Walk

We certainly live in extreme times, don't we? I have never seen such times as these. Dangerous illnesses are sweeping through every nation. Extreme weather is occurring in unexpected places and creating havoc. Rage and violence have intruded into every activity: road rage, airplane rage, school rage, workplace rage, subway rage, pedestrian rage, political, economic, racial and social rage. There is an on-going shortage of food and goods. Justice is difficult to obtain. It even seems that a type of tyranny is emerging where the lives of the many are dictated by the interests and strange ideas of the few. The world seems to have been turned upside down, and so many people just want to see everything to go back to the way things were two years ago. They look forward to the future when they can eat and drink freely at restaurants, go to concerts and stadiums again, go back to school as in the past and have graduations, proms, and parties, or attend church as it used to be. People want to be able to marry and have the kind of weddings that we remember, and gather with family and friends like we used to. So many hearts are saddened and perplexed, even fearful. How are we as believers in Christ to go through these trying times? Jesus said that the days leading up to His return would be like the ones that we are now experiencing (see Mt. 24, Lk. 21). He pointed to a similarity to the time of Noah. Noah's time was a time when men's hearts were evil, and violence ruled (Gen. 6:5, 11-12). The human race had been corrupted by rebellious angels, and the offspring produced were physical giants, called Nephilim. Many write that these giants were also tyrants in the earth (see Gen. 6:1-4). In comparing the days of Noah to His return, Jesus said: "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." (Mt. 24:37-39). However, scripture tells us that Noah was different from the others on the earth: "...Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God." (Gen. 6:9). God began discussing His impending judgment of the earth with Noah long before the event occurred, instructing Noah to build a means of escape and safety for himself and others according to God's specific instructions (Gen. 9:13-14). The term "walked with God" as it was used to describe Noah, was also used to describe another man - Enoch: "After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." (Gen. 5:21-24). I think it would be important to know more about the phrase, "walked with God", since it was uniquely applied to these two very important men connected to very unusual circumstances in scripture. The word "walk" in Hebrew used in these verses is halak, written as הָלַךְ, which means "to go, depart, manner of life, proceed, move, live, to lead, follow". I would especially like to look at the Hebrew letters that compose the word halak, meaning to walk. The letters in this word are he, lamed, and kaph. Each letter in the Hebrew language has a meaning, and we get a deeper look at what it means to "walk with God" as we look at these individual letter meanings. He means "to look, behold, to reveal, to show". Lamed means "a shepherd's staff, to teach, yoke together, to control, to prod, to guide, to urge forward". The letter Kaph used in this word means, "palm of the hand, the power to lift up or suppress, to bend, open, allow, cover". As these two men walked with God, we can see that God revealed or showed things to them: the Shepherd's hook (Jesus is the Good Shepherd) guided them, taught them and urged them forward. As they walked with God, they were also covered by His hand, and understood and walked in God's power to lift up or suppress, to open or close concerning all things that pertained to them, and creation. God wants us to walk with Him in the same manner as Enoch and Noah, and He will get us through the days ahead. Jesus said regarding those who walk with Him, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." He also said, "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." (Jn. 12:26). This Sabbath's reading portion deals with the timely story of Noah in Genesis 6, and also the reading of Isaiah 54. The portion from Isaiah also reflects a "walk with God" and with our Shepherd Jesus, if we will walk with Him as Noah and Enoch did: "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me (says the LORD)...For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed...In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you...No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me", says the LORD." Our walk with God, in the revelation of His Son, is reflected in how we walk. According to scripture, this is what our walk should look like if we are indeed walking with God: we should be walking in newness of life (Rom. 6:4), walking after the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1, Gal. 5:16, 25), walking by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), walking worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1), walking not as other Gentiles (Eph. 4:17), walking in love (Eph. 5:2), walking as children of light (Eph. 5:8, Jn. 8:12), walking in Jesus (Col. 2:6), walking in wisdom (Col. 4:5), walking as Jesus walked (1 Jn. 2:6), walking in His commandments (2 Jn. v. 6), walking in truth (3 Jn. 1:4, see also Jn. 17:17, Jn. 14:6). It means something important to walk with God, and we need to know about it during these difficult times especially. God has provided this privilege for us in order to keep us, protect us, and to bring us through any and every circumstance. There are those who desire to walk with God, and those who don't. I want to be one of the ones who does want to walk with Him, and I want my family to be doing so also. If you would like to begin walking with God, or to renew your walk with Him, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, like Enoch and Noah, I desire to walk with You. You have provided in that walk the revelation of our Good Shepherd, Jesus. I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and rose again from the dead. I want to be one who hears His voice, and follows Him. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so I can walk in the way that reflects walking with You. I thank You, Father, that in my walk with You, You establish me in righteousness, and You keep me far from oppression and fear. I praise and thank You for calling me, and allowing me, to walk with You. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen."

