This morning during prayer I was interrupted. I was told to be quiet and listen. This happens infrequently, so I had to work at being still.
It was not my wife, or the kids, or even the dog. It was not the telephone. I was told to write. I was given words to write, and the courage to write them. I believe this will be for someone, and will help them through the present times of trial. It has certainly helped me.
When Jesus called His disciples they were a young group each having a particular role in life that was suddenly changed for them. There was something in them that Jesus wanted to use, and He does not make mistakes. Each of the Disciples was personally trained by God over time. He taught them, and they were confused so He opened their understanding. They eventually came to the place where they received the Holt Ghost, and suddenly things made sense to them. The New Testament was written by them when they were much older and much wiser and much more experienced. What they wrote about happened to them many years before they wrote.
Jesus looked at these men on the other side of the blood. He saw the future in them; He invested in them the future of the church. After the Holy Ghost fell, they became the leadership of the church in the whole world. The largest, the smallest, the Jewish and the Gentile churches. It is still the same today.
These men had particular styles and talents and skills and wisdom, but none of that was what caused God to appoint them to the leadership of His flock. They all developed these things more through the years, true enough, but initially it was something in their character. They all understood the necessity for the day to day dependence on God to help them and those they led. They understood the burden of Jesus for the lost. They were political, stubborn, willful humans with all the same problems we face today. But they learned through the Holy Ghost to listen for God’s will to do the things they must.
When the prophet prayed for rain, he had to return to do so seven times before God answered his prayer. It was not that God did not hear the first prayer, but that Elijah had to pray until the prayer was right. That is, he prayed until his will was finally the same as God’s will. I believe that Elijah did not really want the rain, because he was the one who prayed that it would stop. He wanted to punish some more, He was not satisfied that the enemy had suffered enough. But he kept praying until God changed his tune. Then the clouds formed and the rains came.
There are certain things that a Pastor must have. Like the Disciples, these must be present. It is not great wisdom; it is not the skills of a silver tongued orator. It is not a cyclopedic knowledge, or the diplomatic skill of a statesman. It is character, a burden, and the practice of seeking God’s will everyday for everything. All of these other things are great, and come with time to all good Pastors, but they are icing on the cake, so to speak.
I have had over the last 36 years, the privilege of being shepherded by great men of God. They were not supermen, a number of them were men of simple background and means. But they had the ingredients that were essential to greatness. They had character, morals, attitude, and a great burden for the soul. They were willing to hurt my feelings to preserve my spirit. They were willing to sacrifice a great deal to obtain the freedom of one more soul. They taught consistently and without fear or favor. What I have become is their fault. Most have passed on, and those did not see me at this point in my life. They only prayed and taught and struggled for a future they knew was important. They were Great men of God. When I was a stubborn loudmouthed nuisance, they asked me to help make peanut brittle. When I was brand new in the Holy Ghost they put me on a door to door witnessing team. When I hurt, they prayed for me. My poor life did not daunt them in their task. They saw me on the other side of the blood.
There is a passage of scripture where the church is admonished to avoid certain things. The Bible called it “itching ears”. Let me explain something: itching ears is a trait all humans will fall prey to without constant vigilance and prayer. It is the Christmas list of “what I want most”. Self-indulgence in building the comfortable environment for me to live in is what this refers to. There is a tendency in people to build a list if things you would like to have different “next time”. If you had your way, you would “fix this” so it would be more to your liking. When people heap to themselves teachers “having itching ears”, meaning their ears not the teachers, they are out of the will of God. They have arranged the future by bringing together those things that they want. We always want what we want, that is our nature. What the Apostle was warning of was caving in to the desire to arrange your circumstances to your liking, rather than following the plan of God.
When praying, realize that you must pray for your will to become God’s will. You cannot be responsible to pick and chose what you need on your own, because you do not know what you need. God has a plan. You need to pray until you understand and can accept what that plan is.
