KJV: of my salvation; on thee do I waitall the day.
INT: of my salvation for wait all the day. Psalm 25:21
There are a few words in Hebrew for wait.
InIsaiah 40:31 we learn that those who
waitupon the Lord will renew their strength.
This wait is qavah
which is a twisting or binding.
It is the word used for making rope and the ancient method of making rope is still used today.
Hundreds of thin strands of fabric, each one alone could easily be broken, but when tightly bound together they form a rope that cannot be broken.
We may here recall the scripture:
A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Ecclesiastes 4:12.
In some weddings, a three-cord braid is included as part of the ceremony, here the three cords that are not easily broken represent Our Heavenly Father, the bride and the groom.
So in Isaiah 40:31 this waiting is just not sitting back, doing nothing, it is a process of binding/blending/melding/merging ourselves with the Father and the more we bind ourselves to Him, the stronger we become.
In Isaiah 30:18, however, he uses a different word for wait.
which is the word chakah this is a:
patiently waiting,
like someone waiting for a train.
However, this word is in a Piel or imperfect form,
so it has the meaning of:
a continuing process, it is patiently waiting.
יָחַל verb Niph`al – wait;
Pi`el – await (compare Late Hebrew יִחוּל expectation); to Niph`al – Perfect feminine singular – נחֲלָה in Ezekiel 19:5 also Imperfect: וַיִּיָּ֫חֶל in Genesis 8:12 + 1 Samuel 13:18 וַיּחֶל;
and wait: Genesis 8:12 and he waited yet seven days.
WAITING – CHAKAH – the Hebrew letters: חכה – Cheth Kap Hei.
The word chakah is spelled:
Chet, Kap/Kaph, Hei/Hey.
The Chet indicates:
moving to a higher level,
something like:
waiting in line and then moving forward.
Our Father is patiently allowing us to go through our human/carnal ways, trying to satisfy all our needs by ourselves; then all of a sudden He appears next in line.
Here we find the next letter in the word for
waiting – chakah
which is the letter Kap/kaf
this has the picture word for:
the palm of the hand.
This shows us that all this time our Father has been holding out His hands in order to receive us; and finally after years of searching for answers, we ask Him to come into our lives.
The 3rd Hebrew letter in the word
to wait, chakah, is Hei
and is akin to:
the conclusion of His waiting, entering His presence which is filled with all of His graciousness and mercy.
Isaiah 30:18 tell us about it:
blessed are those who chakah (wait) for Him.
Our chakah is not in the sentence construction/parts of speech as a Hebrew Piel or imperfect form, it is a Hebrew Qal participle (a word formed from a verb (e.g., going, gone, being, been) and used as an adjective or noun.
This means in others words:
blessed are those who
have been waiting for God.
Without realizing it we have been waiting for Him all the time; we just did not know or understand it. At least our Father’s waiting has been in the Hebrew (Piel Imperfect sentence construction) as in: He is waiting
Original Word: יָחַל Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: yachal Phonetic Spelling: yaw-chal’
In the following versions of Luke 24:49
English words used are:
remain and tarry
Berean Literal Bible And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But you, remain in the city until that you should be clothed with power from on high.”
King James Bible And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Amplified Bible Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high.”
Hee•ne ano•chi sho•le•ach et asher hiv•ti•ach la•chem Avi ve•a•tem ho•chi•loo ba•eer Ye•roo•sha•la•yim ad ki-til•be•shoo oz mi•ma•rom.
This must have been an extremely stressful time immediately following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus/Yeshua. There was much unrest in the city which was filled with 1000’s of people who had travelled there for the Spring Meodim/Appointed Times of Passover/Pesach; which was one of the 3 annual Shalosh Regalim. Passover/Pesach/הַפֶּסַח, Pentecost/Shavuot/שבועות & Tabernacles/Sukkot/סוכות.
Though they are called Feasts by many, the correct Hebrew translation is Rehearsal Pattern because it is a rehearsal. It was/is a practice for the real thing to come, similar to rehearsals prior to a wedding ceremony; and why they were required to be in Jerusalem precisely at those times. We looked at this in previous posts.
This had been a momentous time; unlike any other previous year and the turmoil following those events had made the talmidim/disciples and followers of Messiah further targets for those who had plotted to kill Him.
On the road to Emmaus, one of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, “Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in recent days?”
verse 18.
Luke 24:13-24
In verse 25: Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!…
This was confirming that HE WAS the fulfillment of Gods’ prophetic plan of redemption.
Luke 3:16 John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
John 1:26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know.
John 1:33 I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6Sowhen theycame together,they askedHim,“Lord,will You atthistimerestorethekingdomto Israel?”7Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.… But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”…
Acts 1:4V-PNA GRK: χωρίζεσθαι ἀλλὰ περιμένειν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν NAS: Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father KJV: but wait for the promise INT: to depart but to await the promise
לחכות ל wait for
לחכות wait
The length of time they were told to wait was not just for a couple of days, it was for the next 49 days until Pentecost/Shavuot.
Yeshua/Jesus had said He had come to fulfill the Torah which has the Moedim/Appointed Times of the Lord as pivotal to the annual cycle of Israeli life.
We miss the full revelation of what Messiah accomplished as we in our western christianity and calendar festivals, jump from Passover/Resurrection Sunday (which we have called easter), to Christmas. There is a very precise sequence of Appointed Times/Moedim, whose meanings were prophetic in nature in their annual rehearsal for fulfillment in Messiahs’ life.
What was the purpose of this waiting?
He told them they would be
endued with power from on high
but why did they have to wait so long?
What does it mean for us?
The purpose of waiting is part of our training as talmidim/disciples.
It is for us to get into the right relationship to meet the requirements of our Heavenly Father and His Will not ours. Once those needs /requirements for being His child /disciple are met then He will open the doors and make the WAY clear for us to GO and DO and fulfill His will, plan and purposes.
One thing we should have learned during our 49 day walk/halak, it is this; we cannot artificially accelerate the growth of our crops and we cannot force them to produce out of season!
We need to see that we are not in control and being impatient will only cause frustration.
It will also choke the seeds and prevent them from bringing forth the harvest; which will result in us being impatient farmers with only barren and unfruitful fields. We must bear the fruit of patience if we are to grow in Messiah, without it we become impatient, impetuous, unsatisfied and are always looking for a future we cannot change. This is sad because it means we are ignoring what we have been blessed with today in the here and now.
Our training is accomplished by the power of His Spirit/Ruach within us, as we are also
endued with power from on high!
and for what?
To be witnesses to Him.
We must allow our lives to be slowly and continually transformed by the indwelling life of His Son; which is the ultimate purpose and goal ..that Jesus/Yeshua be exhibited in us.
This Shavuot/Pentecost, let’s be in an attitude of waiting after our days of preparation, and allow Him to do the necessary work in us and then He can fill us again. Just as we recharge batteries and continually refill our cars’ tanks with fuel, we need to be-being filled with His Spirit – continuously.. to go on being filled not just one time. Meaning to completely surrender our life and give Him full control. Ephesians 5:18 commands that we be filled with the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 the command is given, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” Paul gives the simple principle when he says, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” Gal. 5:16. The important experience of becoming a Spirit-filled disciple results in the progressive sanctification of a believer in Messiah. The result will be that the individual will manifest the fruit of the Spirit as stated inGalatians 5:22-23,
The 49 days leading up to Pentecost/Shavuot is a time of looking at our own lives and allowing God to do His work in us so He can work through us.
