Inheritance

By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)

HaShem Is The Portion Of Mine Inheritance. 7

Introduction

This study will examine "what" Jews inherit as a result of being the people who covenanted with HaShem. In this study we shall see that the Jews will inherit three major things: The land of Israel, the Torah, and the Gentiles.

The Land As An Inheritance

Lets start by examining what Paul says about our inheritance:

Galatians 3:15-18 Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Mashiach. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

Paul emphasizes that our inheritance is related to the promise he made to Abraham. So, we need to examine "what" was promised to Abraham:

Genesis 12:7 And HaShem appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto HaShem, who appeared unto him.

From the above passage, we can see that what was promised to Abraham was LAND. So, in our Galatians passage we can see that what Jews inherit is the land promised to Abraham. The land promised was greater Israel.

The writer to the Bereans (Hebrews) reiterates that the land is what was promised as an inheritance to Abraham and to the rest of HaShem's people:

Bereans (Hebrews) 11:8-16 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Paul does not stop with Galatians. He emphasizes our inheritance in:

Ephesians 1:11-16 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, In order that we, who were the first to hope in Mashiach ^[1], might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Mashiach when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory. For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Yeshua and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

Here, Paul indicates that the purpose of the sending of the Holy Spirit is to guarantee that we will receive our portion of the land. Those who join the covenant are those that will inherit the land. This is the primary purpose of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:1-7 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children And live a life of love, just as Mashiach loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Mashiach and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

Now Paul is emphasizing that our inheritance in the land of Israel is also an inheritance in the kingdom of Mashiach.^[2] This brings home a very serious implication: The kingdom of Mashiach is on Earth! His kingdom is not in Heaven.

Colossians 1:1-12 Paul, an apostle of Mashiach Yeshua by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the holy and faithful brothers in Mashiach at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Yeshua Mashiach, when we pray for you, Because we have heard of your faith in Mashiach Yeshua and of the love you have for all the saints-- The faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel That has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Mashiach on our behalf, And who also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Mashiach you are serving.

Hebrews 9:11-15 When Mashiach came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Mashiach, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Mashiach is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Our inheritance in the land is eternal.

I Peter 1:1-5 Peter, an apostle of Yeshua Mashiach, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Yeshua Mashiach and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua Mashiach! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Yeshua Mashiach from the dead, And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, Who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

In the above passage we learn that this promised land is currently stored in heaven for us.

Acts 20:32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Acts 13:16-19 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of that country, He endured their conduct for about forty years in the desert, He overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance.

Acts 6:15 - 7:5 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?" To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 'Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.' "So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child.

Matthew 25:31-34 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

We will receive our inheritance when the Son of Man comes in His glory.

Zechariah 8:7-13 This is what HaShem Almighty says: "I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God." This is what HaShem Almighty says: "You who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were there when the foundation was laid for the house of HaShem Almighty, let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built. Before that time there were no wages for man or beast. No one could go about his business safely because of his enemy, for I had turned every man against his neighbor. But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past," declares HaShem Almighty. "The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong."

If you look at the above passage, you will noticed that all of the things promised, as an inheritance, are related to our promised land!

Obadiah 1:15-21 "The day of HaShem is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been. But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance. The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it. There will be no survivors from the house of Esau." HaShem has spoken. People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau, and people from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead. This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess [the land] as far as Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev. Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be HaShem's.

Daniel 12:9-13 He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."

This next passage details the specifics of the location of each tribe's inheritance:

Ezekiel 48:1-29 "These are the tribes, listed by name: At the northern frontier, Dan will have one portion; it will follow the Hethlon road to Lebo Hamath; Hazar Enan and the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath will be part of its border from the east side to the west side. "Asher will have one portion; it will border the territory of Dan from east to west. "Naphtali will have one portion; it will border the territory of Asher from east to west. "Manasseh will have one portion; it will border the territory of Naphtali from east to west. "Ephraim will have one portion; it will border the territory of Manasseh from east to west. "Reuben will have one portion; it will border the territory of Ephraim from east to west. "Judah will have one portion; it will border the territory of Reuben from east to west. "Bordering the territory of Judah from east to west will be the portion you are to present as a special gift. It will be 25,000 cubits wide, and its length from east to west will equal one of the tribal portions; the sanctuary will be in the center of it. "The special portion you are to offer to HaShem will be 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. This will be the sacred portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center of it will be the sanctuary of HaShem. This will be for the consecrated priests, the Zadokites, who were faithful in serving me and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray. It will be a special gift to them from the sacred portion of the land, a most holy portion, bordering the territory of the Levites. "Alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. Its total length will be 25,000 cubits and its width 10,000 cubits. They must not sell or exchange any of it. This is the best of the land and must not pass into other hands, because it is holy to HaShem. "The remaining area, 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, will be for the common use of the city, for houses and for pastureland. The city will be in the center of it And will have these measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500 cubits, the east side 4,500 cubits, and the west side 4,500 cubits. The pastureland for the city will be 250 cubits on the north, 250 cubits on the south, 250 cubits on the east, and 250 cubits on the west. What remains of the area, bordering on the sacred portion and running the length of it, will be 10,000 cubits on the east side and 10,000 cubits on the west side. Its produce will supply food for the workers of the city. The workers from the city who farm it will come from all the tribes of Israel. The entire portion will be a square, 25,000 cubits on each side. As a special gift you will set aside the sacred portion, along with the property of the city. "What remains on both sides of the area formed by the sacred portion and the city property will belong to the prince. It will extend eastward from the 25,000 cubits of the sacred portion to the eastern border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the western border. Both these areas running the length of the tribal portions will belong to the prince, and the sacred portion with the temple sanctuary will be in the center of them. So the property of the Levites and the property of the city will lie in the center of the area that belongs to the prince. The area belonging to the prince will lie between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin. "As for the rest of the tribes: Benjamin will have one portion; it will extend from the east side to the west side. "Simeon will have one portion; it will border the territory of Benjamin from east to west. "Issachar will have one portion; it will border the territory of Simeon from east to west. "Zebulun will have one portion; it will border the territory of Issachar from east to west. "Gad will have one portion; it will border the territory of Zebulun from east to west. "The southern boundary of Gad will run south from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi [of Egypt] to the Great Sea. "This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions," declares the Sovereign HaShem.

