The restoration of Israel, all Israel: it occupies my every thought and is prominent in every prayer.  It is a factor in every major decision I make, and most minor decisions. I continually ask the Father, ‘What does it look like?  How will it function? What is my part?’

Over the last couple years He has repeatedly brought me back to the basic building block for any society: Family.  And, as I have studied. He has again and again taught me lessons regarding the many parts, but the most foundational, Biblical manhood and headship, keeps coming to the fore.  He has also brought or connected me with other men who have various parts of the answers and together we have discussed and emailed/texted/phoned hundreds of hours. We have read and processed books and teachings as we’ve dug deeper into what a true Biblical family looks like, how it functions, the roles of each member, etc.

I count it a special blessing to share one of these resources over the next few weeks or months as together we assemble some lengthy posts covering aspects of this topic. Truly, many books, can and have been written on the topic, but so many, maybe most, have a significant amount of tradition and inherited falsehoods that do not lead us to correct conclusions or results.  Our desire is to spark a conversation within the Messianic/Hebrew roots community about what Scripture really says about the family, headship, patriarchy, man’s role, woman’s role and marriage.  

This is not a change in direction for my blog, rather it is a focusing of our study and energy on the central issue regarding restoration.  Family. Why? Families are the building blocks of communities and clans that then become tribes and collectively are Israel.

Most who read here already understand the centrality of Torah and the Messiah in the restoration of both houses.  We have all been learning in halting steps and as the Ruach (Holy Spirit) brings enlightenment and understanding, but few of us have focused on studying, understanding and employing Biblical manhood toward building a proper family. Many of the inherent features of a Biblical family are overlooked or ignored due to western cultural filters and false traditions.  Correcting this area will immediately begin to gel us as a people, but it will not be easy. Indeed, it is the very essence of passing under the rod and being brought into the bond of the covenant. It is coming into total submission to the Father and His Torah.

As we begin this journey, we will rely solely on the Scriptures for the light of Truth. We may consider external sources and evaluate them against Scripture, but the final authority for faith and practise is Scripture with the Torah as the foundation.

For men who read this series, you will be challenged to stand up and take responsibility for yourself, your woman and your children. You will have to address lacadaisical leadership attitudes, weak spines and abdicated authority. Ladies, this series is going to challenge everything you have been taught by our Western feminist culture and the daily tendrils that seek to snare you through social media, tv, music and movies.  You will be challenged to be deeply introspective and dig out roots of false traditions and doctrines that feed manipulation and control tendencies as well as selfishness and jealousy.

Be encouraged, though. This is a very challenging journey, not without significant emotional peril, but the destination in the near term is a closer relationship and walk in your marriage, blessings from Yah for obedience, and fruit of joy and peace that only those in the closest walk with the Father can experience. In the more distant term, it is becoming the people Yah desires to return to the Land.  His Word promises that He is not bringing back rebellion or disobedience. Therefore, we can willingly really dig in and understand His plan and purpose and be obedient to it, or we can miss blessings and potentially, miss the Land.

I do not know about you, but my family and closest associates have been heading this way for a while. It has not been easy.  We have had to address sin in our own hearts and, for the men, the sin exposed in our families. We are not ‘there’ yet, but we are beginning to see fruit and gain deeper understanding of Scripture and a clearer vision of the restoration.

Join us on this journey.  Be active in the discussion/comments section. Email questions privately if you need to.  We desire to interact and wrestle with the truth, and are happy to be challenged. Our desire is to be Biblically truthful and solidly represent the Scriptures.

A final note of introduction: Jeremy Guiton, close friend and fellow sojourner, will be authoring or co-authoring a significant portion of this series as we work together to share our hearts for headship and Biblical families.  The Father has been teaching him headship for more than six years and he brings a great deal of wisdom and understanding to the table. His journey to Torah is more recent and he has marveled at the generosity of Elohim to show him the deeper truths to what he has learned concerning headship and Biblical family practice.  I am honored to call him friend and at times, counselor. I look forward to sharing him with you on this blog.

Part 1 here