11:3 Restoration

Restoring Kol Israel: The Role of the Husband

As we continue our headship study we need to keep in mind that the Scriptures are almost completely opposed to our modern cultural understanding of family structure, morals and responsibility. One major aspect of this is the role of a husband in this thing we call marriage.

While we generally assume that ‘husband’ means ‘male spouse in a marriage,’ the older definitions, and especially the verb forms are quite instructive:

From Dictionary.com,

noun

a married man, especially when considered in relation to his partner in marriage.

British. a manager.

Archaic. a prudent or frugal manager.

verb (used with object)

to use frugally; conserve: to husband one’s resources.
to manage, especially with prudent economy.

Archaic.

to be or become a husband to; marry.
to find a husband for.
to till; cultivate.

Husband, in its purest form is a manager of resources or cultivator. One might specifically call to mind a vinedresser, or one who guards, prunes, trains and harvests from a vine.

Vision and Restoration…

Why are you alive? Fifty years after you die, what will have been the value of your life? How will people remember you? Will they remember you?

While ultimately, life is not so self centered as to be about my or your existence, few of us think deeply enough about our reason for being or living.

Recently, my wife and I, along with our eldest, attended a retreat focused on Biblical headship and patriarchy, our third such with this group. It was a refreshing gathering of believers from a number of different Christian/Hebraic backgrounds with the common passion for understanding marriage and headship from a decidedly Biblical perspective. Besides the interesting fact that is was fun to rub shoulders with Christians who don’t see or understand Torah as necessary while decidedly rejecting feminism and matriarchy based on the ‘old Testament Law,’ it was cathartic to hear from others who have experienced rejection from friends and family because they choose truth over tradition in this area. But, I digress.

Musings re: Headship and Numbers 30-31

Headship and the Biblical order in both family and nation has been a recurring theme in our fellowship. Over the last few months we have been intensely challenged by the Father to consider HIS model for how men/women/family/clan/tribe/nation are supposed to function and operate. Yesterday was no different. While we had a ‘double portion’ in Mattot and Massei, we never actually got out of the first two chapters.

I thought I’d share a few thoughts that came out of our discussion as it directly relates to the ongoing series on this blog regarding the restoration of kol Israel and the roles of men and women. Consider them food for thought or discussion as we did not fully develop them, nor am I attempting to share every detail of our conversation…

Numbers 30:

The Garland of Grace

On several occasions I have shared the amazing beauty and depth of the Stu Lowndes’ videos. This morning I was again drawn to search them out and spend some time pondering the cavernous depths he opens with Scripture connections, imagery and music. ~ Masterful, leading to worship!

Enjoy this video and then go to his YouTube channel and drink the rich depth of other topics explored in verse and music.

Restoring Kol Israel: (Re)defining Terms, Marriage, Husband and Wife

ID 31707124 © Stockyimages | Dreamstime.com

For most, the transition to Torah from typical Christian doctrine requires a major retooling or correcting of understanding regarding basic terms and ideas. As an example, most have been taught that the ‘Law’ is bad and therefore needs to be removed or in some way minimized so that we are freed from it. The revelation, early in the Torah walk, that ‘Torah’ means ‘instructions’ and not ‘law’ begins to reform, or re-form, our understanding of God’s loving expectations and desires. As we pursue this, we learn that the Father has specific ways that bring blessings when we understand them properly and apply them in our lives in the way He intended them.

In the beginning parts of this series considering headship and patriarchy, we have seen that God’s Word clearly reveals a particular plan for how families are supposed to operate in order to rightly reflect Him and His glory as well as the particular relationship between Him and His people. To paraphrase Paul in Ephesians 5, ‘the covenant relationship between man and woman should be a reflection of the Messiah and the Qahal/ekklesia/congregation.’

In other words, this thing we call marriage should be an exact representation of Yeshua and His people. The challenge is that so much false teaching and understanding at the hand of the enemy has led most Christians who claim to have ‘Biblical marriages’ to an understanding that is decidedly UNbiblical. We hear terms like ‘partnership,’ ‘egalitarian,’ ‘co-equal,’ and ‘mutual submission’ which are all radically contrary to Scripture from beginning to end. Rather, these are the very essence of the influence of feminism in the church, tendrils which trace to the Garden of Eden.

