From sameach; blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival) exceeding (-ly), gladness, joy (-fulness), mirth, pleasure, rejoice delight (1), exceeding joy (1), extremely* (1), festival (1), gladness (34), happiness (1), joy (38), mirth (1), pleasure (6), rejoice (1), rejoiced (1), rejoicing (6).
At that moment …
He was filled with JOY – שִׂמְחָה
שִׂמְתָה שָׂשׂן
Transliteration: sim•cha, sa•son
Simcha, Joy, is one of the most used words in the Scriptures; it appears over 400 times, together with its synonym, sa•son. Interestingly, the English word ‘sassy’ came from sa•son.
Both words together form a beautiful expression that is said in every Jewish wedding, as weddings themselves and other events such as a child birth are called by the general name ‘sim•cha’.(The word is spelled both with and without an h at the end.)
This expression, used by the prophet, Jeremiah, says:
‘kol sa•son ve•kol sim•cha, kol cha•tan ve•kol ka•la’.
“The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride” Jeremiah 33:11
We can also see this as prophetic concerning Messiah returning for His Bride/Challah/.
From the references to joy, the first time it is mentioned in the Brit Chadashah/New Testament it is noted with the birth of Jesus, Yeshua:
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy”
Matthew 2:10
We may be most familiar with joy being listed among the fruit of the spirit which are qualities noted in Galatians 5:22-23.
The second fruit of the Spirit is joy, ‘sim•cha.
Sim•cha is connected to the name of an important Jewish Holiday – Sim•chat To•rah – the Rejoicing of the Torah.
This holiday is celebrated on She•mi•ni A•tze•ret, which is the first day following the seventh day of Sukkot also called
Feast of Booths, Feast of Tabernacles.
The holiday commemorates the completion of reading portions of the Torah during the year; there are 52; each portion is read each week of the year all over the world.
This custom is biblical because it was first done by Ezra the Scribe.
Luke 10:21-25
when we hold someone dear and love them in truth we want to know what makes them happy ….happiness is an emotion of the soul and often does not outlast the occasion or reason for its declared feeling. We are in a flesh body but we are spirit first and foremost; and we must learn to NOT be led by our feelings but by His Spirit of Holiness within us, guiding and leading our spirit not our flesh.
The scripture does not say Yeshua/Jesus was happy,
it says
He was filled with joy. Luke 10:21
The scripture says in
Nehemiah 8:10This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the lord is our strength.
Nehemiah 8:10, Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!
We may assume that our strength comes from the joy our Heavenly Father gives to us.
Have we ever thought to ask, where does that joy really come from?
The word joy that is used in Nehemiah is the word chadoth which is really the word for pleasure.
The pleasure of God is our strength.
But what does that mean?
Psalms 105 may give us an answer.
He called down famine on the land, broke off all their food supply, 17 but sent a man ahead of them — Yosef, who was sold as a slave. 18 They shackled his feet with chains, and they bound him in irons; 19 until the time when his word proved true, God’s utterance kept testing him. 20 The king sent and had him released, the ruler of peoples set him free; 21 he made him lord of his household, in charge of all he owned, 22 correcting his officers as he saw fit and teaching his counselors wisdom.
This Psalm vs. 16-22 holds a very interesting reference to Joseph. Most scholars agree that this reference means; that until the time came for Joseph to fulfill his purpose or mission in life, which was to become a prime minister of Egypt and thus bring his family into safety from a famine; he first had to go through various trials to be tested by Adonai. This testing/trial proves faithfulness and obedience, vs.19.
Joseph learned to be joyful in every situation because
thejoy of the Lord was his strength.
His pleasure is our strength …a verse in Philippians also helps us understand:
For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure. Phil. 2:13. Amp. and again in Rev. 4:11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Here is confirmation of two things that believers in Messiah understand to be true; and that is,
we are all created for a specific purpose in life
and
that our Heavenly Father puts us through times of trial/testing or as it’s often referred to as spiritual boot camp.
This is for the purpose of developing our
obedience and faithfulness
and to bring us to the place where we fulfill the mission /calling He has placed on our lives.
These verses are important for us.
Why?
Because it gives us a scriptural basis, revealing that we are not put on this earth haphazardly, or by chance or mistake; rather that our Heavenly Father has placed us here at this specific time to fulfill a specific role.
It also gives us an understanding of the reason why we all go through trials in life; that it is to provide a training ground which helps prepare us to fulfill the role chosen for us in His plan.
Concerning
the joy of the Lord is your strength;
it’s not the joy you feel,
but the joy our Heavenly Father has in us
and reveals it to you through devar.
The Hebrew word
devar:
Strong’s Hebrew: 1697.
