Why Was Elisha Digging Ditches To The Sound of Music?

The background to the story is that of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, a relatively good, God-fearing King, but he made a critical mistake by making an alliance with the wicked son of Ahab, Jehoram. 

2Kings 3:5-24

But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So at that time King Joram….7 sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”

Israel was at war with the Moabites but their king had led them in a roundabout route for 7 days, leaving them with no water and dwindling hope. 

Kings 3:9-26, 9 “So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, “Alas!

King Jehoshaphat

המלך יהושפט

Yehoshaphat.

Phonetic Spelling: (yeh-ho-shaw-fawt’)

Definition: the LORD has judged or

Yah Hath Judged/Yahweh Has Judged/The Lord Judges.

The name Jehoshaphat consists of two elements:

1) The name יה(Yah) = יהו(Yahu) = יו(Yu), which in turn are abbreviated forms of the Tetragrammaton; the name of the Lord: YHWH.

2) The verb שפט (shapat), meaning to judge or govern:

King Jehoshaphat plan was to try to take over the land of Moab…but as we know, the end doesn’t justify the means.  The plan backfired on him and he found himself with thousands of soldiers and animals and no water.  

God never wants us to align ourselves in a common goal with wickedness, those not walking in covenant relationship with Him.

Both old and new testaments remind us

32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.  Exodus 23:32-33

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 2 Cor. 6:14  

Jehoshaphat had not done right in terms of separating himself from unbelievers, and it ended up costing his people because now their very lives were in danger. 

Having commanded some 40,000 men to march 7 days over a hot desert with minimal food and water.

When his options had run out, he finally decides to go to the man of God for counseling; this should have been his first action along with seeking the Lord for His direction. He realized he needed to separate from them, and yet there is no water…

What was the answer to his dilemma?

“Let’s consult ELISHA, a prophet and a man of God to inquire of him. He knows about water. He poured water on the hands of Elijah.”

And Jehoshaphat said, Whether any prophet of the Lord is here, (so) that we (can) beseech the Lord by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, that poured water upon the hands of Elijah (Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, who poured water upon Elijah’s hands). 2Kings 3:11

Elisha

  אלישע

Modern: ʼElīšaʻ,  My God is salvation or

God is salvation

Greek: Ἐλισ[σ]αῖος, Elis[s]aîos or Ἐλισαιέ, Elisaié)

So they did, however, the answer was probably not what they were expecting because…..

Sometimes He asks us to be a part of His solutions….

and sometimes in rather strange and unusual ways.

Elisha says:

2Kings 3:15-17

15 But now bring me a musician.”. Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of [ a]ditches.’ 17 For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’.

This word “valley” in the Hebrew is

ואדי

wadi“,

which is a “dry riverbed

More Hebrew words for wadi.

noun וָאדִי.

gully, ravine.

noun נַחַל. s

tream, river, brook, valley, ravine.

Cherith, Kerith (Hebrew: נַחַל כְּרִית ‎ Naḥal Kərīṯ), or sometimes Chorath (/ ˈ k ɔːr ɑː θ /; from the Septuagint’s Greek: Χειμάῤῥους Χοῤῥάθ cheimárrhous Chorrháth), is the name of a wadi, or intermittent seasonal stream mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.

Now bring me a minstrel/musician…  One that can sing and play well upon an instrument of music.

He sent for a minstrel, possibly to calm his mind from the impressions of the physical problem and having been disturbed at the sight of idolatrous Jehoram,

the soft tones of the lyre/harp brought composure to his mind and soul so that he might be inspired to more fervent prayer, and thereby be prepared to receive the prophetic inspiration.

When the musician played, the hand of the Lord came on him and his spirit gave instructions to work the miracle.

minstrel

2 Kings 3:15
HEB: קְחוּ־ לִ֣י מְנַגֵּ֑ן וְהָיָה֙ כְּנַגֵּ֣ן
NAS: bring me a minstrel. And it came
KJV: But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel

also

נָגַן  Nagan

Phonetic Spelling: naw-gan’

Definition. to touch or play a stringed instrument. NASB Translation. minstrel (1), minstrel played (1), musician

Strongs #5059 

2 Kings 3:16-18
“This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands.“

God lays it on Elisha’s heart what

He,

the Lord,

will do to rescue them:

All they have to do is dig some ditches!

Why?

It sounds completely crazy!

So Why?   ….

Because God said to.

Even though He said in v. 17 there won’t be storms or rain!

…but

there’ll be water…

God has spoken.

Dig ditches…..

תְעָלָה

ditch, channel, canal, gutter, culvert, water course

They needed

to act

on their faith,

regardless of how illogical it sounded!

Imagine what passers-by must have thought….

an army digging ditches???

Digging a valley full of ditches,

for water,

to win a battle with no sign of rain!

He didn’t need human logic,

no rain was required,

no river,

just

His power and

simple faith, trusting in Him.

if He says it, He does it!

From the irrational display of desperation to the next morning

….they find that…

Water has flowed uphill and across this ancient plain

that was once a stream bed.

In verse 20, the valley is full of water for the troops

Then a further miracle happens:

the Moabites mistake the water for blood and through this they are defeated.

Nothing is impossible for God, and He achieves it through

His plans,

no matter how illogical and unexplainable they are to us.

He even provides in abundance,

far more than we would expect, for them

AND their animals.

But they had to trust God,

His plan

and what He asked them to do.

So should we.

We think often that God will give us faith to change or to persevere and stand until the situation changes.

However, true faith comes when we walk into the valley,  often situations that are opposite to mountain top experiences; and instead of trying to fill the valley, we instead dig until they are filled with ditches.

The Lord requires places/ containers for His waters to collect, so that it won’t run off and dissipate into another stream.

He wants to fill our valleys.

biqah: a valley, plain

 בִּקְעָה

Phonetic Spelling: bik-aw’

Strongs#1237

 

Not only so we can drink, but to have enough for everyone around us who needs it, including crops and animals/ livestock.

Faith is not looking up and seeing rain clouds and seeing the rain fall.

Faith is looking at a clear sky

but being full of expectancy

that the valley will be filled.

You will not see wind nor rain.

He wants us to do things like, dig ditches, with the promise to fill them and in unexpected unconventional ways.

He wants a faith filled people.

He is looking for people who don’t need rain in order to have rainfall!

Faith people who will dig ditches to collect water that never falls from the sky!!!

People who will believe

He will bring water

in His own way and time

all we have to do is act in obedient response,

that is faith!

The ‘ridiculous’ faith of Elisha!

We must sometimes dig a ditch so God can fill it! 

That is a clear lesson from this scripture account. 

Our Heavenly Father specializes in

FILLING

things

which are

EMPTY. 

We are to empty ourselves of the cares of this world, and that makes room for God to fill us! 

As we remember, the cares of the world choke the Word of God.

When we empty ourselves of the flesh

and then the Spirit comes flowing in like a rushing river,

filling the valley of our souls!  

Our Heavenly Father gets all the glory when He uses our provision of emptiness to fulfill His will in and through us in overflowing ways!

His OUTPOURING into our need!

In the following chapter we see the familiar story of the widow and her empty vessels which God filled for her.  Elisha, who challenged the widow woman to create more emptiness for the Lord to fill, had just seen it happen himself as he dug ditches so God could fill them. 

