Under His Wings

FOR TODAY October 20, 2008...
Outside My Window...Today was a cool, but sunny fall day.  It was beautiful outside.
I am thinking...I am not sure what I am thinking.  I have been feeling attacked today, perhaps it is spiritual warfare from the banquet and from caring for my friend.
I am thankful for...My  like-minded community of friends to share the Biblical holidays with.
From the kitchen...My husband made his special chicken-rice-bean dish for me to take to our festival dinner so I would have something to eat.
I am wearing...a sweatshirt and jeans.
I am creating...knitting a pair of mittens for a friend's daughter for Christmas.  They will be just like Laura Ingalls ' from "Little House on the Prairie"
I am going...Oh, I am just going to rest and take it easy for awhile.  The last few months have been exhausting for me.
I am reading...still reading "Finding God" by Larry Crabb and "The Committed Life" by  Esther Jungreis
I am hearing...the O'Reilly Factor on tv, my son at the other computer and my husband flipping the newspaper in the kitchen.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:Josh is planning to go to his buddy's concert tomorrow night and to play in the pep band on Thursday.  I plan to work at the center again this week.  We had a wonderful banquet last Saturday evening.
Here is picture thought I am sharing..my husband, myself and my son in our sukkah celebrating God dwelling with His people during our Feast of Tabernacles celebration yesterday.  It was a little cooler this year than it has been in years past.

.

You can read more of "The Simple Woman Daybook" from others  here.

Fifty days ago, on the Biblical calendar which can be found in Leviticus 23, we celebrated the Exodus from Egypt and our salvation from the slavery of sin. This festival is Passover. Then, in Leviticus 23: 15-22 we read of the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot. This is a harvest festival and two loaves of leavened bread are presented to God. It is also to be a remembrance of our slavery in Egypt before God set us free.

Tradition says that it is on this day that the Torah was given on Mt. Sinai and in Acts 2, Luke tries to show us that the giving of the Spirit on that Shavuot was very similar to the first time God gave the Torah. This time the Torah was written on our hearts. The promised Holy Spirit was given which enables us to live as God commands. We see in the Book of Acts also that the Gentiles would now begin to come into the congregation of the sons of Israel as never before. It is interesting that the Book of Ruth is read on the Feast of Shavuot.

We had a wonderful time with our Bible study on Saturday evening as we celebrated the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah.   I will only take a few moments to share some pictures here and later today I will share some thoughts on the holiday.

This is a picture of the children in our home fellowship group.  They comprise roughly half of our group.  Aren't they a good looking bunch?!

We had some games for the children which included a treasure hunt.  Above you see the "Hebrews" team with the prize.  Unfortunately, they were not the first to find the prize this year.

The "Maccabees" were the first to find the prize!

During the week prior to our party, the children each made their own Hanukkiahs.  After a dinner of potato latkes, cheese, and donut holes the children watched a video of the story of the Maccabees while the adults watched a power point presentation of the history of Alexander the Great and the events surrounding Hanukkah.

Then we all gathered around the table with our Hanukkiahs, read the Scriptures about God bringing us from darkness into Light and lit our candles.

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

(My daughter took most of the photos.  I was holding the newest member of our group.  Little Matthew was born 6 weeks ago and is the sixth child born to our Bible study leader and his wife. )

Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the Universe, who desires to dwell with Your People.

My Bible study group recently had the opportunity to celebrate the Biblical Feast of Tabernacles together.  This is a picture of the booth that we made together.   Yes, it looks a lot like our sukkah from last year.   I love all of the Biblical Holidays, but this one has a special meaning.  Sukkot is a time of rejoicing and celebrating.  We are commanded to rejoice because God desires to dwell with His people.

The flimsy sukkah is a symbol of the tents in which the Israelites traveled in the wilderness.  It is also a symbol of our temporary dwellings here on earth.  Even though the world would clamor round about us, we can rest securely because through the open roof of the sukkah we can see the heavens and our God is there.  We are safe in His care.  We are His people.  He is in covenant with us.  He is a covenant keeping God.

