Hebraic Musing - What Happens
if you are Not Ready?
How would you live differently if you knew that this day
would be your last? As usual, God’s Word
has the answer - "Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil." Ecclesiastes 9:8 NIV
Symbolically – “He who
overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but
will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.”
Rev.3:5 And the “Oil”
on your head represents the presence of God; BTW, the first mention of “oil”
in the Bible is when Jacob acknowledged the presence of God at the stairway to
heaven in Gen.28:18.
On the topic of “how to live each day”, the Talmud* shares
a meaningful exchange between a teacher and his students. Rabbi Eliezer told his students, “Repent one
day before your death.” His students
asked him, “Does a person know when he will die?” To which he replied, “Then he should repent
today, maybe he will die tomorrow! This
way, all his days will be full of repentance!”
His students quickly realized that since we never know which day is our last,
its best to live every single day like it could be. That’s why King Solomon expresses the very
same idea in Ecclesiastes, our opening verse.
And there are numerous Bible verses addressing “Living each day as if it
was your last.” (Google it!) Example –
“...for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to
heart.” Eccl.7:2 NIV
The Talmud also gives us an allegory to help us understand
this verse:
A king invited his servants to a great feast, but he didn’t
tell them when it was going to happen. The smart ones got ready right away and put on
their finest clothing. They waited patiently just outside the entrance to the
palace in anticipation of the king.
The foolish ones, however, remained in their regular clothing and continued to
do what they would normally do on any other day. They assumed that they would have plenty of
time. Suddenly, the king announced that
the feast was about to begin. The
foolish servants were nowhere near ready, and only the smart ones were able to
attend. Only the servants that prepared
were able to enjoy the grand celebration with the king.
Similarly, in Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells a “Parable of
the Wedding Feast”; and it includes an invitation, then mentions those who
rejected the invite, then a broader invitation, and then Jesus “noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.” That man was tied hand and foot and they
threw “him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.” Jesus summarized
the parable saying “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Matt.22:14
IN SUMMARY - Life is one long preparation for a big feast
with the Master of the World. We could
be called to attend this feast at any moment; none of us knows our day of
death. If we are smart, we won’t wait to
get ready. We will live each day with
passion, meaning, and purpose.
Points to Ponder
What am I passionate about?
What is my purpose in life? Is it the #1priority in my life?
What would I be doing
differently if today was to be my last?
Do we fully recognize what
it is to be “Chosen”?
Does that realization affect our day-to-day activities?
♫ There's a great day coming, A great day
coming, There's a great day coming by and by;
When the saints and the sinners shall be
parted right and left, Are you ready for that day to come?
Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready for the judgment day? ♫
Yosef a.k.a.
Joe Brusherd July
19, 2022
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the
Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage” Weekly “Hebraic Musings” InsightsByYosef.blogspot.com
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