Seven Years Ago... - Ten Commandments, Psalm 23, The Lords Prayer / April 2002

I was told a long time ago a very interesting fact concerning our bodies as humans. Every molecule in your body changes every seven years. Simply said, you are not the same person you were seven years earlier. The same can be said for this ministry.

Seven years ago, Lion and Lamb Ministries began. As I look back and consider our beginning, there are many changes that have taken place. Many of the people who worked with us and had a part then are no longer with us. Some physically passed away and others lost heart; and, like the Messianic Movement itself, we have had our "messy" moments. But one thing has remained consistent and faithful. The Lord has been with us all the way.

I remember praying in early 1995 just as the ministry was beginning. I was in the shower. I don’t sing in the shower; I pray. I asked the Lord what was the first thing that He wanted Lion and Lamb Ministries to accomplish. It was a little startling, but the Lord answered me immediately and I sensed His presence just behind me and off my left shoulder. In my spirit, I heard Him say, "I told you to make anointing oil." Two things struck me immediately. The Lord is just slightly less than my height and I was taken back with a kind of embarrassment for not sensing His leading in making anointing oil.

The week before, while teaching the Torah portion in Exodus, I had made a sample of sweet anointing oil similar to the recipe given in the Scripture. I had done so for my students to have the fragrance of the lesson. Up to that point in my spiritual leadership, I was not in the business of anointing people. Yes, I had participated with others praying for the sick and anointing elders with simple olive oil. While I had acted to build a teaching example for my Torah students, I had not sensed the leading of the Lord to make anointing oil for further ministry work. Therefore, the Lord’s statement set me back a little because I had failed to clearly perceive His leading. Even more so, the idea of me ministering with anointing oil begged more questions than answers.

That morning, I stepped out of the shower, dressed, and shared the Lord’s instruction with Lin, my wife. That day, I began to study how anointing oil was made. I learned about essential oils and located a source for frankincense, cinnamon, and almond. I purchased bottles, caps, and printed labels. Shortly thereafter, I bottled a blend of anointing oil. I also studied from the Scriptures all about anointing oils and how they were used. I put the bottles individually in small plastic bags with a folded instruction sheet detailing the five reasons to anoint and the methods for anointing. There were hundreds of these bottles.

It was then that I asked the Lord why He had instructed me to make anointing oil. His answer was just as sudden as in the shower. "This ministry will continue until I anoint the most Holy Place in the kingdom." These words have sustained me a number of times. I don’t get to quit until the Lord says it is time to quit. He also added, "There is a time coming when the only thing left to encourage believers in the great tribulation is to anoint them with the oil of gladness." I understood that to be a reference to the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Isaiah 61:1-3

I then asked the Lord how He wanted me to share with others. Should I write a book, develop a series of video programs, or perhaps, do a regular radio program? The Lord said "No" in each case. I remember praying and saying, "Lord, the only thing left is to write a monthly newsletter!" The Lord said, "Yes." So, Yavoh – He is Coming was born. As time has gone by, we have done some of each, but our mainstay has been this publication. This issue of Yavoh is the beginning of the eighth year of publication. The first issue in April of 1995 went to 175 persons. (It was our old Christmas card list.) Today, more than 5,000 homes receive Yavoh directly and many others read the articles off the internet.

The Lord then directed me to build a complete cassette tape set of the weekly Torah teachings. For many years even prior to Lion and Lamb Ministries, I had systematically studied and taught the Torah portion in whatever city I lived in on a consistent basis. I am now in my 16th cycle of Torah study. I began to teach the Torah just as the words of the New Testament describe.

For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.

Acts 15:21

The reason I mention this New Testament passage is because James was referencing new Gentile believers to this instruction to understand their faith better. Moses was given as the base instruction for the teaching of the Messiah. Even the Messiah said that to understand Him required an understanding of the words of Moses.

