Light on the Rock Blogs

A few years back I heard a most insightful country song with that same title and I’ve often thought about it. I think Garth Brooks composed it, but someone will set me straight if I’m wrong on that. But the point is – it makes some great points in the song.

What do I mean – thank God for unanswered prayers?  It could be a lot of things. Maybe like in the song, years ago, maybe it was a certain person you wished and hoped – and prayed – you would be able to marry, but it never worked out that way. Now years later, you realize how blessed you are to NOT have had that prayer answered the way you sure wanted it at the time.

Have you ever found yourself asking God to please see things your way and that you hope something you want will also be his will to let you have that something?  We so often pray to try to get God to see things OUR way.  We even ask others to pray that the will of God shall be what we want.  Maybe it’s a prayer why we need a certain person to be our spouse, or a certain job we think he should give us.  And then we get exasperated when his will apparently is not what we hoped for -- and so we exclaim ‘I just don’t understand him! If I had all that power, I sure would have granted this simple request.”  

But that’s all backward.  

We should not be praying that’s God will would line up with OUR heart’s desires. Father sees things so much clearer and better than you or I ever could.  Our prayers should be more like, “please show me what YOU want to do in my life and help me get in line with YOUR will, cheerfully and thankfully, knowing you are Being of such great love”.  

I’m writing this because now that I’m 60, maybe I’m starting to begin to slightly understand this. At least until the next time I have a bright idea that I haven’t first run by HIS will.  It’s a tough lesson to learn, but learn it we must.

So many times, in fact, our Father’s answer is not “no” – but “wait a minute. I have something better for you.”  And sometimes his answer is “not now, not yet”.  And sometimes, like with Abraham, the wait can be a long time.  Sometimes the promises will be clearly seen in the resurrection and we just aren’t geared to waiting that long.  Reminds me of the verse that basically tells us “these ALL died, NOT having received the promises…” (Hebrews 11:13, 39). Not yet. But they will. Abraham never got to see his children be as numerous as the visible stars of heaven, but he will!

Look what problems Abraham, the father of the faithful, caused when he decided, for example, to help God along with his promise that Abraham and Sarah would have a son. It was taking too long, so what did Abraham do?  He and Sarah conspired to produce an heir by his works with another woman – Hagar-- rather than by faith.  Remember Hagar and Ishmael?  How well did that work out? And the problems continue to this very day.

But like Abraham, we start thinking “time is running out for anything else to work. I guess God wants ME to work this out.”  And away we go, no longer walking hand in hand with our Maker.  

We’ve all done the same thing, over and over.  MY works - - and their results – have not had good results. But when I rest in God’s promises and live by faith, I’m astounded at what HE works out when I rest in his promises and keep an awareness of how much he loves you and me beyond our wildest dreams.

So let’s start thanking Abba above, our God Most High, and our Savior Jesus Christ – for all the UNANSWERED prayers as well as the ones where He let us have what we were asking for.  Let’s even thank Him for the times that appear like rough times, bad times, or even hellish times of our life – as these may be the very times he is getting our attention. These are times when he is most actively working with us -- refining us, changing us and purifying us.  

In fact, we truly can even be joyful in these difficult times if we look up and tell him we trust him, we love him and we know he’s working his plan . . . even when we have no idea HOW he’s going to work it all out.  

We don’t NEED to know HOW everything will work out.  We need only to know with WHOM we walk. And that is enough.

Midway through the song, the words go something like this:
“…just because he doesn’t answer doesn’t mean he don’t care
Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”

So praise Him and his holy name even for unanswered prayers.

Just before World War II took off in earnest, Europe was very nervous about this new charismatic leader in Germany called Adolf Hitler.  Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain of Britain did some high level negotiating in Munich with Hitler and came back triumphantly proclaiming “Peace for our time.”  That was September 30, 1938.  Well, we know how well that ended up, don’t we? In less than a year, Hitler’s armies were invading Poland and World War II was well under way.   

Secretary of State Kerry basically said something similar recently.  I’m comparing his statement to that of Neville Chamberlain, yes – though World War II started soon after Chamberlain’s statement.  I’m not saying a world war is about to start, but I am saying the words sounded eerily similar to me.

Secretary Kerry also said this was but a prelude to a far greater treaty after six months. Chamberlain said just about the same thing! He said upon his return from Munich, “…in my view, this is only a prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace.”  If you heard Kerry live, as I did, this is eerily similar language.  God forbid the results be eerily similar as well!    

Secretary Kerry said this most recent Nuclear treaty with Iran will “provide peace in the region and for the world”, or something close to that.  We’ve opened the door for some sanctions to be eased.  They will be terribly hard to put back into place once we remove them, in spite of what you may hear. This treaty allows Iran to keep their heavy water reactor – a center producing plutonium -- in Arak.  They are not required to dismantle that facility!  There’s only one thing you can use plutonium for:  nuclear bombs. There’s NO peaceful use for plutonium!  So though Iran is supposed to hit the “pause” button on that reactor, we have not required them to hit the “delete” button, as Charles Krauthammer described it recently.  And we dare believe Iran’s regime which promises their nuclear dreams are for domestic and peaceful purposes?  That regime in Iran has not been our friend! Wake up, America and Israel! We’ve been dealing with thugs and the world’s #1 sponsor of worldwide terrorism.  (I speak of the regime, not the Iranian people.)

Read the rest of this short blog for hints of where Iran is mentioned in Bible prophecy, what could be some of the likely consequences of this terrible treaty and what this says about our regard for the nation of Israel.  It’s not pretty.

From beginning to end, our Saviour is pointed to, throughout scripture. Are you seeing Him in scripture as you read verse by verse? And if you’re not reading verse by verse regularly, you’re missing a lot. If all you do is listen to sermons or read what others say, you’re missing a lot. Always start with your own study of the Word – and be looking for Yeshua, our Messiah, all through the pages of scripture.

This blog is a starting point, a “teaser”, to get us all to open our eyes ever wider to the fact that everything points to Yeshua – who in turn points us to God Most High, Yeshua’s superior, Yeshua’s father. The more we see Yeshua in all of scripture, from the first letter of the first verse to the last verse, the more of his light and grace will shine in our lives.

Let’s start in the beginning. Genesis 1:1 says “in the beginning Elohim (God) created the heavens and earth.” How did He create all things? By speaking them into existence. Read Psalm 33:6,9.  John 1:1-3 tells us very clearly that the Word was with God and was God, and all things were created by the Word. It goes on to say The Word became flesh (John 1:14), and we know Him as Yeshua. So Yeshua said (Genesis 1:3), “LIGHT – BE!” (That’s the tone of the Hebrew.) Isn’t it interesting that Yeshua is called “the LIGHT of the world” (John 8:12) and when we walk with Him, we have HIS light, making us also “the lights of the world” (Matthew 5:14). We’re not reflections as much as we are vessels of HIS light in us. But my point is, within three verses of Genesis 1, we learn we can see Yeshua.

    The God who created all things was Yeshua.
    HE is the light that gave light to a dark world in Gen 1:3.

I have a whole sermon titled “Yeshua hiding in plain sight” that goes into a lot of detail on this topic. I recorded it in December 2011 and I recommend you hear/read it.

But I’ll use the remaining space in this blog to give a few tidbits of where Scripture is pointing to Yeshua and yet we can tend to read right over those. So be sure to read the rest of this blog for those tidbits you’ll find fascinating.

Yeshua is the 2nd Adam. But this time he lives perfectly, obediently and righteously.

            Adam was but a type of Yeshua. Interestingly, all other things created – the stars, galaxies, mountains, fish, mammals, trees and grasses, clouds and rain – everything but man, were created by the mouth of YHVH. Except man. There is no verse that says “And God said, ‘Let there be man, and behold, there was man.” No, man was fashioned by hand, personally, by God-Yeshua (Genesis 2).

“The Word of the LORD came to” – that’s Yeshua you’re reading about! Read again John 1:1-3, that Word is Yeshua, is Jesus Christ. For example:

            I used to think that the prophets either were receiving a strong thought or maybe they heard a voice – and that was “the word of YHVH”. Sometimes it clearly is something like that, as in Genesis 15:1, where the Word appeared in a vision. But even that turns into interactive participation (read Gen 15:3-10). I’ve since come to believe that in many cases they actually saw the One who became flesh and lived and died and was resurrected for you and me.

The case of Samuel at first hearing the voice of God in 1 Samuel 3 is a case in point. Please read it carefully. At first it was just a Voice he heard. I will correctly change “the LORD” to the original YHVH here. But now notice that the Word actually stood by, came to, Samuel – visibly as well as audibly.

1 Samuel 3:7,10-11, 21

7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of YHVH yet revealed to him.)

10 Now YHVH came and STOOD and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"

And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears."

11 Then YHVH said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.

21 Then YHVH APPEARED AGAIN in Shiloh. For YHVH revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of YHVH.

So MANY times we read how Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jonah and Zechariah and so many others heard or saw – or both – the Yeshua we have come to know and love. There are over 250 verses where “the word of the LORD came to” is used! For example Jer. 1:1-2, 4, 11-13; 2:1. Ezek 1:3; 3:16; 12:1. Jonah 1:1; 3:1;   Haggai 1:1-2; Zechariah 1:1 and dozens and dozens of other examples.

Some of you might be finding this hard to accept if you don’t realize that YHVH can apply BOTH to the Father and to the Son of God. NO one has seen God the Father except the Son (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12). No one has heard HIS voice (John 5:37), and yet for example Exodus 20:1, in giving the 10 Commandments, it says “And God—Elohim—spoke and said, ‘I AM YHVH your Elohim…” Millions heard that voice. That was the voice of the One who came later as Jesus of Nazareth! Yes, Yeshua is also YHVH. God the Father is Elohim MOST HIGH, God in the Highest.

