Monsters&Men

This Sabbath reading will be the first of our solar calendar year 2022. Although the LORD had appeared to Abraham generations before, the LORD had a new revelation of Himself to give to Moses and the children of Israel, who were in bondage in Egypt. God revealed His name: YHWH, or as translated in English, LORD: "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them." (Ex. 6:2-3). The four Hebrew letters of His name are yod: meaning "hand/arm, completed work", heh: meaning "behold, reveal", vaw: meaning "nail, nailed to", heh:meaning again "behold, reveal". This 4-lettered name gives us the picture of Christ: a completed work connected to a nailed hand. With the revealing of the name, YHWH, the LORD also associated this name with seven promises. In fact, the LORD bookends these promises with the statement of His name: "...say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD (YHWH); I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God...And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD (YHWH)." (v. 6-8). As well as there being seven promises spoken here, the number seven is associated with the Sabbath. Moses brought the revelation of the Name YHWH and its promises to the Israelites, as the LORD commanded him to do: "...but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage." (v. 9). The scriptures recognize that because of the anguished condition of their spirits from their cruel treatment, the Hebrew slaves were not able to receive or believe these promises of the LORD. In this case, we can see that the people of God, because of their anguished condition, would not be delivered out of Egypt because of their great faith in God, nor because they had an understanding or great knowledge of God. God would deliver them because He promised to do so. I began to see this epic account of the deliverance of the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt as an example of God's spiritual warfare over that country, but also having importance to us today, as I hope to share. Moses was given this command by God: "Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land." (v. 11). Well, the victory was not immediately seen. The LORD's first problem was not with Pharaoh, however. It was with Moses! Moses didn't like the idea that he should go in before Pharaoh with the command of the LORD (Ex. 6:12, 30). Moses didn't see anything special about himself that he should be given the task of confronting Pharaoh, and leading Israel out of Egypt. As far as he was concerned, he was a shepherd in the wilderness, working with his father-in-law, and he was happy to remain so. This is exactly what made Moses the kind of man God could use in this great story of deliverance. Finally, Moses did go with his brother Aaron before Pharaoh repeatedly to deliver the Word of the LORD to let His people go. Again, success was not immediately seen. Pharaoh did not listen to the words of Moses because his magicians, using occultic power, could duplicate the fearsome signs that the LORD had shown Moses to do, but God was not done yet. As the LORD worked on Pharaoh, eventually there were signs performed by Moses that Pharaoh's magicians could not duplicate, and they even told Pharaoh that these signs must be from God (Ex. Ch. 8, 9). At that point, Pharaoh would promise to let the children of Israel go, but then change his mind when the plagues were stopped: "And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses." (Ex. 9:34-35). As we can see from this Sabbath's reading, spiritual warfare requires endurance and patience. Don't lose hope; don't give up. In another reading for this Sabbath, at a later point in time, the LORD identified Pharaoh with a monster to Ezekiel, the prophet: "Thus says the LORD God: 'Behold I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster (tannin - dragon, serpent, sea monster, venomous snake) who lies in the midst of his rivers, who has said, 'My River is my own; I have made it for myself." (Ezek. 29:1-3). This was the LORD's prophecy against Pharaoh and Egypt because, even centuries later, He remembered the way the Israelites' backs and shoulders were broken under their oppression (v. 6-7). "And the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the LORD, because he said, 'The River is mine, and I have made it." (v. 9). The LORD also prophesied through Ezekiel that He would give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to conquer, which He did (Ezek. 29:19). The LORD never forgets to bring justice to His people. As we can learn from this Sabbath reading from Ezekiel, when the LORD engages in spiritual warfare regarding nations, He identifies not only the leaders and people of the land, but also the demonic spirits that they have allowed to occupy and rule over their land. We see this demonic power present over kingdoms in the New Testament also. According to what Satan revealed in his challenge to Christ, the demonic realm seeks and claims the glory and power of the world's wealth: "Then the devil, taking Him (Jesus) up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give to You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." (Lk. 4:5-7, Mt. 4:8-9). Jesus, of course, declined the offer, telling Satan that scripture commands "You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve." (v. 8). We should know that the devil had spoken a lie to Jesus when he claimed that the kingdoms of the world belonged to him. The LORD said that He is the One who tears down kingdoms, and builds them up (Jer. 1:9-10). Although the