If challenged, would we listen to scriptural truth or, would we defend our Christian culture and keep our traditions regardless? Messiah pointed out the same issue to the religious leaders of His day. The Pharisees and Scribes declared that their old ways were good enough.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.
Mark 7:7 8
Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.
Matthew 15:10
Messiah called the crowd to Him and said,
“Listen and understand.”
Matthew 15:9
Genuine faith is founded on the Scriptures; but Satan uses so many devices to twist the Word of God and introduce error.
If we are to know what they really do teach great care is needed as we study.
One of the great distractions for us is focusing too much on how we are feeling, and claiming our honesty while at the same time ignoring the simple truths of the Word of God because it doesn’t agree with how we are feeling. It is a sad truth that many folks have no solid foundation for their faith, as it is only rooted in feelings and emotions. Their experiences are carnal/feeling/emotional, based in external elements that cause excitement; but when that is gone, so is their faith.
Feelings are like chaff, however the word of God is the wheat. And “what,” says the prophet, “is the chaff to the wheat?”
Thus saith the LORD, “I have heard what the prophets have said, that prophesy lies in My Name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed’. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yes, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; which think to cause My people to forget My Name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten My Name for Baal.
The prophet that has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that has My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully/truthfully.
What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD…
Behold, I am against the prophets that use their tongues, and say, ‘He saith’. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I have not sent them, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.”
Jeremiah 23:25-32
The deceivers are here – the chaff to the wheat. Chaffis separated from wheat/grain during threshing.
This expression became a metaphor in the Bible to represent separating wickedness or false doctrines from the truth.Chaffis figuratively used to stand for worthless matters. Matthew 3:12
It is not hard to utter words of worship or assume the attitude of worship; but “whatisthechafftothewheat?”The Father’s eye is upon the worshipper’s heart. His ear listens to the language of the soul. Put off, spiritually, the shoes from off your feet. Gird up the loins of your minds.
There are those who love and follow their own tradition rather than the Word of God; and when they do, their worship and service is vain. Vain in both senses of the word… because it is both prideful and presumptuous; and because it is empty when they invent religions that have no substance.
Those who think they should replace God’s Word with their own traditions are in the grip of vanity and pride.
1Corinthians 1:18-31.
Isaiah 29:13. “…these people draw near to me with their mouths, and honour me with their lips, yet have removed their hearts far from me. Moreover, their worship toward me is the doctrines of men.”
Paying lip-service means: saying YES, with our mouth butsaying NO in our heart and by our actions. It’s honoring our Heavenly Father with our lips when our heart is far from Him.
The secret of true worship is that we “worship in spirit and in truth” John 4:24. Not only must the things we say and feel be true, but they must both come from and be the prime love of our spirits, our heart’s deepest desire. It’s a sad fact that many worship with ulterior motives, the desires of their hearts are far from our Heavenly Father. For example…
Matthew 6:2-7, 16-18
tells us that some seek their own glory and praise and some seek wealth and earthly prosperity.
They seem to be serving God, but they do so because they think God will make them rich on earth. This is not the life of true discipleship.Matthew 6:19-24
Some love and follow traditions they have invented, rather than the Scriptures.This is what Messiah Jesus was referring to quoting Isaiah, “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”Matthew 15:7-9.
We worship in vain when our hearts are centered on things mentioned above, because our hearts are far from Him.
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. “But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough ”” Luke 5:33–39.
“And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better” Luke 5:39.
This passage is sometimes taught out of context; however it takes a new meaning when reading it in the context of what Messiah was saying. We may have heard it said, that we need to become new wineskins to receive the new wine, but was this what Messiah Jesus was talking about? The situation at the time was that He was being confronted by some of the religious leaders who were demanding that His disciples/talmidim, should follow the traditions of the elders, and the times of fasting that were established by them.
The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men’” (Mark 7:1–7)
The religious leaders were adding new practices and new fasts, in an attempt to bring about revival, but Jesus/Yeshua objective was to bring revival by leading the people back to the teaching of the Scriptures and by showing them how to apply it to their lives in order to live righteously before the Father. Was He comparing the Scriptures to the old wine, and the new practices along with the traditions of the elders to the new wine?
