Tag: Shepherd

Who or What Is A Tela?

Who or What Is A Tela?

Is there a connection between sheep and people,

lambs and children?

& who gets into heaven?

References to sheep, lambs, and goats are familiar to the reader and are often used in scripture in both the old and new testaments. Shepherds and their flocks were a common sight in Bible days and those listening to Messiah understood His references.

The Hebrew language has a number of different names/words for sheep and lambs, including the following:

Strong’s Hebrew: 563.

אּמְּרִין  immar  — a lamb

[אִמַּר] noun masculine lamb

Strong’s Hebrew: 2922.

טְלָאּים (tela) — lamb

Strong’s Hebrew: 2924.

טָלֶה (taleh) — a lamb

taleh: a lamb 

Original Word: טָלֶה

Part of Speech: Noun Masculine

Transliteration: taleh

Phonetic Spelling: taw-leh’

 

Strong’s Hebrew: 3532.

כֶּ֫בֶשׂ  kebes  — a lamb

Original Word: כֶּבֶשׂ

Part of Speech: Noun Masculine

Transliteration: kebes

Phonetic Spelling: keh-bes’

A kesah  כשה

Kap Sine Hei

Was the sacrificial lamb –

David spoke of himself in Psalms 119:176:

I have gone astray like a lost sheep,

seek thy servant for I do not forget thy commandments.

There is something innocent about a little lamb, they are very trusting and naïve. Unlike other animals, sheep cannot find their way without a leader. Just like us we need to follow Jesus to find our way because He IS the WAY and leads us into all truth.

Sheep will bond very quickly with humans and will naturally follow any leader.

It is sheep who are led to slaughter, not pigs, cows, or deer. 

The longer a sheep is with a shepherd the more intimate that sheep will become with the shepherd and the more unlikely it is to lose its way; the same is true for us.

However, sheep who have spent little time with their shepherd will be more prone to follow the call of another shepherd and will wander away from its shepherd and get lost.

Some sheep just follow their own way to feed themselves and will become so focused on feeding that they will wander away from the flock.  

In his Greek writings, Aristotle pointed out the similarity of the Greek word for feeding and wandering in order to show the innocence of sheep. 

It seems appropriate that God would use the illustration of a wandering sheep to show His loving care. He is not angry with us when we wander, He understands that our wandering is not always intentional or rebellious, but is simply the result of us being too focused on our physical needs like eating and drinking. 

We focus on our jobs, our finances, and our health so much that we never stop to look up at our Shepherd and before long he is gone. Not that he has left us but we have left him and lost our way. Once a sheep has gone astray, he will not find his way back to the flock, unless the shepherd comes looking for him, he will remain lost.  That is why David says in this verse “seek thy servant.” All that little lamb can do is stand in his lost condition and bleat, hoping his shepherd will find him. 

As we come to the week of Passover/Pesach the image of a lamb is once again in the forefront of our thoughts.

The celebration has its’ roots in the remembrance of the exodus from Egypt and the sacrificial lambs blood that was placed on the doorposts for their deliverance.

The type and shadow that was to come with Messiah.

Sheep were worshipped in Egypt because the Egyptian god Khnum was a sheep and was both one of the earliest-known and one of the their major gods. To them, Khnum was the creator of all life and was originally the god of the source of the river Nile. They believed this because the annual flooding of the Nile river brought life to its’ surroundings as well as much silt and clay. This believed this ‘sheep god’ was the creator of human children’s bodies, which were made from the silt and clay formed on a potter’s wheel, and then put into their mothers’ wombs. Later this deity was described as having formed and molded the other deities, and was given other titles, lord of created things from himself and divine potter.

This may be one of the reasons why the Hebrews were to sacrifice a lamb as protection from the final plague. It was certain that no Egyptian follower of Khnum would ever harm a small lamb which was the symbol of one of their esteemed deities.

From the Hebrews point of view, it showed their complete rejection of the Egyptians pagan beliefs and furthermore was completely disrespectful to their religion; and especially when God commanded that a sheep be slaughtered as an atonement for sins.

A warning for sensitive readers, some of the following pictures are very graphic in nature and may be upsetting to some…however they do depict what the scriptures tell us… and it may help us to fully appreciate what our sin cost our Savior….

We need to take a moment and consider that with Gods’ command that a family takes a newly born little lamb, the children who were most likely assigned to care for it to make sure it was without blemish or spot grew to love it like a pet.

The lamb would have been hand fed, washed and protected from insects and anything that was harmful to it and was no doubt fed at the same time the family ate, almost like another child/family member. Then when the day of atonement arrived, they would bring this little lamb to the temple and watch a priest take a knife and slaughter it before their very eyes.

It would have been explained to children and adults alike, that

death is the penalty for sin

and

this innocent little lamb who had done nothing but give love was to die giving its life in their place.

Messiah Jesus Christ, Who was completely innocent and walked in unconditional love, and yet because of our sins, He had to die.

In Him we have the Lamb of God.

He is the wounded lamb

the tela

because Messiah is spoken of by John as the

Lamb of God

who came to take away the sins of the world

and again in Revelation as the Lamb that was slain.

Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. Revelation 5:6

He was wounded for our transgressions –sins. Isaiah 53:5-12

He became that wounded lamb in our place

because so many of us have been

wounded lambs at one time or another.

We will never not be His children however old we are

and He will never stop being our Shepherd Who leads and guides us by His Spirit.

What did David see in his own wanderings and going astray?

It was a picture of a sacrifice,

one that God could use, to show many generations

the loving kindness of

the

Good Shepherd.

The  Hebrew word that David uses for the

lost sheep is keseh

and there was something else to him using this word.

A keseh is a little lamb,

but a very special lamb,

it is the sacrificial lamb.

David didn’t see himself as just any lamb going astray,

he was the sacrificial lamb that went astray.

He knew that he had a Shepherd who would exchange places with him on that altar.

Most of us will agree that we live a life that has many hardships, pain, heartbreak, and sadness. We may sometimes feel, like David, that we are a keseh or sacrificial lamb of God, one that from time to time has a tendency to go astray, but there is a Shepherd looking for us; One Who has laid down His life so we would not have to pay the price and be sacrificed for our sins.

One Hebrew word

שֶׂה

pronounced: seh is a she lamb

The ‘she,’ lamb, is a young sheep or goat

and is the most significant sacrificial animal in scripture.

 noun כֶּבֶשׂ. lamb, sheep. כבש.

 TSoAn TSAn means “lamb” in Hebrew.