"You have today declared the LORD to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice.        The LORD has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the LORD your God, as He has spoken." Deut. 26:17-19

It is a covenant relationship.  He chose us and sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world.  We must choose to walk in His ways, to be set apart for Him.  He gives us the grace to do that.

For His Name's Sake.

(The pictures on this post were taken by my daughter.  You can see more of her pictures here. )

"The Torah of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:7-11

Though I have not mentioned it, this week on the Biblical calendar is the Lord's appointed time of the Feast of Booths or Sukkot.  You can read about the Feast of Booths in Leviticus 23:34-36.  But, it is the day that comes shortly after Sukkot that I want to write about today.  This is the day called Simchat Torah or "Rejoicing in the Torah".   Simchat Torah comes on the 23rd of the 7th month of the Hebrew calendar which is the month of Tishrei (the current month) and will be on Friday.  Remember that the Word Torah means "teaching" and it is God's way of showing us the path to Life.  We cannot understand the whole of the Scriptures unless we understand the foundation of the Torah.

I have read, in a number of places, this Nine-fold purpose of the Torah which I want to share here.  God is a wonderful Father and Teacher who wants only the best for those who choose to walk in His ways.

• The Torah reveals the good, holy, just and perfect nature of God and serves as the universal standard of His will for man.  Romans 2:17-18, 7:12; 2 Peter 1:4.
• The Torah gives us the knowledge of sin and reveals the depth of our own sin. Romans 3:20, 4:15, 7:7-12; Luke 20:46-47
• The Torah is our schoolmaster, showing us that we are guilty before God and leading us to Jesus, our Messianic justification. Romans 10:4; Gal. 3:21-24; Romans 3:19
• The Torah is the measure of our deeds toward both God and his fellow man, guiding the way in all matters of life and doctrine.  1 Tim. 8-10; 2 Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor. 3:13; 6:1-12; Rom 2:12-16; Rev. 20: 12-13
• The Torah teaches believers how to serve, worship and please God. Psalms 19: 7-9; Acts 18:13-15.
• The Torah is written in our hearts by the indwelling Spirit of God whose work in us is to cause us to delight in and desire to live in obedience to God's desires.  Jer. 31:33; Rom. 7:6-25; Heb. 10:15-16.
• The Torah teaches believers the true path to happiness and prosperity, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and materially, by explaining the rewards of obedience to the rule and reign of God in our lives and the penalty of disobedience when His Lordship is rejected/ignored. Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3; Luke 12:31-32.
• The Torah teaches us that only by grace and faith in the power of God at work in us do we fulfill its principles and instructions; hence, called the Law of Faith, Romans 3:27, 31.
• Torah teaches us how to treat our fellowman. Lev. 19:18; Gal. 5:4; Gal 6:2

"They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb"

For His Name's Sake

For it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; and you shall be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute (Leviticus 16:30-31)

Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:6-11)

Even if your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).

"Since the days of Moses, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) has been the most holy day on the Jewish calendar. The focus of this day is the most important issue facing humanity. We are told that this is the day when we are to find atonement and forgiveness for our sins.

In Temple times, Yom Kippur centered around the sacrifice of the two goats described in Leviticus 16. The chatat (sin goat) was to be killed after the priest had confessed the sins of the nation over it. The second goat, the azazel (scapegoat), was also to have the sins of the people confessed over it. But instead of being slain as a sacrifice, this goat was to be set free in the wilderness. By so doing, the people of Israel were to realize that their sins were taken away from them as they trusted in God's way of atonement." (from Voice of the Lord devotional)

"...without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. " (Hebrews 9:22)

"...When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1:3)

The Day of Atonements is a day to repent, remember, and rejoice.  We repent in turning back to God and loving Him with a whole heart.  We remember all that was before, the sacrifice of the goat, the priest going into the holies once a year, blood, and the scapegoat that takes the sin far away.  And we rejoice in our Messiah Yeshua who has given His life to make us a people, set apart.

For His Name's Sake.

We are entering again into the time of the Biblical holidays that are called the "Fall Feasts". The Feasts which are celebrated annually in the fall season are that of Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement and Sukkot or The Feast of Tabernacles. You can find a page in my sidebar in which I have written on the Biblical Holidays in the past.

