Genesis 32:28

"Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed."

Jacob has been honored in so many ways. The name given to him became the very name by which God would later be identified: the God of Israel.

As his latter name indicates, the life of Jacob merges with the destiny of the country of Israel. His very birth springs out of potential annihilation and all throughout his lifetime, he has to contend to inherit and keep what God has rightfully given him. Later on, under the threats of his brother Esau, Jacob leaves his birth place of Canaan for Babylon, where he is employed by his uncle to watch his flocks. He marries the two daughters of the uncle and secretly leaves twenty-one years later to return to Canaan. As Jacob arrives, he is met by an angelic host before hearing of his brother who stills seeks his life. It is then that a mysterious powerful ‘messenger’ meets Jacob, changes his name and thereby his heart (Genesis 32).

How is it possible not to see the birth of the nation of Israel in Jacob’s life’s story: sprung out of Egyptian slavery and persecution; pursued by Pharaoh; fought by the Amalekites and throughout their history struggled to preserve their independence and autonomy, only be found expelled from their country for not twenty-one years, but so far, twenty-one centuries. Now Israel is returning to its land where Esau meets and wants to kill him. This battle will end in a bloody war with all the countries in the world gathered against Israel (Zechariah 12). At that time the Messiah, God’s Messianic Messenger will return and …

The rest of Jacob’s story tells us the end from the beginning. Jacob’s Messianic Messenger fights against him and Jacob prevails. Jacob does not let Him go; he hangs on to Messiah at any cost until he gets the blessing causing him a deep wound in his thigh. When Jacob now Israel meets Esau, they make up and Israel enters Canaan, the land of his future, the land promised to his grand-father Abraham.

In the distance, we can already hear the Messenger, the galloping hooves of his horse. He comes in greatness and strength from Bozrah in a garment dipped in blood (Isaiah 63:1). He will fight, wound and bless Israel, change his heart as that of his brother, and carry him to his country with an angelic welcoming committee.

That my friend, is Messiah’s roadmap to peace in the Middle-East. May it come soon, even in our days!

Hebrews 11:19

He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Of all the patriarchs Isaac may be the most mysterious. It is a miracle that he even lived at all. He was born out of time from a sterile womb; his life was challenged by his step mother, by his step brother; and if that was not enough, God asked for his life. The big question though is: what happened to him after Mt. Moriah?

When he goes to Mt. Moriah, the text constantly reminds us of Isaac’s presence alongside Abraham. Abraham even mentions to the servants waiting at the foot of the mountain, that he and the lad will return to them. But after the offering scene, all we are told is that Abraham returned to the servant and went to live in Beersheba (Genesis 22:19). But what happened to Isaac? We do not hear of him until Abraham decides to marry his son off over twenty years later (Genesis 24:3; 25:20), and then when Rebecca falls off her camel when she sees him (Genesis 24:64: I know that some Bibles write that she ‘dismounted’ her camel, but the Hebrew says ‘fall’).

Many Jewish sages have pondered the question and came up with various answers and parables about it. Here is what I find to be the most amazing ones. The hope of every Jewish father is for his son to become a Torah scholar, so a jewsih scholar supposed that Abraham may have sent Isaac to learn at the feet of Melchizedec, or even went to Heaven to learn at the feet of Messiah. Of all of them, I like the one about Isaac going to learn at the feet of Messiah in Heaven. The parable tells us that at the offering scene, Isaac did die but revived right away and went to Heaven to learn Torah. He would only return later to marry the bride brought to him from Babylon, by Eliezer (the name means: my God is my help), Abraham’s servant.

In Jewish literature, Isaac is often represented as a foreshadow of Messiah. We see it each year in the Passover Afikomen. Paul must have known about the parable of this old rabbi because he said: He (Abraham) considered that God was able even to raise him (Isaac) from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back (Hebrews 11:19). The Greek text from which this verse is taken doesn’t say ‘figuratively speaking’ but, ‘as in a parable’. Abraham must have had mixed feelings; he knew his son was a ‘goner’, but he still told the people at the foot of the mountain that he would return with him.

What sounds amazing to me is that as a foreshadow of Messiah, the picture in this parable fits perfectly. Hasn’t Messiah died on the wood, resurrected right away, disappeared from the scene as He went to the Father, and he will return solely to marry His Bride brought to Him from Babylon (this world) by the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit/ God’s Helper)?

Wasn’t the old rabbi who figured that out from the question: ‘What happened to Isaac?’ on to something?

Hebrews 13:2

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

There is a tradition of hospitality for the Feast of Tabernacles. The idea is to entertain a distinguished guest each night of the Festival. These guests include in order: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses Aaron, King David and Messiah. Of course, the patriarchs do not actually physically come in the sukkah, but their presence is invited through reading, talking and learning about them.

Hospitality was a fundamental virtue to workings of M.E. society in the days of the patriarch Abraham. When a guest was in your house, he was under your wings and protection. If an enemy came to hurt him, you were to use all your resources to protect your visitor; no matter what the cost, your company could find total sanctuary in your house.. A very good example of that is found in the story of Lot even offering his daughters to the sodomites in order to protect his angelic guests.

In traditional writings, Abraham is the standard for hospitality. To be invited to the table and tent of Abraham was a great honor. He would treat you to the best of his flock as if you were a dignitary. Tradition describes that the patriarch would send his servant Eliezer to the highways and byways (and we are talking great distances in the desert) to compel people to honor him by finding restoration and rest in his tent. Again, in M.E. tradition, guests didn’t just stay for a cup of coffee and cookies to quickly be on their way. They got their feet washed, maybe stayed several days at the host’s expense while they, their host and their animals were tended to. Aside from Melchizedek, Abraham seemed to have been one of the rare persons acquainted with the God who made Heaven and earth. This act of hospitality from Abraham was his outreach program in the midst of an idolatrous world. He would invite people and treat them like God would. Abraham wanted to show people God’s favor!

Come to think of it, as we invite Abraham to our sukkah for this first day of tabernacles, we also have all been invited to his table. The tent of Abraham represents God’s favor and an invitation to come to the Messiah, his descendant. Abraham was God’s representative and prophet, and through him, all the families of the earth are blessed (Genesis 28:14). The whole world is blessed as they come to the table of Abraham to have a taste of the World to Come, of the marvelous things God has prepared for those who put their trust in Him through His Messiah. That is why in the synagogues of Paul’s day, those of the gentiles who joined themselves to the God Israel were called ‘those of the family of Abraham’ (Acts 13:26).

May those that meet us on our daily path, may those who get to know us as the Children and representatives of the Almighty Creator of Heaven and earth also find in us, and through us, the bounty, beauty, and restoration Messiah would give them. May all those who come in touch with us get a taste, however small, of the World to Come, of what God has prepared for them. Like with Abraham, may this be our witness in this sad world of darkness.

Revelations 20:5

The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.

This is the first resurrection.

Following the logical flow of the text, since those who first resurrect are those who refused to receive the mark of the beast, those ‘did not come to life’ are those who received it. Much is speculated about this mark. We may not at present be sure of its form, but we know its function. In biblical terms the head, especially the forehead represents the will; the hands represent the actions birthed by the will. That is why Jews put these little prayer boxes with a Scripture scroll inside of them when they pray: to remind them of what should be the focus and direction of both their thoughts and their actions. The devil will also try to control our thoughts and actions by attempting to place his mark on our foreheads and hands, and in the sight of God, that is death.

We are used to think of death as a permanent state. But in this verse the dead await resurrection in order to go to their reward, good or bad. We are obviously then talking here about more than biological death, something different than the mere corruption of the body. There are people who are alive and yet who are more dead than the dead; while there are those who are dead, but who are more alive than those still in the body (Matthew 22:32)!

What is then a life that is more substantial than this present state? And what is a death more empty and void than the mere corruption of the body? King David put it in these wonderful words:’ I shall dwell in the house of Adonai forever’ (Psalms 23: 6). In other words, presence with God is life more alive than this life, but absence from God is more mortal than mere body corruption.

