Merchants of Malice

By JimZ, 8 September, 2010, No Comment

What is a talebearer? The Hebrew word for a talebearer suggests a “trader” or “merchant.” It reflects the idea that a talebearer trades, or merchandises, in tales. That’s an insightful way of looking at talebearers, those merchants of malice, with whom we are all so familiar in life. Their stock and trade is in information regarding others.

Today we usually call “talebearing” by the name “gossip.” But however we refer to it, YHWH has said not to do it!

Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:16 KJV)

Some would argue that we are no longer under Torah, so that doesn’t apply. My response is: huh?

What part of love is talebearing? A talebearer can’t be walking in their so-called “Law of Love” because their talebearing is in no part the love of Messiah. Rather than making erroneous proclamations about a dead law, they need to focus on putting to death their evil ways. They really need to open up Torah and get an education in what walking by the law of love actually looks like!

Talebearing is no part of Spirit-led love, nor of Spirit-filled wisdom. Talebearers can only be walking in the flesh because it is a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). And it’s also just plain unwise. Proverbs addressed talebearing:

The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. (Proverbs 18:8 KJV)

He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. (Proverbs 20:19 KJV)

Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. (Proverbs 26:20 KJV)

The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
(Proverbs 26:22 KJV) (Yes, it’s in Proverbs twice, just for good measure!)

To summarize those quotes from Proverbs: talebearers leave a lot to be desired. So whether by Torah, or by the Law of Love (for those who don’t realize that Torah is the Law of Love), talebearing doesn’t fit in the life, practice, or experience of the Kingdom of YHWH. In fact, our King hates it:

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV)

That’s what a talebearer does: sows discord. Some sowing is obvious and we can dispense with it relatively easily. But other sowing is much more subtle. So subtle, that I submit to you that most of us engage in it quite commonly without even realizing it.

How can this be? Because many of us come from backgrounds that were not built on a culture of YHWH’s word and way. So we are not always in tune with the revealed righteousness of YHWH. But we can learn something about talebearing from the culture that has been grounded in the Bible long before there ever was something called a Christian.

In the Jewish culture, there is a developed understanding of talebearing, its effects, and its nuances. One aspect of talebearing is the spreading of lies in order to destroy someone, whether literally or figuratively. That is called “motzi shem ra” or “spreading a bad name.” That one is pretty obvious to us.

We all have been the victims of liars who have attempted to destroy us in some way by spreading what they understand to be lies. Thankfully for us, we have a Father who has promised to free us from such murderers and exact justice for their crimes against the innocent.

It’s not that kind of talebearing I want to look at today. What I want to discuss today is much more subtle and therefore not so obvious to our untrained eye. But it is still talebearing, and we have still been told not to do it. And even if we claim some sort of Law of Love outside of Torah, we cannot in good conscience claim to be acting under Love if we engage in talebearing.

In contrast to motzi shem ra, we have something called “lashon hara” (evil tongue, or speech). Lashon hara differs from the defaming of someone by lies in that its focus is on the use of truth for a wrongful purpose. That is gossip, or talebearing, also. And I see that going on ALL the time.

Lashon hara is anything that is said about another person that is derogatory or even damaging in any way (physically, financially, socially, stress-inducingly, and the like). Anytime we say anything that discredits or casts a bad light on someone we are talebearing. It’s not our place to “bring someone down,” even if the things we discuss about them are true. There are some limitations to this that I’ll describe a bit later.

How much do you really love someone? Do you love them enough to not even say good things about them? What? Yes, it’s a violation of this mitzvah (a mitzvah is walking in love of YHWH and His Word) to say even positive things if those positive things will discredit or damage someone. How does that work?

Well, let’s say you are speaking with an enemy of Tom. You say, “That Tom is really such a nice guy!” What you said about Tom might be nice, it might be true, it might be positive, but it is talebearing that will likely lead to damaging communication about Tom.

That’s because you are provoking Tom’s enemy to say something bad about Tom in order to contradict your appreciation of Tom or in order to convince you that Tom is not at all nice. The best thing to have done was to not say anything at all about Tom. And if Tom’s enemy says something about Tom, just smile politely and don’t say anything.

See how subtley lashon hara operates? Even when we think we might be peacemakers we could actually be acting as trouble makers! Sound complicated? Not really. The thing to do is learn not to say anything good or bad about anybody, except to their face.

Let’s do say things to build others up, but to their face where it will actually be a blessing. Wouldn’t you be more of a blessing to Tom by express your appreciation of him directly rather than to his enemy? It’s simple, only we complicate it.

Here’s another example. You are thankful that Joe has given you $100 to help you make your full mortgage payment on time. You express that appreciation to Mark and Larry. But you don’t know what is going to be going through Mark and Larry’s minds when you compliment Joe in regards to this matter. It’s possible your communication will cause damage to Joe in some way.

Mark or Larry may become irritated that Joe didn’t provide help to them too. Maybe they’ll ask, but Joe won’t have anything extra because he already helped you out. They’ll potentially get the wrong picture of his refusal to help and it will cause Joe to be damaged socially, at least.

But our talebearing is not really this innocent often, is it? Isn’t it common to hear the truth being told, but in such a manner that the person who is the object of the truth being spread is in some way being damaged? Remember, it might be true but that doesn’t make it right to tell others in gossip, or talebearing.

How many people have been damaged by so-called prayer requests shared? How many “concerned” saints have there been that have spent many an hour discussing others business in the name of a caring spirit?

Whether we are using truth as an excuse to be a talebearer, or we are just telling somebody else’s business without malice on our part, we could very well be causing harm in some way to the person we are talking about. We just don’t know. But we’d still be talebearers.

In some ways, talebearing is worse than physically harming someone or their property. Property can be restored and bruises can mend. But the tales we bear about others can never full be taken back from the minds, hearts, and attitudes of other people. The damage caused by talebearing is, to some extent, irreversible.

And lashon hara, truth misused, can be worse that motzi shem ra, a slanderous lie. That’s because a lie can potentially be proven to be a lie and a reputation restored. But the truth cannot be denied honestly, so the damage is not repairable. The person might deserve to have their reputation destroyed, but that is YHWH’s place, not ours. We must not be talebearers of false tales, nor of true tales.