Book of Revelation makes clear that the powers of darkness covet and seek to control the wealth of the world (Rev. Ch. 18), it also assures us: "...And there were loud voices in heaven saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Rev. 11:15). The LORD concedes nothing to Satan, ever. We learn from the Sabbath verses in Ezekiel, where the LORD is setting His prophetic judgment over Egypt, that in order to clear the land of the "monster", He will make the land desolate and waste (see above Ezek. 29:9). It seems that glory, power, and wealth-seeking devils have no desire to rule over desolation, dust, jackals, and vultures! The scriptures warn us that many nations, as Egypt did, will face desolation as they have submitted themselves to these princes of darkness for the purpose of getting or keeping wealth, and those nations will begin to oppress people of faith because of it, as Egypt did. Scripture teaches as it warns: the love of money is the root of all evil, "for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Tim. 6:10). We, the people of God, should not connect ourselves to the love of money, because evil lies behind it. The LORD warns His people in scripture not to be part of these systems of monsters and men built upon blood and greed:"...Come out of her My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues..." (see Rev. 18:2-5). It is an evil with which the LORD promises to deal crushingly. Although we will see the desolation of many nations now and in the future because of the things we are discussing here, another Sabbath reading portion gives us a promise of the renewal found in the salvation of the Messiah, God's Servant, God's Elect One, who has been revealed to us as Jesus: "...I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles/nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison...I am the LORD (YHWH); and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them...The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man...He shall prevail against His enemies..." (Isa. 42:6-13, excerpt). If you would like to learn more about these things which are prophesied to come to pass, you can join me in prayer: "Heavenly Father, You have revealed Your Name, YHWH, to us, and the picture of Christ within it, and the promises connected with that mighty Name. They are promises of deliverance, of Your possession of us as Your people, the giving of Yourself to us as our God, and the inheritance You have set aside for us. As You deal with the nations of the earth, even my nation, take me deeper into Your salvation through Jesus, and fill, lead and keep me in Your ways by Your Holy Spirit. I set my faith, trust, and deliverance into Your hands, for You have promised to overcome Your enemies. I ask and receive this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Unexpected

This is the season when we celebrate God's salvation and deliverance provided for all mankind! He sent His Son, Jesus, to come to us in the flesh, born as a baby, in order to save us, as He promised. Although it was prophesied in scripture, most people of that time missed the birth of Christ and His purpose as our salvation, because they expected God to deliver them in a different way. They expected a different kind of a Savior. They had read and studied scripture, interpreted it throughout many generations, and thought that they had an understanding of the way in which God worked. How sad it would be to miss Christ and His deliverance in our lives because we have certain expectations about why, how, when, and to whom His deliverance comes. This week's Sabbath readings bring up this same issue for me. What seems right to men concerning how God must work, does not always take into account the unexpected ways of the LORD. In previous weeks, we read that God instructed Jacob to take his whole household, and go dwell in Egypt. God assured Jacob that He would be with him: "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up (ala - "come up, offer, ascend, light, raised, arose, exalted, to be taken up") again." (Gen. 46:2-4). This promise from God also confirmed the message that Joseph had sent to his father from Egypt. As a result, Jacob took his whole household into Egypt to dwell. Abraham had other descendants in the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. They might have looked upon Jacob's leaving to go to Egypt as a fatal mistake. God's promise to Abraham and his seed was the land of Canaan, not Egypt. How could Jacob make this terrible mistake? However, Jacob had been directed by God, not men. As this Sabbath's reading, which is titled Sh'mot, or "Names", begins, all of those who went down to Egypt with Jacob are named (Ex. 1:1-5). I wonder if Jacob's sons might have thought at the time, "Our father is getting it all wrong! He is moving us all to Egypt only because he loves Joseph, and wants to be with him." Jacob died in Egypt, and Joseph and his brothers also died in Egypt. The people back in the Promised Land might, when they had heard this, said, "I told you so!". However, we know that Jacob had been directed by God. Could men have anticipated what God had in mind concerning Jacob and his descendants? While Jacob and his sons had lived in Egypt, God kept His promise and multiplied them greatly: "But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them." (v. 7). Then a new king ruled in Egypt who had no knowledge of Joseph, and all that he had done for Egypt. This king looked upon all of the Israelites in his land, and he detested and feared them. Their numbers