Hebrews 10:9 Behold I have come to do your will O God.
Jesus/Yeshuas life was one of obedience to His Father and He said Follow Me; so we are to be obedient to His/our Fathers will also.
We must take the time to be continually filled up or we will have nothing to pour out. If all we are doing is seeking to be blessed personally, we are missing the point of servanthood. We are blessed to be a blessing – freely we have received, freely we give. If we are always taking in/receiving, and not giving out, we will stagnate like the waters of a pool with no outflow; then we will become like the Dead sea and not a sea of Galilee. Living waters flow continually, that is what flowed through Messiah and what we are to release to others. Let Him pour into us so we can pour out.
For Them…?
The time of waiting was not a new thing for the disciples as every year the counting of 7 weeks or 49 days from the Omer following Peasch/Passover to Shavuot/Pentecost/Weeks was part of the Spring Feasts/Moedim/Appointed Times of the Lord which they followed every year.
Leviticus 23:1-2 God introduces His Moedim/Appointed Times when He begins by declaring to Moses
My appointed times are these….
This statement makes clear that these Moedim/Appointed Times, originate with our Heavenly Father, they cannot be claimed to have been appointed by any nation, including Israel. While they were initially given to the children of Israel for them to observe as their calendar/way of life, they are just as applicable to the followers of Messiah today.
Many have grown up believing that the Jewish Feasts have nothing to do with the New Testament body of Messiah – the ecclesia, the called apart ones. A few have grown up trying to take back the feasts and celebrate them, while rediscovering Christianity’s Hebrew Heritage. Some have never heard of the Feasts at all, however there are a growing number who are interested in what the Moedim/Appointed Times/Feasts of the Lord, have to impart to us prophetically.
Questions for us are: why are we ignoring what the Father has instructed us to do and why are we only understanding and remembering 2 of the 7?
We have the benefit of the completed Word of God so we can study His plan of redemption; and one of the ways in which He prophetically revealed His big picture plan, is through the Appointed Times/Moedim/Feasts of the Lord. Approximately 4000 years ago, God commanded His people to gather in sacred assembly for very specific celebrations – His Feasts.
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.” (Leviticus 23:1-2)
If we are not aware of the Moedim/Appointed Times when we read that verse, we do not understand the whole picture.
God commanded a yearly remembrance of each of His Holy convocations. The Hebrew word for sacred assembly or holy convocation is miqra, which carries the meaning of a dress rehearsal. Every time these festivals are celebrated, it is a visual and spiritual aid to remind humanity of the prophetic plan of God.
Prior to each feast’s fulfillment, it points forwards to Messiah.
During each feast’s fulfillment, it points directly at Messiah.
Subsequent to each feast’s fulfillment, it points backwards to Messiah.
These seven appointed times are collectively called the mo’edim and are detailed inExodus 12-13, Leviticus 23, Numbers 28-29and Deuteronomy 16. Together, they represent the Fathers’ entire redemptive plan from Messiah’s death through His millennial rule.
This is what Yeshua/Jesus was referring to in Matthew 5:17-18 when He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law/teaching till all is fulfilled.”
Because the common western understanding of fulfill
means done away with,
Christians have believed that Yeshua/Jesus meant the prophetic pictures pointing to Him are now no longer needed. This is not what He meant, because to Jewish rabbis at that time, the word that is translated into English as
fulfilled was understood to mean:
the true or correct interpretation of Scripture,
while the word destroy meant: to give a false or incorrect interpretation.
Yeshua/Jesus was telling them that:
He did not come to do away with the Hebrew Scriptures/or destroy i.e. lead them astray by false teachings
Rather, He was:
the human embodiment of their true meaning and spiritual reality.
Again we can see other reasons for the WAITING…
First it was for their own preparation and
second because Messiah was not yet glorified.
As soon as He was glorified Acts 2:33tells us:
therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the father the promise of the Holy Spirit/His Spirit of Holiness He poured out this which you now see and hear.
The second reason is in the statement in John where he clearly tells us in 7:39..
for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.
This is not the case for us today because His Spirit of Holiness/Ruach haKodesh, has been given and Messiah is glorified; our waiting is not dependent on the promised future outpouring; but rather on our own spiritual condition/preparation, to receive what is readily available.
We know from scripture that the influence and power of His Spirit were at work before Shavout/Pentecost because He was upon individuals, prophets, priests and kings of the Old Testament; and in some instances, He filled them with His Spirit: e.g. both John the Baptists parents. Luke 1:41
However, once Messiah was glorified in His ascension, His Spirit of Holiness/RuachHaKodesh, came into the world in an unrestricted way and has been here for the last 2000+ years. It is critical that we believe and receive this revealed truth that He is indeed here in our midst; and within each believer who welcomes His presence, influence and power. He will not force His presence upon us but patiently waits for us to invite Him in as we yield to His offer.
The attitude of receiving and welcoming His Spirit into our lives is to be the continual attitude of a believer. When we receive His Spirit we receive His life/chaim which revives us, imparting the same resurrection life that raised Him from the dead, which will quicken us and make us alive in Him. Romans 8:11
As our ascended Messiah He is able to give New Life.
It’s not the so termed, baptism of His Holy Spirit, that changes people, but it is the power of the risen Messiah coming in to dwell in our lives that changes us through His Holy Spirit working from the inside out. We sometimes have a tendency to separate things that the New Testament/Brit Chadashah does not separate. The termed, baptism of His spirit of Holiness, is not an experience apart from Jesus/Yeshua – it is the real and living evidence of the risen Messiah. He has given us chaim/life everlasting and full of glory.
John 17:3This is eternal life that they may KNOW You
it’s something that begins at new birth and never ends….
We often speak of types and shadows in the scriptures…
The giving of the Torah (teaching/law) at Sinai was the type/shadow
that was fulfilled at Shavuot/Pentecost.
Sinai marked the birth date of the dispensation of Torah/Teaching/Law, and involved great displays of God’s power through thunderings, lightning, fire and the sound of His reverberating voice.
The fulfillment at Shavuot/Pentecost was the giving of the Spirit of the Law to the followers of the Mashiach/Messiah.
Shavuot/Pentecost, marks the birth date of the ecclesia/church/called apart ones, and what some term as the dispensation of Grace.
This occasion was also accompanied with great displays of God’s power through fire and a sound like a mighty rushing wind. According to Ephesians 4:30, from this point onward, His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness dwells within each follower and seals the Body of Messiah for the day of redemption.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)
The gift of tongues is simply the Holy Spirit giving us the supernatural ability to speak in a foreign tongue/language that we have no knowledge or ability to speak out on our own.
There are two types of tongues He can give us. One is a tongue of this earth; e.g., if our native language is English, then He can give us the ability to speak in Chinese, Japanese, or Spanish, etc. For the simple reason we may be in that country or with people who speak that language and will understand it.
