We just concluded an evening of ‘online discussion’ and felt compelled to post this here. Online discussions are something we rarely get involved in, but a good friend was being misrepresented and we felt we needed to step in. ‘Tradition’ in and of itself is not a bad thing, until we begin to elevate it to or above the level of the Scriptures. That is when we cross a dangerous line. We are always concerned when we see Scripture being validated by tradition and commentary rather than the other way around, traditions being validated or dismissed based on the WORD. You want mystery ? You want depth ? You want hidden truth ? You want revelation ? You want understanding ? You do NOT need to go to the sages or the commentary writers, whether they be Judaic or ‘christian’. Just go to the Word under the tutelage of the Ruach and you will get more than you can imagine . . . here’s an example . . . Shalom – R & J
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL
The 1st week of April I received some insight from the Father, concerning John 4 and how it is inexplicably linked to 2 Kings 17. On Wed. April 11, 2012, I was awakened from a dream/vision and given the directive to write this down and get it out. So this is my attempt to put down what I have received so far. I am sure this is ongoing and those reading this may have verses quickened to them also, concerning this. That is my prayer….that the Father will continue giving and we will continue receiving revelation on who we are. May He give us ears to hear and eyes to see, especially in these last of days. If you aren’t familiar with or haven’t read 2 Kings 17: 24-41 in a while, this would be a good time to read it. In Messiah, Rhonda
A Prophetic Look at the Woman at the Well
These are the things that Yeshua (Jesus) wanted us to see as we look at the entire account ofJohn 4: 4-43 concerning the Samaritan woman and her being brought into the Kingdom. The key words or phrases are: Samaritan woman….Jacob……Joseph…..5 husbands……2 days……Jacobs well……He HAD to go through Samaria.
We will be looking at how these words and phrases relate to the gentiles/nations as they are brought in to the kingdom. We will be looking primarily at John 4 , 2 Kings 17 , and Hosea, along with a few others.
How does John 4 and 2 Kings 17 relate to the gentiles or nations being brought in ?
First, we have to go back to the blessings given to the grandsons of Jacob. In Romans 11:25 Paul states : “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.There are only 2 places in Scripture this phrase is to be found ( something we learned from a teaching by Bill Cloud several years back ) . When you take this phrase, ‘fullness of the Gentiles’, back to the Hebrew, it is found only one other place in Scripture and that is Gen. 48:19 when Jacob places his hand on Ephraim’s head and says (in Hebrew) “melo ha-goyim”, which means ‘fullness or the filling up or fulfillment of the gentiles’.
Where in Scripture is there a type, picture, or shadow of this portrayed ? In 2 Kings 17:24 we see the gentiles or nations being brought into the land or kingdom ( or ‘house’ if you will ). The previous verses in this chapter deal with the sins of Ephraim ( the northern Kingdom ) and why they were getting ready to be removed from the Lord’s presence (v.18) and the fact in verse 21 about the whole house of Israel being divided into two kingdoms. The two kingdoms were known as the Southern Kingdom ( also called Judah ) and the Northern Kingdom ( also known as Ephraim or Israel ). On occasion the whole combined house of Judah and Ephraim together would be called Israel. To read about the division of Israel into the Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom read 1 Kings11: 26-40 and 1 Kings 12: 21-24 where the Father states this division is His doing.
In verse 24 of 2 Kings 17 we see 5 nations being brought into Samaria which was the capital of the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim). This correlates with the 5 husbands of the Samaritan woman ( John 4:18).
The Samaritan woman in John 4 represents the Northern Kingdom or the Melo Ha-goyim. [Side note: According to some historical sources concerning the overthrow of the Northern Kingdom, it was stated that ‘ . . . the Assyrians took part of Ephraim out of the land to Assyria and left part in the land . . .’ They would bring people in from other nations they had conquered to replace the ones taken and to intermarry with those that were left in the land thus trying to destroy any remaining nationalism that may have remained]. This is also prophesied about in Hosea 7:8 ( Ephraim mixes with the nations) 8:8 ( Israel is swallowed up in the nations) 9: 17 (God has rejected them because they have not obeyed him, they will be wanderers among the nations) Hosea was the last prophet sent to the Northern Kingdom before she was cast from His presence (2 Kings 17:18).
