Two For the Price of One! (and a bonus!)

I apologize for not posting last week, but I spent most of my time researching the subject matter for this post.  In order to make it up to you, I am giving you a two for one special by combining last weeks and this week’s Parashat together.  This post will include the Parashat of both Va’eira and Bo.  These cover the scripture reading of Genesis 6:2 – 13:16 and takes us through the entire saga of the plagues.  I would love to spend time on each and every one of the plagues, but that is not where I feel the need to take you at this time.  I told you in my last post the book of Exodus begins some of the most exciting reading, promises and prophecy in the entire Bible.  As I began reading chapter 6, there it was!  I was captivated with one verse and I knew I had to camp there with you, but I must give you a little background on why that verse grabbed me so. Last summer the majority of the United States experienced a severe drought.  My area was caught in the worst portion of that drought and although we have received several inches of rain within the past week we are still many inches behind.  During the worst part of the drought I began to question God as to why He was allowing it and what we needed to do in order for Him to send rain.  I kept hearing a specific verse in my mind every time I prayed and God began opening my eyes to that scripture in a way I had never seen before.  I began writing a book about it, but before finishing the book things began to distract me to the point I was unable to complete it.  I have not been able to pick it up and finish it yet, but now I think I know why.  The main theme in that book is the same theme where I stopped in this passage, although it is two totally different scripture passages it uses the same phrase.  God knew I needed to write this blog post first before I could finish the book.  He is so awesome.  I am now going to introduce you to a new Hebraic concept.  It is one that permeates the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  After learning this you will begin to see so many things throughout scripture that you never thought about before.  You are going to so enjoy this journey, because you are going to get to know your Father better and then you’ll also know His son better too! Go with me now to Genesis 2:9  “And HASHEM God caused to sprout from the ground every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food; also the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad.” And also to Genesis 3:22-24 “And HASHEM God said ‘Behold Man has become like the Unique One among us, knowing good and bad; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat and live forever!’ So HASHEM God banished him from the Garden of Eden, to work the soil from which he was taken.  And having driven out the man, He stationed at the east of the Garden of Eden the Cherubim and the flame of the ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life.” What was so important about this tree?  Of course if we are looking at it with our western eyes we see only a tree, right?  But, if we look at it with the new eyes I have been teaching all of you to see with, we can see much more.  Let me tell you a little about this tree before we go to our Parashat.  The Jews have taught for thousands of years that with 10 utterances, God spoke the world into existence.  (Psalms 33)  I wanted to relay this to you, but it is a rather lengthy discussion and for time’s sake I will not go into that subject at this time.  I am also not as well versed on that particular subject and how it relates; although, I do know it is connected to this tree! What I do know is there is also a connection to this tree and a Parashat to come in the next few weeks!  (CAN NOT WAIT FOR THAT ONE!  You are gonna love it!  I promise!)  There is ALSO a connection to this tree and some 7 fruit to be exact (with their actual harvest equivalent),  [do these sound anything like a verse you might have read somewhere in Galatians maybe?]:  Transcendence (wheat) [goodness]; vitality (barley) [faithfulness]; joy (grapes) [joy, you think!]; awareness (fig) [love]; action (pomegranate) [kindness, gentleness]; struggle (olive) [self-control]; tranquility (date) [peace, patience].  One other very important connection to our Parashat from this two week section is……THE TEN PLAGUES!  Yep!  They are connected to this tree also!  (This could get very deep, couldn’t it!)  Just let me give you one hint….any time you see the number 10; just know that it relates in some way to this tree, nuff said! I hope you are learning something new!  Now let me get to the really good stuff about the Tree, because this is the starting point for all of the above mentioned points!  I am sure you have heard about the Tree of Life before.  It is mentioned, specifically, 12 times in the entire Bible beginning in Genesis 2:9 and ending in Revelation 22:19!  I have no clue how many times it is alluded to throughout the entire Bible!  Too many to count I am sure.  The best way to present it is to give you a diagram.  The Tree of Life is also called the 10 Sieferot (there are a couple of variations on the spelling).  It is a picture of a “stick” tree depicting 10 attributes of God.  They are connected and as your level of education into Judaism deepens, so does the levels of depth into the tree and its’ meaning.  I will keep this very simple, since I am on level one myself.  (ha ha!) What you usually see when looking at a diagram of the Tree of Life is basically God from the back.  