Prepare for the Messianic Kingdom!

Being raised as a Christian, I had always been told that “Jesus is in every verse of the Bible”. Allegedly, every verse, from Bereisheet/Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 was all about how Messiah came to save you and me from our individual sins and provide the divine fire escape to keep us out of eternal damnation in the fires of Hell.

I have found over the years, though, that my perception of the core theme of the Bible has changed. Parsha Vayigash provides the perfect opportunity to explain this new perspective.

Let’s start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). To this point in the Torah, the story has covered the call of Abraham, with the promise that his progeny would bring a blessing to all the families of the earth. One of the early ways this promise manifested itself was in the life of Yosef and his brothers. Out of jealousy, the young would-be patriarchs sold their brother into slavery. They intended to do him harm, and remove a painful irritant from their lives, but it turned out that Yosef was put into a position where he could not only survive, but thrive—and be a blessing to huge numbers of people.

In parshiyot Mikketz and Vayigash, we see the restoration process between the brothers. It wasn’t easy, especially for the brothers who had remained at home. But it worked out that all the brothers were once again unified, and benefited from the leadership of the one who had been rejected for decades.

It is this theme of separation and restoration that led to the selection of Yechezkel/Ezekiel 37 as the haftarah for Vayigash. But before we get to that chapter, let’s review a little bit more of Israel’s history, in order to set the stage for our review.

Once the nation of Hebrews (with a fair number of Egyptian participants) settled into the Promised Land, the tribes experienced a certain amount of conflict that needed to be constantly monitored and managed, There were a variety of conflicts and near-misses that kept the fuses short. Then, the people of Israel decided that the way to unify the tribes and preserve the nation of Israel from outside attackers was to appoint a king, contrary to the instruction of Hashem in the Torah.

This monarchy seemed to work… for a time. Saul got things off to a rousing start. David replaced him after he died in battle. Solomon built upon David’s military successes, and built an empire that extended throughout most of the Middle East. Then, the unthinkable happened—after Solomon’s death, the nation split. Not that this caught Adonai by surprise. In fact, the split was engineered by the Lord himself (M’lachim Alef/First Kings 11ff)!

So, the kingdom was divided, ten tribes to the North, and two to the South. The Southern Kingdom became known as Judah, named for the tribe that had given them David and Solomon. The Northern Kingdom took the name of Israel, being the majority segment of the original nation. Of course, they experienced the same issue we do in trying to distinguish between pre-split Israel and the post-split incarnation, so the Northern kingdom was often designated “Ephraim”, after the largest tribe in that alliance.

Over time, the sins of both Israel and Judah lead to their scattering into foreign lands. First, Israel/Ephraim was taken by the Assyrian empire in 722 BCE. The Assyrians had a policy of displacing the people of any captured territory, moving the original occupants to other lands. This minimized any sense of cohesion or patriotic fervor which might lead to rebellion.

Later, Judah was similarly captured and scattered, this time by the Babylonian empire in 586 BCE.

So, at this point we see a situation where the entire population of Israel/Ephraim and Judah had been sent into captivity. The people were languishing, oppressed, afflicted in pagan lands. They wept for return to the ancestral homeland, and learned to repent for their violations against YHWH, the Almighty. This was the time for a kind word from Hashem. That word came in the form of a vision to the prophet Ezekiel—the vision famously known as “The Valley of Dry Bones”.

Let’s take a look at Ezekiel 37, which contains the haftarah for parsha Vayigash (37:15-28). But, as often happens, I like to start sooner, so we can get a fuller context for the regular reading. The chapter easily divides into three sections:

  • The Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones (37:1-14)
    Includes the vision and the explanation.
  • Vision of the Two Sticks (37:15-20)
    Righting the wrongs of the past.
  • Prophecy of the Messianic Kingdom (37:21-28)
    The true theme of the entire Bible.

With all that as background, let’s see what these visions are really all about.

Can these Bones Live?

The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.

And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.”

(Yechezkel/Ezekiel 37:1-3)

The prophet started out standing on a plain where there had been a massive die-off. Bodies, laying in the sun for months and years, had decayed away until all that remained was bleached bones, scattered on the ground. The bones represent the people of Israel and Judah, dry and barren in the lands of their captivity. The prophet sees the desolation, and has no hope for restoration. Only God knows whether this people will continue, or pass into the annals of history, a footnote in another civilization’s records.

Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” ‘ “

(Yechezkel/Ezekiel 37:4-6)

Despite the prophet’s inherent pessimism, he is given an amazing message of hope. Hashem promised to make his people live once again. They would live, breathe, and be restored to a vibrant culture—life would begin again for a people once left for dead. And this event would certify the power of the God of Israel.

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath! Prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ‘ “

So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

(Yechezkel/Ezekie 37:7-10)

And then, the prophet saw himself in the vision, speaking the message of hope to the bones. Before his eyes, the bones joined to one another, grew muscles, sinew, and flesh, and… nothing happened. The bones were like the original Adam, a golem laying there, full of potential, but lacking the motivating power imbued by God.

The NKJV translation reads rather oddly at this point, making it sound as if Yechezkel is speaking to “breath”. However, we are seeing a case where the same Hebrew word, “ruach” (prounounced ROO-akh), can be translated as “wind”, “breath”, or “spirit”. This makes the word a prime candidate for punning. Unfortunately, it also makes the word a prime candidate for mistranslation. But this is not the point of our discussion, so we’ll leave that topic for another day. Suffice it to say that we see the prophet calling to the same unseen motivating force that “breathed” life into Adam. Suddenly, the lost and desperate nation of Israel was on its feet!