Now, the concept of lashon hara has been abused by predators. There have been cases of abusers attempting to silence their victim with this concept. But it is not talebearing to seek help or rescue from one’s oppressor. But it would become lashon hara if we were to go about telling everyone about the abuser after we have been rescued in order to bring harm to them. Again, that is YHWH’s place.

Lashon hara also raises concern when we are placed in a position to help someone out of a potentially harmful situation by telling them something we know about another person. Tread carefully here. There is sometimes a fine line between genuine concern for someone while having an ability to save them from harm, and sticking our noses in where they don’t belong.

So what can we do to save ourselves from committing lashon hara? It helps to have a general personal policy of not saying anything good or bad about someone not present, whether it is true or not. Let’s spend our time saying good or bad, as appropriate, about the people we are with at the moment. That’s where it is going to do the most good! And then we must develop a very keen ear for the Spirit’s leading in what we should or shouldn’t say, when, where, and to whom.

Something that will help tremendously in combating lashon hara is to develop our mind, heart, and actions toward thinking well of others as a general rule. What we think of others makes a big difference in what we say about them. This will help us to not be too quick to criticize others in a moment of weakness. What we feel towards others leads to our actions. If we have an attitude of genuine concern for others, we will automatically act in accordance with their well being. Finally, we just need to act like our Messiah. It’s right to do good to others, even when they don’t deserve it.

This is a big topic, and my purpose here is to introduce it to you. A fuller and more nuanced understanding of these things belongs to those who will search them out in Scripture (I didn’t tell you any examples of lashon hara in action from Scripture. They’re there–search them out!) and seek to follow the Spirit in being set-apart from the ways of the world.

Finally, the fall feast season is upon us. The ten days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur are known as the days of Awe. They are traditionally days of self-searching and repentance in preparation of Yom Kippur. The tongue is an area of defeat for many within the kingdom. This is a perfect time for us to consider what our words and communications with others look like from YHWH’s perspective. If they are something that He really hates, then it’s time to seek forgiveness, put them behind us, and step forward in His Torah.

Blessings! And Shana tova!

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Copyright 2010 Jim Zboran. All rights reserved.
Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimblogz.com | www.jimblogz.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Broadly Speaking

By JimZ, 31 August, 2010, 4 Comments

One of my all-time favorite small-group Bible studies to lead is a 13-week study on the Sermon on the Mount. And one of my favorite passages to open up is the very familiar, yet largely misunderstood:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 KJV)

Notice that He doesn’t say that entering the narrow gate is hard to do. Actually, Yeshua just says that it is easy to miss. And in fact most will miss it because they are looking the wrong way even though they may pass by quite frequently. How frequently? For many, every day. But we’ll get back to that shortly.

Many don’t realize that this grave warning of Yeshua is followed by a series of three related teachings that address the issue and tell (those who want to hear) how to avoid missing the narrow gate themselves. Let’s take a closer look at three ways to miss the narrow gate:

Confidence in the Wrong Leaders

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:15-20 KJV)

One way many miss the narrow gate of life is that they get on the bandwagon of false teachers. They become so focused on being part of a popular movement, or of being accepted by a particular group, that they ignore evidence that something is amiss with the teachers to which they adhere.

Many misunderstand the false prophets referred to here as being promoters of other religions or worldly philosphies. But Yeshua was speaking specifically about those that wrap themselves in Christ-clothing in spite of the fact that inside the Spirit of Messiah is not to be found.

A Mohammedan, an atheist, a Buddhist, and others who reject Yeshua the Messiah are not in sheep’s clothing. They are typically upfront about differences in their faith and ours. Sometimes they might sugar-coat differences so as to be ingratiating and hoping to use some good old “friendship evangelism” on us. But even then, when “push comes to shove,” the differences cannot be denied. They are not sneaking up on an unsuspecting flock. It is clear that what they teach is very different than what the disciples of Yeshua follow.

Rather, the wolves in sheep’s clothing are those who pretend to be teachers of Yeshua, but are nothing of the sort in reality. Like the Mormon, the Jehovah’s Witness, the Christian Scientist, and a host of others. These are just a few examples of a large variety of wolves in sheep’s clothing ravening to steal away the souls of the real Shepherds flock. They sneak in with “plastic words” that are molded to look like the real thing, but they are only a cheap imitation. Those are some of the blatantly obvious examples to make my point. There are a great many more false teachers who are VERY hard to discern initially.

Even though these wolves might look like the real thing on casual and distant observation, followers of these people are not typically casual or distant to them for long. The wolves promoting false doctrines in an effort to steal sheep don’t have the Spirit. So they don’t display the fruit of the Spirit consistently irregardless of the show they may be able to keep going for the moment. But after some time, the works of the flesh marking these pretend apostles can be seen by close observation. And those fleshly fruits are the branding of a faker for the flock.

But those warning signs are ignored by many followers unwilling to take their idolized leader off his or her pedestal. Sadly, they will bear the price of missing the narrow gate because they idolized a teacher rather than the Word of Truth, which they have access to whenever they reach for their copy of Scriptures.

Confidence in Religious Works

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23 KJV)

Yeshua was not referring to followers of anything other than a Christ-wrapped religion. Notice they say “Lord, Lord.” Notice also that they do religious things “in His name.” Yeshua was not talking about Buddhists, or Muslims, or Atheists, or anybody other than someone walking in some form of Christian religion. This group clearly thought they were doing religious service in the name of Christ. But Yeshua’s response to them clearly shows they were wrong: “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” That means they were on the broad road to destruction. What happened?

They were workers of iniquity. “Iniquity” here in the Greek is “anomia,” which literally means “anti-law,” or “anti-Torah” if we use the Hebrew word translated into “law” in the Greek texts. They were not doing what Yeshua wanted them to do. Rather, they were doing what they thought was good to do in their own eyes. They were obviously impressed with their religious works and wonders, and that was another problem. They were idolizing their own righteousness. To do that, they dethroned YHWH’s righteousness.

Had they set aside their religious pomp and circumstance they might have seen the Torah of Yeshua, so clearly communicated in the entire Bible, and walked in that way. Instead, they miss the narrow gate because they are so focused on the broad road, looking unswervingly ahead to their next Christo-shindig and holy sham-wow session.

