Oh, how I look forward to the Sabbath that is about to descend upon us once again! More and more I look forward to the 24-hour day that God set aside for us to rest in His Presence. As the days get more tense and fearsome, the Sabbaths get more and more precious to me.
This morning I spent time in the book of Micah and several things were quickened to me. He writes of a time when these warnings apply: "Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace, be careful of your words. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother - a man's enmies are the members of his own household. But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD. I wait for God my Yeshua (Savior); my God will hear me."
It is surely a prophecy for today. This time when Syria is literally about to fall, as prophesied in Isaiah 17. This time when the Islamic Caliphate is rising and the "Dark Knight" - Satan himself - is in over-drive, trying to divide and destroy the people of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I awaken to the news of a mass killing in a movie theater near Denver last night - during the screening of the film "The Dark Knight Rises." How horrific, yet how prophetic this act is!
Trembling, I read on in Micah, and find that place of shalom and rest that we are given in the Shabbat: "Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD's wrath, until He pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see His righteousness! Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will lay their hands on their mouths and their ears will become deaf. They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They will come trembling out of their dens; they will turn an ear to the Lord our God and will be afraid of You. Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry, but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us, you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:5-10, 16-19
Oh, Father, your promises are sure and wonderful beyond my knowing! There IS a remnant of your inheritance even in our day, O God, who loves You with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength! We watch the wicked in their diabolical schemes, and know that their end is soon. We keep our eyes fixed on You, Yeshua, the Author and Finisher of our faith! And we stand in awe that You would forgive us our transgressions, covering us with the precious Blood of our Messiah, and keeping us safe through the plagues and tribulation to come.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my Rock, and my Salvation, He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend upon my God; He is my Mighty Rock, my Refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge! (Psalm 62:5-8)
Shabbat Shalom!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
A Talking Donkey on a Narrow Road
This week's Torah portion contains the well-known story of Balaam, the seer, who is enticed by Balak (the wordly king of Moab) to curse Israel. Probably the reason this story is so well-known, is because of the talking donkey. Until Shrek came along, this was the only talking donkey we had ever heard about! But this talking donkey story has a critically important lesson to teach us. My favorite part occurs in Numbers 22:22-26: "Balaam was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing on the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road. Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again. Then the Angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or the left."
Does this not speak to your heart? Has it not happened sometime in your own life that God got you into a place so narrow (maybe between a "rock and a hard place") that you HAD to stop and open your eyes to see Him redirecting you, and opened your ears to hear Him (even if it took a talking donkey to get your attention)?!
Three times this beast of burden saw the Angel of the Lord (who was Yeshua) standing in the path to try to keep his master Balaam from going any further with the evil mandate to curse God's people, Israel; and three times Balaam ignored the donkey's attempts to stop him, and beat the poor animal! Even a dumb donkey could see the glory of God in its path, but Balaam was blinded by the temptation of earning a "handsome reward" for his divination. The story reminded me somewhat of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand when the huge working elephants strained against their chains until they were able to break them and run up to higher ground, while the humans perished in the gigantic waves!
The verses above use key terminology like "narrow path with walls on both sides" and "the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or the left." This is where the Lord wants you and me today: on the narrow path, with our eyes and ears keenly attuned to Him. In Matthew 7:13-14 the Lord tells us, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it."
He is even warning us today through fires and storms! A fire broke out in the city of LAST CHANCE, COLORADO. What a message! Did anyone hear it? A vicious windstorm devastated the mid-Atlantic region this week and the storm is known as a derecho. The word derecho is defined as "a straight path" and a derecho storm is "a windstorm that travels in a straight path for hundreds of miles." I could not help but hear the Voice of the Lord crying through this storm, as John the Baptist cried out to thousands in his day in the words of the prophet Isaiah, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, "Make straight the path for the Lord!"
Our gracious God still gives us free will. We can choose to heed his warnings to stay on that straight path, or go off on our own way. We can choose to curse or to bless others, which will result in cursings or blessings for ourselves. We can elect to stay on the narrow road that leads to life, or go on down that broad road of self-gratitifcation and pleasures of the flesh, which ultimately leads to destruction.
I pray it does not take a talking donkey for God to get through to me! How about you?
Does this not speak to your heart? Has it not happened sometime in your own life that God got you into a place so narrow (maybe between a "rock and a hard place") that you HAD to stop and open your eyes to see Him redirecting you, and opened your ears to hear Him (even if it took a talking donkey to get your attention)?!
Three times this beast of burden saw the Angel of the Lord (who was Yeshua) standing in the path to try to keep his master Balaam from going any further with the evil mandate to curse God's people, Israel; and three times Balaam ignored the donkey's attempts to stop him, and beat the poor animal! Even a dumb donkey could see the glory of God in its path, but Balaam was blinded by the temptation of earning a "handsome reward" for his divination. The story reminded me somewhat of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand when the huge working elephants strained against their chains until they were able to break them and run up to higher ground, while the humans perished in the gigantic waves!
The verses above use key terminology like "narrow path with walls on both sides" and "the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or the left." This is where the Lord wants you and me today: on the narrow path, with our eyes and ears keenly attuned to Him. In Matthew 7:13-14 the Lord tells us, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it."
He is even warning us today through fires and storms! A fire broke out in the city of LAST CHANCE, COLORADO. What a message! Did anyone hear it? A vicious windstorm devastated the mid-Atlantic region this week and the storm is known as a derecho. The word derecho is defined as "a straight path" and a derecho storm is "a windstorm that travels in a straight path for hundreds of miles." I could not help but hear the Voice of the Lord crying through this storm, as John the Baptist cried out to thousands in his day in the words of the prophet Isaiah, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, "Make straight the path for the Lord!"Our gracious God still gives us free will. We can choose to heed his warnings to stay on that straight path, or go off on our own way. We can choose to curse or to bless others, which will result in cursings or blessings for ourselves. We can elect to stay on the narrow road that leads to life, or go on down that broad road of self-gratitifcation and pleasures of the flesh, which ultimately leads to destruction.
I pray it does not take a talking donkey for God to get through to me! How about you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)