“And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? “But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”
And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. “But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough ”” Luke 5:33–39.
Is it true to say then, that Yeshua/Jesus was not trying to get people to accept the new wine? He said, And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new the old wine is good enough. Is the new wine people’s traditions and religious practices that have no foundation in the Scriptures?
He came to fulfill the Scriptures – not to replace them. He was trying to get them to return to only what was in Scripture and by expounding on them through His teaching, He was showing them how to live by His Fathers Word and this new wine.. together BOTH are preserved.
“Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.” Ephesians 4:14, NLT
Are we also too comfortable with cultural doctrines and traditions and what we know and are used to, and reluctant to change?
It may be that we should never under-estimate the power of individuals saying, “but we’ve never done it that way,” and then observe them digging in their heels over a tradition, until the doors close in their assembly, church or school.
Would we be pharisaical in our objections to revealed truth of Gods Word as declared in Scripture?
Would we continue to repeat what we think scripture says rather than being certain what it actually does say? And isn’t that then an untruth – a lie?
How many of us could tell the so called Christmas/Nativity story in complete accuracy; or are we simply repeating what we have heard probably since childhood? Have our traditions, the traditions of men and doctrines of demons, made the Word of God of no effect literally changing the truth of God for a lie?
Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
That means if we misquote scripture and both believe and declare what we think is true… we are reprobate?
How many things do we choose to believe because someone told us, or we read it somewhere (here included), and just accept it without checking it out for ourselves to see if it indeed is the truth?
And this doesn’t mean google it! Google has seemingly replaced Fathers Spirit of Holiness as our Teacher. We are often so impatient we cant wait because we want instant gratification. Scripture says to study to show ourselves approved unto God. 2Tim.2:15. How many people truly study His Word? Is study such a undesirable concept that we recoil from it with some kind of allergic aversion? Yet we will spend time reading/listening/watching other material and much of it is from ungodly sources.
We are encouraged to search all the scriptures like the noted Bereans in Acts 17:10-11, who were commended for their actions. So many of the traditions of men have become doctrinal dogma, and it appears we will defend them with a vigorous aggression which is most un-Christ-like.
Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, charges the Pharisees, Scribes and leaders with false doctrines making Gods’ Word redundant in favor of their rules and regulations and by making laws that added to the perfect Law of God.
Paul told the people, I see perceive that you are very religious, superstitious and reverent to demons! So Paul, standing in the center of the Areopagus [Mars Hill meeting place], said: Men of Athens, I perceive in every way [on every hand and with every turn I make] that you are most religious or very reverent to demons. Acts 17:22.
There are so many obvious traditions of men that are prominent around the Christmas/New Year holiday time. Many have their roots in paganism, tales, fables and legends from cultures around the world.
Our tendency is to pick up on traditions because we like them and they are fun believing they are scriptural when there is absolutely no scriptural basis at all. We have a responsibility to search the scriptures for even our most cherished traditions and resist turning them into dogma if they are not in the Bible.
Some examples that may shock us are contained in the carols, hymns and songs about the nativity we all hear at this time of year!
No where in the scripture does it say that angels sing! They are either saying, shouting, speaking, talking but never singing! We have absorbed the idea of angels singing from all those Christmas hymns, songs and the scenes of nativity plays!
Hark the herald angels sing?
O come all ye faithful, etc. etc.
In Luke 2:13
It says Maleak amar = angels saying
mem lamed alef kap alef mem resh
Aramaic Bible in Plain English And suddenly, the great armies of Heaven appeared with the Angel, whileshouting praisesto God, and they were saying:
King James Bible And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hostpraising God, and saying,
In the Greek saying is: λεγόντων(legontōn) Verb – Present Participle Active – Genitive Masculine Plural Strong’s 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.
Legonton means:
to speak, say, tell, or command.
And if we accept and believe Luke was written in Aramaic, the word used here is: ‘Amar, which is also speaking or saying. It does not use the word Zamar or Shir which is singing or a cry giving praise,like: Holy, Holy, Holy.
Angels are created supernatural beings so it maybe fair to say they are not physically the same as us. It is curious that commentators don’t point out that angels never sing; but that’s probably because it’s so entwined in our Christian cultural beliefs, that they are reluctant to challenge the popular traditions.