As long as we are alive, the candle, however small at times, of the life of God lives in us. Its light is manifest in our hearts via the twinges of our conscience. To others, it is manifest in either strength or weakness according to our obedience of Messiah’s commandments. When we die, that candle is extinguished, but then, until the time of resurrection to judgment, we come to either more than life, what Yeshua called: the bosom of Abraham, or to less than death: the she’ol.

We must take this life more seriously. The good, the bad and the ugly of this life do follow us in the World to Come. We may then shed many tears of regret; Messiah will surely wipe them, but that doesn’t mean that we will not still have to learn the substance of the lesson from the disobedience that caused these tears.

If we are truly sealed with the mark of the Messiah, let us make sure that in each day of this life, both our will and hands are synchronized with those of our Master. Then and only then will the prayer: ‘Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven!’ be answered!

Revelations 20:4-6

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

About this time of future restoration and reorganization of the world, Paul, our Master’s apostle also specified, Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life (1 Corinthians 6:3)!

We are not given too many details about this judging of angels (and the secret things belong to God said Moses); we are simply told in that and other passages that at the time when Messiah will physically reign on earth the faithful will share in His exaltation and judging of the universe which therefore implies judging angels. The idea of mankind judging angels birthed from the Book of Enoch, which was a very widespread Jewish writing from the 1st century C.E., a book the early believers seem to have been familiar with.

What we are told though, (and the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever Moses also said (Deuteronomy 29:29)), is that if we are to judge angels in the future, we should today be able to judge earthly disputes between ourselves. In essence, our training for judging angels tomorrow starts today with learning to maturely take care of our own issues between oursleves.

The problem is that today, as with many other things, we are not encouraged to manage our issues and disagreements by ourselves. We go to the police, we get a lawyer, or worst, a psychologist! As far as I can understand from his epistles, to Paul the fact that those who called themselves by the name of Yeshua could not manage their own problems themselves was a disgrace and a bad testimony of Messiah’s congregation in front of the non-believers. He said that it would be more valuable to be defrauded that to be such a poor testimony in front of others (1 Corinthians 6:7).

It is high time that we take control of our lives; that we take responsibility of our affairs. We, as Messianic congregations, must organize ourselves into a coherent movement that is self sufficient in every way including self-legislated just as the Hebrew nation was taught to be by Moses in ancient times. Then and only then, we will ever be able to fulfill our destiny of entering the Promised Land of His divine will, and be an example to all nations of life under the rulership of Messiah.

Revelations 20:1-3

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

I heard it said once, ‘When you kick sin out, don’t leave a forwarding address!’

At the time of His coming, Yeshua, the Messiah-King will rule on earth. The Adversary will be under control and therefore, the evil inclination that causes us so much trouble will be greatly diminished. Living by God’s commandments and avoiding sin will be easier then. But at the end of these 1,000 years of relief from the Adversary’s work, Satan will be released. At that time, he will again be allowed to tempt us as he is today.

We must ask ourselves, The Messiah may rule the earth then, but does He rule my heart now? Is He my King today? During the High Holidays, we go through deep introspection, we confess our sins and we deny ourselves on the Day of Atonement. But what happens after that? Is it life as usual? He may have done the atoning work, he may ‘cover’ for our ‘credit card’ debt to the Father, but there is a chilly warning for going back into the works of darkness after Messiah did the hard work of cleaning us up. The writer of the book of Hebrew puts it in these following words, For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries (Hebrews 10:26-27).

As we prepare for the next Festival on our calendar we are told to look back at the time of our sojourn in the desert, at the time when we lived in sukkhas, in temporary flimsy shelters totally vulnerable and dependent on the Father’s mercy. This Festival should also speak to us about our temporal situation on this earth, looking forward to the time when we will enter what John called New Jerusalem, the Tabernacle of God with men. (Revelations 21-22). In that place nothing shall hurt nor destroy; sin death and corruption will not be allowed.

In preparation for that day, we need to learn today to stay away from sin. Like Joseph of old, flee temptation when it comes, even leaving our coat behind when temptation tries to hold onto us. That is our work to do and the idea behind the apostles words to, ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).’

May it be good in Your eyes!

Should believers in Yeshua fast on Yom Kippur by Patrick Gabriel Lumbroso in Beith Hallel

YOM KIPPUR 2010, with Patrick Gabriel Lumbroso from Messianic House of Praise on Vimeo.

Matthew 25:1-7

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.

But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.

Behold the night is far advanced. It has been a long wait and drowsiness has taken hold of the congregations. The Master is getting ready to come with the Bride, and the ten virgins, friends of the bride are expected to stay awake with the bride to serve and help her. But just like the disciples on the Mt of Olives, their eyes are heavy (Matthew 26:43). Will we watch one hour with Him? Will we stand guard, watch and pray?

On the eve of the manifestation of His Messianic nature Yeshua asked his disciples to watch with him, to stand guard in prayer denying themselves of the sleep they so needed. Even today, as we await His manifestation in the world, as we await for the time of the wedding ceremony we are to watch, pray and stand guard. Are our eyes heavy? Can we deny ourselves waiting even though we do not know at which hour he is coming?

A sudden cry pierces the night, ‘The bridegroom is coming, the Bridegroom is coming!’. See him majestically riding on a white horse. He is coming for the Bride and the friends of the bride rise from their drowsiness to fix their lamps. They make sure that it burns clear bright and without smoke: they must trim their wicks. Even so, there comes the time (and even we hear the sound in the horizons); there will be a shout in the heavens, ‘The Bridegroom is coming, the Bridegroom is coming!”. Let us rise from sleep. Let us shake our drowsiness. Awake, awake Isaiah says (Isaiah 52:1,9).

It is time now for us to rise from our sleepiness and appear before the king of the universe. He comes to take the bride and to bring His people to the greatest party ever thrown. He has sent his servants to cry in the streets, in the highways and byways compelling people to come in. He has sent white robes to each one to wear at the feast.

Let us now be ready, trim our wick so the light of our love through our keeping of His commandments shine bright and unequivocally, distinctly and without smoke. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Matthew 24:48-51

But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Those of us who acknowledge Yeshua as our Master and Rabbi have been given both assignments and responsibilities over His heritage. We are expected to behave as shepherds and responsible leaders over His flock. He left us in charge while He is gone on a journey, but at the time appointed our Master will return. At that time we will sit down with Him for an audit. He will look at what He left us with and require the increase. If there is no increase He will examine the situation and demand an explanation. This is the time when the priorities of our lives will be examined and evaluated.

We all mean to do good and I doubt if any person reading this actually beats his fellow servants or drinks with the drunkards. On the other hand, we can all admit to neglecting our responsibilities by just being selfish, self-motivated, negligent, and over-concerned with our personal pleasure, entertainment and comfort.

As we prepare for rehearsing the Day of the Lord through the Festival of Yom Kippur, we may need to do a little self-auditing. There are several questions we can ask ourselves that can help put us back in perspective: What does Yeshua expect of me? Have I been fulfilling His will and wishes for my life? If not, why? Where am I in my relationship with His family, my brothers and sisters? Are there any sour relationships that I need to sweeten? Would I want Him to ask me the question: ‘why is your relationship with so and so in such a state of negativity?’ Are there people I am responsible for in ether my social or biological entourage, people I am expected to look after? Am I fulfilling my responsibilities with them? If not, why?

James the apostle exhorts us in this way: ‘For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.’ James’ mirror is the Scriptures that project for us the perfect standard expected of us. It is a bit like the evil witch’s mirror in the fairy tale Snow White. We are meant to look in it and compare our lives with the beauty of His Words. The idea is for It to point out our blemishes so we can fix them through repentance and prayer. Sad to say though, like in the story, some of us use it to retaliate against anything that challenges our innate self-righteous spirit. The apostle then continues and says, ‘But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing (James 1:23-25).

