Category Archives: Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law

Am I on the path?, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant

We are the Salt and the Light

The words of Yeshua in Matthew 5 for His disciples are important. Do not breeze through them. Read them carefully and reflect. Really digest what He is saying.

Matthew 5:13-20

Disciples and the World

      13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

      14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

      17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

      20“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

A disciple is a “learner”. One who learns. We are to learn from Christ and follow His example and His teaching. Our walk should look like His to an increasing extent as we get more mature in our relationship with Him.

After teaching about the beatitudes, Yeshua compares the value and purpose of a disciple to salt and light. The salt adds flavor and is a preservative. It was valuable and important for food in that time. One can easily draw a comparison that we as disciples of Christ are very important. We must preserve the teachings of Christ to help followers embrace a lifestyle consistent with His desires for us. We are important in maintaining the message for others to consume and live out. If we “lose our saltiness” it is like saying we are no longer preserving the true message of Christ and as a result the lives of believers will be less full of the flavor intended. What use is a disciple if we are no longer preserving the teachings of Christ as we ought to be? Not much if you follow the metaphor Yeshua lays out.

The light is even easier to understand. We are not to hide or blend in, but to stand out. We are to shed light for others through how we live and what we teach. If we just blend in and hide, perhaps even to protect ourselves, then what use are we? Not much. Like a lamp that is hidden under a basket. We are to be openly and joyfully fulfilling our purpose to show others the way to Christ. It is the world and culture that will be trying to put a basket over our light.

In both examples our value and purpose is in being different, in standing out and not blending in. We become useless as disciples if we simply blend in with culture around us.

Verses 17-19 make a forceful statement that many today simply rationalize away with word games.

      17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Yeshua could not be much more straight forward. The Law is not abolished. The Law will not pass away until “until heaven and earth pass away”. Last time I checked… that has not happened yet. Then why do so many Christians argue that the Law is done away with? Sadly, this is a deception that has crept into the church a long time ago and it keeps creeping further and further. Pastors are not even consistent. How often do you hear about the “tithe” but then hear the Law is done away with? (The tithe is part of the Law.) Or we hear that the Law is done away with exception of the 10 commandments… wait now we don’t keep all of those either (e.g. Sabbath).

The truth is that the Law stands. Christ did not come to abolish it or end it. He came to make it full of meaning. There are elements such as sin offerings for reconciling to God after we sin that are now fulfilled in Christ’s sacrifice to us. However the whole of the Law is not fulfilled or done away with. Each of us should really challenge ourselves to study and learn more about the Law and not just accept that it is all done away with because pastors say so. I heard one pastor of a well known and large church proclaim recently we need not even keep the Old Testament because it confuses people, but rather only “love one another”. He even left out “love God” and “love one another”.

It was not by accident that Yeshua highlighted the Law after speaking about the salt and the light. It is by obeying the Law that He was judged righteous. It is by living according to the Law that we are a light and salt to the world, leading others to live as Yeshua actually lived Himself.  After all, He was a Jewish rabbi. He lived and taught the Law of God. Should we then declare ourselves His followers by declaring the Law over and living differently than He did? Do we live like He is our example? or our excuse not to follow God’s law?

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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, Family, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy / Set Apart, Obeying God, Submitted / Servant

What Can We Learn from Solomon’s Fall?

Solomon had it all. Everything he had was built on the foundation of YHWH’s blessing. Before we read 1 Kings 11, let’s reflect on the commitment YHWH made with Solomon.

YHWH offered Solomon a gift, at least in part, because he loved walking in the ways of YHWH. This was pleasing to YHWH. When granting Solomon the gift of wisdom, the LORD also highlighted the importance of Solomon continuing to keep the statutes and commandments as his father David did (1 Kings 3). That is a key phrase at the end… as his father David did. David sinned and was not perfect, but he had a heart for the LORD. He always repented and sought the LORD. This all serves as a model for us in our walk with our Father also.

