The Carpenter who was a Farmer.

My wife and I have been blessed to be able to live in a rural farming area. This shows me much of the Creation with all it's cycles and seasons we may not always see in the cities and suburbia.

If I was to sum up all that I have learnt since my rebirth many years ago, I am not sure I would be able to reduce it to a single word or experience, but one thing I would be able to include in my perceived lists of  "acquired knowledge" is the fact that YHWH seems to love to wait.

A profound changs I believe has occurred in my life since my rebirth is that I seem to always have time now to wait on YHWH for His will to Mature and bear Fruit without my clumsy and quite frankly, obstructive and sinful efforts!

As the 31 year old paramilitary member of the Police Force that I was at my rebirth, I was always expected to take the Bull by the horns, wrestle him to the ground, solve the problem and move on to the next issue.  I learnt never to get out of the way of the bull - I would face him head on and crush him in whatever way the situation required.

Brave battle scars and good war stories for those nights around the fires in the African bush, what! 

But what of now, more than a quarter of a century later?  Well I still sit occasionally around those night fires in the African Bush, still tell stories - but not stories about the bull I battled to the ground in submission:  No. No - now I tell stories about how YHWH has battled that bull to the ground, whilst I have stood and waited on the side lines watching how HE does it! 

Do I have this waiting game down pat yet?

Absolutely not.  But I think we all need to get to that place where we begin to cry out for the Shepherd Who will "Lead us in paths (cycles) of righteousness for His Names sake!"

"Who will lead us beside the still waters."

"Who make us to lie down in pastures green!"

"Who will restore our souls!"  (Ps. 23)

That is what this time of "counting the Omer" which leads up to Shavuot, is all about in principle. Watching, listening, learning, and more importantly it is a special set apart appointment YHWH uses to achieve this work - a Moed!   His appointed time to as HE wills - not our suggested time for Him!

There are so many, many gifts that the Master has given me in my life; we may not always recognise them as gifts, but He tells us that EVERYTHING works together for the good of those who love YHWH and are called according to HIS purpose and since we are called from our mothers wombs that is an eternal promise. (Rom. 8:28-29)

But the most precious of the gifts that I have been taught since my rebirth, and am still being taught, is the heavenly concept of time management.  And that, brethren can indeed be reduced to just one word  - 'WAIT!'  

This is so absolutely profound in its concept and oh so very simple in its application - but impossible for mankind to grasp on his/her own.

As mentioned above, we are often  given to believe that only good things, good as perceived by our fleshy perceptions of good and evil, are true blessings; well this is not true - the most incredible and enduring growth occurs under the harshest and most stringent conditions - this growth is brought about through a struggle to commit to HIS Covenant within the confines of these harshest of conditions. And these undoubtedly cause the most difficult time of "waiting" and keeping our hands of the situation the "bull" has dragged in.

Brethren, I have an opinion which reads something like this:

For some reason not known to me our Redeemer Yeshua came as the Son of a carpenter and He Himself worked in that earthly trade - BUT in His Heart He was and still is a Farmer, The Son of The Most High Husbandman (John 15:1).  He Created the life around us and came to sow the Seed (Word) of Life!  

Oh yes, He was also a Son to Yehoseph and Miriam, a Brother to Ya'akov (James) and Y'hudah (Jude), a Fisherman to Kefas (Peter) and Yochanan (John) - a Redeemer to the World; but however we are told in Romans 1:18-32 that because people do not recognise HIM by His massively evident invisible qualities in Creation, HE "gave them up to uncleanness".

I do not believe it matters who or what we are, where we work or live, the income we receive!  What truly matters is are we seeking His Kingdom and His Righteousness (His Will for our Life and His correct way of us achieving that life He has predestined for those He loved - Mat. 6:33 (See Mat. 6:25-34); Rom. 8:29; Eph. 2:10.

The Messiah came to Earth to show us His Father and His Father's perfect Kingdom Rule which is abundantly demonstrated for us in His Creation - I talk natural here, not man-made.

HE came to show us His Seed principle that He wove into the complete and perfect fabric of Creation, time and life.  This He demonstrated so naturally in His Garden.  In Genesis 1 we read all about this perfect Seed principle - all seed, be it human, animal, aquatic, vegetable, mineral, whatever - even Spiritual will produce like-kind: It will never ever produce a Genetically Modified Monsanto Frankenstein mealie (corn), or an animal so full of hormones as to make it an unclean and a humanly modified freak!