        Have faith…trust…

lay aside all self-sufficiency,

and instead,

find some emptiness! 

The widow of 2Kings 4 brought all the jars she had faith to bring! 

How many would we bring?

Sometimes we are called to create some emptiness so God can fill it.  

        … Dig a ditch,

or God won’t fill it!

A mind occupied with planning

pays homage to the idol of control.

Planning takes little to no faith because it is fore-thought and carefully and deliberately arranged and what is worse, it leaves God completely out of the picture and then we ask Him to bless our way.

Many spend all week planning the weekend, thinking it is Gods’ will when in fact it is just simply what they want to do.

One of the greatest hindrances to living a faith filled life is not making room for God.

In this account, Elisha shows how faith works.

It is echoed in Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see.

The principle here is 

putting

faith

into

action.

Don’t just say you have faith!

Show it by our actions

James said in 2:17…

17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” shew me thy faith without thy works/actions, and I will shew thee my faith by my works/actions.

 

Fulfillment comes in emptiness of self, and being filled with the Spirit maybe its time to dig some ditches???

May His true Shalom/Peace

rest upon each one in Jesus/Yeshuas’ Name.

‘Mishpachah’ ‘Family’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa Mish-pa-KHa

you are greatly loved and prayed for daily..

NOT SURE if you are part of His Family? YOU CAN BE..

Say the following and mean it from your heart…

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 came in the flesh and 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 in my spirit 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.

When Is A Nun A Noon And It’s Not Midday?

From previous posts most readers will recognize that

a nun or noon;

different spellings are used.

is the 14th letter of the Hebrew alef-bet

and that it looks like this in the chart below.

The early paleo picture symbol meaning of this letter is that of a seedling/sprouting seed with the root coming from it

later it developed into

this modern shape below;

with an additional shaped letter for the

called noon sofeet;

and the symbol of a fish was also used.

In the 4 gospels

Yeshua/Jesus repeatedly speaks of the seed

as a picture reference in His parables.

Matt 13:23 Mark 4:1-20 Luke 8:1-15

are well known and popular scriptures, and with the reference Yeshua/ Jesus gives,

it is made clear how the seed grows and how

we have nothing to do with the process

once we sow the seed.

However how does this apply to our lives?

It tells us …

Although the man does not know how it grew

and we are just the same…

Many times we understand the concept. The parable or scene described is a great picture and then we are left to wonder how does this apply to me and how do I do it?

How does it become a reality in my life?

Many times the Sermons we hear are all very encouraging and uplifting and we feel great, only to have the feelings fade once we go home and face daily life.

The application of His Word needs to be evident if we are to mature and bring forth a harvest that is not only a good harvest; but an enduring one with eternal value.

That your fruit may remain. John 15:16

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:

John 15:16

Your fruit should remain means:

keep up the fruit you are bearing, or

continue with the fruit you are bearing and never stop,

or keep on bearing the fruit you have started bearing.

The phrase: Your fruit should remain, expresses habit.

A habit is something we do so often and regularly that it is very hard to stop.

We should feel like this regarding the work of the Lord.

The word says we are to sow seed.

God is the supplier of all seed (Nun/Noon)

He cannot supply seed to us unless we are first born again by His RuachHaKodesh/His Spirit of Holiness; and then we need to have faith to turn over our hands, so that the seed might fall to the ground and become a great harvest in our lives.

He gives to all the measure of Faith.

After that it doesn’t need our help

it’s not the seed or the one who sows that produces the crop

but the soil by itself

with no help from humans.

The Father gives the increase.

We believe that since something grows where we scattered, that it grew from our seed.

What proof is there that the seed we scattered and planted is the same seed that sprouts and grows?

First the stalk

after that the head

and after that

the full grain in the head.

The truth is that from the moment it leaves our hand and is covered with soil we do not see the seed again. We just trust that the seed we sowed is the same seed that will grow is and is the one that pushes up through the earth.

This evidence is only based on circumstances because the truth is, once the seed leaves our hands and is put in the soil we never see the seed again!

All we can do is simply trust/faith, that what we planted will actually grow.

 

We wait,

we sleep at night,

awake in the day

but how does it grow?

We just don’t know!

Our work was finished at the sowing.

This parable is a picture of the kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed on the earth.

Meaning the kingdom produces through its’ own power.

Scripture says

BY ITSELF

the soil produces a crop

but the soil by itself

with no help from any person.

For by itself the earth brings forth fruit.

The person’s work has already been done by scattering the seed on the ground.

This is all the individual does and as the days pass the seeds springs up and grows.

Another verse of this parable says the seed is the Word of God and the ground/earth are the individuals who are in the world and their reaction to the word/ seed sown once embedded in its birthing place;

and the type of ground/ is the persons life.

The ground is the world.

The sower is our Heavenly Father.

Yeshua/Jesus explained it clearly.

Life springs forth –that life comes from the soil of the earth which our Father created.

In this parable/example He says:

First, the stalk

this is describing and likening his kingdom to the support structure planted deep in the life giving soil.

There is a Godly order to everything our Heavenly Father created; everything in its time and season. Eccl.3 and Genesis 1

Yeshua/ Jesus was aware of timing and said:

My time has not yet come.

Secondly, after that the head:

which is the housing for the fruit of the crop.

The process continues, with

the third, after that the full grain in the head

Here He is giving the progress of the seed,

both as

how it is received

and then

what is produced.

Meaning, the fruit comes forth in abundance.

Here we see that in perfect time Godly order that

life gives way to fullness

and the seedling grows to maturity.

For the believer maturity is revealed by abundant fruit.

Becoming mature is to become a stable vessel fit for the Masters use.

Why is this important?

It is for Him to flow His power through us to do the works of Jesus/ the Father, the power is to make visible the works of His kingdom in visible demonstration.

This is how to apply it to ourselves we need more of His Spirit of Holiness to cleanse us and prepare us to be suitable vessels.

As it was said of Paul in

Acts 9:22 more and more power flowed through him.

(Acts 9:20) Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

How do we produce lasting fruit and what is it?

Lasting fruit is in Matt.10:8

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.

And Matt.28:19

AND The making of disciples who endure.

Making disciples is about continuing the cycle of redemption, passing on the faith that was passed to us; it starts with salvation and continues with a lifetime of growth. 

The final destiny of the seed is realized from its humble beginning/Genesis, in the sowers hand, it has reached its potential in fullness.

However it has not yet served its ultimate purpose even in its most pristine and grandest state..

Why?

Because it cannot grow anymore… the maturity has been reached….

So what is next?

The crop is ready… the harvest is ripe

The farmer, the man, sends forth the sickle and

life gives birth to death.

The crop is cut down in its prime and

now able to finally fulfill its destiny and purpose.

This is the completion of a disciples life on earth…

as we give

birth to death, our purpose here is completed,

we die physically/ temporarily

in order to live spiritually/ eternally!

It is a transition from natural to supernatural, we are harvested by His hand and translated into His eternal kingdom in the heavens.

At the point we can go no further, when we reach the point of maturity in Him, which is destined by His plan and purpose for us. He calls us to Himself and we are plucked from the earth and gathered unto Him.

Our task complete,

once we have finished our race

He takes us home.