Compassion

Last week's entry marked the end of the one year Sabbath reading cycle as practiced in synagogues around the world. I learned so much about my faith in Christ reading along with them. Many of the Sabbath readings carry a prophetic importance as well. Israel and Jerusalem have a great and unique importance in the prophetic and salvation plan of God, especially in the days to come. God has made important promises to Israel that will impact the whole earth, and He will keep those promises. He is not done with either Israel or Jerusalem, and He will never be done with them! My intention, as a Christian, in following the Sabbath readings this past year was not to replace the Jewish people on their path of study, but to walk beside them, and learn with them. I have a feeling that as I begin the new yearly cycle of readings, it will be in a different way than I had done in this past year. This week, I opened the first chapter of Genesis, and the corresponding reading from Isaiah 42. As I started reading, I was surprised to find out about the role that compassion played in the creation of the heavens and the earth. The power God exhibited in the Creation seemed to have been focussed through the presence first of compassion in the form of the Holy Spirit, as I hope we will see. After stating that God created the heavens and the earth, Genesis 1:2 goes on to say: "The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering/moving over the face of the waters." There is great power in the Spirit of God, but the Spirit is also called "The Comforter" by Jesus (Jn. 14:26, 15:26). In this verse from Genesis, the Spirit was hovering over a terrible sight. The Hebrew word for "hovering" is rehap meaning "shake, move, flutter, to grow soft, to brood, with the feeling of tender love hence to cherish, to brood over/cherish young as an eagle, of parents who cherish their children, to soothe a child". (The Hebrew meaning, rehap can also include "to cause to tremble with fear, like the bones of a person terrified". Even as the Holy Spirit can move with comfort and compassion, we can also say then that it can move in a way to create fear.) The conditions over which the Spirit of God hovered in Gen. 1:2 above, are written as "without form, void, darkness, and deep". These words have the Hebrew meaning "the dark, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, desolation, confusion, lie waste, abyss". Before the Word of God was spoken into this desolation, the Spirit hovered over it, "brooding" over it, cherishing it as a parent cherishes a child. In speaking "Light" over this void, and dividing the light from the darkness (v. 3-5), God (Elohim) was, at the same time, taking authority over the darkness on the First Day. John Ch. 1 tells us that the words of Creation spoken was Jesus, who was with God, and was God, and became flesh to dwell with us (v. 14). Again this first moment is described in John 1:5 as: "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend (seize, overtake, overcome) it." (Jn. 1:5). We see again that the darkness cannot overcome the Word of God. As Jesus worked in the power of His anointing, it was often said in scripture that He was moved by compassion for the people, whether they had gotten into their calamities through their own fault or not (Mt. 14:14, 15:32, 20:30-34). Jesus taught in a heavy warning of the consequences of failing to show to others that same compassion which we have received from "the king", or the Lord (Mt. 18:21-35). He taught parables about incorporating compassion as a lifestyle, and as a fulfillment of the Law (Lk. 10:26-37), and a parable, know to us as The Prodigal Son, of the role of compassion in the restoration of one who was lost (Lk. 15:18-24). The apostles' teaching also reminds us to exercise compassion (1 Peter 3:8, Heb. 10:34). The Greek word and root word for compassion used in these parables means "from the deepest part of a person, having compassion from the seat of sympathy, love, and pity; a great passion that includes love, tenderer affections, kindness, benevolence, mercies, compassion". The only people that Jesus seemed to lack compassion for were those who lacked compassion for others, most of these being the religious authorities of His time. What can sometimes be surprising however, is how angry and stirred up some may become because of what they consider to be an inconvenient or inappropriate show of compassion (Lk. 15:25-32, Lk. 7:36-48, Jn. 12:1-7). Coming back to the Creation of Gen. 1, we see that it begins with the presence and work of Christ as the Word (Jn. 1:1-3), Who is also revealed in the first phrase of Genesis 1 for those who wish to search it out, but it also involved a work of compassion by the Spirit of God. Looking at Isaiah 42 of this week's reading, the words of the LORD remind the reader again of Gen. 1 as the LORD declares that He created the heavens, the earth, and gave breath to the living (v. 5). His unchanging purpose is to bring forth justice for the truth (v. 3-4). Will we see again compassion having a role in this work of justice? Towards this purpose, the LORD prophesies that He is sending Someone, whom He describes as "My Servant", "My Elect One". He says, "I have put My Spirit upon Him." (v. 1). To this special Servant, whom we know as the Messiah, Jesus, God says: "I the LORD have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people..." (v. 6). We will know this Servant by certain works to which the LORD has appointed Him in Isa. 42. They are works of compassion: "...as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house." The LORD continues: "I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them." (v. 16). In this chapter from Isaiah, judgment has also been sent mong God's people in order to bring forth "justice for truth". The LORD describes the judgment of His people who would not listen to Him: "But this is a people robbed and plundered; All of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prison houses; They are for prey, and no one delivers; For plunder, and no one says "Restore!". (v. 22). The LORD said that He is the one who put them in this condition (v. 24). Even so, the LORD turns and shows His compassion: "But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine." (Isa. 43:1). Sometimes we may think that by showing compassion, we are ignoring sin. However, it may be that it is the constant, ever-available compassion of God that is one thing that draws men to repentance of sin. Why would a man seek repentance in the first place, unless he feels that he is dealing with the LORD who will turn and have compassion on him, and forgive him? First John 1:9 guarantees us that if we confess our sins before God, not only is He faithful to forgive, but His justice requires that He forgives. However, the compassion of God goes even beyond this. The prophet Joel wrote of God's people assembling for the purpose of repentance before the LORD. The LORD gave the promise of compassion to His people if they repented before Him: "Now, therefore, says the LORD, 'Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart...Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm." (Joel 2:12-13). Joel promised that the LORD would have pity, and answer His people (v. 18). Not only did the LORD promise to restore His people, but He went beyond restoration to even more abundance (v. 19, 23-27). On top of the greater abundance, He promised to pour out His Spirit upon all, regardless of gender, social position, or age in a miraculous way never before seen (Joel 3:28-29). In the same manner, for those who accepted His compassionate gift of forgiveness and reconciliation through His Messiah and Son, Jesus Christ, the LORD again did even greater than a restoring work: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (Jn. 10:10). We are given even more than restoration as a result of salvation, beyond what Adam and Eve had before their fall into sin. They were given dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:26), but, to serve as an example of the compassion (love, kindness) of God, those in Christ are given greater. They are seated in the heavenly places with Him (Eph. 2:4-7), and have become joint-heirs with Christ Himself, which is the work of the Spirit, the Comforter, in us (Rom. 8:16-18). While Adam and Eve experienced a visitation of God in the Garden (Gen 3:8-9), those who have accepted God's gift of compassion through Jesus Christ, don't have to wait for a visitation, but now have both Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God dwelling within them, and communing with them (Rom. 8:10-11). The law of compassion, it seems from the evidence, does not just restore to the previous condition, but it supersedes the previous condition with even greater than before. Compassion is not the only quality of God that impacts man, and by which we impact each other, but perhaps it deserves a deeper look. The power of God is focused through compassion in the examples that we have read. Compassion does not give unrepented sin a "pass", but I think it is one way that God uses to defeat Satan at his own game of destroying human souls. Because of this, compassion should play an important role in our lives as believers. If you would like to receive and live in the compassion of God through Jesus Christ, you can pray: "Dear Father, You sent Your Son into my life out of Your compassion and love for me. Through Jesus, You not only cleansed me from sin, and reconciled me back to Yourself, but You gave me a greater, more abundant life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can minister compassion to others as You ministered to me. Lead me in discernment so I may see when compassion shown can break the stronghold of the enemy over another person's life. Let me not forget to show others the same compassion that You showed me, as You drew me back to Yourself. I ask and thank You for this in the name of Jesus. Amen."

InterimDays

This Sabbath falls within the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, also called the Feast of Ingathering. Because of this, this Sabbath reading is titled Chol Ha-Mo'ed Sukkot, or the "Intermediate days of Tabernacles". Within these intermediate days during Tabernacles, we have the opportunity to consider the great meaning of this feast. There are several scripture readings that are assigned to the seven days of the Feast including Ex. 23, Ex. 33-34, Ecclesiastes Chapters 1 and 12, and 1 Kings 8. For additional thoughts on the Feast of Tabernacles, I re-posted a previous blog entry on the right side of this page titled "Culmination", if you would also like to read it. As I was reading the assigned Sabbath selections for this feast, I found it interesting to see how an understanding or vision of the Feast of Tabernacles was gradually revealed in the scriptures. Even as the understanding of Tabernacles grew from a seemingly simple beginning, no one, aside from the prophets, could have imagined the tremendous depth of meaning that the LORD embedded in this feast. At the start, the feast was given by the LORD through Moses as an occasion to celebrate the harvest, particularly the grape harvest: "...the Feast of Ingathering (asip - "harvest; gather, assemble, collect, to be taken away") at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field." (Ex. 23:16). For Christians, the thought of harvest and ingathering has a spiritual meaning as a harvest of souls, and a gathering up of believers. The Feast of Tabernacles was a feast that required the bringing of offerings to the LORD, and rejoicing in the provision He has given in the fields. Continuing in the Sabbath reading portion, we see another aspect of the Feast of Tabernacles revealed as Solomon brought the ark of the covenant up to be placed in the new temple which he had built. He also dedicated the new temple with massive amounts of sacrifices. This was done "at the feast in the month of Ethanim (meaning perpetual, flowing, enduring), which is the seventh month (1 Kings 8:2). Solomon offered thanks to the LORD that he had been given the task as the son of David to complete this new house of the LORD (v. 18-19). After the priests placed the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place in the new temple, "...the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD." (v. 10-11). Solomon spoke of this overwhelming event by saying to the LORD, "I have surely built You an exalted house, and a place for You to dwell in forever."(1 Kings 8:13, see also 2 Sam. 7:12-14, Ps. 132:14). The celebration went on for seven days, and then an additional seven days more when "..the people...went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for His servant, David, and for Israel His people." (1 Kings 8:65-66). From the details given here, I believe that the temple of Solomon was dedicated on the Feast of Tabernacles. This joyous feast takes place in the seventh month, and lasts for seven days. As God's glory filled the temple, perhaps Solomon thought that the completion of this great temple fulfilled the Feast of Tabernacles. Solomon must have considered the temple that he built for the presence and worship of the LORD to be the high point of his reign as king of Israel. The temple was magnificent and opulent by all of the accounts in scripture, with an interior covered with gold, and built with the finest and most beautiful materials that could be found. Only the most expert craftsmen were allowed to work on the building and furnishings of this temple. Some since that time have included Solomon's temple on the list of the wonders of the ancient world. From his words, it seems that Solomon felt that this temple would stand forever. All of Israel probably assumed the same thing. It is one of the reasons why they thought that the LORD would never allow Jerusalem to be captured by an enemy - because His House was there. However, this temple would not stand forever. A few hundred years later, a mighty army came into Jerusalem and looted the