Keeping Shabbat

When I was young (1950's – 1960's) you didn't go shopping on Sunday; you couldn't because the stores weren't open! At the most, you might go for a 'Sunday drive'. Dad would gas up the car on Saturday (before noon, because the gas station generally shut down at noon with all of the other stores), Mom would pack a picnic lunch and after church everyone would pile into the car and off we would go, somewhere. Why a picnic lunch? Because the restaurants were not open either! Essentially, everybody was shut down for Sunday, or Sabbath. It wasn't until the late '50s to early '60s that gas stations started opening on Sunday, and shortly after that, the restaurants that were located on the highways opened on Sunday, for lunch only. Most generally, during my youth, Sunday was reserved for church activities only, both morning and evening.
Why do I mention this little bit of personal history? Because of a trend I have noticed with Christians all across the United States, "Lets meet after church at the restaurant, then we can go buy those new ____ you need (you fill in the blank). Is this bad? I'm not going to tell you, let's do a bit of research and I will let you draw your own conclusion. I am not wanting to get into a discourse as to which is the correct Sabbath, the seventh day or the first day; what I am wanting is to search the scriptures as to what we are to be doing on the Sabbath, what is the correct way to observe and remember the Sabbath. We can also go down the trail to see if this might be a warning to our country as a whole.
What did Adonai tell the Israelites originally? The first mention of Sabbath to the Israelites by Moses was when they were first receiving Manna (Exodus 16:23), that they were to gather a double portion on the sixth day:

22  Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,23  then he said to them, "This is what the Lord meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord . Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning." (Exodus 16:22-23) "See, the Lord has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."30  So the people rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 16:29-30 NAS)

This was before the Sinai Covenant, so we see that the concept of Sabbath was an older covenant. Let's look at that Sinai instruction:

8  "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.9  "Six days you shall labor and do all your work,10  but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11  "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11 NAS)

What can we take from this? That the Sabbath was to be a day of rest, period. No work was to be performed on this day, even by slaves, servants, children, visitors (sojourners), or even livestock. You have six days to get all your work done, and the seventh is to be a day of rest, as a commemoration of the creation of the World by Elohim, and that He had blessed and sanctified this day as a holy day.
Okay, this is all well and good for the Jews; what has that got to do with me? I am a Christian, and the Covenant of Sinai has nothing to do with me, right? Remember, the concept of Shabbat was pre-Sinai; some would even point to Genesis 2 as to the original institution of Sabbath as a Holy day of rest:

2  By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.3  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.(Genesis 2:2-3 NAS)

But why did Adonai create the Sabbath rest, surely He didn't require rest. No, He definitely didn't need rest (He is God), but He knew that man would need rest. Sabbath observance is a means to an end, not an end in itself. As Jesus said "Shabbat was made for man, and not man for Shabbat" (Mark 2:27). In other words, Sabbath is a gift of Adonai to us, a time of rest and reflection, a joyful time set apart from the busy week when we can focus on what is really important in our lives.
From the personal physical point of view, a day of rest is necessary to maintain health. "The Sabbath, originally instituted for man at his creation, is of permanent and universal obligation. The physical necessities of man require a Sabbath of rest. He is so constituted that his bodily welfare needs at least one day in seven for rest from ordinary labour. Experience also proves that the moral and spiritual necessities of men also demand a Sabbath of rest." (Eastons Bible Dictionary)
More from the physical point of view, lets look to the medical point and see what they say. Let's start with the science of training and muscle building and see what and why rest is necessary:

Most athletes know that getting enough rest after exercise is essential to high-level performance, but many still over train and feel guilty when they take a day off. The body repairs and strengthens itself in the time between workouts, and continuous training can actually weaken the strongest athletes. Rest days are critical to sports performance for a variety of reasons. Some are physiological and some are psychological. Rest is physically necessary so that the muscles can repair, rebuild and strengthen. (After Exercise Rest - Why Rest Days Improve Sports Performance By Elizabeth Quinn, About.com Guid Updated October 28, 200)

I recommend that everyone, and this is true from the beginning exerciser to the elite athlete have at least one day completely off from training. That's the minimum. This is called passive rest, I want you to sit around all day. I'm not a religious person but this is best summed up by a quote from Charlie Francis's book Speed Trap. Francis had asked his coach if they could afford to take Sunday's off. His coach told him "The Lord made the world in six days, and on the seventh he rested. Do you think you could do better than that?" Most elite athletes take at least one day off from training each week and the ones who don't usually pay for it in the long run. Why do you think you need more training than they do? If you simply can't stay still and not do something, go for a brisk walk outdoors. But stay out of the gym. See if you aren't refreshed when you go back to the gym the next day. (The Importance of Rest – Lyle McDonald Body Recomposition 03/30/2009)

Most Christians can tell you that the Israelites were carried off into captivity to Babylon, but can you say why? No, I won't accept the answer 'because they were evil'. Although this is true, I want a more definitive answer. There were two basic reasons; 1) because of the absolute evil of King Manasseh, son of King Hezekiah:

4  "I will make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 15:4 NAS)

The other reason that Adonai allowed the Israelites to be taken into captivity is that 2) as a nation they stopped keeping Shabbat (Jeremiah 17:19-27). Elohim condemned them for this; He gave them a chance to repent (Jer. 17:24-27) but they ignored this. He even gave them a promise. Therefore, Elohim had no choice but to honor His judgment of the people:

24  "But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me," declares the Lord , "to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it,25  then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.26  "They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. (Jeremiah 17:24-26 NAS)

But they refused to listen; "Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction"(Jer. 17:23). Some would ask, how were they not keeping the Shabbat? If you read the section, they were working: " … do not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.22  "You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers." (Jer. 17:21-22 NAS)
What can we take from this? That the Sabbath was to be a day of rest, period. No work was to be performed on this day, even by slaves, servants, children, visitors (sojourners), or even livestock.
What had Adonai instructed His people? That Shabbat (Hebrew for rest from work) was to be literally a national day of rest. Now, compare this to what was going on in Jerusalem above. You can see that they not only working and trading on the Sabbath, they were doing this intentionally and defiantly; remember, they had been warned by Jeremiah, this had become a matter of the heart. This is why Adonai decided to punish Israel.

There is literally nothing you cannot buy, get, or do seven days a week anymore, and depending on where you live, even 24 hours a day. Restaurants are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week; same with gas stations. Shopping malls are open every day until late, the home repair stores the same. This allows people to get those chores done at their convenience. But, what does it do to the people, physically? When you are not allowing your body to rest, and your spirit to reflect, you are 'running your batteries' down to the limit. How many of us have told our co-workers, "Man, I have to come back to work to rest". I know, I did that quite often. Yes, this is a 'cost' on the body and the spirit, that eventually will have to be paid.
But more than that, what does that say about our nation? If our nation business runs 24/7/365 full tilt, where does our national spiritual focus reside? And, what do these scriptures above say to us?
As Christians, we are not legalistically required to observe Sabbath, we are free to choose. The institution of Shabbat itself merely foreshadowed the greater redemptive freedom we now have in Jesus (Heb 10:1). Love ultimately is a choice. Before salvation we were not free to live apart from sin; now we are free to choose the path of righteousness. Adonai will give us all wisdom and grace if we ask Him to guide us in the way.