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 2Thess. 2:1

He gathers the wheat into His barn/storehouse.

Matthew 3:12

We, like the farmers seed, have been scattered on the ground; but He is calling us today to sprout and grow.

How… we don’t know!

But by itself… His spirit…

His Ruach HaKodesh

His Spirit of holiness produces a crop!

The Lord is calling us to lay down our lives

for the time is at hand

when the head will be full of grain.

The time of the harvest has come and as soon as it is in full ripeness and ready… He will come with His sickle.

We must yield ourselves and be ready to die in order to live because the time of the harvest has come and the Lord of the harvest is coming.

For He [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender shoot (plant), And like a root out of dry ground; Is 53:2

 Surely he has borne our sicknesses and suffered our pain: and we considered him stricken, smitten of God, and cast down.

He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. – American Standard Version Job 14:2

Just as He grew up to be cut down

so must we grow up to be cut down.

First, we are to mature to the fullest and be taken and used for his purposes.

We are to surrender to Him because

we cannot know how seeds sprout and grow..

Only He can do that in us;

and only as we surrender and yield to His Way of raising and growing us up to maturity; allowing His Ruach/Spirit to do the hidden work in us and then through us.

We must realize we are not here for ourselves, to live a nice life, we are here to be matured into fruit worthy of the kingdom of the Heavens. We’re not to focus on things and people and places of this earth because it will all pass away very soon. We must focus on Him, on fulfilling our place and purpose, to bring Him glory and to bring many sons with us from the seeds sown.

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Heb.2:10

Every farmer/ gardener knows, we plant and watch and wait for the fruits and crops to be declared ready and ripe before reaping the harvest.

Wrong timing means a poor harvest;

which is why He waits for the precious fruit of the earth.

In Luke 6:37

But as soon as the crop is ready to yield itself, immediately the man sends forth the sickle because the harvest has come.

The only seed that flourished and produced any fruit

was the seed that fell into

good ground.

If we are not planted in the good ground of His Word – found in His kingdom, then we will neither grow to maturity nor produce any lasting fruit that will endure or bring glory to the Lord.

Our life will be fruitless and as Solomon said, all is Vanity – in vain, without purpose and useless.

Time to ready ourselves and let His Ruach Ha Kodesh

do the work in and through us,

making sure our lives are good ground.

 

May His true Shalom/Peace

rest upon each one in Jesus/Yeshuas’ Name.

‘Mishpachah’ ‘Family’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa Mish-pa-KHa

you are greatly loved and prayed for daily..

 

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are 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.

Is A Gift A Talent or Is A Talent A Gift??

mincha or minchah is

GIFT

in Hebrew

מתנה

the letters:

hey chet nun mem

Strong’s Hebrew: 4503.

מִנְחָה

minchah —

a gift, tribute …

gift, oblation, meat offering, present, sacrifice. 

From an unused root meaning to apportion,

i.e. Bestow

 gift – מַתָּנָה

Today in Hebrew, this is the most common word for a gift. It is exactly the same word that was used in both in the Old and the New Testaments.

The root of this word is

na•tan,

gave, gift

spelled with the letters:

noon, tav, and noon.

this is actually the name Nathan.

In Hebrew, a gift, can also mean

כִּשָּׁרוֹן 

kisharón. 

This refers to someone who is gifted, or has a special talent or ability.

In modern Hebrew, there are two different words for

gift:

מתנה. Matana

שי  Shai

Generally a gift would be

matana מתנה

in Hebrew however lesser used synonyms are:

shay שי and doron דורון

and are often used as names alongside

מתן to signify someone being a gift to the world or life.

In modern Hebrew the most common word would be

מַתָנָה  pronounced ma-ta-nah 

and also meaning:

present, offering, donation, largess, or a bribe, depending on the context and the intention you are using the word with.

There are at least a dozen other words in Hebrew with the same meaning of: a thing given willingly to someone, without payment or retribution or as a gratuity.

מתנה; MATANA 

is used if it refers to the thing you give people

e.g. on their birthday.

כישרון; KISHARON

if it refers to a special talent.

Strong’s Hebrew: 3604. כַּכְּרִין

kikkar — a talent

kikkar: a talent

(a measure of weight or money)

noun כִּשָׁרוֹן. 

aptitude, competence, capability, gift, ability.

noun כִּשָׁרוֹנוֹת.

Matthew 25:14-30

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

This parable has more than one message within it and all have relevance to our life and times.

First it’s a warning, telling us to stay alert, because we do not know the day nor the hour of His return. Then He likens it to the situation described in the parable:

“Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. 14 For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. 

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. – Matthew 25:13 (NKJV)

So the foundation of the parable of the talents really begins with verse 13. That’s why this parable is one of preparedness – because eventually, Yeshua/Jesus is coming back and sooner than most realize or want Him to!

 In the Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus/Yeshua again used a story to encourage His followers to be ready for His return at all times.

“Be on the alert,”

He said,

“for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” Matthew 24:42.

In the parable, He describes a man who goes on a journey, entrusting his servants with his wealth and possessions in his absence.

The man traveling is Yeshua/Jesus and we are the servants.

From this understanding, let’s look at the various meanings people have pointed out.

First the talents referred to here are coins, money.

In the chart above we see that a talent or mina is worth a lot of money!

We often picture it as a few coins; as in the picture below:

This is an incorrect image and alters our visual understanding of what Yeshua /Jesus was trying to illustrate.

Just one talent could be valued at around

$400,000 in today’s U.S.dollars!

Or approx.. 300,000 UK pounds or Euros.

1 drachma = 1 days wages

1 mena = 100 drachma which = 100 days wages

60 minas = 1 talent which was = to about 19 years wages!!

So it would have been according to that which was given of

5, 2 and 1 talents.

5x 400,000 = 2,000,0000  

2x 400,000 = 800,000 and 1 = 400,000

This could not have been put in a little bag under a stone!

It also says how much the Lord values us and how much He values what He gives us. More than most people will see in a lifetime.

However it is not really talking about money.

More importantly, it is talking about:

stewardship,

responsibility,

obedience

and preparedness.

Looking at this parable, it really is one of self-examination; and a good one to meditate on during the season prior to Shavuot/Pentecost.

We often say of someone they are very talented or they have talent! This does not mean money it means they have an ability or are gifted in some area either musically, artistically, creatively, usually in regard to making something that others admire. Many times it is above what is considered the normal or average ability.

So we interchange the word

gift for talent

and don’t think of it as money or currency.

Here it may surprise us to discover that this parable may have nothing to do with natural gifts and abilities

but what rather relates to

THE GIFT of His Holy Spirit.

Mincha Ruach HaKo’desh

Here we must point out that the Hebrew reads

רוח הקודש

ruach hako’desh

the spirit of the holy one

also transliterated

ruacḥ ha-qodesh and 

literally spirit of holiness/holy spirit

YHWH – hwhy (Yahoveh)’s Spirit.

His Spirit of Holiness is Jesus/Yeshua

because He said in John 14:23

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. John 14:18

His spirit of Holiness is not an it or a thing and it seems strange that we always seem to refer to Him as ‘the’? when it should be His Holy Sprit, or, Gods’/Fathers’ Holy Spirit or Yeshua/Jesus’Spirit of Holiness. We lessen the purity and reverence that is due to the essence of our Heavenly Fathers presence.