דָּבָר dabar/devar – speech, word.
Davar or dabar means word and it also means thing.
This fact reflects a deep facet of a Jewish world view.
Words are the creative energy of the world. God spoke, and through words brought the universe into being.
It directly correlates to Yeshua for it is the Hebrew equivalent to “Logos” found in John chapter 1.
In Hebrew John 1: 1 reads,
“Bereishit hayah hadavar. V’davar haya et haElohim, vElohim hayah hadavar.”
In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Yeshua is Hadavar Elohim, “The Word of God.”
The Fifth book of the Bible, Deuteronomy is called “Davarim” (Words) in Hebrew. It was written at the end of 40 years of the Children of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness.
There is something interesting to be seen here.
The Hebrew word for “wilderness” is Midvar. Davar is the root word for Midvar. Notice that the last three consonants of Midvar are the same as the three consonants of Davar.
Davar is spoken by Moses (a type of Yeshua) at the end of the 40 years of testing in the wilderness. After Moses’ death, Yehoshua (Joshua, another type of Yeshua) leads the children of Israel to the Promised Land (yet another picture of Yeshua).
Yeshua at the end of the 40 days of testing in the Midvar (wilderness) is confronted by Satan. Three times Satan tries to tempt Yeshua. Yeshua responds only one way. He uses Hadavar Elohim (the Word of God).
Which book does Yeshua quote from all three times?
Davarim.
Interesting Note:
Davar HaChaim (The Living Word)
is in the Midvar using the Hadavar Elohim,
specifically the book of Davarim to defeat the adversary!!
We all know that as God, Jesus/Yeshua could have just simply performed a miracle and thrown Satan out of the desert, but He didn’t. So why did He
The Living Word
Davar HaChaim
use the Word of God to defeat the adversary?
because He is our example.
Jesus/Yeshua,
the Living Word/Davar HaChaim
had to show that Satan/adversary can be defeated by the
Hadavar Elohim/the Word of God
and in the power of His Spirit of Holiness/Ruach HaKodesh. Had Messiah done something to the adversary/devil that only God can do, He would not have been much of an example for us, as that option would not have be available to us.
The word/devar that is
spoken from the heart of God.
Devar represents a
word of power
and could also be
a word of prophecy or inspiration.
Devar – DBR – is spelled with a
Daleth
which is a doorway
to the
Beth (b and/or v)
or the heart
of the Resh or Spirit of God.
So Devar is:
a doorway to the heart of God.
It’s the heart of God that gives us strength!
When we enter His heart, we find it is
filled with JOY over us and our faithfulness
and when we see the JOY of the Lord…
that becomes our strength to overcome!
So Yeshua/Jesus was filled with strength also ..
this joy is a spiritual force that helps us in our halak/walk;
this too is to be our joy – our strength!
For Yeshua/Jesus too, the joy that filled Him, came by way of His Fathers’ Spirit of Holiness/Ruach HaKodesh; as He saw what JOY was in His Fathers’ Heart as His will and plan was being fulfilled.
21 At that moment he was filled with joy by the Ruach HaKodeshand said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I thank you because you concealed these things from the sophisticated and educated, yet revealed them to ordinary people. Yes, Father, I thank you that it pleased you to do this.
22 “My Father has handed over everything to me. Indeed, no one fully knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
He continued to speak
23 Then, turning to the talmidim, he said, privately, “How blessed are the eyes that see what you are seeing! 24 Indeed, I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things you are seeing but did not see them, and to hear the things you are hearing but did not hear them.”
Just before that moment He had told His talmidim/disciples in
verse 20, don’t be glad that the spirits submit to you be glad that your names have been recorded in heaven.
His Joy/Simchah/chedvah, was at the declaration of His Fathers will being literally fulfilled!
He and His disciples and anyone at that time who saw what was happening were seeing what the prophets had desired to see!
“Blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matthew 13:16-17).
In other words, to experience something that marvelous, was that which many wise and holy people had longed to experience but couldn’t …this should make us aware that we are truly blessed, and should cause us to be very thankful.
In 1 Peter 1:10-12. he is encouraging us to express a more grateful attitude and respect for our salvation because the old testament prophets and the angels of heaven longed to see what we have now experienced through the gospel of Messiah.
This salvation referred to in vers. 5 & 9, reveals that 10 The prophets, who prophesied about this gift of deliverance that was meant for you, pondered and inquired diligently about it. 11 They were trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of the Messiah in them was referring in predicting the Messiah’s sufferings and the glorious things to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that their service when they spoke about these things was not for their own benefit, but for yours. And these same things have now been proclaimed to you by those who communicated the Good News to you through the Ruach HaKodesh sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things!