Does man delight in what God delights in?

This morning, as I commuted to my job for the day, I was listening to YouVersion read me the book of Job. I’m part of a small group listening through the Chronological Bible plan with some light discussion as we go. (If you care to join us in that plan, drop me an email and we can connect on YouVersion then I’ll add you.)

Anyway, as I’m listening to Scripture, because Jeremy and I are co-authoring a series on Biblical headship and family, I am hearing from a different perspective…. headship!

So, I’m a couple days ahead of schedule right now and was in the last section, beginning at chapter 38, wherein Elohim is dressing Job down for speaking presumptively. God begins,

Restoring Kol Israel: Covering

As we continue our headship study we will continue with the writings of Paul. Previously, we looked at 1 Corinthians 11:3, 7-10. Here we will consider the verses in the middle, often ignored or minimized as simply being about a cloth head covering.

Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. [5] But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. [6] For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head. [7] For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
1 Corinthians 11:4-7 NASB

As pointed out in the opening post of this series Paul upheld and taught the Torah. I believe we do ourselves and this passage a disservice when we only focus on the literal cloth head covering debate and ignore the deeper truths that Paul is teaching us in this passage. Remember, foundationally, a woman was always to be under the headship/authority/covering of a man. From the beginning, when Eve stepped out from under her covering, we see that she becomes vulnerable. The headship/covering is articulated over and over in Torah through numerous examples demonstrating that a girl was to be under the covering of her father until he released her into the protection of a husband.

A simple recipe for fitness and health

[Originally posted with a slightly different audience in mind, however, within marriage, fitness is beneficial in a number of ‘other ways,’ too… Men, belly fat stores testosterone instead of letting that course through your veins and cause you to chase your woman… Just sayin’.]

Health and fitness is not complicated or hard. Really good general fitness and health can be achieved fairly simply and I want to offer a simple plan as well as a few thoughts. But first… why?

A couple years ago I wrote an article with a few thoughts on how to prepare for a wilderness experience. For my regular readers, that will especially interest you as it regards the state of the world and prophecy, but from a more general perspective, it explains that overall quality of life and longevity are dependent on a three legged stool of mental, spiritual and physical health.

For our purposes, I want to offer a simple plan that should demystify basic health and fitness as one of those three legs that support ‘your stool.’ At least in the US, there is a 50+% obesity rate with a significant portion of those being medically termed, ‘morbidly obese.’ General fitness escapes more than 80% of the population by several standards, meaning in difficult times, a very high percentage will succumb to some combination of physical inability to lack of mental willpower due to the excessive shock of moving from sedentary existence to very active or even survival mode.

…uncovered…

Yesterday’s Torah portion, Korach (Numbers 16-18), offered an interesting thought regarding some recent posts on my blog. We have been and will continue discussing headship and God’s instituted authority structures. The name of yesterday’s portion was ‘Korach’ after the man who led a rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

Korach means ‘bald.’ As in, ‘uncovered.’ Both of the last two week’s portions can be summed up as ‘God’s judgment against those who rebel against His appointed authority.’ The result is stepping out from under His covering.

Scary stuff! Will we be fully submitted to Him and His ways, or do we negotiate and rebel? Israel wanted to return to Egypt claiming it was the ‘Land flowing with milk and honey.’ Korach wanted to institute his own tabernacle and priesthood. The people were generally grumbling against Moses and Aaron, and by extension, the Angel of the Lord, leading them in the wilderness.

³³As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 20:33-38

Will we rebel or come to total submission? Only one option will reap the reward of the Kingdom.

Selah.

Salt or Sugar?

“How can we be the salt of the earth, if we keep sugar coating the message?”
Gary Moore

(From Kelly’s Facebook page…)

No doubt, we need to be compassionate in our delivery, but we should not avoid the hard truths or deeper topics simply because they are unpopular or politically incorrect. Every prophet and apostle, as well as the Messiah, spoke truth to their own detriment. We should be so bold.

Selah.