Overlord or Overseer - 1 Kefa (Peter) 5

Shalom Kol Yisrael,

Recently a brother shared with me from 1 Kefa 5.  I was moved by the Ruach to share with you some of the insights Abba was showing me.

Biblical Understanding of An Overseer

1 Kefa 5: Therefore, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Messiah, and also a sharer of the esteem that is to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: 2 Shepherd the flock of Elohim which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but voluntarily, not out of greed for filthy gain, but eagerly, 3 neither as being masters over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.  (Emphases added)

I will have to admit that whenever I hear the word "overseer" it conjures up images and scenes of slave masters in Alex Haley's book and miniseries "Roots".  But, in this passage, we are confronted with a very different overseer.  The Biblical example does not demonstrate a heavy handedness nor an attitude of "always being right".  This overseer in YHWH's kingdom is compelled voluntarily not to rule the flock, but to be an example to the flock.   That takes humility! 

Kefa further writes, "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you shall receive the never-fading crown of esteem. 5 In the same way, you younger ones, be subject to elders. And gird yourselves with humility toward one another, for “Elohim resists the proud, but gives favor to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, then, under the mighty hand of Elohim, so that He exalts you in due time, 7 casting all your worry upon Him, for He is concerned about you. (Emphases added)

Here the elders are not speaking to the younger ones, "Submit to me."  But, their righteous example compels the young ones to follow the same example.  Most of us at one time or another have been extremely impatient with YHWH.  We want to have it all figured out.   In addition, we make decisions based on this impatience, while in the end if we had waited we would have experienced an "exaltation in due time".

The Overlords of Korah

This past Torah Parashah is a great example of what Kefa is speaking about.  Here we see the rebellion of the sons of Korah.  Incidentally, the Hebrew root for Korah from Strong's concordance says, "from the root qarach to depilate; make (self) bald".  Let's look at those verses in Bamidbar (Numbers) 16:

1 And Korah, son of Yitshar, son of Qehath, son of Levi, took both Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliyav, and On, son of Peleth, sons of Re’uven, 2 and they rose up before Mosheh with some of the children of Yisra’el, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, called ones of the meeting, men of name. 3 And they assembled against Mosheh and against Aharon, and said to them, “Enough of you! For all the congregation is set-apart, all of them, and YHWH is in their midst. Why then do you lift up yourselves above the assembly of YHWH?” 4 And when Mosheh heard, he fell on his face, 5 and spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning YHWH shall make known who is His and who is set-apart, and bring him near to Him. And let Him bring near to Him the one whom He chooses."  (emphases added)

What do we know about Moshe and what can we discern from these men?  Bamidbar 12  says this of Moshe, "3 And the man Mosheh was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth."  Yet the sons of Korah were "men of name"; overlords who desired to make a name for themselves and control the flock instead of being living examples of meekness and humble obedience to YHWH like Moshe.

Spirits Warring Against A Biblical Overseer

Toward the end of chapter 5, Kefa finally ends this section with an apropos exhortation, "8 Be sober, watch, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the belief, knowing that the same hardships are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 And the Elohim of all favor, who called you to His everlasting esteem by Messiah Y'shua, after you have suffered a while, Himself perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the esteem and the might forever and ever. Amein. (emphases added)

We are at war as I write this letter.  The devil is working every moment to tempt an overseer to become an overlord.  A spiritual war is taking place.  Spirits that seek dominion over you and I are fighting us right now.  And if we fail to discern this we will be consumed by our adversary the devil.  As we resist the devil may we always be reminded that we are not alone.  There are other brothers in this world that are experiencing the same kind of hardships that we are. 

I believe, 1 Kefa 5 is attempting to establish the qualities of a true overseer.  So the question bears asking, "Shall we stand against the spirit of the overlord and shall we desire to walk in a manner described by Kefa's example of an overseer?"  We have a choice. How shall we then choose?

Shavua tov.
--
Tzefanyah Pappas
Chazak Chazak v’nitchazek
Let us be strong, let us be strong and let us
strengthen (encourage) one another!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

By Emunah (Faith) Abraham.....

Shalom Kol Yisrael,

The Hebrew for faith is emunah (alef, mem, nun). The Hebrew conveys a depth to this that English cannot communicate. This specific word is used in Habakkuk 2 (see verse 4):

1 I stand at my watch, and station myself on the watch-tower, and wait to see what He says to me, and what to answer when I am reproved. 2 And YHWH answered me and said, “Write the vision and inscribe it on tablets, so that he who reads it runs. 3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, and it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it lingers, wait for it, for it shall certainly come, it shall not delay. 4 “See, he whose being is not upright in him is puffed up. But the righteous one lives by his steadfastness. (Note: The English word steadfastness is used for the Hebrew emunah.)

