Category Archives: Character of God

Discipline / Correction, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Submitted / Servant, Teachable, Through Prophets

When You Sin, Accept Correction and Avoid Blaming Someone Else

Israel was experiencing  the punishment of a drought due to the wickedness of Ahab as king. Let us not forget that it was said of him in 1 Kings 16:33 that he “did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him”.  It was not a secret. Elijah had confronted Ahab on behalf of Yahweh. With that in mind, let us read 1 Kings 18.

1 Kings 18:1-19

Obadiah Meets Elijah

      1Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” 2So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3Ahab called Obadiah who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly; 4for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) 5Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle.” 6So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.

      7Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is this you, Elijah my master?” 8He said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’” 9He said, “What sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death? 10“As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. 11“And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ 12“It will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth. 13“Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, that I hid a hundred prophets of the LORD by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? 14“And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; he will then kill me.” 15Elijah said, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” 16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

      17When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” 18He said, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and you have followed the Baals. 19“Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Obadiah was a god fearing man. He took personal risk to rescue prophets of Yahweh. He was clearly afraid of Ahab, but did so anyway. What a difficult position for him to have to have in serving such a wicked king. It is interesting to read about him and reflect on what this experience must have been like from his perspective.

However, let us also consider Ahab. Ahab’s attitude reflects the attitude of so many of us when we are confronted by our sin and called to repent, change our ways to follow Yahweh. Ahab did much evil, more than any other king before him. He was confronted by a highly respected prophet of Yahweh. He experienced the power of Yahweh first hand in the drought, predicted by Elijah. But how did Ahab internalize this series of events?

Rather than repenting, as David would have done, Ahab blames Elijah as a troublemaker for Israel. Ahab completely misses the point that it is his wickedness that causes this trouble. He stays anchored in doing things his way and blaming Elijah. This is like the criminal who blames the judge for going to prison rather than accepting that it was his choice to steal that put him there.

Prayerfully ask the LORD to help you to accept rebuke and correction and to change behavior. Ask him to show you where you are doing things your way, or the way of man in our culture around us. Ask Him to teach you the wonderful ways of His law.

Do not let pride or a fear of admitting that you have done things the wrong way all your life keep you from turning to our loving Father today and walking with Him for the time you have remaining!

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Loving / Kind, Miracles, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News

Faith to be Healed; Faith to Spread the Good News

Even when confronted with miracles, such as dramatic healing or casting out of demons, we must still choose to believe. One can always come up with a reason to disbelieve, no matter the evidence in front of them. Verse 34 is an example of this in Matthew 9.

Matthew 9:18-38

Miracles of Healing

      18While He was saying these things to them, a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” 19Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples.

      20And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; 21for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.” 22But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.

      23When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, 24He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. 25But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26This news spread throughout all that land.

      27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” 30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: “See that no one knows about this!” 31But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land.

      32As they were going out, a mute, demon-possessed man was brought to Him. 33After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” 34But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

      35Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

      36Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38“Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

The Pharisees in verse 34 rationalize away miracles as they witness them. They had decided already that Yeshua was not from Yahweh, and thus came up with ways to explain away the evidence in front of them. It is likewise with many today. There are many who though they have eyes do not see, though they have ears, do not hear. (Refer to Ezekiel 12:2 and Mark 8:14-21.)

Creation itself declares His glory, but people explain it away with fanciful notions that everything in this complex universe came out of nothing without a creative force behind it. My lawn can not even organize itself and stay looking nice without my mowing and caring for it. How then can the world do so in all its detail and complexity?

Take care not to explain away miracles that Yahweh does around you. Allow yourself to test them and test that the message associated with them is consistent with Yahweh’s instructions and character in the written scriptures. Then allow yourself to believe in what you witness.  There is more evidence for a divine Creator than for evolution and everything from nothing. It is not a blind faith.

I find verse 30 and 31 to be very intriguing. Why did Yeshua not want them to tell others? Was it good or bad that they did? What I can tell you is that they were obviously overwhelmed by what they experienced and could not help themselves but to tell others about Yeshua. I would hope all of us (myself included) would become a bit more like them in that we would boldly and joyfully share what Yeshua has done in our lives and point others to Him.

Challenge yourself to point at least one person a week toward Yeshua. Keep a journal of how you share and what comes of it. We may or may not know the impact we have on others, but we know we are called to share the gospel of Christ with others.