For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

John 5:46-47

Moses is the greatest prophet of the Messiah. Therefore, I teach Moses to see and understand the words of Yeshua the Messiah. In teaching Moses, you are also required to balance it with the Prophets. One of the most important things I have come to appreciate about the teaching of Moses (the Torah) is the following. The Torah has more to do with our future than it has to do with our past. The Prophets are only talking about things that Moses said would happen as well. The events in the Middle East and in particular the modern nation of Israel has been of primary attention for Lion and Lamb Ministries also. Nothing happens in Israel that is not prophetically significant today. Jerusalem truly is the center of the earth and the spiritual focal point for this world.

Lion and Lamb Ministries now offers hundreds of audio cassette and CD teachings on a host of topics and many books of the Bible.

So what is our message and what has the Lord directed this ministry to do? According to Moses and the Prophets, I believe that we are witnessing the events of the end of the age. In particular, the end of the age of Gentiles is upon us. Therefore, we are teaching and helping brethren to understand the events that are upon us. The Lord is preparing to do more in this generation than has been done in any previous generation upon the earth.

The Restoration of the House of Jacob

Therefore thus says the Lord God, "Now I shall restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I shall be jealous for My holy name."

Ezekiel 39:25

Historically, the nation of Israel was divided into two houses after King Solomon’s reign. The northern kingdom, known as the House of Israel went into Assyrian captivity first. The southern kingdom, known as the House of Judah went into Babylonian captivity, returned and went into world wide captivity by the Romans. Some say that the two houses were joined after Judah returned from Babylon, but this is not correct. The New Covenant was given to the House of Israel and the House of Judah (still divided) by the Messiah well after the Babylonian return. Yeshua came for "the lost sheep of the House of Israel." The disciples were dispatched to the nations with the Great Commission to fish for the scattered sons of Israel.

"Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen," declares the Lord, "and they will fish for them [the scattered tribes of Israel]"

Jeremiah 16:16a

And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Matthew 4:19

To this day, we still await the rejoining of the two houses spoken of by the prophets. Those same prophets say that the rejoining occurs when the great exile of Israel to all nations ends, when Jacob’s trouble comes, when the Day of the Lord is upon the world. One generation sees it all. The pattern of Israel’s return is after Jacob’s returning to the land with his family divided into two companies before Esau.

The Great Outpouring of the Spirit

"And I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel," declares the Lord God.

Ezekiel 39:29

And it will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

Joel 2:28-29

The prophets say that the rejoining of the whole house of Israel is a great spiritual move of God. The modern Messianic Movement is really two groups. There are Jews (the House of Judah) coming to the Messiah in the same numbers as in the days just after Yeshua’s resurrection. To reference one complaining Rabbi, "More Jews have become followers of Jesus in the last 19 years than in the previous 1900 years." Messianic Congregations have popped up in every major city and many nations in this generation. Along with those believing Jews is another group. These other people (non Jews) have joined with believing Jews, want to study the Torah, keep Sabbath and Holidays, and observe kosher. Who is this other group? According to the prophets, the House of Israel (who have become Gentiles) is to join with the House of Judah, cease from transgression, lose the idols of the nations, and cease from the detestible. Does this mean that every person in a Messianic congregation is either of the House of Judah or the House of Israel? Of course not, there are still plenty of Gentiles that are prophesied to be companions of each group. Given this mix and the diversity of our own ancestry, no one really knows who anyone is or isn’t. Even we Jews can not prove our own birthright and ancestry, therefore we have no authority to say that any other person is not of the House of Israel. Being pure bred (flesh of the woman) is meaningless to the Lord (look at the birth line of the Messiah). What is meaningful is to the be the children of promise after Abraham.

The Greater Exodus

"Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "When they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, but, as the Lord lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them. Then they will live on their own soil.’"

Jeremiah 23:7-8

The prophets say that return of Israel from the nations will be in the form of an exodus. However, it will be so great that it will overshadow the exodus from Egypt. This is where the lessons of the Feast of Tabernacles are so important for us. The ability to leave our homes and enter the camp of the righteous to join the Lord will be crucial to our survival and journey. While ancient Israel was transformed from slaves to a free nation, we will be transformed from slaves to this world and sin to saints that walk into the kingdom.