So if the circle is on your right, it is God’s right and if it is on your left, then it is God’s left.  Now, by looking at this diagram is this explanation on the hands and arms beginning to ring any bells on scriptures you have heard all your life?  Think, right hand of  God, righteous right hand, etc. (Hamsters, start turning those wheels!)  As you look at and begin to study this tree, for those of you who have been in a church where you have heard a lot of scripture all your life and been a student of the Bible, those scriptures are going to start clicking into place like a jigsaw puzzle!  You are going to begin seeing scripture like you have never seen it before!  God is sooo good, all the time! Now that you have seen this and hopefully taken a long look at it, I want to bring you into the Parashat!  Go with me now to Exodus 6:6-8.  This passage is one which is quoted by all Jews every year at the Passover meal known as Seder.  It is also called the four “I Wills” and they are quoted along with the four cups drank at the meal.  The “I Wills” (I Shalls) are definitely promises by God to His people, but are also prophecy.  One great thing about prophecy is that there is always an immediate fulfillment, but there is also a future fulfillment and another future fulfillment and again a future fulfillment each one occurring in a spiral with greater detail until an ultimate fulfillment of that prophecy!  Now, let us read that passage: “Therefore, say to the Children of Israel: ‘I am HASHEM, and I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their service; I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.  I shall take you to Me for a people and I shall be a God to you; and you shall know that I am HASHEM your God, Who takes you out from under the burdens of Egypt.  I shall bring you to the land about which I raised My hand to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I shall give it to you as a heritage – I am HASHEM.’” Was there anything in that passage that jumped out at you?  What about, “I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.” Go back and take a long look at that diagram again.  Read the wording where the arms or hands are located and think about an outstretched arm.  Grace in one direction, judgment in the other!  God is getting ready to lead His people out of Egypt.  Immediate for sure, but what a future fulfillment?  Think about a time in the future when God would redeem his people by stretching out His arm with grace and judgment?  Look at the scripture with me in Mark14:22-25 where Yeshua is observing the Passover Seder with his disciples.  Do you remember the four “I Wills”?  As I have already stated, at the Seder there are four specific cups that are drunk and one of the “I Wills” is quoted after each one.  Two are drunk before the meal and then immediately following the meal a third cup is drunk at which time those present will recite:  “ I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.” ALWAYS SPOKEN AFTER THE THIRD CUP!   Keep this thought in mind as you read this portion of scripture. “When they ate, Yeshua took bread, made a blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.  He said, ‘Take it; eat it.  This is my body.’  He took the cup, made a blessing (what blessing?  "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great judgments") and gave it to them, and all of them drank from it.  He said to them, ‘This is my blood, the blood of the new covenant, which is poured out on behalf of many.  Amen, I say to you, I will surely not drink of the fruit of the vine again until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’” Do you see what I see?  Yeshua took the cup of  “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm” and said after this time, I won’t be drinking this cup with you again until when?  The day I drink it with you in the kingdom of God!  Whew!!!!!!!!!  Do you see it!  Do you have goosebumps?  Ain’t this scripture great! Go with me to Luke 23:32-33, 39-40, 42-43 and let’s look at something even goosebumpier (is that even a word?, don’t know and don’t care, it just sounds good here!) “There were also two others with him, wicked men who were found deserving of death.  When they came to the place that is called Golgotha they crucified him there with the two wicked men, one on his right and the other on his left.  …..One of the wicked men being hanged insulted him, saying ‘Are you not the Mashiach?  Save yourself and us!’  The other one answered and reprimanded him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God?’ ….  He said to Yeshua, ‘Please remember me, my master, when you come into your kingdom!’  Yeshua said to him, ‘Amen, I say to you that today you will be with me in Gan Eden.’”(paradise) An outstretched arm of judgment in one direction and an outstretched arm of grace in the other!  Two men, two arms and two outcomes!  (What do you bet the one who would be with him in Gan Eden was on his right?) Oh my friend, I have told you all of this to bring you to one short point that is packed with dynamite.  God’s grace has always been part of the plan.  His Chesed and His outstretched arm!  From the creation of the world to the final days of the earth it has always been and it always will be about grace!  It is not a new testament thought.  It is as old as God himself!  Now there is a thought for you!  God is grace!  They are inseparable.  God the Son is leading you with His hand of grace to God the Father. Aren't you glad that grace allows us the privilege of not having to face God's judgment?   Oh really?  Does it?  We'll talk..........Shalom!