He is with us always even to the end of the age.

He is the same Spirit of Holiness that created the universe and hovered/ brooded over the face of the deep. We need a fresh and deeper revelation of the gift/mincha we have been given. His power has been given in a measure that will not harm or destroy us but will enable us to walk as Yeshua walked while on this earth.

Every power source needs a stable container, uncontaminated with certain parameters to maintain its correct operation and function. This is why we are to be cleansed, purified and prepared; the very essence of the OMER and a special reason they were to count the OMER that particular year. 50 days to Pentecost/Shavuot and the time of receiving the promise; His impartation and the promise of His being with us always. Literally living, residing, within us.

A portion of the kingdom of the heavens – the gift/mincha of eternal life; followed by the flowing out in physical manifestation of: preaching the good news of the kingdom of the heavens, healings and casting out unclean spirits raising the dead, performing miracles and working the works of Jesus/Yeshua.

It is the Father doing the works through us, just the same as through Jesus/ Yeshua. Heal the sick, the lame, give sight to the blind, cleanse the lepers set the captives free.

We know that Shavuot/Pentecost is the time of the

giving of His gift/mincha,

of His Spirit of Holiness.

It is important that we must never measure our spiritual capacity on the basis of our education or intellect; but rather our capacity in spiritual things is measured on the basis of the promises of God.

2 Cor. 1:20

All the promises of God in Him are yes and in Him Amen.

If we receive less than God wants for us to have, we are in danger of falsely accusing Him; just as the servant in the parable did because he did not know his master.

The giver of the gift.

Which in essence, still belonged to the master who received it back upon his return.

So that puts another angle on it also. Was the servant was saying:  You expect more of me than you equipped me or gave me the power to do. Your demands are too much on me my time and my life and I cant do what you want me to in what you have chosen for me??!

Here’s your talent back….

We need to remember that when it’s a question of our Fathers Spirit, we never say, I Cant; that is simply turning the responsibility on ourselves and we are to be dead to self. If we are still trying to figure out everything and organize our time and schedule our lives, we are not submitted to His spirit working in us. We are still in control and we must never allow the limitations of our own natural ability to enter into any given situation. If we received His Spirit of Holiness He expects the work of His Spirit to be exhibited in us just as He did with Jesus/Yeshua.

In the parable the servant justified himself and at the same time was condemning his lord /master on every point; as if to say, your demand on me is way out of proportion to what you gave me.

Have we been falsely accusing God? By daring to worry after what He has promised in Matt 6:33?   Worrying means exactly what was implied by the servant.

I know your intent to leave me alone and vulnerable.

We must be careful to remember that our lives will only reflect that which is from within and that our capacity and capability in spiritual matters is measured by, and based on the the promises of God who alone is able to fulfill them.

Do we believe that?

Our answer to that question will depend on whether or not we have received His Mincha/His Spirit of Holiness.

Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift.

First He came in the flesh and now is present with us always.

 If we are still only come as far as asking God for things, we have never come to the point of understanding the least bit of what surrender really means; and we have instead become a Christian based on our own terms. Jer. 45:5.

As we continue to count through the days from the Omer lets surrender all, and prepare ourselves to receive afresh His Mincha the gift of His Spirit of Holiness; and re evaluate what the parable of the talents is saying to us. The lateness of the hour is evident and to whom much is given much is required and we have ALL been given the gift of the measure of faith.

Another view of The Parable of the Talents is, that Yeshua/Jesus uses it to help us understand our calling as Christians and our responsibility to use what God has given us to bring Him glory and honor! We can only do that when we invest our time, talents and treasure into His Kingdom and not one of our own making, based on us and making a life for ourselves!

We have the most valuable gift/mincha of all,

the Word of God and the

saving Gospel

of Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach.

Reading the verses it’s also clearly a HEAVEN and HELL parable! The servants who used their talents entered into heaven,

“the joy of the Lord”.

The servant who didn’t use his talent was cast into hell.

Some say the only thing the talents could represent is – saving faith!

That view says that salvation, which is entering the Kingdom, is only by grace though faith. It is a gift from God. Everyone is given the opportunity to have faith.

It is up to us what we do with it.

Do we use it

or

do we bury it?

Are those who put their talents to work are simply those who have genuine faith? “Faith without corresponding actions is dead” i.e. not genuine.

These servants would seem to represent the Jewish “sinners” of Messiah’s day, and the humble poor, who were believing in the grace of God and receiving Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah.

Will they enter into the Kingdom?

Are they are the good and faithful servants simply because they have faith?

The lazy servant represents the self righteous religious people of His day and the prideful rich. This wicked servant buried his talent, hid his faith, because he didn’t believe in the goodness and grace of God. Instead he believed that God was a hard task master who demands we give to Him and also what we are not able to give. This is a mindset of law based thinking, which Yeshua/Jesus came to correct. This evil unbelieving servant represents those who trust in their works or their riches to save them, Pharisees’ rules and laws, those who ultimately reject Messiah and God’s grace.

The parable is given to contrast:

faith vs works,

grace vs law,

the gift of righteousness vs self righteousness

and humility vs pride.

The talents were given according to ability, 5, 2 and 1.

Remembering what a talent is = to in todays money.

It is all referring to that which God knew He had imparted into them and what they were able to do.

Its also about obedience.

Using our talents for the kingdom of the heavens, not for our own success fame and fortune. It’s a test of our allegiance and to whom we are in submitted. If we are truly dead to self then we have no goal, no personal agenda other than to serve our Father in His Kingdom; no vision other than the heavenly one.

We need to stop making excuses and go, make disciples!

Just as He told us to.

We are all too often working the wrong works.

Ultimately is wasn’t about the amount given or the ability to use it, it was about –

did they use it?

Did they use their faith or did they bury it?

Did they believe in the goodness of their master or did they believe wrongly about him?

Those who receive the grace of God by faith, will enter into the Kingdom and receive grace upon grace, those who reject His grace through unbelief will have everything taken away from them and will be cast into outer darkness.

Jesus/Yeshua uses a number of parables to communicate essential principles about His return.

We have seen that a talent in the first-century was a unit of currency and 1 talent represented a large sum of money. A lot of older translations used to use the word talent, so the parable came to be known as The Parable of the Talents. The value of the money entrusted to the servants isn’t that important. Obviously the master was extremely rich and was entrusting a tremendous amount to them.

In the beginning, we see the master making the disciples responsible for managing a portion of his estate. Even though the servants are given different sums to take care of, it all still belongs to the master. They’re merely administrators who will answer for how they invested the master’s belongings.

This fact reinforces the principle of stewardship.

As believers, we are all given resources according to our skills and abilities, but those resources ultimately belong to God. We will eventually answer for how we invest and reminding us that we really own nothing it is on loan to us from the Father.

When the master returns and hears the reports of the first two servants, he’s pleased.

His response is to invite them to share in his happiness.

This seems a strange suggestion…

why?

In place of only the wrath of God that people associate with His judgment, Jesus/Yeshua shows that upon His return, the faithful will be entering into His happiness and will experience His joy. He made a similar statement in

Luke 12:32. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

            The unfaithful servant who doesn’t give the master a return on his investment is thrown out where he will never experience the master’s happiness.

