Today's theme seems to be the Oneness of God because of all the comments on Twitter and FaceBook.
In the Hebrew (av) spells father and (ben) spells son. If the two words are combined so that they share the same beit(2nd letter of aleph-bet),you get (eh-vhen) which spells stone. Father and Son come together to become "stone". "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Romans 9:31-33
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
An Old Hebrew Legend
Frogs - Pharaoh frog-proofed his palace like a sealed room. A big sign proclaimed: "No Frogs Allowed!" Pharaoh sat smugly on his throne as the frogs all banged against the window: "Let us in!" Every day Pharaoh opened the mail slot a tiny crack so they can squeeze in his pita bread for the day.
One little frog proclaimed: "God said into the ovens! Someone has to go!" This frog sneaked into the dough and is baked into the pita, miraculously surviving. (This is the forerunner of Daniel's 3 friends - Chananya, Meshael and Azarya - who learned from the frogs to do likewise.)
Upon entering the palace - and Pharaoh's stomach - this little frog begins croaking the daylights out. Pharaoh screams for help, opens the door and in rush all the frogs! In the end they all died, leaving smelly frog corpses throughout the land of Egypt.
Measure for measure: The Egyptians deprived the Jews of sleep by making them work into the night. Now they couldn't sleep, due to a symphony of frogs.
Rabbi Avi Geller
Thursday, January 12, 2012
SIX BABIES AT A TIME
Exodus 1:7 uses six words of "increase," to which Rashi comments that the Jewish women in Egypt gave birth to six babies at a time.
The Oznayim L'Torah recounts that a Jew once approached Rabbi Eliezer Gordon, the Rav and Rosh Yeshiva of Telz in Europe. He argued that he although he believed whatever is explicitly written in the Torah, how could he, a modern and sophisticated intellectual, be expected to believe in apparently exaggerated Midrashim, such as Rashi's comment that the Jewish women in Egypt miraculously gave birth to six children at a time?
Without batting an eyelash, Rabbi Gordon answered him with a beautiful mathematical proof of the Midrash's claim. In Parshas Bamidbar, the Torah records the results of the census conducted approximately one year after the Exodus from Egypt. The total number of first-born males was 22,273 (Numbers 3:43), and assuming that there were an equal number of first-born females, there were a total of 44,546 families.
The total number of men between the ages of 20 and 60 was 603,550 (Numbers 1:46), and doubling this number to account for the men under 20 and over 60 yields a total of 1,207,100 men. Assuming that there were an equal number of men and women results in a total of 2,414,200 Jewish people. Dividing 2,414,200 by 44,546 yields an average family size of approximately 54.
It takes a woman almost one year to conceive and give birth to a child. In those times, it took a woman two years after giving birth until she was able to conceive again (Talmud - Niddah 9a), meaning that each child required roughly three years. A woman normally has 27-30 child-bearing years during her life. If each child takes three years, she will be able to give birth a maximum of 9-10 times during her lifetime. Dividing the 54 children the average woman had by the roughly nine times she gave birth yields a result of exactly six children per delivery, a proof which left the questioning Jew stunned and speechless.
The Oznayim L'Torah recounts that a Jew once approached Rabbi Eliezer Gordon, the Rav and Rosh Yeshiva of Telz in Europe. He argued that he although he believed whatever is explicitly written in the Torah, how could he, a modern and sophisticated intellectual, be expected to believe in apparently exaggerated Midrashim, such as Rashi's comment that the Jewish women in Egypt miraculously gave birth to six children at a time?
Without batting an eyelash, Rabbi Gordon answered him with a beautiful mathematical proof of the Midrash's claim. In Parshas Bamidbar, the Torah records the results of the census conducted approximately one year after the Exodus from Egypt. The total number of first-born males was 22,273 (Numbers 3:43), and assuming that there were an equal number of first-born females, there were a total of 44,546 families.