beautiful and sacred furnishings of this great temple, and destroyed it. The prophets had warned that this would happen as the people of God turned away from Him, worshipped other gods, and became filled with iniquity. However, the Feast of Tabernacles was never just about a harvest of crops, or about the building of a great edifice. In another portion from this Sabbath's readings, we hear again from Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes. He draws this conclusion regarding all of man's natural toils and efforts: "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed all is vanity, and grasping for the wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered." (Eccl. 1:14-15). The Feast of Tabernacles is not found in the work of men's hands. Who could have imagined from its first mention that the Feast of Tabernacles would be fulfilled, not by a harvest of crops, or a great building, but by the atonement accomplished by another Son of David, Jesus, who would build a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, not of this creation? (Heb. 9:11). Who could imagine that the tabernacle of God would be in us? We would become His living temple. His Spirit, His glory and His presence dwells within us. God has placed these treasures in earthen vessels, rather than in a building (1 Cor. 3:16, Jn. 17:21-22, 2 Cor. 4:7). Who could have anticipated that the glory of Christ could dwell in men? In another of this Sabbath's readings, Moses asked to see God's glory, and the LORD had to hide Moses in the cleft of a rock, and cover him with His hand, allowing Moses to see only His back parts as the LORD passed by him (Ex. 33:18-23). The glory given to us is not glory that passes by or fades, but it is a glory that remains (2 Cor. 3:10-13). Moses knew the passing glory of the commandments of God engraved upon tablets of stone, encased in a wooden ark, and placed within a tabernacle of animal skins. Did he ever imagine the living Word of God, Jesus, written upon living hearts, placed within a living tabernacle, sealed by the Spirit of God in the promise of everlasting life? Jesus asked the Father that we be given the same glory as He had from the beginning, and this is the eternal glory that we contain as the tabernacles of God. The Feast of Tabernacles reflects a dwelling with and in God, and He with and in us. The separation or veil between God and man caused by our sin has been removed through Christ (Heb. 10:10, 19-22). The revelation of the Feast of Tabernacles doesn't end there. It is also promised that the Lord will bring a city, New Jerusalem, down from heaven arrayed as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:2). We are the Bride of Christ (Rev. 19:7-9, Eph. 5:25-27). The original tabernacle built in the desert to house the presence of God is described as a kind of Chuppah, or bridal canopy like those used in a Jewish wedding. This is the inseparable union created by the tabernacle. God will dwell among men, and tabernacle with them, as He has always planned (Rev. 21:3-5). Who could have imagined the greatness hidden in the Feast of Tabernacles: "But as it is written, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Cor. 2:9). If you would like to become part of the living tabernacle of God, you can pray: "Lord Jesus, You have made me a living temple, filled with Your Holy Spirit, Your glory, and Your presence. During these days of the Feast of Tabernacles and beyond, show me how to be the Temple of God, not built by human hands, but by Your atoning blood, and the presence of Your Holy Spirit. Open the eyes of my understanding, and lead me to walk in this unity with You. You died for my sins and rose from the dead to bring me near to You and the Father, to make us one. Forgive me Lord, and cleanse me from all that separates me from You. I ask these things in Your name. AMEN."

Listen

"Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me...He will provide atonement for His land and His people." (Deut. 32:39, 43). This is from the Song of Moses, given to Israel as a way to return to God, and His promise of atonement. Moses knew that after his death, the people would turn away from the LORD who created and delivered them. Today, as I am writing this, it is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, one of the appointed feasts of the LORD. Some Christians don't observe this day, thinking that it only applies to Jewish people. However, the Day of Atonement is also a basic New Testament truth as well, having been fulfilled by Jesus in His sacrifice. For those who do observe this day in the traditional manner and understanding, both Jew and Gentile, I would like to offer an additional thought that emerges from this Sabbath's reading. We are in the appointed season where God is calling His people to return to Him. He has provided first the prophetic promise of this feast day, and then the fulfillment of that promise in the atoning blood of Christ, placed upon the Mercy Seat of God on our behalf: "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption...how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb. 9:11-14). These verses refer to Christ's fulfillment of the prophetic command of God under the law of Moses that the high priest was to enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle the blood of sacrifice on the Mercy Seat for the yearly covering of the sins of God's people. It is interesting that the verses from Hebrews Ch. 9 not only show us the fulfillment already accomplished by Christ, but "of the good things to come" in the greater and more perfect tabernacle not of this creation (the Feast of Tabernacles is soon to begin after Yom Kippur). Christ sealed this future for us in the Spirit as He fulfilled the Atonement. These verses also talk about the atoning work of Christ as cleansing our conscience from "dead works". The phrase, dead works, in the Greek is translated as "lifeless (as a corpse), spiritually dead, destitute of force or power in that which any one is occupied". The LORD describes the Day of Atonement as a day to afflict our souls (Lev. 23:27, 29, 32). According to the Hebrew meaning of that phrase used in these verses from Leviticus, this means for us to humble, stoop, bow down, become low, to submit (to God) our soul, our person, and the activities of our mind, will and character. In addition to our understanding of the traditional practices of the observance of Yom Kippur, we should also seek to include this instruction from God in our observance of the Day of Atonement. Therefore, entering Yom Kippur we should remind ourselves of Who God is, and what God has done, and humble ourselves before Him as a result. This was Moses' vision of the atonement of God, which he incorporated into a Song to teach Israel. Moses brings us this point in this week's Sabbath reading from Deut. 32 titled Ha'azinu, or "Listen". As we read the Song of Moses in this chapter, Moses is attributing the future spiritual fall of His people to the fact that they have forgotten