Confidence in Biblical Knowledge

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24-27 KJV)

Finally, we have another teaching that is often misinterpreted to be applicable to the world at large. It isn’t uncommon to have the sand-builders compared to those who follow other religions while the rock-builders are compared to Christians. But that interpretation is based on a very sloppy reading of the text. And worse, it is in error. It’s easy to see upon closer inspection.

Notice what is common about both the rock-builders and the sand-builders: they BOTH have Yeshua’s words in their ears. What is different? The rock-builders take His words to heart and do them. The sand-builders let Yeshua’s words pass in one ear and then out the other. They never take His words to heart as evidenced by their failure to actually do them.

Though the sand-builders have Yeshua’s words, they actually rejecting them and instead trust in their own way. That is proven by their actions. They prefer the broad road of their christo-religious ideas as opposed to what Yeshua Himself said to do. And as the broad road leads to total destruction, so too does building upon the sand.

The core problem for the sand-builders is that they mistakenly believe that knowing YHWH’s word is the goal of their faith. They miss the oft-spoken testimony from all of Scripture that our walk in faith is all about doing what is right, not knowing what is right. There are a great many (remember, the road is broad) that are confident in their knowledge of Scripture and fully expect, based upon their knowing “the right things,” that the doors of life are open to them. But they are deceived by their supposed Biblical “sophistication.”

But like the wise-fools represented by the sand-builders, they build their own theological systems based upon what they want to incorporate into their religion while ignoring those parts of Scripture that don’t fit into their lifestyle. Ironically, they often claim a “freedom” that leads to the worst kind of bondage of all. They are bound to the broad road that only ends in destruction.

In the end, they will be found to have idolized their theological systems and intellectual prowess. The righteousness in action that they were so uninvolved with in life will come back to haunt them in death.

So there we have an important warning from Yeshua to those who think they are following Him but really are not. His warning is followed by three specific ways that one can be pursuing “Yeshua,” but completely missing the gate He calls for them to enter through. Many are on the broad road of “almost anything goes” in terms of Biblical teachers, practice, or knowledge. But Yeshua calls us through the very narrow gate of following His teachers, His Torah, and His example of faith in deed and not just words.

Let’s take another look at the opening warning. That warning is not to the world at large, it is to those that actually think they are on the right path with Yeshua. It is significant that this warning and the applications that followed were given to those who went up the mountain with Him. They were His disciples. Or at least they thought they were at the moment. Yeshua was not offering this warning to the world. He had other warnings to give them. He was directing His words to His flock. Or at least to those who thought they were.

So let’s heed Yeshua’s words and examine ourselves under their light. Are we paying attention to teachers that speak to Biblical truth but live the world’s lies? Are we impressed with the things we are doing for the kingdom, or are the words of the King being impressed upon us? And are we building our lives upon obedience to YHWH’s way or are we building sandcastles of the shifting sands and tides of our own moral whims and fancies (or fantasies)?

We know better brethren because He has taught us better. So let us do better, as unto the reverence and honoring of our King. In so doing we enter the narrow gate to which He calls us. L’chaim, mishpocha!

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What do you think? Please leave a comment below and let me know! Thank you.

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Pastors Trained to Undermine Jesus’ Message?

By JimZ, 18 August, 2010, 4 Comments

Are pastors “trained” to undermine Jesus’ message? That’s the question begged by the video entitled “Pastors Trained to Undermine Jesus’ Message” which I’ve embedded here. (requires a flash player to view).

Having received my theological training from a highly respected Midwest Bible college over twenty years ago, and the experience in ministry and interaction with many, many pastors over the years since then, I have first hand knowledge of this issue. And my answer therefore ends up being more “nuanced.”

In short, I don’t think pastors are trained “to” undermine Yeshua’s message. In fact, their training is intended to do just the opposite. BUT, the sad result of their training is that it almost always does end up undermining Yeshua’s message.

That’s because of what I call “Biblical Sophistication.” They have been deceived into making the irrelevant important. In that process they largely and consistently ignore what is vital to the faith of a New Covenant believer. The end result is to slip further into error. In the slipping, their error must be even more rigorously defended and more blindly embraced irregardless of the truth.

What is reaped in this folly is a vicious downward cycle. Sadly, they unintentionally (generally) lead others blindly down into the same pit. The broader problem here is something I call “Biblical Sophistication.” I’m using the word sophistication with a sense of irony here of course.

“Biblical Sophistication” is the attempt to know all things Biblical from an intellectual standpoint. The major motivation in “doing” the Bible for many of these biblical sophomores becomes to demonstrate the level of their sophistication with the Bible. In other words: to show off how smart and righteous they are. Bad news already. But it gets worse.

In order to aid in that hell-spawned effort (and profit from it), all kinds of systematic theologies, pop religious idols, glossy Bible “studies” and a whole host of gimmicks disguised by biblical-sounding lingo and pious buzzwords are hatched. The net result is that, by and large, flocks of believers are led away from what is absolutely vital for all under the New Covenant: to simply (and faithfully) read their Bible and do what it says.

Biblical Sophistication is not equal to Biblical Understanding. Biblical Understanding is the experienced and event-shaped understanding of YHWH’s word that leads to the moral living that is the mark of YHWH’s people. “Biblical Sophistication” acts as a cheap substitute. In fact, the brand of Biblical Sophistication I’m referring to actually leads to an argumentative, self-righteousness, and judgmental spirit. A sure mark of the flesh.

Reading the Bible, and most vitally important, doing what it says to do, leads to “Biblical Understanding.” Biblical Understanding is the internalized word of YHWH that is nurtured in us by the Spirit and truly impacts the world as we apply it, by the Spirit again, in an experienced and skilled manner. The result is that the Bible comes to life and is expressed (demonstrated and communicated) through our life.

To sum up, pastors are (usually) not trained to undermine Jesus’ message, but their training usually results in doing just that. They have been deceived. I thought the video above does a good job in describing a major trap into which so many pastors (and many more laypersons, for that matter,) fall.

We must be careful to not fall into the same kind of traps ourselves. The trap works on non-pastors as well. And don’t get too caught up in titles. I’ve run across more than a few “messianic rabbis” (of both the real and the three-dollar-bill type) making the same mistake from a different angle.

