Month: September 2026

A Time Of Rejoicing

Our Heavenly Father is a loving one, and as we come to the final Moed – Appointed Time of the spiritual year, this whole week is designated to be a time of rejoicing. For those working the land, the final harvest of the year has been gathered in; and as the season changes we can relax a little, and know the abundance provided by our Father will be our supply through the coming winter months.

As an agricultural nation, Israel depended on the harvests throughout the year and the cycle of life set in back in Leviticus 23, was their calendar and indicated the correct times of planting and when to harvest. The final moed is Sukkot, sometimes spelled Sucot/Sukot/Sukkoth/Sukkuth, also known as Tabernacles or Booths; and for new readers, several earlier posts containing detailed studies can be accessed through the links include below and on Homepage. For those who regard Sukkot and build sukkas to dwell in this week, and for those who don’t build but remember the reason for this moed, we will take a very brief look at this festival.

Sukkot/Feast of the Tabernacles – Chag haSukkot is usually celebrated in the 7th month on the 15th to the 21st day,  for a full 7 days. Reference to this moed can be found in Leviticus/Vayik’ra 23:33-36 and 40:43. It is also called Chag haAsif – Feast of the Ingathering for the reason that it occurs at the outgoing of the year, when you gather in the fruit of your labor from the field. Sh’mot 23:16/Exodus. Also [you shall observe] the Feast of Harvest (Weeks, Pentecost, or First Fruits), acknowledging the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. And [third] the Feast of Ingathering (Booths or Tabernacles) at the end of the year when you gather in [the fruit of] your labors from the field.

For more on the Lulav see earlier posts through homepage under category for 7 Appointed times. Some links below:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/what-is-the-significance-of-the-day-of-the-lulav/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/days-of-ingathering-for-the-final-harvest/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/seasons-of-the-lord-moedim-rhythm-of-life-part-2/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/sukkot-the-promise-of-a-permanent-dwelling-place/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/sheltering-presence-god/

 

Similar to the Spring Moed of the Feast of Matzah/unleavened bread, Sukkot lasts 7 days and is a time of great celebration. However unlike the Feast of Matzah, only the first day of Sukkot is a holy convocation. On this day Israel is commanded to do no regular work, and to rest. Sukkot, begins just 5 days after Yom HaKippuriym/Yom Kippur. The obvious feature of this week is of course the sukkah or booth or tabernacle, which is to be built from using different trees and foliage surrounding Yerushalayim/Jerusalem.  Also referenced in Leviticus 23:40 and Nehemiah 8:14.

If you are ever in Jerusalem at this time of the year you will see sukas everywhere.

The purpose of the sukkah is to remind us that Adonai caused the people of Israel to live in sukkot when He brought them out of Egypt. Spiritual themes of our Heavenly Fathers protection, deliverance and provision can be drawn out from this moed. The temporary and flimsy nature of the sukkah itself should also remind us of our own weaknesses, our frailty and our temporary stay on this earth as long as we remain in our physical bodies. We are simply passing through on our way to a permanent dwelling with our Father in His Heavenly Realms.

The sukkah is a symbol of how our Heavenly Father cares for us, how He shades and hides us from the natural elements of weather, which although beneficial in many ways can also be very destructive. At the time of the final ingathering, we are to celebrate with extreme joy that He has delivered us, watched over us; and will soon be taking us to dwell with Him in the sukkah that is eternal in nature. It is for this reason some think Messiah will return at this moed, season. In Judaism the seventh day of Sukkot came to be known as Hoshanna Rabba, and was clelbrated with a huge water libation ceremony to ask the Father for abundant rain over the next season.

It was on this day, during this pouring out of water ceremony, that Messiah cried out to all within the sound of His voice. On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” John 37:39.

This Living Water is available to us every day of the year, not just on one special day. Messiah Yeshua/Jesus is the living water of new life in Him. It is this living water that is to be pouring out through us to the hurting lost world around us. We are to call out to them ‘come and drink of Messiah,’ the waters of life – chaim mayim, are free and will never dry up. Let us rejoice for all that our Father has accomplished through His Messiah and the wonderful works to the children of men. Ps.107:31

Also known as the Eighth Day Assembly – Yom haSh’miyniy ‘Atzaret. The commands for this day are simple, do no regular work, rest – and assemble/come together. This day is a time to say ‘goodbye’ to Sukot and the past years’ Moedim. It’s a time to rest and reflect, but also a time to look forward to the future, because in 6 months the cycle of Moedim begins once again. The annual reading of Torah and haftorah is complete and we are about to begin again. His Word is our guide, our joy, and as Messianic believers we read portions of the brit chadashah/renewed covenant as well; and the whole of the scriptures are brought together for our benefit and instruction. 2 Tim.3:16. 

