SO...... TO WHICH TRIBE DO I BELONG?

I have been wrestling with God about what He is asking me to write here – thus the delay!
Around the same time that the word ALIYAH was revealed to me I was searching the book of Job, life was such a struggle, but I was sure glad that it was not quite as bad as what had happened to Job. Still I was in agony!!!
Another book that I had my attention focused on was Chapter 1 of the book of Matthew – the birth of Christ – but the questions I was raising were about the genealogy as it was written down!
The virgin birth first caught my attention. Suddenly being single – what would it be like if I suddenly became pregnant? What would a woman do? More’s the question, what would I do?
I then researched other women who had mysteriously become pregnant – Elizabeth was easy to find, as her drama was being played out in the book of Luke Chapter 1 vs 5 – 80 along with the birth of Jesus. Then Sarah came to mind – so I checked her circumstances out – not good!!! Then Samson’s mother, who was married to the Danite named Manoah, had a similar experience see Judges 13 – this turned out quite well in the early days – I thought. Horror of horrors though at how Samson died – please don’t let that happen to my child! Nevertheless, I began to think of the reality of the lives of these women in comparison to my life – the outcome – not good!!!! What would you do?

Then the genealogy attracted my attention – what was the big deal about all this parenthood – mostly FATHERHOOD - when it was the women carrying the can so to speak!! Hello what is going on here? The women get disgraced, ridiculed, laughed at (or in Sarah’s case does the laughing herself – her desire is soooo overdue!) and to carry the baby (for 9 months, and in Mary’s case, travel a substantial distance on a donkey in her 9th month and give birth in a stable) all for only the fathers to be mentioned!!!! Hello – except for the following women – but wait a minute – LOOK WHO THEY ARE!! What kind of a life did they have?

The genealogy begins ….
Matthew Chapter 1
1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ son of David, the son of Abraham:
2Abraham was the father of Isaac,……..
3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah,
Whose mother was Tamar…. (Who tricked the rebellious Judah into sleeping with her) Genesis 38 ***
5Salmon the father of Boaz (The innkeeper or prostitute in Jericho
whose mother was Rahab, who let down the two spies in a
Boaz the father of Obed, basket? Or Job 9;13? Or?) Joshua 2 ***
Whose mother was Ruth, …… (A Moabite who left her homeland to follow Naomi and slept over with Boaz under
dubious circumstances - instructed by Naomi) Ruth (esp chap 4)
Obed the father of Jesse,
6and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon,
Whose mother had been (This was Bathsheba, King David had
Uriah’s wife,…….. her husband Uriah sent to war and killed
16and Jacob the father of Joseph, so that he could take her as his wife)
the husband of Mary, (Who was pledged to Joseph, a righteous
of whom was born Jesus, man, who planned to divorce her quietly
who is called Christ. to save her from public disgrace!)
17Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

The Christ (Greek) and the Messiah (Hebrew) both mean - the Anointed One.
*** notice the scarlet thread!!!

Wow!!! I will say it backwards – WOW!!!

Who would want the job? Even if you have found favour with God – how about living the rest of your life amongst your judgmental fiancé/husband/boyfriend, family and friends who constantly have to help you feed the little *&@! mite! The gift from God!!

Wonder why I was thinking this way! Well I had clearly been given a revelation that I would end up just like Mary!!!! What a great time to tell me – single Mum with two kids – you know what I was going through!! I mean how ridiculous was this message???
Ok I thought, so if that is your side of the deal, what is my side of the deal?
How would it work? How would I cope? How would I know what to do? At least the others (Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth – they all had a boyfriend or husband – I did not!) It was ludicrous!!

This conversation with God went on for quite awhile and eventually I asked – okay so……. To which tribe do I belong?
JUDAH – came the reply!
Oh well that could be good or it could be bad – what exactly does it mean? Now I really needed a Jewish friend to explain all this to me …….

11 January 2008 – 5am

Revelation 21 vs 2 – 5

2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
5He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.
Verse 22 -26
22I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it. 25On no day will the gates ever be shut, for their will be no night there. 26The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it.
Verse 6 & 7
6He said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who OVERCOMES WILL INHERIT ALL THIS, AND I WILL BE HIS GOD AND HE WILL BE MY SON.
1 John 3
2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears (or when it is made known), we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. …..
6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.
7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is RIGHT IS RIGHTEOUS, just as HE IS RIGHTEOUS. ….
9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God.
1 John 4 ……
16God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
1 John 5
3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world……..
1 John 2
20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
21I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth……
27As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real,……….remain in him.

…….so that I do not lose my crown!!!

Sunday 13 January 2008 6,30pm – 9pm