Our best defense? Our greatest hope in this mess? As always: read our Bible and do what it says. That is always the bottom line for New Covenant believers. And since I’ve reached the bottom line of the issue, that’s all I have to say about the matter. Today.

Blessings, family in Messiah

PS. If the embedded video above didn’t play, you may have better luck viewing it here.

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Hitting the (Comic) Books Again

By JimZ, 18 August, 2010, 6 Comments

Fall is on the way, slow but sure. I can’t tell so much by the weather or the leaves, but I know fall is approaching by the hordes of mothers with school supply shopping lists in hand at the local Wal-Mart and Staples stores lately.

Being homeschoolers, we happily avoid that rush. And besides that, the Zboran homeschool has already been up and running since July 1st (that’s the first day of the Missouri school year). We start slow and early so we’re running full-steam by the time September rolls around.

And full-steam this year will include the beginning of a Biblical Hebrew course of study for the kids. And so, as I’ll be leading the Zboran brood in those endeavors, I was hunting for some relevant supplemental study materials online the other day.

And did I ever come across a great resource for when they begin to really “hit the books” again! And, even better (they’ll think), this book will be a comic book! Since I know some of you are studying Biblical Hebrew, and many more of you know someone who is, I thought I’d point you in the direction of this free(!) and fun educational resource.

At www.animatedhebrew.com you’ll find a number of free educational resources for studying Biblical Hebrew. The one that really caught my eye was the Jonah comic book. Here’s the author’s description (I’ve highlighted what I especially like):

Every word of the Hebrew text is included in this Jonah comic in multiple scripts (square, cursive, paleo-Hebrew) and multiple forms (consonantal, pointed, cantillated). You can also listen to my slow, deliberate read of the Hebrew text, and pause or repeat at any time. At the bottom of the screen you’ll find ancient and modern translations that you can compare with the Hebrew text (Aramaic, Syriac, Greek, Latin, German, French, and 3 English translations). This comic is a great way to learn or practice your biblical Hebrew. It will help you develop an “ear” for the language and wean your dependence on pointed texts. For an extra challenge, use the ‘no text’ option to try memorizing the whole book.

Pretty impressive sounding! Does it live up to all that? I think so, but check it out for yourself. You can set it to manual or auto play and toggle between text scripts. It takes a little bit to figure out how to download and set up, but it’s worth it.

Viewing requires a free Adobe Shockwave player, which you probably already have on your computer. There is an option to view online, or to download for offline use. For off-computer use, screenshots (color or black-and-white) and their accompanying mp3 audios may be downloaded. Just load the audio to your mp3 player and print off the screenshots.

Here are some sample pages to look at now:

Sample page in square script.

Sample page in cursive script.

Sample page in paleo script.

And here’s a sample of one of the mp3 files that can be downloaded to go along with the printable pages of the comic book.

There are a number of links on the Jonah comic book main web page and it will take a few minutes to figure out all your options. Probably best, if you want to try it out first online, is to follow this link. It’s a 16MB file, so it takes a little bit of time to load. (There’s a game that plays while waiting, though!)

While you’re looking at the Jonah comic, be sure to take a look at the other free (not to mention impressive) resources offered by Charles Grebe, M.A., of Briercrest Seminary inSaskatchewan, Canada.

Just to mention another of his notable offerings:

…35 hours of audio/visual lectures covering the first 40 chapters of the textbook Introducing Biblical Hebrew by Allen P. Ross. In them I try to explain everything very carefully, including all the English grammar that so many people are missing and that most textbooks assume you already know.

If you happen to have the Ross textbook, or would be willing to buy one, this would be a good project to undertake in your spare time.

Hope you enjoy the Jonah comic, or at least hearing about it. With the summer season on the verge of winding down perhaps this will help you “fall” into some new Hebrew studies before too long!

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Very Fulfilling!

By JimZ, 1 March, 2010, 3 Comments

Isn’t it exciting to come across a bit of prophecy in Scripture and suddenly recognize it for what it is? And it’s even better when you realize that it is unfolding right before your very own eyes! I love when that happens.

It doesn’t happen often but when it does it can be stunning. Even more so when we stumble across a Scriptural gem just sitting there plain-as-day that we never “noticed” before and no one has introduced to us previously. That’s when things get really exciting!

Daniel, a personal hero of mine, was a man who was given many prophetic dreams and visions. And yet, I can imagine Daniel had that same stunned and excited feeling when he discovered relevant prophecy in the writings of other prophets.

We know of one such instance:

In the first year of his (Darius) reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. (Daniel 9:2 KJV Unmasked)

Daniel came to his understanding in the first year of Darius. That was also the first year of Cyrus who set the fulfillment of that very prophecy in motion (see Ezra 1:1). So Daniel came to understand the prophecy on the verge of its unfolding. His response holds an interesting lesson which we will consider in a moment. But let’s consider something more basic first.

How did Daniel work out that bit of prophetic understanding? Even though Daniel didn’t tell us I think it’s easy enough to figure out. Let’s look at Jeremiah. Here are the verses that were likely the key that the Spirit used to unlock Daniel’s understanding:

For thus saith YHWH, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith YHWH, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith YHWH: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith YHWH; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. (Jeremiah 29:10-15 KJV Unmasked)

Wow! That was it? Sitting there right out in the open. And yet it apparently took Daniel decades to notice it. It’s impossible to imagine this was the first time he had read those words. He had to have been over eighty years old at that point!

The more believable explanation is that the words never “hit home” for Daniel before then. He had read them on previous occasions but they had never made an impression on him. That’s how Scripture is often times. It’s almost always very plain, open, and easy to understand…at the right time.

The Holy Spirit is involved in presenting the truths of Scripture to us as we need to become aware of them. The trick is for us to be continually (ie. daily) in Scripture to allow the Spirit to reveal His truth to us at the right time.

But besides exposing ourselves to YHWH’s Word regularly, there is another vitally important lesson for us learn by example from Daniel’s “discovery.” Let’s continue where we left off with the Daniel passage:

And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto YHWH my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; (Daniel 9:3-4 KJV Unmasked)

Why did Daniel respond this way to his understanding the relevance of Jeremiah’s prophecy to himself? There is a very subtle lesson here that is easy to miss if we just assume that Daniel’s response was random or generic in nature.