The Feasts of the Lord

Beginning at sundown this Friday evening is the start of the High Holy day in the Jewish calendar; Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement. Two weeks ago I wrote a post about the Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teru'ah or Rosh Hoshana (see Days of Awe, Sept. 3). Some may ask why we as Christians should even care about the Feast or Holidays of the Jewish faith, and not too long ago I might have agreed with them. But, again not too long ago, my eyes were opened to the prophetic pictures that were laid out by God when He gave these feasts to the Children of Israel.

Leviticus Chapter23 lists the Feasts of the Lord. You will notice that there are eight festivals or feasts listed. Some will argue with me and say that there are only seven feasts, but notice that He lists Shabbat (Sabbath) as the first and the most important. It is so important He listed it as the fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11), right after 1) I am the Lord your God, you shall have not other gods before me, 2) Don't make any graven images, or bow down to them 3) don't use my name in vain or vulgar usage 4) remember the Sabbath. It's that important to God that He makes sure his people understand the most important Feast/Holy day comes every seven days.

The Greeks understood this when they tried to Hellenize Israel during the second Temple period. During that time they forbade the use of the Jewish Calendar on the theory that if you don't know what day it is, you don't know when to worship. Not realizing that every priest knew the calendar by heart and could reproduce it on demand. Also, the Greeks were unable to stop the cycle of the Moon or the seasons, and all farmers know that better than anyone. The Jewish calendar is on a Lunar schedule, and looks like this:

This is the more common design for the Jewish calendar in that it can slide the Gregorian (common calendar that we use) around inside the Jewish. The notes around the outside point out the various feasts. Starting in the First Month (Nisan - *Note here, all of the names of the months listed are essentially Babylonian in nature. If you read through the Old Testament or Torah you will not find a month named, it will be identified as a number of the month) on through the 12^th month, with the 13^th short month which was added every 6^th year which allowed them to fudge the days forward or back as needed to get the days in align; as the calendar is based on the moons schedule not the suns.

By looking at the calendar, you might notice something else; all the feasts fall into two specific time periods Spring and Fall. For an agrarian society, this could really make sense, as most of the work will have already been done and you would have time to do the celebrating. But I feel God had a better reason, here He was giving a big hint about His plan of Salvation, Redemption and the coming of our Lord Yeshua HaMachiach (Jesus the Messiah).The first four feasts, known as the Spring Feasts, start with the First month on the 14^th day, the children of Israel are instructed to remember and celebrate, and remember, the great Passover. This will be followed by the 7 day Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:4-8). During this time they were to eat bread without any yeast (chametz). These two were to commemorate Gods mercy on His people when He sent the last plague upon the Egyptians, and took the lives of all the first born in their homes (Exodus 12:1-28). Only if the people of Israel had been faithful, and followed the command of Moses (Moshe) and placed the blood of the sacrificial Lamb upon the doorposts and lintel of their homes would the angel of death 'pass over' that home. The unleavened bread was to help them remember the haste with which they left Egypt, not enough time to let the yeast work through the lump of dough and make it rise.

The next two feasts, First Fruits and Shavu'ot, are agriculture in origin, but have been also given liturgical significance. On the 16^th of the first month (the day after the beginning of the 7 day feast of unleavened bread) they were to take the first of the grain they harvested (barley) to the priest to offer as a wave offering before the altar of the Lord(Leviticus 23:9-13). The next day would then begin the counting of 7 weeks full weeks (or 50 days after the wave offering of first grains) for the next feast; the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-22). 50 days (Pentecost in Greek) represented the time from the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites to the reaching of Mt. Sinai and receiving of the Law. This Feast represented the beginning of the Summer Harvest. On the completion of the counting (on the 50^th day) they were to offer two wheat loaves baked WITH yeast (the only bread baked with yeast that ever entered the temple) were waved before the altar of the Lord.The significance of these first four Feasts for the Christian church is paramount. Christ was our Sacrificial Lamb who came as the Suffering Servant Messiah (Mashiach ben Yoseph) (Isaiah 53), who was the sacrificial lamb, slain for our sins on the afternoon of day before Passover, who arose as the First Fruits of the grave on the day of the offering of First Fruits. Christ then appeared to the disciples for 40 days before He ascended into heaven, and the angel of the Lord told the Disciples to wait in Jerusalem; they waited for 10 days before the Holy Spirit came upon them (50 days). This represents the First of the Harvest (the birthday of the Church) of the Gospel of Christ. The two loaves, baked with yeast (chametz) represents the Church being both Jew and Gentile. Through this we can see that Christs first comming is represented in each of the Spring Feasts and can be celebrated as such; but what about the Fall Feasts, how is He represented there, or is He?

On the first day of the 7^th month is the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25), throughout Israel (and anywhere there is a Jewish congregation) you will hear shofars (rams horns) being blown. It is a day of rest, a sacred congregation. It was, and is, a call to remind people, to wake them up to their faith; it was exactly 10 days before the High Holy day, the Day of Atonement. On the 10^th day of the 7^th month was the day set aside for Judgment (Leviticus 23:26-32). For the Jew, this is the day of the sealing of the Books of Life or Death for the year; if he was righteous and had made atonement for his sins, his name was inscribed in the book of Life, if not, otherwise. The period between these two days are called the Days of Awe, and are used to reflect upon the past year, to determine if there were any sins of commission or omission that need to be repented of before the books are sealed.The last Feast is the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Five days after Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the 15^th of the 7^th month, begins the 8 day festival of living in booths, it was to help them remember the times of wandering. God wanted the Jews to celebrate the fact that He provided shelter for the Israelites in the wilderness (Leviticus 23:33-43). Jews will worship, eat meals, sleep overnight, and decorate the booths; it is a time of celebration of what the Lord has done for them.

For the Christian, we can see the prophecy of the second coming time of the Lord in the Fall Feasts. The Feast of Trumpets is seen in the coming of Christ, as the Bridegroom who comes to take His Bride, the Church home with Him (1Cor. 15:51-53). Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) represents the Final Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15) by God on the Great White Throne reading what was written in the books; Praise the Lord, we have the confidence that our names are written in the Lambs Book of Life (Rev. 21:27). The Feasts of the Tabernacles helps remind us that we are just sojourners here in this world, this is not our true home. The huts also helps remind us that Christ has prepared a new home for us (John 14:2), and represent our homes in Heaven with Him.Chaverim, how could we ignore such a beautiful prophetic look at Christ's sacrifice for us, the birth of His bride, the Church and His Second Coming for His Bride and not stand in Awe? L'Shana Tova Tikatevu – May you be inscribed (in the Lambs book of Life) for a good forever.

