The name, Streams in the Negev/Nechalim BaNegev, came from the impression which God gave me – from before I became the pastor — from the verses in Isaiah 41:17-20. The Jewish people in Israel come from many different streams of life, most of us having returned from many different countries and cultures and mindsets to the present-day Israel in fulfillment of covenantal prophetic promises given long ago by YHVH God through His prophets in Israel, and upheld by the Messiah Yeshua and His apostles in stating that all the promises of God will be fulfilled entirely. That fullness is not yet, but is on the way as the Lord works out His purposes to establish the Kingdom of God on this Earth at the return of the Lord at the Father’s appointed time.
Those of us who made aliyah already as believers in the truth of Messiah/Christ being Yeshua/Jesus have also come from different streams within the Body of Messiah; others already in Israel who have come to know the Father and the Son have entered into a mighty river into which all these streams converge. This passage in Isaiah speaks of the different trees growing and living together under circumstances not natural to any, but that the thirsty seeking water will find drink from the God of Israel Himself, and all manner of water sources will open up and bring drink and life with them. It will be such a work that it will be seen and understood as being done by the Hand of YHVH, even a new creation of the Holy One of Israel!
This speaks of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah/Jesus Christ being glorified here in the desert and the wilderness of Israel. While this looks forward ultimately to the time during the Millennial Kingdom of God, we see this as spiritually applying to us now through the preaching of the good news (the gospel) in these dry parts, and that such a mix of people will grow in spiritual unity and love for one another as a testimony to its being clearly a supernatural work of the Spirit of God in us, and not a mere work of man or natural development. He has good works for us to do, and we want to be equipped for every good work to please our Father in Heaven. Whatever is of God is always better than whatever man takes from God and tries to establish it ourselves.
Beer Sheva has Biblically been a hospitable place for the likes of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Hagar and Ishmael, even Elijah. They found it a place of divine revelation and of true, spiritual worship and praise and thanksgiving towards YHVH our God — the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. It is indeed the “City of the Fathers”, and we desire that the true sons of Abraham — Jews, Arabs, and any other believers in Yeshua — will worship the Lord together in the beauty of holiness, serving Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
God is calling His exiled people outside the covenant Land that He promised to them to come back “home”. As more and more come, and to the Negev, what began with few, is growing and multiplying to become a wadi, dependent upon rain to fill up – many tiny streams flowing down from the mountains, becoming more and more strong as they converge into a river – a river made of waters — of people that includes all of the different people from the different streams. A thing more wonderful and praiseworthy of our God and Savior!
If we have spiritual eyes to see, then we will better appreciate that although we are from so many different tribes and tongues and nations and people groups, we are being united into one river of God that brings more life than if we would remain in only our smaller and homogenous stream. And when the blessing of the harvest does come, each seed, each person, will have multiplied itself many dozens of times–like the tiny rivulets in the Negev that, together, form rushing streams. Each small stream begins not knowing that it is going to become part of something much greater. It is dependent on rain in higher places, to add more power to the small beginnings; then joining other small streams that also did not know where they were going; and these together flow, bringing more life to the plants and animals thirsty for living waters.
Nechalim BaNegev/Streams in the Negev is the non-profit for Kehilat Nachalat Yeshua/Yeshua’s Inheritance Congregation. Just as the priestly Tribe of Levi had YHVH as their inheritance – a better inheritance than just a part of land – so, too, do believers in Yeshua – all of us are priests, but of a different order — receive Him (and He is YHVH who came in the flesh) as our inheritance; and Yeshua is the Heir of the entire Creation (and the eternal new Heavens and new Earth) and Kingdom of God; and we, as His bride, are co-heirs with Him! (Heb 1:2; 1Pt 1:3-5) This is far better than just one land within the Creation and Kingdom. And the “father” of the inheritance gives it as a whole to his chosen “son”, who maintains the whole while dividing it up among the other lawful “sons” as inheritors (in Hebrew, yoreshim).
The inheritance itself is not to be divided or broken up. If Yeshua is our inheritance, we ALL get HIM, and not just a piece of Him. And WE are HIS inheritance, and He gets ALL that each and all of us are in Christ/Messiah. The whole Earth belongs to Yeshua, and God has given the land of Canaan to the physical descendants of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob/Israel. YHVH says that He will judge whoever divides up HIS land, taking away from the inheritance which He has promised to the Children of Israel. The 12 Tribes of the one people will each inherit their part of the whole land that YHVH is giving them. And Israel is the LORD’s inheritance, as are the other nations, according to God’s will and their boundaries/borders set by Him. (Is 19:23-25; Ps 2:8) The Jubilee year every 50th year is YHVH God’s law to ensure that the rightful heirs do not lose their inheritance. (Lev 25:23-28)
The relationship between nachala/inheritance and nechalim/streams; rivers is that the various streams continue to flow down towards their destination – one river – which then usually flows down into a sea or ocean. So it is with an inheritance of a land or of a people: the promised inheritance is held down through the generations for those to whom it is promised, until the time comes for the legal inheritor(s) to receive it in full. God told His people to tell their children and their grandchildren – from generation to generation — the mighty works of YHVH for His them, that they would always know Him and love Him, remembering His faithfulness on their behalf to give them the land that He promised as an inheritance and an everlasting possession. (Ex 10:1-2; 12:21-28; 13:3-10, 14-15; Dt 4:5-10, 25-40; 6:18-25; 32:6-9; Josh 4:4-7; Ps 44:1-3; 71:17-18; 78:1-8; 145:1-13; Joel 1:1-3; Lk 1:46-55; Acts 7; 2Tim 2:2)
This is the general picture. Let’s look at it some more about this unity that is by God and of God by the living waters of the Holy Spirit.
