The Shield of Favor in the Presence of Evil

Few of us have enemies in our lives the way David did. This sculpting could represent David deep in thought. Perhaps he's wrestling with his emotions before God. We could say he's being naked before God with his feelings. Situations come up that cause us also to wrestle with our own emotions before God. Sometimes we too are faced with great opposition. Presently, most of you who are reading this are living in safety. I pray it remains so. But even if we are not personally faced with evil, we hear about it taking place around the world. And we are prone to get emotionally involved, drawing conclusions and forming opinions about people on one side of the issues or another. Perhaps David can be of help in showing us what our godly responses should be when evil may seem to triumph. 

I am often reminded that the armor of God includes “having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15). Why is this about our feet? And why does it say “preparation”?  It would seem that in order to be sure that when something threatening in some way comes up suddenly or unexpectedly, if we’re not prepared, we might react rather than respond. We might be tempted to justify ourselves and attack back or resort to something we would regret later. God has told us to walk (therefore, feet) in peace with everyone we meet:  “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves….” (Romans 12:18, 19).  That just might take some “prep” ahead of time so that we’re not vulnerable to being antagonized should something come up. This could mean personally or it could mean something happening on a larger scale, such as politically or socially. How are we going to respond if things go awry in our personal world? Hopefully, it will never happen. But just in case, it might be wise to consider now how to process our thoughts should such an event come up. 

It’s always good to look to someone who’s already been there and done that when seeking for wisdom and insight, preferably someone who hasn’t lost the t-shirt in the ordeal.  Perhaps that’s why God told us so many stories in the Bible, of how people handled things, both righteously and unrighteously, so we could learn from them.  David certainly was one who knew what it was to have people coming against him, even members of his own family – even his own son!  How do you handle that kind of heart ache?  Through all David went through, he learned how to hide himself in God.  No matter what was going on, even in his own sin, he found comfort, solace and release from God. 

In Psalm 5 David is processing with God his own thoughts about the evil going on around him and directed toward him.  He is talking to God about the ways of men, good and evil, and their ultimate destinies.  The fact is, he is surrounded by evil.  The word for evil here in Hebrew is resha, which refers to evil as that which is just plain wrong, especially morally wrong. It denotes the kind of life that is antithetic to the very character of God. It includes dishonesty, fraud, lawlessness, injustice, unlawful gain, wickedness and godlessness. These are the kind of persons who are coming against David. But then, one kind of evil seems to breed all the other kinds of evil. They often go together. The plight of one who pursues these kinds of moral wrongs, David is assured before God, will be destroyed by Him.  They may look like they are gaining the victory today, but their ultimate demise is sure.  

David knows from Torah that no wickedness dwells with God. There is nothing wicked, evil, morally wrong, unjust, dishonest, or unfair in God. There is nothing unloving or unmerciful in God or that can dwell with God. He is altogether good!  Nor is there is any chance, apart from true repentance, that any person involved in intentionally causing pain or unhappiness to others, or who acts unethically or immorally, or has a negative attitude toward God, will have any part with God – for God will have no part with them. There is no place for them in God because they are entirely unlike God. This should draw a clear line that going forward in a meeting to “accept the Lord” at one time or having “prayed the sinners prayer” yet without true heart-felt repentance for sin or change in someone’s life for godliness, does not save one who continues in ungodly behavior. The fruit will reveal the root. 

According to Psalm 5, this exclusion from God’s presence includes the braggart or the boastful. The Hebrew word there is hallel, from which we get the word Hallelujah which means praise to Yah. Hallel literally means to be bright, brilliant or splendid; to glorify, to celebrate, to be famous and to be praised.  The braggarts or boastful are those who are self-praising.  Oh dear. It is so subtle the way we garner recognition for ourselves, isn’t it? Those who seek praise for themselves, the psalm is saying, will not stand before God to whom all praise is due.  It is a rare exception that any man is given praise in the Scriptures. Rather praise is used only pertaining to God.  We are so used to the acclaims of men and giving people praise as if they accomplished something on their own without God’s help, that we don’t even realize that praise is that which is meant for God, not mankind.  Sure, tell someone you appreciate them or are thankful for them in some way, but give God the praise. Tell them they are a blessing to you and you can see God in them. That would seem to be the highest praise we can give one another.  

Lucifer was the angel in charge of praise of God in heaven. But he sought to co-opt it for himself. Since he can’t do that in an obvious manner, he must divert it from God by deceit which he does by “inspiring” mankind to praise or idolize each other, or at least certain individuals, in one form or another.  Consider how the world has celebrated kings, conquerors and celebrities. How we idolize superficial beauty or regard highly those with worldly power while giving no or little thought to their true moral character.  If we aren’t worshipping God, we will be worshipping  someone  or something else. Humans were created by God to be worshippers – of Him, so that He would  bring us into His sheltering and glorious presence, to bask in the wonder of Who He is with overflowing hearts that are responding to His love for us.  That’s what praise is meant for!   

David is reminding himself that even though there are those who are coming against him, and though he has enemies and he is surrounded by evil, God will declare them guilty. He will judge them. His enemies' intentions toward him will not determine the outcome. They will not be his enemies forever. They will fall because of their own schemes. Those who speak falsehood, or use flattery to gain the favor of men, or those who lie and seek to deceive others with untruths, are really seeking to set up some form of idolatry which is an alternative to revering God.  That would seem to be the work of the father of lies, would it not? Their eventual end will be that God will ultimately banish them, just as the father of lies has been banished. The sense in these words is that they will be thrust out of His presence. Can we even imagine the force behind that?  Words like that make me tremble. I can think of no more horrible fate than to be banished from Him. If you’ve read this far, I’m sure you feel the same way. 

