Father Abraham: The Pattern of a True Believer

Geneis 12:1-4 1. And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.		א. וַיֹּאמֶר יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ:
2. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing.		ב. וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה:
3. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you."		ג. וַאֲבָרֲכָה מְבָרְכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה:
4. And Abram went, as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him, and Abram was seventy five years old when he left Haran.		ד. וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יְ־הֹוָ־ה וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ לוֹט וְאַבְרָם בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה בְּצֵאתוֹ מֵחָרָן:

In the Torah portion for this week (Lech Lecha) we begin the story of our father Abraham.

Sidenote: Abram's and Sarai's name was changed after God promised the birth of Isaac. Abram in Hebrew means "High Father" and Sarai in Hebrew means "Noble woman". After the change Abraham in Hebrew means "Father of a multitude" and Sarah in Hebrew means "Princess". I give you this information to reiterate the importance of studying the Hebrew of the Torah. Elohim is conveying His thoughts not only in sentences and books, but in words and even letters to be more specific.

Abraham is the father of all who believe (Romans 4:9-12). What fascinates me is the level of faith He displays. Mind you Abraham does a lot of crummy things later as do most of the featured men of the Scriptures. In verse 1 above God tells Abraham to leave all he has ever known, family, friends, surroundings, and go to a land that Elohim will show him later. How many of us would hesitate? Not Abram, he goes. Why?

He believed YHVH was, is , and ever shall be who He says He is. The Scripture does not give us an account of prior conversations that Abram had with God. It starts their interaction out with "And the Lord said to Abram...". And yet Abram picks up and leaves based on who He believes God is. That is why Paul rights this in Romans 4:

Romans 4:1-5

Justification by Faith Evidenced in Old Testament

¹ What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? ² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” ⁴ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

Paul quotes Genesis 15:6:

Genesis 15:6

⁶ Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him (Abram) as righteousness.

This is how we know we have true faith; that we believe that YHVH is who He says He is in His word. This belief is the wellspring of all other acts of faith. From this primal belief springs forth the willingness to follow the Lord and call upon Him and be saved. You cannot work it the other way. You cannot call on the Lord and then believe He is who He says He is in His word. You will just manufacture faith in YHVH that way and eventually it will fail.

Another sidenote: The same holds true for worship and praise. Praise (eg. shouting out until the Lord, singing, playing music unto the Lord) stems from worship of Elohim. When you truly worship Elohim, praise will naturally follow and spring forth from the new life you have in Yeshua. If you try to reach worship through praise, you will fall in love with praise and eventually run the risk of worshipping emotional moments and praise music.

The ancient sages of Judaism speak of the ten tests of Abraham. I have listed them below. I imagine after passing the very first test, these should have been a piece of cake.

According to Rambam:

1) Abraham’s exile from his family and homeland.

2) The hunger in Canaan after God assured him that he would become a great nation there.

3) The corruption in Egypt that resulted in the abduction of Sarah.

4) The war with the four kings.

5) His marriage to Hagar after having despaired that Sarah would ever give birth.

6) The commandment of circumcision.

7) Abimelech’s abduction of Sarah.

8) Driving away Hagar after she had given birth.

9) The very distasteful command to drive away Ishmael.

10) The binding of Isaac on the altar.

Do you believe YHVH is how He says He is? Do you believe at the core of your being that Yeshua is who He says He is an did what Scriptures said He did? Paul says to test and examine yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) so do it and see. The days are short for figuring out if you can make it through the Tribulation or time of testing. What is coming is unlike anything the world has seen. Ask the Messiah:

READ THIS PASSAGE CAREFULLY IF YOU BELIEVE THE RAPTURE COMES BEFORE THE TRIBULATION:

Matthew 24:15-34

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. ¹⁸ Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be a great tribulation (first thing to happen), such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. ²² Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you in advance. ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. ²⁷ For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Glorious Retur²⁹ “But immediately after the tribulation of those days (rapture) THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Parable of the Fig Tree³² “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; ³³ so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (those who persevere will see it all) ³⁴ Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Have you bowed your knee to baal and trained your children to do the same?

