Blessing the Brethren, part 1

In Genesis 12:3, the Lord says to Abraham, I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses (a separate word, meaning to lightly esteem, ignore, treat as unimportant) you.

Scripture goes on to include other promises, which include the land (of Israel), the seed (of Messiah), and the blessing (of salvation) to the whole world.  The promises were narrowed down to Isaac and then to Jacob, also known as Israel.

This promise has not changed.  Blessings come to those who obey this command to bless Israel.

Recently, the Lord gave me an 'aha' moment.  I had been meditating on the letter to the sixth congregation in Revelation 3, the congregation of Philadelphia.  This particular assembly received only praise and no rebuke.  What was it about this congregation that set it apart?

I began to think about the meaning of the name Philadelphia.  It means Brotherly Love.  Phileo and Adelphos.  Loving the brethren.  Where else had I heard this concept of loving the brethren?

Immediately, Matthew 25 came to my mind.  Yeshua says, "inasmuch as you did to one of these the least of these MY BRETHREN, you did it to me."  The word used there, adelphos, literally means close kinsmen.  The context of the passage is the last days, and many would agree we are in those days now.  How you treat Israel matters!

Philadelphia is a blessed congregation.  Philadelphia holds the KEY OF DAVID.  They are definitely connected to their Jewish roots!

 The Key of David reference in Revelation takes us back to Isaiah 22.  In that passage, the keys to the kingdom had been in possession of Shebna - a foreigner - but they were taken from him and given to Eliakim, a Jewish man.

Similarly, in the fourth century,  the keys to the kingdom came under the authority of gentile Rome after Constantine declared Christianity to be the new legal religion of the empire. The Jewishness of the faith was virtually eradicated.  Today, this is changing as the roots of our faith are slowly being restored.

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The letter goes on to say I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.  There is much speculation as to the meaning of the synagogue of Satan, but I see a major connection to Replacement Theology... that evil doctrinal thread that runs through many churches which says that the church has replaced Israel in God's plan.

Philadelphia is also told this:  Since you have kept my command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world, to test those who dwell on earth.

The Greek word for persevere carries the meaning of remaining steadfast, undergoing, to bear a heavy load as an animal of burden. As one who is burdened for Israel, I can truly relate to this definition. Also, the Greek word for kept means to be protected within a sphere of danger (NOT raptured away, as many would believe).  Philadelphia is blessed with this promise.

There are not many in the world who bless Israel.  It can be difficult to find a congregation that actively blesses Israel.  Just as Philadelphia is only one congregation in the seven, could it be that only one in seven churches today understands their role in regard to Israel?

So what exactly is the church's role in regard to Israel?  I will write about it in my next post.  In the meantime, you can click here for a previous post on how to be like Ruth.

Update:  Part 2 is now available.  Click here to read it.

Torah Torah Torah

A few years ago, I posted two blogs in regard to "keeping the law."  If you haven't read them, you can go back and read them starting here.

I have continued to study the Word of God from a Hebraic viewpoint.  This means that I come across a lot of people who call themselves Torah Observant.  However, I have found that there is a variety of opinions on what Torah obervance looks like.  Let me share more of what I have learned since the previous posts on the subject.

The word Torah means instruction.  It comes from the root word yara, which means direction; as an arrow being aimed and shot toward its target.  In this sense, the whole counsel of scripture from Genesis to Revelation is the Lord's instruction, or Torah, that leads us to the final goal.  The first place that the word Torah shows up in scripture is in Genesis 26:5, where the Lord says that Abraham kept His laws.  At this point, the Sinai covenant had not yet been given to Moses.

Torah

So am I Torah observant?  Yes!  Torah - The Instruction of God, from Genesis to Revelation.

Understanding the covenants is key.  There are seven covenants between God and man.  It is not just a matter of Old Covenant/New Covenant.  If you want more information on them, I have written on the seven covenants here.  Sorry for the rabbit trails today, but it is worth your time.

We must know what covenant we are under and then discover what is required of us under that covenant.

The fourth of the seven, given to Moses on Mount Sinai, was centered on the tabernacle, and later on the temple.  Of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Sinai covenant, only 207 of them can be observed apart from the temple.  This is why there are Orthodox Jews in Israel that yearn for the temple to be rebuilt - so they can properly keep Torah!