Can you imagine that one day when every human being stands before Yeshua in all His glory and authority, that there will be some  who see His beauty, perfection and goodness and realize they have lived a life of rebellion and self-will and all they have boasted of is entirely futile, and having seen Him for Who He truly is, they will then be thrust out of His presence –forever!   Such will be their eternal destiny.  Thank God He is merciful and there is ample opportunity for true repentance in this lifetime.  It is for this reason we are to pray for our enemies. God Himself does not wish that any would perish. Nor should we.  After all, He died for us while we were still His enemies.   

But David, who himself has repented of evil (of adultery, intentional murder and deceit) knows full well God’s forgiveness and that those who take refuge in God will find cause to rejoice, and that there is great rejoicing for the person who finds refuge for his sin and weakness in God.  By God’s lovingkindness, by His mercy and grace, those who look to Him are able to reverently and gratefully enter into His presence.  While evildoers are far from God, having no concept of His goodness, we who find shelter in Him are awed by His benevolent goodness to us and His ultimate protection over us. 

David knows his dependence upon God to lead him in righteousness, to make His path straight before him. He knows his dependence is upon God to keep him in righteousness – in tzdaqah.  Tzdaqah is a word used widely to mean such as rightness, virtue, mercy, generosity, faithfulness, piety, justice and rectitude. It also speaks of the godly relationship between God and His people, and between person to person in ways of fairness.  Tzdaqah in all of its many meanings stands in total opposition to the ways of those who have rebelled against God. 

You may remember that Naomi upon returning to Israel said not to call her Naomi anymore but to call her Marah. ”She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Marah, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?” (Ruth 1:19-21). 

That name or word Marah has several meanings. It can mean a heart crushing experience of family turmoil, which gives us deeper insight into Naomi’s emotional state. In this sense, it refers to personal suffering and hardship, grief or disillusionment. But it can also refer to the Lord’s judgment against those who deliberately disobey Him, who resist, despise, dispute or quarrel with Him in bitterness against Him. 

In opposition to people with that kind of attitude are those who seek refuge in Him, who flee to Him for protection, who confide in Him, hope in Him and put their trust in Him. Naomi came to that place, but it wasn’t how she was feeling when she returned to Israel.  She found that God’s faithfulness overcame her sense of grief and disillusionment. 

It is those who love His name who come to know His goodness toward them. This word love in Hebrew is ahav, which here has to do with the tendermercies of God in His covenant relationship with His people, which we see evidenced in God’s restoration of Naomi. It is the love of God above all else, though it can also be extended to friendship or ties between those who know His love and can extend it to one another.  It is those whom God will surround with favor as a shield, meaning He will close off evil or harm by encircling them with His goodness. What a wonderful picture. The favor of God surrounds us as a shield against wickedness and evil when our trust is in Him.

Even if wickedness appears to triumph for a season, we have the confidence that righteousness will triumph and evil will fail. The wicked ones will be thrust from His presence but we will remain in His protective grace forever.  Yes, we must pray for our enemies, with merciful intent that they will repent, having the same heart for redemption that God has in Messiah Yeshua.  But the message of Psalm 5 is one that should strengthen us to look to God for the ultimate end of righteousness to be ours.  No matter what comes or what evil may appear to triumph, as we put our trust in God to keep us always on His path of righteousness, He will shelter us with His favor and keep us in His presence, now and forever.   

FROM REFORMATION TO RESTORATION

If we could have any wish we wanted, most of us would want Yeshua to return - NOW!  Many believe that He could actually return at any time. But consider these words of Peter: "That He (God) may send Yeshua the Messiah...whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient time" (Acts 3:20,21). Peter was speaking prophetically of the Lord's return.  Whatever he thought needed "restoring" at that time, he had no idea of how much would need to be restored, or that it would be 2000 years and we'd still be awaiting His return. I dare say, Peter and the other disciples would barely recognize what we call church today as being the life they lived as believers in Yeshua.  What would they think would need to be restored?! 


Where are the Feasts of the Lord? (They have been replaced them with two pagan holidays, Ishtar (Easter) and Zeus' birthday we call Christ mass (Christmas)). Where is the power, the healings, the miracles? How about the casting out of demons on a regular basis to set people free from oppression, or even raising people from the dead? Where is the Shabbat as God ordained it as a day of rest with one's family at home? (How would that change our family dynamics if Mom and Dad and the kids spent a whole day together each week?)


There is so much more I could add to this list, but I'll leave it to you to consider as you read through your O.T. -- that would be the Original Testament. You will find, especially in Deuteronomy, that much of what Yeshua had to say came out of that book, so you can read many of His words in context. You will also find that Isaiah will teach you more about Yeshua that you would never have known from the New Testament alone. You may also recognize, for those who are astute to pick it up, that almost every verse in the book of the Revelation has reference to something in the Hebrew Scriptures. That is what validates the Revelation as being from God. 


