Friday, September 28, 2012
THEY FORGOT THEIR SUSTAINER
How could a person ever forget God who gave you everything?
To illustrate, here's a parable:
Tom: "I can't take it. All day long my creditors bug me for their money. What should I do?"
Jack: "Make believe you are insane, and yell and scream at them until they leave you alone."
Tom (one week later): "Your trick worked beautifully! They all steer clear of me now."
Jack: "That's great. By the way, Tom, what about the $100 you owe me?"
Tom begins to yell and scream.
Jack: "Come on, Tom! I was the one who gave you that idea. You can't use it on me!"
God gives us the power to forget, so that we don't remain depressed and embarrassed for the rest of our lives. How can we then go and forget God?!
AISH
Sunday, September 23, 2012
EAGERLY CHASE RIGHTEOUSNESS
(Pro 21:21): "Followeth after" [raw-daf] is to chase eagerly after that which is as eagerly keeping itself from you. The same as Jesus statement, "Seek ye First the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Mat 6:33). (7-29-10)
In fact it is very likely that this verse is what Jesus had in mind when He admonished His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount to not be anxious about the cares of this world but "eagerly chase" or "Seek first" His kingdom and all these things would be added. Put Him first in everything and all needs will fall into place. "Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your path," (Pro_3:6). Hunger and thirst after righteousness and you shall be filled (Mat_5:6).
The Righteousness [tsed-aw-kaw] we eagerly chase includes virtue and prosperity and he that asks receives, he that seeks finds and he that knocks the door is opened (Mat 7:7). The becoming absorbed in the chase for righteousness and mercy to the forgetfulness of self is to find life!
Following after the things of the world is never satisfying because you do not find all you were looking for; but following after righteousness and mercy you find more than you bargained for in the satisfying (or more abundant) life (Joh_10:10).
Kelsey Griffin
In fact it is very likely that this verse is what Jesus had in mind when He admonished His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount to not be anxious about the cares of this world but "eagerly chase" or "Seek first" His kingdom and all these things would be added. Put Him first in everything and all needs will fall into place. "Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your path," (Pro_3:6). Hunger and thirst after righteousness and you shall be filled (Mat_5:6).
The Righteousness [tsed-aw-kaw] we eagerly chase includes virtue and prosperity and he that asks receives, he that seeks finds and he that knocks the door is opened (Mat 7:7). The becoming absorbed in the chase for righteousness and mercy to the forgetfulness of self is to find life!
Following after the things of the world is never satisfying because you do not find all you were looking for; but following after righteousness and mercy you find more than you bargained for in the satisfying (or more abundant) life (Joh_10:10).
Kelsey Griffin
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Moses, the Penultimate Tzaddik
Chevra kadisha
Main article: Bereavement in Judaism
A chevra kadisha (Khevra kadishah) (Aramaic: חברא קדישא, Ḥebh'ra Qaddisha "holy society") is an organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of Jews are prepared for burial according to Jewish tradition and are protected from desecration, willful or not, until burial. Two of the main requirements are the showing of proper respect for a corpse, and the ritual cleansing of the body and subsequent dressing for burial. It is usually referred to as a burial society in English.
The task of the chevra kadisha is considered a laudable one, as tending to the dead is a favour that the recipient cannot return, making it devoid of ulterior motives. Its work is therefore referred to as a chesed shel emet (a good deed of truth), paraphrased from Genesis 47:29 (where Jacob asks his son Joseph, "do me a 'true' favor" and Joseph promises his father to bury him in the Land of Israel).
At the heart of the society's function is the ritual of tahara, or purification. The body is first thoroughly cleansed of dirt, body fluids and solids, and anything else that may be on the skin, and then it is ritually purified by immersion in, or a continuous flow of, water from the head over the entire body. Tahara may refer to either the entire process, or to the ritual purification. Once the body is purified, the body is dressed in tachrichim, or shrouds, of white pure cotton garments made up of ten pieces for a male and twelve for a female, which are identical for each Jew and which symbolically recalls the garments worn by the Kohen Gadol (High Priest). Once the body is dressed, the casket is closed. When being buried in Israel, however, a casket is not used.
The society may also provide shomrim, or watchers, to guard the body from theft, rodents, or desecration until burial. In some communities this is done by people close to the departed or by paid shomrim hired by the funeral home. At one time, the danger of theft of the body was very real; in modern times it has become a way of honoring the deceased.