Baruch HaShem

Proverbs – משלי) 3)

My personal Bible study is taking me through the book of Proverbs, and for now and the next few weeks, my postings will probably come directly from them. If you haven't spent much time reading Proverbs, you are missing out on a lot of just in general good advice and thinking (see Proverbs Ch 1). A vast majority of the Proverbs were written by Solomon (1 Kings 4:32). He was the third King of Israel, a son of King David, who was a man after Gods own heart.

When Solomon was made King, he prayed not for riches, but for wisdom to rule his people. God heard and blessed him with both (1 Kings, 3:4-15; 2 Chron. 1:7-12). His sayings were written down during the time of his reign, and compiled into a book during the time of Hezekiah. The Bible records that Solomon's wisdom was beyond any that were before or after (1 Kings 3:12; 4:29-34). If all of this is true, and his wisdom came from Adonai, then maybe we ought to listen too, and understand what He is trying to teach us?

Why did I start with the 3^rd chapter? Because this one jumped out and grabbed hold of me, and this is how I know the Lord is trying to teach me something; you know how you can have read a verse innumerable times, yet you read it once more and it just speaks to you! That is when He is talking through your heart. This chapter is just chock full of wisdom in short paragraphs, cause and effect seems to be the way Solomon taught. If you will do this, this will be your reward; if you don't this will happen. I really wanted to write about verses 9 and 10 which talk about the cause and effect of tithing; but the verses just before them (5-7) really spoke to me; so I guess I will have to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit (רוח הקודש - Ruach HaKodesh).

The Hebrew language is a very earth based language. Where the English we use is pretty succinct in its definition of each word; Hebrew tends to have more than one definition for each word and this changes each time depending on how the word is used. Take for instance ruach (רוח) the word I translated spirit for the Holy Spirit. The word can also mean breath, as when Yeshua (Jesus) breathed on the disciples and said to them "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22); from that we can draw the conclusion that the Holy Spirit (רוח הקודש - Ruach HaKodesh) is the very Breath of Adonai. Beautiful concept isn't it?

In English Proverbs 3:5-6 reads:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
       and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,
       and he will make your paths straight.

(Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

Pretty powerful words, written again with a promise. But I find that if I look at the original Hebrew, I find a slightly stronger set of words. The word that is translated Trust (בטוח - betach), can also be more completely translated as 'boldly confident', and I find that I like that concept more. The name of God used is el-Adonai (אֶל־יְ֭הוָה) indicating the 'God of mercy, the God the Father'. The next phrase translated 'all your heart' (בְּכָל־לִבֶּ֑ךָ- bechol-li'becha) is actually hyphenated meaning that the two words together bring the meaning of 'whole or all, inner man, mind or heart'. You can see that we are developing a more complete understanding of the words used here. The entire next phrase, in Hebrew has a similar understanding but slightly different twist. In English 'and lean not on your own understanding', where the phrase (ךָ֗וְאֶל־בִּֽ֝ינָתְ אַל־תִּשָּׁעֵֽן׃)
 ve'el-benetecha al-tisha'en can be translated 'do not try to support yourself with your own knowledge or discernment'. Wow, is that ever an inflective phrase.

Verse 6 in English reads: 'in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight,'. In Hebrew it has a slightly different bent because of the way that the Jew looked at his faith. To the Jew, his faith was a journey, a walk. In fact, those that most closely 'walked' their faith were called tzadik (צדיק) or 'walks upright'. In Hebrew the verse looks like this ( בְּכָל־דְּרָכֶ֥יךָ דָעֵ֑הוּ וְ֝ה֗וּא יְיַשֵּׁ֥ראֹֽרְחֹתֶֽיךָ׃ ) transliterated – bechol-deracheicha dah'ehu vehu ye-yasher orechoteicha which can be translated as meaning 'your whole journey, know him, and he will make your road smooth'. Rabbi Paul knew this when he alliterated his, and others faith, to a race (1 Cor. 9:24; Gal. 2:2, 5:7; 2 Tim. 4:7), and think how much nicer, and faster a smooth road or path would be for the racer.

Let's put this all together with the new version:

Be boldly confident in God your Father in your whole heart

Do not try to support yourself with your own knowledge;

But on your whole journey, know him and he will make your road smooth.

     (Prov. 3:5-6)(Stephens Translation)    

But Solomon didn't stop with that thought there, he took it even further:

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones. (Prov. 3:7-8 NIV)

The Hebrew reads (אַל־תְּהִ֣י חָכָ֣ם בְּעֵינֶ֑יךָ יְרָ֥א אֶת־יְ֝הוָ֗ה וְס֣וּר מֵרָֽע׃) and is transliterated – al-tehi chacham be'inecha yera et-Adonai vesur mera. One way to translate to English would be to read it as saying 'Don't be cunning to your own conceit, fear God the Father and turn aside from evil'. Not only do we get the earlier translation meaning of don't be conceited to the picture of someone trying to be sneaky around God, but just like a father, he knows all that is going on around him. We just have to turn away from that evil. Why, you may ask, because Solomon was always putting in a cause and effect.

Verse 8 reads in Hebrew (רִ֭פְאוּת תְּהִ֣י וְ֝שִׁקּ֗וּי לְשָׁרֶּ֑ךָ לְעַצְמֹותֶֽיךָ׃)–rif'ut tehi lesharrecha ve'shik le'atzmovteicha; and because of the Hebrew word pictures can be translated as 'it will be a healing to the center of yourself'. Slightly different word picture here; this is the effect of turning away from the evil and fearing God.

Let's try to put this altogether then in a new look translation:

Be boldly confident in God your Father in your whole heart

Do not try to support yourself with your own knowledge;

But on your whole faith journey,

know him and he will make your road smooth.

Don't be cunning to your own conceit

Fear God the Father and turn aside from evil

It will be a healing to the center of yourself.

(Prov. 3:5-8)(Stephens Translation)

Chaverim, Be bold in the Lord, know Him and He will make your paths smooth and be a healing to your inner core.

Baruch HaShem

Days of Awe

If you have any Jewish, or even Messianic, friends, you might find them a little distracted, introspective of late. You might find this true even more over the 10 day period from September 7^th to 18^th. We are entering a period of the Jewish calendar called the High Holy days. The month of Elul (August 10^th – Sept 7^th this year) is a period of repentance before New Year (ראש הושענא - Rosh Hashanah)/Feast of Trumpets (יום תרועה - Yom Teru'ah) which begins the '10 Days of Awe' before Day of Atonement (יום כיפור - Yom Kippur) September 18^th (or Tishri 10^th if you are following the Jewish calendar). These are days where you review the previous year, to see if there is any unfulfilled vow, whether you have hurt someone unintentionally (or intentionally), how can I improve myself in the coming year, etc. I think you get the point. Anyway, you might be getting a phone call or some communication from your friend, asking forgiveness, or wanting to make up for something they have or haven't done.

