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This is still the season of
counting of/ from the Omer.
Sefirat HaOmer
העומר ספירת
Which is an appointed season between
Passover and Pentecost.
Leviticus 23:15
This is the 50/49 days between two of the
the three Pilgrimage Festivals
or
Shalosh Regalim in Hebrew: שלוש רגלים
They are the three major festivals:
Pesach – Passover,
Shavuot – Weeks or Pentecost, and
Sukkot – Tabernacles, Tents or Booths
when all Israelites who were able, would make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, as commanded by the Torah.
This season is a very important time in personal preparation, because it is one of introspection, of self searching and examining our lives, and the motives of our hearts.
The disciples were told by Messiah to wait in Jerusalem during this period of time. Acts 1:12-26
They would have been counting from the Omer according to the instructions given in scripture.
Click on links below for more on the Omer.
During that time leading up to Shavuot/Pentecost, the disciples would have been praying reading Torah/ Old Testament and preparing themselves spiritually for the promise Messiah Jesus/Yeshua had given them.
Right on time, perfectly fulfilling the promise from the Father and Jesus/Yeshua, His Spirit of Holiness descended on these obedient, patient, faithful disciples.
These prepared vessels were not disappointed. Old Testament prophecies, (Joel), were fulfilled and the disciples who were ready, were totally submitted and committed to Him and they received the fullness of the equipping they would need, to do the will of the Father; and with it came the promise that He would be with them always. The spiritual seed they had planted and the obedient preparation time they had set aside was fully rewarded.
Messiah often used agricultural and farming references when teaching spiritual principles and in Hosea 10:12, 13, there is a similar agricultural reference.
Hosea 10:12 says, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” KJV
Amplified Bible
Sow with a view to righteousness [that righteousness, like seed, may germinate]; Reap in accordance with mercy and lovingkindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, For it is time to seek and search diligently for the LORD [and to long for His blessing] Until He comes to rain righteousness and His gift of salvation on you.
In the days before sowing any seed, there is a very critical work to be done. When Messiah spoke of the types of ground in Mark 4, He said some of the seed fell on rocks, well worn paths and hard ground.
So what kind of Farmer plants in hard, untilled ground? or as Hosea says fallow ground. Is this farmer evil and wicked, is he sinful and corrupt in his ways? It is this why he sows in untilled soil, in fallow ground? Is he just lazy or not a very well educated farmer?
Or maybe a combination of the above?
Hosea tells us that a farmer who has failed to break up the fallow ground has in fact lost His way.
Fallow is not a word often used today, however it’s familiar to a farmer. It is land that is not doing what God designed land to do. Fallow land is just sitting there, doing nothing but produce weeds. Although it may have potential, until the farmer does something with the land, it is simply fallow; hard, dry, unused ground, useless and not helping anyone.
At this time of year many folks are out in the garden, imagining the beautiful harvest from the tender seedlings they are planting. We should remember that untilled/ fallow ground can be soft and moist at the surface and look like it is ready to receive the plants. Even though it may look good and seeds may be sown at a healthy depth from the surface; not too shallow, and not too deep, for a while it may look that the planting is successful. However the future of the crop becomes clear and proves devastating when, in the hard and unbroken ground below, the seedlings do not have anywhere to let their roots grow down.
The tender crop is then also in danger of being overrun by weeds that have been lying in wait to take advantage of them.
To make a parallel with our spiritual walk, when we leave our fields fallow and untilled, they quickly become overtaken by unwanted weeds that proliferate in the shallow soil. These weeds soon silently slither like serpents across the surface and choke the life out of our crops.
Without good healthy roots, these seedlings will burn up and be destroyed as they have no means to take in the cool life-giving moisture hidden deep in the soil. Hosea says in such ground we can only plow wickedness and will reap only perversity.
Why?
Because we did not break up the fallow ground,
till the soil
and remove the weeds.
Instead we trusted in our own way, in the abundance of our might and understanding, trusting in self.
Self-sufficiency, self righteousness and our own opinions; it is the carnal natural thinking of the life lived in the flesh. We think we are right and know how to do everything in our own strength and abilities; and doing everything without God, walking as if we don’t need him, this is pride.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man… Matthew 15:18-20.
In Matthew 13:3-8, the Word of God is referred to as seeds for sowing, and our hearts are as the soil in various conditions.
Some hearts are stony, hard to breach and have no root, others are thorny, with many barbs entwined with the lusts desires of this world. However some hearts are soft and good, having fertile soil, they have been cleansed of weeds, refuse and trash and are prepared to receive the Word of God.
In Matthew 13:24-30, Messiah teaches that it’s not only our Heavenly Father who sows His Word into our hearts – the adversary is always trying to sow evil seeds into our hearts when we’re not paying attention. These seeds can be in the form of doubt and un-forgiveness in relationships, they can be seeds of coveting, lustful, unclean thoughts, or seeds of hate, cruelty and spite.
In Matthew 12:34-35; 15:18-20. Messiah said that everything we do and say is rooted in our hearts.
Our hearts are vulnerable too if we do not guard them.
Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence with the utmost care; for out of it are the issues of life. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
We tend to pray, or even go into fasting, with a deep desire for our Heavenly Father’s intervention in our lives and situations, yet we often overlook this important aspect of our lives, and it is one that can either help or hinder our answered prayers, it can enhance or diminish our good works before our Father, and this is always before Him.