There is much the Lord has been restoring since the Reformation, but that only "reformed" some of the faith, it did not "restore" us to the way of life of the early disciples as described in the Book of Acts. They understood that Yeshua is the light of the world more than just an expression to quote, and that He is the only Truth and the exact manifestation of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob -- as a man, as a Person. I hope we are not so familiar with that 'fact' that we loose the awesome mystery of it. 

And then, by His Spirit, Yeshua continued with them, manifesting Himself   through them! What He did, they found they could do too! Another astounding fact. As He is the same yesterday, today and forever, we should be walking in that same power and transforming revelation of Him. Increasing numbers of believers are beginning to live that kind of life in Him. The dunamis power of God is in fact being restored to those who look to Him to do so.  Yeshua "went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil," and He has equipped us to do the same. It's time to take the equipment ouf of the closet and practice using it till we become experts at blessing others.


I do not expect He will return for a bride who is not "suitable" to Him in every way. Priests were holy unto the Lord.It is for us to dress ourselves in the linen garments, the garments of the priesthood to which we have all been called, to prepare ourselves for Him: "It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (Rev. 19:8). Are we holy enough for His return?  This, please note, does not mean works to try and be more holy. No, we are only holy as we look to Him entirely to make us holy, to be so absorbed in Him that we flee from anything unholy. And to walk in faith that He is working through us in powerful and prophetic ways that we could never do on our own.  


When Yeshua met two of his disciples after He rose from the dead on the road to Emmaus, " beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures" (Luke 24:27). Every manifestation of God throughout the Hebrew Scriptures is about Him.  I'm sure you know that there was no New Testament when He said this. So we can assuredly say that according to Peter's Holy Spirit-inspired words, what needs to be restored can be found in Israel's prophets, which Yeshua said were about Him. It would seem then that we should give more heed to Israel's prophets so we might align ourselves with what needs to be restored so that Yeshua can return. 


The "restoration" of Hebrew roots to the church as is happening among many believers today is not just a cultural interest to experience what Yeshua did while on earth, but the essential restoring of the foundational revelation of God which He gave to Israel and which Yeshua fully embodied, upon which the early church was built. This restoration of theh proper place of the covenant given to Israel is a work that God is doing. He is bringing in about among His people. That's what needs to be restored, an understanding and adherence to the whole counsel of God, not by the letter of the law, but by the Spirit of Grace.


As we are not the holy world-changing people that the first century believers were (yet), we would each do well to take the Torah and the Prophets of God seriously as the foundation upon which the New Covenant sits and see what God will reveal to you. You too can be part of the Restoration that needs to take place in order that Yeshua can return. Each of us makes a difference, one way or the other, either to bring about His return or to keep Him in heaven for another generation. Which will you be a part of? 

  

Listening For The Voice Behind the Voice

Want a short cut to contentment in God?  There has to be a reason the Holy Spirit saw to it that Psalm 1 was the first Psalm in the book. Because it lays a foundation for walking in a life that can easily access God’s blessings.  It begins with “Blessed are…” What does that word blessing mean to you?  It’s such a “Christian” word that it can have some rather religious significances  to us and mean different things to different people. We know it’s good, but what does it actually mean?  Seeing what it meant to the people to whom David said it (or sang it) will help.  The Hebrew word for “blessed” here is ashray, which means calm contentment.  Ahhh, that sounds so peaceful, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want that? 

What’s being said in this Psalm is that to live in that calm contentment, we must each be a person “who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” (1:1). Okay, we know that, most of us.  At least we’re aware that’s what we should do – or not do.  But the world around us is, pardon the expression, hell-bent on everyone being aware of what the sinners in the world are doing, what the rebellious are up to, and reporting all the bad stuff going on in the world, and for many of us, including in your own city. We are inundated with reports of evil in this media saturated world we live in.  

So I ask you, whose voice is behind the voices speaking all those pieces of information to us?  Is it God’s voice? If it’s not “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, … pure, …lovely, …of good reputation,” (Phil. 4:8a) then it’s not the voice of God. God is a God of blessings, not of cursing. Therefore His voice is the voice of blessings. To speak the opposite of those Philippians 4:8 words, is to speak curses, not blessings. And they will not bring blessings or ashray to the speaker of those words, nor to anyone to whom they are said, whether said about them or about others.  God would have us be people who rather are aware  “if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise.”  He would have us “dwell on these things” (Phil 4:8b). 

We pray “They will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10; Luke 11:2) and long for that to be true.  In heaven there are no words of curses, nothing that is unkind or unloving. There is no harm in heaven, nor anything negative in any way. Shouldn’t that be the way His people are if we’re to be God’s spokespersons on earth?  Now I have no doubt that some reading this are sure that I’m being “pollyannish” and unrealistic. After all, don’t we need to be aware of what’s going on in the world?  Are we just to be nicey-nicey and not deal with real issues?  Certainly we are to bring truth and God’s perspective where it’s lacking.  But if we are to be His voice to others, we must “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).  That also means not allowing the unloving words or attitudes of others to put us on the defensive or cause us to respond in kind. Hold to your position in God when responding ; hold onto your peace. Don’t take it personally even when someone is attacking you personally or speaking against what you believe to be true.  Don’t let the ways of the world suck you into acting or speaking like the devil instead of like God. Be who you are in the Lord, no matter what you’re up against!  Here's the turn around factor: "Do not be overcome by evil, but return evil with good!" (Romans 12:21).