The total number of men between the ages of 20 and 60 was 603,550 (Numbers 1:46), and doubling this number to account for the men under 20 and over 60 yields a total of 1,207,100 men. Assuming that there were an equal number of men and women results in a total of 2,414,200 Jewish people. Dividing 2,414,200 by 44,546 yields an average family size of approximately 54.
It takes a woman almost one year to conceive and give birth to a child. In those times, it took a woman two years after giving birth until she was able to conceive again (Talmud - Niddah 9a), meaning that each child required roughly three years. A woman normally has 27-30 child-bearing years during her life. If each child takes three years, she will be able to give birth a maximum of 9-10 times during her lifetime. Dividing the 54 children the average woman had by the roughly nine times she gave birth yields a result of exactly six children per delivery, a proof which left the questioning Jew stunned and speechless.
Wrong Policies and People
WRONG POLICIES AND PEOPLE (Ezr 4:1-2): We must remember first of all that God is the builder (Psa 127:1; Mat 16:18) so it must be under His direction and by His chosen ones (Exo 31:1-6; Joh 15:16). It was an important step of faith to refuse a partnership that might have seemed helpful. We can imagine that there were a few pragmatists among them who said, "We need any help we can get. We can guard ourselves against ungodly influences they may bring." In weak or early circumstances of a building work there is often a serious temptation to take any help and to ignore the dangers of unwise and ungodly partnerships. For example, look at the alliances Jehoshaphat made with idolaters that had such detrimental consequences.
“"Men of faith have often fallen into this blunder, and have associated with themselves those not sharing their faith, and therefore in the deepest sense opposed to their enterprises. These leaders were not deceived. They detected the peril." (Morgan)
REMEMBER BILL GOTHARD’S ADVICE:
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF DESTRUCTIVE SEEDS TO BEWARE OF
1. Wrong people
Rom_16:17 "Mark those who cause division among you and avoid them"
Here are five types of wrong people:
(1) People with conflicting philosophies—those who love the world (1Jo_2:15)
(2) People with hidden expectations (Luk_9:57-62)
(3) People with unresolved disloyalties—rejecting their authority (2Ti_3:1-7)
(4) People with moral impurities (1Co_5:5)
(5) People who have no real love for truth (2Th_2:11)
(6) People with unkept vows—God will destroy their works (Ecc_5:4-6)
2. Wrong policy
Pro_3:5 Lean not to your own understanding
Here are ten don'ts for successful church building (vs human reasoning)
(1) Do not do your own advertising "Let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth" (Pro_27:2)
(2) Do not build with bigger programs, but with better food. A proof of our love for Jesus is how well we feed His sheep (Joh_21:16-17; 2Co_1:1-3)
(3) Do not give solutions without requiring sacrifice—the more sure you are of your answers, the greater commitment you can demand of your hearers (Luk_14:33)
(4) Do not expand without the money in hand (Pro_27:1; Pro_22:7)
(5) Do not doubt in the darkness what God showed you in the light. Expect the birth, death, and fulfillment of your vision.
(6) Do not reject your critics—they force you to clarify and deepen your message (Pro_15:10)
(7) Do not work to keep your church full, work to keep it pure.
(8) Do not remove the awe from God's truth—maintain interest with deepening curiosity (parables of Christ)
(9) Do not use church positions to keep people involved.
•Use positions to set examples for people in and out of the church.
(10) Do not allow anyone to share bad reports. Stay positive yourself and avoid pessimistic thinking and preaching.
•Teach people how to examine themselves, exhort others, and restore offenders.