If this is true then the days we are living in should also fill us with that same JOY!!?…
again this JOY is not an emotion or a feeling from our soul based on a carnal based reaction to our physical body’s 5 senses. It is rather a definitive condition of our spirit based on truth and rooted in His devar/Word; both the written and Word made flesh in Messiah.
It was the fulfilling of His Fathers will that filled Yeshua/Jesus with Joy/simcha/chedvah.
As we see prophecy being fulfilled at an almost alarming pace, we too should be filled with His joy/simcha/chedvah;
as His and our Heavenly Fathers will is being literally fulfilled today!
The hour is at hand!
Matt 26:45 behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners
He also said in Luke 22:53
When the authorities come to take Jesus/Yeshua away, He tells them in verse 53
this is your hour — when darkness reigns.
It could be translated as
this the hour of the authority of darkness.
The physical darkness is a representation of something deeper that happens.
Then Jesus/Yeshua said to the chief priests, temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw? 53
And we all face those because, there is a power in darkness. It’s the power of uncertainty, and anxiety and fear. However He tells us to fear not
WHY?
Because…
He has overcome the world and all things are in the Fathers hand. He is in control whatever our 5 physical senses try to tell us…
Knowing what His Word says regarding these things we experience in our flesh, will dispel ALL fears; and when we resist them in the name of Jesus/Yeshua; and keep ourselves under His protective, redeeming blood, by being obedient to what He has told us to do and be… then…. no weapon formed against us can prosper.
Yeshua/Jesus called the adversary, the prince of this world, who indeed did offer Him all the kingdoms of the world. Messiah did not choose the easy way but chose instead to complete His Fathers’ plan for His life
because this is why He came.
Likewise we must fulfill that for which we are here.
There are times that the darkness seems to be winning but it’s only for a designated hour!
The hour is at hand for us …as the end of the age presses in and
all things must be fulfilled Luke 24:44
That day and that hour Luke 21 36
We are called to set a watch in the night time.
This is both physical night and times/days of spiritual darkness. When Yeshua/Jesus said,
the hour has come…
darkness had its designated but short reign.
This manifested presence, although dark, was still the will of His Father however, it was restricted within the boundaries and restraints of our Fathers’ perfect plan of the ages.
Even the wicked in Prov. 16:4
Adonai made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of disaster.
and
Isaiah 45:7 I form light, I create darkness; I make well-being, I create woe; I, Adonai, do all these things.
Are we distracted by lifes’ events?
Are we pressured by conforming to the ever increasing dates for activities and celebrations on mens’ calendars?
Should we not be more concerned with our Heavenly Fathers’ timeline and calendar?
What is the word watch for?
It is to rise and pray..
WHY?
So that the hour does not come on us unaware
and
that we do not fall into temptation.
The time is short –
Final salvation, days of His glory, are nearer to us now, than when we first believed – It is continually advancing, flying forward upon the swiftest wings of time.
“And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” Romans 13:11.
Even so, the events that Yeshua/Jesus mentions in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 lead to the end of this worlds age; and because of this, we know that
the hour is at hand
and our final salvation is indeed
nearer to us than when we first believed.
Yeshua/Jesus went on to say,
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. Mark 13:32-33.
The storm is gathering fast and He calls us to discern the events that are currently forming in the affairs of men. We are to be observant of their warning, that disaster and and holocaust are in the making and shaping up to be released.
Doom and gloom you say??
NO!
Rather it is prophetic declaration of the Words of our Lord and Savior; and it let’s us know He is soon returning!
It’s a season for every believer to rejoice and be joy filled
and for those looking for Him who are the redeemed bride,
they will say what
Is. 25:9 says…
this is the Lord for whom we have waited.
On that day they will say, “See! This is our God! We waited for him to save us. This is Adonai ; we put our hope in him. We are full of JOY so glad he saved us!”
We are a chosen generation…
chosen to see the culmination of the ages
Yeshua/Jesus said in Matthew 24:21
21 For there will be trouble then worse than there has ever been from the beginning of the world until now, and there will be nothing like it again![b]22 Indeed, if the length of this time had not been limited, no one would survive; but for the sake of those who have been chosen, its length will be limited.
this will be a time like no other and never will be again…
James 5:7 7 So, brothers, be patient until the Lord returns. See how the farmer waits for the precious “fruit of the earth” — he is patient over it until it receives the fall and spring rains.[a]
He waits only for the precious fruit of the earth, until the times of the gentiles (the last 2000+years) be fulfilled Luke 21:24.
He waits for our Heavenly Fathers’ timing…
Matthew 24:36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
We must be ready, we must be in the company of the wise virgins. The call has already gone forth, so we must be listening more and more to Him than to what the world around us is saying.