A specific task for the burial society is tending to the dead who have no immediate next-of-kin. These are termed a meit mitzvah (a mitzvah corpse), as tending to a meit mitzvah overrides virtually any other positive commandment (mitzvat aseh) of Torah law.
Many burial societies hold one or two annual fast days and organise regular study sessions to remain up-to-date with the relevant articles of Jewish law. In addition, most burial societies also support families during the shiv'ah (traditional week of mourning) by arranging prayer services, meals and other facilities.
While burial societies were, in Europe, generally a community function, in America it has become far more common for societies to be organized by each synagogue. However, not every synagogue has such a society.[citation needed]
In the late 19th and early 20th century, chevra kadisha societies were formed as landsmanshaft fraternal societies in the United States. Some landsmanshaft were burial societies while others were "independent" groups split off from the chevras. There were 20,000 such landsmanshaft in the U.S. at one time.[1][2] Wiki
Main article: Bereavement in Judaism
A chevra kadisha (Khevra kadishah) (Aramaic: חברא קדישא, Ḥebh'ra Qaddisha "holy society") is an organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of Jews are prepared for burial according to Jewish tradition and are protected from desecration, willful or not, until burial. Two of the main requirements are the showing of proper respect for a corpse, and the ritual cleansing of the body and subsequent dressing for burial. It is usually referred to as a burial society in English.
The task of the chevra kadisha is considered a laudable one, as tending to the dead is a favour that the recipient cannot return, making it devoid of ulterior motives. Its work is therefore referred to as a chesed shel emet (a good deed of truth), paraphrased from Genesis 47:29 (where Jacob asks his son Joseph, "do me a 'true' favor" and Joseph promises his father to bury him in the Land of Israel).
At the heart of the society's function is the ritual of tahara, or purification. The body is first thoroughly cleansed of dirt, body fluids and solids, and anything else that may be on the skin, and then it is ritually purified by immersion in, or a continuous flow of, water from the head over the entire body. Tahara may refer to either the entire process, or to the ritual purification. Once the body is purified, the body is dressed in tachrichim, or shrouds, of white pure cotton garments made up of ten pieces for a male and twelve for a female, which are identical for each Jew and which symbolically recalls the garments worn by the Kohen Gadol (High Priest). Once the body is dressed, the casket is closed. When being buried in Israel, however, a casket is not used.
The society may also provide shomrim, or watchers, to guard the body from theft, rodents, or desecration until burial. In some communities this is done by people close to the departed or by paid shomrim hired by the funeral home. At one time, the danger of theft of the body was very real; in modern times it has become a way of honoring the deceased.
A specific task for the burial society is tending to the dead who have no immediate next-of-kin. These are termed a meit mitzvah (a mitzvah corpse), as tending to a meit mitzvah overrides virtually any other positive commandment (mitzvat aseh) of Torah law.
Many burial societies hold one or two annual fast days and organise regular study sessions to remain up-to-date with the relevant articles of Jewish law. In addition, most burial societies also support families during the shiv'ah (traditional week of mourning) by arranging prayer services, meals and other facilities.
While burial societies were, in Europe, generally a community function, in America it has become far more common for societies to be organized by each synagogue. However, not every synagogue has such a society.[citation needed]
In the late 19th and early 20th century, chevra kadisha societies were formed as landsmanshaft fraternal societies in the United States. Some landsmanshaft were burial societies while others were "independent" groups split off from the chevras. There were 20,000 such landsmanshaft in the U.S. at one time.[1][2] Wiki
Thursday, September 20, 2012
SAY SO
(Luke 24:28; Psa 107:2): "He made as though He would go further" "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so."
He wished to elicit a voluntary expression of their hospitality. They had goodness in their hearts. It only needed to be exercised.
The hidden goodness sought expression. Sentiment of hospitality found a voice.
But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us; because it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent.
He did not do this for His own sake, but for theirs.
It was not to obtain a night's lodging.
But to let them have a larger heart!
Goodness expressed is goodness confirmed.
Hospitality uttered is hospitality enriched.
Feelings that find no utterance die from suffocation.
To confess sentiment is to strengthen it.
To hide sentiment is to lose it.
If you wish to strengthen a feeling, express it. If you wish to destroy a feeling, deprive it a tongue.
"O give thanks unto the Lord."
"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving."
Man who said, "If I ever quit loving you I will tell you."
Gratitude unexpressed cools into apathy.
"It is a good thing to give thanks."
"Everyone who confesses me before men, him shall the Son of man confess before the angels of God." This is not a threat, it is a principle! It is cause and effect.
"If thou shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved."
