Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry
Ovadyah Ben Yisrael
More on Amaleq...
While Qorach is the type of those who rise up from within the people of Yisrael to ruin or destroy them through rebellion and division, Amaleq is the type of Yisrael's continual external foe, those who rise up to destroy YHWH's people in every generation. They do so through subterfuge, guile and deceit, attacking from the rear or in Yisrael's weakest spots or moments.
Amaleq is also equated with our “Yetzir Ra – our evil or fleshly inclination. Here is an excellent example of this idea in an article written by Dr. Daniel Botkin:
Smiting Amaleq
“And YHWH said to Moshe, ‘Write this for a remembrance in the book and recite it in the hearing of Yehoshua, that I shall completely blot out the remembrance of Amaleq from under the heavens.’ And Moshe built an altar and called its name, YHWH Nissi, for he said, ‘Because a hand is on the throne of Yah, YHWH is to fight against Amaleq from generation to generation.’”
Through the Prophet Shmuel, YHWH told King Shaul to "smite Amaleq, and utterly destroy ail that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” In a spiritual sense, the commandment to smite Amaleq is a commandment for all Yisrael, past and present.
Shaul was a king and ruled a kingdom. You are a little king (or queen) and rule over your own "kingdom," i.e., your personal life. YHWH gives you free will and you decide what choices to make for your life. You can choose to obey YHWH's commandments and do things His way, or you can choose to disobey His commandments and do things your own way. Concerning Amaleq, YHWH's commandment is to smite him, to utterly destroy him, and to show him no mercy. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood," Paul wrote, but there is a spiritual Amaleq that we must smite and utterly destroy. What does Amaleq represent in the spiritual realm?
Amaleq was a descendant of Esau, the carnal man who sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup. Esau is a picture of the man who values his fleshly appetites more than he values the things of the spirit. Amaleq was the fruit of Esau; therefore our Amaleq is the "old man," the sinful, fleshly nature that places more importance on the things of the flesh than on the things of the spirit. Amaleq represents the flesh in the ongoing internal struggle between the flesh and the spirit. This conflict goes all the way back to the womb of Rivka, where Esau, the forefather of Amaleq, and Ya’kov, the forefather of Yisrael, "struggled together within her". What Rivka experienced in a physical sense, we experience in a spiritual sense. Our desire to sin and our desire to do excellent play tug-of-war inside us. Paul, in Galatians, describes it this way: "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."
Our carnal desire to sin is very strong and very persistent. Amaleq tugs at our heart constantly, using whatever means he can to tempt us. What should we do about the Amaleq who lives inside us? Reform him? Educate him? Try to improve his self-esteem? No, none of these things, because Amaleq cannot be changed; he is incorrigible. The only way to deal with Amaleq is to smite him and utterly destroy him. YHWH's solution for the problem of the old sinful nature is to kill it, not reform it. In B’rith Chadasha terminology, "They that are Yeshua's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." To provide some context for the above verse, Paul first contrasts the works of the flesh to the fruit of the Spirit:
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murder, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of YHWH. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffer ing, gentleness, excellence, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Yeshua's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."
This contrast between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit describes the difference between Amaleq, the old sinful desires of the flesh, and Yisrael, the new holy desires of the spirit. The only way to end the struggle between Amaleq and Yisrael is to smite Amaleq. Those who truly belong to the Messiah do this very thing, for "they that are Yeshua's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." If you have not yet crucified your flesh with its illicit affections and lusts, then you do not really belong to the Messiah. You only think you do, because "they that belong to Yeshua have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." The degree to which you have crucified your flesh reveals the degree to which you belong to the Messiah.
Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry
Ovadyah Ben Yisrael
From this week's Torah portion:
“And Amaleq came and fought with Yisra’el in Rephidim. And Moshe said to Yehoshua, ‘Choose for us men and go out, fight with Amaleq. Tomorrow I am stationing myself on the top of the hill with the rod of Elohim in my hand.’ And Yehoshua did as Moshe said to him, to fight with Amaleq. And Moshe, Aharon, and Chur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to be, when Moshe held up his hand, that Yisra’el prevailed. And when he let down his hand, Amaleq prevailed. But Moshe’s hands were heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aharon and Chur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Yehoshua defeated Amaleq and his people with the edge of the sword. And YHWH said to Moshe, ‘Write this for a remembrance in the book and recite it in the hearing of Yehoshua, that I shall completely blot out the remembrance of Amaleq from under the heavens.’ And Moshe built an altar and called its name, YHWH Nissi, for he said, ‘Because a hand is on the throne of Yah, YHWH is to fight against Amaleq, from generation to generation.’”
Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry
Min Hazaqen Torah Study Group on Facebook
Christi Banks
Yochanan Ben Yisrael
Tehillah 48 - Day 2 (yom Sheiny)
Great is YHWH, and greatly to be praised In the city of our Elohim, His set-apart mountain.
Beautiful on high, The joy of all the earth, Is Mount Tsiyon on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.
Elohim is in her citadels; He is known as her refuge.
For look, the kings met, They passed by together.
They saw, so they marvelled; They were alarmed, they hastened away.
Trembling took hold of them there, Pain, as of a woman in labor, With an east wind You break the ships of Tarshish.
As we have heard, so we have seen In the city of YHWH of hosts, In the city of our Elohim, Elohim establishes her forever. Selah.
We have thought, O Elohim, of Your mercy, In the midst of Your Hěḵal.
According to Your Name, O Elohim, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
Let Mount Tsiyon rejoice, Let the daughters of Yehuḏah exult, Because of Your judgments.