King David has given us keys in this Psalm we would do well to heed perhaps more carefully than we are accustomed to, because we live in a world that increasingly speaks words of negativity. As things move more toward the end of the days before Yeshua (Jesus) returns, those of us who are the Lord’s must be more aware of what voice we’re hearing in what’s being said around us.  How many reports did you hear or emails did you receive this week telling you of one disaster that either has happened, is happening now, or is prophesied to happen in the near future?  Listen to the discussions going on around you and you’ll find that many of them are not the voice of God we’re hearing but the voice of the “accuser” and the voice of “the liar.” If what we’re hearing is contrary to what God would say about someone, or about a situation, then it’s the devil’s voice who’s “inspiring” the talk.  Like it or not, aware of it or not, we are caught in the clash between two kingdoms, God’s and the devil’s, and we would be wise to be sure we’re operating on God’s side.  While we might say, “Well, of course, I know that,” we must be discerning as to which kingdom we’re hearing from and responding to. 

While it is true that the Bible does predict that difficult days will come, some of which parts of the world may be already experiencing more than others even now, Yeshua (Jesus) did say, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). When we know that, we can rest in Him, knowing He will take care of us whatever might come. It is through our trust in HIS FAITHFULNESS TO HIS WORD and all He has promised to those who are His, that we can live out from that as our truth and our reality.

The Psalm goes on to say that if we fill our minds with God’s word we will be successful in everything we do. That  indicates that filling our minds with what is contrary to God’s words, which is to say, contrary to God’s ways, will result in missing the blessings, favor and calm contentment we all long for. We can live in God’s peace in the midst of the crazy world we live in! But we must be aware of the voice behind the voices we hear to discern if it’s God’s message or the devil’s we’re listening to. So much of what’s being said today, even among Believers, is the devil’s public relatipns (P.R.) people.  How much do you think he is behind words or thoughts that cause fear or confusion about what is happening in the world today?  How many of our minds are cluttered with NEWS or discussions about things that are not lovely, not good, or not peaceful?   

We were praying for one another in one of my Bible classes when one of the women asked for prayer because all these political issues were beginning to really get her down. She was confused about what was important and what is true. She has been listening to the voices of the world, not the voices of the Kingdom of God. She had lost her peace.  Our advice to her: Turn it off. Those are pieces of information, most of which have little to do with what’s really going on.  We can pray for our nation without knowing the gory details of who is doing or saying what and trying to figure out where the truth is. Truth is what God says; the rest is opinions that really don’t matter.  Do you need to be informed to vote well? Yes, but you’re not going to know the real issues behind what’s going on anyway. Pray and ask God what to do. If you think that too is not dealing with reality, do you think that what you’re hearing in the media is reality? I think not. Opinions. Lots of them. And they often contradict.  Find out what God’s word says and pray accordingly. How about:  “If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).  Could "turning from their wicked ways" include turning from listening to the wicked words the devil is spewing in our land?  Notice it says, "My people" - it is we who are Believers in Yeshua who have the power to bring healing to our land through seeking God and turning from evil however it presents itself to us, regardless of who is president.

Maybe your concern isn’t even about the election. What about the everyday things that concern us all?   In the world we live in today, we are bombarded with negativity, with the words of the adversary. In Hebrew the word for  the “adversary” is satan (pronounced sah’tahn, meaning one who is against). That isn’t the evil one’s name, it’s his title; the one who is against, specifically God; secondarily against you and me.  If what you’re hearing doesn’t come from God, somewhere or somehow it’s going to be against – against God, against people, against good, against whatever is lovely, pure…. You get the idea. 

If you recall, Scripture is written as the Holy Spirit inspired men to write.  He also inspires us who are God’s to speak for Him. We speak under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when we speak according to God’s word, when we speak the truth in love, when we share His truth to anyone, or when we reach out to pray for or heal someone.  It is not just we who are speaking or acting for God, the Spirit of God is anointing us and it is through His inspiration that we can speak or act for Him. The devil is only an imitator; he only wishes he could do/be as God does/is.  But he too inspires. Who do you think is the inspiration behind not just hate, but criticism, ridicule, or fear, or confusion, or any words that rob you of your peace and contentment in God?  So let’s not be satan’s P.R. people doing his work for him, advertising his lies or his deceived intentions.  He doesn’t rule this world, God does. “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Exodus 9:29; Psalm 24:1; 1 Cor. 10:26, 28). Let’s be speaking and believing only what God is saying and not be in agreement with the devil.

King David didn’t have to deal with a lot of what we do, but he sure had his share of troubles and negative things being said to and about him. He too had to learn to listen for what voice was speaking and hold onto God’s word, not only in Torah but what God spoke to him personally.  Perhaps one of the reasons David was a man whom God considered worthy of being the type of Messiah was his refusal to entertain negative thoughts or to respond in kind to King Saul who repeatedly tried to kill him and spoke evil things against him.  Psalm 1 is largely autobiographical of David’s own seeking after God.  Let’s take the king’s wise advice and refuse “the counsel of the ungodly” no matter what form it comes in and opt instead to be God’s people of blessings.

The Perfection of Timelessness

Can you imagine not thinking in terms of time? Well, God is timeless and so, it appears, is Hebrew. What you are about to read will give you a whole new confidence in the Lord. This may challenge your brain a little but it'll be worth it, I promise.

