Jesus' Birth: The Light of the World

As we explore the Scriptures surrounding the birth of our Messiah, it can be very easy for us to gloss over many important facts and tidbits laid forth in the text. It can be easy to allow ourselves to be lead astray by common errors which, when Scripture is examined closely, are a misconception of the verses. In this study, I hope to shed some light on some of the events which surrounded the birth of our LORD and Savior.

Mary's Prayer
Perhaps one of the most magnificent prayers in all the Bible, the prayer Mary, the mother of Jesus, utters in the Gospel of Luke chapter one verses 46-55 is one treasured by many. Unknown to many readers, Mary's prayer is actually a proclamation of her faith and knowledge of Scripture. Mary's song of praise closely mirrors another woman's exultation to God...a faithful servant of the LORD called Hannah.

Barren for many years, Hannah is married to her husband, Elkanah (1 Samuel 1). Unfortunately, Elkanah also has another wife named Penninah. Penninah had many children. And let's recall to mind that children in ancient times were an insurance that the family would continue to live on in future generations. Inheritance was passed down through sons. A woman who did not have children was destined for poverty. Upon her husband's death, no one would care for the wife. Without a welfare system, the wife would be forced to live as a beggar.

Hannah prayed to God for a son and promised to give the child back to the LORD. Upon giving birth and raising the child until he was weaned, Hannah dedicates her son, Samuel, to the LORD. Hannah makes the journey to the Tabernacle and places her son in the custody of the high priest, Eli. Hannah then gives a tremendous song of thanksgiving to the LORD.

1 Samuel 2:1-10:
"Then Hannah prayed and said,
'My heart exults in the LORD;
My horn is exulted in the LORD,
My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
There is no one holy like the LORD,
Indeed, there is no one besides You.
Nor is there any rock like our God.
Boast no more so very proudly,
Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
For the LORD is a God of knowledge,
And with Him, actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are shattered,
But the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to hunger.
Even the barren gives birth to seven,
But she who has many children languishes.
The LORD kills and makes alive;
He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The LORD makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
And He sets the world on them.
He keeps the feet of His godly ones,
But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
For not by might shall a man prevail.
Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered;
Against them He will thunder in the heavens,
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
And He will give strength to His king.
And He will exalt the horn of His anointed.'"

I wish I had the technological skill to do a side-by-side comparison of Hannah's song of praise and Mary's prayer of thanksgiving, but I do not seem to possess this talent. Instead, I urge you to do your own comparison of these two passages of Scripture. It is amazing to see all the parallels between the two prayers.

Many often attribute Mary as a woman of great faith. However, we can truly see this in the words Mary utters to our LORD. She knows Scripture and uses Hannah's prayer as a foundation for her own words of praise. Mary is an excellent example for us. We should know and use Scripture in our own prayers. The Bible is full of numerous songs of praise and prayer. In fact, there is an entire Book called Psalms which has verse after verse of prayers and supplications. We should be like Mary and know the text so well that when we send prayers up to God, we can quote Him His own words in our prayers.


Joseph Putting Away Mary
As we continue exploring the texts surrounding Jesus' birth, we come to the following passage:
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly" (Matthew 1:18-19).

At first glance, one may assume that Joseph, when he found our Mary was pregnant, did not want to be burdened with having a harlot for a wife. One can assume that Joseph was trying to divorce Mary in a way in which her family's reputation would be tarnished as little as possible. However, Joseph wanting to send Mary away privately (and thus divorcing her) was indeed a very righteous act.

In Torah, there are strict guidelines in which a husband could follow in the event he questioned the virginity of his bride.

"If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then turns against her, and charges her with shameful deeds and publicly defames her, and says, 'I took this woman, but when I came near her, I did not find her a virgin,' then the girl's father and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of the girl's virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. The girl's father shall say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man for a wife, but he turned against her; and behold, he has charged her with shameful deeds, saying, "I did not find your daughter a virgin." But this is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city. So the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him, and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give it to the girl's father, because he publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. And she shall remain his wife; he cannot divorce her all his days.

But if this charge is true, that the girl was not found a virgin, then they shall bring out the girl to the doorway of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed an act of folly in Israel by playing the harlot in her father's house; thus you shall purge the evil from among you" (Deuteronomy 22:13-21).

As one reads the Torah, the punishment for a bride being found to not have been a virgin was to be stoned to death. Moreover, her father's house was defamed when the stoning took place on the doorstep of her father's home. Joseph did not want to bring this disgrace upon Mary or her family. We see what a noble and honorable man Joseph was when he discovered Mary's pregnancy, for which the punishment for the non-virgin bride was to be stoned to death.

Moreover, Joseph was a man of great faith because he believed the words an angel spoke to him. "But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins...And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus" (Matthew 1:20-21, 24-25).

Joseph could have simply dismissed the angel and the words uttered. However, Joseph believed the angel. Furthermore, Joseph was probably well versed in Scripture and knew the prophecy proclaimed in Isaiah 7:4: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." Perhaps when the angel spoke to Joseph, Joseph made the connection that his wife, Mary, was the chosen one to bring forth the Messiah. Perhaps, this, in addition to the words of the angel, persuaded Joseph to remain with Mary and proceed with the marriage. Either way, Joseph believed God, and he was rewarded with his actions by being Jesus' earthly father.

 

Chanukah 2020

Chanukah is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a season of rejoicing, a season of thanksgiving, a season of praising the LORD. Chanukah begins at sundown on Thursday, December 10 and ends at sundown on Friday, December 18.

Fast facts about Chanukah:

·        It occurs on the 25th of Kislev (the ninth month on the Jewish calendar)

·        It lasts eight days and eight nights

·        It is called the Festival of Lights or the Festival of Dedication

·        Chanukah means in Hebrew "dedication"

·        Chanukah spelled in Hebrew is chet-nun-vav-caf-hey

·        The root word of Chanukah is chet-nun-vav-caf (pronounced "Enoch" in English).

·        Enoch was in the seventh generation from Adam. He lived 365 years before God took Enoch. "And Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer, for God had taken him" (Genesis 5:24).

·        Although many Christians believe Chanukah is not a biblical holiday, this is simply not true.

·        Chanukah has happened in the past and is prophesied to happen again in the future.

(Side note: In Judaism, everything happens in cycles. Things which have happened in the past will repeat themselves. This can be seen in the Torah reading in which the Torah is read through in a single year and then is rolled up to the beginning and started all over again.

Additionally, this concept can been observed in Scripture: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun" Ecclesiastes 1:9. Chanukah has happened in the past; thus, the events of Chanukah will repeat themselves and happen in the future.)

The Number Eight

In the Bible, the number eight often signifies dedication and new beginnings. There are seven days in the week. The eighth day of the week signifies the start of another week.

2 Peter 2:5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.

God saves Noah and eight people when God brings a flood to destroy the world. After the world has been washed cleaned, eight people are the start of a new beginning to the world's population.

Exodus 22:29-30 You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe fruits, and of your liquors: the firstborn of your sons shall you give unto me. Likewise shall you do with your oxen, and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eight day you shall give it to Me.

For seven days a person may keep his firstborn sons and animals and first fruits of his produce, but on the eighth day, the items are to be dedicated to God.

Genesis 17:9-12 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between me and you. And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised through your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

The covenant of circumcision was given to Abraham in which males on the eighth day of life were to circumcised. Jewish tradition asserts that the eighth day is chosen for this important covenant because it means the child has survived through one full week which included a Shabbat. Once the young infant experienced God’s holy day, he could then enter into God’s covenant.