Parashat Shemot - Labor and Delivery!



 

This is me with my oldest grandson, 5 years ago on December 24.  He was less than 24 hours old at the time.  Such a joyous day!  So hard to believe the little guy will be starting school in the fall.  And we have added another grandson since then!  Joy, such joy!

A New Year and with it the chance for a new beginning.  These words can conjure up all kinds of thoughts and mind pictures.  For many people New Year’s Day brings a New Year’s Resolution full of hopes and dreams of; losing weight, stopping a bad habit or finding new romance.  For others it is a chance to leave a rather bad year behind in hopes of a better year ahead.  Then there are those who are looking toward the fulfillment of a promise; the birth of a long awaited child or the culmination of years or months of engagement with a wedding ceremony.  A fresh start, a do over, a new beginning.  We all want a do over at least once in our life, don’t we?   This week’s Parashat is all about an end, a new beginning and a glimmer at the fulfillment of a promise.  I am so excited about what is to come in the next months in the Torah!!!!  I hope to teach you things about His word that will make you love Him more in 2013 than you have ever loved Him in your life!  Let’s go now to Egypt to begin our journey!

Our reading for this week is Exodus 1:1 – 6:1.  It is so important that you read the Word.  I know that many, if not all of you think you know this story well.  I thought I knew this story well myself until I began the studies under my Rabbi and oh how much I did not know!  It is amazing how much we over read (kind of like overhear in part and fill in the rest with our imagination), or we rely on children’s books or movies!  One other problem with the modern day church is we are really, really good at just reading a verse or two and never reading an entire passage!  By doing so, we miss a lot of scripture and never know what it says!  (I am using a lot of exclamation marks for a reason here.)  Also, do not forget what I have been teaching you about looking at the scripture from a new mindset as you read this passage.

Now, having said all of that, you will DEFINITELY need to read this entire passage for yourself, because I am not going in-depth on it.  I think you will find nuggets within this story you have either forgotten or you never really read in the first place.  Before going further, let me suggest that in order to get the most out of your reading, it would be in your best interest to purchase a Torah.  You cannot just purchase these at your local Christian bookstore.  They can only be purchased through a Judaic website for the most authentic translation possible.  There are several of these on Amazon, but they are NOT reliable, so PLEASE DO NOT purchase one of those books neither the hard copy nor for the Kindle.   There are two websites I do recommend:

http://www.judaism.com/books/bible_texts/index.asp?cdo=chabad.org

http://artscroll.com/

Either of these websites have the translation I would recommend for you and they are absolutely authentic.  You will not go wrong with a Chumash (this is The Torah, make sure to choose the one with Rashi’s comments and if possible choose the Ashkenasi  translation since that is what I quote from most often) or a Tanach (the entire Old Testament, although it will not be in the same order you are use to) ordered from them.  I have ordered from the Artscroll website and was totally pleased with the content and the company.   

Now on to our Parashat!  At this point in our reading, approximately 400 years have passed since God made a covenant with Abraham to make him into a great nation.  If you want a refresher on the covenant you can read Genesis 15 and 17:1-8.  I have been torn between two themes or directions to go in for this writing, and to be quite frank I had a dream about one, but chose the other.  The one I dreamed about had to do with the conversation between Moses and God at the burning bush and it would have been entitled, “Who are you and who am I?”  I think I was just intended to give the title so each of you can meditate on it with God and God alone.  That one is quite personal and I would challenge you to take it up with Him, because I cannot answer that question for you.  God has a task for each of us and only He can tell you who you are in His grand scheme. 

The option I chose to write about is using an analogy of giving birth, although I will use other scenarios as well.  If you are one of my male readers you will still be able to connect with this one, so don’t leave me yet.  So many times the greatest new beginnings and the fulfillment of promises in our lives begin with some of the greatest pain, thus my analogy of childbirth.    I believe so often, unless there is pain associated with the blessing, we tend to take it for granted.  Just as you will see over the coming weeks, we are no different than the children of Israel.  Many times, in order for us to have a thankful heart, God must shake us to the core of our being.  It almost always involves pain, whether our own or someone else’s. 

