Hello to the forum:
I was raised in a wonderful christian home, and was somewhat happy with my 'christianity' until I did a few things. One was I read through the whole bible, not just the new testament. Lots of things stood out to me, and caused me lots of questioning. Another thing that I did was have an answered prayer. That prayer was, "Teach me to be obedient." Didn't expect the outcome.
Anyhow, I came to the conclusion that if I am grafted into Israel, and am now a citizen of Israel through Messiah, then probably the laws of Israel apply to me. All of them. And that is just part of why I am here. (They applied to me a long time ago, I just was not too willing to cooperate....)
I have had to leave quite a few teachings that cannot stand up to simple scrutiny of the scripture. That it is all right to do whatever I want because of grace is surely a welcoming doctrine, but the Torah says otherwise, and now I see that the new testament teachings also line up with Torah. That the Father and Son are unchanging is surely scriptural, but I was taught that the Father was somewhat schizophrenic. When He comes to the blank page between Malachi and Matthew, He suddenly switches from 'Mean and Just and Judging'; to' Kind and Forgiving and Full of Grace'. I bought it, hook, line and sinker. Had I not been sincere in my prayers and willing to listen and change, I would be there still.
And then one day in Torah study we came across ol' Judah, who gets seduced by Tamar. A wonderful thing happens! He repents! He starts to take care of his family in a righteous way! An amazing transformation! He obeys (though through trickery) the law of the levirate. And now that his heart and actions are different, he becomes the head of the tribe that Messiah is born into.
So Judah finally has a righteous heir, after wicked son One and more wicked son Two are summarily executed for their gross selfishness. Onan refused to take care of his family, and was killed for it. Pretty stark, and shows the importance of taking care of family, especially as required for widows who have no seed.
That YHWH desires righteous heirs from righteous men and women has to be one of the most important themes in the scripture. Righteous lines are listed. Unrighteous lines are listed and contrasted. The endpoint of righteous seed of course is Messiah, and either you follow Him and are righteous or you don't and aren't. And we can choose to become righteous! it requires faith and repentance, but it available if your heart will turn from wickedness.
Now why would the understanding of this result in a separation of myself from just about everyone I know in the world? Because monogamy has become an overwhelming powerful idol and is worshiped by the church much more than the Creator is at times.... Maybe because I have a sister-in-law who has no son, who if widowed and of age to produce children, I would at least attempt to be obedient by offering to marry her and to provide my brother with a righteous heir. One that would learn to take care (with me) of his mother. And this is the heart of YHWH. He cares for the widow, the fatherless, the persons outside a family, the strangers. He wants them to experience a loving family with a righteous father and a righteous mother, who worship a righteous Creator and Messiah.
I have an idea why polygyny is so hated and feared. It all has to do with authority. I will use me as an example.
When I believed in Messiah, He became my husband, I became His wife. I wanted to do my own thing, bend the scripture to fit me, and get a free ticket to heaven. Basically, I am a rebellious wife usurping the correct authority (that I chose by my own free will?) that is in my life. This authority is provided by a loving heavenly Father to me, but I would rather sin. Some language that enforces this belief--"take Him as your own personal master and savior...." I interpret that as this--He is all mine. I rarely share Him with others because of this thought. I am in my mind the perfect monogamous wife, and I am trying to force my husband to be likewise.
Now that I have tried to repent so as to allow proper authority to rule in my life, my Husband keeps on asking me tough questions that demand an answer and a different lifestyle from me. Questions like this one--
"Was I married to anyone else when you came to me and asked me to be your Husband?" Selah!
"If I sent persons that needed a father and husband to be a part of your family, would you take care of the mom's needs also, food, clothing and intimacy?"
"Are you willing to follow Me, knowing that you will be reviled by those that you long to fellowship with the most?"
"Are you willing to stand up for the simple truths in My word, in spite of the fact that you believed otherwise in the past? Will you repent of your errors?"
"Whose definitions are you going to use, Mine that are clear in the scriptures, or the 'authorities' from thousands of years ago?"
"Are you willing to stop accusing righteous ones of adultery and laying blame at their feet for the sinful choices of their children?" This includes Lot, Abraham, Jacob, Judah, Messiah, and even the Creator Himself....
Well, the truth sets us free, but it sure can produce a whole lot of enemies. And that hurts deeply. But it is a truth, that it produces murder in the hearts of unrighteous folk. All truth does that. But if the murderous heart repents (mine did), then you have found a friend that will be with you in the foxhole instead of shooting at your behind.
And these truths, all of them, sometimes causes separations in families. I know that I was warned, but it hurts when it really happens. At least I can say that here to others who understand from their own experience.
Anyhow, that is a little about me.
I have a mission to do, and a message to deliver to an unwelcoming audience. It is the message of Isaiah 3, the rebellious woman. I were one. I have been redeemed!
Ps 68: 5 Father of the fatherless, And Right-ruler of widows, Is Elohim in His set-apart dwelling.
6 Elohim makes a home for the lonely; He brings out into prosperity Those who are bound with chains; Only the rebellious shall dwell in a dry land.
Verse six is "Elohim marries, causes to settle down, the beloved lonely ones, in houses with family." Look at the rest of verse six--is He comparing singleness and loneliness with bondage?
I am praying for a family for me to take care of, a righteous family.
I know not whether a physical wife/wives and children, or simply others to teach, but I am praying.
If I had only known the truth of Torah as a youth.... Ergo the importance of "I will teach them (the commandments/Torah) diligently to my children, and I shall speak of the when I sit at home, when I walk by the way, when I lie down, and when I rise up..."
A wordy man, I am, but I have a lot stored up inside that has to be shared, and this is the only safe place that I know....