The other type of tongue that He can give us is a tongue direct from heaven, a heavenly language that is not of this earth. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that there are tongues of angels.
Whichever it is, it will be a foreign language that we will not be able to speak out on our own, and only His Holy Spirit’s supernatural transmission of this language out of our spirits will give us the ability to be able to speak it using our voice.
Whatever tongue Holy Spirit gives us, we will be able to use it all the time, whenever we want. It will be our own personal, private, prayer language between us and the Lord.
One thing to remember with this gift is that for the most part, we may never know or understand what we are praying about when we operate in this gift, however we can pray to interpret what the Lord has spoken through us.
The Bible tells us that we will be speaking out “mysteries,” and only the Father and His Holy Spirit will know exactly what the prayer is about on any given occasion.“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26)
Here we are told clearly that they were ALL filled and spoke in other tongues… which was the physical evidence of His Spirit in them, there were no exceptions and so we can expect the same today, and includes all the other gifts of His Spirit as in
The Word of Knowledge
The Word of Wisdom
The Gift of Prophecy
The Gift of Faith
The Gifts of Healings
The Working of Miracles
The Discerning of Spirits
Different Kinds of Tongues
The Interpretation of Tongues
our Father has not changed..
He is the same yesterday today and forever. Heb.13:8
In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14) Here we see the sealing by His Spirit to enable us to continue our walk.
It is interesting that the Father waited 50 days after Messiahs’ resurrection, (10 days after His Ascension) before He sent His Holy Spirit. As our Father is precise in all His details it is without doubt because He was waiting for the Appointed Time/Shavuot/Pentecost. He is never early and He is never late in fulfilling His promises.
The other symbol of His Spirit and presence is FIRE.
From the Ex.3:2burning bush, to the pillar in the wilderness, to the outpouring in Jerusalem …
our God is a consuming FIRE Heb.12:29
and as Malachi states like a refiners fire.
In Malachi 3:1-4, the prophet declares the
imminent return of the Lord
and with it,
His holy judgment of refining fire.
We are all too well aware that being a follower of Messiah does not spare us from experiencing testings, trials, conflict and trouble; and the process of refinement is one that He continually applies to our lives.
This fire is Holy Fire – Esh Kadosh/qadosh. אש קדושה
The Fire that cleanses, refines and purifies; it burns up all that is not acceptable to the Father and also speaks of His power so that like Jesus/Yeshua, we may work the works of Him who sends us.John 9:4, for greater works than these will you do. John 14:12.
BUT as always, there is a condition, an IF …
We have to be willing..
we have to lay down our lives, our plans and allow Him to be sovereign in our lives.
The choice is ours…His offer is there for whosoever will… The events of Acts 2 includes the
empowering
of His spirit
and the imparting of His boldness to proclaim the good news of Messiah’s Kingdom. The boldness of the fire like Jeremiah* had.
Are we truly on fire for God? .. or
are we just barely glowing embers, dying without the breath of His Spirit … we need the mighty rushing wind of Shavuot to blow on and re-ignite the fire.
Holy Spirit of Truth is certainly God, however, He is not the Person of Yeshua/HaMashiach/Jesus Christ. The scriptures seem to indicate that it was the Father who sent the Holy Spirit – “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) And then Messiah says – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18)
The early spring Appointed Times/Moedim: (Pesach/Passover, Chag haMatzot /Unleavened Bread, Bikkurim/Firstfruits); were fulfilled in order, all in the same year, through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach. When we look at the harvest times, Yeshua/Jesus and the many saints that were resurrected with Him, were the barley harvest. Notably, the ripeness of the barley is what decides if a new year can begin, or if a leap month, called Adar2, needs to be added to the calendar. This is always taken into account when the date of the late spring feast – Pentecost/Shavuot is calculated.
Pentecost/Shavuot experienced at least a partial fulfillment in the same year the three spring feasts were fulfilled. As we already noted, 50 days after Firstfruits/Bikkurim, or 10 days after Yeshua/Jesus’ ascension, His Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh, descended upon the Jewish believers waiting in Jerusalem. Partial fulfillment in that He has been indwelling and sealing believers ever since, until the day of their redemption –
as He said, we are to
look up for your redemption draweth nigh,
so it is not yet completed!
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:28
Since Holy Spirit is God, He is omnipresent, everywhere at the same time.
Pentecost/Shavuot marks the time of the wheat harvest in Israel.
As we have walked through the springAppointed Times/Moedim, we can see a picture of our own walk with Messiah.
At Pesach/Pasover we are reminded of being set free from the bondage of sin and death, then during the Feast of Unleavened Bread/Matzah week, we have the opportunity to practice our unleavenedness; and rejoice in our saviors Resurrection as Firstfruits from the dead. Then as we count from the Omer we are like the wheat crops growing towards maturity, ultimately designed to become an abundant harvest for Him.
During this season of counting we can focus on certain spiritual themes such as: sowing, growing, increase, being fed and nourished by the Father and being mindful of how we are growing toward maturity in Messiah. By examining our ways we discover if they are truly aligned, submitted and conformed to His.
This is why we are to WAIT on the Lord, for His power to fill us and enable us to be witnesses unto Him; this is how He goes with us, and will always be with us, and will never leave us nor forsake us.
Isaiah 30:18: “And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted that he might be merciful upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment, blessed are all that WAIT for him.”
Like the farmer who waits for the precious fruit of the earth, we too have to wait for God to mature us and grow us. Part of our being mature in Messiah, is knowing when to put our hand to the plough and work hard but also knowing that when we have done all we can do then it is time to WAIT/CHAKAH. We must ask ourselves if we have been listening/hearing to His call and responding by doing that which He has required of us?..We must walk and work in maturity and continue to be patient, stabilize our hearts because the coming of the Master draws near. James 5:7-8
Let’s be mindful of the season we are in…..
on each of us..
For those new to the site previous posts linked below cover more detail on Shavuot/Pentecost..
Shavuot 2022 begins Saturday, June 4 at sunset and ends Monday, June 6 at nightfall.
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim/friends and mishpachah/family!
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week,
you are greatly loved and prayed for daily.
REMEMBER..
Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation
Not sure ..you can be…
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer,
Savior, Lord, and soon returning King
and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
2Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
3And Judas begat Phares and Zara
of Thamar;
and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
4And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;
5And Salmon begat Booz
of Rachab;
and Booz begat Obed of
Ruth;
and Obed begat Jesse;
6And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
7And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
8And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;
9And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;
10And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;
11And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
12And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
13And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;
14And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;
15And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;
16And Jacob begat Joseph the husband
of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Ruths’ story begins in
Bethlehem!
House of Bread
Beit Lechem –
where Yeshua/Jesus,
the Bread from Heaven,
came into this earthly realm.
In Bethlehem of Judea,
(Land of tribe of Judah)
there was a man called
Elimelech
אלימלך
Strongs 458
There is only one Elimelech in the Bible,
and means:
My God is King.
El-imele-ch is pronounced as
iy-L IH MMeh-LehK
Elimeleck, Elimelek, Elymelech, Elymeleck,
and Elymelek are variant spellings.
אלאלה
The name Elimelech consists of two elements.