We do well in the areas of offering our praise, worship, time, tithes, and our sacrifices, however it’s time that we make certain we offer up our whole heart to the Lord. It doesn’t matter if we are newly born again, or are mature discipled believers, we cannot play with our salvation, nor can we afford to be near to God with our lips yet having our hearts far from Him.
We are in the end times and now more than ever, we cannot afford to lose our place in eternity because of hard, stony hearts. As Hosea 10:12 says, “break up your fallow ground, for it’s time to seek the Lord…”
Sometimes we can mistake our relationship with our Heavenly Father and the work we do for His kingdom as the same thing, when really, they are separate.
Taking our relationships with people as an example, we may be doing things for them without actually knowing, or wanting to know them on a deeper level. Sometimes we may not be doing these things from our hearts, but only as a means to get something in return or to further our own interests. On the other hand, when we have a close friendship/relationship with an individual, it goes beyond what you do for each other; a level of intimacy is established with that person, and we find we want to spend quality time with them. This is the same with our Heavenly Father, He wants us to know Him beyond us doing works and seeking/receiving the blessings, through Messiah. The key for us in developing a stronger relationship with our Heavenly Father is only gained through a heart that has been regenerated by His Spirit and by the Truth of His Word. John 4:24.
This is why the scripture says to obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22!
It’s about our hearts.
Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26. tells us that the regeneration of the heart is a precise moment when the Holy Spirit of the Living God touches us, takes away our stony heart, and gives us a heart of flesh. This heart He gives us is tender, willing to hear and obey His voice, and is a productive ground for His Word to grow. Only when we have a heart of flesh can we truly forgive and forget.
Ezekiel 11:19 shows that the heart is the seat of our relationship with our Father and it links the body, soul, and spirit together and it’s only through a regenerated heart that we can worship Him in spirit and in truth, and fulfill His commandments Romans 2:28-29. This clearly shows us why God is so interested in our hearts.
Again, this is why Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “keep our hearts with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.”
It takes a heart that is mature, to not forget Him along the way, as we handle the abundant blessings that our Father has prepared for us. Deuteronomy 8:16-18.
Concerning the area of spiritual warfare in prayer, the need for our hearts to be right before the Lord, cannot be stressed enough. We need to ask for His mercy every day, and for Him to cleanse our hearts from every emotional burden before we begin to intercede. This is because according to 2 Timothy 2:3-4, we are not to intercede in prayer based on our emotions, anger, hatred, anxiety or fear. All negative emotions are based in the natural carnal part of us, but the fight we are fighting is not a natural carnal one, it is spiritual in nature. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:12. In the same way that soldiers fighting in the natural become exhausted mentally and emotionally and are prone to make mistakes, when we fight based on our emotions, it can leave us exposed to demonic attacks.
When we are not breaking up the fallow, hard areas of our hearts by spending time with God, reading His Word and in prayer, it becomes dry, cold, hard, and unproductive. When we are aware of these dry, cold, hard, unproductive places, we are to make some changes. If we don’t, and we leave those fallow parts of our lives untouched, they become hard to our Heavenly Father, His Word and hard towards other people.
It would be easier if God said,
“Let me break up the fallow ground of your life”
but he didn’t. He told us to do it.
So if we care at all about personal growth, being of value to His Kingdom, and making a difference both in the world and in eternity it means we have to start digging!
We have to get out the plow by applying His Word to our lives, we must look for and identify those hard, dry places in our lives and then break up that soil with His Word and by spending time with our Heavenly Father in prayer. We have to break up that dry ground, and by seeding His Word in those places we find then digging out the spiritual weeds that have no doubt grown up while we were ignoring those areas.
If we ask Him to reveal the state and content of our hearts searching deep within ourselves, we will maybe have a shock when we see what is in there. Our Heavenly Father desires that we “rend our hearts, and not our garments, and turn unto the Lord our God” Joel 2:12-13.
This is the time more now than ever, for us to be sincere, open and honest with our Father. It doesn’t matter if we are mature or babes in the Lord, we still need to ask Him for an ongoing heart transformation.
Matthew 5:8, assures us that with a pure heart will we eventually see God and with a heart that is clean we may according to
1 John 3:20-21; 4:17.
have confidence before the judgment seat of Christ.
We always have a choice because our Heavenly Father has given us free will to choose. He says choose this day and choose life.
Deuteronomy 30:11 – 20 19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! We can make this choice by loving the Lord our God, obeying Him, and committing ourselves firmly to Him.
Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.
3 For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [[a]the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [[b]subdued, overcame, [c]deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice],
4 So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit].
5 For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and [d]pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and [e]seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit.
6 Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that [f]comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].
7 [That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot.
8 So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him.
9 But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God].
10 But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you].
11 And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.
12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh [we are not obligated to our carnal nature], to live [a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates] of the flesh.
A farmer takes a plow to that ground, turns it over, breaks it up and plants his seed. Then a month or so later he returns to see what has grown.
If we choose to not allow our hearts to remain cold, hard, dry and fallow then even hard hearts and fallow ground can become places of great blessing.
Two passages of Scripture challenge us to grow, mature and change and both are from prophets in the Old Testament warning the people of Israel, because in their service of the Lord they had become lazy and disobedient.
“Break up your unplowed ground
and do not sow among thorns.
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
circumcise your hearts,
you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem..