Keep our focus on Him and things above.
We must learn to
be still before Him,
as chaotic disturbances scream for our attention.
Be obedient when He speaks and raise the standard of our personal discipline and dedication to a higher level….NOW…
He has called us to come up higher… Did we move yet?
Or are these just words that we give mental assent to, agreeing and acknowledging, but with no action or response!
Once His face was set like flint towards Yerushalayim/Jerusalem for the hour had come…
It’s time to set our faces towards His will for us!
Setting our face to go to Jerusalem means letting go of home, a sense of security, and a place in society. If we set our face to go to Jerusalem, then we have put ourselves on a path of change and transformation according to His Will plan and purpose for us.
Darkness and all its works have an allocated time for all prophecy to be fulfilled. Again remember…
The LORD has made everything for His purpose–even the wicked for the day of disaster. Proverbs 16:4
If there was no bad, we would not comprehend what good is. Our Heavenly Father has created a perfectly balanced universe, beyond our finite minds can understand. He is infinite.
The day of reckoning and judgment is in His hand. These things Yeshua/Jesus said must take place. Read Matt. 24:34 & Luke 1:20.
He will lift up His voice as the sound of a trumpet.
Isaiah 58:1 and Heb. 12:9 Rev. 3:20.
Those with ears to hear will recognize the clear tone of His call.
As we prepare ourselves, being more with Him, allowing His Ruach/Spirit to fill us to a greater capacity; this will keep us from the influences and deceiving elements of the prince of this world, and all his wiles. We must become like our Lord and when the devil comes be able to say…
he finds nothing in me!
for the prince of the world cometh: and he hath nothing in me.
John 14:30
Hold fast to the profession of your faith. Hebrews 10:23
to that which is good
But examine all things; hold fast to what is good. 1 Thess.5:21
and godly
Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Rev.3:11.
and
occupy till He comes. Luke 19:13.
1 Tim. 5:21; 2 Tim. 1:13. Titus 1:9; Heb 4:14, 10:31; Rev. 2:13; Ps. 11:6; Is. 62:1; Jer. 6:11; Acts 3:11; Rom. 14:4; 1Cor. 14:30.
Hold Fast in Hebrew is:
tamak:
to grasp, support, attain
Original Word: תָּמַךְ Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration:tamak Phonetic Spelling: (taw-mak’) Definition: to grasp, support, attain
NAS: to me, Let your heart hold fastmy words/dabar;
Let us holdfast the confession of our hope without wavering, for
He who promised is faithful….Hebrews 10:23
For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does, Psalm 33:4.
So that we may stand and be found worthy to escape all these things coming upon the earth and to stand before the son of man Luke 21:36,having finished our race. 2Tim. 4:7.
Watch for the signals, the signs of His coming. We will see the sky change and things appear in unfamiliar ways. The veil is torn and dimensions are merging. Read Matt 24:32 , Mark 13:28 and Luke 21:30 and Revelation among other prophets it will give clear details of the events unfolding before our eyes.
The time has come
the hour is upon us
summer is nigh..
lets not cry with those in Jeremiah 8:20
“The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.”
Not only are we to prepare ourselves, we are to warn others, help and encourage them.
Jude 1:23 says save others snatching them out of the fire.
Ephesians 5:14 So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
The alarm has sounded in the spirit – no time for apathy or pressing the snooze button... There has never been a time in all His Story that is more crucial than now ..
Stay alert and be ready –
the hour has come and soon and very soon
we are going to see the King –
the one who we have waited for.
Hold fast to that which you have.. Hold and do not let go… whatever we see ….whatever we are told.. do not waver in your faith and trust in Him leaning not to our own understanding. Do not be swayed by science, proof or so called facts and evidence presented by anyone or anything other than the Word of our Heavenly Father and His Messiah. His spirit/ruach leads us to all truth and our very salvation depends on our faith in Him and His promise; which are always yes and amen. He is the author and finisher of the faith within us, (Heb. 12:2); and He will bring all things to completion, Phil 1:6. Stand and having done all stand, Eph.6:13. He is right there with us….always.
What filled Yeshua/Jesus with JOY?
At that moment …
His joy was at the declaration of His Fathers’ will being literally fulfilled…
let’s be a moment of joy to both our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach..
Look up with that same joy family, our redemption draws ever closer.
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.
Meanwhile let’s continue to stay alert and ready, be in prayer and in His Word for in an hour we think not He is coming… and…
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.
Today in Hebrew, this is the most common word for a gift. It is exactly the same word that was used in both in the Old and the New Testaments.