Shalom.
I was raised in a wonderful christian home, and was somewhat happy with my 'christianity' until I did a few things. One was I read through the whole bible, not just the new testament. Lots of things stood out to me, and caused me lots of questioning. Another thing that I did was have an answered prayer. That prayer was, "Teach me to be obedient." Didn't expect the outcome.
Anyhow, I came to the conclusion that if I am grafted into Israel, and am now a citizen of Israel through Messiah, then probably the laws of Israel apply to me. All of them. And that is just part of why I am here. (They applied to me a long time ago, I just was not too willing to cooperate....)
I have had to leave quite a few teachings that cannot stand up to simple scrutiny of the scripture. That it is all right to do whatever I want because of grace is surely a welcoming doctrine, but the Torah says otherwise, and now I see that the new testament teachings also line up with Torah. That the Father and Son are unchanging is surely scriptural, but I was taught that the Father was somewhat schizophrenic. When He comes to the blank page between Malachi and Matthew, He suddenly switches from 'Mean and Just and Judging'; to' Kind and Forgiving and Full of Grace'. I bought it, hook, line and sinker. Had I not been sincere in my prayers and willing to listen and change, I would be there still.
And then one day in Torah study we came across ol' Judah, who gets seduced by Tamar. A wonderful thing happens! He repents! He starts to take care of his family in a righteous way! An amazing transformation! He obeys (though through trickery) the law of the levirate. And now that his heart and actions are different, he becomes the head of the tribe that Messiah is born into.
So Judah finally has a righteous heir, after wicked son One and more wicked son Two are summarily executed for their gross selfishness. Onan refused to take care of his family, and was killed for it. Pretty stark, and shows the importance of taking care of family, especially as required for widows who have no seed.
That YHWH desires righteous heirs from righteous men and women has to be one of the most important themes in the scripture. Righteous lines are listed. Unrighteous lines are listed and contrasted. The endpoint of righteous seed of course is Messiah, and either you follow Him and are righteous or you don't and aren't. And we can choose to become righteous! it requires faith and repentance, but it available if your heart will turn from wickedness.
Now why would the understanding of this result in a separation of myself from just about everyone I know in the world? Because monogamy has become an overwhelming powerful idol and is worshiped by the church much more than the Creator is at times.... Maybe because I have a sister-in-law who has no son, who if widowed and of age to produce children, I would at least attempt to be obedient by offering to marry her and to provide my brother with a righteous heir. One that would learn to take care (with me) of his mother. And this is the heart of YHWH. He cares for the widow, the fatherless, the persons outside a family, the strangers. He wants them to experience a loving family with a righteous father and a righteous mother, who worship a righteous Creator and Messiah.
I have an idea why polygyny is so hated and feared. It all has to do with authority. I will use me as an example.
When I believed in Messiah, He became my husband, I became His wife. I wanted to do my own thing, bend the scripture to fit me, and get a free ticket to heaven. Basically, I am a rebellious wife usurping the correct authority (that I chose by my own free will?) that is in my life. This authority is provided by a loving heavenly Father to me, but I would rather sin. Some language that enforces this belief--"take Him as your own personal master and savior...." I interpret that as this--He is all mine. I rarely share Him with others because of this thought. I am in my mind the perfect monogamous wife, and I am trying to force my husband to be likewise.
Now that I have tried to repent so as to allow proper authority to rule in my life, my Husband keeps on asking me tough questions that demand an answer and a different lifestyle from me. Questions like this one--
"Was I married to anyone else when you came to me and asked me to be your Husband?" Selah!
"If I sent persons that needed a father and husband to be a part of your family, would you take care of the mom's needs also, food, clothing and intimacy?"
"Are you willing to follow Me, knowing that you will be reviled by those that you long to fellowship with the most?"
"Are you willing to stand up for the simple truths in My word, in spite of the fact that you believed otherwise in the past? Will you repent of your errors?"
"Whose definitions are you going to use, Mine that are clear in the scriptures, or the 'authorities' from thousands of years ago?"
"Are you willing to stop accusing righteous ones of adultery and laying blame at their feet for the sinful choices of their children?" This includes Lot, Abraham, Jacob, Judah, Messiah, and even the Creator Himself....
Well, the truth sets us free, but it sure can produce a whole lot of enemies. And that hurts deeply. But it is a truth, that it produces murder in the hearts of unrighteous folk. All truth does that. But if the murderous heart repents (mine did), then you have found a friend that will be with you in the foxhole instead of shooting at your behind.
And these truths, all of them, sometimes causes separations in families. I know that I was warned, but it hurts when it really happens. At least I can say that here to others who understand from their own experience.
Anyhow, that is a little about me.
I have a mission to do, and a message to deliver to an unwelcoming audience. It is the message of Isaiah 3, the rebellious woman. I were one. I have been redeemed!
Ps 68: 5 Father of the fatherless, And Right-ruler of widows, Is Elohim in His set-apart dwelling.
6 Elohim makes a home for the lonely; He brings out into prosperity Those who are bound with chains; Only the rebellious shall dwell in a dry land.
Verse six is "Elohim marries, causes to settle down, the beloved lonely ones, in houses with family." Look at the rest of verse six--is He comparing singleness and loneliness with bondage?
I am praying for a family for me to take care of, a righteous family.
I know not whether a physical wife/wives and children, or simply others to teach, but I am praying.
If I had only known the truth of Torah as a youth.... Ergo the importance of "I will teach them (the commandments/Torah) diligently to my children, and I shall speak of the when I sit at home, when I walk by the way, when I lie down, and when I rise up..."
A wordy man, I am, but I have a lot stored up inside that has to be shared, and this is the only safe place that I know....
Shalom.
