Behaviour Revolution Scriptures

B R S   S T U D Y - G U I D E   S I T E 

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TRANSFORM (JUDGES.2)

Yahusha went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Yisharalites, “Remember I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said that I'd never break My Blood-Covenant with you? And what was your part in this relationship? You were not to make any Covenants (OR PEACE-TREATIES) with the people living in this land, but instead, you were to destroy all their altars. But you disobeyed my Commands. Why would you do that? What's wrong with you all? Now since you all refused to come up with your end of the deal by being obedient to Me, I now refuse to drive out all the people living in your land. Nup, forget it, they’ll be thorns in your sides, and their deities will be a constant temptation to you.”

And when Yahusha had finished speaking to all the Yisharalites, the people wept loudly, and afterwards they called the place Bokim (which means “weeping”), and they offered sacrifices there to Yahusha.

WHAT DID YAHUSHA JUST SAY? HE SAID NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER WILL I BREAK THE BLOOD-COVENANT THAT I HAVE ESTABLISHED WITH YOU, YISHARAL. HE DIDN’T SAY “IF YOU BREAK IT THEN I’LL BREAK IT TOO” DID HE? HE DIDN’T SAY THAT UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES HE’LL BREAK THE BLOOD-COVENANT DID HE? NO, DESPITE THE HUGE JUDGMENTS, CHASTISEMENT (AND EVENTUAL CONQUER AND CAPTIVITY) THAT MAY BE COMING THEIR WAY, YISHARAL (AND NO ELSE PAST OR FUTURE) IS NEVER TO INTERPRET WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN TO THEM AS YAHUSHA MAKING A DECISION TO BREAK THE BLOOD-COVENANT HE RAISED UP FOREVER WITH HER.

SO IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT 1300 YEARS LATER, YAHUSHA, AS HE’S GIVING HIS FAMOUS SPEECH (ON A HILLTOP OVERLOOKING THE SEA OF GALILEE) ALSO TELLS ALL WHO WERE PRESENT AND LISTENING, THAT DESPITE WHAT MAY BE COMING, DO NOT EVER INTERPRET IT TO MEAN THAT ALAHIM HAS MADE A DECISION TO BREAK THE BLOOD-COVENANT HE'S RAISED UP WITH YISHARAL FOREVER (AFTER ALL HE CAME FIRST FOR THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF YISHARAL REMEMBER?). AND THEN HE SPECIFICALLY REFERS TO THE BLOOD-COVENANT (THE TURAH, DIVINE LAWS RAISED UP THROUGH MOSES) AND THEN THE PROPHETS (MEANING THAT ALL OF HIS PROMISES WILL HAPPEN), STATING HE NEVER CAME TO ABOLISH ANY OF IT, BUT TO COMPLETE IT (FULFIL, TRANSFORM).

NOW YISHARAL CAN CHOOSE TO WALK AWAY FROM THE BLOOD-COVENANT, DISSOCIATE THEMSELVES FROM THE COVENANT COMMUNITY AND THEREFORE NOT BE UNDER THE COVENANT COMMUNITY’S INSTRUCTIONS AND PROTECTIONS AND BLESSINGS, BUT THE BLOOD-COVENANT STILL REMAINS VERY MUCH INTACT. YAHUSHA IS TRUSTWORTHY AND TRUE AND WILL STAND HIS GROUND AND KEEP HIS END OF THE BARGAIN ALWAYS.

STILL WE ARE REMINDED THAT THE BLOOD-COVENANT IS INDEED CONDITIONAL THOUGH AND THE CONDITION IS THAT YISHARAL MUST BE LOYAL AND OBEDIENT TO YAHUSHA IF THEY EXPECT TO HAVE FRUITFULNESS AND REST IN CANAAN, OR EVEN TO REMAIN THERE. THAT LOYALTY AND OBEDIENCE WAS GENERALLY WRAPPED UP IN YAHUSHA’S DEMANDS THAT YISHARAL MAKE NO OTHER COVENANTS (PEACE TREATIES AND POLITICAL AGREEMENTS) WITH THE CANAANITES, AND THAT YISHARAL SHOULD DESTROY ALL THE PAGAN IDOLS AND PLACES OF WORSHIP THAT DOTTED THE LAND.