filled him with dread and he said: "...the children of Israel are more and mightier than we." (v. 9). The king put hard bondage upon the Hebrews, under strict taskmasters (mas - a burden as causing to faint, discomfited, melt away, discouraged"), making them build cities like Raamses, meaning "child of the sun", and Pithom, meaning "city of justice". Considering these terrible circumstances which developed, why would God have commanded Jacob in such a way? We find out that the Israelites were in Egypt for more than four hundred years (Ex. 12:40), as was prophesied to Abraham generations earlier (Gen. 15:13), and a good portion of those years were spent in slavery. Yet God directed Jacob to bring his whole household to a land that would eventually enslave the remnant, Jacob's precious descendants. When the Israelites grew even more in number, regardless of their terrible bondage, Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives, Shiph'rah (meaning "fair, brightness, beautiful, glisten, pleasing") and Pu'ah (meaning "splendid, to glitter, brilliancy"), to kill the Hebrew boy babies as soon as they were born (v. 16). Those babies were not born in "the land of dire straits", Egypt, because they did something to deserve it, or because they made a wrong choice, but because God ordained their birth in that land. The midwives lied to Pharaoh, and saved the Hebrew male children because they feared God (v. 17-19). Because of this, God dealt with the Hebrew midwives and blessed them. One male baby who would be miraculously saved from death was Moses, who would become the deliverer of God's people. The heavier the burden placed on God's people in Egypt, the more fruitful they were. Ultimately the Israelites were delivered miraculously out of their bondage by God with great wonders and judgments so that Israel, Egypt and the nations would know and glorify Him (Ex. 14:18, Ex. 15). God used the cruel, and lengthy enslavement of His chosen remnant for His purpose: to multiply them exceedingly, to accomplish their miraculous deliverance by His hand, and to bring the knowledge of His glory to all people. Who would have expected this? If it happened today, people might be making all sorts of assumptions about why the remnant of God was going through this, but it was for the glory of God, and the acomplishing of His plan. These descendants of Jacob were not perfect, and they would try God's patience in the wilderness. They would also experience great losses as God dealt with their (mis)understandings and expectations regarding Him. However, I thank them for the difficult role they played enduring through pain and hardship, and recording for us their triumphs and mistakes with God. The LORD revealed, however, that their deliverance from Egypt would wait until He had allowed the Canaanites, who inhabited the Promised Land, to come to the fullness of their wickedness: "But in the fourth generation they shall return here (Canaan), for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." (Gen. 15:16). Do we allow for the sovereign and omniscient timing of the LORD in our expectations? Even the timing of the birth of Christ was determined by God to occur "when the fullness of the time had come..." (Gal. 4:3-5). In another part of this Sabbath's reading from Isaiah, the LORD says, "...let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me...Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit." (Isa. 27:5-6). We take hold of the LORD's strength. In another Sabbath reading portion, God deals directly with Job, as Job's expectations regarding his deliverance by God have not been met. Because Job's expectations were dashed, his faith in deliverance crumbled, and he bitterly wished that he had never been born. In Chapter 39, God revealed His plan of salvation to Job, and the spiritual warfare that ensues. This 39th chapter describes animals in the English translation, but in Hebrew, each keyword joins together to reveal the Gospel. (If you are interested in reading more about this, you can read a previous blog post titled "Revealed". You can find it in the right hand column of this page under the heading "Blog Archive": click on "2017", then "April", and then "Revealed".) In the next chapter, Chapter 40, Job was left speechless, and ashamed before God by this revelation, and God could then begin Job's deliverance. First God dealt with Job's incorrect expectations: "Would you indeed annul (parar -"break (to bits), make void, defeat, frustrate, divide, make ineffectual, violate") My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and array yourself with glory and beauty...Then I will also confess to you that your own right hand can save you." (Job 40:8-14, excerpt). It seems that our expectations of "who, why, what, how, where, and when" can actually limit God, and work against His perfect plan for us. The unexpected also relates to the Christmas story, and the birth of our Savior and Deliverer, Jesus. Religious experts at the time, thinking that they had an understanding of how God operated, would have stoned Mary, or at the very least shamed her and cast her out of their midst, because of her unexpected pregnancy, if God hadn't intervened with Joseph, Mary's betrothed (Mt. 1:18-21). Later, when the child was born, only a few recognized the signs of the birth, and came to see and honor the newly born King. Our expectations might question why God would put His Son in a stable, and in a manger used for animals? (Though He created the world (John 1:1-5, 14), the world had no room for Him.) Yet this is