In the Temple times, this was when the High Priest would prepare himself for entering the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur and perform the ritual of atonement for the people of Israel (see Leviticus 16) by sprinkling the blood of a goat on the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant. If the High Priest had not confessed all of his sins and made sacrifice for them, he would die in the Holy of Holies before the Shechinah Glory (השכינה פאר - presence of God). This period of ritual cleansing took the 10 days prior to the Day of Atonement as preparation with ritual sacrifices, period of introspection, bathing and preparation of robes etc. Everything had to be just right.

During this period our Jewish minded friends are confronting two actions of faith I have written about recently Repentance (בתשובה - Teshuva) and Fear of the Lord (ליראה את־יהוה - le-yirah et-Adonai). As a review, Teshuva means more than just repentance (being sorry, recognizing a wrong and being sorry about it); (שוב - shuv) means to physically turn. We turn our actions from destructive to good, and turn our hearts from evil to God. Special services are held in the synagogues, and the Shofar (שופר - rams horn) is sounded daily, to wake the people to repentance and teshuva.

Fear of the Lord (ליראה את־יהוה - le-yirah et-Adonai) is an expression that always bothered me, how can you love and fear something at the same time? Fear has such a negative connotation in the English language, you fear snakes, spiders, or bugs; not a loving God. Here again, the English language is woefully inadequate to complete the thought. The Jewish idea here is actually three levels of fear, the first level is the fear of unpleasant consequences or punishment (yirat ha'onesh). This is fear not only of physical pain, but also what we believe what others think or expect of us, and about us. The second type of fear (yirah) is still a fear of unpleasantness, the fear of breaking Gods laws (yirat Ha-Milkhut) and the resultant punishment if you do. The third (and highest) level/ kind of fear is that of a profound reverence for life from 'rightly seeing'. This level discerns the Presence of God in all things and is sometimes called yirat Ha-Romemnut – 'Awe of the Exalted' where fearing and seeing are linked and united. We are elevated to this level of reverent awareness, holy affection, and genuine communion with God's Holy Spirit (רוח
הקודש - Ruach HaKodesh). This love for good creates a spiritual antipathy for evil, and conversely, hatred of evil is a way of fearing God (Prov. 8:13, John 3:20-21).

According to Jewish tradition, on Rosh Hashanah the destiny of the wholly righteous, the tzaddikim (צדיקים), are written in the Book of Life (הספר החיים), and the destiny of the wholly wicked, the resha'im (רשעים) are written in the Book of Death (הספר המוות). Most people, however, won't be inscribed ion either book, but are given ten days, until Yom Kippur, to repent before sealing their fate. Here we see the effects of yirat ha'onesh and yirat ha-Milkhut working, while they try to make sure all their deeds are covered. These ten days between Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur are called the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah – The Ten Days of Repentance. These are days that call for sincere personal repentance so that our name is written in the Book of Life.

As Messianic/Christian believers, we maintain that the Judgment Day has come and justice was served through the sacrificial offering of Yeshua for our sins (2 Cor. 5:21). All those who truly belong to Him are written the 'Lambs Book of Life' or Sefer HaChayim (ספר החיים) (Rev. 3:5). As believers, who belong to Yeshua our Messiah, we eventually have to stand before Him in the judgment of believers, called the' Judgment seat of Christ' (2 Corinthians 5:10) where we will not fear condemnation, but give and account of how we 'walked out' His salvation in this world. We will receive the award we deserve (sort of an award ceremony), rewarding acts of service done during our allotted time here on earth in our mortal state.

We also know that there are two other judgments to come; the 'sheep and goats' judgment at the end of the Great Tribulation period (Matthew 25:31-36), and the 'Great White Throne' judgment at the end of the Millennial Kingdom period (Revelations 10:11-15). Common to each of these judgments is the inevitability that all, both living and dead, saved and unsaved, will ultimately give an account of their lives before Yeshua as the True Judge (Romans 14:11-12, Isaiah 45:22-25).

The central theme of Rosh Hashanah is to recall that God is our Creator, our King, and therefore our righteous Judge. Since our souls are 'on loan' from God, we have the moral obligation to serve Him as our true King and to answer to Him as our righteous Judge. The Scriptures declare that every person who has ever lived will face judgment one day (Hebrews 9:27). This is because the Lord is the God of Truth and His judgments define the nature of reality itself. Indeed the Scriptures reveal that there are heavenly 'books' that contain detailed records of all that we did (or did not do) during our time here 'on earth' (Revelations 10:12).

Chaverim, today you are writing the 'Book of your Life'; every action of your life – every thought, decision, deed – is being 'recorded' in the archives of Heaven itself. When your soul returns to account for itself before God one day, this 'book' will be opened before the 'Judge of the Universe' (אלוהים- Elohim) (Matthew 12:36). Ultimately each of us will have to confess the truth about who we are, and what we have become. We can begin that process now through confession of our sins (1 Cor. 11:31). If we refuse to do this, we may be 'chastened' so that we may not be condemned along with the world (1 Cor. 11:32). Most Christians are encouraged to practice self-examination before partaking of the elements of the Lords Table (communion) (1 Cor. 11:28-29), whereas self examination and confession should be part of our everyday lives as followers of the Messiah (1 Cor. 11:30-31, 1 John 1:7-8, James 5:16).

Now I know that those in school don't want to hear this, but Life is a test and that you will one day stand before Christ to give account for every detail of your life. We need to be mindful of eternity and of the inevitability of your own personal judgment day. If the thought of this causes you anxiety, what do you need to do differently in your life so that you may have confidence for that day (2 Cor. 5:9, Heb. 12:1)? There is great glory coming your way, Hallu-ya (הללו יה)! May God help you 'to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory' (1 Thess. 2:12).

Barukh Moshi'einu

Psalm 112 - Praise the Lord!

Psalm 112 is one of a series of Psalms that begin with the phrase Praise the Lord. In Hebrew it is hallu – ya (הללו יה). Does this sound familiar? It should, we translate it Halleluiah. I have finally come across a word I have wanted to study for a long time. A word, as a vocalist I had sung for many years and never really knew what I was saying: Halleluiah! Quite often we pair it, especially in songs with Praise the Lord, Halleluiah. Kind of redundant isn't it? Maybe, unless you think more on it; we can't praise His name enough can we? So let's let the songwriters keep on praising His name more and more. I'll sure sing it!

This is a great psalm/poem about the blessings of knowing and keeping the Law of the Lord; but right now I want to focus on just the first verse of this great psalm because the psalmist really put the heart of the message in these three short lines:

Praise the Lord.

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who finds great delight in his commands. (Psalm 112:1 NIV)

Again the first line of the Psalm is hallu – ya. Hallu (הללו) is interpreted as praise, but can also be interpreted as glory, boast, or celebrate. Ya (יה) is one of the 72 names of God, the Lord of Israel.