When the unfaithful servant returns the exact amount he received, the master is infuriated. Where is the return on the servant’s investment? To excuse himself, the servant reveals to the master that he was scared. Knowing the master to be a merciless boss, he was afraid to invest and lose the master’s money. This is the reason he just buried it in the yard.

The master responds in anger. Is he saying that if that servant were truly afraid of him, he would have responded differently, and would have done anything to have something to offer?

Too often we allow our misunderstood views about God to justify or excuse poor stewardship or disobedience.

As servants of Messiah/Christ, we are called to be productive. All of our health, money, time, and abilities have come from Him, and we are tasked with putting them to use to benefit the kingdom. A time is coming when the Master will return to settle accounts, and then it will be too late.

It’s not enough to say, I didn’t waste what you gave me, Lord. We want to demonstrate how we have used the gifts and abilities we have been given to benefit the kingdom. God desires that we be those who step out in faith, who share His commitment. That’s how we’ll enter into the happiness of the Master.

Consider what Yeshua/Jesus said in Matt. 25:14-15.

A man traveled to a far country, called his own servants, delivered his goods to them, and immediately went on a journey.

We must see the parallels….Yeshua/Jesus came to earth, called His disciples, entrusted them with the message of the gospel, and departed when He ascended back to heaven, and

Matthew 25;19 completes this picture.

After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. (NKJV)

This verse is a reminder that not only did Messiah leave this earth, but one day He will come back and we will have to give account. This is one of the most important points.

The parable of the talents is a reminder that Jesus/Yeshua is coming back and we have some work to do. 

While we are still counting from Omer, below are some things to prayerfully consider.

One of the phrases we read this story is

to each according to his own ability;

leading to simple questions:

What is our role in the kingdom,

what has God given us to do?

and what is His expectation of us?

Remember, He began the parable by saying

the kingdom of heaven is like.

God has given each of us a responsibility, according to our abilities. So often we leave the work of preaching the gospel and making disciples to those who are called to do it

The reality is that calling is for all of us.

Some may have more responsibility if God has called them to do that in a full-time capacity, but we are all called to this purpose. These are the talents/goods God has delivered to each of us.

It does not matter if God has positioned us to do this full-time or not, it is critical to recognize what God has given each of us as individuals. The message of the gospel, which is the talents/goods/gifts are alive in us if we know Yeshua/Jesus as our Savior.

What has God given us?

The responsibility, applies to everyone,

and now that we are aware of it we are accountable, so we must ask ourselves,

what are we doing with it?

Looking at this in a very practical way; recall one had 5 talents, one had 2 talents, and one had 1 talent. We need to see that our mindset needs an adjustment and understand that in Gods eyes, everyone is in full-time ministry. The difference is what is the primary focus of our ministry.

It could be described as this:

Some people’s ministry is only focused on the gospel and disciples all the time (5 talents). Some people work full-time outside of a church or ministry setting and may volunteer to serve in church. For this person the majority of their ministry happens in their jobs and communities (2 talents or 1 talent). So being a teacher, business person, an accountant (or whatever your occupation) is really full-time ministry.

The difference is that the primary focus of an individuals ministry is not just preaching the gospel; but it is still ministry. In the course of working, we can shine His light and share the truth of the gospel when the opportunities arise.

The bottom line is we may not be able to do as much as someone with 5 talents, but we still can and should contribute with the talents God has given us.

To whom much given much is required.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48).

Again reminding us that we are not alone in the quest for doing good and that we have to be responsible in using His gifts.

One of the most important thing to remember from this parable of the talents, is the suddenness of the master’s return.

This takes us back to Matt. 25;19 

After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. (NKJV)

There are two points of emphasis here:

First, the master (Yeshua/Jesus) will return one day,

and second,

we will have to give account.

The master didn’t announce his coming, he just came back after a long time!!

It will be the same with Yeshua/Jesus.

After a while, He will come back.

The question is,

are we ready for His return?

Another way of looking at it is—what would we want to be found doing when Messiah returns? Hopefully, the answer is to be taking what He has entrusted us with and sharing it with those around us. After all, this is the only way possible He can get a return on what He has entrusted you with.

Are we ready for His return?

Why is this a recurring theme in the posts? Because it is the message coming from His Spirit of Holiness at this hour, and the hour is very, very late……

When we read the whole story, there were two different responses given to the servants. Two of them heard well done and one heard you wicked, lazy servant. That is why it is so important to focus on what we do with the task/responsibility God has given us and not the amount of responsibility God has given us.

The point made in this situation is the servant with the smallest amount of responsibility was the one who was declared wicked and lazy. This confirms that it is not how much God has given us but what are we doing with it. In other words, there are no excuses.

This is a challenging word, but it is part of the calling and what Yeshua/Jesus has entrusted us to do. What God has given us is real and very valuable and we have a responsibility to share it, even if all we have is 1 talent. That can make a very big difference in the kingdom of God, and it can also make a difference in what God will say to us on that day.

What will Yesua/Jesus say to us on that day and

where do we go from here?

Each reader be encouraged to consider what God has entrusted and placed in us. Consider what He is asking us to do. Remember everyone is not going to be full-time (5 talents). Most of us will only have 2 talents or 1 talent.

Whatever God has asked us to do, we are to work at it with all our might, being the best we can be and doing all we can for the kingdom of God. 

Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength. Ecc. 9:10

Gifts can be talents placed within us, given by our Father to use for and in furthering His Kingdom; talents are also gifts/goods that we are entrusted with, to put to His use and increase their volume; so we can present them to Him upon His return and show that we have been good stewards.

Paul makes it clear that faithfulness in that calling was not an option; it was a requirement.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2
Let a man so consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

1Peter 4:10

There’s a purpose why God has given us what we have right now. Let’s not waste what God has given us. Make sure we do our best to increase what God has given us. As good stewards, we have the responsibility to manage and handle our resources so we can earn an increase.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Cor. 15:58

Family, His truth is what we need in this hour and not having our ears tickled… like the people said in Isaiah 30:10

who tell the seers, “Don’t see!” and to the prophets, “Don’t prophesy to us right things. Tell us pleasant things. Prophesy deceits.

Oh prophesy to us of pleasant things

…they did not want to hear the voice of their Lord through His prophets …He was calling them telling them to repent/teshuvah, to turn back to Him and His ways ..He is speaking the same today; and above all let us be found faithful doing that which we have been called to do.

Days are quickly coming when an unshakable faith in the Way the Truth and The Life is going to be critical. We must not be moved by what we see or hear, but stand fast in who and what we know.. He will strengthen our hearts…

 

The kingdom of the heavens is this parable, and it exists right this moment, each minute of the day we have a choice to use our gifts wisely; to go forward into growth and maturity, or retreat back to safety.

Just what is it we are supposed to do with these talents?

We are to serve with all our hearts and then we will experience the true joy of the Lord that always accompanies the blossoming and thriving of life/chaim. Let us us not fail to use our gifts/mincha by burying and hiding them….

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

Isaiah 55:6-9

Seek the Lord while He may be found don’t wait one more day…today is the day of salvation.