Proverbs 22:6 (NASB)
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

It is usually assumed that the training implied in this verse is Scriptural training and that would be partially right.  The context of Proverbs is wisdom from man to man and the wise man does train up his children to follow the ways of YHVH.

However, it could work conversely where a man may train up his child to follow the ways of the LORD alongside the ways of baal or the precepts of men and then that child would then not turn from those ways so easily when they were older.  How many people in the world today do not believe in Elohim and follow pagan ways because that's what they were brought up doing?  What is the saying: Old Habits are Hard to Break?

Mixing the pagan things of the world and belief in Yeshua has never been acceptable to the YHVH.  Paul is pretty clear when he says:

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (NASB)

14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

The Hebrew Scriptures is repleat with examples of God's displeasure with His people's actions concerning baal worship.

Judges 3:7 (NASB)

7 The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

This one sure reminds me of Halloween:

Psalm 106:28 (NASB)

28 They joined themselves also to Baal-peor,
And ate sacrifices offered to the dead.

When you celebrate pagan festivals, you offer sacrifices to baal.  Bowing your knee to place gifts under the tree is a posture of worship reserved for the god or GOD you give it to.

Hosea 2:13 (NASB)

13 “I will punish her for the days of the Baals
When she used to offer sacrifices to them
And adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry,
And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,” declares the LORD.

Another reference to not bowing your knee to baal.

Romans 11:3-5 (NASB)

3 “Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.” 4 But what is the divine response to him? “I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.” 5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.

Please hear and see these words if you have ears to hear and eyes to see and turn from your ways.  This is my hope:

Isaiah 55:10-11 (NASB)

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

YHVH declared the end from the Bresheit

Isaiah 46:9-10

⁹ “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;

This comes from our Hebrew calendar that our congregation (www.lionlamb.net) produces and it was so good I had to share it.  I shows how powerful the Hebrew lanuguage is and that God uses it to show what His intentions are from the very first portion of the Torah; the very first word of the Torah for that matter.

Bresheit - Beginning.  The word in modern Hebrew (read right to left) looks like this:



When you take this word back to the Paleo Hebrew or Ancient Hebrew, you really see what God was saying.  Here is Bresheit in Paleo Hebrew:

Now let's look at each letter and its meaning (remember Hebrew reads right to left so start at the right):

YHVH is so detailed that He delcared the end from the beginning in the very first word of the Torah.  This is our God.  This is the level of detail He has given us.  Amazing!

That was just one word.  Imagine what you would learn if you studied the Torah and the Hebrew it is written in every week.  Think you might go deeper with Elohim than you ever have?  I guarantee you would.

As Isaiah said, "...¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning (Bresheit),.."

 

Which House are you: Ephraim or Judah?

Hebrews 8:7-12

⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.

⁸ For finding fault with them, He says,

“BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD,
WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT
WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;
⁹ NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS
ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND
TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT;
FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT,
AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD.
¹⁰ “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:
I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,
AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,
AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
¹¹ “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN,
AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’
FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME,
FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.
¹² “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES,
AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.”

This passage has often been taught in the church that God started a new thing with the Messiah when He came and died on the cross.  They claim that the "church" is the people of the new covenant and that God gave up on Israel and is pursuing a different route now.  This is commonly known in the scholarly world as "Replacement Theology" and is a false teaching through and through.

The facts are in the words of Scripture itself.  Look above and you will see that the author of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah chapter 31 when referencing the establishment of the New Covenant.  He does not write something new to explain the New Covenant, but rather references back to what God has said about the New Covenant.

So who is the New Covenant concerned with?

⁸ For finding fault with them, He says,

“BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD,
WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT
WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;

The New Covenant, according to Scripture, deals with the House of Israel and the House of Judah.  So what does it mean when a church claims to be a New Covenant church?  Are they claiming to be part of one of these houses?  They must necessarily be part of one of them and understand what that means to even understand the New Covenant.  But I would venture to say that they do not understand who the two Houses are nor do they teach their people about it. 

