The Shofar Newsletter
THE SHOFAR Newsletter of Bet Yeshurun Messianic Assembly
Good News for the Assembly of Bet Yeshurun
No. 1611 / January 11, 2025
2025 Gatherings (doors open at time shown; services start at 3:00 pm)
1/17 Chodesh (Celebrating the 11th month of the Divine Year) * 1:00 pm
1/18 Praise & Worship Sabbath Services 1:30 pm
1/25 Praise & Worship Sabbath Services 1:30 pm
2/1 Praise & Worship Sabbath Services 1:30 pm
2/8 Praise & Worship Sabbath Services 1:30 pm
2/15 Praise & Worship Sabbath Services 1:30 pm
2/16 Chodesh (Celebrating the 12th month of the Divine Year) * 2:30 pm
*A Holy Day like Sabbaths (a day for no work)
2025 Schedule for Reading the Bible in One-Year
Brit Cha’Dasha; Marqos (Defence) Gospel of Mark
1/1 - Chapters 8 – 9 1/2 - Chapters 10 – 11 1/3 - Chapters 12 – 13
1/4 – Chapter 14 1/5 - Chapters 15 – 16
Brit Cha’Dasha; Luqas (Illuminating) Gospel of Luke
1/6 - Chapter 1 1/7 - Chapters 2 – 3 1/8 - Chapters 4 – 5
1/9 - Chapters 6 – 7 1/10 - Chapters 8 – 9 1/11 - Chapters 10 – 11
1/12 - Chapters 12 – 13 1/13 - Chapters 14 – 16 1/14 - Chapters 17 – 18
1/15 - Chapters 19 – 20 1/16 - Chapters 21 – 22 1/17 - Chapters 23 – 24
Brit Cha’Dasha; Yochanan (Yah has Favoured) Gospel of John
1/18 - Chapters 1 – 2 1/19 - Chapters 3 – 4 1/20 - Chapters 5 – 6
1/21 - Chapters 7 – 8 1/22 - Chapters 9 – 10 1/23 - Chapters 11 – 12
1/24 - Chapters 13 – 15 1/25 - Chapters 16 – 18 1/26 - Chapters 19 – 21
Brit Cha’Dasha; Ma’Asheh (Actions) Acts of Apostles
1/27 - Chapters 1 – 3 1/28 - Chapters 4 – 6 1/29 - Chapters 7 – 8
1/30 - Chapters 9 – 10 1/31 - Chapters 11 – 13 2/1 - Chapters 14 – 15
2/2 - Chapters 16 – 17 2/3 - Chapters 18 – 20 2/4 - Chapters 21 – 23
2/5 - Chapters 24 – 26 2/6 - Chapters 27 – 28
Brit Cha’Dasha; Galatiyim (Of the Gauls) Paul’s Letter to Galatians
2/7 - Chapters 1 – 3 2/8 - Chapters 4 – 6
Brit Cha’Dasha; Tas’Loniqim 1 (Victory of Falsity) Paul’s 1st Letter to Thessalonians
2/9 - Chapters 1 – 5
Brit Cha’Dasha; Tas’Loniqim 2 (Victory of Falsity) Paul’s 2nd Letter to Thessalonians
2/10 - Chapters 1 – 3
Tabernacle Invitation
Interested in joining Bet Yeshurun Assembly? Please contact Pastor ObadiYah by email, telephone, mail, or in person at a gathering of Yahushuah’s Body.
On Disunity
(Exodus 20:14 KJV) "Thou shalt not commit adultery!”
Parental Advisory – Parents may wish to discuss this article on that command of YAHUAH with their children. It’s built on pastor ObadiYah’s 2014 Bible study for Bet Yeshurun (BYA) regarding the adult relationships that’s covered in this lesson of Yahushuah: (Matthew 5:31-32) “It has been said, ‘Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.’ But I say, whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery.”
While our last two articles focused on physical and spiritual adultery, this one looks at Scripture for guidance regarding divorce. The last passage speaks of acts that cause disunity among families with perhaps none inflicting more harm than divorce. So prevalent in America, few families haven’t felt the effects of a marital breakdown. Yet the Word teaches: Do not divorce except for the cause of fornication! (Matthew 19:3-8) Pharisees came to tempt Him saying, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” He answered, “Have you not read, He who made them at the beginning, made them male and female and said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.’ Wherefore they are no more two, but one flesh. Therefore, what Elohim joined together, let not man put asunder.” They say, “Why did Moses command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away?” He said, “Because of the hardness of your hearts, Moses suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.”
Did you notice that question was to “tempt” Elohim’s Son? The Pharisees were Hebrew scholars, who knew “šālaḥ” (H7971; shaw-lakh') referred to divorce (“put away”). Nonetheless, He replies: (Matthew 19:9) “I say to you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except [it be] for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.”
In other words, unless the divorce is due to fornication, it could lead to a sin of adultery. Clearly, the Heavenly Father’s commandment speaks against that sin. Furthermore, YAH hates divorce! (Malachi 2:16) “For YAHUAH Elohim of Israel saith that He hateth putting away.” (Leviticus 18:30) “Therefore you shall keep My ordinance that you commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that you defile not yourselves therein.”