The greatest mincha was and is Himself – Jesus/Yeshua

John 3:16

God GAVE

and salvation is

His GIFT/mincha

to us.

God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

Are you sure of your salvation? 

May His true Shalom/Peace

rest upon each one in Jesus/Yeshuas’ Name.

‘Mishpachah’ ‘Family’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa Mish-pa-KHa

you are greatly loved and prayed for daily..

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

please make certain you are secure in the knowledge that you are saved….

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.

Who Was CHANOKH?

In previous posts we looked at the 5 women mentioned in the Geneology of Messiah.

In that same list is another enigmatic individual whose name is Chanokh.

We may be more familiar with the English translation of 

Enoch.

Enoch in Hebrew is pronounced as Chenock

and sounds close to Henokh.

The name Hanok is from the same Hebrew word translated Enoch in both verses, Genesis 4:17 and Genesis 5:18. Other translations say Hanoch, hhanock or Henoch. The only difference is one of English spelling.

חֲנוֹך (Ancient Hebrew) 

Ἐνώχ (Ancient Greek)

Other Languages & Cultures

Chanokh ( Biblical Hebrew) 

Enok (Norwegian) 

Enok (Swedish)

Enok (Danish) 

חֲנוֹךְ

The name

חנוך

hhanokh,

Strong’s #2585 means:

dedicated

and is derived from the verb root

חנך

(Hh.N.Kh, Strong’s #2596) meaning:

to dedicate.

Strong’s Hebrew: 2585. חֲנוֹך (Chanok)

                                             
Part of Speech: proper name, masculine 
Transliteration: Chanok
Phonetic Spelling: (khan-oke’)
In the pronunciation sounds like anochi

Who was Enoch /Chanoch?

Enoch the name means:

dedicated, initiated one.

chet nun vav kaf

חֲנוֹךְ

Genesis 5 shows the direct line from Adam to Noah.

In Luke 3 working backwards:

Which was the son of Cainan,

which was the son of Arphaxad,

which was the son of Sem,

which was the son of Noe,

which was the son of Lamech,

37 Which was the son of Mathusala,

which was the son of Enoch,

which was the son of Jared,

which was the son of Maleleel,

which was the son of Cainan,

38 Which was the son of Enos,

which was the son of Seth,

which was the son of Adam,

which was the son of God.

 

If the ages of the individuals genealogies are added together, we will discover that Adam was alive at the same time Enoch was alive! 

Enoch was the 7th from Adam, and the great-great Grandfather of Noah,

and his son Methuselah died the same week that Noah entered into the ark. 

The meanings of their combined Hebrew names preach the gospel message of the coming Messiah.

Adam – Man

Seth – Appointed

Enosh/Enos – Mortal

Kenan/Cainan – Sorrow

Mahalael/Maleleel – The Blessed God

Yared/Jared – Shall Come Down

Enoch – Teaching

Mathusala/ Methuselah – His Death Shall Bring

Lamech – The Despairing 

Noe/Noah – Comfort/ Rest 

Adding in:  is, to, but and the it could read

 Man is Appointed to Mortal Sorrow

but The Blessed God

Shall Come Down Teaching

His Death Shall Bring the Despairing 

Comfort/ Rest 

 

In Genesis 5:1-32

1 This is the written account of Adam’s family line. 

When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 

2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created. 

3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 

4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 

5Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died. 

6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 

7 After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 

8Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died. 

9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 

10 After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 

11Altogether, Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died. 

12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 

13After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.

14 Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died. 

15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 

16After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters.

17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died. 

18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 

19 After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 

20Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died. 

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 

22After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 

23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 

24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. 

25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 

26After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.

27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died. 

28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 

29 He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.” 

30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 

31 Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died. 

32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genealogy of Yeshua/Jesus. Luke 3:21-38

21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 

22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 

23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, 

24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melki, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 

25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 

26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josek, the son of Joda, 

27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 

28 the son of Melki, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 

29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 

30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 

31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 

32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 

33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 

34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 

35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 

36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 

37 the son of Methuselah,

the son of ENOCH

the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, 

38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

He is also mentioned in Hebrews

Hebrews 11:5-6 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Hebrews 11:5-6 New Living Translation (NLT) 5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.”[ a] For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith.

Jude 14-15 King James Version (KJV) 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”[ a]

Enoch is located at position seven in the Genesis 5 genealogy he is not to be confused with Cains son by the same name in Genesis 4:17 the number seven is a symbolic number denoting perfection this is a fact Jude did not overlook when he referred to Enoch as the seventh from Adam, or a perfect man.

Jude 14-15 Amplified Bible (AMP) 14 It was about these people that [ a ] Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, when he said, “Look, the Lord came with [ b ] myriads of His holy ones 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the [ c ] ungodly of all the ungodly deeds they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh and cruel things ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Jude clearly notes Enoch as a prophet for he says

Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, when he said,

In Jude 14-15, Jude describes the second coming with the following quote:

“See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones.”

The Jewish historian Josephus and the secular historian Tacitus report an army seen in the clouds at the start of the Jewish War in A.D. 66!

So Who was this man there are only such few verses about him in the Scriptures?

Even a casual reading of Genesis account emphasizes that

Enoch walked with God,

the only person in the entire genealogy to do so

and whats more he walked with God for 300 years!

The significance of Methuselah.

Enoch’s son Methuselah, was the oldest man that ever lived and died.

In truth it is Methuselah’s father who is the oldest man that ever lived, because Enoch never died!

Followed of course by Elijah.

Enochs great grandson Noah built the ark and was spared from the flood and that year his grandfather died.

Two facts we can compare:

Genesis 5:27

tells us that Methuselah died at age 969

Second in Genesis 5:25

Methuselah’s age was 187

when Lamech was born’

and Genesis 5:28

Lamech’s age was 182

when Noah was born.

Genesis 7:11

+600

Noah’s age when the flood came.

Total 969

From these two facts anyone can calculate that Methuselah died the year of the flood.

Soon after Methuselah was laid in the ground the fountains of the great deep broke up.

As Methuselah died the year of the flood it speaks to us that his name was very prophetic, giving insight that his father Enoch was a prophet. As Jude declared over 3000 years later. A prophet tells things ahead of time not only about the flood, but he also foretold the second coming in Jude 15.

The fact that Methuselah died at the oldest age on record reveals the mercy of God in not wanting to send the flood until he has given time for man to asked for forgiveness, to repent.

Is not the fact that we are called to

repent/ teshuvah

the very core of salvation?

This is why in the New Testament Peter tells us that he is not slow in his coming as some men thinks slowness.

Peter spoke about God’s reluctance to destroy mankind in direct connection with the lifestyle of Methuselah when he referred to the patience of God while the ark was being built 1 Peter 3:20

Did God keep extending Methuselah’s life year-by-year because he is long suffering toward mankind and is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance?  2Peter 3:9

Noah a preacher of righteousness was only able to save his family by Gods directive. 2Peter 2:5

The name Methuselah

 מְתוּשֶׁ֖לַח

means

his death shall bring

that being, the deluge shall break forth.

1 Chronicles 1:3 
HEB: חֲנ֥וֹךְ מְתוּשֶׁ֖לַח לָֽמֶךְ׃
NAS: Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
KJV: Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

Enoch, who by position was already part of the Godly lineage, found his life radically altered by the birth of Methuselah. Apparently, God came to Enoch and informed him of the prophetic significance of the child that his wife was soon to give birth to. He was also told to call his name Methuselah because, when he dies, an event will occur which will be recorded historically as the flood.

