Iacobos for All of Us!

This time, I wept.

Last entry I mentioned that I was on the verge of weeping when, in 2 Kings, Jerusalem was ransacked. You see, I've come to love Jerusalem. I don't think it strange to say that. In fact, had I wept for her when I read about how she was attacked, I wouldn't have been crazy. Jesus wept for Jerusalem. 

"As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”"--Luke 19:41-44

I held my tears. But, when you pray for something everyday, you grow to love it. Holy Moley, just typing that made me draw a correlation to another area of my life. Whoa now. When you pray for someone everyday, you will grow to love them. C.S. Lewis says, "Whenever we do good to another self, just because it is a self, made (like us) by God, and desiring its own happiness as we desire ours, we shall have learned to love it a little more." Hmmm. Start praying for someone everyday and your thoughts towards them can be shifted so that you view them from God's heart (though never as fully as He loves). Wow. Well, there you have it, Lydia. Anyway, back to praying for and loving Jerusalem. We are commanded in Scripture in Psalm 122:6 to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee." "Sha-alu Shalom Yerushalayim: Ish-layu Oh-havaich." I pray that everyday and God has turned my heart to Jerusalem. How can you not love the city God chose? 

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שַׁאֲלוּ  שְׁלוֹם  יְרוּשׇׁלׇם  יׅשְׁלׇיוּ  אֹהֲבׇיׅךְ

But, I did not cry over her fate in 2 Kings. As I said before, I felt God remind me that she's been redeemed. She may not know it yet, but her sins are forgiven and He's coming back for her, and us. 

I did weep tonight. I'm going through the Beth Moore study Mercy Triumphs on the book of James. Tonight, she said that this session would NOT be the one that is life changing. We wouldn't come back saying, "Session two rocked my socks off!" Oh, but she was wrong. Tonight we learned that James' name is actually Jacob. Really? So why doesn't it say "Jacob?" Well, James is the English translation of the Greek word for his name, Iacobos. James was a Jew and his name in Hebrew? Ya'akov. Jacob. No surprise that he was named Jacob. Joseph's father was named Jacob. But, why did this make me weep? Insert his Hebrew name, Jacob, into James 1:1 and I'll tell you. "Jacob, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings." You see, I've been absolutely immersed in Jewish law, history and culture for months. But, also in the last month I've been reading through the Bible with a 90 day reading plan. That means that in the last 25 days I've read Genesis 1:1-1 Chronicles 13. I have seen our fathers: Abraham, Isaac and JACOB. Jacob IS the father of the twelve tribes of Israel who at the time of James' writings were spread throughout the nations. Y'all! That's huge! "Jacob, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings." I was so completely blown away by this discovery that during the session I literally put my face in my hands and wept. SHE'S BEEN REDEEMED!!!! And James (aka, Jacob) was now writing to the Jews who had put their faith in Jesus Christ, their long awaited Messiah. She's been redeemed! I just love how God's redemptive plan comes full circle from "In the beginning God" to "Even so, come Lord Jesus." 

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Ἰάκωβος

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Iacobos

Ya'akov

Jacob

 

She's Been Redeemed!

I've been falling behind on my blogging through the Bible. I knew that was going to happen. I'm doing this for my own benefit to try and capture what I've learned at every step. But, being a fourth year architecture student and working has taken its toll on my blogging. The reading is still happening. But, the blogging suffers. 

Well, my goal was to make it to 1 Chronicles yesterday. I must say that just after midnight, I made it. A couple of things captured me in 2 Kings. Not many of the kings were commended for "doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord." Most of them "did evil in the eyes of the Lord." Awful stuff. Also, my least favorite phrase in the Bible (thus far) appears SO many times: "As for the other events of the reign of ____, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings?" Ugh. Tell me now! HAHA!

Well, on a serious note, a verse that really made me think was 2 Kings 17:33--"They worshipped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought." Wow. See any resemblance to our country? I can only hope and pray that God will raise up a leader like Hezekiah among us. 

Another beautiful thing to me was when Josiah found the book of the law. He read it and wept, realizing how far Israel and Judah had strayed from the commands of the Lord. I loved 2 Kings 23:22-23--"Not since the days of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the LORD in Jerusalem." This must have melted the heart of the Lord. Don't you think? They remembered, and celebrated. Nevertheless, Israel and Judah had forsaken the Lord and He promised that Jerusalem would be ransacked and everything in the temple would be carried off by the Babylonians. It happened. I found myself on the verge of weeping by the time I reached the end of 2 Kings. I wanted to weep for Jerusalem. But, then I remembered--she's been redeemed! Isn't it wonderful to know how the story ends?

So, yesterday my Dad's church called a new youth minister to serve. We are all so excited! I'll be moving back home in just 130 days. I'm so looking forward to being a part of that church. I can't believe my parents have been there for ten years and I've never been a member. Of course, I've never been an official Andalusia resident, either. I'm excited and I believe God has called me there. So, I have to believe He has a place for me to serve. I want to so badly. I want to be a part of God's work there. I'm just so scared I won't fit in, or that there won't be a place for me. Silly, huh? I just realized that I don't actually know these people other than facebook or the occasional hand shake when I'm home for a visit. Oh, but I want to KNOW them. I want to be there. I've been praying everyday that God will guide me to a place to serve there. I know He will. I just have to have faith and not worry so much. He'll guide me where He needs me, and I know it will be for His glory and bring joy.

There Are Monkeys!

 Monkeys. My Dad and I just love those things! From the time I was a baby, he always gave me little toy monkeys and we never send a card to each other unless a monkey is on it. True. It's all about the monkeys. In fact, if the package doesn't contain a monkey, it must have one on the outside. Even at the risk of embarrassment. For example, I plopped a package down on the counter at the main branch of the post office here in Savannah with a crazy picture of a monkey on the front. The postmaster glared at me over the counter. I made the same face as the monkey. He couldn't help but smile and sent it on. 

Well, tonight I was reading 1 Kings 7-12. There are monkeys, folks. I knew there HAD to be mention of them in the Bible. There just had to be! 1 Kings 10:22--"The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons." King Solomon had the monkeys! I excitedly called Dad to tell him the good news. He said, "King Solomon. The wisest man in the world. He had the monkeys, so why wasn't one of his proverbs 'Never look a monkey in the eye?'" I said, "Maybe it is! I haven't read all of the Proverbs yet!" Dad said, "Oh, I've read them all. It ain't there." HAHA!