There is a lot in 1 Kings 11. A couple things more to look for as you read:

  • Solomon turned his heart from the Lord. He did not do so all at once and he did not outright deny YHWH as God. He began to take on other idols and pursue other gods. He did so because he allowed himself to be close to people who pursued after other gods. He was influenced over time.  At one point, even with the LORD speaking to him twice directly about it, Solomon still refuses to repent.
  • The relationship of a father with the LORD can influence what happens to the next generation. For David’s sake, the kingdom was not pulled from Solomon until his son reigned. Because of Solomon’s sin, the kingdom was taken from his son. We may not like this, but we need to at least accept that it can be this way at times and prayerfully consider it. It should be a wake up call for all men who really love their children but are not living fully for the LORD.
  • No matter how powerful we may be, it means nothing if the LORD turns against us.
  • The LORD emphasizes again and again the importance of walking in His statutes and commandments to be in right relationship with Him and to be pleasing to Him.
  • The LORD does at times use wicked people for his purposes. He brought forth adversaries that were not of His people as part of the consequences for Solomon’s disobedience.
  • Even someone who is close to the LORD and delights the LORD can choose to walk away and become rebellious. Just like with relationships we have among ourselves, if one chooses to leave, so too with the LORD. The LORD will not leave us or forsake us so long as we obey His statutes and commandments, but we are free to walk away from Him and then there are consequences.

1 Kings 11

Solomon Turns from God

      1Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love. 3He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 4For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 6Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done. 7Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. 8Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

      9Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. 11So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12“Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13“However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

God Raises Adversaries

      14Then the LORD raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal line in Edom. 15For it came about, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck down every male in Edom 16(for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom), 17that Hadad fled to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy. 18They arose from Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land. 19Now Hadad found great favor before Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20The sister of Tahpenes bore his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away, that I may go to my own country.” 22Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you are seeking to go to your own country?” And he answered, “Nothing; nevertheless you must surely let me go.”

      23God also raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24He gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, after David slew them of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and stayed there, and reigned in Damascus. 25So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.

      26Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. 27Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. 28Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. 29It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. 30Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 31He said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes 32(but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), 33because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. 34‘Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; 35but I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes. 36‘But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 37‘I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. 38‘Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39‘Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.’” 40Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

      41Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

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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, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Seeking God, Study the Word, Submitted / Servant

The Glory of the LORD is Overwhelming

When the glory of the LORD fills a place, it is overwhelming. What an experience it must have been in 1 Kings 8 when the LORD came into the temple! Solomon and his people went all out to honor the LORD and celebrate bringing the ark into the temple and the LORD responded.

Let us not forget what is in the ark… the commandments of YHWH. They are important to Him and should be important to His people. They are represented as central to His relationship with His people and we should take note of that and not dismiss it. Let that soak in. His commandments for us went in the ark in the holy place where the glory of the LORD came. That is pretty important!

The Adversary, Satan, loves to separate YHWH’s people from Him by mixing and mingling truth and lies. He loves to convince us that the commandments of YHWH are no longer important since Yeshua came. It is just not so. If we disregard the instructions of our LORD, then we in fact create separation in the form of sin between us and the LORD.

Pray that those who are called by the name of Yeshua will turn from their wicked ways, repent, and seek the LORD in His ways rather than their own.  Ask the LORD to wake us up as a people to stand for righteousness and against wickedness in our nation and around the world. Pray that in doing so we would prepare a place in our lives and in our nation and across the world to invite the glory of the LORD to come among us. Do not rely on culture or government or news media to inform us, but rather turn back to the word and ways of the King.

1 Kings 8:1-11

The Ark Brought into the Temple

      1Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the city of David, which is Zion. 2All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3Then all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4They brought up the ark of the LORD and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils, which were in the tent, and the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered. 6Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles from above. 8But the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. 9There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

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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, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional

Preparing a Place for YHWH to Dwell Among Us

Preparing a place for YHWH to dwell is not something to be taken lightly. Solomon took his time to get it right when building the temple. But part of the preparation was not just about the building. It was about Solomon and the people and their hearts and obedience toward YHWH.