Amen!

Matthew 24:45-47

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.”

Since the days of John the Immerser we have been told, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ “At hand’, means easily reachable. Isn’t it strange that more than 2,000 years have passed and the Kingdom has not been established on the earth yet?

Every generation learns that ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’. In fact, many generations have been convinced that they were going to see the return of Adon Yeshua in their days, but it did not happen. In a way, it is right that it should be so; if not, how would we feel the necessity to ready ourselves for that Day? And even more important, how would we feel the urgency to teach our children about it? If we did not in every generation apprehend the return of Yeshua ‘at hand’, within two generations the whole message would be lost.

Each year during the High Holidays we rehearse this return of our Master; we look forward to His judgment, His vindication, and final take-over of the kingdoms of this world. He will then usher us into 1,000 years of restoration. All wrong will be made right, day will conquer the night. The lost will be restored, injustice rectified. In the glory of His ruling majesty, as Solomon of old, the great King will listen to our pleas, wipe our tears away, vindicate the souls of those persecuted for righteousness’ sake and challenge those who destroy the earth. May it be soon Abba, even in our days!

PRAYER:

May we be ready for that great Day! May we be at that time found doing those which pertain to Your will, not in lip service only, but from the heart living a life that reflects unswerving love and dedication to Your Commandments. May we be found worthy of the title of disciple: one who emulates his Master.

How To: "Soul Accounting" in 5 Steps

Rosh Hashanah is about coming in the presence of the King of the universe for an evaluation of our lives.

We are taught that Yeshua takes our sins upon Himself and it is true. On the other hand, the apostle tells us that we are ‘work out our salvation with fear and trembling’.

I agree that Yeshua takes from us the sins that we know and even the ‘secret faults’ as David called them. Some sins we don’t know because we haven’t grown to know them, but some sins we don’t know because we don’t want to know or we are not even searching.

We should make an effort sometimes to acknowledge our sin to ourselves by seeking deeper into our hearts and being using more aggressive in the matter.

How can we be better people if we don’t know how to fix it, and no it doesn’t just happen by the stroke of the magic wand of the Holy Spirit. We have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Such a soul searching (cheshbon hanefesh), such work takes time, and many a businessman shuts down his operations for a day in order to draw up his yearly report.

What is a good way to appropriately quantify soul-searching?

Mathematics wouldn’t help us. Mathematics deals with dry numbers, whereas an "accounting of the soul," as suggested by its name, deals with matters of the heart and soul.

A Chassidic Rabbi one day gave a relevant parallel to the cheshbon hanefesh: the account and balance sheet every business creates yearly.

Now, any businessman knows that without a balance sheet he has no way of knowing whether his business drew profits or losses. The fact that a store is full of shoppers doesn't say anything; people may come to browse and compare prices, but do not make purchases. Only when the owner draws up a proper balance sheet does he know whether his business is profitable and the year successful.

We, too, can be busy from morning to night, but once a year, we need to take time off to contemplate our most important "business"—that is, our service of our Creator.

Have we progressed towards this goal in the past year? Have we improved our relationship with God? Have we become better people, better Children of God, better examples of Him to others?

Here is a practical guide for conducting a cheshbon hanefesh. It may take some time, there's no need to complete it in one day.

Step One:
Draw two large squares on a paper. Title the first one: "Me and God"; the second: "Me and My Fellows."

Step Two:
In the "Me and God" category, write down the various spiritual commendments you observe, those you are aware of in your heart, those you are responsible to know. Next to each of these, write down whether this is an area in which you incurred a profit or loss in the past year.

Keep in mind that identical balance sheets can indicate a profit for one person and a loss for another. For example, a man who began to keep Shabbat this year who writes, "I kept Shabbat almost every week" has shown a profit; for someone who has done it since the age of 13, it is considered a loss.

Step Three:
In the "Me and My Fellows" section, write down all your notable relationships—e.g., your children, spouse, parents, friends, work buddies, and acquaintances. Here, too, write down next to each one whether you became closer to these people, distanced yourself, or did things you'd have been better off not doing...

Step Four:
The next two steps are the most important ones; without them, all the time invested in this accounting goes down the drain.

Take the "losses" of the year, and turn them into profits. Ask yourself, how can I be a better parent? How can I ensure that I keep Shabbat weekly? How can I improve the atmosphere in my home? How can I devote more time to Torah study? And should I be expanding my ‘business’? Are there other areas that don't even yet exist on my balance sheet that I should explore? A new commandment? A new relationship?

Step Five:
Until now, all the reckoning has been relatively quantifiable, and as such not so difficult. This step takes it to another level altogether.

Now it's time to look beyond all the individual behaviors, and analyze the patterns. Or to put it differently, to look at the inner soul workings that caused all the profits and losses.

• Why are you failing in certain areas?

• What is your perspective on life?

• How important to you are your relationships?

• Do you have a deep-seated commitment to fulfill your spiritual calling in life?

Once you have a better picture of who you are now, and who you'd like to be, then come the High Holidays you are ready to get under the covering and make the necessary changes and commitments.

You can become a different person.

Today's devotion Acts 24:14-16

Acts 24:14-16 (E.S.V).

But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.

Hear these words spoken by Yeshua’s apostle Paul, several years after his encounter with the Master: I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Torah (my edition) and written in the Prophets. In other words, Paul’s defense against the High-Priest’s accusations of sedition and profanation was that he never swayed from practicing Judaism; that he believed and practiced the commandments written in the Pentateuch, as well as the teachings of the prophets, which in Jewish understanding is everything else except the poetry books.

Judaism is not a creed; it is a way of life. It is not something that can be practiced without it showing on the outside. The High-Priest knew it and couldn’t refute Paul’s confession; that is why he had to add accusations of seditions to the package of accusatory evidence against Paul. Ananias knew that the Roman governor couldn’t care less about religious squabbles, but disturbing the peace of the Empire was a very serious offense, especially in Jerusalem.

Paul proclaimed his innocence by insisting that he always took pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. In the mouth of Paul, what did this mean? It means that he kept his conscience clear of offenses in front of God and man simply by his sincere efforts to serve God by obeying his commandments. By bringing these facts to the fore, he hoped to close the mouth of his accusers.

The Accuser is always in front of us, accusing us of evil not to the Roman emperor, but to the King Creator of the universe. It is one thing to be accused of an evil that we have done, and we all have done plenty, but this we can do to close the mouth of the Adversary: we can strive to take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man: before God, by obeying His commandments, and before men by submitting to the ordinances of earthly authority; to strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

There are times when we may feel that man’s command goes against God’s command, but I have observed that it is very often our personal tangential application of both which creates the conflict, which then becomes striving for conflict, not for peace.

Let’s take the stand and today make the resolution to follow in the footsteps of the apostle; to for peace.

Hello

Hello

Welcome to my new improved blog

Due to popular demand, as of the 9th of September 2010 I will start sending these daily blogs again. This is a trial run; let me know if you have any difficulty receiving or opening them. 

Patrick

THE VOICE OF THE WORD INSIDE

Psalms 11:4

Adonai is in His Holy Temple, the throne of Adonai is in Heaven:

His eyes behold, His eyelids try the children of men.

We can imagine the conviction that will fall upon each one of us at the end of this age, as we appear before our Lord and Master sitting on His throne in Heaven. We will experience the trying of His eyelids as He looks at us with loving reproach. We will then remember the wrong and hurtful things we did or said when in our mortal state, even though we most of the time knew better. But do we have to wait until that day to experience conviction?

King Solomon remarked that The eyes of Adonai are in every place, beholding the evil and the good (Proverbs15:3).

The prophet Zechariah tells us about God’s seven eyes which run to and fro through the whole earth (Zechariah 4:10).

The apostle Paul teaches us that our body is like the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Our Beloved Master does not watch over from afar; us from Heaven on His throne; He does not shepherd us sitting far away on His throne; He is right near us; in fact, the Torah says that he is within us, within our hearts filled with His Words, and within our mouths as we speak His precepts to each other. Yeshua watches us from His temple inside of us, from, the heart of our souls, within our bodies.