God will not leave you to fall apart and He will help you if you will obey this one simple thing. Pray seven times if you have to; fast a much as is needed, but remain humble before God until you have His will. If you fail to do this one thing, you will prevent God’s will. God does not rule the kingdom with an iron fist. You can willfully decide against God’s will and prevent Him from providing what you need. This is why it is important to pray until you understand God’s will. Making decisions based on human wisdom can curtail or completely prevent God.
Do not set parameters for God to operate within. He is perfectly able to bring about what is needed if you allow Him.
I have been a professor for over twenty years. I know how to make the learning process work, and a number of degrees that provide me with skills and knowledge. I have a resume “longer than your arm”. All of these things matter when I am trying to obtain a job as a professor. All of these things are unimportant for the work in the kingdom of God. God qualifies those whom He calls. Wisdom that comes from God is hugely more important than carnal wisdom. Following His leading makes a Pastor sound like the Good Shepherd.
A man with a burden for your soul, who loves you, is a million times more important than a good entertainer or the most organized and proficient business manager. If he cannot sing or play an instrument or is not handsome, that is no disadvantage. If he can pray and touch God, if he will “trim you down” when you need it, if he will preach without fear or favor, then that is the one who sounds like the Good Shepherd.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
When God Turns the Page...
Recent events in my life have prompted me to evaluate changes that are occurring for myself, my family, and my church. From the beginning of the year, it has become abundantly obvious that many changes will occur for many people in the months ahead. I have not witnessed so many deaths among the saints in my life as have come about in the last four months. Personal challenges and fiery trials have been abundant in the last four months. Physical and emotional stress is greater than ever.
After an accident three months ago, for the first several weeks, I spent time near death where only God and I were in conversation. It was a unique and profound period of time, and I have learned a great thing from God through it all. He has given me a great gift. For three months I have suffered without my voice, and always whispering with pain. Yet, I have grown spiritually more than even I am aware of just yet. A page has turned in my walk with God, and I am forever changed by it.
I am reminded of the prophetic words of Jesus Christ when talking of the last days “everything that can be shaken will be shaken”. I am convinced we are faced with the attempts of the adversary to sift us as wheat.
This series of unfortunate events have most recently been punctuated with the resignation of my Pastor. This man, who has been my friend for only five years but has had more impact on me than any one else I have been privileged to know, has finally been discovered by the District in which he ministers as the finest and most reliable man for the job. He was elected away from us, and we are left with no doubt among us that he will succeed famously. It is the hand of God in his life. A page has turned in this life journey for him.
I am very proud of my friend, my Pastor for the last few years. He leaves behind, however, a great vacuum that will not easily be filled. I am certain that there is no other like him. I know of no person in my church family who feels differently. A page has turned in our church, and the story must go on. We will have another Pastor, and we will learn his voice too; his name is written on the next page.
How much more can a person take? Has Job found his associates in misery among us, Gods people of the latter days? I am comforted in all of this because Jesus prayed for us. How can we falter, worry or be afraid? If God be on our side, who can be against us?
We have to keep changing. We must try to read the next page, and let the story of our lives continue. It is a hard thing, but God never intended for us to be static, just as He is not static.
After pondering the events and results of the recent past, I am forced to concede that it is a net gain for us all. Even though it might sound absurd to the fair thinkers in this world, I am certain that what has transpired has served to bring us all so much closer to the needs and effects of the kingdom of God. While we are in a revival state, and many are gaining ground in a spiritual walk, I believe this is much more than your usual spurt of revival feelings. This has a “permanent” feel to it. The page is turning for my city.
I think the page is turning for everyone on planet Earth.
After an accident three months ago, for the first several weeks, I spent time near death where only God and I were in conversation. It was a unique and profound period of time, and I have learned a great thing from God through it all. He has given me a great gift. For three months I have suffered without my voice, and always whispering with pain. Yet, I have grown spiritually more than even I am aware of just yet. A page has turned in my walk with God, and I am forever changed by it.
I am reminded of the prophetic words of Jesus Christ when talking of the last days “everything that can be shaken will be shaken”. I am convinced we are faced with the attempts of the adversary to sift us as wheat.