Kelsey Griffin
“"Men of faith have often fallen into this blunder, and have associated with themselves those not sharing their faith, and therefore in the deepest sense opposed to their enterprises. These leaders were not deceived. They detected the peril." (Morgan)
REMEMBER BILL GOTHARD’S ADVICE:
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF DESTRUCTIVE SEEDS TO BEWARE OF
1. Wrong people
Rom_16:17 "Mark those who cause division among you and avoid them"
Here are five types of wrong people:
(1) People with conflicting philosophies—those who love the world (1Jo_2:15)
(2) People with hidden expectations (Luk_9:57-62)
(3) People with unresolved disloyalties—rejecting their authority (2Ti_3:1-7)
(4) People with moral impurities (1Co_5:5)
(5) People who have no real love for truth (2Th_2:11)
(6) People with unkept vows—God will destroy their works (Ecc_5:4-6)
2. Wrong policy
Pro_3:5 Lean not to your own understanding
Here are ten don'ts for successful church building (vs human reasoning)
(1) Do not do your own advertising "Let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth" (Pro_27:2)
(2) Do not build with bigger programs, but with better food. A proof of our love for Jesus is how well we feed His sheep (Joh_21:16-17; 2Co_1:1-3)
(3) Do not give solutions without requiring sacrifice—the more sure you are of your answers, the greater commitment you can demand of your hearers (Luk_14:33)
(4) Do not expand without the money in hand (Pro_27:1; Pro_22:7)
(5) Do not doubt in the darkness what God showed you in the light. Expect the birth, death, and fulfillment of your vision.
(6) Do not reject your critics—they force you to clarify and deepen your message (Pro_15:10)
(7) Do not work to keep your church full, work to keep it pure.
(8) Do not remove the awe from God's truth—maintain interest with deepening curiosity (parables of Christ)
(9) Do not use church positions to keep people involved.
•Use positions to set examples for people in and out of the church.
(10) Do not allow anyone to share bad reports. Stay positive yourself and avoid pessimistic thinking and preaching.
•Teach people how to examine themselves, exhort others, and restore offenders.
Kelsey Griffin
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Holy Ground Shmot (Exodus 1:1-6:1) by Rabbi Stephen Baars
"And He said (God to Moses), Do not come any closer, remove your shoes from off your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5)
When television first reached the shores of Great Britain, the BBC asked the general public for suggestions to what they should call someone who watches television. The Talmud, 2000 years earlier, explained the meaning behind this. All languages (except Hebrew) are an agreement among people. We all agree to call this a chair and that a table, but we could just as easily have named that a chair and this a table. In other words, words are arbitrary, and we can call someone who watches TV whatever we want. In fact, we often do.
One might erroneously conclude that the study of words and languages is meaningless. That would be a mistake. In fact, it is so important, that to sit on Judaism's highest court, the Sanhedrin, one must be fluent in 70 languages. A judge, specifically a judge of people has to have the deepest love of life, and as much as we all may profess such conviction, without a matching love of wisdom, it's really not life we love, but comfort.
Wisdom is the science of making life meaningful and fulfilling, and every nation has a unique wisdom. Its language is a reflection of how its people see life, and without a true understanding of its language, you would be missing that nation's unique wisdom.
For example, if you know a little Spanish you will appreciate that "siesta" does not translate as "nap." It's more a reflection of how you view your day than the time you take to close your eyes. Words that reflect a culture's world view cannot be translated into another language with a different world view. This inability to truly capture what words mean in another language is why the Rambam (Maimonodes) writes that all translators are liars.
Similarly, the Yiddish word "nachas" does not translate as "joy." You don't have to be Spanish nor Jewish but you do need to know the words. A word is an insight into life. It's a reflection of how the speaker thinks.
People cannot think outside their language. If you don't have the word, you cannot ponder the concept.
In the Eskimo language of Inuit, I am told, there are approximately 100 words for snow. That means there are types of snow I don't see, even though I have to shovel it.
If all you speak is English you cannot think outside the sum of all the English words. This is true for all languages. Therefore, if you studied the entire dictionary of a language you could know what the speakers think.
Now, take all the English words you do know. What does it tell you about the thinking of English speakers?
All English words are descriptions of the physical world. Whatever room you are sitting in, there are words to describe everything you see. Given the time, you could recreate the room just through words. This is not possible however, in classical Hebrew. Biblical Hebrew only has primary colors and approximate measurements. Hebrew is clearly not a language for understanding the physical world.
But, just as Hebrew is inept at describing the physical world, English is terrible at describing the spiritual or emotional world.
English has no words to tell anyone, least not yourself, how you feel.