Jeremiah 4:3-4a
Jeremiah 4:3
HEB: יְהוּדָה֙ וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם נִ֥ירוּ לָכֶ֖ם נִ֑יר
NAS: and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground,
KJV: and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground,
“Sow for yourselves righteousness,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers righteousness on you.” (Hosea 10:12)
Hosea 10:12
HEB: נִ֥ירוּ לָכֶ֖ם נִ֑יר וְעֵת֙ לִדְר֣וֹשׁ
NAS: Break up your fallow ground, For it is time
KJV: break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time
INT: kindness Break your fallow is time to seek
Just what does it mean for me and you to do that?
The phrase unplowed ground or fallow ground
is the Hebrew noun:
nîr,
the tillable, untilled, or fallow ground.
Strongs 5213b nir: to break up, freshly till
Original Word: נִיר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: nir
Phonetic Spelling: (neer)
Definition: to break up, freshly till
Strong’s Concordance 5215
niyr: ground
Original Word: נִיר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: niyr
Phonetic Spelling: (neer)
Definition: a lamp
fallow ground, plowing, tillage
Or nir {neer}; from niyr; properly, plowing,
i.e. (concretely) freshly plowed land —
fallow ground, plowing, tillage.
נִיר noun [masculine] the tillable, untilled or fallow ground;
Hosea 10:12; Jeremiah 4:3 till you the untilled ground (figurative of unaccustomed moral action)
It’s land that could be productive, but has not been broken up, tilled, plowed, and prepared for planting. The prophets speaking from the Lord are commanding the people to break up that land and (spiritually) to plow the land that they have.
The two things the prophets spoke about fallow ground were:
one, the Fallow ground is unusable, and two, Fallow ground is unused.
A crop cannot grow in unplowed ground because it’s rock hard, and it prevents seeds from pushing into the earth, germinating, putting down roots and growing to maturity. Every gardener knows that when it’s time to put in the plants the soil must be broken up to enable the seeds to grow into it and let their roots go down deep where moisture can be found.
They were sowing seed, but because they didn’t bother to prepare the soil and pull out the thorns and weeds, the seeds planted did not produce.
By applying this farming comparison to spiritual things, the question is: What must be done so the soil is ready to receive the seed of God’s word?
For us, as we stand before the planting fields of our lives, there is a choice we have to make. Are we going to plant in the hard, unbroken, unyielding, fallow soil with a pointless and ineffective future without any promise of a harvest? Or are we now prepared and ready to break up that fallow ground in our hearts and lives? Are we ready to dig it, to lift it up, turn it over and do it again, and do it deep, really deep?
We need to ask ourselves,
What type of heart do I really have?
What has been growing in my heart up to today?
Hatred, bitterness, lust, greed, worldliness? These must be removed by their roots so a new crop can be planted. Grain crops do not flourish under the shade of trees. They must be removed so the new crop can grow in the light.
Hardness must be broken up. A plow does the hard work of opening up the ground. It is true we can dig it one shovelful at a time, but that is too slow a process. Farmers can harness some cattle or horses or use other equipment, however there are farmers without animals who have harnessed themselves and pulled their own plow while his wife or son guided the plow. It takes energy to pull the plow and guide the plow, keeping the furrows straight so the field can be plowed to it best advantage.
Is there hardness in our hearts?
Is there unbelief that is hiding in our souls?
Those who have been hurt in relationships or by a parent or guardian, they may have sealed off an area of their lives because it’s just too painful to return to it. We need to let our loving Heavenly Father break up those old simmering resentments and heal all those past hurts. He will take the strain and pull the plow, but we must point it toward those hard places in our hearts that we know we must deal with.
Sometimes our hearts have been hardened by unbelief which must be faced head on and broken up, then our Father can plant something new and fruitful in there. One way of plowing deep is by confession and heartfelt repentance.
How many of us remember the last time we were broken and humbly knelt before the Lord?
Larger rocks must be dislodged and completely removed and sometimes during the plowing process we find large, immovable rocks. If we are serious about making this field produce a harvest, it will require extensive digging along with power to lift them and move them from the field.
These can be rocks of un-forgiveness, stones of stubbornness, deep twisted roots of bitterness and jealousy that need to be severed and pulled out. Rotting remnants and dormant seeds of rejection, pride and rebellion from previous years that wait, patiently, for the perfect climate and the environment to sprout and rear their ugly heads when favorable conditions, circumstances and situations present themselves. The list is endless, yet these are the hidden things that prevent our spiritual growth into maturity and stunt the harvest that would otherwise be seen in a fruitful life.
If we have been plowing our heart, have we found some big rocks that need to be removed, but we are not able to move them by ourselves? Maybe it’s time to talk with our pastors about the rocks and stones? They will have had some experience moving rocks out of their own life because every field has rocks and stones in them.
When a field goes unplanted for several years it often become covered with thorns or other weeds the thorns must be gathered up and burned; let the purifying fire of His Holy Spirit cleanse away all that is not of the Father.
As this is also a season when we are planting for a future harvest, we are reminded again of Messiah Jesus’s parables of the sower and his seed.
In the parable of the sower, Messiah uses thorns in a field to describe obstacles in the human heart; but what kinds of thorns make the fields of our hearts unproductive?