Yeshua is “the right hand of YHVH”. Yeshua was told to sit at God Most High’s right hand.

Psalms 118:15-16
The voice of rejoicing and salvation (yeshua)
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly.
The right hand of Yahweh is exalted;
The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly.

When you read of God’s right hand, think – Yeshua! Moses sang of God’s glorious right hand that gave them victory (Exodus 15:6). In Isaiah 48:12-13, God says he laid out the heavens by his right hand. And on and on and on. Start seeing Yeshua more.

Yeshua is our “salvation”. The Hebrew word for ‘salvation’ IS yeshua. SO many times as they read or sang the scriptures, they were calling out our Saviour’s name! Psalms 118-122 are full of examples. Particularly take the time to read Psalm 118:21-28. Salvation, yeshua, is mentioned there a lot.   Here’s just another example of many.

Isaiah 12:2-3

Behold, God (Elohim) is my salvation (yeshua),
I will trust and not be afraid;
'For Yah, the LORD (YHVH), is my strength and song;
He also has become my yeshua (salvation).'"
3 Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the wells of yeshua (salvation).
Yeshua is what every item in the tabernacle and temple pointed to!

I will give a full length sermon on this one point. Be looking for it. The door that allowed you to enter into the courts – was Yeshua. The Altar of sacrifice – was Yeshua. The Laver where they washed – was Yeshua. The Tabernacle itself, the menorah, the table of shewbread, the altar of incense, the coverings on the tabernacle – all that pointed to Yeshua. The mercy seat on the ark, and on and on and on, all pointed to Yeshua. Be watching for my sermon on it.

By guest writer Robert Bates, CA. 

(Robert is a dear friend who has a heart for Yeshua and our dear Father – whether in good times or hard times. With America’s “Thanksgiving Day” coming upon us soon, I am pleased to share what he sent me. Certainly we should never limit to just one day a year our expressions of profound gratitude to Abba above and to our Redeemer. Every day should be a profoundly thankful day. Now let me introduce my brother in the Messiah -- Robert. I look forward to more of his contributions. -- Philip Shields)

Is it possible to have a thankful heart, or have thanksgiving flow from our lips even as tears may flow from our eyes? There’s an anonymous saying: “the deeper sorrow carves into one’s soul, the greater amount of joy it can hold”.

Most of us connect the American Thanksgiving Day to the pilgrims and their gratitude to God for allowing them to survive the winter and begin to be established in the new land. Of course that is true. But many may not realize that the proclamation to make Thanksgiving Day an official day to remember as a national holiday was instituted during our nation’s greatest time of strife and pain. I hope this short essay will elevate the way we look at and appreciate Thanksgiving Day.

If we rewind to this time, we’ll find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of America’s civil war, 1863, just after the battle at Gettysburg where over 51,000 brothers, cousins, and fathers died. Can you imagine the national anguish and pain right after that battle? Nearly as many Americans died in this one battle as in the entire Vietnam conflict, helping to make the American Civil War our bloodiest and highest death-toll war in U.S. history at about 625,000 American family members. Yes, many relatives fought against each other. And yes, the most painful and devastating fights are the times it happens within family. Read the rest of this blog to learn some inspiring history about how the American Thanksgiving Day came to be.

This was the setting in which America’s 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, proclaimed:

“The last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. . . . No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”

Perhaps the following two scripture passages can help us understand or at least find the strength to make our way through our troubles…and even be able to offer thanksgiving in and for our troubles. Our loving Father doesn’t go on vacation in our hard times. Quite the contrary. There are actually many Psalms and verses that teach us that it is in our most difficult times when YHVH can be very close to us – and for which we offer thanksgiving.

Romans 5:3-5

“But not only that, let us also boast in our troubles; because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope; and this hope does not let us down, because God’s love for us has already been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us”. (CJB)

By R. Herbert

The Ten Commandments often get bad press from those who reject them as being a list of negative “thou shalt not” laws. The truth is, of course, that some commandments are just easier to state succinctly in a negative form. Which is easier to say: “You shall not steal” or “You shall always be sure that you work hard at your job, that you pay your taxes, that you return things you borrow, that you leave other people’s things untouched when they are not around, that you …, etc., etc.” ?

But beyond the simple fact that many commandments are easier to state and to remember in a “negative” format, it is interesting that two of the ten are in fact expressed positively – the commandment to remember the Sabbath (the fourth) and that to honor our parents (the fifth). The fourth commandment gives extra information to show us how not to break the Sabbath, but the essential core of both these commandments is positively framed, and the two laws actually connect in a number of ways.

Read the rest of this blog post to see the connections between the two positive commandments and what they teach us about keeping them …

• The fourth and fifth commandments are the only ones expressed from a positive perspective, telling us what we must do.
• The fourth commandment is the last of those regarding our relationship with God and the fifth is the first regarding our relationship with our neighbor.   The two commandments form a pivot, as it were, in transitioning between things we need to do to ensure good relationships with God and man.
• The Book of Leviticus specifically ties these two commandments together: “Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths….” (Leviticus 19:3).
• Because the Sabbath is a memorial of creation (Genesis 2:3), it reminds us of the fact that God is, in the most basic sense, a parent to us – a relationship frequently expressed in the Scriptures (Luke 3:38, Acts 17:28-29 and many others). This fact links the Sabbath commandment with that to honor parents.
• While the other commandments aim to prevent the breaking down of our relationship with God and man, the fourth and fifth provide the opportunity to grow our relationship with our divine and human parents.
• Although, as Paul states in Ephesians 6:2, the fifth commandment is the “first commandment with promise” (based on the statement in Deuteronomy 5:16: “… so that you may live long and that it may go well with you…”), he may have meant the first of the commandments regarding our fellow men and women. The fourth commandment also has implicit within its wording the reward of rest: “so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do” (Deuteronomy 5:14), and note that the wording “so that…”(Hebrew: lmon) is identical in both commandments. Although the second commandment makes the general statement that God loves those who keep his commandments, the fourth and fifth commandments are the only two of the ten that mention specific rewards.
• Because they are kept in an ongoing manner, through time, the fourth and fifth commandments allow us to utilize planning and forethought in order to keep them well.  

This last point leads us to a practical application of the similarities between the Sabbath and parental commands. The Bible gives the principle of taking time within a “preparation day” in order to prepare to keep the Sabbath (Exodus 16:5, Matthew 27:62) – time to prepare for the day and perhaps also to “get in gear” for keeping it positively. No specific amount of time is stipulated for doing this advance work within what became known as the “day of preparation”, but the principle of doing some things ahead of time to better keep each upcoming Sabbath is clear. It’s a great principle that helps us to maximize what we can give to, and receive from, each Sabbath.

Please read the previous blog before this one. I want to continue the theme with more reasons to study the Word of God. The BIGGEST reason—and what our ULTIMATE GOAL should be in Bible Study - - is in the previous blog.  That biggest reason is to come to know not just the Book, but the Author of the Book. We search the scriptures daily to find life – by coming to our Savior Yeshua, whose very name means Salvation. We diligently study the Word so we see Christ revealed more and more. When you read of physical things, see if they might be pointing to Yeshua. So many things do. ALL the items in the tabernacle for example, pointed to Christ. So the first reason is to come to know Him intimately, to see Him revealed, to build a closer walk with Messiah. But one can’t give all the possible answers in one short blog. So here are more good reasons on why we should be digging into God’s word every single day. (I fear too many of my brothers and sisters aren’t digging in the word of God every day. Are YOU?)

Read the rest of this short essay to help motivate you to dig into the treasure trove that is God’s word – every single day.

The reasons we study God’s word go beyond the obvious reason to get more information, to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. And remember from the last blog: let’s use the information to help achieve the transformation, as Christ is being formed in us. Remember, our primary focus is on TRANSFORMATION, not just information.

Now let’s look at more reasons to study the Word every single day.

When we pray, we’re speaking to God. When we study His Word, that’s GOD SPEAKING TO US.

I like to pray for inspiration and correction before I begin. Then listen. Take notes on thoughts that come to you as you read and study. Don’t study just to find some new interesting tidbit or new Greek or Hebrew word. That’s always interesting, but study from the point of view of wanting to hear Father speak to you directly – His son or daughter. You. Ask Father to open your mind to see and hear HIM as you read.

Daily BIBLE STUDY is like picking up the DAILY MANNA, first thing in the day, before it got hot and melted in the sun.

I have a whole sermon that develops this topic – Your Daily Manna, given May 2004.

We are to seek FIRST the kingdom of God and its righteousness. God won’t just slide into first place. We have to put Him as first in our life. If you don’t have time, rearrange your life priorities. Get to bed earlier so you can get up earlier. Cut out a lot of that Facebook time, and email and TV. Spend more time with your Abba in heaven instead, and go to bed, get up – and put him first. And hear the May 2004 sermon. You’ll learn a lot about manna and how it pictured Yeshua and the Word of God. Remember Yeshua was born in “House of Bread” (that’s what Bethlehem means) and HE said he was the bread from heaven, and put that in context of the manna (John 6:30-40, 57-58).

We study to have the RIGHT DOCTRINE, CORRECTION AND INSTRUCTION.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

“ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for DOCTRINE, for reproof, for CORRECTION, for INSTRUCTION in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”.

So if we’re not going to scripture daily, how and when would we be receiving all the above? “Bible study” is not the same as listening to one cd or video after another. I am speaking of you opening the word of God yourself and reading and pondering the words of God, spoken for YOU.