May we be granted to know His presence in the heart of our body and soul just as if we were standing in front of Him in the throne room. May we experience the trying of His eyelids reproving the excuses that we so easily indulge in to justify our failings. Most of all, may we not sear the voice of the conscience that He has put inside of us, neither kick against the pricks of His Spirit (Acts 9:5).

THE ROOTS OF OUR FAITH

Psalms 11:2,3

For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Imagine poisoning the roots of a tree. The tree will still stand for a long time, pretty and strong looking as it always seemed. No one, except an expert, would notice that it was rotting from the inside, until after some months, or even years the tree stops bearing fruit, its branches become dry and brittle and eventually, the smallest storm brings it down.

If the foundations of our faith are poisoned, if the roots that hold our belief system lose their true value, if they carry in them the poisons of lies, deceits and hypocrisy, if they do not feed the tree anymore of the true life-giving nutritive sap to strengthen it, our tree becomes weak, unable to bear the fruit his owner desires. Starvation would provoke sterility and genocide. Existence would become useless and even dangerous as it would eventually dies and rot. The tree would then needs be cut down.

Is it then surprising that the enemy of our soul aims his arrows straight at the foundation of our faith, at the very beliefs that hold it strong—at our faith in God’s Words?

Satan has been at it since the beginning. In the Garden of Eden when he questioned Eve, hath God said. . . .? (Genesis 3:1), and his techniques have not changed. He does not negate the Words, oh no; that would be too obvious: he just changes the perspective with which we read them, thus we understand them differently.

May the Father, the Author and Finisher of our faith, help us and protect us from the enemies destruction of our faith through his meddling with the Word. May we have the courage, the strength to look the Word straight in the face, not sideways nor from the back but straight, to face it like a mirror, let it expose our erroneous ways and change us, let it freely flow into our souls to strengthen and give us Life.

FLEE AS A BIRD

Psalms 11:1

In Adonai put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

Yeshua commented and said that the children of the world are wiser than the children of Light (Luke 16:8). Have you ever heard smart-aleck cynics say that faith is only for the weak and the dependant? If they only knew! In the sight of the world, people who are dependant, insufficient in themselves, look like weaklings, easy to take advantage of and overcome—‘easy targets’ they say.

People of faith can sometimes seem like easy preys. They can be like a little frightened bird, “Go; go to your mountain” the big bullies tells them. “We’ll give you a sporting chance to escape, but get out of our sight before we devour you!” Little do these bullies know that back at his mountain homeland, the frightened bird has a concerned Father who knows of every fallen sparrow and who dresses every blade of grass (Luke 12:6; Matthew 6:30). He is there waiting to come to the defense of the weak, and to unleash His wrath against the arrogant insolents who have dared to touch one of His protégés.

So flee little bird yea, flee to your mountain; do as they say. Because you have put your trust in El Shaddai, and whereas they may think they take advantage of you, your Father will bless your trust and be your everlasting protection. When He comes to your rescue and they feel His wrath, they will be alone; they do not have a loving Father to help them.

Go to the secret place of the Most-High. Abide under the shadow of the Almighty
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalms 91:1-4

FAVORS FROM OUR FAVORITE

Psalms 5:12

For thou, Adonai, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

In the book of Job, Satan challenges God about a man’s virtuous life and says, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. (Job 1:9,10)

If we could only open our eyes, we would see how much God looks after us, we would realize the full spectrum of his protection. The shield He covers us with is His favor, as though we are His favorites; God does have favorites, you know. He is automatically closer to those who abide close to Him. When we give Him the honor of being the ‘favorite’ of our hearts, we become His ‘favorite’, He surrounds and covers us.

Before asking God for the benefits of His favor, let us ask ourselves: Is God my favorite? Is He my favorite hobby, pastime, counselor, presence, and friend?

As a reflection on 9/11, Ann Graham, the daughter of the famous evangelist by the same last name gave an answer the question, How could God let something like this happen? She said, I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman that He is, I believe that He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?

Looking at all the areas in our lives where we wish that God would somehow intervene, let us check to if perhaps He is perhaps not there because we either have not invited Him, or have even escorted Him out of the issue. Can we then expect His favors?

PURE JOY FROM THE HEART

Psalms 5:11

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Joy--joy from the Spirit—is the trademark of messianic faith. The child of God who truly puts his trust in his God rejoices because he has the assurance that God has answered his prayers even if he doesn’t presently see it. The Child of God doesn’t ‘hope’, he doesn’t ‘wish’ that his Heavenly Father will answer his prayers, he simply knows. He knows because faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) The Greek word used for “substance” in this text is “huposthasis”, meaning the “title-deed”. So the verse could also be translated as: “faith is the ‘title-deed’ of things hope for”. He know that he owns the answer to his prayers just because it is written on a piece of paper called a ‘contract’, in this case, in the Torah written on the hide of a flock of sheep.

Each child of God has this biblical contract with God signed in the blood of the Lamb: Yeshua, the Messiah. The promises in His Words are the terms of the contract and they cannot be broken (John 10:35b). We have His assurance of supply (Philippians 4:19), of protection (Psalms 91:1), and of His love (Hebrews 13:5b).

Abba Father, grant to have opened eyes that we may see and behold that they that are with us are more than they that are against us (2 Kings 6:15-17). Completely throw us at Your feet in the total trust and confidence that, not only You will take care of us and defend us, but in the realization that You are already doing it.

May our countenance reflect this inner peace.

May our spirits emanate the joy of this confidence and trust in You—that those that cross our paths today may know that you are Adonai, our God, our Redeemer, the Restorer or our souls and Defender.

May we rejoice in You always (Philippians 4:4).

STAND

Psalms 5:10

Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

God’s people do not have to worry about anything, especially their enemies. God’s children have the assurance that their enemies will be swallowed by their own counsels. The only time when this does not happen is when God gives permission for His children to be hurt. At such times, God even uses their enemies as a form of chastisement for their disobediences and evil deeds. God even said that He would fight and be His children’s enemy at times, and He often does that by using their opponents.

If our heart is right, if we obey our Father’s commandments, we do not have to worry about the ungodly and the wicked. If we live the way we know God wants us to, if we stay within the parameters of His pavilion in obedience and submission to His commandments, we abide under the security of His protection. The demise of satan, the adversary of God is certain; his fall has been predicted from the Garden of Eden, and we can live with the assurance that in God, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) (emphasis mine) .

Lies, deceit, rebellion, disobedience and transgressions cannot stand before God. Those who practice them seal their own fate. We don’t have to fight darkness, its people and influences; all we have to do is stand; stand for God and His ways unmovable and unshakable (Ephesians 6:13). This is the picture of the true soldier in Messiah’s army, adamantly standing in defiance against the influences of the enemy’s world. He doesn’t budge an inch from his position; he knows his Lord has drawn His sword of justice and already destroyed the enemy.

APPROPRIATE GIVING

Proverbs 18:23

The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.

This proverb is a sad expression of the inhumanity of man. We witness the roughness of the rich against the poor in politics and business dealings. Domestically, everyday we hear of working folks loosing their jobs, then their homes due to foreclosure. Internationally , due to the financial manipulations of richer countries, most of the world lives in poverty. Since ancient times, the upper class has always lived their affluent lifestyles though the work of the laboring class. Things have not changed very much.

In reading this proverb, the poor and the working man find the meager consolation that when a rich man insults him, nothing unusual occurs. The poor man may also remember that a warning stands for the rich who divested himself of humanity by mammon; against him, as Isaiah said, who grindeth the poor by hard stubborn-hearted conduct, and grindeth his bashful face (Isaiah 3:15). The master said that in that Day when the books are opened, only the merciful will obtain mercy. Yeshua told of Lazarus who had lived a poor life on earth that now he could rest in the bosom of Abraham, while the other who had lived his comfort on earth, needed to go through the fires of need and poverty.