So, as we can see through these verses that the type or shadow of the Melo Ha-goyim (Romans 11:25 and Gen. 48:19) can be found in 2 Kings 17 and actually started with part of Ephraim being taken out to Assyria and mixing with the nations there and the part left in the land had the nations brought in and mixed with them. So we see the blessing that was pronounced over Jacob’s grandson, Ephraim, taking place (the fullness of the gentiles shall be found in or through you)…Melo Ha-goyim.
Paul states in Eph.2:11-19 concerning the gentiles coming in…..”Therefore, remember that formerly you who are gentiles by birth….remember at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of promise , without hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Messiah. Therefore, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.
The Samaritan woman had 5 husbands and the one she had now was not her husband or in other words, she was not married to or committed to Him. According to verse 25 in John 4 she knew that Messiah was coming but did not know Him ( so was not committed or married yet, if you will). But in verse 26 Messiah reveals Himself to her – the Samaritan woman ( the Northern Kingdom, Ephraim) and began the fulfillment of the promise made in Hosea 1:10…..”In the place it was said to them (Northern Kingdom) you are not my people they will be called sons of the living God “. This is why Yeshua said in John 4:4 that He HAD to go through Samaria.
In John 4:40&43 Yeshua stayed with the Samaritan woman and the rest of the Samaritans for 2 days represented in Hosea as the adulterous wife and her children Lo-Ruhamah (not loved or I will no longer show love to the house of Israel) and Lo-Ammi (you are not my people). Also the 5 nations that came in to the land ( 2 kings 17) continued in their idolatry (spiritual adultery) as did Ephraim….2 Kings 17: 33-41
Yeshua came to the “Samaritan woman” at the well ( which at this point also included the gentiles or melo ha-goyim) to start the fulfillment of the reviving process He promised in Hosea 6:1&2…..”Come let us return to the LORD, He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us, He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. After 2 days He will revive us, on the third day He will restore us that we may live in His presence.”
After 2 days……” One day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3:8). In the 2nd chapter of Acts, Peter states that the last days had begun. He has been reviving us (Ephraim) the last 2 days (or 2000 yrs.) and we are getting ready to go into the 3rd day so that the rest of the verse might be fulfilled….”on the 3rd day He will restore us so that we may live in HIS presence.
John 11: 51-54….Caiaphas, who was high priest, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish”. He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Yeshua would die for the nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one”.
In James 1:1 he addresses his letter to “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.”
Here is the summation……
Samaritan woman represents….Northern Kingdom, Ephraim, ‘melo ha-goyim’ and all that it entails . . .
Samaritan people represent the woman’s children…..Lo-Ammi and Lo-Ruhamah
Jacob, Joseph, Jacobs well…. brings to mind the blessing given by Jacob to Joseph’s son, Ephraim…..”In you shall be the fullness of the gentiles….(melo ha-goyim)
The well was located in the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim).
5 husbands….. represents the 5 gentile nations brought in to mix with Ephraim (2Kings 17)
2 days …..represents the start of the prophecy given to Ephraim in Hosea 6:2
Yeshua HAD to go through Samaria……Yeshua himself had to be the one to deliver and fulfill what had been written and promised in Hosea 1 :10….”In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people, ‘ they will be called sons of the living God”. He went back to the place where it all took place.
This is a process that began then and continues until the restoral of the 3rd day …..