The Bereans searched the scriptures daily, to assure themselves that what they were being taught squared with the scriptures (Acts 17:10-11). How will you know what the truth is, unless you’re in His Word daily? “Thy WORD is truth”, remember. Don’t let up your guard just because a speaker is charismatic, motivational, inspiring, or funny and personable. Satan will speak through anyone God allows him to. Don’t forget Satan inspired David to number Israel, against God’s will (1 Chronicles 21:1). When Peter, a close friend and leading disciple of Messiah, told Jesus he would not have to die – who did Yeshua feel that message was coming from? Peter? No—from Satan. He said to PETER, but spoke to Satan, “Get behind me Satan!” (Matthew 16:22-23). So wrong ideas can come from anyone, even me, so always prove what a person is saying by comparing it to what scripture actually says.

Washing by the word. God’s word is a mirror that shows us where we need to let Christ live more effectively in our lives. When the priests went to the Tabernacle in the wilderness, they would wash in a brazen/bronze bowl or laver, which also doubled as a mirror, before they went to work in their daily ministry. God’s word shows us where we need to repent and where Yeshua needs to still transform us to look and be more and more like He is. Remember it’s for instruction in righteousness.

Ephesians 5:25-27

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD,

that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

John 15:3

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

If we study the word of God, it’s like looking into a mirror and seeing where there’s dirt on our face. We find out there’s some cleaning up to do, and do it. If we don’t, what’s the point of studying or hearing the sermons? Also read Matthew 7:24-27 – building on the Rock – when we DO what we read and study.

James 1:23-25

For if anyone is a hearer of THE WORD and not a DOER, he is like a man observing his natural face in a MIRROR; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a DOER OF THE WORK, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

Many listen to charismatic speakers who make them feel good. “The Way is easy”, they coo. But Christ said the Way was difficult and narrow (Matthew 7:13-14).

Many of you study the Bible every day. If we’re not, we should be. But WHY do we study the Word of God? 
Many of us frankly enjoy learning more “things” about scripture: more data, a fascinating Hebrew word picture, the meaning in the original Greek or Hebrew, some historical tie-in to what we’re reading, and so on. I do too. But here’s where I caution us as well. 
Many of you love the scripture, as I do, that prompts us to “grow in grace and knowledge…” (2 Peter 3:18). Some use the verse that says “Study to show yourself approved unto God…” (2 Timothy 2:15). Actually the word “study” in 2 Tim 2:15 is an old English word meaning “be diligent”. The Greek word there actually has nothing to do with Bible Study directly. But as you’ll see, we MUST study and we must know WHY we study. It’s far more than just gaining more knowledge. 
Our modern learning system comes from Socrates, Plato and Aristotle - - the Academy, where students are expected to just have new information funneled into their brains while one speaks and everyone else listens.

But the learning system in Yeshua’s day was far different. Disciples didn’t just learn the words their rabbi was teaching – they watched their actions and copied their reactions to everyday situations. They learned by doing and watching a life. It wasn’t enough to pore over the scrolls by themselves. Their teachers were like a parent running alongside a young child learning to ride his bike for the first time without training wheels. They were in the thick of learning by doing and watching – not just studying documents. The goal was to create a bond between teacher and student. The goal was a deep relationship. 
I am helping my 2nd grandson learn to swim without “swimmies” on his arm. For that to happen, he has to trust me. I was watching my daughter teach him too and she was great at being the Mom while also encouraging him to “stretch” his goals, to face his fears. He has to believe she or I won’t let him drown. So there’s a balance of having our assurance and presence – and letting him experience some risk on his own. But in this scary time, my grandson is also building a trusting relationship with his  mom and grandpa – or the swimming without swimmies won’t happen any time soon. 

What am I getting at? 
The goal of Bible study goes far beyond knowing what’s in the Book. It’s about coming to know the Author of the book. Not just coming to know about Him, but to know HIM, directly and personally. Holy Scripture is Yeshua in writing. When we read it, we should be hearing his voice. Everything you read, study or hear should be helping us have a closer walk with our Beloved Savior. The light is focused on HIM. That’s why my website is called Light on the Rock. HE is the light. We want HIS light to shine through us (2 Cor. 4:6; Eph. 5:8; John 1:4-5, 9) . HE is the Rock. All the focus is on him -- not me, not you, not anyone else. My mission is to help everyone love Him more today than yesterday. To know him, and help as many as possible to come to really know Him, is my singular overriding mission in life, as Paul teaches us in Philippians 3.

Philippians 3:8-11
“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST Jesus MY LORD, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, 
that I may gain Christ AND BE FOUND IN HIM, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 
THAT I MAY KNOW HIM and the power of HIS resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

John 5:37-40
And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 
38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 
39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. [then He tells us the POINT of searching scriptures]
40 But you are not willing to COME TO ME that you may have life.

R. Herbert

The last Saturday in October (October 26 this year) is National Forgiveness Day in the United States, a day which all people of faith can honor, if they chose, and one to which even many people without religious beliefs can relate. For those of us who take seriously the words “Forgive us our sins as we forgive them that sin against us” (Matthew 6:12), the day is an opportunity to reflect on the need for forgiveness and how to make it a part of our everyday lives. This blog post gives some thoughts to start you on your own reflection on what it means to forgive. 

•Cheerful Forgiveness 
Sometimes it’s possible to forgive and not really forgive.  Just saying the words “I forgive you” or telling ourselves we have forgiven someone, or even forcing ourselves to forget the problem,  isn’t really the same as actual deep down forgiveness.  Saying “I forgive you” with a frown, or telling yourself you have forgiven someone, but still remembering and dwelling on the problem, is not forgiving.  We need to forgive cheerfully.  It’s said that “God loves a cheerful giver”. How much more could we say, “God loves a cheerful forgiver”. 
We invariably know when we have truly forgiven because forgiveness brings peace and even happiness to the one who forgives.  The pain caused by the word or deed that offended us  may still be there, at least for a while, but it invariably diminishes once forgiveness is in place. 
Refusing to be hurt or angry anymore and accepting another person despite what they have done to us should be a positive thing. Forgiveness may not be easy sometimes, but it’s right, and it is ultimately something to be happy about whether we are the one forgiving or being forgiven!

•Help to Forgive
The fact that forgiving others is seldom easy underscores a truth.  Only you can forgive someone who has hurt you, but you may need help to do it.    A fascinating survey conducted by the Gallup Organization found that 94% of those questioned said it was important to forgive, but 85% said they needed some outside help to be able to forgive.   For those of us who choose to ask for it, help is available.  Notice what Paul writes on this: “… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14). The important thing to realize here is that all the things Paul lists in these verses are fruits and gifts of the Spirit (see also I Corinthians 12, 13).  If we are finding it hard to forgive something, we need to ask for the help that God clearly desires to give.

Sometimes it’s not others that need the forgiveness – and we may not realize it.  Read the rest of this blog for more pointers on forgiving …

•Forgiveness and What We Don’t See
It’s relatively easy to ask God’s forgiveness for the sins and mistakes of which we are all too aware. But what about those errors of which we are actually unaware – either unaware of their significance or simply unaware of their existence?  National Forgiveness Day is not just an opportunity to ask forgiveness for what we know we have done wrong, but also for those things we may be unaware of.
We are all blind to some of our own problems. That’s why David wrote, “But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults” (Psalm 19:12). Every Christian who has known the truth for many years knows that, just like weeds, old hidden errors and new unseen ones continue to crop up throughout life. Usually we have to ask God’s help and to think deeply about this in order to see these things, but if we are willing to do it we can come to see what we need to see – as David also acknowledged: “Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part you shalt make me to know wisdom” (Psalm 51:6).  
“Forgive my hidden faults” is a prayer we can all pray. Asking help to see and overcome those faults is another. 

This blog follows up on the last one – our ability to bless God. Please read that one before this one.

There’s an old hymn “It is well with my soul”.  It’s worth learning about the background to what led to the composition of that hymn. I believe our Father in heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ are very pleased with the heart behind that hymn. In short, the composer – Horatio G. Spafford— was a successful businessman and believer in the 1870’s in the Chicago area. He was active with efforts to help the poor and spread the word of God. But his faith was heavily tested. In 1870, his four year old son died of scarlet fever. This was devastating, enough, but then the Chicago Fire of 1871 devastated most of his buildings and businesses.  But still Horatio used what money he had left to help the many homeless.  Later on Horatio made plans to send his wife Anna and their four daughters to England to get away and heal up as well as to support some ministries going on in Europe. But on the way, their steamer struck an iron British vessel – and sank in the mid-Atlantic, in waters three miles deep. Only Horatio’s wife Anna was saved among his family. Only 81 of 307 passengers survived. Anna was taken to Wales, where she telegraphed her husband, “Saved alone…what should I do”?   

Can you imagine?  My heart is heavy just writing this! Well, Horatio immediately boarded a ship to bring his beloved Anna back home.  On the way there, the captain of Horatio’s ship called him to the bridge and told him, “This is the spot where your wife’s ship went down.”  That night, Horatio G. Spafford, in the quiet of his cabin…wrote the heart-stirring words to “It is well with my soul”.  

Read the rest of this blog to capture the essence behind having peace in your storms, having joy when everything is falling apart, being able to bless when your fleshly nature just wants to give up.

I recommend you Google “Story behind It is Well with my Soul lyrics” and read the whole story. It is quite inspiring and you’ll be blessed for taking the time to read about it. The title of the song reminds us of the exquisite faith of the Shunamite widow, who – having lost her only son – when asked what was wrong, answered, “Everything is well.” (2 Kings 4:26).   What an example. How inspiring! Your only son is dead and you say, “It is well”.  Wow. Wow. What an inspiring example this woman is to all of us.

That’s what I’m talking about.  I preach to myself too.  So often I have to remind myself to praise and thank and bless my holy heavenly father and my Redeemer no matter what is happening. In fact, what I’m trying to get across is this:  we must do this even MORE so when things are “going to hell in a hand basket” as the saying goes.