This feast can be extremely meaningful and we are encouraged to look back at the years journey now completed and also to look forward to the times the Father has for us in the coming months.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He in fact did fulfill Sukkot by tabernacling for a short season with us, with a promise He will return in due season, the fulness of time! Let’s be ready to share the goodness of our Heavenly Father and the joy of our salvation that it is indeed for whosoever will … to choose Him, to choose life.

Shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART 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. Amen.

Yom haKipuriym – Day of the Atonements

This moed/appointed time, is so important that Hebrews 9:6-12 reminds us of the command in Vayikra/Leviticus 23:26-32. On the 10th day of the 7th month. Yom Kippur or Yom haKipuriym/ Day of the Atonements is without question the holiest day on the calendar in Israel. Like the 7th day of each week/Shabbat, Yom haKippuriym is a Shabbat shabaton, a day to rest completely and to not do any kind of work. This day is only one time every year on the 10th of the 7th month and it always begins the night prior.

When we say the word ‘feast’, we think of a sumptuous meal and rejoicing however, this appointed time/moed, is primarily a holy one and we are encouraged to do the opposite by denying the fleshly carnal nature, to ‘deny oneself’ or ‘afflict one’s soul’. This is for us to take the time to reflect and meditate on the fact that without the atonement and forgiveness of sin we are without hope. When the Temple still existed the High Priest/Cohen haGadol, performed the atonements for himself, the altar, the tabernacle, and the whole community of Israel, at this moed the people participate by not participating in any of the proceedings. They were restricted and prohibited from coming near the holy place on this day and instead were to deny their own existence. They were in essence to cease to be on this day by not even allowing themselves food and water, the basic needs for life.

Today however, we as believers in Messiah Yeshua haMashiach /Jesus Christ, find our fulfillment in Him in the same way as we understand the moed of Pesach/Passover. Messiah is both our High Priest/Cohen haGadol and our sacrificial lamb, He atoned for us once and for all and is continually making intercession for us before our Heavenly Father. Hebrews 7. Messiah does not need to make sacrifices for Himself and for us every year in order to atone for our sins, because He has already accomplished that over 2000 years ago, and this stands forever, an eternal sacrifice that never needs to be repeated.

To be clear, denying our fleshly carnal life on this day does not help or enhance our atonement but it does allow us to become seriously aware of our own mortality and sin, and the critical need for atonement through the shed blood of Yeshua haMashiach/ Jesus Christ. This deep reflection should help us to appreciate the enormity of His sacrifice as He willingly denied His own life for each of us. For the people of Israel the sanctity and holiness of this moed cannot be over emphasized; we are encouraged to be thoughtful, repentant, humble, and dead to ourselves.

On this day we are to remember that we are alive and have breath only because our Heavenly Father has chosen that we can; and that should He decide He has the power to take it away, we are only promised today. Although we rejoice in the eternal atonement through Messiah, it’s a day to not forget what He has done for us and to keep these thoughts in the forefront of our minds, that without the Lord, we are truly dead, BUT through Messiah’s atoning Blood and His intercession as our eternal High Priest of the renewed covenant we are truly alive forevermore.

Links are on Homepage for earlier posts containing more details on this subject:

https://www.minimannamoments.com

under the  title 7 FESTIVALS/APPOINTED TIMES/FEASTS

e.g. https://www.minimannamoments.com/at-one-ment-with-the-one-you-love/

 

 

Shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART 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. Amen.

Rosh HaShanah On Shabbat


Three major holy days occur in the first 19 days of the biblical month of Tishri, (September – October) Rosh HaShanah, Yom-Kippur, and the 8 days of Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths).

This year Rosh HaShanah falls on Shabbat and many think it is significant.