Read more – The Great Commission – Make Disciples of all the Nations

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Fasting, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways

John’s Disciples Ask Yeshua About Fasting

At one point, the disciples of John came to Yeshua and asked Him about why they and the Pharisees fasted, but the disciples of Yeshua did not. It is interesting that they are not appearing to ask about Yeshua, Himself, but his disciples.

Matthew 9:14-17

The Question about Fasting

      14Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16“But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17“Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Yeshua’s acknowledges that there is an appropriate time to fast, but highlights that for His disciples, now is not the time. He uses a clear metaphor of a bridegroom that emphasizes that while He is still among them, they should celebrate with Him and not mourn.

The other two examples of the wine skin and the cloth are not suggesting that Yeshua is changing the Torah or making up new things. We must understand that the fasting the Pharisees were doing was twice a week tradition they created, not one Yahweh instructed. Thus Yeshua was saying that it is not appropriate for Him to build observing the Torah correctly upon the traditions of men. It should be the other way around. To read more about the cloth and the wine skin, consider Barnes commentary.

Do not take this scripture to mean that Yeshua was saying the Torah  no longer fits and He was bringing “new teaching”. That is a wrong understanding. The fasting being discussed was not even instructed by Torah. Quite the opposite. Yeshua is not going to build His observance of Torah on the traditions of men, the Pharisees in this case. That would make a mess, like the cloth and the wine skin.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Compassion, Compassionate, Grace / Forgiveness, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News

Why Did Jesus Dine with Sinners?

Tax collectors were not popular, and were often corrupt, in the time of Yeshua’s earthly reign. They were looked down upon by the Jewish people.  Yeshua not only called one to be among His close disciples, but He would also dine with them. Why?

Matthew 9:9-13

Matthew Called

      9As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

      10Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13“But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

I think there is an important distinction here. Matthew left behind his tax collector job and became a follower of Christ. He repented of his wicked ways. He changed. He was called to be among Yeshua’s close disciples.

The rest of the tax collectors and sinners were dining with Yeshua, but were not among His closest disciples. They were indeed sinners in need of a “physician”.  Keep in mind that all of these people were likely Jewish. If not, then the same people who complained about Yeshua eating with sinners would have called out that He was eating with Gentiles, which was not thought to be appropriate. These were people who claimed to be among God’s people, but did not really follow Him.

We, also, must find appropriate ways to interact with those who are not really following Yeshua, even if they claim to be Christians. If not, how can we be a light to them? However, if we are to take someone into our inner circle of close friends, we should be careful to test their heart and if it is for Christ. They don’t need to be perfect, but they should be genuinely submitted to and pursuing Christ, as Matthew did by leaving his past behind him.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Grace / Forgiveness, Healer, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Miracles, Prophecy, Prophecy, Through Prophets, Truth

Yeshua Identified Himself as Son of Man, Messiah

Some claim that Yeshua never claimed to be God, that He was only a prophet or teacher. This is simply and importantly not true. Here is one example where clearly He spoke in a way that communicated He was God. In Matthew 9, Yeshua is recorded as clearly claiming He could forgive sins, which the Jewish people associated with authority that God alone possessed. Further, Yeshua refers to Himself in the same passage as Son of Man, which refers back to Daniel 7 where we find a Messianic prophecy. Yeshua is clearing indicating that He is the Messiah anticipated in Daniel’s prophecy. This is confirmed by the response of those who did not believe He was God as they conclude He is blaspheming. They clearly understood what He was claiming.

Matthew 9:1-8

A Paralytic Healed

      1Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to His own city.

      2And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” 4And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? 6“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” 7And he got up and went home. 8But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Daniel 7:13-14

13“I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.

      14“And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.

A few additional thoughts not to miss…

Yeshua points back to and validates the continued importance of the Torah and the writings of the prophets. They are not obsolete and have not lost any meaning with His coming in the flesh.

Yeshua validates fulfillment of the prophecy given Daniel and recorded in Daniel 7. We should be greatly encouraged about the authority of scripture when we see how prophecies made hundreds of years earlier are shown to come to pass. There are many such examples in scripture. We can also be encouraged that Yahweh is not surprised. He does not need a “plan B”. He knows all that will happen as if it has already happened.

Lastly, let us not overlook a miraculous healing Yeshua did to physically heal the man. I find it interesting when such a significant aspect of the scripture could almost be overlooked. There is a lot packed into this scripture!