Leviticus 9:1, 23, 24 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

It was on the eighth day after Aaron and his sons were consecrated to become priests to the LORD that the glory of the LORD appeared at the tabernacle in the wilderness.

Leviticus 23:33-36 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this month is the Feast of Booths [Tabernacles] for seven days to the LORD. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD: it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.

The Feast of Tabernacles (also known as the Feast of Booths or Sukkot) is a seven day celebration with the eighth day being a special day of assembly. The eighth day of the feast is also known as Simchat Torah. Every year the entire Torah is read once through completely. On Simchat Torah, the Torah scroll has reached the end of the last book of the Torah (the Book of Deuteronomy) and is completely unwound. The Torah scroll is then re-wound back to the very beginning to Genesis 1:1, and the Torah reading cycle is started all over again.

The Letter Chet

In the Hebrew alephbet, there are 22 letters. Each letter is assigned a number. Aleph is the first letter of the alephbet and is given the number one. Bet is the second letter and is given the number two. The eighth letter of the Hebrew alephbet is chet.

The word for life in Hebrew is chayim (chet-yod-yod-mem)

The word for grace in Hebrew is chen (chet-nun)

In Hebrew, God plays a word game with Noah’s name (spelled nun-chet in Hebrew) and flips the two letters to spell grace (chet-nun) in the Book of Genesis. (And remember that Noah was one of eight people saved through the world-wide flood.)

Genesis 6:8 But Noah (nun-chet) found grace (chet-nun) in the eyes of the LORD.

Chanukah in the Bible

Many Christians believe Chanukah is not a biblical event and does not appear in the Bible. This is quite erroneous. The word Chanukah appears multiple times in the Tanakh (Old Testament). The word "Chanukah" does not appear in our English translations because like most Hebrew words in our Bible, it is translated into English. Chanukah is translated into the English word "dedication".

1500 BC: Moses Tabernacle: Moses chanukah (dedicates) the tabernacle to the LORD
Numbers 7:1 And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had appointed them, and sanctified them;

Numbers 7:88 And all the animals for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty goats, and sixty lambs of the first year. The was the dedication (chanukah) of the altar after it was anointed.

1000 BC: Solomon's Temple: On the eighth day Israel chanukah (dedicates) the altar to the LORD
2 Chronicles 7:1-2 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house.

2 Chronicles 7:8-9 Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt. And on the eighth day they held a sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication (chanukah) of the altar.

500 BC: Rebuilt Temple
Ezra 6:3a, 5a, 16 In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication (chanukah) of this house of God with joy.

In short, Moses chanukah the tabernacle to the LORD in the wilderness, then Solomon's temple is chanukah to the LORD and when the temple is rebuilt in 500 BC it is chanukah to the LORD. Again and again, Israel has celebrated chanukah (dedication) of God's place of worship. When the future temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem, there is no doubt there will be another chanukah (dedication) celebration to the LORD.

Additionally, many Christians will protest Chanukah is not a biblical holiday because Jesus did not celebrate it. However, again, this is a fallacy. In John 10:22-24 we read, "Now it was the Feast of Dedication (chanukah) in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly"

Chanukah has happened in the past, and it will happen again in the future.

In the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 24, Jesus and His disciples sit on the Mount of Olives. Jesus' disciples ask about signs which are to come about Messiah's second coming. What most Christians do not understand is that Jesus is describing a future chanukah. By exploring texts about a previous chanukah which happened around 168 BC, we can understand Jesus' warning about the chanukah that is yet to come. 

 

 

Jesus' Miracles: The man with the withered hand

Introduction
Jesus loved to teach stories using both parables and every day common occurrences. During Jesus' time, there were as many different divisions within Judaism as there are denominations of Christianity today. Some held strictly to the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Others held the Talmud--an interpretation of the Torah which gives commentary and expands on the teachings given in the Torah--above the Torah. This caused erroneous teachings to spread.

When we read about the "Pharisees", please remember there were about seven different factions of Pharisees. We can see this today if someone wrote about "Lutherans". There are numerous Lutherans--evangelical, Missouri Synod, reformed, orthodox, conservative, etc. So, when Jesus criticizes the Pharisees, he is not criticizing all the Pharisees. Some of Jesus' most devote followers were Pharisees such as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

The Man with the withered hand
When reading any of Jesus' teachings, we need to keep in mind the context. The story of the man with the withered hand occurs in Mathew, Mark and Luke all within the framework of what it means to guard the sabbath. All three narratives have Jesus questioning if His actions are lawful to do on the Shabbat. All three narratives give the story about the disciples going through a field on a shabbat and picking grain to eat. Jesus then proclaims He is the Lord of the sabbath before the story of the man with the withered hand begins.


The Narratives
Matthew 12:8-14
"For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him."

Key Points
1. Jesus is asked if healing on shabbat follows Torah.

There is no place in Torah which explicitly states if healing on the shabbat is permissible. However, many Rabbis and Jewish scholars have always permitted healing on the shabbat. For example, although we are to remember shabbat, keep it holy and not work, doctors and other people in the medical field are allowed to work. If a person needs emergency medical care, a medical professional can administer care to the individual.

2. Jesus asks what man if he has a sheep would not rescue it from a pit if it fell into it on a shabbat.
Jesus answers the question he was asked in a very simple manner. If an animal was in a life or death situation, it was permissible to rescue the animal even if it was shabbat. Again, this goes back to the basic concepts taught about shabbat which included saving animals if they were in trouble, feeding and watering the animals, etc.

3. Jesus asks the crowd how much value does a man's life have than livestock which is bought and sold as property.

4. Lastly, Jesus asks if it follows Torah to heal on the shabbat.
The crowd would have known this answer. If was indeed permitted to do good on the shabbat, which included healing the sick and injured.


Luke 6:5-11
And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" And he got up and came forward. And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?" After looking around to them all, He said to him, "Stretch out your hand!" And he did so; and his hand was restored. But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus."

Key Points
1. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Jesus
We are given a little bit more insight into this story. Not only were the Pharisees present, but also the scribes. Scribes were extremely knowledgeable about Torah. They were the ones who transcribed the Torah. (Remember, they were no printing presses. If a Torah scroll needed to be replaced or if an additional copy needed to be made, it had to written out by a scribe. So, if there was anyone who knew what was written in the Torah, the scribes were the ones who knew.

2. The scribes and the Pharisees are trying to set a trap for Jesus.
They want to catch Jesus violating Torah. If they can find a way in which Jesus violates Torah, they can have Jesus executed based on Deuteronomy 13:

"You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall scourge the evil from among you." (Deuteronomy 13:4-5)

3. Jesus knows what the scribes and Pharisees are thinking.
Jesus acts in such a way to make fools out of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus will show how He is God and how He is not violating Deuteronomy 13.



Mark 2:28-3:6
So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. he said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" And He said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him." 

Key Points
1. Jesus asks if Torah permits to do good or do bad on the shabbat. He then asks if it is permissible to save a life or kill a life.
When reading Jesus' questions, we may be baffled. Of course, we see from Matthew's narrative it is permissible to do good on the shabbat. People were allowed to save the lives of their animals as well as other humans on shabbat. But now why is Jesus asking about doing bad, or killing on shabbat? Doesn't Torah say you should not murder? How would murdering on shabbat be permissible?

