Musing – Whom do you choose to serve?

Hebraic Musing – Whom do you choose to serve?

We may have to make some choices as the nation’s and world’s culture change.

One of my favorite verses comes at the end of Joshua’s challenge to the Israelites as they were about to cross the Jordan.  After describing the history of what Almighty God had done for them, he said:   "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.  But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."  Josh 24:14-15 NIV   (We had an excerpt of that verse on our home answering machine for many years.)

The ruins of Masada are a popular destination for tourists to Israel because the event that took place on this high rocky mountain has become a modern-day symbol of the resistance and faith of the Jews and their commitment to serve the one true God.  The site is a reminder of the courageous and tragic event in which 960 first century Jews killed themselves rather than submit to Roman capture and enslavement.  The final words of the Masada leader, Eleazar Ben Ya’ir, resonates with people of faith: “Since we long ago resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to God Himself, Who alone is the true and just Lord of mankind, the time is now come that obliges us to make that resolution true in practice.”

Remember Ruth’s declaration of loyalty to the God of Naomi?  “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God”  Ruth 1:16

How can we forget Elijah’s memorable challenge to the people of Israel on Mount Carmel as he prepared to battle with 450 prophets of Baal?  “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him” 1 Kings 18:21.

Based on the events of the world around us, people of faith in Almighty God and His Word may well be facing circumstances similar to those faced by (a) Jews atop Masada being attacked by the Romans, or (b) Joshua having to call for a decision from the people, or (c) Ruth having to choose between her home or the God of the Universe, or (d) Elijah having to confront 450 false prophets.

We each must make a choice daily as to whom we will serve on matters like money management, utilization of our free time and with whom we spend our time, etc.  But there are faith challenges of much greater consequence ahead, like how to deal with the pressures of ungodly cultural changes around us. How are we to deal with these questions?  (a) Who we choose to marry? (b) What does marriage mean to us? (c) What does “love” really mean? (d) When does life begin? And (e) How to treat what God calls sin but is now being flaunted and legalized?

So, as we face the changing times, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,…. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Points to ponder

What choices are we going to have to make?

And on which issues will we have to take a stand?

                                                                                                            July 28, 2015    

Lord, we thank you for your Word.  What would we do without it?!?!

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

Musing – Are we moving the fence(s)?

Hebraic Musing – Are we moving the fence(s)?

Rabbis have been known to establish Fence Laws - created rules to protect one from violating G-d’s commandment. It’s better to be extra safe than to be sorry by offending Almighty G-d, so Fence Laws can be a good thing. A classic example – rather than trusting a sign at the edge of a cliff, build a fence twenty feet back to eliminate any chance that someone might get hurt.  Fence Laws and rules are designed to be extra careful to avoid offending G-d or neighbor.

This reminds me of a Sunday School lesson I taught years ago.  I told the 10 – 12 year olds “Today we are going to play a game; a fun game called Bochici Ball.  It is so much fun because there are no rules. So the questions came – How do you keep score? Any Way You Want, There Are No Rules.  How many balls? AWYW,TANR.  How many to a side?  AWYW,TANR  What’s out of bounds?   AWYW,TANR etc. etc. etc.”   It did not take them long to decide that a game and/or life is no fun and can’t be played without rules.

A related verse in Deut. 19:14 says “Do not move your neighbor's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.”  NIV   Boundaries are to be honored and this verse could easily be applied to rules established in prior generations by our elders that should be honored if we expect to receive God’s blessings.

Human nature wants to “push the envelope.”  As a kid, I used to call it “boundary breaking.” I would deliberately and knowingly sneak past the electric pole that was my boundary according to my Mother.    

Non-theistic and/or atheistic groups can cavalierly or rebelliously proclaim their liberation from Judean/Christian morality. They need to hear the old expression “Whenever you move any fence, always pause long enough to ask why was it put there in the first place?”  Society, and we as individuals, cannot survive in a boundary-less existence. Your neighbor has his own self-serving boundaries; so who is going to provide and respect the ethics between yours and his boundaries? If there is no objective law, relativism takes hold, and ultimately leads to self-destruction. 

I can’t help but still be thinking of the recent Musing – “Whatever happened to Biblical Marriage” and the rules changes (or fences moved) that have been changing – notably since the 1960’s.

Have we entered a post-Christian era while still trying to hang on to the blessings of our Judeo-Christian value system?    Philosopher Will Durant once said, ‘The greatest question of our time is not going to be East vs. West, North vs. South, or Communism vs. Capitalism. The greatest question of our time is going to be, ‘can man live without God?’ … pragmatically, ‘yes’ but coherently, ‘no’.  And when coherence breaks down, there’s an implosion and a self-destructive mood sets in. And once those values have been expended, and we no longer have the roots from which to draw, then we will find out the ramifications of it.”

Maybe this is why when I kiss the Mezuzahs on our doorframes I say “Thank you Lord for your Commandments”?

Point to ponder

How many fences have been moved recently?

                                                                                                            July 7, 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