“I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
Many years ago I was listening to a Messianic Jew and gentile discuss the Biblical roots of the Christian faith on a talk radio show. A woman called in and stated, “If I had known Jesus was Jewish, I would not have become a Christian.”
Anti-semitism.
When our family began celebrating the Feasts of the LORD in Leviticus 23 along with Purim and Hanukkah, we were asked if we were becoming ‘Jewish.’ What is wrong with becoming ‘Jewish’ when all of our Scriptures were written by Jews and our Savior is Jewish? What’s wrong with looking ‘Jewish’ when Sha’ul commended the Thessalonians for being imitators of those Jewish congregations that are united in Messiah Yeshua (1 Thessalonians 2:14).
Anti-semitism.
In the past few years I hear many say that we shouldn’t listen to the rabbis, the sages or the Jewish people because they added to Torah, they created the Talmud, and they don’t know Messiah. I often wonder if these same people realize from where these Jewish men developed their rules and regulations. They had a heart to obey Adonai even in the smallest ‘jot and tittle’ so they spent hours, days, months, and years studying God’s commandments. Their intention was not to add burdens, but to honor God. Unfortunately, when their rules were considered equal to God’s commandments, they did become burdensome. But, they were just men trying to obey Adonai to the best intent of their heart, mind, and soul.
Anti-semitism.
Anti-semitism is a disease lurking in the darkness of this world, but when it appears in the lives of those who carry the Light of Yeshua, it needs to be dealt with however subtle it may appear to be. It is anti-semitism to believe that the myriads of Christian denominations, Hebrew Roots groups, Torah Observant groups, and the plethora of other religious delineations have greater understanding of the God of Israel than the Jewish people (John 4:22).
The Word of God says the Jewish people have a veil over their eyes (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). It needs to be removed, not judged. The only One who can remove the veil is Yeshua. For those who know his salvation, it is anti-semitism to keep that salvation from even one of ‘lost sheep of the House of Israel.’
Without the Jewish people, there would be no covenants, no promises, no Word of God written on pages between leather covers or on iPhones. To read the Bible and not love the people who wrote it and gave their lives to protect it is anti-semitism.
Anti-semitism
Anti-semitism in the heart of Antiochus Ephiphanes led to the near destruction of the Jewish people, their Torah, and their Temple. But our great God, Adonai Elohim, empowered a mighty deliverer. Judah Maccabee, along with a small army of courageous, spiritual men, brought his brothers and sisters victory over anti-semitism and restored the Jewish people to their Land, their Biblical culture, and their Temple.
Anti-semitism in the heart of Haman, a descendant of the Amalekites, led to the near destruction of the Jewish people. But our great God, Yahweh Elohim, through the faithfulness of the humble Persian Queen Esther, along with everyone in the provinces around the empire who prayed and fasted for three days and nights, gave His people victory over death and anti-semitism. He eventually returned them to the Promised Land where Nehemiah and Ezra rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and the restored the Temple.
Anti-semitism in the hearts of those who claim to follow Yeshua will bring about the same desire for the destruction of God’s people. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!” (Hebrews 10:31).
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