We must also make a note on the proper way of giving, of merciful giving. Many who are involved in philanthropic activities have no concern whatsoever for the poor. Their generosity is only motivated by a need for personal promotion and free publicity. These individuals and companies would not give anonymously because their whole idea is of advertisement. That is also grinding the face of the poor, using the misfortune of others the make a profit for oneself as much as the person who lends to his bankrupt brother with interest.

The poor may certainly benefit from the action, but in the eyes of God, the virtues and heavenly rewards of any good deed are cancelled out when they are done in order to receive a benefit. In fact, the virtues and heavenly rewards of any obedience to any of God’s commandments are cancelled out when done with personal motivation. Even King David said, I will not give unto Adonai of that which has cost me nothing.

Let us therefore today remember this warning against the hard-hearted who answers roughly to the poor either verbally, or by taking advantage of him.

Let us offend neither in words nor in deeds.

THE FAVORED WIFE

Proverbs 18:22

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.

The idea in ‘good wife’ in this text does not refer to a ‘well disposed’ or ‘good natured’ woman, but rather to a ‘favored’, as in ‘favored by God’. Our author speaks of a woman who is part of, or found within the covenanted people.

Marriage in the eyes of the Almighty is a very serious thing. God asked Abraham to send away Hagar and her (his) son. After the return from Babylon, the people of Jerusalem who had married women from the land had to put away their wives and offspring (Ezra 9 and 10). This may sound cruel, but disobedience is a serious thing, and we should not take God’s instructions lightly, especially about Marriage.

While the patriarchs went far and wide to find their wives, waited long in order to find the right one and were blessed, both Ishmael and Esau married the inhabitants of the land. This is one of the reasons why they were not fit for God’s Covenant. I guess God knows that the heart of a man cleaves to that of his wife, so if she is not a covenanted woman, he will stray from God. Yeshua rightly said that we cannot ‘serve two masters’. A woman can definitely make or break a man, so God wants to teach us to take these things seriously.

This principle mostly teaches us about our attitude towards sin. The Scriptures tell us of a man who is ‘bound’ to his sin and iniquity in the way that a man is bound to his wife.

Like Abraham with Hagar, we have to learn to put our sin away from us.

Like Jacob with Laban, we have to have to withstand it and refuse to be bound to it.

Like Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, we have to flee from it even leaving our coat in its clasp as we run away in disgust.

Like King David, we have to hate even the sights and sounds of it.

So shall we be a ‘favored’ wife, fit for our Master.

THE APPROACHING DEADLINE

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

When the Children of Israel arrived near the Promised Land, Moses reproved the people in the long discourse called: Deuteronomy. Moses signs off his reiteration of Torah with the following words:

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: Deuteronomy 30:19

Did Moses really put ‘life and death’ before the people, or was he simply God’s tool in the doing? How did God put life and death before the people? By words; words spoken through Moses His emissary. Yeshua also said of the words He spoke to the people from His Father: the Words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are Life’; . that the Words He spoke to the people from the father as ‘word of life’.

How do we ‘choose life’? How do ‘love’ the ‘fruit’ of God’s ‘ tongue’? How does God’s tongue bring us ‘life and death’? Moses implied that the life or death would incur as per our obedience to these words that he spoke from God. The Words of God can only bring us life when mixed with obedience to the Commandments. Let us not deceive ourselves with the idea that the ‘believe’ in the promise of eternal life through belief in the Son, is a completely ethereal belief, empty of obedience. James warned us that faith in the Son without works is dead, and what are the works of our belief? Obedience to the commandments of the One we believe in. Our author believed that; here what he wrote in another place: For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: to keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Proverbs 6:23-24. The flatteries of this evil woman lead us to death. God’s commandment keep us from it.

God has spoken from Mt Horeb. Moses has spoken in the plains of Jordan. Yeshua also came, spoke and sealed God’s contract with us with His blood. Yeshua explained the assignment and he said only God knew the deadline to turn it in. The next time He comes, we will be graded and the report cards will be given to God.

We are without excuse now. Let us therefore known and today ‘eat’ the Words that have been entrusted to us so our children enjoy their fruits in the generations to come.

CRITICALCRITICISM

Proverbs 18:20 KJV
A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.

Criticism may be the biggest verbal poison of our day. Do we really need to say to that person whatever we, in our own biased perspective perceive as an error, a mishandling or a mistake? And really, do we do it for the other person’s benefit? For God’s? Or merely to validate ourselves, inflate our ego, all in an effort to sustain our emotional balance and heal the hurt born of an inferiority complex? Or maybe, it comes from an uncontrollable desire to control (pun intended!). The truth is that the world will go on accomplishing the exact purposes of God with or without us.

How many wars, divorces, conflicts, divisions and just plain dramas are initiated and sustained just because we open this mouth of ours too wide and too often. James did tell us that he that offends not in words, the same is a perfect man. In the Scripture, the spoken word is compared to a knife, a fire, a hammer, a poison, just to name a few examples. Aren’t those things that need to be handled carefully? I

Whereas words that we speak seem abstract, in several proverbs, King Solomon teaches us that words define destiny, ours, and that of others. Yeshua and James in the apostolic Scriptures reiterated this same theme. Words, the spoken and the unspoken ones define both our present and our future. The fruits of our words, are the reaction that they create, and that we have to live with.

As the new Gregorian year approaches, people have a habit of making of making new resolutions. Let us remember the precious life-giving Words of our Master who said: It is not what goes in the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth.

May we learn to eat good fruits from the words that either come, or don’t come out of our mouth.

AS WE LIGHT THE LAST CHANUKAH CANDLE…

Psalms 5:9

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulcher; they flatter with their tongue.

What a feeling of utter disgust David had with the accepted moral modus operandi of his generation. David abhorred unfaithfulness to God’s spirit in one’s speech; he detested wickedness of heart (the definition of ‘wicked’ is ‘twisted’, as a ‘wick’ is twisted); he hated lying flatteries.

In our present world, success in the areas of entertainment, politics and commerce often stands on the ability to present a spirit of rebellion against God’s ways, to speak words of hellish deception and to flatter mankind thus leading into evil traps.

If we want to be filled with the spirit of the Lord, we need to empty ourselves of the devil’s data first; we need to develop a holy repugnance for what is not godly. We need to honestly ask ourselves: Do I, like David, Moses, Yeshua and many others, have a holy repugnance for the things of the world, the the very ideas of wickedness, lies and deceit? Do I allow my heart, mind and spirit to be day in and day out filled with things that are opposite to the spirit of God?

As we light our last Chanukah candle tonight, let us remember what we celebrate.

This story of the Maccabees tells of the miracles God does when people decide to refuse the influences of the world and to dedicate themselves to follow His Words of Torah. In our day and age the devil disposes of many media tools to shape and frame our minds.

As we light our last Chanukah candle tonight, let us like the Maccabees of old also shout a shout and say: NO to the devil’s wickedness.

As we light our last Chanukah candle tonight, let us again rededicate the Temple of our bodies, and the lamp of our soul to follow and show the ways of Messiah to the world around us.

YESHUA, OUR JUSTICE

Psalms 5:8 Lead me, O Adonai, in Thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make Thy way straight before my face.

Do you have enemies? Have people hurt you and caused you rancor? Is there bitterness in your heart because of unjustly received evil?

Let us not seek revenge. Let us resist the desire to straighten our own righteous cause. Yeshua is the ”lifter-upper” of the righteous. He is the one who vindicates and fills all those who seek and hunger after His righteousness (Matthew 5:6). We only need to ask Him to help us to stay in His way in spite of all that tries to trip us off. To stay in His way is our greatest vindication. When unjustly buffeted, let us ask the Master, our King of Righteousness to show us how to not be perverted by the desire to return evil for evil.

