ISAIAH 40:3 -41:16
The prophet echoes the future voice of Yochanan the Baptizer; “Prepare the Way of YHVH” Isn’t it interesting that one of the titles of Mashiach is “The Way?” So, could we say that this verse, in a way, is saying; “Prepare to meet Yeshua, who is the WAY, and who is YHVH in the flesh?”
“All flesh is grass and beauty likened unto a flower” are the words of the prophet, who speaks as the Ruach leads him. The grass withers away and so do flowers, the grass dries up and ends up “hay” which is eaten by cows, and flowers, well, they are thrown away or “pressed” between book pages. Kind of like having a picture of grandma and grandpa when they were young, yet, it tells the truth that our bodies wear down and our beauty and handsomeness go downhill. The only thing that remains is our soul, our spirit. Our soul and spirit receive the Word of Elohim, which is forever, and the “Living WORD” who is forever.
“He feeds His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs with His arm, and carries them in His bosom, gently leading those who are with young” (vs 11)
What could the prophet be saying here? Adonai feeds the “flock” (us, we are his “b’nei Elohim) “sons (and daughters) of God, with His Word. We are his sheep and lambs. A lamb is a young sheep under a year old. He cares for ALL believers, both young in the faith and mature in the faith. He has us next to his “bosom” the “bosom” of a woman who gives forth milk to her child, and the Torah is His “milk” that nourishes us. He leads those who are young. We might liken that statement to congregations that have both young and old believers, not age-wise but “spiritual maturity” wise. Or…could we say pastors and rabbis and their congregation members? Something to think about.
“It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (vs 22)
Wow, here is a revelation of the awesomeness of our God. A tent and a curtain are materials and fabric which can be folded and that can bend. Does this say that the universe has a curved structure? Does this explain how we can see starlight which comes from millions of light-years away, in a matter of seconds?
If you take a curtain or a tent, flatten them out, and mark one end with “A” and the other end with “B” and ask your friend, “What is the quickest way to get from point “A” to point “B”? your friend might say; “Draw a straight line from “A” to “B”. Well, that might be one of the ways, but not the quickest way. But if you “fold” the tent or curtain, from their “spread out” position, so that points “A” and “B” touch each other, then, you have simultaneous contact.
Time itself is affected. So, it might explain why we can see that starlight so far away, right away, by the bending of space-time, through the bending of the “curtain-tent” like expanse of the heavens. It might be that earth, where we “the grasshoppers (at least a grasshopper is a Kosher insect) live, is at the center of a possible wormhole in space where “A” and “B” touch? Only YHVH knows for sure. It’s something to think about.
The prophet is encouraging Israel saying that YHVH will support them, will protect them. Israel has been through a lot, they are weary of being persecuted, well, they went away from the LORD and went after false gods, yet, when they repent, YHVH will be there.
They are weary, weak, tired. Yes, when we do it in our own strength, yet when we go in the strength of YHVH, HE is our strength. We are not talking about physical strength, but spiritual strength. The physical is and always be physical. We can be strong physically by eating right, exercise, etc.…but we can be spiritually strong through prayer, reading God’s word, and just trusting in HIM for our needs.
“Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away, fear not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God, I strengthen thee, help thee, uphold thee… (41:10)
What better promise from God do we have? He has chosen us as HIS people, through Yeshua, we become an active part of the commonwealth of Israel, and, as our LORD, and Master, He will provide.
MATT 5:1-48
There is a lot of meat in this chapter, besides the Beatitudes, which are “blessed are the…” poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek (or humble) etc.… these we can understand, Yeshua is explaining this quite clearly. But there is another part which needs explanation. 5:17-18
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto thee, till heaven and earth pass, not one yod or tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled”
This has been a misunderstood verse in many if not all Bible churches today. What is “Law?” in Latin we have the word “legis” which when translated into English, we get “law”. The problem is when we go into the original Hebrew the word in “Torah” which means “instruction, teaching". When translated correctly into Latin, it would have been; “disciplinam”, “educatio” “instructio” “mandatum” Any of these words would have been better than “legis”
In ancient Hebrew, when worded “destroy” and “fulfill” meant that “destroying” is “erroneous interpretation” and “fulfilling” meant “correctly interpreting”. Yeshua did indeed “fulfill” the Torah, the biggest and most important fulfillment was dying for our sins. He fulfilled the Old Testament sacrificial system of animal blood, using his own blood.