This series of unfortunate events have most recently been punctuated with the resignation of my Pastor. This man, who has been my friend for only five years but has had more impact on me than any one else I have been privileged to know, has finally been discovered by the District in which he ministers as the finest and most reliable man for the job. He was elected away from us, and we are left with no doubt among us that he will succeed famously. It is the hand of God in his life. A page has turned in this life journey for him.
I am very proud of my friend, my Pastor for the last few years. He leaves behind, however, a great vacuum that will not easily be filled. I am certain that there is no other like him. I know of no person in my church family who feels differently. A page has turned in our church, and the story must go on. We will have another Pastor, and we will learn his voice too; his name is written on the next page.
How much more can a person take? Has Job found his associates in misery among us, Gods people of the latter days? I am comforted in all of this because Jesus prayed for us. How can we falter, worry or be afraid? If God be on our side, who can be against us?
We have to keep changing. We must try to read the next page, and let the story of our lives continue. It is a hard thing, but God never intended for us to be static, just as He is not static.
After pondering the events and results of the recent past, I am forced to concede that it is a net gain for us all. Even though it might sound absurd to the fair thinkers in this world, I am certain that what has transpired has served to bring us all so much closer to the needs and effects of the kingdom of God. While we are in a revival state, and many are gaining ground in a spiritual walk, I believe this is much more than your usual spurt of revival feelings. This has a “permanent” feel to it. The page is turning for my city.
I think the page is turning for everyone on planet Earth.
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Prophets
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." (Genesis 3:15)
This is the curse against Satan, given to promise a redeemer who would be born of a woman and further, the redeemer would be an individual man. It was not the seed of Adam mentioned here, but of Eve. There is an interesting point to be inferred from this passage. Jesus was the only man who was born of a woman, but not of a man. The Holy Ghost “overshadowed” Mary and she conceived without the normal assistance of a male counterpart:
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (Gal. 4:4)
Jesus had his heel crushed at the crucifixion (he was no longer able to walk upon the Earth as a mortal), but Satan had his head crushed at the same time. The phrase “crush the head” is a phrase that means to “remove the authority”: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly…”Romans (16:20). After Jesus died on the cross, he descended into Hell and removed the authority of Satan to sequester souls there. Jesus triumphed over Death, Hell, and the Grave before he returned to face the disciples as the ascended Jesus. This victory over death was prophesied by Isaiah:
He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. (Isaiah 25:8)
The enmity placed between the woman and Satan means “warfare” or a “battle”. The war is between her seed, Jesus Christ and those who follow him, and Satan’s seed, fallen man.
Ancient Rabbinic Judaism regarded this passage in Genesis 3 as Messianic. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (Ginsburger, 1903), otherwise known as the Jerusalem Targum in medieval times, refers to this event specifically. An excerpt from the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan spells out the Jewish perspective of this war:
"And it shall be that when the sons of the woman study the Torah diligently and obey its injunctions, they will direct themselves to smite you on the head and slay you; but when the sons of the woman forsake the commandments of the Torah and do not obey its injunctions, you will direct yourself to bite them on the heel and afflict them. However, there will be a remedy for the sons of the woman, but for you, serpent, there will be no remedy. They shall make peace with one another in the end, in the very end of days, in the days of the King Messiah."
Of course, the promised seed descended through Abraham, and the prophecy regarding that promised son to Abraham announces some attributes of the role of the Messiah. About 400 years after the flood God called Abraham (then called Abram) out of the city of Ur of the Chaldees, and into the wilderness where the prophetic promises were established between Abraham and God: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen 12:3). Later the details of this promise are expanded: "in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore, and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed..." (Gen 22:17, 18). The seed mentioned here is a singular seed, not many people, but a particular one. This is discussed in detail in the N.T.: “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.”(Gal 3:16) Paul is pointing out to us that Jesus was the promised seed referred to in this promise to Abraham.