This word is pronounced “Se ha’Elohim.”

It is an adjective and usually has a sound of SH

טָלֶה noun masculine

1Samuel 7:9 lamb

Late Hebrew id., lamb; 

Aramaic: טַלְיָא lamb, youth,

טַלְיְתָא girl, boy, youth, girl

compare Mark 5:41;

Arabic: the young of cloven-footed animals.

It is also mentioned with another Hebrew name which is the name of the adult of this species: ‘ke•ves,’ sheep.

In many references the ‘seh’ is mentioned as a ‘year-old sheep.’

In  Leviticus and Numbers

these detailed rules of the offering ceremony are recorded.

Whereas the ordinary ceremony requires a young lamb.

The sacrificial lamb was done

on certain holidays such as

Yom Kippur /The Day of Atonement,

and Pesach/Passover,

in particular, the sacrificial lamb

must be without blemish.

The Hebrew word for this phrase is ta•min,

which also means innocent or perfect:

“Your lamb shall be without blemish/tamin, a male of the first year; you shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats”

Exodus 12:5

This Old Testament ‘seh’ has everything required to

reflect the image and character of the Messiah;

and, without doubt He is

innocent, perfect, with no blemish

and He is prophesied to pay with His life for the sin of all of us:

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, but he humbled himself and opened not his mouth; he was brought like a lamb to the slaughter, and like a sheep, that is dumb before its shearers, he did not open his mouth”

Isaiah 53:6-7

The sacrificed ‘seh’ is the most important metaphor in the New Testament. In Hebrew it’s called

Seh Ha•Elohim,- The Lamb of God:

The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

He was the Passover/Pesach Lamb, Who became the perfect sacrifice/seh for everyone who believes and understands what He did by becoming the substitute to pay the penalty for our sins.

 

We may not be familiar with the breeds of sheep and goats in the middle east where the animals look very much alike…

and it often easier to tell when they are fully grown.

We are very familiar with Messiah represented as a Shepherd,

and His followers are represented as

His flock, sheep and lambs.

We are called the sheep of His pasture and we also read of the future separation of the sheep from the goats.

And all the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd who separates sheep from goats. Matthew 25:32

This reference is also a reminder to His followers to be just that, followers. 

We are not to be independent, stubborn,

rebellious or disobedient;

neither are we to be pretending to be one of His sheep. 

He also said

“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-4 

The Hebrew word tela also has the meaning:  little child.

Do the meanings of the Aramaic and Hebrew words reveal something more to us about this very familiar picture?

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms. Isaiah 40:11.

 

This is very important as there is a connection between

the Hebrew words for

lamb and little child –

in Hebrew/Aramaic it’s written:

טגא

tet gimel alef.

The most common word for

 a child or small infant

is yalad or yeled

yeled: child, son, boy, kid, youth, youngster

Original Word: יֶלֶד
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: yeled
Phonetic Spelling: yeh’-led

There is also another word, tabitha which is a play off on the word in Hebrew talitha. In Aramaic, it means a child. Familiar to us in the raising of Jairus daughter in Mark 5:41

alitha cumi for Greek ταλιθὰ κούμι,

which, in turn, is a transliteration of the Aramaic

טְלִיחָא קוּמִי  Maiden, arise.

Mark preserves the Aramaic term 

Talitha kum’ instead of just translating it:

Biblical scholars agree that Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, was a Jewish man from a working-class background in Judea, and would have spoken Aramaic, a 3,000-year-old language that shares many Hebrew words.

The Aramaic language is a Semitic language closely related to Hebrew. Originally this language of the Arameans, it was used, in many dialectical forms, in Mesopotamia and Syria. Aramaic is a Semitic language which was common in much of the Near East from about 7th century BC until the 7th century AD. 

Taking the child’s hand, He said [tenderly] to her,

“Talitha kum!”—which translated [from Aramaic] means,

“Little girl, I say to you, get up!” 

Hebrew: 2922.   טָלָא   ṭālā’

 טָלָא (H2921) taw-law

טְלָא ṭᵉlâʼ, tel-aw’; apparently from H2921 in the (original) sense of covering (for protection); (compare H2924) a lamb:

† טָלֶה noun masculine1 Samuel 7:9 lamb (Late Hebrew id., lamb;

Aramaic טַלְיָא lamb, youth, 

Variant spellings for this word: טלי (Gesenius) טלא 

(Strongs) Teli טְלִי

טְלִי (ṭᵊlî), lambs

little child

yeled

ילד קטן

ṭālā’ טָלָא

טְלָאּים (tela) – lamb

 Aramaic טַלְיָא lamb,

tela lamb Mark 9:37 and Matt 18:3

 

The word used in the Greek for 

little children is paidai

which is the word for a little child or infant.

Unless you become as a little child you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

As previously noted, the most common word is yalad which is a child or small infant; and there is also the other word which is a play off the word in Hebrew which is talitha.

In Aramaic, it means a child.

But in Hebrew, it means a wounded lamb.

Did Messiah Jesus choose to use talitha from the root word tela rather than yalad to give a little play on the words?

Strong’s Hebrew: 2922. טְלָאּים (tela) — lamb

Original Word: טְלָא

Part of Speech: Noun Masculine

Transliteration: tela

Phonetic Spelling: tel-aw’

Definition: lamb

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin the same as taleh,

The word for lamb is tela’. 

It is used only once in Scripture and it is found here and means lamb. Altogether there are about nine other words in the Hebrew language that are used for lamb.

Tela actually means:

to be blemished, spotted or wounded.

The Lamb that the Good Shepherd is carrying is one that is not perfect, it is flawed, or has been wounded and can not walk.

As a Rabbi, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus used many little educational tools to instruct his disciples.  One often used by rabbis throughout the ages is the use of a play on words.

Sometimes a word sounds like a word from another language and we make a play off it as in the example in Matthew 18:3. Here, Jesus/Yeshua is saying that unless we become as little children.  

The play on words cannot be seen from the Greek because it only works in a Semitic language.

The word used in the Greek for little children is paidai which is the word for a little child or infant. Unless you become as a little child you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  We probably think that Jesus is telling us that we must have the faith of a child.  Does our Heavenly Father expect us to have a faith so naïve/immature, perhaps Messiah meant something more?

Messiah Jesus spoke these words in Aramaic and, as we have seen there are two words that could be used for a child. The most common word is yalad which is a child or small infant. The other word in Aramaic is tabitha which is a play off the word in Hebrew talitha..  and in Aramaic, it means a child.  But in Hebrew, a similar sounding word talitha means a wounded lamb.  They share a similar root word, tela’. Did Messiah choose to use tabitha from the root word tela rather than the most common word yalad to give a play on words?