Whatever we choose to believe will not change the truth!
In heaven they cry Holy but they do not sing.
Those around the throne sing, but they are not angels they are the different than the messenger angels like Michael, Gabriel and the Heavenly Host.
Revelation 14:3 The 144,000 people stood before the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders; they were singing a new song, which only they could learn. Of the whole human race they are the only ones who have been redeemed.
They sang AS IT WERE a new SONG before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
King James Bible – Revelation 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
This may throw some of us for a loop and hopefully compels the reader to study in order to seek truth!
There is much evidence that music is not always necessary to worship and praise our Heavenly Father. This is not condemning music in any way however historically it wasn’t really used by the ancient Hebrews; David introduced it, yet worship was entered into without music. The Psalms are the place we read of instruments and they were few and not the musical beats and rhythms we hear today. Some genres stir emotions and the result is no different to a worldly performance, whipping up a false feeling of Gods presence. We must be mindful of not bringing the worlds ways into our sanctuaries.
Historical facts show the early church would not even allow music until well into the 18th century and even then it was only singing the Psalms for this very reason. The closest the church came to music would be to chant and we see that in the Gregorian singing mostly in Latin. Angels don’t sing Let that be a lesson to us all, that many of our beloved traditions are just that, traditions and there is no Scriptural basis.
Worship comes from the heart and not a musical sound or beat.
What we choose to believe does not change truth and we should remain teachable and humble enough to allow our beliefs to be challenged. Because truth is unchangeable and if it withstands the scrutiny of study; the revealed word will confirm what the scriptures really tell us and not what misinterpretation, mistranslation, tradition, doctrine or dogma has told us. Only the truth will make us free. Why would we choose to hold onto a lie, a deception and something that’s not even real – just to protect our traditions?
Isn’t this adding to the Word that Messiah warns us of in Revelation 22:18,19? For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Ready for some more?
Surely we have lost count of the times we have heard the story but do we ever really stop to think…
Take another look at the story we are so familiar with:
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, unto the City of David which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David)
5 to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, who was great with child.
6 And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and SAYING,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!”
15 And it came to pass, when the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18 And all those who heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Do we ever question the words in songs that are inconsistent with scriptures account? Maybe we can ascribe it to artistic license for the lyric writers; however over decades and centuries, these carols become gospel and not all of what we sing is truth. Do we want truth or tradition? Recalling Messiahs’ words to the religious leaders. So ask yourself these questions:
1 Why was the night watch so important that it was recorded in scripture?
2 When did the shepherds sleep if they stayed up all night watching their sheep?
3 Why did the angels appear to this specific group of shepherds?
4 Why to shepherds before anyone else?
5 Why was there a group of shepherds, didn’t they work alone?
Here are some facts from historical Jewish writings and Hebrew literature that helps to explain meanings and cultural content.
The Greek word for shepherd used in Luke 2:8 is:
Poimenes
which means:
to feed or to protect
It’s also a word for:
pasture,
as that is where the shepherd feeds his flock of sheep.
The Latin word for shepherd is pastor
as in pasture;
where we get the idea that: our pastor is our shepherd whose job it is to spiritually feed us. This is true as infants but we are all supposed to grow and learn to feed ourselves too.
Shepherds – RA’IA’
ר,עיא
Resh ayin yod alef
Luke 2:8 “And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.”
In Luke these shepherds were good shepherd because they were keeping watch over their flocks by night. Some also say ‘on a cold winters night’ but they would not have been outside if it was so cold? This is indeed something shepherds do but they do it in the spring when the new lambs are born…so this is probably not an accurate view and gives us a wrong seasonal image; we agree with it because December 25 was chosen and is traditional.
December 25th in 336, is the first recorded celebration of Christmas. and is is largely attributed to the first Christian historian, Sextus Julius Africanus, around 221 A.D.