A detailed examination of the promise leads to several conclusions that are important. The promise of the seed was to bless “all the families of the Earth” which includes the Gentile Nations. The seed was to be that blessing, one that would produce multitudes of children so that they would be as many as the stars, or the sands of the sea. It is impossible for this one Jewish seed to produce children outside of Israel unless these children are the children of the Light who inhabit the kingdom of God, and are not directly related by human genetics to the people of Israel. Since Abraham was not yet a Jew when this covenant was made, the Gentiles are blessed with the same blessing as the people of Israel because of Abraham’s faith. This makes a spiritual kinship possible.
There are a number of prophetic references in the O.T. that place a specific set of abilities and position on Jesus Christ. For instance Moses wrote of the coming Messiah and the role he would play:
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)
Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." (John 6:14)
This is a prophetic statement about the forthcoming prophet in a new age. God would invest in this prophet all the authority in heaven and earth. This is recognized by Jews and Christians as a specific reference to the coming Messiah. John 6:14 records that these Jewish men at the time of Christ understood he was that prophet. This prophet would be like Moses; that is one that spoke directly with God, would carry the authority of God with his words, and would carry out powerful miracles. When Jesus spoke of hearing or speaking “the words of my Father”, he was pointing out that he was that prophet who was sent that would be like Moses. The role Moses played was a very special one:
"Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face."(Num 12:6-8)
It is also important to note that the passage in Deuteronomy explains that Judaism would not be the way that Israel would bless all Nations. It will be by the words that God puts in his mouth of the Messiah when he finally arrives.
Jesus refers to this prophecy of Moses in John 5:4: “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.” This clearly indicates that Jesus recognized this passage as a reference to himself. Peter also pointed out that this prophecy was referring to Jesus Christ when he preached at Jerusalem on Pentecost:
But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:18-26)
Finally, the scripture declares this prophetic result in a statement that prevents confusion about the identity of this Messiah: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:20). Emmanuel is actually two different words in Hebrew. Emmanu refers to a “presence with humanity” and el is the word translated as “God” in the O.T. The scripture says it means “God with us”.
The Psalms is a large repository of prophecy concerning the Messiah. David wrote of the Messiah under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit much as the prophets of the O.T. wrote to warn and instruct Israel. For instance, a phrase exclusively used for the Messiah is first written in the Psalms:
"I will declare the decree: the LORD has said to Me, `You are My Son, today I have begotten You” Psalm 2:7
Jewish rabbis agree that this passage is referring to the Messiah and also recognize the phrase “Son of God” as a special phrase used commonly to refer to the Messiah. The term “Begotten” is a word that is from an ancient terminology found in the law code of Hammurabi and is part of a formula in that code for adoption. That is, begotten does not just denote familial genetic offspring, but is related also to adopting one into a familial position with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities that would entail.
This is the curse against Satan, given to promise a redeemer who would be born of a woman and further, the redeemer would be an individual man. It was not the seed of Adam mentioned here, but of Eve. There is an interesting point to be inferred from this passage. Jesus was the only man who was born of a woman, but not of a man. The Holy Ghost “overshadowed” Mary and she conceived without the normal assistance of a male counterpart:
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (Gal. 4:4)
Jesus had his heel crushed at the crucifixion (he was no longer able to walk upon the Earth as a mortal), but Satan had his head crushed at the same time. The phrase “crush the head” is a phrase that means to “remove the authority”: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly…”Romans (16:20). After Jesus died on the cross, he descended into Hell and removed the authority of Satan to sequester souls there. Jesus triumphed over Death, Hell, and the Grave before he returned to face the disciples as the ascended Jesus. This victory over death was prophesied by Isaiah:
He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. (Isaiah 25:8)
The enmity placed between the woman and Satan means “warfare” or a “battle”. The war is between her seed, Jesus Christ and those who follow him, and Satan’s seed, fallen man.