indeed what God did, and we sing about it now. Joseph, Mary's husband, was also told in a dream to take the child and mother to Egypt until God brought him word (Mt. 2:13-15). Although prophesied (Hos. 11:1), people might have asked, "Why would the child, if He was the Savior, the Messiah of Israel, go down to Egypt? That couldn't be right!" In the meantime, under the order of King Herod, the streets of Bethlehem and the surrounding area ran with the blood of young male children, as the king tried to prevent the prophesied Christ from appearing (Mt. 2:16). Of course, God knew beforehand the evil intentions of the king. Later in the life of Jesus, although it had been prophesied (Isa. 52-53-54, Psalm 22), most religious experts of the time would never have expected the Messiah to sacrifice Himself on a cross to fulfill His heavenly Father's plan. They concluded that this Man must be an evil-doer, rather than the Son of God. They felt confident that they were correct when Jesus did not "deliver Himself" from the cross as they taunted Him to do (Mt. 27:39-44). This was less than a week after throngs had welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem waving palm branches and crying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!" Who would have expected such a turn of events? Expectations can be tricky when it comes to God, and how we think He should work. Even His resurrection, though spoken of often by Jesus beforehand, was a shock to His disciples. They didn't expect to find an empty tomb. The miraculous Christmas birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ were full of the unexpected to man! Perhaps this Christmas, in the middle of these trying, but prophesied times (see Mt. 24, Luke 21) full of unexpected and shocking events daily, God is looking for our surrender to Him, and to His strength, in a way that surpasses our own understanding and expectations. God's Word says that the humbling and repentance of His people will bring healing (2 Chron. 7:13-14). Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus is able to save to the uttermost (panteles - "completely, perfectly, utterly, full-ended"), which must certainly be beyond the limitations of our expectations. I am praying for an "uttermost" Christmas. If you would like to know more about the unexpected ways of God, you can join me in prayer: "Heavenly Father, You know everything concerning my life, and concerning all of creation. You call the stars out each night by name. You have called each one of us by name also. You sent Your Son, Jesus, to us in a remarkable and unexpected way, for our salvation from sin, and for our deliverance from death. I place my trust in Your miraculous knowledge of me, and Your plan for me. I trust You to lead and guide me by Your Holy Spirit in all things, because You know all things. I give everything having to do with me and my household into the strength of the One who saves me to the uttermost, Jesus. Forgive me, Lord, when my understanding has limited You, or Your sovereignty over my life. This Christmas and always, I want to remember that the King of Kings was miraculously born into the world in order to be born into my heart. I pray these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Fathers/Sons

We are all seeing turbulent conditions in the earth, and the nations of the earth. The same trying conditions that we see taking place in the bigger picture of earth are also being seen within the smallest unit of the picture, families. Households are under stress, and children, especially, are suffering the brunt of the upheavals facing today's world. Even before they are born, some children face an attack upon their lives. God, however, cares especially for children. Jesus, from His personal and direct knowledge of heaven, taught that the disregarding of children is in opposition to the mind of God: "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven." (Mt. 18:10). We have seen increasing problems in our children, as we have chosen to remove from our societies the wisdom and Word of God in this important area. We have relied upon schools to play the major role in raising our children. However, the life-giving, life-changing, and life-guiding raising of a child begins and remains within a much smaller unit, as we will see. One of the themes that runs through this Sabbath's reading portion brings this truth to our families. We have read previously that Jacob and his whole household of 75 persons relocated to Egypt during a great famine, to live and thrive under the favor given to Jacob's son, Joseph, who had become a ruler in Egypt (see Gen. 46:1-7). Now, at this point in our Sabbath reading, Jacob has lived in Egypt for what will be the last 17 years of his life, and his life is about to end (Gen. 47:28). As Joseph knew that his father would not live much longer, he brought his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who had been born in Egypt to an Egyptian mother, before Jacob for his blessing (Gen. 48:1-5). "Then Joseph brought them near him, and he (Jacob) kissed them and embraced them... So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face toward the earth." (v. 10, 12). It was important to Joseph that his sons should have the paternal blessing of his father, Jacob. Interestingly, the blessing of Jacob over his two grandsons, was recorded in scripture as a blessing over his son, Joseph (v. 15-16). Jacob also prophesied over his own sons, from whom the twelve tribes of Israel would be named. His words over his sons before he died were of such importance that scripture says that the words also established what would come to pass in the last days (Gen. 49:1). In another portion of this sabbath's reading, King David told all of the leaders of Israel the things that would be established after his death. He also commanded the principles of God to His son, Solomon: "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it. Then David gave his son Solomon the plans...for all that he had by the Spirit...of the house of God..." (1 Chron. 