The disciples would be familiar with the Biblical Hebrew, as it was used as a ceremonial language. In the same way today, that Latin is still used in the Catholic church services.  It was not used as a spoken language unless a person was speaking with Jews from another land who spoke, Greek for example, but not Aramaic, they would still have the Hebrew language as a common ceremonial language between them.

In Mark 5:41 when Jesus raised the little girl from the dead he said: Tabitha Koum.  This is in a feminine form in the Aramaic and means: little girl get up.   However, it is very close to the Hebrew word tela for a wounded lamb.  Messiah could have said yalid – rise up which also means little child rise; but instead He chose to use a word which plays off the Hebrew and those who understood the use of such words would quickly pick up on the wordplay. 

Little wounded lamb, arise.

Was this a more affectionate way to address her? Did the people hear both, and did they hear a play on these words?

We may have the same thing when it is recorded Messiah said: : “Unless you become as a little child you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” He used the Aramaic word talitha and did a wordplay saying:

Unless you come as a wounded or sorrowful little child you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

We could say in other words with a deeper meaning that, unless we are really sorrow for our sins a like a little child is sorrowful because the parent corrects them and they climb into the parent’s arms crying and from the heart says: “I’m sorry.” they will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  

Could this be why Messiah further says that, if we humble ourselves as a child or wounded truly sorrowful child,

we will be great in heaven?

This is the kind of godly sorrow or genuine repentance that makes an individual great in the kingdom of heaven.  This humility is that of a child who is not afraid to admit they are wrong and will even cry out of sorrow when his carelessness is pointed out.

When children are forced by their parents, or other authorities, to say “I am sorry.”  It is often under pressure, however when a child really says sorry without being told to, it is genuine; and that is the repentance our Heavenly Father is looking for, not one under given under pressure, threat or duress.

To see a child who is truly sorry asking to be forgiven, can melt the heart of a parent who will just want to hug the child and assure them of forgiveness. 

Trying to appear remorseful and sorrowful after we’ve been caught is worth nothing to most people; especially if they think we are repentant simply because we got caught and now have to face the consequences. 

Isn’t it the same with our Heavenly Father? True Godly sorrow is sorrow over having wounded and broken a father’s heart because of our sins. HIs Holy Spirit will bring that conviction and sorrow and without it we are no better off as there is no change.

Once we realize just how much our Heavenly Father loves us, that He sent His Son to die for us and has brought nothing but good into our lives; His Holy Spirit will make that very clear and cause us to grieve in the right way, that is Godly sorrow.

This is a tela, a wounded, sorrowful little lamb.

2 Corinthians 7:10

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 

Strongs H2922

טְלָאִים plural of foregoing H2924,

only Isaiah 40:11 in metaphor of י׳ shepherding his people.

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs H2922 with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

The word for flock and shepherd are the same words. One is used as a noun and the other as a verb. It is up to the translator to apply the application so it makes some sense.  The word used for shepherd in the Hebrew here is ra’ah.  It can mean shepherd but in its Semitic root, it is the word RA and is the prime word for evil. There are many words in Hebrew which begins with RA ( the letters Resh and Ayin).  Each word would reflect a different type of evil.

Ra’ah  has the idea of a consuming passion.

A consuming passion can be evil, if that passion is drugs, alcohol, etc. We would use the word ra’ah today to describe an addiction.  A drug addict will sacrifice a job, resources, family and friends to satisfy the passion for drugs.  In such a case that consuming passion is evil. 

Lust can be defined as:

the appetite of demons expressed through human flesh! Desires that are never satisfied, always wanting and craving more, insatiable and unable to ever be appeased.

 An addiction will control the life of the individual This is a place from which the individual cannot escape without help, because it’s the place of bondage and people will defend things that have been established in their flesh. Freedom can only come when we turn to the Lord our Shepherd, admit there is a problem; repent and turn to Him, and be converted as that little child.

Then

deliverance from bondage comes through

the blood of the Lamb…the wounded lamb.

A consuming passion is some cases is good.  Shepherds are consumed with their sheep as they spend their lives leading them to green pastures, cool waters and protecting them.

A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, hence the word ra’ah is used for a Shepherd.  A true friend is one who is consumed with love for their friends. As Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this than a man lay down his life for his friend (John 15:13).” Hence the word ra’ah is often rendered as a friend. From a friendship one is fed, giving and receiving pleasure, comfort and delight. We are nourished emotionally from a friendship. Thus the word ra’ah is also used to express feeding, just as a shepherd will feed his sheep.

So it seems there is a connection between sheep and people,

lambs and children

& who gets into heaven…

This week let’s not only focus on knowing Him and the power of His Resurrection; but also on the enormity of the price that was paid for our salvation, forgiveness, deliverance, healing, wholeness.. The true and eternal cost to Messiah, that is reflected in our freedom today to read these words; and to choose to live for Him and not ourselves as He has chosen to abide with and in us.

He is our Tamid – He is our Kesah  –

He is our Tela – the wounded Lamb…

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Let’s not take this miraculous provision of grace and mercy lightly, or for granted. Let’s not get caught in traditions of men or doctrines of demons, but dig for truth; and in finding the pearl of great price, let’s surrender ALL to Him Who gave His ALL for us –

How can we do anything less?

As Haggai 1:5 said consider your ways…

Isn’t it  time to consider ours??…..

Many previous posts on

Pesach/Passover week

are available for newer readers by clicking links below.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/palm-sunday-nisan-the-appointed-time-of-the-lamb/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/not-passing-over-passover-week/ 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/unleavened-bread-matzot-week/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/revealing-the-overcoming-resheet-of-bikkurim/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/where-was-keifa-the-week-of-chag-hamatzot/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/what-is-this-avodah-you-have/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/13-for-supper-and-only-4-cups/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/afikomen-mysterious-and-hidden/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/pesach-emunah-for-his-am-segulah/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-truth-will-make-you-free-time-for-some-truth/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/revealing-the-overcoming-resheet-of-bikkurim/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/a-lot-can-happen-in-a-week/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/even-more-can-happen-in-and-around-the-same-week/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/seasons-of-the-lord-his-rhythm-of-chaim-life/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/seasons-of-the-lord-moedim-rhythm-of-life-part-2/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-mystery-of-in-his-deaths/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-pesach-dalet-in-time-a-man-between-2-realms-yonah-and-the-watches-of-the-night/

The link below is to watch, free, the highly recommended film

The Passion of the Christ.  2004 Mel Gibson.

https://vimeo.com/452350122

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

Who Or What Is Good?