The Great Tribulation

for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.

Matthew 24:21

Nothing stirs our hearts greater than preparing for the days when distress will come upon the world like never before. While the Great Tribulation is only 3 ½ years in length, it is prophesied to be a very difficult time for all of mankind. Many of our brethren would like to be raptured right to the promised land; however, we do not go by way of the Philistines. Rather, our journey is through the great and terrible wilderness. Israel camped 42 places in the wilderness; we will camp (live in sukkot) for 42 months.

The Return of the Messiah

But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:29-30

This is the event we all await. Yeshua asked us if He would find faith when He returned. I believe that we are the generation that will answer that question.

The Greater Israel

Moses saw the future land of Israel in the Kingdom. King David almost controlled the full land of Israel. There is a day coming when the kingdom will be restored to Israel. There is a day coming when all will come to Jerusalem to worship the King.

How do we prepare and teach these things? We are teaching the brethren to sing the second song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.

And they sang the song of Moses the bond–servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; for all the nations will come and worship before Thee, for Thy righteous acts have been revealed."

Revelation 15:3-4

We are teaching brethren how to prepare for the exodus, where to go first, and when to go. We are teaching our brethren to hear the Word, receive the Word, understand the Word, and to believe the Word. We believe the number one preparation is to know the One, True God who will deliver us in the day of trouble. Saying with your mouth that you believe in God is not enough. Show me the commandments you keep, then I will know the God you believe in.

Had you been a believing Jew waiting faithfully for the Messiah 2,000 years ago, you would have focused in on the Feast of Redemption and tried to understand everything there is to know about the Lamb of God. This is why the first disciples followed Yeshua. Today, if we are to be those believers who are waiting faithfully for the Messiah’s return, then we should focus in on the Feast of Tabernacles and want to know everything there is to know about the subject of Restoration and the Greater Exodus.

That is what we are endeavoring to do. No matter when the Great Tribulation comes, we intend to be prepared with our lamps and flasks of oil. Anointing oil also works as fuel for a lamp. Given the growing number of brethren who are faithful to share with this ministry on a continuing basis, I believe they are not only agreeing with our message; I believe they are being moved to join that great restoration and be part of the greater exodus.

If you have been a part of this ministry in the last seven years, I want to personally say Thank You. I trust that the Heavenly gain of this ministry will be accredited to your account at the final judgment.

Pressing onward we invite all men to join the journey as we follow the Anointed One to the Promised Land.

There are certain portions of Scripture that stand out almost head and shoulders above the rest of the Bible. They tend to summarize key truths or are particularly meaningful to us in our faith. Three of those passages that especially stand out are the Ten Commandments, the 23rd Psalm, and the Lord’s Prayer. Each stands on its own merits and various arguments can be made to justify its stature. Take for example the Ten Commandments. No better set of standards has been devised by man that deals with the basic subject of law and acceptable behavior among men. The Ten Commandments are the basic rules of life. They serve not only as a standard for man before man but as the standard for a man’s behavior before God. It is from the rule of law that governments and civilization is defined. Without them, governments misbehave and freedom is lost. The 23rd Psalm, a psalm of David, is most directly associated with a person’s passing. It seems to be the great prayer of every person for their life; however, it is put forth in the form of a song (psalm). Therefore, the poetry of a song serves as the melody of life. Maybe this is why funerals and memorial services use this psalm to comfort and soothe the grief of loss. It reminds us of who we are and where we are going. The Lord’s Prayer was the instructed prayer of Messiah Yeshua to His disciples. It was given to us as a prayer to put spiritual priorities in their proper place. It was a conversation with God to synchronize our hearts with Him and with one another. As a stand alone prayer, it has not been surpassed in simplicity and truth.

Sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Sometimes truth reveals greater depth of understanding if it can be viewed from a different angle. Sometimes, something with great beauty can be seen even more so in the light spectrum of many truths. Such is the case of these Scriptures. The following table lists the Ten Commandments and offers parallel thoughts provided by the 23rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer. Beginning with each commandment, hear the words of the psalm and follow through the words of Messiah Yeshua as He instructed us to pray. An amazing mystery is revealed. You will never look at these different passages the same way again.

I am the LORD Thy God – The LORD is my Shepherd – Our Father

Moses was instructed by God to use a shepherd’s staff to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. King David was a shepherd as a boy in his father’s house. This was his training to be a king in Israel. When the Good Shepherd, Yeshua, came to Israel, He instructed us how to know and believe in His Father, the LORD our God.

Thou shalt have no other Gods – He makes me to lie down in green pastures – which art in Heaven.

There is only One God in the world; He resides in Heaven. Our future is to be with God for eternity. Our future is to be somewhere our Great Shepherd leads us to, a wonderful place of peace and fulfillment, a place where our souls can be restored. Following the wrong God will lead to something other than the green pastures of heaven. My earthly father used to tell me that the path to Hell was lined with prim roses but resulted in despair and dry hopelessness. My Heavenly Father has told me that the path to Heaven is lined with tears and hope but results in joy and cool still waters.

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD Thy God in vain – He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake – Hallowed be Thy name.

This parallel is one of the most obvious and striking in these passages. The name of God is both a powerful and mysterious attribute of God. It reveals His destiny just as our names reveals our personal destiny. Much of what we do in this world is vain. We do it in our names. Our efforts are worldly and temporal at best. Walking in the path of righteousness is done in the name of God. We have no righteousness to walk in of ourselves. Therefore, when we invoke God’s name, it is not to advance our agenda. It is not to make His name common like us. It is to surrender our wills and place ourselves into His destiny. The word "hallowed" is not spoken very often today. It means to venerate, make sacred, and call Holy. To do anything less with God’s name is make it vain.

Remember to keep the Sabbath holy – Yea, though I walk through the shadow – Thy kingdom come.

Sabbath, we are told by the Apostle Paul, is a shadow of things to come. The things that are coming for us are the resurrection and the kingdom of Messiah Yeshua on this earth. Each week, the Sabbath is a practice session for the Sabbath of millennia. It is made separate from the other days by God. We acknowledge God and join with Him on Sabbath by observance. In like manner, the body that we will have and kingdom we will live in is not like this body nor this present world. We are to be sanctified and separate from this world. Of all the words in the psalms, these particular words seem the most appropriate on this point especially at a person’s passing. We view them as the definition of the temporal period between death and resurrection. We anticipate the hope of the resurrection when His kingdom comes.

Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother – Thy rod and Thy staff comfort me – Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

The spiritual link between our earthly parents and our heavenly Father is unmistakable. It is our parents who are charged with raising us in the admonition of the Lord. Part of that admonition is correcting discipline. The disciplinary rod of the parent does serve as a comfort to a child. It assures him that he is loved, cared for, and looked after. A father’s will is tested by a child's rebellion. Parents who fail to teach their children will produce disobedient adults in God’s world. A man’s will does not prevail against God’s will. The question has been asked by many. If you will not obey your earthly father, whom you can see; then, how will you obey your Heavenly Father, whom you can not see? Those that have grown up in homes with parents that are honored, not only live longer, but understand the comfort of "home sweet home." They are also satisfied with the blessings of life given by their Heavenly Father.

Thou shalt not kill – Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies – Give us this day our daily bread.

Most of the commandments of God deal with how to get along with other people. First and foremost in the commandments is the principle of love. Loving your neighbor simply can not be done if you kill him. Loving your neighbor is particularly difficult if he behaves like your enemy and hates you. Finding a path through the conflict of loving your neighbor and dealing with your enemies is not easy. It requires God’s help. Jacob had to face his brother Esau when he returned with his wives and children to the land. It is not easy but God knows how to set a table of reconciliation for conflict with any person. On that table is bread, but it’s not for the bread of men who fight and kill one another. It is the bread that comes from our Heavenly Father. It is the bread that satisfies the hunger in the soul. When the souls of all men are satisfied, the lust and want of murder is no more.

