Understanding Samekh Zayin

In the Hebrew calendar, this year is 5767. The Hebrew language does not have numbers as we have in English. Instead, every letter has a numerical value attached to it, much like Roman numerals.

Often those letters which stand for numbers spell words. Those words have prophetic meaning and indicate the character and direction that the year will take.

Last year was the year 5766 and the letters in Hebrew spelled the words "tent peg." Last year was a year for strengthening the stakes. It was a time for the people of God to become "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." It was a time for "strengthening the weak hands and confirming the feeble knees." (Isaiah 35:3)

This year the letters 5767 (Samekh Zayin) spell the words, "the clashing of the swords."

The letter Zayin is similar to the Vav with two distinct changes. The tent peg of the Vav turns into a sword in the Zayin. It is the year of the sword! Also, to form the Zayin, a crown is placed on the Vav. This is the year of crowning and glory!

This is the Prophet’s Year!

The tongue is a sword, so the Lord will touch and use our mouth this year.
We all prophesy according to our faith. Let faith arise and be unlocked!

Samekh Zayin

According to the Hebraic Calendar, the year 2007 is the year 5767! In Hebrew these numbers have meaning. This is “The Year of Samekh Zayin!”

This means that this will be “The Year That Swords Will Clash!” The Sword of the Lord will be unleashed on behalf of His people!

In the battle Gideon fought against the Amalekites and Midianites, God unleashed His Sword on behalf of Gideon and Judah. God spoke to him, "Get up and go down to the camp. I've given it to you." (Judges 7:9)
God is saying to His people today, “Arise! Get up from where you are right now. Forget about the struggles, problems, and battles you've faced or that you are facing today. Don’t keep your eyes on the strength of your enemy. Get your eyes fixed upon Me!”

Gideon and his army of 300 men were greatly outnumbered. There were so many Midianites, Amalekites and the children of the east in the valley the Word says they were “like grasshoppers for multitude” and their camels were “without number!”

God told Gideon and his army to go down and face this formidable enemy. But, He gave him the promise, “I have given it to you.”

Regardless of the circumstances you currently face: a life-threatening disease, chronic physical problems, financial problems, marital problems or challenges in your ministry; God is telling you to face the enemy this year knowing God has delivered him into your hand!

Jesus is a Jew!

The movement which began with Jesus the Jew has grown to include every tribe and nation on earth. The Christian faith has crossed over every cultural line and social barrier. Within the Christian faith, there are to be no ethnic divisions or racial walls. Nevertheless, the center of Christianity is Jesus, and Jesus is a Jew.

He was born of a Jewish mother, into a Jewish family. Like all Jewish sons, he was circumcised on the eighth day. In keeping with Jewish tradition, he was given his Hebrew name on the same day he was circumcised. He was named Jesus. Jesus means "Salvation." He was named Salvation, because he will "save his people." His people are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: the Jewish people.

He was raised as a Jew within an Orthodox Jewish community. Nazareth, his hometown, was a thoroughly Jewish village pioneered by descendants of King David. In keeping with ancient Jewish tradition, he had his hair cut when he was three years old. He kept the festivals and the Sabbath. He ate only kosher. He ate Matzah on Passover; he fasted on the Day of Atonement.

He dressed as a Jew. He did not wear a mixture of wool and linen. He wore fringes on the corners of his garments. He wore phylacteries.

He had a Jewish education. He learned Hebrew. He learned the Hebrew blessings. At the age of five, he began to learn the Torah. He went to Synagogue every Sabbath.

He became known as a Jewish Teacher. He taught the Torah of the Jews. He taught from the Holy Books of the Jews. He taught about the God of the Jews. His disciples were all Jews. They called him "Rabbi."

Later Christian theology often pares Jesus against Judaism. But the anti-Jewish Jesus is not the Biblical Jesus. He is a creation of the anti-Semitic and anti-Torah climate of the developing gentile church.

The gospels clearly portray Jesus as a faithful and deeply committed Jew operating within the context of First Century Judaism. Although his interpretation of the Torah was often at odds with that of his contemporaries, he never abrogated the Law of God. He repeatedly demonstrated his affection for his people. He compared himself to a shepherd and Israel to his sheepfold.

Jesus is a Jew. The Jesus of the gospels is not a one-size-fits-all mystic. To remove him from his Jewish context is to misunderstand him. He lived as Jew, he taught as a Jew, he prayed as a Jew and he died as a Jew. His blood was Jewish blood. The sign above his cross said, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."

How can I make Jesus my Rabbi?

It is one thing to know Jesus was a Rabbi and even to call him Rabbi Jesus. It is quite another thing to make him "My Rabbi." In order to truly learn from Rabbi Jesus we must first follow him as students. The Hebrew word for students is Talmidim. In our New Testaments, we translated Talmidim as Disciples. The call of Rabbi Jesus is to follow him as disciples. If we are to know him for who he truly is, if we are to experience him not just as Saviour, but also as Master and Lord, we must commit our lives to discipleship under him.

Just as he must be understood in the context of First Century Rabbi-ship, so too our call to follow him must also be understood in the context of First Century discipleship. His call to discipleship is still alive today. The call to follow after Rabbi Jesus as disciples is an ongoing process even today. Find yourself a Bible-teaching church and join - become a disciple of Jesus!

What made Jesus different from other Rabbis?

So far we have seen how Jesus fits the normal description of a First Century Jewish Rabbi in Israel. But there are also three distinctions that make the Rabbi-ship of Jesus markedly different than that of his contemporaries.

1. His Message: His message was focused on the Kingdom of Heaven. Whereas this was a subject of great discussion among the other Sages, Jesus came proclaiming the advent of the Kingdom of Heaven. The rest of his teachings dealt with the ramifications of that advent.

2. His Authority: Where as all other Sages and Rabbis taught in the name of their teachers and predecessors to establish authority for their message, Jesus taught only in his own name. He invoked only his Father in Heaven to validate his teaching. All other Rabbis quoted the sages and teachers of previous generations. Jesus merely said, "You've heard it said . . . but I tell you." His failure to invoke other teacher's names betrayed either incredible arrogance or ultimate authority. Thus we read, "The crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the Torah." (Matthew 7:28, 29)

3. His Miracles: The teaching ministry of Rabbi Jesus was complimented and validated by the miraculous manifestations of the Kingdom of Heaven that accompanied him. The sick were healed, the demon oppressed were freed, the hungry were fed, the blind were made to see, the lame were made to walk, the deaf were made to hear, the dead were raised to life. Miracles of this magnitude were rare among other Rabbis. But in the teaching ministry of Rabbi Jesus, miracles were the norm, not the exception.