What does that mean for us as New Covenant believers, under the blood of Yeshua?  James 2:10 tells us that if we stumble on even one precept of the law (Sinai covenant), we have broken the whole thing.  Do you see how impossible it is?  

Hebrews 7:12, speaking of Yeshua our High Priest, tells us, For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 

Yeshua fulfilled the entire Sinai Covenant perfectly, for us, putting to death the laws of the flesh once for all.  It is finished, He said as He hung on the tree, taking on the curse for us with His dying breath.  Having fulfilled every precept of the Sinai Covenant, He is now our living Torah.

The Sinai Covenant dealt with the flesh.  The New Covenant deals with the spirit.  The Holy Spirit is our living Torah.

Yeshua gives us a major hint in the gospels.  When He sent out the 12 (a very Jewish number) disciples prior to feeding the 5000, He sent them to a Jewish crowd.  There was no need to give them any dietary warnings - they were kosher.  Then in Luke 10, we see Him sending out 70 (number of completeness) to a very Gentile area, prior to feeding the 4000.  What did He tell them?  Eat such things as are set before you.  There was a good chance that some of these Gentiles were going to give them pork BBQ.  

Yeshua was preparing his disciples to carry the gospel to many cultures - cultures who were never given the Sinai Covenant.  Can you imagine witnessing to someone, and they invite you to dinner, and you have to refuse them because they are serving bacon-wrapped shrimp?  The highest form of fellowship in scripture is to dine with someone.  What an insult that would be, and a stumbling block to the gospel!

Yeshua said that if we loved Him, we would obey His commandments.  What were His new covenant commandments?  Love God, and then love people.  The external precepts (flesh) were completed and the internal precepts (spirit) were magnified.  Romans 8 tells us that love is the fulfillment of the law.  This is our directive in this age of Messiah, until He comes again.

The Spirit of God is Moved

Short post today.  I just wanted to put into writing an insight that the Lord gave me this past week.

Last week, I finished reading all the way through the Bible.  It took me nearly four years, because I like to stop and ponder (and investigate) the meanings of words.  I then went back to Genesis 1:1 to start over.  I wondered if it were possible to get new insights this time around that were different from last time.  I was not disappointed.

In verse 2, we read this:
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Wanting just a little more insight, I went to my trusty Blue Letter Bible app and clicked on the interlinear to peek at the original Hebrew.  The word for hovering (or moving, in some translations) is rachaph, which means to be soft, or to be moved, to cherish.  Figuratively, it is used in the sense of a mother hen brooding over her chicks.

Isn't that a beautiful thought?  That Elohim thought so highly of the earth He was creating?   That He cherished it?  I find it very heartwarming that He cared so very much about the abode that He was preparing for us.

Then today, another verse popped into my head, which really brought it home for me.  Matthew 23:37 says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Can you see how Yeshua cherishes His people as He weeps over Jerusalem?  It breaks my heart, knowing the grief He felt for His Israeli kinspeople, knowing the time of terrible testing that was coming for them.

But two verses later, we have the blessed hope:  Yeshua says, For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say,"blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."  It is one of my very favorite Hebrew sayings:  Baruch haba b'shem Adonai!

The Jewish people will say it again soon, when Yeshua returns, for He cherishes them!  And at the same time, we who know Him now will get to see Him face to face!

Rambling Hanukkah Thoughts

I am sitting here just hours before Hanukkah is to begin, with lots of thoughts swirling in my head. So I am going to try and write them down here. I guess what I am saying is, don't expect to read a clearly-written essay here on Hanukkah.

I am surrounded by Christmas, everywhere I go. Really, it gets to be a bit much for me. For several years now, I have chosen not to celebrate it, for reasons that are hashed out elsewhere on this blog.  One thing I will reiterate it about Christmas though, is its non-biblical Babylonian-Greco-Roman origins. Tuck that away while we look at Hanukkah. The word means Dedication.

The origins of Hanukkah go all the way back to the book of Daniel.  Daniel prophesied that a great one would arise but then die young, and this happened to Alexander the Great. The prophecy continued and said that kingdom would be divided among four leaders. It was.

Two of those leaders, the Ptolemy regime of Egypt, and the Selucid regime of Syria, were constantly fighting one another. (See Daniel's discussion about the king of the north and the king of the south in chapter 11... these details were fulfilled with amazing precision).