This desire to exact vengeance is where the devil, who is the enemy of all virtue, wants us. He knows that there is no end to the vicious cycle of vengeance and retribution for evil between men. He also uses these injustices to get us to be led by self-righteous emotions. He knows that whenever we are led by our own emotions, he is the one at the helm of our life instead of the Lord’s spirit. The only way the devil gives up, is if we don’t give in, so don’t give up. Let us pray therefore, and the Master will help us be perfect, as His Father in Heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:38-48).

ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY

Psalms 5:7

But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

Hear the cry of King David, a king who has been harshly humiliated in the face of friend and foe. Hear the assurance of one who, when everything including his own self has failed, has unshakable trust in the multitudes of the mercies of his God.

So many of us live a constant life of misery while all the time the Father waits, with patient and moist eyes, for the slightest inclination of our cry to Him for help. What a mistake we make when we measure the mercy and grace of the eternal God by our poor limited failing and selfish standards of love.. In doing so we separate ourselves from His forgiveness and grace. In doing so, we become as the prodigal son, but afraid to come home.

The Kingdom of Heaven can seem so far away to those who don’t know how to find the Father and His grace and yet, God cries daily for everyone to find it. If they would only for a moment unite their heart with Him, they would find that, just as two heart cells pulsate in unison when in contact, the heart of the Father is just one heartbeat away.

Oh, that we would learn to make a temple of our heart to house the love and the multitudes of the mercies of the Almighty God.

Oh, that our hearts would shine so with His love for the world to see and give Him glory; then, His righteousness would begin to cover the earth as the waters cover the seas.

May our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify the Father which is in Heaven.

NOTE: The word used for mercy in the Hebrew text is: chen: meaning: covenant faithfulness.

MESSIAH MARRIAGE PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS

Proverbs 18:19

A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

Brother are essentially meant to be close. The irony is that we often hurt most those who are closest to us. This phenomenon is probably due to the dynamics of higher expectancies imbedded in more intimate relationships. The solution is to be an island and be close to no one (sarcasm intended!).

Because of this higher expectancy, a brother who has been offended is stronger to win back that a strong city. God seems to agree with this principle: of all the enemies of Israel, of all those whom sought its destruction in ancient times, because he sought the annihilation of his brother Israel, Edom who is Esau gets the strongest ‘ax’ from God in the fact that God annihilated its civilization (Obadiah). Because he was Israel’s brother, Esau was held to higher standards.

Married people are not biologically related, (even though the Song of Salomon merges the two relationships (S.O.S. 4)), but the same phenomenon seems to happen between couples. Because of the higher expectancies in marriage, offenses are more sensitive, and the wounds harder to heal. It is more difficult to forgive and restore a broken trust. The Messiah knows something about that. He also has His marriage problems with His wife’s unfaithfulness! What’s His solution?

The example of Messiah solving his ‘marriage’ issues with His Bride is very beautiful: He pays the price. After evil has been revealed, after confession has been made, He offers the option repentance and return. It is then that, as undeserving as we may be, He pays the price and takes upon Himself to do whatever He can to promote the restoration of trust and unity. He swallows His right to be eternally offended.

The apostle Paul teaches us that nothing can separate us from Messiah’s love (Romans 8). We are not Messiah, but as followers, can we still take sample of Him and be like Him?

IT’S HIS FIGHT

Psalms 5:6

Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: Adonai will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

Here is the cry of David, a man who has put the total sum of his trust in the Lord of his salvation. As a result of this trust, this man who does not indulge in exerting vengeance. He does not yield to the temptation to vindicate his own cause by his own means.

This is the beauty of being certain of the righteousness of your cause; of knowing that you are with God and that most of all, God is with you. You do not have to justify yourself to yourself nor to others; you do not even have to argue with the adversary. Any time the righteous and his cause are attacked, the avenging battle belongs to the Lord, and to Him only (Isaiah 63:4).

In all of our battles for Him, let us have the assurance that our heavenly Father God is the One who upholds our cause. May we have the assurance that He Himself will show His power against those who malign His children. Let us not be guilty of the sins of leasing and bloodshed practiced by the enemies of righteousness. In our time of trouble, let us find refuge in God and in the surety that He repays. Moses wisely advised the armies of Israel Adonai shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. Exodus 14:14

Note from the King James dictionary:
”LEASING”: Falsehood; lies; obsolete or nearly so.

LET’S STRAIGHTEN OUR PATHS

Psalms 5:5

The *foolish shall not stand in Thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of *iniquity.

This prophetic statement is a good follow up of the preceding verse, and one of the building blocks of our faith. No matter what foolish puny man invents, no matter what he does or says in his attempts to justify his actions, we have the assurance of the outcome in ‘grand finale’. In the day when God will be ready to shake the earth and audit the ‘accounts’ of man (Matthew 25:19), none of his card castles will stand, his digital illusions of truth wealth will vanish.

The world has been given a little more time before the day of the great judgment when everyone’s work is put to the great test. We know that on that great day, the darkness of foolish, unrepentant and arrogant hearts will be unable to stand before the brightness of the Spirit of God.

Our verse today stands like John the Baptist by the waters of Jordan as a warning to check our hearts, to repent and make straight our paths. We need to rid ourselves of froth, vanity, pride, unyieldedness, arrogance and of the time-wasters in our lives. We do this so that when He comes, He finds us doing the work of the Father, and He can say: Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.Matthew 25:34-35

*Foolish: KJV: Void of understanding or sound judgment; weak in intellect; applied to general character, uwise; imprudent; acting without judgment or discretion in particular things, proceeding from folly, or marked with folly; silly; vain; trifling.

*Iniquity: KJV: From the Greek: Anomia: without Law, as in, without the Law of God.

THIS IS OUR HOPE

Psalms 5:4

For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

In the Gospels, Satan reminds Yeshua (as if He’d forgotten) that the world had been given to him (Luke 4:6). Today, we don’t need to be reminded of this. All we have to do is look around us, watch the nightly news, and read the newspaper. Any intelligent person can discern what powers both East and West dominates lifestyles, politics and economics in. In light of such, it is a great comfort for us to know that God has no pleasure in the wickedness that pervades our times. What comfort we have is in the knowledge that whatever devilish powers raises to show its ugly head, whether in the world of politics or in our personal lives, God will not tolerate it.

For those prone to disobedience, for those taking pleasure in the purposes of Satan, the enemy of God, our verse today serves as a dreadful reminder of future judgment. For the obedient, there is no fear to be had, only the warm fuzzy feeling that we are in the care of the Almighty creator of heaven and earth, and that eventually, He does not allow wickedness to prevail.

Abba Father, one of these days, in Your Appointed Time and Season, in the Day that You have set aside for purging, every purpose and every tool that does not come from you will be eliminated and vanish away.

Swords will be turned into plowshares; instrument of illusions and vanity will be destroyed.

Most of all, Satan will be stripped of his power to kill.

You will do all this because You do not take pleasure in wickedness.

Help me therefore, me, your child, not to dishonor you by taking pleasure in the wickedness around us, or allow it to dwell with us.

TRUST GOD’S MAN

Psalms 5:3

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Adonai; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.

The Master is always there for us, waiting to help us. He waits for us to make the connection; He waits for us to call ‘home’ for help. Sad to say, much like our grown up children, we don’t call home until we need that help.

Should He have to wait till the day is done, till our ships come home with broken sails for us to come to Him to sooth our souls? And in turn, should we wait till we have tried all our keys in the lock, failed to find any solutions, the time when our frustrated and vexed hearts and minds desperately want to know what went wrong?

Why should the Master be expected to be the ‘Repairman’ of our lives? Shouldn’t He be the ‘Chief Executive’ Isn’t our Lord the Master, the ‘Jacob’ and the ’Joseph’ on whom even Laban and Potiphar leaned? Laban and Potiphar, these worldly people put their households in the hands of God’s man for the hour, and everything flourished and came to fruition. These secular rulers didn’t know the Lord, but they recognized His power through His people, through His ‘agent’ in their lives. Why don’t we recognize as much? Why do we carry the burden? Why do we insist on directing our own steps, when we have Yeshua, God’s ‘Man’, God’s ‘Agent’ in our lives who eagerly waits to help show us the way throughout the day? Sometimes His presence in our lives is even through someone we know that He planted there for that purpose.