Thus they have to make up something and lo and behold, we have the church becoming the recipients of the New Covenant.  This is not true either.

The House of Israel or also known as the House of Ephraim is the remnant of the non-Jewish believers who believe in the Messiah and keep His commandments.

The House of Judah is the remnant of the Jewish believers who believe in the Messiah and keep His commandments.

You must be part of one of these two Houses to be involved in the New Covenant.  Paul speaks of not defining Israel by bloodline in Romans 9.  Israel is the renmant of believers whether Jew or non-Jew.

Romans 9:6-8

⁶ But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; ⁷ nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” ⁸ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

Ezekiel speaks of the two houses as sticks of staffs joined together as brothers, Jew and non-Jew, Israel.

Ezekiel 37:15-17

Reunion of Judah and Israel

¹⁵ The word of the LORD came again to me saying, ¹⁶ “And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.’ ¹⁷ Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.

 

Paul says that we are one in Christ, Jewish and non-Jewish believers.  And we are decendants of Abraham and heirs of the promise.

 

Galatians 3:27-29

²⁷ For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

There are things you have been given concerning the end

Matthew 24:36-46

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. ³⁷ For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

⁴² “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.

The Torah portion for this week was Noach or the story of Noah and the corresponding Brit Chadashah (New Testament) portion is the one above.  It is amazing how this passage in Matthew has been used so universally in the church to go to the opposite end of the spectrum in understanding the Day of the Lord or His second coming in judgment.  Most either proclaim to know all the events and times down to a date or claim you cannot any times or days and it is just a big mystery.  Either of these misses the mark of Scripture.  This passage was not meant to get you off the hook when it comes to understanding what God has planned for the future and what your role is in it.

We do not know the hour or even the specific day, but we do know events that lead to other events that get us pretty close to the times and seasons that things are going to happen in.  What is interesting is that the Jews actually have two days set aside for Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets/ The Day of the Shofar Blast) because they are not sure of the exact day that the Messiah will return.  There is also a Hebrew idiom/story for the saying "He will come like a thief in the night" which pertains to the Temple high priest finding the priest on offering-fire duty asleep in the middle of the night and setting fire to his garments rendering him naked and ashamed.  The point?  Stay alert.  Be ready.  Do not slumber.  God's plan is simple; when you see this happen, then the chain of events has started and you follow the events as told in the Scripture.

The point of the Torah portion on Noah and this passage in Matthew is to teach us to be ready for His coming.  Just as God told Noah the flood was coming and what to do, He has told us the end is coming and what to do.  The tragic thing today is that many believe that His second coming and rapture will happen before the tribulation and thus will not be prepared for the tribulation events themselves. They feel like they need not prepare because God is going to remove them before the events unfold.  He never removed the Israelites before their testing in the wilderness and eventual journey into the Promised Land.  He will separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff.  And what better way than some wilderness time where you have to rely on Him to survive. 

Those who believe in pre-tribulation rapture, well, their lamps will not have oil and they will be in the dark and confused as the events unfold.  And since they have absolved themselves of knowing anything about end time events, the second coming of the Messiah at the end of the tribulation and five months of darkness will really add to the confusion of the whole thing.  Will you be the one look for a rock to hide under or praying for the hills to cover you?  Or will you be the one who sees the light of the Messiah pierce the sky, knocking stars aside, with face held aloft, welcome our coming King back to rule?

YHVH has given us things to look for so that we will know what to expect and what to do.

Isaiah 46:9-11

⁹ “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
¹¹ Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.