As Rabbi Jonathan Cahn[1] explains it, in English we have verbs, action words, that are time oriented in the past, present or future: He was, he is, he will be.  She did, she does, she will do. They ate, they are eating, they will eat. In Hebrew not so. It does not have these time tenses. There is actually no past, present or future in the verbs in Hebrew. All actions are timeless, that is to say, not bound by time - like God. Sounds like He may be behind the development of the language itself, doesn't it?

 

     Hebrew is not concerned with whether something happened and is finished. It could happen in the past and yet still not be finished.   All our actions as believers have effect beyond life in this world. What you do actually counts in eternity. Yeshua said that we will all be rewarded for our deeds. There are rewards in heaven for the generous or helpful things you do for someone else, or choices you make to honor Him. Didn't the Lord say we would be rewarded for even giving someone a cold drink of water in His name. He means what He says. There are rewards to be received in heaven, so then we can say that our actions have an eternal quality to them. And what is eternal is timeless.  

     Hebrew does not see verbs, that is to say actions, as being in time but rather actions are viewed as being in either of a perfect or imperfect tense.  Perfect means it's complete. Imperfect means its unfinished, and therefore, goes on and on. Being unfinished, it continues.  An action is either completed and therefore perfect and completed, or it's not yet finished or resolved and so it is still imperfect.

     In this earthly life we can only act in the present. We live in the now. But in Hebrew whatever you're doing in the present is always unfinished or you wouldn't still be doing it. But even so, it cannot be completely finished because it's never perfect. There's always something left to do to make it perfect. Whatever we do is imperfect because we're imperfect. No matter how we try to get to perfection in this life, it remains imperfect. Since only God is perfect, anything we do apart from our dependence upon God is basically imperfect and, therefore, incomplete. Most of us would agree that if we are acting out of our own efforts, it just never gets to that place of true perfection or complete fulfillment, where it lasts forever.

     We pretty much live by the imperfect, what is really never finished, and is based on being incomplete. Let's take our highest goal: To become holy. The fact that I'm wanting or trying to be holy means I'm not holy, and being unholy is certainly not living from perfection. If I'm trying to get God to love me I'm doing it out of a sense of a lack of His love. It just doesn't work. I can't get to perfection through my imperfect attempts, try as I might.

     If you're doing something to become perfect, say, to get to heaven, you're doing it from a place of being unheavenly, which is a state of imperfection. How could we possibly arrive at a place of perfection when we try and use imperfect ways to get there? This is the ultimate "You can't get there from here" dilemma.  We can only get to a place of perfection if we're operating out of a place of perfection. What about our efforts at re-dedication. How often have we gone to the altar or told God we were rededicating or giving ourselves anew to Him? The trouble is we're doing it out of self and self is always incomplete.  We can't really rededicate ourselves because we can't use what is imperfect to try and become perfect. How about our desire to serve God? We really have nothing within our imperfect selves to do anything for Him except what is imperfect. Being imperfect, even our motives aren't perfect.   So we see that in our own imperfect selves, we cannot arrive at the perfection which we desire. What to do?

    I know i promised you that this would give you new confidence with the Lord and I admit that so far it doesn't sound like it, but we're getting there. I have good news for you. My good news is The Good News. You can in fact truly dedicate yourself to God or serve God or for that matter you can truly love God because God has made you perfect in His sight. The miracle of miracles is that through what Yeshua did by dying on the cross, He didn't just forgive your sins, no, your sin nature was entirely eradicated!  No matter how high the mountain of your sins or transgressions, forgiveness is yours (hence the photo at the top). Not only your sin but your sin nature was completely taken away. Your old imperfect life wasn't changed to now try and be more like Yeshua. When you were born again, you were given an entirely new and perfect life. (See Gal 2:20. Romans 6:6, 6;3. Cal. 3:3.)  

Your old imperfect life died at Calvary with Him when He "completed" the "perfect" work of dying as a holy sacrifice for sin.  And we've been made complete in the completeness of His "It-is-finished" work! When He said those words, they indicated a perfect and complete action, one that only God could do, like when He created the world, because only God is perfect and complete within Himself.

The Old Covenant is based on imperfect verbs. You should, you must, you have to, you can't.  When you're under legalism, it's always imperfect, and therefore you're always trying. It's always incomplete - you can never do  enough. But the New Covenant is based on that most perfect statement, "It is finished."   It's  perfectly perfect.  The action is complete and the tense is complete. Even the word itself says it's complete.  So everything that comes out of our reliance on His finished work is then complete because it comes from Him and He's perfect. It's a matter of where our faith is - in Him in what He did and His life within us, or from our own incomplete self efforts. 

The first verb in Genesis. is perfect - "God created" - it's a perfect verb: bara.  He created the world with perfection. Only He can do that. It's one of the few perfect verbs in the Bible. Creation begins with God's perfect action. Later, when we read, "God so loved the world..." we read it in the past in English. In Hebrew it's in the perfect tense, not in the past tense.  "He gave" is perfect and complete. There was no unfinished quality to His action. So if we are to act in any way that will be worthy of Him, it must be perfect. The way to  perfection is to find our perfection from God's doing, not our doing. We cannot start from our doing.  We do based on His doing. The only way to find perfection is to do what we do based on what He has already done and who we are in Him - having been made perfect and complete in God's sight.