It is in the praise and thanksgiving, no matter our pain, no matter our trials, that we actually will experience greater faith.  It’s in our communion at these times with our Maker when we are most likely to feel His presence, to “hear His voice” and draw closer to Him.  It’s in the rough times of life when we grow the most, just like an oak tree apparently puts down roots the fastest during a storm.  

Blessing God in the sunny times of our life is natural – though many of us probably forget to do even that.  But blessing Yehoweh in the stormy seasons of our lives – that’s where the growth happens. Those are the times when we will grow and become deeper, more mature.  So praise and thank Him especially in the hard times.  It’s hard to do.

It’s also in these times when we need to have our eyes open to what others are going through. It’s in those times when we need to become a “parakletos ship” -- a ship that used to come alongside another ship that was in trouble and help those worried passengers and crew.  The parakletos was a “God-send” to them.  It saved their lives!  

YOU be the person sent by God to help people struggling with serious trials  -- and your encouraging presence (not preaching at them) will make it a lot easier for them to pray and bless Yehoweh our Father even in their sore trial. YOU – yes, your gentle presence, your strong encouraging words, and your understanding heart -- may be the catalyst that helps others continue to have faith in God and our King. YOU may be part of the reason they are able to once more bless and praise our great God.

I’ve been blessed to have friends be there for me in my rough times of life.  I’ve been blessed to have a wife who has been strong as a rock to stand with her man when I was finding times hard to stand by myself. I’ve been blessed to have an older brother in California who has a heart of gold and has always been there for us in our times of need, though he himself has been in serious trials for years.  I’ve been blessed with a daughter here in Florida and her husband who have in a thousand ways encouraged us when we were feeling low. And most of all – once all those people and many more-- helped us in our times of need, I was able to more clearly see my truly AMAZING BIG BROTHER YESHUA our MESSIAH who sent them to me. And that in turn helped me to start blessing my God and King again. Hallelujah! Praise Yah!      

Yes, when we come together, it IS well with my soul.  And fellow believers, it’s time for us to give up on the splits in the body of Christ. It’s time for us support and be there for one another – together – as one body. What a powerful body of people we could be if we would forgive one another of all the hurts in the past and just start loving and accepting each other and working together as one! And what a blessing that would be to all around us. And WE – we would be able to exalt our Father and bless His holy name as ONE. Much, much tougher times are coming.  Everything I’m writing today is all about the things we’ll need to have down pat in our lives if we are to survive the coming super tough times.  And a big part of that is to keep looking to God and to keep blessing Him, no matter what is happening.

Philippians 4:6-7
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.

Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace, he whose heart is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”  

When we trust someone, we have peace when that One is doing something.  We don’t have to understand HOW everything will work out. We don’t have to understand WHY rough things are happening. We only have to understand with Whom we walk… and with Him, it IS well with my soul.

Here are the words to that inspired song “It is Well with my Soul”, written by Horatio Spafford. (Remember, he had just lost his four daughters at sea, he had lost his son earlier, he had lost much of his business earlier…and somehow as they sailed over the spot of the most recent disaster, and he could bless God and bless all of us with these words :)  

Already, I know many of you are asking, “WHAAT?  Bless God?  HOW can I possibly bless the One who has everything already?”

Well, there are countless verses that tell us to bless YHVH, the one living true Almighty God. In fact in a fellowship I sometimes attend, there are numerous hymns they sing from the Psalms.  Over and over, the hymns – taken from King David’s writings (and sons of Korah, Solomon, Moses and other contributors to the Psalms) have that message.  “Bless the LORD Eternal Oh my soul…” is the way one of their hymns begins, taken from Psalm 103.  

If you’re NOT blessing your heavenly Father, you’re missing out on something very important. In fact, when we ask HIS blessing on our food, or on a project on which we are embarking, be sure to also bless HIM who gave us the true Vine and gave us the true Bread from heaven.  

More on this later, but when you add the concept of “blessing YHVH” can also mean profoundly thanking Him – all throughout the day – then blessing our holy Father, as well as Jesus Christ (Yeshua) becomes easier to understand.  More on that in a minute. God wants your WHOLE heart – even when it’s a broken heart, a heavy or sad heart, or even when we’re upset.  Loving our Father with ALL our heart means at all times, with everything we have to present at any given moment. It’s especially in those times when we need to remember to bless, thank and praise Him.

Still not convinced?  OK, here are a few verses just to be sure you know I’m not making this up. 
Be sure to read the rest of this blog to be sure learn about your awesome opportunity – and even a duty – to bless your Maker! And you can start doing this today.  And please pass a copy of this blog on to others.

It’s a very vital topic for all believers to be practicing.  And those of you who already practice this, wonderful! You’re ahead of most on this topic at least.  

So here are some verses that clearly say we are to “bless the LORD”.  

Where it is translated “the LORD” in your English Bibles, I’m going back to the original YHVH, the name of our true living God – which I pronounce as “Yehoweh”.  YHVH or YHWH we know were the consonants in His holy name, which Jesus taught us to hallow (“Hallowed be your NAME…”).  So your Bibles will say “Bless the LORD…” where I have it “Bless YHVH”.  There was no “the” before the word “YHVH” in the original, as nobody would put the word “the” in front of your name either! And yes, he has many titles but ONE holy name that is His signature name – and it is YHVH. My point is-- we ARE to bless our Maker!     

Psalms 103:1-3
BLESS Yehoweh (YHVH), O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 
BLESS Yehoweh (YHVH), O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: 
Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,

Psalms 103:20-22
Bless Yehoweh, you His angels who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. 
Bless Yehoweh, all you His hosts, You ministers [servants] of His, who do His pleasure. 
Bless Yehoweh, all His works, In all places of His dominion.  Bless Yehoweh, O my soul!

Psalms 135:19-20
Bless Yehoweh, O house of Israel! Bless Yehoweh, O house of Aaron! 
20 Bless Yehoweh, O house of Levi! You who fear Yehoweh, bless Yehoweh!

Deuteronomy 8:10
When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless Yehoweh your God for the good land which He has given you.

After King David had prayed a beautiful and powerful prayer asking for God’s guidance and blessing on his son Solomon, and on the project to build the House of God, we read this:

1 Chronicles 29:20
Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless Yehoweh your God." So all the assembly blessed Yehoweh God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before Yehoweh and the king.

So what does it mean to “bless Yehoweh”?  The answer to that is worthy of a whole sermon, frankly.

First of all, though I admire the original intent behind some of the formal written prayers that some churches or even the Jewish people have, I recommend when you say anything to the Almighty, say it from your heart. ANY father would rather hear his children’s words from the heart – rather than the beautiful words written by an old rabbi or priest hundreds of years ago. Father wants YOUR heart, your thoughts, your concerns and your praises – not someone else’s.  “Give me YOUR heart, my son”, God implores, through His word (Proverbs 23:26).  

Now let’s kick it up a notch or two.

Any child of God who is aware that He is present at all times, anywhere and everywhere we are, in every circumstance of life – is going to be filled with a sense of awe for our loving Father. We won’t be restricting our blessings and prayers to set prayer times, and certainly not just to times of worship and group praise--- but we’ll be learning this is something we do all through the day.

But neither am I advocating what is common in orthodox Judaism: that with virtually every action upon awakening you say a prescribed formal prayer. I like the idea of being aware to bless and thank God often from the moment we wake up to the moment we lie down – but surely NOT with the same formal prayers over and over. They can become meaningless after a while. Yeshua himself even warned against the futility of reciting the same thing over and over. He said “don’t think you’ll be heard for your many (repeated ) words” (Matthew 6:7-8). He said pagans do this kind of thing and WE are not to be like that.  

Now having said that, maybe it IS a good idea when you wake up in the morning, bless your Father. But do so in your own words. Don’t worry about it not being “just right”.  Words from your heart will be just right. Bless Him for providing you with wonderful children or grandchildren – as you pass by their photos on the wall.  Bless Him for the fact you are still alive – whether you’re perfectly healthy or not. Do this often, throughout the day. If you are in good health, praise and bless Him for that.  Thank our Maker – who actually was the One in Genesis 2 who became known as Yeshua – for fearfully and wonderfully making our bodies. Thank Him for giving us the ability to heal, to get better, to let the body mend when we change our harmful ways.

By R. Herbert

The festivals that God gave to ancient Israel not only foreshadowed His program for humanity, but also richly symbolized many aspects of His plan by means of the rituals performed on those days. Biblically commanded rituals – such as the waving of the first fruits sheaf in the Days of Unleavened Bread   and the blowing of the ram’s horn shofar on the Day of Trumpets – helped clarify and picture the deeper meanings of the festival days on which they occurred.

As time progressed, certain other rituals also became attached to the festivals. These were traditions which were part of Israel’s understanding of the purpose and meaning of the holy days and provided ways in which the priests and people could participate in the festivals. Many of these additional rituals were in place in Jesus’ time, and historical documents such as the Jewish Mishna (Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 5) describe them. Although these traditional rituals were not part of the original commandments relating to the holy days, in some cases Jesus himself used them as background for His message and even compared himself to them in His teaching. If the One to whom many of the holy days point could teach lessons by means of these rituals, we can perhaps learn by looking at them today.

The Feast of Tabernacles involved two examples of rituals that had become associated with the Fall holy days – both of which Jesus commented upon. Until the second temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, each day throughout the Feast of Sukkot or Tabernacles, a special water libation ceremony or water pouring ritual was performed. The temple priests descended the hill on which the temple stood, dropping down to the pool of Siloam in the City of David. There, the priests would fill a golden pitcher with pure sparkling water from the spring and carry it back up to the Temple where the water was ritually offered by pouring it into a silver cup at the corner of the altar. The people of Jerusalem lined the paths along which the water was brought, and thronged the court in the temple to witness the ritual which was performed with celebration and great joy. The ritual is, in fact, believed to be the physical type which lies behind the prophetic verse in Isaiah: “And you shall draw waters with joy from the wells of salvation” (Isa. 12:3).