In one view of why December25 was chosenas the official date for Christmas, historians believe the early church wanted to link the Son of God’s birth with the “rebirth of the sun,” which arrives after the winter equinox; which begs the question why some Christians started celebrating Jesus’ birth on Dec. 25. Ancient records indicate that a feast dedicated to Sol Invictus, a sun god, was held in the Roman…Most scholars would probably agree that this is unlikely to be earlier than AD 274, the year when [Emperor] Aurelian dedicated a new temple to Sol Invictus in Rome. The pagan festivities that revolved around December25 were so rooted in popular tradition that the Church of Rome thought to give that date a Christian religious meaning. For this, the Sun god was replaced by the true Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ, choosing this day as the date of His birth.
Shepherds were not poor as the song goes:
as to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay…
Often like David, the shepherd was a young teen age boy usually the youngest of the family charged with keeping watch over the families livestock. Having sheep was not a poor occupation as we may imagine. Sheep and lambs were symbols of wealth and used as barter. They were a valuable commodity, worth much in financial terms instead of hard cash coins. If there was no son, the family would hire an outsider that was trustworthy. Hence the parable of the son/shepherd and a hired hand, who may not be a faithful as a son would be.
Studying ancient times/cultures reveals that a shepherd was a well respected profession in those days and every mother dreamed that her son would become a shepherd. So the idea of God announcing His sons birth to poor lowly scum of the earth, is not accurate according to historical Hebrew/Israelite life.
Why reveal to shepherds and these particular ones; and why were they grouped together?
Documented writings in Hebrew literature reveal that the sheep which were to be used for the daily sacrifice in the Temple were to be fed in the Bethlehem pastures!
These shepherds had charge of the most important sheep of all the sacrificial lambs!
These sheep were not entrusted to only one shepherd but to a team/group of shepherds; and most likely they were from the tribe of Levi.
The tribe from which the priests, the first born came.
They watched the sheep 24/7 and there were 4 distinct night shifts according the ancient clock called watches.
Evening watch
midnight watch
the cock crowing
and the morning watch.
The shepherds were not all laying on the ground fast asleep and only woke up when a great light shone on them. The Bible says clearly they were:
watching their sheep by night.
The Greek words here are:
phulassontes phuloakas
which literally means:
guarding in the guardhouses of the night.
The shepherds in Bethlehem who were guarding (not watching) these sacrificial lambs and did so 24/7 and slept in established guard houses when not working their shift/turn.
These pastures were specifically owned by the temple for the raising of the yearling ewe lambs. These were not nomadic ones who wandered all about looking for suitable grazing
A lamb raised for sacrifice had to be without blemish and without spot so they required extra special care and only the best of the best shepherds were chosen for this highly specialized task of guarding these little lambs.
In the Peshitta the Aramaic word for shepherd is Ra’a.
It comes from a Semitic root which expresses the idea of:
a deep passion.
These are the good shepherds who feel such passion for their sheep and their duty to guard these sheep that they would lay down their lives for these sheep: as we recall David did in defending his flock from lions and bears.
Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, as the Good Shepherd was a Ra’a! Yehoveh Ra ah the Lord our shepherd.
Puts a new light on the statement:John 10:11
I am the Good Shepherd …Who has such passion that I will give my life for my sheep.
And of coursePsalm. 23.
These angels appeared to the best of the best of those special Levite Priestly Shepherds.
Why were they so special?
Because they had the hardest most difficult watch which was the midnight to 3am watch.
There is an ancient belief for the Jewish people that their Messiah would come at 12midnight and if these shepherds were actually Levites they would have been anticipating the arrival of their Messiah at midnight.
Think about this…. for these special, faithful, dedicated – ra’a – shepherds, to up and leave their flock – the sacrificial lambs; and to abandon their responsibilities in the middle of the night. They had to have been convinced the angels were not only telling the truth, but that they were going to worship the true – ra’a – shepherd and sacrificial lamb; Who was probably delivered in the tower of the flock – the
Migdal Eder – מגדל עדר
Click link below for earlier post of the mysterious tower.
Did they realize that there was no longer any need for the sacrificial lambs because the true sacrificial lamb had arrived?
One final puzzle…
Tradition teaches that there was no room in the inn for Joseph and Mary and they had to settle for a stable, a cave, or a house where they put the new born Yeshua/Jesus in a feeding trough, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and this was to show His humble birth. Let’s look at what Scripture says:
Luke 2:7-8: “ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (8) And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Micah 4: 8. And thou, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 16:3-4, “And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity [is] of the land of Canaan; thy father [was] an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite. And [as for] thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple [thee]; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.”