The root of this word is
na•tan,
gave, gift
spelled with the letters:
noon,tav, and noon.
this is actually the name Nathan.
In Hebrew, a gift, can also mean
כִּשָּׁרוֹן
kisharón.
This refers to someone who is gifted, or has a special talentor ability.
In modern Hebrew, there are two different words for
gift:
מתנה. Matana
שי Shai
Generally a gift would be
matana מתנה
in Hebrew however lesser used synonyms are:
shay שי and doron דורון
and are often used as names alongside
מתן to signify someone being a gift to the world or life.
In modern Hebrew the most common word would be
מַתָנָה pronounced ma-ta-nah
and also meaning:
present, offering, donation, largess, or a bribe, depending on the context and the intention you are using the word with.
There are at least a dozen other words in Hebrew with the same meaning of: a thing given willingly to someone, without payment or retribution or as a gratuity.
14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
This parable has more than one message within it and all have relevance to our life and times.
First it’s a warning, telling us to stay alert, because we do not know the day nor the hour of His return. Then He likens it to the situation described in the parable:
“Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. 14 For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them.
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. – Matthew 25:13 (NKJV)
So the foundation of the parable of the talents really begins with verse 13. That’s why this parable is one of preparedness – because eventually, Yeshua/Jesus is coming back and sooner than most realize or want Him to!
In the Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus/Yeshua again used a story to encourage His followers to be ready for His return at all times.
“Be on the alert,”
He said,
“for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” Matthew 24:42.
In the parable, He describes a man who goes on a journey, entrusting his servants with his wealth and possessions in his absence.
The man traveling is Yeshua/Jesus and we are the servants.
From this understanding, let’s look at the various meanings people have pointed out.
First the talents referred to here are coins, money.
In the chart above we see that a talent or mina is worth a lot of money!
We often picture it as a few coins; as in the picture below:
This is an incorrect image and alters our visual understanding of what Yeshua /Jesus was trying to illustrate.
Just one talent could be valued at around
$400,000 in today’s U.S.dollars!
Or approx.. 300,000 UK pounds or Euros.
1 drachma = 1 days wages
1 mena = 100 drachma which = 100 days wages
60 minas = 1 talent which was = to about 19 years wages!!
So it would have been according to that which was given of
5, 2 and 1 talents.
5x 400,000 = 2,000,0000
2x 400,000 = 800,000 and 1 = 400,000
This could not have been put in a little bag under a stone!
It also says how much the Lord values us and how much He values what He gives us. More than most people will see in a lifetime.
However it is not really talking about money.
More importantly, it is talking about:
stewardship,
responsibility,
obedience
and preparedness.
Looking at this parable, it really is one of self-examination; and a good one to meditate on during the season prior to Shavuot/Pentecost.
We often say of someone they are very talented or they have talent! This does not mean money it means they have an ability or are gifted in some area either musically, artistically, creatively, usually in regard to making something that others admire. Many times it is above what is considered the normal or average ability.
So we interchange the word
gift for talent
and don’t think of it as money or currency.
Here it may surprise us to discover that this parable may have nothing to do with natural gifts and abilities
but what rather relates to
THE GIFT of His Holy Spirit.
Mincha Ruach HaKo’desh
Here we must point out that the Hebrew reads
רוח הקודש
ruach hako’desh
the spirit of the holy one
also transliterated
ruacḥ ha-qodesh and
literally spirit of holiness/holy spirit
YHWH – hwhy (Yahoveh)’s Spirit.
His Spirit of Holiness is Jesus/Yeshua
because He said in John 14:23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. John 14:18
His spirit of Holiness is not an it or a thing and it seems strange that we always seem to refer to Him as ‘the’? when it should be His Holy Sprit, or, Gods’/Fathers’ Holy Spirit or Yeshua/Jesus’Spirit of Holiness. We lessen the purity and reverence that is due to the essence of our Heavenly Fathers presence.
He is with us always even to the end of the age.
He is the same Spirit of Holiness that created the universe and hovered/ brooded over the face of the deep. We need a fresh and deeper revelation of the gift/mincha we have been given. His power has been given in a measure that will not harm or destroy us but will enable us to walk as Yeshua walked while on this earth.
Every power source needs a stable container, uncontaminated with certain parameters to maintain its correct operation and function. This is why we are to be cleansed, purified and prepared; the very essence of the OMER and a special reason they were to count the OMER that particular year. 50 days to Pentecost/Shavuot and the time of receiving the promise; His impartation and the promise of His being with us always. Literally living, residing, within us.
A portion of the kingdom of the heavens – the gift/mincha of eternal life; followed by the flowing out in physical manifestation of: preaching the good news of the kingdom of the heavens, healings and casting out unclean spirits raising the dead, performing miracles and working the works of Jesus/Yeshua.