In the midst of 1 Kings 6, in which Solomon is physically building the temple, we also see YHWH speak to him in verses 11-13 about the relationship they will have. Don’t miss this one, as it applies to all of us. If we want YHWH to dwell among us, then we must walk in His statutes, ordinances and commandments. To make a point, He cares about our obedience to His ways. It is important and we should not assume, like many teach today, that He does not care what we do so long as we claim Him in name. That is not what grace is about (Romans 6:1-2).

In fact, if we now understand that our bodies as followers of Yeshua are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), then this is even more personal. If we want the LORD to dwell among us, then we should obey His statutes and commands, which means we have to read and study them to understand them. We should each take this very seriously and prepare our bodies to be a temple that the Spirit will want to dwell in. We should take great time and care to live our lives in a way in which the Spirit will want to dwell among and in us.

Perhaps it is an interesting perspective to consider more broadly. Let us be in a hurry to begin what YHWH calls us to do, but let us not be in a hurry to finish. To accomplish something truly magnificent and worthy of YHWH will often take time. For Solomon, this applied to building the Temple. For each of us, it may apply to whatever YHWH calls us to to. It could be ministering to a certain person or establishing a ministry or anything really. It certainly applies to how we prepare our minds and bodies to be a place for the Spirit to dwell with us.

1 Kings 6

The Building of the Temple

      1Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. 2As for the house which King Solomon built for the LORD, its length was sixty cubits and its width twenty cubits and its height thirty cubits. 3The porch in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits in length, corresponding to the width of the house, and its depth along the front of the house was ten cubits. 4Also for the house he made windows with artistic frames. 5Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the nave and the inner sanctuary; thus he made side chambers all around. 6The lowest story was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around in order that the beams would not be inserted in the walls of the house.

      7The house, while it was being built, was built of stone prepared at the quarry, and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool heard in the house while it was being built.

      8The doorway for the lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by winding stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. 9So he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar. 10He also built the stories against the whole house, each five cubits high; and they were fastened to the house with timbers of cedar.

      11Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon saying, 12“Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father. 13“I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.”

      14So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15Then he built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the ceiling he overlaid the walls on the inside with wood, and he overlaid the floor of the house with boards of cypress. 16He built twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, even as the most holy place. 17The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long. 18There was cedar on the house within, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen. 19Then he prepared an inner sanctuary within the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 20The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar with cedar. 21So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold. And he drew chains of gold across the front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. 22He overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also the whole altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

      23Also in the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub and five cubits the other wing of the cherub; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing were ten cubits. 25The other cherub was ten cubits; both the cherubim were of the same measure and the same form. 26The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. 27He placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and the wings of the cherubim were spread out, so that the wing of the one was touching the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall. So their wings were touching each other in the center of the house. 28He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

      29Then he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inner and outer sanctuaries. 30He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inner and outer sanctuaries.

      31For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel and five-sided doorposts. 32So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

      33So also he made for the entrance of the nave four-sided doorposts of olive wood 34and two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two leaves of the other door turned on pivots. 35He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the engraved work. 36He built the inner court with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

      37In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

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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.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Love, Obeying God, Submitted / Servant

Truly Loving the LORD Translates to Obeying His Statutes as Best we Can

Young Solomon, when taking over the throne of David, loved the LORD. Notice what immediately follows in the text that goes hand in hand with loving the LORD… “walking in the statutes of is father David”. If we love our Father, we obey Him and His ways.

We can see in this scripture that Solomon did have a problem in that he was sacrificing in the high places. There was no house built for the name of the LORD yet. It is noted that this was an exception to following the statutes, but then immediately reconciled as not having a proper place to do the sacrifices at that time. It was not a matter of rebellion in Solomon.

In fact, YHWH met him at Gibeon, where he went to perform these sacrifices. It would appear that YHWH was very pleased by Solomon. We will see as we continue to read on later in 1 Kings that YHWH becomes even more pleased with Solomon because of his attitude toward his responsibility as king and a servant of YHWH.

1 Kings 3:1-5

Solomon’s Rule Consolidated

      1Then Solomon formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem. 2The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days.

      3Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 4The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.”

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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, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Learning To Pray Effectively, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Protector / Deliverer, Salvation, Seeking God, Thankfulness

Praise YHWH for Deliverance

Included within the book of 2 Samuel, we find a psalm of deliverance from David. Surely we all do well to reflect on and rely on deliverance by the LORD from what comes against us. We do well to praise Him and thank Him and not forget or take for granted what He has done on our behalf.

2 Samuel 22

David’s Psalm of Deliverance

      1And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

2He said,
“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

      3My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;
My savior, You save me from violence.

      4“I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.

      5“For the waves of death encompassed me;
The torrents of destruction overwhelmed me;

      6The cords of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.

      7“In my distress I called upon the LORD,
Yes, I cried to my God;
And from His temple He heard my voice,
And my cry for help came into His ears.

      8“Then the earth shook and quaked,
The foundations of heaven were trembling
And were shaken, because He was angry.

      9“Smoke went up out of His nostrils,
Fire from His mouth devoured;
Coals were kindled by it.

      10“He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With thick darkness under His feet.

      11“And He rode on a cherub and flew;
And He appeared on the wings of the wind.

      12“And He made darkness canopies around Him,
A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky.

      13“From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.

      14“The LORD thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.

      15“And He sent out arrows, and scattered them,
Lightning, and routed them.

      16“Then the channels of the sea appeared,
The foundations of the world were laid bare
By the rebuke of the LORD,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

      17“He sent from on high, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.

      18“He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

      19“They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the LORD was my support.

      20“He also brought me forth into a broad place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me.

      21“The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

      22“For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
And have not acted wickedly against my God.

      23“For all His ordinances were before me,
And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.

      24“I was also blameless toward Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.

      25“Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to my cleanness before His eyes.

      26“With the kind You show Yourself kind,
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless;

      27With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the perverted You show Yourself astute.

      28“And You save an afflicted people;
But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase.

      29“For You are my lamp, O LORD;
And the LORD illumines my darkness.

      30“For by You I can run upon a troop;
By my God I can leap over a wall.

      31“As for God, His way is blameless;
The word of the LORD is tested;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

      32“For who is God, besides the LORD?
And who is a rock, besides our God?

      33“God is my strong fortress;
And He sets the blameless in His way.

      34“He makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
And sets me on my high places.

      35“He trains my hands for battle,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

      36“You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
And Your help makes me great.

      37“You enlarge my steps under me,
And my feet have not slipped.

      38“I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
And I did not turn back until they were consumed.

      39“And I have devoured them and shattered them, so that they did not rise;
And they fell under my feet.

      40“For You have girded me with strength for battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

      41“You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,
And I destroyed those who hated me.

      42“They looked, but there was none to save;
Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.

      43“Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth;
I crushed and stamped them as the mire of the streets.

      44“You have also delivered me from the contentions of my people;
You have kept me as head of the nations;
A people whom I have not known serve me.

      45“Foreigners pretend obedience to me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.

      46“Foreigners lose heart,
And come trembling out of their fortresses.

      47“The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock;
And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,

      48The God who executes vengeance for me,
And brings down peoples under me,

      49Who also brings me out from my enemies;
You even lift me above those who rise up against me;
You rescue me from the violent man.

      50“Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations,
And I will sing praises to Your name.

      51“He is a tower of deliverance to His king,
And shows lovingkindness to His anointed,
To David and his descendants forever.”

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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.

Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy / Set Apart, Obeying God, Prophecy, Submitted / Servant, Teachable, Visions

Those Who Were Victorious Over the Beast

The scenes from Revelation are really intriguing to read and ponder. For the moment I want to reflect on some characteristics of “those who had been victorious over the beast and his image”.  In Revelation 12 we saw that the dragon (Satan) made war with those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Yeshua.

