Loving my enemy!

First of all, an apology to anyone who may have expected to receive this mailing yesterday! My wife and I are currently visiting dear friends south of Paris and, last evening, we got into a deep discussion on the thorny topic of divorce and remarriage! I shall endeavour to ensure that the next post - on the third Sunday of the month, will be sent out on time!

Last time, we looked at the parable of the Prodigal Son (or the Loving Father), as one of the best-known of the stories that Jesus of Nazareth told.

Another of those parables that is well-known even by those who make no claim to be followers of Jesus, is the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10).  Indeed, this parable has, at least in its name, become part and parcel of everyday language.  How often have you heard someone say (or maybe even said yourself) that, in a particular situation, “[Name] was a good Samaritan.”  What is usually meant is that the person helped out in what may even have been a rather insignificant way.

However, the parable goes much more deeply than that!  

The man who was travelling down the tortuous mountain road from Jerusalem to Jericho, was a Jew.  After he had been attacked, robbed, stripped, and left for dead, the first person to come along the road was a Jewish priest.  It would appear that he was travelling up the road towards Jerusalem, presumably to take up his duties in the Temple.  He saw the man, but “passed by on the other side” because, if he had touched a dead body, he would have been barred from the Temple service.  Then came a Levite – another Temple worker – and, for the same reason, he too “passed by on the other side”.

The poor man, who may have managed, through barely-opened eyelids, to see these fellow-Jews; these ‘pillars of society’; these religious personages; pass by, must have been in deep despair.  Suddenly, he heard the clip-clop of a donkey.  He peered through his bruised eyes and, to his horror, saw a Samaritan! 

Now, to understand his reaction, we must realise that Jews and Samaritans, in that culture, hated each other with a passion that would have made the feelings of certain football club supporters towards one another seem like genuine fondness by comparison!  What would this man do?  Would he take advantage of the situation, and ‘kick the man while he was down’?  How amazed the victim would have been to be so gently, and carefully, tended to by this member of a hated ethnicity!  Not only that, but when they reached the next inn, the Samaritan paid for him to stay there until he had recovered – and assured the innkeeper that if the injured man needed to stay longer than had been paid for, he would settle the account on his next trip!  By the way, he must have had a good reputation to be thus trusted!

Of course, this is what Jesus had taught in what we usually refer to as "the Sermon on the Mount" (Matt. 5-7) where we read: «You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.» (Matt 5:43-48).

The priest and the Levite allowed duty, even "religious" duty, to get in the way of helping a fellow-man.  The Samaritan helped his fellow-man, even ‘though it meant overcoming ethnic hatred.

I wonder what you or I would have done – or would do – in a similar situation.

It’s a thought! 

Watch your tongue!

In my personal devotions I have, for some weeks, been going through the letter from James, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus. I have now completed it (again!) and, earlier this week, I spent some time looking at just one verse. It was the 12th verse of chapter 5 which reads: "But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation."

In the earlier parts of the letter, James has shown his concern about "the tongue" - in other words, about our speech. For example, in chapter 3 he writes: "... the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no human being can tame the tongue - a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening fresh water and brackish? Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh." (James 3:5-12; emphases added). Sadly, most of us know, all too well, the truth of those words!

Now the words of 5:12 may be interpreted, quite properly, as referring to the oaths that Jewish people of the time were prone to take. Jesus, Himself, referred to this practice: "Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil." (Matt 5:33-37). 

William Barclay explains that there was a distinction between 'binding' and 'non-binding' oaths. Any oath that used the name of God was binding; but those that did not, were not binding! This resulted in people becoming expert in what the Professor names "evasive swearing", and it was to this practice that the Lord Jesus referred.

However, Steve Maltz, a Messianic Jew, makes another valid point - not directly from James' letter! He points out that "Oh my God", "God help me", and similar expletives are all too common - and that they are blasphemous: a breaking of the Third Commandment. However, he points out that one place we will never hear, or read, any such exclamation is in a synagogue, or a devout Jewish home! Indeed, devout Jews have such a reverence for God that they won't even write, or say, "the Name". They will use "HaShem" (the Hebrew for "the Name"), or "G-d/L-rd", omitting the vowel.

Sadly, many who claim to be disciples of Jesus, use the Lord's Name in vain without even realising it! Just exclaiming the Name of God, or of Jesus, even if it is in 'code form', or thinly disguised, (e.g. "Jeeze", "O.M.G.", "Goodness gracious"), is not a reverent invocation, but a casual disrespectfulness. Jesus said: "I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matt 12:36-37).