28:9-12). As the time came for David to die, he again called his son, Solomon, saying: "I go the way of all the earth; be strong therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,' He said, 'you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel." (1 Kings 2:1-4). We know that as Solomon aged, he was inspired by God to write the Book of Proverbs to guide his son (Prov. 1:8). Today, manhood is defined and practiced by the world in a way that can lead to destruction, but in this case, as David told his son to "prove yourself a man", it had everything to do with Solomon's relationship with God. While all members of a family have a special role in the raising of children, for instance, there is also "the law of your mother" (Prov. 1:8), there can be no denying that there is a special purpose established between a godly father and his son. Destinies are set before God. Blessings are passed that will affect future generations. Often, we have been negligent in revealing to fathers the God-given, life-impacting, destiny establishing words that are meant to pass from father to son. We have relegated fathers to the sidelines of broken families as a society, parsing out fathers' contact with sons (and daughters), to so many hours or days of the week, but it becomes evident that our children need their Spirit-filled, God-honoring fathers to guide them now more than ever. We have not understood the spiritual importance of the God-believing patriarch, not only in the life of his child, but, as we read of Jacob, even having an impact on the events of the last days. The father/son spiritual relationship is not limited to adult and child. Aged fathers still have the opportunity to share their walk with God with their adult children. Jesus gave us the example of His regard for His Father, and the fruit of that special relationship. His connection to His Father in heaven was so complete, that He would only say or do what He heard or saw His Father doing: "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak." (Jn. 12:49-50). And: "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will." (Jn. 5:19-21). Jesus' whole purpose, words, and works, were based on the relationship He had with His Father, until He even revealed to us, "I and My Father are one." (Jn. 10:30). I do not want to criticize fathers of today at all, but to bring to our attention the tremendous importance they have as fathers in the kingdom of God, and in this world. Scripture, and specifically this Sabbath's reading, is pouring out the wisdom of God in this. Mothers and daughters have their special place in God's plan as well, which I would like to learn more about in the future, but this Sabbath's readings dealt with fathers and sons. There is a man I know, who is a man of faith. He travels to various parts of the country on types of spiritual journeys for spiritual purposes. When he goes on one of these travels, he always takes one of his sons with him. He did this even when they were very young. He was aware that what he was sharing with his son was more than a trip, or some "one-on-one time". He was filling his son with a knowledge of God, with a purpose, and a destiny. He allows his son to experience his father's way of life in God. I'm sure this father shares times of play with his sons as well, but he considers his sharing with his son of his own active life of faith has far greater importance. We will not always be in control of the choices our children will make as they grow, but if a child has had the experience and guidance of a godly father in his life, he has a rich treasure indeed, and the man he grows into may become the godly head of a family of his own, and a world-impacting spiritual blessing. Knowing the glory, beauty and power of the Spirit-filled father/son relationship, God has always desired this kind of relationship with each of us: "But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave to right to become sons of God, to those who believe in His name...born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God...For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus...For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God." (Jn. 1:12-13, Gal. 3:26, Rom. 8:19). If your earthly father never shared the ways of God with you, or if he was absent from your life, your heavenly Father is eager to begin a conversation with you, and you will never be the same. If you would like to learn more about being this kind of father, you can join me as I pray: "Heavenly Father, You gave us the powerful example of Your relationship with Your Son, Jesus. You have called all of us to have a Father/son relationship with You. Guide me by Your Holy Spirit to create this kind of relationship with my children, my sons. Let our families be examples of the manifestation of the Word and Spirit of God in this world. Let there be a difference made in the lives of our children, and in their children after them. Let hearts be healed, and lives changed as a result. I ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen."