By the way, how are you feeling today?
"Good."
Can you tell me how you are feeling relative to yesterday?
"A little bit better."
Does that tell me anything? Can you express your feelings about your spouse or children in ways that you couldn't be talking about your new car?
Not to diminish either, but what does the word love mean if it can be used to describe feelings for your spouse and your new surround-sound home movie theater?
This paucity of sentiment doesn't end there. "Spiritual," "transcendental," "paranormal," all these words mean the same thing - nothing. They are more a reflection of what we don't know, than what we do. The English speaker knows what normal is, so paranormal (para + normal) means more than that.
What does that mean? Nothing.
Similarly transcendental and spiritual are just labels for worlds we know nothing about, so we put them all into the category of the supernatural (super, meaning more than, + natural) and leave it at that.
Leaving it at that has severe consequences for a human being, who is essentially a spiritual being (whatever that means). It means the soul that is aching to express itself is stymied.
Constantly.
Without the words, you cannot think about your feelings.
Go one millimeter below the physical surface and English goes dark. In the physical world we have a multitude of words for colors, shapes and dimensions. A multitude of words for money and how it is doing; your investment portfolio can easily be defined and categorized. But not your spiritual portfolio.
And thus we come to the word "holy."
What does it mean?
I like to joke that in the Pentagon they have two war departments, the department of wars and the department of holy wars. What is the difference?
Holy wars cost twice as much. That's how the Pentagon sees them. Truthfully, it's how I see them too, at least as it relates to the world's current wars.
How can someone eager to end lives be engaged in a "holy war." Is this not an oxymoron? Why is it that the people proclaiming a holy war are more violent and more willing to inflict widespread collateral damage than those in a conventional battle?
I think it true to say, that any meaningful definition of the word "holy" can never lead us to include the proponents of 9/11.
I am always amused when people get offended because you walked on their holy ground. Not that I need place my toe on their so-called sacred dirt just to tick them off or to see what will happen to my foot. But rather, I feel compelled to ask, "What happens when a Jew, or an infidel by another name, steps on your holy ground? Does the time/space continuum slow down? Does the holiness leave in a huff and go stay with someone else's dirt?"
Maybe this is too sacrilegious to ask, but why is an infidel worse than a bird? What happens when a non-religious bird alights on such property? Or, dare I ask, when he "does his business" there?
Maybe the birds know it's holy ground, or maybe the birds converted? But I jest, if you couldn't tell.
In our verse above, God tells Moses to remove his shoes because the ground is holy.
What does this mean?
Is holy ground synonymous to freshly cleaned carpets in your mother's house. Maybe God just cleaned the desert, so to speak, and Moses, who has been tending the sheep (with all that it entails), approaches. Maybe God doesn't want him messing up the rock arrangement?
Surely I jest some more. Yes.
Hebrew is a spiritual language. If you want to express your soul, you have to know Hebrew. In English, the word "holy" really doesn't mean anything. It is simply a way of saying "more." More committed, more violent.
In Hebrew the word for holy is kadosh. Kadosh means "meaningful." Something is holy/Kadosh, if when using it, or when in it's proximity, it gives you a clearer idea of what life and your purpose is all about. A holy experience makes you more meaningful and directs you to your true purpose in life.
God runs the world. There are no accidents. Everything that happens to you, from the largest to the smallest, is directed by God. Nothing is too difficult and nothing too small for God to organize. There is only one God and everything that happens is done with ultimate thought. There is a reason for everything.
Living with this idea can be daunting. Even big events are sometimes beyond our understanding. That doesn't take away from their meaning, it just means we are not thinking hard enough about them, or it isn't necessary for us to know what it means. Nevertheless, if we are pursuing a life of meaning and holiness, we should try to understand why what happens to us, happens to us.
Where to start?
With the biggest things that happen to you, then work your way down. Be careful though. There is a point where, if you ponder the meaning of everything that happens to you, you will not get anything done. God is talking to us all the time through all the little and big things that are happening to us, but there comes a point where you just have to move on.
Where is that point?