Currently, we are in the Hebrew month of Elul which is used for a time of self-examination and preparation for the High Holidays. It is a time of repentance. I time to get closer to the L-rd.

I have been working through a personal workbook which I found on a website called Torah Family (the link will take you directly to the workbook) Repentance is a turning. It is a turning of my own way and turning back to God. It calls for a change of mind, heart, and behavior.

There are a couple of verses so far that have particularly convicted me as I have been working through this little pamphlet. One of them is found in the book of Numbers chapter 15:38-40 "Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue. It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot, so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your God."

My own heart and my own eyes, my own desires can be a source of idolatry in my life. The tassels on the garments of Israel were to be a reminder of God's commandments and as they lived in community they would see the tassels on the garments of each other. My heart and my eyes are to be focused on the commandments of God and doing His desire, not my own. Otherwise, I fall into harlotry against my God.

Another hard hitting verse is Isaiah 65:2, " I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts," This verse has a Hebrew doublet in it. A doublet is when there are two thoughts which say the same thing. For example, "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". This is two ways of saying that the Word of God shows us the next step to take in our walk with God. In the Isaiah passage, God is saying that He holds out His hands to His people, but they are rebellious. Instead of following His way, they follow their own thoughts.

In 2 Corinthians 10:5 the apostle Paul says, "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ". I have been challenged to be more diligently in the Word and in prayer to know God. I want to know Him. I want to know His thoughts that I might follow Him more closely.

For His Name's Sake.

I've been learning so much in the Bible studies that I am involved in this summer that I always want to come home an blog about what I am learning, but I never know what to say.   With teaching two studies and participating in two more I sometimes go into Bible overload.  Is there such a thing?

Each of these studies are meshing together so beautifully and I find myself talking in one Bible study about something I have learned in another.  For example,  in the book of John today we came to chapter 8 where during the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus stood up in the Temple and announced, "I am the Light of the World."

We had just studied last night how God has set apart the people of Israel to be a treasured possession for Himself.  He chose them from among all the other nations to be set apart, not because of anything they had done, but because of His love and because of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  He instructed them to obey Him and in doing so they would be a light to the nations.  The word "nations" in Scripture is "goyim" which can also be translated "gentiles".  When Israel did not obey the Lord they were scattered into the nations, but God said that He would bring them back.  The book of Isaiah is full of prophesies about God's salvation and righteousness.  In God's working salvation for Israel it would spill over to the nations.  Isaiah 60:1-3 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. "

Next, I took the ladies to Luke chapter one where Zacharias gives a prophesy after his son, John is born;  And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant--
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old--
Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,
And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;
To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,
The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;
To give to His people the knowledge of salvation(yeshua)                                                          By the forgiveness of their sins,
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,
To guide our feet into the way of peace."

This prophecy is full of the thinking that was in the minds of the people of the 2nd Temple period.  God had made a covenant with Abraham and with David which they were looking to be fulfilled.   They were looking for salvation and the righteousness of God.  They were looking for the prophet Elijah who was going to come to prepare the way of the Lord.

So what does all this have to do with John 8?  In this chapter the people of Israel were celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles and one of the ceremonies at that time was to light 4 menorahs in the court of the women. The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates God dwelling with his people.  The menorahs represented the shekinah glory of God dwelling in the Temple.  These were huge menorahs which would light up every courtyard throughout Jerusalem and the whole city could be seen from far away.  It was during this festival that Jesus said,  "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life"(John 8:12)

What an awesome thing to contemplate!  What an awesome thing it would have been to experience, to have been one of the people with the culture and the heritage and the knowledge of the Word.  "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" Romans 11:33

For His Name's Sake

Our Bible study Celebrated Passover tonight and this is a picture of the third cup, the Cup of Redemption. God said in Exodus 6:6 "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm." As a believer in Messiah, I believe that this was fulfilled when Yeshua hung on the cross to take away the sin of the world.

Tonight we celebrated Hanukkah with our Bible study friends. The children played some special games, played spin the dreidel, and had a scavenger hunt. We ate latkes, read the story of the Maccabees and lit our hanukkiahs. Some of the hanukkiahs were made by the children and some of them belonged to the parents. It was a delightful evening.