The people, who were descendants of Jacob (Israel), had grown significantly while in Egypt.  As their numbers increased, a new leader arose.  This Pharaoh did not care about the covenant between the previous Pharaoh and Joseph.  Feeling threatened by this foreign group of people, he made them into Egypt’s slaves.  As the case throughout the world’s history, if you feel threatened by a people group, make them into slaves, is this not correct?  Now the pain and suffering begins.  The true labor pains, so to speak.  Hang on, because this labor is going to be a long one.  It is, after all, a first child and they mostly take a long time to come into the world! 

God promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, but let me ask you this, did Abraham live to see this accomplished?  Read all of the covenant promise from Genesis 15.  God also told Abraham that his offspring would spend 400 years as aliens in a land not their own and they will be oppressed.   Oh my, have I mentioned 400 years somewhere in this post?  How old was Abraham when he died?  Certainly not 400!   Did the people know about this promise?  The sages say, yes!  Abraham taught Isaac, Isaac taught Jacob, Jacob taught his sons, who then taught their sons, etc.

(Let me get off on a side road for just a minute here.  This is a subject that greatly bothers me.  In our modern society we fail to do this one thing.  We do not teach our children, yet in not teaching them the things we should, we teach them after all.  We teach our children they have no responsibility to teach their own children.  We teach them it is everyone else’s responsibility to teach their children.  We have come to believe it is the responsibility of the Church, school and government to teach our children.  I won’t elaborate further on this issue; I will save it for another post.  I just needed to get that off my chest.) Now back to the Parashat.

This was not the only promise the people were passing down throughout the generations.  Lest you forget, Jacob gave a blessing to each of his twelve sons, each of those sons passed down the promise of those blessings to his sons.  Those sons would have passed down the promise of Abraham along with the promise of his grandfather for his father along with any blessing his father gave to him, etc.  Whew!  That was a mouthful!  There may have been thousands of blessings to be fulfilled in the future generations that would have been passed along from father to son.  All would have passed down the promise of God to Abraham for that promise actually affected each and every one of them.

Now Moses comes on the scene to start the fulfillment of the promise and the people all say, “Hallelujah, AMEN!”  But wait, there is a problem!  The Israelites didn’t come out the big lottery winners here.  In fact, life got worse, really, really worse.  Can you imagine the conversation among the people as life suddenly became more difficult in Egypt?  Perhaps it went something like this in an average home. 

                Wife, “Dear, how was your day at the brick factory?”

                Husband, “Horrible, the Boss is now saying that Pharaoh won’t give us straw, we have to find it ourselves and still make our quota.  The days are going to be longer and the pay isn’t going up, in fact, it may even go down.  We are going to have to make the youngest children go to work to put food on the table.  And now they also beat us if we even stop to get a drink of water.  Things just keep going from bad to worse.  Where is this promise that my father told me about?  Hasn’t it been about 400 years already?  When is God going to deliver us?”

Does this even vaguely resemble any kind of conversation in your home?  Certainly sounds like a recent one in mine.  Can’t quite relate?  Let me see if I can help.

                Wife, “Dear, how was your day at work?”

                Husband, “Horrible, there is another layoff coming next month and I’m not sure where my job stands.  The new tax hike went into effect and with the increase in the cost of insurance my paycheck is $35 less each week than it was last year.  Do you realize that I will be bringing home $140 less each month, but our bills won’t be any less?  What if I’m the one who gets laid off?  Even if I’m not, they will just add more work to what I already do and expect me to get it all done in the same time frame.  We still don’t have the hospital paid off from the testing you had done and now our youngest has a dentist appointment.  Almost all of our appliances are 15 years old and the car MUST have new tires.  What if Congress doesn’t resolve this Fiscal Cliff thing?  Will it ever end?  Things just keep going from bad to worse.  When is God going to deliver us?”