The next line, of this verse, uses the word eshrei-ish (אַשְׁרֵי־אִ֭ישׁ), rather than the usual barukh (ברכה) to denote blessed. Eshrie can be also interpreted as happy, or be happy, especially when paired with ish, which is the male imperative –'the man'; essentially saying 'the man is happy',

The idea of a man being happy in fearing something is kind of counterintuitive to most of us. Fear in the English language has a greatly negative connotation; it is something we try to get away from. Some of us fear spiders or snakes and will do anything to get away from them, or kill them. Others of us are fine around spiders or snakes, yet if you put us on a ledge high above the ground our heart rate will skyrocket and we will do anything to get away to a more solid footing. So there must be some other explanation for this concept

The Hebrew word for fear is yare (ירא), which can also be interpreted as dread, or even reverence. The Jews have a three level concept for this concept of 'fear of the Lord' which goes back to the first time the congregation of Israel really met the Lord Elohim in Exodus 20:18-20. The first level is what they felt here in vs. 18

 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance (Exodus 20:18 NIV)

The word used here is viayau'nu (וינעו) which is translated as trembling, but could also mean tottering, or quivering. I figure we all have been there in fear. These people had just experienced something that shook them to their core. They were afraid of physical death or injury (Exodus 20:19), and for a good point, Elohim had already warned Moses that anybody who touched the mountain would die (Exodus 19:24-25).

The second level of yare can be seen in vs. 20:

Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." (Exodus 20:20 NIV)

Here Moses in telling them about a fear of Adonai to keep them from sinning, he uses the verb form yirah'tov (יראתו) which denotes a moral fear. This is the fear of moral consequences, for a breaking of a commandment of Elohim (אלוהים) the Judge of all people. This is the law of sin and death Paul wrote about (Romans 8:2) and is so evident here.

The third level of 'fear of the Lord' (yare et-Adonai -
ירא את־יהוה) can be seen in Paul's writings to Titus (Titus 3:4-8) where Paul exhorts his young talmidim (תלמידיו-student-disciple) to lead a godly life, conscious of Yeshua's sacrifice, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh-רוח הקודש). The consciousness of Elohim in everything brings the 'awe' of yare into our lives, and we can truly 'know God'. Here, we can be Happy in the fear of the Lord.

The third line reads in Hebrew be-mitzvotav chafetz me'od (במצותיו חפץ מאד׃) which if strictly translated reads 'His commandments abundantly delights'. It's not as literarily smooth, but has the same feel of loving and being delighted in the commands (מצוות - mitzvot) of the Lord. The Hebrew word me'od (מאד) can also be translated as diligently, abundantly, we see a word meaning of great amount. Now some, I know, will wonder at the idea of being 'delighted' to follow laws or commands. We here in the U.S.A. greatly treasure our freedom. We chafe at the idea of 'being under law', to have our freedom restricted. Too often we forget that it is because of the laws we have, that we have our freedom. We don't have to worry about the guy down the block, or across the way who might just like my car, and decide to take it. Because he knows that action is called stealing, and if he takes my car without my permission, the enforcers of the law, the police, will restrict his freedom. So the balance here is to have laws that define correct action, without restricting us too much. The Jews knew from where these laws came, and were encouraged to remember them all the time.

Putting this together we have:

Praise the Lord

Happy (Blessed) is the man who fears (has reverence for) the Lord,

In His commandments he abundantly (diligently) delights.

Chaverim (חברים -friends), are you happy in your fear of the Lord, and do you delight (regularly) in his commandments?

Baruch HaShem (ברוך השם)

Romans 16:19

This morning, in my personal Bible study, I came across a verse at the end of the Epistle to the Roman Church. This one hit me squarely between the eyes (how often does He have to do that?) with an action I know I am guilty of. As I am guilty of it, maybe somebody else can relate to this too. So here goes.

 

I feel that too many times, we who have had the 'Lightening Bolt' conversion, like to hold on to a little bit of the 'old self' too much. We snicker about references toward our old sins, and maybe even roll our eyes when our brothers or sisters who have not experienced, praise the Lord, this lifestyle are so innocent about statements they, or others make. You know, those veiled references, or those blatant boasts we sometimes make. In this verse, Paul takes me to task about this 'Pride' of being bad.

 

In this single verse, Paul shows us what a great leader and mentor he is, he uses one of the greatest techniques of mentorship I have ever seen. He begins this verse with praise for the congregants:

 

Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you (Romans 16:19a NIV)

Anyone who has taken a course on management skills knows that the best way to counsel somebody is called the 'sandwich method'; you bring up the behavior you want changed between layers of praise on behavior done correctly. Here Paul is telling the Roman church that everyone in Jerusalem, Asia, etc has heard about the Roman Church, they are so obedient to the Gospel they have heard. On top of that, Paul the Apostle, (who has not visited this church) is full of joy (happy) over them. Rock Star time! Right now, these congregants, who either read or hear read this letter are feeling great about themselves, I know I would. Here is an Apostle, one who has seen the Risen Savior face to face, and talked with Him. Paul is praising us, WOW!

Next comes the gentle chiding:

but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. (Romans 16:19b NIV)

Isn't there always a but somewhere in the conversation with a boss or mentor? Here, Paul chastises us so gently, he begins by focusing on the good action he wants us to stress. Be wise in what is good; focus more on what Christ has done for you, learn more about Him, study Him, imitate Him. Here, Paul, enjoins us to strengthen our commitment to, and walk (הלך - halach) with Christ. And (there is a second part to this verse) be innocent about what is evil. Paul wants us to turn away from that which we did before. The Hebrew verb used for repent is (תשובה - teshshuvah) means to physically turn completely away (think walk in a different direction), the Greek word used here is mentonia, and means to change your mind. We can look at this as a turning of our mind from the direction of the evil we knew before to that which is good (the way of Jesus Christ).

 

Chaverim, why did Jesus say that the kingdom of Heaven belonged to the children? (Matt. 19:14) We must change our mind (mentonia) to that like a child, become more like our innocent brothers and sisters. Turn (שׁוב - shuv) and become that innocent, new man (2 Cor.5:17).

 

Baruch Yeshua Moshi'einu

 

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 18:13

Part of the Torah reading for this week, in my Hebrew study, is Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:19, and is titled Shoftim (שופטים) or Judges. This is because the first part of the study talks about the setting up of the Judicial system for the people when they took over the Land of Israel. This court system consisted of a minimum of three Judges in the smaller towns that heard cases, if these judges could not come to a satisfactory conclusion; they took the case to a larger town with more judges. If these judges could not come to an agreeable answer, it was taken up to the K'nesset HaGedolah with the High Priest, who gave the final answer. Does this sound familiar? Ought to, this is what our present day Judicial system is based on, despite the so-called separation of Church and State.