The first part is the word
אל El ,
In names אל – ‘el
usually refers to
אלהים –‘Elohim,
or God,
also known as
אלה –‘Eloah.
The name applied to the God of Israel.
In English, the words ‘God’ and ‘god’
exclusively refer to the deity but in Hebrew the words
אל -‘l and אלה -‘lh are far more common
and may express approach and negation,
acts of wailing and pointing,
and may even mean oak or terebinth.
The second part of the name comes from the noun
מלך – melek,
meaning king:
and a king is not merely a glorified tribal chief
but the alpha of a complex, stratified society,
implying a court and a complex government.
Elimelech was a member of the clan of Ephrath, a native of Bethlehem of tribe of Judah, a man of wealth and probably head of a family or clan (Ruth 1:2,3; 2:1,3).
He lived during the period of the Judges and had a hereditary possession near Bethlehem, and he is chiefly remembered as the husband of Naomi.
Ephrath: For those of the tribe of Ephraim are also called Ephrathites,
Judges 12:5,
Art thou an Ephrathite 1 Kings 11:26; 1 Samuel 1:1.
David is called the son of an Ephrathite,
that is, a Beth-lehemite.
(לְאֶפְרָיִם): Ephraimites
אֶפְרַיִם , ʾEfrayim pronounced like Ef•ra•yim) meaning: fruitful, fertile, productive.
Genesis 35:19; Micah 5:2; either from Caleb’s wife of that name, 1 Chronicles 2:19; 4:4, or from the fertility of the soil about it; which title may therefore be used here, to show the greatness of the famine, which affected even fertile parts.
Recall that Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph and his Egyptian wife.
Genesis 41:52
Ephraim was the second son of Joseph and Asenath. Asenath was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. These 2 were absorbed into the 12 Tribes of Israel/Jacob. Genesis 48:2
Later Ephraim became the name of:
The half-tribe Ephraim (Joshua 16:5).
The hill country in Palestine (1 Samuel 1:1).
The scripture records that 3000 years ago there was a famine in the land and because of the famine affecting nearby Israel.
Elimelech and his family had traveled from Bethlehem Ephrathah to escape its ravaging effects; moving to a pagan country bordering Canaan called
Moab מוֹאָב
located east of the dead sea in Israel.
Moab is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in modern-day Jordan running along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea.
Moab is the area shaded in pink is the territory known across from the wilderness of Judah.
A flat and arid plane extends east from the banks of the Dead Sea before ascending sharply some 4,000 feet to the plain above. The upper plain is a more fertile stretch of land that extends about 15 miles from the escarpment east to the Arabian Desert. Dibon, the capital city of Moab in the biblical era, is located in the northern region of the upper plane.
In ancient times, it was home to the kingdom of the Moabites, a people often in conflict with their Israelite neighbors to the west.
From a prolonged form of the prepositional prefix m-
and ‘ab; from (her (the mother’s)) father;
Moab, an incestuous son of Lot;
also his territory and descendants
Which is why the Israelites were forbidden by law to marry a Moabite.
This name is pronounced mo-ahv in Hebrew.
The base word is ahv meaning father.
The prefix mo means from.
Combined these mean: from father.
Mo’av was the son of Lot’s oldest daughter and Lot himself (Genesis 19:35), the product of an incest relationship; implying that the similarity in Hebrew between
Mo’abi /Moabite and me’abi – from my father
was no coincidence Gen 19:37.
According to the Torah, no descendent of Mo’av is allowed in the assembly of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3).
Moab, Moabites, pronounced:
Moh´ab, moh´uh-bits.
So reading the biblical narrative, it describes the Moabites’ origins in terms of both kinship and disdain. They are blood relatives of the Israelites, but their forefather was born as a result of incest. According to the Genesis 19:30-38 story, Moab was the son of Abraham’s nephew Lot, through his own eldest daughter, with whom he had a child after the destruction of Sodom.
The Bible clearly explains the etymology of Moab as meaning “of his father.” Nevertheless, there was considerable interchange between the two peoples, They were closely linked with their northern neighbors, the Ammonites (descended from Moab’s half brother, Ben-ammi), with whom they later shared a border.
So from this account, clearly, Israel and Moab shared kinship, history, language, institutions, and theology, and that this closeness often led to competition and strife between the two peoples. Being “just like us” made the Moabites dangerous to Israelite identity and assimilation was always a threat.
It shows that there was incest, disobedience and gentile heritage in the mix.
In Moab, a child was probably raised in a culture that worshipped an ungodly idol named Chemosh. This entity was worshipped by the Moabites sacrificing their children to it. This child knew no other way of life and may have witnessed family or friends being offered as sacrifices to this pagan god.
In this Biblical account this young woman was called Ruth and one day a new family came to her home town.
This family of four people were father Elimelech his wife Naomi and their 2 sons Mahlon and Chilion.
he was a complainer and it is spelled the same way as,
but pronounced slightly different from,
the noun כליון ( killayon ),
meaning failing or annihilation,
Also
כִּלְיוֹן Ḵilyōn
further meaning is:
Wasting Away
Pining
Coming To An End,
Man Of Finality
Used up, consumed, finite.
From the verb כלה – kala,
to come to an end.
Chilion is pronounced kil-yone’
Strong’s concordance H3630
And they came Judges. 5:30 into the country of Moab, and continued (Hebrew)were there.
[They continued there]
While the famine continued, they could remain, which was lawful: However, it was not lawful to abide for ever in a foreign land, both because of the danger of idolatry; and on account that they may become forgetful of the covenant and appointed times of the Law.
Remember, all the males were required to go up three times in a year to the Temple, Appointed Times/Feasts.
Ruth 1:3
tells us that Elimelech died in Moab leaving Naomi with her 2 sons
Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion /Kilion married Ruth’s sister Orpah.
Strong’s Hebrew: 6204. עָרְפָּה (Orpah)
Ruth Orpah עָרְפָה
Phonetic Spelling: or-paw’ ʿorpā,
meaning neck or fawn or
back of the neck; she turned her back on Naomi.
The name Orpah comes from the verb ערף ( arap ).
The added letter he is a common feminization form:
The verb ערף ( ‘arap) means to drip or drop.
Noun עריף ( ‘arip) means cloud and ערפל ( ‘arapel) describes a heavy cloud mass.
The noun ערף ( ‘orep) means neck.
Hebrew Strongs #06204: hpre `Orpah Orpah = “gazelle” 1) a Moabite woman, wife of Chilion, the son of Naomi, and sister-in-law of Ruth 6204 `Orpah or-paw’ feminine of 6203; mane; Orpah, a Moabites:-Orpah.
It is highly probable that during the 10 years of marriage Naomi would have recounted the stories of her homeland and of the God in whom she believed.
This God who created the universe and brought her people out of slavery performing mighty miracles while leading them for 40 years through the wilderness to the promised land where they had come from. She may have told them the history of Jerichos walls falling down the other side of the Dead Sea and of Rahabs courage to save her family with Joshuas men and the scarlet cord in her window. She may have shared how her God had provided guidelines that helped His people and stopped them from hurting one another opposite to the demands of their false god to sacrifice children as a form of worship.
Sadly, about ten years later, both of Naomis sons died.