“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22
“The worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” Mark 4:19
“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” Luke 8:14
Depending on the type of land, the thorns may represent temptations and lust toward other people, self-indulgence, pride, anger, selfishness, a love of entertainment and recreation, addictions, greed, and many other thorns. It is important to know that any and each of these thorns can choke the Word of God; and each one has a devastating effect on the crop and subsequent harvest that God wants to produce in His children, so we must show them no mercy just get them out!
Fallow ground, unplowed, unprepared soil is unusable for any serious crop, we must “break up” our fallow ground so that it is usable.
We may have much of our lives surrendered to the Lord and they may be being nurtured and refined to produce a crop of righteousness and the fruit of His Spirit, which is great! But just maybe there’s a piece of ground, an area of our life that we’ve never quite got around to dealing with, no digging, no planting, and no harvesting, there, but it is going to waste. Just maybe we’ve put off plowing this area of ground because it’s too painful or difficult to deal with.
If we’ll break up the additional fallow ground in our lives, He will extend and enlarge our fruitfulness.
For it is the time [destined] for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not respect or believe or obey the gospel of God? 1 Peter 4:17
The axe is laid to the root of the trees
Luke 3:9 and
Matt 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Deliverance, freedom from oppressing evil spirits is not as popular a message as prosperity teaching. Yet true biblical prosperity is of the spiritual life and it cannot be lived in fullness without being set free from the bondage of sin, death and the consequences of a life lived without God.
Prov. 5:22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
These cords are the same as the rocks and stones and if we have been at the same place in our walk with the Lord for some years and are not moving forward, or desiring to go higher and dig deeper with Him, there maybe some rocks, roots and cords holding us back. These prevent our growth to maturity and it’s time to allow His spirit to not only identify them but remove them once and for all and do it deep. Only then will we become a field ready to receive the implantation of His righteousness and yield an abundance of the fruits of His grace through/by delivering freedom and healing.
While there is still time today, which is the day of salvation, let us break up the fallow ground for ourselves by yielding to Him and seeking His face. Don’t hold back any longer but let’s submit our lives completely to His Will, plan and purpose for us.
As a true disciple, willing and obedient, we must lay down our lives because it’s time to seek the Lord until he comes and rains righteousness upon you.
and He promises that
Is 1:19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
NOW
is the time
to break up
these unplowed fields in our lives
and
yield them to Him and allow His growth in us.
Let our Heavenly Father expose every evil seed that the enemy may have planted in our hearts, then He can touch, cleanse, and regenerate them.
Why?
So that we may truly know Him and the power of His resurrection, obey Him and worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Clean, stable, properly prepared vessels, are those which the Father can fill with His power.
Thank you Father for your loving kindness and goodness today; show me the fallow ground in my life. Teach me by your spirit how to break up the fallow ground of my stubborn and prideful ways and to continually seek you until you come on rain your righteousness on me. Take the seed of your words of truth and plant Your ways deep inside me so that the fruit I bear is worthy of your Name.
Break up the dry lumps in my life Father, lift me up, turn me over and then do it again and do it deep, pulling out all those hidden roots by Your Spirit of Holy Fire and cleanse me from the inside out; burn away all that is not of You. I know Your Word says that judgment begins in the house of the Lord, therefore let the shaking and sifting begin with me so that the Bride you are returning for is without spot and wrinkle; and we will be accounted and found worthy to stand before you, cleansed by your blood, separated from everything that would keep us from your presence.
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
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.
Not sure ..you can be…
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.
Isaiah 45:8
Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout and righteousness spring up with it; I, the LORD, have created it.
Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.
2 Corinthians 9:10
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.
Proverbs 11:18
The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.
Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.
Proverbs 11:18
The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
Galatians 6:7,8 Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
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.
Original Word: מוֹעֵד
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: moed
Phonetic Spelling: mo-ade’
They signify life!
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.
At this season
chag ha sukkot
those following the
appointed times of the Lord – His Moedim
observe Leviticus 23:40, 42 43.
Deuteronomy D’variym 16:13-15
Chag haSukot הַסֻּכֹּ֛ת חַ֧ג
13 ‘The feast of booths thou dost make for thee seven days, in thine in-gathering of thy threshing-floor, and of thy wine-vat;
14 and thou hast rejoiced in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy handmaid, and the Levite, וְהַלֵּוִ֗י levivy and the sojourner hag ger וְהַגֵּ֛ר
and the fatherless, and the widow, who ‘are’ within thy gates.
15 Seven days thou dost feast before Jehovah thy God, in the place which Jehovah doth choose, for Jehovah thy God doth bless thee in all thine increase, and in every work of thy hands, and thou hast been only rejoicing.
16 ‘Three times in a year doth every one of thy males appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which He doth choose — in the feast of unleavened things, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths; and they do not appear before Jehovah empty;
17 each according to the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God, which He hath given to thee.
A sukkah
is also called
סֻּכֹּֽת
a booth – a tabernacle – temporary dwelling,
depending on who you ask.
(There are several alternate spellings of the Hebrew word.)
It is only for 7 days and when it is described as a
temporary dwelling,
it’s because the
sukah/sukkah
construction itself is
temporary,
it is not a permanent structure.
For 7 days each year all who are native born in Israel
are to live in these sukkah
made of tree boughs branches and leaves.
The flimsy sukkah
is not really able to give much shelter from
the heat of the sun or the wind rain and dust;
nor does it provide privacy.
There’s no protection from criminal activities and by itself it’s totally ineffective for a long term dwelling place.