Only Luke references Messiah being wrapped in
swaddling clothes.
It was a custom that eventually stopped in 26th century.
In Aramaic the term is
azrura which really means:
a bandage
used in Ezekiel 16; the Hebrew word for
bandage is: Chatal.
The practice of swaddling is very old and is believed to have originated around 4500 years ago in the bronze age circa 2600 B.C. Archeologists have found little sculptures of babies wrapped this way. After an infant was born the umbilical cord was cut and tied.
As there was no midwife as referred to in the days of Egypt the Hebrew midwives. Either Mary of Joseph would have had to do this. They would then sprinkle the baby with a powder made from dried myrtle leaves. Then they would gently rub the baby’s skin with a very small amount of salt that had been ground into a kid of mortar like paste. It was believed this would make the child’s flesh firm. For young Jewish parents, it represented a testimony that the parents would raise the child to be truthful and faithful.
The swaddling clothes was a yard of cloth, 1 meter approx., which had a narrow band attached at one corner.
The mother would wrap the child in this swaddle with its arms close to its body and its legs stretched out. She would then wind the narrow band around the body from the shoulders to the ankles until it looked like an Egyptian mummy. This would have been meant to assist the babys body grow firm and strong. To the Jewish parent it carried symbolic meaning, as most of Israelite customs do. This was a sign to the parents that they would teach the child to become honest, straightforward, and free from crookedness.
Why did Lukesay it not once, but twice, again in verse 12, if every child is wrapped in swaddling clothes just how were the shepherds to know the difference?
Some say that Luke mentioned this because he was a physician and was concerned for details. Luke was not like a physician or Doctor of todays standards and this thinking comes from Col. 4:14 calling him, the beloved physician.
The Greek word is IATROS most lexicons say
physician, ἰατρὸς(iatros) Noun – Nominative Masculine Singular Strong’s 2395: A physician. From iaomai; a physician.
Although the practice of medicine existed in 1s century, it was far from the skills, education and training of today. The Aramaic word used in Col 4:14is Assai which is really a healer. An assia is not a surgeon nor a dispenser of medicine as was practiced among the romans and Greeks. An assia was more of a chiropractor who adjusted joints and dislocated bones and would have practiced a form of holistic healing. This knowledge was handed down through families with no formal medical training nor did they depend upon the practice for a living. Which supports the fact that there were so many multitudes sick and in need of healing. So he probably didn’t mention swaddling from a professional point of view.
Isn’t it more likely he mentioned it from the point of a spiritual value as he would have been familiar withEzekiel 16:4 where the prophet refers to this custom in his prophecy? In Ezekiel 16 the prophet refers to this custom and is speaking out against the people of Jerusalem who were unfaithful to God and His commandments; and he uses the symbolic reference of washing salting and swaddling. The failure to perform this tradition was symbolic of disloyalty and unfaithfulness to God. The term swaddling clothes was to the semitic mind expressing the idea of loyalty and faithfulness to God; so maybe Luke was wanting to make sure that this child which was born, was not only the Son of the Most High, but a Son who would be loyal and faithful to His Heavenly Father. So loyal and faithful that He would lay down His life being as One with His Father – loyal unto death.
For the answer to how the shepherds knew where to look and why swaddling was a clue for them click link below
Choosing to ignore facts and instead keep our cultural Christian westernized ideals, that do not reflect the origins of our Jewish Hebrew, Israelite Messiah, whose Aramaic roots were chosen by our Heavenly Father. Or are we falling into the same thing He pointed out to the religious leaders, meaning we are content with the way we are and what we believe to be truth?
Truth or tradition – it’s our choice.
Truth is freedom – tradition is bondage.
As this Gregorian new year of 2023 begins, let us not have any idols before the Lord, nor any of mens’ traditions leading us and filling our calendars; but let’s wholeheartedly follow Him the true Good Shepherd and the Word made flesh and the whole of Scripture.
The 31st of December 2022 in Hebrew is the
7th day of Tevet, the year 5783 …
and His return is closer now than when we first believed!
