for the continuing outpouring of His Spirit of Holiness,
(remembered along with giving of Torah/covenant at Shavuot/Pentecost).
This spiritual self examination often leads us to recognize the need for us to…
break up the fallow ground in our lives.
Hosea 10:12
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy;
break up your fallow ground:
for it is time to
SEEK the LORD,
till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
The ground of our hearts is that which may have become hardened by the challenging events and circumstances in which we find ourselves along the WAY.
Last post we looked at the word
SEEK
and what it means to a talmidim/disciple.
We are to yield ourselves to the softening of the ground of our hearts, so that the seeds of His righteousness and mercy have a properly prepared place
in which to grow and mature.
In both the old testament and the new there are those whose lives are an example for us…
For Ezra had
set his heart
to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Ezra &:10 & 2 Timothy 2:21 –
Therefore, if anyone purges himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
We too must decide, to
set our hearts
to study the Word Of God,
to humble ourselves
and to become
His properly prepared vessels.
Mark 4 gives the details of the different conditions of the ground into which seeds fall and the results from those with the unfavorable and unprepared conditions.
Only the good prepared ground bore fruit unto harvest.
There were those who also experienced
despair and hopelessness –
yaash/ yaw-ash’ יָאַשׁ
in their callings….
Jeremiah 18:12 HEB: וְאָמְר֖וּ נוֹאָ֑שׁ כִּֽי־ אַחֲרֵ֤י NAS: But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going KJV: And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk INT: will say hopeless for after
HEB: וְסַבּ֥וֹתִֽי אֲנִ֖י לְיַאֵ֣שׁ אֶת־ לִבִּ֑י NAS: Therefore I completely despaired of all KJV: my heart to despair of all the labour INT: about I despaired my heart of
Isaiah 57:10 HEB: לֹ֥א אָמַ֖רְתְּ נוֹאָ֑שׁ חַיַּ֤ת יָדֵךְ֙ NAS: [Yet] you did not say, It is hopeless.’ You found KJV: [yet] saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found INT: did not say hope renewed strength
which is typical of the Western mindset which follows that of Plato and Aristotle. However, it is not so typical in the Hebrew.
The passage from Isaiah uses the Hebrew term
śimḥâ
(in the NASB it is translated “gladness”).
The same root is also translated
rejoice
in this passage.
We find that the Hebrew term involves
the whole person,
not simply cognitive or emotional elements.
One scholar comments:
“The root ś-m-ḥ denotes
being glad or joyful with the whole disposition
as indicated by its association with the heart…
Ex. 4:14; Ps 19:8 [H 9]; 104:15; 105:3,
the soul….Ps. 86:4;
and with the lighting up of the eyes.Prov. 15:30.”
Since its context is located in everyday life, śimḥâ (joy) can be experienced with a cheerful word, with wine, with a wise son, in feasts, at weddings, in prosperity, in the company of friends, and in God’s Torah.
But the Lord and His salvation are cited most frequently as:
Hebrew often depicts inanimate objects with human emotion, e.g., the heavens rejoice, the hills shall sing and the trees of the field hills shall clap their hands. Is.55:12
These are also expressions of joy.
In Hebrew thought, joy is
the manifestation of divine purpose fulfilled,
and since everything in creation has purpose, whenever any part of the creation acts according to its design, that part expresses and experiences śimḥâ/joy.
This has an important meaning and also consequences for us. There are times when our emotions seem far from joyful, because the earth is filled with sorrow, struggles and guilt. At times it seems that evil, that which is out of harmony with the Father, is increasing and overwhelming that which is good. Without making this seem a less serious situation, śimḥâ/joy reminds us that, any part of creation which is fulfilling its’ designed purpose, is an expression of joy/śimḥâ.
When our lives feel as if they are disconnected from His divine order of things, the simple things evident all around us in our Fathers’ creation, should remind us that
joy/śimḥâ
is built into it. This is evident by the many and varied blossoms of the flowers and trees and the singing of the birds, who do not worry about how to provide for themselves!
Joy is not only a connective force, as Nehemiah states that His joy is our strength but it is also creative and has intentional consequences to life itself; and most of all, it has a divine origin and purpose.
8057 simchah
simchah: joy, gladness, mirth
Original Word: שִׂמְחָה Transliteration:simchah Phonetic Spelling:(sim-khaw’)
in
Deuteronomy 28:47 HEB: יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב NAS: your God with joy and a glad KJV: thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness INT: the LORD your God joy glad heart
2304 chedvah in
Nehemiah 8:10 HEB: תֵּ֣עָצֵ֔בוּ כִּֽי־ חֶדְוַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה הִ֥יא NAS: Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD KJV: neither be ye sorry; for the joyof the LORD INT: do not be grieved for the joy of the LORD he
1 Chronicles 16:27 HEB: לְפָנָ֔יו עֹ֥ז וְחֶדְוָ֖ה בִּמְקֹמֽוֹ׃ NAS: Him, Strength and joyare in His place. KJV:strength and gladness[are] in his place. INT: are before Strength and joy his place
Rev. 1:17. John fell at His feet as dead.