It's the little things.

Yes, I did get some deeper meaning from my reading tonight. Solomon was so wise, but was led astray by his wives. He disobeyed God and intermarried with women who served foreign gods. These women turned him to their gods. We are human, and love is so powerful in our hearts. That is why it is so important to marry someone who won't distract you from the Lord, but will spur you on in your faith. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:14 "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" Wives submit to your husbands, husbands love your wives. I'm all for that. Give me a man who seeks the Lord first and I'll gladly trust him to lead me in all things. That's what I want. I want someone that when I follow his leading, well that he's leading me more and more to Christ. (And secondary to that, love letters and roses. I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.)

At Least You Believed

One of my devotions was on Abraham again today. I love that God continually reminds me about Abraham. He lovingly says to me, nearly daily, "I promised. Have faith. Remember Abraham." A quote from Streams In the Desert's entry today: 

"Why Abraham did this thing: he dared to believe God. It seemed an impossibility at his age that Abraham should become the father of a child; it looked incredible; and yet God called him a "father of many nations" before there was a sign of a child; and so Abraham called himself "father" because God called him so. That is faith; it is to believe and assert what God says. Faith steps on seeming void, and finds the rock beneath. Only say you have what God says you have, and He will make good to you all you believe. Only it must be real faith, all there is in you must go over in that act of faith to God."

 I remember doing one of the Beth Moore Bible studies several years ago. One thing she said still remains with me. Not so clearly in the wording, but in the meaning. She says (and I'm paraphrasing, since I didn't actually write the quote down) "If you believe God has made you promise, hold to it. Believe it. As humans, are we wrong sometimes? Yes, of course. Perhaps the promise wasn't from Him at all. But, even if it wasn't, at least you believed." 

If God's after faith, I'm sure gonna bring it. I'm holding on to this one, and even if I'm wrong, at least I believed.

Today's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 17-1 Kings 6

Do you ever have moments when you're reading Scripture and a particular passage hits you so hard you just have to laugh? I'm not talking laughter that is an insult, but laughter because you see your life written on the pages of God's Word. That happened to me within this set of readings. I won't go into detail. But, God and I shared a few laughs about it. 

Apart from the laughter, it was interesting to see the end of David's life and wonderful to read his last words. His words were praises to the Lord. He instates Solomon as king in his place and sees God's promises fulfilled to him before his death. It reminds me of one verse from one of his Psalms where David says, "I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of living."--Psalm 27:13 Sure, we will see the goodness of the Lord in heaven. But, we should expect to see His goodness on this earth as well. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Right?

Today's Memory Verse:

"Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."--Galatians 3:6-9

Do As You Have Promised

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 14-2 Samuel 16

In these readings I met King David. I saw him annointed by Samuel and followed him until the time just before his son, Absalom's, death. A fascinating reading. King David, a man after God's own heart. There is so much content in these passages that I couldn't possibly touch on all of them without setting out to write my own volumes of Biblical commentary through the eyes of Lydia. HA! But, I've been thinking about a prayer of David to the Lord found in 2 Samuel 7. King David decided that he should build a house for the Ark of the Covenant, for the Lord to dwell in. But, the Lord spoke to Nathan an answer to give King David. The Lord said that David was not the one to build Him a house. But, rather, his son would be the one to do this. He promised to establish Israel and the throne of David forever. David replies by praising the Lord. I love this entire prayer, but the point that gets me is when King David says, "Do as you promised." Do as you promised. David had a true relationship with God. David sought His will and His heart. Because of this relationship, David had the faith to recall the promises of God and hold Him to His Word. Do as you promised. 

Charles Spurgeon says, "Every promise of Scripture is a writing of God, which may be pleaded before Him with this reasonable request: 'Do as you have said.' The Creator will not cheat His creature who depends on His truth; and far more, the Heavenly Father will not break His word to His own child."

Memorize Scripture, folks. Take His Word to heart and present it back to Him in prayer. When I'm about to really get into an extended time of prayer, I start by saying memory verses. Why? Because His Word is living and active. It has the power to transform my heart and conform my will to His. If I were to sit down for a heart-to-heart with God in my OWN strength, there's no telling what would come out of my mouth!!! I have to start by acknowledging that He calls us.  Then, it is not demanding that He should keep His word. Careful not to have that attitude. It is more like recalling all of His goodness and having the faith to believe that He'll be true to His Word.

So, with that, let me get back to memorizing.

Today's Memory Verse:

"Do as you promised."--2 Samuel 7:25b

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 וַעֲשֵׂה  כַּאֲשֶׁר  דּׅבַּרְתָּ

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"Va-ah-seh kah-asher dee-bar-tach."

The Lord is a God Who Knows

Today's Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 1-13

The book of 1 Samuel begins with the story of Hannah. I've used Hannah's example often in prayer. Hannah was praying so fervently for a child and she promised the Lord that if He blessed her with a son, that the son would serve the Lord all the days of his life. I think that what Hannah prayed was that her answered prayer would bring glory to God. I think about James 4:3--"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." Sometimes when we pray, God's Will is crystal clear in a situation. But, more often, He requires us to fight for that revelation. A couple of years ago (Wow, has it been that long?!) I began praying for something. I used Hannah's motive and that verse from James for my first defense in the matter. I asked myself, "Could this answered prayer bring glory to God?" My conclusion was, "Yes. It could." So, I continued praying. I prayed and prayed for nearly a year-and-a-half and God kept answering "Wait. I promised. Have Faith. Remember Abraham." I was surprised when the answer finally came back with a "No." It was a devastating blow. It was shortly after that (around May/June 2011) when I began my first round of fasting for God's direction. At the end of those forty days I had a new conclusion. Some would wonder if it was cruel for God to allow me to pray for something for eighteen months if He knew the answer was "No." But, I think it was a loving and wise move on His part. If He had slammed the door right then, what would I have learned? Certainly not perseverance. If I'm willing to pray that fervently seeking God's Will, then I have to be prepared to get to the end of the road and find a "No" waiting for me. That's part of it, folks. Also, I believe that His answer early on, "Wait. I promised. Have Faith Remember Abraham" never changed. That's still the answer. The problem was, I had made a wrong turn. He didn't change His answer, my compass was just broken.