It would be interesting to know why all three died; it’s unusual for all the men in a family to die at more or less the same time. However God had a plan and the timing was crucial had they not died the women would probably have remained in Moab.
So Mahlon and Chilions wives, Ruth and Orpah tragically became widows; they were alone and they faced certain poverty and a future of destitution as they had no one to support them. Their death leaves Naomi, Ruth and Orpah stranded, without protection, they had to find a refuge, or starve.
Not long after that, probably towards the end of the period of the Judges, in c.1060BC/1050BC, news came to Naomi that the famine in Israel was over and that God was blessing her people; this made her want to return to Bethlehem.
Ruth 1:6-18
Naomi decides to return alone; assuming that Ruth and Orpah would not want to return to Bethlehem with her, even though the women respected and loved each other.the main problem for Ruth and Orpah was that they were Moabite women, not Israelites.
The Moabite people were traditional enemies of the Israelites. There was frequent warfare between the two groups. As previously mentioned according to the Israelite belief, Moabites came from the act of incest between Lot and his older daughter (Genesis 19:30-38), and to them the whole nation was tainted and inferior.
At first both Ruth and Orpah wanted to go with her.
Naomi loved the women but she reminded them that if they did leave with her, they would become the foreigners and so she encouraged them to return to their mothers house.
Verse 8.
Naomi did not want a bad future for them and said to them; the lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
Her genuine desire was for them to remarry into their own people and to be at peace.
They lifted up their voices and wept v.9
Then in verse 10 they insisted on accompanying her because they didn’t want to leave her. Naomi told them she had no more sons for them to marry. Obviously she loved them v13 and crying with loud sobbing Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye; however Ruth clung onto her and what Ruth says at this moment is recorded in verses 16-17 and are without doubt some of the most touching and beautiful words in the Bible.
But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.
This is a prophetic reference to the heathen, goyim, gentile nations being grafted in as they believe in the God of Israel.
Orpah, decided to return to her people and the Moabite way of life, but Ruth could not be budged.
She had shared loneliness, anxiety and grief with Naomi, and now that the older woman was completely alone, Ruth stood by her and out of love and loyalty to her mother-in-law, accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem, while Orpah stayed in Moab.
This revealed that not only is she is devoted to Naomi but that she was also willing to totally submit her life and future to Naomis’ God, the God of Israel. Ruth abandoned her lifelong home and her pagan gods and she became a Jew by choice.
The scriptures show that she had some understanding of what she was doing and that she had a relationship with Him, as she uses the proper name of the God of Israel saying; the existing one/ Yahweh /Lord.
The last part of verse 17 was her promise to Naomi. This was more than Naomi could resist and they headed towards Bethlehem together along the dusty road.
This young womans decision 3000+ years ago was more than a step towards Bethlehem it was a momentous decision to both follow Naomi and Naomi’s God who had also become her God.
The extraordinary modern painting (below) of Ruth and Naomi captures the essence of the story: the mutual dependence of people within a family. It shows the younger woman, Naomi, sheltering and protecting the elderly woman (billowing cape as shield against harsh weather, supportive arm around the shoulder) and the older woman leading the way (staff in her hand, grey hair signifying both wisdom and experience).
Together, the figures form a single unit, stronger together than they would be if they had gone their separate ways.
Ruth 1:19-22
The two women arrive in Bethlehem
meaning ‘house of bread’
at the start of the barley harvest in April.
Barley was used to make bread.
Jewish holiday of Shavuot – Weeks.
The Book of Ruth also functions liturgically, as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot – Weeks.
The book is divided into four chapters;
and takes place at the beginning of
barley harvest
which is Passover Pescah
and the story goes through to
wheat harvest
which is Pentecost Shavuot
and covers the
counting of the Omer
over 49 days = 7 weeks.
Barley was used to make bread….
and Who is the Bread of Life?
Feasts of the Lord in Hebrew is
סעודות האל
Chag means feast or festival,
and has its root in the word chah-gog,
that, in the Hebrew mindset, means:
to circle, as in to circle dance or feast.
By definition, these three feasts
are to be celebrated before the Lord
in a joyous, party atmosphere with singing, dancing,
Passover: The Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.
Passover is the 1st feast commanded by the LORD for Israel to observe. In Old Testament Israel, it commemorated Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage.
Feast of Unleavened Bread: The Burial of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
Hag HaMatzah
in modern Israel
is the 2nd of the 7 feasts
that the LORD commanded Israel to celebrate.
Feast of Firstfruits: The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.
The Feast of Firstfruits
called Bikkurim
in modern Israel
is the 3rd of the 7 Feasts of Israel
commanded by the LORD to be celebrated by Israel.
NOTE: When Ruth appealed to his kinship, he redeemed the property in Ruth 3:9.
In consequence of this he had to marry Ruth, in order
to raise up the name of the dead!!
Pentecost: The Giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church and the First “Come Up Hither”.
The feast of outpouring called
Shavuot
in modern Israel
4th of the 7 Feasts of Israel.
Gleaning was a common practice in ancient Israel.
It was a form of charity for the disadvantaged
(see Leviticus 23:22 and Deuteronomy 24:19).
Recognized groups of the poor, such as widows, orphans and foreigners, could walk behind the harvesters, picking up what was left. This is what Ruth did.
They knew that women took an active part in all stages of food production – and Ruth decided she would help to glean the barley in the fields, to feed herself and Naomi and to get a store of grain for winter.
So to keep them from starving to death, Ruth gleans grain in the field of Naomi’s relative, Boaz.
For Ruth, this course of action behind her words led to her salvation…
Don’t leave this page until you are certain of your salvation.
Conclusion coming in next post….
Shalom, shalom, mishpachah!
You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.
Please don’t leave this page without the knowing in your heart you are totally His.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
Its 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/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.
Having just completed the 49 days of Counting the Omer.
This season runs from the First Fruits – בִּכּוּרִים – Bikkurim/Resurrection
to
Pentecost/Shavuot/שָׁבוּעוֹת which begins on the 50th day from פסח – Pesach/Passover.
We remember Yeshua/Jesus was with them for 40 days after His Resurrection and appeared to many during that time, up to the day He returned Home to heaven/shamayim.
1Cor. 5:16. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
In John 20:17 we are told that on the first day of the week after Passover/Pesach, Jesus/Yeshua appeared to Mary Magdalene, (Miriam of Magdala).
The women that came to the tomb (Mary the Mother of James, Salome, and Joanna), then a first appearance to Peter. He also appeared to the rest of the 12 Disciples with Thomas absent, later He appeared to them with Thomas present.
The occasion recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, to 500 at one time, then to James (presumably James the brother of Jesus), then to all the Apostles, and last to Paul himself.
There was also the meeting with the 2 disciples on the Emmaus road.
The 40th day of the Omer was when His Ascension took place and the promise was given to those present that He will return the same way they saw Him go.
His second coming shall be in like manner as Acts 1:10-11 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.
His Cross is the door/Dalet by which whosoever will can enter into the eternal life to be with the Father.
Because of His resurrection, Jesus/Yeshua, has the right to give eternal life to anyone, and by His ascension our Savior entered heaven, keeping the door open for humanity.