Time to get of my soap box here:  But before I do - just a simple question from a simple source to you all!

If we have the Seed of YHWH in us why are we not doing like our First Fruit Yeshua did; He Who lived and died to protect, guard and keep His Torah in obedience to His Father AS LED BY THE RUACH (SPIRIT)? Or are we Monsanto seeds?  Mixed up by man and made unclean, fractured of no use to YHWH? John. 14:12, 15-17.

Yeshua came to show us that He is the Adonai (Master) of The Sabbath, the Mark of The Covenant, the Sign of Creation because, as we all know, on the Seventh day of Creation Elohim completed all HIS Creative Work and HE commemorated it by instituting the Sabbath (Gen. 2:1-3) -  YHWH did not carry on Creating on the 8th day or the 9th day - HE was Finished and it was established in Heaven for Eternity, NEVER TO CHANGE - Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 31:17; Mat. 12:8; Ps. 119:89-96 (if YHWH's Torah is done away with then this Scripture in Ps. 119 is a lie!)

To show that HE was the Creator of all Creation Yeshua even applied HIS Creation Seed principle to HIS Eternal Festivals and to HIS death and Resurrection!

• He died at the beginning of the Summer, the Passover, Seed planting time.
• The dead Seed lay in the ground for 3 days.
• The Dead Seed was Resurrected to Life on the evening of the 3rd day as the First Fruits of the Harvest, the Barley Seed Harvest - a feast where the Priests had to wave the first Barley found before YHWH and offer it as a gift on the altar in the Temple.  This was a gift of faith!

Barley is described as the poor mans, grains, from which a course and hardy bread is baked.  A winter grain that has survived the harsh northern winters and presented food to the population at the break of spring.  Barley, being more hardy and less labour intensive than its cousin wheat, did not have the monetary value or social "presence & respectability" that wheat had.

We read in John 6 that Yeshua, when confronted by the hungry 5000, fed them from the 5 Barley loaves:  

Shall we take the time to look at what Yeshua was saying to these people and what this parable meant to them of that time in short?

• It was a time just before the Passover Feast, when Yeshua would have to die and rise on the First Fruit Festival of the Barley wave before YHWH.
• These loaves would have been baked from the previous years crop, showing that His provisions had carried them through the harsh winter.
• He was given, by Divine Providence, 5 Barley Loaves - 5 being the Gematria of Grace and the loaves of Barley pointing to Yeshua as the Bread of life for the "common/poor man" (Is. 55).
• Two fish - pointing to the catching of the fishes of the Two Houses of Judah and Israel (Ya'akov) which would later make up the whole united house of Israel (Jer. 31:31ff; Eze. 26:27; 37:15-28).
• Yeshua broke the Bread - He allowed Himself to be broken; and He broke the two fishes, as He would have to break us, His Disciples from the Nations, so as to feed the multitude which would still have to come in (Jer. 16:14-21).

There is much more we can get from this parable such as the bread stays barley and does not become wheat - again we see that not all blessings seem like blessings - Yeshua promised HE would give us what we need NOT WHAT WE WANT, OR THINK WE NEED!  He is the prefect Father.

The day after the Sabbath following the First Fruits Festival, or Waving of the Barley Festival, began the counting of the Omer (Lev. 23:9-17) which will bring us 50 days later to a less extravagant but massively important Messianic Festival - Shavuot/Pentecost - the out pouring of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh).

At time of writing we are on day 18 of the count - 32 days to go.

The counting of the Omer parallels the journey out of Egypt by our Forefathers and their arrival at Mt. Sinai where the Torah (Betrothal Covenant) was given.

It is of no small matter that when Master Yeshua rose after 3 full days and 3 full nights in the grave (not a portion of 3 full days and nights as the Churches have taught) it was the exact day that the First Fruit Offering, coinciding with the beginning of the Counting of the Omar ...  Coincidence?  I think not.  Fulfilment of Prophecy and visual demonstrations of Messiah Yeshua's Divinity and status as The Lamb that was slain for the sin of the world.

We need to also look at the number of days between the First Fruits and the Shavuot (Pentecost) - 50 days - 50 is the number which represents the fullness of return. We see this represented by the Year of Yovel (Jubilee - Lev. 25:13) when every man's possessions were returned to him, all his debt was cancelled and everything in the Land started from scratch again. 