Samuel. Now Samuel is the answer to Hannah's prayer and she gives him to the Lord just after Samuel is weaned. I've known this story virtually all of my life. But, I never realized how closely my early life resembled Samuel's. Most of us know the story of the young boy Samuel asleep at night and the voice of the Lord calls out to him, "Samuel." And Samuel arises and runs to Eli thinking he is the one who called. The part that interested me tonight was that Samuel wasn't asleep just anywhere. He was asleep in the temple in front of the Ark of the Covenant. He had made his home the dwelling of the Lord. When I was three years old my parents decided that the Lord was calling them into full-time evangelism. Dad left the security of a church position for the road. Most of the time, I was right there with them. They put together a program with music, illusions and puppets that presented Biblical truths and the Gospel of Christ. This production was huge with a commercial trailer truck full of equipment. It took six hours to put the stage/sets/lights/music together for each show and two hours after to take it down. These shows were done 90% of the time in a church sanctuary. So at the age of three, my home became the sanctuary. I would take my naps on the pew. I would sit and read books or color while they worked. Looking back, I spent more time in church sanctuaries than any other place in my childhood. That makes so much sense to me now. When Dad took another full-time church position when I was nine, I still spent that much time in the church sanctuary. You see, Dad and I are two peas-in-a-pod. And I always wanted to be hanging out with him. Well, he worked at the church. So, that was my home, too. As I grew up I still spent most of my days at the church. I might have been practicing the piano or a practicing a song to sing, but a great deal of the time I would spend just sitting on the pew. I get my best ideas and inspirations when I'm just sitting quietly in the sanctuary. I'm still that way. Dad is serving at a truly AMAZING church now. I live eight hours away from home. Usually, within a few hours of arriving in Andalusia, you'll find me in the church sanctuary. Singing, playing the piano, praying, sitting quietly, quoting Scripture. I think after reading in Samuel tonight, I've figured out why. I'm not truly at home until I'm in the sanctuary. I was raised there.

In Those Days, Israel Had No King

Today's Scripture Reading: Judges and Ruth

Throughout the entirety of the book of Judges, we find the Israelites caught up in a pattern: they forsake the LORD and turn to foreign gods, God becomes angry and delivers them into the hands of their enemies, they cry out for mercy from the LORD, God gives them victory, they forsake the LORD and turn to foreign gods. It is a vicious cycle. I think this is where I need to be careful in my own life. Careful that I honor the Lord, give thanks to the Lord and be true to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." It is so important to love God and honor Him and praise Him for all of the good times, remembering that all victory and joy comes from Him. We can't just forsake Him when all is going well and assume He'll help us when we suddenly need Him. Of course, we do just that sometimes. I'm praying that I continually seek God in the good and the bad times. 

There's a passage in Judges that really stands out to me. Israel has, yet again, abandoned trust in the LORD. Of course, as soon as trouble comes they change their tune. The Lord's response to their cry is found in Judges 10:13-16--"'But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen Let them save you when you are in trouble!' But the Israelites said to the LORD, 'We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.' Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And He could bear Israel's misery no longer." I read and re-read that last sentence over and over to myself and outloud: "And He could bear Israel's misery no longer. And He could bear Israel's misery no longer. And He could bear Israel's misery no longer." He is such a compassionate God. He heard the cries of His chosen people and though they had abandoned Him, He had mercy on them. Praise the Lord!

Now there's also a passage that I'm struggling with. Jephthah is a man that God uses to deliver Israel from the Ammonites. Before leaving for war, Jephthah makes a vow to God saying "If you give Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD'S, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."--Judges 11:30-31 God does deliver the Ammonites into Jephthah's hand and when he retunrs home, his only child (a daughter) greets him at the door. So, Jephthah cries out in agony realizing the vow he made to the Lord. We're not told definitively that he sacrificed her as a burnt offering, but verse 39 says "he did to her as he had vowed..." I went to some commentaries on the subject, but I'm still at such a loss with this one. We're told in the earlier books of the Law over and over that one of the practices God DETESTED of the foreign people with foreign gods was that they were sacrificing their sons and daughters on the altars. So, then why does God give Jephthah the victory over the Ammonites? Is it to show that we shouldn't be so quick to make foolish vows to the Lord? Why didn't He send an angel to stop the sacrifice like with Abraham? Did Jephthah really burn her or did he just turn her over to service for the Lord? So many questions and I really wish I was going to see my Uncle Anthony tomorrow. I know he'd have a good answer on the subject. Lots of questions.

Samson. Now there's an arrogant man with a temper. And his wife? And then Delilah? Those scheming, nagging women. Boo. Hiss. That's all I have to say about that. Then the episode with the Levite and his concubine being raped and then he cuts her into twelve pieces and sends those pieces to the twelve tribes. Oy. "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit."

The book of RUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank goodness the canon places the book of Ruth after the book of Judges. I sure needed it after that read. I loved that Boaz notices Ruth he tells the men not to touch her. He also tells Ruth that he told them that. So, she has a sense of security. This world, then and now, are filled with evil. Just since I've moved to Savannah I've had some scary moments when I wish someone had told the men not to touch me. God did, or he had angels with me on three specific occasions that come to mind. That's just since I've moved to Savannah, not to mention one really scary time years before. Good grief! What is wrong with some of the men in this world? (Now, I'm not a man hater. There are so many Godly men in this world, and for them I'm thankful!) But, I just think about what it would mean to me to have a sweet man take notice and tell me that he's told the other men that they are not to touch me. Well, eventually Boaz says to Ruth, "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all that you ask. All my fellow townsmen will know that you are a woman of noble character."--Ruth 3:10-11 Boaz marries Ruth and she bears him a son. Get this! The son's name is Obed, who becomes the father of Jesse, who becomes the father of KING DAVID! This is Christ's geneology in place! This is just such a beautiful story and the perfect ending to my readings for today! Happy thoughts!

