Hebraic Musing – Another way to look at Sabbath-keeping?

Hebraic Musing – Another way to look at Sabbath-keeping?

The fourth commandment (Third, if you are Catholic) says “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work,...." NIV  Deut. 5:12-14

Let's look at key statements in these verses:

·         The Sabbath is to be kept holy, or dedicated to the Lord's work. (Does stopping by the Church on your way to _______ qualify as the ‘Lord’s work’?)

·         Six days you shall labor and do all your work.  That means for six days we are to do our/man's work … and then cease whether we are finished or not.  (That is so hard to do…to cease when we are not finished.)

·         Then on the Sabbath or seventh day we let God do His work - in us and for us. (What does this mean?)

God is the one who ultimately determines what we will accomplish in our daily/weekly/life endeavors.

Points to ponder

Do you ever finish YOUR work by week's end?

Do we become more concerned about OUR work,
forgetting that He determines what we should really accomplish in life.

What could we accomplish in our God-given lives
                  if we tithed one day a week to Him, our Creator?
24 hour x 7 days = 168 hours x 10% tithe = 16.8 hours [waking hours in a Sabbath]

Shalom to your home

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                     September 10, 2013

Author of two books “Hebraic Insights” and  “Biblical Marriage”

And weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings”  Yosef1@cox.net  or  www.InsightsByYosef.com

Musing – Since We are no longer the ‘Moral Majority’…

Hebraic Musing – Since We are no longer the ‘Moral Majority’…

When something I read rattles inside my head, I feel compelled to share it with those whom I respect.  Like many of us, I’m trying to figure out – What is the role of the Church since our nation and the world seem to be ‘going to hell in a hand-basket’?  A recent Wall Street Journal article entitled From Moral Majority to 'Prophetic Minority' by Russell Moore, leader of the Southern Baptist political arm, hit me as the answer.  He says Christians have lost the culture and need to act accordingly.

Here’s my three pages* to one synthesis of his message:

The Bible Belt is collapsing but Russell Moore doesn't seem upset. The decline may be "bad for America, but it could be good for the church."  Why?  Because "We are no longer the moral majority. We are a prophetic minority." Evangelicals need to recognize that their values no longer define mainstream American culture the way they did 50 or even 20 years ago. The idea that to be a good person you have to go to church has largely disappeared.  We should view this as an opportunity rather than as a defeat.

On issues like gay marriage, abortion and religious affiliation, evangelicals need a new strategy to attract and keep believers, as well as to influence American politics.  Christians must return to the days when they were a moral example and defenders of belief while living in a larger, unbelieving culture.

Doom-saying is not winning Christians any popularity contests, and it is not religiously appropriate either. "We were never promised that the culture would embrace us." However, we are not to turn inward and reject the larger U.S. culture. Instead, he encourages us to refocus on serving as a religious example battling in the public square on three core issues—life, marriage and religious liberty. He then provides detailed, practical, appropriate biblical views and some misconceptions regarding –

·      Protecting the unborn – technology will replace abortion centers. Adoptions are also an alternative.

·      Immigration issues - Scripture calls us to show compassion and justice for and alien among us.

·      Gay marriages - Christians don't have a real understanding of what marriage is. We’ve embraced a sexual revolution, a divorce culture, and too many believe "my marriage is my business".

·      Religious liberty - Contraceptive coverage in ObamaCare is an opportunity for the Church to unite and thus demonstrate to those outside the Church that the government is infringing on people’s rights. He says the American people will side with religious groups that protest having to act against their beliefs.

·      Separation of Church and State – We need to stand against that lie. "It is not just a liberal issue."

Mr. Moore sees these issues as an opportunity to unite believers of many faiths.  He then tells of an attempt by the state of Virginia in the 1600’s to pass a law requiring that all ministers be ordained by the Anglican Church.  Resisting Pastors were jailed!  With that history in mind, he concludes –

“History turns, but the fight for religious liberty is eternal” and "We are not going to go quietly into the night."

Point to Ponder

Did Jesus try to be Politically Correct?  Or Tolerant?

Are we willing to pay the price to speak Biblical truths?

Shalom

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                     September 3, 2013

Author of two books “Hebraic Insights” and  “Biblical Marriage”

And weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings”  Yosef1@cox.net  or  www.InsightsByYosef.com

* The website and full article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324769704579010743654111328.html?mod=wsj_valettop_email

Musing – Is the Gospel message about the Kingdom or Personal Salvation?

Hebraic Musing – Is the Gospel message about the Kingdom or Personal Salvation?

Someone asked me an interesting question recently.¹   What is the main Gospel message according to the Gospels?   Are the Gospels about (a) the Kingdom of God?  Or are they about (b) personal salvation?

Interestingly, when I did an initial straw poll of traditional church-attending Christians, they said “Personal Salvation.”  But when I asked our Tuesday Torah study group, they all responded “Kingdom of God” almost in unison.  So it is obviously an interesting question.   What think you?

In the NIV concordance, the word ‘salvation’ appears only 7 times in Gospels, and 33 times in Epistles.  ‘Save(s)’ appears 21 times in Gospels and 17 in Epistles. On the other hand – the word ‘kingdom’ yields 114 references in four Gospels alone, plus an additional 35 references in the Epistles. Some mentions reference the “Kingdom of the air” which represents ‘kingdom’ issues.²

John the Baptist is quoted in the first Gospel …preaching…and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Matt 3:1.  And Jesus opened His famous beatitudes with "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.  Matt 5:3

Why is this question important? Human nature has a strong temptation to emphasize a selfish ‘I, Me, My’ mindset.  But, the message of Jesus and people like Paul was not focused on an individual’s entry into salvation. Their message was about the world being redeemed by God and individuals being called to join “God’s Kingdom” and reject the “Kingdom of the air.” 