The waters poured out in the ceremony held a number of meanings for Feast goers of the first century. The ritual was connected to the rainfall of the coming year, and was accompanied by prayers for rain and for blessings on the earth and its produce. On a spiritual level, the water offering was also associated with the waters prophesied to flow out of Jerusalem in the Messianic kingdom: ``And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem....” (Zechariah 14:8, and also Ezekiel 47:1-12). But perhaps most importantly, the ceremony was also connected to the giving of God’s Spirit. The waters were tied to the promise found in Isaiah 44:3: “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring.”

Read more to see how the meanings of these rituals were used by Jesus in teaching the crowds in the Temple.

Understanding the context and meanings of this deeply symbolic water ritual helps us to understand a little more about concepts associated in Jesus’ day with the Feast of Tabernacles, and particularly the final“ greatest day” of the Feast.

It was on this SEVENTH day of the Feast (called “Hoshana Rabbah” in Hebrew – the “Great Hosanna” or “Great Salvation”) that Jesus stood up in the midst of the crowds thronging the temple courtyard and called out: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:37 – 38). When Jesus’ words are seen in the context of the water ceremony they come alive. And the way they were perceived by his ancient Jewish audience become much clearer. Jesus statement was doubtless received with awe and perhaps in some cases with disbelief or doubt, for rather than making a simple analogy using water in an abstract sense, Jesus clearly was tying the water ceremony and its deep meanings to himself – as the One from whom blessings flowed, as the One who would be at the center of the Messianically established Jerusalem, and as the One who would give the Holy Spirit.

On the 10th day of the Hebrew 7th month, the 10th day from a visual sighting of the first new moon light, YHVH proclaims this day as the Day of Covering. That’s what Yom (Day) Kippur (covering) means.  In Leviticus 23, the word used is actually in the plural –Yom Kippuriym, the plural. A day of coverings.  There’s so much sin, shortcomings and so many sinners (all of us) whom God has to cover. (The word “kippur” or “Kippurim” is used in scripture in other ways besides this one day.) It’s the most sacred day on the calendar, a sabbath of total rest and absolutely no work, and a day of fasting with deep repentance.  The book of Jonah was traditionally read. It was the one day that the high priest – alone – could enter into the Holy of Holies where the ark of YHVH was kept and sprinkle blood on the ark and ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness on the nation.  It is considered so sacred that even many secular Jews will refrain from work on this day.

We who are believers in Yeshua the Messiah, now also our High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek, understand that all our sins have been covered and atoned for by His sacrifice, one time – once and for all, for all time (Hebrews 7:29; Hebrews 9:12, 26).  So we can now come confidently – in HIS name, by HIS grace – before the Mercy Seat of God, the throne of Grace (read Hebrews 4:14-16).  This day reminds us of our standing with God if we have accepted His grace and live His way of Life by His Spirit. It also reminds us of the time the whole world will be atoned for, and when Satan and his demons will be locked up for a thousand years. Hallelujah!

I’ve often thought of this day as a “national Passover”. Maybe that’s just me.  I think of Passover as our personal one-on-one interaction with our Creator and remember how He passed over each of our sins when He sees we have chosen to come under the blood of His Son. Then Yehoweh promised to defend us from the Destroyer and wash away our personal sins.  I think of Atonement as the time the whole nation is forgiven and reconciled with the one true Living God.  Kippuriym has the meaning of reconciliation as well.  This holy day pictures the time when the whole world will have all their sins covered (kippur) and when Satan our Adversary (that’s what “Satan” means) is locked up for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3).

For a full explanation of all of the above and more, be sure to hear the audio sermon that is also posted on the website right now. You’ll hear some points that seldom get mentioned.

Read the Creator’s instructions about this day in Leviticus 23:27-32 as well as Leviticus 16. He tells us it is a day of fasting (afflict your souls). There is to be absolute rest, no work, and total rest, from sundown of the 9th through sundown of the 10th day of the Hebrew month. It is a day of deep repentance and contrition before our Maker.  

To learn more about this most solemn of days-- read the rest of the blog.

We need to also be careful to be fasting on the day Yehoweh says to be fasting on!  It’s the 10th day after the sighting of the new moon. Otherwise, are we keeping the day and fasting on the right day?
On this day we are reminded that we are cleansed from all our sins committed before YHVH.

Leviticus 16:29-30
29 "This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. 
30 For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before Yehoweh.

Leviticus 23:27-32
 "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to YHVH. 
28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before YHVH your God (Elohim). 
29 For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 
30 And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 
31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 
32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest (Sabbat sabbaton), and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath."

In verse 32, where it says “Sabbath of solemn rest” – in Hebrew it is “sabbat sabbaton”.  In a way you could call it the “Sabbath of Sabbaths”, like “holy of holies” is used.  It is a most holy sabbath when the word “sabbaton” is connected with it.  That second word “sabbaton” is not used here only but also for the sabbatical land rest every 7 years (see Lev. 25:4), the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah)  in Lev 23:24, first day of the Feast of Tabernacles and the 8th day Holyday AFTER the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:39).  “Sabbaton” always implicitly carries with it the meaning of rest, as well as other things in context.  

You’ll also want to read Leviticus 16 to read about the highly meaningful services performed by the High Priest on this day when there was a tabernacle or temple. We do not do this today because Yeshua’s one sacrifice covers all people for all time, and there is no earthly temple today.  YOU are the temple of His Spirit.  You’ll read of the two goats and all the symbolism connected with that.  It will show you what the High Priest did as he came into the Holy of Holies that one time per year only, barefooted, wearing just a simple white linen garment as he stood before the shekinah glory, as he represented all the people before their Creator in a most solemn service.  

Of course today we have THE High Priest Yeshua, of the order of Melchizedek, standing before God Most High in our behalf.  Praise God, Hallelu Yah!  

Every parent has experienced this. We’re trying to get something very important across to our children and what do they do if they don’t like what you’re saying?  They start to walk away, and –if they are totally disrespectful—even put their fingers in their ears to block their hearing.

Do you realize that Yehoweh tells us that’s what too many of us - -His children -- are doing? We aren’t listening. We’ve sometimes even blocked our hearing.  We’ve turned up the volume of the instruments of mass distraction – TV, computers, Facebook, texting, and so on.

In today’s Torah portion, which many Jews and “Messianics” are reading, we see the very scriptures in Deuteronomy 32 where Yah PLEADS with us to hear. He has something to say to us. Please read Deuteronomy 32 yourself. I think it’s significant that this passage is being read just as we come into the Fall holydays. Do we just “go to church” for the Feast days in a rote habitual manner without realizing the seriousness of the times we are in? As we go, let’s go as a people of God going there to hear His voice.

Deuteronomy 32:1-3

Give EAR, O heavens, and I will speak; And HEAR, O earth, the words of my mouth. 
Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew,
As raindrops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass. 
For I proclaim the name of YHVH, Ascribe greatness to our God (Elohim).  

As we read those words, we remind ourselves that the Fall holydays are upon us. We’re being reminded we’re yet another year closer to the return of Yeshua coming in might, power and glory to rule this world. We’re another year closer to facing some of the most exciting – or scary – times the world has ever seen, depending on how close we are to Him.

When we want to hear someone, we tune in our ears in that direction. We get as close to the Speaker as we can. We take notes. We discuss what we heard afterwards with others. We ask the speaker to repeat something we missed, or to explain it further. PRAY for this kind of desire to hear the words of our God.

As we enter into this season, determine more than ever to STUDY HIS WORDS, to HEAR them explained, to HEAR Him even as you pray, to HEAR Him as you experience life’s experiences.  He speaks to us in so many ways, but many of us just don’t have that RELATIONSHIP with Him enough to even realize He is speaking! Or we’re so busy with our own priorities (see Haggai 1). Or we’re asleep (see Rev. 2). Or we’re naked and ashamed to come to the Door, who is Christ (see the word to the Laodiceans). Or we are so distracted by Facebook, texting, games, computers and the NOISE of life all around us – that we couldn’t possibly hear Messiah speaking to us! I’ve determined to turn off the TV, reduce my Facebook time and spend more time in His word and HEAR HIM speaking to us. 
If you want to hear more about what Yah says about this vital topic of HEARING, click here….

In my next blogs and sermons, I will be speaking about Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets, the day of blasts and jubilant shouts. Hear those words of God.  Then we’ll have messages about the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur – the day of covering) and the Feast of Tabernacles and the 8th day holy day.  
I hope you will hear GOD’S words in those messages and not just my words, assuming I’m asking Him to speak through His servants and through me.

We also hear Him through Bible study.  Do you even bother with daily Bible study now?   We need to get up and study His word first thing, just as Israel had to get up early and gather the Manna (a picture of the word of God, the bread from heaven) before the heat of the day would melt it. So USE that available manna.  GET up, open your Bible, read and hear.  You have His words so close to you, but all too many of us would rather do something else than hear the words of YHVH.

We have several Bibles in every home. As one man recently said, “Sodom had no Bible in their homes. But we do.”  Makes you think, doesn’t it? They had Lot and his preaching.  That’s it.  We have lots and lots of preachers and endless Bibles available. But are we hearing Yah’s words to us? Are we seeking His words?  We will be judged more severely for all the words of God we have sitting on bookshelves or on our table, but books we don’t open up daily and read.  

