Musing - I can do it myself.

Hebraic Musing - I can do it myself.

If you have ever watched a very young child try to dress him or herself, you know how cute it can be.  Just like us sometimes, stubbornly insisting “I can do it myself.”  Picture the child painstakingly tackling each button as if trying to solve the world’s greatest problems.  Then sticking their head into the sleeve instead of the head opening and letting out an earth-piercing wail when they get stuck!  It’s easy to chuckle at the child insisting “I’ll do it myself,” but what happens, or doesn’t happen, when a 40-year-old or a 60-year-old approaches life with the same stubbornness — refusing help, even from God?

Now, most folks don’t intentionally shut out God’s help; they simply don’t ask Him for help.  They wrestle through the day’s problems on their own, often too busy to even take a moment to ask God for His assistance.  Let’s listen to sage advice from the Psalmist.  “The Lord is near to all who call on him, …  He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.   The Lord watches over all who love him,…”  Ps 145:18-19   How frustrated must our Father God feel while watching His children struggling to operate in the DIY mode?

Are we really saving time by not spending time in prayer?  And whose time is it anyway?  The Master of the Universe wants to work with us, so how much more efficient might we might be if we did things His way?

Did our Father God reveal His heart in Song of Songs when He told us how He views us, allegorically, in this long but lovingly beautiful passage?  “You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain. Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, with henna and nard, nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices. You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon.  Awake, north wind, and come, south wind!  Blow on my garden that its fragrance may spread abroad.  Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.”  Song 4:12-16  NIV

The man in the story is talking to the woman; but in allegorical terms God is talking to us, His people.  Paraphrased, God is saying to us – “You are so beautiful, you have so much to offer, and I want to have a relationship with you, but you won’t let me in!”  When we don’t open ourselves to God, we are like a locked-up garden with so much potential inside; but we won’t open up to share it.  And the garden withers…

First – We need to open ourselves up to God, constantly calling on Him in prayer and asking for His assistance.  We need to make God part of our lives on a daily basis in every way.  How much more valuable could we be to Him if we did things His way.  Or, we can continue to listen to and obey Frank Sinatra when he sings ♫ I’ll do it my way…♫

Second – What would happen if we opened up to the other people in our lives?  This means being willing to ask them for help at times.  It might be hard for us to do and we might even feel like a burden; but the truth is that when we open ourselves up to another person we are allowing them to be part of our life.  Our relationships are strengthened as we share our lives with others.

We can’t do it all ourselves, and thanks to God we don’t have to.  But we must be wise enough and humble enough to let others in and not insist on “doing it myself.”

Points to ponder

Do we need God’s help in everything?

Can we give all our talents and treasures to Him? 

Does God want you to unleash your full potential?

Might other people actually want to help us?

♫  I need Thee, oh, I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee;.♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                      August 28, 2018

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

*  Inspired by and excerpted from Holy Land Moments – “I can do it myself” from IFCJ - Aug.16, 2018

Musing – Four people groups who will be scarce in Heaven!

Hebraic Musing – Four people groups who will be scarce in Heaven!

Which people will be scarce in Heaven?  A – The Rich, the Wise, the Mighty and the Noble; otherwise called plutocrats, intelligentsia, VIPs and bluebloods.

Why?   Jesus said so -- "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."   Matt 19:23-24 NIV     And Paul challenged the wise, the VIPs and the noblemen in 1 Cor. 1:26-29.  “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”

Why is our educational system focused on encouraging the future generations to be rich, wise, strong and Ivy Leaguers?  Are those Godly traits to focus on if one is seeking Godly righteousness?

Anyone involved in Evangelism knows that the prospects most open to the Gospel are the “down and outers”.  And the most challenging place to evangelize is on college campuses and board rooms.  Jesus faced classic opposition with the “Rich Young Ruler” who felt smugly justified.  Jesus had to tell him "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22   Apparently, the “Rich Young Ruler” did not want to care for the needy as Torah Law commanded in Deut.15:10-11 – “Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.  There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”

Do rich, wise, noble VIPs have difficulty giving up their status symbols in order to be humble?  But there is hope for them if they partake of Paul’s advice to Timothy – “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Tim 6:17-19 NIV 

When Jesus told Peter and other disciples how and where to fish they complied, and “they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.”  Peter ran to Jesus, but the other disciples “signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them,…” Luke 5:6-7   Notice that the other disciples were more interested in fish (and catching them) than they were in Jesus, even after witnessing a miracle!  Is there a lesson here?  Were they stuck in their rut?     

Points to ponder

Are we more rich than some of the folks around us?

What net are we hanging onto?
What trait or position or possession are you holding onto
that prevents full submission to the LORD of your life?

What education or study do we pursue?  Where is our heart?

♫  Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, And he will lift you up, Higher and higher…♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                      August 21, 2018

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

*  Inspired by Vance Havner’s “Not Peace But a Sword” p.138  (Excellent book!)

Musing – Are we called to exercise “Social Graces”?