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.
This season always seems to bring conflicting choices in how families decide to celebrate. There are both positives and drawbacks in how we respond; however, it’s a great opportunity to tell others of the real reason for the christians Christmas observance. So many say holidays instead of Christmas and rather than be offended by it, we can use the term to expound on the word holidays which has its roots from the word HolyDays!
מועדים
Moedim
This word moed has often been translated as festival or feast, which is not quite accurate. Moedim is plural and they signify covenant relationship with the LORD as His Appointed Times.
We can then take the focus back to our Heavenly Fathers Appointed Holy Days, the times when He desires for us to spend time with Him in thanksgiving, praise and worship in remembrance of Who He Is and What He has done for us.
Specifically we remember the birth of His promised Messiah and Immanuel – He is with us and as Believers, born again from above, His Spirit dwells within us.
This is an opportune time to reflect on a personal level;
first, what we actually believe; and
second, can we clearly articulate it to others?
2Tim. 2:15 encourages us to be diligent and to present ourselves approved unto God a worker who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of truth.
We should try to state to ourselves what we believe to be the absolute truth of God and then, we will be allowing Him the opportunity to pass it on through us to someone else. If we cannot express ourselves well on each of our beliefs then we must work and study until we can. If we don’t other people will miss out on the blessings that come from knowing the truth. We could start by making a goal to re express a truth of God to ourselves, clearly and understandably; and God will use that same explanation when we need to share it.
However we must be willing to go through Gods’ winepress, where the grapes are crushed and the oil press where the olives are crushed.
It pleased Him to crush Him and it pleases our Heavenly Father to prepare us thoroughly. We too will struggle because He didn’t take our spiritual education and training away so we still have to go through it. He didn’t remove it for His disciples and emissaries… they too drank the cup.
Who are we that we think we get a free ride?
He asks us the same question today…
We must study His teaching, His words, His Torah, His Tanach and Brit Chadashah; and rehearse our words to express clearly to others, the truth of His gospel of the kingdom of heaven.
His words are spirit and life and these are the words that should come from our lips; and which make up the reality of the sword of the spirit, the active part of Eph 6 spiritual armor. His words coming from our mouths not ours…His words cut through darkness and everything that has snared people in a world of sin and negativity.
If we can be ready and prepared, then when the opportunity presents itself, the same expressions of His truth will come easily and smoothly from a prepared heart. We will not shrink back or stutter or recuse ourselves from sharing what we know and believe. It’s not just the pastors and leaders of a local congregation who are to share the gospel, it’s for everyone who declares they are a believer. Don’t take another’s words but rather, state what you believe to be the absolute truth of God and it will make others and ourselves free.
We are to daily practice to study to stir our own minds thoroughly and to think through what we have easily believed. To check out for ourselves if what we have been taught in years past is even accurate.
Our position in Christ is not really ours or established, rooted and well founded, until we make it ours – it’s a choice and it will take commitment just like any relationship /marriage takes time dedication and selfless commitment.
It takes time to study and we need to be brutally honest with ourselves because when we say we don’t have time, then in reality we are saying that we are too busy for the things of God and it’s not 1st place in our lives, where it needs to be.
The one from whom we learn the most is not the one who teaches us something we didn’t know previously though that is always helpful. It is rather the one who helps us take a truth that we have struggled with and they help us give it expression enabling us to speak it clearly and boldly.
It’s only the truth you know and apply that will make you free. Just sitting listening every week and not memorizing what is said, not writing it down and not applying it, is not a productive use of our time; because we are not to be hearers only but doers of His Word.
We are so quick to justify our actions, to compromise our chosen way of spending our time. We become defensive when our choices are challenged and call the challenge being judgmental! We protect our lifestyle at all costs and the scripture says there is a way that seems right
but the end is death.
What we choose to believe – will never change the truth.
As the western calendar draws to a close and many will make resolutions for the coming year; maybe one should be… less social media time and more Word time. Less reading what others write on facebook and instead take those hours we spend seeing what others are doing and replace it with real spiritual facetime with our Heavenly Father and read what He has written for us in His Word.
