"Brit-Am Now"-608
Contents:
1. Malcolm Osborne: Israel Not Divorced
2. Jack Flaws: Isaiah 18
3. Steve: Letter of Appreciation for Brit-Am
4. Genesis Commentary Now Available on Web-Site
5. More on Genesis Commentary: "Breishit"
1. Malcolm Osborne: Israel Not Divorced
Subject: Re: "Brit-Am Now"-605
Hello Yair
May I respectfully refer you to your comment as reproduced below:
Brit-Am Comment: You are correct that Judah was not divorced.
It was the Ten Tribes who were.
The northern tribes were exiled because of their sins (Jeremiah 3:6-7 cf.
2-Kings chapters 17 and 18).
The exiled tribes had been divorced by God (Jeremiah 3:8). Legislatively,
their membership in Israel as a collectively obliged body was suspended.
Temporarily are no longer legally obligated by the Mosaic Code (cf. Hosea
1:9, Yebamot 17). This will change in the future
and has not yet done so though the process may have begun.
I have a problem with some of what you say there and I humbly ask you to
refer to what I say below, but also, correct me if I am wrong. Here is a
little study that I have just prepared to provide further consideration
concerning the matter.
G-d has acted as-it-were like a suitor, calling His chosen people into
relationship. There were times of greatness and times of adultery and
apostasy and to read from the book of Hosea should make this point clear
enough. Yet His determination to have Judah and Israel become one again is
presented clearly there too.
As you state, the House of Israel was exiled and we find a situation where
G-d says (in Hosea 2), "Not my wife". Had the L-rd divorced Israel? Consider
Jeremiah Ch. 3: 8 "I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and
sent her away because of all her adulteries". Deut 24:1-4 could make the
issue even more of a concern. As any former wife who re-married, could not
later re-marry her first husband again. The analogy being that Israel could
marry another god than the G-d of her fathers, and be therefore - Beyond
redemption.
Nevertheless, the scriptures do not affirm divorce, although G-d had written
a Bill of Divorce and sent Israel away [as also was Judah for seventy
years], because no witnesses were party to the event as required by His own
Torah.
"One witness shall not rise against a man [or people?] concerning any
iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses
the matter shall be established". - Deuteronomy 19:15.
The absence of witnesses is indicated by Isaiah 50:1:
Thus says the Lord:
"Where is the certificate of your mother's divorce, Whom I have put away?
Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you?
For your iniquities you have sold yourselves,
And for your transgressions your mother has been put away".
It becomes therefore not a divorce, but a period of separation such as is
represented within the book of Hosea. Even the context of Jeremiah 3
indicates that a divorce did not take place. Please consider, while in verse
eight we have the bill presented and Israel sent away, 5 verses later from
verses 12 -15, we see this profound declaration.
"Return faithless Israel.Return faithless people declares the L-rd, for I am
your husband."(read from Jer 3:11-)
G-d used a separation, is now using separation. But a divorce never. Jer 50:
4 & 5 states:
"In those days and in that time," says the Lord, "The children of Israel
shall come, They and the children of Judah together;
With continual weeping they shall come, And seek the Lord their God.
They shall ask the way to Zion, With their faces toward it, saying,
'Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that
will not be forgotten.'
This is Marriage from G-D's viewpoint. He did not take His relationship with
Israel lightly; He does not take it lightly now. Those within Christianity
who consider that they have replaced the Jewish people too in the purposes
of G-d are in jeopardy.
If God has divorced Israel, then no one is secure whether Christian, Jew or
Israelite. For if His purposes and relationships are alterable through what
we do, or fail to do, what can we rely on?
Regards,
Malcolm J Osborne.
malc@ecmod.freeserve.co.uk
2. Jack Flaws: Isaiah 18
Jack Flaws <stag@asis.com>
Subject: Re: "Brit-Am Now"-605
"Brit-Am Now"-605
Contents:
1. New Source: Did Isaiah 18 Predict British Restorationism?
Dr. Gene Scott has taught that this chapter pertains to the US. The wings are on the US Seal. The ambassadors are sent by steamship(bulrushes=sucking up water) , meted out=surveyed, scattered and peeled=large and beautiful, spoiled=quartered by its rivers. The world pays strict attention when the US goes to war=lifting the ensign and blowing the trumpet.
Verse 7 cross references to Zephaniah 3:10 ".....even the daughter(US) of my dispersed (House of Isreal) shall bring mine offering." That "daughter" is a "vine" that went "over the wall"(Gen 46;23), the one that "was lost" (Is 49:20, and the other children demanded to be let go because the place "was too strait for them." This is the beginning of the break up of the British Empire into a commonwealth.
3. Steve: Letter of Appreciation for Brit-Am
Every day I appreciate your work more than the
previous day. I'm certain The Almighty will bless
it. Steve, Alabama, USA
4. Genesis Commentary Now Available on Web-Site
Genesis: The Book of Beginnings
5. More on Genesis Commentary: "Breishit"
As you probably know every Shabat in Jewish Synagogues
a portion of the Torah (The Five Books of Moses or "Pentateuch":
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
is read alongside a shorter extract from one of the Prophets.
By the end of the year the whole of the Torah has been read through
together with parts out of each of the Prophets.
In the past we ran a commentary on most of Genesis highlights of which
went into our work, "Biblical Truth".
We have now placed our complete commentary on Genesis on the web.
Previously we had not commented on the opening portions of Genesis
concerning the Creation and the story of Noah.
We are rectifying this situation and a commentary on the opening portion
(known as "Breishit") dealing with the Creation is now available at:
Next week (God willing) we will have a commentary on Noah.
After that each week we will edit and perhaps upgrade the existing
weekly commentaries.
http://www.britam.org/order.html
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