Shoes.
Shoes perform a different function than our other clothes. Clothes keep us warm and modest. Shoes protect us from the stones and sharp objects on the ground. Without them, we would have to pay very close attention to where we walked and we would constantly be stubbing our toes.
A stubbed toe is a message that we should listen to. And even though we should not try to evade the messages, we wear shoes to protect us from getting them. The reason being, there is a certain point where the message is not as important as the job we have to do.
"And He said (God to Moses), Do not come any closer, remove your shoes from off your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5)
This ground in meaningful (Kadosh/holy). Remove your shoes so that we (God and Moses) can talk. Similarly, on the holy day of Yom Kippur, we remove our leather shoes, since this day is especially holy. Whatever happens that day has a real message in it for you - even the smallest things. Take the time to listen more than you usually would; it's God talking.
But even when it's not Yom Kippur, God is still talking. You don't have to take your shoes off to get the message, you just have to pay attention to the messages you get.
* * *
BRAINSTORMING QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Question 1: God is talking to us every single day. What was the most significant event of the day. What is the message?
Question 2: Ask a good friend if they agree with your answer.
Question 3: List the significant events that occurred to you this week, from the smallest to the largest: is there a theme to all these messages?
Question 4: Ask three people to help you understand a significant event that occurred in your life.
When television first reached the shores of Great Britain, the BBC asked the general public for suggestions to what they should call someone who watches television. The Talmud, 2000 years earlier, explained the meaning behind this. All languages (except Hebrew) are an agreement among people. We all agree to call this a chair and that a table, but we could just as easily have named that a chair and this a table. In other words, words are arbitrary, and we can call someone who watches TV whatever we want. In fact, we often do.
One might erroneously conclude that the study of words and languages is meaningless. That would be a mistake. In fact, it is so important, that to sit on Judaism's highest court, the Sanhedrin, one must be fluent in 70 languages. A judge, specifically a judge of people has to have the deepest love of life, and as much as we all may profess such conviction, without a matching love of wisdom, it's really not life we love, but comfort.
Wisdom is the science of making life meaningful and fulfilling, and every nation has a unique wisdom. Its language is a reflection of how its people see life, and without a true understanding of its language, you would be missing that nation's unique wisdom.
For example, if you know a little Spanish you will appreciate that "siesta" does not translate as "nap." It's more a reflection of how you view your day than the time you take to close your eyes. Words that reflect a culture's world view cannot be translated into another language with a different world view. This inability to truly capture what words mean in another language is why the Rambam (Maimonodes) writes that all translators are liars.
Similarly, the Yiddish word "nachas" does not translate as "joy." You don't have to be Spanish nor Jewish but you do need to know the words. A word is an insight into life. It's a reflection of how the speaker thinks.
People cannot think outside their language. If you don't have the word, you cannot ponder the concept.
In the Eskimo language of Inuit, I am told, there are approximately 100 words for snow. That means there are types of snow I don't see, even though I have to shovel it.
If all you speak is English you cannot think outside the sum of all the English words. This is true for all languages. Therefore, if you studied the entire dictionary of a language you could know what the speakers think.
Now, take all the English words you do know. What does it tell you about the thinking of English speakers?
All English words are descriptions of the physical world. Whatever room you are sitting in, there are words to describe everything you see. Given the time, you could recreate the room just through words. This is not possible however, in classical Hebrew. Biblical Hebrew only has primary colors and approximate measurements. Hebrew is clearly not a language for understanding the physical world.
But, just as Hebrew is inept at describing the physical world, English is terrible at describing the spiritual or emotional world.
English has no words to tell anyone, least not yourself, how you feel.
By the way, how are you feeling today?
"Good."
Can you tell me how you are feeling relative to yesterday?
"A little bit better."
Does that tell me anything? Can you express your feelings about your spouse or children in ways that you couldn't be talking about your new car?
Not to diminish either, but what does the word love mean if it can be used to describe feelings for your spouse and your new surround-sound home movie theater?
This paucity of sentiment doesn't end there. "Spiritual," "transcendental," "paranormal," all these words mean the same thing - nothing. They are more a reflection of what we don't know, than what we do. The English speaker knows what normal is, so paranormal (para + normal) means more than that.
What does that mean? Nothing.
Similarly transcendental and spiritual are just labels for worlds we know nothing about, so we put them all into the category of the supernatural (super, meaning more than, + natural) and leave it at that.
Leaving it at that has severe consequences for a human being, who is essentially a spiritual being (whatever that means). It means the soul that is aching to express itself is stymied.
Constantly.
Without the words, you cannot think about your feelings.
Go one millimeter below the physical surface and English goes dark. In the physical world we have a multitude of words for colors, shapes and dimensions. A multitude of words for money and how it is doing; your investment portfolio can easily be defined and categorized. But not your spiritual portfolio.
And thus we come to the word "holy."
What does it mean?
I like to joke that in the Pentagon they have two war departments, the department of wars and the department of holy wars. What is the difference?
Holy wars cost twice as much. That's how the Pentagon sees them. Truthfully, it's how I see them too, at least as it relates to the world's current wars.
How can someone eager to end lives be engaged in a "holy war." Is this not an oxymoron? Why is it that the people proclaiming a holy war are more violent and more willing to inflict widespread collateral damage than those in a conventional battle?
I think it true to say, that any meaningful definition of the word "holy" can never lead us to include the proponents of 9/11.
I am always amused when people get offended because you walked on their holy ground. Not that I need place my toe on their so-called sacred dirt just to tick them off or to see what will happen to my foot. But rather, I feel compelled to ask, "What happens when a Jew, or an infidel by another name, steps on your holy ground? Does the time/space continuum slow down? Does the holiness leave in a huff and go stay with someone else's dirt?"
Maybe this is too sacrilegious to ask, but why is an infidel worse than a bird? What happens when a non-religious bird alights on such property? Or, dare I ask, when he "does his business" there?
Maybe the birds know it's holy ground, or maybe the birds converted? But I jest, if you couldn't tell.
In our verse above, God tells Moses to remove his shoes because the ground is holy.
What does this mean?
Is holy ground synonymous to freshly cleaned carpets in your mother's house. Maybe God just cleaned the desert, so to speak, and Moses, who has been tending the sheep (with all that it entails), approaches. Maybe God doesn't want him messing up the rock arrangement?
Surely I jest some more. Yes.
Hebrew is a spiritual language. If you want to express your soul, you have to know Hebrew. In English, the word "holy" really doesn't mean anything. It is simply a way of saying "more." More committed, more violent.
In Hebrew the word for holy is kadosh. Kadosh means "meaningful." Something is holy/Kadosh, if when using it, or when in it's proximity, it gives you a clearer idea of what life and your purpose is all about. A holy experience makes you more meaningful and directs you to your true purpose in life.
God runs the world. There are no accidents. Everything that happens to you, from the largest to the smallest, is directed by God. Nothing is too difficult and nothing too small for God to organize. There is only one God and everything that happens is done with ultimate thought. There is a reason for everything.
Living with this idea can be daunting. Even big events are sometimes beyond our understanding. That doesn't take away from their meaning, it just means we are not thinking hard enough about them, or it isn't necessary for us to know what it means. Nevertheless, if we are pursuing a life of meaning and holiness, we should try to understand why what happens to us, happens to us.
Where to start?
With the biggest things that happen to you, then work your way down. Be careful though. There is a point where, if you ponder the meaning of everything that happens to you, you will not get anything done. God is talking to us all the time through all the little and big things that are happening to us, but there comes a point where you just have to move on.
Where is that point?
Shoes.
Shoes perform a different function than our other clothes. Clothes keep us warm and modest. Shoes protect us from the stones and sharp objects on the ground. Without them, we would have to pay very close attention to where we walked and we would constantly be stubbing our toes.
A stubbed toe is a message that we should listen to. And even though we should not try to evade the messages, we wear shoes to protect us from getting them. The reason being, there is a certain point where the message is not as important as the job we have to do.