The book of Revelation was certainly written for and about the last days and end times. We’re there.  And to EACH of the 7 churches of Revelation 2 and 3, Messiah says, “To him who has an ear to hear, let him ear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; Rev. 3:6, 13, 22).  And just before the messages to the assemblies (ekklesia, churches) of the living God, John wrote:

Revelation 1:3
Blessed is he who READS and those who HEAR the words of this prophecy, and KEEP those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

I recommend you do a Bible study 
One more thing; VERY important: We need to even pray for Yah to give us the ABILITY to hear Him. We ask Him to OPEN our hearing spiritually! Without that, we won’t hear or see or grasp anything spiritual! Deuteronomy 29:4 says GOD first has to give us a heart that perceives His words and ears to hear and spiritual eyes to see.

“HEARING” also goes along with faith, and faith with doing.  Our faith is proven by our works of obeying what we’ve heard. Notice Hebrews 3:7-11 and the warning that goes with it.  We are about to enter a whole new world, led by King Yeshua—or are we? We won’t BE there if we don’t stop spending so much time on worthless things and start spending more time seeking His words and hearing Him!

Hebrews 3:7-11
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
"TODAY, if you will HEAR His voice, 
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion in the day of trial in the wilderness, 
Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. 
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, 'They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.' 
So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'"

R. Herbert
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg.  First published by Zondervan, 2009.

This is not a new book, but it is the kind of book that never gets old.  It enables you, the reader, to put yourself in the shoes of those who walked and talked with Jesus during his earthly ministry, and in so doing you will doubtless gain a vastly increased understanding of much that you may have read, and read right over, in the Gospels themselves. Not only does the book enable a better understanding of Christianity through a better understanding of its roots in Judaism, but it gives a better understanding of Yeshua (Jesus) as a man, as a teacher and as Messiah.

One of the most important things the book does is to put into context the life and teachings of Jesus as a 1st century rabbi -  a scholar and teacher of the biblical texts who shared this descriptive term with other teachers of that age  long  before the term became a formal religious title as it is used today. Viewing the Gospel accounts through this lens gives countless insights into what Jesus did, said and even, on occasion, what he  did not say that can help us understand these accounts and the social and historical realities behind them.  It is like the situation we find ourselves in today whenever we read a newspaper. Every story has layers of meaning which we grasp because of our knowledge of our own culture and recent history – layers of meaning that would be lost to readers of the same document who might read it two thousand years from now.  This is the beauty of  Sitting At The Feet Of Rabbi Jesus. The book fills in much of the missing context and enables us to see how the words of the New Testament would have been understood by the original readers – and to have more of that same understanding ourselves, today.

For example,  by looking at the words spoken at Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:11) from the context of 1st century biblical understanding and interpretation, the authors are able to open up this important event with meaning and significance that a modern reader would never have guessed. The verse is completely transformed into something far more meaningful, that most commentaries do not convey. Similarly,  Jesus’ description of himself as the “Good Shepherd” or as the “Son of Man” takes on  entirely new and more powerful meanings when seen from the perspective of  1st century biblical understanding and expectations. These are only small examples, chosen at random.  Few pages go by without New Testament stories, conversations or events being clarified and expanded in a similar way.
The book also does an excellent job of differentiating between the kind of interpretation Jesus and other rabbis of His day used in explaining the plain meaning of scriptures and some of the more symbolic  and esoteric interpretations which were added in Jewish scholarship as later centuries went by.  In the same way, the book shows that the Judaism of 1st century Palestine is not the same as modern Judaism in a great many ways, yet when similarities are there, they are discussed.  However, the  book is not about Judaism per se.  For the most part, it brings information together regarding the culture in which Jesus lived which increases our understanding of  many of the words and deeds of His ministry.
But this book is not only about the Rabbi who was Messiah. It is also about his disciples and what it meant to follow a rabbi in 1st century Israel.  Just as the book expounds on the role and teachings of Jesus, it also greatly enhance the reader’s understanding of the roles and responsibilities of his disciples – both then and now.  It does this by giving a  deeper knowledge of how the disciples of Jesus’ day functioned,  the bonds they developed with their teacher, and the responsibility they in turn took on to make further disciples.  These things have direct application to  anyone aspiring to that same role today, and the book might be said to be a manual for disciples as much as it is an exposition of the life and work of Jesus himself.

There’s an interesting verse that you may not have ever heard mentioned in a sermon.  In Genesis 19, the story of the destruction of Sodom is recounted.  If you’re unfamiliar with it, I recommend you read the chapter.  Lot – nephew of Abraham -- was being visited by angels who were forewarning him of Sodom’s impending destruction for their many sins.  He was being urged to leave quickly. So Lot set out to get all his kids, family and in-laws to understand the gravity of the situation and how urgent it was for everyone to leave. And then we read this:

Genesis 19:14

“So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of this place; for Yehoweh (the LORD) will destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.”

Other translations say Lot came across “as one that mocked” (KJV). NET Bible says the sons-in-law “thought he was ridiculing them”.  Could it be that Lot may have developed a reputation as a kidder, a jokester, or someone always trying to pull the wool over someone’s eyes in a “practical joke” manner?

Have you ever noticed that verse before? Could it be that Lot had at least 3 married daughters and, had they all believed Lot, there could have been 10 righteous in the city, and the city would have been spared, because of Abraham’s intercessory prayer in the previous chapter?  See Gen 18. But because they felt Lot was “pulling their leg” one more time, they didn’t heed his dire warning.

Some of us are known jokesters.  Everything becomes a tease, a joke, a trick, a slight of hand, a wink of the eye.  I know I’ve been guilty of seeing how far I can “kid” someone and get away with something to make people laugh.  But there are times when there’s no laughing matter, no joke – and people need to know we’re serious. But if we’re constantly making people the butt of our “practical jokes” – and they feel mocked or ridiculed as a result – when we DO need to be taken seriously, will they believe us?  

So what happened?  Lot’s sons-in-law basically ignored Lot’s warnings.  I can hear them now, “OK Dad, we know about your jokes. But this time we’re not going to be made a fool of.”  So Lot has to leave town with just his wife and 2 unmarried daughters – and EVERYONE else who were a part of Lot’s family and household died along with the rest of the people of Sodom.  

The time is coming soon when some of us may be given end-time warnings from angels just like Lot experienced. We may be given the opportunity to share a dire warning, an urgent message, with loved ones, brethren and believers. But will they think we’re just pulling their leg, or will they believe us and act?  

Kidding around may be fine on occasion — at the right time and place.  But especially as we come to the darker hours of the end times, we need to put childish pranks away and think and act more soberly , more seriously, more believably.  The lives of our very own loved ones may hang in the balance.

I personally feel there’s too much jesting, joking around, foolish talking and just senseless banter going on among too many of the people of God.  Right now we all need to grasp more of the seriousness of the times. I preach to myself too! There’s a lot of kidding that seems connected also to drinks and drinking.  Both Peter and Paul lay out the admonitions to become more serious. See 1 Pet 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:6-8.  Here are two more:

I was chatting with a young 20-something young man not long ago and we were talking about how the American language takes twists and turns.  Eventually I got to a pet peeve and said to him, “You know, there are 4 words in the English language that so many are just misusing.”  I paused. His eyes were begging for me to tell him the mysterious four words, so I continued.  “The four words are like totally awesome and amazing”.  He stared expectantly at me for several seconds and finally blurted out, his voice dripping with exasperation, “Well, are you going to tell me the four words?”  

It does seem like everywhere we go, everything and everyone is being described as “amazing” or “totally awesome”. The smallest accomplishment, the cutest little thing, the slightest effort expended are universally being described as “awesome” and “amazing”.  I for one believe this is destroying those words’ power and impact.  Is it truly “amazing” or “awesome” if I bank-shot a wadded-up piece of scrap paper into the waste can a few feet away? I hear these words bandied about for everything and anything.  

If everything is described as “awesome”, if everyone is “amazing”, then eventually nothing and nobody can be described as truly awesome and amazing. Those words should be used for what they mean – something way above the ordinary; someone truly outstanding. Certainly many things and many people rise to “outstanding” or “very good” or “that’s great” – but “amazing”?  “Awesome”?  

What is truly amazing is the love of our Father in heaven who gave his only son for all of us.  What is truly awesome is what your Savior and mine did for us.  What are totally amazing are the daily paintings our great God drapes across His canvas of skies for us in indescribable sunsets that just scream color and beauty.  Then if you want awesome, have you ever been in a Florida summer thunderstorm that starts with a blinding crack of a bright white lightning bolt followed a few seconds later by thunder that crashes through your neighborhood, so loud that you can’t imagine it if you’ve never been in one?  Then again and again.  

Read the rest of this blog to find out more about what is truly amazing and totally awesome.  

YHVH – the Creator of Heavens and earth – HE is amazing.  What He touches, what He creates, what He designs, what He says, what HE does – now all THAT is what is truly awesome and amazing.  I find His creation truly awesome – whether it’s a tortoise lumbering up my driveway or a brilliant butterfly brightening up my yard. I’d say a vast ocean is amazing. God created it – of course it would be. The colors of the autumn aspens in Colorado or the New Hampshire hardwoods all orange and red in the fall – that’s what you’ll exclaim is awesome. If it’s tied to the Creator in some way, now that is amazing.  The SON of God who SPOKE the universe into existence, who breathed out billions of stars in billions of galaxies (Psalm 33:6, 9; Psalm 148:5), now THAT is truly awesome and beyond our grasp.  The Hubble telescope is giving us glimpses of how vast and limitless is the universe created by the Word, who later stretched out His arms on the cross for you and me.  THAT is totally amazing. HE is our awesome God (John 1:1-3).  

The one true living God – and anything related to Him such as his creation – is what I believe is truly amazing and awesome.  Here are a few of the many verses ascribing awesomeness to God.

Psalms 47:2
For YHVH Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.

Psalms 66:3
Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.

Psalms 99:3
Let them praise Your great and awesome name —  He is holy.