Promises Fulfilled

Today's Scripture Reading: Joshua 2-24

After finishing the book of Joshua I am just amazed at God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promises. That’s what Joshua is all about. One of my memory verses from last year is found in Joshua, and I am even more in love with this verse after reading Genesis to Joshua straight through. It is found in Joshua 23:14b—“You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”

I found myself “toughing it out” reading through some parts of Joshua. It just seemed to be descriptions and lists of territories. I thought, “What spiritual insight am I supposed to get from this?!” And then it was if God opened my eyes to see past the mundane. The words on the page are just lists of cities and borders. But, that’s not it at all. Those lists are the Israelites counting their blessings. They spent years in captivity in Egypt, and then years in the desert. They now had their inheritance from the Lord and they were listing them one by one! Not one city was left out. We could take a cue from them and make our lists. What might seem mundane to one is a true blessing to the one who received it. I’m so thankful for all the cities listed in Joshua because they prove the Lord is faithful to His Word!

At the end of Joshua, he reminds Israel of all the mighty deeds of the Lord. He reminds them of God’s faithfulness and says this verse, which I have heard for years: “Now fear the LORD and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”—Joshua 24:14-15. Again, this verse has such new meaning to me now. You see, that was a battle with the Israelites. God would deliver them and provide for them, yet they constantly were seduced by neighboring “gods.” No good. But on that day, at the charge of Joshua they chose the LORD God.

This verse, as I understand, is one of the key verses of the Promise Keepers. I’m so thankful that I have a Dad who chose to serve the Lord. You know, I’m all about memorizing Scripture. Most people learn John 3:16 for their first memory verse. Not I. Before I ever learned John 3:16, I learned Malachi 3:10: “Bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, Prove me now herewith saith the LORD of hosts, and see if I will not throw open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing you will not be able to contain.” Strange verse to be the first, right? Maybe not. But, the bigger point is that I heard it over and over and over and over as a child. By age 2-1/2 I had it down! So thankful that I had a Dad who quoted Scripture. And I hope that someday (soon, Lord?) God and my Dad will deliver me into the hands of someone who has chosen to serve the Lord. But, let me say, (And I really, really hope God doesn’t try to call my bluff on this one) I’d rather go it alone than spend my days with someone who doesn’t love the Lord. And that takes a lot to say, because I really don’t want to go it alone. But, I want someone who loves me as “Christ loves the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word.” Well, I didn’t mean to go off on that tangent. But, sometimes I like tangents.

Bound For the Promised Land

Today's Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 12-Joshua 2

“The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”—Deuteronomy 31:8

There’s a song that my parents sing and one of the verses that Dad sings says, “Every road I’ve traveled down You have gone before me. You made the light to shine out of the darkness.” I think about those words often. They pack a big truth. I can look back and see God walking before me at every step of my life. He did that for the Israelites. He does it for us. We don’t take one step down any road where He is not already present. Even though this is such a blessing and a comfort, it also comes with heartbreak. How so? The Lord revealed to Moses that He has remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and He will go before Israel and bring them into their inheritance just as He promised. He also tells Moses that Israel will forget His deliverance and turn away from Him and worship foreign gods in the promised land. Doesn’t that just show the compassion, mercy and faithfulness of God? He knows that they will disobey, but He keeps His word to their forefathers and delivers them to the promised land.

It makes me think about the promised land for which I’ve been praying. I sure want to take a lesson from the Israelites. How I’d hate to think that I’m sitting here pleading for God to look upon me with favor and to lead me into my promised land only to turn away from Him when I get there. No, no, no. I don’t want any part of that. I hope and pray that I survive my trip in the desert, I have surely seen His provision and His leading all the while. I pray that this trip in the desert won’t soon be forgotten. When I reach (Lord willing) my promised land I want to be thankful. No turning away.

Hear, O Israel and Spiritual Motherhood

 I love going to Hebrew on Friday nights not just because I love learning the Hebrew language, but I learn so much Scripture there! I love that the Rabbi points out so many of the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament that were fulfilled in Christ Jesus. He also draws attention to mention of the Trinity (Father, Son and Spirit) in the Old Testament. Some of these were a complete surprise to me!

Every Shabbat we begin by saying/singing the “Sh’ma.” This is taken from Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” When we say it in Hebrew it is “Sh’ma Israel Adonai Elohaynu, Adonai Echad.” 

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שְׁמַע  יׅשְׂרָאֵל  יְהוָה  אֱלֹהֵינוֹ  יְהוָה ׀ אֶחָד׃

The Rabbi teaches us that the Hebrew word that is pronounced “Echad” we say in the KJV as “one.” But, he teaches that the full meaning of that word is not simply “one” but rather “unified.” Unified. Unified, implying that there are parts of the whole. Very interesting.

We also looked at the story of Abraham (YAY!) and the three visitors. Now, this passage is another one that holds meaning to me, but I won’t go into that right now. But it is amazing that I never noticed the significance of the three men. Three men appear to Abraham to bear the news that God’s promise would be fulfilled. There are three men, but Abraham calls them one LORD. Yes, tetragrammaton LORD. Jehovah God! Just amazing! Such a mystery to me, because I wasn’t there. But, so clear in the Word. Three visitors, One LORD.

Today’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 1-11

In this first part of Deuteronomy Moses reminds the people of Israel of God’s faithfulness to them even amid their disobedience. He recalls all His mighty deeds and commands. Before I go into what I take from this passage, let me just call out a few verses that I loved:

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.”—Deuteronomy 7:9

“It [Israel, the promised land] is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.”—Deuteronomy 11:12 (Just another instance of how much God cares for Israel)

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them to your foreheads.”—Deuteronomy 11:18 (This was one of my memory verses last year. The command of God for us to memorize His Word.)

So, what I learned from today’s reading: God has finally given the green light for the Israelites to go and take possession of the promised land! Moses pleads with them that when they arrive they are not to forget that it was the Lord who promised and the Lord who delivered them into their inheritance. Moses reminds them that their children are not the ones who saw the miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and in the desert. It was them. It is their responsibility to know the stories and the law and to pass that love on to their children.

So, the responsibility of a believing parent topic. Here we go, don’t know why I’m sharing this except that it was on my mind during this reading. Parenthood and contentment. I’m not one who prays that someday I’ll be a mother. I’m content to leave it into God’s plan and submit to a (hopefully someday) future husband’s decision on the matter. If God should ever bless me with a child, I’d be thrilled and thankful and I hope I would do my very best to raise him/her in the admonition of the Lord and in the ministry of the church. But if no child ever comes, BELIEVE ME, that’s OK too. I know some women have very strong desires to become mothers. But, I’m not one who feels that I’ll never be somehow “complete” if I’m not. Again, just saying that I’d be content either way.