A time of reproof is coming and it may be here already. How will we respond? Will we live in emunah as Abraham did?
Hebrews 11: 8 By belief, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he was about to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By belief, he sojourned in the land of promise as a stranger, dwelling in tents with Yitshaq and Yaaqov, the heirs with him of the same promise, 10 for he was looking for the city having foundations, whose builder and maker is Elohim. (emphasis added)

Destruction is all around look at the recent earthquake and typhoon in Asia and few years ago the tsunami. Countries like the USA who have been relatively immune from devastation of this magnitude and are now being hit again with flooding along the Mississippi River, while just 3 years ago the Mississippi River delta was ravaged by hurricane Katrina.

Abraham sojourned as a stranger in the land of promise. There was no permanency to his existence. He lived in tents. Today, I believe the people of Yisrael are being reproved for the kind of cities we have put our trust in. Abraham was content with his tent for the city he desired was one built by Elohim. The city built by Elohim will not crumble for it has foundations that will never perish nor fade away.

As our human institutions crumble could it be that Yisrael in the diaspora will have to humble themselves and enter the land of promise as a stranger living in tents like Abraham? I believe the first phase of this journey has begun as Yisrael is learning that it is only emunah that will save us. It is only emunah that will get us through these serious and hard times that are just around the corner. May we always remember that despite our circumstances the joy of YHWH is our strength every day!

Shavua tov,

Tzefanyah Pappas
Chazak Chazak v’nitchazek
Let us be strong, let us be strong and let us
strengthen (encourage) one another!
www.chazakyisrael.blogspot.com

Blogged with the Flock Browser

By the Rivers of Babylon - Part 2 Adversary to Yisrael's Restoration

Shalom Kol Yisrael,

The Ruach has lead me to do a short follow-up to last week's letter. A brother this week reminded me of a song called "By the Rivers of Babylon". This song is from Tehillim (Psalm) 137:

1 By the rivers of Babel, there we sat down and we wept as we remembered Tsiyon. 2 We hung our lyres upon the willows in the midst of it. 3 For there our captors asked us for the words of a song, and our plunderers for rejoicing, saying, “Sing to us a song of Tsiyon!” 4 How could we sing the song of YHWH on foreign soil? 5 If I forget you, O Yerushalayim, let my right hand forget. 6 Let my tongue cleave to my palate, if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Yerushalayim above my chief joy. 7 Remember O YHWH, against the sons of Edom the day of Yerushalayim, who said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, to its foundation!” 8 O daughter of Babel, who are to be destroyed, blessed is He who repays you your deed, what you did to us! 9 Blessed is He who shall take and dash your little ones against the rock.

What is Babel or Babylon? Was King David there? Could it be that Babylon is not only a place, but also a way one thinks? Perhaps, this is why King David wrote about it. Babylon means confusion and comes from the Hebrew root balal meaning to mix. Where did all of the people of Babylon who were building the tower go? They were "mixed" into all the world. Consequently, the attitude and the spirit of Nimrod prevails in all the societies of the world. In other words, if you are on foreign soil (i.e. any soil other than Yisrael) you are in Babylon. This spirit of Nimrod wants to be served instead of to serve. As a result, we are taught and programmed to forget our chief joy. The religious institutions of men want to take captive the minds of those who choose to be subservient to it. Their desire is that there would be no memory of Yisrael or Yerushalayim.

In Verse 7 we see the sons of Edom. They desire to wipe out the memory of Yisrael and Yerushalayim. In Hebrew, Edom means red. Sometimes the pictographic meaning of a Paleo Hebrew (Ancient Hebrew text) word can give a greater revelation to a word. Pictographically Edom means "leader of a pathway to chaos".

O Abba, we thank you for Y'shua our Mighty King who leads us in this spiritual war. Strengthen us O Yah that we would never bow down to man. Put away the sons of chaos (Edom) who war against the sons of Yisrael in our midst. May it be that the sons of Yisrael, demonstrate their faith in these last days and that we will never weary to do battle with the spirit of Nimrod as King Y'shua goes before us and YHWH is our rear guard.

Shavua tov,
--
Tzefanyah Pappas
Chazak Chazak v’nitchazek
Let us be strong, let us be strong and let us
strengthen (encourage) one another!
www.chazakyisrael.blogspot.com

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Adversary to Yisrael's Restoration

Shalom Kol Yisrael,

Something a brother shared with me recently struck a chord with my spirit. He said that he and his family are preparing for war spiritually. Now with any war, there is always an enemy. We certainly know that the devil is leading this campaign against the sons of Yisrael, but who is one of the major combatant's in this army?