Walk about Tsiyon, And go all around her. Count her towers; Set your heart upon her rampart; Go through her citadels; So that you report it to the coming generation.
For this Elohim is our Elohim, Forever and ever; He Himself leads us, Even to death.
Ovadyah Ben Yisrael
With the Passover Package Program coming up, thousands of brothers and sisters who would otherwise not have any bitter herb or unleavened bread for the week of the Feast of Unleavened bread, could have matzah and bitter herb for the first time in their lives.
We would love to provide these basic elements of the Passover seder and the week of Unleavened Bread. With your help, we can provide for these men and women who are turning to the Most High and desiring to obey YHWH to the best of their abilities.
Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry
Min Hazaqen Torah Study Group on Facebook
Ovadyah Ben Yisrael
Shalom Chaverym,
This week's parasha is: Yithro - יתרו - “Jethro”
Torah Reading: Exodus 18:1-20:23
Haftarah Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6
Kethuvym Hatalmidym Reading: 1 Peter 2:1-3, 9-12
Shalom aleykhem, achym, b’shem Yehoshua Hamashiach, Adoneynu ~ Peace to you, my brothers, in the name of Yehoshua the Messiah, our master.
V’atah im shamoa tish’mu b’qoliy ushmartem et britiy vih’yiytem li cegulah mikal ha’amiym. Ki li kal ha’aretz; v’atem tihyu li mam’leketh Kohanym v’goy qadosh ~ “Now, therefore, if you will hearken with hearing to My Voice and keep My covenant, then you will exist to Me as a treasure from all the peoples; for to Me (belongs) all the earth; and you will exist to Me as a kingdom of priests and a nation of set-apartness.”
These words from our sedra are another simple if/then proposition. This is a common form of logical reasoning in most every language and culture on earth. It is a guarantee that, IF you will do this, THEN such will be the result. The implication is that the reverse also must be true: if you do NOT do this, then such will NOT be the result. It is an oddity of modern thought, and in particular of Western thinking that, while the positive aspect of logical reasoning is commonly considered – the “if you will do,” the negative aspect – “if you will not do,” is most often ignored or even rejected.
Many people who have been raised in Christian or secular culture have been taught that, with the advent of the “New Testament” and Jesus, this is no longer the case – that is, there are no longer any conditions placed on the chosen people of YHWH regarding their obedience and election. In other words, the “if/then” has been removed, and all one need do now is “believe” (or say you do) in order to become (and remain) one of the elect of YHWH – one of His Qedoshym, His “Saints.” This is not true now, never has been, and never will be.
Belief in YHWH, through the saving, sacrificial blood of Yehoshua, results in salvation. This salvation is free and unconditional. YHWH provided this simple avenue of escape from certain eternal death by His attributes of grace and mercy. However, to only SAY, “I believe,” without the subsequent evidence of works – that is, works of Torah – is not enough. In fact, it is a false faith, for it is written,
“Faith without works is dead.”
And,
“The one who says I know Him and does not guard His commands, is a liar and the Truth is not in him.”
About our Torah Parasha this week, Shimon Kepha (Peter) has something to say:
“As newborn babes, desiring the sincere milk of the Word (Torah), that ye may grow thereby: IF so be that ye have tested that YHWH is gracious. Drawing near to Him, a living Stone – rejected indeed by men, but chosen by Elohim and precious – you also, as living stones, are being built up, a spiritual house, a set-apart priesthood, to offer up spiritual slaughter offerings acceptable to Elohim through Yehoshua Hamashiach. Because it is contained in the scripture, ‘See, I lay in Tziyon a chief corner-stone, chosen, precious, and he who believes on Him shall by no means be put to shame.’”
In other words, IF YHWH has shown you grace through the death and resurrection of our Messiah, THEN you should desire to learn and do His Word – His Torah. Kepha next says of Yehoshua,
“This preciousness, then, is for you who believe; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner-stone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock that makes for falling,’ who stumble because they are disobedient to the Word, to which they also were appointed.”
In other words, IF you stumble at being Torah observant through deliberate disobedience (which is rebellion), then Yehoshua is that rock of offense and a stumbling stone, so he will be to you of no avail.
Finally, He paraphrases our Parshath in conclusion; speaking to those of you who do desire to be His obedient sons, and to learn and do His Torah:
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a nation of set-apartness; a treasured people, that ye should show forth the praises of Him, who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Kepha agrees with the words of our Parasha, as well as the if/then proposition and conditional covenant it presents.
So, what of Yochanan 3:16 then?
“For Elohym so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but receive eternal life.”
You will point out to me that it says we need only “believe” in order to be saved and attain eternal life, and you will be correct. Now go and learn the difference between salvation and election, between the first resurrection and the second, between Yisrael and the great multitude who joins them, and between first fruits and the great harvest.
B'shalom, Ovadyah Ben Yisrael
Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry
Min Hazaqen Torah Study Group on Facebook
Ovadyah Ben Yisrael
The SKF Sabbath Afternoon Prayer Service and Lesson on the Commandments.
Join us live on Zoom and YouTube at 4pm CST on Sabbath afternoon, 02/03/2024, for Torah study and afternoon prayers.
The YouTube link is:
The Zoom link is:
We will be teaching the commandments found in the Torah portion for this week, then answering your questions on the lesson.
This week's lesson will be from parashath: Yithro - יתרו - “Jethro”
The readings are:
Torah Reading: Exodus 18:1-20:23
Haftarah Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6
Kethuvym Hatalmidym Reading: 1 Peter 2:1-3, 9-12
The Torah study will be followed by a formal afternoon prayer service with an opportunity for open prayer from all before we close. We hope you will join us.
Be sure to visit our YouTube channel at: