Musing - How Big is Your God?

Hebraic Hebraic Musing - How Big is Your God?

How we handle life depends on how big we believe God is.  If He’s too small…

1) You will live in constant anxiety thinking everything depends on you.

2) Your outlook will be dictated by your surroundings – or worse, your critics.

3) Without the acceptance of a loving God you’ll be a slave to other people’s opinions.

4) You’ll constantly crave recognition from the world, instead of from Father God.

All those debilitating tendencies result from our failure to recognize – "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"   declares the Lord.  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts….”  Isa. 55:8-9  NIV   Do we find ourselves relying on our thoughts instead of His? 

So why might God not answer our prayer(s)?  I heard somewhere that “when we make the mistake of shrinking God, we offer prayer without faith, work without passion, service without joy and suffering without hope – which results in fear, retreat, loss of vision and failure to persevere.” 

Let’s look at a classic example from the OT.  David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam.13:14) and David knew he served a big God.  When Goliath threatened the Israelites “Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.” 1 Sam 17:11    We know what happened.  David arrived, assessed the situation and went out to fight Goliath.  “David said to the Philistine (Goliath), ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”  1 Sam 17:45   And David finished the challenge by saying “…for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands." 1 Sam 17:47   How confident was David in the Lord’s battle plan?  He “Chose five smooth stones” so that he had four more stones, one for each of Goliath’s brothers!

We can face anything when we know what David knew – “the battle belongs to the Lord.”   Interesting, the Lord has never lost one yet!  So why do we depend so heavily on our own resources?  David may have felt small, but he knew his God was big enough for the job.  Do we really know that?   Enough to rely on it?

We’ve all recited Romans 8:31.  “If God is for us, who can be against us?”  An Eighteenth-century Anglican clergyman John Newton said, “If the Lord be with us we have no cause for fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer, His grace sufficient, [and] His promises unchangeable.” 

How big is our God?  Consider…

·          “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”  Isa 40:28 

·         “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Ps 147:5

·         “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”   Ps 8:3-4

Wow!  We serve a BIG GOD!

Points to ponder

Would God be more willing to answer prayers
if you acknowledge how big He is?

♫ Our God is an awesome God he reigns from heaven above
with wisdom, power and love.  Our God is an awesome God. ♫

Is your situation too big for Father God?

Reply SVP.

 ‘The battle is the LORD’s…he will give you into our hands.’  1 Samuel 17:47 KJV

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          July 16, 2019  

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

Musing – Why People “Have To” Work? Who’s their Master?

Hebraic Musing – Why People “Have To” Work?  Who’s their Master?

Have you ever experienced the difference between having to do something vs. wanting to do something?  The problem often starts with the abusing of the Commandment re coveting back in in Deut. 5:21   "You shall not covet …."    And the Apostle John clarifies this even more in 1 John 2:15-16 – “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. ”   NIV

In the days when I was growing up, the working-man had a purpose for going to work.  He wanted to buy a car, or make the 20% down payment on a house, and to be the provider for a family.  These were worth-while reasons to go to work, to acquire desirable things!  I took on my first jobs so I could buy a bike and a camera.

God promised His children rich blessings, with a big IF – “For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations BUT will borrow from none.  You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.”  Deut. 15:4-6    And God had to say it again 13 chapters later – “The Lord will open the heavens,… to bless all the work of your hands.  You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.  The Lord will make you the head, not the tail.  IF you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God….”   Deut. 28:12-13   

Did you get the message?  God does not want His people to borrow, to go into debt, to owe to others…  “Debt” is mentioned 10 times in the bible and the inference is always that debt is “not good”!  And “Labor” is mentioned 92 times and it’s mostly in a “Forced” or “Harsh” tone!

The oppressed had to work and were taken advantage of, thus oppressed & depressed.  What did Nehemiah find the Jews saying when he returned from to Israel from the exile?   "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."   … "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. … we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. … we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."   When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.”    Nehemiah 5:3-6

Key point is summarized in Proverbs 22:7 -- “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”    And that is why the popular credit card is called a MASTER CARD.  When in debt, who is the master?  Those in debt become victimized slaves.  “Will not your debtors suddenly arise?  Will they not wake up and make you tremble?  Then you will become their victim.”  Habakkuk 2:7 

And do creditors show mercy?  NO!  “May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.  May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.” Ps 109:11-12

Points to ponder

Which is more motivating?
(A) Wanting to go to work to buy a car, earn up a house down payment, a vacation. 
(B)  Having to go work so you can make the next car payment,
or to try to pay down the credit card debt from impulsive
 material luxuries like last year’s cruise, and/or
at least to pay down some of the monthly usurious interest!

If you answered “B”, please go back to the top and read this musing again.

The Lord wants to make you the head, not the tail.  (Deut. 28:13)  

“Owe no one anything except to love one another,…”  Rom 13:8 NKJV

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          July 9, 2019  

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

Additional references to consider - Isa 49:4,  Isa 55:1-2,   Ps 128:1-2,   Rev 17:12-13,   Matt 18:25-34

Musing - Does Socialism Violate any of the 10 Commandments?

Hebraic Musing - Does Socialism Violate any of the 10 Commandments?

Many nations and countries have adopted Socialism and they have all failed the people in so many ways.  Why?  Maybe Socialism does not fit God’s plan for His people?  God gave us Ten Commandments which are universally accepted by the Judeo-Christian community.  However we now have each of the Democratic presidential candidates promoting Socialistic agendas and claiming it will work for the good of the people. 

Does Socialism agree with or does it violate each of the God-given Commandments?

You shall have no other gods before Me – Socialism and its offshoots — communism, fascism, democratic socialism and Nazism enshrine the state above all other powers.  There is no room for God, which is why socialists are in a permanent war with the church while promoting a faith-free society.

You shall make no idols – Idols are valued higher than God.  Government power over fellow man is the idol.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain – Socialists openly blaspheme God and especially Jesus Christ in order to enforce their new order.  Our entertainment industry openly promotes immorality.

Keep the Sabbath day holy – Sundays are no different from any other day in socialist societies.  Going to church on a Sunday identifies one as Christian and invites persecution.  As Atheism becomes the official state religion, respect for the Sabbath wanes.

Honor your father and your mother – Socialism wars with marriage and family.  “The Communist Manifesto” promotes doing away with marital fidelity and assigning children to communal rearing, the “Village”.  The authors understood the family to be a mainstay of the church, but since families becomes a competing source of authority the family stands in the way of the collectivist regime’s thinking.

You shall not murder – Socialists have long promoted abortion as a way to “liberate” women and men from parental responsibilities.

You shall not commit adultery – In the 1960s, Americans began using the term “free love”; but socialists have been promoting it heavily since the 1800s.  Sex outside marriage, prostitution, pornography and abortion all work against marital fidelity.  Socialists deploy euphemisms like “free choice” to cover the sinful behaviors. 

You shall not steal – Socialism is grand theft.  The state takes earnings from productive people and redistributes it to create dependency on the political powers that are handing it out.  Socialist countries first control and then seize private property. “The Communist Manifesto” promotes “Abolition of private property.”

You shall not bear false witness – Marx wrote “the ends justify the means,” so they can do or say anything as long as it advances the revolutionists goal.  “You can keep your health plan if you like your health plan.”

You shall not covet – Socialism gets its support by using envy, stoking resentment against others who have more, even to the point of using violence to get it, i.e. Smashing windows.

Deut. 28 starts with “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands…” and then lists 14 verses of blessings.  Then verse 15 states another promise. “However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: …” and the next 53 verses spell out all the curses to expect!   Doesn’t “fully obey” mean all Ten Commandments?

Points to ponder

What’s the score?  How many of the 10 commandments are being violated?

“They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.”  Neh. 9:17  NIV

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          July 2, 2019

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

Note – Inspired and excerpted from “How socialism violates all Ten Commandments” By Robert Knight

Musing – Everybody loves a “Comeback” story!

Hebraic Musing – Everybody loves a “Comeback” story!

When I watch a sporting event, unless it’s my home team, I find myself rooting for the underdog team.  I want to see a Comeback, defying the odds.  Did you know that the Bible is full of victorious Comeback stories?

·      Abraham – laughed at God.  “Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"  You know what happened!

·      Joseph – was rejected by 10 brothers, falsely accused, jailed, etc.; but became COO of greatest nation!

·      Moses – started life as “alligator meat” in the Nile, exiled, became a lowly shepherd in the wilderness; but led Israelites out of bondage to the Promised Land and gets credit for authoring the Torah!

·      Gideon – was a boy threshing wheat in hiding, doing a woman’s job and heard "The lord is with you, mighty warrior."  So he assembled and led an army victorious over the Midianites. 

·      David – was the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd boy, hunted by King Saul, incurred self-inflicted losses; but he’s recognized as a man after God’s own heart, became king with an everlasting covenantal relationship.

·      Esther – a Jewess in Persia, risked death, “for just such a time as this”; and her obedience saved the Jews.

Many more in the New Testament:

·      Lazarus – is an example of Comeback victory!  Dead and stinky for four days and walks out of the tomb!

·      Woman at the well – was living amongst the Samaritans and did not have a Godly life-style.  Jesus confronted her quite directly, she recognized Him; as a result, she brought all the townspeople to Jesus!

·      Peter – couldn’t get his foot out of his mouth, denied Christ three times; but became key leader of the Faith!

·      Saul – was going the wrong way, persecuting and killing Christians; but in the end he brought Christianity to the Roman Empire and ultimately to the Western world.

·      Jesus – had and will have two “Comebacks”.  First His resurrection from the grave; and then 3X in the book of Revelation Jesus promises "Behold, I am coming soon!”    Now if that isn’t a Comeback promise!?!

Life Application: What do we have to Comeback from?  We are born into this world and we easily become part of the worldly team as we find/found ourselves slavishly playing with and for that team.  We are reminded of our daily fleshly battle. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 1 John 2:15-16  NKJV

Thus, we find ourselves:

·         Lusting for materialistic things to satisfy our cravings of the moment.

·         Looking and then lusting for that which does not belong to us. (Commandment #10)

·         Prideful boasting about our own accomplishments while seeking man’s approval and worship; forgetting that our every breath comes from our Creator, to whom we will return.

Our own salvation testimonies are Comeback stories.  How many of us came to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord as a result of observing the ultimate Comeback story of a believer victorious over the odds in their life situation?  We were on our way to hell but had a Comeback to our senses as we recognized Jesus as our Lord.

Alternatively, those who do not seek a Comeback are described in Proverbs 26:11   “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” 

What can be more exciting than to see a friend, family member, neighbor or anybody experience a Comeback victory?  And it is even more exciting if we played a part in their Comeback!

Points to ponder

Did God provide you with a Comeback victory? 
Do you deserve your “Victory in Jesus”?

Whom do you know who needs a Comeback victory?

“…I will come back and take you to be with me…” John 14:3

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          June 25, 2019

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

Note – Inspired by message from Pastor Tom Hatley, Immanuel Baptist Church, June 23, 2019

Musing – Why do we Need to Forget the Past & Press On?

Hebraic Musing – Why do we Need to Forget the Past & Press On?

Paul recounts his accomplishments and credentials in Philippians 3:4-6 “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.”  Wow! 

But then he puts all those credentials and accolades behind him and continues by saying – “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…” Philippians 3:13  NIV

Paul advises us to “Forget the Past”.  We have often heard that said before, typically when we’re told to get over grief and mistakes of our past.  But Paul tells us it is critical to also let go of the past accomplishments and successes because they too can hinder our growth.  It is common to be told to forget the problems and bad stuff in the past; how often are we smugly looking at “all the things we have done for Our Lord” and thus we are prideful and satisfied with ourselves and our progress and service to Him?  Does pride sneak into our self-assessment?

God does not want us to be reactionary to our past lives – good or bad stuff; God wants us to “get over it” and get on with His plan for our lives.  Paul concludes with his own response – “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:14

We should not be satisfied to live in the past, dwelling on the failures.  Coaching youth sports I have had to encourage youngsters with “Get up, dust off, get back in the game.”

Who in the OT gives us an example of the value of forgetting the past?  Answer -  Joseph.  Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." Gen 41:51-52    And we know how Joseph was grossly mistreated many times and from many fronts; yet he had to “forget all” those troubles as he “pressed on” in his service to God.

Ask yourself:  What have I done well to build His church? 
Challenge:       Now, can you put that behind you and press on by focusing on the future?

Points to ponder

BTW – Paul wrote “forget the past and press on” while he was in a Roman jail.
Are our situations anywhere near that dire?

How many times have you heard “Don’t rest on your laurels”?

We relish the “Good old days”
while God is asking “What have you done for me lately?”

If the best is yet to come…get busy.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord   Jer. 29:11

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          June 18, 2019

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

Musing – Why Should God Forgive Us If…?

Hebraic Musing – Why Should God Forgive Us If…?

Have you ever been hurt, insulted, mistreated, belittled…?  Of course you have.  That’s life and we’ve all been there.  Maybe that’s why Paul thought it important to tell us “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32   NIV   But aren’t we allowed to keep a little bit of bitterness, or is God telling us to get rid of “ALL” bitterness?  Does verse 32 remind us of the familiar “Red Letter” phrase stuck in the middle of our most famous Lord’s Prayer?  “Forgive us our sins, as we also forgive those who sin against us.” Luke 11:4 NLT

Where does bitterness begin?  “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.  "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:25-27   NIV

What does the bitterness of unforgiveness do to you?   It deprives you of Cheerfulness according to Proverbs: 
  - 15:13  “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.”
  - 15:15  “All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.”
  - 15:30  “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”
  - 17:22  “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” 

So unforgiveness leads to a bitterness that causes health problems, but even more important it probably hinders ones witness, or ones willingness to witness.  Unforgiveness often grows into a grudge.  Have you ever heard that holding a grudge against someone is like drinking poison in order to hurt the other person?