We are used to hearing the word

Good

as part of a morning, afternoon or evening greeting,

in Hebrew:

Boker tov = בּוֹקֶר טוֹב. = Good morning

 Erev tov = ערב טוב = Good evening 

Layla tov = לילה טוב = Good night

or even as an exclamation:

‘good heavens’ or ‘goodness me!’

We may also be familiar with the term:

mazel tov – מזל טוב‎,

An Israeli expression of:

congratulations and best wishes.

There are numerous references to where the word

good

is used and it depends on which translation of the Bible we read.

The KJV has the word good appearing about 809 times. In Romans Paul used the expression good news 12 times.

Another familiar scripture is Ps. 133:1:

Behold how good and how pleasing

Hinneh mah tovumah na’im: הִנֵּה מַה טוֹב וּמַה נָּעִים:

For brothers (people) to dwell/sit together in unity.

But what does good mean when it is used according to scripture?

The word for good in Hebrew is tob or tov

Strong’s Hebrew: 2895. טוֹב (tob) –

to be pleasing or good

טוב good tov/tob, ṭôb, tobe.

Recall that in Hebrew either b and v can be used in a word as they are the same letter, and it can be spelled either with or without a

vav – טוֹב  or  טב

From Strongs H2895; good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well): – beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, X fair (word), (be in) favor, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, X most, pleasant, + pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well ([-favored]).

In scripture, the first time we read of anything being called

good

is in Genesis/B’resheet

verse 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good

31 And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.

What does good- tov mean?

In the first chapter of Genesis YHWH calls His handiwork good – tov. He is describing what He sees after completing various acts of creation.

The word tov in Day 3 of creation shows us what tov is.

As Hebrew often uses

descriptions of things as relating to their purpose;

so the word tov

could be translated with the word

functional.

When our Heavenly Father, the Creator, looked at His accomplishments, He did not simply see that it was good, He saw that it was functional, and would do what He had designed it to do; similar to a piece of machinery that is both finely tuned and well lubricated so it can operate for its’ intended function and purpose.

Another well known use of the word good

is in reference to one of the trees in the garden.

In contrast to the word for good/tob/tov is the Hebrew word ra. These two words, tov and ra are used for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

While ra is often translated as evil

it may be better translated as dysfunctional.

In the first part of 1 Kings 3:9, in the account of the 2 mothers and the surviving baby; we see what tov looks like in action.

When Solomon says “Shall You then give to Your servant an understanding heart to rule Your people, to discern between good [tov] and evil?

The words frequently translated as

an understanding mind

are לֵב שֹׁמֵ

it is pronounced: lev shomea,

and literally translated

in Biblical Hebrew לֵב שֹׁמֵע

is

‘a hearing heart’.

The purpose for our Heavenly Father giving Solomon

a hearing heart

is so he can govern Gods’ people and have

the ability to discern between good /tov and evil/ra.

There is further use of the word good in Genesis 1:11–12

And Elohim said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the plant that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth.” And it came to be so. And the earth brought forth grass, the plant that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And Elohim saw that it was good [tov].”

These two verses, reveal a wonderful explanation of how things in His earth are to unfold by calling forth the seeds He has implanted; His creation does so with the seeds of future life/chaim within them, and He sees this process as tov. 

The plants and trees must have seeds inside them because, at the perfect time, those same plants and trees will release their seeds into the earth; continuing the cycle of creating and producing life/chaim. 

As part of our Heavenly Fathers creation, it is our turn to bring forth the seeds of His life/chaim, that are planted within us. These seeds are designed to intercede for, and to encourage and teach others, etc. We are to plant seeds of life/chaim into others lives…

It could be true to say that people who struggle to find meaning and fulfillment in life, are not bringing forth what has been planted inside of them; and which our Father intended for them to bring forth.

It is up to each individual to choose..

Do we have a hearing heart like Solomon, and will we choose to walk with God in obedience allowing Him to bring forth more seeds from His life/chaim that are already planted inside of us?

Could we then say that anything that produces life and contains the potential for more life within it, would be what our Heavenly Father calls good?

As previously noted the Hebrew word tov does not simply mean ‘pleasant’ or ‘pleasurable’. It means:

capable of,

presently engaged in the process of,

and destined for,

completely fulfilling the Divine purpose for which it was created. 

The difference between how our modern society uses the word good and how our Father uses the word good seems to be extreme; as it’s not uncommon to hear good being used to describe a new fashion trend, movie or restaurant.

Scripture is considerably more selective when it comes to applying the word good – tov to something.

Two scriptures we are familiar with are:

John 10:11 and 10:27.

I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd gives His life for HIS sheep.

Messiah Jesus/Yeshua calls Himself a good shepherd.

There are a few words in Greek and about 4 words in Aramaic that are rendered as good.

Aramaic words are: hana = pleasurable, beautiful, fine, excellent. 

and taqan = honest, blameless, high moral character.

These would be possibly be the best match for the Greek word kalos,

that is used in John 10 11.

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep.”
Good: Greek:  kalos

Kalos kagathos or kalokagathos 

Ancient Greek : καλὸς κἀγαθός [kalòs kaːɡatʰós],

of which kalokagathia (καλοκαγαθία)

is the derived noun, is a phrase used by classical Greek writers to describe:

an ideal of gentlemanly personal conduct,

especially in a military context.

Parts of Speech. kal-os’. Adjective.

Definition. beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable. beautiful to look at, shapely, 

Strong’s Greek: 2573. καλῶς (kalós) — well – 

kalós: well Original Word: καλῶς

Part of Speech: Adverb

Transliteration: kalós 

Phonetic Spelling: (kal-oce’)

Definition: well Usage: well, nobly, honorably, rightly.

Strong’s Greek: 2570. καλός (kalos) — beautiful, good

Original Word: καλός, ή, όν

Part of Speech: Adjective

Transliteration: kalos

Phonetic Spelling: (kal-os’)

Definition: beautiful, good Usage: beautiful, as an outward sign of the inward good, noble

It is interesting to note that the Aramaic New Testament uses the word:

TAWA (perfect harmony) instead.

Jesus/Yeshua spoke these words in Aramaic and John heard them in Aramaic and perhaps translated them into Greek if he did not write them down in Aramaic first.

So why was the Greek word Kalos chosen?

Looking at all the Greek words that could be rendered as good, none really expressed the basic idea of tawa which is similar to the Hebrew word tov.