Revelation 12

17So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Once again we see this key theme play out in Revelation 15. What are some characteristics of those who were victorious over the beast? They sang songs of Moses and the Lamb. Once again we see love and thanksgiving for both the Law of YHWH and for Yeshua.  Of course we also see that they sing praises to YHWH, which is always good and proper!

Do not lose sight of the fact that we are to hold to the commandments of YHWH as laid out in the Bible, by YHWH through Moses and hold to the testimony of Christ. One does not replace the other, as often taught in Christian churches. Make note, not all commandments can or should be followed today.  As an example, some are relating to the Levitical priesthood or the earthly temple and thus can not apply anymore. Hebrews 10   confirms that Yeshua’s sacrifice means we no longer need to sacrifice animals for forgiveness of sin. However, by and large, there are many commandments which are being discarded by Christians today that still apply and we should be following. Prayerfully reflect on this and I encourage you to study more about the Hebrew roots of our Christian faith.

Revelation 15

A Scene of Heaven

      1Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.

      2And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.

3And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!

      4“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU,
FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.”

      5After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, 6and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes. 7Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. 8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

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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.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Prophecy, Traditions / Holidays

The Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem

As Yeshua returned to Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11, we can clearly see that he once again points back to the Tanakh (often referred to as the Old Testament) and fulfillment of prophecy as significant. Yeshua was going to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, once again reinforcing the observance of the commands of God laid out to His people through Moses. Yeshua was also clearly aware, as we read earlier in Matthew, that he was to die, be buried, and rise again. He was going there to suffer and die for all of our sins.

Matthew 21:1-11

1When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3“If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5“SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION,
‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU,
GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY,
EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.’”

6The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. 8Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.

9The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!”

10When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Yeshua clearly has a supernatural awareness of things around him, else he would not know where the donkey colt was and be able to tell the disciples exactly what to expect when they follow his instructions. The disciples did very well to just obey exactly as Yeshua told them. Everything worked out as planned. We should take care to do the same… obey God’s instructions as he gives them… without changing them to a way we think may be better or more consistent with our culture.

There is much significance for YHWH in the death and resurrection timing coinciding with Passover. It was intentional. The Passover lamb used as sacrifice to save the Israelites was a foreshadowing of Yeshua’s sacrifice for all of us… paying the price for our sins. In both the Passover and death and resurrection of Christ, YHWH’s people must choose to accept his grace and do so publicly. In Passover, by following YHWH’s instructions including putting lamb’s blood on the door post. In accepting Yeshua, we must repent of our sins, submit to YHWH, and ask him to be Lord and Savior. We must no longer live our way, but his way. That is what it means to submit. Those that truly accept Yeshua as Lord will proclaim Him publicly.

Yeshua points back directly to prophecy recorded in the Tanakh and fulfills it. He honors the Father’s instructions given to us through Moses and observes them every time. In this case he comes to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. We should be careful not to quickly dismiss the Tanakh as no longer relevant. Yeshua showed us the opposite! He honored YHWH’s instructions in the Tanakh and so should we.

Note how many in the crowds came out to welcome Yeshua and celebrate him as prophet. How fickle the crowds are… a week later the crowds shout to free Barabbas and crucify Yeshua. Few stood by Yeshua during the arrest and crucifixion, perhaps none publicly as even Peter denied him three times. We must be careful to look to the Father for our guidance on what is right and never just follow the crowds. Often, YHWH’s people find themselves standing against the crowds if they are to stand for him.