I believe we must take heed to the spirit of Nimrod. Who was Nimrod? He was the son of Cush, grandson of Ham, great-grandson of Noah, was a Mesopotamian monarch and a mighty hunter before YHWH. He founded cities and was the ruler of the land of Shinar where the tower of Babel was built. This tower was an attempt to reach up into the heavens - YHWH's dwelling place. The people exalted themselves in their building by declaring, "Let us make a name for ourselves." (see Bereshit/Genesis Ch. 10 & 11)

What does his name mean? Dr. David Livingston on his ancientdays.net website says this, "It comes from the Hebrew verb marad, meaning "rebel." Adding an "n" before the "m" it becomes an infinitive construct, "Nimrod." (see Kautzsch 1910: 137 2b; also BDB 1962: 597). The meaning then is "The Rebel." Thus "Nimrod" may not be the character's name at all. It is more likely a derisive term of a type, a representative, of a system that is epitomized in rebellion against the Creator, the one true God." (emphasis added)

Since we are talking about a spirit, we can assume that the spirit of Nimrod could have appeared even before the man Nimrod.   Bereshit 3: 1  And the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which YHWH Elohim had made, and he said to the woman, “Is it true that Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We are to eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 And the serpent said to the woman, “You shall certainly not die. 5 “For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like Elohim, knowing good and evil.” 6 And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate." (emphasis added)

Rebellion for humanity started in this one rebellious act. Humanity continues to be plagued by the spirit of Nimrod. A system of rebellion was now set in place where men would be the authors of their own destiny. This was the beginning of religion. Religion stands against a relationship with YHWH. Here was the deception: Adam was made in the image and likeness of YHWH and was already like YHWH for YHWH spoke to him personally and instructed him!

We see the spirit of Nimrod arise through Cain as well. Instead of seeking a personal relationship with YHWH, he decided to do what was right in his own eyes. This became a recurrent theme through our history, until the earth became so full of "doing what was right in their own eyes", that Abba preserved the only righteous family, the family of Noach by placing them in an ark.

Then Abba began to lay a foundation through Yisrael's patriarchs. Abraham was a friend of Elohim (Yaacov/James 2:23). Without a Torah scroll he learned the way of YHWH by a personal relationship. " Abraham obeyed My voice and guarded My Charge: My commands, My laws, and My Torot.” (Bereshit 26:5) Thus, it happened for Yitzchak and Yaacov as well. A foundation was laid that a personal relationship with YHWH has to be at the center of everything we say and do. Even Moshe learned from YHWH as a friend.

Abba now desired to express that personal relationship not only through an individual, but through a nation as well, the nation of Yisrael. This personal relationship is expressed in Shemot (Exodus) 19:5, ‘And now, if you diligently obey My voice, and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine – 6 ‘and you shall be to Me a reign of priests and a set-apart nation.’ Those are the words which you are to speak to the children of Yisrael.” 7 And Mosheh came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which YHWH commanded him. 8 And all the people answered together and said, “All that YHWH has spoken we shall do.” (emphasis added)

Did Yisrael fulfill this call? No, for the spirit of Nimrod was evident again for the people desired to make a name for themselves. Yisrael wanted religion over a relationship. Shemot 32: 1  And when the people saw that Mosheh was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aharon, and said to him, “Arise, make us mighty ones who go before us. For this Mosheh, the man who brought us up out of the land of Mitsrayim, we do not know what has become of him.”

Did Yehoshua (Joshua) discern correctly that there was a sound of war in the camp? We see later on an implement of war was used to address the situation, Shemot 32: 27 And he said to them, “Thus said YHWH Elohim of Yisrael: Each one put his sword on his side, pass over to and fro from gate to gate in the camp, and each one slay his brother, and each one his friend, and each one his relative.” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Mosheh. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day." (emphasis added)

This is the very war we fight against. This is what has plagued Yisrael for thousands of years. Yisrael has sought mediators instead of a direct relationship with YHWH. Many of us even today look to man to tell us what the Word says instead of the very Author of the Word. This is religion. This is the spirit of Nimrod. This is rebellion. Yisrael's hardened heart to a relationship with YHWH was further demonstrated by 10 commandments written on tablets of stone. The very thing that was to be written on the heart was instead written on tablets of stone symbolizing Yisrael's stony heart.

A day is approaching where Yisrael will realize the religious graves that they have dug. Religion does not bring life and therefore religion cannot bring about Yisrael's restoration. Yeheskel (Ezekiel) 37 speaks of this calling forth from the religious institutions of man (the graves). Yeheskel 37: 7 And I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a noise, and there was a rattling. And the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 And I looked and saw sinews and flesh came upon them, and skin covered them, but there was no spirit in them. 9 He then said to me, “Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and you shall say to the spirit, Thus said the Master YHWH, “Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe on these slain, so that they live.” ” 10 And I prophesied as He commanded me, and the spirit came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, a very great army. 11 And He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all the house of Yisrael. See, they say, Our bones are dry, our expectancy has perished, and we ourselves have been cut off! 12 “Therefore prophesy, and you shall say to them, Thus said the Master YHWH, “See, O My people, I am opening your graves, and shall bring you up from your graves, and shall bring you into the land of Yisrael. 13 “And you shall know that I am YHWH, when I open your graves, O My people, and bring you up from your graves." (emphasis added)

O Abba, help us to seek a relationship with you. Turn our hearts of stone to flesh. Cause us to leave the graves of the religious institutions of men and seek your nation Yisrael founded in a personal relationship with Yisrael's King Y'shua and Yisrael's maker YHWH.

Shavua tov.
--
Tzefanyah Pappas
Chazak Chazak v’nitchazek
Let us be strong, let us be strong and let us
strengthen (encourage) one another!

Blogged with the Flock Browser