Now if we have been made complete by His action, then He removed from us every need to try and become perfect in His sight!  That's why we were born again as a new creation. The old one wasn't refurbished to be better. Better isn't prefect. He has made us, by His actions, a "completely" new person - one that is complete and perfected in Him. So that nothing in our relationship with God need be about attempts to become perfect, but rather we live from a glorious place of oneness with God, of total acceptance in the Beloved, and of security in our eternal destiny because of Yeshua's perfect action on the cross. And we live "in Hin" because of the perfect action of the resurrection which God accomplished as complete and perfect.  We never need to worry about being accepted by God, now or eternally, because Yeshua has already qualified us by His doing. We can now rest in Him knowing because we are in Him, whatever we do for Him, we do with Him. That kind of life is reward-worthy. The Lord told Abraham, "I AM your...exceedingly great reward" (Genesis 15:1). The greatest reward is Yeshua Himself. How perfect is that?

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[1]  The information regarding perfect and imperfect tenses in this article is largely taken from a teaching by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn. For more of his teachings go to: HopeOfTheWorld..com. 

From Pain to Peace

     

     Editing is a big part of writing. It's the crafting of a piece that makes it more than just words strung together in a story. But I'm also aware that God edits our lives and rewrites our plans with His own. One of His edits began early today when a neighbor knocked on my door. She needed a ride to the hospital because her other half was taken to the hospital this morning. They had a car accident when someone hit them and totaled their car. The ambulance took him away and she had to walk home. I quickly got dressed and off we went to the hospital. 

      It took us a while to find him as he wasn't in the first hospital and we had to go across town to another one. This is a bad part of town and quite frankly I have been entirely out of touch for a long time with that level of poverty and what most of the people there have to deal with. Anyway, on the way, in the car, she was scared and shaken, I talked to her about trusting Jesus and our conversation resulted in her turning her life over to the Lord before we got out of the car. 

      When we got to the hospital where he was and they finally let us see him as several doctors were working on him, he was in deep pain. Not knowing what was wrong or where this was going I was able to lean down and speak with him and he followed me in a prayer to turn his life over to Jesus, whispering the words. I laid my hand over his where he was holding his ribs and I asked Jesus to touch Him through my hand and to bring life to him and release him from pain. When I prayed for peace and healing for him, he went from writhing in pain to peace and fell asleep. For a moment I had to look to see if he was still breathing he was so still. When he woke up again he seemed still in pain, though not as before, and I taught her that now that Jesus lived inside of her she had authority of His name to pray for people and she could lay her hand on him gently and speak peace over him in Jesus' name. She did and he settled down again. She told me she would share this with others because what better place is there than an emergency room to share Jesus with people.  Born again for an hour and already she's wanting to share Him with others. That's what I'm talkin' about.



       As I went to leave, in the next cubicle was a young man about thirty years old holding his jaw and looking like he too was in a lot of pain. I went in and talked to him. He couldn't move his jaw to talk but he responded with his eyes.  I asked him The Question:  Did he know Jesus?  Jesus could help him, did he want Jesus? He nodded almost imperceptibly but his eyes signaled yes.  I laid my hand on his shoulder and again prayed for Jesus to touch him and ease his pain. I told him to pray in his heart, following me in what I was going to say which he did and turned his life over to Jesus. I could see it on his face. A re-dedication if not a salvation.  I went back to check on my friends again before I left and when I went past the second man's cubical on my way out, he  waved to me. Felt like a brother waving to me. There seemed to be a message in the wave, like "Thanks for bringing Jesus to me." Joy! That's when you can feel the Lord's joy, bringing Him to someone who knows He just entered their lives in a meaningful way.

      I got to lay my hands on someone else parked on a liter in the hallway who was in extreme pain and pray and see her settle down, at least for a while. I had to go back and pray a few times until the doc finally came to her. The suffering was almost overwhelming in that ER, and many of the people outside waiting for rides, etc. are living lives that are far from my own daily experiences. Compassion arises. It puts some of my intellectual head stuff in a different perspective. Loving people who are suffering suddenly seems to take on a whole new visibility. I wonder if God isn't doing some editing of His own in the book of my life. 

The Fallacy of Ownership

The key to your heart's true lasting security and rest in God has been found! You thought I was going to say in Yeshua, didn't you? Well, yes, He is the only way to it. But how many true believers in Yeshua are not fully at rest in Him, try as they might? Are you one of them?  Even sometimes? Would it surprise you to learn that the key is in thinking like a Hebrew. If you thought like a Hebrew, you would have a different understanding of life in God then you more than likely do now. You would be able to live in the same peace, power and fearlessness that Yeshua's first disciples did.  

As you read on, you will see why God's adversary, the devil, hates Israel. Because Israel - and it's language - is the one way we can truly understand God and His Word as He meant for all who follow Him to know Him. There are so many deep meanings in Hebrew that do not exist in other translations. Hebrew was lost as a spoken language following the destruction of Jerusalem. But God prophesied through Jeremiah that it would be spoken in the same Land again:  Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I restore their fortunes"  (Jer. 31:23).  In order to know how God really thinks, we must think like a Hebrew. We are blessed today to grasp some of the deeper foundational truths of salvation through the restoration of the language of Hebrew since Israel has been back in their Land.