But, I digress, my BIGGER point is this: I would love to be a “spiritual mother.” I would love to be the house where children/teenagers/college kids who have no strong spiritually sound homes could hang out. Even if they do have good spiritual role models they can come hang out. My pastor always talks about getting involved in children’s/youth ministry saying that it is essential that young people have Christian adult role models/friends outside of their own parents. It’s true. A village raised me. I want to be that house! I want to be the one who cooks/bakes too much food. You come to my house and I’m going to say, “You hungry?” Even if you say “No,” I’m going to fix you something. I want to always have a guest bed made and say “Come on in!” THAT’S my desire. And every one of them that walk through the door are going to get fed, loved, prayed for and leave with a Word for the journey.

Sharing God’s faithfulness with the next generation. It’s a command.

Today's Memory Verse:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”--Deuteronomy 6:4

Joy Cometh

Tonight at Shabbat we looked at Psalm 6. David writes this Psalm as he is surrounded by enemies and is crying out to the Lord all night long. He is miserable and pleading for mercy. The main two verses we talked about were verses 6 and 9.

"I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears."--Psalm 6:6

The Rabbi posed this question, "Have you ever cried yourself to sleep?" Well, of course we all have at some point. Are we all human? We all have. I suddenly went back to a night when I was at home in Andalusia last. I was having a hard time with the "walking by faith, not by sight" thing. No need to go into the details. That about sums it up. I cried for several hours (not a good idea to inflame the sinuses since I was singing the next morning, but God was faithful to me and that didn't really have any affect) and during the night I realized that I needed some comfort from the Word. So, I went to that day's Psalm reading. It, too, talked about mercy and the spirit growing faint. But, I found a verse in that Psalm that night that I pleaded to God. I read it over and over.

"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul."--Psalm 143:8

God is so good and He did bring me word of His unfailing love. Tonight we also read verse 9 of Psalm 6 which says, "The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer." He does receive our prayers. He hears our cries. Now on that night I was in the wrong for not living by faith. I wanted sight. I could have avoided that long night just by holding on. There was no need for the tears. They were tears of worry and doubt. But, I'm only human. It happens.

Tonight the Rabbi also reminded us of Psalm 30:5--"For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

Beth Moore did a study on the fruit of the Spirit and used that verse when talking about joy. She wrote a little phrase to remind us what each aspect of the fruit does (Note: She says, and I agree, that there are not several fruits of the Spirit but they are all one fruit. You have them, or you don't. You can't choose to love and not have self-control, etc.) She says this: "Love never fails, joy cometh, peace rules, patience waits, kindness tenders, goodness does, faith fights, gentleness bows, and self-control stops." Wow. I needed to read those again. But, it is true. Joy cometh in the morning.

Today's Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 1:1-8

I know, only eight verses. So far. I'm going to read some more after I make this post. Was it for lack of time? No. I have to say that I got hung up on verses 6-8. They mean something to me and God. I was hung up in a good way and I just couldn't stop reading it. "The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, "You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers--to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--and to their descendents after them." Can't figure out what it means between me and God? Good. Cause you haven't been on my journey. You've got your own. :)

Today's Memory Verse:

""I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!""--John 8:58

God Cares About the Details (And How to Organize Them)

 Last night I was praying for inspiration for my group project in my studio. I knew we weren't meeting up until today and I had no real direction, but I didn't want to do nothing. I prayed, but all I could come up with was an organizational plan for the four presentation boards with categories and sub-categories. Sounds thrilling, huh? I wasn't all that thrilled. But, when I met up today to collaborate my partner had come up with so many details and examples for the project that she was overwhelmed and had no idea how to break it up. Now, that's God at work. He saw the giant looming and gave me the inspiration I needed to come up with the organization to fit my partner's research. God is good! What a blessing!

I found a great quote today by Max Lucado on the subject of doubt: "Doubt. He's a lousy neighbor. An unwanted visitor. An obnoxious guest. And he'll pester you. He'll irritate you. He'll criticize your judgment. His aim is not to convince you, but to confuse you. He doesn't offer solutions. Doubt only raises questions." When confusion arises we can know that it is the enemy bringing doubt into the equation. How do we know? Because we are told in 1 Corinthians 14:33 that "God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."   

A prime example of confusion in my prayer life (I'm saying all of this for my benefit, to remind myself of what I've learned and have to come to know. If it happens to benefit you, that's great.): Sometimes I struggle with finding a balance between my prayer requests and praying for God's Will. I want what I want, but I want what He wants more. So, somewhere in that prayer I have to die to self. But, does that mean that I stop praying for what I want if I am unsure of what He wants in a situation? No, I don't think so. Here's where I'm about to jump on a soap box about memorizing Scripture. This is directed at my audience: If you are not in the habit of memorizing Scripture, you need to be! Even if you think you're not capable of memorizing, try it. I fully believe God will help you memorize it and bless your effort. There are so many benefits! He commands it because He knows that the Word internalized will help us take a stand against temptation, will help conform our minds to the very mind of Christ, will help mold our desires to be in accordance with His, will soften the rough edges of our personality, and when we have the Word in our hearts the Spirit of God can help us recall a verse and so be an answer to prayer and a comfort in need. You won't have to go searching for a concordance to find a verse to comfort you because God can breathe that Word fresh into your mind. It's an awesome thing! So, I go back to the balance between my wants and His Will. I'll just say Psalm 40:8 "I desire to do Your Will, O my God. Your law is in my heart." He'll let me know if it is a "No" and until then, I'll be a squeaky wheel. Confusion bomb diffused, for now.

Today's Scripture: Numbers 15-Numbers 36

I finished Numbers today! Wow! I didn't expect to when I looked to see how many chapters of it I had left. But, wow! What a lesson today! I may get into a little trouble with this one, may step on some toes, but that's only because mine have been stepped on. So, today's theme in my reading seems to have been "Respect those God has put in spiritual authority over you." Let me say that once again, "Respect those God has put in spiritual authority over you." So, check it out. A group of men, about 250 in all (among 650,000 total Israelites this was a small percent) started grumbling (uh-oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) against Moses and Aaron and rose up against them. They questioned their authority and were getting ready to take them out of their positions. In short, you know what God did? He opened up the earth and swallowed the men and their households into the earth and buried them alive. Then He sent fire from heaven to consume (burn up) the others who were following in the rebellion. Church politics, huh? The moral of the story for me is "Respect those God has put in spiritual authority over you." There are checks and balances in place for ministers and deacons to hold each other accountable. God has placed them as spiritual authorities in my life and so I submit to and trust them. I don't want to be a marshmallow on a stick. Burnt is not one of my favorite perfumes. :) Not that I had any grumblings against anybody I know in authority, but if I ever did, that would have shut me up.

