Galatians 2:4-5 [My precaution was] because of false brethren who had been secretly smuggled in [to the Christian brotherhood]; they had slipped in to spy on our liberty and the freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might again bring us into bondage [under the Law of Moses].5 To them we did not yield submission even […]
A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays records: The Feast of Tabernacles is by far the most festive and joyous occasions. History records that four huge candelabra were constructed, lighted, and attended by young men ascending ladders periodically with pitchers of oil to keep them burning. The light from these lamps illuminated the whole city, […]
Romans 12:1 …as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. I was part of the “worship wars” of the nineties in which well intentioned pastors, and worship leaders sought to teach their people a new song. Unfortunately for the sheep of those […]
In the book by Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, the author records the following details regarding the feast of Sukkot as it was celebrated during Jesus’ Earthly Ministry: The festivities of the Week of Tabernacles were drawing to a close. ‘It was the last day, that great day of the […]
A weird event is mentioned in the book of Matthew. It is known as the Transfiguration of Jesus. What most do not see is that there is a reference to Sukkot revealed in the event. And many do not realize that what happened to Jesus on that mountain was only a preview of the Resurrection […]
Lev. 23:40 commands: You shall rejoice before the Lord your God. One of the names for Sukkot is Z’man Simchateinu (The Season of Our Joy). In fact, the word JOY appears several times in connection with Sukkot. Dt. 16:13-15 Be joyful at your Feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in […]
Deuteronomy 16:16 states: Three times a year shall all your males appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread,(Passover) at the Feast of Weeks, (Pentecost) and at the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Exodus 23:14–17 Three times in the year […]
Throughout the years of ministry I have sought to teach followers of Jesus their Hebraic roots and their relevance for today. Often, and ignorantly, I will hear statements like, “We are not under the Jewish Law” or “Are you trying to “Judaize” us?” or “Are you trying to make us Jewish?” Their comments expose an […]
Malachi 1:2-3 I have loved you, says the Lord. Yet you say, How and in what way have You loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? says the Lord; yet I loved Jacob (Israel),3 But [in comparison with the degree of love I have for Jacob] I have hated Esau…. The idea of twins that are opposite in […]
What is Yom Kippur? The Bible refers to it as the Day of Atonement or becoming “at-one-in a moment” with God. An article on the website of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews reminds us, in more detail, why Yom Kippur was instituted by God. It states: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the […]
Habakkuk 1:4,12 Therefore the law is slackened and justice and a righteous sentence never go forth, for the [hostility of the] wicked surrounds the [uncompromisingly] righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted.…12 Are not You from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed [the Chaldean] to execute [Your] judgment, […]
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]? Since our heart, or soul, is deceitful above all things it most definitely can deceive us into believing we are believing and […]
2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,… There was a popular song back in the 1980’s titled: Somebody’s Watching Me. The lyrics question: Who’s Watching Me? 1 Peter […]
Shanah Tovah in Hebrew translates to, “Good Year!” and is a common greeting for the Biblical New year. Referring to the Christian Women for Israel article its writer states: “…the Jewish world will step into the year 5786. In Hebrew, this year is written Tav–Shin–Peh–Vav(תשפ״ו). Each letter carries meaning: Tav is covenant and completion. Shin is […]
Today is the last day of 5785 – the Year of Faith, or more like the Year of Fight, as in “Fight the good fight of faith!” Hebrews 11:1 states: Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the […]
Psalm 18:1 I love You fervently and devotedly, O Lord, my Strength. Psalm 18:30 As for God, His way is perfect! The word of the Lord is tested and tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him. Psalm 18:49 Therefore will I give thanks and extol You, O Lord, among the nations, and sing […]
Psalm 18:6 In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears. Strangers have no deep conversations, or self-disclosures. You might pass one on the street or […]
Psalm 18:6-9 In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears.7 Then the earth quaked and rocked, the foundations also of the mountains trembled; they moved and were shaken […]
Psalm 18:1-6 I will love You, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my Rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;so shall I be saved from my enemies.4 The pangs of death surrounded me, and […]
In the book of Jonah the author alludes to two distinct Psalms: Psalm 18, and Psalm 42. He prays: For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me; all Your waves and Your billows passed over me. (Jonah 2:3) Psalm 42:7 states:[Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] […]
Jonah 4:4 Then said the Lord, Do you do well to be angry? There was a young man that attended school in a large north-eastern city. In his studies he fell in love with eagles. He read, and watched anything, and everything about eagles. The more he studied the more he loved eagles. He promised […]
Pay close attention to the following passages taking note of any recurring theme: Jonah 4:2 O Lord, is not this just what I said when I was still in my country? Jonah 4:3 Therefore now, O Lord, I beseech You, take my life from me,…Jonah 4:5 …he made a booth there for himself…..Jonah 4:8 …It […]
Jonah 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. In 1980 “It’s Hard to Be Humble” was a song written and recorded by Mac Davis that became an […]
Jonah 3:5-9 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by […]
Jonah 2:6-7 .…Yet You have brought up my life from the pit and corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted upon me [crushing me], I earnestly and seriously remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple. Do you remember the process you went through to truly surrender to Jesus? Can you recall […]
Douglas A. Knight; Amy-Jill Levine: The Meaning of the Bible – What the Jewish Scriptures and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us: ‘The fictional nature of the story of Jonah is indicated not only by the “great fish” that swallows the prophet and after three days vomits him up on dry land or by the […]
Revelation 19:10 The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy. What is prophecy but the manifestation of spoken words becoming a reality. Jonah had heard the testimony of God’s miracles to the patriarchs, the Exodus, the conquest of the Promised Land, the Word of God, the exploits of the prophets – and yet […]
Some may remember when President George H.W. Bush, Sr. was lambasted for a campaign promise during the 1988 Republican National Convention bid for the presidential nomination. What was the now infamous promise? Read my lips. No new taxes. The Democrats never let him forget that one. In the book of Jonah we discover that History […]
Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry. Jonah 4:4 Then said the Lord, Do you do well to be angry?Jonah 4:9 And God said to Jonah, Do you do well to be angry for the loss of the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, angry enough […]
Jonah 4:5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city, and he made a booth there for himself. He sat there under it in the shade till he might see what would become of the city. A young man applied for a job as a Morse code operator. […]