Instead of the time we spend checking our email and phone text messages, let’s check our hearts and read our Fathers messages to us
for a life of godliness.
For what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?
It is amazing that we have found time to spend on all the aspects of social media, yet still don’t have time for study. The one thing that will change us from glory to glory, that will strengthen us in the inner man, that will fortify us against the enemies onslaught. That which will cause us to be strong in Him and in the power of His might. Because faith only comes by hearing and hearing by the word. Romans 10:17
Not by any other means and
without faith it is impossible to please God.
Hebrews 11:6
Maybe it’s time to lay some of these distractions aside and make a resolution to apply that time to the things of the spirit of the living God. The time to get ready for the battle ahead, is NOT when we find ourselves in the thick of the fight, but to be ready NOW and then we will not only be able to stand..2Chron. 20:20
but also able to assist others and as a good soldier not being
entangled with the world;
entangled with the world;
but also and most importantly
to endure to the end.Jesus Messiah is no longer a baby in the manger
and neither is He still hanging on a tree,
He is resurrected,
seated at the right hand of His
and our Heavenly Father in majesty and glory
and Has made the Way for us back to having a relationship with Him.
He came and died in our place taking our sins and removing them forever by the shedding of His blood. We are forgiven and made holy – set apart…
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” ..
and that we should share the good news of His gospel and GO and make disciples of all nations….
This is the real reason for the season
and it’s not just for Christmas
it’s for life – chaim!
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.
A Midweek Mannabite for those who are new to the site and/or have not seen the previous posts on Hanukkah/Chanukkah.
Many people assume Chanukkah/hanukkah is the Hebrew/Jewish equivalent of Christianity’s Christmas, which is celebrated both in Israel and around the world.
Today is the lighting of the 4th candle and
tomorrow will be the lighting of candle 5.
Although it is not an
Appointed Time of the Lord
it is celebrated by many.
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
This took place at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.
It is also known as the Festival of Lights.
For more on the why’s and wherefore’s
and the history of this festival/holiday, explaining things such as: there are 9 candles on the hanukkah menorah, not 7….
help us to walk in the unforgettable and irrepressible radiance of His glory.
May our Heavenly Father help us shine with good works.
Ones that glorify His Name and draw all men unto Jesus,
His Messiah Yeshua HaMashiach!
Happy Hanukkah/Chanukkah family!
Hanukkah Sameach Mishpachah’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa
Don’t leave this page until you are certain in your heart that the Messiah Yeshua/Jesus is the Light of your world.
We all need to be born again from above by His Spirit of Holiness..His Mercy and Grace are what we need…for therein is His forgiveness.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
Its 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 only begotten 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 and serve you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again from above 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.
and is sometimes put between the subject and adjective, since Hebrew doesn’t have the verb: to be in the present tense, by placing a personal pronoun after the subject it helps to give the thought of: state of being.
So, literally איתנו הוא אלוהים
would be:
God, He (is) with us.
The Hebrew translation of
God is near (to me)
אֱלֹהִים קָרוֹב אֵלַי
Elohim – אֱלֹהִים – God
Karov – קָרוֹב – (he) is close
Elay – אֵלַי – to me.
The prepositionעִם – eem means:
with or together with,
as in אני עם יוסף – I [am] with Joseph.
עִמָּ֫נוּאֵ֫ל – JESUS Is IMMANUEL
GOD WITH US
and it marked the fullness of time.
`Eemmanoo eyl
Mary/Maryām/מִרְיָם, Did You Know??
The questions we must ask ourselves are …
Is Immanuel also IN us?
Is the kingdom of God present withIN us?
Is God – the hope of glory – IN us?
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.
John 15:4-6. 4 Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.]
The abiding within…
This time of year can stress the calmest of individuals… The hustle and bustle and pressures of all things commercial designed to separate us from our hard earned money! There is little doubt that the disciples and emissaries of 2000+ years ago would NOT have had the same issues…it makes one wonder why we have allowed this month of the year to evolve into such a time consuming and expensive event; where the focus is not on the Lord but on gifts, food, drink and family festivities. For many it is a nightmare because of overspending leading to debt, travel leading to commuting horrors, and over-indulgence in every area giving ourselves excuses to behave way outside of our normal lifestyle.