Who God is, and what He has done for them. The pathway to their return to God and His atonement provision (v. 43) that Moses has given to Israel in his Song is not in religious acts that seem good to do, but in remembering the truly awesome greatness of God. The people, Moses prophesied, would become puffed up in their own efforts, or "dead works", and would become continually dissatisfied, constantly wanting more, eventually serving other gods to attain what they want, because they have forgotten Who God is. Moses begins his Song of Return for Israel by telling the heavens and the earth to "listen" to his proclamation: "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth...for I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He." (Deut. 32:1-4). Moses reminds Israel in his Song, that God had chosen and created Israel from the beginning "when He separated the sons of Adam..." (v. 8). At this same time, the LORD assigned boundaries to these separated sons of Adam and their descendants, always keeping in mind ahead of time the inheritance that He was reserving for the children of Israel not yet born. Of Israel, Moses wrote in his Song that the LORD found them in the wasteland, the howling wilderness,encircled them, instructed them, kept them as the apple of His eye, hovered over them as an eagle, spreading His wings over them and carrying them on those wings (v. 10-11). However, they would forget God, and grow (spiritually) fat, even obese (v. 15), and yet still be dissatisfied: "Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten the God who fathered you." (v. 18). Our remembrance of Who God is, and what He has done brings us into a humbling, and a repentance before Him, and before the One who paid the price for our atonement in order to reconcile us back to our Father. Dead works won't do it, no matter how good they seem to us. In Isa. 58, God mocks Israel as they ask Him: "Why have we fasted," they say, "and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?" (Isa. 58:3). While their works impressed themselves, they didn't impress God, because the people had no reverence for Him, or for His precepts towards others. Dead works take something exalted and powerful and turn it into something that is all about us, and what we are doing. That road, however, is the road to "Fat City"! Let's go back instead to the root of the root: Let's remind ourselves Who God is, and be humbled by it. Remember when the thought of God used to humble us? Our remembrance would cause us to bow our heads. Yes, we have forgotten, I think. We have forgotten our beginnings, and what our Father miraculously and sovereignly did to bring us this far, and the price He paid to ensure the "good things to come" for each of us. When we are often easily discouraged and dissatisfied, and run to anything or anyone that might "feed" us, even if it satisfies for only a little while, then we have forgotten our God, and we have become "fat". In the haftarah portion for this Sabbath lesson, "Listen", David offers a similar declaration of exaltation to the one that Moses gave to the people of Israel in his Song: "Then David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day when the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And he said, 'The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength in whom I will trust; My shield, and the horn (strength; of rays of light) of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies...In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry entered His ears." (2 Sam. 22:1-7). Besides keeping the beloved traditions and observances of the Day of Atonement that have been established over many generations, I think that the power of the Day is also in our return to Him, reminding ourselves of, and humbling and bowing ourselves to, Who God is, and what He has done. This is the Song of our Return, and the provision given in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. This is what brings us back to our Father. If you would like to return to the LORD through the atonement of His Son, you can pray: "Heavenly Father, how great and merciful You are! You have provided the way for me to return to You through the atoning blood of Your only Son, Jesus. From the beginning, You separated me out from many people, and provided my place in Your inheritance. You set the boundaries that would allow me to have a place and a future among those who belong to You. You found me in the wasteland, encircled me, instructed and kept me, hovered over me, and carried me on Your wings as an eagle's. You have brought me to Your side by Your atonement provision for me. You have also sealed the good things to come for me by the atonement of Your Son. You have heard my cry, and rescued me countless times. Father, I remember and declare Who You are to me, and I humble myself in thanks, and in service, before Your wonder and graciousness. I return to You in the name of Your Son, Jesus, who died and rose again for me, and who sprinkled His blood in atonement for me. AMEN."

Return

This Sabbath is a special Sabbath called Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return. It comes within the ten days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. These ten days between the feasts, and this Sabbath Shuvah are a time for repentance, prayer, and turning back to the LORD. This Sabbath's reading portion from Deuteronomy 31 is titled Va-yelech, or "Then he went" (see last week's post also). In Deut. 31, Moses is told by the LORD that these are the last days of his life, and that he should bring Joshua before the LORD so He can inaugurate (sava - "command, appoint, commission, ordain, cause to exist") him as the next leader of Israel (Deut. 31:14). We see from this that we cannot appoint ourselves, but we must be appointed by God. As we consider the closing days of Moses' life mentioned in Deut. 31, we can imagine that the thought of losing Moses must have been very traumatic for Israel. He had been their prophet and leader across two generations, through dangerous testing times, and used in miraculous wonders of deliverance and provision performed by God. People pass away, even important people. Places and things pass away, but God does not pass away. Moses told the Israelites: "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them (the various enemy tribes already in the land; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deut. 31:6). Jesus promised His believers the same thing (Mt. 28:20). The LORD also told Moses at this time, that after his death, Israel would not remain faithful to Him, and would become idolators. They would break the covenant that they had with God. Because of this, the LORD said that evil would befall them in the latter days (v. 16-18, 29). Moses must have been very saddened to hear this prophecy regarding the people to whom he had dedicated himself for all of those years. However, with this prophecy in mind, Moses left God's people a song of repentance and return to God which he