Category Archives: Obeying God

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Heaven and Hell, Jesus (hearing from God), Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

To Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected

The day of judgment will come for each of us. It is only a question of when. If we die before Yeshua returns, then we may face it individually. Ultimately we will also face a second judgment after He reigns for a thousand years (Revelation 20:11-15).

Let us learn a lesson from Yeshua’s teaching in Matthew 11 as it applies to us personally as individuals. No matter how many sin along side us or accept corruption and live apart from Yahweh and Yeshua, we will face judgment individually.

Matthew 11:20-24

The Unrepenting Cities

      20Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22“Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23“And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24“Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

When Yeshua calls out the cities, He is really calling out the collection of individuals which have chosen a like path. If there were a righteous person there, they will not be judged as part of a city, though they may suffer in this life being a part of it, as the behaviors of those around us influence our lives as well.

There is not one level of suffering and separation for all, or this teaching of Yeshua would really not make sense. If it will be more tolerable for some than for others, then there are distinctions in the suffering, just as elsewhere in scripture we see distinctions in the rewards.

It is worthy to note why the distinction is made. It is not simply that one city was more wicked than another. There is a different nuance that is important. One city received more miracles, more evidence of Yeshua as Messiah and still rejected Him. Thus the judgment will be more harsh. Think about this personally. As Father blesses individuals and deepens in relationship with us, He expects more from us. Similarly, for those that reject Him, it is worse if they had more opportunity to know Him and still rejected Him.

If you know the LORD, He expects more from you than from those who do not. To those whom much is given much is expected.

Luke 12:47-48

47“And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

Do not grow complacent, comparing yourself to others in their walk with the Father (or absence of it). Look to the Father, look to the example of Yeshua and the standards laid out for us in the Torah, the writings of the prophets, and the example documented of the earthly ministry and life of Yeshua and His disciples.  Let this be our standard… and it is high. Keep pursuing 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.

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Correction, Discipline / Guidance From God, Faith / Trusting God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Protector / Deliverer, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil

Why Would Yahweh Comes to Ahab’s Defense?

Ahab was a wicked king over Israel. We read about it throughout several chapters in 1 Kings preceding 1 Kings 20. It is interesting that when war was upon Israel, the LORD granted them victory anyway. Why did He do that?

1 Kings 20

War with Aram

      1Now Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army, and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it. 2Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad, 3‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.’” 4The king of Israel replied, “It is according to your word, my lord, O king; I am yours, and all that I have.” 5Then the messengers returned and said, “Thus says Ben-hadad, ‘Surely, I sent to you saying, “You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children,” 6but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and whatever is desirable in your eyes, they will take in their hand and carry away.’”

      7Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Please observe and see how this man is looking for trouble; for he sent to me for my wives and my children and my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” 8All the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” 9So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought him word again. 10Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “May the gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria will suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me.” 11Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.’” 12When Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking with the kings in the temporary shelters, he said to his servants, “Station yourselves.” So they stationed themselves against the city.

Ahab Victorious

      13Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver them into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’” 14Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘By the young men of the rulers of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” And he answered, “You.” 15Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, even all the sons of Israel, 7,000.

      16They went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the temporary shelters with the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17The young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” 18Then he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

      19So these went out from the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20They killed each his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Arameans with a great slaughter.

      22Then the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself and observe and see what you have to do; for at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”

      23Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. 24“Do this thing: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place, 25and muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.

Another Aramean War

      26At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the country. 28Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “The LORD is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’” 29So they camped one over against the other seven days. And on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel killed of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. 30But the rest fled to Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on 27,000 men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city into an inner chamber.

      31His servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings, please let us put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will save your life.” 32So they girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33Now the men took this as an omen, and quickly catching his word said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he took him up into the chariot. 34Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

      35Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of the LORD, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. 36Then he said to him, “Because you have not listened to the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you.” And as soon as he had departed from him a lion found him and killed him. 37Then he found another man and said, “Please strike me.” And the man struck him, wounding him. 38So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39As the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ 40“While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.” 41Then he hastily took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him that he was of the prophets. 42He said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’” 43So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and vexed, and came to Samaria.

The LORD gave victory to the people of Israel for His own glory and honor. He wanted Ahab to know that He was the LORD. Consider the following verses:

    13Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver them into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’”

28Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “The LORD is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’

I believe this is truly by the grace and patience of our Father that He continued to give such opportunity to Ahab. But even after these chances, Ahab chooses again the wrong path before the LORD. He compromises and makes a treaty with the Beh-hadad, when the LORD already gave him victory. I believe this reflects what is still a lack of faith in Ahab for the LORD. He keeps wanting to do things his own way instead of fully submitting to and relying on Yahweh.

God had set aside Ben-hadad for destruction. Ahab missed that and did things his own way.  Further, when the prophet who is sent to rebuke him confronts him with a parallel situation, Ahab basically has no mercy. He says the man has decided his own judgment, to be killed for letting a prisoner go. Then we see another example of the forgiveness we have for others being the same standard by which we are judged. The prophet declares that because Ahab took this position, it shall stand likewise as his own punishment. Ahab just can’t seem to get things right and that is because he does not have a submitted relationship with the LORD. He is always doing things his own way.  Never do we see Ahab come before the LORD asking forgiveness, even when he is confronted by the prophet directly. It seems obvious that Ahab must have believed in God, witnessing the victory, and not striking down prophets who come against him. However he does not appear to have submitted to the LORD.

There is a lot to learn from this scripture. God will defend His name and reveal Himself to His people. He wants to be in relationship with us, even after we mess up and disobey. We should seek His help and do things His way. There is nothing which God can not make happen, no matter what the odds may seem to be that stack against us. When we mess up, be humble, repent, and ask forgiveness. Ahab never did.

One more observation I have not called out yet, but will not develop fully here. Verses 35-36 may be troubling to some of us. A man refused to strike a prophet and was killed by a lion as a result. Ouch. It sounds harsh for sure. We can make a lot of rationalizations about why the man may not have wanted to strike the prophet, but ultimately the LORD arranged for the lion to kill the man and thus reinforced that his action was wrong to not obey the prophet. I take this one to be one of obedience to the LORD and His servants, especially if the prophet was well known and recognized. We do see a clue that this may have been the case as Ahab recognizes him. That is the whole point of getting struck and going in disguise in the first 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.

Anger (unrighteous anger), Bitterness / Resentment, Courage / Fear, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Guide, Obeying God, Protector / Deliverer, Provider, Share the Good News, Strife, Strong in Our Weakness, Submitted / Servant, Truth, Wickedness / Evil

Disciples of Yeshua Often Face a Hard Road

Do not expect a quiet and peaceful road when you boldly stand for Messiah and proclaim the truth of the gospel.

Matthew 10:16-23

A Hard Road before Them

      16“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17“But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19“But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20“For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

      21“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22“You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

      23“But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

Recognize that this specific message was directed at His specific twelve disciples and not at all disciples for all times. However, the basic message applies still today. Do not expect an easy road because Christ is with you. You may (or may not) face significant hardship. If you do, it does not mean you are on the wrong path. In fact, often if you are on the path of boldly proclaiming the gospel or living it out it is then that you have more difficulty in a godless culture like the one we live in today.

We are to be shrewd, or clever, but we are also to rely on and be comforted by knowing the Holy Spirit will be with us. Once again we see that bringing the true gospel of Christ, not a watered down version, will offend people. Families in some cases will face turmoil as some accept Christ and others resist. This is reason to pray, but not reason to avoid boldly proclaiming the gospel. People will hate you for living for Christ. This, also is not reason to avoid proclaiming the gospel.

How much persecution we experience is largely related to the local culture and government. Those have very real impacts. Even in the USA in our current times we can find news articles documenting where people are attacking the church. You often will not see them on mainstream media, but if you look for more conservative or Christian news sources, you will see it more clearly.

We are to put our faith in Christ, ask for help from the Holy Spirit, and go where the LORD sends us. Wherever we are, we are to be living boldly and proclaiming the gospel through our lives if not from a podium or microphone.

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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, Obeying God, Seeking God, Speaking, Submitted / Servant, Through Prophets

When You Feel Totally Alone, You Can Still Turn to Our Heavenly Father

The chapters preceding 1 Kings 19 and the earlier verses in 1 Kings 19 record a dramatic journey for Elijah. He is zealous for Yahweh when others have turned away to serve false gods.

We quickly see that when we feel totally alone, we can find comfort in our heavenly Father.

1 Kings 19:9-21

Elijah at Horeb

      9Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10He said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

      11So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

      15The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; 16and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17“It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18“Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

      19So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. 20He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.

This scripture is rich with content. I love how the LORD comforts and supports Elijah in His time of difficulty, even as the LORD redirects him away from hiding out and gives him some marching orders. When Elijah feels totally alone, the LORD mentions that there are 7000 others who have not bowed to Baal. That’s not many out of all Israel, but Elijah is not alone!

There is a dramatic presentation for us to help us remember that at times if we are to hear from Yahweh, we must be quiet and still before Him and listen closely. There will be powerful distractions, but we need to focus and be still to hear from Him.

I think we can all be encouraged also to see that even a great prophet like Elijah sometimes did not know what to do and had to wait upon the LORD for guidance. Maybe this can be encouraging to us when we think we should have all the answers and we do not. Let us turn to and trust the LORD.

I also tend to get discouraged when I witness so much mixing and mingling of bad teaching with God’s word among those in the church today. It is really not that different than the days of Elijah. I am encouraged that the more and more we may feel alone as true followers submitted to Yeshua, that there is more of a remnant out there and they will be preserved. I am encouraged that the LORD may bring someone like Elijah to lead the people back to Him.

We should all be praying for the LORD to send workers for the harvest, to send messengers and teachers to lead His people back to Him. We should be praying for all who are called by His name to repent from their wicked ways and return to Him, that He would heal our land.

Do not overlook that to hear from the LORD we need to be still and know that He is 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.

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.

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.

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.

Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Heaven and Hell, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Satan, Submitted / Servant, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Not Everyone Who Says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ Will Enter

Matthew 7:21-23 should be a real attention grabber for any who take salvation and their relationship with Yeshua seriously.

      21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

If we have any shred of humility we should stop and prayerfully reflect on our lives in relation to this statement. It is too easy for people to claim the name of Yeshua and assume they are in right relationship with Him and headed to heaven. Yeshua Himself gives us this strong warning, or wake up call. Not everyone who calls Him LORD will enter the kingdom of heaven.

To prophecy in His name and to cast out demons or perform miracles is not a guarantee that someone will be accepted. How much more so if all we can say is we went to church weekly, paid a tithe, talked about Him a lot. In fact, those who are turned away are called lawless. This is not a random use of the word. It is deliberate and points back to following the Law of God, which is not obsolete, though some elements have been fulfilled (e.g. animal sacrifice for sin offering) and others can not be done (e.g. those involving the temple and Levitical priesthood). Yeshua compares those who do not do the will of the Father to those who do not obey the Law of God.

It is not about following the Law perfectly (as Yeshua did) to be saved. We can not. It is about submitting to Yahweh and doing His will. When we do that, we will follow His instructions more and more fully. We should challenge even common teachings in churches today and compare them to what the Bible says with a critical eye and open mind. There are many commonly accepted teachings which are not Biblical, such as teaching that the Law of God is obsolete, except for a few we hand select to keep… like paying the tithe.  How convenient for churches to preach keeping tithe, but also teach that the law is obsolete. The tithe is part of the law.

For more context on this subject consider our teaching on Understanding the Law – What Does it Mean Today?  and review our prior devotionals relating to Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law.