There, is that a little better?  Can you now relate?  Wow, things haven’t really changed in like, 4000 years, have they?  They just got a lot more technologically savvy.  God had given the Israelites a promise.  He would make them into a great and mighty nation in THEIR land, not in the land of Egypt.  He would deliver them and in doing so, would make His name great.  Only one problem, we see with human eyes and well, God sees with His eyes.  They are two absolutely different sets of eyes.  Two different views; one in the valley looking up, the other from atop the mountain overlooking the valley. 

God is about to begin the fulfillment of the promise and thus also begins a time of pain and suffering for His people (actually the first of many times throughout history).  The pain became so great that Moses went back to God at the end of our reading with these words:

                “My Lord, why have You done evil to this people, why have You sent me?  From the time I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your Name he did evil to this people, but You did not rescue Your people.”

Birth pangs.  I’ve been there and probably most of my readers have also, even the men.  You have either felt them or like Moses, witnessed them.  A long awaited and glorious event is about to take place, but what?  Pain?  Suffering?  Wait a minute?  No one told me it would be like this?  I didn’t know it was going to be this painful?  I don’t think I can bear it!  Take this pain away!  If I had known it would be this painful, I would not have chosen this road!  I don’t think I want this promise, Lord!  Oh my, how many women in the midst of hard labor have said that, but alas it is too late at this point!  I still laugh when I think of the Bill Cosby monologue about his wife giving birth and she screams at him, “Give me morphine!” 

A new nation was about to be born and the labor pains had begun.  Hard labor, nothing joyous in that, I can tell you from personal experience.  Just as we want to maybe have just enough pain to allow us time to reach the hospital, Moses thought God would send him in and lead them out.  Maybe a little pain, but not suffering through hours and hours of labor.  Not months or years of an evil ruler.  Just a quick deliverance and on to the Promised Land.  As Moses cried out to God on behalf of the people, God responds.

                “HASHEM said to Moses, ‘Now you will see what I shall do to Pharaoh, for through a strong hand will he send them out, and with a strong hand will he drive them from his land.’”

To see the hand of God at work!  I love the fact that we can look back on this historical event and see the big picture.  It gives us the unique advantage of using it as a guideline, for all other situations like it, in our own life as well.  We are able to read ahead in the story and know that God did, in fact, deliver His people in a way that has never been witnessed, before or since.  All of the labor pain was in order for God’s power to be revealed!  I am reminded at this point of the verse;

                “”I have spoken these things to you so that you will have shalom in me.  You have trouble in the world, but let your heart be brave; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

Think back to the delivery of your first child or, in fact, any of your children.  No matter how difficult the delivery, when you saw the face of that child for the first time, were you amazed at the awe and wonder of the miracle of birth?  Did you give God the glory?  Most likely you did.  You may have even questioned how God found you worthy to be the parent of that child.  Even those who do not claim to believe in God, will look with amazement at the miracle of a newborn infant. 

God’s power and glory were not just revealed and evident to His people, but to the Egyptians also.  I want to fast forward 2000 years + another 2000 years.  God had also given another promise within that same promise to Abraham.  In Genesis 18:18 we are told that Abraham will become a great and mighty nation and that all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him.  Hmmm, I wonder what that could mean.  Could that be the promised Messiah?  If so, does that mean more labor pains?

Goodness, are we going to have to go through all of that hardship again like the Israelites did in Egypt? Some of the same things that happened in Egypt happened in Bethlehem and in all Judea 2000 years ago.  Well, let’s see now; if you are going to give birth there are two ways to go about it.  You either have to go through labor or have a C-section.  Either of those requires pain, I know, because I have had one of each.  So yes, I guess it means a hardship of some kind or another. 

I know this has not been the most flowing post, but I intend to take the Messianic section a bit farther in the next Parashat to come, but for this week I want to leave you with something to hang on to.  I know, by reading a lot of Facebook posts and also hearing, by way of the grapevine, there are a lot of hurting people in God’s family right now.  Every day we hear of more pain and suffering than we can hardly bear.  We, as Christians, search the Scriptures for God’s promises.  We cling to those promises; write them on our hearts and in songs.  We cry out to God and it seems at times, God is simply not listening. 