Next story that I loved today was about Balaam. Yes, I knew the general summary of his story. He beat the donkey, the donkey talked back. But, I didn't know why he was on the road, why the angel of the Lord was angry, and what followed. Really awesome story! So, apparently Balaam was known to be able to bless and curse with power. But, in this case, God was definitely going to give him something to say. The king of Moab's son, Balak, had seen God defeat Israel's enemies before and now Israel was at THEIR gate. Moab was terrified. Balak sent for Balaam to come and curse Israel. But, Balaam prays about it and God tells him that he is NOT to curse Israel because they are holy. Balaam refuses to go to Moab. But, Balaak insists and so Balaam agrees on the condition that he will only do what the Lord allows him to do. So, Balaam hops on the donkey and head out for Moab. Well, God's not happy that he's even considering cursing Israel. So, the angel of Lord appears in the middle of the road with a drawn sword. Scares the poor donkey! The donkey stops and turns off the road. Balaam beats the donkey. The angel follows that way and again frightens the donkey. The donkey runs into a wall crushing Balaam's ankle and so Balaam beats the donkey. The angel follows again, frightening the donkey who finally lays down and Balaam gets up and beats the donkey a third time. Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth and the donkey says, "Why are you beating me? Treating me this way after all the years I have carried you?" Then Balaam's eyes were opened and he saw the angel and begged forgiveness. He was allowed to continue to Moab on the condition that he would only do as the Lord said. So, he arrives in Moab and Balak asks him to go curse the Israelites. Balaam makes a sacrifice to the Lord and the Lord gives him a word for Balak. Balaam says, "How can I curse a people God has not cursed?" Balak isn't happy with that answer. So, he takes Balaam to another part of the city thinking maybe he'll curse them from a different angle. Again, Balaam offers a sacrifice and receives a word from the Lord. This is my verse for the day, I just love the Lord's response through Balaam: "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"--Numbers 23:19 Wow! Two more times Balak insists that Balaam curse the Israelites and God continues to give the same answer. "No." Makes me think of Romans 8:31-33 "If God is for us, who can be against us?...Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?"

Today's Memory Verse:

"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"--Numbers 23:19

Grumbling=Win, Patience=Fail

My devotional this morning was from Streams in the Desert and the reading was taken from Numbers 13 when Moses sent representatives from the twelve tribes into Canaan to assess the situation. The men returned with reports of giants in the land. Now God knew that there were giants and He had a plan, not to mention that He promised that land to Israel. He promised them the victory.

Today I started my final studio for my architecture degree. Now, I knew going in that it wouldn't be a walk in the park. For goodness' sake, Lydia, you're getting a degree in a highly technical engineering field. This final project won't be easy. Why did it surprise me when I walked into a mine field today? God told me in my devotional to be ready for the giant. I said, "Yes, Lord. You've brought me through this journey and I know You're faithful."

But. Yes, there's a but. But the reality of the scope of this project hit me like a brick. That wasn't the only hit. This world mounted an attack on me something fierce. And in the midst of it I lost sight of God's omniscience. He saw the giant and He had already promised to fight with me. Everything that comes our way FIRST passes through His hands with His permission. And I grumbled? 

After studio I left for work and was hit with another attack. And I grumbled. AND I fired back a bit. I apologized to target of my fire, but I still felt defeated. Then, I found this quote by Charles Swindoll: "Today is unique! It has never occurred before and it will never be repeated. At midnight it will end quietly, suddenly, totally, forever. But the hours between now and then are opportunities with eternal possibilities." I realized that today wasn't over. The store was pretty quiet tonight and I fortunately had about an hour of complete quiet at the register. I spent the entire hour praying out loud, begging forgiveness for my grumbling and praising God for who He is. He's everything.

Today's Scripture Reading from my 90-day Plan: Leviticus 20-Numbers 14

Don't you think it is funny? My devotion from this morning was out of Numbers 13. You know, about the giant? And then God made me read it again tonight. He's serious, y'all. We see our giants and lose sight of God's promise. The Israelites did it and so do we. I grow ever more convinced that the thing that will arouse God's anger quickest is grumbling. Why? Grumbling is the opposite of trust, peace and joy. We may think we are just grumbling about our circumstances. But, at the center of all grumbling lies doubt. If we believed God, we would have no cause to grumble. Ouch. That hits hard. Moses pleaded for God to forgive the Israelites for their grumbling. God did forgive them, but that generation was not allowed to see the Promised Land. That's scary. They died in the desert because of their grumbling. Now, doesn't that sobering thought replace my grumbling with repentance. 

Today's Memory Verse:

"The LORD replied, 'I have forgiven them as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times--not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it."--Numbers 14:20-23

I chose this passage to memorize to remind me of the lesson I learned today and to remind me of the consequences of grumbling. Not a fun one to memorize, but the important lessons aren't always roses. 

Normally Private

Normally I would put a post like this one on my private blog. But, I guess I'm in the sharing mood. Maybe it is because I'm sitting "around the campfire" in my little apartment with no heat. It is supposed to be in the 20's here tonight. Oy. 

I love Fernando Ortega's music. He is quite possibly my favorite artist of all time. I was introduced to him by the late great Colonel Wayne Pratt. I was staying with he and his wife, Paula, one week when I was in high school. It was secretary's day that week and he needed to go shopping for a present. So, we all piled in the Jeep and off we went. The first stop was at the Winn Dixie off of Coliseum Blvd in Montgomery. We saw a lovely peace lily, but he wanted to keep looking. Back in the Jeep. At this point he asked me if I had ever heard of Fernando Ortega. I said that I hadn't and so he put a CD in the CD player which was actually built in to his car!!! (You have to understand, this was nearly thirteen years ago, that was unheard of! HAHA!) The song was "Give Me Jesus." We then drove around the entire city of Montgomery listening to Fernando Ortega and stopping at EVERY store still looking for a gift. What did we end up with? We went BACK to the Winn Dixie for the peace lily. HAHA! 