The Greek writer would have chosen the best possible Greek word for tawa and yet that still falls short of the full meaning.

Why?

Because the Aramaic word TAWA is: rooted in a relationship!

Aramaic: tawa’ – A relationship with someone or something that is perfectly harmonious and in sync.

In all the Greek words, there doesn’t seem to be any that would express that of a relationship, which is the idea of tawa’ being similar to the Hebrew word tov. All of them point to a persons’ character, courage or appearance.

Messiah called Himself the good shepherd, and surely the whole idea of Him describing Himself as a shepherd conveys the idea of a relationship, and in contrast, doesn’t speak of His appearance, moral character or courage.

So maybe in light of this, the word good is possibly not the best one to use?

A good shepherd can be defined by, understanding the ancient culture and what a shepherds’ responsibility was.

In Messiahs’ day there were two types of shepherds;

there were the hired shepherds

and the self-employed shepherds who owned their own sheep. 

A shepherd was a highly respected occupation in the ancient Eastern culture; and for mothers to see their sons become shepherds was something they desired.

A man would be forced to hire a stranger to watch his sheep if he had no sons and this was not the best option because being a shepherd was a very dangerous job.  A shepherd had to protect a flock of not so smart animals from attacks by wolves, robbers, bad weather and any number of other threats; yet, if a man’s personal livelihood, his wife, children and his future was threatened, he would take the risk. Recall Davids’ experiences protecting the sheep in his charge.

There were plenty of courageous, honorable hired shepherds, but they did not have a relationship with their sheep, their relationship was with the promised wages. As shepherding was much more of a common occupation, if a shepherd was dismissed from the job, he would simply move to another area of the country.

Messiah Jesus is not only our Good Shepherd, He is far far more. And we can say for certain that He is not the shepherd who is looking for the wages and Who would abandon His sheep the first time one wanders off, or has to face hungry predators. We should further remember that, He is also a role model for those in Pastoral and Christian leadership positions. 

It is sad to say that these days, there are fewer pastors who would go into a drug house and pick up one of the young people from his church assembly and take him home. Not many pastors would get up in the middle of the night during a storm and drive to the home of someone who urgently needed prayer. Just how many pastors would take a cut in their wages during a recession, so congregation members would not be burdened? How many work and don’t use ‘the church’ as their financial source? 
It makes one wonder just how many pastors and church leaders are truly tawa’ shepherds (good shepherds) and not hired shepherds who will abandon the sheep at the first sign of trouble or leave them to go for the offer of a bigger church and higher wages?

“I am the good shepherd;

the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep.”

John 10:11:

Maybe we really need to define good?

A most important scripture that helps us define good is in

Luke 18:18-19 and Mark 10:18

where Jesus Himself said that only God is good.

None is good except One, God. 

No one is good except God alone.  Jesus answered,

“Why do you call me good? Only God is good [No one is good except One—God;”

Tov = good in Matthew 19:16,17 Why do you call me good there is none good but god?

Greek – kalos  = beautiful, fine, excellent, blameless, high moral character.

Aramaic –TAWA = a relationship with someone or something, that is perfectly harmonious and in sync!

So in saying Only God is good could be read as:

Only God is in perfect harmony, relationship and frequency with ALL of His creation.

Why do you call Me good? ONLY God is TAWA

GOOD (SHEPHERD) – TAWA’  tet vav alef

  alef             vav            tet

Next a closer look at the word Tov/tob

and the letters that make up the word for

good: tet vav bet

in

Strongs 2896 1186.

The letter

ט

T- tet

And in the pictographs.

ט – tet is a picture of:

a basket or tote, used to contain or

surround something food or belongings.

 

It means:

twist, basket, snake, surround, store, contain,

mud, clay, below, womb.

The letter sound of “T” and a word picture of a snake, serpent, surrounding something, coiling or a curving line;

a snake surrounds and is inside, no deception – it is the same outside and inside.

Tet – The ‘Seal’ or Mark of the ‘Master’.. His claim of ‘ownership’ and promise of completion.. to be restored to Him forever.. Jesus Messiah/Yeshua HaMashiach, (The Word; come in the flesh) He is The Seal, The Confirmation… We must be ‘IN’ Mashiach/In Christ – ‘access by compliance’ – Hazon/Revelation 22:14.

The pictograph for the letter

vet/bet ב is

It is the Hebrew word for house – bayit/beit/bet

and means:

house inside, household

or family also used as the words in and into.

It is a picture of a tent or house, or floor-plan of a tent.

The Hebrews lived in goat hair tents, which were divided into two halves, male and female sections, and divided by a wall.

Bet – House – The Container;

Body – Habitation of The Power of His Ruach/Spirit.

 טב

The 2 letters combined can mean: surround the house.

The house is surrounded by: grace, beauty, love, health and prosperity, something that is functional.

If written with a waw/vav

טוב

T W/V B also meaning:

GOOD – something that functions properly.

Translated in KJV. 591 times as:

good, better, well, goodness, goodly, best, merry, fair, prosperity, precious, fine, wealth, beautiful, fairer, favor glad.

Strongs # 2896, 2898. The word and meanings have many of the attributes of shalom/peace.

The extra letter

vav  ו – 

Meaning: Add, And, Secure, Hook, Join, Nail, Pierce.

The tent was supported by ropes attached to pegs driven into the ground. These pegs were made of a branched piece of hardwood. No English word is derived from this letter but the picture is similar to the hand of a man waving.

Sound: w, ow, uw

Picture of a peg: VAV

Ancient Name: Waw

The Instrument to bind or binding together –

One doing the work of:

weaving-knitting together (as in a womb- two become ‘one’)… fastening together…

think Jesus Messiah/HaMashiach Yeshua! 

This could read – What surrounds and is inside.

This word good/tov is used many times and it apparently means exactly the same in Aramaic – tova, as it does in Hebrew. 

We could conclude that Good is:

to be in harmony with something or someone.

When God created the fish of the sea, He saw it was good or in harmony with Him.  He created man and woman and saw they were good together or together were in harmony with Him. 

In scripture we are told that if a man finds a wife he finds a good thing.  We should not think of any woman, especially a wife as a ‘thing’. Wouldn’t it be preferable to translate it as: a man who finds a wife finds someone who brings him into harmony with his Heavenly Father? 

In the Semitic root of the Hebrew the word is tov has the idea of being in harmony or in tune.  We could read it as:

our Heavenly Father created the birds of the air and saw that they were in tune with or in harmony with Him.