How important is forgiveness?  Peter made the mistake of asking that question and he got an earful from Jesus – "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Matt 18:21 And Jesus responded with “Seventy-seven times”, or every-time!  And then Jesus went into a long parable about the servant being forgiven a big debt but in turn would not forgive a small debt owed him.  Reminds me of…  ♫  He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay…♫    What has God done for you?

Jesus gave us another important reason to forgive.  “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matt 6:15

Those we love most can hurt us the most.  God’s love for us is perfect agape love, so how much hurt does He feel when one of His children misbehaves or rejects Him?  As parents we understand this parallel!

My personal challenge is to be “continuously forgiving”.  When hurt I confess to pouting, withdrawing, etc. (You know the reactions.)  How can I forgive continuously, even before being offended?  How can I avoid any feelings of anger or bitterness?  How to be “Continuously Forgiving”?  Should I wait until bedtime to pray forgiveness for those who offended us that day?  Or should we be in a state of “continual forgiveness”? 

If we forgive someone do we have to also trust them?  Simple answer – No.  Trust has to be earned; but forgiveness is a gift, like grace.  However, if we declare (even to ourselves) “I will never trust him”, are we effectively still holding a grudge?  Remember how God trusted us and forgave us, even after we resisted Him! 

Points to ponder

Forgiveness is a gracious and undeserved gift.  Yet, by grace we are saved.

How can we achieve “Continuous Forgiveness?

If two parties need to reconcile, the one closest to the Lord needs to take the first step.
(Are you willing to admit the other party is closer to the Lord than you?)

If I offended you with this musing, it is up to you to forgive me.  (>:

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          June 11, 2019  

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

Musing – What is happening to our "Christian Nation"?

Hebraic Musing – What is happening to our "Christian Nation"?

In so many ways we no longer operate as a "Christian nation".  What is the significance of this?

In Genesis we find Almighty God as creator of the world initially as well as creator of the creative powers and He continues to operate creatively in our world.  He is part and parcel of all we do.  “For in Him we live and have our being” Acts 17:28 NIV.    As a result we should not entertain a difference or distinction between the “sacred and secular.” The word “Secular” is not in nor even implied in the Bible.  Greek philosophers have taught that man's reasoning preempts the ongoing role of a creator God.  God may have created us initially but Plato's and Aristotle's Greek-think and Scientific thinking has ruled ever since; and has usurped God’s creation role by making Nature and Science the new Gods, thus changing the classroom curriculums for the last few generations.  Has Greek-think crept into the Christian way of thinking?  And you ever heard “May the “Force be with you”?

America has entered an era in which Judeo-Christian based laws of the land are no longer being honored; and being replaced by “feel-good reasoning.” Today, 90% of the children are educated in public schools where God's role and Biblical truths cannot be taught anymore. In the 1830s Alex de Tocqueville came from France to examine America (p.124*) and he observed amongst other things, "Almost all education is entrusted to clergy". That is just one clue as to how important Christianity was to the thinking and morality of America in our foundational days. In that same era, Noah Webster, born 1758, noted "The education of youth should be watched with the most scrupulous attention.  Education in a great measure forms the moral characters of men, and morals are the basis of government" (p.132*) then he said "it is much easier to introduce and establish an effectual system for preserving morals, than to correct, by penal statutes, the ill effects of a bad system." 

And today we see a classic example of crippled thinking in a Facebook post of a mother saying "Mothers should not have to be worried about their son being shot and killed when robbing a store."  Is this another piece of evidence that Judean-Christian morality is not been taught to our populous? We have a nation no longer capable of self-rule by relying on internalized and pervasive Biblical morality.  

Our founding fathers felt that a government "by the people" might just work with a "moral and religious" population. (p.126*)  They felt individuals with moral self-government under God would bring peace, order and political prosperity to a new kind of governmental system based on this Judeo-Christian oriented, revolutionary idea.  Free-speech could be entrusted to such a populace, as could the freedom of the press and even the right to bear arms.

Robert Winthrop echoed Ben Franklin’s sentiments (p.127*) when he said “Men… must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the Word of God, or by the strong arm of man, either by the Bible, or by the bayonet.”

Points to ponder

Have we reached a point in which bayonets are needed to enforce morality?

Have we outlived the “government by the people” experiment?

Since a Theocracy is out of the question,
is it time to campaign for the most efficient government – a “Benevolent Dictatorship?
(Whoops, has there ever been a “Benevolent Dictator” in history?)

♫  God bless America, land that I love, Stand beside her and guide her,
          Through the night with the light from above…  ♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          June 4, 2019

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

*  Page references are from “Assumptions that affect our lives – A clash and contrast between Greek philosophy and Hebrew wisdom and their role in shaping Western Christianity” Christian Overman

Note – Does this HM sounds familiar?  Revision of “Does America need to become a dictatorship”  9/8/15
            (And getting even more relevant today!)