The Messiah says He will return after the Tribulation:

Matthew 24:15-31

Perilous Times

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. ¹⁸ Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. ²² Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you in advance. ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. ²⁷ For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Glorious Return

²⁹ “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

We Are In Egypt Now

We are in Egypt now.  The word for Egypt in Hebrew is Mitzrayim and represents bondage, enslavement, and chaos.  The Israelites experienced it in Egypt under Pharaoh and believers today experience in the world we live in.  We are in bondage to the ways of the world, enslaved to the customs of the time (Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Greek Mythology, Pagan gods, etc.), and especially now we are living in a time of worldly chaos that is increasing at a fever pitch (Arab Spring, Depressing economy, blatant disregard of God’s commandments, hatred for believers, mass murders, terrorism, etc.).

Why?

Hosea says it is because we have regarded God’s commands as a strange thing or something we do not regularly practice and thus we have been punished and scattered into the nations just as the nation of Israel (House of Ephraim), via the Assyrians, was scattered into the nations.  Believers today who cannot trace physical lineage to Judah are from the House of Ephraim or the Ten Tribes, which made up the Northern Kingdom that was scattered into the nations.  The House of Judah (Jewish physical lineage) has already returned to the land.  The remnant of both Houses make up the children of Israel; all who believe in the Messiah, Yeshua.

We are not in the Promised Land that has been given to all Israel (House of Judah and House of Ephraim/Israel who believe in the Messiah) to dwell in.  We are foreigners in a foreign land awaiting our coming King to deliver us to Zion.

Hosea 8:11-13 (NASB)
¹¹ Since Ephraim has multiplied altars for sin,
They have become altars of sinning for him.
¹² Though I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My law,
They are regarded as a strange thing.
¹³ As for My sacrificial gifts,
They sacrifice the flesh and eat it,
But the LORD has taken no delight in them.
Now He will remember their iniquity,
And punish them for their sins;
They will return to Egypt.

A Greater Exodus is coming.  We will again be delivered from Mitzrayim into the Promised Land.  YHVH will gather us from the nations which He has scattered us and bring us to His holy mountain to teach us His Torah and dwell with us.

Jeremiah 16:14-15 (NASB)God Will Restore Them

¹⁴ “Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ ¹⁵ but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.

Jeremiah 23:7-8 (NASB)

⁷ “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ ⁸ but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”

 

Isaiah 2:2-4 (NASB)
² Now it will come about that
In the last days
The mountain of the house of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.
³ And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
⁴ And He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples;
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.

Sukkot 2011

Wow.  Turns out I am an irregular blogger.  Oh well, Facebook has subsidized.

My family just returned from celebrating the Feast of Sukkot or Ingathering this year.  This is our celebration of the birth of the Messiah and the return of the King to tabernacle with us.  It is a Feast in which we are commanded by God to be joyful:

Deuteronomy 16:13-15 (NASB)

¹³ “You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths seven days after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat; ¹⁴ and you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your towns. ¹⁵ Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

It is a Feast for all Israel including the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.  If you do a search for it on Google, you will see it labeled as a Jewish Holiday.  That is not correct according to Scripture.  It is celebrated by Jews today, but it is a Hebrew holiday intended for all that are included in the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 1).

It was a wonderful time of communion with the Messiah and with the people of Israel.  Our camp had almost 60% first-timers this year and this led to an amazing spirit of charity throughout the camp.  I took over duties as the leader of the Washroom Warriors in charge of all bath houses and port-o-potties.  I never lacked for volunteers the entire time and it was a blessing to serve the camp in that capacity.  My buddy actually had to turn help away for kitchen clean up because he had too many volunteers.  The entire camp truly understood loving their neighbor as themselves and the joy of putting others before themselves.

Sukkot is a Feast of joy and is the one vacation my family takes all year.  My kids look forward to it the entire year and have a blast while they are there.  We camped in a tent the entire time save the last day when we were blessed with the use of a travel trailer the night it rained cats and dogs.  It went too fast and we can't wait till next year.

Celebrating the biblically given Feast of YHVH are truly joyful for our family.  They are given by YHVH and not some pagan festival covered over by the church where you spend the whole time explaining that what matters is what you are celebrating in your heart.

Jeremiah 17:9-10
⁹ “The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
¹⁰ “I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.