As we recall the historical background we can read Leviticus 23:23-25 and remember one of the fascinating facts about the holy day of Rosh HaShanah is that it is considered the Hebrew New Year, and yet it is not called that in the Torah.

The truth is, this day comes in the seventh month of the calendar year and was given a different name. The Biblical/spiritual new year starts in the spring with the month of Nisan, Exodus12:2, the beginning of the new agricultural year. However, the sages gave such significance to the first Shabbat of the fall holidays that they eventually considered it as the spiritual new year, hence the name change as well. Biblically known as Yom Teruah, (literally translated as the Day of Sounding/Festival or Feast of Trumpets), this day became Rosh Ha-Shanah, the Head of the Year. Incidentally this year is the Gregorian 2026 but is the Hebrew Year Rosh HaShanah, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה  5787 – and it begins at sundown on Friday, 11 September 2026 and ends at nightfall on Sunday, 13 September 2026.

The purpose of this Holy Day is summed up in one word: regathering. Since the fall holidays (holy days), call Israel to re-gather to a pure faith in Adonai, Rosh-HaShanah came to represent the day of repentance. It is the day when the people of Israel take stock of their spiritual condition and make the necessary changes to ensure that the upcoming new year will be pleasing to the Fathe. So important was this day of Rosh-HaShanah that in fact the entire preceding Hebrew month of Elul takes on a holy significance of its own. The sages stressed that the 40 day period from the first day of Elul through the 10th day of Tishri (Yom Kippur) was to be a time of special spiritual preparation. This was based on the belief that it was on the first of Elul that Moshe/Moses ascended Mount Sinai in order to receive the second set of tablets of the Law and that he descended on Yom Kippur.

Leviticus 23:26-32. Yom Kippur has long been considered the most holy day on the Hebrew Calendar. The name itself describes the history of this day for it was on this very day once a year that the high priest would enter the holy of holies to make atonement for the nation. In a word Yom Kippur illustrates regeneration for those who follow Gods way of atonement. Leviticus 16 goes into great detail about the Yom Kippur ceremony, which centered on the sacrifices of two goats. One goat called Chatat, was to be killed as a blood sacrifice to symbolically cover the sins of Israel. The other called Azazel, or scapegoat, would be brought before the priest. The priest would lay his hands on the head of the goat as he confessed the sins of the people, but instead of slaying this animal in the traditional fashion, the goat would be set free in the wilderness/thrown off the edge of a cliff, symbolically taking the sins of the nation out from their midst.

What was begun on Rosh Hashanah, namely repentance and self evaluation, was completed 9 days later with atonement and regeneration. In temple times, the observance of the day was more clearly defined and centered on the sacrifices. In 70 AD the temple was destroyed causing some perplexing questions. How can Yom Kippur be observed without the proper place of sacrifice or be effectual without the correct sacrifice? The rabbis of the 1st century decided to make substitutes using prayer-Tefilah, repentance-teshuvah, and charity- tzedakah to replace sacrifice in the modern observance of Yom Kippur. There are Orthodox Jewish sects who still believe that Temple and animal sacrifices need to be revived in Israel, primarily those who have not accepted Yeshua as their Messiah. The sect of the temple mount faithful is actively reproducing the holy vessels and priestly garments to prepare for the coming Temple and includes restoring the red heifer and its ashes. They have attempted to place the first cornerstone on the Temple Mount in Yerushalayim – Jerusalem strongly believing that such a structure will be rebuilt soon. From Scripture in Revelation, we know that any rebuilt temple before Messiahs second coming will be occupied by the man of sin (antichrist).

Isaiah 58:5 gives insight to Traditional Jewish Observance, and as mentioned earlier Yom Kippur is considered the logical extension of what began at Rosh HaShanah, In fact the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur take on their own holy significance and are called the Yomim Noraim, the Days of Awe. Many Jews spend these days looking inward, contemplating how their inner life might be more pleasing to the Father. Personal relationships are evaluated, forgiveness and restitution are offered where needed and reconciliation is attempted.

As the evening of the 10th Tishri approaches special preparations are made. Leviticus 23 states that on Yom Kippur, Israel is, ‘to deny yourselves’. This is taken to mean ‘fast’. In the context of Isaiah 58: 5, this word is used specifically for going without food. Yom Kippur stands alone as a biblically commanded fast day, although there are many non biblical fasts. Before sundown, when the fast is to begin, it is customary to have a holiday meal and even a requirement in order to set apart the fast day. As with the other holy days the table is set with the best linens and dishes.