This next passage emphasizes that the inheritance in the land is NOT limited to just native born Israelites, but also to the righteous aliens:

Ezekiel 47:13-23 This is what the Sovereign HaShem says: "These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel, with two portions for Joseph. You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with uplifted hand to give it to your forefathers, this land will become your inheritance. "This is to be the boundary of the land: "On the north side it will run from the Great Sea by the Hethlon road past Lebo Hamath to Zedad, Berothah and Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer Hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. The boundary will extend from the sea to Hazar Enan, along the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north. This will be the north boundary. "On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the eastern sea and as far as Tamar. This will be the east boundary. "On the south side it will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi [of Egypt] to the Great Sea. This will be the south boundary. "On the west side, the Great Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo Hamath. This will be the west boundary. "You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance," declares the Sovereign HaShem.

Ezekiel 45:1-2 "'When you allot the land as an inheritance, you are to present to HaShem a portion of the land as a sacred district, 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide; the entire area will be holy. Of this, a section 500 cubits square is to be for the sanctuary, with 50 cubits around it for open land.

Ezekiel 36:7-12 Therefore this is what the Sovereign HaShem says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn. "'But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, And I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am HaShem. I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.

Ezekiel 35:14-15 This is what the Sovereign HaShem says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. Because you rejoiced when the inheritance of the house of Israel became desolate, that is how I will treat you. You will be desolate, O Mount Seir, you and all of Edom. Then they will know that I am HaShem.'"

The Gentiles As An Inheritance

The land was given to the Jews for an inheritance. However, there is more to this story then meets the eye. It seems there is an additional inheritance:

Tehillim (Psalms) 2:7-9 I will declare the decree: HaShem hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Thus we see that the Gentiles were given to Israel as an inheritance. The sons of Qorach also confirmed that the Gentiles were the inheritance of the Jews.

Tehillim (Psalms) 47:2 For HaShem most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. 3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. 4 He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

Finally we see that the Gentile inheritance was given by HaShem in the Torah:

Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:44-46 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. 45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. 46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.

In the next pasuk we see that those Gentiles who do not enter the covenant as Jews, or do not enter a covenant as Noachide, these Gentiles will become the servants of the Jews. Elsewhere ^[3] the Torah teaches us that the Gentiles will become the inheritance of the Jews.

Yeshayah (Isaiah) 13:19 - 14:2 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by G-d like Sodom andGomorrah. She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there. But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged. HaShem will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Aliens will join them and unite with the house of Jacob. Nations will take them and bring them to their own place. And the house of Israel will possess the nations as menservants and maidservants in HaShem’s land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.

HaShem Is The Portion Of Mine Inheritance

King David also tells us that HaShem is the portion of his inheritance. Since David is the king of the body called Israel, then we know that HaShem is the portion of our inheritance:

Tehillim (Psalms) 16:5 HaShem is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

Now we know that the Children of Israel have three things called inheritance: The land of Israel, the Gentiles, and HaShem. These are the inheritance of the Jews.

Torah Is Our Inheritance

Finally, we come to what may be the most important inheritance of the Jews. Its importance is due to its provision of life:

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:4 Moses commanded us Torah, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

Just because my father had the Torah does not mean that I will have the Torah. Sometimes a person only has the Torah as a 'morasha'. This means that if a person sweats over Torah and makes the effort to understand Torah and puts in the hours required to master Torah, then Torah actually becomes his. But there is no guarantee. Torah is not a no-strings-attached inheritance (yerusha). Without the sweat and the hours, Torah will only be something that the person can potentially pass on to the next generation (morasha).

The land, as an inheritance, has a similar work requirement. Even though the land was given as an inheritance to the Children of Israel who left Egypt, only a small percentage of that generation actually received their inheritance. Further, that inheritance is useless unless one puts in a great deal of effort to improve it.

We have a similar requrement with the Gentiles. Those Gentiles which are turning to HaShem will be our inheritance only when we put the time to teach them Torah. Without Torah, there will be no inheritance among the Gentiles.

As my beloved teacher has said on many occasions: There ain’t no free lunches.

* * *

This study was written by

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

(Greg Killian).

Comments may be submitted to:

Rabbi Dr. Greg Killian

12210 Luckey Summit

San Antonio, TX 78252

Internet address: gkilli@aol.com

Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/

(360) 918-2905

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^[1] The Nazarean Codicil is using ‘Mashiach’, without further qualification, to apply to Mashiach ben Joseph, which is not the normal Jewish way. The normal Jewish way is to that an ‘mashiach’ without qualification always applies to Mashiach ben David only.

^[2] I am using Mashiach without further qualification, to apply to Mashiach ben Joseph, which is not the normal Jewish way. The normal Jewish way is to that an ‘mashiach’ without qualification always applies to Mashiach ben David only. See Rambam’s Hilchot Melachim.

^[3] Tehillim (Psalms) 2:8, 78:55.