Micha'el ben David, formerly known as Michael Morris, heard the voice of God speak to him in March 2001, “When you get back from your trip to Russia, I will shut down your job and bring you to the land I will show you.” At the time he was serving as a leader for Time Square Church and preparing for a trip to Saint Petersburg, Russia to minister at a Russian government camp for children. Preaching was forbidden by the Russian government, therefore the church's outreach to the children was performed through music, dance, arts and sports. While in Russia Micha'els natural gifts and passion for ministering were so evident to the ministry team that one team member suggested Micha'el consider ministering in Israel. As much as Micha'el thought the idea of ministering in Israel was wonderful, his heart's desire was simply to go wherever the Lord sent him.

Within weeks of returning to New York City Micha'el was informed by his boss that their company was downsizing and that he would soon be unemployed. Instead of becoming distraught by this major shift in his life, Micha'el was able to rejoice, because the words God spoke to him were confirmed and he knew that God was moving in his life to bring about His will. A couple weeks after losing his job the 911 atrocity occurred and like many people Micha'el perceived God's voice calling him to wake-up to the day in which he lives.
 

Finding his identity

The Lord revealed to Micha'el that he was to go to Israel to be a watchman there. In November of 2001 he traveled to Haifa, a city in northern Israel. There he experienced a new beginning in life as he fell in love with the land and the people. He learned the basics of the Hebrew language and wrote four Hebrew songs in only one month.

As Micha'el ministering though brokenness, intercessory prayer, and music the Lord began to reveal his Jewish heritage to him, which he enthusiastically embraced. He discovered his true identity as his heart was breaking out of deep love for the people of Israel. Micha'el's first trip to Israel lasted eight months, during which he had several personal encounters with God.
 

Becoming a living epistle

Discovering Israel inspired Micha'el to embraced his Hebrew identity and change his name to Micha'el ben David. The reality of the Holy Land, where Biblical events occurred, opened his eyes as he began to realize that he did not really know God as well as he had supposed. He learned the ways of the Lord by devouring the Word of God daily, and encountered Him in very personal ways. Micha'el states that he is not called to preach by words, but by demonstration as a living epistle of the Gospel. By living the commandments he brings the living presence of God into the lives of the Jewish people and all those he encounters.

“I believe that one of my mandates to the Jewish people and Christians is to be a clear voice preparing the way of the Lord in a spiritual wilderness or dry place,” says Micha'el.

God taught him to have no mixture, to not be joined to any of the numerous streams of denominations, but to stay firm on the foundation of Scripture.

“I hope to help Jews and Christians to rethink their traditions and see the real Jewish Messiah and to honor Torah. The Torah has not been destroyed, but God honors His whole Word from Genesis to Revelation. His whole Word is fulfilled in Yeshua (Jesus),” says Micha'el.

Back to NY, NY

God sent Micha'el back to New York City in the summer of 2002, which continued his journey to spiritual transformation and eventually freed him from many spiritual bondages. His Christian family and community rejected his embrace of his Jewish heritage. God was training him in the many responses that the world would express toward his ministry. Next the Holy Spirit directed him to an orthodox Jewish community in the upper Westside of the city. Ultimately he was rejected by them as well when they discovered his testimony in the Messiah Yeshua and refused to deny Him. After 2.5 years in New York, God released Micha'el to move to Israel as his permanent base and residence in the Autumn of 2004. He planned his trip for Israel with nothing but a few clothes, his guitar, and no living arrangements. Only two days before his departure Micha'el received an unexpected invitation for provision, transportation and temporary housing in Israel. God miraculously provided all that was needful for him to accomplish what He had sent him to do and has kept and preserved him faithfully to this day without ever letting him down, even in the midst of incredible hardships and misunderstandings.

Music ministry

After returning to Israel he quickly made many contacts and immediately started to perform at concerts. He was heartbroken over the realization that many of the Jewish people did not know their God. He wept and interceded for these people with a broken heart, from which were birthed many songs that he uses to minister to the Israeli people.

Micha'el has co-produced two CD's recorded by divine appointment with Phil Rogers in Kansas City at RFM & AirDigital Recording. The first is a double CD titled, For Your Peace Jerusalem, and the other is titled, Say to Zion: “Your God Reigns”, inspired by Isaiah 52:7. The second CD still in the recording process.
 

Vision for the future

God is raising up many voices with their own individual callings. For Micha'el ben David his ministry has been for the most part very misunderstood. He is not associated with any organized denomination or religion. According to Micha'el he aspires to motivate all people to rethink tradition and grasp that Yeshua is our Atonement and Torah is our instruction to righteousness – right living before God.

“We can all know who God is in His fullness. Jews and Christians are all called to worship together in Spirit and in truth. We must appreciate our differences and diversities as children of God. I am not trying to Christianize Jews or judah'ize Christians, but bring everyone into God's ways,” says Micha'el ben David.

Sing the song of Moses and the Lamb

Micha'el explains, “If we only sing the song of Moses like the Jews, or only the song of the Lamb like the Christians, we will not have victory over the beast. Both songs must become one song!”

Song of the Lamb - Revelation 15:2-4 (Song of Moses – Deuteronomy 32:1-43)

And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:

“Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”