What you are about to read is how Yeshua understood the Bible, including the prophesies and how His desciples would have understood God and His Words to Israel.  The Bible says we are to have the mind of Messiah.  Before Yeshua returns, according to the "restoration" that must take place before He does (see Acts 3:21), it is quite likely that His people must think as He thinks. Would you marry someone with whom you couldn't really communicate, who didn't understand your deepest thoughts and desires? Marriage is a type of our relationship with Messiah Yeshua. We are to worship, that is to say, relate to God in Spirit and in truth. All else is misleading and false. So what does He see is false so we can avoid it?

The Fallacy of Ownership: [1]  One of the numerous properties of Biblical Hebrew is that there are no words that are possessive. Our lives largely circle around the things we posses, what we own, the obtaining of them, earning the money to pay for them, the caring for them, the protecting them. The same thing goes for relationships. We say things like my wife, my husband, my friend, my dog. We also say my car, my house, my business and even, my problem.  In ancient Hebrew there is no such thing as anyone owning anything. You  cannot say "I have a car, I have a degree, I have ..." 

This was the language of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who lived in tents and didn't own much compared to what we do. Could you imagine Abraham and his kin shlepping a bureau or a dining room table with them each time they moved?  It's also the language of the priests to the nation.  The royal priesthood were given no inheritance but the Lord. They couldn't own anything. In the same way, Hebrew is a priestly language. There is no ownership but the Lord is our (only) inheritance. And we have to think like a Hebrew to know what God is really saying.

When Yeshua came to earth, He owned nothing. He had no possessive concepts.  At one time I realized that Yeshua owned absolutely nothing. It was somewhat disconcerting when I realized how encumbered I am with 'things'. He said He even "had nowhere to lay His head" (Matt 8:20; Luke 9:58).  Well,  God does give us all things to enjoy. On the other hand, Paul said to Timothy,  "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17).

We say, "I have" but it's really an illusion. Hebrew is very truthful, more than English.. Owning things is really an illusion.  Ba'al was the lord of the Canaanites - he was a fully unrighteous god in every way.  The word ba'al means "master" or "owner".  When you own things, and you possess them, you become a ba'al - like a god over your possessions. The more possessive we get, the more we take upon ourselves all kinds of anxieties and striving surrounding our possessions. They are a false sense of security at best.

In Hebrew you can't say something in yours, but you would say it is "to" me. Hebrew has a L' - meaning something or someone is "to" you..  L' = to.  You can't say I have a house. You say the house is "to" me. (My own name in Hebrew, pronounced L'ani means "to me.") Things are "to" you, they are not yours. fi they are to you, then they are from someone else - God!  He is the giver of all things. It implies direction toward us and our receiving them, contrary to our "having" them on own, or our ownership of them as if we could produce them on our own.  In Hebrew you really don't have things or own anything but rather things are to you.   What you have is really a gift to you from God. When you see things this way, and you let go of your sense of ownership, you begin to see His provision and love for you. When you let go of the false idea of ownership you are free to see the love of God who brings things L'atah. - to you.  You have to let go in order to receive the blessings of seeing how all things come to you from God

All things are really L'Adonai, or L'Yohavah. - to the Lord, or to YHVH.  They belonged to God.  The priests have on their turbans, "Holy to the Lord" "Kadosh L'Adonai" (Exodus 38:26). The Sabbath is Kadosh L'Adonai (Ex. 31:15), the altar in the Holy of Holies is Kadosh L'Adonai (30:10). There are 22 references to Kadosh L'Adonai in the Scritpures.  It may surprise you to see what is Kadosh L'Adonai - even you!  God owns all things, including you!  In Hebrew we say, "All things are to God."  Even our lives are His. We must give our lives to God. Like bride and bridegroom give themselves to one another in a covenant of love.  

This even applies in very practical ways. In Hebrew you can't even say: my need, my struggle, my problem. In Hebrew you say the problem is to me. You con't own the problem. When you release the problem, you're thinking like a Hebrew in your heart. It's not a problems anymore because it really belongs to God and He has promised for those who love Him that He will "work all things together for good..." (Romans 8:28).  When you see it like that, it's not yours anymore. It's His. Let it go.  Life is a gift. That's the Hebrew way of seeing life in its entirety. 

I picked up a non-Christian self-help book out of the blue just this week as God was showing me thsese principles. It said to close your eyes and locate your past and your future and to point to them with your hands over your head. Your past was supposed to be behind you and your future in front of you, but some people's past is still in front of them as they keep dealing with it. I saw that my past was right here with me, around me, and in me. At first I wondered what that could mean but then I realized that I am a product of my past. I have given all of my past to God, in some cases, incident after incident as I forgave or asked for forgiveness where needed.  Who I am today is the sum total of all I have experienced, the good or the not so good, because it has all been given to God so it's all "in Him."  My past is now all "for good" because He has "worked all things together for good" (Romans 8:28), for and in me. My past isn't mine. It was to me, but isn't even that anymore. I have no ownership in that sense of my past, whether the glories (they belong to Him) or the sorrows (He's taken my sorrows).  How wonderful is that?! How wonderful is He?!!!!

In the Song of Solomon, in English we read, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." That's not what it says in Hebrew. It says, "My beloving is L'ani, to me and I am to him." There is no possessive.  The only proper response to God is to be "to him."  We can give up our ownership of each other. What a freedom that brings to a relationship. We are not each others to own or correct or judge. That's for God to do. We are to love one another as God loves us - unconditionally. When we give up the sense of owning another person, we can let God take care what we may have been frustrated about and just enjoy them. We can even give up our ownership of our past. Your past is no longer yours It was L'atah, to you, not your own. Let go and let God work everything for the good on your behalf. No more hurts. Give them to God and now they are to you for good. Let go and let God work all things "to you."  Thinking like a Hebrew in this way, as God meant for you to, will unlock the freedom in your heart you've been longing for. 