I think Daniel did something more important than simply react to his discovery. Rather, Daniel acted in fulfillment of the prophecy when he realized it’s application to him. Let’s look again at the prophecy in Jeremiah:

For thus saith YHWH, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith YHWH, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith YHWH: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith YHWH; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. (Jeremiah 29:10-15 KJV Unmasked)

See that? YHWH said He would accomplish what He wanted done by Babylon in seventy years. At that point, Judah would turn to Him and seek Him earnestly and diligently. Then He would turn away Judah’s captivity.

Daniel not only understood the prophecy, he understood the response of Judah that would lead them out of captivity. As a man of Judah taken captive, Daniel understood and acted upon the role Judah would play in the fulfillment of the prophecy. He turned to YHWH with prayer and repentance as indicated in Jeremiah.

Compare the Jeremiah and Daniel verses again. Daniel not only understands that captivity time is drawing to a close, but he also understands that the people of Judah will respond to YHWH in a certain way at that point to bring the event about. So Daniel responds appropriately!

When the Holy Spirit reveals prophetic truth to us from Scripture it is for a reason that likely involves some kind of action by which we become a part of the fulfillment. That’s why we are given an understanding.

Even Daniel didn’t understand all the prophecy given him to write for a future generation. That’s because it was for someone else:

And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. (Daniel 12:8-9 KJV Unmasked)

Daniel was given understanding of those things he needed to understand. The same goes for us, I believe. When we see for ourselves something from Scripture we can be sure that the Holy Spirit has revealed it to us for a reason. And what is that reason?

Usually it’s to get started preparing, responding, and/or teaching an application to the revelation. It is a call to present action in light of advance understanding of what is coming. We become a part of the fulfillment of prophecy when the Spirit shows it to us from Scripture and we respond in accordance to what has been revealed.

And what if you don’t see these things revealed so that you can respond? You will. But you need to be in Scripture regularly, all the while seeking the Spirit’s revelation of what you need to know today. If you don’t have a daily Scripture reading program that would be a great place to start.

Just read something, even only a chapter (5-10 minutes) each day. Before too long, you will be “noticing” verses as if for the first time. They will be ripe with meaning just for you.

Relax, be patient, and read. When the “gem” sparkles at you, grab it! Consider why the Spirit should have brought it especially to your attention. Then seek an understanding from the Holy Spirit as to how you might apply what He has shown you. Then you must apply it. He won’t keep showing you new things if you refuse to follow through on what He has already shown you.

Eventually, He will show you prophecy that applies to you. But at first it is more likely that your revelations will be moral or relational (with Him) in nature. Those are far more common. But they are just as exciting when they appear. You know they are hand picked by the Spirit just for you!

So let’s keep in Scriptures daily and respond with action. And when the Holy Spirit reveals something prophetic to us we will be prepared to respond. And responding to revealed prophecy can be very fulfilling indeed!

Abba, Father, thank you for placing your Spirit within us to reveal to us your Word. Help us to expose ourselves to your Word regularly, help us to hear your Spirit in your Word, and help us to respond as your people. We ask this in the name of Yeshua our Messiah. Amen.

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Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Shabbat Shalom!

By JimZ, 19 February, 2010, 4 Comments

Shabbat Shalom, friends and family in Messiah. Hope you have a blessed weekend. See you you next week!

Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to YHWH, speak, saying, YHWH hath utterly separated me from his people… the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to YHWH, to serve him, and to love the name of YHWH, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (Isaiah 56:2-7 KJV: Unmasked)

It’s our banner and our right as the people of YHWH under His (Re)New(ed) Covenant!

How do you say Shabbat Shalom?

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Following On, Not Falling Out

By JimZ, 16 February, 2010, 7 Comments

Life in this world can be unfair. And so, it seems sometimes, can life in the Kingdom. It is not uncommon for those of us committed to following Messiah Yeshua to be called to experience hardship in our lives. And that is especially so in the course of our service to Him. But others are not. Is that fair?

Sure, those difficult times we experience are lovingly designed by our Father to shape our moral character, humility, and dependence upon Him for our provision and protection. But what about those who never seem to be so “blessed?” What about them?

When Peter was informed of his eventual martyrdom in service to the Kingdom he responded as thus:

Peter seeing him (John) saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. (John 21:21-22 KJV)

That is the bottom line for us, too. We follow Him. It is not our concern how others are called to serve. We must focus our attention on Him as we serve Him in the situation to which He has brought us. We must not focus on where He brings others in their walk with Him. Or apparent walk with Him. More on that later.

We must remind ourselves of Yeshua’s words to Peter whenever we are tempted to look around and wonder why some other believer has it easier than us right now. There is an important reason to do so. If we don’t, we open ourselves up to attack from the enemy. We put ourselves at risk of falling out, rather than following on.

The Accuser of the Brethren is also the Accuser of YHWH. And so he invites us to place our focus on others who seem to have “a better deal” than we do. In so doing, he leads our focus away from YHWH and onto ourselves–and what YHWH hasn’t done for us.

He wants us to despair at our own treatment, envy the treatment of others, and then get us angry at YHWH because of disparities, real or (usually) imagined.

The Accuser’s strategy is to call into question motives. We’ve observed that in Scripture. He called YHWH’s motives into question with Eve for a prohibition against eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden. He questioned Job’s motives before YHWH and suggested that Job was only faithful so far as he had been blessed. And we’ve experienced that questioning of motives in our own lives, haven’t we?

That’s a signature strategy of his. I can always tell when someone is working for the enemy when I observe them questioning others’ motives constantly. They expose themselves by ever trying to sow doubt and discord among the brethren by attempting to get the gullible into questioning motives when there is no reason to do so.

Usually there is a lie, or at least a half-truth, involved. Satan’s servants are masters of this tactic. This is why, more likely than not, you have experienced defeated congregations in your past. They gave in to the Accuser’s siren call. The Accuser’s servants sowed discord and in response most took their eyes of the Leader and focused on everybody else, including themselves.