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Compassionate, Faith / Trusting God, Guide, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Protector / Deliverer, Provider, Submitted / Servant, Through Prophets

Yahweh Provides for Those He Calls

Our Father may ask us to do difficult things. Sometimes it may seem hard to obey. If He calls us to do something, He will provide. There may be hardships associated with our experience, but so too will there be blessings when we walk with our Father. We can see this in the case of both Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17. Sometimes He may actually be answering our prayers when He challenges us to do something we think is really hard. This is the case of the widow.

1 Kings 17

Elijah Predicts Drought

      1Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2The word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3“Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4“It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 5So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

      8Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” 11As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14“For thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.’” 15So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

      17Now it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18So she said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!” 19He said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed. 20He called to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son to die?” 21Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.” 22The LORD heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived. 23Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” 24Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.”

Another perspective worth highlighting is that Yahweh knew the widow would lose her son. He provided a connection to Elijah even before it happened, but it only worked out because she obeyed the Father in taking care of Elijah.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Demons, Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Interceding for Others, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant

Yeshua Heals and Casts out Demons

I do not have all the answers for when Yahweh will or will not heal someone. It can be a very emotional subject, of course, when someone prays for healing and does not receive it. At a simplistic level, we must trust Him as a Father. We come before Him and ask and then He will decide. Matthew 8 is one of many places in scripture that records the power and desire of Yeshua to heal, which is also to say the power of the Father to heal.

Matthew 8:14-17

Peter’s Mother-in-law and Many Others Healed

      14When Jesus came into Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. 15He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him. 16When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

In this case healing was to fulfill prophecy and also to emphasize that Yeshua was Messiah. But our LORD can and still does heal. In most cases, individuals came to Yeshua to be healed. Coming in itself shows some amount of faith. They were seeking Him out. They asked, did not demand, that he would heal someone. Ultimately that is all we can do… to trust in Him, believe in Him, live submitted to Him, and bring our requests before Him without getting mad or losing faith if He chooses not to answer. In some ways, it is a deeper faith to trust Him even if we do not get that for which we are asking.

I should think we ought to also take note that there is a difference between illness and demon possessed. We largely dismiss the demon possession as an issue today, but why would we assume it is done away with? Is not Satan still coming against us? I believe as a society and even within the church we do not put enough focus on casting out demons being totally separate, though seemingly related by symptoms, from illness. Medicine will not kick out a demon. Ask the LORD to give you insight into this perspective. Maybe some need more prayer and less prescription medicine.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Interceding for Others, Jesus (hearing from God), Learning To Pray Effectively, Miracles, Seeking God

Faith is Important in Approaching Messiah

Faith is important in approaching  Yeshua, our Messiah. Do we really believe He is Messiah? If so, how should that affect our live? In other words, what are we going to do about it? How will we live differently. Matthew 8 has two examples of people who came to Yeshua in faith, believing in His ability to heal. They believed in Messiah and as a result came to Him for healing. I am sure their faith was strengthened by this experience and I would propose that their lives were impacted by the healing and likely they continued to grow in faith.

Matthew 8:1-13

Jesus Cleanses a Leper; The Centurion’s Faith

      1When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

      5And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” 7Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9“For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11“I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment.

There are a couple of things we should take care not to overlook in this passage.

  • Yeshua does miracles. He heals. In this case He healed those who came to Him, believing in Him with strong faith.
  • One was a gentile. Yeshua still healed for him based on his faith.
  • Yeshua, as is often the case, pointed the leper to go and present himself before the priest and make the appropriate offering. In other words, Yeshua did not replace or cast aside the law given through Moses by Yahweh. He pointed to it.
  • Yeshua highlights that Gentiles, who come in faith like the centurion did, will have a place in the kingdom of heaven. He also highlights that many of the Israelites will not, because they do not come to Him.

As a final thought, it is fine to ask Yahweh to help you with your faith. Do not be bashful. Do not try to do it on your own. Ask for His help.  Remember we are to have faith in Messiah and in the Father. It is not faith that they will give us everything we want or ask for as if they are a vending machine. The leper says, “Lord, if you are willing…”.

Some say that this is a weak prayer that Yahweh will not answer if we pray “if you are willing” because they say it is a sign of little faith. We find that not to be the case here with the leper. And who should it remind us of? How about Yeshua when He prayed to be spared the pain coming to Him?