White is an appropriate color for linens and clothing as it symbolizes the hope of the high holy days, the cleansing from sins, see Isaiah 1:18. The 2 candles are lit and the blessings are said over the wine and the challah (braided Shabbat bread).

After the festival meal, just before dark, Yom Kippur commences with the fast. The fast continues from sundown on the 9th Tishri until sundown on the 10th. The evening of the holy day, (erev Yom Kippur), is perhaps the most holy occasion of the year. Jews attend the local synagogues to hear Kol Nidre, a special cantorial prayer asking God to release them from any vows that have been taken inappropriately. The origin of this petition goes back to the Middle Ages, when many Jews were forcibly converted to Catholicism upon the threat of death, yet still wanted to maintain their Judaism. Kol Nidre released their anguish of having to convert.

The prayers during the services fervently plead that as Israelites the people can be written in the Book of Life for one more year. The holy day closes with the Neilah service, (the closing of the gates), and the final blast of the shofar is sounded: tekiah g’dolah, a long extended blast on the rams horn. It is thought that the fate of each individual is sealed at that time for the upcoming year. Naturally, the hope is for a sweet and blessed spiritual year, which is illustrated in the break–the fast meal that follows sundown.

Romans 3:23-26. In this well known passage Paul explains the significance of atonement in the context of Yom Kippur. Our Heavenly Father put Yeshua forward as the kapparah for sin through His faithfulness in respect to His bloody sacrificial death. Verse 25.

The word kapparah translated as propitiation, is often misunderstood today since it is not a word commonly used. The Greek word contains the idea of appeasing an angry Greek god. While there may be some similarity, the Hebrew equivalent of the word is clear. Kapparah means more than appeasement, it also means atonement, a term any Israelite of the 1st century would have understood. On the execution–stake, Messiah Yeshua was displayed as our kapparah, our sacrifice, the fulfillment of Yom Kippur.

Since the theme of atonement is so central to the message of the new testament, it should not be surprising to discover other references to Yom Kippur; for example, Luke 4:16-22 records that Yeshua is called to read the Torah in His local synagogue of Nazareth. After He read the powerful message from Isaiah 61, He delivered a simple yet strong message, claiming to be the Messiah, the anointed One, Who would set the captives free.

Some of the classical rabbis believed this passage would be the words Messiah would speak to Israel when He came. The fact that this passage speaks of the Messiah as the liberator of the Israelites has led other rabbis to speculate that referring to Lev. 25:10, Messiah would appear on a very special Yom Kippur in the year of Jubilee.

As the rabbis point to a need for teshuvah- repentance, tifilah-prayer, and tzedakah-charital giving now there is no Temple, these alone didn’t satisfy the requirements of Kapparah as prescribed in the Torah, (Lev 17:11), and Heb. 9:22). Only Yeshua is the final kapparah and full redemption for humanity. As noted, only on Yom Kippur once a year, the high priest, cohen hagadol, would enter the holiest place and drench the top of the kapparah-mercy seat with the blood of the animal sacrifice to make atonement for the people. This was the physical place where Adonai met the Cohen HaGadol on Yom Kippur, (Lev. 16:2), and where He forgave the sins of the people of Israel. The mercy seat prefigured the eternal mercy, grace and hope that alone came through Yeshua the Messiah, through His shed blood, making atonement once and for all, placing the weight of all of humanity’s sin on Him. 1Peter 3:18.

As the Days of Awe are before us, although we do not need to literally follow the biblical directives, it is a time to self reflect, to give thanks for our salvation, redemption and the forgiveness of our sins. As the cycle of life has brought us to another full year let’s begin this one with renewed zeal, to be all that Messiah Jesus bought and paid for with His blood, to run our race and fulfill the plan and purpose designed for each one of us.

For new readers there are many previous posts on the Fall Moedim and can be accessed through links in the side panels or on Homepage under 7 Festivals/Appointed Times/Feasts.

Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART 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. Amen.

Threats and Sabre Rattling ?

The title of this post is Threats and Sabre Rattling, which when we hear of it may cause anxiety in the hearts of many, but is our Heavenly Father worried?