So let’s not get “suckered” into that one. It’s easy to stay safe–just keep in step with the Spirit. But many don’t. Don’t get caught up with them.

The enemy wants us discouraged. He wants us be be ineffective. He wants us infected with anger and envy in order to further spread the disease of discord and disharmony.

And if he can get us to question and doubt the goodness and fairness of YHWH on top of all that, then all the better in his wicked book. He’s tricky. You’ll be fine if you keep in step with the Spirit, who leads us clear of all involvement in such destructive behavior. If we listen.

And I must include here a special variation of his game that is a standard in his playbook. Getting us to doubt YHWH’s goodness by tempting us to compare ourselves to impostors he himself has rewarded. Keep in mind these verses:

If you endure discipline, Elohim (God) is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become sharers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. (Hebrews 12:7-8 The Scriptures 1998+)

It might just be that some around us don’t go through the shaping process because they are not really being conformed to the image of the Son.

Don’t think the Accuser doesn’t take special pleasure in holding up one of his impostors, an illegitimate son, in order to use that person to accuse YHWH even more falsely in our eyes.

The strategy of the enemy of our faith is to attempt to get us to shift our focus from serving YHWH in our trials to doubting the goodness and justice of YHWH because of those trials. Though the circumstances were a bit different, the words of Yeshua to Peter apply here: “What is that to you? You follow me.”

It is helpful to put everything in perspective as we repeat His words to ourselves. Biblical perspective. One such verse that is helpful it:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:28-31 KJV)

You know other verses that might be helpful in clarifying the truth of the matter to yourself. But all those verses point to this: He has big plans for us. That’s why He is leading us into the places, events, circumstances and trials in which we find ourselves. They are grooming us for a glorious future. But we must fully follow Him where He leads us as individuals within a broader Kingdom. We must not let ourselves be tricked into a falling out before we arrive!

Abba, Father, thank you for your many great and precious promises to us whereby we may lay hold of life and godliness. We recognize that involves hardship as measured by the world’s standards. During those times, we ask that you would help us to continue to focus on your faithfulness and goodness in completing the work you have begun in us. Help us to recognize when your enemy attempts to lead us astray from you and help us keep in step with your Spirit so that we may stay on course with what you have called us to do and become in your Kingdom. We ask these things in the name of Yeshua our Messiah. Amen.

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Fringe Benefits

By JimZ, 11 February, 2010, 8 Comments

Wearing the tzitziyot (fringes) is a mitzvah (commandment) that still benefits the believer under the New Covenant today. The function of the tzitzit is still the same and this mitzvah has a place within the framework of YHWH’s work among His people from beginning to end.

In part one of this series the commandment was introduced. In part two, we looked into the applicability of this commandment to those of us under the New Covenant. In this installment, part three, we will consider the benefit to be found in observing this mitzvah.

It seems to me the reason the mitzvah of tzitzit is so often set aside by those who otherwise consider themselves to be Torah-observant today lies in its purely symbolic nature. The thinking appears to be that symbolic equates with disposable.

Many seem to act on the notion that once the message of a given symbol in Scripture is understood (or thought to be understood) it can be discarded as no longer valuable. Having obtained the candy bar within, so to speak, the wrapper becomes a nuisance.

But there are more benefits to symbolism than merely wrapping an idea. Far more. Beyond being a means to convey ideas, symbols are far more valuable when they become powerful expressions of connection and involvement with the ideas thereby represented.

As such, they offer the opportunity to put us in a frame of mind to deepen that connection and involvement. And that is the phenomenal benefit of the tzitziyot today, as it was when originally commanded.

To help illustrate this idea, let’s consider a widely familiar and used symbol in our society today: the wedding ring. Many recognize the obvious fact that wearing a band of metal upon one’s finger does not constitute a marriage nor will it ensure fidelity.

How could it? A great many people wear a wedding ring out of shear habit, to please others, as a status symbol, or just because that is what they think is expected of them. For them the symbol has shallow, if any, meaning. That in itself can be symbolic of something else.

But for some, a wedding ring communicates more than the fact that a commitment was made at some point in the past. For them, the symbol comes to represent present feelings and value associated with their marriage relationship and partner.

And because of that, they find at times the symbol opens the door to momentary and spontaneous reflection on the other person or on the relationship itself. In so doing, the symbol becomes further imbued with personal meaning to the wearer. And more personally valuable to the relationship.

The symbol powerfully serves to bring the wearer into remembrance and a particular frame of mind and attitude in regards to their relationship with the other person throughout the day. People who find this value in the symbol are actually wearing a wedding ring for themselves rather than for others.

The effectiveness of the symbol in promoting deeper love and more fidelity is not the symbol itself, but what the symbol comes to personally represent. If it represents nothing, it has no power. If the symbol is considered a mockery, then it might even serve as an inducement to infidelity.

But if it represents a valued and beautiful relationship with someone else, it is capable of carrying a powerful message encouraging deeper love through reflection and fidelity even under times of temptation to be otherwise.

All of this is true with the mitzvah of tzitzit. In fact some have compared the fringe to a wedding ring. The parallels are readily apparent, though some will certainly take exception to that particular comparison.

The tzitziyot symbolizes a commitment to the righteousness and sovereignty of YHWH in our lives, which is what Torah represents. And the more this symbol spurs us on to reflecting upon, and making choices consistent with, His righteousness and sovereignty over our lives the more it draws us to where the Spirit is leading us.

For the New Covenant believer, the righteousness and sovereignty of YHWH in our lives are both foundational and intrinsic to who we are in Messiah. We find our standing in the Kingdom by YHWH’s righteousness, not our own. And under the New Covenant, His Torah is written in our hearts and His Spirit is put within us.

That doesn’t replace Torah, it puts us in sympatico with it. Torah is a written reflection of YHWH and we are called to be a living reflection of YHWH. Torah, insomuch as it represents the righteousness of YHWH and His call for us to reflect that righteousness in our lives, is who we are as YHWH’s people. And the tzitziyot have always been a symbol of that.

Just as the written Torah is not invalidated because it is now written in our hearts, the mitzvah of tzitzit is not invalidated by the presence of the Spirit within us to remind us of YHWH’s righteousness. Rather, the tzitziyot are a tool by which the Spirit invites us to reflect on YHWH’s righteousness and sovereignty while revealing those things to us as we reflect upon them.