All of His creation is in harmony with Him.

The plethora of colors, intricate details and designs show the un-paralleled beauty of all He has made and in the complexity and infinite variety of His creative thoughts even in a tiny insect. 

His love is evident in the nurturing care that His creations have for their young. 

Sometimes Romans 8:28 is just something we quote, not because we really believe it, but because we don’t know what else to say in a situation and sometimes, it can be really be irritating in the sense that many times a situation does not work out for good or what we perceive as good!

Isn’t what Paul is saying really that, every event and every circumstance in our life is meant to bring us into harmony with our Heavenly Father?

Only God is good and we can be certain when we are in right relationship with Him, and we are in perfect harmony and synchronized with His will and plan and purpose for our lives; the God that is only good, will fulfill His promises according to His Word, surrounding the house/body we live in with all of His Goodness!

Shalom shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and 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.

On The Threshold of a Divine Portal

Looking at the amazing connection between the Anochi of the flock and the DOOR WAY to our future.

While compiling the thoughts from Father for this post, a childhood memory of a sign on a door brought a smile; almost as much as at the time it brought confusion! It Read…

It was hard to know whether the shop advertising the sale of ice cream was open or closed!

Clearly the sign was broken but its funny how things become stuck in the brain! Even now, whenever a sign beckons

it raises a question.

Are they really

or clopen or maybe they’re simply clopsed?

One thing is sure… the WAY through the DOOR to the Father is always open and there is NO confusion!

Yeshua/Jesus said I AM THE DOOR

Strongs Hebrew 1817 deleth

Phonetic Spelling: (deh’-leth)

דֶּלֶת

The Daleth (dalet) Dalet (dāleth, also spelled Daleth or Daled) is the fourth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew letter D, is ד , the dalet,” meaning, he who possesses nothing of his own!

In man’s service of God, the dalet characterizes shiflut, lowliness, the consciousness of possessing nothing of one’s own.

Selflessness.

Together with the awareness of our own power of free choice, we must be aware that He gives us the power to achieve success, and not to think, that our accomplishments are our power and the strength of our hand. Free choice is no more than the expression of our will to participate, as it were, in the Divine plan.

The shape of the letter is two lines forming a right angle, with a corner point. Representing a man bent over.

The vertical line: represents selflessness and willingness to sacrifice one’s life for one’s people.

The horizontal line: submergence of the soul in its Divine Source.

The letter is based on a glyph of the Middle Bronze Age alphabets, probably called dalt “door” (door in Modern Hebrew is delet), ultimately based on a hieroglyph depicting a door and

Daleth also represents a doorway. The door stands in the opening of the house, the beit.

In other words, when the letter is placed in a word, you have to keep in mind that not only is it the letter ‘D’, it has the numerical value of 4 and symbolizes a door.

A door, the door is twofold: it opens two directions: in or out.

Doors keep things and people in or out for security and safety.

A door is a portal, a threshold, when we cross it we enter into a new area in the natural realm and a new dimension, another time and another place in the spiritual realm.

 

In the days spoken of in scripture, when an important person came to a home, an animal was sacrificed at the threshold of the door.

The threshold was considered sacred.

You were to step over it and never on it.

This may be one reason the blood was placed only on the lintel and posts in the Israelites homes at the first Passover because they were not to tread on it and we are not to trample the blood under our feet either. Hebrews 10:26-31

Today when you come to the threshold of a country they give the dignitaries the ‘red carpet’ treatment. The practice is rooted in this
 offering of the animal at the threshold of the doorway.

This is also seen after a wedding where the Groom traditionally carries the bride over the threshold entering into a new life together the same as we do when we are born again and enter new life.

 

The door to God’s house allows for the humble of Ruwach/spirit to enter. The door itself, the dalet, is the property of humility and lowliness, and bitul, the entrance WAY to TRUTH. The dalet is also the initial letter of the word dirah, “dwelling place,” as in the phrase “[God’s] dwelling place below.” Thus the full meaning of the dalet is the door through which the humble enter into the realization of God’s dwelling place below.

We begin to understand more reasons why He said I AM the DOOR. If anyone enters in by Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.

I AM the Good Shepherd.

In Him we see the Fathers’ name, and expression

The Nail (Yud) upon the Door of the tent (Hei) of Jesus/Yeshua, opens the veil/way /door/entry (Dalet) to YaHuWaH (Hei) Kingdom

And taking the last three letters we see The door is open before YHWH (YaHuWaH)’s Righteous house.

The Holy/Kadosh Yahrushalom, is the place where the Tent/House/Beit of our Father is (above), where Jesus/Yeshua placed His blood upon the door, as in the blood of the Passover lamb on the door.

The DOOR of the sheep

The sheepfold to which He was referring, looks like this..

The shepherd was literally the door blocking the entrance stopping any predators or anything else coming in so the sheep were safe.

Any predator would have to go through the shepherd first.

He also stopped the sheep wandering out unprotected.

So even if he slept, if the sheep tried to climb over him, he would wake up.

Shepherds tend God’s flock because they love those who God loves; they mirror His heart in regards to His people – the singular motivation for the shepherds is their love for sheep, just as God loves them.

Hireling’s have an altogether different motivation – they tend God’s flock for the money, for the prestige and sense of power, being in the lime light, to be esteemed by others – and just as EZEKIEL 34 declares, these hirelings – or false shepherds, will actually take advantage of God’s sheep, or even abuse them.

When danger comes, the hireling will abandon God’s sheep, whereas the shepherd will lay down his very life for his sheep!

1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.  9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 

א.אֵָמןאָמֵןֲאנִיֹאֵמרלָכֶםאִיׁשֲאֶׁשרלֹא

-יַבֹאּדֶרְֶךַהּׁשַַעראֶל

-ִמכְְלאֹותַהֹּצאןִּכיאִם-ַיעֲלֶהְבדֶרֶךְַאחֵרַּגָּנב הּואוְֹׁשֵדד:

  1. Amen amen ani o•mer la•chem eesh asher lo-ya•vo de•rech ha•sha•ar el-mich•le•ot ha•tzon ki eem-ya•a•le ve•de•rech a•cher ga•nav hoo ve•sho•ded.