Famine

The Sabbath reading for this week deals with a famine. In one portion of the reading, the prophet Amos told Israel about a coming famine directed towards God's people who were consumed with the corrupt love of money. They cheated and oppressed others in order to gain wealth for themselves (Amos 8:1-6). God said that their pride brought them to this condition. This prophesied famine would send Israel into a period of repentance and mourning: "...I will make it like mourning for an only son...". (v. 10, see also Zech. 12:10). The prophetic Word of the LORD to Amos describes the famine to come: "Behold the days are coming says the LORD God, that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing (sama - to hear, obey, understand, yield to, diligently, discern, perceive, publish, declare) the words of the LORD...They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it." (v. 11-12). This is describing a spiritual famine, rather than a physical famine. The famine of "hearing" is on our end, not receiving, obeying, nor communicating to others the Word of the Lord. As the famine hits, God's people would try desperately to receive direction from the LORD, but they would not be able to hear it. Another portion from the Sabbath reading deals with famine from another perspective that pertains to God's remnant. No matter how dark and dire a situation looks, God does not forget His remnant. Isaiah said of the remnant: "Unless the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah." (Isa. 1:9). The LORD had established a whole situation in Egypt over the course of several years so that His remnant would have provision in the middle of a very long famine. Joseph acknowledged to his brothers, who had betrayed him, when he was reunited with them, "But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life...And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity (se'erit - remnant, residue, remainder, escaped, surviving portion) for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt." (Gen. 45:5, 7-8). This provision made by God for the remnant was so unusual that it might have been unrecognizable to Jacob and his family back in Canaan. The family had already been in the famine for two years before the brothers traveled to Egypt in desperation to seek food (v. 6). The family might also have felt great reluctance to seek help in Egypt, because in another Sabbath portion, Egypt is described as "the land of Hsm" (Ps. 105:23). (Previously in scripture, Ham's sin against his father Noah, became a toledot (generational precedent) established in regard to Ham's son, Canaan - Gen. 9:18-27). Another reason that Jacob might have been reluctant to live in Egypt is because he was aware that God's covenant promise to him and his fathers was in the land of Canaan, not Egypt. Also, Jacob had the example of his father Isaac, who sowed seed in the middle of a famine, and reaped one hundred fold in this promised land by the favor of God (Gen. 26:12-14). Jacob was convinced, however, to go into Egypt to live, rather than to just visit his son Joseph, by God's reassurance to him: "Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am." So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes." (Gen. 46:1-4). In the midst of famine, Jacob, father of a remnant of God, did not suffer a spiritual famine in the hearing of the Word of God as we read in Amos above. God did indeed make a great nation of Jacob while his family lived in Egypt. Acts 7:14 tells us that Jacob went down to Egypt with 75 people, but we know that by the time the children of Israel left Egypt centuries later under the deliverance of Moses, they numbered over six hundred thousand adult males, plus the Levites, and the women and children (Num. 1:45-47). Joseph set aside the best land in Egypt, Goshen, meaning "drawing near", for his father and brethren, with Pharaoh's favor and consent (Gen. 47:5-6). The title of this Sabbath's reading portion is also "and he drew near", or Va-yiggash. The remnant draws near to Joseph and to God, while others draw near to, and are ruled by, the world and the things of the world. While the remnant of Jacob was favored and made welcome in the worldliest power, Egypt because of Pharaoh's regard and dependence upon Joseph, the difference between Egypt and God's people was marked. Pharaoh asked what the occupation of the brothers was, and they answered "herdsmen", because their true occupation as shepherds was an abomination, or loathsome, in Egypt (Gen. 46:31-34). Yet the kingdom of God values the role of the shepherd, and both the Father, and His Son, the Messiah, identify themselves as being shepherds. Also, the Egyptians would not eat at the same table as Joseph or the Hebrews. God created favor and provision for His remnant in the middle of Egypt, but there was still prejudice towards, and an offense created by, that remnant. The lesson of Joseph, the famine, and the remnant is important to us today. We are seeing, as was prophesied, a famine of the hearing, in all of the meaning of that word, the Words of the LORD. The apostle Paul wrote of the time when people would know God and His Word, but would willfully choose to ignore it, and even suppress it (Rom. 1:18-21). He also wrote: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Peter also wrote of God's people seeking false teachers, false prophets, and false doctrines in the last days (2 Pet. 2:1-2). The days of famine for the hearing of the words of the LORD are coming, and they are even here now. There is a remnant, however, for whom God will provide. Paul said, "Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace." (Rom. 11:5). This word was given in the context of remembering