Hebraic Musing – Are we called to exercise “Social Graces”?

Have you noticed a serious decline in the exercise of “Social Graces” or manners? (Especially those manners that reflect our attitude toward others)  I am struck by the number of acquaintances who are experiencing familial relationship challenges; and meanwhile I’m noticing that those people are lacking of what we used to simply called “manners”?  Examples –  Saying “Please”, saying “Thank you”, responding to RSVPs, arriving on time, calling elders by formal names (Mr. & Mrs. Etc.), respecting other peoples’ property and time, respectful behaviors, etc.  Does this growing disregard for “Social Graces” reflect a society moving away from Godliness?  Is this societal trend caused by impersonal techy communications?  Are manners scriptural?

Saying “Please” – the word is used 115X in the NIV; 20X in Genesis alone.  When Jacob wrestled with God, he pleaded “Please tell me your name." Gen 32:29  NIV

Saying “Thank you” – My wife enjoys gifting the g’kids; maybe because they ALWAYS respond with “Thank You” letters.  Remember the song? ♫ “Give thanks with a grateful heart…Give thanks…♫

Responding to RSVPs – When someone says “Respond please”, it is impolite to ignore them.  However, Jesus did not answer when the disciples asked when He would be returning.  But (with tongue in cheek) did they need to know so they could tell the caterer how many places to set at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb?

Arriving on time – Respects other peoples’ time.  Note that Moses did not arrive on time and that caused the people to became anxious and misbehave! “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses …, we don't know what has happened to him." Ex 32:1 

Respect for elders – Some practical applications – not calling elders by first names and holding doors for elders, etc.  The Bible commands us to "'Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. ….” Lev 19:32    And now we see Isaiah’s 3:5 prophecy played out – “People will oppress each other — man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, …”

Rebellious Behavior -- "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Ex 20:12  (You get to live longer because you won’t get whupped to death.)

Not listening – Have you had someone try to answer their phone, text message or read a book while you are trying to interact with them?  God’s word says “Listen” 352x; and “Hear” 379x.  Do we respect and pay attention to others as brothers & sisters, elders, God’s other children? 

CONCLUSION – None of this should surprise us; Timothy warned us.  “There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, …lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…” 2 Tim 3:1-4

Points to Ponder

Does the use of text messaging eliminate the need to say “please”?

What accounts for the hostile online comments, by otherwise polite people?

Are manners all about “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”?  Luke 6:31
If so, are we to “Love one another.  As I have loved you, … ”?  John 13:34-35

How can we instill manners or “Social Graces” back into our society?

Where should we be learning manners?

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                      August 14, 2018

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

Musing – Does God want us to Play?

Hebraic Musing – Does God want us to Play?

Many people think of God as dour, somber, and stern.  He is often viewed as a taskmaster up in heaven watching down on us with a scowl.  He is clearly the ultimate authoritarian, so we human beings develop a perspective of the taskmaster God who expects us to work hard, spend lots of time in church, and otherwise be serious about life.  We don’t normally think He wants us waste our time enjoying life, celebrating, or, God forbid, playing!

Therefore, the last line in Psalm 104:24-26 is not readily understood or appreciated.  “How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.  There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number — living things both large and small.   There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.” NIV  

The Leviathan was a mythic creature, perhaps based on a whale or dolphin.   The Hebrew verb translated as “frolic” is closely related to a word for laughter, or it can be translated as “make sport, jest, play, revel, dance.”   So Psalm 104 celebrates God the Creator who made all things and also created playfulness!  This verb shows up in one of Zechariah’s visions of the future kingdom of God – “The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” Zech.8:5  Are we expected to become child-like?!?!  Can we be child-like now?

Yes, God created the world to be productive.  He created us in his image, calling us to be fruitful and multiply, to work so that the world might be filled.  Work stands at the center of our purpose for living, but God also created play.  He made us with the capacity to jest, to dance, to laugh.  The example of Leviathan encourages us to enjoy life, to do things that are not necessarily productive in the ordinary sense, though they produce delight, health, and community. Our playfulness reflects the creative intentions of our playful God.

Quoting Mark Roberts* – “Yes, we are to work.  Yes, we are to rest.  Yes, we are to live our lives in worship to you.  But we are also to play, to enjoy the beauty and freedom and delight of life.”

An old song keeps coming to mind and it seems appropriate to repeat – ♫ “Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think.  Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink.  The years go by, as quickly as a wink, Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think.”♫

In the next couple days, do something fun, something playful.  Try to sense God’s delight in your enjoyment. And then thank God for the gift of play.

Points to ponder

Before reading this, what did you think of playing?
Was playing thought to be part of God’s design for creation?

Have you ever gotten a kick out of watching your children at play?
Does Our Father God have fun watching His kids having fun?

What playful activities do you enjoy?

Lord, help me to be playful in a way that honors you.

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                      August 7, 2018

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

*  Inspired and excerpted from Mark D. Roberts – “The God of Play”  Apr. 13, 2018