Another view: The name Jesus is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Yeshua, which means ‘Salvation’ or ‘Savior’.  However we add ‘Christ’ to His name which in Greek means ‘Anointed’; however the word in Hebrew was ‘Messiah’, a deliverer.  The thinking and background of Paul, Peter and all the writers was Torah-based – they were looking for the Messiah to deliver them, and us, and to usher in the “Kingdom of God.”

The individual is not unimportant to Jesus or Paul; but the place of the individual is in a bigger, corporate picture. Focus on salvation demonstrates our Western culture’s ‘me-ism’ vs. the Eastern ‘corporate’ culture.

There are two differing concepts being compared. Before interpreting the question as either/or, consider that the Kingdom of God is, was and still is the goal of Yeshua and should be the goal of today’s church – living by the guidelines that were established in the Torah. Personal salvation is the converting of our lives or repenting and joining in the Kingdom effort, which happens to also have the benefit of ‘personal salvation.’ The challenge is for those who claim the saving grace that Yeshua provided to also accept a corporate responsibility rather than settling for the selfish ‘I/me/my’ mindset.

I remember a pastor I respect who opened his message confessing that he had come to a realization – “My role is not to build my church, nor to build my denomination. My role is to build the Kingdom of God.”

Point to ponder

“Is the good news about the kingdom, or about your personal salvation.” 
What think you?  T/F or somewhere in between?

Simchat Torah (Joy of the Torah)

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                     August 27, 2013

Musing – A Unique Torah Study!

Hebraic Musing – A Unique Torah Study!

Irene and I have been talking about going to Israel, but wanting to find the right tour group. On our last trip to her home church for 52 years, First Baptist Church of Downers Grove, we heard them announce a Dec.27 to Jan.5 trip – Perfect!  Decision made!  This is God’s hand! 

As an answer to my prayers and to my pleasure, my new bride, Irene, is enjoying the study of, and rapidly developing an appreciation for, the Old Testament teachings and the Torah and the biblical customs that are missing in many of today’s churches.  

Almost immediately after the ‘coincidence’ of this travel opportunity, one of Rabbi Eckstein’s Daily Holy Land Moments arrived with this message:

Jerusalem is referred to as the Holy City. The Torah says that there's a special relationship that the Almighty has with this particular place. For most people who live in Jerusalem, and even most visitors, that translates into some sense of a special feeling or a special consciousness. What is this uniqueness all about? [I experienced this unique peace even when we were there in August of 2006 while the country was at war with Lebanon!]

Sometimes it (uniqueness) expresses itself in the most unexpected ways. One day I was taking a taxi, and as soon as the ride began, the driver turned to me and said, "Teach me some Torah."

"Is this the cost of the fare?" I asked.

"No, it's the tip."

I shared a few words of Torah with him. "Now it's your turn," I said. "We have a long trip left."

The driver proceeded to weave together a web of beautiful Torah, drawing from Kabbalah and other esoteric sources. He was really getting into it, and I started to worry about whether his attention was on the road. When he finally finished, I was in awe.

"Where do you get this stuff from?" I asked him.

"What do you think I do all day? I collect Torah."

Welcome to Jerusalem! Where even the taxi drivers learn Torah all day!

Now you know why Irene and I are excited about our upcoming trip.

Point to Ponder

Why is Torah Study on Tuesday our favorite activity?

Simchat Torah (Joy of the Torah)

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                     August 20, 2013

Musing – Do we understand the Muslim civil war?

Hebraic Musing – Do we understand the Muslim civil war?

We have heard and understand that “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Mt 12:25 NKJV   The daily news contains reports of civil war type clashes in the middle-East and debates the question of U.S. involvement. I am concerned that if the U.S. tries to intervene, we will learn why police do not like to answer calls for domestic violence - both parties will stop fighting and band together against the police when the police try to help.

Information from JERUSALEM-ON-THE-LINE News Update June 26th 2013:

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUNNI AND SHIITE MUSLIMS: The religion of Islam was established by Muhammad in the seventh century A.D. There are two branches of the religion he started; Sunni and Shiite. The serious split between the two is rooted in who should succeed Mohammed in leading Muslims after his death in 632. Shias say the prophet's cousin and son-in-law Ali was his rightful successor but was cheated when authority went to those the Sunnis call the four "Rightfully Guided Caliphs" - Abu Bakr, Omar and Othman and, finally, Ali. Sunnis are the majority across the Islamic world. In the Middle East, Shias have strong majorities in Iran, Iraq and Bahrain, with significant communities in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other parts of the Gulf. Both sects of Islam consider the Quran the word of God.

But there are sharp distinctions in theology and religious practice between them. When talk in the Middle East turns to the tensions between Islam's two main sects, Shias are described by Sunnis as devious, power-hungry corruptors of Islam. Sunnis are deemed by Shias to be extremist, intolerant oppressors. Hatreds between the two are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria's civil war. Hard-line clerics and politicians on both sides in the region have added fuel, depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect.

In Syria, Sunnis make up 74% of the total population. Shiites and their Alawite offshoot group make up the remaining 13%, including Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime. The Lebanon-based terrorist organization, Hizbullah, is a Shiite-backed group. Iran’s previous president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is Shiite. Syrian rebels are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslims. Al-Qaeda, until May 2011 ruled by Osama bin Laden is a Sunni Muslim terrorist organization. The two Muslim factions, Sunni and Shiites are bitterly opposed to each other and are increasingly at war in the Middle East. Both are avowed enemies to Israel and the West.

Does this explain why the U.S. might not want to get too involved in the Middle East conflicts?

Point to Ponder

Is our Christian family similarly divided?

What can we (you and me) do to foster unity?

May the Good Lord bless you and keep you