His previous Transfiguration which began on another Mountain was completed on the Mountain of Ascension.
The Transfiguration was a manifestation of His glory a powerful demonstration of His divine nature, which He possessed prior to coming to earth in a human body.
Before Abraham was I AM. John 8:58
Undoubtedly, the purpose of His transfiguration, into at least a portion of His heavenly glory, was so that those of His disciples who were closest to Him, could gain a greater understanding of Who He was. Surely He underwent a dramatic change in appearance when the disciples saw Him in His glory.
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them “his face did shine as the sun,” “and his garments became glistering, exceeding white, so as no fuller on earth can whiten them.”
Luke 9:27; Matthew 17:1-8.
One of the purposes of the Transfiguration may have been to strengthen the faith of the disciples in His divine nature before they experienced the shock of the difficult days ahead of them.
In early times, the mount of the Transfiguration had become known as the holy mount. (2 Peter 1:18). It seems to have been known by the faithful, and one tradition identified it with Mount Thabor/Tabor.
The other view, and probably more likely one, is that Mount Hermon was the site of the transfiguration.
Hermon means: Devoted or Sanctified!
Mount Hermon from the Sea of Galilee
It is in the far north, the location of Caesarea Philippi, at the southwestern foothills; 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee to the Golan Heights.
It is situated on a terrace 1,150 feet high overlooking a lush fertile valley. Here also, is the easternmost source for the Jordan River.
It is one of the four major headwaters.
During the Hellenistic period (323 to 31 B.C.), this city was originally called Panias (also spelled Paneas) because of its close association with the Greco-Roman god Pan. The modern name, Banias, is an Arabic corruption of the original.
In order to distinguish it from the harbor city on the Mediterranean called Caesarea Maritima, it became known as Caesarea Philippi. Philip, one of Herod the Great’s sons, renamed it so in honor of Emperor Augustus in 2 B.C.
Here in Caesarea Philippi, there was once a magnificent temple which dominated the landscape, constructed of white marble by Herod the Great to the godhead of Caesar. An earthquake in 363 C.E likely destroyed the city.
There is a cave immediately to the north of Caesarea Philippi.
This cave was said to be the birthplace of the Greco-Roman god Pan/Faunus, the god of nature, fields, forests, mountains, flocks and shepherds.
The pagan worshipers would make sacrifices at the mouth of the cave where they had built a sanctuary to Pan/Faunus.
It would seem to make sense for the transfiguration to take place in that region where Messiah had been ministering and where Peter made his confession.
Not coincidentally, at the base of this mountain was the place known as the gates of Hades, (gates of hell).
To the pagan mind, the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld (Hades), where they believed fertility gods took up residence during the winter.
This location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed. At one time, the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff. This region is referred to in the Old Testament by the name Baal-gad, which is described in the northernmost conquest of Joshua as being in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon (Josh. 11:17; 12:7; 13:5; also see: Judges 3:3; 1 Chron. 5:23).
The name Baal-gad meant literally Master Luck, the name of a god of fortune who may later have been identified with Pan. One good reason the Bride of Messiah should refrain from using the term good luck when offering encouragement to one another; but rather offer shalom and blessings to each other in Jesus/Yeshuas name.
This region was the northernmost extent of Yeshua/Jesus’ ministry and no doubt He found some privacy here with His disciples in this non-Jewish region, no less, because it was beyond the jurisdiction of Galilee’s ruler, Herod Antipas. It was here in the district of Caesarea Philippi, not long before before His final journey to Jerusalem and crucifixion that He asked the 12 disciples,
Who do you say that I am?
Matt.16:15.
It is a very important point that Jesus/Yeshua chose to ask this question here, since there were few areas anywhere else with more religious significance; and because it was filled with the temples of ancient Syrian Baal worship. Historians have identified at least 14 such temples, it was a place beneath the shadow of ancient gods.
Imagine the scene, Jesus/Yeshua was standing in an area with the temples of the Syrian gods, a place where the Greek gods were believed to look down, and the place where the most important river in Israel has its source, (the Jordan river), and asked them Who they thought He was.
Messiah knew what He was doing when choosing the 3 disciples, Peter, James and John to follow Him to the summit of Mount Hermon. His choice was not random and because of His well-defined objective, He was not concerned the rest would feel rejected or resentful but did what needed to be done. Peter would testify later, saying:
“for we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the father honor and glory when such a voice came to him from the excellent glory: “this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” and we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the HOLY MOUNTAIN.” 2 peter 1.16-18
Some may wonder why He didn’t choose His beloved Mount of Olives, or where He heard the prayer of His servant/prophet Elijah, and responded with fire on Mount Carmel? Or even the Mount of Beatitudes, where He taught, revealing the secrets of eternal life? Why did He choose the highest and most difficult mountain to climb in Israel?
Psalm 133 gives us an answer:
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing – life forevermore.”
Yeshua/Jesus chose Mount Hermon, because He wanted to point out to His disciples what it represents, as described in the Psalm.
It was prophetic because it spoke of unity, harmony and perfect peace/shalom, among the children of God in the Kingdom of Heaven; and accurately portrays the picture of our Heavenly Fathers’ family gathered around His throne. He expresses His joy and delight in seeing His children around Him, the fruit of the sacrifice of His first born, Jesus/Yeshua.
Comparing the joy to: like the precious oil upon the head.
This precious oil upon the head represents the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the form of a physical anointing/Shavuot/Pentecost; and it is something that can only be understood by those who have had this experience.
Like the dew of Mount Hermon is the reference to the sources of water that form the rivers, which merge together forming the River Jordan. Mount Hermon is the water source for all of Israel. Water is life/chaim, it is impossible to live without its existence and in those days, the greatest wealth of a community was water, for that reason, settlements were always built around wells/water sources. Another reason He said, John 4:14; but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
When the Psalmist writes, the dew of Hermon that descends upon the mountains of Zion, he is portraying the fullness of life that Gods’ children enjoy in His presence.
Mount Hermon could be said to be a sanctuary that is invisible to the eyes of the wicked, being revealed to the chosen ones, because of its splendor and spiritual significance, no wonder the Messiah chose it from among the others and,
from it,
God commands the blessing
and life/chaim/lifes, forevermore!
It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing – life forevermore.”
Small wonder the devil tried to usurp it for his own!
Because of this significance, no doubt Messiah deliberately set Himself against the world’s religions and was asking to be compared with them. Here in this setting, is where Peter boldly replies with his great confession,
You are the Messiah/the Christ, the Son of the living God. Matt. 16:16.
Now the significance of this tremendous statement of faith becomes clearer and it changed everything for the disciples.
Then Yeshua/Jesus responds in Matt. 16:17-18 Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell [literally, Hades] shall not prevail against it.
Here His reference to the cave and the gates of Hades at Mount Hermon, makes complete sense!
It is plain from Scripture that His ascension from another mountain, that of Mount of Olives; was a literal, bodily return to heaven. He rose from the ground gradually and visibly, observed by the disciples. Straining to catch a last glimpse of Yeshua/Jesus, when a cloud hid Him from their view, then, 2 angels appeared and promised the onlookers…in just the same way that you have watched Him go. Acts 1:11.