The Torah consists of commandments, 613 to be exact. If we say, “we no longer have to live by those old-fashioned laws, the “law” is over, finished, ended, then…why don’t we go out to rob a house, to take your neighbor’s wife, to murder someone you don’t like? Those commandments are part of the “law”, aren’t they? So, if it is over with, well, why not? Because Yeshua himself said so! That he didn’t come to “end “or “get rid of, or “abrogate” as some translations have.
Of course, many of the 613 commandments are not for today, since there is no more animal sacrifice nor Levitical priesthood, but many are STILL for today. That is the reason for Bible study, which ones are or not.
As our rabbi (now in heaven) once said; “Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater” Now, someone is going to write a comment saying; “But doesn’t the Word say if we break one commandment it is like breaking them all?” we are guilty then of breaking the entire “law”
The answer is that if one is trusting in obedience to the commandments as our method of gaining eternal life and acceptance by God, then, YES, we are guilty, since YHVH demands PERFECT holiness, Yet, our salvation does NOT depend on our obedience to the commandments, but in accepting Yeshua’s sacrifice, and trusting HIM as LORD and Savior. Our obedience to the commandments comes AS A RESULT OF our renewed relationship with YHVH through Yeshua
Are the heavens passed away yet? NO! is the earth still here? YES, is the WORD of God still here in our midst? YES, is the LIVING WORD in our hearts? YES!
ROMANS 4:1-25
“Abraham believed and it was reckoned to him for righteousness”
It wasn’t by the works of Abraham that he was considered “in right standing” before Adonai, (another way of saying; righteousness) It wasn’t because he was circumcised, it was that he “Believed” in the promise of Adonai, and his belief, he followed His lead to the Land of Canaan. He believed even before he became circumcised.
Same in our case. When we believe and accept the free gift of “Yeshuah” (salvation) by “Yeshua” (seems like a play on names) and believe that His one-time-only sacrifice for our sins, we receive HIS righteousness, we come into “right-standing” before our God and King, our Creator, and our Father.
Our “good works” which are our adherence to the commandments, follow our “right standing” and not the other way around. We are made “righteous” to perform “righteous works” our faith leads to our good works, which, in the end, will bring us rewards in Heaven.
Shavua Tov
Ben Avraham
The Western Wall from a short distance away.
The prophet echoes the future voice of Yochanan the Baptizer; “Prepare the Way of YHVH” Isn’t it interesting that one of the titles of Mashiach is “The Way?” So, could we say that this verse, in a way, is saying; “Prepare to meet Yeshua, who is the WAY, and who is YHVH in the flesh?”
“All flesh is grass and beauty likened unto a flower” are the words of the prophet, who speaks as the Ruach leads him. The grass withers away and so do flowers, the grass dries up and ends up “hay” which is eaten by cows, and flowers, well, they are thrown away or “pressed” between book pages. Kind of like having a picture of grandma and grandpa when they were young, yet, it tells the truth that our bodies wear down and our beauty and handsomeness go downhill. The only thing that remains is our soul, our spirit. Our soul and spirit receive the Word of Elohim, which is forever, and the “Living WORD” who is forever.
“He feeds His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs with His arm, and carries them in His bosom, gently leading those who are with young” (vs 11)
What could the prophet be saying here? Adonai feeds the “flock” (us, we are his “b’nei Elohim) “sons (and daughters) of God, with His Word. We are his sheep and lambs. A lamb is a young sheep under a year old. He cares for ALL believers, both young in the faith and mature in the faith. He has us next to his “bosom” the “bosom” of a woman who gives forth milk to her child, and the Torah is His “milk” that nourishes us. He leads those who are young. We might liken that statement to congregations that have both young and old believers, not age-wise but “spiritual maturity” wise. Or…could we say pastors and rabbis and their congregation members? Something to think about.
“It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (vs 22)
Wow, here is a revelation of the awesomeness of our God. A tent and a curtain are materials and fabric which can be folded and that can bend. Does this say that the universe has a curved structure? Does this explain how we can see starlight which comes from millions of light-years away, in a matter of seconds?
If you take a curtain or a tent, flatten them out, and mark one end with “A” and the other end with “B” and ask your friend, “What is the quickest way to get from point “A” to point “B”? your friend might say; “Draw a straight line from “A” to “B”. Well, that might be one of the ways, but not the quickest way. But if you “fold” the tent or curtain, from their “spread out” position, so that points “A” and “B” touch each other, then, you have simultaneous contact.