But, I was hooked on Fernando Ortega. The next year we all piled BACK in the Jeep and headed to Birmingham to see Fernando in concert. Wayne and Paula were kind enough to buy me one of Fernando's CD's, This Bright Hour. That's the CD that my song for the evening came from. At the time I'm sure I liked this song, but I had forgotten about it for years. I heard it tonight and I started sobbing like a baby. I had forgotten that some of Ortega's lyrics have that affect on me, but sheesh! 

This song was written when Ortega and his wife were in the process of adopting a child. The mother pulled out of the adoption at the last minute leaving the Ortega's devastated. This song resulted. Now, thankfully, that's not the end of the story. Just this year Ortega released a new album on which there is a song entitled Ruby's Advent. Ruby is the name of Ortega's new baby girl! Born to he and his wife Margee-Ann. Born to them! Quite a surprise, much like Abraham. It makes me think about something Beth Moore said when talking about Abraham and Sarah. She said, "Blessed are you when God uses supernatural means to accomplish in you what natural means accomplish in others. All for you to say, 'The Lord has done this for me.'"

Now, am I posting all of this in regards to a child? Heavens no! But just to say that sometimes we pray for things and God knows it is not the right time. He knows that waiting just a little longer will teach us to rely on Him and give Him all the more glory when He provides. He knows what He's up to.

And as for Colonel Wayne Pratt, I like to retell stories of people who were so dear to me but have now gone to be with the Lord. It keeps their memory fresh on my heart. And that reminds me, I need to call Paula. It has been too long.

Ready to Learn?

So, today I thought I'd give "teaching" a try and share a little Hebrew with you. Bear with me. I'm doing this entirely by type without being able to sound any of it out to you. It would be much easier if I had a way to record myself saying it, but I don't. 

I thought I'd take a break from memorizing in Ephesians today and memorize a verse from Psalms in Hebrew and in English. I'd love for you to try this with me! I think it is important to memorize a verse in English BEFORE learning it in Hebrew. Otherwise, what's the point? You need to know what you're saying. So, I thought we'd try an easy one to start. I typically memorize Scripture out of the 1984 NIV (I strongly dislike the 2011 NIV, don't go there with me unless you want a dissertation comparable to the one my Uncle Anthony gives when you ask about his rock collection). I'm actually going to memorize this one in the KJV because I'm sure I'll be saying this one for the Rabbi at Hebrew and they use the KJV. I'm going to type it in both, you decide which you prefer.

Psalm 106:1 (NIV 1984) "Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever."

Psalm 106:1 (KJV) "Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever."

Alright, here comes the Hebrew. YAY!

 

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הַֽלְלוּיׇהּ ׀ הוֹדוּ  לַיהוׇה  כּׅי־טוֹב  כּי  לְעוֹלׇם  חַסְדּוֹ׃

    do -suh-chah       lam -oh   -lay        kee            tov          kee         vah-ho-Yah la       du    -Ho          yah    -lu-lay-Ha

Now, Hebrew is read from right to left. So, you start here

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                                                         ←↓

הַֽלְלוּיׇהּ ׀ הוֹדוּ  לַיהוׇה  כּׅי־טוֹב  כּי  לְעוֹלׇם  חַסְדּוֹ׃

    do -suh-chah       lam -oh   -lay        kee            tov          kee         vah-ho-Yah la       du    -Ho          yah    -lu-lay-Ha

Now for the easy pronunciation guide. (Please note that I tried to spell out the transliteration not spelled correctly, but how it should be sounded out. Also, when I type "ch" it is not pronounced "ch" as in "cheese" but rather "ch" as in the composer "Bach." Imagine saying a hard "k" sound like "khaki" but add some phlegm in there. HAHA! Or imagine the sound of a possum hissing.)

Hallelujah! Ho-du lah Yah-ho-vah kee tov kee lay-oh-lam Chah-suh-do.

-->הַֽלְלוּיׇהּ

"Hallelujah" is a Hebrew word that literally means, "Praise ye the LORD." Remember the song we used to sing as children?

Yeah, kid. The "Hallelujah" is my favorite part of the song, too!

Alright, let me take a moment to talk about the "Yah." This is the name of the LORD. Whenever you see "LORD" written in all capital letters in the Bible, it is the tetragrammaton. Where do I even begin? The Hebrew language is not written with vowels. No vowels. Do we say the vowels? Yes, of course. You can't say a word without vowels. It would look like this in English:

"Fr Gd s lvd th wrld tht H gv Hs nly bgttn Sn tht whsvr blvth n Hm shld nt prsh, bt hv vrlstng lf."

Now, I'm guessing that you understood that verse completely. We are all so familiar with it that our minds automatically fill in the missing vowels. It was that way with ancient Hebrew. The priests and scribes knew the writings well. Through tradition passed down, it was still pronounced correctly even without the written vowels. Around 400 A.D. some Jewish scholars decided (thankfully) to add markings around the letters to indicate which vowel sound is traditionally associated with that word. This is why you see dots and dashes around the Hebrew letters. They are vowel markings.

All of that said, the tetragrammaton is the unpronounceable name of God. It is traditionally said as either "Yahweh" or "Jehovah." Written in Hebrew it would be either YHWH or YHVH.

-->יהוׇה  

I'm no expert scholar, but I don't agree that the name is "Yahweh." So far in my studies I have seen no evidence that there is a "w" sound in the Hebrew language. So, my personal opinion is that the correct pronunciation would be closer to "Yahovah" or Jehovah. If there is a scholar out there reading my blog, please feel free to correct me if I'm entirely mistaken in my thinking. I would appreciate correction! It's how I learn!

You should also know that the Jewish people highly REVERE the name of the LORD. So much so, that they dare not pronounce it. If the tetragrammaton appears in the Bible, they substitute the word "Adonai" or "Hashem" for the Holy Name when reading aloud. "Adonai" means "Lord" and if you see the word "Lord" with a lowercase "o-r-d" then the Hebrew word usually is "Adonai." Sometimes they say "Hashem" which literally means "THE NAME." The name above all names.