2. Jesus is grieved by their hardness of hearts.
Why is the term "hardness of heart" used in this narrative? Why you hear this phrase, what other major event in the Bible is it linking us back to?

3. All three narratives tell us Jesus told the man with the withered hand to stretch out his hand.
What major event in the Bible does this again refer us back to? By using this phrasing, what is Jesus demonstrating?

4. In all three narratives we are told this interaction infuriated the Pharisees. The Pharisees began seeking a way to kill Jesus.
What did Jesus do which enraged the Pharisees? Why did his deeds deserve death?


Shabbat
Before we venture too much father, we need to clarify what the word shabbat means.

When the word shabbat is mentioned in the Bible, it can mean several things. Shabbat is the name of the seventh day of the week, which in the USA we call Saturday. So, when the word shabbat is used, it can mean the seventh day of the week.

It is on the shabbat God commanded His people to rest. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." (Exodus 20:8-11)

There are a number of additional days in the Bible which God commands to be days of rest. These days are referred to as shabbat. "These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover. Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread of the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened Bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.'" (Leviticus 23:4-8)

According to Luke's account, it states Jesus entered the synagogue on another shabbat. We will assume from the context, this was just a regular shabbat.

Healing and killing on shabbat
There are no verses in the Torah which specifically deal with healing a person. There are verses which mention helping a neighbor's animal.  "You shall not see your countryman's ox or his sheep straying away, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly bring them back to your countryman. If your countryman is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall remain with you until your countryman looks for it; then you shall restore it to him. Thus you shall do with his donkey, and you shall do the same with his garment, and you shall do likewise with anything lost by your countryman, which he has lost, and you have found. You are not allowed to neglect them. You shall not see your countryman's donkey or his ox fallen down on the way, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly him him to raise them up." (Deuteronomy 22:1-4)


All these could be done on shabbat. It would be sin for a person to not help his neighbor rescue an animal or help an animal find its way back to its owner.

The Rabbis also say practicing medicine is allowed on shabbat. If a person is sick, a doctor may treat the patient. Also, a pharmacist may administer medicine. A midwife may deliver a baby, etc. Today, this continues with emergency departments and hospitals still being open and operating on shabbat. If something happens in which a life is endangered, help is permissible on shabbat.

The Pharisees in this story seem to have twisted what was permissible. They believed if Jesus healed on shabbat, he would be breaking shabbat, although this was entirely allowed.

Jesus asks the Pharisees if it is permissible to heal or kill on shabbat. As we already discussed, it is allowed to heal on shabbat. Now the next puzzle is why did Jesus mention killing on shabbat. Isn't killing against God's Commands? (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17) To answer this question, we must know the Bible and must know when God killed people on shabbat.

Israel's Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 11-14)
On the 14th day of the month of Nisan, the Israelites were commanded to kill a lamb, roast it and place the blood of the lamb on the doorposts. When the sun sets (and it is now the 15th day of Nisan), the Israelites are to eat the lamb with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. It is on the 15th of Nisan in which the angel passes through Egypt. If blood is on the doorposts, the angel passes through. If there is no blood on the doorposts, the angel kills the firstborn in the house. 

Remember from our discussion about what shabbat was, the 15th day of Nisan was also called the first day of unleavened bread. The 15th day of Nisan is a day which is a holy convocation, a shabbat in which no work was to be done. So on the 15th of Nisan, God saved everyone who placed the blood on the doorposts of his house. God killed all the firstborns who did not place the lamb's blood on the doorposts. So, on shabbat, God both killed and saved people. God did both harm and good on the shabbat.

The Pharisees were extremely well versed in Scripture. When Jesus said if God could kill or save on the shabbat, they would have immediately thought about the Exodus story. They would have been reminded of Passover.

Moreover, it is tradition, the Israelites passed through the Red Sea on the 21st of Nisan. Remember, it was night when the Israelites passed through the sea. Early in the morning, the Egyptians followed. Once the Israelites safely reached the other side of the Red Sea, God allowed the Red Sea to swallow up the Egyptians. If you remember, the 21st day of Nisan would be the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. If you remember from Leviticus 23, the seventh day of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 21) is a holy convocation, a shabbat on which no work was to be done. So, this is another example of a shabbat in which God saved His people, by allowing them to pass safely through the Red Sea and also killed people when He caused the Red Sea to swallow up the Egyptians. Again, the Pharisees would have known this. They would have been reminded about the Red Sea crossing when Jesus mentioned killing and saving on shabbat.

Their hardness of heart
We are told Jesus is grieved by the hardness of the Pharisees heart when they do not answer if God can kill or save on shabbat. Although the people at the synagogue would not have known Jesus' thoughts, Mark when writing this story would have again been conveying more insight into this story.

Harness of heart is a term only used to describe Pharaoh's heart regarding allowing Israel to go and sacrifice to God.

The word we translate as "hardened" when describing Pharaoh's heart is the Hebrew word kavad. It literally translates as to make heavy, to be weighty, to be burdensome. So when God "hardened" Pharaoh's heart, it actually means Pharaoh's heart became heavy. Kavad is used five times to describe Pharaoh's heart.

When Mark uses this phrase "hardening of hearts", he is making the connection that the Pharisees are playing the part of Pharaoh in this story.

Stretch out your hand
Of all the phrases Jesus could have used, he uses this very phrase "Stretch out your hand" which again is used in God's plagues upon Egypt and Israel's Exodus from Egypt. The Hebrew word is natah. It is used 17 times from Exodus 6 through Exodus 14. (Yes, if someone used the word natah, all those well versed in Scripture would IMMEDIATELY think about Moses and the Exodus!)

"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land" (Exodus 14:15-16).

"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided" (Exodus 14:21).


"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen." So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal states at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing  right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea" (Exodus 14:26-27).

Why were the Pharisees enraged?
Taking the Exodus story into account, notice who is commanding Moses to stretch out his hand? The answer is God. So, when Jesus commands the man with the withered hand to stretch out his hand, Jesus is saying He is God. Now you may understand why the Pharisees are very angry. They believe Jesus is not God. They believe Jesus should be put to death. Jesus is claiming He is God! Jesus is telling the Pharisees He is not in violation of Deuteronomy 13 because HE IS GOD!

 "You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall scourge the evil from among you." (Deuteronomy 13:4-5)

In Summary
The Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus. They are trying to make Jesus violate the Torah which would make Him sinful. It would negate Jesus' claim of being the Messiah. Instead, Jesus uses Deuteronomy 13 as a launching board to prove He is Messiah. Using the Exodus story, He makes the Pharisees Pharaoh/the Egyptians. The man with the withered hand is Moses. Jesus is God. Jesus humiliates the Pharisees. The Pharisees continue their plan to kill Jesus and find ways to trap him.

The Joy of Thanksgiving (Psalm 100)

While American Thanksgiving is particularly well-defined, with turkey dinners and traditional sides, Macy’s parades and football on TV, other countries boast their own interesting and meaningful celebrations that make up their concept of Thanksgiving. Here are a few:

1. Liberia
Liberia brought the Thanksgiving tradition directly from America, owing to its beginnings as a resettlement colony for freed black Americans. The West African country declared its independence in 1847, but its American connection is still represented in its flag, which mirrors the U.S. design. They mark their celebration on the first Thursday in November.


2. Canada 

One similar through-line that connects a lot of the Thanksgiving holidays is the celebration of harvest. That’s obviously connected to the tradition and imagery of our American holiday, but it definitely comes into play for Canada. Canadian Thanksgiving occurs on the second Monday of October. The Canadian celebration integrates a number of traditions, including turkey (an American contribution), although regional dishes like salmon are common. Like the States, Canada celebrates with a CFL Football game, while the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Thanksgiving parade runs on CTV.

3. Japan

Japan marks a November holiday called Labor Thanksgiving Day, traditionally held on the 23rd. Its historical beginning goes back to the harvest celebration of Niiname-no-Matsuri, which was a Shinto ritual enacted by the Emperor. It picked up the Labor Thanksgiving Day name and official holiday status during the post-World War II occupation of Japan by the United States. The modern interpretation of the event commemorates labor, production, and peace. School children make cards for public servants like health care workers, police, firefighters, and members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force and Coast Guard. Family dinners are a staple of the day.

4. Philippines 

The Philippines has had an on-off relationship with Thanksgiving. As an American colony, it held a very American version of Thanksgiving. The celebration went underground during World War II when Japan occupied the islands, lasting until the late ’60s as a kind of secret event. President Ferdinand Marcos re-instituted it as a September observation under his reign, but it was discontinued after his ouster in 1986. Thanksgiving exists today primarily due to the aggressive marketing of the SM Supermalls chain of shopping centers. Businesses now offer big Thanksgiving sales around September, which is seen of the official kick-off of the (very long) Christmas season for the islands.

Psalm 100

One of my favorite chapters in all Scripture is Psalm 100. I love its brevity and its poetry. If I am happy or sad, this Psalm always makes me want to burst into song and dance.

Psalm 100

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
2
Serve the Lord with jubilation;
Come before Him with rejoicing.
3
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4
Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
And His courtyards with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting
And His faithfulness is to all generations.


The words of this Psalm always make me think about the Temple and people coming up to the Temple to worship. The LORD is on the throne. There is nothing more that we want to do than worship and please our King!

Psalm 100 In-depth
Verse 1: Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth!

Not only are all the human servants to rejoice, but all the earth. The trees, hills, mountains, birds, fish, beasts of the field, etc. Everything is to be joyful to the LORD. It reminds me of several verses from Scripture.

Psalm 98:4-8:
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Be cheerful and sing for joy and sing praises.
5
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
With the lyre and the sound of melody.
6
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
Shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.
7
May the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.
8
May the rivers clap their hands,
May the mountains sing together for joy


Isaiah 42:10-12
Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing His praise from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it;
You islands, and those who live on them.
11
Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices,
The settlements which Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.
12
Let them give glory to the Lord
And declare His praise in the coastlands.



Verse 2: Serve the Lord with jubilation;
Come before Him with rejoicing.

In verse two, we are reminded to come before God rejoicing and serving with a glad heart. How many times do we serve God, but we do so with a sour or bitter heart? Do we get up and go to church because we have to or because it will look bad to others? Are we joyous? Or are we half asleep and wish we were back in bed?

What about serving God in the community? If we see a way to help someone, do we do it with joy? Or do we do it because other people may see our actions, and we may be esteemed more highly in their sight?

Praising God with joyful lips.
Psalm 63:1-5
God, You are my God; I shall be watching for You;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and exhausted land where there is no water.
2
So have I seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and glory.
3
Because Your favor is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
4
So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5
My soul is satisfied as with fat and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.


Psalm 71:22-24
I will also praise You with a harp,
And Your truth, my God;
I will sing praises to You with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
23
My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You;
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
24
My tongue also will tell of Your righteousness all day long;
For they are put to shame, for they are humiliated who seek my harm.

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the LORD, always, and again I say rejoice!



Verse 3: Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Verse 3 reminds us of who is God. It is the LORD who made us. We are under His control. God is the master craftsman; we are the work of His hands. Psalm 100 is in direct contrast to Isaiah 29 where the people say the right things, but their hearts are far from God.

Isaiah 29:13-16
13 Then the Lord said,
“Because this people approaches Me with their words
And honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me,
And their reverence for Me consists of the commandment of men that is taught;
14
Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.”
15
Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord,
And whose deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16
You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay,
That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

God continues His quest that all the earth knows who He is in Isaiah 45.

Isaiah 45:5-10
I am the Lord, and there is no one else;
There is no God except Me.
I will arm you, though you have not known Me,
6
So that people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no one else,
7
The One forming light and creating darkness,
Causing well-being and creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.

8
“Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9
“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—
A piece of pottery among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
10
Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’”

God calls Israel pottery, and He will do to them as He pleases as a potter does to the clay as he pleases.

Jeremiah 18:1-6
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel.

It is God who made us. This expressed beautifully in Psalm 139.

Psalm 139:13-16
For You created my innermost parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14
I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15
My frame was not hidden from You
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully formed in the depths of the earth;
16
Your eyes have seen my formless substance;
And in Your book were written
All the days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

We are the sheep of His pasture is exemplified in Isaiah 40.

Isaiah 40:9-11
Go up on a high mountain,
Zion, messenger of good news,
Raise your voice forcefully,
Jerusalem, messenger of good news;
Raise it up, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10
Behold, the Lord God will come with might,
With His arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His compensation is with Him,
And His reward before Him.
11
Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in the fold of His robe;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

The people of Israel are sheep. The leaders of Israel are supposed to be the shepherds, but they do not do their job. They eat the fat sheep and do not feed the flock. They use all the goods of the sheep such as the wool, but they do not support the flock. God gives a sharp rebuke to the shepherds who were supposed to be taking care of the flock, but who have been neglectful in Ezekiel 34.

Ezekiel 34:1-16:
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should the shepherds not feed the flock? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. 4 Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you searched for the lost; but with force and with violence you have dominated them. 5 They scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every animal of the field and scattered. 6 My flock strayed through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.”’”

7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “certainly, because My flock has become plunder, and My flock has become food for all the animals of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them stop tending sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will save My sheep from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”

11 For the Lord God says this: “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd cares for his flock on a day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing place will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down in a good grazing place and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I Myself will feed My flock and I Myself will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. 16 “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will eliminate. I will feed them with judgment.


Verse 4: Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
And His courtyards with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

In verse four, we have some terminology which may be lost to us nearly 2,000 years after the Temple has been destroyed. When Scripture talks about gates, these are in reference to the walls which surround places. There were places in the walls in which people could pass through. These passage ways were called gates. People in ancient times would have the elders and the leadership sit in these areas. It was known as sitting in the gates or sitting at the gate.

The gates which are spoken of here are in the walls which surrounded the Temple. The Temple was surrounded by walls much like the Tabernacle in the wilderness was surrounded by a fence made from animal skins. Inside the gates was the courtyard. It is in the courtyard where the sacrifices would be done.

The idea in verse four is the person is going up to the Temple to worship God. The word thanksgiving (in the Hebrew the word is todah) could mean the person is singing praises. It is also the word used for thanksgiving offerings. This person may be going up to the Temple to worship God and to offer a thanksgiving offering. 

Leviticus 7 states some of the rules surrounding the thanksgiving offering.
Leviticus 7:11-15

‘Now this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be presented to the LORD. 12‘If he offers it by way of thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of well stirred fine flour mixed with oil. 13‘With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread. 14‘Of this he shall present one of every offering as a contribution to the LORD; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.
     
15‘Now as for the flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings, it shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it over until morning.

A small portion of the offering was given to the priest, but the majority of the offering was given back to the person offering it so he could enjoy his thanksgiving offering. One thing to note, the offering was not to be leftover until the morning. This means, if a person was offering a thanksgiving offering, he was not going to be able to eat it all by himself. He would invite many people to this celebration to enjoy the feast. When people came to this event, it would be a time for the person to proclaim why he is doing a thanksgiving offering and God would receive glory.

King David talks about God’s goodness and offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving in Psalm 116.

Psalm 116:12-19
What shall I repay to the Lord
For all His benefits to me?
13
I will lift up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
14
I will pay my vows to the Lord;
May it be in the presence of all His people!
15
Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His godly ones.
16
O Lord, I surely am Your slave,
I am Your slave, the son of Your female slave,
You have unfastened my restraints.
17
I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
18
I will pay my vows to the Lord,
May it be in the presence of all His people,
19
In the courtyards of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, Jerusalem!
Praise the Lord!

King David continues on his song of praise in Psalm 145.
Psalm 145:1-7

I will exalt You, my God, the King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3
Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
4
One generation will praise Your works to another,
And will declare Your mighty acts.
5
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
6
People will speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
7
They will burst forth in speaking of Your abundant goodness,
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.



Verse 5: For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting
And His faithfulness is to all generations.


God’s mercy is everlasting, from generation to generation.

Psalm 118:1-4
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His mercy is everlasting.
2
Let Israel say,
“His mercy is everlasting.”
3
Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy is everlasting.”
4
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His mercy is everlasting.”

God’s faithfulness is to all generations.

Psalm 136:1-4
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
2
Give thanks to the God of gods,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
3
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
4
To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;


God’s eternal greatness is best summoned up in Exodus 34 when Moses goes back to the mountain with two new tablets he cut out like the first ones which had been broken. He encounters God, and God calls out His incredible attributes.

Exodus 34:4-8
 So he cut out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses got up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and he took the two stone tablets in his hand. 5 And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. 6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth; 7 who keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” 8 And Moses hurried to bow low toward the ground and worship.

Psalm 95 verses one through seven encapsulate Psalm 100 beautifully.

Psalm 95:1-7
Come, let’s sing for joy to the Lord,
Let’s shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
2
Let’s come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving,
Let’s shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments.
3
For the Lord is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
4
In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are also His.
5
The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.
6
Come, let’s worship and bow down,
Let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

Book of Judges Review Part Six (Chapters 18-21)

 Chapter 18
MICAH'S IDOLATRY AND THE MIGRATION OF THE TRIBE OF DAN
Dan spies out Laish

(Judges 18:1-2): The tribe of Dan sends spies to look for land to take among the people of Israel. The tribe of Dan does not get rid of the Philistines in their land. The consequence for not doing as God had commanded is that the tribe of Dan is never able to conquer the land. The tribe of Dan sends out spies to find land which is peaceful and is not under the scrutiny of an enemy.

(Judges 18:3-6): The Danites meet with Micah's Levite. As the men from Dan were relaxing at Micah's house (with Micah's blessing of course), they met Micah's young private priest. They immediately noticed the priest has a different accent. It would have been a different accent from what Micah and the rest of the people living in Ephraim had. Immediately, they wondered what the priest was doing at Micah's house. The five spies speak with the Levite. They then ask the Levite to inquire of God for them about their trip.

(Judges 18:7-10): The Danites choose a city for expansion: Laish. The citizens of Laish were from Sidon, but the people of Laish did not have an alliance with Sidon nor were they considered an official outpost of Sidon. Thus, even if the nation of Sidon had some sympathy and attachment to the people of Laish, they were too far away and would not be able to be rescued if they needed to be. This was the perfect situation for Dan. The location was well watered, fertile and substantial in size. It was far from anyone who might try to rule over the place. The place is simply ideal. It is at the headwaters of one of the sources of the Jordan River. It is rich in trees. The Dainties return to the south and tell their brothers the city of Laish has been given to them by the LORD.

(Judges 18:11-13): They assemble an army of 600 to take possession of Laish. They begin their journey north.

The tribe of Dan adopts Micah's idolatry
(Judges 18:14-18): On their way to Laish, the army of 600 men take Micah's shrine for themselves. The tribe of Dan stop at Micah’s house to pick up the Levite and the idols.

(Judges 18:19-21): The Levite goes with the army from the tribe of Dan.

(Judges 18:22-24): Micah's foolish idolatry comes to nothing. Micah and some of his neighbors assemble and chase after the Danites. Micah asks for his idols and priest back.

(Judges 18:25-26): The army of the tribe of Dan refuses to give Micah his god back; so Micah goes home empty-handed.

(Judges 18:27-29): The army from the tribe of Dan conquers the city of Laish and rename it Dan.

(Judges 18:30-31): The tribe of Dan officially adopts the idolatry that began with Micah. The Levite’s identity is revealed. His name is Jonathan, and he is from Moses’ family.


Chapter 19
A  Levite and his concubine
(Judges 19:1): A Levite takes a concubine. Levite in Ephraim takes a concubine who is from Bethlehem.

(Judges 19:2-4): The Levite reconciles with his concubine. The concubine gets mad at her husband and returns home to her father in Bethlehem.After four months, the Levite ventures to Bethlehem to retrieve his girl. The girl’s father welcomes the man and invites him into the house. The Levite stays with the family for several days.

(Judges 19:5-10): The Levite of the concubine extends the visit with a generous show of hospitality. The Levite attempts to leave for Ephraim on the fourth day, but the girl’s father requests him to stay. The Levite stays until the fifth day and again tries to leave. The Levite and his concubine leave in the afternoon of the fifth day.

(Judges 19:11-15): Returning home, the Levite and the concubine decide to spend the night in Gibeah. When they entered, they sat down in the open square of the city for no one took them into his house to spend the night.

(Judges 19:16-21): Finally, a fellow Ephraimite finds them and extends hospitality. An Ephraimite who was sojourning in Gibeah sees the Levite and his concubine. He offers hospitality to the group.

The Crime of Gibeah
(Judges 19:22): The perverted worthless men of Gibeah surround the dwelling place of the Ephraimite. They demand to have relations with the male guest.

(Judges 19:23-26): The Ephraimite goes out to negotiate with the men of Gibeah. He offers his daughter and the Levite’s concubine. The concubine is given instead of her husband. She is raped all night. At the light of day, she crawls back to the Ephraimite’s home. She dies on the doorstep.

(Judges 19:27-30): The Levite discovers his dead concubine and issues a call for national judgment. The Levite takes his dead concubine, loads he up on to a donkey and brings her back to Ephraim. He cuts up her body in a ritualistic manner and sends one body part to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Levite wants all of Israel to consider the crime and take action.


Chapter 20
ISRAEL'S WAR WITH BENJAMIN AND GIBEAH

The nation gathers to judge Gibeah
(Judges 20:1-2): The nation gather at the Levite's request. All of Israel from Dan to Beersheba gather together at Mizpah. The wording used suggests the Israelites believe this is a holy gathering—something sanctioned by the LORD.

(Judges 20:3-7): The Levite describes the abuse and murder of his concubine. The Levite gives bad information and states the men of Gibeah wanted to kill him. (The only information given in the Bible regarding this is that the men of Gibeah wanted to have relations with the Levite and not kill him.)

(Judges 20:8-11): Preparations for war are made. A supply line is established as the men of Israel prepare for battle.

(Judges 20:12-17): Benjamin's help sought and not given. Benjamin is asked to give up the fugitives of Gibeah. They refuse. 26,700 men from Benjamin are gathered for war. Seven hundred of these men are able to sling stones and are deadly accurate.

The battle against Benjamin and Gibeah

(Judges 20:18-21): The first day of battle--Israel is defeated before Benjamin. The men of Israel inquire of the LORD who should go up to battle. The tribe of Judah is told to go up. It is a bad day for Israel. They lose 22,000 men in battle on the first day.

(Judges 20:22-23): Israel seeks God after the first defeat. Israels goes to the LORD a second time. This time they weep before Him. They are again told to go to battle.

 (Judges 20:24-25): On the second day of battle, Israel is defeated before Benjamin again. Israel loses 18,000 men on the second day of battle.

(Judges 20:26-28): Israel repents before God after the second defeat. After the second defeat, the Israelites go again before the LORD. This time they bring sacrifices, they fast and repent. Now, the LORD gives them a slightly different answer. He says they will defeat Benjamin.

(Judges 20:29-48): Third day of battle--victory for Israel over Benjamin and Gibeah. The third day of battle is much like the first two days, except this time Israel has a new battle plan. Much like Joshua’s victory over Ai, the Israelites draw the men out of Gibeah. As the battle heats up outside the city walls, another brigade of men comes into the city and burns it to the ground. The men from Gibeah get caught in between two of Israel’s forces. They cannot retreat to the city. Many flee to the Rock of Rimmon. Twenty five thousand one hundred men from Benjamin die that day.


Chapter 21
A foolish oath
(Judges 21:1): At Mizpah, a curse is laid on anyone who gives their daughter as wives for the tribe of Benjamin. Swearing oaths and making vows in God's name is a dangerous undertaking. We moderns like to think otherwise, but we really do not take these oaths and vows all that seriously. But to the ancient, it was unthinkable to violate an oath or vow because the consequence was probably going to be devastating and long lasting. Making a rash oath or vow is a bad idea, and now Israel realized that they had doomed the Benjamites by speaking too quickly with their lips.

(Judges 21:2-6): Israel realizes that a whole tribe is in danger of extinction.
Solutions to the problem of the foolish oath
Judges 21:7-15): Destroying the city of Jabesh and taking their young women was a solution to the problem. Verse seven sums up the problem. The sons of Israel find an answer to the problem in a very convoluted and unexpected way. It starts with Israel's search to find out if any clan of Hebrews had failed to show up to contribute to the war effort.

It turns out that the people of the city of Jabesh-gilead (meaning the people who lived in the city of Jabesh in the territory of Gilead, east of the Jordan River) did not answer the call. This was in violation of a much earlier and perhaps more fundamental oath: that all of Israel was united under God and the Laws of Moses. They were to act together as one in times of crisis. Jabesh were traitors to God and to Israel. Not only that, at the time of the war council in Mizpah, an oath was sworn in which the punishment for whomever did not participate in the war against Benjamin was death.

And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him.The 400 virgins of Jabesh were given to the male survivors of Benjamin, but that still left 200 men without wives. What should they do? Well, they came up with another cleaver plan.

(Judges 21:16-24): A scheme to give the remaining men of Benjamin an opportunity to take wives. There was a festival to the LORD each year in Shiloh, and lots and lots of women went to it. The young girls, especially virgins, participated by dancing in the festival. Some leaders of the Israelites went to the leaders of the 600 remaining Benjamites and told them that if they would go to Shiloh at the festival time and hide, then when the virgins came out to dance, they could pounce on them. The virgins would then be their wives. The Israelites would be sure there was no interference and the men of Benjamin would be free to remove these girls back to the allotted territory of Benjamin.

(Judges 21:25): The summary observation of the times of Israel.  
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Final Thoughts
In the time of King Saul, we are going to find an interesting relationship between Saul and the people of Gilead. When Ammon threatened the people of Gilead, they turned to Saul for help (1 Samuel 11:1-11). Later, it would be the men of Gilead who recovered the bodies of Saul and his sons as their corpses hung on the walls of Bethshan (1 Samuel 31:11-13). Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin, and so we see how and why the tribe of Benjamin had a special bond with the people of Gilead. They were closely related by blood and it happened as the aftermath of the war with Benjamin.

Book of Judges Review Part Five (Chapters 13-17)

Chapter 13
The Angel of the LORD announces the birth of Samson to Manoah's wife.

(Judges 13:1): Life in Israel at the time of Samson's birth. Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD. The LORD sold them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years.

The tribe of Dan: By this time in Israel’s history, the tribe of Dan had mostly moved to the northern region of Israel near the Lebanon border. They had captured a city called Laish and renamed it Dan after their tribal leader. Few Dainties remained behind, and most of them lived on the border of the tribe of Dan and Judah. The Philistines were a fierce force to defeat. Dan decided not to conquer the Philistines, but instead they decided to mix and mingle with them. They blended the two religions, intermarried and formed alliances with the Philistines. This displeased God, but the Israelites were not concerned about the decay of their society.

(Judges 13:2-3): The Angel of the LORD appears to Manoah's wife.

(Judges 13:4-5): Special instructions regarding the child to come. Samson is to be a Nazirite from the moment of his conception. His mother is to observe special instructions. She is not to drink wine or strong drink nor eat anything unclean. Samson will also follow these instructions and in addition, he is not to cut his hair. Samson’s job is to begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

(Judges 13:6-7): Manoah's wife reported the appearance of the Angel of the LORD to her husband.

The Angel of the LORD announces the birth of Samson to Manoah
(Judges 13:8-14): The Angel of the LORD reconfirms the words spoken before. In verse eight, we find Manoah praying to God to send this prophet back to them so they could be taught what was to be done with the child.

The mysterious man shows up again a second time. As like the previous time, the angel of God appears to the unnamed wife of Manoah. She races to fetch her husband. Manoah comes and greets the man. Manoah asks the question that was at the forefront of his mind--what are we to do with this child? The man of God did not answer Manoah's question, but gives the same instructions as the first time.

(Judges 13:15-18): Manoah offers the Angel of the LORD a meal; the Angel of the LORD will only accepts an offering. Manoah realizes he has received the full oracle from the prophet. He then offers the standard Middle Eastern hospitality and requests that the man stay with them for a while and be honored with a special meal. The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Though you detain me, I will not eat your food." Manoah asks the angel of the LORD His name. The angel says, “Why do you ask me my name, seeing it is wonderful?”

Wonderful: This word means full of wonder, incomprehensible, full of awe. It is a divine attribute and is the word pille in Hebrew.

(Judges 13:19-21): The Angel of the LORD displays His authority to Manoah and his wife. Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it on the rock of the LORD. Manoah's offering was acceptable to the LORD. With Manoah and his wife standing looking on, suddenly this being melded into the flames. He then shot upwards into the sky and vanished. That was the final clue. Manoah and his wife fell on their face to the ground in fear and awe. They both finally grasped just who this being was. It was neither a man or an angel. It was God.

(Judges 13:22-23): The reaction of Manoah and his wife. Manoah believes they are going to die because they have seen God. Manoah’s wife reassures Manoah after God showed them all these signs and wonders, God is not going to kill them.

(Judges 13:24-25): Samson born, and the Holy Spirit comes upon him.

Chapter 14
SAMSON'S FIRST FAILED MARRIAGE

(Judges 14:1-3): Samson demands a Philistine wife. Samson goes down to Timnah. He sees a Philistine woman. She looks good in Samson’s eyes. He tells his parents to get her as a wife for him.

(Judges 14:4): God's will behind the scenes of Samson's desire to marry a Philistine woman.

(Judges 14:5-9): Samson slays a lion and eats some wild honey. Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came as far as the vineyards of Timnah. A lion comes roaring toward Samson. The Spirit of the LORD comes upon Samson. Samson slays the lion. When Samson returns to take the Philistine woman, he returns back to the body of the lion cub. Behold, there is a swarm of bees and honey in the cavity of the lion cub. Samson eats some honey and scoops up some for his parents.

 The feast and the riddle
(Judges 14:10-11): Samson hosts a "bachelor party" for Philistine friends. In verse ten, we are told that the marriage ceremony began when Samson's father went down to greet Samson's bride-to-be. We are told a banquet was served.

(Judges 14:12-14): Samson poses a riddle concerning the lion and the honey. The bridegroom does his duty to entertain the guests. Samson offers a riddle. And to go along with it, he offers a wager: if the thirty male guests can decipher the answer, Samson promises to buy them thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes.

The riddle: Out of the eater came something to eat. And out of the strong came something sweet. This riddle is referring to the lion Samson killed, and the honey the bees formed inside it. But who could have ever guessed such a thing? This is nothing in which logic, deductive reasoning or cleverness could ever solve. One had to be there at the lion incident to have any idea what Samson was talking about. Solving such a so-called riddle is impossible.

(Judges 14:15-18): Samson's Philistine wife extracts the answer to the riddle from Samson and tells it to the Philistines. Samson's wife weeps before him during the entire feast. Samson gives in. He tells his Philistine finance the riddle. The woman tells her comrades the answer. Samson becomes furious his finance divulged the riddle’s answer the the wedding guests.

(Judges 14:19-20): Samson's anger and revenge. The Spirit of the LORD came mightily on Samson. Samson slew 30 men and took their garments to give to the Philistine wedding guests. Samson storms off. Samson’s betrothed is given to another man.


Chapter 15

(Judges 15:1-3): Samson's rage at discovering his wife is given to another man.
Samson shows up at his bride’s home with a goat. Samson was not allowed to enter the bride’s tent. Samson is offered the bride’s younger sister for a wife.



(Judges 15:4-5): Samson strikes out against the Philistines by burning their crops. Samson takes revenge by tying up 300 jackals. He lit the jackals on fire. The jackals ignited the Philistines field.

(Judges 15:6-7): The Philistines retaliate by killing Samson's wife and family.

(Judges 15:8): Samson repays the Philistines for the murder of his wife. Samson went on another random killing spree. He killed any Philistine who came across his path. Then, Samson left Philistia and went to a cave called the rock of Etam.

(Judges 15:9-13): The Philistines camp in Judah. Judah asks why the Philistines are there. Judah sends 3,000 men to the rock of Etam to bind Samson and deliver him to the Philistines. Judah binds Samson with two new ropes.

(Judges 15:14-17): Samson uses the jawbone of a donkey to kill a thousand Philistines. The Spirit of the LORD comes mightily upon Samson. Samson uses a jawbone of a donkey to slay 1,000 Philistines.

(Judges 15:18-20): God provides for Samson miraculously. Samson becomes thirsty. God provides Samson with a spring of water.


Chapter 16
Samson and Delilah
(Judges 16:1-3): Samson and the harlot at Gaza. Samson visits a harlot in Gaza. The Gazites find out about Samson’s visit and lie in wait for Samson. Samson takes the city gates and walks up a hill where he deposits them on a road which leads to Hebron.

(Judges 16:4-5): Delilah agrees to betray Samson. The five lords of the five Philistine cities meet with Delilah and offer her 1100 pieces of silver each if Delilah can figure out where Samson’s great strength lies.

(Judges 16:6-9): Samson lies to Delilah about the source of his strength. Samson begins a lying spree. Samson tells Delilah if he is bound with seven fresh cords, he will become weak like any other man. Samson is bound, and he is able to snap off the cords.

(Judges 16:10-12): Samson lies to Delilah about the source of his strength for a second time. Samson next tells Delilah if he is bound with new ropes, he will become weak. He is bound and again snaps the ropes.

(Judges 16:13-15): Samson lies to Delilah about the source of his strength for the third time. Samson next says if his hair is bound in a weaver’s loom, he will be weak. His hair is tied up in a weaver’s loom, and again, Samson is able to break away from the weaver’s loom.

(Judges 16:16-19): Samson finally betrays the source of his strength. Delilah presses Samson daily about the source of his great strength. Samson finally tells her he is a Nazirite, and his strength lies in his seven locks of hair. Delilah summons the Philistine leaders and has Samson sleep on her lap. Samson’s locks are cut off while he is sleeping.

(Judges 16:20): Samson is seized by the Philistines.

(Judges 16:21-22): Samson's Philistine imprisonment. Samson’s eyes are gouged out by the Philistines. They bring him to Gaza where he sits at a hand mill and grinds grain all day long. Samson lives his life utterly humiliated. During this time, Samson repents and turns back to God. (Samson’s hair begins to grow.)

(Judges 16:23-25): Samson is mocked by his enemies. The Philistines gather to have a large celebration. Everyone was in high spirits and sent to have Samson entertain them.

(Judges 16:26-31): Samson's bittersweet death. Samson is brought to the festival. He asks the young boy who is guiding him if he can rest his hands on the pillars of the building. Samson in one last act, pushes the pillars from their bases and causes the building to collapse. There were 3,000 men and women looking on the event from the roof. Samson killed more on the day of his death than during all the other times he fought the Philistines. Samson’s family comes and buries Samson.


Chapter 17
Micah makes a shrine for idols
(Judges 17:1-2): Micah returns a large amount of stolen silver to his mother. A man named Mikayahu (who is like God) steals 1100 pieces of silver from his mother. The mother utters a curse against the person who stole her money. The man returns the money and his name is changed to Micah (who is like…God is dropped from the name). Micah received a blessing from his mom to off-set the curse she uttered.

(Judges 17:3-4): Micah's mother directs that some of the money be used to make an image to be used in worship. Micah’s mom says she will dedicate the 1100 pieces of silver to make an idol to God. Instead, she uses only 200 pieces of silver to make an idol.

(Judges 17:5): Micah establishes an elaborate worship service. Micah has a shrine and makes his son a priest for the family.

Micah hires an unscrupulous Levite
(Judges 17:6-8): An opportunistic Levite looking for employment. A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah comes to Ephraim looking for employment. The man finds Micah’s house.

(Judges 17:9-11): Micah hires the Levite. Micah offers the Levite a job which includes 10 pieces of silver a year, living accommodations and a suit of clothes.

(Judges 17:12-13): A false consecration and a false confidence. Micah consecrates the Levite as a priest. Micah has no authority to do this. The Levite has no authority to be a priest since the priests must come from Aaron’s line. The Levite is not a descendant of Aaron. Micah nows believes the LORD will prosper him now that he has a Levite as a priest.

Peace in a World Not His

As we move forward from this election, it can be easy to be lead astray and to let your emotions be riled up. Whether you are happy or frustrated by the election results, it should not matter. Our goal here on earth is to walk out our lives the best we can and follow the teachings and commandments set forth by God. Who is in charge at the White House should not change how you will live your life.

Fear: Don’t Give in to it

There are many on in our society who are spreading doom and gloom. They are saying the President-elect is going to change the face of the nation—a nationwide lock-down, mandatory vaccinations, changing the electoral college, etc., etc. This same fear happens every time anyone runs for office.

When President Trump was elected, we had people say he was going to give this nation over to big business. He was going to kick seniors out into the streets and take away their Medicare and social security. Did any of that happen. The answer is no.

When President Obama was elected, people were concerned he was going to take away tax breaks for personal retirement funds (i.e., make Roth IRAs taxable) and begin raiding personal retirement funds. We were told ObamaCare was going to be the end of our healthcare system. DId any of this happen? The answer is no.

Our government is extremely complex. For one person to change the entire landscape of our nation in four or eight years is not likely. You would need to have full control over the House, Senate and Supreme Court. But then, you also have the States’ sovereignty. Never forget federal government is limited. There are boundaries which the federal government cannot overstep.

Fear is the means by which the media and many companies profit. The more they scare you, the more likely you will stay home, order items online, watch television, etc. If you do not give in to fear and continue living your life as set out by the Bible, your emotions will not be affected by the fear mongers.

There is nothing more you can do
It is easy to be wrapped up in the emotions of the election and the results, but there is nothing more any of us can do. Everything is now in the hands of our elected officials and the court system. We can be worried or be stressed, but our emotions will not change the outcome of anything. The only thing we can do is continue living our lives, focusing on how to best serve our Creator.

If we wish things to be different, there are Congressional elections again in two years. In four years, we again have the right to vote for the President. Aside from the upcoming elections, our duty for this last election is over. It is time to move on and let the courts and the elected officials handed the rest.

Minor inconveniences
If things do change under this administration, and I guarantee things will change for better or for worse as they have with every person who has been elected to the office of the President, remember if you are not happy about them, in the scope of everything they are minor inconveniences. If the tax law changes requiring you to pay more taxes, will that make you lose your house and live on the streets begging for food? No. Will it leave you with less money to spend on luxuries such as going out to eat, going on vacation or buying a new car? Maybe.

We live in a very privileged society. We have free education available to everyone, high standards of living and luxuries which can only be dreamed of by the rest of the world.

In South Africa, the country is on the verge of bankruptcy. The government is out of control. Leaders are hungry for power and corruption. They are raiding the personal retirement funds of their citizens. The people cannot protest. Any objection to the government’s actions could mean you are arrested or more likely, executed. Crime is through the roof.

The images we see of certain cities such as Portland and NYC where crime is on the rise and it seems as though violence, vandalism and anarchy reign supreme, these extremes are only in certain sections of certain cities in a few states inside a massive nation. Now imagine the entire nation was like Portland where cars and buildings were burning, people were being shot and there was no law enforcement. People stole from individuals and robbed businesses. This is what the country of South Africa is like. There are no safe places. Everywhere it is a war zone. There is no peace. There is no police. There is no justice. It is every man for himself, but you cannot fight back or you will be arrested or killed by the government. These are real threats to their lives. These are real inconveniences. It is not about what car we can buy or which house should we live in. It is about where can I seek shelter and not be robbed, beaten or shot. Where can I find food? There is a constant threat to your life; there is a constant fight to stay alive.


The two extremes and flourishing under them both
We have many examples in the Bible of people living under oppressive regimes. Some of the governments had very lax laws and loose living. Some had very strict laws. Despite the circumstances, God’s people are able to flourish under them both.

Noah: Extreme liberal anything goes.
During Noah’s time, people had completely gone away from God. Shortly after God created Adam and Eve, men began profaning the name of the LORD. (Note what is translated as “to call upon the name of the LORD” is in Hebrew, “To call in a profane way (i.e., to make common) the name of the LORD.”)


 25Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:25-26)

The people started making God’s name common; they stopped reverencing Him as holy. They were living life any way they wanted, ignoring the commands they had from God.

      5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:5-8)

Noah was surrounded by pure wickedness, but he remained true to God. Noah is the first person to find grace in the sight of the LORD. Noah is rewarded for his faithfulness by being commanded to build an ark. Noah’s righteousness saves not only himself, but seven other members of his family.

Noah had about as much free choice as anyone could imagine. He probably was ridiculed for not partaking in the wickedness around him. It was probably extremely hard to remain faithful to God when sin was all around him.

Many people believe if they have freedom and an abundance of it, it would be very easy to live a life of following God. As we can see from Noah’s life, when there are few if any rules governing a society, anarchy and wickedness reign. When sin surrounds you everywhere you go, it can almost be too much of a temptation to give in and sin. It is much harder to live a life of righteousness when sin abounds than to live a life of righteousness when oppressed.

Daniel: Extreme lock-downs and cruel government
In the story of Daniel, we have almost the exact opposite societal situation from that of Noah. The Babylonian and Persian governments were extremely brutal. They had strict laws which could not be changed once declared. The king had absolute power. The people were powerless to rise up and protest.

When Daniel is taken to Babylon, he and his friends are supposed to eat food and drink which has been sacrificed to idols. They do not want to defile themselves. Daniel is bold. He asks for special accommodation. Amazingly, God grants Daniel compassion         in the sight of the commander of the officials.

      8But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. 9Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, 10and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.” 11But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12“Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13“Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”
      14So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. 15At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables. (Daniel 1:8-16)

Daniel is bold. Daniel decides it is better to suffer consequences for following God than to submit to the king’s orders. God blesses Daniel and his friends for their faithfulness.

Daniel and his friends continue submitting to the oppressive government; however, when man’s law conflicts with God’s commands, Daniel and his friends risk death to follow God. And God delivers them from death. Examples include Daniel’s friends not being burned in the fiery furnace when they are commanded to bow down to a golden idol (Daniel chapter 3), and Daniel not being eaten by the lions when a decree is made to not pray to anyone but the king (Daniel chapter 6).


Worshiping God wherever you are
There was a Jewish man who was captured by the Russians and sent to Russian prison camps. Most people died in these camps. This man was sent from camp to camp. Each camp was progressively more and more brutal.

Finally, he was given his death sentence: he was sent to the northern regions of Siberia near the North Pole. The bright sun on the ice caused many people to go blind. The extreme isolation from the rest of the world caused many of the people to go mad. No one survived this place of extreme conditions. After serving 22 years in the various Russian camps, this Jewish man was set free.

The man flew to NYC to live with family and friends. When the man exited the car, he was singing a Jewish song as if he had just returned from a service at the synagogue. His family and friends were shocked. They asked the man, “Who can you be singing after spending 22 years in Russian prison camps!?” The man replied, “Well, nothing changed when I was in prison. In the morning, I said morning prayers. In the afternoon I said afternoon prayers. At night I said the shema. Just because my location was different did not mean I stopped worshiping God.”

Conclusion
This is what we must take away from everything. If policies change, if we become richer or poorer, if we must move to make ends meet, if we must change our daily lives in accordance with government policies, we can do all these things while still worshiping God.

The government does not affect our relationship with the Creator. The government does not affect our walk with the Creator.

We have the choice to keep on living for God or keep on living for ourselves. It is easy to live for God when our wallets are fat, our freedoms are vast, and peace and prosperity surround is. It is much more difficult to keep following our Maker when we are faced with uncertainty.

Many people want the Messiah to return tomorrow, but they forget the chaos which must first take place—wars, earthquakes, famines, etc. We want the utopian society without the suffering.

May continue to seek righteousness and only righteousness in the days, weeks and months to come.