MORE ON SALT COVENANTS

I always thought the account of Jael and Sisera was a ‘double cross’ and it always seemed like she tricked him to his death so that she could deliver Sisera into the hands of Barak. However when we look into the ‘Covenant of Salt’ yet again we see quite a different picture.

Here is an alternative way of looking at the account:

The verses read in Judges 4:17-22

17 However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.” And when he had turned aside with her into the tent, she covered him with a blanket. 19 Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say, ‘No.’” 21 Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. 22 And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.

Jael and her people were not Israelites, so they did not have any allegiance to that Nation, so why did she kill Sisera as she did not have to?

The answer is to do with ‘The Salt Covenant’ yet again. Sisera asked Jael to protect him, which she agreed to do. So when he asked Jael for water, she gave him MILK instead, so what is odd about that?

Milk was not what we know as milk in the Modern world, but it would be like a curd or buttermilk that would have been SALTED. So by offering him the MILK he agreed to a covenant of Salt that she would protect him. So she entered into a covenant with him and would have even lied to protect him.

So what happened to make her pierce him through the temples?

He obviously did not trust her, as he slipped into HER tent where he definitely should not have been. No one would be allowed in a Married woman’s tent without her permission and definitely NOT another man.

So he thought he would sort out his own salvation and totally ignored the salt covenant of her protection and tried to do it himself and that is what cost him his life. She could not allow him to live after he invaded her private quarters and broke the salt covenant.

The lesson for us is; how often do we try to sort things out ourselves, without totally relying on our Lord?

Every Blessing in Yeshua’s Holy Name

Pastor Dave

GATEWAYS BEYOND - GENEVA

It was not long after we came to Cyprus that we heard about a Messianic group that had a training and worship centre up in the Mountains in a village called Moniatis.

The Centre was set up by an American Jewish family called the Rudolphs and were also joined by Brother Norman and his family.

The name Gateways beyond was chosen because Cyprus is the gateway to 3 continents and is very strategic for Israel and the Middle East in general.

We got to know Bedros Nassanian when he visited a Church in Larnaca with a lovely Jewish Brother from Israel. Bedros is married to Rebekah, who is the daughter of the Rudolph's and they have 3 young daughters.

They have had a heart for Europe and especially the French speaking Nations. So on Tuesday evening we were again in Limassol to give Bedros, Rebekah and their team a send off for their move to Geneva this coming Monday.

They have aquired a large house in the outskirts of the City and intend training young people to be missionaries for our Lord Yeshua. Both Bedros & Rebekah are very accomplished worship people and are very gifted in that area.

My boyhood friend David Morice who I have known since we were both 9 years old and was also raised a JW, lives in Basel Switzerland and is now a Born Again believer as well. So I am praying that somehow these lovely people will meet up. My friend and Brother is also a very good singer and guitarist and has been earning his living for a number of years in that area.

These people live by total faith in the provisions of the Lord Yeshua by means of Ha Kadesh. If you want to read more about them, please go to www.gatewaysbeyond.ch

Their Geneva address will be Route de l'Etraz 138, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland

I still have not forgotten about the Salt Covenant that I will post later.


Love & Blessings

Pastor Dave & Chris

BLESSINGS INSTEAD OF CURSINGS

Most people are totally unaware of the negative and damaging effects that cursing can cause.

James 3: 9-10 recorded that with the mouth we bless God and yet out of the same mouth we curse men, he then went on to say that salt water and fresh water cannot come out of the same spring. The Bible tells us that if we confess with our MOUTHS that Jesus is Lord and Saviour, then we will be saved. So if we curse with our Mouths, it will also be powerful in the damage it will cause.

The Jewish people bless their children every Friday and at special times of their lives they also have very important blessings bestowed upon them. Blessings have positive effects on a child and can help with the progress of that child through life.

In the beginning God created Adam and Eve and he then bestowed a blessing upon them. Much later Abraham was also given a blessing that involves everyone who has ever lived since that time. The blessing included Abrahams Sons and the offspring that would eventually proceed from them. The Lord commanded a blessing upon Abraham and made a covenant with him which included the powerful blessing over him and his decendants.

As most of us know, Abraham had Ishmael as his first Son by the Egyptian Woman Hagar and later his rightful heir Isaac by his beloved wife Sarah. However when the Lord God made the covenant with Abraham, he said that he would bless those who blessed his offspring, but would curse those who cursed them.

I got to thinking about this and the Bible is teaching that we should bless Israel and also Ishmael or the Arab peoples. Sometimes we tend to forget that the Arabs are also children of Abraham.

This subject of blessing and cursing is so powerful that it is weaved right throughout the written word of God.

Passing down judgments or cursings on people is so negative and I realise that I have been so guilty of this myself. However the Lord in his mercy refines us all the time. I am learning that it is so refreshing to bless rather than curse people.

So here goes:

I bless everyone who visits this site and may the Lord be with you. May peace reside over Gods Holy City even as the enemy plots against her.

David