Musing – What States are Available to Man?

Hebraic Musing – What States are Available to Man?
    or   In what state might a man find himself?

Is man basically good or evil?  What is evil?  Are we in a Cosmic Battle?

State one - Man was CRATED INNOCENT, in the IMAGE of GOD.  “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;…” Gen.1:27  NIV   So we start off as God’s beloved creation and very valuable to Him as our Creator!

State two – Man is FALLEN.  “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”  Gen.6:5   BUT, have you noticed that all the world’s religions, philosophers, evolutionists and socialists claim man is basically good; given the opportunity man will improve society and the world.     Who is right?  God or the world-think?   

And what happens to man as a result of this evil nature?  “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” Rom 5:12 

State three – If man dies in the Fallen state, then DEATH or HELL, aka, Eternal separation from his Creator God.  “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,” Heb.9:27  And then “If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”  Rev.20:15

State four – If man chooses to repent, man can be REDEEMED.    Gal.3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,”   The Good News – God gave man a unique ability, the ability to “Choose”.  In the OT we hear “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, …. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”  Josh.24:15   And in the NT we hear Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”  And John 3:15-16 “that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”  Man can choose to listen to Jesus speaking in red letters.  “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”  John 10:27-28   We have a choice to make – “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,” Rom.8:13 

State five – If man dies in the Redeemed state, then GLORIFICATION.   “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Rev.3:20      “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead.  The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”  1 Cor.15:42-44 

Summary perspective – Our old self can be described as Evil, Dead, Blind and Deaf.  However as a new man we are referred to as Redeemed, Saints, Priests, Called out Ones, People of God and Born of Above.  BUT we are caught in a Cosmic Battle within each of us!   “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”  Gal.5:16-17    Here’s another description of the Cosmic Battle we all fight – “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”  Rom.7:15 

Points to ponder   or   RSVP

Since our Christian beliefs stand opposed to man’s evil inner desires,
is it any wonder we face opposition and persecution from the world?

If we make Jesus as our Lord, are we still fighting the Cosmic Battle?  

If man is basically good,
then why did our loving Father God have to send His Son to live, die and be resurrected?

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:…”  Col.3:5

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          October 1, 2019

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

Note – Inspired by Lesson #3 of “The Truth Project”, a Focus on the Family program.

Musing – Why Might We Be Suffering Persecution Today?

Hebraic Musing – Why Might We Be Suffering Persecution Today?

When, where, why and to whom has persecution been described in the Bible? 

·      Let’s start with Noah’s time.  “Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.” Gen 6:11-12  NIV  “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Gen 6:8   Problem – Corruption.  And you know the drastic consequences had to God use.

·      For Moses to free the Hebrews in Egypt, the Lord had to expose each of the idolatrous gods that the Egyptians worshipped.  One by one the Lord God demonstrated His Supremacy over each of Egypt’s idols.

·      Samuel had to admonish King Saul.  “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king." 1 Sam 15:23  As a result Saul suffered persecution and the loss of kingship, all as the consequence of idolatry.

·      Before the Babylonian exile, both the North and then the Southern Kingdoms were warned of the consequences of their idolatry but ignored the warnings.  “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the Lord will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. (in the next verse God tells why)    I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.” Ezek. 14:4-5    Ezekiel had to condemn the idol worship of both the North and South while they were in captivity despite warnings.  “You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord." Ezek. 23:49   Interesting note.  After the Babylonian exile the Jews never fell back into the sin of idolatry!  Lesson learned!

·      Paul’s epistles to Ephesians and Titus in Crete dealt a lot with the Christian communities experiencing persecutions due to their battle with many gods in the Greco/Roman idolatry culture.  Claiming Jesus as the one true God was an affront to the many gods that Greco/Roman citizenry worshipped.  Thus the Christian church faced persecution from the Romans and Greeks for expressing their “One and Only God” belief which was an affront to citizens’ worshipping their gods.  Sound familiar today?

Fast forward to current times – Does the world today worship and serve other gods,  i.e. Idolatry?  What does the world worship by spending time and money on?  A few examples – youthfulness, status symbols, escapism, erotic pleasure, power, image, free choice, convenience, …   And do we Christians get persecuted if we dare to preach against those idols?