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[1]  Much of this information on non-possessive Hebrew comes from a message by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn. For more of his teachings go to: HopeOfTheWorld.org . 

Assured of His Love

Could it be that the way you believe God to have been with Israel affects whether or not you can rest in His love for you? 

 

      Contrary to the general Christian idea that Jews kept the laws of Torah under duress and stress in an exhaustive and futile attempt to gain God's favor, most of time Jews rested in the full assurance that God had chosen them for His very own people over all the others of the earth. They rested in His care and obeyed His Word out of affection and love for Him.  Aside from when a generation, as the Bible stories tell us, forgot about Him and was wooed away to worship other gods, Israel remained secure in God's care for them. When walking with God, Israel did not fear loosing His favor or His presence with them, but carried out His Word with hearts appreciative of His goodness and protection and provision to them. They weren't trying to be "saved" because their idea of salvation was that God's protection and favor was already theirs as a nation. And they didn't constantly fear displeasing Him as Christians often expect they did.  For the most part, Jews enjoyed God, loved Him and lived their lives entirely around Him in celebrations of Him and His bounty to them throughout the year.  

     For those who have thought of Torah as God's way of teaching mankind (Israel) that they can't keep His commandments, that would not have occurred to any Hebrew man or woman. Nor did God give them the Torah to keep Israel in a constant state of frustration and failure for two thousand years, generation after generation.  God gave them ways to be forgiven when they failed, just as He has given us Yeshua's gift of forgiveness and salvation. Theirs was much more complicated from the human standpoint - of having to take an animal for the sacrifice to the temple to have it slaughtered, but the goal is the same, forgiveness.   The difference is that when we accept Yeshua's forgiveness it is complete and total and eternal. The curse of the Fall of mankind is no longer upon us. We have been redeemed and restored to a place before Almighty God, a privilege Israel did not have under Torah alone.

       But God is "the same yesterday, today and forever."  Grace may be realized through Yeshua but it doesn't mean grace wasn't there before Yeshua. Read through David's psalms and make note of his security in God, and even when he sinned God forgave him. David speaks of his security in God, his love for His presence, and where he expected God's protection against his enemies. His assurance in God has been a great comfort to millions as they find that same assurance through David's faith in God. I suggest that his faith was more akin to how Israel saw God on their behalf than the idea that Christians often have of Israel struggling to keep laws to gain God's favor but never really getting there. This idea not only distorts God's ways with Israel, thereby affecting how many view God's attitude toward Israel even today, but more importantly, it distorts our understanding of God.  If we think God rejected Israel after all His promises to them, it may set up even an unconscious expectation that He might reject believers if we fail to meet His standards. 

    


     Note: "Replacement Theology" says that God's promises to Israel were revoked as no longer being God's promises to Israel and the Gentile believers then "replaced" Israel as the recipients of all those promises. Promises of the Land to Israel were supposedly replaced as promises of spiritual land, or the Kingdom of God. This goes against the very character of God's love and faithfulness and against His Word being true and immutable.  

      Please give the following statement some thought and don't dismiss it as unsound.  Could it be that if we think God turned away from Israel, it sets up somewhat of an insecurity in us that we could perhaps be rejected too if we don't make the grade? It could be one of those "Judge not lest you be judged" kind of things. Often when we judge someone else, we may not be judged by another person but rather we judge ourselves. (Selah.) Could this be a another key to unlocking why some of us struggle?  Do we see the Jews as trying to earn God's favor while we fear losing His favor ourselves. If this is the case, then we are living under a law of performances, thinking our own salvation is based on what we do, on maintaining a certain standard of behavior which we fear violating and therefore fear coming under God's disfavor. 



This is not only not a New Testament way to live with God, it's not even an Old Testament way to live with God. God did not give the teachings of Torah to Israel to make them stressed and under pressure all the time to be sure they were "doing it right" - of course not. And Yeshua certainly didn't die so we would remain stressed out and worried that we have to earn His favor either. Yeshua said, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you...."  We receive His peace by giving up trying to get it, by allowing ourselves to accept that we're made acceptable to God by His doing, not ours. We live the same way, by "leaning the weight of our personality on Him" as the Amplified version of the Bible translates faith. You may feel like you're backsliding when you give up worrying, if that's how you've been living. But be assured, He will bring you through to peace.  






As Israel rested in God's choice of them as a nation, we can rest in His choice of each of us, having been chosen before the foundation of the world.  As Israel served Him with affection and gratefulness for His care and provision for them, so can we.  Israel's salvation was limited compared to ours but they didn't know it. Israel received forgiveness of the guilt of their sins through the blood of animals. They didn't know there was more, until Yeshua came. For those who have received Him, Jew or Gentile, ours is complete, entire, whole and eternal. We receive release from not only our sins but our sin nature by the holy blood of Yeshua!  The sacrifices for forgiveness of sins in Torah was the shadow or a type (prediction) of the forgiveness God would ultimately bring through His Son's sacrifice. We live in Yeshua in the completeness of what Torah was as a promise - all based on the goodness and mercy of God.