Ancient Rabbinic Judaism regarded this passage in Genesis 3 as Messianic. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (Ginsburger, 1903), otherwise known as the Jerusalem Targum in medieval times, refers to this event specifically. An excerpt from the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan spells out the Jewish perspective of this war:
"And it shall be that when the sons of the woman study the Torah diligently and obey its injunctions, they will direct themselves to smite you on the head and slay you; but when the sons of the woman forsake the commandments of the Torah and do not obey its injunctions, you will direct yourself to bite them on the heel and afflict them. However, there will be a remedy for the sons of the woman, but for you, serpent, there will be no remedy. They shall make peace with one another in the end, in the very end of days, in the days of the King Messiah."
Of course, the promised seed descended through Abraham, and the prophecy regarding that promised son to Abraham announces some attributes of the role of the Messiah. About 400 years after the flood God called Abraham (then called Abram) out of the city of Ur of the Chaldees, and into the wilderness where the prophetic promises were established between Abraham and God: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen 12:3). Later the details of this promise are expanded: "in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore, and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed..." (Gen 22:17, 18). The seed mentioned here is a singular seed, not many people, but a particular one. This is discussed in detail in the N.T.: “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.”(Gal 3:16) Paul is pointing out to us that Jesus was the promised seed referred to in this promise to Abraham.
A detailed examination of the promise leads to several conclusions that are important. The promise of the seed was to bless “all the families of the Earth” which includes the Gentile Nations. The seed was to be that blessing, one that would produce multitudes of children so that they would be as many as the stars, or the sands of the sea. It is impossible for this one Jewish seed to produce children outside of Israel unless these children are the children of the Light who inhabit the kingdom of God, and are not directly related by human genetics to the people of Israel. Since Abraham was not yet a Jew when this covenant was made, the Gentiles are blessed with the same blessing as the people of Israel because of Abraham’s faith. This makes a spiritual kinship possible.
There are a number of prophetic references in the O.T. that place a specific set of abilities and position on Jesus Christ. For instance Moses wrote of the coming Messiah and the role he would play:
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)
Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." (John 6:14)
This is a prophetic statement about the forthcoming prophet in a new age. God would invest in this prophet all the authority in heaven and earth. This is recognized by Jews and Christians as a specific reference to the coming Messiah. John 6:14 records that these Jewish men at the time of Christ understood he was that prophet. This prophet would be like Moses; that is one that spoke directly with God, would carry the authority of God with his words, and would carry out powerful miracles. When Jesus spoke of hearing or speaking “the words of my Father”, he was pointing out that he was that prophet who was sent that would be like Moses. The role Moses played was a very special one:
"Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face."(Num 12:6-8)
It is also important to note that the passage in Deuteronomy explains that Judaism would not be the way that Israel would bless all Nations. It will be by the words that God puts in his mouth of the Messiah when he finally arrives.
Jesus refers to this prophecy of Moses in John 5:4: “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.” This clearly indicates that Jesus recognized this passage as a reference to himself. Peter also pointed out that this prophecy was referring to Jesus Christ when he preached at Jerusalem on Pentecost:
But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:18-26)
Finally, the scripture declares this prophetic result in a statement that prevents confusion about the identity of this Messiah: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:20). Emmanuel is actually two different words in Hebrew. Emmanu refers to a “presence with humanity” and el is the word translated as “God” in the O.T. The scripture says it means “God with us”.
The Psalms is a large repository of prophecy concerning the Messiah. David wrote of the Messiah under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit much as the prophets of the O.T. wrote to warn and instruct Israel. For instance, a phrase exclusively used for the Messiah is first written in the Psalms:
"I will declare the decree: the LORD has said to Me, `You are My Son, today I have begotten You” Psalm 2:7
Jewish rabbis agree that this passage is referring to the Messiah and also recognize the phrase “Son of God” as a special phrase used commonly to refer to the Messiah. The term “Begotten” is a word that is from an ancient terminology found in the law code of Hammurabi and is part of a formula in that code for adoption. That is, begotten does not just denote familial genetic offspring, but is related also to adopting one into a familial position with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities that would entail.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Faith and Belief
The Bible declares that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). The modern mind tends to equate “belief” with “faith” as an intellectual concept. Often individuals may struggle with faith as a result of a poor outlook in a situation, or from lack of information. “Believing” in something, however, may be easy to accomplish simply because it requires no expenditure of effort to do so. We tend to intellectualize “belief systems” and so it is easy to adopt them.