ב.וְאִיׁש ַהּבָאדֶרֶךְהַּׁשַעַרהּוארֵֹעה ַהּצֹאן:

  1. Ve•eesh ha•ba de•rech ha•sha•ar hoo ro•eh ha•tzon.

ג.לֹויְִפַּתחהַֹּׁשֵערְוהַּצֹאןּתִׁשְמַעְנָהבְקֹלֹוְוהּואּבְׁשֵמֹותיִקְָראאֶל

-ֹצאנֹווְיֹוִציֵאן:

  1. Lo yif•tach ha•sho•er ve•ha•tzon tish•ma•a•na ve•ko•lo ve•hoo be•she•mot yik•ra el- tzo•no ve•yo•tzi•en.

ד.ּבְהֹוִציאֹוֶאת-ּ

כָל-צֹאנֹויֲַעֹברִלפְנֵיֶהןוְהָלְכּואַחֲרָיוהַּצֹאןִּכייֹדְעֹותאֶת-ֹקלֹו:

  1. Be•ho•tzi•o et-kol-tzo•no ya•a•vor lif•ney•hen ve•hal•choo a•cha•rav ha•tzon ki yod•ot et – ko•lo.

ה.ְואַחֲרֵיזָרלֹא ֵתַלכְָנהּכִיתָנֹוְסָנהמִּפָנָיוַיעַןקֹולזִָריםלֹאָידָעּו:

  1. Ve•a•cha•rey zar lo te•lach•na ki ta•nos•na mi•pa•nav ya•an kol za•rim lo ya•da•oo.

ו.אֶת-הַָּמׁשָלהַּזֶהָנָׂשאעֲלֵיֶהםיֵׁשּועְַוֵהםלֹאהֵבִינּומַה

-ֶּזהֲאֶׁשרִּדּבֶרֲאלֵיֶהם:

  1. Et-ha•ma•shal ha•ze na•sa aley•hem Yeshua ve•hem lo he•vi•noo ma-ze asher di•ber aley•hem.

ז.ַוּיֹוסֶףיֵׁשּועַוְַיַדּבֵרֲאלֵיֶהםָאֵמןאֵָמןאֲנִיאֵֹמרלָכֶםָאֹנִכיׁשַעַרַהֹּצאן:

  1. Va•yo•sef Yeshua va•y`da•ber aley•hem Amen amen ani o•mer la•chem ano•chi sha•ar ha•tzon.

Another characteristic of sheep: they follow after their shepherd that goes before them and leads them at the head of the flock. Goats are very different: they are not led by their shepherds at the head of the flock; rather Goat herders drive their goats from behind. This difference is significant in a special way: you see, sheep are led, but goats are driven.

JOHN 10:1-2

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  2 But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 

When He said that only a thief and a robber would try to climb over and not come in through the gate, there are 2 people identified here: the ‘robber/thief’ and the shepherd. They are marked by the way that they go in order to gain access to the sheep.

The shepherd goes by the door, which is the legitimate “WAY” to the sheepfold; the robber/thief goes by “some other way”. 

They must climb over a wall, and by so doing, they are exalting themselves. A true under-shepherd of Messiah Jesus Christ never exalts himself, but only Jesus/Yeshua – and Him alone (Luke 18:14)!

Any true shepherd will enter in among God’s sheep by THE WAY, just as our Chief Shepherd (as written in the Scripture, 1 Pet 5:4) is Himself – the Way.

False shepherds – who are in fact robbers and thieves, taking possession of that which does not belong to them, neither by purchase – (Jesus/Yeshua purchased us, His sheep, by His blood; Acts. 20:28) – nor by stewardship – (those that God has accounted as acceptable as His ‘under-shepherds’ 2 Cor. 3:1-6).

Both Acts and 2Peter warn us that there are those who are self-appointed authorities in today’s world, who claim to speak for God in the church, but are actually enemies of the cross (Phil. 3:18-19) and have risen up in our midst to draw others away from the Good Shepherd and into error and apostasy (Acts. 20:29-31; 2 Pet. 2:1).

Sheepfolds can still be seen today in parts of UK/Europe.

There was only ONE tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.

There was only ONE door in Noah’s ark; any who would seek salvation from the coming flood would have to enter in there – there was no second door. 

There was only ONE way that led into the Temple’s Holy Place and the inner chamber the Holy of Holies – there wasn’t a multiple choice!

Likewise, there is just ONE door, ONE way to salvation – and that is Messiah; and The WAY to God’s sheep is by the DOOR.

There are many examples of Doors in the scriptures. One is Revelation 4:1 – …I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven.

“In the Spirit,” John goes through the open door into Heaven and in Rev.3:8, Philadelphia was given an “open door” to spread the Gospel unhindered.

The “open door” in Heaven is different. This open door is the physical entrance to the Kingdom of God, which today is still in Heaven. It will be open to those that had already spiritually entered the door to Heaven upon salvation and closed to those not saved:

Luke 13:23-28 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.

It is only through Jesus that we (the “sheep”) can enter the Kingdom (the pasture):

John 10:1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter through the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up by another way, that one is a thief and a robber. 2 “But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 “The doorkeeper opens for him, and the sheep hear his voice. And he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 “And when he has brought out his own sheep, he goes before them. And the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 “And they shall by no means follow a stranger, but shall flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 יהושע used this figure of speech, but they did not know what He had been saying to them. 7 יהושע therefore said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 “I am the door. Whoever enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and shall go out and find pasture.

10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to slaughter, and to destroy. I have come that they might possess life, and that they might possess it beyond measure. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 “But the hireling, and not being a shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. 13 “Now the hireling flees because he is a hireling and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd.1 And I know Mine, and Mine know Me, Footnote: 1Ezek. 34:11-12, Heb. 13:20, 1 Peter 2:25, 1 Peter 5:4. 15 even as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold – I have to bring them as well, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one shepherd. 

1Ezek. 34:23, Ezek. 37:24. 17 “Because of this the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, in order to receive it again.Joh 10:18 “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to receive it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

There is an interesting point in

Exodus 21:6 then his master shall bring him before Elohim, and shall bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl. And he shall serve him forever.

As we have read in John, Jesus/Yeshua is the DOOR.

It is not insignificant that the town of Silwan the area where Jesus/Yeshua was nailed to the tree means pillar or post as in a door.

When we are nailed to the door we are in fact committing ourselves for ever to Jesus/Yeshua.

Remember the fact that Jesus/Yeshua was sacrificed at the door or the same side as the entrance to the east side of the Temple as was the Passover Lamb. It
 was His blood that was shed at the door to Father’s house. Even the two door posts were made from Olive trees also known as the two witnesses.