I believe that when Jesus died for our sins and the Bible says that the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom that it means we can now come before the throne of God with freedom gained through the blood of Christ and we can call upon the name of the LORD. In Hebrews we are told that Jesus IS our high priest and in Hebrews 4:16 Paul says, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence..." But, out of reverence for a people who revere the name of the LORD, I'm choosing to replace the "Yahovah" with the traditional "Adonai" when I memorize this verse. I will, after all, be saying the verse for a Christian Rabbi whom I respect. 

So, I'll be memorizing the verse like this:

"Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever."

"Hallelujah! Ho-du lah Ah-do-nai kee tov kee lay-oh-lam Chah-suh-do."

God Answers

Just last night I was praying and I asked God to send me a Word on a particular subject. I must say that every time I ask for a Word, He gives an answer. It is interesting that this particular prayer request has come to be associated with Abraham in my life. When God first answered me a year-and-a-half ago, the answer came in the story of Abraham and EVERY time He's answered me since, the answer has always come as a lesson about Abraham. You know what that says to me? It says God is consistent. His answer hasn't changed. Yet He is so creative that He finds a billion different ways to say it, but all pointing to Abraham. I've come to know that when I'm praying about _____ , God is somehow going to say, "I promised. Have faith. Remember Abraham."

So, that being said, last night's answer came as an email from the Rabbi and his wife, Dr. Elias and Mrs. Ari Hidalgo. The subject was "A Blessing and a Curse." When God first called Abram, now Abraham, and made a promise to him, God told him in Genesis 12:2-3 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." To summarize the email, they thanked me for supporting their ministry as a gentile believer and reminded me that God has PROMISED to bless those who bless Abraham.

We are commanded to pray for Israel, for the Jewish people, and for the peace of Jerusalem. That's why every Friday at Shabbat we say, "Sha-alu shalom Yerushalyim, Yish lai-u Oh-hava-ich" which is the Hebrew pronunciation of God's command in Psalm 122:6 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee." We are so blessed. Yes, Jesus OUR Messiah came for the sins of the entire world, but He was first promised to God's people, Israel. He's their's first and we need to love them and pray for them and share the gospel with them! Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the gentile." 

God has truly blessed me since I've started learning Hebrew. Not that it is some magical language or that there are any language barriers with God. But a few things started happening as I learned. First of all, there was a great peace and joy that came over me when I first said Psalm 23 in Hebrew from memory. As the words that David used rolled off of my tongue it was as if God leaned in closer and whispered, "You're speaking my language." The more I learned Hebrew the more I loved Israel. Fact. Can't explain it, but I'm not the only one who has experienced that connection. Others at Hebrew say the exact same thing. And again, since learning Hebrew and growing to love Abraham, God has kept His promise in His Word and has truly blessed me. My prayer life has changed dramatically since I started integrating some Hebrew. It is always more alive when you use Scripture in your prayers, but then to add some Hebrew Psalms? Woo-Hoo!

Am I becoming Jewish? Heavens no! I like bacon. HAHA! I'm Southern Baptist, Faith and Message and all. But, I sure do love Israel and Hebrew is such a pure language and there definitely is something very special about it.

 

Today's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 5-19

Again, the priests had a nasty job. They slaughtered the sacrificial animals, removed the blood, cleaned the parts, dipped their fingers in the blood and sprinkled the altar and annointed the horns of the altar, placed the parts on the altar, burned them, and then ate the sin offerings. The point that gets me in this reading is that they then ate the sin offering. Wait up! They ate it? But, you know what? God is so consistent in His Word and Christ fulfilled the law in complete detail. You know what? We eat the sin offering, too. As I read in Leviticus I suddenly pictured Christ instituting the Last Supper. In Leviticus, atonement was made and then the priests ate the grain offering and the sin offering. The grain offering was always unleavened. Y'all! That's huge! I then see Christ, our atonement and sin sacrifice offer Himself as the sin offering and the bread of life and command us to eat of it! How awesome is our God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever! True to His Word which is eternal and stands firm in the heavens! Truth. Fulfillment. Hallelujah! And to think, I was dreading the reading of Leviticus. Later in Leviticus an interesting lesson is where the term "scapegoat" originates. It is right there in Leviticus 16. Two goats are presented as a sin offering on the day of Atonement. By lot, the priest selects one goat to be slaughtered as the sacrifice. The other goat not chosen is the "scapegoat" and all of the sins of the people are confessed and placed upon that goat which is then banished to the desert. Scapegoat. It's in the Bible. Cool stuff.

Today's Memory Verse:

"Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving."--Ephesians 5:4

(Still "finishing" my task from 2011 of memorizing Ephesians 5)

My Memory Verse List from 2011

New Beginnings

New beginnings. The Bible is just full of them. Actually, every day for the believer is a day of new beginnings. In Lamentations 3:22-23 we find that "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." I thank God that His mercies are new every morning because I surely need His mercy every morning. He offers us an abundance of second chances. But, I don't want to think of this new year as "starting over." The Bible also says in Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." God finishes what He starts! I could sure take a cue from Him. I can't begin to list all of the projects that I start and never finish. I'm so thankful that He's not finished with me! So, I want to think of this new year as a chance to continue to grow in Him, to allow Him to use all of my past to shape me into the person He intends me to be, and strive to spend every day seeking His Will.

Today's Scripture Reading: Exodus 35-Leviticus 4

God had very specific instructions for His Holy Tabernacle. This is the place where His Glory would dwell on earth, the place where priests would make atonement for the sins of the people, the place where instruction would be given to God's chosen people, Israel. He has specific instructions and He says that He specifically called and gifted different people in different skills in order to build His dwelling. He still does that! He still gifts His people with all kinds of talents and skills and expects them to use them for His Glory in the church. In moving on to Leviticus I'm immediately bogged down with all of the offerings. First of all, let's not romanticize the priesthood. Their job was dirty! Thank goodness they stepped up to their calling for the sake of atoning for the sins of their people! I'm so thankful for Jesus' sacrifice even more after today's reading. Praise the Lord that He made the ultimate atonement for our sins, otherwise, I think the bulls, goats, sheep and doves would go extinct from the sacrifices for my sins! I can picture Aaron and Moses, "Here comes Lydia again." "Yep, she's got another bull with her." "Oy veh!" HAHA!

Today's Memory Verse:

"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people."--Ephesians 5:3