CALEB. ka’-leb (kalebh; in the light of the Syriac and Arabic words, the meaning is not “dog,” which is kelebh, in Hebrew, but “raging with canine madness”; Chaleb):
Hebrew, the name is pronounced [kaˈlev]
Strong’s Hebrew: 3612. כָּלֵב (Kaleb) — a son of Jephunneh .
Strong’s Hebrew: 3091. יְהוֹשׁ֫וּעַ (Yehoshua) — “the LORD …
Word Origin. from Yhvh and yasha.
Definition. the LORD is salvation.
The Hebrew name יהושע ( yehoshu’a, Strong’s #3091)
is the combination of יהו ( yeho ),
a short form of the name יהוה (YHWH, Strong’s #3068),
and the verb ישע
( Y.Sh.Ah, Strong’s #3467),
The Hebrew word, יְשׁוּעָה Yeshuah, means
Salvation, or Deliverance.
Its Primitive, 3-letter Verb Root is יָשַׁע Yasha,
meaning to Save, or Deliver.
There are many places in scripture that the number 40 is used; some say 146, others 149 times, in both the Old and New Testaments.
What does 40 mean?
What is its’ symbolism in scripture?
And what can it mean prophetically?
Our Heavenly Father is a God of order. This means He is precise in every detail and has calculated every aspect of the universe since before the beginning of time. Without a way to measure, order is hard to explain.
Order is often expressed numerically, and the Scriptures are filled with numbers. We find the first measure in Genesis 1:5, where the end of the first day is indicated.
Seasons, days, weeks, months, and years are measures used many times.
Distances are also measured, and patterns can be seen as the meaning of all these numbers are examined. These numerical patterns provide insight as to the meaning of these numbers and reveal another layer of understanding to be found in the Scriptures. We are told:
it is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search them out. Prov. 25:2.
It’s up to the reader to pay attention to these numbers and look for their deeper meanings. Interestingly in
Daniel 8:13, Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking,
the then future Messiah is referred to as the Palmonee, sometimes translated as Palmoni, or the Wonderful Numberer.
The name is ” PALMONI ” and it means. ” the numberer of secrets, or the wonderful numberer “.
Hebrew: פלמוני, romanized : Palmōnî
In the Hebrew concordance, Strong’s 6422, it states that ” Palmoni means ” certain “. It derives from ” Peloni “, Strong’s 6423, meaning ” a certain one “. ” Peloni ” derives from ” Palah “, Strong’s 6395 { A primitive root }, meaning ” apart .
Palmoni is Pala which is spelled Pey Lamed Aleph.
Palmoni, a numberer or revealer of secrets, … or Palmoni, which some render “thewonderfulnumberer“; or, “thenumberer of secrets”, or “that has all secrets numbered” (g); and apply it to Christ, whose name is “Pele”, wonderful; the eternal Word of God, that is in the bosom of the Father, and knows all secrets, and the number of times and seasons.
The Hebrew meaning, “thenumberer of secrets, or, the wonderfulnumberer“. “Pali” means “secret” while “pala” means “wonderful” or marvelous; and, “mena/mone” means “to count or number” The mysterious Palmoni of Daniel 8:13 is none other than the Messianic figure of the Old Covenant period–now known as the Son of God, the child born for our salvation–Yeshua, our Messiah.
Unto that certain saint which spake – Margin, Palmoni, or, the numberer of secrets, or, the wondeful numberer. The Hebrew word, פלמוניpalemônı̂y, occurs nowhere else in the Scriptures. The similar form, פלניpelonı̂y, occurs inRuth 4:1, “Ho, such a one, turn aside;” in 1 Samuel 21:2, “appointed my servants to such and such a place;” and 2 Kings 6:8, “In such and such a place.” The Italic words denote the corresponding Hebrew word.
The king answered Daniel and said, “Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Daniel 2:47
This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things [unknown and unattainable] that have been hidden [from mankind] since the foundation of the world.” Matthew 13:35
If we are to understand that repeating a thing indicates its’ significance, then considering the number of times 40 appears, it must be very important!
God flooded the earth for 40 days and nights.
Moses fasted for 40 days, and
Messiah was in the wilderness for 40 days.
40 generally symbolizes:
a period oftesting, trial, proving,probation and revealing;
and the
hardships one must endure to become more spiritually aware.
Another way to understand the meaning of 40 is to look at the Hebrew alphabet, which has its roots in pictograms/pictures. Recall from previous posts that each letter has a symbol and a numeric value. Click link below for more details:
The 13th letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, (Alef bet), is the letter Mem;
has a numerical value of
40
and is the picture symbol of
water.
The original pictogram for Mem
was a zig-zag pattern that depicts water or chaos.
Although the picture symbol has changed,
today the meaning is the same.
There are many references to the sea in Scripture and used many times, in situations that cause fear or are chaotic. Two examples are the storm that ended with Jonah swallowed by the fish; and when the disciples were caught in the midst of a storm in a boat. Such events with water help us understand the picture of the letter Mem.
While chaos and turmoil are connected with the testing in the two examples, we also see Gods’ Grace as He restored calm.
Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is the Living Water, 40 and Mem mean water and chaos, however He is also the Prince of Peace.
Below are a few examples of where the number 40 is clearly seen in the Scripture and what it may mean.
Moses, Elijah and Jesus each fasted in the desert for 40 days.
It is significant that three of the most important individuals each endured 40 days without food or water as the ultimate test of faith, these fasts were used to reach specific goals.
Moses proved his loyalty to God and received the Ten Commandments/Sayings.
Elijah’s faith was shaken after threats from Jezebel. He went on the run, fleeing to mount Horeb, or the mountain of Elohim, to hear from God. He was fed by an angel and walked 40 days and 40 nights without further sustenance. After 40 days, he heard from God and returned to challenge the priests of Baal which brought an immediate change to the situation in the land.
Elijah gained instruction on how to lead the children of Israel; Messiah Jesus overcame Satan’s temptations, they both passed their tests and in the process gained new insights into the Father’s ultimate plan.
After His baptism, Messiah Jesus was filled with the Fathers’ Holy Spirit and was immediately separated into the wilderness. His compliance showed His instant obedience and reminds us of the need for fasting and prayer in our lives. Messiah Jesus/Yeshua fasted from both food and water for 40 days and nights and He overcame the devil when He was tempted afterward.
Likewise, today we will face temptations and difficulties. Father’s Holy Spirit may call us to prepare for 40 days before a challenging time. We may even be tested and tempted for 40 days or go through a trial for 40 days as our Savior did.Luke 4:2Messiah told us He was leaving so He could give the Gift of His Holy Spirit to us as a helper through such times. Messiah set us an example so that we could know how to overcome our challenges.
The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years:
After being freed from Egypt, Moses and the Israelites needed direction. Our Heavenly Father planned for them to go to the Promised Land, this was only possible after the whole generation of those who’d doubted His plan had died. The Hebrews had to travel through the wilderness, living on God’s daily provision of manna, for 40 years, due to the unbelief in their hearts. Only when the last of that generation had died did He allow His people to enter the promised land. This clearly shows that sometimes to fully reveal God’s divine will, patience is necessary. Despite this testing, He provided for them faithfully. They always had food, protection, and their provisions had a supernatural lifespan.
The prophet Ezekiel was instructed by God to lay on his left side for 390 days and his right side for 40 days to “bear the iniquities” of Israel and Judea (respectively). Ezekiel 4:4-8. The days corresponded to the number of years each kingdom insulted the name of God through wickedness and rebellion. Ezekiel suffered greatly, but his insights helped prepare the Israelites for the coming of Messiah Jesus.
The three great Hebrew kings, Saul, David and Solomon, were each recorded to have ruled for 40 years. This is significant because 40 years is considered by many as a biblical generation; meaning: a new group of Israelites rises up, sustains itself, then dies out. For the 3 kings, this measure of time also serves as a warning as 20 years of their rule was marked by prosperity and 20 years by ruin. It highlights the Prophet Samuel’s misgivings over inducting kings in the first place: as eventually, they’ll take from the people more than they give.
The above examples and context of the number 40, gives us clues regarding the meaning. As 40 is a mark of a generation, it doesn’t refer to how long a person lives but indicates changes are made after this time period. This principle is seen when many kings ruled for 40 years those above and also Rehoboam.
Goliath was a giant Philistine soldier who took pleasure in taunting and humiliating the Israelites. The Philistine and Israelite armies stood on opposite sides for 40 days. A new Hebrew champion would come out each day to meet Goliath face-to-face, only to be destroyed. After 40 days, a young shepherd from Bethlehem, named David, was sent by God to defeat the Philistines, this began a new chapter for the children of Israel bringing solidarity to the kingdom.
40 is connected to change.
The change can occur quickly, sometimes it is very unpleasant and at other times, the change is a process which takes years.Perhaps how quickly the change happens for us to come in line with God’s plan depends on our obedience. In Davids case, he believed God would give him victory over the giant; so the change came immediately when David chose to believe God’s promise.
Another well known 40 is in the story of Noah. Because the sins of humanity had become too great, God called Noah to build an ark that could hold two of every living creature on earth, as well as his own family. God flooded His earth for 40 days and nights. When Noah and his family found dry land once again, our Heavenly Father made a covenant with Noah promising that He would never completely flood the Earth again. By doing this a level of trust was restored that had been lost since Eden.
Some more references to 40:
The bible was written by 40 different people.
The Holy Place of the Temple Sanctuary was 40 cubits long.
The rains fell in Noah’s day for 40 days and nights. Genesis 7:4
Israel ate manna and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.Exodus 16:35
Moses was with God on the mountain, 40 days and nights, without eating bread or water. Exodus 24:18, 34:28
The spies searched the land of Canaan for 40 days. Numbers 13:25
40 lashes (stripes) was the maximum whipping penalty. Deuteronomy 25:3
God allowed the land to rest for 40 years.Judges 3:11, 5:31, 8:28
Abdon, a judge in Israel, had 40 sons. Judges 12:14
Israel did evil; God gave them to an enemy for 40 years.Judges 13:1
Eli judged Israel for 40 years. 1 Samuel 4:18
The holy place of the temple was 40 cubits long. 1Kings 6:17
Elijah had one meal that gave him strength for 40 days. 1 Kings 19:8
Joash reigned 40 years in Jerusalem.2 Kings 12:1
Egypt to be laid desolate for 40 years. Ezekiel 29:11-12
God gave Ninevah 40 days to repent. Jonah 3:4
Goliath presented himself to Israel for 40 days. 1 Samuel 17:16
Saul reigned for 40 years. Acts 13:21
Ishbosheth (Saul’s son) was 40 years old when he began to reign. 2 Samuel 2:10
David reigned over Israel for 40 years.2 Samuel 5:4, 1 Kings 2:11
Solomon reigned the same length as his father, 40 years. 1 Kings 11:42.
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years. Acts 13:21
David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 40 years. 2 Samuel 5:4
Ezekiel bore the iniquity of the house of Judah for 40 days. (Ezekiel 4:6)
Jesus fasted 40 days and nights. Matthew 4:2
Jesus was tempted 40 days.Luke 4:2, Mark 1:13
Jesus remained on earth 40 days after the resurrection. Acts 1:3
Our Heavenly Father gives us types and shadows, or symbols, as warnings and precursors of the real event for that day and time and for later generations. The example of the Hebrew children wandering in the desert for 40 years after Moses was being given the Torah/Law/Teaching/10 Commandments for them, by God.
Moses was raised and educated for 40 years in pharaoh’s household. After murdering the Egyptian, Moses himself was exiled for 40 years. He was forced to learn a completely different lifestyle in Median to prepare him for the next 40 years until the encounter with the burning bush.
The last 40 years of his life required the preparation from the previous two 40 year seasons.
1500 years later, Messiah spent 40 days in the wilderness prior to the start of His ministry and eventualatoning death at Calvary. He spent 40 days on earth after the resurrection. The new believers and disciples received His Holy Spirit at Pentecost/Shavuot and all were given 40 years to accept the Fathers gift of grace, then,in AD 70 the Roman destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, judgment came upon the those who would not believe.
Now to connect the number 40 with Joshua and Caleb who were 2 out of 603,550 that left Egypt! This surely is a remnant!
(Numbers 26 is a similar numbering to Numbers 1)
Numbers 13 begins an insight into the life of Caleb
when he is aged 40!
Josh 14:7 records:
“40 years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart”.
The last time we hear of Caleb is at age 85 in Joshua 14. This is a kudos to Calebs integrity and the example of his consistent faithfulness throughout those 45 years. There is no reference to any word of complaint from him, which is commendable considering the fact that he waited for his inheritance wandering with the faithless generation for 38 years in the wilderness. Both Joshua and Caleb were sustained by the Lord through the consequences of the peoples unbelief.
Caleb was a living testimony to the absolute certainty of the promises made by God, as well as a consistent example of faith. Our Heavenly Father kept Caleb as a continual witness to the children of Israel, preserving him as a testimony to the faithfulness of His Word. He is mentioned throughout the record as a witness:
Numbers 26:65 “For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun”.
Numbers 32:11-12 “Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land…Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the Lord”.
Deuteronomy 1:35-36 “Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the Lord”.
Caleb had another spirit!
The spying mission had not altered Caleb’s outlook, because his reaction was, to go up and possess.
He was embracing the command of God to possess the land! Later in his life, Caleb made the statement: “Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart” Josh 14:7.
Again, the different spirit of Caleb is clearly demonstrated in what he says here. He does not report according to the sight of his eyes, but according to his faith in God’s power. It is not based upon sight, nor perception, nor according to the thinking of others, but according to his own understanding of God’s promises. It was a report based on faith, not fear. He wanted to go ahead immediately in full assurance of God’s good deliverance.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb. 11:1
Sometime we find that in our own lives we can be reluctant to do anything at once/immediately, preferring to procrastinate to wait and see instead. This putting off and delaying, could take place within our own lives, where we have identified an issue, sin, but are reluctant to take action to correct it.
Within the Word of God, Caleb is portrayed as an example of one who is consistent because he had a different spirit and it is surely an example for us.
Caleb, his different spirit, and the very important fact that
he wholly followed the Lord his God.
If something needs correcting in our lives and there needs to be a change for the better; then there is sometimes a need for an immediate/at once kind of action. It is in these times we can show this spirit of immediate obedience, and as in the case of Caleb we will without hesitation... wholly follow the Lord our God.
Caleb was also an example to the nation of Israel, particularly to the tribe of Judah into which he had been absorbed. This spirit in Caleb not only motivated him, but it also had a positive effect on all of Judah, it affected Othniel, and Caleb’s daughter Achsah, to take hold of their inheritance.
Concerning the report given by the spies, the issue was not the accuracy of the report and the facts were certainly very clear and real.The issue was whether the spies were seeing with their eyes of the flesh or with their eyes of faith and although the report was a true one, it was not a faith-filled one. The conclusions made by the 10 spies were completely different from those of Joshua and Caleb.
They all had knowledge, but the knowledge they had gained did not automatically lead to faith and the same could be said for us. Just because we read the Scriptures, it does not mean we automatically become faithful servants; in the same way attending weekly meetings doesn’t prove our will is in line with the Father’s will. The Scriptures must both be read and acted on so that our hearts and minds are affected by its inerrant power and only then our own personal desire will line up to godly principles. Transformation can only occur as we begin to line up our thoughts and desires to our Heavenly Father’s way of thinking, doing and being.
Calebs different spirit is seen in a number of ways.
He was:
A gentile willing to join the children of Israel no doubt when the nation was still in Egypt.
Well-known and respected among the people.
A wise man who did not fear man, he feared God.
More faithful than many of the natural children of Israel.
Able to give a report not out of fear but according to faith.
He employed his eye of faith and not just the eyes of his flesh.
and he was convinced of the promises made to Israel and to the patriarchs.
Compared to the world around us, we should all like Caleb, have another spirit.
Even though we might be thought of as weird, peculiar, and different in the worlds eyes, being different in this way is a good thing. We need to express a lifestyle that has godly principles, by working hard, being honest and upright in all we do. Sometimes our very stance on certain issues and politics can make us stand apart, especially when we are asked to explain our scriptural view and it can feel that we are quite alone, and that the majority is against us.
This is an opportunity to show that we stand with those like Caleb.
If Calebs example is to teach us anything, it seems that having a different spirit is something our Heavenly father encourages! He looks for those who would stand apart from worldly ways, He seeks those who do not see only with eyes of flesh.
Instead, we should be like Caleb, confident in that which we cannot see, for us it may be the promises which have not yet happened. Instead of us trying and wishing to fit in with the norm, by way of topics of conversation, local social events etc., etc. we need to be like Caleb…different…
We should keep our language clean, the topics of our conversation should remain wholesome and the things of the Lord should be preferred over work events. By choosing to set ourselves apart from the world we will have the opportunity to stand with our Lord and with the multitude of His bride/ecclesia/set-apart saints in the Day of Judgment. Those who have followed a different spirit during the times of their testings and trials.
Numbers 14:24 Caleb had a different spirit in him and has followed me fully. And his descendants shall inherit the land.
When we pray and expect answers are we fully ready for what will follow because answered prayers always bring new challenges.
Imagine if all the prayers prayed were answered all at the same time? Yes there would be rejoicing however, there would also be new added responsibility.
With any crisis, there are always changes.
Solomon prayed and asked for wisdom and we too should not only ask for things according to our Fathers will, but also that our hearts will be strengthened to receive, plus that we be given added wisdom for all that follows. It is possible we have seen some people succeed only to end in failure. This happens when individuals seek outer blessings and their inner spiritual strength is neglected, revealing the difference between the carnal and spiritual life. The Hebrew children saw God’s glory, signs and miracles and yet they tested Him 10 times and did not listen to His voice. Because of disobedience and rebellion, not all those who treat our Heavenly Father with contempt will see the promised land/eternity.Verse 26 calls them evil, they grumbled and complained and they died in the wilderness bearing the consequences of their idolatry.
Caleb was not the only faithful spy. When we read Joshua 11:21-22 and the summary of the conquest of the land, we see Joshua as well as Caleb. Both of these men drove out the Anakims, defeating them. What they had believed over 38 years earlier was coming to pass!
It was in Hebron that the spies in Numbers 13:22 saw the Anakims, and it is Hebron Caleb longs to take in victory. Moses swore to Caleb that he would receive the land “whereon thy feet have trodden”Josh 14:9. Caleb trod all over the hill country of Hebron and he was now going to be given the very places he so longingly desired.
Caleb would lead them in the battle; his confidence is the same as it was 45 years earlier. He believed that God could still use him.
In all of this there is a lesson for us:
We should look to the consistent example of those elders in the body of Christ, the ecclesia and our local assembly of believers, we should value their faith, listen to their wise teachings, respect their experience and follow their example. Look how the faith of one person can inspire a generation as it did with Caleb. Let’s not be restricted by our generational age categories but instead, take the time to speak to those who are older, those who have weathered the storms of life and understood the deep things of God because they will not always be around. There is a lesson here also for the older ones amongst us, to continue the work of the Truth while there is strength in our bodies, and that retirement from a paying job or career doesn’t necessarily mean retirement from the work of the gospel of His Kingdom of Truth.
So there is a connection between the number 40, Caleb and Joshua but what about a candle?
Joshua 14:8: “Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God.”
the heart of the people melt
hearts melted In Hebrew: himesin ‘eth lev
את לב המסיו
Hei Mem Samek Yod Vav Aleph Taw Lamed Bet
In Hebrew the meaning is:
melting hearts…as in a candle melting –
candle hearted…. lev mashak.
The 12 spies were sent out to scout out the Promised Land.
10 returned with a bad report and a recommendation that they not enter the land due to an overwhelming display of power.
Only 2 spies, Joshua and Caleb said:
“God gave us the land, let’s go get it.”
The report of the 10 spies made
the heart of the people melt.
But not so with Joshua and Caleb
The word melt is masah
which is used in a Hiphal form
himesin (hi me sin)
and literally means
to cause to flow down.
Some modern translators will insert the word fear in here
to indicate that the people were
overcome with such fear, that their hearts melted.
That is a part of it, but not all of it. Another use of the word
masah is melt
which is a picture of
a candle with a bright flame being fueled by the wax.
Once the wax has melted the flame has gone out.
It wasn’t just fear;
it was the final melting of the wax that held the flame of their expectations alive.
This candle had been melting since the beginning of their journey.
The wax of this candle was made of:
self-sufficiency,
pride,
and an expectation of comfort and security.
Their journey was anything but easy. They faced fear of starvation, thirst, poisonous snakes, invading armies, disease, etc. God delivered them, but they were getting tired of it all.
Their wax was melting.
Now when they were about to reach their final destination, to finally receive their reward for all the struggles in the wilderness, what did they find out? Indeed it was a land of milk and honey, but it was also a land full of giants.
There is a limit to every one’s endurance, everyone has a breaking point.
For the children of Israel this was that breaking point. Although this final challenge wasn’t much different than previous challenges where they had faced certain death due to starvation, thirst or even attacks from enemies armies. They’d seen water come from a rock and manna/food from heaven, and a sea divided to deliver them from pharoahs armies. Now they are told there are giants in the land, but the only difference is that now they had a choice whether to go forward or not.
Their candle wax was made of selfish desires and was not filled with the desire for God, for His will and plan and purposes. In the past they had had no other choice but to depend upon Him when they needed water, food or deliverance. Now they had a choice, would they could once again face an impossible situation and trust in God?
Yet, when Joshua relates this story he says:
“I wholly followed the Lord my God.”
The word follow/followed is NOT in the Hebrew text,
all there is, is the word:
mala’ti
which literally means:
to be completely filled.
Joshua was saying: I was completely filled with God.
Unlike the people who let their flame of faith and hope go out, Joshua’s flame only got stronger. His wax was not in the arm of the flesh but in a heart completely filled with God.
Such wax will never melt and the flame will only grow brighter.
To Joshua, this last test, the final trial was not another obstacle to the Promised Land; it was another opportunity to see the power of God, this time by his own choice.
While the Israelites had all the skills required to run a nation which they had gained from their time in Egypt, they really had no faith and trust in the covenant God had made with them. Instead they trusted their inability to conquer the land! They forgot just Who the great “I AM” really was/is… Isn’t this also true today for some believers, who have little to no understanding of the covenant they have been given with Messiah Yeshua/Jesus and how, if we are obedient to His covenant, He will provide, protect and be with us all of the time?
Our hearts should bear witness with this because if we give our Heavenly Father the glory, it’s impossible to lose. The fact that our Heavenly Father made a covenant with Himself is because only He is able to keep one perfectly. When our faith is in His Covenant, we please Him and then we can rest, knowing we are always protected and provided for.
The number 40 was also used prophetically in God’s Word, and because of that, we must believe that it holds significance today for us. The inhabitants of Nineveh were given a warning with a testing time frame of 40-days and the punishment on the city was held back because of the Grace of God giving them time to repent.
In Luke 11:30, Yeshua/Jesus points out that as Jonah was a warning to Nineveh, for 40 days, so will He Himself be the warning to His generation. As He stated it in the present tense, the word generation is again a reminder of the number 40.
Surely this is a warning to every generation, including ours, to turn/teshuvah, from all evil and wickedness and live a life of repentance, in harmony with the will of our Heavenly Father.
Sin in our life may or may not be evident to other people. It may be a sin of fear, doubt and unbelief; however, if we will turn to Him with a humble, repentant heart, He is faithful to forgive us and care for us in every way.
Messiah came to warn us and also to show us He is the One Who can calm the chaos of the waters, the MEM, and all our lifes’ stormy circumstances. Sometimes the duration of our situation depends on us and how long it takes us to totally trust that He is faithful to His Word.
Continuing today, our Heavenly Father tests His children and many times, as in the account of Job, this testing is not always for correction or punishment; it is to see if His children will remain obedient to His Word, if they will seek Him and still praise Him even in the chaos and storms of life.
And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. Deut. 8:2.
7 so that the [a]proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and [b]full of glory,9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of [c]your souls. 1Pet.1:7-9
Faith is not faith until it is tested!
A faith that is not tested cannot be trusted.
If we are in the middle of a fiery trial or a time of testing, don’t grow weary or faint and don’t give up; because our Heavenly Father may not be chastising or disciplining us. He may instead be testing us to see just how strong our faith and trust in Him really is, both for Him and for ourselves to know! This is a great opportunity to pray for our brothers and sisters in Messiah, that we can all pass the tests presented before us; and stay obedient to our Father, keeping our trust in Him unshaken by whatever we may experience in the natural realm.
The scriptures tell us clearly that we’ll have times of trials, tests, sufferings, and we may be wandering in a spiritual wilderness for awhile; and we are to:
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
2 Cor.13:5.
Rest, peace/shalom is coming; the true rest, peace/shalom, that is found when we put our trust/faith in Messiah Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.
For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. James 1:2-3
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
Our Heavenly Father is always in the midst of the test and there is always an end to it and He promises…
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Cor. 10:13.
There does seem to be a connection between the number 40, Caleb, Joshua and a candle: 40 being the years of testing the faith of both Joshua and Caleb, who were the only 2 who passed the test because their hearts were not like candles, they did not masah/melt in the face of seemingly overwhelming obstacles. Their faith /trust was also a living testimony to the surety of the promises made by God.
Let’s not have Melting Hearts – Lev Mashah – לב מה but rather..
Let that same spirit be in you Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Phil. 2:5-11 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind, or self-control, discipline, and sound judgment 2.Tim. 1:7.
Let’s be like Caleb …of a different spirit…
faithful, whole-hearted, bold and brave.
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
There are 50 days between the Appointed Times/Feasts, and they are set apart as a time of introspection, repentance and preparation; making ourselves ready for His coming, in the outpouring of His Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh at Shavuot (Hebrew) or Pentecost (Greek meaning 50).
The Cyclical Hebrew Calendar below shows the Hebrew months and the Appointed Times of The Lord.
The infilling of His power for us to become His witnesses. The Appointed Times/Feasts of the Lord, were part of the annual cycle of Adonai’s Plan of redemption and kept by the Israelites as part of their normal lifestyle.
The Days of Omer
are a time of
reflection and growth
in preparation for
Shavuot.
For those new to
Our Fathers Appointed Times in His Annual Calendar
here is a brief explanation of
what it is
when it is
and
what it is for.
For those more familiar with the Fathers’ seasons, the last part of this post looks at:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.
The season of Passover/Pesach
includes the week of Unleavened Bread
and the start of the Counting FROM the Omer
50 days towards Pentecost/Shavuot.
Some scholars say The Omer is counted every evening after nightfall, from the second night of Passover/Pesach, until the night before Shavuot/Pentecost.
There are disputes as to which day is the first day, and this has been going on since before Jesus/Yeshuas’ time; and can be studied further if the reader so desires.
Here is given a basic understanding of
thepattern
a reason to follow the main outlines for personal growth;
and
to remember and realize what Messiah has accomplished for us.
The 2 links given above have more details concerning the Omer.
The Book of Leviticus, ספר ויקרא
Vayik’ra 23:9 – 16
From the day after the Shabbat for 49 days.
In chp. 23 after the 7 day feast of
unleavened bread/Matzah
which western Christianity totally misses…
we come to a moed/appointed time
that does not have a name.
However the scripture says that at this moed or appointed time the children of Israel are commanded, notice it is not a suggestion! They are commanded to bring
an omer to the priests.
An omer is simply a sheaf;
specifically a bundle of grain
from the beginning of the first crop or harvest.
Which was most likely barley see Exodus/sh’mot 9:31…
Shemot, Shemoth, or Shemos
שְׁמוֹת Hebrew for: Names,
Book of Exodus.
…referring to the names of the Israelites who come to Egypt with Jacob.
The priest is then to
wave the omer
before Adonai/Lord God, as a
wave offering,
so that the omer
and the entire harvest will be accepted.
Note on Leviticus 8:27:
He then put all these on the hands of Aaron and on the hands of his sons and presented them as a wave offering before the LORD.
Moses took the sacred portions of the peace offering along with the breads of the grain offering and placed them into the hands of Aaron and his sons. (See previous post for more detail). As they held the sacred elements, Moses presented them as a grain offering, implying that Moses must have joined hands with the priests in holding these elements. Hand in hand with Moses, still clutching the sacred portions of the sacrifices in their hands, the new priests offered the elements before God in a wave offering.
Facing the Sanctuary/Mishkan where the shekinah presence of the Father rested, they lifted the portions before the Almighty.
Then Moses took the elements back from the new priests and offered them up on the altar.
This has a Messianic implication for believers!
People may often feel unworthy to pray/talk with the Father, and sometimes people find it difficult to lift his or her heart to heaven.
We ask ourselves, how can we even dare to approach the Father when we are bowed down with the shame of sin and guilt?
Lets think on this as we approach our Heavenly Father in worship and in prayer, offering before Him the service of our hearts, the scarred hands of our High Priest/Messiah Jesus/Yeshua join with ours to lift the offering/presentation before the Father.
He lifts our hands together with His
in a wave offering
before the Almighty! Wow!
We are to understand the pattern
that our Heavenly Father set in place by WAY
of His Appointed Times/Feasts/Moedim,
which were given to us as
an annual rehearsal
for the future fulfillment by Messiah.
This was what Yeshua/Jesus completed
He was the
first fruit
the omer of the harvest of souls
presented to His Father
so that the entire harvest
all those who in the then future and still continuing today
would be acceptable to the Father. Wow!
Then from the day of your
bringing in the omer of the wave offering
count 50 days
and you will bring near a new offering to Adonai.
Vayikra 23; 15,16
The Book of Leviticus, ספר ויקרא
‘Va•ik•ra,’ means ‘And [the Lord] called,
Hebrew: ויקרא, Wayiqra,
This was the precursor to
Shavuot/Pentecost
and the outpouring of
His Ruach HaKodesh
upon all flesh
fulfilling Joels prophecy of
the last days/end times/ end of the age.
This Shavuot was preceded by
the day of the wave offering and
49 days were to be counted forward to
bringing the new offering from the wheat harvest.
shmot 34:2
and on that day 3000 souls were added…
There is an inference to the time of counting, that the wheat crops are continuing to grow and ripen but will be ready for harvest when the counting is complete!
It also ensures the correct time (agriculturally), for the farmers to harvest the crops.
A further prophetic picture emerges if we recall that Egypt/מצרים (mitsrayim / meets-rah-yeem), is the type of the world system. This was where both the children of Israel/Yisrael, and ourselves have been freed from its’ slavery; and the one who had prepared the way for them to sojourn and be safe during the plagues so long before was Joseph. Joseph, a type of Jesus/Yeshua who had the dream of the 12 sheafs bowing /waving to his sheaf. The 12 tribes did bow down to Joseph, the type of Messiah; and One day every knee shall bow to the One who was the fulfillment of the Omer, the Wave offering before the Lord/Adonai.
Some call this day
Yom haBikurim/bikuriym Day of the First Fruits.
The scripture 23:9 does not mention bikuriym
which is the word often translated as
first fruits
in verse 10 is actually
reshiyt which means beginning
(familiar from bereshiyt/Genesis) .
The day following the first day of
Unleavened Bread
is called
Yom HaBikkurim י ום הביכורים
the Day of Firstfruits,
or
Reshit Ha’Katzir ראשית הקציר
the first of the harvest.
Reishit Qatzir ראשׁית קציר
The spring-time feast of Reishit Qatzir
Beginning of the Harvest
Numbers/B’midbar 28:26 clearly says that
Shavuot/Pentecost the moed/appointed time,
occurring 50 days later
is yom habikuriym ..
Shmot 23:16 and vayikra 23:17
also agree that
bikuriym
in this context is associated with
Shavuot/Pentecost.
Walking through the spring feasts moedim /mo’ediym we see a picture of our own walk with Messiah.
At Pesach/Passover, we are reminded of how we are set free from the bondage of sin;
then during the feast of matzah/unleavened bread, we have the chance to practice walking in our unleavened state/without sin.
As we continue towards Shavuot/Pentecost, we can count from the Omer. We are like the crops of wheat growing towards maturity, ultimately to become an abundant harvest for the Lord/Adonai.
Some important themes or subject matter for this season would be: sowing
growing
increase
being fed and nourished by His word
and
being mindful and focused
of how we are growing towards maturity in Him.
This time is often referred to as:
s’fiyrat haomer – counting the omer;
this is not exactly correct as it is
not the omers being counted but the days, that is:
the days from the day of the first offering of the Omer.
We should therefore say
counting FROM the omer
s’fiyrat meomer /sefirat ha-omer
מרעמ ספירת
The counting is to begin
according to scripture the 16th day of the first month.
Which is the first day after the first day of matzah/unleavened bread.
Yom haBikkurim /Day of the First Fruits
is at the same time.
Counting of the Omer
סְפִירַת הָעוֹמֶר,
Sefirat HaOmer,
sometimes abbreviated as
Sefira or the Omer;
is always on 16th of Nisan /Aviv.
From sunset to sunset and is counted AFTER sunset.
This מִצְוָה – mits-vah – command, decree; derives from the Torah commandment to count forty-nine days beginning from the day on which the עֹמֶר oh-mer – omer is offered.
The week of matzah unleavened bread
together with the
counting from the omer
is part of the
spiritual preparation
prior to the outpouring of His Spirit of Holiness 50 days after His Resurrection at Pentecost/Shavuot.
They had to wait in Jerusalem/Yerushalayim which would have been very dangerous for the Talmidim/Disciples of Messiah. However they were obedient and received the fullness of His Spirit/Ruach, to empower them to go out into all the world with the good news and make disciples/talmidim of all nations…….
Each year this is a great opportunity for every believer who wants to walk as His disciple/talmid
to do a spiritual check up.
We willingly get physical/medical check ups and its often required by employers/insurers. We get our vehicles/cars/transport checked regularly change the oil and tires yet we often neglect the most important area of our life and that is where we are spiritually.
This is an important if not a critical point of assessment and we tend to keep going along, without checking ourselves to see if we are still in the right condition to continue the journey as well as the right direction. We could even check our own oil level and pressure! For a car it’s important that the oil lubricates the engine parts, stopping friction from overheating and blowing up; and that there is the right amount so the engine does not dry out and seize up. So an annual spiritual checkup is just as critical for us and we should not leave it just for one time a year; however, this is a good time to do a personal one. Spiritual maintenance helps to prevent burnout when we will become unable to function effectively in our own lives and of little to no use in aiding and serving others.
In our personal assessment of our spiritual condition, we are reminded that it is the very first question our Heavenly Father asked Adam all the way back in Genesis/B’resheet:
Where are you?
Genesis 3:9
It was not that He didn’t know where Adam was physically because Our Heavenly Father knows and sees everything and nothing takes Him unawares.
Adams new spiritual condition was not a surprise to the Father but He wanted Adam to own up as to what had happened to him spiritually after he was disobedient and fell in sin.
We could and should put our own name in that very searching question….
Where are we?
Right now today ….where are we?
Our Heavenly Father is asking us
about our spiritual condition
and
about our position in covenant relationship with Him.
Where are we spiritually?
Are we still on the narrow Way?
We may be doing great in the natural sense, everything may be going along fine. Or we may be filled with our own ways, our own goals and dreams; and not pressing in to the things of Jesus the Messiah/Yeshua, as we know to do if we are to call ourselves His talmidim/disciple.
So there is somewhat of a connection with Adam and Omer in that, Adam needed to check his spiritual condition and do what he was required to do on his part to fix that broken fellowship caused by his sin.
In the same way we are to take the time to assess our spiritual position before the Father and refresh our relationship in covenant with Him by the power of His Ruach haKodesh/Spirit of Holiness. This is a time of turning towards the Father, a time of introspective teshuvah /repentance.
As we count from the Omer it’s a time of
reflection and growth
in preparation for
Shavuot/Pentecost/Feast of Weeks.
When we also remember Moses/the Giving of Torah and the celebration of covenant/marriage with the children of Israel who had just come out of bondage and needed guidelines for life/chaim.
According to the Torah (first 5 books of the old covenant), it took seven weeks for the Israelites to travel from Egypt to Mount Sinai.
The name Shavuot/Pentecost, meaning “weeks,”
refers to this seven-week period.
Each day is counted, which is known as the Counting of the Omer, or Sefirat HaOmer.
In the days of the Temple, the counting marked the seven weeks from the wheat harvest on the spring festival of Passover, to the harvesting of barley on Shavuot.
Festival of Reaping – חגהקציר (Exodus 23:16)
The Three Pilgrimage Festivals,
in Hebrew Shalosh Regalim (שלוש רגלים),
are three major festivals in Judaism
Pesach (Passover),
Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost),
and Sukkot (Tabernacles, Tents or Booths)
when all ancient Israelites who were able would make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, as commanded by the Torah.
Each of the three pilgrimage festivals marks a new period in the agricultural season:
Passover is also known as Chag ha-Aviv, the Spring Festival, which marks the beginning of the new planting season. The basic meaning of the word aviv, is the stage of growth in grain when the seeds have reached full size but have not yet dried.
Chag ha-Katzir, or the Jewish Harvest Festival of Reaping, is when the first crop of the season is ready. This happens at the time of Shavuot.
The next agricultural step is for all of the crops to be gathered. This happens with the third pilgrimage festival, Sukkot, which is also referred to as the Festival of Gathering, Chag Ha-Asif.
Day of the First Fruits – יוםהבכורים (Numbers 28:26)
Yom Habikurim (Day of the First Fruits) comes from ancient times, when people would bring Bikkurim, their first and best fruits, as an offering to the Holy Temple. Bikkurim were brought from the Seven Species for which the land of Israel is praised: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates (Deuteronomy 8:8).
Shavuot and Pentecost
The Greek name for the Shavuot holiday, Pentecost, means “Fiftieth day.” This name refers to the fifty days between Passover and Shavuot.
See other posts for more detail.
The scripture
teach us to number our days
takes on a new meaning in light of
counting from the omer.
Counting 49 or 7 weeks 7×7 is like counting a complete cycle counting 7x shabbats/Sabbaths. Weekly Shabbat is a cycle straight from Genesis and 7×7 is also like a cycle. The Moedim/Appointed Times of The Lord, and His set apart people, is an annual cycle following a planned specific pattern repeated, so we will remember His instructions,His Patterns that we are to follow –
fulfilled in Jesus/Messiah
that we may continue to remember and
follow the pattern, the WAY. Come Follow Me!
One final thought is that it was during these days of
counting from the omer
that the risen/resurrected Messiah Yeshua
was seen by His talmidim /disciples. John 20:19-25.
It is recorded that Messiah stayed forty days after His resurrection on this earth. He met with His talmidim/disciples again on the mount of Olives and ordered them to wait until they received His Ruach haKodesh/Holy Spirit.
This has to be significant because nothing is happenstance with our Heavenly Father. There indeed is something about this period of time between His Resurrection and the giving/outpouring of His Spirit that is so prophetic and powerfilled that it should give us great pause for thought!
He also appeared to so many other people.
Mary of Magdala Mark 16:9
Joanna Mary mother of James Matthew 28:9
the 2 on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:13-32
References include: the gospels. Matt 28:8-10. Mark
Peter had also met the risen Christ. Luke 24:34.
Eight days later again Messiah manifested Himself before His disciples/talmidim, and this time Thomas was there and he touched Yeshua/Jesus and believed Him from that moment. John 20:26-31
The third time Messiah came to meet His talmidim/disciples where they were on the seashore and He had breakfast with them.
He also showed another miracle by telling them to cast the net and the net was full of around 153 fish. John 21
There are references both in John and in Acts.
Jesus/Yeshua ascended to heaven after this meeting with His disciples. Acts 1:3-12.
Messiah appeared five times on the first day of the week. He continued to meet His disciples and teach them during the forty days between Passover/Pesach and His Ascension.
Saint Augustine in his book
De Consensu Evangelistarum
(Harmony of the Gospels from about AD 400)
catalogues ten appearances of Christ.
1st to the women at the sepulchre;
2nd to the same on the way from the sepulchre;
3rd to Peter;
4th to the two disciples going to the town of Emmaus
5th to several of them in Jerusalem when Thomas was not present
He came again a 6th time when Thomas saw Him
7th time was by the sea of Tiberias at the capture of the fishes;
the 8th was on the mountain of Galilee, according to Matthew;
the 9th occasion is expressed by Mark, ‘at length when they were at table,’ because no more were they going to eat with Him upon earth;
the 10th was on the very day, when no longer upon the earth, but uplifted into the cloud, He was ascending into heaven.
However, Saint Thomas Aquinas notes, “But, as John admits, not all things were written down. And He visited them frequently before He went up to heaven,” in order to comfort them. Hence it is written (1 Corinthians 15:6-7) that “He was seen by more than five hundred brethren at once . . . after that He was seen by James”; of which apparitions no mention is made in the Gospels.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11, it is recorded that Messiah was seen by over 500 people at one time after His resurrection. Over a period of 40 days up to the day Yeshua/Jesus went back Home He was seen by, and talked to a number of individuals. He said He would come back the same way He went to Heaven.
From the very B’resheet/Genesis – beginning we were created to walk before the Father in obedience to His statutes, ordinances and ways.
The first Adam failed – the last Adam succeeded
and showed us the WAY back to the Father, the truth/emet of our condition and the life/chaim that we can live and have because of His sacrifice.
He was also
The Unleavened Bread from heaven
The Omer that was waved and
The Firstfruits from the dead.
And furthermore counting from the
Omer to Shavuot
He is the outpouring ON the harvest
through His Spirit of Holiness/Ruach HaKodesh.
This was so He could be with us always even to the end of the age; empowering all believers who unlike the first Adam, will choose to be obedient and follow Him.
50 days for us to reflect and repent and be ready for the outpouring that we will remember at Pentecost/Shavuot; refreshing and reviving us again to be witnesses to Him as He has commanded us.
Time to consider our ways
and choose life.
The question that Adam and Eve were asked still applies, because the very same question that He asked mankind in the Beginning, (B’reshyt/Genesis), is the same question He is asking mankind today!
Where are you?
So it would seem there is a connection between
Adam and Omer…
Let us allow the re-newed spirit imparted to us by the last Adam direct our steps these next days as we count them from Omer; not as a religious observance, but as one
desiring the fullness
of all Messiah won for us at Calvary
so we can be effective and bring glory
to the Name above every name.
Father teach us to count our days!
and let’s…
Make each and every day count!
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim/friends and mishpachah/family!
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week,
you are greatly loved and prayed for daily.
Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation.
Let the deep inner knowing that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua bring you His shalom right now!
Not sure ..you can be…
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord, and soon returning King
and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
Remember what Amalek did unto you by the way, when you came forth out of Egypt; Deuteronomy 25:17
Aren’t we supposed to forgive and forget? Why does it sound like the people of Israel are not to forget the evil things that the Amalekites did to them?
Who were the Amalekites and what did they do?
Amalekites is the name of an ancient nomadic nation south of Canaan/Palestine/Israel.
The Amalekites were not Arabs, but of a stock related to the Edomites and therefore also related to the Hebrews, which can be deduced from the genealogy inGen.36:12 and in I Chron. 1:36.
Amalek was a son of Esau’s first-born son Eliphaz and of the concubine Timna, the daughter of Seir, the Horite, and sister of Lotan. Esau was the patriarch Jacob/Israel’s brother and sworn enemy. So the Amalekites were blood relatives as Amalek is shown to be the grandson of Esau, the brother of Jacob.
Amalek grew up in Esau’s household, Esau’s uncontrolled hatred of the descendants of Jacob rubbed off on Amalek and although a relative of the Israelites, Amalek displayed the most intense hatred toward them.
His descendants became the Amalek nation, who lived in the south of Israel, the area now known as the Negev Desert.
After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they camped in a barren location in the Sinai Desert called Rephidim. Here they needed water, and God provided a miraculous well of water to accompany them on their journey through the wilderness.
While they were still at Rephidim, recovering from their escape/exodus from Egypt; the nation of Amalek launched a brutal surprise attack on them, even though the Israelites had no plans to fight for Amalekite territory nor were they even going in that direction.
Moses ordered Joshua to take an elite troop of soldiers into battle the next day.
The Amalakites were the first nation to attack the Hebrew children after their Exodus from Egypt, and because of that they are seen as a symbolic type of their enemies.
When other nations hesitated to harm God’s chosen ones, Amaleks’ wicked example tempted others to join him in the attack and they moved very quickly over hundreds of miles to intercept them.
“Like a robber he waylaid Israel”; “like a swarm of locusts”; “like a leech eager for blood”; “like a fly looking for sores to feed on”;
Amalek עֲמָלֵק ‘am laḳ
meaning:
the people which licketh.
Moses himself ascended a nearby mountain to pray for God’s salvation/deliverance.
The Israelites defeated Amalek in battle, killing their strongest warriors while allowing the others to return home.
Following the battle, God commanded Moses to record the details of Amalek’s treacherous attack for future generations, and to instruct Joshua to remember as he would succeed Moses. God promised to completely wipe out the memory of Amalek from the earth, and that He would wage an everlasting war with Amalek in every generation. God swore that His name and throne would not be complete until Amalek was destroyed.
40 years later, as the Hebrew children stood ready to enter the promised land of Israel, Moses reminded them of the command to fight Amalek.
Amalek had taken advantage of the Hebrews weaknesses and vulnerabilities; following years of slavery and due to their bondage, they were lacking in experience needed for battle. The Amalekites viciously slaughtered those who were the most innocent, the elderly, the sick and the children.
The nation of Amalek has long gone, but they live on as the type of the internal enemies that we each battle on a daily basis.
The Amalekites represent Satan and the flesh and their ongoing endless war against God’s people and all that is good and right.
List of the Descendants of Esau in the Old Testament.
Esau and Adah: Eliphaz: Teman Omar zepho gatam kenaz amalek
Esau and Oholibamah: Jeush: : Jalam Korah:
Esau and Bashemath: Reuel: Nahath: Zerah: shammah mizzah
Edomites are people worldwide who call themselves “Jews”. They are descendants of Esau, the son of Isaac who forfeited the blessing of God to his younger brother, Jacob. These descendants of Esau are known as “ Edomites ” in the Old Testament. Gen. 36:43.
Amalek represents the worst form of ungodliness, evil and wickedness. The prophet Balaam refers to Amalek in the following passage: “Amalek was the first of the nations, and his fate shall be everlasting destruction.”
The identity of Amalek has been lost over the millennia, so the command to destroy him and his offspring cannot be fulfilled the same way today. However, the command to remember Amalek is still a reality in the spiritual realms.
For us, the command to blot out Amalek’s memory appears very harsh; its’ justification was seen in the leniency shown to Agag, the king of the Amalekites, by King Saul, the son of Kish.
and Kish begat Saul; the first king of Israel.
I Sam. 15:9; 1 Sam 9:1
The last mention of the Amalekites is found in the book of Esther where we read of Haman the Agagite, a descendant of the Amalekite king Agag.
Haman, Hamon or Hamen, the villain in the story of Esther, was famous or rather infamous, for his hatred of the Hebrew people and his plans to kill them, completely wiping outall the Hebrews in Persia. (Modern day Iran.)
Haman was an Agagite and the son of Hammedatha.
Hebrew: אֲגַג ʾĂgāg
Recall, Agag, who made it possible for Haman the Agagite to appear, Esther. 3:1; his cruel plot against the Israelites could only be counteracted by another descendant of Kish, who in this case was Mordecai.
Every year on the Sabbath preceding Purim,
Deut. 25:17-19
“Remember what Amalek did unto thee”
is read in the synagogues.
The memory of the stealing of a birthright runs very deep, not being easily forgotten as being firstborn has such a significant place concerning inheritance and family seniority in Hebrew culture.
Agag also refers to the Amalekite king who survived King Saul ‘s extermination campaign as punishment for Amalekite crimes. The account is recorded in 1Samuel. King Saul did not kill Agag and he allowed the people to keep some of the spoil. This act of disobedience resulted in the prophets declaration that God rejected Saul as king. Agag, was finally killed by Samuel. I Samuel 15:32-33.
If the people of Israel are to not forget the evil things that the Amalekites did to them; it seems almost the same as asking victims of the holocaust to not forget what happened to them. Through Jesus, our Heavenly Father showed love, mercy and forgiveness. Is this scripture showing an angry God Who’s telling Israel to remember what their vicious enemies did and to get ready to take revenge on them?
Here we are to remember God will do things in His way and time, we are not to do His job.
Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.
Hebrews 10:30
2 Timothy 3:1-17
Many Hebrew scholars and rabbis think that God isn’t commanding Israel to remember the horrible crimes of the Amalekites, but rather to only remember the lessons to be learned from them.
One of the lessons can be found in the word Amalekite, because this word comes from the root word Amalak
Hebrew: עֲמָלֵק,
Amaleq:a descendant of Esau, also his posterity
Original Word:עֲמָלֵק Phonetic Spelling: am-aw-lake’
which means:
to travail, vexation and sorrow.
In other words…
when the Amalekites attack us don’t let them destroy our faith!
Scripture says to remember Amalek and NOT the Amalekites?
Sometimes we slide over names that are difficult to pronounce, however, there is a lot to be learned from biblical names. It’s no doubt very possible that the Hebrew sages understood some of the details of Scripture that we as believers in the west have missed.
Remembering the Hebrew language is an alpha numerical one, meaning each letter also represents a number value. In the word Amalek
ע מ ל ק
made up of the letters
Ayin lamed mem qoph.
Numerical value of the word Amalek
Ayin=70,
Mem=40,
Lamed=30,
Qop=100
Total 240.
The Hebrew rabbis have noted that words with the same total numerical value, have a connection in revealing the details in scripture.
The word: safeq is spelled: samek pei and qop
Samek =60,
Pei=80,
Qop=100
so safeq also has a value of 240.
In Hebrew the word Safeq means: doubt.
and the numerical value of the Hebrew letters of
Amalek (עמלק) is also 240
the same as the value of the Hebrew word for “doubt” (ספק).
This was the crime of Amalek and this was what the children of Israel were to remember, not the evil actions and wicked deeds.
We know from reading scripture that the Israelites always remembered God’s command to forgive, which never changed, However what He did command the Hebrew children to remember is how the Amalekites were able to CAST DOUBT ON THEIR FAITH.
Because of their struggle, the aggravation, sadness and distress-amalek caused them to safeq – doubt the Lords provision in every way.
Isn’t this just what still happens to believers today? The enemy has not changed his tactics and will bring struggle, aggravation, sadness and distress – amalek, and cause us to safeq- doubt the Lords provision in every way, as we go through those times of testing.
The times of amalek and safeq will continue while we are still on this earth and we can be victorious overcomers if we walk in obedience to what we have been told to do.
Our father does not give us direction without instruction. The writer of Iv’riym Hebrews 6:1, 2. Says:
Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity.
We are called to be spiritually mature in Messiah and here is noted the danger of not continually moving forward in our walk with the Lord; and it includes a strong warning against falling away.
Hebrews 6:1-2 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
Our faith is founded on the basic teaching about Messiah. The simple foundational truths about the master. The writer of Hebrews greatly encourages us to leave these teachings behind once we have learned them, and to go on to maturity, not again laying foundation. These elementary teachings form the basis for our faith giving us a seed bed, good ground, in which to take root and grow.
So why is it so difficult for us to go on to maturity? Why is it so hard to develop and mature in Messiah?
Perhaps part of the difficulty is that we continue to lay our foundations over and over again; rather than learning things the first time so that we can move on, we forget what we have learned and have to keep going back over the fundamental teachings of Messiah.
People are often heard to say it’s time to stop going around this same mountain again.
We end up going in circles in our Christian walk staying on the same level year after year.
We are warned in the following verses that there is a danger of us crucifying Messiah over again.
Hebrews 6:4-6
There was no deep spiritual root and they fell away. Those who sound like Christians, but something is missing, maybe they are not saved, and if they are, the author is presenting a possible situation.
It’s one thing to be diligent in keeping the simple truths of the Word before us, but it’s another thing altogether to continually be re-learning what should have become completely apparent and natural to us by now. On the other hand sometimes we are perfectly willing to leave behind the elementary teaching about the Messiah, but instead of going on to maturity, we ignore the foundational things and believe we are too mature to revisit them. Out of this comes the invention of our own personal set of beliefs and religions; strange doctrines that do not hold up to the proof and truth of the Bible. Many people will just pick out scriptures that back up what they want to believe and those which support their way of life, it could be called cherry picking.
Without being fastened securely to the fundamental truths of the faith we run aimlessly in all directions. Eph 4:14-16
We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.
We sometimes think that we are mature when in reality we are only misguided.
With regard to maturing in the Lord, we must remember this simple truth:
Maturity comes from building on the foundation which is Messiah,
Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.
Historically, the cornerstone was the most important part of any building. The total weight of a structure rested on this particular stone, which, if removed, would collapse the whole structure. The cornerstone was also the key to keeping the walls straight. The builders would take sightings along the edges of this part of the building. If the cornerstone was set properly, the stonemasons could be assured that all the other corners of the building would be at the appropriate angles as well. Thus, the cornerstone became a symbol for that which held life together.
In Isaiahs day, Israels leaders had chosen to rest their security on a different cornerstone. They chose to put their trust in their own political confidence and by making various alliances militarily, they believed they could keep their nation together; however, this unstable cornerstone was a failure and the Babylonians took Israel captive.
Through Isaiah, God declared that He would establish a cornerstone that would never fail; a stone that could be trusted, because it had been tried and proven to be precious and sure.
The writers of the New Testament recognized that this stone was the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Who said of Himself, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'” (Matt. 21:42). Peter repeated Isaiah’s prophecy and added, “And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame” (1 Pet. 2:6).
Ephesians 2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and … built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
If we fail to build on Messiah or, if we build on anything other than Him, we will not go on to maturity. There’s one foundation and one goal and it is the one and only Messiah Yeshua Jesus. If the foundation fails to be established we have no hope.
Let us therefore build on the elementary teaching about the Messiah so that we can go on to maturity and grow up in Him.
Amalek represents the height of evil, it is the ability to
know the Father and intentionally rebel.
Most evil can be combated by arguments of reason; not so Amalek. He scoffs cynically at every effort or reasoning to do good, sowing doubt, confusion, strife and division.
Irrational doubt/safeq makes the most convincing arguments or uplifting experiences null and void.
Amalek is the unrelenting doubter, and responds immediately to any sign of passion for holiness with anything he can muster, moving to quickly quench it.
Our only response to Amalek is to be consistent in our walk, and by establishing the essential relationship with our Heavenly Father that is hidden within us and rooted in His Spirit. Such a relationship is above logic or feelings, so Amalek cannot oppose it losing his taunting power, this allows each believer to grow and develop.
Some of the severest language in the Bible is contained in
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
The author of Hebrews has a way of causing his readers to stop, look, and listen.
This is because he wants them to take a serious look at and consider their personal relationship with Messiah. He warns against any false security and all forms of religious deception, especially religious experiences that don’t produce spiritual maturity and Christlike behavior.
Wherefore (since it is so incumbent on us to advance out of the state of milk-fed infants), leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us press on unto perfection (τελειότητα, continuing the image of maturity).
Let us go on.
Better, let us press onwards unto perfection.
There is an urgency in the words which is missed by the ordinary rendering. The word “perfection” (teleiotes) answers to that rendered “full grown” (teleios) in the previous verse, and it expresses maturity, fullness of growth.
1Peter 2:2
A new born child needs great care, their environment needs to be safe and clean. The best way for a baby’s life to be the healthiest, is having a strong immune system; and until the baby is ready to eat solid food, one of the most important ways in building immunity is for the baby to drink only the mothers milk. Many parents start their children baby formula and there is nothing wrong with that however, there is no true replacement for the pure milk that comes from the mother because no matter how close it may be to the original, everything else is just a substitute for the real thing. However good the nourishment may be, it can never replace the milk that was designed by our Heavenly Father for a mother to feed her baby. This is the 1 Peter 2:2 the words pure milk that we are encouraged to desire.
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
1 Cor. 3:1-3 New American Standard Bible Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.
I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able,
You are still worldly [controlled by ordinary impulses, the sinful capacity]. For as long as there is jealousy and strife and discord among you, are you not unspiritual, and are you not walking like ordinary men [unchanged by faith]?
11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing For though by this time you ought to be teachers [because of the time you have had to learn these truths], you actually need someone to teach you again the elementary principles of God’s word [from the beginning], and you have come to be continually in need of milk, not solid food.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
But solid food is for the [spiritually] mature, whose senses are trained by practice to distinguish between what is morally good and what is evil.
Ephesians 4:13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.
It seems that Peters point here, is not that we need to be bottle-fed the word because we are immature; but that we should feed on the word as a newborn baby feeds from its’ mother because it’s the very best you can get. Why?
Because there is no chance for that pure milk to become tainted as it goes directly from the source to the child.
This ‘milk’, nourishes us naturally just as God intended, because by its purity we will build a strong resistance to infection; we will be quicker to heal and are not easily stricken by the things around us. This is how we are to grow into salvation, we thrive because we were given something pure. Without the untainted word inside us, we cannot grow into the fullness of what God has for us; and we often become sick and our bodies are unable to withstand illness because we did not get the strength and protection we needed from His Word. We need to be thirsty for, and satisfied only by the pure milk and meat of the Word of God.
Next Hebrews stresses the importance of the perseverance of the believer. We know a person is a true believer because they will persevere and not give up. The true believer will continue trusting Messiah and will go on to spiritual maturity in a growing relationship with the Father in and through Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Christ.
In Acts 8:8-18 Simon Magus is an example of an individual who is a “partaker” but in the years following he became detrimental to Biblical Christianity. He was not a true believer; because he only used Christianity for his own personal financial gain.
Other scholars see this passage as professing Christians who have never been saved. They are lost and unregenerate even though they have had great emotional religious experiences. They have been inoculated with a form of Christianity, but it is not the real thing. They have heard the message of Good News, they have observed miracles, seen the work of the Holy Spirit in the congregation, have had emotional experiences, but like the seed of the sower planted on rocky ground have never been regenerated. The apostasy referred to is the final rejection of Christ. They have rejected the substitutionary sacrifice of Messiah for their sins, they were sympathetic to the Gospel, but never truly believed in their hearts and were therefore never saved.
In the opening verses of chapter 6, the author of Hebrews first encouraged his readers to go on to maturity and is clearly addressing believers. Then he changes focus to give a serious warning to those who have turned away from Messiah.
“Enlightened” (photizo) “to give light, to shine;” means spiritually enlightened. Through teaching they’d received spiritual light or knowledge and to some extent had been instructed in the teachings of the gospel of the kingdom. Did it fall short of that which transforms and regenerates us? “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” 2 Corinthians 3:18. Certainly there’s a big difference between being enlighten and being regenerated. Was there any submission to the enlightenment received?
They had understood the truths to a point, but not gone on to put them into practice.
Some of those who were listening took offense at Him and they refused to apply His principles and teachings.
These people couldn’t say ‘Your words were found and I did eat them’ as did Jeremiah 15:16.
Of Herod it is written that he heard John the Baptist and“enjoyed listening to him” Mark 6:20, but he did not repent and even had John beheaded.
The serious committed disciple enjoys a real foretaste of the powers of the age to come, and will experience much more when Messiah returns. These unbelievers had personally witnessed miracles, and the outpouring of His Spirit at Shavuot/ Pentecost; so they were now without any excuse. They saw all the evidence that proved Yeshua/Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and still they refused to fully commit themselves to Him.
There is a very strong emphatic statement made in Hebrews:
And then fallen away
The word apostasia was used earlier but the word used here is different from that one.
It’s parapipto and it means literally “to fall alongside.”
It’s a deliberate, complete denial of Messiah Jesus .
There is no forgiveness for this sin. It is a total complete final rejection of Jesus/Yeshua. and because of this, it’s impossible to renew these individuals again to repentance and their condition is beyond recovery. Because they have rejected the atoning sacrifice of Messiah, there is no other gospel to be preached to them. They’ve rejected the one sacrifice that can save from sin. It is a total abandonment of Christianity. Therefore, it is “impossible to renew them again unto repentance” those who have totally abandoned the gospel of Jesus Christ. The “impossibility” is used here in an absolute, there is no qualification.
Tragically, there’s no possibility of restoration “since they again crucify to themselves the son of God and put Him to open shame” (v. 7).
This is how serious this apostasy is, because the effect of falling away is to re-crucify Messiah and put Him to open shame. When He went to the cross and died as our substitute, He died to restore a right relationship with our Heavenly Father. When we turn our backs on Him and return to the world we’re saying the world is more worthy than the love of Jesus/Yeshua. We are also in effect saying that we agree with those who crucified Him.
Hebrews is not describing christians who backslide or believers who have fallen into sin. Even Peter who denied Christ three times was “renewed unto repentance.” The sin described in this passage is not the sin of a believer, but the open total renunciation of the person and work of Messiah. Peter experienced the work of Holy Spirit in his heart because he was a true believer. An unbeliever doesn’t experience this kind of heart change.
Scripture is forceful in that, the grace and forgiveness of sins and cleansing in the Blood of Jesus/Yeshua, is freely available to every believer who sins and comes to Him confessing them. Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-22; 1 John 1:7-10; 2:1-2.
The scripture is not talking about theft or murder or drunkenness or adultery here; but is referring to a complete falling away from the gospel, in which the sinner has offended God not only in one respect but has utterly renounced His grace.
To so reject Jesus Christ is to be eternally damned. They arrive at a spiritual state where they can no longer repent “since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” There is no one else to turn to for salvation.
This is a real warning against a real danger. It is true anytime there is a hardened heart of unbelief.
The critical question is were they ever born again? Were they ever saved?
The answer may be that they are not true Christians/believers because they have never been regenerated by His Holy Spirit. They’re like earth that has had rain, but brings forth no good fruit because it’s a land full of thorns and weeds. They’ve taken part in worship services, had fellowship with other believers, but they are like the parable of the seed sown on rocky ground; there was no spiritual root and they fell away. They sound like believing Christians, but something is seriously missing, they’re not saved, and if this is the case, the writer is giving a theoretical case for them saying do not return to worship in the temple because you will be crucifying Messiah again.
What is our personal relationship with Jesus Christ/Messiah Yeshua?
When His Holy Spirit applies the redeeming blood of Jesus/Yeshua to a truly repentant sinner, the work of salvation cannot fail. Truly, those who are genuinely saved do not fall away; they grow in the grace and knowledge of Messiah. Salvation is our Heavenly Father’s work, not man’s. His work cannot fail to reach its intended plan and purpose because He never fails to finish His projects. Our salvation and full deliverance is His project and ultimate goal and He will bring it to its completion at the day of Christ Phil. 1:3-6.
Perseverance in faith in Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach proves that we have become a partaker in Him. If we don’t persevere in faith in Jesus Christ, it proves we never became a partaker in Him. We may be very religious, but are still lost. We may have had great religious experiences, but have never been justified.
In the end, only our Heavenly Father knows who is saved.
There is grace and forgiveness for every Christian who sins, read the following verses.
“If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” 1 John 1:7-10.
All who profess to receive the Gospel are not born again.
Judas Iscariot is a great example of an individual who was in the presence of Jesus Christ, he saw and experienced the fullness of the Gospel of the kingdom of God, but he was never regenerated. He had all the evidence, but obviously was never saved.
In our day we would say they had their names on the church register, but were never saved. They participated in the Lord’s Supper, were baptized, enjoyed fellowship dinners at church, enjoyed the social benefits and trappings of religion, but were never regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
What kind of soil was represented as being in the heart of the true believer? What kind of soil was being described in Hebrews? Only time reveals what kind of soil the seed was planted into. If it’s good soil, it will have an abundant harvest of good fruit. It will bear Messiah/Christ’s likeness.
Some of those who read the letter to the Hebrews never did belong to Him; they were never spiritually regenerated. However, those who were true believers persevered and went on to spiritual maturity.
Jesus said, All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” John 6:37.
Paul wrote, “The Lord knows those who are His” 2 Tim. 2:19.
Our salvation is guaranteed through all eternity by the mystery of His divine election.
We are kept by the power of God through faith in Christ Jesus. It’s the work of His Holy Spirit energizing the true Believers/Christians. Abiding in Christ keeps us in the the Fathers presence. Yeshua/Jesus said, “I in you, and you in Me.” He didn’t die in vain; and He rose from the dead, resurrected to prove it. It’s by continuing in the faith that demonstrates the reality of our profession.
Faith dies when it is separated from the thing in which it believes.
The only object of our faith is Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith/salvation. Let’s stay securely fastened to the author and finisher of our faith!
The command to remember Amalek applies to all of us. Do we have an Amalek in our lives; maybe it is a member of our own family or is it a member of the family of God who will attack from behind, when you least expect it?
We are to always remember that no matter how great our victory in God, how strong our faith is in Him, the stronger our faith, the greater the Amalek will be that the enemy will raise up to try to destroy that faith. Sometimes after our greatest victory in faith he will rise up an Amalek, to try to destroy that newly strengthened faith.
In others words when the Amalekites attack us don’t let them destroy our faith!
Father help us to once and for all to learn the elementary teachings about You. Show us how to make those lessons a part of ourselves and our lives that we may move up to the next level spiritually. To come up higher and be seated in heavenly places with You. Heavenly Father teach us how to stop laying again the foundations but to go on to maturity and be a full grown, healthy, functioning vessel for Your kingdom. Thank you Father that you are our teacher by the power of Your Holy Spirit, and for leading us into the simple yet profound pearls in your Word.
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
Just before His death and subsequent resurrection, Messiah said to His disciples:
Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. John 16:32
Messiah Jesus knew what was ahead both for Himself and for His disciples. He was giving them a warning in verse 32,
you will be scattered..
it was not a rebuke!
Within the next 24 hours He would be taken from His disciples, but three days later, after His resurrection, they would see Him again. Their sorrow would be replaced by joy, just as a woman’s pains before giving birth are replaced by joy after the child is born. John 16:16-22. Messiahs’ victory through death and resurrection would give them a confidence in the Father that they never had before. They would see Him as the mediator through whom they could confidently pray to the Father and receive the Father’s blessings with thankfulness. John 16:23-24.
Before His resurrection Messiah spoke to His disciples in figurative language and parables, the resurrection would give them a clearer understanding of the purpose of His mission and the fulfillment of prophecy; and their prayers no longer be dependent on Him. Instead, they would learn to come before the Father personally and with confidence and this would only be possible because of who He was and what He had done.John 16:25-28.
Quoting from Zechariah 13:7 Messiah said in Matt 26:31
For it has been written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
The disciples’ faith was strengthened by Yeshua/Jesus’ words, but they didn’t realize that a few hours later their faith would be put to the test. Frightened and confused they would leave their Rabbi/Lord and Master in His last hours. However, this would only be temporary; because through His victory, they would also be triumphant. John 16:29-33.
In other words He was saying to them:
You will very soon need all the faith you profess to have. Right now you believe Me to be all powerful; but it will be hard to maintain this faith when you see Me arrested, tried, condemned, and crucified as a malefactor/criminal. Then your faith will be so severely shaken that you’ll run away, each one of you will strive to save himself within his own home, or among his family.
Because of the events that were unfolding, Jesus/Yeshua knew that their faith was disordered and unfocused. They had not taken their thoughts captive, rather they were scattered and directed towards their own concerns and other interests they had apart from Him.
Our faith must become active too and be exercised in the realities of our every day lives. If our faith is sustained only by our physical feelings and the blessings we see in the natural realm, then we need to remind ourselves that without Him there is really only barrenness and an emptiness, because the things of this world are fleeting and will all pass away.
This is no doubt what the disciples suddenly experienced after He was gone. Initially they must have felt an emptiness and they looked to themselves; and in doing so their reliance on self, caused them to turn back to what they had known previously.
They returned to what was familiar, to what they knew how to do and were confident in, which was the fishing business.
Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing.”
“We will go with you,” they said.
John 21:3
When Peter went back to the old life he knew, he also took 6 others with him. This reminds us we are to be mindful of those we influence by our actions. Their old ways/fishing, did not produce fruit – they caught nothing. Why? Was it because the Lord wasn’t with them? Was it because their faith was in the ways of the flesh rather than the Way of His Spirit?