Here is a point of interest - Yeshua will have to return at the fullness of a Yovel (Jubilee) year, otherwise HE cannot restore all under His Feet as the Word Prophesied - if HE did it would break Torah and make Yeshua a sinner, and by that He would become the Anti-Christ! (Ps. 110:1; Mat. 22:44; Heb. 1:13 - a messianic prophecy by King David showing His rebirth in Messiah Yeshua - see short commentary under for further details).

So in a very simplified way we have this representation being given to us by The King of Kings, the Ruler of the Kingdom of Heaven and Yisrael here on earth in the Millennium:-

Passover represents the death of the Seed having to be placed it in the ground and allowing the Ruach to raise it from the dead and produce fruit from it (represented by adult Baptism after rebirth (going through the Red Sea achieved this for our forefathers coming out of Egypt) known as a Mikva in the Torah - see under for more details)

The more spiritual connotation implies death of self by association with the finished works of the Lamb of YHWH through re-birth in Messiah all accomplished by the Ruach HaKodesh - not by our own efforts but only those inspired and empowered by Elohim (Eph. 2:8-9).   This was seen in The Exodus as the coming out of Egypt, out from under the bondage of Egypt - SIN!

Going into the desert for 50 days and moving further away from Egypt, its ways, lifestyles and religions and moving towards Mt. Sinai and the receiving of the Marriage Covenant (Torah).  This journey gave our forefathers time to count the days and meditate on their past lives and where they were going to, because they had nothing else really to do but learn to follow the Cloud by day and the Fire by night, the leading of Messiah through His Ruach - and the whole way HE is pointing to the hidden leaven in our lives, if we will allow HIM to, then we get to deal with it assisted by HIM.

Please understand this dear reader, NOT EVERYBODY WHO IS BORN AGAIN HAS RECEIVED THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (RUACH HAKODESH) -Acts 19:1-7 (note the number 12 in verse 7 - Whole House of Israel!!).  Many have received the "Baptism" of John, that is the Baptism of repentance (Blood over the door lintels in Egypt) but they have not received the true Baptism of Messiah Yeshua - fully submerged in water in the Name of Father YHWH, Yeshua His Son and the Ruach HaKodesh!   Symbolic you may say?  Obedience I would say! (Mat. 28:19-20).  This is the first step of obedience after rebirth.  Does this save us?  Of course not, it starts our journey into sanctification though - a journey moving towards Betrothal to Messiah Yeshua!

Please understand that this counting of the Omer is a period of approach to Mt. Sinai, a period which included going through the Red Sea (Baptism 1 Cor. 10:2) towards preparation for the acceptance of the Marriage Covenant at Mt. Sinai (Written form - our Katubah) and the necessary and promised ASSISTANCE GIVEN BY THE RUACH SO AS TO BE ABLE TO WALK UPRIGHT IN THAT MARRIAGE COVENANT - not our denominational covenants concocted by men!

We cannot walk in the Marriage Covenant of YHWH Yeshua without the empowering of the Ruach HaKodesh - The Very Spirit of The Seed of Yeshua The Creator!  This we saw portrayed 50 days after the Resurrection of Messiah Yeshua in Jerusalem prophesied in Joel 2:28-32 and partially fulfilled in Acts 2. 

It would be good to note that as the feasts of Yeshua (Lev. 23 Feasts - appointed times) progress through the year they develop and produce more glorious fruits.  Let me explain please:

We start of with the hardy, more humble Barley with no trimmings (no yeast, no real preparation time).   

We then move towards the Feast of Shavuot - the First fruits of more refined and pleasant leavened, wheat bread for a more sumptuous and social meal.

Then we have the final Feasts, the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the "Wedding Feast" when we "harvest" the grapes, pomegranates, the more exotic fruits and the fullness of the Grain harvests so that we have food to carry us through the Winter in a manner befitting Children of the Creator Elohim, until the next cycle of "sanctification" begins at the next Pesach/Passover.  

But on a very serious and definitely more eternal note, this is also the Festival when the "Tares" are torn out and burnt - Tares being a poisonous grass that looks much like wheat, but is of no nutritional value at all.  Tares hide very well amongst the wheat crop until maturity that is when they are torn out by the Angels and thrown into the fire! (Mat. 13:25, 29, 30).  This feast is yet to be fulfilled, and as we so often point out, if the first two feasts (Passover & Shavuot) were fulfilled exactly as prophecies to the date and second, what about this last feast?

We need to understand that Tares are only found amongst the Wheat, not the Barley; amongst the Bride, those seemingly accepting The Marriage Covenant of the Lamb, The Bread of Life Himself.  The Barley never was, and never will be the Wheat Crop, please those who have eyes to see and ears to hear let it be so.