If we avoid idolatry and preach the Gospel, will we avoid persecution? 
Yes, from our God; but probably not from the friends in the world around us.  
Is the importance their friendship a form of idolatry?

Who defined idolatry better, Peter or Paul? 
Peter – “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do — living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.”  1 Peter 4:3  NIV
Paul - “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” Col 3:5-6  NIV

Points to ponder   or   RSVP

Who are the gods behind the content of today’s media?  Networks or Satan or man’s choice(s)?
How many gods/idols do our media outlets want us to worship?

Do our younger generations recognize how many gods they worship?

Do we Christians get caught up worshipping “other gods”?
 “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”  1 Cor. 10:14-15

“You will … bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry.” Ezek. 23:49

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          September 24, 2019

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

Musing – Are the OT and the NT in Opposition to One Another?

Hebraic Musing – Are the OT and the NT in Opposition to One Another?

Many read “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17 NIV  and they assume there is clear opposition between the two halves of our Bible.  Even the popular explanation – “the New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed” still makes the OT & NT sound like two different messages.

Once again we have Greek-think** vs. Hebrew-think*** misunderstandings.  Us Westerners think of opposites, whereas Eastern Hebrew-think is “Something vs. Nothing”.   So in studying Hebrew-based Scripture, we should not be using Greek-think to assume the opposite of “law” is “grace”; instead, we should realize that the opposite of “law” is “lawlessness.”  And the opposite of “grace” is lack of “grace” –  Grace that we law-breaking sinners so desperately need!  

The problem begins with the traditional translation of the Torah as “Law” instead of “Teaching.”  The terms “grace” and “truth” are more easily understood. 

Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg* prefers to explain it this way – “we should read John 1:17 as follows: “The Torah came through Moses, and חֶסֶד (chesed) ‘unfailing love’ and אֱמֶת (emet) ‘truthfulness’ came through Jesus Christ [or Yeshua the Messiah]”.  The grace and truth of God can be clearly seen in the Torah of Moses, while the Jewish Christ displays grace and truth to their utmost degree.”  And I might add that Jesus did not avoid reminding us of the OT teachings; in fact He reminded us quite frequently that the commandments should be operating deep down in our hearts.

The Torah begins with creation of mankind and then God turns His attention to developing a people group He could call his own.  Right from the beginning God’s plan was for both Jew and Gentile to be His children.

Points to ponder

As parents, do we find ourselves teaching “Law” while constantly granting “Grace”!

Would either the OT or the NT be meaningful by itself without the other?

OT or NT – Which do we prefer to read?  Which do we really need to read?

RSVP

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.”  Psalm 25:4

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          September 17, 2019

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

*  Note – Inspired by & excerpted from “Jewish Insights Into Scripture” by Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, p.53

** Greek-think which was adopted by our Western culture thinks in terms of contrasts – Yes or No; Good or Evil; Holy or Satanic; Religious or Secular; either Law or Grace; Light or Dark; Blessed or Cursed; Either/Or…   
*** Hebrew-think does not deal with contrasts, but rather with “Is or Is not”; Holy or Unholy; Have or have not; Light or no light; Hot or not hot; Blessed or not blessed; Good or not good;… 

Musing – Does the Bible Prohibit Divorce?

Hebraic Musing – Does the Bible Prohibit Divorce?

What did God mean when Malachi recorded “’I hate divorce,’ says the Lord God of Israel,…” Mal.2:16 NIV  Considering the impact on broken homes and broken lives, no wonder Malachi, the prophet used such strong language!  Frequently, the word translated as “hate” often means “love less”; but in this case the underlying Greek word “sane” could have been translated “Odious” or “Enemy”.

I believe our marriages here on earth are to be a living foreshadowing of the LORD’s promise to His people – “I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.” Hos. 2:19-20     Is this what Paul was telling the church in Ephesus?  “‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’  This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church.” Eph. 5:30-32   Who is ultimately going to be our Bridegroom?

Interesting, God actually required divorce under certain circumstances – “Then Ezra the priest … said to them, ‘You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel's guilt.  Now make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers, and do his will.  Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.’” Ezra 10:10-11   A powerful argument for pre-marital counsel and equal yoking!