Most believers, and also the people of Israel, speak of how important unity is for corporate identity and power against enemies, and for social order and peace. Not all agree on what that is in each generation, and of how to achieve and keep it. A house divided cannot stand. The unity that is of God is beyond all of our wisdom and efforts to make it happen. It’s similar to saying “peace, peace”, but there is no peace. YHVH God is the essence of unity: He is one – a unity – who is the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is in perfect harmony within His being. He created humans in His image and likeness; and we, too, are one: body, soul, and spirit. But we are not in perfect harmony within our being, and our flesh wars against the spirit as to what to think or to do. This is just ourselves; God is working to bring the whole Body of Messiah into His perfect unity. This is not natural, but supernatural.
In the passage from Isaiah 41, we read that YHVH, the God of Israel, the Creator and the Redeemer, calls to all who are poor and needy, and know that they are spiritually dry and thirsty, to come to Him for water that only He can give. (Rev 22:17) For those who do He will open up all kinds of water sources throughout the dry places: rivers, fountains, pools, springs! And what is more amazing is that He will plant different trees together that can not naturally live and thrive together in the same climate and soils. Some require cooler and wetter weather; others hotter and dryer environments. Too much water will rot the dry-climate trees; too little water will dry up those accustomed to more rain and snow. God says that He will plant them together, and they will thrive! The “wetter” believers will have to humble themselves and trust God to help them dwell together and thrive with the drier believers; and the “drier” believers will have to trust God to let them dwell together and thrive with the wet believers. It is GOD who has placed us together!
Why doesn’t He just give each its own particular “diet”? Let each be healthy in its own home? That would be a normal thing to do: nothing special or supernatural required! But, God says, that He will do this for Israel – and even greater, for the Body of Christ – that all may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the hand of YHVH has done it, and the Holy One of Israel has created it! It is not normal; it is not natural; it is supernatural that only He can do for His glory: it is a new creation! For others to see and know means that we must work together in love and in the developing Holy Spirit unity, doing good works together, and confessing that we do them because of Yeshua/Jesus. We will demonstrate that God’s supernatural life living in us – the divine nature – is far better and glorious than the best that natural life and works have to offer.
This is what the Lord is doing here in this congregation, and we are part of what He has been doing in the whole Body of Messiah in history and around this land and in the whole world. We have come to believe in the Source of Living Waters, drinking freely the water of life. The Lord has placed us together in this small congregation in the Negev, and we come from many parts of the world; we come from many different languages and cultures; we are many different colors; we come from many different streams where we feel naturally at home; we have many different spiritual gifts and emphases on certain doctrines. Yet God is doing something greater for the glory of His name by putting us in a place together where maybe none of us feels satisfied. But He is carrying out His plan of the ages to fulfill the promises and the hopes, where we will supernaturally no longer feel “better” in our old comfort zone, but rather praising our Father in Heaven for giving us His glory in His little “Garden of Eden” here in the Negev desert now on the way to full-fillment. (Is 35:1-10; 51:1-8) He says that others will see and come to understand that this land and we are HIS workmanship: it is all of Him, and not of ourselves. The Holy Spirit is carrying out God’s will in us as we trust Him to do so.
Jn 17:15-24 supernatural unity of God the Father and Yeshua, and us, by the Holy Spirit…so that the world will believe and know that Jesus the Messiah was sent into the world by the Father
Eph 2:10-22 We are GOD’s workmanship: from both Jews and Gentiles God creates one new man in Christ, a new creation, making peace through the blood of the cross, and the death of the enmity that had been before; and we become a dwelling place of God by the Spirit
Rev 5:7-14 unity of the Spirit among the new creation of believers worshipping the Lamb from a mixed multitude out from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation to reign with Yeshua on the Earth after He returns
Pray, and act to be part of the answer to our Lord’s prayer, and to God’s plan and purpose. The destination of the streams and of the river is reached when the Lord returns and all Israel will be saved, and with the first resurrection of the believers.
The Word of God that we have looked at shows us the supernatural unity of the whole Bible. Whenever we read a part of the Bible, we need to remember that it is part of a whole, which gives us the whole history of redemption towards the new and perfect Heavens and Earth that God our Father has prepared for those who love Him and His unique Son, Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah. Only by the Holy Spirit do we know that He is YHVH, who came in flesh and blood to save sinners, that all who truly believe will live forever with Him. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