Words that are derived from the Hebrew word aman and are translated into English in the Old Testament include expressions that are somewhat confusing in light of the modern understanding of that word “believe.” We view belief as an expression that describes a choice to accept, in one’s mind, the validity of a promised circumstance. This is completely incorrect, in the Biblical sense.
The word “believe” is an abstract word, which is not a function of the five senses. It comes from the Greco-Roman societies of our recent past. All Hebrew concepts are derived from concrete concepts that are a result of an action or perception from the five senses. Aman is a parent root verb that means to support and is also translated in various places in the O.T. as assurance, faithful, sure, established, trust, verified, steadfast, continuance, surely, stand fast, among other words of similar connotation. These words do not seem to be based on an action of the intellect alone as some may see it today, but imply transforming the actions of a person.
And bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified (aman) and ye shall not die. And they did so. Genesis 42:20
My mercy will I keep for him forevermore and my covenant shall stand fast (aman) for him. Psa. 89:28
The pictographic root for aman is a picture of water or other liquid such as blood, and a picture of a seed representing continuance. Combined these mean "blood continues” or “strength through the blood”.
And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place (aman); and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. Isaiah 22:23
The word nail in this passage is translated from a Hebrew word for tent peg and means abstractly, faith. A tent peg supports the tent even in a strong wind when it is planted in hard ground. In this way, Abraham supported God:
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed (aman) in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
While this appears at first to agree with a modern concept of believe, it is apparent that believe has a different meaning in the context of the different applications of the word aman.
If we examine this promise of Abraham repeated to Isaac, Abraham’s son, we see what is implied by the word believe:
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed(shama) my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Gen 26:4, 5.
This word, shama, is a child root of the word aman and is used as a synonym. It literally means to hearken and it is used in this passage to indicate that Abraham heard and responded to God’s voice. It means to pay heed and react or respond to what is heard. In this sense, the word believe is a synonym to the word obey or hearken. This is a literal synonym, as is shown in another passage which relates them via the classical Hebrew literary method of repeated statements with synonyms for emphasis (called parallelism):
And Moses answered and said, But, behold,
they will not believe (aman) me, nor hearken
(shama) unto my voice: for they will say, The
LORD hath not appeared unto thee. Exo. 4:1
It is obvious that what Isaac was told defines Abraham’s belief. Abraham hearkened unto the LORD and obeyed his voice and kept his statutes. Believe is a verb that implies an action rather than a mental impression that “God is real”. The Hebrew mind uses the word believe to imply a lifestyle of actions that suggest that a person travels a path given by that which is believed in and supports the perspective of that which is believed in by thought and deed. The words “believe in God” mean to support God’s plan by your actions. The Word “amen” is actually the English form of the Hebrew word aman. In the future when you say “amen” to something, you are agreeing with the statement not just with your intellect but with your lifestyle.
Faith
Since belief comes from faith, the passage in Isaiah that describes the tent peg as a nail provides the definition for faith: To be fixed in purpose in the actions of one’s life as a nail driven in the hard ground. emunah: to be set firmly in place; also to pass strength to the next generation. This is why Paul writes the Christian church in Rome from a reference in Habakkuk 2:4:
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written. The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:7
The Hebrew concept of faith is to be a strong fixed support:
But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took
a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady (emunah) until the going down of the sun.
So Paul writes to the Corinthian Church a statement that exemplifies believing through faith:
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. I Cor 16:13
And also to the Christians of the church in Thessalonica:
But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. II Thes. 2:13-15
Clearly, a member of the kingdom of God is to live a life of purpose that supports the kingdom of God. It is not about a mental acceptance of the truth at all but a focused and determined life filled with the actions of one who will typify the life of Christ and spread His message to any who will listen. Those who live for God will be observed by others as “believers in God” because of their words, actions and decisions in life that support God.