It is the Father doing the works through us, just the same as through Jesus/ Yeshua. Heal the sick, the lame, give sight to the blind, cleanse the lepers set the captives free.
We know that Shavuot/Pentecost is the time of the
giving of His gift/mincha,
of His Spirit of Holiness.
It is important that we must never measure our spiritual capacity on the basis of our education or intellect; but rather our capacity in spiritual things is measured on the basis of the promises of God.
2 Cor. 1:20
All the promises of God in Him are yes and in Him Amen.
If we receive less than God wants for us to have, we are in danger of falsely accusing Him; just as the servant in the parable did because he did not know his master.
The giver of the gift.
Which in essence, still belonged to the master who received it back upon his return.
So that puts another angle on it also. Was the servant was saying: You expect more of me than you equipped me or gave me the power to do. Your demands are too much on me my time and my life and I cant do what you want me to in what you have chosen for me??!
Here’s your talent back….
We need to remember that when it’s a question of our Fathers Spirit, we never say, I Cant; that is simply turning the responsibility on ourselves and we are to be dead to self. If we are still trying to figure out everything and organize our time and schedule our lives, we are not submitted to His spirit working in us. We are still in control and we must never allow the limitations of our own natural ability to enter into any given situation. If we received His Spirit of Holiness He expects the work of His Spirit to be exhibited in us just as He did with Jesus/Yeshua.
In the parable the servant justified himself and at the same time was condemning his lord /master on every point; as if to say, your demand on me is way out of proportion to what you gave me.
Have we been falsely accusing God? By daring to worry after what He has promised inMatt 6:33? Worrying means exactly what was implied by the servant.
I know your intent to leave me alone and vulnerable.
We must be careful to remember that our lives will only reflect that which is from within and that our capacity and capability in spiritual matters is measured by, and based on the the promises of God who alone is able to fulfill them.
Do we believe that?
Our answer to that question will depend on whether or not we have received His Mincha/His Spirit of Holiness.
Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift.
First He came in the flesh and now is present with us always.
If we are still only come as far as asking God for things, we have never come to the point of understanding the least bit of what surrender really means; and we have instead become a Christian based on our own terms. Jer. 45:5.
As we continue to count through the days from the Omer lets surrender all, and prepare ourselves to receive afresh His Minchathe gift of His Spirit of Holiness; and re evaluate what the parable of the talents is saying to us. The lateness of the hour is evident and to whom much is given much is required and we have ALL been given the gift of the measure of faith.
Another view of The Parable of the Talents is, that Yeshua/Jesus uses it to help us understand our calling as Christians and our responsibility to use what God has given us to bring Him glory and honor! We can only do that when we invest our time, talents and treasure into His Kingdom and not one of our own making, based on us and making a life for ourselves!
We have the most valuable gift/mincha of all,
the Word of God and the
saving Gospel
of Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach.
Reading the verses it’s also clearly a HEAVEN and HELL parable! The servants who used their talents entered into heaven,
“the joy of the Lord”.
The servant who didn’t use his talent was cast into hell.
Some say the only thing the talents could represent is – saving faith!
That view says that salvation, which is entering the Kingdom, is only by grace though faith. It is a gift from God. Everyone is given the opportunity to have faith.
It is up to us what we do with it.
Do we use it
or
do we bury it?
Are those who put their talents to work are simply those who have genuine faith? “Faith without corresponding actions is dead” i.e. not genuine.
These servants would seem to represent the Jewish “sinners” of Messiah’s day, and the humble poor, who were believing in the grace of God and receiving Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah.
Will they enter into the Kingdom?
Are they are the good and faithful servants simply because they have faith?
The lazy servant represents the self righteous religious people of His day and the prideful rich. This wicked servant buried his talent, hid his faith, because he didn’t believe in the goodness and grace of God. Instead he believed that God was a hard task master who demands we give to Him and also what we are not able to give. This is a mindset of law based thinking, which Yeshua/Jesus came to correct. This evil unbelieving servant represents those who trust in their works or their riches to save them, Pharisees’ rules and laws, those who ultimately reject Messiah and God’s grace.
The parable is given to contrast:
faith vs works,
grace vs law,
the gift of righteousness vs self righteousness
and humility vs pride.
The talents were given according to ability, 5, 2 and 1.
Remembering what a talent is = to in todays money.
It is all referring to that which God knew He had imparted into them and what they were able to do.
Its also about obedience.
Using our talents for the kingdom of the heavens, not for our own success fame and fortune. It’s a test of our allegiance and to whom we are in submitted. If we are truly dead to self then we have no goal, no personal agenda other than to serve our Father in His Kingdom; no vision other than the heavenly one.
