Musing – Are We Expected to Be His Soldiers?

Hebraic Musing – Are We Expected to Be His Soldiers?

The Bible is a war story. God started recruiting His army as soon as His people left Egypt.  He was preparing His army to fight not only physical but spiritual battles of life and death.  Since the time they left Egypt, Israel was being prepared to become the army of the Lord Almighty! 

Old Testament -- The book of Numbers begins with counting the children of Israel for military purposes.   The Lord spoke to Moses … after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one.  … number by their divisions all the men in Israel twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army. Num 1:1-3   NIV  At that time, they were not far from the Promised Land and didn’t realize they had 40 more years.  I’ve often wondered if the wait was (a) due to the lack of faith by the 12 spies, or (b) to give God time to prepare His army for the battles ahead.  Nevertheless, their journey took 40 more years. God needed them to get organized, unified and prepared for the battles ahead.

And right after the first Passover -  And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies. Exod. 12:51  NKJV    Many English translations say “hosts” rather than "armies."  The Hebrew word "tzava'ot" is often translated as "hosts" or "divisions", but the verbal root is "tzava" which means "to wage war".  For example:  Zech 14:12  Adonai will strike all the peoples who made war against Yerushalayim… CJB  

Every army needs a military commander: Hos 12:5  Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot; Adonai is his name! CJB  Or in NKJV -  That is, the Lord God of hosts. The Lord is His memorable name. Hos 12:5  NKJV   

And the God of Hosts also controls and uses nature to fight our foes - You will be visited by Adonai-Tzva’ot with thunder, earthquakes and loud noises,… Isa. 29:6  CJB  

New Testament -- The need for a military mentality continues in the NT. We saints become the soldiers who are expected to serve; and Paul used military terms:  But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier…  Phil 2:25  NIV   And ,,,to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier…  Philemon 2  NIV  

Do you think this word of encouragement from Paul to Timothy might apply to us?    Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  2 Tim 2:3  NIV 

Book of Revelation tells of the final war between Satan and the King of Kings -- Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and His army. Rev. 19:19  NIV    Will the Lord God of Hosts count you as one of His soldiers in His army?

Points to ponder

Do we accept the news of the day? Or are we listening for His marching orders?

Were you prepared for Spiritual battles right after you were saved?
Or did you need time and experience in His boot camp?

Are we in unity battling the enemy, or are we warring against each other?

What are we fighting for?

♫ I may never march in the infantry, Ride in the cavalry, Shoot the artillery
♫ I may never fly o'er the enemy,  But I'm in the Lord's army!   Yes Sir!
♫ I'm in the Lord's army!   Yes sir!    I'm in the Lord's army!    Yes sir!

Ready for war?                                                                       June 30, 2015    

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd,  Author::

Musing - What ever happened to "Biblical Marriage"?

God was clear when he created man and the wonderful combination of marriage, sex, and childrearing.  Some rightly call that the “Golden Triangle”. When He blessed His first man and woman He also gave them their first commandment -- "Be fruitful and increase in number;…” Gen 1:28  NIV

But that original plan is about to be dismantled by the Supreme Court. The permanent union of a man and woman, husband and wife, and the raising of children was, and still is, the ideal plan for mankind according to Almighty God.  Where, when and how did all this go wrong?

·      In 1960 the FDA approved the "pill". I have heard the pill referred to as a human pesticide. This was the start of the sexual revolution in the 60’s and 70’s. Non-marital sex, adultery and avoidance of pregnancy became acceptable.

·      Out of this, the concept of abortion became a controversy instead of an abomination. This further damaged the concept of childBearing which includes childRearing as the purpose of marriage.

·      Co-habitation became popular in the 60s and it continues to be common to this day.  Co-habitation ignores the concept of biblical marriage and negatively impacts childBearing.  Can childRearing be done as effectively by the “Significant Other”? 

·      In 1970 no-fault divorce was introduced and is now available in all 50 states since 1985. The concept of permanency of marriage is no longer important or honored.  What is the impact on childRearing?

·      Societal pressures are causing many couples to consider getting their college degree and career started before getting married. With hormones running rampant “biblical marriage” fell by the wayside and the sexual revolution is going forward with full steam. 

·      Marketing of credit started in the 70’s. “Buy now, pay later” teasers financially strains marriages. “We can’t afford more children.” (I raised six; and I don’t regret sacrificing  a little “standard of living.”)

·      Meanwhile the church did not do its job to promote and educate regarding the purpose of marriage. Should sex education be taught in the church? Sex education is the responsibility of the father and mother, but one or both of them have been removed from their role in childRearing. (Now you know what inspired me to write the book "Biblical Marriage" in May 2012.) 

·      And a “Seeker-friendly” church focused on an very over-simplified message, "God is love."   As a result the concept and definition of love has been abused. What does it mean today when someone says “Let’s make love”? And therefore the LGBT movement is built on a seriously warped definition of love. The unchurched world found a devious way to go around God's original plan by using or abusing the word “Love”. A recent Focus on the Family article exposes the issue in a challenging headline “Shouldn't People Be Allowed to Love Who They Want?”  I really get concerned with the number of people who claim to love their cat or dog; where will this lead us?