If you look at a map of the Middle East today, you will see the northern country of Syria (smaller than back then but still there) the southern country of Egypt. And going back to our story, you can't help but notice just who is caught in the crossfire of these two warring kingdoms.

One of the descendants of the original Greek-Syrian Selucid king was Antiochus IV. He hated the Glorious Land and wanted to wipe out the Jews, or at the very least, he wanted to Hellenize them... make them into Greeks.  He hated that they were different, set apart, and that they would only worship יהיה, the One True God.

So evil was Antiochus that he desecrated the holy temple, sacrificed a pig on the altar, and demanded that the Jews worship HIM.

Enter the Maccabees.  The family of Yehuda ben Mattathias of Modi'in led a rebellion against the Syro-Grecian invaders, and prevailed against massive odds. Maccabee means hammer, and this small band of devout Jews totally hammered the Greeks.

The Grecian influence, at least for the, time being, was eradicated. Once again, the people of God could live a set-apart life to the glory of God, driving out the unholy so that they could live holy.

Holy means set apart. It is the separating of the profane from the sacred. It is to avoid mixing truth with deception.

The problem that remained for the Jews following their great victory was that the holy temple was an unholy mess.

Quickly, the temple was repaired, restored, and made beautiful again. It was time to rededicate it. The story tells us that there was only enough oil to burn in the temple menorah for one day, but that the oil lasted miraculously for eight days, which is how long it takes to prepare new oil for temple service.

Whether this part of the story is true or simply legend, the fact remains that the temple was rededicated for service to יהיה, just as it was originally dedicated by King Solomon in 1 Kings. Back then, they actually had such a blast during that week of dedicating the holy temple that Solomon added a second week of celebrating.

But when that week was over, we read,
"On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people."

There was great joy in the restoration of the holy temple and the eradication of Grecian influence.  And today, WE are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the breath of the living God!  We have the opportunity, if we so desire, to celebrate this Feast of Dedication known as Hanukkah.  It is not required; Romans 14 makes this clear regarding the Biblical celebrations.  But it truly is a great time to remember and re-dedicate!

Deeper Thankfulness

This past weekend, I had the privilege of worshipping at the congregation of Jonathan Cahn, author of The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah.  It is that time of year again - Thanksgiving - and like many pastors throughout the world, Jonathan gave a message on being thankful.

I have heard many messages about thankfulness through the years, but this year's message really dug down deep.  I probably won't do his message justice, but let me summarize.

Let's go right to the name of Judah (or Yehuda).  The word itself means praise and also thanksgiving.  This is the word from which came the words Jews and Judaism.  This is also the tribe from which came our Redeemer Yeshua.  We will come back to more root meanings at the end of this post.

The Word often tells us to be thankful.  You might be familiar with 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which says, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Rejoice all the time!  Pray all the time!  Be thankful all the time!  This is God's will for you!

Romans 1:21 tells us that among other things, people were not thankful,  They walked a path of darkness.  Giving thanks in all things helps to avoid this darkness.  Thankfulness is crucial to an abundant life of peace.


The opposite of thankfulness is complaining.  Complaining takes away the blessings that thankfulness brings.  A heart of complaining makes us miserable. We are confessing that we are not blessed.

Thankfulness opens the doors to more blessing.   The Greek word Eucharistia means thanksgiving over the bread.  In Hebrew it is the hamotzi.  We westerners make the mistake of blessing our food.  It's not the bread that we should bless, but the Creator Who provided it. The hamotzi is clear and to the point:  Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

In Judaism, there are brachot (blessings) for everything.  This is why, in Fiddler on the Roof, the Rabbi is able to come up with a blessing for the Czar and also for a sewing machine.  Every one of the Jewish brachot is directed to God in thankfulness.

And it's not about how much you have, but how much you are thankful for what you do have.  Yeshua gave thanks on the hillside over five loaves and two fish.  Thankfulness causes multiplication.

Complaining, on the other hand, causes a reverse miracle.  Keep complaining and you'll lose what you do have.

Jonathan shared a story of when he was serving with a team in Haiti.  They arrived back in the US and were eating at a restaurant.  One of the team members complained because his chicken club sandwich had cheese on it and he hadn't ordered it that way.  Jonathan pointed out to him that if he had wanted a chicken club sandwich in Haiti, he would have been handed a club and a live chicken and told to procure his own sandwich.

