Need Wisdom? Read Proverbs.

The Book of Proverbs is filled with comparisons and contrasts.  Its wisdom is ageless.  (All of the selected verses below are quoted from the New American Standard Bible.)

 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (3: 5, 6).

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil (3: 7).

My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, Or loathe His reproof, For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father, the son in whom he delights (3: 11, 12).

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you (9: 10, 11).

Ill-gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness delivers from death (10: 2).

Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions (10: 12).

Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth (5: 18).

The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it (6: 32).

The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened (10: 27).

He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter (11: 13).

As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion (11: 22).

A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, But the compassion of the wicked is cruel (12: 10).

There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing (12: 18).

Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal faithfully are His delight (12: 22).

Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad (12: 25).

A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke (13: 1).

Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will (14: 9).

There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death (14: 12).

A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless (14: 16).

He who despises his neighbor sins, But happy is he who is gracious to the poor (14: 21).

He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly (14: 29).

He who opposes the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him (14: 31).

Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people (14: 34).

A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger (15: 1).

A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother (15: 20).

He who profits illicitly troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live (15: 27).

The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous (15: 29).

Commit your works to the LORD, And your plans will be established (16: 3).

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling (16: 18).

He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house (17: 18).

A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones (17: 22).

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is counted prudent (17: 28).

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit (18: 21).

A man of many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (18: 24).

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the LORD and He will save you (20: 22).

A good name is to be more desired than great riches, Favor is better than silver and gold (22: 1).

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3

Then God said, “Let the earth spout forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with seed in them, on the earth”; and it was so.  And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good (Genesis 1: 11-12 NASB).

And there was evening and there was morning, a third day (Genesis 1: 13 NASB).

 

*Notice that the day begins at sundown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miracles of Multiplication in the Old and New Testaments

Many are familiar with the account of Jesus feeding over 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish.  He also feed about 4000 people with seven loaves and a few small fish.  But did you know that the Tanakh (Old Testament) records similar miracles?  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He will provide.

THE FEEDING OF FIVE THOUSAND

He saith unto them [His disciples], How many loaves have ye?  go and see.  and when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.  And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.  And they sat down in ranks by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.  And they did all eat, and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.  And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men” (Mark 6: 38-44, KJV).  *See ALSO Matthew 14: 13-21, Luke 9: 12-17, John 6: 5-13.

THE FEEDING OF FOUR THOUSAND

In those days again, when there was a great multitude and they had nothing to eat, He called His disciples and said to them, “I feel compassion for the multitude because they have remained with Me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and if I send them away hungry to their home, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a distance.”  And His disciples answered Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough to satisfy these men with bread here in a desolate place?”  And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”  And He directed the multitude to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well.  And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces.  And about four thousand were there; and He sent them away (Mark 8: 1-9, KJV).  See ALSO Matthew 15: 32-38.

THE FEEDING OF ONE HUNDRED MEN

And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God [Elisha] bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the  husk thereof.  And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 

And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men?  He said again, Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 

So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD (II Kings 4: 42-44, KJV)

THE WIDOW’S OIL

The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD.  But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” 

Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you?  Tell me, what do you have in your house?” 

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a little oil.”

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars.  Don’t ask for just a few.  Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons.  Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons.  They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.  When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.”  Then the oil stopped flowing.

She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts.  You and your sons can live on what is left” (2 Kings 4: 1-7, NIV).

THE WIDOW AT ZAREPHATH

Then the word of the LORD came to him [Elijah]: “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there.  I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.”  So he went to Zarephath.  When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks.  He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?”  As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

“As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread–only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug.  I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it–and die.”

Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid.  Go home and do as you have said.  But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.  For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.’ “

She went away and did as Elijah had told her.  So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.  For the jar of flour was not  used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah (1 Kings 17: 8-17, NIV).

*Matthew adds that besides 5000 men, women and children were fed; so the number of people fed that day was over 5000.

Has the Law of Moses Been Done Away With?

Years ago a friend invited me to her son’s bar mitzvah.  As a born-again Christian, I was curious about Judaism but had never been to a bar mitzvah.  As it turned out, her cousin was curious about me.  A conservative Jew, he sought me out and sat beside me during part of the bar mitzvah.  He wanted to know how a born-again Christian viewed the Law of Moses.  I parroted what I had heard all of my life.   I said something like, “We are not under the Law.  Jesus fulfilled the Law.”  I could tell that he was not satisfied, and to be honest–neither was I.