Luke 22:41-43

41And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him

We can reasonably and firmly conclude that if Yeshua prayed “if you are willing”, and He has more faith than any man, than it is not a weak prayer or sign of little faith. We know in the case of Yeshua’s prayer in Luke 22, the answer was “no”. But even then, Yahweh sent an angel to help strengthen Him.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Consequences of Sin, Government, Idols / False Gods, Justice / Judgment, Purposeful / Intentional, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Submitted / Servant, Through Prophets, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Do What Is Right in the Sight of the LORD. It Matters.

1 Kings 16 provides stark contrast for how a righteous leader and his reign contrasts to that of the wicked when Yahweh’s hand of blessing and/or curse are involved. It is dramatic.

As you read 1 Kings 16, keep in mind what was said about Asa.

1 Kings 15:11

 11Asa did what was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father.

1 Kings 16

Prophecy against Baasha

      1Now the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2“Inasmuch as I exalted you from the dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel sin, provoking Me to anger with their sins, 3behold, I will consume Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4“Anyone of Baasha who dies in the city the dogs will eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat.”

      5Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

The Israelite Kings

      6And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah, and Elah his son became king in his place. 7Moreover, the word of the LORD through the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani also came against Baasha and his household, both because of all the evil which he did in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he struck it.

      8In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years. 9His servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household at Tirzah. 10Then Zimri went in and struck him and put him to death in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and became king in his place. 11It came about when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave a single male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.

      12Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke against Baasha through Jehu the prophet, 13for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols. 14Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

      15In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days at Tirzah. Now the people were camped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16The people who were camped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired and has also struck down the king.” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 18When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire, and died, 19because of his sins which he sinned, doing evil in the sight of the LORD, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, making Israel sin. 20Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he carried out, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

      21Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; the other half followed Omri. 22But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. And Tibni died and Omri became king. 23In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel and reigned twelve years; he reigned six years at Tirzah. 24He bought the hill Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and named the city which he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

      25Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, and acted more wickedly than all who were before him. 26For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he made Israel sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel with their idols. 27Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28So Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son became king in his place.

      29Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him.

      31It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. 32So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. 33Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

Godlessness leads to unrest and anarchy. In this case it was more dramatic because the LORD Himself caused the punishment to fall on the wicked. He did not simply remove His hand of blessing but basically brought forth judgment and punishment.

On the other hand, Asa, who did what was right in the sight of the LORD, was reigning for 41 years. That did not mean he had an easy time. He had challenges, but what a stark contrast between the righteous and the wicked among God’s people.

Leadership matters. It influences what happens to the people and their relationship with the LORD. Yahweh will hold leaders accountable for not only their own bad choices but more so when they lead so many others astray. In our society today we have the opportunity to influence who gets put in leadership positions. Let us actively engage to influence elections to favor those who will not stand for false religion, homosexuality, abortion, and government control instead of relying on Yahweh.

It is also a reminder for each of us to seek to do what is right in the sight of the LORD.

As a closing thought, we also see that as each generation of wicked king did more and more evil, more than those who went before him. That is the way of sin and separation from God. Once you no longer submit to Him and His ways, what you deem acceptable continues to move farther and farther away from His ways. The path of the godless becomes more wicked over time, more separated from God.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

All Knowing, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

Storms Will Come. Will You Be Ready?

When we see hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, etc. coming, we prepare. We know there is a risk. We know they are coming. We get ready, or at least those who are wise do so. How much more so should we prepare for the storms in life that Messiah tells us will come? He even tells us how to prepare. Let’s read more.

Matthew 7:24-29

The Two Foundations

 24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

      28When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

It is a powerful metaphor. Take time to reflect on it. Start preparing now. Make it a priority to study and follow the instructions of our Messiah as Yahweh has recorded in the Bible. Do not simply listen to a pastor or scholar and assume they are right. Test everything against scripture, and sometimes that means even studying different translations to ensure you are using a good one. Consider a Greek and Hebrew key word study Bible. Any English translation is subject to interpretation of those who wrote it. The Greek and Hebrew key word study Bible’s help us test even the translations we read without needing to be reading in another language.

If you know storms will come, you should learn about how to prepare before they are at your doorstep. For example, if you live where there are hurricanes, do not wait for one to be tracking to shore before you learn about basic preparations that can help you. Do not wait until the storm is there to try to get insurance. So too we should prepare for the storms in life that Messiah says are coming. That means we need to study and applying what we learn to change our lives now, before the storms come.  Keep in mind… hearing the word is meaningless without acting on it, just like knowing how to prepare for a hurricane is useless without action.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.