We must decide to be thankful in all things, even when faced with difficulty.  Even the bad stuff.  In Acts 5:41, for example, the disciples were thankful that they were worthy of persecution.  In Matthew 5, Yeshua tells us to REJOICE when we are persecuted.

Philippians 4 is a good place to park if you need peace of mind and heart.  Verses 6 and 7 tell us,  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Do not forget thankfulness when praying through problems.  Problems help to sharpen our faith.

Now back to the name Yehuda.  The root to this word is yod.  A yod in Hebrew is a letter that sounds like our letter Y.  But the deeper meaning is a hand.  An open hand. The Hebrew word for hand is yad.   In scripture, open hands were lifted in praise and also when thanking God.  An open hand is a symbol of giving.  The one who gives love, forgiveness, blessings, love, and so forth are open to receive those things abundantly in return.

A closed hand, however, such as a fist raised to God in complaining, is a picture of being closed off to receiving blessings, love, forgiveness, and so forth.

Cultivating an attitude of thankfulness is an exercise.  It gets easier as you practice it.  Start writing down a thankful list.  And be thankful for difficult people - they help you build character.

Happy Thanksgiving!

PS.  Did you know that Thanksgiving is based of the biblical feast of Sukkot?  The early pilgrims were Puritans who observed the Biblical feasts.  The first American Thanksgiving took place in early October of 1621 and evidence shows that it was a Sukkot celebration.

Faith and Spikenard

What is faith?

My scripture reading for today was Hebrews 11... the great Biblical Hall of Fame of Faith.  And this past weekend, I heard a fantastic message on faith.

The message began with a discussion of spikenard, and the account of Mary lavishing Yeshua with the fragrant and expensive substance.  This anointing can be found in Mark and John 12.

So what is spikenard? Spikenard is the head of a fragrant east Indian plant which yields a thick, oily juice called nardos.  Historically, the ancients used it as a precious  ointment - a healing juice used for many ailments, such as skin infections, constipation, insomnia, stress, anxiety, fevers, and so on. Nardos would aid in cell regeneration, blood circulation, and was also used as a perfume and deodorant.  A cure-all substance, so to speak.

The Song of Solomon refers to "Nard" three times,  and each time the context suggests something precious and wonderful.

Mary of Bethany possessed something expensive, precious, and wonderful - an alabaster flask of this very costly oil.  Scripture records the value of her possession... 300 denarii - a year's wages.  If she had fallen on hard times, this oil could have been sold to provide for her.  This oil could very likely have been her dowry for marriage.

Mary of Bethany was willing to give up this precious possession for something much more precious... Yeshua.  A transfer took place when she poured it all out.  She took something that she had placed her trust in, and gave it all up for Yeshua, thereby putting all her trust in HIM!

Trading in temporary healing juice for a Permanant Healer.

The Greek word pistis is a noun that means faith.  The Greek word pisteuo is a verb that is translated believe... an action word.

It is interesting to note that the Greek word for spikenard in the gospels is pistikos nardos, or in other words, the object of one's faith.

Faith truly is an action word.  It is not simply a way of thinking; it is a way of living.  Look at this passage from James 2: What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

It is said that Martin Luther wanted to remove the book of James from the scriptures. He struggled with the idea that faith had to be accompanied by any kind of works.  Today, it is often still preached that all you need to do is simply believe, and that's it.  You're in, and you don't have to do anything further about it.

But friends, justification by the blood of Yeshua is just the beginning of our lives of faith.  What follows is sanctification... working OUT (not FOR) our salvation with fear and trembling, according to Philippians 2:12.

Following Yeshua means living out our faith through obedience to Him. He asks us to be holy, set apart for Him.  Each of us is unique, and each of us has a calling within the Body of Messiah.

When you get a chance, peruse through Hebrews 11.  Every single member listed there in the Biblical Faith Hall of Fame demonstrated their faith through action.

What is your pistikos nardos?

The Hitchhiker

I recently returned from a journey to Israel, during which I was blessed to observe the three Fall Feasts - a dream come true!  Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah), Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.  My heart is still bursting from all I saw and learned.