But all of that is for some other time or post. The area that I want to focus on is in the 18^th chapter. This chapter begins with a discourse on the priesthood, their portion of the sacrifice and that they had no portion of the land or the residual or royalty from the flocks or produce of the land. Their only inheritance was Adonai (
יהוה הוא נחלתו כאשר דבר־לו׃ – Adonai hu nachaltov ka'asher diber-lov):

the Lord is their inheritance as He has promised them (Deut 18:2b)

This puts the onus of the support of the priesthood onto the people Israel, and they were enjoined to not forget the priests (Deut. 12:19). This portion of the text goes on to remind the people what they are to give to the Levitical priests as their portion of the sacrifices.

Then Moses moves on to warning the people about the practices of the people now inhabiting their land. They were practicing every kind of abominable art that the Lord detested (Deut. 18:9-12). The next verse (13) is the one that caught my attention; in many translations it is set apart from the other text.

You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. (Deut 18:13 NAS)

When looking at the verse in Hebrew, the first word is Tamim (תמים), this is the word that is translated as blameless, or perfect. As might be expected, there is more to this word that this quick translation. Tamim also implies finished, complete, or without defect, as in our 'walk' (halach - הלך) with God. Now, note that the Hebrew word does not imply ideal moral strictness as much as it suggests being thoroughly made, or brought to successful completion. Some have translated tamim as 'wholehearted', which gives a newer twist to the verse that I feel now talks to us in this time.

The Hebrew word that is translated before (im - עם) in the above verse, can also be translated as with. This gives us a stronger translation of the verse:

You shall be wholehearted with the Lord your God. (Deut 18:13)(emphasis my own)

Too often we find ourselves 'double-minded', essentially wanting two things at once. We desire peace with God, but we also insist upon our 'rights'. Or we try to do the right thing for the wrong reason: hope of reward, pride, or even patriotism. Such double-mindedness can cause a divided focus, an unclear condition of the sprit that results in a half-hearted conviction and dissipation of the will. If we turn this around, single mindedness concentrates the will and produces wholeheartedness, conviction and genuine character.

People live in despair because they are often double-minded. They are often trying to look at two different things at once. They seek their end in a world of finite things – good fortune, personal honor, worldly entertainment, etc.. At the same time they try to look to God for direction. Such a cross-eyed approach leads to disorientation and spiritual destruction. A divided house cannot stand.

Chaverim, those who are 'upright' (Tzadek – צדיק), or righteous, do not look away from the faithfulness and love of God. Despite the distractions of daily life and difficulties they endure; they retain their commitment and their earthly decisions reflect their faith; they have an undivided heart (Psalm 86:11-12). All this turns on the decisions to genuinely trust in God. As Yeshua said, 'If your eye is single, your whole body shall be full of light" (Matt. 6:22)

 

Baruch HaShem

Faith and Blessing

In the book of 2 Kings 4: 1-7 we find a story that I find as an excellent example of Blessing and Faith. In this almost easily looked over, quick, non highlighted story is, I feel, one of the deepest stories of how God blesses Faith.

The prophet of God Elijah had just been picked up and taken to Heaven in the fiery Chariot of God. Elijah's' student/servant Elisha has, literally, picked up the mantel of Elijah and continued as the Prophet of God for the divided Kingdom of Israel and Judah. There was a 'company of prophets', essentially a religious group, living together, a wife of one of the members of the group went to Elisha with a problem. Her husband had died, and their creditor was coming to take her two sons as slaves, to pay off their debt. She had nothing of worth to pay the man, and was asking Elisha for help. Elisha asked her what she had in the house, and all she had was a little oil. Elisha told her to go to her neighbors and ask for all the bottles she could gather, and not a little. He told her to take the bottles in the house, shut the door behind them, and pour oil into all the bottles, until all of them were filled. When she had done this, she went back to Elisha, told him what they had done, he told her to sell the oil to pay off the creditor, and they could live off the sale of the rest of the oil.

Faith: this woman had heard of, and probably seen some of the miracles that Elijah had performed throughout the land. Elisha had already performed several miracles; she knew that he was a 'man of God'. Elisha told her to gather all the small bottles, like those that were used to keep oil for lamps and other household uses, that she could get and borrow; and not a little.

Spiritual Check Up :How many would I gather? Would I go to my neighbors, friends, best enemies, anybody you could think of and borrow jars? What if they asked me what I needed them for? I know they would! How many is enough? How big a blessing do I believe God is going to give me? Is He really going to do something?

Blessing: this woman did as Elisha told her to do; she gathered the bottles, went inside her house with her sons and shut the door and began to pour the oil. She kept pouring the oil until all of the bottles were filled; when her son said there are no more bottles, the oil stopped flowing.

Spiritual Check Up: What if she had stopped pouring before she ran out of bottles because she was too tired, or felt she had done enough, or she didn't feel good? Would the oil stop flowing? What if she left the door open (did it in public), would the oil have begun to flow? What about me, would I keep pouring until there were no more bottles to fill? Would I do it behind closed doors or would I want to do it out in the public?

I feel that God blessed this woman abundantly, and to the extent of her faith. Because she followed the instructions Elisha gave her, she not only ended up with enough oil to pay off her husbands creditor, but she also ended up with enough oil for her, and her sons to live on.

So much to consider, from such a short story. Let us meditate and pray for enlightenment chaverim, shalom.

Psalm 43 – I’m all alone!

Sometimes, we feel all alone; that God is not answering out prayers, that the heavens have turned to brass (Deut. 28:23 KJV). Maybe He is not listening to us, or worse; has turned his back to us! What do we do? I know what I do, I whine, gripe, complain, cry; and then Dianne (probably like Bathsheba talked to David) tells me to snap out of it, and praise God that I can still feel, and to Praise Him for my troubles. (1Peter 4:19 NIV)

In Psalm 43 David really gets to the point about his troubles, he questions if God is even listening to him, or whether God has left him. He seems to be in pretty dire straits, yet (and this is important to us) his hope is always in the Lord.

1 Vindicate me, O God,
and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

2 You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy? (Psalm 43:1-2 NIV)

In my translation NIV (New International Version) the first word, in this Psalm, is Vindicate, which means to judge rightfully. The Hebrew word used here is shefeteni, which is translated 'to judge'; but the name used for God is Elohim, which is the name of the God of Judgment and Strength, the Creator of Everything. David is calling for the Great judge to find his case in favor, and to rescue or deliver him from his ungodly (lo-chasid – not or less- pious/kind or godly) accusers.

In the second verse David praises God for His past deeds and claims Him for his protection, we too must recognize that God is our protector and defender from the wicked of the world. The Hebrew phrase used here is ki-attah elohi ma'uzzi; which is translated 'for You are the God of my strength'. But ma'uzzi can also be translated as rock, fortress, a stronghold. And the name for God again is the Elohi form of God of Strength and Power. David is recognizing and speaking the powerful name of God, calling on Him to judge his case rightfully and find him free of blame before the nations of the ungodly.

David again cries to God 'why haven't you answered me'? (v 2 lines 2-4) He actually uses (line 3) the term la'ma-koder; which is translated here as mourning. It can also be translated 'how long must I sit in darkness?' From personal experience, when mourning, you don't want light, and the Hebrews by tradition would sit in darkness for mourning. We too, when oppressed by the world or by Satan, feel like running away and hiding in the dark, don't we? Claim God as your stronghold, your high tower of defense; He will judge your rightly and comfort you!