R.V.G.Tasker, in his Tyndale NT Commentary on James, writes: "There are few spheres of conduct in which the young Christian today needs to take the injunctions of the Epistle of James more to heart, than in this matter of frivolous and indiscriminate oaths, and the thoughtless mention of the divine name in general conversation." (p.125).

I suspect that those words apply, equally, to many who are not "young Christians"! "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips!" (Ps 141:3).

East is East and West is West.

East is East and West is West … or is it????   No!  East is west … I bet you didn’t know! But you’d better believe it. Read on for an explanation.

 

The story of Sheik Jarrah is as follows.  In 1948 Jordan sized and occupied what they called the West Bank. Jewish inhabitants were driven out (yes there were Jewish refugees from the area occupied by Jordan in 1948.  The houses located there previously in Jewish occupancy were then inhabited by Palestinians rent-free but never owning the properties to which the Jewish owned property company held legal title valid in Israel. When Israel recaptured the “West Bank” in 1967  the occupants of the houses remained rent-free.  When the occupants were recently given notice to vacate the premises they refused. That is when the property company filed a lawsuit to serve the occupants with an eviction order.

 

From that incident has grown the outrageous story that the Israeli Govt is evicting Palestinians in order to Judaize the district which they term “East Jerusalem”  but it’s not in East Jerusalem ; this is the description attributed to the district because international opinion is that Israel occupies "East Jerusalem” illegally!

 

(May 14, 2021 / JNS) CNN ran a news story on May 9 with the headline “Israeli Supreme Court delays hearing on Palestinian evictions from East Jerusalem neighbourhood.” This followed an official press statement issued on May 7 by the U.S. State Department that reported “concern” about “evictions in East Jerusalem, settlement activity, home demolitions and acts of terrorism … .”

The catch? The area in the news is not in “East Jerusalem” at all. What’s more, there is not now, nor has there ever been in history a political entity known as “East Jerusalem.”
A glance at any map of the city shows that the neighbourhood Sheik Jarrah, including the parts also widely known in Hebrew as Shimon HaTzadik for centuries, is not in the capital’s east. It is in the north, about 1.25 miles north of the Western Wall, the Kotel.
In fact, this area is farther west than numerous well-known parts of Jerusalem, such as the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (construction began in 1918) and Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus (construction began in 1934).
The term “East Jerusalem” is an artificial construct that supporters of the Arab cause use in their propaganda in order to make it appear as if that part of the city is an intrinsically Arab area that Jews are illegally entering. In reality, there are Jewish neighbourhoods throughout the eastern, western, northern and southern parts of Jerusalem. It’s a pity when American politicians and news outlets play along and use such geographically inaccurate and politically loaded language.
East and West in Israel are not simple geographic terms as they are in the United States, where Northeast Philadelphia, the Upper East Side in Manhattan and East L.A. are used to denote neighbourhoods and sections of a city. In Israel, where Judea and Samaria have been labelled as the West Bank, things are different. The term West Bank was created by Arab propagandists to de-emphasize the area’s inherent Jewishness and to disassociate the land from the State of Israel. East Jerusalem was similarly invented.
“East Jerusalem” has, for CNN, many in the State Department and others come to be shorthand for areas of Jerusalem where the residents are predominately not Jewish and should therefore be surrendered to a future Palestinian state. But this does not mean that “East Jerusalem” has ever been an actual place.
When anti-Israel extremists created the term, it was for one reason: They sought to rip Israel’s capital apart in order to defeat Israel. This effort tragically gained full force with the 1993 Oslo Accords. This was fully explained in the B’tzedek Online Journal in a Dec. 30, 1996 editorial titled “The War Has Just Begun”:
“The Oslo Accords are indeed the fulfilment of the PLO “salami” strategy. That is to say, Israel shall be destroyed not through overt military action of Arab nations, but through the whittling away of Israeli resolve and slow but determined territorial expansion of a Palestinian state. Slice by slice, Israel will be carved away by the knife of terrorism and world opinion, both deftly handled by the Israeli created Palestinian entity.”
The very name Jerusalem means “city of peace,” “city of completeness” and “city of perfection.” In fact, there is no “eastern” or “western” when it comes to Jerusalem. There’s just one Jerusalem in the entirety of history.
In both the Tanakh and the Christian Bible, every single instance when a specific location in Jerusalem is mentioned refers to an area that the European Union and others would now see given to the Palestinian Arabs. The term “East Jerusalem” cannot be found in a Bible.
Put another way, what they would have us call “East Jerusalem” is Jerusalem’s Old City and its surrounding neighbourhoods. The original and oldest parts of Jerusalem are in this “East Jerusalem.”
American policy on Jerusalem had veered horribly off-course until former President Donald Trump followed U.S. law and upheld the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 by relocating the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The late Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) wrote in 1996 that “Israel is the only nation in the world denied the right to choose its own capital. This second-class citizenship among nations must end.” Helms was right. It is up to friends of Israel in the United States to make sure that the embassy stays put. One way is to keep news outlets like CNN honest when they report on Jerusalem, its neighbourhoods, and its residents. 