If you are troubled by this, I wonder how God feels? 

Points to ponder

What can we do to promote biblical marriage?

Has your church given up trying to deal with the sexual revolution issues?

How many "Biblical Marriage" examples can you find amongst
your friends and acquaintances?   How many non-biblical relationships?

How many other societal problems would be solved
if biblical marriage was restored to this nation?

I really would like to hear and share your answers.                            June 23, 2015    

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd,  Author::

“Biblical_Marriage” - available at Amazon and Kindle – search “Biblical Marriage Yosef”

Musing – How Important is “Relationship Before Rules”?

Hebraic Musing – How Important is “Relationship Before Rules”?

We have heard that expression "relationship before rules" many times; or we heard the inverse, “Rules without Relationship leads to Rebellion.”  Basically it says that rules cannot be applied, followed or respected until a relationship has been established.  I’ve heard this before but just recently realized a number of applications of this principle. 

First, it is frequently applied to the parenting process where the parents need a relationship with the child before the child can accept and comfortably follow the rules of the house and the rules of life the child will have to internalize as he/she matures.

Secondly, I am thinking of the relationship that we have with Jesus Christ; and because of that relationship we are more than happy to follow His rules. The degree of “happiness” is in direct proportion to the relationship.  And since Jesus had a high regard for and excellent relationship with his heavenly Father (who is also our heavenly Father) we have a willingness to follow the rules established in Bible. And these rules include the infamous Ten Commandments as-well-as many guiding principles to a victorious life.  If we have the appropriate relationship with God, then the desire to follow his rules comes naturally.

The third application, which is like the exception that proves the rule, is the rebellious nature of the modern generation and the problem of lawlessness that we experience in today's news. We see this in the gangs, ISIS and rebellious single parented children, just to name a few.  Most of the individuals in those groups abide by the rules of their gang where the relationship is strongest. And the gang/group’s set of rules can be rather contrary to the Ten Commandments and God-given morality that we have come to expect from fellow human beings. These groups have their relationships within their own groups and therefore the individual members follow the rules of group, even if the rules and morality contradict what we have come to expect in society.

Two points to ponder

How can we establish a relationship with those in rebellious groups
 in order to instill the correct rules and morality?

How can we enhance our own relationship with God
such that following his rules is pure joy?

Now you know why I want to stay in relationship with you?           June 16, 2015

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd

Musing – What’s the better way to show our Love and Respect?

Hebraic Musing – What’s the better way to show our Love and Respect?

Today’s world has many communication and transactional shortcuts to conveniently stay in touch with “loved ones.”  We have e-mail, text, FB, Amazon, FTD, etc. available for convenience sake to save our time, money and effort.  So how do we explain Moses’ strange and seemingly unfair instructions to these three Levite families?   All three families had to transport the Tabernacle articles as they traveled for 40 years.

Num. 7:6-9  So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites.  He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required, and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. ….  But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible. NIV   Was there a difference between the roles of the three families?   Why weren’t the Kohathites given a cart to help them carry out their responsibility to care their designated components of the tabernacle for 40 years?  

Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes.   Num. 3:25-26

Merarites were appointed to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, … as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes.   Num. 3:36-37  

Kohathites…were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain … Num. 3:31

Notice that the Kohathites had to carry the most holy and cherished objects, and they had no cart. They had to hand-carry their assigned items.  How much more love do we feel when we:
…carry a baby in our arms, instead of watching someone else hold the child?
…break bread with a friend or relative in need, instead of an e-mail, text or FB them with a greeting?
…receive a home-baked pie, than we if it’s a store-bought pie?
…get a hug, instead of a wave?
…serve a meal in a soup kitchen, instead of writing a check?
…go to the mission field, in addition to adding to the tithe check or praying for the missionaries?

Nothing compares to a personal touch.  Similarly, we pay our final respects to loved ones as pall-bearers by hand-carrying the casket; and in some traditions by shoveling dirt into the grave by hand. Similarly, in Genesis 45:19 we see that there was no cart specified to carry their father to see his son, Joseph.

When the Kohathites had to carry the most holy and cherished tabernacle items on their own backs, it was out of a labor of love, honor and respect for the glory of God which these objects represented. 

Points to ponder

Where do we need more to put the personal touch in our ministry?

Who needs a more personal contact/visit?

Makes me wish I could say all this to you in person.                         June 2, 2015

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd,       Author:

“Hebraic Insights”  “Biblical_Marriage” “Musings v.1 – A Victorious Life”
“Musings v.2 – The Torah and New Testament” Weekly “Hebraic Musings”   
www.InsightsByYosef.com

Note - Inspired by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein   “Our Labor of Love”   May 28, 2015