3 Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

4 Then will I go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God. (Psalm 43:3-4 NIV)

David calls to God to help him find his way out of the darkness of his mourning; 'send your light and your truth' those guides of our feet (Psalm 119:105) to bring him to the most holy place; the holy mountain of God and His dwelling place. Here David uses the words mishkenov'teicha for 'dwelling place' which points to the Tabernacle (Mishkan) and places the holy hill as Mount Moriah, where David placed the Tabernacle and the altar of God. David now feels confident enough to join in the rites of his faith with joy and music. When we trust in the Word of God to be that 'Truth and Light', Adonai (God of Majesty) will lead us faithfully out of the darkness of our spirit right to the altar of the Most High God (El Elyon).

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. (Psalm 43:5 NIV)

Now David is coming all the way out of his funk and is asking himself those all important questions; why am I so dark, why am I so upset? When we come out from under our depressions, we too wonder why? We have to be careful, as those questions could send us right back into another depression, as we feel inadequate to handle the answers. Here David has the right answer: 'put your hope (ho'v'chilie – to wait expectantly, hope) in God (leloim). Let us praise him, David instructs us twice to praise him, with music (what a true musician) my Savior and my God (yeshu'ot pannai velohai)!

Remember, chaverim, that we have a Strong God and Judge (Elohim) that will judge us rightly (not like we judge ourselves) and will be our stronghold and fortress in our times of mourning and need. He has already sent His Truth (John 14:6) and Light (John 8:12) to guide us out of the darkness of our lives. We can go to his Holy Hill and enter His Dwelling Place, not the Temple made with human hands, but that Temple made without hands (Ezek Chs 40 – 48) because Yeshua our Savior has cleansed us from all sin (1John 1:7). Let us praise Him with music and voice for He is our Savior and God (Psalm 43:5). Selah

 

Psalm 43

1 Judge me rightly, O God of Judgment and Strength, the Creator of Everything,

and plead my cause against an ungodly nation or people;

rescue me from deceitful treacherous and wicked unjust men.

2 You are God of Strength and Power my stronghold, rock, fortress, high tower

Why have you rejected, pushed aside me?

Why must I go about mourning, how long must I sit in darkness

oppressed by the enemy, one who stands in the way, Satan?

3 Send forth your light and truth to guide my feet that I may not stumble

let them guide, lead me;

let them bring me to your holy mountain, to Zion,

to the place where you dwell, your Tabernacle.

4 Then will I go to the altar of God of Strength and Power,

to God, my exceeding joy and delight.

I will praise you with the harp and lyre

O God of Gods, my God.

5 Why are you downcast, in despair, O my soul?

Why so disturbed, disquieted, within me?

Put your hope, wait expectantly, in God,

for I will again praise and turn my face to Him

my Savior and my God of Strength and Power.

Baruch Moshi'einu

The Twenty-fourth Psalm

In part of my personal Bible studies, I have been going through the Psalms. As would be expected, I hit the beautiful 23^rd Psalm on Sunday. Monday morning, the first Psalm on the list is the 24^th; I have never read the 24^th Psalm with a fresh mind before; what a beautiful praise to the Lord! It is even more evocative when you go back to the Hebrew and read the nuances that are there with King David's intent. What first caught my mind in this Psalm was the exuberance that David wrote with. But, there are some deeper meanings in the verses that can be brought to the fore, if we really meditate and open our minds to the guiding of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).

The first two verses are an establishment of the Lords sovereignty over the earth:

1The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters. (Psalm 24:1-2 NIV)

Unfortunately, the English language uses only one word to denote God, the Hebrews have over 72! Each one presents a separate aspect of the Lords character as He chose to show it at that time. In verse 1, the name used to denote 'Lord's' is El-Adonai, which means God of Strength or Power. This is the God who rules the earth and everything in it, and founded it complete and finished. Here we are shown that we do not own ourselves; we belong to Adonai! David states it plain and clear in the first verse "The earth is the Lord's (El-Adonai), and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. The Hebrew word used to denote everything is umelov'ah which is translated in the KJV as 'the fullness there of'. Essentially it means completeness/everything. He IS the creator of everything, the Elohim – God of creation.

The next 4 verses ask the question, and describes who can go up the 'hill of the Lord'. This is the most sacred place, this is where Satan was thrown down from (Isaiah 14:12-15) after he tried to make himself greater that Adonai. But who can ascend the 'hill of the Lord'? We know Him as Jesus (Yeshua) our Savior (Moshi'einu).

3 Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.

5 He will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God his Savior.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah (Psalm 24:3-6 NIV)

Yeshua is the one with the 'clean hands and a pure heart'. None is worthy but the Lamb (Dan 7:13-14, Matt. 25:31, Rev 5:1-10) to 'ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in his holy place'. The form used to designate 'God his Savior' uses the construct form of Elohim, which was the First name of God from Genesis 1:1. This is Elohim - the Creator the Strong one, the Judge. The Hebrew term used is Me'elohei yishov, and can be translated as 'Creator of Salvation', beautiful isn't it? What about the 6^th verse? Some commentators see this as 'those who seek the face of God', which indicates the favor of God, 'are considered the progeny of Jacob'. This further implies the inheritance as sons of Jacob. Putting this all together, how can you seek the favor of God? Only through the Lamb of God who has ascended the 'hill of the Lord and stands in His holy place', who makes us heirs of the promise of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. What a true prophetic blessing!

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory. Selah (Psalm 24:7-10 NIV)

The repetition of a phrase is used often in music, as we all are aware of. Some of the commentators also see this repetition as prophetic. The first call to open the gates and doors represent heavens gates and doors, which were closed to us because of sin. Jesus (Yeshua HaMachiach) through His sacrifice ascended into heaven as a Glorious King, Strong and mighty in battle over sin and death, and flung open the gates and doors of heaven. The angels and spiritual beings of heaven ask, 'Who is this King of Glory? It is the Lamb of God (Rev 21:22) coming back to His rightful home and place beside the Throne of God. The restatement of the phrase can also represent our hearts response to Yeshua 'standing at the door and knocking' (Rev 3:20), calling for us to throw open our hearts gates and doors to allow Him to reign as our Melach Hak'kavovd (King of Glory). Selah (to lift up, or exalt)(A musical term)

Chaverim, may we throw open the gates of our hearts for our Melach Hak'kavovd Yeshua HaMachiach, Baruch HaShem!

Tisha B’Av

If you have any Jewish friends, you might have noticed that lately they have not been as happy or as fun loving as they normally are. That is because they are in a period of the Jewish Calendar called 'In the Straights' or 'Three Weeks of Sorrow'. This leads up to the National Spiritual Day of Mourning called Tisha B'Av. These have historically been days of misfortune and calamity for the Jewish people. During this time, both the First and Second Temples were destroyed, amongst other terrible tragedies.