taught to all of Israel (see Deut. 32). In something else to consider, this Sabbath also falls on 9/11, one of the most tragic days of loss in American history. This loss not only affected a nation, but it affected the whole world, as America sought justice, or perhaps revenge, for the murderous act. In facing the loss suffered on this date, the most fruitful and important action for Americans to have taken was not measured in military might, but in repentance in the hearts of those who know God. Our strength is not measured in military power, nor the height of our great buildings and the wealth and success that they represent. Our strength, as the people who are called by God's name, is in our covenant with Him. Have we been looking at the wrong things for our security and success? Have we been relying on people and things that cannot save us? It seems that we have been going down the wrong path for many years, but it is not too late for God's people to turn back to Him. This Sabbath reading is about the things that pass away, and the things that don't. It is about returning to the LORD, and finding that He has been waiting for us all along. He was not far away from us, but we have travelled far from Him. Much of our everyday lives have been built like a shaky house on shifting sands, relying upon things that cannot endure (Mt. 7:24-27). We have seen buildings that were embedded into solid bedrock and constructed with steel, brought down in minutes. How much more shakable are lives and plans built upon far less? There is only one house that stands forever, indestructible, and that is the House of the LORD with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, into which we, as living stones, are to be built. In the haftarah reading portion of this Shabbat Shuvah, the prophet Hosea wrote in Chapter 14:1-3, "O Israel, return to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity...Assyria shall not save us (referring to political and military alliances), we will not ride on horses (military might), nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, "You are our gods" (idols created by relying upon our own efforts). As Hosea continues, the LORD answers this cry from the heart of His people, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely,...I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like a lily...his branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon." (v. 4-6). Not only will the LORD turn and restore His people again because of their repentance, but they will become a fruitful and desired people. We need to be a fruitful people, especially now. The LORD said in Hosea that the fruitfulness that we need is found in our return to Him. In another haftarah reading for this Shabbat Shuva, the prophet Micah also brings us the message of returning to the LORD: "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over (abar - "march over, pass beyond, go in advance of, to cover in intimacy") the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?...He delights in mercy...and will subdue (kabas - "bring into bondage, dominate, tread down, conquer") our iniquities. You will cast (salak - "hurl, throw down") all our sins into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:18-19). While we often look for the world to repent, the privilege of returning to the LORD is reserved for His people, His remnant, according to Micah. He even "subdues", a forceful verb, our iniquities, hurling them down, dominating those things that enslave us, and bringing them into bondage instead. The Father has given this dominion to Christ for our benefit. It is believed that Ephesians 4:7-8 brings us an image of Christ descending into the earth upon His death in order to conquer the power of sin and death, and bringing up with Him those who died with hope in His appearing. These verses can also be looked at in an additional way, mirroring the prophecy of Micah, based upon the meaning of the Greek words used. The verses are written: "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: When He ascended on high He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." The Greek meaning of the main words used in these verses from Ephesians 4 could also tell us that Christ forcefully made captive, or took as a prisoner of war to Himself, what had caused others to be captives. His doing so was a gift or advantage supplied to man. He "subdued" our iniquities in other words, as Micah had prophesied. We do not have to let iniquity, and a life away from the eternal things of God, take us captive again. This Sabbath, and the somber memorial occasion of 9/11 reminds us that life on earth, even the life of a man of God like Moses, is temporary. Buildings, places, possessions and institutions are temporary. Wealth and power are temporary. The LORD is calling His remnant to return to the eternal - to Himself. If you would like to return to the LORD, you can pray: "Father of Forgiveness and Mercy, I turn away from the love and reliance upon those things which cannot save or last, and I return to You with all my heart, soul, and strength. Your Son, Jesus, died and rose from the dead to destroy, and set me free from, the power of sin and death in my life, and I thank You for this gift that Jesus has supplied for me. As I ask You to forgive my sin, hurl it far from me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, so that I can bear abundant fruit and renewing dew, that I may display the glory of God to all. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Hearts

This Sabbath reading portion, which includes Deuteronomy Chapters 29 through 31, titled Nitzavim-Vayelech, comes just before the new Hebrew calendar year begins, which will be year 5782, and right before the Feast of Trumpets, one of the appointed fall feasts commanded by the LORD. Therefore, I believe that this Sabbath portion has a great significance in this new beginning, and this season of the LORD's appointed feasts. In this Sabbath reading, Moses was preparing to depart life at the age of 120 (Deut. 31:1-2), and he was imparting to Israel, some important things to remember in their relationship with God. Moses knew that these things would make the difference between Israel's success or failure, even their life or death. One part of the two-part title of this reading is Vayelech meaning "Then he went out". Moses was speaking to these people whom he had led for over forty years as a leader and a prophet whose time was nearly up. Moses called all of Israel to assemble in order to enter into covenant with God for the keeping of His commandments, and God's covenant with them establishing them as a people for Himself (Deut. 29:9-13). The other part of the two-part title for this Sabbath portion is Nitzavim which means "Are standing". Not only was all of Israel to stand before the LORD in this assembly of covenant, but also anyone else who was in the camp as a stranger or a laborer. However, this assembly was not limited to those physically present. Moses said: "I