We need to stop making excuses and go, make disciples!
Just as He told us to.
We are all too often working the wrong works.
Ultimately is wasn’t about the amount given or the ability to use it, it was about –
did they use it?
Did they use their faith or did they bury it?
Did they believe in the goodness of their master or did they believe wrongly about him?
Those who receive the grace of God by faith, will enter into the Kingdom and receive grace upon grace, those who reject His grace through unbelief will have everything taken away from them and will be cast into outer darkness.
Jesus/Yeshua uses a number of parables to communicate essential principles about His return.
We have seen that a talent in the first-century was a unit of currency and 1 talent represented a large sum of money. A lot of older translations used to use the word talent, so the parable came to be known as The Parable of the Talents. The value of the money entrusted to the servants isn’t that important. Obviously the master was extremely rich and was entrusting a tremendous amount to them.
In the beginning, we see the master making the disciples responsible for managing a portion of his estate. Even though the servants are given different sums to take care of, it all still belongs to the master. They’re merely administrators who will answer for how they invested the master’s belongings.
This fact reinforces the principle of stewardship.
As believers, we are all given resources according to our skills and abilities, but those resources ultimately belong to God. We will eventually answer for how we invest and reminding us that we really own nothing it is on loan to us from the Father.
When the master returns and hears the reports of the first two servants, he’s pleased.
His response is to invite them to share in his happiness.
This seems a strange suggestion…
why?
In place of only the wrath of God that people associate with His judgment, Jesus/Yeshua shows that upon His return, the faithful will be entering into His happiness and will experience His joy. He made a similar statement in
Luke 12:32. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
The unfaithful servant who doesn’t give the master a return on his investment is thrown out where he will never experience the master’s happiness.
When the unfaithful servant returns the exact amount he received, the master is infuriated. Where is the return on the servant’s investment? To excuse himself, the servant reveals to the master that he was scared. Knowing the master to be a merciless boss, he was afraid to invest and lose the master’s money. This is the reason he just buried it in the yard.
The master responds in anger. Is he saying that if that servant were truly afraid of him, he would have responded differently, and would have done anything to have something to offer?
Too often we allow our misunderstood views about God to justify or excuse poor stewardship or disobedience.
As servants of Messiah/Christ, we are called to be productive. All of our health, money, time, and abilities have come from Him, and we are tasked with putting them to use to benefit the kingdom. A time is coming when the Master will return to settle accounts, and then it will be too late.
It’s not enough to say, I didn’t waste what you gave me, Lord. We want to demonstrate how we have used the gifts and abilities we have been given to benefit the kingdom. God desires that we be those who step out in faith, who share His commitment. That’s how we’ll enter into the happiness of the Master.
Consider what Yeshua/Jesus said in Matt. 25:14-15.
A man traveled to a far country, called his own servants, delivered his goods to them, and immediately went on a journey.
We must see the parallels….Yeshua/Jesus came to earth, called His disciples, entrusted them with the message of the gospel, and departed when He ascended back to heaven, and
Matthew 25;19 completes this picture.
After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. (NKJV)
This verse is a reminder that not only did Messiah leave this earth, but one day He will come back and we will have to give account. This is one of the most important points.
The parable of the talents is a reminder that Jesus/Yeshua is coming back and we have some work to do.
While we are still counting from Omer, below are some things to prayerfully consider.
One of the phrases we read this story is
to each according to his own ability;
leading to simple questions:
What is our role in the kingdom,
what has God given us to do?
and what is His expectation of us?
Remember, He began the parable by saying
the kingdom of heaven is like.
God has given each of us a responsibility, according to our abilities. So often we leave the work of preaching the gospel and making disciples to those who are called to do it.
The reality is that calling is for all of us.
Some may have more responsibility if God has called them to do that in a full-time capacity, but we are all called to this purpose. These are the talents/goods God has delivered to each of us.
It does not matter if God has positioned us to do this full-time or not, it is critical to recognize what God has given each of us as individuals. The message of the gospel, which is the talents/goods/gifts are alive in us if we know Yeshua/Jesus as our Savior.
What has God given us?
The responsibility, applies to everyone,
and now that we are aware of it we are accountable, so we must ask ourselves,
what are we doing with it?
Looking at this in a very practical way; recall one had 5 talents, one had 2 talents, and one had 1 talent. We need to see that our mindset needs an adjustment and understand that in Gods eyes, everyone is in full-time ministry. The difference is what is the primary focus of our ministry.