BUT YISHARAL REFUSED TO OBEY, SO YAHUSHA REFUSED TO DRIVE OUT THE ENEMY FOR THEM . . . AND THEY WEPT BITTERLY !

Before Joshua died he'd sent all the Tribes away to take possession of the land given to them. And the Yisharalites served Yahusha throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him (those who had seen all the great things that Yahusha had done for Yisharal). And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Yahusha, died at the age of 110 and they buried him in the land he'd been allocated at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

And after that generation died and `were gathered to their fathers', another generation grew up who did not acknowledge Yahusha or remember the mighty things He'd done for Yisharal.

THE TERM “WERE GATHERED TO THEIR FATHERS (ANCESTORS)” DESCRIBED HOW EVEN THE HEBREW PEOPLE LOOKED AT DEATH; IT WAS WITH A FOUNDATION OF ANCESTOR WORSHIP IN MIND. THEY WOULD GO TO THEIR GRAVES AND SOME ESSENCE OF THEM WOULD COMMUNICATE IN SOME UNKNOWN WAY WITH THEIR ANCESTORS. OF COURSE THIS WAS ONLY POSSIBLE (IN THEIR MINDS) BECAUSE THOSE ANCESTORS (MAINLY THE PATRIARCHS) WERE BURIED IN THE SAME PLACE (CANAAN) AND WEREN'T SEPARATED BY SPIRITUAL/TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES.

The Yisharalites did evil in Yahusha’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned Yahusha, the Alahim of their ancestors, Who'd brought them out of Egypt. They went after other deities, worshiping the idols of the people around them and they made Yahusha furious. ONE OF THE SADDEST VERSES IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES.

Yes they abandoned Yahusha to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth and this made Yahusha burn with violent anger against Yisharal, so He handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions, turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. Infact every time Yisharal went out to battle, Yahusha actually fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as He'd warned, and so the people were in great distress.

THERE IS NO HIDING THE TRUTH; BY WORSHIPPING OTHER DEITIES YISHARAL HAS ABANDONED YAHUSHA. AS WE'LL SEE IN COMING CHAPTERS, YISHARAL DIDN'T THINK THEY'D ABANDONED YAHUSHA. MOST STILL HELD A PLACE IN THEIR WORSHIP OF THE DIVINE FOR HIM (HOWEVER SMALL IT MIGHT'VE BEEN). MOST WORSHIPPED SOME COMBINATION OF THE BA’ALS AND YAHUSHA TOGETHER. AND BY THIS THEY WOULD INSIST AND INSIST THAT THEY HADN'T ABANDONED HIM. BUT THEIR (AND OUR) STANDARD OF WHAT ABANDONMENT IS DOESN'T MATTER; IT'S YAHUSHA’S STANDARD THAT HE'LL USE AS A MEASURE AND THE MAJORITY OF YISHARAL DEFINATELY DIDN'T MEASURE UP.

HERE WE ARE INTRODUCED TO WHAT WILL BECOME AN ENDLESS CYCLE OF DELUSIONAL FALLING AWAY (APOSTASY) BY YISHARAL, THEN OPPRESSION FROM AN ENEMY AS PUNISHMENT, THEN REALISATION OF THEIR WICKEDNESS AND SUBSEQUENT REPENTANCE, AND THEN EVENTUAL DELIVERANCE. WE'LL CALL IT “DELUSIONAL” APOSTASY BECAUSE THE TRUE MEANING OF APOSTASY (FROM A SCRIPTURAL PERSPECTIVE) IS DIFFERENT THAN THE COMMON DICTIONARY MEANING. WEBSTER’S SAYS THAT APOSTASY MEANS “TO ABANDON ONE’S BELIEFS" HOWEVER IN THE MODERN SENSE FOR US, THE WORD “ABANDON”, MEANS TO DENOUNCE OR COMPLETELY AND KNOWINGLY GIVE SOMETHING UP OR REJECT IT IN ITS ENTIRETY AND THAT'S NOT WHAT WE SEE YISHARAL DOING IN JUDGES, AND THAT'S NOT USUALLY WHAT WE SEE HAPPENING IN THE LATTER TEXTS WHEN A BELIEVER IS ACCUSED OF FALLING AWAY (APOSTASY) EITHER.