make this covenant and this oath, not with you alone, but with him who stands here with us today before the LORD our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today..." (v. 12-15). This perpetual covenant of obedience is not only with Israel and her generations to come, but with the future stranger and laborer in the camp also. In the same manner, as we stand before the LORD, we represent not only ourselves before Him, but those who are yet to come. It is easy to forget that those people who have not yet appeared are "in us" (see also Isa. 66:8-11, Heb. 7:9-10). As Moses prepared the people before his death, he stressed the importance of their covenant of love for God (Deut. 30:16), which is expressed in obedience to God and His Word. Although there was a curse associated with the breaking of this covenant of obedience to the commandments of God, Moses promised that the LORD would reverse the curse (example: the scattering of the people of Israel to foreign nations) if "...you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul...And the LORD God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live." (Deut. 30:1-2, 6). Then the people will again obey the voice of the LORD, causing them to prosper, abound, and increase (v.9). The Word of God, Moses said, was not in some unattainable place, "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it." (v. 14). Jesus said, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (Lk. 6:45). This is about the contents and work of the heart, not about a set of religious obligations. The treasures of our hearts must contain the love of God, and therefore the love of His Word, Jesus (Jn. 1:1-3, 14). From this treasure, our words and obedient actions will flow. It seems that trying to be religiously obedient to God's Word without the necessary foundation of love for Him, not only results in eventual spiritual error, but is without value to God (Isa. 29:13-14, Mt. 15:7-9, Ezek. 33:31). How do we view the commandments of God, and how do we relay this view to others? The type of relationship that Moses was urging to all of Israel, also leads us to a prophecy in Jeremiah. In the haftarah portion for this Sabbath, Jeremiah wrote of a "new covenant" that would reflect this type of heart relationship with God (Jer. 31:31-33). The Words of God, Jeremiah wrote, would be written internally in God's people...not just to do but to be. Moses took this relationship even further as he described the blessing or the curse that flows from whichever treasure we keep in our hearts regarding the love of God, and obedience to His Word: life and good, or death and evil (Deut. 30:15). "...I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice,, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days..." (v. 19-20). In his last days, Moses is imploring Israel to love God, not only to love Him, but to cling or cleave (dabaq - "to cling, to stick to, to be joined together, follow closely, pursue hard) to Him as spouses cleave to each other (Gen. 2:23-24). With these words, Moses was calling Israel to a marriage relationship with God. This is the only thing that will preserve them. The LORD prophesied through Isaiah in another haftarah portion of this sabbath's reading regarding the marriage relationship He has with His people. He prophetically called them "The Holy People" and "The Redeemed" (Isa. 62:12). Righteousness and salvation shine from these people like a burning lamp (v. 1). He will call these people and their land by a new name: Hephzibah, meaning "My delight is in her", and Beulah, meaning "to marry, to be lord (husband) over, married wife, take a wife, dominion" (v. 4). We can see that the purpose of the LORD for His people is that they should be in a loving marriage with Him. Jesus also, as the worthy Lamb of God, is the Bridegroom in marriage to His prepared Bride (Rev. 19:6-9). Here is an interesting point in reading Isaiah's prophecy regarding the use of the word Beulah, or "married. The word which has been translated as the word, Beulah in the verse from Isaiah, is the Hebrew word, ba'al. We also know Ba'al to be a false god whom Israel worshipped as an idol. Jezebel, the evil queen's name, means "Ba'al is husband to". The worship of Ba'al, in its demonic twisting of the true purpose, involved sexual impurity, perversion, and the use of both male and female prostitutes in worship. This is the corruption of God's concept of His marriage to His people. While the Beulah marriage with God brings forth offspring who are worshippers, the relationship with the demonic idol, Ba'al, calls for the sacrifice of children. The concept of marriage to God is so vital and powerful, that the counterfeit opposition to the holy concept still presents itself today. We cannot assume that we are immune to its influence. As John heard and saw the glory of the marriage of the Lamb to His Bride, he immediately fell down in worship of the one who revealed it to him. He was severely scolded for this by the one who identified himself as "of the brethren" (Rev. 19:10). The spirit of idolatry is quick to seek to corrupt this powerful revelation of God in order to destroy it, before we even realize that we have been susceptible to it. May we come to this time of new beginnings of the year, and the appointed fall feasts of the LORD, by allowing some of Moses' last instructions to bring us to a new understanding and determination to love the LORD with all our hearts and all our souls. If you would like to enter into this kind of relationship with the Lord, you can pray: "Dear Father in heaven, I come to You and to Your Son, Jesus, with the desire to establish myself in the love of God. I want a personal and intimate relationship with You, loving You with all of my heart and soul, and I want Your Word to be the treasure of my heart from which my obedience flows. I know that You loved me so much that You gave Your only Son for my sins. You raised Him from the dead so I would not have to know death. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit to teach and quicken me in my loving relationship with You. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Enter-In

