefore they are also heirs of the blessings that belong to Israel. This provokes the Jews to jealousy.

In Romans 10:19, it is written: “But I ask, didn't Yisra'el know? First Moshe says, ‘I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation, with a nation void of understanding I will make you angry.’”(HNV) Paul expands on this text in chapters 10 and 11 of Romans. At the end of chapter 11 it says that because of the falling away of a part of Israel, the gentiles partake of the rights that belong to the sons of Israel. This brings the Jews to jealousy, so that they also want to receive the salvation given through Yeshua the Anointed One, which is primarily for the Jew and then also for the Greek.

It is not the Jews who believe in Yeshua who have the calling to awaken the jealousy of the non-believing Jews, but the Gentiles who have taken on the universal Judaism of the Messiah, as it is written in Romans 11:11, 13-14: “I ask then, did they stumble that they might fall? May it never be! But by their fall salvation has come to the gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy… For I speak to you who are gentiles. Since then as I am an apostle to gentiles, I glorify my ministry; if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh, and may save some of them.”(HNV)

The Hebrew text uses two synonym words for the term "people" am – עם – and goy – גוי. Am is translated as people and goy as nation. The word goy is used sometimes in relation to the people of the covenant but the term that is mostly used for them is am. According to Strong, am has to do with a congregated unit and goy refers to a body.

Today's text says that HaShem will provoke the people of Israel with a non-people – lo-am – which in turn is a people – goy. This teaches us that the Noachides who convert to the Eternal through Yeshua are not am but they are goy. As a "non-people" (of Israel) but being a (spiritual) people that is part of the very body of the Messiah, they have to provoke the Jews to jealousy, without becoming Jewish, because if they become Jewish they wouldn't be lo-am anymore, and they wouldn't be able to fulfill this mission.

Dear Noachide, don’t seek to become a Jew. Seek the fullness of the Eternal’s Spirit and live in a high level of obedience to the commandments that are for you and you will fulfill your mission of provoking the Jews to jealousy.

Kol tuv,

Ketriel

Who may ride in the heights of the land?

He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.

(Deut. 32:13 ESV)

Who may ride in the heights of the land?

The phrase "ride in the high places of the land (or earth)" is also in the book of the prophet Isaiah as a promise of blessing in relation to Shabbat. In Isaiah 58:13-14 it's written: “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honourable, and if you honour it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (NIVUK)

We can assume from this that when the people of Israel keep Shabbat they are blessed and have the right to live in the land of the promise.

The illustration of riding in the heights of the land can also be understood allegorically in relation to wonderful spiritual experiences in the heights. The prophet Eliyahu is an example of that as we can see in 2 Kings 2:11: "As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” (NIVUK)

Those who keep Shabbat, Jewish or Noachide (son or daughter of Noach), will be blessed, not only physically but also spiritually, because during the creation, the Eternal blessed Shabbat and sanctified it for all men (Gen. 2:3). Shabbat was made for men, not only for the Jews (Mk. 2:27).

In Sinai the Eternal elevated Shabbat for the people of the circumcision and established it as a sign of the covenant (Ex 31:13-17), but this does not exclude the Noachides from the right to benefit from the great blessings hidden in that day.

In Isaiah 56:6-7 it's written: "And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (NIVUK)

At first sight it seems that this text only speaks of the converts from among the nations that embrace the covenant of circumcision and become Jewish. But the last part reveals that it also includes all the peoples. As we've said before, the Eternal does not want that all the peoples enter the covenant of circumcision because they weren't meant for that. The fact of separating the sacred nation from the rest of the nations does not mean that the nations cannot benefit from the blessings in the covenants made with Israel, on the contrary. The blessings in the covenants are given to Israel to benefit the nations.

Keep Shabbat and you may be able to ride in the heights of the land.

What are the similarities between the creation of the world and the creation of the peoples?

Deuteronomy 32:7-12

Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel.

(Deut. 32:7-8 NIV)

What are the similarities between the creation of the world and the creation of the peoples?

The days of old, in Hebrew ימות עולם, yemot olam, “the eternal days” or “the days of the world”, and the years of all generations – in Hebrew שנות דור ודור, shenot dor va-dor, “the years of a generation and another generation” – are not the same thing. On the one hand it speaks about days and on the other hand about years. The days of old may refer to the six days of creation of the world and the years of the generations refer to the history of mankind. The Torah says that one has to remember the six days of creation and also to understand the years of generations. One's father and the elderly are those who keep the memories of this. This teaches us that it is important to know, not only the narration of the creation but also the history of human kind. Even though these things are written in the Torah, this text says that it's not enough to know what's written, the ancestors' oral tradition must be studied as well.

Moshe rabbenu urged us to remember and understand these two periods in relation to the formation of the people of Israel. Then, what is the relationship between the days of the world's creation and the formation of the people of Israel?

Let's highlight some details from the narration of the creation of heavens and earth that match the creation of the sacred people and its relation to the nations.

On the first day, the world was in chaos until the Almighty made light come forth. That light is the light of the Messiah that was then hidden for a time until being revealed later on. Then, there was a separation made between light and darkness, which represents the separation between those of the Messiah and those who are not of him.

Then the Eternal goes on creating separations in the world, he separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse, which may represent that among the nations there are those who are from heaven and those who are only of this world.

In today's text, the Torah says that the Eternal first divided the nations and then set a limit between the nations and the sons of Israel according to the amount of the latter. This matches what the Eternal did in the creation when He set a limit between the oceans and the dry land. The seas represent the nations and the dry land, Israel. The limit between the nations and Israel is the limit that the Torah establishes between the chosen people and the rest of the world's nations. The Almighty saw that this was good.

Today's text also teaches us that the nations depend on the sons of Israel. We see, on the one hand that the Eternal created seventy nations according to the amount of the sons and daughters of Israel who came out from Egypt, seventy people. (Gen. 46:27). And on the other hand, we learn that the Eternal will allow the land of Israel to be expanded with the return of the Jews and the restoration of the twelve tribes in the Land. In that way, the borders between Israel and the nations will depend on the amount of the sons of Israel who will come back to the land in the last times. The Prophets say that not one of them will remain among the nations. (Ez. 39:28).

Everything that happens with Israel and the Jewish people has a great influence in the world. The Scriptures show that this influence determines the destiny of every nation. Not only history shows that what happens with the sons and daughters of Israel affects the nations directly, both positively and negatively, but you can also see that the spiritual life of the world depends on the priestly nation. Salvation is from the Jews. (John 4:22)

“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you... May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.” (Gen. 12:3; 27:29 NIV)

“He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.” (Num. 24:9 ESV)

Then the worst thing the nations can do is to make war against Israel and the Jewish people. The best thing they can do though is to cooperate with the Eternal in the reestablishment of the sacred people so it can be that priestly nation that is was intended to be and from which everyone will benefit.

Blessings,

Ketriel