April 15, 2023: Haftorah - Pesach: Joshua 3-5

This week's Haftorah reading is from Joshua 3-5. Join Dr. Jeffery Myers as he tackles some very important questions regarding today's 'Christian life': “Where do we find an authentic intimate love relationship with ELOHIM without all the glitter, lights, smoke and mirrors and carnality? And where do we find authentic discipleship?"

Follow along in the AUDIO PODCAST, by clicking on the play button below, and reading along with the notes, as you listen to today's Haftorah Portion:

Lion of Judah Speaks: Haftorah Portion – Pesach: Joshua 3-5

We are obsessed with our search for “self “in this society. Everyone wants to “find themselves”. This selfishness has birthed a whole set of counterfeit values; we worship fame, success, materialism, and celebrity. We “look out for ourselves” and thereby the sense of community has gone out the stained-glass window. This has not only affected society but the culture within the kehillah. We have brought the world into His House instead of maintaining His holiness and standard all in the name of “reaching people”.

The “victorious Christian life” has become man’s victorious life, not Elohim’s! We must ask the question, “Where do we find an authentic intimate love relationship with Elohim without all the glitter, lights, smoke and mirrors and carnality?” Where do we find authentic discipleship? We have so much “strange fire” being offered it is a wonder we don’t ignite and explode in His presence…not in a good way. We must strive to know and experience Elohim, to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering. However, do we really want to know Him? Do we want to understand Who He is and His purpose for our lives? Do we want to understand how He sees our circumstances and station in life? Do we humbly yield to Him the desires of our lives or do we want Him to just grant our fleshly desires at the cost of His own holiness?

We see in Joshua 3-5, that the first words of this narrative are “And Joshua rose up early in the morning…”. He was up and ready to fulfill the task at hand with great zeal and obedience to Adonai. He was excited to carry out whatever assignment or work Adonai is doing through him. This reveals his character, a sign of being faithful, it reveals who he is on the inside.

Elohim is ready to bring His chosen people into the Promised Land from the wilderness into destiny! The Ark of the Covenant would lead the way and the people were to keep their eyes on the Ark but also maintain their distance from it. Its holiness must be kept! We must always remember who we are and who we are not! The movement of the Ark would be Israel’s signal to move.

Joshua 3:5 says, “Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow Adonai will do wonders among you. And Joshua spoke unto the priests saying, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and pass over before the people.” STOP and open your ears and hear what Adonai is asking. The people were to sanctify themselves. It was time to grow up! Sanctify means to be holy, and why was Israel to be sanctified? Because Adonai has said, “You must be holy for I am holy.”

Believers, we don’t pay attention to this command and it is harmful to our relationship with Adonai. While on one level we have been sanctified by our faith in Yeshua, this level was spiritual. This sanctification is reflected by obedience to Elohim’s commands, and a mimicking of His attributes in our lives as followers. This means that the spiritual sanctity given by Elohim’s grace ought to lead to physical sanctity if we truly love Adonai with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is the central theme of the Brit Chadasha. Trust in Yeshua has NOT replaced obedience to Abba. However, the Kehillah has watered down the message to the point it has become powerless. The doctrine of grace has NOT replaced obedience, this replacement is at the heart of the problem. This false teaching is at the heart of the decaying soul of the Kehillah. Let me state that we are NOT redeemed by the Law; first we are redeemed by His blood via faith, then the Law is under us, our foundation to godly obedience and living.

Elohim, in a supernatural divine act, redeemed and sanctified Israel on a spiritual level upon their rescue from Egypt. But, on a physical level Israel had obligations; they were NOW required to follow Elohim’s action with one of their own sanctified behaviors! The same is true for us today, isn’t it?

Yeshua HaMashiach is the true Ark of Yah. He is Yah with us. He is Immanuel – Yah with us! Yeshua is the reality of Elohim with His people. We must let Yeshua guide us! Yeshua said, “If you love Me, you will obey Me” … we don’t have any problem obeying Him if we love Him!

The people are now prepared; the spiritually sanctified are now physically sanctified and it’s time to get their feet wet. Joshua 3:6 tells us that the very moment the priest’s feet touched the water the Jordan dried up to allow the people to cross. The priests came to the edge of the water and stood still in the Jordan. The Jordan did not dry up before the priests stepped into the water but responded to their obedience. If they had waited for the water to dry up before stepping into it, they would have been waiting until now. They had to step out by faith and put their feet into the Jordan. We have to step out in faith and put our feet where Elohim desires before anything will happen.

Israelites had to get their feet wet! They had to get out into the water. What about us? How many times do we come to new experiences with Elohim and He patiently waits for us to step out by faith? He waits, and waits and waits. Waiting for our feet to get wet so He can do something supernatural. I don’t know how He does it but when we step out in faith, He does it! When we trust Him, He does it! His timing is always perfect—He is always on time! When we obey Him, we experience Him! Isn’t it time you have an encounter? Isn’t it time your feet get wet? Adonai only helps His people when they are obedient to His commands, and this is a principle the Israelites and we will test over and over again.

Here we are…this is our Pesach season, a time of renewal, new life, new lifestyle! A time of remembrance but also a time to move forward. He has redeemed us, rescued us so let us now live for Him in obedience as we prepare ourselves as His bride waiting for the bridegroom to come. Watchmen…be ready! Gird up your loins and get your feet wet…step in the Jordan, we are about to cross over into something supernatural and powerful! Are you ready to get wet?

Shabbat Shalom Mishpocha,

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Have a great Sabbath season of the counting of the Omer. We are looking forward to the outpouring at the Feast of Shavuot! Prepare yourself as watchmen…sound the alarm, blow the trumpet in Zion! Yeshua is coming! See you at the altar!

Shalom Aleicheim