My family and I have found it very enriching to reflect the entirety of God’s word in our celebrations by including Passover along with our celebration of resurrection of Christ. As we started this a few years ago, we find ourselves continuing to study and learn how interrelated these celebrations should be.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable, Traditions / Holidays, Unteachable / Foolish

Seeking The LORD In His Moedim (Holy Days)

Each year as Passover approaches, I am reminded to reflect on my personal journey with Yeshua. I was raised in a household that identified as Christian. We went to church weekly, but we did not study the Bible or seek to apply it in our lives actively. We watched things on TV which we should not have. There was little discernment about separating from the commonly accepted ways of the world to seek out the set apart ways of YHWH. We embraced and celebrated every common cultural holiday, apparently unaware or unconcerned about the significant pagan influence in shaping each of these holidays. In fact, holidays like Christmas and Easter often have more pagan roots and traditions than Christian.

As YHWH has continued to lead me, he has opened my eyes to his appointed times, or Moedim. They are described in Leviticus 23 and other places in scripture. Do not get tied up into the traps of whether or not they are required and if required, how “must” they be celebrated. Start by learning about YHWH’s holy days and participating in them. They look back at the relationship he has with his people and look forward to it as well. Each has meaning, not just from a “Jewish” perspective, but also from a Christian perspective. Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of these celebrations, including looking forward to his second coming. They are not “Jewish” holidays, but rather YHWH’s holy days. We can not or do not have to try to live them out perfectly as they were laid out for his people in the Torah, in Leviticus to harvest value from celebrating them.

We do not have to celebrate them absolutely according to what is now Jewish tradition. Only seek to study and better understand them so we better understand our relationship with God. Celebrate them as a great way to help teach your children as well. How much more rich than just “book learning” alone!

Here are a few resources where you can learn more about the Moedim, the Creator’s calendar (often called the “Jewish” calendar), and given this time of year, Passover in particular.

I hope you join me in a pursuit to know, love, and serve our Father more. Learning about and celebrating the Moedim is a fun and meaningful way to continue together on this journey. I invite you to start with Passover, which takes place in the upcoming weeks.

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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.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Lying / Deceiving, Study the Word, Teachable

Is Deception Always Wrong?

David must surely have been both someone desperate and very bold to escape Saul by living among the Philistines, of whom he had fought and won many victories. 1 Samuel 27 is a very thought provoking chapter.

1 Samuel 27

David Flees to the Philistines

      1Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.” 2So David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow. 4Now it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him.

      5Then David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your sight, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” 6So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

      8Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites; for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt. 9David attacked the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive, and he took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish. 10Now Achish said, “Where have you made a raid today?” And David said, “Against the Negev of Judah and against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites and against the Negev of the Kenites.” 11David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring to Gath, saying, “Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, ‘So has David done and so has been his practice all the time he has lived in the country of the Philistines.’” 12So Achish believed David, saying, “He has surely made himself odious among his people Israel; therefore he will become my servant forever.”

David does not explicitly seek the LORD for whether or not he should go to Philistine. While there, he deceives the Philistine ruler with outright lies and intentional plans to back them up and make them convincing. Further he makes raids on neighboring people and leaves none alive. He leaves none not because God said so and not because it was necessary to get the supplies he needed, but to make his lies and deception to the ruler convincing. He does so repeatedly.

There is no rebuke for this behavior recorded.

This must surely cause some to struggle and others just to not think about it much and quickly turn the page. Is YHWH ok with David’s approach? He does not punish David for it and elsewhere He does punish David for his sin, at times in dramatic fashion. Is this leading us to accept that sometimes we can not be absolute in our desire not to lie? For example, is it ok to lie in order to accomplish a greater purpose or avoid a greater threat? Yeshua did  reinforce that we must give more thought to how we apply / obey the commands than simply absolutes in many cases. One such example is recorded in Mark 2.

Mark 2

Question of the Sabbath

      23And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. 24The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; 26how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” 27Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28“So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

If this is a bit uncomfortable concept to accept, let it sink in awhile. Do not dismiss it. Pray about it and reflect on it. Remember, we test everything against scripture, and not against teaching of men in churches. However, do not let this be an invitation to lie and deceive freely. May it never be.

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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.