Besides the benefit of the symbol of tzitzit to our faith as it reminds us to consider the righteousness and sovereignty of YHWH, there is another reason to observe the mitvah of tzitzit: It represents what His people do. From beginning to end.

Here are some Scriptures as they relate to our observation of the mitzvah of tzitzit for your further reflection:

The tzitziyot represent Torah, which predates Moses:

…I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham… Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. (Genesis 26:3-5 KJV)

The tzitziyot represent Torah, which was promoted by Messiah:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19 KJV)

The tzitziyot represent the commandments of YHWH, of which disregard is a mark of those who are not His:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23 KJV)

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46 KJV)

Conversely, the tzitziyot represent the commandments of YHWH which are a mark of those who are His:

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10 KJV)

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23 KJV)

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21 KJV)

The tzitziyot represent the commandments of YHWH which are a mark of true believers in the end times, even to the New Jerusalem:

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:17 KJV)

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:12 KJV)

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14 KJV)

WWJD? Let’s start with WDJAD…What Did Jesus Actually Do? Yeshua wore tzitziyot. That fact is lost in most translations, though most commentators verify this:

And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment [tzitzit] : For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. (Matthew 9:20-21 KJV)

And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment [tzitzit] : and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. (Matthew 14:35-36 KJV)

And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment [tzitzit]: and as many as touched him were made whole. (Mark 6:56 KJV)

Tzitziyot are symbolic in a prophecy of which we are a partial beginning fulfillment:

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt [ie. tzitzit] of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. (Zechariah 8:23 KJV)

I take this verse to be prophetic of the eventual reunification of the Southern (Judah) and Northern Kingdoms (Ephraim, or Israel) in the eventual restoration of Jerusalem. The ten goyim (Gentiles) represent the ten lost tribes who were largely scattered among the nations. They reconnect with YHWH’s righteousness and instruction as represented by their grasping the tzitzit (a symbol of Torah, or return to YHWH’s word), of “a Jehudite.” A Jehudite is someone from the tribe of Judah. That man in this prophecy is our Messiah. They go with Him because He is their way back to Elohim (God).

We who were Gentiles and have grabbed hold of the fringe of Yeshua for our healing, for our righteousness, for our direction back to YHWH, are included in this picture. I’d wear tzitziyot to reflect on that alone, even if all the other reasons were not present. But they are present! I encourage you to reflect on the Scriptures above and seek the Spirit’s leading as to whether or not you should observe this mitzvah and allow it to work as a powerful symbol in your own faith and practice.

As with all mitzvot, we are the ones who benefit from the doing of them. We are the ones blessed. They are a gift from YHWH to mankind. It behooves us to go ahead and grasp around through the mire stirred by the trampling of others. Though they may see no value in the pearls to be found, we may seek them out and treasure them to ourselves. That was why He cast them before His people in the first place.

In the next part of this series on the mitzvah of tzitzit, the fourth and final installment, we will consider how the mitzvah may be faithfully observed under the New Covenant. I’ll also point out some resources that may be found on the internet for those who wish to acquire or make their own tzitziyot.

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Copyright 2010 Jim Zboran. All rights reserved.
Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Bearing Fruit Starts at the Ground Level

By JimZ, 9 February, 2010, 6 Comments

We didn’t choose Messiah because of our great wisdom or because of our great moral clarity. It was by His choice we saw the truth of His Word and the truth of our moral condition and acted upon those truths. And it is also by His choice that we bear fruit:

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. (John 15:16 KJV)

We have been chosen as Messiah’s people for a reason: to bear fruit. What variety? The best kind. The kind that endures! In other words, the kind of fruit that has lasting value. And we have been promised whatever resources we need to bear that fruit. We merely have to ask for what we need. So why doesn’t it feel that way so often?

Perhaps it’s because we are trying to bear fruit as an act of the will or by manipulation rather than by letting it just be a natural occurrence based upon who we are. Perhaps we should focus our attention on cultivating the “tree” and allowing the “fruit” to occur as a natural by-product of a healthy fruit-bearing tree.

When we plant a fruit tree, fruit is not produced as an act of our will. Rather, fruit-bearing is the natural outcome. We can only work on giving the tree the best growing conditions and proper care possible whereby it can proceed to producing fruit naturally. The same is true in our faith.

We definitely have been equipped to bear fruit in our lives. In fact, that is our purpose. We have been ordained to bear fruit. But we can’t produce fruit as an act of the will. What we must do is seek the best conditions for our faith to bear “fruit” naturally.

We can find some great clues as to how to do that by reconsidering the parable of the Sower. You can find that in Mark 4:3-20. That parable should more appropriately be called the parable of the “soil” because that was the determining factor in success of the seed sown.

Though the parable of the soil addresses the fate of sown seeds of faith, it also holds clues useful to us. Our faith grows and is established so much better, and is thus able to naturally bear more fruit, when we give our attention to the “soil” in which our faith lives and grows.

To keep our “soil” good we do well to paying attention to the rocks, weeds, and predators that enter even after our faith has taken root and is established. We have been uniquely equipped to do this by the Holy Spirit. He is our “master gardener,” so to speak, and we do well to attend to those things He tells us in order to keep our faith healthy.

In due season, a healthy faith will produce good fruit. Bushels of it! So let’s consider some lessons learned from the parable of the soil to which we may look to the Spirit for direction in care of our already established faith.

We gain depth in our faith when our heart is kept “soft” to His word. We must allow the Spirit to carry out all work necessary to break up and remove the “rocks” in our lives which prevent our faith from becoming deeply rooted.

Sin is the rock in our hearts which block out the roots of faith. Some rocks are removed easily, others require some digging. But once removed, roots grow happily and eagerly. So too with our faith.

By being freed up to become deeply rooted more easily, our faith has more energy to devote to fruit production. Most importantly, thus deeply rooted, our faith is able to withstand the inevitable “droughts” that we will all experience.

We must also be sure to attend to “weeds” the Spirit points out to us as soon as we are made aware of them. We can’t let them take root or they will spread until they have overgrown everything.

In the parable we are considering anew today, the weeds are the cares and lusts of the world and the deceitfulness of riches. And those will definitely keep an established faith from full fruit production. They usually end all production.