Let’s answer the primary question…
Is Immanuel IN us not just WITH us?
Are we filled with His Spirit?
Or are we filled with the false Christmas spirit offered by the worlds’ holiday season…what are we focused on?
God is in us in Hebrew is:
בנו נמצא אלוהים
God is in me
In Hebrew, it is written as
איתי אלוהים
It means that our Heavenly Father is at work within all His creations and watches us every moment of every day.
Psalm 121:4 indeed, he who watchesoverIsrael will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watchesover you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
He will never leave us alone whenever we face certain problems or we are put in difficult circumstances that we are unable to overcome.
The promise: I will never leave you nor forsake you; was first given to Israel and Joshua before entering the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 31:6.
Instead, He will lift us up with His righteous right hand, and will fill us with His wisdom and love, enabling us to go through the storms and climb over the mountains in our lives!
Never will I leaveyou; never will I forsakeyou. Hebrews 13:5 is the same promise in the Brit Chadashah/New Testament.
Our Heavenly Father, in the present time in the form of His Spirit of Holiness, is WITH US, in a very personal and intimate way.
The God of all creation lives within us, if we have invited Him in to stay.
He comforts us through challenging times.
He teaches us through His Word,
and leads us in His Way by equipping us to serve Him.
The fullness of time was marked at Messiahs’ birth and we are in the days of the wrapping up of the ages. Don’t let’s allow the wrapping up of gifts overwhelm us and cause us to push aside the presence of the most precious present ever given to the world and to each one of us.. Emmanuel…. He came, and although He left for a season; He will return in the completed fullness of time. Meanwhile He sent Himself as comforter, helper, counsellor; and in His spirit form He will never leave us nor forsake us.
He comforts the lonely and He heals the broken hearted.
He is the Peace that can fill and calm our chaotic lives and remove all fear, anxiety and depression.
There is not one reference to December 25th in the scriptures, so really it is just a date on the calendar when so many try to remember their Christianity.. maybe go to church and sing a nostalgic carol or two.. but that is not what our Heavenly Father has told us to do nor did Jesus. Rather it’s what we (people), have decided to do… We should rather celebrate Him every day, in every aspect of our lives. Continually grateful for our salvation because He gave His life for us. His death gave us life…eternal life and the opportunity to live the spiritually abundant life here on earth; being filled with fullness of God by His indwelling spirit, and sharing the good news that He did indeed come.
He is Emmanuel – God with us – and He desires to be
God IN US too,
so He can work His works through us, to a dying world lost in sin.
When sin abounds how much more does grace abound.
Romans 5:20
Where sin exists in abundance and is multiplying and constantly expanding… describes the growing nature of unrestrained sin today.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt. 5:16
The darkness is rapidly increasing and we are to
shine all the brighter
and allow His glory to be seen in and through us; because
the night cometh when no man can work; John 9:4
Meaning the night of death, and of the grave, also suggesting His own death and that He had but a little time to be in this world and needed to do the works of His Father.
So it is for each individual follower of Messiah,
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me.
There’s a storm coming! A spiritual storm and we need to be spiritually prepared!
We need to be certain that we are filled with His Spirit that Immanuel is both with us and IN us.
Salvation is Nearer Now than When We First Believed. ‘And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber. Romans 13:11
This is a time of spiritual reawakening, as we return to what we should be doing.
If you are already awake then wake up someone else!
It’s closer now than when we first believed and it’s time to
be ready and not be caught unprepared…
Don’t be distracted by things which have no heavenly value and are of no eternal benefit.
Be about our Fathers business and stay alert
being prayerfully on watch
for you know not the hour your master comes.
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Matt.24:42 & 25:13
Phil. 4:7 And let the peace that passes understanding fill your hearts and minds this season because He is our Sar Shalom. This is a season of opportunity to remind all those around us why we have this date on our calendars and exactly what it means to us.
In previous years, the story we are so familiar with has been the focus of the posts. Below is a list of some whose content looks at details we may have missed.
If you haven’t read earlier posts.. below are some links for this season
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.
His words are spirit and life and these are the words that should come from our lips; and which make up the reality of the sword of the spirit, the active part of 
Immanuel 
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