From darkness to light.

It's traditional for many, during the Christmas and New Year period, to listen to a performance of Georg Friedrich Handel's "Messiah". The complete libretto is taken directly from the Word of God, and the music is at times gentle; at times moving; at times, positively heavenly.

One well-known chorus is based on Isaiah 9:6: "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called 'Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace'." 

This chorus is preceded by an aria based on Isaiah 9:2: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined."

The question may well be asked: "Who are these people?" This is why the previous verse should not be overlooked! It prophesies what will happen to those who are in the shadows. "But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the former time He brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time He will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations."

The tribal lands of Zebulun and Naphtali were in the fertile agricultural lands of northern Israel, a multi-ethnic area where many pagans had settled. The description here extends it west to the Mediterranean Sea and east to the other side of the Jordan River. But its location put it on the immediate path of the Assyrians when they swept north to conquer Israel in 722 BC. These tribes were the first to experience the overwhelming cruelty of their conquerors. They certainly knew darkness, and gloom!

About seven hundred and fifty years later, Jesus began his teaching in Galilee, in the same part of Israel, a region despised by the religious élite of Jerusalem. Matthew points out that Jesus began here deliberately, to fulfil this prophecy (Matthew 4:13-16). In this "land of darkness", His message was heard by many Gentiles. He visited the pagan territory of the Gadarenes where He healed people possessed by demons (Matthew 8:28) and went to Tyre, on the Mediterranean coast, where He healed the daughter of the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28). His kingdom was not only available to the Jews, but to everyone, and that includes you and me! We may all be drawn into His glorious light.

Unlike the Assyrian warriors, the Messiah didn't sweep down with military force, but was born in humility as a child, bringing a kingdom where the poor, the meek, the hungry and the suffering would be the blessed. Unlike the Assyrian empire, His kingdom would have no end. As the Christmas season approaches, let us thank God the Father for "His inestimable gift" (II Cor. 9:15), Who has become the Saviour of all those who trust in Him.

  https://youtu.be/VmX52fHLFC4

  https://youtu.be/MS3vpAWW2Zc

Please copy and paste if the links don't work!

Sowing seed; presenting Jesus.

This morning, I was able to tune in to the online worship service provided by the Harvest Church in Hamilton (Lanarkshire!). The pastor,Willie Watt, was speaking on the well-known parable of Jesus: The sower and the seed. His main point, if I understood him correctly, was that the responsibility of the believer to sow that seed - the Gospel message. However, it is only a work of God the Holy Spirit in the heart of the individual, that will bring about that change known as 'conversion'.

In John 7, the apostle records that Jesus had gone up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. He went to the Temple, and was teaching openly. Some of the people wondered if the authorities really knew that He was the Christ - the Messiah. The Pharisees heard these questions and, with the chief priests, sent Temple officers to arrest Jesus. These men listened to Jesus, and returned to the chief priests and the Pharisees - without Him! We read, in vs.45-46: "The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring Him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"

The testimony of the Temple police to the matchless power of Jesus' teaching is most telling! Sent to arrest Him, they were so impressed by Him that they could not do so - risking the fury of their masters! If people will take the time and trouble to really look at Jesus - not, as my former minister, the Rev. George B Duncan often said, at the church; or at Christians; or at the clergy - but at what He said, and what He did, they cannot be anything but impressed! T.R.Glover, a Cambridge University lecturer in Classical Literature, wrote: "Jesus remains the very heart and soul of the Christian movement, still controlling men, still capturing men - against their will, often - changing men's lives,and using them for ends they never dreamed of." 