Just as during a long, long labor it may seem like nothing is happening and the pain is too great to bear, eventually the birth WILL occur and joy will come with the morning.  God is not being silent, He has a perfect timetable.  A premature baby has multiple problems and at times those problems turn into fatalities.  God’s promises are never premature and they NEVER FAIL.  They are always perfectly on time and He always delivers a happy, healthy outcome! 

God’s promise, to you as an individual, is at the end of a road less traveled.  It is a road which has a very narrow path, a lot more obstacles, twists, and turns and treacherous stretches, BUT the reward at the end is greater than anything imaginable.  God’s ultimate promise will be one where His power and His glory will be witnessed by the entire world.  Although Abraham never physically saw the end result of his promise in a nation, he did see the birth of his son, Isaac.  I may never physically see, here on earth, the coming of the Messiah, but I have seen the birth of His work in me.  Whether I live to actually see the fulfillment from earth or I am a participant with the heavenly host, I can’t wait to see it happen, can you?  I think I felt a pain, could labor have begun?

What Are You Carrying Into The New Year?

                                                                 The Weight of the World          

 

 Do you often time feel as though you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?  Do you worry and stay in a state of depression due to things around you that are out of your control?  We were never meant to be this way.  So often (probably 98% of the time) the things we worry about, never come to pass and we have wasted precious time in self-absorbed distraction. 

On the Sunday before Christmas, one of the scripture passages in my Sunday school book was Isaiah 9:5.  It reads,

“For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us, and the government will be upon his shoulders;”

My teacher stopped and asked, “What do you think it means that the government will be upon his shoulders?  There was quite a bit of discussion and the lesson went on with the usual Christmas reading from Matthew and Luke of the Christmas story. 

Think about that question for a moment?  All the English translations say shoulders, but the Hebrew translation says shoulder.  Hmmm, interesting.  I have thought a lot about that in regard to things we say.  I even looked up modern day quotes that use the word shoulder and here are some of the things we say with that word in it:

Shoulder responsibility

Shoulder to cry on (or lean)

Shoulder to the wheel

Chip on your shoulder

Look over your shoulder

Standing shoulder to shoulder

He has broad shoulders to fill

And finally, she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

  Is that how you feel at this moment?  Has life dealt you so much that you feel you can’t shoulder another thing?  Just today a facebook post came through from a friend that said, “ I can’t take any more bad news.  I just received a phone call that a cousin killed herself.  A friend yesterday and a cousin today.”

There are times when the world just seems to come crashing in and we feel as though the weight of the entire world has been laid on our shoulders.  We feel like our feet will go crashing through the floor from all the weight.  It even becomes difficult to pick one foot up to take a step.  Perhaps we seem to find one part of our life straightening out while another crashes down. 

I’ve been there.  In the fall of 2000 my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer.  The day he was scheduled for his first chemo treatment, my mom was scheduled for eye surgery 3 ½ hours away.  I stayed in town with Daddy and my brother and sister-in-law went with Mother.  Fourteen hours into the day we were informed that the surgery was unsuccessful.  Twenty-four hours later my mom still wasn’t fully out from under the anesthesia (we were almost certain she had suffered a stroke, but the doctors said no) and 36 hours later her blood pressure had sky-rocketed.  She was, however, released less than 48 hours after the surgery with blood pressure back under control. 

I wish I could say the saga was over at this point, but no.  This was only the beginning of six long years.  Four years of in and out of the hospital with my dad before his death was followed by two years of the ravages of breast cancer with my mom before her death.  We had four months of chill time in-between his death and her diagnosis.

 During that six year time period, my oldest son earned his driver’s license, started dating, graduated high school, started college and yes, he even got married.  My dad ended up in the hospital just five days before the wedding and I forgot to plan a dessert for the rehearsal dinner.  My mother-in-law had four bypasses on that same son’s 18^th birthday.  She has also had her carotid arteries cleaned out in her neck and has survived breast cancer herself, all during the same six year period my parents were going through their illnesses. 

 Believe me, I have even more I could add, but there really is no need.  I do want you to know something, when the doctors could not get to the problem in my mother’s eye, the problem got much worse.  Her eye literally looked like the button area of the cushion on a couch.  The white part was puffed out around the iris.  As I left the hospital one evening and picked up my son at work, I cried out, “God, we just can’t take all of this at one time.  Please help us and heal Mother’s eye.”   The next morning her eye was back to normal and it stayed that way the rest of her life.  No other explanation, but God!