Words that are derived from the Hebrew word aman and are translated into English in the Old Testament include expressions that are somewhat confusing in light of the modern understanding of that word “believe.” We view belief as an expression that describes a choice to accept, in one’s mind, the validity of a promised circumstance. This is completely incorrect, in the Biblical sense.
The word “believe” is an abstract word, which is not a function of the five senses. It comes from the Greco-Roman societies of our recent past. All Hebrew concepts are derived from concrete concepts that are a result of an action or perception from the five senses. Aman is a parent root verb that means to support and is also translated in various places in the O.T. as assurance, faithful, sure, established, trust, verified, steadfast, continuance, surely, stand fast, among other words of similar connotation. These words do not seem to be based on an action of the intellect alone as some may see it today, but imply transforming the actions of a person.
And bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified (aman) and ye shall not die. And they did so. Genesis 42:20
My mercy will I keep for him forevermore and my covenant shall stand fast (aman) for him. Psa. 89:28
The pictographic root for aman is a picture of water or other liquid such as blood, and a picture of a seed representing continuance. Combined these mean "blood continues” or “strength through the blood”.
And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place (aman); and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. Isaiah 22:23
The word nail in this passage is translated from a Hebrew word for tent peg and means abstractly, faith. A tent peg supports the tent even in a strong wind when it is planted in hard ground. In this way, Abraham supported God:
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed (aman) in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
While this appears at first to agree with a modern concept of believe, it is apparent that believe has a different meaning in the context of the different applications of the word aman.
If we examine this promise of Abraham repeated to Isaac, Abraham’s son, we see what is implied by the word believe:
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed(shama) my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Gen 26:4, 5.
This word, shama, is a child root of the word aman and is used as a synonym. It literally means to hearken and it is used in this passage to indicate that Abraham heard and responded to God’s voice. It means to pay heed and react or respond to what is heard. In this sense, the word believe is a synonym to the word obey or hearken. This is a literal synonym, as is shown in another passage which relates them via the classical Hebrew literary method of repeated statements with synonyms for emphasis (called parallelism):
And Moses answered and said, But, behold,
they will not believe (aman) me, nor hearken
(shama) unto my voice: for they will say, The
LORD hath not appeared unto thee. Exo. 4:1
It is obvious that what Isaac was told defines Abraham’s belief. Abraham hearkened unto the LORD and obeyed his voice and kept his statutes. Believe is a verb that implies an action rather than a mental impression that “God is real”. The Hebrew mind uses the word believe to imply a lifestyle of actions that suggest that a person travels a path given by that which is believed in and supports the perspective of that which is believed in by thought and deed. The words “believe in God” mean to support God’s plan by your actions. The Word “amen” is actually the English form of the Hebrew word aman. In the future when you say “amen” to something, you are agreeing with the statement not just with your intellect but with your lifestyle.
Faith
Since belief comes from faith, the passage in Isaiah that describes the tent peg as a nail provides the definition for faith: To be fixed in purpose in the actions of one’s life as a nail driven in the hard ground. emunah: to be set firmly in place; also to pass strength to the next generation. This is why Paul writes the Christian church in Rome from a reference in Habakkuk 2:4:
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written. The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:7
The Hebrew concept of faith is to be a strong fixed support:
But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took
a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady (emunah) until the going down of the sun.
So Paul writes to the Corinthian Church a statement that exemplifies believing through faith:
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. I Cor 16:13
And also to the Christians of the church in Thessalonica:
But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. II Thes. 2:13-15
Clearly, a member of the kingdom of God is to live a life of purpose that supports the kingdom of God. It is not about a mental acceptance of the truth at all but a focused and determined life filled with the actions of one who will typify the life of Christ and spread His message to any who will listen. Those who live for God will be observed by others as “believers in God” because of their words, actions and decisions in life that support God.
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