His question made me think.  Has the Law of Moses been “done away with?”  What does it mean to “fulfill the Law?”

JESUS AND THE LAW OF MOSES

Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.  Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5: 17-20, NIV).

The Ten Commandments have not changed.  If you repent of your sins and believe in the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus), the Ten Commandments will be written on your heart.  “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances” (Ezekiel 36: 26-27, NASB).  (See Exodus 20: 1-17; 2 Corinthians 3: 3; Jeremiah 31: 31-33; and Hebrews 8: 8-12 also.)

THE LAW OF MOSES VS. MAN-MADE TRADITIONS AND DOCTRINES

The Torah is the Law of Moses, the first five books of the Old Testament.  If the Law of Moses has been done away with, then there is no reason to even read Genesis.  Sadly, the church pays lip service to the Old Testament but dismisses the Law of Moses as legalism.  Legalism has nothing to do with the Law of Moses.  It’s all about man-made traditions and doctrines that are taught as if they were God’s laws. (See Matthew 15: 1-9; Colossians 2: 8, 20-23).

LEVITICUS: God’s Timepiece

Before I began attending a Messianic Jewish Congregation, I had never heard a preacher or Sunday school teacher discuss Leviticus in-depth.  So I figured that most of Leviticus didn’t apply to Christians.  I was wrong.

Yes, Jesus is the Lamb of God.  He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins, so we don’t need animal sacrifices.  But there’s much more to Leviticus than animal sacrifices and ceremonial laws pertaining to the temple (which was destroyed in 70 AD).  In fact, you can’t understand God’s calendar and His appointed times (or feast days) unless you read and study Leviticus.

God does not go by the Gregorian calendar.  He goes by the Biblical calendar found in Leviticus 23.   God’s Appointed Times are dress rehearsals.  Yeshua fulfilled the spring feasts with His First Coming.  He will fulfill the fall feasts with His Second Coming.

JUST SAY NO TO HAM

You won’t go to hell for eating a ham sandwich, but you might live longer if you follow the food laws in Leviticus 11.  Most Americans follow most of the food laws most of the time. Seriously, besides pork and shell-fish, which of these “unclean” animals does the average American eat?  Rats, lizards, cats, dogs, vultures, badgers, buzzards, snakes, weasels, roadkill?  If you read Leviticus 11 carefully, I think you will agree with God that unclean animals are “detestable.”

*By definition unclean animals are not considered “food” for human consumption, but they do serve a purpose.  By and large, they are the garbage collectors of the animal kingdom.  Notice that Noah took seven pairs of every clean animal (and seven pairs of every bird) aboard the ark but only one pair of every unclean animal (Genesis 7: 1-3).   If he had eaten an unclean animal, the animal would have become extinct.

The Bible is the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation.  Read it.  Study it.  Discuss it.  Agree to disagree.  “Test everything.”

 

*Recommended reading: THE MAKERS DIET by Jordan S. Rubin with Foreword by Dr. Charles F. Stanley.

Ask God: “No Response Is Not an Answer”

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“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight” (I John 3: 21-22, NASB).

About 1 hour and 50 minutes into the service, Rabbi Carlson says, “No response [from God] is not an answer.”  Then he quotes I John 3: 21-22 and lists 17 questions (see below) to ask God.  Every follower of Yeshua (Jesus’ Hebrew name) should consider these questions and listen for God’s answer.

1) God, in Yeshua’s name do You love me?

2) God, in Yeshua’s name are You happy with me?

3) God, in Yeshua’s name am I pleasing You?

4) God, in Yeshua’s name is there anything in me–any sin–that would hinder Your presence, Your will, Your power in my life?

5) God in Yeshua’s name are there any idols in my life?

6) God, in Yeshua’s name do I have sinful thoughts, hidden agendas, anger, hurt, or unforgiveness in my life?

7) God, in Yeshua’s name is there any spirit in me that is not of You?

8) God, in Yeshua’s name have I offended You?

9) God, in Yeshua’s name how can I serve You?

10) God, in Yeshua’s name what is on Your heart?

11) God, in Yeshua’s name how can I minister unto You?

12) God, in Yeshua’s name what do You want me to pray for?

13) God, in Yeshua’s name what are Your plans and purpose for my life?

14) God, in Yeshua’s name what can I do to have more of You in me?

15) God, in Yeshua’s name does my life reflect Your kingdom?

16) God, in Yeshua’s name have I offended or hurt anyone?

17) God, in Yeshua’s  name may I have more heavenly power to reveal Your power here on earth?