There is so much in the world’s media and news warning of conflicts and wars. The term often used is ‘sabre rattling’, meaning the opposing sides using threatening words and vowing to follow up their threats with action. There is sometimes a hope that the threat is enough to have the opposing side back off and withdraw their aggression, but sometimes it instead accelerates the bellicose rhetoric and physical retaliation ensues.

We are in a time unlike any other and fears can easily arise if we are not rooted and grounded in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We are not to be moved by what we hear and see and sometimes that is not easy; however our hearts must not waver when we consider the Creator of the Universe is fully aware and in control of everything. Nothing causes Him concern, worry, anxiety or fear, nor is He afraid of the outcome of any situation or future events for He knows the end from the beginning. So we are to be at peace in the midst of chaos around us and to keep looking to Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, to the Father and know His Holy Spirit is abiding within; helping to maintain that peace, that true shalom, that fills our hearts and minds when fear of the unknown tries to infiltrate our thoughts. Nothing the worlds armies can come up with can stand against our Heavenly Father, even with threats of nuclear weapons and biological warfare. Learning to rely on our Savior and trust in Him and His Word is crucial at times like these, and we must make certain our foundation is deep in His Word, that we are anchored in Him and that scriptures such as Psalms 91 and 23 are indelibly written in our hearts so that we are not shaken by any news reports.

There is a verse in Psalm 147 that seems a little strange, verse 10 reads:

He delighteth not in the strength of horses; he takes not pleasure in the legs of man.

and it is curious to read that the Lord seems to not like parts of His own creation in both man and animals. Here we again remind ourselves that what The Father is telling us may have been lost in translation.

The scriptures tell us to rightly divide the Word and as much as we think we know what it says, the word is spiritually discerned because it is a spiritual book; it is a living word and unlike any other book written by humans. 1 Cor. 2:24

The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of the Lord God, they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because as scripture says, they are spiritually discerned. This means spiritual truths and teachings from the Bible can only be understood through the Father’s Holy Spirit, as the natural person does not accept them and considers them foolishness. Spiritual understanding requires a spiritual heart and discernment provided by His Spirit, and a knowing that there are ‘PaRDeS’, layers to the revealed knowledge given.

We need the indwelling Spirit of Holiness to correctly discern or divide the Word, remembering when the original scrolls were penned there were no chapters and verses, and no spaces between the words; nor were there any vowel points added to help the pronunciation. The Hebrew letters had to be separated into words by the reader, hence one meaning of rightly dividing the word of truth. 2.Tim. 2:15 Rightly dividing the word of truth. Of interest the Greek word translated in the English version “rightly dividing,” literally signifies “cutting a straight line.”

The Rabbis of Israel are experts in the Hebrew language and understand the difficulties of translating an ancient language, so a certain amount of ‘give and take’, was and still is very common among them as they study the Holy Scriptures. It’s no surprise that most of the rabbis have little trust in the English translations of the Bible, this is because they are very aware that any one of the translations is often the result of just one individual’s or one certain group’s opinion, and that translation could be biased, favoring their particular church denominations, doctrines and beliefs.

When we study the Bible and wonder what a certain word actually means in Hebrew, we should look at the context in which it is placed. In the case of the Greek language it is usually alright to simply translate a words meaning and still; we must remember it has come from the Latin Septuagint, which is another step in translation and meaning. In Hebrew, we need to know the verse and the context to fully understand what is being said, and not just extract a words meaning from a concordance or dictionary because the context can seriously change the usage of the word. We know this happens because individual verses are often taken out of context to the whole text, and have been sorely misused to backup ideas and erroneous principles. As we are studying, we must determine what a word means in the context it is used, as there are many meanings to each Hebrew word.

Looking at the verse in Psalms 147:10 in the KJV He delighteth not in the strength of horses, he takes not pleasure in the legs of man. A number of commentaries on this verse offer the meaning that: in those days horses were thought to be the most beautiful animals in existence and the legs of a strong muscular man were also to be admired, but God doesn’t take pleasure in this beauty.

Already noted why would the creator of both not take pleasure in His own creation?

As an example of words and meanings in the context of the text pictured above, let’s look at the word rendered as

strength which in Hebrew is geburah from the root word gavar.

In context one could use gavar as strength but more in terms of

having mastery or control over the horses.