The point is that, for 40 years this is how the children of Israel lived as they travelled through the wilderness...
and it serves as a reminder to all subsequent generations, and the grafted-in-believers, how our Heavenly Father
protects and shelters His children
as we continue on our wilderness journey to His promised land..
We would opt for a more sturdy building of wood, brick and concrete with locks on our doors, if we were given a choice; yet is this any more permanent and reliable than a sukat/sukkah when the forces of nature are unleashed against it?
It only takes a moment, to look at the aftermath of deadly hurricanes and floods, for us to see the devastating results.
All who are native born ……sons of Israel.
Leviticus 23
40 and ye have taken to yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palms, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of a brook, and have rejoiced before Jehovah your God seven days.
41 ‘And ye have kept it a feast to Jehovah, seven days in a year — a statute age-during to your generations; in the seventh month ye keep it a feast.
42 ‘In booths בַּסֻּכֹּֽת ye dwell seven days; all who are natives in Israel / Yisrael יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
dwell in booths,
43 so that your generations do know that in booths בַּסֻּכֹּֽת
I caused the sons of Yisrael / Israel יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
to dwell; in my bringing them out of the land of Egypt; I, Jehovah, ‘am’ your God.’
44 And Moses speaketh ‘concerning’ the appointed seasons of Jehovah unto the sons of Israel.
The sukkah reminds us
that our faith/trust should
NOT
be in
so called permanent structures
that have been built by human hands;
but instead
our faith/trust should be in the
One Who
has the power to protect us
in every situation and circumstance
and all adverse conditions.
We are to
abide and remain
in the
shade of shaddai….
the
shadow of the Almighty.
לְצֵל־ lezel – shade/shadow
שַׁדַּי shaddai/shadday –
strongs #5996
צל של שדדאי
shade of shaddai
צל – shade
אל שדי el shaddai the almighty
Strongs# 7706. Shadday: Almighty
Original Word: שַׁדַּי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: Shadday
Phonetic Spelling: shad-dah’-ee or sha’da eye
Almighty: Shaddai.
Masculine noun.
Strong’s 7706.
Root: שַׁדַּי
Pronounced: sha’dah-ee.
Meaning: My Destroyer, My Protective Spirit, My Rainmaker.
Self-Sufficient, Who Is Abundantly.
From the verb שדד ( shadad ), to destroy,
or the noun שד ( shed ), protective spirit,
or the verb שדה (shadah), to moisten.
God Almighty
El Shaddai – ale shad-dah’-ee. אל שׁדי
Genesis 17:1
HEB: אֲנִי־ אֵ֣ל שַׁדַּ֔י הִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ לְפָנַ֖י
NAS: to him, I am God Almighty; Walk
KJV: and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty God;
And when Abram was ninety nine years old and the LORD appeared to Abram, and he said to him, I am El Shaddai, walk before me, and be perfect
Genesis 17:1
God Almighty
El Shaddai – ale shad-dah’-ee
letters: YDSLA – al shdy
Hebrew Letters:
alef, lamed, shin or sheen, dalet, yud or yod.
אל שׁדי
The Aleph is the picture of an ox head
and illustrates: the strength of an animal.
It can mean: strong, power, or leader.
The Lamed is a picture of a shepherd’s staff.
The shepherd used the staff to
exercise authority over the sheep to direct or lead them.
It can mean: teach, lead, yoke, move forward, or authority.
The Shin represents two front teeth
and can mean: sharp, eat, consume, separate, or destroy.
The Dalet represents a tent flap or door.
It can also mean:
back and forth movement as in going in and out of a door.
The Yud represents an arm and a hand.
The picture can mean: work, throw, worship
or it can simply mean: arm or hand.
The Aleph and Lamed form the root word
El which means: God or strong controller.
The Shin, Dalet, and Yud
form another root
Shad meaning breast.
Together they reveal:
The One mighty to nourish and
supply all our needs!
We live safely NOT because we have a well built house,
but because our Heavenly Father is
protecting us
and is also
providing for us
and caring for us each and every day.
Even the most reliable building is really just a
sukkah
because one day it will no longer exist.. BUT…
we will have a permanent dwelling place forever with Him.
Let’s allow Him to teach us to put our trust
only in Him
and to know that He shields us from harm because
He is our provider and protector.
This time of reflection towards our dwelling place and where we live and rest, reminds us of Psalm 91:1-4 because it’s related to the fact of not being reliant on a physical place in a natural sense….. It has the elements of a protective sinnah – shield,
and the shelter and shadow/shade/lezel
of the Almighty/Shaddai
…because is the secret place of
עֶלְי֑וֹן
El’yon
pronounced:el yown
which is
the shield and surrounding wall of His truth.
This is not a metaphorical description, it’s a real place;
as real as we allow it to be to us.
How so?
Because if we don’t believe it’s there or that it exists, how can we go there?
And if we don’t ever go there, how can we rest there habitually as the Psalmist says?
He who dwells in the shelter of Elyon,
will abide in
the shadow of Shaddai.
It’s very real, yet sometimes hard to find…
Is it because we’re looking for the wrong kind of structure?
When we read the word secret, do we think it’s hidden by some kind of camouflage?
The verse says it’s a stronghold so do we think its made of some indestructible material?
Does the shield part make us think we can’t see through it and that the surrounding wall may be so high and wide that we can’t get around or over it?