In Eze 46:1 ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “The gate of the inner courtyard facing east is shut the six days of work, but on the Sabbath it is opened, and on the day of the New Moon it is opened. 2 “And the prince shall enter by way of the porch of that gate from the outside, and he shall stand by the post. And the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. And he shall bow himself at the threshold of the gate, and shall go out, but the gate is not shut until evening. 3 “And the people of the land shall also bow themselves at the entrance to this gate before יהוה, on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons. 4 “And the burnt offering which the prince brings to יהוה on the Sabbath day is six lambs, perfect ones, and a ram, a perfect one. 5 “And the grain offering is one ĕphah for a ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, a gift of his hand, and a hin of oil for an ĕphah. 6 “And on the day of the New Moon: a young bull, a perfect one, six lambs, and a ram, they should be perfect.

This is all symbolic of the 7th Millennium when the door will be open and not shut. It is shut for the other six days of work.

Jesus/Yeshua is to be King during this 7th Millennium and He is the DOOR by which we must enter and cross over the THRESHOLD. It is His blood that has made the CARPET RED for our coming.

We read of the same in the Prodigal son in Luke 15:23 ‘And bring the fattened calf here and slaughter it, and let us eat and rejoice,

When this calf is killed it is done at the threshold of the door. The son is being given the red carpet treatment. The older brother never got this treatment because he was already in the house with the father.

I Am the Door

The Greek words translated “I am” occur exactly 37 times in the NT (in referring to the LORD).

I AM: Εγω ειμι

In Hebrew I Am is Anochi.

Strong’s Hebrew: 595. אָנֹכִי; (anoki)

 אָנֹכִי       ;

Phonetic Spelling: (aw-no-kee’)
Short Definition: myself

No doubt the most famous statement ever uttered in all of history begins with an unusual four-letter word: Anochi. The Ten Commandments. 

Fire and smoke poured from the mountain and the earth shook. The entire Community of Israel stood together in awe at the foot of Sinai as the Divine Presence thrust them into profound revelation. The thunder of awakening surged through each heart and mind as a transcendent voice spoke out: Anochi Ha-Shem Elokecha.

The literal translation of this thunder is “I am The Name, your God.” Whereas the people of Israel received this realization in an explosive flash, we can receive this truth gradually by examining and thinking on the mystical meanings contained in these three words:

Anochi is the Divine ‘I’ — a description of the Divine Self.

Hashem – as in “The Name” refers to God’s attribute of Infinity, that is ‘beyond’ and transcendent.

Elokecha, (also called Elokim,) is a plural term, referring to the Divinity that interfaces with the finite world of multiplicity: meaning, “your personal God.”

Anochi is a synonym for etzem or atzmus, meaning “Essence”—the ultimate context and totality of Reality. Essence is no-thing and every-thing, and yet it is neither nothing nor everything.

The “I” of Anochi is not only the I of existence, manifestation or form, it is also

the “I” of thing, and

the “I” of no-thing,

the “I” of finite and

the “I” of infinite,

the “I” of fullness and

the “I” of emptiness.

As the Israelites received the revelation of Anochi, they experienced their own limited human existence and at the same time, the unlimited Divine Existence in the absence of conflict.

In this revelation, there was no duality, only Unity. Nothing exists outside of Essence, thus Essence cannot be “experienced” ― our own self-consciousness distances our minds and ourselves from the experience.

Although Essence is beyond the finite and the infinite, it also embraces and constitutes both of them. For this reason, Essence probably holds the key to resolving the connection between the finite and the infinite, the natural and the spiritual.

We cannot become that which we already are so the process may be simply a matter of revelation. Again we need a personal apocalypse which comes from communication and developing relationship with the Father who is spirit; and this could be a meaning behind Jesus words in John 4:24, God is a Spirit and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Because God is a Spirit, He longs to have fellowship/communion with our spirits where He can reveal answers to these questions. We need to meet Him Spirit-to-spirit. We should approach Him humbly, transparently, and honestly, withholding nothing. Also recognizing who He is, and realizing who we are in His presence. We need to not be reticent but rather fully embrace the spiritual side of our beliefs. We walk so easily in the carnal physical realm and miss so much that He is trying to impart to our spiritually hungry hearts.

The word means ‘I,’ referring to God – I the Lord Your God took you out of Egypt… But ‘ani’ is the common Hebrew pronoun for ‘I.’

Explained in the Talmud (Shabbat 105a), that Anochi is an acronym for Ana Nafshi Ketovit Yehovit. Simply translated: I Myself wrote [these words and] gave [them to you].

But on closer inspection the actual translation is far more intriguing: I wrote down My very Soul and gave it to you.

Or more poetically: My Soul is inscribed in these words that I gave you.

Anochi captures the essence and purpose of all existence: To inscribe and reveal the soul in our every word and in our every experience.

The opening of the Ten Commandments, Anochi, defines the essence of life’s purpose, of all our interactions and of all our words – to manifest the unifying soul in our fragmented universe.

Had God not inscribed His soul into the words, our relationship with the Divine would have probably remained detached.

ANOCHI 

אָנֹכִי 

John 10:9 I am the DALET/DOOR and

John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life: 

no man comes to the Father, but by me unless the Father draws him. (John 6:65)

It seems very restrictive, however, so is the narrow WAY and the natural man has no ability to come to God, nor does he even have the desire to come. Because his heart is hard and his mind is darkened, the unregenerate person doesn’t desire God and according to Romans 5:10 is actually an enemy of God.

The days of shepherds in Jesus/Yeshua’s time were simple and when He said I AM the Door they understood the concept perfectly. We have doors of wood glass metal etc., and many places have people on duty by those doors. Their job it is to guard the entrance but that individual is not expected to take the place of the door, merely to enforce the boundaries that it represents.

Today the door is still open. Seek him now, while He may be found. There will come a day when there will be no such option… just as happened to those in Noah’s day…and God closed the door. This is also reflected in the Fall Feast, Yom Teruah/Trumpets where the end of the ceremony is called Neilah means closing the gates.

Enter through the narrow WAY into the joy of the lord. Joy is the fullness of the relationship we have been developing and that is the key and secret of the believer’s strength.

The Anochi, the I AM, Shepherd of the flock, is the Dalet, the Door, as we wait on the threshold to enter into our heavenly future; just as He was the Dalet, when we came into His sheepfold crossing the threshold of New Birth. He and the Father are One/Echad and we are indeed on the threshold of a divine portal.

Please, don’t leave this page until..

you are sure you are through the DOOR and safely in the sheep fold.. He is calling YOU today..

we all need to born again from above..His Mercy and Grace are all you need…for therein is His forgiveness.

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

Its all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and 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.