Even though John knew His Messiah intimately, and this is the same John who spoke of himself as the disciple Yeshua/Jesus loved…
John 13:23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to.
…and one of the 3 closest to Him. Yet when He appeared to him in an unfamiliar way, the only thing he could do was to fall prostrate at His feet like a dead man.
Rev. 22:8-9 1:17-18 .I fell at his feet as though dead.
John recognizes the Lordship of Messiah/Christ as he falls prostrate before His feet.
John knew Him, yet was overwhelmed at the majesty manifested before him; the revealed glory produced the reverential fear and respect of the almightiness of the presence of the King of the universe. This will indeed cause both despair and delight in that before Him we are hopeless – nothing, compared to His Being and yet the joy of realizing that if we are ever to be raised up, it can and must only be, by the power of His Almighty hand.
John says He laid His hand upon me and lifted me up…
the touch of God restores us and redeems us.
This touch of His right hand of righteousness
is the Messiah Himself.
This touch is not in chastisement, correction, or withholding but as the touch of the right hand of the Father,
Jesus/Yeshua Himself.
His touch brings true shalom/peace and all its fullness.
Beyond our natural understanding and
Deuteronomy 33:27 reminds us that
The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ”Destroy them!’
The knowledge that underneath us are
the everlasting arms of
strength and comfort, protection and provision.
He says, fear not! and in all His ascended Glory, the tenderness of a father to His child is revealed to one who truly knows Him.
We should also remember Romans 7:18 (KJV 1900)
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Nothing good dwells in our flesh.
And we feel despair as Paul did and said,
Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Rom 7:24,25.
Then joy comes as we delight ourselves in the Lord and fall prostrate before Him. When He reveals Himself to us and the knowledge that to be raised up in His resurrection life it is by His hand alone, and not of ourselves. Understanding that our part is total submission to His will, plan and purpose for us, yielding our hearts in joyful surrender to our Savior, Lord and King.
He is not able to do anything for us until we recognize the limits of our humanity and allow Him to do the impossible.
Psalm 118:5. In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered and set me free. When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place.
In our despair and distress like the psalmist we cry to the Lord and sometimes the heavens are as brass…
Deut. 28:23.
and it seems our prayers never rise above the ceiling. It can appear that we are encompassed about and that the enemy is everywhere, that we have no place to turn and don’t know where to go. When we are presented with difficult times we often feel trapped and emotionally and spiritually compromised as if we are suffocating, almost claustrophobic.
In this position is easy to lose sight of the goal waiting for us at the end of the race set before us because we become overwhelmed and focused on the struggle we are in; and the battle is all we see. The continual loop of confusion is the strategy of the enemy which lies to us; telling us we cant move forward that we are stuck and we stumble around and accomplish little to nothing.
This however is NOT the TRUTH and the WAY out of our trouble is always to keep our eyes on Jesus/Yeshua; the author and finisher of our faith. The WAY to overcome the enemies tactics is to focus on Him Who is the answer, not on the problem. If we feel we are losing sight of Him, we must regain it immediately and train ourselves to keep our spiritual wits about us; which will help us keep our bearing/direction sure and securely fixed on Him. In our distress we call on our Father by faith, not by g.p.s., or any other direction finder or means of guidance…
We must call out by faith not by sight and, not knowing how He will respond or appear, we must wait and be ready to listen and move when He answers. Not only will He always answer, but He brings relief and
despair turns to delight/ joy
and He sets us in an expansive place!
Ps. 118 :5 …
All the pressure of the walls that were keeping us in that prison of hopelessness are moved back and the confusion fades away and He gives us room to breathe.
He will NEVER leave us to struggle alone. He wants to show us the WAY out and when we feel there is no way… He makes one … However in these times of darkness and great distress we
MUST call on His Name
call on the name of the Lord…
and He will shine the light of His Glory into our situation.
Ps. 119:105.
the psalmist declares to the Lord,
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
The Word made flesh Messiah Jesus/Yeshua…
The victory and the rest /peace/shalom, comes as He miraculously expands the place before us, and we can know His hand touches us and raises us up to live in the power and strength of His resurrection..
and for what reason?
that we may know Him and walk in His Ways.
Phil 3:10
So it would seem the answer is yes…
there is joy in despair!
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim/friends and mishpachah/family!
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week,
you are greatly loved and prayed for daily.
REMEMBER..
Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation
Not sure ..you can be…
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer,
Savior, Lord, and soon returning King
and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
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