The title of this Sabbath's reading is Ki-Tavo, meaning "When you come in" from Deuteronomy Chapters 26-28. As with the previous chapters, this portion deals with the instructions of the LORD to the children of Israel, through Moses, as they prepare to enter into the land that God has promised them. In order to have the blessing of God upon both themselves and the land, the LORD repeatedly told His people to keep His commandments. Terrible curses would come upon their new land, if they did not keep His statutes. I think the entrance of the Israelites into their Promised Land also has great prophetic meaning for us. I was amazed to find in this Sabbath reading that their story parallels our story as believers in Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The LORD instructed the Israelites that when they came into the new land, they were to gather the first fruits of the land, bring it to the priest as an offering to God, and make a uniquely worded declaration: "And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, 'A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty and populous..." (Deut. 26:5 KJV). Using the Hebrew meaning of the main words in this verse, we could express the verse this way: "An exalted royal, ready to be broken and put to death, was my Prince, my Father. He descended into the adversary's stronghold of distress, fear and assault and remained there temporarily. The few and diminished became a mass of people, a nation, a body, with greatness like the greatness of God Himself, mighty, countless, and multiplied exceedingly." The people's declaration upon entering the land, considering the meaning of the words in the Hebrew language, is recognizable to us as the Gospel of Jesus. We also were delivered out of that place in eternity by the hand of God in the same way mentioned in this verse of the Sabbath reading: "So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm (nata zeroah - "stretched out arm, shoulder (of animal sacrifice"), with great terror and with signs and wonders." (Deut. 26:8). The "outstretched arm" of God's deliverance for us, took the form of Jesus' arms stretched out on the cross in sacrifice. Continuing on with our parallels, in several places in this Sabbath's reading, and in previous scriptures, the LORD describes the land that the Israelites will enter as "...a land flowing (zub - gush out, to die, to flow freely") with milk and honey." (Deut. 26:9, 15, 27:3). In the Song of Songs, Solomon connected the Beloved's bride with the taste of milk and honey (Song 4:10-11, 5:1). It was the practice among the Israelites to give newly married brides a mixture of milk and honey. So not only did the expression "a land flowing with milk and honey" refer to a natural land of abundance and the finest things, but we can also find a prophetic parallel to the marriage of the Lamb of God and the Bride of Christ (Rev. 19:7). The physical entrance into the land by the Israelites as they became a nation has direct correlation to our entrance into the spiritual land of salvation and glory as believers in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote of the principle that the natural is manifested first, and then the spiritual after (1 Cor. 15:45-46). We do not replace Israel in this way at all, but Israel's entrance into, and existence in the land sets the natural precedent and prophesies of our entrance and habitation of a spiritual land. In another example of this "dual" entrance from this Sabbath's haftarah reading, the prophet Isaiah described the land. He talked about the land in transformation from wilderness and wasteland desert to a place that will blossom like the rose, in abundance, excellence and glory (Isa. 35:1). Israel has indeed become a land that has turned the desert into bloom. They are well known for their agricultural exports to other nations. However, this is also a picture of our transformation through Christ in the kingdom of God. Isaiah also talked about another kind of blossoming that occurs when God comes to save. It is a blossoming that we associate with the Messiah: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing..." (v. 5-6). Jesus confirmed His identity to John the Baptist and the people of Israel with these very signs (Lk. 7:18-23). Isaiah wrote in this chapter about "waters bursting forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert" for the thirsty land (Isa. 35:6-7). Israel has irrigated the desert and brought water where there was only parched ground before. However, Jesus also talked about another form of living water that He provided to the dry desert of the spirits of man: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink" (Jn. 7:37). To the woman at the well, Jesus said, "Whoever drinks of this water (of the natural well) will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (Jn. 4:10-14). Regarding the land of which Isaiah wrote in Chapter 35: "A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others...the redeemed shall walk there." (Isa. 35:8-9). This Highway of Holiness is established by the LORD as a spiritual work - no devouring beasts, no sorrow or sighing shall be found on this Highway (v. 9-10). Of course, Jesus provided a "Highway of Holiness" for us (Mt. 7:14), and our walk with Jesus is to be a walk of holiness (1 Peter 1:14-16). The LORD's covenant with Israel is not just a physical covenant regarding the land, but He also talks about His spiritual covenant with them (Isa. 59:21). In Isaiah 60, another portion from this Sabbath's reading, Ki Tavo, about entering into the land, we read Isaiah's prophetic vision concerning "The City of the LORD" and "Zion of the Holy One of Israel" (Isa. 60:14). The walls are called "Salvation", and its gates are called "Praise" (v. 18). In addition, this is not a natural land with natural light that Isaiah sees. It is a place where the LORD is the everlasting light (v. 19, also Jn. 8:12, Mt. 5:14-19, Rev. 21:23, 22:5). As this spiritual land shines with the everlasting light of God, so should those whom the LORD is calling: "Arise (qum - "arise, be established, be fixed, be raised up"), shine (or - "enlighten, become light, to be illuminated"); for your light (or - "light of a lamp, light of life (see Jn. 1:4), light of day, flood of light) has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you." (Isa. 60:1). Although the earth and people are covered in deep darkness according to the prophecy, the people of this spiritual land shine with the light of God, bringing many to that light (v. 2-4). The rising of the light of the LORD in us is vital in these times of darkness and fear. As the Israelites were about to "come in" to their land, God warned them to keep His commandments and statutes. We also, as those called to "come in" to the land of the Messiah, Jesus, are called to obey God's Word (Jn. 1:1, 14) and keep His commandments as Jesus said: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him..." (Jn. 14:21, 23-24. See also Jn. 15:10-12, 14:15). May we understand that there is a responsibility to be kept regarding the Word of God when coming into the land, which is our habitation in Christ. The spiritual land is glorious, and its work in the earth, through us, is glorious. If you would like to know more about entering into our habitation in Jesus, you can pray: "Lord Jesus, You have made the way for me to enter into an inheritance in God. I believe You died for my sins, and rose from the dead to provide me the inheritance of everlasting life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit to show me, and help me to keep, Your commandments. Let me rise and shine with the light of Jesus Christ that draws men to it from out of the deep darkness. Forgive me for when I have not been that light. I want to dwell in land of Your kingdom, the City of God. I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen."