who answered in response to Him calling their name.
Hineni — הִנֵּֽנִי
pronounced: hee-NAY-nee
Hineni is not like the modern Hebrew word po,
which means present or
here, in the sense of taking a classroom attendance.
Hineni by itself is often translated as Behold!
It tells people an important announcement is at hand.
Behold was a way to say “Look… look what I’m pointing at”.
The initial use of hineni in the Bible, was part of God’s first words to Adam:
Genesis 1:27-31” Then God said, “Behold [Look!: Hinneh], I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. God saw all that He had made, and behold [w-hinneh], it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
God was saying,
Hinneh! Look! Look what I’m pointing at…
All this, I made for you.
This fellowship and closeness enjoyed by them was changed after they disobeyed by eating from the tree God commanded them not to and Adam knew it! However, God called out to him not because He didn’t know where he was in the garden, but to re-unite and restore the broken fellowship with him after his disobedience.
Our Heavenly Father was providing Adam the opportunity to confess and repent. He was asking Adam to communicate and talk with his Creator and return to the close intimate relationship. and at the same time, He was giving Adam the chance to be accountable for his actions.
Adam’s initial reaction was flight and to hide, and avoid God’s question with a non-answer:
“I heard you, I was afraid, and I hid.” Genesis 3:10.
Adam did not respond with, “Hineni” — “Here I am”.
Later in Genesis 22. we read of a very different interaction.
Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Hineni! (Here I am)”.
Genesis 22:1, NLT.
With the Hebrew word ani, it proclaims,
“I’m at Your service, Lord!”
it is a way of expressing
total readiness to give oneself –
it’s an offer of total availability.
Interestingly, this is not a one-sided announcement, because our Heavenly Father also says to us, “Hineini.”
“Then you will call,
and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and He will say:
Here am I.”
Isaiah 58:9
In Genesis 22:11 we read about Abraham / Avraham:
And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham:
and he said, Here am I.
God calls out, “Abraham” and without knowing what the Lord would ask of him, he answers, “Hineni.” Genesis 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
Abraham replies without hesitation, despite not knowing what will come next or what God is about to ask of him.
By answering ‘hineni’, Abraham declares
his readiness and his faith.
His faith is proven as he proceeds with the request God has just made of him; to take his only son, the one he waited so many years for, and offer him as a sacrifice.
When Abraham finds out that God wants him to prepare his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice, he obeys. As he places the wood on his son and they proceed to the place of the offering on Mount Moriah, Isaac calls out, “Father?”
Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son” [hineni beni]. And he said, “Behold [Look: hinneh], the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.
Wanting to be present for his son’s needs as well as for God’s, Abraham again answers, “Hineini.” Genesis 22:7.
Then, one last time, as Abraham lifts the knife and readies himself to slaughter his son, the majestic Malach YHVH (Angel of God), calls out to him from Heaven: “Abraham, Abraham.”
He answers, “Hineni,” as God mercifully shows him the ram that will take Isaac’s place (Genesis 22:11).
These prophetic words, “God will provide Himself the lamb” was a beautiful foreshadowing of YHWH’s plan for the Messiah and Abraham illustrates God’s sincere desire as our Father in Heaven to restore our broken relationship with Him through the great cost of His only Son Yeshua. God shows us His future Messianic redemptive plan when He calls Abraham to do the unthinkable — sacrifice his son, Isaac — a picture of how God would sacrifice Himself as His own son, Yeshua /Jesus.
Abraham also illustrates how God makes Himself available to us while longing to hear us say, Hineini
Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold [w-hinneh], behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place YHWH Will Provide [YHWH Yir’eh], as it is said to this day, “In the mount of YHWH it will be provided.”
As previously noted, Hineni” (hee-neh-nee) is a Hebrew phrase comprised of two short words:
‘hineh’ and ‘ani’, meaning “here” and “I”.
More literally, “hineh” is translated as
“behold” (certainly, surely),
which is a much stronger word than simply “here”.
When the two words are put together, ‘hineni’ becomes more than just sharing your geographical location. It is a powerful declaration – one that can be made to our Heavenly Father, and one that He can make to us
With reference to the past or present, it points generally to some truth either newly asserted, or newly recognized. Genesis 1:29, 17:20, 27:6, 1 Samuel 14:33. With reference to the future, it serves to introduce a serious or important declaration. Exodus 32:34, 34:40, Isaiah 7:14, according to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon.
Hinneh can be found over 800 times in the Old Testament, but there are a few times it is “Behold, I”, and has often been translated as “Here I am”, from the Hebrew words hineni and hin’ni; often being a response used when an authority figure called someone, e.g. Jacob speaking to his son, Joseph:
Genesis 37:12-14a
Then his [Joseph’s] brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he [Joseph] said to him, “Here I am” [Hineni]. Then he [Jacob] said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.”…
Genesis 31:11 and 36:2.
Jacob/Yaakov, whose name was changed to Israel, was told to travel, first back to his homeland in Canaan, and then to Egypt. This was to set plans in motion for the Hebrew nation to be strengthened in captivity.
In Genesis 31:11, 13
“Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ [Hineni]… [The angel of God said] ‘I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.’”
The first time Jacob’s name was called one one time, the second ooccasion God called on him, Jacob’s name was said twice:
Genesis 46:2-3
God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am” [Hineni]. He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.”
Jacob was essentially saying,
“Look! I am here, and I’m willing to go wherever you lead me.”
In Exodus 3:4 we read of Moses/Moshe.
Moses was and caring for his father-in-laws sheep, when suddenly he notices the strange bush that is on fire but was not consumed.
When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush,
“Moses! Moses!”. And Moses said,
“Here I am.”.
Sometimes written as hin·nê·nî as seen above. Strongs 2009.
God reveals His name as “I AM WHO I AM” to Moses at the burning bush and commands him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Moses’ response of ‘hineni’ showed that he was ready to hear and obey, again, not knowing what was about to be asked of him. God tells Moses how He has seen the afflictions of His people, heard their cries and that He knows their suffering. He intends to intervene, and He wants to use Moses in that intervention.
Without knowing all that it would entail, Moses’ response of ‘hineni’ becomes a turning point in his life for the next 40 years.
In 1Samuel 3:4 we read the experience that Samuel/Shmuel had when God called him.
That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
The young boy Samuel, was lying down most likely he was asleep, in the temple of the Lord, not far from the place called the Holy of Holies or Most Holy Place.
One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down Samuel is actually asleep when God calls to him.
From this example of Samuel replying ‘hineni’, since initially he does not know it is the Lord. Samuel thinks it is Eli calling his name. This demonstrates that ‘here I am’ can also be used within the context of a family, indicating readiness to pay attention or follow instructions.
‘Hineni’ can be a child communicating their willingness to submit to their parents’ requests. It’s even been compared to a type of military responsiveness, as if the person uttering ‘hineni’ is saying, “at your service”.
In 1 Samuel 3:1, we find Samuel as a boy, ministering to the Lord, which is already indicating that even as a child, Samuel had a heart inclined towards God’s ways.
When God calls out to Samuel, Samuel runs to Eli, thinking he was the one who called his name.; this happens three times and each time Samuel’s answer is ‘hineni’.
Samuel’s call from God was to announce the downfall of the priests of Eli’s line, and this allowed Samuel to become the prophet-priest needed to anoint the earliest kings of Israel.
Samuel would be instrumental in David’s rise as king and ancestor of the Messiah. He was Hannah’s son, the barren woman who prayed for a son, and God granted her request. In thankfulness to the Lord she dedicated Samuel to Him and after she had weaned him, she brought him to the priest Eli,
Samuel’s life was dedicated to being in the presence of God. Perhaps, no surprise that one of the most intense “here I am” stories came from a very young Samuel, before he even understood who the Lord was:
1 Samuel 3:4-16
YHWH called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am” [Hineni]. Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am [hin’ni], for you called me.” But he [Eli] said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
YHWH called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am [hin’ni], for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.”
Now Samuel did not yet know YHWH, nor had the word of YHWH yet been revealed to him. So YHWH called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am [hin’ni], for you called me.”
Then Eli discerned that YHWH was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, YHWH, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
Then YHWH came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
YHWH said to Samuel, “Behold [Look: hinneh], I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of YHWH. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am” [Hineni].
Three times God called Samuel, but Samuel didn’t understand because He didn’t yet know the Lord God/YHWH, so he could only think that it was Eli calling him. However, he didn’t ignore the call, he responded immediately to the voice of authority he was used to hearing.
When Samuel learned to discern the voice of God, he was ready to listen and deliver God’s message. Samuel was afraid to share the news with Eli, his teacher and father-figure, but after he said, “Hineni, here I am”, he gathered the confidence and shared the terrible fate awaiting Eli’s family.
Isaiah 6:8 Isaiah Yesha yahu
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”.
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah is quick in his obedience. He gives a resounding “yes” to God’s call, before knowing what would follow.
This response by an individual is more than a basic acknowledgement of being in a physical location, the word “Hineni” has an all encompassing meaning by way of saying, I’m not only here, but I’m here spiritually, I’m all in. I’m prepared to consider my ways and who I really am, what’s important to me, and how I can be a blessing in the lives of others.”
Hineni’ is not only the response of God’s true and faithful servants, Ii’s also a statement God Himself makes to His children.
In Isaiah, there are three examples where the Lord promises His continual presence and provision; in chapter 52:6, 65:1, and in the following verse:
“Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I.” (Isaiah 58:9)
Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” [hin’ni sh’lakheni]
In this instance, God didn’t call Isaiah by name, Isaiah volunteered, and without any hesitation. What was it that he was volunteering to do? Isaiah stood up to be God’s reflection on earth. According to Isaiah, here’s what would happen if you freed the oppressed, shared bread with the hungry, brought the homeless into your house, and clothed the naked:
Isaiah 58:8-9a
“Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of YHWHwill be your rear guard. Then you will call, and YHWH will answer; you will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am’” [Hineni].
We were called to be image-bearers of our Heavenly Father and of Yeshua/Jesus. When we are truly a reflection He will will be able to look at us and and see Himself in us. He will be able to say “Hineni! Here I Am. I see Myself in You”.
It’s time for us to volunteer like Isaiah did. It’s time for us to call out to our Heavenly Father saying ” Here I am. I’m ready to go and do. Send me!” When you call out to HIm, He will answer, saying, “Here I Am and I see you! You are in Me, and I Am in you”…Then He will give us instructions and directions.
Yeshua/Jesus, God in the flesh. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1; He makes Himself available to us, always waiting for us to say, “Hineini.”
He calls to us during times when we have hidden ourselves from His presence.
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am (Hineini!)
“I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:19–20.
Messiah promises to abide with us, if we allow Him in.
Only with His presence can we truly fulfill the call to be of service to our Heavenly Father. For Messiah Yeshua/Jesus says,
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” John 15:4.
Yeshua/Jesus lived out Hineini, always at the service of His Father, doing His will, and with His help, so can we.
“I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8.
As with everything that He asks of us, Yeshua/Jesus has gone before us. He knows what it is to live here in an earthly body and still be of service to the Father. But Yeshua/Jesus always did what pleased His Father and fulfilled the divine Hineini that was prophesied inPsalm 40:7-8:
“Then I said, ‘Here, I have come (Hineini); in the scroll of the book it is written of Me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.’” Psalm 40:7–8.
We must ask ourselves what will I do?
Paul tells us “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1.
And the Father gave up His Son, to restore our intimacy with Him. In doing so, they have demonstrated the most profound Hineni of all time.
In that way, we fully live out Hineni in the eyes of our family and community in a way that truly pleases and glorifies Him. And He will be fully available to us as well.
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen … to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I.” Isaiah 58:6-9.
They all answered in the same way to Gods call saying
Hineni – Here I am.
When our Heavenly Father calls to us by name and asks
where are you?
It is not because He doesn’t know where you are physically, He is asking us do we know where we are spiritually and in relationship to HIm; and if we are ready to reply saying Hineni!
What was the response of those we have looked at? In every example, It was the response of a servant: ‘hineni’.
We see ‘hineni’ appear at pivotal moments throughout Scripture. Moments when profound change is about to take place in the lives of those responding to God.
What makes ‘hineni’ such a powerful statement? It is an offer of complete availability, of total readiness to serve. When we say ‘hineni’, we make ourselves fully available to whatever it is God might ask of us. Even without knowing what that might be.
The answer of ‘hineni’ is one of faith.
The answer “hineni” means: “Here I am ready and waiting to do Your will. Here I am, a partner with You in the eternal covenant between You and our people. How can I fulfill my role more fully?”
Yet the word conveys so much more. To say “hineni” expresses a deep desire for a spiritual awakening, a moment, however fleeting, in which we feel close to the heart of the Father.
It indicates a receptive mind and an openness of soul. It declares a readiness to engage, to take part in the unfolding of Gods plan of the Ages.
One New Testament example is recorded in Acts 9:10-15
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord” [Greek: Idou ego, Kyrie]. And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.
Our Heavenly Father called out, by name, those He needed to fulfill His plans. Ananias quick response changed the course of Paul’s life, and he became the missionary to the gentiles.
In the Psalms we are assured that God is our ever-present help, and He delights to make Himself available to His children. By God saying ‘hineni’ to us, He is saying that He hears us, He sees us, and He knows us.
Are our hearts prepared to answer?
Are we ready to offer ourselves,
even without knowing what service He will ask of us?
Let our prayer today be that our hearts will answer without the slightest hesitation, and that we might make ourselves fully available to whatever our Heavenly Father asks of us; and that our faith would be added to in the process.
Song by Marty Goetz
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, Deliverer 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.
Amos lists a lot of place names in his book and it was for a very specific reason.
Every name of a nation or town/city in the Bible, has some very significant meaning.
In verse 4 Amos mentions Bethel and Gilgal.
Amos 4:4 HEB:בֹּ֤אוּ בֵֽית־ אֵל֙ וּפִשְׁע֔וּ הַגִּלְגָּ֖ל NAS: Enter Bethel and transgress; Gilgal KJV: Come to Bethel, and transgress; Gilgal INT: Enter Bethel and transgress Gilgal
Bethel in Hebrew אֵֽל
means:
House of God
Beth = house and El = God
Strongs 1008 Betheel: “house of God,”
a city in Ephraim, also a place in S. Judah
Original Word: בֵּית־אֵל Transliteration: Betheel Phonetic Spelling: (bayth-ale’) Definition: “house of God”
Bethel was located about 11 miles north of Jerusalem near Ai. It was a major trading center, Bethel stood at a crossroads, with its north-south road passing through the central hill country from Hebron in the south to Shechem in the north, and its main east-west route leading from Jericho to the Mediterranean Sea.
Only Jerusalem is mentioned more frequently than Bethel in the Old Testament.
Bethel is first mentioned in the Bible in connection with Abram, who built an altar to God there: “From there [Abram] went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD” Genesis 12:8. After visiting Egypt, Abraham returned to Bethel and offered a sacrifice to God Genesis 13:3–4.
Originally namedLuzGenesis 28:19; Judges 1:23, the city was renamed Bethel by Jacob after the patriarch experienced a remarkable dream there. While traveling from Beersheba to Haran to escape his brother Esau, Jacob stopped for the night in Luz. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway or ladder that stretched up from earth to heaven. The angels were climbing up and down the ladder as God stood at the topGenesis 28:10–13. The Lord spoke and revealed Himself to Jacob as the God of his fathers. When Jacob awoke, he declared, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven” Genesis 28:17.Then Jacob set up a sacred pillar, named the place Bethel verses 18–19, and consecrated the site as a place to worship God verse 21.
Many years later, Jacob returned toBethel,built an altar to God there, and called the place El-Bethel, which means“God of Bethel.”
Bethel remained one of the main worship centers of Israel.
The ark of the covenant was kept at Bethel for a time, and the people often went there to seek God during times of trouble. Judges 20:18–28.
The Bible says Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, was buried under an oak tree nearBethel, Genesis 35:8;and the better-known Deborah, judge of Israel, held court at a site between Ramah andBethel.Judges 4:5.
During the time of the divided kingdoms, King Jeroboam of Israel established two temples for the northern kingdom, one atBetheland the other at Dan. In these temples, he set up golden calves.1 Kings 12:26–33.
The Lord God often sent prophets to preach atBethel.
1 Kings 13:1–10.
Many of these prophets pronounced judgment and condemnation on Bethel as a center of idolatry.
Amos 3:14; 5:5–6; Hosea 10:15.
On Elijah’s last day of ministry on earth, he and Elisha encountered a company of prophets atBethel. These prophets confirmed Elijah’s soon departure:
“Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, ‘Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?’ ‘Yes, I know,’ Elisha replied, ‘so be quiet’” 2 Kings 2:2–3).
Elisha refused to leave Elijah. He was committed to receiving the older prophet’s mantle and did not want to miss the blessing.
The Gilgal near Jericho is the Gilgal most frequently mentioned in Scripture.
According toJoshua 4:19
after he and the Israelites crossed the river,
Gilgal
was the first place that the Israelites camped in the Holy Land.
Joshua 4:19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.
It was here 12 memorial stones taken from the bed of the river, were set up by Joshua, after the miraculous crossing of the Jordan.
One stone to represent each of the twelve tribes.
When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,2 “Pick twelve men from the people, one man per tribe.3 Command them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from right here in the middle of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests had been firmly planted. Bring them across with you and put them down in the camp where you are staying tonight.’” Joshua 4:1-3
Joshua 4:19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.
Joshua 4:20 Joshua set up those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, in Gilgal.
Joshua 5:9 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.” Therefore the name of that place was called Gilgal, to this day.
Joshua 5:10
The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.
Gilgal means:
circle, rolling together or
uniting with God.
Where Gilgal means ‘a rolling’; it is indicating that something is rolled off you which actually oppressed you. We need not let our past failures hang over us, we need to let the past go and move forward into the future.
Both of the names express the picture of a place of worship, a memorial place where Gods presence was; and a place to praise Him.
In that time when Amos was called by the Lord God to prophesy His message to the Israelites, both of these places were locations where people travelled to experience the presence of God. From historical references it would seem that these were equal to the venues for convention/conference centers or places for retreats today.
Bethel and Gilgal were popular destinations as a gathering place for good teaching, prophesies and miracle services/meetings and 1000’s of people travelled there from miles away, to join in worship to God and to have a time of fellowship.
Why did Amos focus on Bethel and Gilgal? What was wrong with these places?
What did Amos mean to come to Bethel and transgress/sin and Gilgal multiply your transgressions/sins?
The word transgress is Pasha
which means: to Rebel or offend.
Strongs 6586 – pasha: to rebel, transgress
Original Word: פָשַׁע Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: pasha Phonetic Spelling:paw-shah’ Definition: to rebel, transgress
This transgression is an offense in the speaking of divine power and spiritual insight.
Amos then says go to gilgal and multiply your transgressions.
A word for multiply is ravah – רָוָה
This is the idea of: abundance, increasing or making great, to be saturated, drink one’s fill – but interestingly, in its semitic root, it has the idea of wearing something around your neck as a necklace as a symbol of pride.
These days many gang leaders and popular worldly music stars and celebrities often wear thick, heavy, gold or silver chains around their necks. Pridefully displaying the popularity, wealth and social standing they have achieved.
In Amos day what was taking place at Bethel and Gilgal turned into what we would call a ‘spiritual county fair’ or ‘amusement theme park’. It had become a place where all the prophets, rabbis/teachers gathered together with the, ‘teacher-prophet wannabees,’ all displaying their assumed spirituality and giftings for everyone to admire. It had become a place to show off how spiritually mature one was, replete with spiritual charisma and ‘anointings’ designed to impress others and to give astounding testimonies to back up their claims. This became an opportunity for people to try and ‘out-do’ one another as spiritual giants; and by this, it became a place where people wore their spiritual pride like a necklace for all to see and admire. They had descended into idolatry and spiritual adultery and another aspect of this idolatry showed in the early mornings where sacrifices could be seen by everyone and the unnecessary tithes that were offered were publicly displayed.
The bitter ironic words the prophet uses seemingly calling Israel to the calf-worship of Bethel, and to the similar rites of illegitimate Jehovah-worship at Gilgal are clear in these verses. Both of these locations were full of sacred associations and Holy encounters with the Most High God. In the english version of the scripture the words for “three years” read every three days. The Torah/law only required a tithe every third year(Deuteronomy 26:12); but here Amos is admonishing the people, pointing out the irony in their overwhelming generosity to the priests and false sanctuaries; and because of the translation, the sarcastic force of the passage is diminished.
Amos was not condemning the places themselves, but rather what was happening in those locations.
It was about people who spent so much time and energy trying to have ‘a new thrill’ or ‘experience’ or ‘a new revelation’, that they devoted little to no time in seeking after Gods heart. He was making a point to remind them that in times past, these two cities were known as being places where Gods’ Holy presence was. However, in the days when Amos was called to prophesy, many of the people who made the pilgrimage to both places had a personal motive and agenda, wanting to promote themselves by drawing attention away from the One True God. This was what Amos was required to speak out about, a call to repent from spiritual idolatry, false worship, faithlessness and adultery.
May we all check ourselves carefully, and identify the real reason we are attending conferences and retreats the next time we are planning to visit a Bethel or a Gilgal. Let’s be sure that our motive is to seek our Heavenly Fathers face, and not the popular speaker; but to be in His presence seeking His heart. We need to be drawing near to the altars of repentance, humility and selfless service, not man made altars with false idols and other gods of self aggrandizement. Let’s make sure we are not doing what Amos called going to Bethel and transgressing or going to Gilgal and wearing displaying those sins around our necks.
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.
What’s the connection between Nathaniel, Bartholomew, a Fig Tree, Jacob, and a Ladder?
According to John, the first 5 men who became the original disciples of Jesus/Yeshua were: John, Andrew, Simon who’s new name was Cephas/Peter, then Philip and Nathanael being number 5. The 12 are listed in Matthew 10:1-4.
Nathanael is an interesting character and he was called by another name, Bartholomew, in the Synoptic Gospels.
נתנאל
Nathanael/Nathaniel written in Hebrew is a combination of two words,
Nathan meaning give
and
al or el,
meaning God;
therefore the name would mean
Given to God.
The name Nathanael is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Nethanel,
From the Hebrew name נתנאל Netan’el (Nathanael/Nathaniel) which ends with the element אל, the common abbreviation of Elohim, the Hebrew word for God:
From the elements Strong’s #5414
נָתַן natan meaning: to give
which is a combination of the verb נתן N.T.N,
and the noun
אֵל ‘el meaning: mighty one or God.
Full meaning: God has given or Nethanel: given of God,
Phonetic Spelling: neth-an-ale’
Bartholomew was
the other name
Nathanielwas also called
בר תלמי
Natanel Bar Talmey / Nathanel …
Bartholomew or Nathanael son of Talemai/Talmai
John 21:2
The name Bartholomew is an Aramaic Hebrew name that is written as בר תלמי (bar talmey).
The Aramaic word בר (bar,Strong’s #1247)
means:
son of..,
so bar talmey means: Son of Talmey.
תלמי talmey,Strong’s #8526
is a Biblical Hebrew name derived from the noun
תלם (telem,Strong’s #8525) meaning furrow.
It is likely that Bartholomew’s full Hebrew name is
נתנאל בר תלמי
natanel bar talmey / Nathanel son of Talmey.
John 1:43-44The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.
Jesus went down to Galilee to attend the wedding at Cana…
When He reached Galilee, He first encountered Philip and called him as a disciple saying “Follow Me.”
The town of Bethsaida was the original birth place of both Andrew and Simon Peter who now live in Capernaum, located south of Galilee and east of Jordan River.
It was a place heavily influenced by foreigners, gentiles.
The names Andrew and Philip were typical Gentile/Greek names.
Philip’s name appears 12 times in the Gospel of John yet nothing more is said of him as an individual in the other gospels.
Who was this man Nathanael whom Philip went to find? John is the only writer to record the name Nathanael, it is not included in any of the lists of the twelve disciples recorded in the other Gospels but Bartholomew is and many consider Bartholomew to be the same person whom John calls Nathanael.
Another possibility is that Nathanael became a disciple of Messiah but was not one of the twelve, because He had other disciples in addition to the twelve. Nathanael makes a second appearance in John 21:2, where he is included in a list of disciples who saw the resurrected Messiah by the Sea of Tiberias. There he is called, “Nathanael of Cana in Galilee.” So we know that like Philip, Andrew and Simon, Nathanael was from the region of Galilee, and specifically he was from the town of Cana.
We are not told the circumstances of Messiahs’ meeting with Philip, or whether He already knew Philip when He called him to follow Him. The first impression that Philip had formed of Yeshua/Jesus was that He was the Messiah, the one who had been spoken of by Moses and the prophets. Philip was acquainted with the scriptures and knew that they spoke of a coming Messiah, One Who would bring deliverance to God’s people and establish God’s kingdom and he now believed that Jesus was the fulfillment of those promises. Philip was excited about this discovery and wanted to share the good news with his friend Nathanael and when Philip found Nathanael he said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph”. John 1:45. However, Nathanael however did not seem to be impressed and asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael’s focus was not that Philip thought he had found the Messiah, but the mention of the town of Nazareth. Could anything good could come from a place like Nazareth, which was a small, insignificant town, not known for anything great. Could the Messiah, the one spoken of by Moses and the prophets, come from such a place?
First impressions are always considered the most important. The impression that we form of a person at our first meeting is often the impression that stays with us the longest. John records a series of first impressions that some people formed the first time they met Yeshua/Jesus. John the immerser identified Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” in John 1:29. and this was the first impression overheard by two of John’s disciples who then started following Yeshua/Jesus. One of them was Andrew, who after spending some time with Him, went to find his brother, Simon telling him, “We have found the Messiah.” Andrew had quickly come to the realization that Yeshua/Jesus was the Messiah, and wanted to tell his brother. Jesus/Yeshua decided to travel to Galilee the next day and when he met Philip He called him to follow Him. Philip then went to find his friend Nathanael and said to him,
John1:45.Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip.
Philip introduces Yeshua/Jesus as the fulfillment of all the prophecies pertaining to Messiah, beginning with Moses and concluding with the prophets. And added “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph”.
Is what seems to have bothered Nathanael most, not that Yeshua/Jesus is “the son of Joseph,” but that He is “Yeshua/Jesus of Nazareth.”? We also know that historically, Nazareth was despised by the Jews because a Roman Army garrison was located there! They considered it a town for betrayers! It was maybe a little prejudicial and if he had given into that thinking, without investigating further, he would have missed Messiah! However, Philip did not seek to get into an argument with Nathanael, he didn’t try to persuade him that he was wrong and something good could come from Nazareth. He simply invited him to Come and see for himself, then he could then make up his own mind.
Matt. 2:23 He will be called a Natzrati
Yeshua/Jesus is both Netzer/branch from the stock of Jesse /Yishai King David’s father. Is 11:1 and Nazareth from which Natan’el nathanael questioned. Natzaret can anything good come from there John 14:6. This is a remez referring to the many BRANCH prophesies in the Tanakh. For example: Ps. 22; Is. 52:13; 53:16.
It is not clever arguments that will convince people, but simply telling others what Jesus/Yeshua means to us. People must be able to see that Jesus/Yeshua has made a difference to our own lives, before they will be willing to come and see for themselves.
John1:47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
In this statement:
Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!
Jesus/Yeshua evaluates and praises the character of Nathanael. There was no deceit, fraud or treachery in Nathanael. He is a genuine Israelite, a descendant of Jacob who fears and obeys God. This was what Messiah saw in Nathanael. Perhaps He was comparing Nathanael’s character and that of Jacob, his forefather. Jacob was known for his guile/deceit; after Jacob had tricked his brother Esau out of his blessing. In Genesis 27:35-36 Isaac said to Esau, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” Esau replied, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing”. It was only later, when he ceased being deceitful, that God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Nathanael was an Israelite, and therefore a descendant of Jacob, in whom there was no trace of deceit.
What did Nathanael think at that time? and why he was so surprised?
Nathanael was amazed because Jesus/Yeshua intimated that He knew exactly what he was reading!
(Israel=Jacob’s new name because as Jacob= man of deceit.)
Nathanael would have known the story of Jacob and was Messiah saying that Nathanael was not
old Jacob which is man of deceit but
new Jacob which is truly an Israelite?
Messiah knows what we are really like!
and He did not need anyone to testify concerning man [and human nature], for He Himself knew what was in man [in their hearts—in the very core of their being].
John 2:25
The human heart has always been creative in finding new ways to deceive, however one thing we can do is to be on the lookout for people who reflect the character of Nathaniel. It would be first of all, someone who believes in our Heavenly Father’s promises; meaning, someone who hasn’t given into the world’s cynicism. Someone who has not stopped believing that, even if right now it seems very unlikely, there will be vines and fig trees for all, that our Heavenly Father can and will make it happen. That is the kind of faith we need.
Next is Nathanael’s response and Jesus’ reply.
John 1:48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
He had never met Yeshua/Jesus before, he maybe a little suprised as to how this man could have formed an opinion about him so quickly?
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
This immediate reply causes Nathanael to believe that Yesua/Jesus is the Messiah he was waiting for!
Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” John 1:49
This is a very important thing that we may have missed, Nathanael/Nathaniel was the the first one who recognized Messiah’s true identity, and the first one to say and emphatically declare He was the Son of God, King of Israel, which parallels him to the Magi in Matthew 2:1.
How was he convinced so quickly?
Then Jesus/Yeshua further confirms that He knew exactly what Nathanael was doing – but what was that?
In Israel custom and culture,
the fig tree is an idiom or a symbol of home.
It was understood as:
a private place for prayer, meditation and study
and on a practical level for its shade from the hot sun.
It is a place for Fellowship with God.
In Jewish thought, the idea of sitting under a fig tree
was an image of
peace and security.
1 Kings 4:25 pictures the peaceful conditions of Solomon’s reign, “And Judah and Israel dwelt in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.”
A man could sit under his fig tree,undisturbed and untroubled, praying and meditating upon God’s Word.
Next came the amazing statement in
John 1:50Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”
He then added,
“Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
John 1:51.
Was this a final confirmation that Yeshua/Jesus knew everything Nathanael was reading and meditating on? Was he reading and thinking about Jacob and that’s why Yeshua/Jesus prophetically declared what He was going to do… using the account of Jacob’s ladder as an illustration?
Jacob’s ladder is found in Genesis 28:12.
Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.” Genesis 28:10-13
Here we are told that God spoke to Jacob in a dream. God often spoke to prophets in dreams and visions as indicated throughout scripture. The dream is unusual because Jacob sees a ladder that is placed on the earth and reaches into heaven. The Hebrew word for ladder is sullam, and it means ladder – not stairway. Some say that it’s not a ladder but a staircase because angels are going up and down it.
There are two key points that this is a ladder. One, if the Fathers’ Spirit of Holiness had wanted to say this was a stairway, He could have used the Hebrew word maala, which translates as stairway.
Two, some scholars say that this must be a stairway because angels are going up and down at the same time. However the passage does not say that they are going up and down at the same time. Jacob saw a ladder in his dream with angels going up and down. If the angels were going up and down the laddersimultaneously it does not affect the message of the scripture.
This Hebrew word for ladder/sullam is used only one time and is more like a portal, a gateway, a door, and this was where Jerusalem is right now.
There are references to angels/messengers interacting with people in the old and new testaments. Is this the designated entrance/exit, Portal/gateway; through which they came and went, into and out of the spiritual and natural realms?
Some examples: Abraham, Lot, Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, Shepherds and the women at Messiahs tomb.
Jacob’s Ladder in Hebrew:
סֻלָּם יַעֲקֹב Sūllām Ya‘aqōv
is a ladder leading to heaven.
There is no explanation given in scripture as to why the ladder and angels appeared in the dream. However, they appear to symbolize that God is communicating with Jacob as the Hebrew word for angel, malak, actually means:messenger; and God is standing at the top of the ladder.It has become known as Jacob’s ladder and has come to symbolize a connection between Earth and Heaven (or the cosmos), as well as the history of mankind, in which the steps of the ladder represent the succession of the worlds’ ruling kingdoms.
Recall that Jacob’s dreamhappened as he fled from Esau, his twin brother. According to the story in Genesis, Jacob is said to have stolen his brother Esau’s birthright, which was his claim to inheritance and his father’s blessing. As a result of this, Esau was furious with Jacob, and sought to kill him. Jacob was warned of his brother’s intention by Rebekah, their mother. He was also told to flee, and to go to the house of his uncle, Laban, in Haran, until Esau’s fury subsided. On the journey, Jacob arrived at a certain place, and as the sun had already gone down, he decided to stay there for the night. According to one source, this place was the site of the future Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which was also the site of the binding of his father, Isaac. Jacob then took a stone and used it as a pillow and fell asleep, and while he was sleeping he had his dream about the ladder that connected heaven to earth.
In the dream God repeats the covenant promises made to Abraham and Isaac regarding a homeland for their descendants:
Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:14-15 (NASB)
God promises to fulfill the covenant and never leave him. The entire dream reveals our Fathers’ sovereignty and faithfulness to His covenant; though Abraham and Isaac were dead, God would remain faithful.
Messiah Jesus/Yeshua as God/man now intercedes between us and our Heavenly Father God as
the Ladder between heaven and earth.
John 14:6-7Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Messiah tells Nathanael
“From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Nathanael the man who saw for himself!
When Yeshua/Jesus said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,”Nathanael’s reaction indicates that there is more to this than Him simply seeing Nathanael sitting under a fig tree. Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49). There was something significant in those words that had a tremendous impact upon Nathanael. It is not just that Messiah saw him sitting under a fig tree that caused Nathanael to proclaim Him to be the Son of God and the King of Israel. Wasn’t it that when Nathanael heard these words he recognized that Jesus/Yeshua possessed a clear insight into the things he was thinking about under the fig tree? Was it Yeshua/Jesus’ intimate knowledge of the thoughts and meditations of Nathanael’s heart that produced this reaction? Nathanael realized that Yeshua/Jesus had seen into the depths of his heart where he had the faith that Jesus/Yeshua must be the Son of God and the King of Israel, because by using these titles, Nathanael expressed his absolute belief that Jesus/Yeshua was the Messiah.
Messiah knew what was in Philip and Nathanael, Andrew and John.
He knows what is in us when He saves us.
He also knows what He will do in and through us, by His grace and power, He knows our character, our weaknesses and our strengths.
Most of all, He knows what He has purposed to achieve in us, and He will achieve it:
“I am sure that the One who began a good work in you will carry it on until it is completed. That will be on the day Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6
Jesus/Yeshua will later go on to expand the “angels ascending and descending” to say that “no one has gone up to heaven except the One who has come down from heaven” (John 3:13) and to say “I am the way”(that leads to the Father) (John 14:6).
In this dream, Jacob saw a ladder that connected heaven to earth and saw God at the top of the ladder.
Here is a promise that because of his belief in Yeshua/Jesus as the Messiah, Nathanael will be blessed to witness greater evidences of Yeshua/Jesus’ deity and Messiahship. As a disciple, Nathanael must have witnessed many of the miracles that He performed, and surely the greatest of all would’ve been to witness the resurrection. Yeshua/Jesus told Nathanael what he would see, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” John 1:51. referring to the incident from Jacob’s life, recorded in Genesis 28:10-17, Jesus/Yeshua suggests to Nathanael that He is that Ladder between heaven and earth. The picture of the angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man implies that communion/relationship between heaven and earth is established through Messiah; He is that connection or mediator between mankind and God. It was prophetic that Nathanael would be privileged to witness these things by becoming His disciple.
Jesus/Yeshua praised Nathaniel because there was no deceit in him. The word deceit is used most often for someone who is being sneaky or treacherous; often a person is outwardly nice but is scheming to take advantage of another. One of our sins in dealing with others is using them for our purpose rather than for theirs, or God’s.
In less obvious ways we’re not aware of how much we use others for our own purposes with little to no care for their interests. Our Savior took on horrendous sufferings in His human nature to give us the incredible gift of eternal life. The lesson He gave us.. “You shall love one another as I have loved you” John 15:12. To love like He did, is to love others without self-interest. Not in loving just so we look good to others or so they can be a help to our personal plans.
When we live without deceit and without being sneaky, we love like He did. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20.
And we also need Nathaniels, who are not in it just for themselves – not just for their own fig tree, but who are willing to hold out for the whole community to have what they need to survive, and how much we are in need of that these days!
We need Nathaniels who are not afraid to speak up and share the truth as they see it, even if it is the truth about the Branch from Nazareth that no one wants to hear, no matter what it might cost!
We need Nathaniels and we need to be looking for them underneath the fig trees of this world, which means we need to start spending time under those fig trees ourselves. Isn’t that why Jesus/Yeshua found a kindred spirit in Nathaniel, He was doing the same thing? In order to find a Nathaniel, we need to be a Nathaniel.
There is one more reference worth mentioning concerning
the fig tree.
When a New Testament writer leaves something unexplained, as he does this scripture, it’s the writers intention for readers to search for the meaning and interpretation in the Old Testament scriptures.
As there is an idiom here which was understood as specifically coming from a promise that is repeated a few times in the Old Testament. The promise goes like this: “They shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid.” (Micah 4:4)
1 In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it, 2 and many nations shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3 He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more; 4 but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
In many ways, that is one of the key promises of the Old Testament. It envisions a nation where every family has its own little piece of land, with the iconic fruit trees that are common in that part of the world. It gives a vision of an agricultural society where everybody has the basics of survival.
This shows us how tough life could be back then, if their big dream was just to be able to have their own vine and fig tree. Many talk about their dream life/home etc., well that was an Israelite dream; and a part of that dream was for a bit of leisure time – to be able to sit down underneath their own fig trees for a while.
This is why it later became an expression for discussing the Torah when, in later times, Jewish men became prosperous enough to have a little bit of leisure time. In Nathaniel’s day that most basic Israelite dream of every family having a fig tree and a vine to live under had become completely out of reach for huge numbers of people. People had lost their family farms and vines and fig trees. Huge numbers in the population were consigned to living as slaves or just getting by, working as day laborers. Maybe what Yehsua/Jesus saw in Nathaniel was that he was trying to keep that ancient Israelite dream alive?
It’s interesting that He refers to Nathaniel as an Israelite, that word is rarely used in the New Testament.It had become outdated, like the dream of everyone having their own vine and fig tree. In Jesus’ day normal word that would have been used was Judean or Galilean, which means they’d begun to call themselves what the Romans called them. However, Messiah sees Nathaniel as an Israelite sitting underneath a fig tree.
Maybe Nathaniel had been doing what he could to keep that dream alive, reminding people of God’s promise that “They shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid.”
If Nathanael’s first impression was that nothing good could come from Nazareth; it was quickly shown to be a false when he met Jesus/Yeshua, he declared Him to bethe Son of God, the King of Israel.By accepting Philip’s invitation to“Come and see” Nathanael had come to his own conclusion about Jesus which had led to this expression of faith.
In this he is an example to all those who are willing to search out matters for themselves. His response in declaring Him to be“the Son of God…the King of Israel” is what the correct response should be when someone comes in contact with Jesus/Yeshua and has seen for themselves.
Nathanael the man who saw for himself
Nathaniel wasn’t under the fig tree to impress anyone, he wasn’t trying to be religious nor was he trying to create a reputation – he was searching for his Heavenly Father. We must not have a faith that’s found in someone else’s experience; we must find our own fig tree and search for our Heavenly Father and like Nathanael, find Him for ourselves.
When we are sitting under our fig tree let’s be sure we are meditating not on our personal dream home and earthly future, but that of Jacob/Israel, who saw heaven opened and the Way to our heavenly home up the Ladder.
Let’s focus on the come and see
and the later call to John in Revelation…
…come up here.
Jesus Messiah is our Way,
our ladder to ascend
into the presence of the Father,
the creator of heaven and earth.
He is the gate of heaven שַׁ֥עַר (ša·‘ar) is the gate
הַשָּׁמָֽיִם (haš·šā·mā·yim) of heaven
Shamayim
Hebrew: שָׁמַיִם šāmayīm, “heavens”
is the dwelling place of God, other heavenly beings and very soon also His Bride!
Whatever visions or dreams we may have through life, the one that will outshine them all is when we see Jesus/Yeshua for ourselves and know that He is the Messiah, the Way the Truth and the Life everlasting.
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
You are loved, appreciated and prayed for..
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART 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. Amen
This name has been translated several different ways including:
he wrestles with God,
Prince of God,
he struggles with God,
and several others.
The name Israel
is actually a complete sentence in one word.
The name has three components –
Y, SR and AL.
The Y is a prefix meaning he.
The AL usually pronounced as
el is the Hebrew word for God.
The SR is the part that seems to have caused
most of the problems in translation.
The Hebrew word
SR
literally means
turn the head.
It is often translated as
prince or ruler
one who turns the head of the people.
The feminine form of this word is SRH or Sarah.
Abraham’s wife Sarah was very beautiful
and probably
turned the head
of the men who saw her.
Another word related to
SR is yasar
meaning discipline.
When you discipline your children you are
turning their head
from a path of bad to a path of good.
Because the Y is in front of the word SR
we know that this is a verb and not a noun, this is standard Hebrew grammar; and can literally be translated as
he turns the head of God.
It can be understood that when Israel, either Jacob or his descendants; speaks to God, as the Father of Israel, He stops what He is doing and turns to His son and says
What do you want My son.
Today’s name is the Hebrew name of the
Land of Israel,
E•retz Yis•ra•el.
The word
a•retz
is the general word for
land,
and eretz
becomes more specific, and it means
the land of.
The Land of Israel is one of several names for an area of indefinite geographical extension in the Middle East. Related biblical, religious, and historical English terms/names include:
the Land of Canaan,
the Promised Land,
the Holy Land, and
Palestine.
The land was called other names before being named Israel and through the centuries, the territory was known by a variety of other names, including
Canaan,
Djahy,
Samaria ,
Judea,
Yehud,
Iudaea,
Syria Palaestina
and Southern Syria.
Because of geopolitical reasons, the boundaries of
Eretz Yisrael
and, hence, the final borders of the
State of Israel,
have not yet been agreed upon between Israel and its neighbors.
The major obstacles are the territories of Judea and Samaria, which are claimed by the Palestinians as their land.
Biblically, these areas are under the definition of the
Land of Israel,
and especially those which comprise of major large parts of Jerusalem.
The official name of
Israel
in
Hebrew
is
מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל ,
Medīnat Yisrā’el
or the
State of Israel.
And upon gaining independence in 1948,
the country formally adopted the name.
Israel has been the name of an ethnic group in the Levant going back at least 3200 years, based on the first known mention of the name in the written record, which was in ancient Egypt.
Based on the Bible itself, the ancient peoples of the Levant were generally named for their progenitors.
For example,
the smaller southern
kingdom of Judah
is named for Judah,
the son of Jacob.
The Levant
is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia
with its islands
and neighboring countries.
In this post we have seen
the prophetic nature of
Israel
The Man – The Tribe – The Land
in scripture
as in just how many prophecies have been fulfilled, not least that of Isaiah; in chapter 35:1-2,
the prophet said that although Israel would become a desolate land, its deserts would one day bloom again. Isaiah lived about 2,700 years ago.
He declared that the wasteland will come to life and recent rains in Israel have caused the deserts to bloom, just as Isaiah prophesied!
These prophesies confirm and reaffirm
YHWH
Yehovehs
hand is on His chosen place and people spiritually and physically; and leaving no doubt that as each one has been fulfilled to date that everyone yet incomplete will be, in His perfect timing.
15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
His ways are not our ways and His thoughts not as ours.
As it’s only within the confines of the physical earth realm that we experience time constraints; the hour of His revealing will no doubt come as a thief in the night to the unprepared.
He has given us His Word both written and in Messiah Who was His Word made flesh.
Everything is written for our understanding so we should not be surprised or fearful of how He concludes His plan and the events of the end of the age. We are clearly given the signs/signals of their unfolding in His teaching about the very last days before His return, He told His disciples to watch Israel/Yisrael and the increasing interest that other nations show in her, as a sign/signal of His coming:
When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that it will soon be destroyed….
This is recorded in Matthew 25, Mark 16 and Luke as well as in His Revelation in the Brit Chadashah /the new Testament; and by all the Prophets in the Tanakh/the old Testament.
Surely the end times began as Yeshua/Jesus’ physical earthly life ended. The religious leaders and many others missed the day of their visitation. It seems crazy that all the prophets had told them ahead of time what to look for, that they did not see it, and recognize the events unfolding before their very eyes as literal prophecy was being fulfilled in real time.
But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.
And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 2 Cor.3:14.
2000+ years later let’s be sure that we do not miss the signs/signals of His imminent return according to His Word and specifically those of Yeshua/Jesus recorded in
Matthew, Mark, Luke and Rev.
For as certain as those we have just looked at have already come to pass; so will every word ..
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished. Matthew 5:18.
Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus/Yeshua HaMashiach
The cup of indignation of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Yisrael is full.
Once more it is at critical measure and the earth is again filled with violence as in the days of Noe/Noah and Lot. This time He is not sending a flood but fire and He is coming as judge to those who have rejected Him, His Son, and His offer of forgiveness and redemption.
The compensation is that on seeing Him,
the scripture says
all Israel/Yisrael will be saved
for they shall look upon the one they pierced.
As the veil is removed from their eyes.
Mishpachah’
Family
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa
we are grafted in to spiritual Israel;
A Jew is not one
outwardly
but
inwardly
and there is no scripture that demands anyone convert to the religion of Judaism. The words of Jesus/Yeshua are clear..
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly,
nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29
but he is a Jew who is one inwardly;
and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose [a]praise is not from men but from God.
So do NOT be afraid or dismayed when events concerning Yerushalyim/Jerusalem are in front of our eyes and she is surrounded by her enemies once again.
Luke 21:20
According to scripture all
These things must take place; and when
is trodden underfoot for 42 months,
remember…
it was prophesied,
and so it will happen.
He is cleansing
His House – Beit El
and Mt Moriah;
it begins with the house of God.
1Pet 4:17 So, Judgment begins in the house of God
means:
That discipline begins in the house of God.
Accountability begins in the house of God.
Weeding (holiness; separation) begins in the house of God.
Time to circumcise our hearts….Because
The Man The Tribe The Land Yisrael/Israel
IS Truly
Prophetic In Every Way..
His will be done His kingdom come both in the earth and in our individual lives…
Shalom shalom
‘Mishpachah’
‘Family/Tribe’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa,
friends, visitors and every reader…
Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His
and are truly born from above.
Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is
your Redeemer, Savior, Lord
and soon returning King
and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus 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 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 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. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hineni – Here I am
Hineni — הִנֵּֽנִי 
What is the significance of the place names 
John 1:50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”
In this post we have seen 
Once more it is at critical measure and the earth is again filled with violence as in the days of Noe/Noah and Lot. This time He is not sending a flood but fire and He is coming as judge to those who have rejected Him, His Son, and His offer of forgiveness and redemption. 
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