those of Israel who refused to worship the demonic god of the world, Ba'al (1 Kings 19:18). From these things, we can recognize the famine present now, and the remnant in these current days as well. What about the Josephs? Joseph knew as a youngster that he was set apart by God by the prophetic dreams he was given. His dreams portrayed him as having an exalted position, before which others, including his own family, would have to bow. These dreams were true, but that prophetic vision from the LORD tested Joseph: "Moreover He (the LORD) called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread. He sent a man before them - Joseph - who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom." (Ps. 105:16-22). In this description of his affliction and the oppression used against him, Joseph is a type of Christ. The LORD does not place the survival of His remnant into the hands of just anyone. Many thousands may follow the easy, smiling preacher, but the remnant recognizes the Josephs whom God has provided to preserve them. The Josephs have been tested, changed, and proven by the testing of the very prophetic Word that has called them. The man Joseph was not the same as the lad who couldn't wait to tell his family how they would all be bowing to him. The purpose of the prophetic calling upon Joseph was much larger than who bows to whom. Joseph, having been tested by the prophetic Word, understood that he had been exalted, not for his gifts alone, but in order to "preserve a posterity (remnant)..in the earth", and to save lives. These are the Josephs that the remnant needs in order to survive the famine. If you would like to learn more about God's remnant in the earth, and become one of them, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You have sent Your Son, Jesus, to preserve a remnant in the earth, called by Your name to salvation, even in the middle of a famine for the hearing of Your Word. You sent Jesus to keep us alive forever, through all circumstances. I want to be part of Your remnant. I want to always "hear" the Word of the LORD, and obey your voice. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit to keep me, and seal me, in Your remnant of salvation, and to keep me from seeking after any Word but Yours. You have made provision for Your remnant in the famine, and I thank You for it. I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen."

Shammash

We are in the Hanukkah season, observed by the lighting of a menorah. Many Christians do not observe Hanukkah, or light a menorah, but I think that there is much to be learned from these things. Each night for eight nights, a new candle is added to the lighted candles. The eight candles are a memorial of a miracle of God when He extended the supply of oil available to be used to keep the menorah lighted in the newly cleansed and rededicated temple in Jerusalem. The lighting of the candles of the menorah for Hanukkah must follow a certain pattern. The nightly candles cannot be lighted with a match or a lighter, but must be lighted using the main candle of the menorah that is set apart, sometimes elevated, from the others. This dominant candle by which the other candles are lighted is called the "shammash". The shammash is the instrument that enables all the other candles to complete a "mitzvah", meaning a commandment of God. God's command in scripture that is applicable here was to light the menorah, or lampstand (Ex. 27:20-21). Another meaning of the shammash refers to a person, the servant of the synagogue, who helps during the service, and in all things regarding the running and upkeep of the synagogue. The shammash person serves as the aide, the assistant, even the caretaker of the rabbi and the synagogue. The shammash aide also stands next to, and assists those who have been selected to read a portion from the Torah in Hebrew, and corrects mistakes if any are made in the reading. This description of the person called the shammash is very similar to the one that Jesus gave regarding the Holy Spirit, whom He would send: "But when the Helper (Comforter) comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning." (Jn. 15:26-27). The Greek word used for "Helper" in the verses above is parakletos, which includes the meaning "helper, aider, assistant". We can see the connection of the Holy Spirit to the shammash person of the synagogue, and even the shammash candle of the menorah. The Holy Spirit also has another unusual characteristic. Jesus said that the Spirit of truth, when He has come, will not speak on His own authority, but "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (Jn. 16:13-14). This is another way in which the Holy Spirit is very much like the shammash menorah candle. The Holy Spirit does not exalt or testify of Himself, but He enables the other "candles", or believers, to shine by bringing the light of Jesus to them. He brings the light of the truth of Christ to us, and we then shine with it, fulfilling the command (mitzvah) of Christ that we are to be "the light of the world". (Mt. 5:14). Chabad.org also says this about the shammash candle of the menorah, and what it represents: "The path to its elevation is not through pushing others down, but by sharing with them and coaxing out the flame they carry within". Elevation comes not from claiming that position, but as a result of enabling or empowering the other candles. We will see this pattern of the menorah, the shammash candle, and the Holy Spirit in our Sabbath reading for this week, which always comes during Hanukkah, also called the Feast of Dedication, or the Festival of Lights. One of the Sabbath readings comes from Genesis 41. The Pharaoh of Egypt has had two dreams. The