This new birth led to a new walk and

Enoch walked with God

after he begat Methuselah.

The new walk

in turn led to a new life

and Enoch walked with God and

he

was not

for God took him.

The term

was not

has two meanings:

It is a Hebrew idiom meaning

he died

but it can also be interpreted as his

being translated –

going straight to heaven without dying, (physical body).

In the version of the Septuagint, “and he was not found, for God translated him.” Hence, in the New Testament it is said, Hebrews 11:5, “By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death.”

The first is one word in Hebrew

we’eynennû,

which could be literally translated

“and he not there,”

the verb “was” to be supplied:

”he was not there/he was no more.”

It could mean that he disappeared or that he died.

http://www.qbible.com/hebrew-old-testament/genesis/5.html

A person can disappear because he dies,

or because God “takes him.”

 

 

In the next text we are told twice that

he walked with God

the Word walked is

halak הלך

It means:

to walk up and down with another;

to be conversant with another.

Strong’s Hebrew: 1981. הֲלַך (halak) — to go

halak [H1980]

a Hebrew verb

(same meaning as yalak [H3212]),

a verb meaning “to walk

1) to go, to walk, to go along (to, through or over a place, with someone, after someone, to follow someone, to pursue someone);

2) “to walk” is to live, to follow any manner of life (to follow someone’s footsteps is to imitate him in life and manners)

הלך hâlak is similar in sound and meaning to ילך yâlak (Strong’s #3212) “to go” which according to some lexicons is first used of the Serpent in Eden being forced “to go” on its belly without its legs but also of Abram’s great commission (Genesis 12:1) to leave Ur and go to a new land, clearly using his legs not slithering like a snake.

From these meanings, Halak

clearly shows

a literal place where he went daily

in order to walk and talk with God.

Of course Enoch also walked with God in the usual sense of the term as he sought to include into every aspect of daily life the lessons he learned during intimate communion with God.

Amos 3:3 poses the question:

can two walk together except they be agreed

since the obvious answer is that they cannot,

and since God does not change,

Enoch discovered what we must also learn

that it is we/us that must do the changing.

We must continuously adjust and strive to stay closely connected with God.

The last three words about each of Enochs’ predecessors are

that he died.

Genesis 5:55:8:5:11 5:14 5:17 5:20.

The last three words about Enoch are:

God took him

Genesis 5:24

We are informed later in the New Testament that God took him, means that he did not see death because God translated him Hebrews 11:5

The Enoch principle to remember from the Genesis account is that: he walked with God.

This phrase can be reduced to one word – fellowship.

Enoch pleased God and the next time we find Enoch mentioned in the scriptures is at the 2nd position in the Hebrews list of Faith heroes. Heb. 11:5,6; By faith Enoch…

Whereas the Genesis account mentions twice

that Enoch walked with God

and the Hebrews account speaks twice of

Enoch pleasing God.

Verse 6 is one of the most popular faith verses in the Brit Chadashah,

it should be looked at as a comment on Enoch and then verse 7 quickly moves to Noah.

Since the emphasis of the Hebrews account is that

Enoch pleased God

it follows that only by

walking with God

(genesis text)

will one ever please Him.

(Hebrews text)

Or to put it another way Fellowship precedes approval. Yeshua/Jesus will never say I knew You, unless we are intimate with Him during our sojourn here and that is not summed up in us giving Him our list of wants and calling it prayer time!

Hebrews adds some interesting insights about Enoch one is that his translation did not seem a surprise to him.

By faith Enoch was translated.   

His translation was something Enoch was believing for. The word translate here is

metathesis

Strongs 3331 3346

and means: transportation ie transferal to heaven  

Enoch miraculously stepped from the earthly realm to the heavenly realm

How does faith come?…

by hearing and hearing by the word of God, Rom. 10:17

The question arises; how did he hear the word in order to receive such faith; especially for an event for which there was no precedent (translation)? At this time the revelation from God to man was not much in evidence. Man did not know much more than of sin and sacrifice.

Seeing as Enoch had no Bible to read, nor church to attend; how could he hear Gods word??

 

Refocus on the words

Enoch walked with God

and consider that it is possible that Enoch and God conversed as the two of them walked together? Just as his 7th generation forebear Adam had done? According to the scripture in 1 John 4:12 Enoch could not see God, however, according to John 10:27; Enoch could hear Gods voice. This would be similar to how we hear His voice today and maybe even in a stronger sense because he did not have the other means of the Father’s grace extended to him. Was Enochs’ diligence in seeking the Lord rewarded with God giving him a clear revelation of Himself?

Again in Heb 5:22,24 the Hebrew word for walk is Halak and means to walk up and down with another, to be conversant with…

God was conversant with Enoch, before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God,

The word testimony here means witness

Enoch had the witness the vocal testimony that he pleased God. Was it was upon hearing this witness that he received faith to step up into the heavenly dimension?

We should remember that they had enjoyed fellowship and daily conversation for 300 yrs!!

Enoch had adjusted his life following the instructions from the voice. it is possible God found in Enoch what he had intended and longed for with Adam and Eve and when it was lost he found it again with Enoch?

These are the same principles seen in later examples of fruitfulness. Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel etc. Yeshua/Jesus is our prime example.

He had FELLOWSHIP with His Father in perfect obedience.

For the first 30 years we hear almost nothing of Him, then he received public declaration of his Fathers APPROVAL at the Jordan river before His public MINISTRY.

The Biblical order the scripture repeats for us to see is Fellowship Approval Ministry.

For Enoch there was a moment when something special and unique occurred … He was transported into the Fathers presence. In Hebrews 11:5 we are told His family searched for him but he was not found … It was as though he vanished into thin air; with no trace no sign of struggle … nothing…. for God took him God had translated him.

In Genesis, we have the Enoch principle that is fellowship and the Enoch principle in Hebrews is Approval. When a person fellowships with God and pleases Him through obedience, God is usually pleased to then use that person as a mouthpiece to others.

This leads us to the third scripture where Enoch is mentioned.

The book of Jude precedes Revelation and is placed strategically because it is prophetic of the things which will unfold in the last days immediately prior to the Lords return. It is in this very short book Enoch is mentioned. Jude 14.15

The Enoch principle in Jude is that of Ministry which is based on the statement that Enoch also prophesied.

He spoke TO God

before he

spoke FOR God

The underlying Enoch principles are:

FELLOWSHIP leads to

APPROVAL and that leads to MINISTRY

Relationship precedes permission to preach!?

Jude is referencing the book of Enoch when he quotes Enochs prophecy about the Lords return. This book was never received as canonical and its certain that not all the letters Paul wrote are included either! Many are not aware that Paul wrote a letter to the Laodecians is just an example. It is notable and important to see that God made sure that Judes book was included and that a small portion of Enochs prophesies were included in the ‘canon’!

It may surprise readers to know there are scrolls believed to have been written by Enoch however they are not well known and have been somewhat hidden from view.

