Seek God in all things

Sh’mu’el Bet (2 Samuel) 6:6-9

When they arrived at Nakhon’s threshing-floor, the oxen stumbled; and ‘Uzah put out his hand to steady the ark of God. But ADONAI’s anger blazed up against ‘Uzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his offense, so that he died there by the ark of God. It upset David that ADONAI had broken out against ‘Uzah; that place has been called Peretz-‘Uzah [breaking-out of’ Uzah] ever since. David was frightened of ADONAI that day; he asked, “How can the ark of ADONAI come to me?

Even if we do things with the best of intentions, if it is outside the will of ADONAI it will fail. David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the capital. In fact, he discussed with all of Israel and they all agreed that it would be a great idea. What David failed to do was consult the Word. God stated through Moshe how the Ark was to be carried, by Levites consecrated to the service, instead David has two men, sons of the man who sheltered the Ark since it’s supernatural return from the P’lishtim, to load it on a cart and bring it to Yerushalayim. One of the men dies when he touches the Ark and David stops seeing that he is displeasing God for bring the Ark for his own glory and not glorifying ADONAI by moving the Ark as he commanded. What really amazes me is not one priest or Levite sought to let the King know what the Word said. All of us are to look to each other and support each other in the Word. Lord I know I pray that You write Your Torah on my heart but let me live out Your Word too so there is no doubt that am Your servant. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

No Hiding Place

Tehillim (Psalms) 139:7-12

Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I lie down in Sh’ol, you are there.
If I fly away with the wings of the dawn
and land beyond the sea,
even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
If I say, “Let darkness surround me,
let the light around me be night,”
even darkness like this
is not too dark for you;
rather, night is as clear as day,
darkness and light are the same.

There is no where we can go that ADONAI cannot reach us. I have fled authority, pursued sinful relations, drank myself stupid and God in his mercy was standing beside me the whole time in my pain. I have denied the power of the Ruach moving in my life only to have Him embrace me when I was truly broken in that moment. There is no where we can go that God does not pursue us if we only will listen to His voice. Lord let me be focused always on You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Speak Truth

Sh’mu’el Bet (2 Samuel) 3:23-27

When Yo’av and all his army had arrived, Yo’av was told, “Avner the son of Ner came to the king, but he sent him off, and he has left under safe conduct.” Yo’av went to the king and said, “What have you done? Here, Avner came to you, and you sent him away, and now he’s gone! Why? You know Avner the son of Ner—he came only to deceive you, to learn what campaigns you’re planning and to find out everything you’re doing!”
After leaving David, Yo’av sent messengers after Avner, and they brought him back from the water cistern at Sirah without David’s knowledge. Upon Avner’s return to Hevron, Yo’av took him aside into the space between the outer and inner-city gates as if to speak with him privately; and there he struck him in the groin, so that he died—thus avenging the death of ‘Asah’el his brother.

Avner had already met with and agreed to support David in ruling over all of Isra’el. But because Avner had killed Yo’av’s brother, Yo’av first tried to change the narrative of David’s meeting by declaring Avner was a spy and then falsely recalling Avner to Hevron where he could murder him. By changing the narrative for his own personal vengeance Yo’av committed the murder that would eventually bring about his own death. It is the same for people who twist the Word of God to fit their own agendas, whether it be prosperity gospel, a word of vengeance, or secular nation building, all of us when we use the Word out of context risk the same selfish sin as the P’rushim who challenged Yeshua and the Talmidim for not ritually washing their hands and yet would not follow the Word and honor their parents. Lord let the words I use speak only into Your will and not my own. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Working through

Mattityahu (Matthew) 14:13-14

On hearing about this, Yeshua left in a boat to be by himself in the wilderness. But the people learned of it and followed him from the towns by land. So when he came ashore, he saw a huge crowd; and, filled with compassion for them, he healed those of them who were sick.

There are times when we are wanting to be lost in our grief, like Yeshua for his cousin Yochanan, that God in His wisdom gives us work to do to keep us falling into the point of no return.  Lord let me lean always onto Your leadership in my life.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Grow through the trials

Mattityahu (Matthew) 13:24-30

Yeshua put before them another parable.” The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, then went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads of grain, the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Then do you want us to go and pull them up?’ But he said, ‘No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn.'”