"And He said (God to Moses), Do not come any closer, remove your shoes from off your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5)
This ground in meaningful (Kadosh/holy). Remove your shoes so that we (God and Moses) can talk. Similarly, on the holy day of Yom Kippur, we remove our leather shoes, since this day is especially holy. Whatever happens that day has a real message in it for you - even the smallest things. Take the time to listen more than you usually would; it's God talking.
But even when it's not Yom Kippur, God is still talking. You don't have to take your shoes off to get the message, you just have to pay attention to the messages you get.
* * *
BRAINSTORMING QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Question 1: God is talking to us every single day. What was the most significant event of the day. What is the message?
Question 2: Ask a good friend if they agree with your answer.
Question 3: List the significant events that occurred to you this week, from the smallest to the largest: is there a theme to all these messages?
Question 4: Ask three people to help you understand a significant event that occurred in your life.
Friday, January 6, 2012
ORDERED STEPS
ORDERED STEPS (Psalms 37:23-24): The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.Our first steps in life must be guided by someone else and we are wise if we release the remaining steps into the hands of our Savior! I watched a plane approach the gate in Santiago, Chile and was interested in the way it stopped exactly on the spot marked with an X. I knew the pilot could not possibly see the mark and the signalman could get it close by bringing his two sticks together at the right moment, but there had to be a more efficient guiding system involved than met the eye. It reminded me of this scripture and His ordering our steps so that we do our part in working with those elements under our control, yet releasing all into His hands when we cannot see the way!
Here sat a pilot within the cockpit who had safely flown a huge machine through the air for hours without any worry or fear because he had a multitude of controls and guiding systems that kept his vehicle on course. Had he tried to manage this operation alone there is little chance he would have arrived like he did.
So it has been in my own life. If Jesus was not guiding my life, using His signalmen and circumstances to keep me on track I would never be able to stop on the X. I would have crashed long ago without Him ordering my steps!
Kelsey Griffin
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
DISPOSITION AND ANSWERS
DISPOSITION AND ANSWERS (Pro 16:1): It is interesting to observe how often in the Bible we find these two things mentioned as being from the Lord, the dispositions of the heart and the answer of the tongue! (7-25-10)
Three times in this chapter alone we see God’s intervention. A man’s heart devises his way, but God directs his steps (Pro_16:9). The lot may be cast into the lap in a haphazard or casual way but the whole disposing of it is of the Lord (Pro_16:33). Man may have many devices in his heart, but it is the counsel of the Lord that is going to come out in the end (Pro_19:21). That is why man cannot understand his own way, his goings are of the Lord (Pro_20:24). The king’s heart is like a river that is controlled by the river bed and cannot go just anywhere it wants, so God is that river bed (Pro_21:1). When the Syrians determined to kill the king in battle, thinking it was Ahab when it was Jehoshaphat, the Lord moved upon them to depart from him (2Ch_18:31). The Lord put it in Cyrus heart to rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem (Ezr_7:27). Nehemiah asked God to prosper him before the Persian king when he desired to see the walls of Jerusalem rebuilt (Neh_1:11). The Psalmist said the Lord would prepare the heart of the humble (Psa_10:17). He asked the Lord to incline his heart to His testimonies (Psa_119:36). Jeremiah said that it is not in the heart of man to direct his own steps (Jer_10:23). The day will come when God will make an everlasting covenant with Israel and will at that time give them one heart and one mind (Jer_32:39-40). He will at that time take out their stony heart and replace it with a new heart operated by His Spirit (Eze_36:26-27). God will remove the vail over the nations (Isa_25:7). Paul said that God put an earnest care within Titus for the Corinthians (2Co_8:16). When Paul told the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, he let them know that it is God who worked in them both to will and do His good pleasure (Phi_2:13). God told Moses He would teach him what to say since his own mouth was incapable of saying what he wanted (Exo_4:11-12, Exo_4:15). Jeremiah brought the same complaint to God and the Lord again promised to be with him and give him what to say (Jer_1:7-9). The Lord promised His disciples that when they were brought before the courts in trial for this gospel, He would tell them what to say so that they did not have to premeditate before hand (Mat_10:19-20; Luk_12:11; Luk_21:14-15).