Confession would stop many an unfair conversation, dry up the applause of a filthy joke and lift up many a downhearted soul.
Kelsey Griffin
He wished to elicit a voluntary expression of their hospitality. They had goodness in their hearts. It only needed to be exercised.
The hidden goodness sought expression. Sentiment of hospitality found a voice.
But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us; because it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent.
He did not do this for His own sake, but for theirs.
It was not to obtain a night's lodging.
But to let them have a larger heart!
Goodness expressed is goodness confirmed.
Hospitality uttered is hospitality enriched.
Feelings that find no utterance die from suffocation.
To confess sentiment is to strengthen it.
To hide sentiment is to lose it.
If you wish to strengthen a feeling, express it. If you wish to destroy a feeling, deprive it a tongue.
"O give thanks unto the Lord."
"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving."
Man who said, "If I ever quit loving you I will tell you."
Gratitude unexpressed cools into apathy.
"It is a good thing to give thanks."
"Everyone who confesses me before men, him shall the Son of man confess before the angels of God." This is not a threat, it is a principle! It is cause and effect.
"If thou shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved."
Confession would stop many an unfair conversation, dry up the applause of a filthy joke and lift up many a downhearted soul.
Kelsey Griffin
REDEMPTION NEGOTIATED
(Ruth 4:1-12): Boaz negotiated Ruth's redemption just as Jesus negotiated ours; legally and completely.
How completely this proposal illustrates the proposition of Jesus Christ our great Redeemer in our behalf. Thus publicly He agreed, in the presence of witnesses of the seven Spirits of God (Rev 3:1), to make Himself an offering for sin (Heb 10:5-10). Thus legally would He fulfill all righteousness for man, and be made under the law (Gal 4:4), that He might redeem those who were under the law from the bondage of its condemnation (Gal 4:5). Thus perfectly and completely would He buy back all that man had lost in Adam, and unite unto Himself the nature which had sinned and fallen. But angels were a created nature, far nearer in relation to man. Might not the proposition be made to them? Would they not redeem the lost? Ah, willing they might be; we doubt not they were. But able they could never be. The redemption of a soul they must accomplished by the Kinsman Redeemer alone. None other can bring salvation. His own arm must bring salvation. His righteousness must sustain Him. He was content to do the will of God, and His law was in His heart. Here was to be complete redemption. He would take the shoe, like Boaz, and acknowledge the obligation, and perform the duties of which it was the token. He would stand in the sinner's place (Rom 3:26). He would make Himself an offering in his stead (Isa 53:10). All this exercise and work of redeeming love was in the fullness of His own grace, without any connection of yours with it. Yes; just as the proposal of Boaz was without Ruth's presence or knowledge; made in her absence, while she was with her mother at home, and not to be made known to her until it was completed; so was this great proposal of Jesus Christ to be your Kinsman, and to fulfill for you all the kinsman's obligations, made without your counsel and accomplished without your help (Eph 1:11). This is the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph 3:8). It ruled over every obstacle. It met every difficulty. It is extended to sinful man with no conditions. It invites him, and offers its bounties to him without any qualifications whatever. It announces a redemption all complete, and begs him to receive and to enjoy it. Thus God has chosen to redeem. And thus He has chosen us to be His Bride, the subjects of His redemption.
Kelsey Griffin
How completely this proposal illustrates the proposition of Jesus Christ our great Redeemer in our behalf. Thus publicly He agreed, in the presence of witnesses of the seven Spirits of God (Rev 3:1), to make Himself an offering for sin (Heb 10:5-10). Thus legally would He fulfill all righteousness for man, and be made under the law (Gal 4:4), that He might redeem those who were under the law from the bondage of its condemnation (Gal 4:5). Thus perfectly and completely would He buy back all that man had lost in Adam, and unite unto Himself the nature which had sinned and fallen. But angels were a created nature, far nearer in relation to man. Might not the proposition be made to them? Would they not redeem the lost? Ah, willing they might be; we doubt not they were. But able they could never be. The redemption of a soul they must accomplished by the Kinsman Redeemer alone. None other can bring salvation. His own arm must bring salvation. His righteousness must sustain Him. He was content to do the will of God, and His law was in His heart. Here was to be complete redemption. He would take the shoe, like Boaz, and acknowledge the obligation, and perform the duties of which it was the token. He would stand in the sinner's place (Rom 3:26). He would make Himself an offering in his stead (Isa 53:10). All this exercise and work of redeeming love was in the fullness of His own grace, without any connection of yours with it. Yes; just as the proposal of Boaz was without Ruth's presence or knowledge; made in her absence, while she was with her mother at home, and not to be made known to her until it was completed; so was this great proposal of Jesus Christ to be your Kinsman, and to fulfill for you all the kinsman's obligations, made without your counsel and accomplished without your help (Eph 1:11). This is the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph 3:8). It ruled over every obstacle. It met every difficulty. It is extended to sinful man with no conditions. It invites him, and offers its bounties to him without any qualifications whatever. It announces a redemption all complete, and begs him to receive and to enjoy it. Thus God has chosen to redeem. And thus He has chosen us to be His Bride, the subjects of His redemption.