1369 geburah: might, strength, power

Original Word: גְּבוּרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: gbuwrah
Pronunciation: ghev-oo-RAW
Phonetic Spelling: (gheb-oo-raw’)
KJV: force, mastery, might, mighty (act, power), power, strength
NASB: might, strength, power, mighty deeds, mighty acts, courage, mighty
Word Origin: [feminine passive participle from the same as H1368 (גִּבּוֹר גִּבּוֹר – mighty men)]

1. force (literally or figuratively)
2. (by implication) valor, victory, force, mastery, might, mighty act, power, power, strength

 In Scripture Gebûrâ is recorded as the manifested strength of God that equips, delivers, and judges, directing attention away from self-confidence by pointing it toward the Lord, whose mighty acts come to a victorious conclusion in the Messiah Yeshua Ha Mashiach, and through Him, continue to empower His people to live a life of holiness as a witness to the world.

Next in the verse, look at the word chepats from the root word chapats which is translated as delight.

2654 chaphets: To delight in, to take pleasure in, to desire, to be pleased with

Original Word: חָפֵץ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chaphets
Pronunciation: khaw-fates’
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-fates’)
KJV: X any at all, (have, take) delight, desire, favour, like,

move, be (well) pleased, have pleasure, will, would
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to incline to
2. (by implication) (literally but rarely) to bend
3. (figuratively) to be pleased with, desire

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

to be pleased with, desire

A primitive root; properly, to incline to; by implication literally to bend;

We could say in this context that the word for delight – chapats – suggests

a bending toward or inclining before.

Then in the same verse, looking at the word rendered as pleasure. In Hebrew it is retseh from the root word ratsah which means:

7521 ratsah: To be pleased with, to accept favorably, to delight in, to satisfy

Original Word: רָצָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ratsah
Pronunciation: rah-tsah’
Phonetic Spelling: (raw-tsaw’)
KJV: (be) accept(-able), accomplish, set affection, approve, consent with, delight (self), enjoy, (be, have a) favour(-able), like, observe, pardon, (be, have, take) please(-ure), reconcile self
NASB: accept, accepted, pleased, delight, delights, enjoy, favor
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

In this context maybe a more realistic translation could be the Father is saying He will not yield to, bend, incline before, or give in to the horses strength or men’s mastery of them; nor the strength in human bodies however well endowed or prepared they may be. This is because of the context and that here David is faced with a threat from the Assyrians who had the most powerful army in the world at that time and because of this they appeared invincible. They had the strongest and largest chariots than any other nation and had spent around 20 years breeding horses that were strong enough to pull the war chariots. They had also spent a similar amount of time training soldiers so they could be the charioteers by making sure their leg and arm strength was sufficient to control or master these horses. David had not had the time to equally prepare horses and soldiers. So in the options of other words it may seem to make more sense.

The translators of the KJV used what they had available to them and chose words which matched the Hebrew words, they did not have extensive knowledge with which we are privileged to have today at our fingertips, both in publications and the internet archives.

The reports of ongoing discoveries by various teams of archeologists gives credence to what the ancient Assyrian armies were really like and if they had known that rather than using English words which suggest that God takes no pleasure in the beauty of horses and men’s legs, maybe they would have used words which express that our Heavenly Father will not yield or bend even to the most powerful weapons on the face of the earth nor its strongest warriors.

This should give us such great confidence and send any fears fleeing just like our enemies

The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways

Now in context in this verse, we have a wonderful promise that our Heavenly Father is not at all intimidated with the might or technological superiority of weapons that any nation has because He is still in control; and no weapon is a match for Him just as the chariots and soldiers were not in David’s situation.

When we hear the sound of the sabres rattling, let’s not throw away our confidence in our Heavenly Father’s ability. Hebrew 10:35/6 To not throw away our confidence means to remain steadfast in the faith we must not abandon our boldness and assurance. In 1 Sam. 30:6 David encouraged himself in the Lord and we too can encourage ourselves too, by reading in the scriptures of all the armies that were defeated over the millennia.

Hebrew 13:8 reminds us He is the same yesterday, today and forever and no strong horses or weapons of war and men that control them are any match for the Lord of Heavens armies, King of Kings, Creator of the Universe and everything in it.

Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART 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. Amen.