Let us acknowledge that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps (Jeremiah 10:23). While we acknowledge that you are the Creator of the universe, may we make You O Adonai the Director and manager of our hearts, minds and souls; be the focus of our attention. When we wake up in the morning, as King David did, let us receive our first instructions from You.

MAKE HIM YOUR FIRST CALL

Psalms 5:2

Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto Thee will I pray.

We live in a time when we are at a loss simply raising a family, keeping a marriage, making enough money, or staying minimally healthy. Smart merchants market and peddle self ‘helps’ of all sorts in a supermarket fashion. Maybe that's why the prophet said, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Adonai.

Jeremiah 17:5
When faced with trouble, we have to make a conscious effort to not turn to these tempting empty schemes and focus on: unto Thee will I pray.

God constantly rebuked Israel for leaning on the ‘arm of the ‘flesh’—Egypt--for its protection. God was not enough for them. When things went wrong, they went to idols for their care and sustenance. Eventually. it wasn’t even enough for them to be ruled and sustained by the God of the universe alone through His judges. They wanted a king--a physical, visible and tangible person to rely on, and then eventually also to blame when things went wrong. They did not want to be solely dependant on God.

Today, it is an act of great faith to make the Lord our first call when in need, It takes faith to put aside all the ‘self-help’ books and videos, the teachings of specialized ‘gurus’ that vie to help us fight against the ailments that plague us . Addiction, depression, financial instability, psychological and physical disorders, problems with our marriage, problems with our children; the list goes on and on. It is not that we can’t gain some helpful information from these other sources, but as believers, shouldn’t God be our first shot?

When we ask the Lord first, not only does He help us, but He shows us what we may have done wrong, where we may have disobeyed His Word, either in thought or action. If we call on the Lord first, we will understand how we got into such a mess in the first place by leaning on our own arm of flesh and putting trust in man, and we will learn to amend our ways. Maybe that’s what we fear.

Lord, help us and make us helpable. Teach us and make us teachable. Train us to make You our first call for help in our day of trouble. Give us receptive hearts so that we can learn to amend our ways and live closer to Your will and Your Word.

BOLD CONFIDENCE

Psalms 5:1

Give ear to my words, O Adonai, consider my meditation.

When the Lord encouraged the prophet Isaiah to be bold in prayer he was told, . . . . . concerning the work of my hands command ye me (Isaiah 45:11).

The God that created the universe and everything therein has put himself at the command of mortal men and women. He is flattered when we request His attention. Don’t we like it when our children want and enjoy our company, when we feel that we are their closest friends and that they are not fearful to confide in us? But a child only acts that way when he knows in his heart that when he shares his most private emotions and feelings, there is a sensitive soul at the other end who will handle his heart with care.

We see this principle at work in our verse today. In his hour of trial, the psalmist keeps his confidence in the God who created Him. David has the utter confidence The Father will ‘lend him His ears’; that He will be a faithful, diligent, responsible and sensitive handler of his deepest heart cry.

None of us who own the atoning blood of Messiah should fear to enter in the temple of His presence. Whatever the fear, whatever the doubt, whatever the sorrow, the pain, the frustration or the emotion, He will handle our heart with the care, sensitivity, love and warmth of a mother with her newborn child.

How many of us pray, Our Father . . . but then, by failing to go to Him in our time of need, act as if we were orphans?

Adonai, may we believe in your love, care, concern and dedication for us. You have said of Yourself, But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (1Timothy 5:8). Lord, you are not an infidel.

PEACE IN THE MIDST OF LABOR

Psalms 4:8

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Adonai, only makest me dwell in safety.

Oh, it is so easy to be tranquil and at peace when life flows like soft sweet song; but should this peace wane at the sound of mounting staccatos?

As we reflect on David’s statement, let us not forget its context. David was leaving Jerusalem in disgrace, fleeing the mutiny mounted by his own son Absalom. David also well aware that his misfortune was a result of his own sinful actions. He realized that as a King, he was a reference point to his people. He needed to be punished.

We are supposed keep our focus on our God at all times. When a woman is in labor of natural childbirth, she is doing the hardest work she’ll ever do. To concentrate her attention on a pleasant picture or photo, or even looking at her husband helps her focus on her breathing techniques. As a movement in labor of the new millennial world doing the hardest work we’ll ever do, it is most important that during the intense pains of labor, we make our Master our main focal point. What a wonderful illustration of the Church, the bride of Christ, focusing and finding strength in her heavenly Husband in her time of tribulation. Then and only then will she have inner peace and comforting faith in the midst of her hard labor.

Peter, the follower of the Master spoke of exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

May we all, in our the times of life-giving hard labor, focus on these Promises Adonai gave us in His Word, that we also, like King David, may both lay ourselves down in peace and sleep.

OH, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

Psalms 4:7

Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

God’s blessing of happiness is not measured in dollars and cents. Riches do make themselves wings (Proverbs 23:5). The truly happy individual is one who has learned to love, cherish and value the blessings that come from the heart; the spiritual blessings that no robber can steal and no rust can corrupt. In that sole ability lies the virtue of pure unadulterated happiness, of a joy that can never be altered by silver or gold, of a peace independent of outside politics and economics.

Oh, to know the joy of our God; to know the completeness that makes the rejoicings of this present world a mournful dirge; to experience the feasting that dwarfs their wealth into meals of famine; the brightness that reveals their freedom as an devilish illusion. Only the pure and regenerated in heart can ever see and experience these blessings from Adonai (Matthew 5:8).

Abba Father; please clean our hearts from the illusions that surround us. Help us not to settle for the cyber-virtual happiness of this present world. Grant us the knowledge of your love that is true; the experience of the pure and undefiled gladness only your Spirit can put in our hearts. This we ask, in the Name and merit of Yeshua the Messiah.

NO DOUBTS IN THE LIGHT OF HIS FACE

Psalms 4:6

There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Adonai, lift thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.

Does the screaming of our skeptic world seem to be getting so loud that it covers the voice of God? Does the voice of certainty of God’s care also seem to be fading among believers, thus giving way to doubt and self-reliance? Could these be signs of the great apostasy spoken of by the Apostle Paul?

Such times when public opinion mocks and ridicules the person of faith are not times for us to heed their criticisms. Such times are rather for us draw even closer to God, to let His countenance shine upon us. This darkness will only make His Light shine brighter.

As we look upon Him, our countenance is lifted. As we meditate upon His gracious love and abundant care, our faith in Him grows. As we focus our face on His, the sun rises on our world of darkness and worry. As we hear His songs of comforting reassurance, the voice of the world is drowns to insignificance. His countenance is always lifted upon us; it is His promise. We are the ones who need to turn ours towards His.

ON THIS VETERAN’S DAY…

Proverbs 18:18

The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.

What a ‘coincidence’ for this verse to fall on this American Veteran’s Day!. Let us today honor all those who died in wars. But how do we honor them? In the grave, what are the somber thoughts of those who died horrible deaths, of those who died blown up and mutilated? What are the thoughts of their wives and of their children? What conversation took place as they faced the Almighty God Who Himself is called the God of Hosts (armies). What do those who are on the other side think as they watch us continuing to immaturely solve our problems through such degradation of humanity, us who are supposed to be made in the Image (nature, character) of God?

How should we honor them?

Could we honor them by learning to find other ways to solve our issues, our requirements for space and resources? Could we honor them by learning to keep dreams alive that do not require us to shatter those of other’s? What dream requires such atrocities? War is the unraveling of civilization. In wars all virtues disappear and we become animals living by the sole instinct of self-preservation. Wars between humans only prove that somewhere something failed.