Our faith needs to progress beyond feelings and blessings in order to sustain us. When there is no other option, then our faith in Him and what we truly believe and trust in becomes very real. When we find ourselves in that situation, no matter where that is, or whatever inner emptiness we experience; we know for certain that we can trust/have faith in Him. Then we can praise and thank Him that all is well.
This is what is meant by faith being exercised in the realities of our lives.
Have we left Messiah Jesus alone?
Have we been scattered and not focused?
Are we not seeing His provision and care for us?
Do we see Him at work, even in the tough, dark times, which He allows us to go through?
Are we prepared to be separated from the outward physical evidence of His provision and blessings, and still trust and have faith in Him?
Until Messiah Jesus is truly and unshakably our Lord and Master, we each tend to have goals of our own which we serve. They can come in many guises, distractions, personal preferences, etc. etc. Our faith although real, is not yet permanent and unshakable, not fully mature; which is what was meant by Him saying:
ye of little or immature faith.
When someone accepts Jesus as Lord and personal Savior, they receive the same quantity or measure of faith as every other believer previously.Romans 12:3.
Faith is like a seed,
it grows and matures just like any plant or tree.
It starts with faith in Jesus the Messiah.2 Tim 3:15; Rom 3:22-28.
He said to those whom He healed:
thy faith hath made thee whole, or
thy faith hath saved thee.
And then He added instructions such as,
Go and sin no more.
The idea was, that their lives were supposed to change as a result of their faith, and so too our lives should begin to change once we are saved.
Faith grows with believing His words1 Thes. 2:13.
Stephen was full of faith Acts 6:5, 8. Notice those who disputed with him were not able to resist his wisdom and spirit. Acts 6:9-10. His wisdom and spirit came from his knowledge of the words of God. Acts 7; Rom 10:17.
Paul encourages us that we are to have
Exceedingly growing faith.
How does faith grow exceedingly?
A believer with an exceedingly growing faith is not the one that doesn’t face any hard time or difficulty in life or spiritual walk; but is rather, one who can be recognized by how they handle hard times or adversity that comes their way.
Paul said concerning the believers with exceedingly growing faith:
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure. 2Thessalonians 1:3-4
The word exceedingly is from the Greek word,
perissos meaning:
Superabundant in quantity or superior in quality, and by implication, it means to be excessive.
Spurgeon said, “A little faith will being your soul to heaven; a great faith will being heaven to your soul.”
From the above scripture,
2 Thess. 1:3-4
it is clear that we can recognize believers with an exceedingly growing faith, by their patience and faith during persecutions, trails, testings and tribulations.
How many scriptures a person can quote, or how much faith they profess when everything is going well, does not identify a believer with an exceedingly growing faith. Neither are they identified by how much zeal or excitement displayed when everyone is in harmony and agreement with them.
Instead, believers with an exceedingly growing faith are known by their affirmation, profession, attitude, patience, perseverance, tolerance, confidence and assurance in our Heavenly Father while in the midst of strong afflictions or oppositions.
Many believers can agree with truths from the Bible, and profess them loudly with great fervor and zeal, however, when they face serious persecution, challenges or adversity, they waiver and falter in their profession, and some give up on the faith they have zealously professed before many witnesses.
Faith is like a muscle, and just like muscles, faith needs to be exercised through tests and trials for it to increase and become strong. Our Heavenly Father will point out to us where we have been only interested in His blessings instead of having our focus in and on Himself. We are always to ask Him about everything first and foremost.
Faith continues growing when we continue living by faith.
Rom. 1:17 the just shall live by faith.
In Hebrews 11, all those mentioned did something with the faith they had, it was action, they were doers. 1 Thess. 1:3 shows us what happens when what we believe begins to affect what we do, this is the work or working of faith. We are to not only believe what the Scriptures say, but we are to obey what they say.
Faith is not believing that God can, but that He will.
Faith is strengthened as we go through trials.
2 Thess. 1:4; Jas. 1:2-4.
Our Heavenly Father allows our faith to be tried, so that it will grow exceedingly strong. He brings the trials, and at other times, He allows the enemy to bring them. When we come through them, we will be
perfect, established, strengthened and settled.
1 Pet 5:8-10.
(perfect here has the meaning of: mature)
Our faith grows exceedingly when we survive the trials and keep believing by faith that our Heavenly Father’s words are working.
That kind of faith sees the invisible,
believes the incredible and
receives the impossible!
It all comes back to Messiah’s instruction to seek first, Him, His kingdom and His righteousness and then all these things will be added.
Seek Him first for Him, because we love Him, nowhere do the scriptures tell us to seek only blessings.
We are to ask, seek and knock.
At this Passover season when we think of Gethsemane and Calvary, it’s good to remind ourselves that although they represent something that happened long ago, yet they remain totally unique. These two locations offer the gate, the door, the way to life everlasting for us.
Was Messiah Jesus concerned that as the Son of man, the struggle He was about to face in the flesh body may be the harder test? As the Son of God, the devil could not touch Him and that had been proven in Luke 4. Satan’s final assault came in the garden, it was the opportune time he had waited for since the wilderness testings. Luke 4:13
BUT he was overthrown again!
The Son of man overcame for us as He fulfilled His destiny as Savior of the world.
Here the veil is pulled back and reveals all that it cost Him in order to make it possible for us to become Sons of God. His agony was the foundation for the simplicity of our salvation; and the way of access/door into the very presence/life of our Heavenly Father.
Though simple, we should not take it for granted or esteem it lightly. The new birth was gained for us that day and has enabled us to become born again from above. We are new creatures, new creations in Christ/Messiah, the old has gone. He gave us the power to become Sons of God.
The physical human body should no longer be a restricting controller, limiting us as we daily crucify the flesh life.
So what are we?
We are born from above, we are newly created beings from above, from heaven, more specifically we are truly new creations.
If we are still identifying with the old, we are not walking in the fullness of what He has paid the price for.
We are now Sons of God.
(Meaning His children, both daughters and sons.)
The whole world is groaning and waiting for
the Sons of God to be manifest,
to be revealed
and
to take up our position spiritually.
Time to wake up not to sleep!
It is Time to Watch and Pray… Matt. 6:21
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom. 13:11
For this reason He says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine [as dawn] upon you and give you light.” Eph. 5:14
Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you. Revelation 3:2
No obstacle within us can restrict His grace and mercy because during the testing and maturing of our faith, our Heavenly Father’s mercy always flows in the stream of all our trials.
He uses many vessels while they are struggling with their failures; for in their conscious sense of need, they are more yielded to Him than they who think of themselves as being without flaw.
Nothing restricts the spirits work more than the smug, self satisfied attitude of the heart that is spiritually proud. To feel need is to openly receive His grace.
The amazing things we don’t comprehend and all the miraculous things which we don’t understand; these are the things our Father does through us in the times we humbly acknowledge we need Him. He acts in and through us, according to His grace and ability, not according to ours.
We are not to be scattered in any part of our lives and relationships concerning our Heavenly Father. We are not to be distracted or lured away by others things, nor seduced by fascination or empty promises.
What we do need to have is unyielding spiritual fortitude, patience and perseverance and this will be achieved by yielding our hearts towards His purposes and plans; and furthermore by being obedient to that which He has instructed us…
And some people will say knock on wood, as a form of hopeful luck similar to keeping your fingers crossed.
Naqash is a word used for a musical instrument
which you strike to make a loud sound,
like a drum or a symbol.
The idea is: a loud urgent knock.
In the first century people were poor and had few possessions not like today’s consumer society. So folks were always knocking on someone’s door asking to borrow something. Similar to war and post war times, when there was rationing on food and folks for example, would borrow a cup of sugar, milk, butter or flour.
It was a custom and an unspoken rule that, if someone needed something you had, you would give it to them as a loan; but you would never ask for a return because you knew that one day you would be knocking on that neighbors door in need.
There is an example in the parable of the man already in bed and a knock at the door and he finally gets up to give him bread that he is needing. Luke 11:5-8.
There were many different types of knocks, and people learned to recognize the knock of a friend or neighbor.
A beggar would gently tap the door with a stick. And the occupant would appear with a piece of bread.
A traveler/ Holy man or any stranger would get a soft tap with his knuckles.
The knock of a person with a bad reputation was always recognized and the door was never opened to them.
Luke 18:1
However that was one knock that always brought a quick and swift response and that was
the naqash knock.
This was a
loud rapid knock of urgency
the knock of an emergency,
and the door was opened swiftly no matter who it was and help was offered immediately.
Jesus said to simply ask and it would be given.
If we don’t get a response then we are to seek out the answer we need to search for it and find it by being persistent.
However, if you’re in desperate need then
naqash, knock…
start pounding loudly, urgently,
and the door will always open to you.
Those listening to Him, understood this concept very well.
We should ask ourselves,
are we asking forgiveness
and seeking His face?
And what kind of knock are we using?
The last thought is this:
Just as Messiah said in John 16:32
He is also with each one of us…
Indeed the hour is coming…let’s not be those who will be taken by surprise. Messiah warned us of the events that would unfold just before His return…
Indeed the hour is coming and is here as we see
those very things happening all around us today.
Matthew 24:1-31; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:5-28
Indeed the hour is coming…
it will be the hour of testing…the testing of our faith in Him
….and when it does…
will we be scattered?
Or
will we trust and have faith
in our Heavenly Fathers
unfailing love, provision and protection…..
will we have exceedingly growing faith?
Faith to stand; knowing the everlasting arms are underneath us?
Maybe the knock we are hearing is
Messiah knocking on the door of our heart!
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
Caleb was a living testimony to the absolute certainty of the promises made by God, as well as a consistent example of faith. Our Heavenly Father kept Caleb as a continual witness to the children of Israel, preserving him as a testimony to the faithfulness of His Word. He is mentioned throughout the record as a witness: 
Time to 
עֲמָלֵק Amalek
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