So we are looking for something our minds can relate to and in looking from the
Shade of Shaddai
we make our relationship with Him so complicated that we miss His provision, especially when it’s right where we are?
How can that be right?
Because His truth IS a shield
and the surrounding wall for us,
without the need for any additional support or fortifying;
and all we need to do is recognize that truth and
rest in the shadow of His Word – Jesus/Yeshua.
This is where we will find all the comfort and shelter we need.
With Isaiah and David the Psalmist, let’s state clearly….and not just for this week.. but going forward each and every day….
Father, YOU are our strength, our stronghold, our God and we trust in You. We are not looking for a natural fortress that’s impenetrable but we are resting habitually in Your protection, in the
shade of shadai/shaddai
because You are our
everlasting sukah/sukkah
and will one day tabernacle with us for ever.
If you haven’t already please take the time to read earlier posts focusing on the week of Sukkot/Tabernacles/Booths.
Links below:
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week,
you are greatly loved and prayed for daily.
Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation because
one of these days we will leave behind this personal, physical
body/tent/temporary shelter/sukkah….
and dwell for eternity in one of two places..
either with, or without, the presence of our Heavenly Father.
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.
Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith- the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
“אם יהיו חטאיכם כשנים כשלג ילבינו”
“Even if your sins will be scarlet, they will become white as snow.”
”שָׁנִי
shani – shawnee – scarlet #8144
Original Word: שָׁנִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shani
Phonetic Spelling: shaw-nee’
Definition: scarlet
Isaiah 1:18
HEB: יִֽהְי֨וּ חֲטָאֵיכֶ֤ם כַּשָּׁנִים֙ כַּשֶּׁ֣לֶג יַלְבִּ֔ינוּ
NAS: your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white
KJV: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white
INT: become your sins scarlet snow white
Why does our Heavenly Father call sin as scarlet?
Scarlet is the color of blood and it is the blood of Yeshua/Jesus that removes the sin, sins are not scarlet are they?
In answering this question we must try to remember that words for things that are common usage today, would be totally confusing to people even a hundred years ago. E.g., In conversation today, we might say, “My laptop has a wifi Bluetooth mouse but my tablet and ipad do not.” This statement would mean nothing to someone born in the early 1900’s! A mouse with a bluetooth!! they would think you were completely crazy!
The point is our language and application of words changes, so when we read the scriptures we must remember what was relevant to those people at their time and according to the culture of their native country.
In those days people were not used to color as we are today. They did not decorate or color co-ordinate their homes or clothes; because bright colors were rare, they had not turned color into a science all its’ own as industry has today. There was no such thing as Interior/exterior paint and there were no paint spray cans or colored pencils/pens.
In the middle east their surroundings were mostly desert browns with sparse greenery and when a bright colorful flower animal or insect was observed it caused them to stop and be amazed.
The Hebrew word used for scarlet in this verse is kashanim
from the root word shani שָׁנִי
which is a word for a specific insect.
Hebrew Base Word: שָׁנִי.
שָׁנִי
šānî (H8144)
Crimson, scarlet (thread)
Definition: Crimson, properly, the insect or its color,
also stuff dyed with
Scarlet, crimson.
Properly, the insect ‘coccus ilicis’, the dried body of the female yielding coloring matter from which is made the dye used for cloth to color it scarlet or crimson.
The ka in front of the word is a preposition: like or as
so it would read literally:
though your sins be as or like an insect.
Translators correctly used the word scarlet because the people of that day were very familiar with this unique insect. This unusual insect caused the observers to be amazed because this little creature attached itself to a tree to give birth to its offspring, and when it died and its body dried up, it turned a bright, scarlet, red color. So a bright color such as scarlet would have been rare and thus everyone in Israel thousands of years ago, knew what scarlet/crimson was, or, the reference in the verse, red like crimson.
Scarlet is not only tied into the concept of sin and redemption, but it was also used practically within the confines of the Jewish Temple. Scarlet and crimson were united together in the Temple curtains/veils:
Exodus 35:25
All the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and the scarlet material [tola’at ha-shani] and in fine linen.
The Hebrew word for material in this passage is towla-at, which is the same word used for crimson-worm. So it appears that this word evolved from representing the worm to also representing any material colored scarlet by the worm itself.
This scarlet material (tola’at shani) is found in mulyiple places in scripture, and had a particular emphasis in decorating the Temple.
Exodus 26:31-33
“You shall also make a veil of violet, purple, and scarlet material [w-towla’at shani] , and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer. Then you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also of gold, on four bases of silver. You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve as a partition for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.”
When this scarlet worm is ready to lay its eggs, it attaches itself to the trunk of a tree, more specifically, the Kermes oak found in the Mediterranean region. It secures itself very firmly because it already knows it will not come back down that tree alive!
It is a voluntary sacrifice!
(Is this sounding familiar to another
death on a tree as a voluntary blood sacrifice??)
Its’ eggs, which are birthed beneath its body, remain protected until they hatch and are able to go off on their own. When the worm dies, it secretes a crimson fluid that stains its body and the wood around it.
Many people had the job of gathering these little insects. Once they died dried out and began to decay giving off its scarlet color. These dead insects were then collected, crushed and turned into a scarlet color dye. The dye was then applied to the material used to make clothes for royalty and those in society who could afford such luxuries. Because it was so uncommon to be clothed in bright garments, when a person wearing scarlet clothes came by, it was an obvious clue that they were very important.