FROM YAHUSHA'S PERSPECTIVE, TO “ABANDON” MEANS MORE TO STOP BELIEVING, AND THEREFORE STOP OBEYING AND BEING IN LOVING RELATIONSHIP (BLOOD-COVENANT). IT USUALLY MEANS THAT WE'VE CHOSEN NOT TO ENTIRELY FALL AWAY OR RENOUNCE HIM, BUT RATHER TO MIX OUR DEVOTION TO HIM WITH DEVOTION TO SOMETHING ELSE. OR IT HAS A SENSE OF INTELLECTUALLY HANGING ON TO HIM WHILE BEHAVIOURALLY FOLLOWING THE PATH OF EVIL OR WANTING ASPECTS OF THE WORLD IN OUR LIVES STILL.

YAHUSHA CREATED MARRIAGE TO GIVE US A VISIBLE, TANGIBLE, PHYSICAL WAY OF PRACTICING AND ACTING OUT THE KIND OF RELATIONSHIP (WITH ALL OF ITS BENEFITS, OBLIGATIONS, AND CHALLENGES) THAT HE HAS WITH HIS BRIDE. HE SEES YISHARAL HIS BRIDE IN THE CONTEXT OF A WIFE TO HIM, AND HE WANTS US TO SEE HIM IN THE CONTEXT OF A HUSBAND TO US. THUS WHEN A SPOUSE IS UNLOYAL IN A MARRIAGE IT IS SAID EVEN IN OUR SECULAR COURTS THAT THE MARRIAGE HAS BEEN LEGALLY ABANDONED. EVEN IF THE COUPLE HAS NOT SEPARATED; EVEN IF THE UNLOYAL SPOUSE DID NOT HAVE IN HIS OR HER MIND TO LEGALLY TERMINATE THE MARRIAGE OR MARRY ANOTHER, THE LEVEL OF UNLOYALTY CROSSED OVER SOME POINT THAT THE SPIRITUAL BOND WAS BROKE.

ONE OF THE MOST GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF THIS CONCEPT OF A MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YAHUSHA AND HIS FOLLOWERS IS CONTAINED IN HOSEA, WHERE THE WORD `WHORING’ IS USED ALOT. WHORING IS A WORD USED OFTEN IN THE SCRIPTURE FOR A SPOUSE BREAKING A MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP; IT IS VIRTUALLY A SYNONYM FOR IDOLATRY (WHEN IT PERTAINS TO MAN’S BROKEN RELATIONSHIP WITH YAHUSHA). AND WHEN THIS BELIEF-BREAKING REACHES SOME TIPPING POINT THAT ONLY YAHUSHA DETERMINES, THEN HE SPRINGS INTO ACTION WITH THE RESULT EXPRESSED IN THE NAMES OF HOSEA’S 3 CHILDREN: YIZRE’EL, (YAHUSHA SOWS CATASTROPHE), LO-RUCHAMAH (YAHUSHA WILL NO LONGER HAVE PITY) AND LO-AMMI (HIS FOLLOWERS WILL BECOME NOT-MY-PEOPLE) . . . (AND HE WILL BECOME NOT-THEIR-ALAHIM). . . . VERY INTERESTING?

WHILE THOSE WORDS ARE FRIGHTENING BEYOND IMAGINATION, THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS THAT IS CONTAINED IN THE FIRST VERSE OF HOSEA CHAPTER 2: "NEVERTHELESS, THE PEOPLE OF YISHARAL WILL NUMBER AS MANY AS THE GRAINS OF SAND BY THE SEA, WHICH CANNOT BE MEASURED OR COUNTED; SO THAT THE TIME WILL COME WHEN, INSTEAD OF BEING TOLD, 'YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,' IT WILL BE SAID TO THEM, 'YOU ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE LIVING ALAHIM.’

THAT IS, AFTER YAHUSHA HAS DIVORCED AND DISOWNED YISHARAL FOR A TIME, HE WILL OPEN THE DOOR TO LET THOSE BACK IN WHO WANT TO COME BACK IN. THEY ORIGINALLY CAME TO YAHUSHA BY THEIR OWN CHOICE; THEY THEN TOOK THE PATH OF EVIL AND FELL AWAY BY THEIR OWN CHOICE; AND THEN YAHUSHA WILL OPEN UP A PATH OF DELIVERANCE FOR THEM, WHICH THEY MUST ENTER BY THEIR OWN CHOICE. IT'S LIKE THAT FOR ALL OF YAHUSHA’S BRIDE.