During these Three Weeks, the 'observant' Jews will not schedule anything that brings real joy into their lives; no weddings, no vacations, no parties because this is a true mourning period for their spiritual nation. During this time various aspects of mourning are observed by the entire nation. They minimize joy and celebration. And, since the attribution of Divine Judgment (din) is acutely felt, they avoid potentially dangerous or risky endeavors.

During their Shabbat (holy day) Services during the Three Weeks of Sorrow, the Haftorah readings are taken from chapters in Isaiah and Jeremiah dealing with the Temples destruction and the exile of the Jewish people. This weeks Torah portion (Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22) covers the 'Sin of the Spies'; the story of the 12 spies sent out by the people to check out the land before they entered it. If you remember, 10 returned with a bad report, while 2 (Caleb and Joshua) gave an encouraging report.

Why is this remembered at this time? Because this was the first calamity that occurred on this date! Besides the two Temples being destroyed, what other calamities happened? The Bar Kochba revolt was crushed by the Roman Emporer Hadrian during which the city of Betar was captured and liquidated, over 100,000 Jews were slaughtered (135 CE). The Temple area and its surroundings were plowed under by Roman General Turnus Rufus and Jerusalem was rebuilt as a pagan city, Aelia Capitolina, and access was forbidden to Jews. The Spanish Inquisition culminated in the expulsion of Jews from Spain on Tisha B'Av in 1492. On the eve of Tisha B'Av 1942 the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka.

In Deuteronomy, Moses is recounting (shortening, think Readers Digest condensed version) the Law and the Stories. The story of the Spies in Numbers takes 2 chapters (13 & 14) whereas in Deuteronomy it covers slightly larger than the last ½ of the chapter. What is significant about this story, is that this is the generation that had witnessed the ten plagues of Egypt, all the miracles performed in their escape from Egypt, the Pillar of Smoke and Fire; yet they could not believe that God could lead them into the land that Yahweh had promised their Ancestors. The Sin of Unbelief.

Chaverim, are you plagued by this 'Sin of Unbelief', is there a part of you that you do not feel God can, or you feel you do not deserve to have God take care of? I know I do! Will you join me in my prayer, like the father of the epileptic child cry out "I believe, help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24).

 

Baruch Moshi'einu

Zealous for Our Lord

When we Americans hear about a religious Zealot, we get the mental picture of either some guy with a long beard, dressed in a biblical robe carrying around a placard reading "The End Is Near". Or the other end of the spectrum, some religious extremist wearing a vest loaded with explosives and shrapnel, holding onto the switch. The term zealot isn't used very much anymore; it has been replaced by the less negative terminology of 'overly aggressive supporter', or 'extremist'.

 

But, what does zeal mean? Is zeal bad? Zeal is defined as:

zeal [ zeel ] noun Definition: enthusiasm: energetic and unflagging enthusiasm, especially for a cause or idea - comes from 14th century. Via late Latin zelus< Greek zēlos "eager rivalry". (MSN Encarta dictionary)

To be enthusiastic about something isn't bad, people are enthusiastic about going fishing, camping, grilling outdoors, cars, … any number of things, yet live 'normal' lives. We could look at some of those more extreme people, like the Cheese Heads from Minnesota, members of the 'Dog Pound' from Chicago, you know the type I'm referring to here, the ones that go to a football game in the winter and take their shirts off to expose the letter they have painted on their body (they really shouldn't take their shirt off 'cause it ain't pretty anymore). And I'm sure that when Monday or Tuesday shows up, and they're back at their jobs, we would consider them 'normal' people, maybe with a slightly bent 'enthusiasm' about a sporting event or team (try to talk with our Pastor during a K-State game). It's when our enthusiasm gets out of control, or we become 'overly enthusiastic' (i.e.: fanatical), that we start reaching that danger level. We've all seen this happen at these various sporting events, crowds, or individuals, get out of control and problems ensue. When we let our zeal get out of control, and not listen to our hearts attitude is when we are in the 'danger zone'. In my Bible studies, I have been going through the Book of Numbers again. In Numbers Ch. 25 we have the Bibles record of the first Zealot, Phinehas the grandson of Aaron: The Lord said to Moses, "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them.  Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites." (Numbers 25:10-14 NIV) This is a sad story of disobedience, disrespect and dishonor of the Lord. It is also a story of redemption of Israel by the 'Zeal for Gods Honor' by Phinehas. The Lord could see that Phinehas' heart was where it was supposed to be. Another zealot for the Lord was Elijah the Prophet. In 1 Kings 18:16 – 19:16 we have a record of his 'Zeal for the Lord' and the Lords honor of this zeal. In both of these instances (Phinehas and Elijah) the word translated to zeal from the Hebrew is kana (meaning, zeal, ardor, fervor, desire, devotion, jealousy or envy) here we can see the dual existence of good intentions and bad. This word was translated in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Torah) as zealo from which we get our word zeal, from which you see, above, is pretty close in definition. From the old Hebrew translation and the modern translation we can see that zeal can be a good quality (indicating passionate concern for others , striving for the good, and desiring righteousness) or a negative quality (indicating unrighteous jealousy, envy, pride, and malice) depending on the heart's motivation and the nature of circumstances. The 'natural man' of these modern times tends to live by the credo of "I have the right to think or feel whatever I want." Morality is a matter of individual, subjective preference, and that leaves us in a state of continual flux. Like a sailor on a dark night hanging a light bulb on the top of his mast, and trying to guide his boat home on the sightings taken off that light, rather than the North Star. Yet these 'modern' people, who live by the creed of 'to thine own self be true', become zealously incensed if you point out to them that there is a moral law that permeates the universe, and that we will be held morally accountable. These are the people who tolerate any and all sin and willful ignorance, except any anger against sin. Jesus, in His time, faced some of his fiercest opposition from the 'Zealots of the Law', the Pharisees. These Rabbis were the teachers of the law, the gate keepers of Jewish Identity and tradition, who were originally founded in the time of Ezra to help teach the people who returned from Babylon, the proper and traditional way of Jewish living. But they became so entangled in the minutia of the Law that they forgot the true intent of the Law was to lead the people to be a blessing unto all the nations. The 'Zeal of the Lord' (Kinat Adonai) represents His passion and eagerness to help those who are trusting in Him. Mans zeal is always pointed in a wrong direction since self justification – of any sort- leads to the 'law of sin and death' (Romans 6:19-23). I am going to let John Parsons of Hebrew4Christians.com finish this out: We do not need to manufacture enthusiasm or zeal for our 'religion'. No, we simply need to trust in the zealous, passionate, and irrepressible love of God for our lives. The same passion that led Jesus to die upon the cross is present to you today, if you have the faith to believe. God is the beginning and the end of our salvation: Kinat Adonai Tzeva'ot ta'aseh zot: "The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this (Isa 9:7).   Baruch HaShem