I have seen countless believers’ previously established faith choked out completely by cares and lusts of the world, and also the deceitfulness of riches. You likely have too. There is no fruit born in their lives today because all energy of their faith is choked out. There may never be fruit again. We can only pray the Spirit will revive what has been severely neglected.

We further protect our faith when we heed the Spirit’s warnings and instructions about predators. Seeds get eaten by birds. But there are all kinds of other predators that will destroy a seed after it has begun to grow, and indeed throughout every stage of its life.

So too, Satan the bird in the parable becomes Satan the rabbit gnawing at the base of our tender growth in the faith. He becomes Satan the deer who eats the leaves off our branches and starves our roots. He becomes Satan the worm, that bores into our established roots, or Satan the worm that infests what little fruit we see come forth. There are all kinds of ways predators, all motivated by the anti-messiah, tries to destroy our faith and our ability to bear fruit in Messiah’s Kingdom.

But remember too what happened with the seed sown in the good soil. It produces fruit! But also remember this: The plant doesn’t go from seed to fruit overnight. Especially the lasting, or valuable, kind. There is a period of growth before its fruit bearing stage begins. To get to that stage as healthy as possible, and thus in a condition to be able to bear as much as possible, fruit tree keepers work hard.

But they work hard on other things than on producing the fruit. They work hard at making and maintaining the best conditions possible for the tree to grow in a healthy and unhindered way. And that results in the desired outcome: abundant fruit!

We should do the same with out faith. We can’t force fruit, but we can cultivate the conditions for our faith in which fruit production may best become healthy and abundant. With real fruit we care for the fruit tree. With the fruit of our faith, we care for our faith. We do that by paying heed and following the directions of the the Master Gardener of our faith: the Spirit!

Abba, Father, we ask that you would reveal to us new things by your parable of the soil. By your Spirit, help us see the condition of the soil our faith grows in today and help us heed His instruction so we may have improved soil in which our faith may grow and produce much fruit for your Kingdom. We ask these things with much love and thanksgiving in the Name of Yeshua our Messiah, Amen.

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Where Do You Get THAT?

By JimZ, 8 February, 2010, 4 Comments

Here’s an excerpt from a great prayer:

Endow us and all Thy people Israel with peace, goodness, blessing, life, graciousness, kindness, and mercy. Oh our Father, do Thou cause Thy divine light to shine upon every one of us….

Awesome request: YHWH’s goodness, blessing, life, graciousness, kindness, and mercy…lay it on us! Let’s continue with the prayer:

…for by Thy divine light, O Lord our God, hast thou revealed to us the Torah, which sustains life, which teaches the love of kindness, righteousness, blessing, mercy, life, and peace.

From The Prayer Book, Translated and arranged by Ben Zion Bokser.

Whoa! Hold up there a minute! What’s that about Torah? Is this prayer actually implying that the answer to the prayer for “peace, goodness, blessing, life, graciousness, kindness, and mercy” is to be found by receiving a divinely inspired understanding of Torah? …Torah which teaches those things?!

Yes it does.

I’ll bet you think this is the prayer of a “Messianic” Jew, don’t you? Well, it’s not. This prayer, from the “Amidah,” has been recited for centuries (twice daily for almost an entire lifetime) by the people whose lives revolve around Torah. Well, not Torah alone, but that’s another article.

Suffice it to say for our purposes here that all their focus is on Torah, though their approach to Torah is based on tradition. But the bottom line: It comes from a people whose faith is not shaped by the New Covenant or the New Testament.

It is significant that they seem to not view Torah as oppressive but rather as the path to the love of such virtues as peace, goodness, blessing, life, graciousness, kindness, and mercy.

That anyone should find the love of those qualities through Torah might be surprising to some. That’s because most of us were introduced to Torah from a western Gentile mindset. From that viewpoint it is hard to see how anyone, let alone an entire people who has sought to live under Torah for millennia, view it in such a…well… positive light.

The reason for the disparity in viewpoint lies in the fact that, by and large, Torah has been taught to us from a skewed and biased perspective. In other words, we have not been taught Torah in truth. Torah has usually been presented to us as the oppressive and unreasonable demands of a cantankerous and mean god of the “Old Testament.”

But that is a picture of a god that comes from the Greek mindset. Think back to your high-school days of Greek mythology. That’s how they acted. But the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was not a Greek myth. And He certainly wasn’t of the same character. Thankfully.

If we really want to gain a biblically-based, and therefore true, understanding of the nature of YHWH we have to develop our understanding of Him based on His revelation of Himself in the Bible. And in both the Tanakh (Jewish name for what many call the “Old” Testament) and the New Testament (which many mistakenly think is the “New Covenant” — yet another article) we find the same Spirit.

We find the same Spirit, that is, if we are not biased against finding Him in Torah by our preconceived notions. And that is vitally important to us in pursuing a godly character because it is in the Tanakh where He largely reveals His character to His people. All of His people. That means those of us under His New Covenant.

And further, Yeshua calls us by His Spirit to live lives of “peace, goodness, blessing, life, graciousness, kindness, and mercy” as His New Covenant people. He has equipped us for the call as well.

Under our New Covenant relationship with Him, the Spirit produces in our lives “peace, goodness, blessing, life, graciousness, kindness, and mercy” as we keep in step with Him. (Check out the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22.)

Do you desire to find more peace, goodness, blessing, life, graciousness, kindness, and mercy in your life? How about a love for those things? I encourage all to re-read Torah from an unbiased mindset. On your re-read, try to discover where the viewpoint could have developed that a love of peace, goodness, blessing, life, graciousness, kindness, and mercy is to be found through Torah.

Who knows? The Spirit, the same One who inspired the written Torah, and now places the living Torah in your heart under the New Covenant, might just show you some new ways of walking with Him that really aren’t so new after all.

Abba Father, teach us to know you in all the ways you have revealed yourself to all your people for all ages. We ask that the understanding by your Spirit would lead to peace, goodness, blessing, life, graciousness, kindness, and mercy in our lives. We ask these things in the name of Yeshua our Messiah. Amen.

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What do you think? Please leave a comment below and let us know! Thank you.

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