Kelsey Griffin
JESUS WILL NOT REST UNTIL HE HAS A BRIDE
(Ruth 3:18): Once Boaz realized the turn of events that had resulted from his kindness to Ruth everything he would do from then until the consummation of this transaction would be in regard to her.
Jesus Christ is the same and will not rest until His bride is at His side.
(2Pe 3:9) "Not slack concerning His promise"
(Isa 62:7) "Give Him no rest" (Isa 62:1)
(Isa 42:4)He will not be discouraged until it be accomplished
When he knew she would be his he immediately went to work on making her his own.
·Went to the one whose right it is.
·Went to prepare her a place.
·Gave her provisions to care for her until he returned.
·Naomi was there to assure and prepare her.
Jesus came first to pay the price and make us His own.
He has gone now to prepare a place (Joh 14:1-3; Rev 21-22)
We have the earnest of our inheritance (Eph 1:14)
He is not resting yet (Heb 4:9) for "there remains a rest to the people of God"
The last minute inspection is being made now.
The Spirit is preparing us (Joh 14:26).
Bride is making herself ready (Rev 19:7; Eph 5:26)
(Heb 9:28) "Unto them that look for Him" (Tit 2:10-14; Phi 3:20)
·He will not be relaxed.
·He will leave nothing undone.
·He has given us provisions.
·We have the language, citizenship, bank, home, Spirit.
·We will have the body for it.
·He is stirred up about it.
·He keeps moving forward.
·He is working within our bodies to prepare us.
· (Joh 19:30) "It is finished"
·Isaac went to meditate.
·Esther would wear whatever the chamberlain chose
·"I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straitened until it be accomplished" (or, let me do it now, I am anxious to get it done)
Kelsey Griffin
Jesus Christ is the same and will not rest until His bride is at His side.
(2Pe 3:9) "Not slack concerning His promise"
(Isa 62:7) "Give Him no rest" (Isa 62:1)
(Isa 42:4)He will not be discouraged until it be accomplished
When he knew she would be his he immediately went to work on making her his own.
·Went to the one whose right it is.
·Went to prepare her a place.
·Gave her provisions to care for her until he returned.
·Naomi was there to assure and prepare her.
Jesus came first to pay the price and make us His own.
He has gone now to prepare a place (Joh 14:1-3; Rev 21-22)
We have the earnest of our inheritance (Eph 1:14)
He is not resting yet (Heb 4:9) for "there remains a rest to the people of God"
The last minute inspection is being made now.
The Spirit is preparing us (Joh 14:26).
Bride is making herself ready (Rev 19:7; Eph 5:26)
(Heb 9:28) "Unto them that look for Him" (Tit 2:10-14; Phi 3:20)
·He will not be relaxed.
·He will leave nothing undone.
·He has given us provisions.
·We have the language, citizenship, bank, home, Spirit.
·We will have the body for it.
·He is stirred up about it.
·He keeps moving forward.
·He is working within our bodies to prepare us.
· (Joh 19:30) "It is finished"
·Isaac went to meditate.
·Esther would wear whatever the chamberlain chose
·"I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straitened until it be accomplished" (or, let me do it now, I am anxious to get it done)
Kelsey Griffin
Preparing for life after death
"But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Mark 12:26-27, quoting Exodus 3:6)
Commentary:
Please do not bury me in Egypt, but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place. (Genesis 47:29-30)
Jacob made his son Joseph swear that he would not bury him in Egypt, but that he would be carried to the land of Israel and buried with his fathers Abraham and Isaac in the Machpelah cave. Jacob's insistence on being buried in the family tomb back in the land of Canaan indicates that, even in death, he still believed in the Abrahamic promises. He believed the land of Canaan would one day belong to his children, and he wanted to be buried there. Moreover, Jacob believed in life after death. That is what he means when he told his sons, "I am about to be gathered to my people" (Genesis 49:29). Jacob anticipated being reunited with his forefathers.