It could be described as this:
Some people’s ministry is only focused on the gospel and disciples all the time (5 talents). Some people work full-time outside of a church or ministry setting and may volunteer to serve in church. For this person the majority of their ministry happens in their jobs and communities (2 talents or 1 talent). So being a teacher, business person, an accountant (or whatever your occupation) is really full-time ministry.
The difference is that the primary focus of an individuals ministry is not just preaching the gospel; but it is still ministry. In the course of working, we can shine His light and share the truth of the gospel when the opportunities arise.
The bottom line is we may not be able to do as much as someone with 5 talents, but we still can and should contribute with the talents God has given us.
To whom much given much is required.
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48).
Again reminding us that we are not alone in the quest for doing good and that we have to be responsible in using His gifts.
One of the most important thing to remember from this parable of the talents, is the suddenness of the master’s return.
This takes us back to Matt. 25;19
After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. (NKJV)
There are two points of emphasis here:
First, the master (Yeshua/Jesus) will return one day,
and second,
we will have to give account.
The master didn’t announce his coming, he just came back after a long time!!
It will be the same with Yeshua/Jesus.
After a while, He will come back.
The question is,
are we ready for His return?
Another way of looking at it is—what would we want to be found doing when Messiah returns? Hopefully, the answer is to be taking what He has entrusted us with and sharing it with those around us. After all, this is the only way possible He can get a return on what He has entrusted you with.
Are we ready for His return?
Why is this a recurring theme in the posts? Because it is the message coming from His Spirit of Holiness at this hour, and the hour is very, very late……
When we read the whole story, there were two different responses given to the servants. Two of them heard well done and one heard you wicked, lazy servant. That is why it is so important to focus on what we do with the task/responsibility God has given us and not the amount of responsibility God has given us.
The point made in this situation is the servant with the smallest amount of responsibility was the one who was declared wicked and lazy. This confirms that it is not how much God has given us but what are we doing with it. In other words, there are no excuses.
This is a challenging word, but it is part of the calling and what Yeshua/Jesus has entrusted us to do. What God has given us is real and very valuable and we have a responsibility to share it, even if all we have is 1 talent. That can make a very big difference in the kingdom of God, and it can also make a difference in what God will say to us on that day.
What will Yesua/Jesus say to us on that day and
where do we go from here?
Each reader be encouraged to consider what God has entrusted and placed in us. Consider what He is asking us to do. Remember everyone is not going to be full-time (5 talents). Most of us will only have 2 talents or 1 talent.
Whatever God has asked us to do, we are to work at it with all our might, being the best we can be and doing all we can for the kingdom of God.
Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength. Ecc. 9:10
Gifts can be talents placed within us, given by our Father to use for and in furthering His Kingdom; talents are also gifts/goods that we are entrusted with, to put to His use and increase their volume; so we can present them to Him upon His return and show that we have been good stewards.
Paul makes it clear that faithfulness in that calling was not an option; it was a requirement.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 Let a man so consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
1Peter 4:10
There’s a purpose why God has given us what we have right now. Let’s not waste what God has given us. Make sure we do our best to increase what God has given us. As good stewards, we have the responsibility to manage and handle our resources so we can earn an increase.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Cor. 15:58
Family, His truth is what we need in this hour and not having our ears tickled… like the people said in Isaiah 30:10
who tell the seers, “Don’t see!” and to the prophets, “Don’t prophesy to us right things. Tell us pleasant things. Prophesy deceits.
Oh prophesy to us of pleasant things
…they did not want to hear the voice of their Lord through His prophets …He was calling them telling them to repent/teshuvah, to turn back to Him and His ways ..He is speaking the same today; and above all let us be found faithful doing that which we have been called to do.
Days are quickly coming when an unshakable faith in the Way the Truth and The Life is going to be critical. We must not be moved by what we see or hear, but stand fast in who and what we know.. He will strengthen our hearts…
The kingdom of the heavens is this parable, and it exists right this moment, each minute of the day we have a choice to use our gifts wisely; to go forward into growth and maturity, or retreat back to safety.
Just what is it we are supposed to do with these talents?
We are to serve with all our hearts and then we will experience the true joy of the Lord that always accompanies the blossoming and thriving of life/chaim. Let us us not fail to use our gifts/mincha by burying and hiding them….
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:6-9
Seek the Lord while He may be found don’t wait one more day…today is the day of salvation.
The greatest mincha was and is Himself – Jesus/Yeshua
John 3:16
God GAVE
and salvation is
His GIFT/mincha
to us.
“God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
Are you sure of your salvation?
May His true Shalom/Peace
rest upon each one in Jesus/Yeshuas’ Name.
‘Mishpachah’ ‘Family’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa Mish-pa-KHa
you are greatly loved and prayed for daily..
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
please make certain you are secure in the knowledge that you are saved….
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.