Several fragments of it, in Aramaic, have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. (It is not known if the book was written originally in Hebrew or in Aramaic, the common language of the time.) He gave his writings to Methuselah (the son of Enoch and grandfather of Noah), and Noah to preserve them “so they can be delivered to the generations of the world”.

It is not regarded as scripture by Jews or any Christian group, apart from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which to this day regards it to be canonical. This prophesy of Enoch is not found in the Tenach, but is found in “The Book of Enoch,” a work that has long been lost and only discovered in Africa the 17th century. The book was thought to have been lost, for over 2,000 years, with many ancient sources referring to it, and even quoting parts, but no complete copies were known. Then in 1773, James Bruce brought three copies back from Ethiopia, having spent some years exploring the country.

Access to their content is now more easily available with the internet offering the contents and it has become more popular now we are nearing the return of Messiah. Many say they should not be read as they are not included in the Bible…There is some evidence that they were excluded by decree of men around the time of Constantine and the council of Nicea who determined what books should be left in and which should not. Would we read the writings of Noah or Abraham if they existed? We read Job, Jeremiah, etc,. etc,. without thinking; yet we stumble over the so called apocryphal books, saying they are not genuine. Then we read Josephus the historian employed by Rome, and believe what he wrote concerning the events of the times in which he lived. Here is where we trust the Fathers spirit of holiness and read with a discerning heart and noting that if the contents are confirmed by scripture they may well have benefit now that as Daniel prophesied, knowledge shall increase in the last days.

There is certainly some curiosity to read what Enoch wrote, a man who walked with God for 300 years, pleased God, prophesied of the end time, mentioned by the new testament writers and literally did not die but was taken up to be with the Lord…. Let the reader decide.

Many scholars think that Enoch could be one of the 2 witnesses of revelation along with Moses and or Elijah seeing as Enoch and Elijah did not physically die, they may return to die as stated in Revelation 11 :1-14.

Enoch was divinely inspired to prophesy that Jehovah /YeHoVeH would come “with his holy myriads to execute judgment against all, and to convict all the ungodly concerning all their ungodly deeds that they did in an ungodly way, and concerning all the shocking things that ungodly sinners spoke against him.

The first words of the book are very close to known scriptures.

  1. The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect ⌈⌈and⌉⌉ righteous, who will be living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked ⌈⌈and godless⌉⌉ are to be removed.

  2. And he took up his parable and said–Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by

God, saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, ⌈which⌉ the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is for to come.

  1. Concerning the elect I said, and took up my parable concerning them: The Holy Great One will come forth from His dwelling,

  2. And the eternal God will tread upon the earth, (even) on Mount Sinai,

⌈And appear from His camp⌉
And appear in the strength of His might from the heaven of heavens.

  1. And all shall be smitten with fear

    And the Watchers shall quake,

    And great fear and trembling shall seize them unto the ends of the earth.

  2. And the high mountains shall be shaken, And the high hills shall be made low,

    And shall melt like wax before the flame p. 32

  3. And the earth shall be ⌈wholly⌉ rent in sunder, And all that is upon the earth shall perish,

    And there shall be a judgement upon all (men).

  4. But with the righteous He will make peace.

And will protect the elect,
And mercy shall be upon them.

And they shall all belong to God, And they shall be prospered,

And they shall ⌈all⌉ be blessed. ⌈And He will help them all⌉,

And light shall appear unto them, ⌈And He will make peace with them⌉.

  1. And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of ⌈His⌉ holy ones To execute judgement upon all,

And to destroy ⌈all⌉ the ungodly: And to convict all flesh
Of all the works ⌈of their ungodliness⌉ which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners ⌈have spoken⌉ against Him.

Abel is the first person in the scripture who is identified as a prophet but Abel has no recorded words in scripture. Looking at him more closely we see that Yeshua/Jesus obviously referred to him as a prophet through his martyrdom. Luke 11:50,51

Enoch is the first person after Abel identified as a prophet and the first one whose prophetic utterance is cited. even though we have come to the last but one book in the Bible to find it!

Enoch emphasized about the ungodliness of his day (ungodly repeated.)

Enoch the prophet speaks to us today telling us that IF we will

(IF CONDITION AGAIN)

fellowship daily with our Lord,

we will please Him

and He in turn will please us by using us for His glory

or to quote literally

Enoch walked with God, he pleased God, Enoch also prophesied…

A closer look at his name and the meaning of the individual letters with the paleo pictographs:

חֲנוֹך

chet nun vav kaf (reading right to left)

חֲנוֹך

kaf vav nun chet

chet: fence private sanctuary a place of protection and refuge

noon: fish activity and life seed

vav: iron nail connect two things together

kaf: open palm of the hand to cover teaching kippur atonement.

 One combination of these pictographs could be:

chet: In a private set apart place/ sanctuary where noon /life is both created and protected, this wonderful event occurs because of a connection between 2 things separated from each other, which in this case: sinful man and a Holy God – the separation is restored/healed by an iron nail – vavwhich is connected to the kaf the palm of the hand. And the picture of the letter kaf seems to tell us what this is about, that it is the redemptive work of atonement which came through Jesus/Yeshua.

Is this what our Heavenly Father was thinking

as a indication of his redemptive plan

when He named Enoch?

חנוך

hhanokh

7th from Adam

7= divine perfection

which was manifest in Yeshuas life, death and resurrection.

Enoch pleased God/YeHoVeH.

is this also an indication of the coming Messiah?

Let us be among those of whom it can be said

He becomes a rewarder of those who seek Him out

They referred to

חנוך

hhanokh

Enoch as

“the man who walked with God.”

Is that how others refer to us?

It is interesting that we read many books without even a second thought. Then when we are told not to read something written by a direct ancestor of Messiah we are almost afraid to even look at it.

The contents of Enochs’ writings are somewhat controversial and being prayerful and discerning is at the readers personal discretion. MMM is simply presenting information for those who love to study.

For individuals who are led by His Ruach HaKodesh together with an interest in further study of his writings; some of which were also attributed to Noah! There are downloads available as well as hard copies that can be purchased on line.

Below are a couple of links:

Hebrew book of Enoch (Enoch 3) : Enoch : Free Download …

archive.org ›

http://www.scriptural-truth.com/images/BookOfEnoch.pdf   free

This is a link to the version translated by R H Charles, held to be the  more accurate one. An mp3 Reading of The Entire Book of Enoch.

The man who walked with God for 300 years!!!!

Genesis 5:22 
HEB: וַיִּתְהַלֵּ֨ךְ חֲנ֜וֹךְ אֶת־ הָֽאֱלֹהִ֗ים
NAS: Then Enoch walked with God
KJV: And Enoch walked with

1 Chronicles 1:3 
HEB: חֲנ֥וֹךְ מְתוּשֶׁ֖לַח לָֽמֶךְ׃
NAS: Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
KJV: Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

May His true Shalom/Peace

rest upon each one in Jesus/Yeshuas’ Name.

‘Mishpachah’ ‘Family’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa Mish-pa-KHa

you are greatly loved and prayed for daily..

We are living in the closing days of this age, some of which are what Enoch prophesied about. If you have not already made a decision or given your heart to Yeshua/Jesus or just simply NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

please make sure you are secure in the knowledge that you are saved…. Today is the day of salvation for we are not promised tomorrow….

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.