Another visible warning given by Yeshua here in these parables is that amongst the Wheat (Bride) are those who will be unidentifiable as Tares until the end, ONLY THOSE WHO PERSEVERE TO THE END WILL BE ACCEPTED AS THE BRIDE - AND HOW WILL THEY BE KNOWN?

BY THEIR FRUIT!  Please read The Fruits of the Ruach

So in the period of counting the Omer, which we are now in, that occurs in cycles each year, we get to sit quietly and reflectively before YHWH asking Him to please inspect us through His Ruach, the Ruach of Yeshua, the Living Seed of Life, the Eternal never changing Seed of Life and to please create in us a Contrite heart and and a Broken spirit, begging Him to cleanse us with Hyssop, through the Blood of the Lamb! (Ps. 51) - NB. Please note that this is penned by King David:

The same David who penned Psalm 119 which waxes lyrically and passionately about the virtues of the Law (Torah) of YHWH.  

This same David cries in anguish in Psalm 51 and begs that YHWH remove not His Ruach HaKodesh from him (vs. 11).  

The same David who asks for His Heart to be circumcised in verse 10 of Psalm 51. 

This same David asks in verse 12 of Ps. 51 to please restore his joy for his Salvation (H3468 - Yesha, from H3467 - primitive root - Yasha - same root as the name of Yeshua comes from).

This same David who speaks in verse 13 of Psalm 51 of teaching transgressors "The Way" and sinners will be "converted back to YHWH.

The same David who states publicly for all of time that the only sacrifice acceptable to YHWH is a "broken spirit and a broken" and contrite heart" - verse 17 - again circumcision of the heart stated by a circumcised man.

The same King David who penned Psalm 110:1 referred to above!

And finally this same David acknowledges that only once these conditions have been met shall the Temple/personal Sacrifices be acceptable to YHWH!

KING DAVID WAS A BORN AGAIN MAN WHO BELIEVED IN THE SACRIFICE OF MESSIAH YESHUA; THE LEADING OF THE RUACH HAKODESH AS THE ONLY WAY POSSIBLE TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THE TORAH OF YHWH; AND THE NEED FOR A CIRCUMCISED AND REPENTANT HEART!  WHERE IS KING DAVID, THE KING OF ISRAEL SO DIFFERENT FROM THE "NEW TESTAMENT" BELIEVERS THE DENOMINATIONS  CONTINUOUSLY THROW BEFORE US TODAY, TELLING US THAT THE "OLD TESTAMENT" WERE ALL SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE BULLS AND GOATS AND OTHER NON-BIBLICAL WAYS I MUST ASK?

We are able to repent and return to the Father, but Scripture would indicate that without a "full adult Baptism" and an inpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) we are unable to walk in or even accept the Fullness of the Marriage Covenant of Yeshua, the heavenly Bridegroom! What a massively sobering thought.

So to give us all a chance at becoming a part of The Bride, we have been given these not so "Jewish" Feasts referred to in Leviticus 23 to adhere to, to obey as far as we are able to so that we can begin to walk in His Cycles of Life enabling us to learn to WAIT on HIM and Hear His Voice so as to receive His Marriage Proposal and fulfil His Calling on our lives - then we begin to qualify as His Bride; then we begin to have a Testimony of Messiah Yeshua and begin to follow the Laws of Elohim - BUT BEWARE:  The wicked one will make war against us and we will become a target because he and his tares hated our Master Yeshua First! (Rev. 12:17; Rev. 14:12; Mat. 10:22; John 15:18-6:4).  The Wheat in the Last Days will be massively persecuted, more than even the earlier Believers of Messiah Yeshua! (Mat. 24:21-22)

We still have a few days to go before the Feast of Shavuot, 32 to be precise.  Make time to sit with Yeshua, learn His Heart, it is the Heart of His Father, and you will find it in His Law, His Marriage Covenant because in and through that very Covenant HE has proved HIS Love for us by keeping and guarding His Father's Commandments for US so that we are now free of the curse of the law requiring our death, we are now free to follow Messiah Yeshua and do as He did, like the Seed He planted in you by Nature and Creation it would have you do to be like our Master Yeshua!

Again I would implores you all to check out prayfully against the Word of YHWH all that I have said, hold me accountable please!  I too am trying to find my way home.

Shalom in Messiah Yeshua.

Bo'az