Sadly, many forget their marriage vows included: “for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death, do we part.” So, when Elohim’s only exception to a divorcement is “for fornication,” why do so many marriage vows dissolve? On the other hand, Believers are instructed to keep their vows: (James 5:11-12) Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Adonai; that the Adonai is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
Since Elohim’s only exception for breaking a marriage oath is “fornication,” let’s be sure we understand its meaning. Translated from “zānâ” (H2181; zaw-naw') it means “harlotry.” (Strong’s) Figuratively, it pictures people committing “idolatry” in the KJV: (Ezekiel 16:26-29) You also committed fornication (zānâ) with Egyptians thy neighbors, great of flesh and increased thy whoredoms to provoke me to anger. Behold, therefore I stretch out my hand over you, diminish your ordinary food and deliver thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of thy lewd way. You played the whore also with Assyrians because thou were unsatiable; yea, you played the harlot with them and yet could not be satisfied. You moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou were not satisfied herewith. How weak is thine heart, saith Sovereign YAHUAH, seeing you do all these [things], the work of an imperious whorish woman; In that you build your eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as a harlot, in that thou scornest hire; [But as] a wife that committeth adultery, [which] taketh strangers instead of her husband!
Recall that after being freed from Egyptian bondage, the nation of Israel covenanted at Mt. Sinai to be like a spouse onto YAHUAH. It vowed (“we will do”) to honor and obey all His commandments: (Exodus 19:4-8) “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice indeed and keep my Covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which YAHUAH commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, “All that YAHUAH has spoken we will do.” And Moses returned the words of the people unto YAHUAH.
In breaking its Covenant vow, Israel committed idolatry by fornicating with pagan gods “in the Land of Canaan unto Chaldea.” YAH sent many prophets calling for Israel to return as Elohim’s desire for His Bride is always repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Yet, the divorce came about for the cause of unrepentant fornication: (Isaiah 50:1) Thus says YAHUAH, “Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.” (Jeremiah 3:6-10) YAHUAH said also to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? She is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, ‘Turn thou to Me!’ But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. It came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly,’ saith YAHUAH.”
That’s a short Old Testament explanation of “fornication;” let’s now consider its New Testament Greek word “porneias.” It also can mean “harlotry, including adultery and incest; and figurative idolatry.” (Strong’s) The English word pornography is derived from that word and pictures the type of sin we’re studying, in other words, Torah-prohibited sex: (see Lev. 18) or “fornication” (“lewdness,” i.e. “unlawful sex”). These verses affirm that fornication can be physical: (Colossians 3:5-7) Mortify therefore, your members that are on earth; porneias, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. For which things' sake the wrath of Elohim comes on the children of disobedience: In which you also walked some time, when you lived in them.” (Galatians 5:19-21) “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murder, drunkenness, reveling, and such like. Of which I tell you before, as I told you in time past, they who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of Elohim.”
Thus, “fornication” speaks to breaking Elohim’s laws (physically through illicit sexual relations and spiritually through idolatrous worship of other gods). In fact, “fornication” can combine both aspects. Scripture has an example of the exception clause involving a king being that was forbidden to even marry his wife in the first place: (Matthew 14:1-4) At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Yahushuah and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. For Herod laid hold on John, bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. For John said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Let’s also consider the case of one who is married to an unbeliever (‘spiritual fornication’). Under the “exception clause,” that’s grounds for divorce, but Paul teaches Believers not to do so: (1 Corinthians 7:10-13) To the married, I command, yet not I, but the Adonai, “Let not the wife depart (divorce) from her husband. But, if she departs (divorces), let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. Let not the husband put away (divorce) his wife.” But to the rest, I (Paul) speak, not Adonai: If any brother has a wife who believes not and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away (divorce). The woman, who has a husband who believes not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave (divorce) him.
Although spiritual fornication speaks to worship of idols, being an unbeliever isn’t necessarily equal to worshipping another god. Thus, when a spouse professes Yahushuah as their Adonai and Savior, regardless of how they choose to believe, (and whether you agree or not with their choice - be it right or wrong), if they don’t profess to worship another god, there's no spiritual fornication and no cause for a divorce. Likewise, these often-cited grounds do not fall within the exception clause for divorce: being unequally yoked (different beliefs), insecurities (lack of money), lack of trust, jealousies, adultery, or lack of appreciation. Paul offers more food for thought: (1 Corinthians 7:14-16) “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean. But now they are holy. But if the unbelieving depart (divorce), let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but Elohim has called us to peace. For what knows you, O’ wife, whether you shall save your husband? Or, how knows you, O’ man, whether you shall save your wife?”
YAHUAH established physical marriages for men and women to be one flesh for procreation, mutual love and a life-long commitment dissolved only by death. May we trust in our POP (Power Of Prayers) to protect our marriages. And let us also never forget, our Covenant challenge is to preserve our spiritual marriage as the Bride of Yahushuah: (Matthew 22:8-9) “Then saith he to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.’” - Shalom, Elder Curt
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Thoughts for Meditation
“Begin with the end in mind.” Steven Covey
“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” Viktor Frankl