A soldier adds palms to the roof of his sukkah

Just before I returned home, I went out beyond the green line to a small village in the land of Benjamin in Samaria, to visit a sweet family that I know.  I had asked them if I could come and see their sukkah (a temporary booth, built every year in honor of the seventh Biblical Feast, Sukkot - a memorial of God's presence and provision during the forty years in the wilderness).

We had a wonderful visit that morning and ate lunch together.  After lunch, I needed to return to Jerusalem for the final Sabbath of my visit - the first day of Sukkot.  (During my 21 days in Israel, seven of them were Sabbaths because of the Feasts.  As a Gentile, I confess that I am not used to resting that much!)

As I was about to exit the community for the hour-long trek back to Jerusalem, I came upon an Orthodox Jewish man who was awaiting a ride to the bus stop from anyone who was willing to pick him up.  Since my friend in the village had already explained to me the procedure (and safety) of Israeli hitchhiking, I felt no qualms in offering this man a ride.

For twenty minutes, we had a lively and engaging conversation.  Even though he was born and raised in a rural area of Israel, he was fluent in English, telling me it was due to computer games, computer programming, and Hollywood.

I let him know right away that I had been visiting a family for Sukkot.  A few minutes later in our conversation, I let him know that I was a gentile... a Christian.  His surprise was palpable.  I could pretty much read his thoughts... "We don't get many of your kind way out here.  And Sukkot?  You even know what that is??"

Driving down the mountain, we spoke of Yeshua.  He had questions on how we could possibly worship three Gods.  I told him that I don't believe Christianity has done a great job at explaining who God is and what we believe about His nature.  Yeshua Himself said that He and His Father were one.  I affirmed that it is blasphemy for a man to claim to be God.

But then I posed the question from the other direction:  "But what is to stop GOD from becoming a MAN?"

Yeshua claimed that He was God.  But then He backed up His claim through His miracles, including the three miracles that ancient sages expected the Messiah to perform:  1)  Healing a leper, 2) Casting out a demon from a mute person, and 3) Healing a man who was blind from birth.

Not only did He do these three miracles, but many, many more.  Feeding thousands.  Walking on water.  He even raised his friend Eleazar (Lazarus) from the dead.  And finally the ultimate miracle:  His Own Resurrection. He had kept every single point of the Moses covenant perfectly, and as such, death had no hold over Him.  He was our Perfect Passover Lamb.  Only God could do that!  (Remember Abraham's words in Genesis?  God will provide Himself the Lamb).

Yeshua did not just back up his claim of being God through miracles.  He is the fulfillment of everything written about Him in the Tanakh.  The entire book Hebrew scriptures points to Him.  He fulfilled every single prophecy that was written about Him.  There are hundreds.

The seven Feasts, as outlined in Leviticus 23, are also a foreshadowing of Him.  He fulfilled the four Spring Feasts perfectly at His first coming, when He became the ultimate Sacrifice for all mankind. He was Messiah, son of Joseph, the Suffering Servant.  The Lamb.

He will fulfill the Fall Feasts when He returns, as the Messiah, Son of David, the Conquering King, when He returns to set up His kingdom on Earth.  In Jerusalem.  The Lion.

My new hitchhiking friend did not agree with me, and that is okay.  History is full of forced conversions that were ugly and cruel.   In fact, I apologized for that cruel history; for the way that my people treated his people.

I made another friend in a shop on Ben Yehuda Street, another Orthodox Jewish man.   I kept going back because we had such great conversations.  People have tried over and over to tell him about Yeshua.  But he looked me in the eye and said, "I am not going to believe it unless God Himself reveals it to me."  I wonder if he realizes that he was paraphrasing the truth found in John 6:44 - No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Romans 11 tells us that Israel will be blinded in part until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  Isaiah 8:17 confirms this:  And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I will hope in Him.

So I continue to love my Jewish friends, tell them about Yeshua when the door is opened, and love them unconditionally, whether they choose to follow Yeshua as Messiah or not.  I trust God for the outcome that He has already foretold.

As for me, I believe that Yeshua IS the Messiah that was prophetically foretold in the Hebrew scriptures, otherwise I wouldn't follow Him.  And if He IS the prophesied Messiah, then trusting in Him is the most Jewish thing that a Jewish person can do!  No need to "convert" to a Gentile faith, only a need for teshuvah (repentance, or turning) from sin to the One who paid the price in full.