SO WITH THE CONCEPT OF A MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP IN MIND, AND WITH A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE SCRIPTURE MEANS BY ABANDONMENT, JUDGES CAN SAY, “THEY (YISHARAL) ABANDONED YAHUSHA, THE ALAHIM OF THEIR FATHERS….”, BUT IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT WAS THEIR INTENTION TO NO LONGER WORSHIP YAHUSHA. IF YOU ASKED A YISHARALITE AT THAT TIME, “HAVE YOU LEFT THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YAHUAH YOUR ALAHIM AND REPLACED IT WITH DEVOTION TO ANOTHER DEITY?”, THE ANSWER WOULD HAVE BEEN AN EMPHATIC “NO”! RATHER IT IS AS IS WRITTEN IN THE PREVIOUS VERSE, “……THE PEOPLE OF YISHARAL DID WHAT WAS EVIL IN YAHUSHA’S EYES (OR PERSPECTIVE)….”  AND THE SPECIFIC EVIL WAS IDOLATRY.

Then Yahusha raised up judges (SHOPHETIM - DELIVERERS) to rescue the Yisharalites from their attackers. But still Yisharal did not listen to the judges, but prostituted themselves by worshiping other deities. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to Yahusha’s Instructions.

Whenever Yahusha raised up a judge over Yisharal, He was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the Judge’s lifetime, because Yahusha took pity on His people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. But whenever that particular Judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other Idols, serving and worshiping them, and they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

NOW WE SEE THE FIRST EXPLANATION OF THE PROTOCOL OF THE JUDGES; AND ALSO THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SPIRITUAL ROLE AND THE HUMAN ROLE IN THE PURPOSE OF THE SHOPHETIM. IT WAS THAT YAHUSHA HIMSELF WOULD RAISE UP A JUDGE, AND THE JUDGE WOULD RESCUED SOME TRIBE OR ANOTHER FROM WHOEVER WAS OPPRESSING THEM. BUT EVEN THEN YISHARAL WOULD QUICKLY RETURN TO THOSE FALSE DEITIES OF THEIR NEIGHBORS AFTER THE JUDGE HAD COMPLETED HIS MISSION. THE THING TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT FOR AS LONG AS A JUDGE (WHO YAHUSHA ESTABLISHED) RULED, YISHARAL WAS KEPT SECURE.

AND THE REASON THAT YAHUSHA DID ALL THIS FOR YISHARAL IS BECAUSE HE WAS MOVED TO PITY, BECAUSE OF THOSE WHO WERE OPPRESSING HIS PEOPLE. THE HEBREW WORD THAT IS USUALLY TRANSLATED AS OPPRESSED OR AFFLICTED IS "LACHATS" WHICH MEANS TO APPLY PRESSURE OR TO SQUEEZE. LACHATS HAS A DIRECT COUNTERPART IN THE LATTER TEXTS IN THE GREEK WORD "THLIPSIS" (TRIBULATION). THAT’S RIGHT, THE GREEK WORK TRIBULATION IS A TRANSLATION OF THE HEBREW LACHATS AND IT MEANS TO BE PLACED UNDER GREAT PRESSURE.

MANY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT TO THINK OF TRIBULATION AS EQUIVALENT TO EXTREME SUBJUGATION AND FORCED SERVITUDE ALONG WITH MORTAL DANGER FOR THOSE WHO RESIST. BUT IN FACT IT CAN ALSO REPRESENT A GREAT PRESSURE TO JUST DO WHAT IS WRONG. WE’RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE TERM "PEER PRESSURE", MEANING THAT THOSE WHO WE HAVE THE CLOSEST RELATIONSHIP WITH, AND THOSE WHOSE ADMIRATION AND ACCEPTANCE WE SEEK, APPLY A KIND OF UNBEARABLE PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCE UPON US TO CONFORM TO THEIR BEHAVIOUR. THE FORCE IS MORE OFTEN A PASSIVE ONE OF IMPLIED REJECTION UNLESS WE GO ALONG WITH IT, AND NOT USUALLY AN AGGRESSIVE THREAT OF PHYSICAL HARM.