dreams troubled him, and he called in the wise men and magicians of his kingdom to give him the interpretation of these dreams. None of them could interpret the dreams for Pharaoh. Another servant told Pharaoh that he remembered a Hebrew man imprisoned in Pharaoh's dungeon who had accurately interpreted dreams for him. That man was Jacob's son, Joseph, and Pharaoh sent for him. "And Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it." (Gen. 41:15). Many would think that this was Joseph's chance to make himself valuable to Pharaoh, and hopefully be lifted up out of the dungeon. This was his opportunity to impress Pharaoh. This was where Joseph could have truthfully said, "Yes, I have been given this gift by God", or "Yes, God has purposed me to do this". However, Joseph does not answer in this way. Instead Joseph said: "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." (v. 16). Instead of using the opportunity to promote himself in Pharaoh's view, Joseph elevates God in Pharaoh's life, and God's light begins to illuminate Pharaoh. There will be life-changing results because of this. Further on Joseph says about Pharaoh's dreams as he explained their meaning: "God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do." (v. 25 and 28), and "...the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass" (V. 32). Joseph wasn't speaking from some false or "religious" humility. He was speaking from the set apart, exalted position of the shammash candle, the position that enables and lights others. Like the shammash candle of the menorah, Joseph was enabling Pharaoh to be lighted by God. How much more powerful must this have been in Pharaoh's life! "God is showing you something, Pharaoh". "God is telling you, Pharaoh, what He is about to do." Joseph shines his Holy Spirit light by pointing out that God is dealing with Pharaoh personally and directly through his dreams. As Joseph explained how Egypt can be saved from the famine to come as shown in the dreams, Pharaoh knew that he wanted a special kind of man to oversee the preparations for his country. "And Pharaoh said to his servants, 'Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?' Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.' And Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.' Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck." (v. 38-42). Joseph became a shammash to Pharaoh, a helper, an aide, because he gave his light to enable Pharaoh to be lighted in the knowledge of God. Also, like the Holy Spirit as Jesus taught, Joseph didn't testify of himself, but of the One who sent him. This changed Egypt's future from famine to provision, and would even give Joseph's father and the brothers who had betrayed him, and their generations (Joseph said he was sent to Egypt by God to preserve (make, appoint, ordain) life and a remnant in the earth in Gen. 45:5, 7), a secure dwelling place in Egypt in the midst of the great famine by the light of the favor of God which shown from Pharaoh towards them. Egypt became enriched further by having enough stored-up food provisions to sell to others. The Holy Spirit, like the shammash candle, does not have to promote Himself. He is already set apart, exalted, because He has enabled other candles to be lighted from Him. This is a valuable lesson for me from the picture of the menorah. In another example from this week's Sabbath readings, Zechariah is given the vision of a menorah having one prominent bowl with seven other lamps attached to the menorah (Zech. 4). In the vision, two olive trees feed oil directly to that prominent bowl of the menorah. This vision was in order to bring a prophetic message to Zerubbabel, the Governor of Judah. Zerubbabel had spent years trying to get the temple of the LORD completed, but had only seen the completion of the foundation of the building up to that point. The prophetic message from the LORD to the Governor was: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit', says the LORD of hosts." (v. 2-6). Zerubbabel was a governor, the highest authority present in Judah, yet he could not get the temple completed. The fulfillment of the mitzvah, or the good work of the commandment, will be enabled by the shammash, the Holy Spirit, not by the power of any title or position of man. We cannot light ourselves, but we must be lighted by the shammash to complete the mitzvah of God. I have learned a great deal from the example of the menorah and the shammash candle from this Sabbath reading, and from this Hanukkah feast season. We live in an age of self-promotion, but the shammash is placed at its high position because he helps, aids, assists, and brings the light to the other candles. The other candles cannot be lighted in any other way. "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works (a completed mitzvah) and glorify your Father in heaven." (Mt. 5:14-16). To me, Jesus was talking about the spiritual principle of the menorah and its mitzvah in the lives of us, His disciples, and the subsequent lighting of "all that are in the house". There is a pattern established by the menorah that we are to follow. If you would like to know more about being the light of the world, as Jesus commanded, you can pray with me: "Lord Jesus, even as You were lifted up on the cross for all eyes to see, You gave us the example of the menorah, and the shammash candle to help us fulfill Your mitzvah to be the light of the world. You also sent the Holy Spirit to all who believe in You to be our Helper, Who not only fills us with light, but teaches us by example how to help others become filled with Your light. Help me to learn the lesson of the menorah and the shammash. I ask this in Your name, AMEN."