An Ethical Will
"We all want to be remembered and everyone leaves something behind."
What is an ethical will?
Ethical wills are a way to share your values, blessings, life's lessons, hopes and dreams for the future, love, and forgiveness with your family, friends, and community.
Ethical wills are not new. The Hebrew Bible first described ethical wills 3000 years ago (Genesis Ch. 49). References to this tradition are also found in the Christian Bible (John Ch. 15-18) and in other cultures. Initially, ethical wills were transmitted orally. Over time, they evolved into written documents. 'Ethical wills' are not considered legal documents as compared to 'living wills' and your 'last will and testament' which are legal documents.
Today, ethical wills are being written by people at turning points and transitions in their lives and when facing challenging life situations. They are usually shared with family and community while the writer is still alive.
Ethical wills may be one of the most cherished and meaningful gifts you can leave to your family and community.
What is an ethical will?
Ethical wills are a way to share your values, blessings, life's lessons, hopes and dreams for the future, love, and forgiveness with your family, friends, and community.
Ethical wills are not new. The Hebrew Bible first described ethical wills 3000 years ago (Genesis Ch. 49). References to this tradition are also found in the Christian Bible (John Ch. 15-18) and in other cultures. Initially, ethical wills were transmitted orally. Over time, they evolved into written documents. 'Ethical wills' are not considered legal documents as compared to 'living wills' and your 'last will and testament' which are legal documents.
Today, ethical wills are being written by people at turning points and transitions in their lives and when facing challenging life situations. They are usually shared with family and community while the writer is still alive.
Ethical wills may be one of the most cherished and meaningful gifts you can leave to your family and community.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Yeshua's name means "salvation."(ישועה)
For your salvation I wait, O LORD. (Genesis 49:18)
Jacob exclaimed, "For your salvation I wait, O LORD." The word translated "salvation" is yeshua(ישועה). Yeshua's name means "salvation." The Sages understood Jacob's exclamation to reflect his longing for Messiah, the true Judge of Israel, the true Salvation. The daily prayer for the coming of Messiah is based upon this passage. Observant Jews pray it three times a day. Notice how the name of Messiah finds its way into the blessing:
Cause the branch [offspring] of your servant David to blossom forth speedily, and lift up his horn through your salvation (yeshuah, ישועה), for we await your salvation (yeshua) every day. Blessed are you LORD, who causes the horn of salvation (yeshuah) to blossom forth. (Fifteenth blessing of the Amidah)
These words express the waiting, the longing and the hope that is our expectation in Messiah. Jacob's exclamation reflects his longing for Messiah, the true Judge of Israel, the true Salvation. The Hebrew word translated as "wait" is qavah (קוה), a word also translated as "hope." Messiah is the "hope of Israel." (Acts 28:20) We wait for Yeshua, but we also hope in Yeshua. He is our hope of salvation.
The wait for Messiah is not a passive waiting, as if we were simply passing time at the bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive. It is a passionate waiting. A deep, heartfelt longing. It is an ache for His coming, for His appearing. To properly await Messiah, our hearts need to break with the anticipation. We pine away for Him like a young betrothed virgin longs for the return of her fiancé from a foreign land. She is continually scanning the horizon for some sign of his appearing, starting at the sound of every footfall, sighing by day and shedding tears by night. Every day is, in some sense, painful because we are separated from our true love. But at the same time, it is our hope of being united with Him that gives us meaning and hope every day. The great Torah scholar Maimonides says that a person who does not believe in Messiah and await His coming denies the Torah.
Perhaps the word qavah (wait, hope) is somewhat parallel to the conventional way we use the word "faith." Our hope in Yeshua and our wait for Messiah are components of our faith in Him. In that respect, it is as if Jacob declares, "I place faith in your Messiah, O LORD." FFOZ
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