But don’t take my word for all this. This is one of those wonderful passages where God expressly explains the vision. We don’t have to question what it all means, or guess at the significance.

Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’

“Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.’”

(Yechezkel/Ezekiel 37:11-14)

Such a beautiful description of God’s work among his people! He used the imagery of resurrection to describe how he was going to bring the nation out of the grave, give them new life through his ruach, and place them back in Eretz Yisrael, just as Adam was placed in Gan Eden. This passage is all about the regathering of Israel, and not about individual resurrection in the end times, as it is normally interpreted.

Two Sticks into One Staff

The next section, in verses 15-20 tells the vision of the two sticks. Hashem told Yechezkel to take two sticks, one in each hand. Each one was labeled, one for the Northern Kingdom, and one for the Southern Kingdom. Then the prophet was given an instruction—take the two sticks, join them together, and hold them as one unified staff in his hand.

The imagery of the staff is significant. The rod of rulership, the royal scepter, is seen several times in Scripture. The joining of Ephraim and Judah resulted in the symbol of Hashem’s ruling authority over unified Israel and the world.

Thus, we see that Ezekiel was not speaking only to the Southern Kingdom. He needed to make clear that all twelve tribes had a place in the restored nation of Israel. There would no longer be a Northern and a Southern Kingdom, but one all-encompassing People of God.

Which leads us to the final section of this awesome chapter!

The King and His Kingdom

This final piece of Yechezkel 37, in verses 21-28, should be of great interest to us! Here, we find the explanation of all that has gone before—the quickening of the Hebrew people in their captivity, the joining of the two sticks into a unified scepter, and the purpose for the regathering. Many claim to understand this vision, but almost all ignore the plain meaning of this last section in the chapter.

“Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.”

(Yechezkel/Ezekiel 37:21,22)

Of late, it has become popular among some in the Hebrew Roots community to maintain that they are of the House of Ephraim, while the Jewish people are exclusively of the House of Judah. They claim this vision of the sticks as justification for their view. However, I maintain that the return from captivity in the fifth century BCE already accomplished that part of the plan. There are no longer two political entities that we refer to as Judah and Ephraim. There is only one identifiable group, forged from members of all twelve tribes. Since the return from captivity, Jewish = Israel. There is no longer a division between the two political houses.

“They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

“David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there—they, their children, and their children’s children, forever—and My servant David shall be their prince forever.

“Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ‘ “

(Yechezkel/Ezekiel 37:23-28)

What an amazing and glorious passage! We have discovered the central theme of the entire Bible. From the very creation, Hashem has been working to create a world where every human being would live up to his full potential, honoring his Maker to his fullest capability.

Many believe that this unified kingdom is going to take place in some ethereal existence, where all of humanity serves equally before a divine throne where God himself will be seated before his worshipers. However, that is only half of the story. This passage says much more than that.

And now we begin to understand why this article started with a history lesson about the creation of the Israeli nation, and the division of the kingdom into two parts. This whole chapter is about the restoration of Israel, as a single political entity. Unified Israel will be established in their land, free from sin, and ready to serve as the model to the planet of what it means to be the Mishkan—“I will be their God, and they will be my People.” The House of David will rule Israel forever, in a state where the Torah is the uncontested law of the land.

This passage explains why Yeshua liked to use the imagery of the “Good Shepherd”. Yechezkel uses that as a synonym for “David my servant”. The term has political connotations, revealing that Yeshua was claiming to be the rightful king of Israel when he spoke what appeared to be folksy metaphors. The people to whom he was speaking would have recognized that he was claiming the right to rule the nation as the dynastic heir to the Davidic throne.

We must keep in mind that all this is not for the sake of Israel alone. No! The restoration and reunification of Israel, the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom under the House of David, and the presence of Hashem in the midst of his ancient people—all these things have a greater purpose. That purpose is to confirm, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that Hashem has set apart Israel as his own unique gem among all the families of the Earth. As the letter to the Ephesians describes, Israel will become the seat of power as the planetary capitol, and Messiah will rule the planet from his hereditary throne in Zion!

Yosef took power in Egypt, and became as King in the land. He regathered his family, and planted them in the most fertile territory in Egypt. Similarly, Messiah will take the throne of a unified, regathered Israel, plant his people in the most fertile lands in the Middle East, and rule the planet as a global Israeli commonwealth! That is the great and glorious Kingdom of God that has been revealed by his servants, the prophets.

This is the Gospel of the Kingdom of which Yeshua spoke. His message was about the coming restoration of Israel, according to Ezekiel’s vision. It is about Israel, but it has a purpose for the Gentile nations, as well. As the messenger in Revelation 14:6 said, this is the “everlasting Gospel”, to be declared to all the nations of the Earth. This testimony allows those from the nations an opportunity to align themselves with the nation of Israel, as Ephesians 2 describes. The borders of Yeshua’s kingdom are open for anyone who wishes to live under the Davidic king, according to the law of the Land, the Torah.

As Solomon said, “Fear God, and keep his commandments”, and the Davidic king will come restore Israel to its proper place, and rule the nations in peace.

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