The prophet Ezekiel was told by YHVH to lay on his left sideto symbolically prophesy the judgment that was to come upon the Northern Kingdom [ The 10 Northern Tribes of the House of Israel; collectively, known as Ephraim]. He was to lay on his left side for 390 days, which would represent 390 years of judgment to be executed upon the House of Israel – Ephraim. He was also instructed to lie on his right side for 40 days (1 day for each year) which would depict the judgement prophesied upon the Southern Kingdom . . . the House of Judah.
Unlike the House of Judah, Ephraim ( the 10 Tribes of the Northern Kingdom) did not repent and return to YHVH and to His Torah at the end of their judgment period. Therefore, according to the principle laid out in Leviticus 26, their punishment [ exile and loss of identity… Hosea 8:8; Amos 9:9; Micah 5:8]was multiplied by 7 times. (Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24, 28).
390 years x 7 = 2730 years
The captivity of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians culminated with the final conquest of Samaria in 722-721 B.C. So when would the judgment (based upon Leviticus 26) upon the House of Israel/ Ephraim [ exile and loss of identity…Isaiah 10:21-22] be over?
The Answer ?
2730 – 722 B.C. = 2008 A.D.
OR
2730 – 721 B.C. = 2009 A.D.
We are not setting dates . . .
We just find this interesting . . .
For YHVH promised the House of Israel/Ephraim the following:
“And I shall sow her for Myself in the earth, and I shall have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion. And I shall say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people,’ while they say, ‘You are my GOD!’” (Hosea 2:23)
Meanwhile, Back at the Well . . .
Here’s an additional thought or two concerning ‘The Woman at the Well’. “Samaria” or Shomron ( Hebrew) means ‘ watch mountain‘ and comes from the word ‘shamar’ which means to ‘keep, guard, to keep watch or to watch for’ . . . {By the way, this is the same word used by God in the garden when He told Adam to ‘keep’ ( shamar) the garden . . .}
The spiritual implication is the ‘samaritan woman’ ( john 4 ) was drinking water from the well of her father Jacob and was waiting – watching– for Messiah to come ( John 4:12,25)
Hosea 6:3 says “ . . .let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him, and surely as the sun rises He will appear, He will come to us like the winter rains and the like the spring rains that water the earth. . . .”
Yeshua in John 4:6 sat down ( appeared ) at the 6th hour by Jacob’s Well to offer her the ‘living water’ she had been watching for ( John 4:10,12) . . .
I find it interesting that He reveals Himself to the samaritan woman (Northern kingdom) at the 6th hour, He was declared “king of the Jews” ( the southern kingdom ) by Pilate in the 6th hour ( John 19:14) and Peter’s vision in Acts chapter 10 concerning the coming in of the nations also took place in the 6th hour.
But I’m sure that’s all just a coincidence . . . 
And, we have in Acts 15:14-21 another example of the type and shadow in 2 Kings 17:27-28 of the nations coming into the land or ‘kingdom’ and having the need to be instructed in the ways of the Lord.
More from the Woman at the Well . . .
Here is an addendum to “The Woman At the Well”……Blessings and Shalom to all, Rhonda and Jerry
THE OIL AND THE WINE and TWO DONKEYS
Revelation 6:6 and Hosea 2:14-23 are inexplicably linked . Rev. 6:6 commands… ‘not to harm the oil and the wine’. Why ?…. it is a Promise in Hosea 2:21-22 that the Lord will give back the vineyards and they will be restored.
Hosea 2:14-15 states that HE is going to ‘woo us and take us into the wilderness (desert ) and speak tenderly to us and there give us back our vineyards. And when does this happen ? In the time of ‘Jacob’s Trouble’ or what we call the ‘tribulation’, as stated in the remainder of verse 15 – “ . . . and will make the valley of Achor ( tribulation ) a door of hope . . . and she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the days she came out of Egypt . . .” , a reference to the first Exodus. This takes place during the tribulation – the time of Jacob’s trouble – which is taking place towards the end of the ‘2nd day’ of Hosea 6:2. At the ending of this ‘2nd day’ the Lord says “don’t harm the oil and the wine” . At the beginning of the 3rd day (millennial kingdom) “HE will raise us up” and HE will restore the grain, the oil and the wine (Hosea 2:21-23) and “we will live in HIS sight”.