The daily route Jesus/Yeshua took in and out of the city passed over the Mount of Olives. From ancient times the revered rise overlooking Jerusalem from east was seen with importance.
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jerusalem’s Old City. It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. He led the disciples over the summit and onto the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Interestingly, the journey was what is defined as a Sabbath’s journey; or a little more than 1/2 mile.
Mark:11:1; [Luke:19:29];[Luke:24:50
The ascension was the ultimate, indisputable evidence that Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach was triumphant, conquering ha satan/the adversary and all his hosts. Here is the extent of His victory, but it also reveals the measure of the power which has been bestowed upon His saints to carry out His work on earth until He returns.
It emphasizes the fact that we are given the serious responsibility of putting His will into effect on earth, as He reigns from heaven.
Matthew 6:9-13 verse 6:10.
The Rabbi/Teacher’s parting words commissioned His people to make disciples of every creature among the nations throughout the earth (Mt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16; Lk. 24:47).
This was 10 days before Shavuot and the Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh outpouring.
Pesach/Passover is incomplete and Shavuot/Pentecost obstructed and the Second Coming of Messiah impossible without His Ascension!
Acts 2:5 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Click below for previous posts which focus on Shavuot/Pentecost.
This reference to Cloven Tongues may have been an indication to them that the fire was not strange fire but Holy acceptable fire from heaven.
Leviticus 11:3. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is cloven footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
However one of the main meanings to them was that Pentecost/Shavuot was the celebration of the giving of Torah in the wilderness and the manifested presence of God came as fire and remained with them by night for 40 years; and furthermore, fire was always known as a cleansing agent.
This was the presence of God, the impartation of His spirit infilling the properly prepared vessels; igniting that zeal to go and make disciples of all nations.
One final interesting point is that, a critical scene was repeated post resurrection but pre ascension.
The location was beside the Sea of Galilee in Luke 5:1-11; Matt.4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20.
Here in Matthew 4:22, Yeshua/Jesus called them and they left everything to follow Him….. (Have we?)…
But not until after He told them them to let down their nets for a catch. Which they did and pulled in a huge haul of fish.
He stated He would make them fishers of men. Then in John 21, He is again in Galilee beside the sea and tells them to let down their nets for a catch.
Once again the nets were filled to overflowing.
He tells them to come and eat.
Again the reference to feeding them for He is the bread of life.
This is at the end of His time with them.
We see the reference to
the beginning and the end
the first and the last
the Alef and Tav
the Alpha and Omega,
(Rev.22:13)
start and finish of their time with Him.
The catch of fish to becomes the catching of men,
catching souls for the kingdom of the Heavens.
The 2nd time was the place of commissioning.
A question arises always where did the fire, hot coals, fish and bread come from?
The coals/ Stones were hot so it would seem that He had been there a while.
Bring some fish He says.
Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. John 21:10
The bread wouldn’t have been the flat crisp sort so that it could be broken, not a soft loaf like we usually think of.
This makes another question. Where did He get the bread from, was it another miracle?
Did He turn some of the stones beside the sea of Galilee into bread?
Stones that look very much like bread!
This was the very subject of an earlier temptation the devil used against Him, to prove that He was the Son of God/YHWH.
Now it was no temptation, but instead, a provision to feed His children-mishpachah/disciples-talmidim/friends-cheverim.
He was and is the Son of the Living God, the Creator of the universe, who took the elements of the dirt of the earth He created to form us. Surely then, as the devil came testing/ tempting Him, He was able to do just that… or it would not have been by its’ very definition – a temptation?
What we do know is everything points to Jesus as Messiah, savior and He points always to the father. Everything has meaning whether we fully understand it or not.
Pentecost/Shavuot was a ‘second giving’, of the Torah.
A giving of Himself, of His risen Spirit/Ruach;
to fill them and fire them up.
His Torah/Word is no longer written on stone but in their,
and our,
hearts of flesh.
He is the living Torah, the living Word made flesh and is still living amongst us.
Knowledge is not the end goal here in these posts… but Relationship is.
Knowledge and understanding, are simply an aid to a deeper understanding of the One who gave His life for us.
This Shavuot /Pentecost allow the Ruach/Spirit of Holy Fire to do His complete work in us that we become vessels fit for the Masters use.
The purpose being that so many more souls are added to His kingdom.
As we are climbing the mountains with Him following His lead know we are soon leaving for home too. It’s possible that when He said earlier meet me in Galilee it was also related to meet me in the kingdom of God because Galilee was a home where the meeting could go on without any distraction! Did Yeshua/Jesus choose Galilee to show them how they would also join Him in the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of His Heavens?
Keep your eyes upon Jesus/Yeshua.
Look full in His wonderful face
and the things of this world will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace.
Be ready… Look to the Son!
When we look at this do we see son rise or sun set?
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family and cheverim/friends! You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the posts. If they have been a blessing and if you haven’t already, please sign up for free email notification, like, share and subscribe, it all helps to freely spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth and reaches others with His Truths. MMM will continue as long as the platform is accessible… meanwhile let’s remember
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.
The Spring season of Appointed Times of the Lord/Moedim were initiated this week with Purim.
The remembrance of Purim is a precursor to the 7 on the Hebrew Calendar; and it commemorates the selfless action of woman chosen for a specific time and purpose. Purim is always 30 days before Passover/Pesach. It’s almost like a heads-up, a marker, for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, of what is about to begin!
Although previous posts have highlighted Esther /Hadassah/Myrtle, one aspect of this story was not included in:
This aspect concerns the fact that Gods name was hidden in this book. It did not mean He was not there or didn’t know what was going on.
Although the name of God is not written as a literal word in this book, it is however, conspicuous by its absence. In that absence, it is more of an indication that, although God is hidden and not obvious in the text; He is working behind the scenes.
From here He is causing His will to proceed and come to a victorious conclusion in bringing about the salvation of His chosen people, even though at the same time, the devil was trying to orchestrate their extinction.
When His Name is not obvious, on and in the events, as in the book of Esther, readers may think He has forgotten, deserted or has abandoned them.
NOT SO and nothing could be further from the truth.
He is working?
How do we know that?
Because His Word tells us He Never slumbers nor sleeps:
Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. … Psalm 121; Psalm120; Psalm 122.
Hinei lo yanum v’lo yishan shomer Israel
A further confirmation being one of the Covenant Names of God, that shows and qualifies His attributes is:
YHWH-Shammah —
“The Lord is present”
(Ezekiel 48:35)
God is ALWAYS present with us.
Phonetic Spelling:
(yeh-ho-vaw’ shawm’-maw)
read from right to left under each Hebrew letter
<maw shaw h-va-ho-yeh <
Pronounced Ya-wa or
Yod–Ha-Vav-Ha Sham-ma
God is intimately and intricately involved in the lives of His people. He is constantly at work in every aspect of their lives. But everything He does is for a purpose.
Job 34:20
In order for the scenes to change in the faith experience, the Lord, Who is“the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2),must work behind the scenes.
Although people and circumstances are always associated with where we are in the spiritual drama, the Bible teaches that God is the major Force behind the ever changing scenes of life.