Time itself is affected. So, it might explain why we can see that starlight so far away, right away, by the bending of space-time, through the bending of the “curtain-tent” like expanse of the heavens. It might be that earth, where we “the grasshoppers (at least a grasshopper is a Kosher insect) live, is at the center of a possible wormhole in space where “A” and “B” touch? Only YHVH knows for sure. It’s something to think about.
The prophet is encouraging Israel saying that YHVH will support them, will protect them. Israel has been through a lot, they are weary of being persecuted, well, they went away from the LORD and went after false gods, yet, when they repent, YHVH will be there.
They are weary, weak, tired. Yes, when we do it in our own strength, yet when we go in the strength of YHVH, HE is our strength. We are not talking about physical strength, but spiritual strength. The physical is and always be physical. We can be strong physically by eating right, exercise, etc.…but we can be spiritually strong through prayer, reading God’s word, and just trusting in HIM for our needs.
“Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away, fear not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God, I strengthen thee, help thee, uphold thee… (41:10)
What better promise from God do we have? He has chosen us as HIS people, through Yeshua, we become an active part of the commonwealth of Israel, and, as our LORD, and Master, He will provide.
MATT 5:1-48
There is a lot of meat in this chapter, besides the Beatitudes, which are “blessed are the…” poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek (or humble) etc.… these we can understand, Yeshua is explaining this quite clearly. But there is another part which needs explanation. 5:17-18
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto thee, till heaven and earth pass, not one yod or tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled”
This has been a misunderstood verse in many if not all Bible churches today. What is “Law?” in Latin we have the word “legis” which when translated into English, we get “law”. The problem is when we go into the original Hebrew the word in “Torah” which means “instruction, teaching". When translated correctly into Latin, it would have been; “disciplinam”, “educatio” “instructio” “mandatum” Any of these words would have been better than “legis”
In ancient Hebrew, when worded “destroy” and “fulfill” meant that “destroying” is “erroneous interpretation” and “fulfilling” meant “correctly interpreting”. Yeshua did indeed “fulfill” the Torah, the biggest and most important fulfillment was dying for our sins. He fulfilled the Old Testament sacrificial system of animal blood, using his own blood.
The Torah consists of commandments, 613 to be exact. If we say, “we no longer have to live by those old-fashioned laws, the “law” is over, finished, ended, then…why don’t we go out to rob a house, to take your neighbor’s wife, to murder someone you don’t like? Those commandments are part of the “law”, aren’t they? So, if it is over with, well, why not? Because Yeshua himself said so! That he didn’t come to “end “or “get rid of, or “abrogate” as some translations have.
Of course, many of the 613 commandments are not for today, since there is no more animal sacrifice nor Levitical priesthood, but many are STILL for today. That is the reason for Bible study, which ones are or not.
As our rabbi (now in heaven) once said; “Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater” Now, someone is going to write a comment saying; “But doesn’t the Word say if we break one commandment it is like breaking them all?” we are guilty then of breaking the entire “law”
The answer is that if one is trusting in obedience to the commandments as our method of gaining eternal life and acceptance by God, then, YES, we are guilty, since YHVH demands PERFECT holiness, Yet, our salvation does NOT depend on our obedience to the commandments, but in accepting Yeshua’s sacrifice, and trusting HIM as LORD and Savior. Our obedience to the commandments comes AS A RESULT OF our renewed relationship with YHVH through Yeshua
Are the heavens passed away yet? NO! is the earth still here? YES, is the WORD of God still here in our midst? YES, is the LIVING WORD in our hearts? YES!
ROMANS 4:1-25
“Abraham believed and it was reckoned to him for righteousness”
It wasn’t by the works of Abraham that he was considered “in right standing” before Adonai, (another way of saying; righteousness) It wasn’t because he was circumcised, it was that he “Believed” in the promise of Adonai, and his belief, he followed His lead to the Land of Canaan. He believed even before he became circumcised.
Same in our case. When we believe and accept the free gift of “Yeshuah” (salvation) by “Yeshua” (seems like a play on names) and believe that His one-time-only sacrifice for our sins, we receive HIS righteousness, we come into “right-standing” before our God and King, our Creator, and our Father.
Our “good works” which are our adherence to the commandments, follow our “right standing” and not the other way around. We are made “righteous” to perform “righteous works” our faith leads to our good works, which, in the end, will bring us rewards in Heaven.
Shavua Tov
Ben Avraham
The Western Wall from a short distance away.
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