And Moses anticipated Divorce, Separation and plural marriages when he authored the Torah -- “If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights.  If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.” Ex 21:10-11   And Moses also said “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, …  she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and …, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled.” Deut.24:1-4

What did Jesus say on the topic of divorce?  “Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"    "What did Moses command you?" he replied.    They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."     "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.’ ‘ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one.  Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."  
When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this.  He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.  And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."  Mark 10:2-12   

But Matthew remembered the rest of Jesus’ answer.  “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." Matt. 19:9 

A conservative Jewish approach* understood “unfaithfulness, abuse or abandonment” as the only valid grounds for divorce.  Thus Jesus rejected the idea of divorce for any reason which was taught by the Pharisees of the liberal house or school of Hillel; instead, Jesus sided with divorce only in stringently defined situations which was the view held by the Pharisees of the house of Shammai and the Essenes. 

Points to ponder  &   RSVP

How important is an equal yolk in marriage?   How important is Marriage Counseling? 
(I still remember lessons from our Pre-Cana conference 60 years ago which resulted in
 52 years of marriage before she left me for the perfect husband, Jesus Christ.)

In case of unfaithfulness, abuse or abandonment, would forgiveness be the Godly alternative?

And we did not discuss the damage done to children as a result of divorces!

Just because divorce might seem justified, does God like it?

♫  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ♫  Col 3:13

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                  September 10, 2019

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

*  Note – Inspired by & excerpted from “Jewish Insights Into Scripture” by Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, p.18

Musing - Are You Prepared for Inevitable Suffering?

Hebraic Musing - Are You Prepared for Inevitable Suffering?

Peter warned us in 1^st Peter 4:12-15 of two types of suffering we can expect. 
(1) Be “joyful” when it is for Christ.  “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ,…”
And (2) he reminds us of the sufferings brought on by our own sinful behavior!  “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.”   NIV  
AND we also know (3) we can expect suffering coming by chance from the sinful world we live in. 

Therefore, recognize suffering as inevitable.  Although our daily lives are filled with blessings, both large and small, that allow us to recognize God’s love for us, sometimes bad things happen to us — whether it’s loss of some item, an illness, job loss or death of a loved one, etc.   And the list goes on… 

Sometimes the suffering may be a result of obeying a word from Our Lord!  We have a classic example of a “suffering servant” in the prophet Ezekiel when the Spirit of God spoke to him.  “He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.’  As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.” — Ezekiel 2:1–2  NIV

Suffering, in all its various forms, is a universal human experience.  While there often is no answer to the question of why suffering exists, there is much advice given as to how we can respond to sufferings being experienced by others.  Our devotions explore how God comforts us, and how we can comfort others in times of suffering.  The question then becomes how to deal with our own sorrow(s)?

This is where Ezekiel comes in.  Before Ezekiel became a prophet, he was just another young man – from a family of Jewish priests – trying to find his way in a complicated world.  In those days, serving as a prophet for the Jewish people would not have been easy.  They were about to enter into one of the most difficult periods in their history as they witnessed the destruction of the Temple and experienced exile into a foreign land.

In fact, when God came to Ezekiel and appointed him a prophet to the Jewish people, God warned Ezekiel that dealing with his fellow citizens would be difficult – nearly impossible: “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words.  Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions.  Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them… ” Ezekiel 2:6.  So Ezekiel knew and was warned about that before he even uttered one word of God’s message to his fellow Israelites.  His role would change his life, and not necessarily for the better. 

Just as God gave Ezekiel such a difficult task, God also taught him the proper way to deal with suffering:  “Son of man, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you”  Ezekiel 2:1.  No matter what happens, God told Ezekiel, a person can always keep his or her pride and dignity.  As difficult as life may sometimes get, we can meet any challenge standing on our feet and doing our best to cope with the situation.

As we do this, just as God promised Ezekiel, He will watch over us and help us.  And Isaiah also knew this. “He will be the sure foundation for your times, rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”  Isaiah 33:6

Points to ponder

Since suffering is part of life, how important is it to learn how to deal with it?

Why did the Lord tell Joshua eight times “Be Strong and Courageous”?

Are you dealing with an “impossibly difficult” situation?
And we have to say “This too shall pass”.

Are you standing on a “Sure Foundation”?

♫ Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God my Savior; ♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          September 3, 2019

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

Note – Inspired and excerpted from Holy Land Moments (IFCJ email) “On Your Feet” July 26, 2019