Now let me get back to that Sunday school lesson.  As we neared the end of the lesson, my teacher’s wife said, “Let me read something for you.  I have a note written in my Bible from, I guess a sermon or a Bible study at some point that says, we don’t have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.

‘It will be on that day that He will lift the affliction from your shoulders, and his yoke from upon your neck, and the yoke will be broken because of the oil.’  Isaiah 10:27”

I think several of us just sat there engrossed deeply in the words she spoke and read at that moment, because no one said anything.  We were letting those words sink in.  As soon as Church was over, I went to her and asked for the passage and we began to talk about it.  She replied how she felt so strongly the need to read those words that morning, because so many people looked as though they were carrying heavy burdens.  I know I was one of those.  I needed those words.  There were people I also needed to share those words with, but there is a much greater lesson here so let me explain.

This scripture in Isaiah is written in regard to King Hezekiah who came into power after his dad, Ahaz.  Ahaz was a horrible king who did everything, except worship the Lord God.  He was evil from the get-go.  Hezekiah, on the other hand, was a Godly king beyond measure.  He tried to reconstruct the nation of Judah into a Torah nation.  He tore down the idols and the temples used for the worship of them, he restored the Holy temple and reinstated the festivals.  One of the greatest feats he accomplished was to bring back the study of Torah.  At one point he was surrounded by the Assyrians and cried out to God.  God heard him and guess what?  The next morning, 185,000 of the Assyrians were dead and the Judeans had not lifted a finger.  God had obviously been walking through that camp!  That verse in Isaiah 10:27 says it is because of the oil.  The commentary in my Tanach (the Orthodox Hebrew translation) says this:

“The Sages comment that Hezekiah earned the miracle of the destruction of the Assyrian forces because of the copious amounts of oil that he used to keep lamps burning in the study halls so that the people could learn Torah late into the night.”

You see, we can’t just go about business as the world does and expect God to deliver us or take the weight off our shoulders when things start piling up on us.  I am afraid too many Christians think they can live like the world and expect God to deliver them from the world.  That is not it at all.  The point is this; if we will devote ourselves to studying His Torah (His Word), I mean really studying it, not just reading a little passage every day, then He will devote Himself to us.  How do I know this?  The verse says:  “that the yoke will be broken because of the oil.”

And do you know what else is really, really neat about this whole thing?  The more we study Torah, the more God lifts off our shoulders and takes on His.  The more we study Torah, the more we learn about God which causes us to see things from a different perspective.  This in itself causes us to worry less and trust Him more.  We then begin to see a bigger picture and by doing so it allows us to stop looking through a keyhole and stand instead, on top of the mountain where we can see a clear view.   We can now enjoy the beauty of the forest while looking at the trees. 

And this is the bestest part!  When Yeshua came to earth, He had already been given all the power and authority on His shoulder.  When he took that cross with the penalty for all the sin of the world on His shoulder, the penalty had to lay on top of that authority and power!  Aaaaannnnnnddddd  the power (authority and dominion) was there to rest (stay – the authority will rest upon His shoulder, remember the verse from Isaiah?), but the penalty had to go!!!!!  Hallelujah!  He was the only one with the authority to overcome the penalty for the sin of the world!!!!  I can’t do it and neither can you, but He could and He did!  He paid the price FOR you!

“And you are not your own, for you have been redeemed at infinite cost. Therefore glorify God in your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 Weymouth New Testament

As you begin this New Year, why not make this verse your daily meditation.  Let it really sink in that YOU  were redeemed at an infinite (immeasurable, countless, inestimable, interminable –[perpetual, never-ending]) cost.  Let 2013 be the year of new perspectives on your life, the life of others and on your relationship with the one who paid an infinite cost for you.  May this be the year that your blinded eyes are opened to see the great and mighty and wondrous things He has in store for you, my friend! 

“For the Lord, your God, is God of gods and the Lord of the lords, the great mighty and awesome God,”  Deuteronomy 10:17  Tanach (Orthodox Hebrew translation)

What a mighty God we serve!!!!  Happy New Year!  SHALOM!

 

‘2013’

 

 

 

HAPPYNEW YEAR!