There’s something else that’s amazingly awesome:  our high calling.  Paul – when given a glimpse of it – could only describe it by saying your eyes couldn’t imagine it, your ears can’t yet grasp the sounds and harmonies that lie ahead of us.  “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9, paraphrasing from Isaiah 64:4).  

R. Herbert
Most readers of the scriptures are familiar with the “Great Commission” given by Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection.  Many can recite it by heart:  “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you … “ (Matt. 28:19-20).

While those verses are consistently quoted as the  Commission,  in reality they represent the final form of a number of commissions or “job directives” Jesus gave to his disciples during his ministry, and which often get lost in the rush to examine, ponder and discuss the “Great” commission. This is not to say that we should not focus on the final Great Commission, but that it can also be profitable to look back at some of the earlier commissions given during Christ’s ministry to see what we can learn there. For example, look carefully at the ones recorded in the Book of Luke:

Luke 9:2:  “… and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”

Luke 10:9  “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
Matthew also records one of these earlier commissions: 
Matt 10:7-8  “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons…”   
The difference is obvious.  The earlier commissions specifically included healing the sick – with an emphasis placed on that task almost equal to the emphasis placed on  preaching the Gospel.
That emphasis is undeniably missing in the final “Great Commission” which appears to focus entirely on the work of evangelism without any direct mention of the sick. But does this mean the needs of the sick are no longer to be a vital concern for the Christian?  In answer to that, perhaps we should remember that the Great Commission itself ends with the words “…  teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:20, emphasis added),  so from that perspective alone, the principles of the earlier commissions Jesus gave may still apply to us today as part of the “everything” Jesus had commanded.  
Read more to see how this principle still applies – and what we can do about it …

Helping the sick was certainly part of the example Jesus set for us. He not only used physical sickness as a metaphor in his teaching (Mark 2:17), and as a sign of the divine nature of His work, He also frequently healed and helped the sick purely as a matter of compassion, as we see throughout the Gospels.  Godly concern for the sick also clearly precedes the Christian scriptures.  Psalm 107:20 says  “He sent out his word and healed them,” showing David’s awareness of God’s compassion in this area – compassion which was expressed many times throughout the  Old Testament,  as well as in the work of the disciples who continued  the New Testament ministry of Christ.
Now, this doesn’t mean that the situation has not  changed at all regarding God’s commission to His Church.  It seems clear that while God still can – and does – heal,  He has not continued to do so in quite the same manner as He did when Jesus sent out disciples who routinely administered healings as an everyday part of their work (Matt. 10:1).  But although we may not be empowered to heal today in the way the early disciples were, think about this in terms of the Great Commission:  as individual Christians we may not be directly going into all the world, teaching and baptizing, either  – yet we can support those who do these works, both financially and in prayer and other ways. Even without the same command and power of healing given the early disciples, we can still – to the extent we are able, and with the same compassion - do the work of helping the sick mentioned in all the earlier forms of Jesus’ commission to his disciples.
So while the “Great Commission”, as it is given in Matthew 28, does indeed focus on what would be the central work of the church after the time of Jesus’ ministry, when we consider the nature of what we are called to do we need not discount the compassion for the sick that is clear in God’s Word, and especially in the life of Jesus himself and in the earlier instructions he gave his disciples.  Although the evangelism of the Great Commission should indeed be a central focus point for us, we can still give our physical and prayerful support to those helping the sick,  and many of us can also find opportunities to directly work to serve those who are victims of sickness and disability. 

You ask, “How could God ever be late? His timing is perfect.”  True enough.  But to us mere mortals, God does SEEM late at times. What do we do then?  As we get into this topic, please do not be offended by my frank discussion – or even the question.  I’m sharing some things I’ve had to learn too.  We have an awesome Abba, our dear Father, and I love everything about Him – though at times, we are all going to be tested. At times, He seems like He’s not answering our prayers fast enough for our urgent needs.  We need a healing perhaps, or to find a job, or to sell a house, or perhaps the answers have to do with requests we’re making for others.  Even those seem to be taking too long – and sometimes, it appears it’s too late and God hasn’t spoken or acted for us.  Or so it seems.

Am I the only one who feels this way sometimes?   If you’re honest with yourself, I know most of you have felt the same thing – or will, sooner or later.   

Here are a few examples from the Bible of what I mean by “when God seems late”:  
•    Abel’s murder at the hands of his brother.  God showed up – but only after Abel was dead.  Would Abel have thought as his brother was killing him, “God’s timing is perfect” – or might he have been tempted to think, “Yehoweh, where are you!? Why aren’t you intervening to save me?”

•    God also intervened in the matter of David and Uriah.  But not until Uriah had been killed. Humanly speaking, Uriah could certainly have felt like Yehoweh was late for him.  

•    Didn’t Mary and Martha think Yeshua (Jesus) was late in coming to heal Lazarus?  He purposely waited two additional days before starting the trip – and by the time he got there, Lazarus had died! (John 11:3-6, 21-23). Think about that one. Mary thought he was late and said so! “Lord, had you been here earlier (or, “on time), my brother would not have died.”  

•    If you were Daniel about to be thrown into the lion’s den and the entrance to the den is being opened and so far you see no divine intervention, was God on time, or from a human perspective, a bit late? In the end, it was to God’s glory.  His timing was perfect. But what about the hundreds of Christian brothers and sisters who were not spared from the vicious lions in the Coliseum of Rome?  Would they have thought God was late - - or even didn’t show up?  (Now don’t panic, more is coming.)  But the fact is, God allowed so many of his people to be tortured and martyred, without apparent intervention from Him.   Why?

When God seems to be deaf to your needs, or not answering your prayers, this blog may help you. Read the rest of this blog to understand more about “when God seems to be late”.  

The fact is, Abba is never late for the ultimate good He has in mind. If He always acted the way WE prayed, we would be tempted to conclude “God is hearing and answering my prayers.” But in fact, if we let God answer in HIS time, in HIS way, we might have seen much more wondrous displays of His blessings and power.  We’re assured that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard” the marvelous things God has prepared for those who love Him.  That can be little solace, however, when a young child is not being healed - - or even dies.  Or when we see so much injustice going on, especially the injustices that affect each of us.  We ask, “Where are you, Father?” when we don’t see any apparent involvement from our heavenly Father.  

I’m not alone in saying this. Read the Psalms.  So many of them are full of the general tone of “where are you, YHVH?”, or “why are you taking so long to help or answer me?”   So many of them have the general idea of “make haste to help me, YHVH” (Psalm 38:21-22; Psalm 28:1-2).  

I recently gave a sermon (June 2013) about “Why YHVH allows so much pain and suffering” in the lives of even His own children. Sometimes we’d be tempted to say, “ESPECIALLY in the lives of even His own children.”  So much is answered in that message.

In the end, it’s about absolutely trusting our dear Father Abba.  We turned our lives over to him and He now owns us. Abba Most High gives special thought and protection to His children, to those who are His.  We are so valuable to Him that Abba paid the ultimate price to have you be His own. The price He paid for YOU: the blood and life of His one and only Son, Yeshua (the name his mama called Him, meaning “salvation”.  Or Yehoshua means “YHWH saves”.)  That precious Being who spoke all creation into existence offered His life willingly, and with the Father’s will, paid for you and me (John 10:17-1    8; John 3:16;  1 Peter 1:17-19).  The Word, our Shepherd, was Yehoweh’s companion (Zech. 3:17).  He was God, and was with God, and made all things we see (John 1:1-3).

So YOU mean a lot to God in heaven.    

If you paid dearly for something or someone, wouldn’t you be watching over that precious person? I know how I watch over my grandchildren.  God does so even more. He calls us the “apple of His eye’ (Psalm 17:8; Deut 32:10).  Anyone who harms the apple of His eye is poking God in the eye, according to Zechariah 2:8.  You might enjoy the blog I wrote that goes into far more detail about being the “apple of His eye” (February 2012).  

So when we think He is unaware of us, or not answering our prayers, don’t worry – He knows everything that’s going on.  And yes, sometimes He will appear to be late or to even be unaware of what you’re going through. You ask Him: why won’t He help you find a job? You’re about to lose your home, and where is God, you ask. Trust Father.  Healings you so desperately want to see don’t seem to be happening.  Stop and ask Him what He’s trying to teach everyone – and then trust. Why isn’t your home selling – the one that’s been on the market for months and months?  Ask Him, and then learn to listen, and trust. Did you ask Him first if He wanted you to sell your home?  I have so many all across the country dealing with that issue.

The older I get, the longer I experience my Father and Savior, the more I have to conclude that if I’ve prayed for something, and if I also prayed for HIS will to be done and not my own, then I should relax and thank God for WHATEVER is happening – yes, even in disease, even in pain, even in sorrow – and yes, even in painful death. But so many times, Father wants to give us far more than we could even imagine.  I’ve experienced both sides of the ledger:  when Father has let me go through terrible anguish, and the other side of the ledger – the joy of seeing far more than I could have hoped for.  The latter seems more likely to happen when I sincerely praise and thank Him in and for all things, regardless of what’s going on.

What Father wants us to remember: Trust Him. Believe you’re precious to Him even though He doesn’t often tell us why He isn’t “intervening” more the way WE think He should.  

Father, our dear Abba, is never late.  He’s doing what He has to do and when He wants to do it – and if we’re among the called, everything will work out for good when it’s all said and done (Romans 8:28).  

However, for many of us, for many times in our lives, getting there will involve severe pain at times.  There could be changes we have to make that may be uncomfortable for us (see R. Herbert’s recent blog on “Do you want to be well?”). But the pain itself often helps us to move in the direction Abba needs us to go in.  Pain makes us move. So start seeing the pain, start seeing God’s “inaction” in new light and even thank Father for pain or for whatever He’s allowing in your life. Yes, I said thank Him for it.  I know people who have had strokes, and can’t feel anything.  They WISH they could FEEL again – including pain.  They don’t even know if they’re cutting themselves, or burning their hands – because there’s no pain.  Pain can be a blessing. If you haven’t heard it yet, I strongly recommend you listen to my most recent message – “Why YHVH allows so much Pain and Suffering” – June 2013.