Hosea 3:5 tell us the ‘Israelites’ ( the northern kingdom – Ephraim ) will come trembling to the LORD and to His blessings in the last days. Yeshua said “ I am sent only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” Ephesians 2:11-13 clarifies that those who were formerly of the ‘nations’ have been brought near by the Blood of Messiah and are no longer foreigners and strangers but fellow citizens with God’s people. So whether we have the blood of one of the 12 Tribes running through our veins, or are simply ‘gentile’, we have been made part of the Household of God – The Whole House of Israel . . . ‘I am sent only for the . . . House of Israel . . .’ and we are expected to keep HIS ways , just like the picture we see, and is laid down, in 2 Kings 17 . The five pagan nations listed here, coming into the Land or the ‘kingdom’ if you will, were expected to keep the Father’s commandments, even though they were a ‘wild branch’ being put into or grafted into the ‘kingdom’ which was a shadow of what was to come ( Romans 11:17, Acts 15:13-21) .
Therefore, through and because of the ‘blood of Messiah’, those of the nations that believe are brought into the House of Israel ( Eph. 2: 11-13 ) and they ( we ) come in as part of the ‘re-gathering’ of Ephraim ( along with Judah – Ezekiel 37 )
What do we mean by ‘re-gathering’ ? Here’s a picture that we’ve not seen before. There are two donkeys in Matthew 21:1-5 and Zech 9:9. Yes, two donkeys ! (A side note here: this revelation was given to my husband (Jerry) several years back by the Ruach or Holy Spirit.)
On the day that tradition has come to call ‘palm sunday’, Yeshua ( Jesus ) comes riding into town with two donkeys – an older male and a younger male . . . the wording is quite clear in the Hebrew in Zechariah 9:9. So, what’s that mean ?
Judah is the older brother and Ephraim ( the house of Joseph ) is the younger. We see the same symbolism in the account of the ‘prodigal son’. The ‘prodigal’ is the younger brother and Judah is the older.
So back to the two donkeys. I picture Yeshua riding the older one and leading the younger. That would line up with the Biblical tenet that Judah always goes first and leads ( Numbers 2:9, Judges 20:18 ).
The Prophets Jeremiah ( chp. 2 ) & Hosea ( chp. 8 ) speak of the people of God as donkeys . . . and it is not a compliment. Deuteronomy 9:6 and Acts 7:51 ( and other passages ) tell us that Israel is a stiff-necked people. That includes me and you as well.
Exodus 13:13 and 34:20, seemingly out of context, speak of ‘redeeming donkeys’ in the same passage with ‘redeeming the first born of your sons . . . so what’s up with that ?
There is a play on words here that we miss without a closer look.
The word ‘ARAPH’ – to break or ‘slope’ the ‘NECK’ ( OREPH ) is a picture of our unwillingness to humble ourselves due to our basic sinful nature . . . pride.
Therefore we must be ‘redeemed by a LAMB’. And if there is no redemption, then we ultimately die.
But, when we willingly accept the work of Messiah on the cross ( the redemptive LAMB of our FATHER ) we willingly humble ourselves before HIM ( we ‘slope the neck’ and bow the head and heart ) and we need not fear the second death ( Rev 2:11, 20:6 ) .
So what do we have in this ‘triumphal entry into Jerusalem’, understanding that Yeshua does nothing without meaning ? We have a picture of the beginning of the fulfillment of the restoration of the Whole House of Israel with Messiah – the Passover Lamb, the Shelem, the peace offering making reconciliation – leading the way and bringing His people back home.
“ . . .For I am sent only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel . . .” Matthew 15:24
RSS - Posts