From this parable I find the lesson that Sha’ul wrote about in Second Corinthians, we all have “thorns in our flesh” like these weeds to try to choke us out from the life we get from the nurturing of the Ruach.  And while we might pray to be delivered just as Sha’ul did three times, ADONAI in His wisdom allows us to remain because if He took us out of that trouble when we decide and not Him, then our roots, our connection to His holy power would not be firmly set and we would not be worth any more than the weeds that were removed at his displeasure.  We would have no fruit with which to bring before God as an offering.  It is the trials around us, just as the thorn in Sha’ul’s side that drive us to depend on ADONAI for everything and lets us enter His courts with praise when He removes the weeds and leaves us to be gathered back to Him.  Lord let me be worthy of Your harvest, let me be strong enough to bear good fruit for You.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Do Good

Mattityahu (Matthew) 12:9-12

Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue. A man there had a shriveled hand. Looking for a reason to accuse him of something, they asked him, “Is healing permitted on Shabbat?” But he answered, “If you have a sheep that falls in a pit on Shabbat, which of you won’t take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore, what is permitted on Shabbat is to do good.”

This seems to be the second most asked question of people who practice scriptural worship.  I like Yeshua’s answer, on Shabbat it is permitted to do good, not bad, not indifferent, not mediocre but do good.  Do good by strengthening bonds with your spouse and extended family, do good by helping those in need, do good so others can see that we stand apart as believers from the rest of the world and prayerfully they too will want to come to a personal relationship with ADONAI and follow Yeshua’s example to “do good”.  Lord let me always honor the rest You have given us by doing good for the Your kingdom.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

God’s Protection

Mattityahu (Matthew) 11:12

From the time of Yochanan the Immerser until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been suffering violence; yes, violent ones are trying to snatch it away.

This may be just reticular recognition with the news of the Tree of Life synagogue trial starting but I am continually confronted with the violence done against those who trust in ADONAI.  In America this year in the first three months violence against believing institutions is up 29% from the 2022 and that puts violence against believers at an all-time high.  Yeshua himself says that violence will be done because the adversary is trying to snatch believers out of heaven.  So, while I am a proponent of armed security for congregations, I also believe that we must be like King David and praise and worship ADONAI and entreat Him with our prayers as David did in the Psalms

“I will eagerly thank ADONAI with my mouth,

I will praise him right there in the crowd,

because he stands alongside a needy person

to defend him from unjust accusers.” Tehillim (Psalms) 109:30-31

Lord stand with your people and be the pillar of fire that protects us from the evil of the enemy.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

To the Jew first, then to the nations

Mattityahu (Matthew) 10:5-6, 16-20

These twelve Yeshua sent out with the following instructions: “Don’t go into the territory of the Goyim, and don’t enter any town in Shomron, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Isra’el.

“Pay attention! I am sending you out like sheep among wolves, so be as prudent as snakes and as harmless as doves. Be on guard, for there will be people who will hand you over to the local Sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as a testimony to them and to the Goyim. But when they bring you to trial, do not worry about what to say or how to say it; when the time comes, you will be given what you should say. For it will not be just you speaking, but the Spirit of your heavenly Father speaking through you.

When we are in alignment with the will of God all will know His Word.  Yeshua told his talmidim to go and preach only to the “lost sheep of Isra’el”, yet while doing that they would be prosecuted, and that persecution would lead to the rest of the world hearing and learning the Word of the Lord.  When we do things in the order that ADONAI tells us to, by following the example of Yeshua, all things as Sha’ul tells us, brings glory to ADONAI! Lord let me follow Your will for my life just as carefully as the talmidim and let my testimony show Your light to all around me.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

God must be our everything

Tehillim (Psalm) 63:2-7

O God, you are my God;
I will seek you eagerly.
My heart thirsts for you,
my body longs for you
in a land parched and exhausted,
where no water can be found.
I used to contemplate you in the sanctuary,
seeing your power and glory;
for your grace is better than life.
My lips will worship you.
Yes, I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
I am as satisfied as with rich food;
my mouth praises you with joy on my lips
when I remember you on my bed
and meditate on you in the night watches.

In everything we are to focus on ADONAI. There is nothing that should be separated from Him in our lives if we truly trust in Him. While we may have been introduced to ADONAI in our congregations and sanctuaries, we will not experience his full indwelling until it becomes as needful as water, food and sleep. Abba keep me always focused on You. Have me pause before I respond in a worldly way and let me always do Your will. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Let God lead our actions

Sh’mu’el Alef (1 Samuel) 24:4-7

Near some sheep pens along the way was a cave, and Sha’ul went inside to relieve himself. It happened that David and his men were sitting in the recesses at the back of the cave; and David’s men said to him, “Look! The day has come that Adonai told you about when he said to you, ‘I will turn your enemy over to you, and you will do to him whatever seems good to you.’” Then David stole over unobserved and cut off the corner of Sha’ul’s cloak. But after doing this, David felt remorse over cutting Sha’ul’s garment. He said to his men, “Adonai forbid that I should do such a thing to my lord, Adonai’s anointed, as raise my hand against him! After all, he is Adonai’s anointed.”

Just because God places us in positions it doesn’t mean we have to act as others expect us to. David’s men wanted him to slay Saul, but David understood it would be wrong to harm someone anointed by God. Lord help me to discern when and what action to take in the times ahead, Amen.