We encourage you to review a broader context for today’s scripture, included below. The narrow and wide gates visual is very interesting. If you find that you fit in with most in society and are following nicely on a comfortable path that is generally accepted by most… you are probably on the wrong path. Don’t make an assumption that somehow as long as you fit in with most Christians you must be on the right path. I would point you back to our opening scripture. Many who call Him LORD are on the wrong path. Test everything against the Bible itself and ask help from the Spirit to understand it properly, as Satan often tries to draw us away from the Father through twisting and misuse of scripture.

Matthew 7:13-23

The Narrow and Wide Gates

      13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

      15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.

      21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

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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.

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?

Read more:

Find ministries that focus on teaching us about the Hebrew roots of our faith:

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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, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Idols / False Gods, Justice / Judgment, Lying / Deceiving, Obeying God, Spiritual Warfare, Through Prophets, Unteachable / Foolish, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

A King’s Idolatry in God’s Name and a Disobedient Prophet

1 Kings 13 has several important threads to pull on. The kingdom has just been divided between Rehoboam and Jeroboam due to Solomon’s rebellion against God, and Rehoboam’s arrogance and pride, mixed with some foolishness for listening to bad counsel instead of good counsel. Jeroboam set up his own altars and priests for the LORD, but this is truly idolatry as we do not get to change and adapt for our desires what the LORD has said… even if we still claim we do it for Him. Meanwhile, we also get an opportunity to explore the path of two prophets who are knitted together in this historical account.

1 Kings 13

Jeroboam Warned, Stricken

      1Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. 2He cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” 3Then he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the LORD has spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’” 4Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. 5The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6The king said to the man of God, “Please entreat the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before. 7Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” 8But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. 9“For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came.’” 10So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel.

The Disobedient Prophet

      11Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father. 12Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone. 13Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it. 14So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16He said, “I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17“For a command came to me by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’” 18He said to him, “I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. 19So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.

      20Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have disobeyed the command of the LORD, and have not observed the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, 22but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.’” 23It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24Now when he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was standing beside the body. 25And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.

      26Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to him.” 27Then he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it. 28He went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn the donkey. 29So the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came to the city of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him. 30He laid his body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!” 31After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32“For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria.”

      33After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places. 34This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.

Clearly we see Jeroboam is warned in dramatic fashion about his sin and idolatry… and he refuses to repent. This is not a man who is truly pursuing the LORD, despite the actions of setting up a priesthood and altars in His name. He is going through religious activity but missing on the main point of being in relationship and obedience to God. He is doing things his own way and damaging the name or reputation of God in the process. There are people doing this very commonly throughout our culture today! We should prayerfully reflect and ask God to show us if and how we are doing this in our lives today, by rationalizing how we mix and mingle obeying God with other cultural influences or personal desires. We should submit to and serve God and God alone.

In regards to the prophet, we can explore many different aspects. We could get focused on why the old prophet who lied was not punished. Maybe he was. That is not the focus God wanted us to have from this historical account. He wants us to focus on the young prophet. He knew clearly and firmly that he was not to eat or drink in that place. He said so firmly to both king and the older prophet. He allowed himself to be deceived. He chose to go against what God had clearly told him. God held him accountable for that. When we are in a mature relationship with the LORD where He does miracles through us and brings His word clearly through us, He also has high expectations that we obey. In that case, He knows we clearly understood Him and then disobeyed.

It is not written, but one can easily imagine the role of Satan playing out behind the scenes here. I imagine him influencing the king to tempt the prophet. As we learn from Satan’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, he always comes more than once and he gets trickier. You only defend by clearly understanding the word of God and obeying it. I can see Satan coming back with a trickier approach through the older prophet and he manages to get the younger prophet to disobey God and face the consequences. God sent the lion to cause death to the prophet. This was not simply the LORD removing his hedge of protection. The lion killed the man and then ate neither man nor donkey and just stayed there by the site where it happened. The LORD punished the prophet by bringing about his death.

If that seems harsh or makes us uncomfortable, then we should prayerfully reflect on it, but it is still true. Let us recognize that the LORD is to be respected and at times feared. That should encourage us in our obedience, in particular when He has clearly spoken to us what we are to do.

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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.