Click link below for more detail on this amazing insect.
Why does this matter?
Because when someone heard the word
shani שָׁנִי or scarlet
they immediately thought of
this insect that was dead, and literally decaying.
The association with sin would then be quickly recognized as that dead decaying thing in your life, that choked the spiritual life out of you.
In the same way they would also understand that in skillful hands this dead thing could be turned into something of great beauty. Our Heavenly Father was saying that although our sins make us spiritually dead as that scarlet colored insect, He is able and willing to restore us to new spiritual life.
There are historical and archeological references, easily found on line, describing the Assyrian armies uniforms who, in Isaiah day, were Israels’ greatest enemies and eventually conquered them. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility, that most people living in Israel had heard the battle accounts; and that one thing they would have noticed was the uniform of the soldiers in the chariots. These chariots were manned by, some say 2 others 3 warriors, 1 to drive the chariot and the other 2/3 to shoot the arrows while racing as close to the enemy lines as possible; then they would circle around for another attack.
With all the enemies arrows flying, casualties were high, however it seems one arrow was not enough to knock such tough warriors down, and their wounds still bled. The scarlet colored uniforms concealed the blood coming from their wounds, and the enemy could not tell if they were hitting their targets or were fighting against something more supernatural!
Due to this military cultural practice, scarlet became known also as a camouflage.
It was part of the art of war, a means of keeping the soldiers injuries concealed and hidden from those observing the battle.
Applying this to our spiritual condition, it is telling us that when our Heavenly Father says that even though your sins are as scarlet, these sins were not the only ones destroying you but also included are those hidden or secret sins. Hidden sins are those that no one else but our Heavenly Father knows about, and even those sins that are hidden and concealed will be cleansed.
It is interesting that a word for sin is chata’
which is an archer’s term for
missing the mark or target.
And also makes us think of the verse in Ephesians concerning the fiery darts/arrows of the evil one which is why our shield of faith should always be held up high.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The word sin both in Hebrew and Greek means missed the mark, just as any archer might.
The Mark, the centre, the bulls eye, that man is to make this his aim through life, as to THE GLORY OF GOD.
Paul tells us that to all alike, missing this mark is SIN. The standard is a high one however, we are to aim directly and always at God’s glory and not mans’.
One of the words for sin in Hebrew, as mentioned does mean:
miss the mark,
meaning that: you didn’t achieve the right goal.
There are other words for sin, and some of them mean something more like: deliberately chose the wrong goal, which is rather more serious.
In Hebrew: HATA
Hebrew Strong’s #2398
Literally: to MISS God’s Standards.
(e.g. Hosea 8:1; Daniel 9:11; Isaiah 5:20-24)
“Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4 KJV cf. Romans 7:7.
God’s Target is His Commandments.
Breaking His Commandments is Missing God’s Target.
Same root, not the same word
Miss the mark is hechti החטיא
which also means: caused somebody to sin
Sin is chet חטא
Hebrew has several other words for sin beyond hata, each with its own specific meaning.
The word pesha, or trespass,
means: a sin done out of rebelliousness.
The word aveira means: transgression.
And the word avone, or iniquity,
means: a sin done out of moral failing.
A Hebrew word for sin is
חטאה
hhatah,
Strong’s #2403
and literally means: miss the mark.
The Greek translation of the Old Testament often used hamartia,
an equivalent word also meaning: to miss the mark.
Word meanings were often not as precise as English words are, because the Hebrew language had a small vocabulary; and it’s very common in language to use very natural terms as a way to describe things that are much more abstract.
Just as Paul wrote in Philippians 3:14
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The same author told us in Romans 14:23
…whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
It is clear that the will of God, whether we are aware of what it is or not, is the mark. The responsibility is on us to both discover and to do it.
As noted, the common Hebrew term translated sin is chat·taʼthʹ; in Greek the usual word is ha·mar·tiʹa. In both languages, the verb forms (Hebrew, cha·taʼʹ; Greek, ha·mar·taʹno)
mean: miss, in the sense of:
missing or not reaching a goal, way, mark, or right point.
In our case how do we miss the mark?
We all miss the mark of perfection, in the sense that we are all called sinners in the scriptures.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
The reason Messiah Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach left his heavenly home and was born as a human, was to offer up His perfect human life in exchange for the perfect human life that Adam forfeited, when he rebelled against God’s authority.
“and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:24
chet: a sin
Original Word: חֵטְא
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chet
Phonetic Spelling: (khate)
Definition: a sin
ḥă·ṭā·’ê·ḵem — 1 Occurrence
Isaiah 1:18
HEB: אִם־ יִֽהְי֨וּ חֲטָאֵיכֶ֤ם כַּשָּׁנִים֙ כַּשֶּׁ֣לֶג
NAS: Though your sins are as scarlet,
KJV: the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet,
INT: Though become your sins scarlet snow
The Scapegoat –
Azazel עזאזל
Ayin Zayin Aleph Zayin Lamed
Leviticus 16:9-10: “And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him [for] a sin offering. (10) But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, [and] to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.”
There is something interesting in Jewish writings regarding Rosh Hashanah:
During Yom Kippur in ancient days, two goats were brought before the High Priest.
Both were as identical as possible.
Lots were then drawn.
One bore the words To the Lord and the other To Azazel.