In the past, God has declared wars, and the future seems to indicate a repeat. In the end, the Messiah will come, and He Himself will fight the ‘War to End all Wars’. He will fight a righteous war, not motivated by selfish ambitions. He will fight for righteousness to vindicate all the victims of man’s inhumanity to man, and for the reality of the establishment of the only righteous and peaceful kingdom on earth:

His Father’s Kingdom.

The Messiah is the ‘Lot’ that causes contentions to cease. This verse tells us how people used to solve their unsolvable differences by including God in the discussion. They simply cast a lot in front of ‘God’ in the presence of witnesses and agreed to abide by its outcome. Thus they avoided a physical conflict.

Can we trust God’s decisions that much?

THE SACRIFICE OF A YIELDED HEART

Psalms 4:5

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in Adonai.

God in the Bible refused several sacrifices. Cain’s jealous angry heart (Genesis 4:4), Saul’s disobedient spirit (1 Samuel 15:22), and the Pharisee’s proud and self-righteous gifts (Luke 18:11).

Sacrifices of righteousness require trust in Adonai. When Araunah insisted on giving to David everything he needed to make an offering, the King insisted, “I will not give onto Adonai of that which has cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24); if it doesn’t cost, emotionally or financially, if it doesn’t hurt, it is not a sacrifice.

A sacrifice of righteousness has to be mixed with obedience, obedience that’s invested deep down in the soul. Often, God asks for the very thing which hurts to give, that which requires an investment of faith, our ‘Isaac’, the last handful of meal in the barrel, the last drop of oil in the cruse (1 Kings 17:12); because when that happens, we have to trust Him again for our inheritance and our daily sustenance.

Let us not be afraid to give that which Adonai asks of us. Let us not fear to lay at His feet the thing which He requires from us. Let’s wake up each morning and make an ‘exchange of wills’, exchange what we want for what He wants. Our sacrifice will then be an acceptable sweet odor in His nostrils; we will be His saints gathered unto Him, those that have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice. Psalms 50:5

DRAW NEAR

Psalms 4:4

Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.

Selah.

Now that we have been redeemed, separated and set aside from Egypt, drawn away from our own purposes, separated and sanctified for God’s purpose,; reborn in the waters of the seabed of the Red Sea; now that He has brought us unto Him near the mountain to hear His Instruction, He has called us to a new purpose: let us therefore make Him the object of our focus. May we not look back, neither to the left or to the right in doubt and questioning of His ways for us.

Now is a time for sweet communion with Him in the Holy of Holies, where He lives in the chambers of our heart. Now is the time for quietness, reflection and listening to His voice; the time to take our shoes off, approach the Holy Mount and hear the voice of God giving His Instruction.

There, in the silencing of our own purposes, in the surrendering of our will, leaving behind our old culture, He gives us the peace that passes all understanding; He reveals Himself, and His purpose to us just as He did Moses (Exodus 19-20), and like Paul, the scales are removed from our eyes and we finally receive the answers to our plaguing questions; we finally understand.

OUR DEFENSE LAWYER

Proverbs 18:17

He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.

It is generally understood of judicial affairs, that the first person that opens a cause is very apt to prejudice the judge and court in his favour, The responsibility of a judge is therefore to judge righteous judgments and not to give undue justification to this first complainant for in time, another person will come with a version of events that will cast doubts on the testimony of the first.

Aside from the legal system, there is also what has been coined the ‘court of public opinion’. This is something akin to gossip. It is the opinion people develop on issues and people by listening to the verbal vomit of self-righteous hot-air powered hype-filled arguments of gossipers, self-appointed wise-men, judges, talk-show hosts, etc…. We should never, and this is very important, we should never endorse a judgment against someone if that other person is not present, and given his basic right to defend himself with his side of the picture. We ourselves are dependant on this system, so we should extend to others the same mercy that is granted us.

We are in constant court of Law before the Almighty. The enemy loves to go to the Father in legal terms and constantly accuse us. Satan’s arguments against us are logical and bathed in a sense of incomparably sound justice. Sad to say, since we are guilty of disobedience towards God, these arguments are also right;

But thanks to the Almighty, we have a Defense Lawyer who does not judge by the seeing of the eye nor by the hearing of the ear, but He judges righteous judgments (Isaiah 11). He also remembers that we are but dust and that we need help in fulfilling the best of our endeavors and commitments to obey. He has therefore made an out of court settlement or ‘covenant’ that absolves His people from guilt on the accounts of His own earned merits. The legal fees are also paid in full, and He never ceases to pray/intercede for us in front of the Father/Judge of the universe. His Name is Yeshua Hamashiach, and if you know him, He is your defense lawyer too.

HE SETS US APART FOR HIMSELF

Psalms 4:3

But know that Adonai hath set apart him that is godly for himself: Adonai will hear when I call unto him.

Does following the Master daily cause loneliness to our hearts? Does it provoke us to forsake the past again and again? Does He at times take us on a limb and requires that we saw it off? Do you feel Him right now taking you to a lonely desert place to make a decision that can influence the rest of your life?

This is not a time to fear. Our Master honors those who, imitating Him, are willing to take on the new uncharted paths He sets for them. He honors those who desire to follow His name, His Name only, unafraid of flame or foe. This is the way of the Bridegroom; He calls and woos His Bride away from the cares, distractions and dependencies of this world. He uses situations that require great faith and dependence on Him, all for the purpose of separating His bride for the full service of His house. He likes to take her out of ’Egypt’ and into the desert, away from her comfort zone, to let her feel the strength of His love, as she basks in total dependence on Him.

The winds of His Holy Spirit blow here today, there tomorrow. May we be a Bride who knows how to follow the changing and purging winds of the Spirit of the Bridegroom; a bride who hears and who obeys when He takes and sets her apart; a bride who knows that wherever He chooses to take her, it is for her best regardless of the seeming outward conditions.

DO WE HEAR HIS CRY?

Psalms 4:2

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?

Selah.

In his flight from his traitorous son Absalom, David never ceases praying to God. His fight is fully borne in a spiritual manner. His cry unto God against the foolish vanity of the men who are stealing the kingdom away from him echoes Yeshua’s against this wicked and adulterated generation

(Matthew 16:4).

We, the people—humanity--are the glory of God. We are wonderfully and fearfully made in His powerful and likeness, nature and character. Yet our actions, attitudes and conduct blot the image of the glorious God who created us with their shame. Do we even hear Him cry from the Heavens begging us to reform? In the winds of the skies, and in the noise of high waters, He cries to stir our attention away from proud and vain thoughts, from our wicked ways; do we hear His cry? Do we listen?

How long, He screams, How long will you seek after ‘leasing’ , after lies, falsehood and pretenses in the carnal man. In these words we can hear the soul of the weeping prophet crying,

Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

Jeremiah 9:1

THE BEST GIFTS

Proverbs 18:16
A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

It is fascinating how each realm has its own dynamics. Worldly business dynamics run by selfish interests and the solvency of numbers, but spiritual, godly business dynamics run by unselfish giving, obedience and trust in God’s plans.

A believer in the world has to, in some level, deal with business, but the way he deals with it will reveal who he is. We cannot say that we are believers and yet act like worldlings. We only deceive ourselves, sometimes we deceive others, but we certainly do not deceive God Who discern between matter and matter in our hearts.

This proverb could be translated as: ‘The ‘giving’ of a man makes room for him, and brings him before the great’. The wealth of a man is not defined by what he can hoard, as it is the financially uncertain pauper who hoards, but by what he gives, as only a rich man has the ability to give liberally. By doing so, a man naturally joins the ranks of the ‘great’, of those who have the ability to give.

Let us also remember that giving is not solely confined to the realm of money. Many would rather give their money than their precious time. Yeshua had no money, but He constantly gave of Himself. The apostles also said: ‘silver and gold have I not, but such as I have give I thee. Time, virtue, knowledge, sympathy, friendship, fellowship and sometimes, just a listening ear can constitute some of the best gifts ever given.