R. Herbert

In John 5 we find a question asked by Jesus, which might seem strange if we think about it.

John records the healing by Jesus of a disabled man at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, a pool called in Aramaic Beth hesda or “House of Mercy” (or “Grace”) probably because of the healing associated with its waters.   Many sick and disabled individuals came to this area and literally lived by the sides of the pool waiting for an opportunity to be healed by the water’s occasional, but seemingly miraculous action.   It was one such individual – a man lame in his feet for a great many years – whom Jesus asked “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6B). If we simply continue the story from that point we see the man affirmed his desire by way of explaining why he had not been healed after many years: because of his lameness he was never able to get to the waters quickly enough when the transient healing conditions occurred.

But if we go back to Jesus’ question it bears thinking about. Ostensibly it doesn’t make a lot of sense. If you were very ill and I came to see you and said “do you want to get well?” you might think I was being sarcastic, exhibiting a strange sense of humor, or at the very least, had poor bedside manner. Obviously, when Jesus asked the question none of these things applied. So what did he mean?

We should remember that the man Jesus healed was not alone at the pool of Bethesda. A great many sick and handicapped individuals were there. For some of these people their illness or disability had doubtless become a means of earning a living by way of the alms of passers-by. Their illnesses had perhaps become a way of life which ultimately was not as bad as what some people face. They were not starving and did not even have to work, though naturally, their illnesses may have precluded many or most of these unfortunate people from working. But the point is that, for many, their illnesses had become a lifestyle to which they had become accustomed (Jer. 10:19) and perhaps in some cases with which they were even reasonably comfortable.   This is not in any way to try to gloss or deny the illnesses and physical hardships these people may have suffered, but perhaps there is an answer to Jesus’ question here.

Keep in mind that in most cases people who had heard about his healings came to Jesus and asked for help. In this instance it was a Sabbath and it appears that Jesus purposely went to an area where he knew there would be a number of sick individuals in order to choose someone to heal as an example that it is not wrong to do healing and helping work on the Sabbath day (John 5:8-10, 16). Now look at this from the perspective of human psychology. Some of the people at the pool of Bethesda, including the man Jesus healed, had been there for many years. Their lives may well have been bleak and seemingly hopeless. But in those circumstances the human mind often tries at least to grasp on to what it can. Perhaps some of these people had become resigned to the fact that this was their life, and that it could perhaps have been worse. Few people gladly embrace drastic change in their lives – sometimes even from bad situations.

Could this possibly have been the reason Jesus asked the man if he wanted to get well? Jesus did not go around asking all the sick at the pool this question. What drew him to this man and caused him to ask a seemingly redundant question? Could it be that Jesus could read the hearts of these people, or was guided by God to do so, and could it be that this man was unusual in his group – a man who did fervently want to be well? If Jesus had compassion on this individual for this very reason, perhaps his question was as much for his disciples’ hearing, and for ours, as for the hearing of the man himself. Perhaps Jesus was not only acknowledging that not everyone at the pool deeply wanted to be well - and let his question single out this individual who truly did – but he was also asking a question that applies to all of us.

The moral of this story is larger than that small pool in Bethesda, and even larger than physical sickness.   Before God calls us, we live in spiritual sickness. We are spiritually blind, deaf and lame. Due to the results of sin our lives may be bleak indeed, yet we still cling to them, often justifying the causes and effects of which we are victims, sometimes longing for something better, yet all too often comfortable in our spiritual sickness, or at least accepting of it. When God calls us He gives us the opportunity to be free from our spiritual illnesses and disabilities. But that is a huge change for our human minds and when the call comes, God does not just reach down and heal us. He asks us, in effect, “Do you want to get well?” and we must choose.

Just as the man healed of his physical ailment at Bethesda had to choose to begin a new life with responsibilities and work that had not been there before, so we have to count the cost and make the decision that we want to start a new life of spiritual health. Then, just as Jesus told the man he healed, we must act to keep sin out of our lives in order to stay spiritually healthy and not revert to spiritual sickness (5:14).   We have to want to be well, and then we have to want to stay well in order for the miracle to continue.

No wonder Jesus asked the lame man if he wanted to be well. But it is a question that applies to all of us as much as it did to the man at the pool of Bethesda!

Do you know that Yeshua (Jesus) says we’re one or the other? No middle ground. You and I are either scatterers or gatherers. Find out what defines that and find out which you are. It’s vital.

Life on earth and for all eternity is all about relationships. Our relationship with our heavenly Father is paramount. Our relationship with our Redeemer-Savior, His Son, determines everything. And here on earth, our relationship with our family – our spouse, our own children, our mom and dad, our siblings and other relatives – affects our joy and quality of life immensely and even involved in the 4^th commandment. When any relationships is failing, there’s little joy and often painful anguish. Note the anguish of divorce, or when parent-child become estranged, or when siblings are not close.

On the other hand, nothing’s more beautiful, satisfying and fun to behold, than two sisters who like to do everything together. Or brothers acting as one, enjoying all things together with great joy. I just read a FB posting from a former college friend who reveled in being with his dad for the 4^th of July weekend. I know the feeling because I was also a dad reveling in my own wonderful 4^th of July weekend with one of my daughters and her family recently. (My other children are 3,300 miles away!)

Now here’s where the spiritual element comes in. Those whom Yehoweh calls “My people” are described in Scripture as being your spiritual brothers and sisters – if you’re one of His people. We should have the same father and the same mother spiritually. The results of that union produce people who are part of the same family. They’re brothers and sisters, “in Christ”. Though each person is unique in the entire universe, we who are of that one family subscribe to living according to the Way of the Family of God. But just like in physical families, there are often different styles, personalities and points of view within families that can cause separation and disunity. But they’re still your brother and sister. I wrote a BLOG a long time ago called “We don’t get to choose our brothers and sisters.”

The Adversary (that’s what “Satan” means) relishes in destroying relationships by getting us to focus on what divides us, rather than on what unites us. If you are estranged from a loved one, it’s not her or you or him behind it. Oh no, it’s far higher than that. It’s Satan and his spirit that wants to drive the thoughts and moods that lead to divorce or children being estranged from mom and dad. It’s the same spirit that drives the spread of ever more denominations – all claiming to serve the same God but who won’t have anything to do with one another. What should unite us is having the knowledge that spiritually we have the same father and His one spirit.

Let’s see what Yeshua, the head of God’s church, says. In context of demonic activity, and how Satan loves to bind people, Yeshua says this (and hence the title of this blog):

Luke 11:23

“He who is not with Me is against Me, and HE WHO DOES NOT GATHER with Me, SCATTERS.”

It’s one or the other. It appears to me that our Master is saying we can’t stand idly by on the sidelines on this matter. Either we are bringing people together – or we’re scattering, by virtue of our INACTION. We’re either helping to fix the massive hurts and divides out there, or –by doing nothing – we’re adding to the problem. This is not a spectator sport with Abba. We’ve got to be fully engaged in putting a spirit out there and actions out there that bring Yah’s children together.

The point of today’s blog is simple. I have a simple question I pose to each of us (including me!): WHAT ARE EACH OF US DOING to gather the people of Yehoweh together? Would Abba say you are “gathering” people together with Him, or – if we’re not gathering, are we basically aiding the Enemy in scattering His flock? Are you taking steps to be reunited with those from whom you are estranged – or do we do nothing, encouraging the divide to just get wider? Do we counsel friends to mend their broken marriage, or by our absence lead more to the scourge and tragedy of divorce? Are we imposing impossible requirements before we can agree to walk together? I also have a blog all about AMOS 3:3 and what that verse really means. Go find it. We don’t have to agree on every minute detail before we can agree to walk together. It’s all explained in that blog a while back.

I suggest this as your simple homework: ask yourself, ask your family – “what can I, what can we, start doing to be a “gatherer” of people with Christ, rather than doing nothing, which just encourages more scattering?” Ask yourself: “what am I doing to forge a stronger bond with my family, my dad, my daughter, my brother or my son? What am I doing to promote unity and harmony at work, in my neighborhood, at “church” and among the various denominations?”

With action guided by God’s spirit, you become a gatherer with Christ. No divinely guided action means you’re a scatterer. So let’s wake up and start recognizing our brothers and sisters, even those with different outlooks and personalities.

Are you a gatherer with Christ -- or are you a scatterer with the Adversary and his wolves (John 10:12-13)?

Satan loves to divide. He’s the Adversary. He’s the Slanderer, and all who promote the spread of slander or defamation or division and separation, are playing right into his hands. Can you imagine the slander used against Rahab, against BatSheva (Bathsheba), and even against the Messiah? I’ve spoken about all of the above in recent full length sermons on this website.

If you’d like to learn more about this vital topic, HEAR THE 5-part “ONE BODY” SERIES of sermons which started in November 2009. The series will also suggest steps by which you can become a gatherer. In the matter of church break-ups, for example, I encourage you to visit across denominational lines. Pastors have to understand you will not be separated from your brothers and sisters in Christ because of political feuds between pastors, for example! Be very wary of ministers who threaten you with expulsion if you visit outside of their own man-made organizational walls.

Our Head is Yeshua (Col. 1:15-18) – not the pastor. We belong to Christ (Mark 9:41), not any man-made organization. Don’t ever say you “belong to” this or that church or organization. No, no, no. They didn’t buy you -- or have they? Frankly many are “bought” by being given positions and opportunities in that fellowship, which appeal to one’s pride. NO! You were bought with the blood of the Lamb of God! HE paid the price and bought you and me, and so we belong to HIM.