AND WHEN WE READ JUDGES WE SEE THE UNBEARABLE PRESSURE FROM BOTH ASPECTS IS PRESENT UPON YISHARAL DUE TO THEIR MIXING CLEAN BEHAVIOUR WITH THE UNCLEAN, AND YAHUSHA DECIDES TO TAKES PITY ON THEM AS A RESULT.

So Yahusha burned with anger against Yisharal and said, “Because these people have violated my Blood-Covenant, which I made with their ancestors, and have ignored my Commands, I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. I did this to test Yisharal, to see whether or not they would follow My Instructions, as their ancestors did.” That is why Yahusha allowed those nations to stay in the land, not quickly driving them out, nor insisting that Joshua conquer them all. . . . it was all a test to see if His people would be loyal and obedient!

THERE'S A SLAP IN THE FACE FOR YISHARAL (BY YAHUSHA) IN THIS TEXT. LOOK WHERE IT SAYS THAT, “Because these people have violated my Blood-Covenant, which I made with their ancestors, and have ignored my Commands . . . "

IN HEBREW IS SAYS, “BECAUSE HA'GOY HAZEH VIOLATES MY BLOOD COVENANT…” GOY MEANS THE OUTSIDE NATIONS. WAY BACK IN GENESIS, BEFORE THE TIME OF ABRAHAM, GOY OR GOYIM MEANT NATIONS AS IN ANY OLD NATION ON EARTH. BUT WHEN ABRAHAM WAS DECLARED BY YAHUSHA AS THE FIRST HEBREW, AND THE EARTH BECAME DIVIDED INTO HEBREWS AND NON-HEBREWS, THE TERM GOY BECAME APPLIED ONLY TO THE OUTSIDE ('GENTILE') PEOPLE AND NATIONS BUT NOT HEBREWS. SO HERE WE HAVE YAHUSHA ESSENTIALLY SAYING, “BECAUSE THIS DIRTY OUTSIDER-LIKE NATION VIOLATES MY BLOOD-COVENANT….” THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS THAT IF A FOLLOWER OF YAHUSHA BEHAVES AS A NON-FOLLOWER DOES (IE BEHAVES LIKE THE WORLD), THEN YAHUSHA WILL SEE YOU JUST AS THOUGH YOU WERE A NON-FOLLOWER AND NOT AS ONE OF HIS, AND TREAT YOU AS SUCH.

SO YAHUSHA ENDS BY SAYING THAT HE IS LEAVING THOSE CANAANITE NATIONS THERE FOR THE TRIBES OF YISHARAL TO CONTEND WITH AS A TEST, OR BETTER A TRIAL. THIS DOES NOT MEAN TRIAL IN THE SENSE OF “TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS”. IT DOESN’T INDICATE BEING PUT INTO A BAD SITUATION WHEREBY THE BAD SITUATION IS OF ITSELF THE PUNISHMENT. RATHER IN HEBREW THE WORD IS NASSA, AND IT REFERS TO A JUDICIAL KIND OF TRIAL. IN OTHER WORDS YAHUSHA IS GOING TO PUT THE TRIBES OF YISHARAL ON TRIAL IN HIS COURTROOM; AS THEY ARE THE ACCUSED AND HE IS THE JUDGE. WHETHER THEY ARE CONVICTED AND MERIT FURTHER PUNISHMENT, OR WHETHER THEY ARE FOUND TO BE INNOCENT AND MERIT MERCY, WILL DEPEND ON IF YISHARAL PROVES THEMSELVES TO HAVE LEARNT THEIR LESSON AND BECOMES TURAH-OBSERVANT AS THEIR IMMEDIATE ANCESTORS WERE. THE ALTERNATIVE IS THAT YISHARAL WILL REJECT YAHUSHA’S DISCIPLINE (IN THE FORM OF THE CANAANITE NATIONS BEING DIVINELY ALLOWED TO CREATE PROBLEMS FOR YISHARALITE SOCIETY) AND YAHUSHA REACTS WITH FURTHER AND (PREDICTABLY) MORE SEVERE PUNISHMENTS ON HIS PEOPLE.

T R A N S F O R M

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