Some cynics say that religion is a crutch for people who fear death. That may sometimes be the case, but it certainly does not apply to those who study Torah. The Torah does not say much about life after death. It's really not a book about how to go to heaven or what happens after we die. The Torah is more concerned with how we live in this lifetime, not the next. It is possible to read the entire Torah and conclude that there is no afterlife or resurrection from the dead. In the days of the apostles, a sect of Judaism called the Sadducees did exactly that. They read the Torah, did not see anything about an afterlife, and concluded that there is no afterlife, no heaven or hell, no resurrection from the dead.
Another sect of Judaism from the days of the apostles disagreed. They were called the Pharisees. They read the same Torah as the Sadducees, but came to a different conclusion. Though the Torah is not a book about the afterlife or how to receive eternal life, the Pharisees found many hints and clues that pointed toward the afterlife and the resurrection from the dead.
Once, a Pharisee named Rabbi Simai was arguing with the Sadducees. They asked him to prove from the Torah that the dead would be raised.
Rabbi Simai said, "From where in Torah do we learn the resurrection of the dead? From the verse, 'I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan.' It doesn't say '[to give] you'; it says 'to give them.' Therefore [since Abraham, Isaac and Jacob haven't yet received the land] the resurrection of the dead is proved from the Torah." (b.Sanhedrin 90b, Talmud, quoting Exodus 6:4)
Rabbi Simai's point is that God promised to give the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—not just to their descendents. Yet, as the writer of the book of Hebrews points out, the patriarchs "died in faith, without receiving the promises" (Hebrews 11:13). God must keep His promise, but in order to do so, He will have to raise the patriarchs from the dead. This explains why Jacob was so adamant about being buried in the tomb of his fathers in the land of Canaan.
Part of life is preparing for death, and part of preparing for death is preparing for life after death. Jacob prepared for death in full confidence because he had a relationship with the living God. FFOZ
Commentary:
Please do not bury me in Egypt, but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place. (Genesis 47:29-30)
Jacob made his son Joseph swear that he would not bury him in Egypt, but that he would be carried to the land of Israel and buried with his fathers Abraham and Isaac in the Machpelah cave. Jacob's insistence on being buried in the family tomb back in the land of Canaan indicates that, even in death, he still believed in the Abrahamic promises. He believed the land of Canaan would one day belong to his children, and he wanted to be buried there. Moreover, Jacob believed in life after death. That is what he means when he told his sons, "I am about to be gathered to my people" (Genesis 49:29). Jacob anticipated being reunited with his forefathers.
Some cynics say that religion is a crutch for people who fear death. That may sometimes be the case, but it certainly does not apply to those who study Torah. The Torah does not say much about life after death. It's really not a book about how to go to heaven or what happens after we die. The Torah is more concerned with how we live in this lifetime, not the next. It is possible to read the entire Torah and conclude that there is no afterlife or resurrection from the dead. In the days of the apostles, a sect of Judaism called the Sadducees did exactly that. They read the Torah, did not see anything about an afterlife, and concluded that there is no afterlife, no heaven or hell, no resurrection from the dead.
Another sect of Judaism from the days of the apostles disagreed. They were called the Pharisees. They read the same Torah as the Sadducees, but came to a different conclusion. Though the Torah is not a book about the afterlife or how to receive eternal life, the Pharisees found many hints and clues that pointed toward the afterlife and the resurrection from the dead.
Once, a Pharisee named Rabbi Simai was arguing with the Sadducees. They asked him to prove from the Torah that the dead would be raised.
Rabbi Simai said, "From where in Torah do we learn the resurrection of the dead? From the verse, 'I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan.' It doesn't say '[to give] you'; it says 'to give them.' Therefore [since Abraham, Isaac and Jacob haven't yet received the land] the resurrection of the dead is proved from the Torah." (b.Sanhedrin 90b, Talmud, quoting Exodus 6:4)
Rabbi Simai's point is that God promised to give the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—not just to their descendents. Yet, as the writer of the book of Hebrews points out, the patriarchs "died in faith, without receiving the promises" (Hebrews 11:13). God must keep His promise, but in order to do so, He will have to raise the patriarchs from the dead. This explains why Jacob was so adamant about being buried in the tomb of his fathers in the land of Canaan.
Part of life is preparing for death, and part of preparing for death is preparing for life after death. Jacob prepared for death in full confidence because he had a relationship with the living God. FFOZ
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