Thou shalt not commit adultery – Thou anointest my head with oil – Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Lust is a fire that can never be satisfied. A fire will never say that the last log is enough, that it wants no more. The fire will consume that log and accept more and more. A marriage that is breached because of adultery is like a fire that burns the entire house down. There must be a power in the mind greater than the lust of the heart. There is such a power; it belongs to the Messiah. He is the anointed One who has the power to build a covenant between a man and God that is like a marriage. He is the One who has the power of forgiveness to heal the harm of infidelity. The truth is that all of us have gone astray; it is called spiritual adultery. We have lusted after things that have caused a breach in our relationship with God. Yet, the bridge of reconciliation has been built for us back to God. Interestingly enough, it is the same bridge that reconciles us to one another as well. In fact, for every step that we take in forgiving others it is one more step in us receiving our own forgiveness.

Thou shalt not steal – My cup runneth over – And lead us not into temptation.

A thief always self justifies himself with "I needed it." But, the truth is that he is nothing more than an opportunist. He had the opportunity to steal and went for it. Temptation is primarily just opportunity presenting itself. It is an opportunity for wrong doing. Some people really do steal out of need. They are the ones who search out opportunity and temptation. What is the solution to this kind of need and an answer to a temptation? If your cup is running over, you are not in need nor is there opportunity for temptation. A satisfied soul, a soul running over with life, doesn’t pursue opportunities of misbehavior. An empty soul, one that is dry, drinks from many bitter cups.

Thou shalt not bear false witness – Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me – Deliver us from evil.

Evil spreads to others by way of words. Whether it be gossip, slander, or La Shon Harah (the evil tongue), a false witness against you can rape you of your blessings. Falsehoods (speaking without the truth) can harm the mightiest of men. It can suck the good out of good men and leave then despising and ostracizing any of us. To hear their words is to be kissed by evil. To be delivered from false witnesses is to know the meaning of deliverance. It is to experience God’s goodness and mercy. False witnesses tend to bear more half truths that full lies. Therefore, the best truth comes with goodness and mercy following.

Thou shalt not covet – I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever – For thine is the kingdom and the glory and the power forever.

Knowing the difference between want and need is a necessary step in maturity. Being able to say "no" to want and concentrating on what is needed is called good judgment. In the house of the LORD, the judgment of want verses need is measured true each time for all of us. In our houses and the houses of our neighbors we covet for things. But in the house of our God, things that can be coveted have been replaced with His glory and His power forever.

The parallels in the Ten Commandments, the 23rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer are compelling and thought provoking. But maybe, the greatest parallel is the person of Yeshua the Messiah in each of them. Yeshua said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." Which commandments is Yeshua referring to? I believe they are the same ones given by His Father. David, the writer of the 23rd Psalm, was given a promise of a son that would rule his kingdom forever. Yeshua is the Son of David as well as being the Son of God. Just as David was a shepherd in his father’s house, so Yeshua is the Great Shepherd in His Father’s house. But then there is Yeshua’s instructions concerning prayer by us.

Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.

John 16:24

The mystery of these Scriptures is about walking with the Messiah in this life. The walk is best done on our Father’s path, with a psalm in your heart, and a prayer on your lips.

YAVOH, He is Coming is a monthly newsletter published as an outreach ministry of Lion and Lamb Ministries
The ministry is a non-profit organization with an end time prophetic message in a Messianic Jewish context.
Subscription to YAVOH, He is Coming is without cost and supported only by donation.

Permission is granted to reprint any article in YAVOH, He is Coming with attribution given to YAVOH, He is Coming.

Editor - Monte Judah
Electronic Editor - Ephraim Judah

Lion and Lamb Ministries
PO Box 720968
Norman, OK 73070
Phone: (405) 447 4429
Fax: (405) 447 3775
E-mail: info@lionlamb.net
Web: lionlamb.net