God had been working behind the scenes, in the lives of two men Joseph had never met. God worked in their life circumstances in what initially appeared to be negative events in order to bring these three men together in the same place for this very moment. Specifically so that Joseph could interpret their dreams.
Joseph said, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please” (v. 8).
The whole of Josephs early life and experiences were in preparation for the time He would save his family, his people and his whole nation which included the line from which Messiah would come to bring salvation.
Gideon also had an experience of God working In Judges 7:9-15 as the warrior was about to face the troops of Midian with a much smaller and less-equipped force.
Although Gideon was a willing servant of God, he needed assurance that it was, in fact, God calling him to this task (vs.17).
In accomplishing the mission set before him by God, Gideon proves himself to be faithful, as well as a mighty warrior, becoming a strong leader of men (Judges 7:17).
9 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. 10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
Judges 7:9-15 KJV.
The following night the Lord commanded Gideon to go down to the camp of the enemy, as He had given it into his hand.In the Hebrew language text, here the perfect is used to denote the purpose of God, which had already been formed.
In the same way as in Judges 4:14,
God had worked behind the scenes!
This working, is not confined to the Old Testament/TaNaKh, but is further confirmed for us in Yeshua/Jesus own words informing us that God is always working His purpose out.
God is working right now!
John 5:17, NIV: In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day,
“My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” John 5:17 NKJV
He is watching ever mindful of us and all the events unfolding. At the appointed time, He intervenes. He reveals Himself in all His glory and ability to bring events to a perfect and timely conclusion.
To coin a couple of well known phrases:
The wedding will take place – the show must go on.
It also has a worldly meaning that people often push forward in their own strength, when they are not supposed to, regardless of how negatively pressing and unfavorable circumstances may be.
For us, knowing that He is WORKING, it brings COMFORT..
and have faith in His and the Fathers ability to accomplish all that has been planned from the foundation of the world;
because He Is:
Omnipotent (All-powerful)
Omniscient (All-knowing)
Omnipresent (Ever-present)
His word will come to pass.
All scripture will be fulfilled.
All prophecy will happen just as it has been written.
Esther came into the moment.
Into the time line.
Just as the events seemed set to wipe out Gods’ children for good.
The enemy’s plan was to destroy and totally annihilate the people of God, the tribe of Judah, the Jewish race and in turn to stop the future birth of Messiah.
Consider how many times that was attempted and every time it failed!
הֲדַסָּה
Hadassah
Esther’s Jewish name comes from the Hebrew word הֲדַס hădaç Hadas which means ‘myrtle’.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the thorn/brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. To set forth his glory. Of God’s deliverance, and that he will never forsake his Church. Isaiah 55:13
Read that one more time………
To set forth His glory.
Of God’s deliverance, and that
He will
NEVER
FORSAKE
HIS CHURCH!!!
church = ecclesia = called out/apart ones/His BRIDE.
That’s all of us who meet His criteria!
Instead of the thorn, (from the crown of thorns of the suffering servant); shall come forth the myrtle
the flower
the servant
and the chosen one
the hidden bride.
Esther’s name has a meaning of hidden, this meaning is that the bride of Messiah is to this day hidden from the Jewish people. Esther disguised herself as a Gentile, but secretly she was a Hebrew (Ivri )/Yahuwdiy (Jew).
In the same way, those who are born-again by the blood of the lamb are not recognized by many who call themselves Jews because, as of today, many do not acknowledge Jesus/Yeshua as their true Messiah, but one day they will see Him who they pierced.
To be the true bride kallah/challah of the King.
We have seen that as believers symbolically God is our bridegroom and we are His challah/kallah, His bride.
Yeshua/Jesus our Heavenly Bridegroom was born – nothing could stop it. No devilish plans could prevent His coming then,
and it will not now either.
His second coming will occur at the appointed time.
Events will unfold on time – His time — just as they did in Esther’s day.
The devil still seeks to destroy God’s family, he wants to prevent the wedding taking place., but he does not succeed!
——
Where is God’s Name in the story today?
He is WORKING behind the scenes.
The salvation of His people is the focus through Ruach HaKodesh /Holy Spirit, whose mandate according to Scripture is:
as an expression of His love and mercy, the Holy Spirit seeks to convict or convince us that Jesus is the cure for sin.
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; (John 16:8-9)
Jesus/Yeshua promised the apostles that the
Ruach HaKodesh /Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.
The world is a sinful place, and one of Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit’s tasks, is to convict the world of its’ sin. No amount of preaching, pleading, or pointing of fingers will bring about the conviction of sin, unless Ruach HaKodesh /Holy Spirit is at work in the sinner’s heart.
It is the Ruach/Spirit’s job to bring conviction to a soul.
God’s desire is that they will be motivated to look for defense counsel: (Jesus/Yeshua) before they appear before the Judge (Father God) for sentencing.
To bring all to repentance and like Esther, beg petition from the king for clemency.
As Esther was prepared to do, we must lay down our lives for Him…
Esther laid her life on the line for her people..
Jesus/Yeshua laid His life on the line for His people.
Instead of the briar comes the myrtle..
Up came the Esther/the Hadassah/Myrtle, to speak for those about to perish.
She was the picture of servant hood and sacrifice, just as Yeshua/Jesus with the crown of thorns was the picture of servant hood and sacrifice…
Both willing to lay down their lives for others and in this case for a whole nation. Had she not done so, the line through which Messiah came, would have perished and He would not have been able to lay down His life for the whole world.
Esther
The epitome of a true and faithful servant – loving not her life even unto death!
Self sacrifice, laying down her life – chaim, for others.
As we remember Esther, it is also the initiator of the appointed times on the Hebraic calendar year cycle.
The Appointed Times/Moedim, always begin with sacrifice
-self-sacrifice,
laying one’s life down for another… for Her people, a nation..
and as we are about to begin the cycle of the Spiritual Calendar with Passover/Pesach the epitomy of self sacrifice –
laying one’s life down for another… for His people, a nation..
and in Messiahs case, for the whole world.
The trick the enemy was preparing ended up being the agent of his own demise. God was working and always is.
Even when we don’t see it plainly or see His Name on events, the myrtle will blossom in it’s time.
This is 2020 = we must have perfect vision…spiritually so we can SEE Him WORKING!
Esther/Hadassah/Myrtle, was the model of true servant hood in her timeline and Jesus/Yeshua was the model of true servant hood in His…
In part 2 we will look at what the pictographs of this Word servant show us.
Happy Purim
Shalom, shalom, mishpachah!
You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.
Fear not, simply rest in Him and be comforted, God is WORKING!
Stay alert, prepared and be ready!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the posts and for all your kind and encouraging comments. Please continue to share with others, like and subscribe for notifications of new postings. It all helps to freely spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth and reaches others with the blessing of His Truths that always point us to Our Heavenly Father, Through Jesus/Yeshua by the power of His Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh.
Share His comfort to those going through times of testing and trouble…be an encourager of hearts and tell them GOD IS WORKING behind the scenes!
As always, a very warm welcome to each and every subscriber/follower/visitor, both old and new; and remember that the post is best viewed on the Homepage site in full color!
Please don’t leave this page without the knowing in your heart you are totally His.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
Its 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/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 each of us..
Having just completed the 49 days of Counting the Omer. 
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