The word Azazel is an interesting word as there is much debate as to what its meaning really is. Many translations just translate it as Azazel in reference to a geological location. Some of the earlier translations use the word scapegoat. As to whether Azazel meant scapegoat to the ancient Hebrews is said to be questionable.
In 1530 William Tyndale broke the law of the land by translating the Bible into English. This was an act for which he was put to death. Azazel was the name of a demon and even a common name among Jews used for Satan. To say the other lot fell to Satan who was allowed to escape, did not seem right, so Tyndale considered the word Azazel to be a compound word, as for goat; ez and azal for sending away, hence scapegoat. However, if we stay with the original understanding of Azazel as a demon or even a reference to Satan himself, we are then open to a deeper and maybe a more relevant understanding of this strange ritual.
It seems obvious that the goat who received the lot, To the Lord, was representative of the Messiah, as we identify to be Jesus/Yeshua. This Messiah gave His life and shed His blood for the sins of all mankind. But what was the reason for the Azazel and sending the goat into the wilderness? because the scapegoat never made it out of the wilderness alive.
The sages had no problem with one goat being slaughtered and shedding its’ blood as a sign of God’s forgiveness of sin, but they also realized just having your sins forgiven was not enough. It was a great relief on Yom Kippur to have all your sins forgiven, ready to start the New Year with a clean sheet, but what about the consequences of those past sins which was primarily the consequence of guilt. It seems it was not uncommon for Jews to amend their rituals and add to God-given directions. An example would be that an individual may not realize until they are older of the many sacrifices made by family members for their benefit. Sometimes the commandment to honor parents cannot be fulfilled if the parents die before they are able to repent, ask for forgiveness and personally thank them. They pray and repent and they receive Gods forgiveness by faith, and that sin is washed away, like the goat shedding its’ blood for their sin; yet some individuals carry that guilt and live with the burden of it for years.
The sages saw that Azazel, a demon, or the enemy himself, is constantly whispering in our ears. We are to remember and be encouraged that after God has forgiven you and cleansed you
the only weapon the enemy has
are his lies.
Because of this it was agreed that the Azazel or the scapegoat also represented the guilt of the sin. God forgave the sin but many still live with the guilt.
One word for wilderness is medabarah which could also be translated as words from the heart. So, the picture they saw of the scapegoat was the words that the Azazel puts into your heart, words of condemnation and guilt are to be sent away far from the tabernacle or tent.
Again be certain that not only did
God forgive our sins,
He also
removed the guilt
often attached to that sin.
The only guilt we feel is just the lies of the Azazel or the enemy. Messiah came to set the captives free from ALL of it.
The sins were placed on the scapegoat and by so doing removing all guilt being carried; and they did two extra things not mentioned in the Torah which are recorded in the Talmud/Jewish Literature.
First, they tied a red wool thread around the horn of the scapegoat and cut off a piece of that red wool thread.
Then when they sent the goat away some priests followed it and when the goat got near a cliff, they made sure the goat fell to his death, accordingly the lies of Azazel were put to death!
When the Pharisees placed their hands on the goat and confessed the sins… it was ALL placed on the scapegoat. When the Pharisees slapped Jesus/Yeshua on His head and called Him blasphemous; this act was, placing the sins of all mankind on the head of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, maybe unintentionally… but it fulfilled their job! So when Messiah died and went to paradise all the guilt went too.
Tradition teaches that when that scapegoat with the red thread tied around its horn was tossed off the cliff, the piece of wool thread that the High Priest cut from the red wool thread on the horn, turned white; as proof that God not only forgave the sins of the nation but took away the guilt as well.
Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
This season of self examination should not be only for when we reflect on the Appointed Times; but daily we are to examine our hearts before our Heavenly Father and apply His precious crimson scarlet blood to our lives.
Even if your sins (all our of missing the mark), will be scarlet, be as or like a shani שָׁנִי insect; literally that dead decaying thing in our lifes/chaim that choked the spiritual life out of us – they will become white as snow in skillful hands; and this dead thing can be turned into something of great beauty.
Our Heavenly Father was & is saying that although
our sins make us spiritually dead as that scarlet colored insect,
He is able and willing to restore us to new spiritual life in Him; and in that process, completely removing
ALL sin and ALL the guilt and shame
associated with those sins through the Blood of Jesus/Yeshua, His own sacrificial Lamb and scapegoat.
How?
By staying in right relationship with Him every possible moment, and walking step by step in obedience to the path He designed for each of us.
As we are entering into the week of
Sukkot/Booths/Tabernacles,
it is appropriate to think on the
soon return of our King, our Messiah
when He will tabernacle with us for ever.
All our waiting and hoping
will be turned into
rejoicing and fullness of peace/shalom;
as His presence will not be by faith believing,
but will be tangible and complete.
Hallelujah!
Stay always alert and ready,
for we know not the hour our Lord returns…
Matthew 24:42
for so much more on Sukkot/Tabernacles/Booths
please be sure to click links below:
Keep your lamps filled trimmed and lit..
our bridegroom is coming and the midnight hour is here.
Shalom aleikhem
friends and family – chaverim and mishpachah!
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week, especially through Sukkot.
You are greatly loved and prayed for daily.
Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation and the deep inner knowing that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.
Not sure ..you can be…
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord, Your Passover Lamb/Your High Priest of the Atoning Blood Sacrifice
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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