The challenge of this to present-day disciples of Jesus seems to be: Be uncompromising in presenting the Lord Jesus! Or, as Pastor Watt might have put it ths morning - Be bold in sowing the seed of the Gospel! Perhaps some of us are so side-tracked into "doing good works in His Name" that we forget to mention the Name itself - sometimes because of a mistaken idea that we may embarrass people; sometimes, to our shame, to spare our own embarrassment.

It is the business of the disciple of Jesus to present Him to the world. "... Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Matt 28:18-20). It is the business of the disciple of Jesus to make it clear that He has a rightful claim on our lives. No amount of "do-gooding" will, by itself, achieve that. Paul wrote to the early believers in Rome: "... But how are men to call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?" (Rom 10:14).

Whilst there is no record of any of the Temple police having become followers of the Nazarene because of what they had heard, their reaction is impressive. Our own bold, and unhesitating offer of the Saviour to our contempraries might well have surprising results! And, if we are not yet, ourselves, His disciples, then looking to Him, and to Him alone, may be sufficient to lead us to full salvation.

Spare the rod; spoil the child!

Being able to share the "offending" comment that resulted in my current ban on Facebook (although I am seriously considering leaving that platform because of the, imo, unnecessary changes that are being forced upon us!) has raised an unexpected issue! A private message from someone who had read the comment, stated that it was "unBiblical" to "wish harm on others"!

In my defence, I would point out (as I have done two posts ago) that my "offensive" "hate speech" comment was nothing of the sort. Here it is again: "Why does the IDF [the Israeli Defence Force] not shoot at the balloons before they cross into Israel proper? That way, they would fall on the perps [i.e. perpetrators] - and maybe cause them a few well-deserved burns!"

Now, as stated before, please note that I did not suggest that anyone be killed, or even badly injured. I did not suggest that the IDF shoot at the terrorists - merely the balloons. I did not seek to incite others to take any action whatsoever. I did not even suggest that the perps be burned! That word "maybe", that I have highlighted, is very important. I wasn't even wishing that such a thing would happen - but suggesting that, if it did, it would be deserved!

I wonder if the person who accused me of being unBiblical is a parent. I wonder if that person is aware of what God's Word says in Proverbs 13:24 - "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him." This is not suggesting that a parent should physically abuse his/her children. It is advocating firm discipline. But that may be, temporarily, physically painful! I know that it was for me as a child; and I know that it was for my own children. Of course, it was only done when deserved!

Or what about the Lord Jesus, Himself? John records "The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple He found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. And making a whip of cords, He drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and He poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And He told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make My Father's house a house of trade." (John 2:13-16). He made "... a whip of cords,". Now, if that whip had been used only on the animals, that might be excused. But look again at the words - "He drove them all, with the sheep and oxen,". Who, do you think, is included in "them all"? May I suggest that it refers to the sellers - human beings. Yet the incarnate God, the Son inflicted such physical punishment upon them! Did He not think that they deserved their punishment? Perhaps my critic would wish also to criticise Him?! Somehow, I think not!

So what is the basic message of this post? I am trying to say that we should be careful before we criticise. We need to be certain that our criticism does not, itself, go against the teaching of the Word. None of us is infallible. We make mistakes. We get it wrong. We criticise where no criticism is warranted. This may be okay for the 'moderators' of Facebook (at least one of whom, it was recently announced, is a 'hardline Muslim!), but not, I would contend, for those of us who bear the Name of the Lord Jesus, the Christ. 

All of that aside, may I encourage you to make this page one of your "favourites" so that, if I do decide to leave Facebook, you may still keep up with the messages that I publish here, and that I always endeavour to make faithful to the Word.

Blessings, and shalom. 

The Romans' Road; Part 1

If you have read through the Biblical texts in the previous post (and, if you have not yet done so, I would encourage you to go there now!) you may have noticed that, out of a total of ten Biblical text, three (i.e. 30%) were from Paul's great letter to the believers in 1st century Rome.

Paul's Letter to the Roman believers is, of course, one of the greatest books in the written Word of God. My thoughts about what heaven will be like keep changing, as I get older. However, if I do have the opportunity to sit down with Paul, I shall ask him to go through Romans with me, and explain all the parts that I still have difficulty understanding to any degree of fulness!

One aspect of Romans that I do understand is what has been described as "The Romans' Road" - a well-engineered pathway to full salvation. None of the following is, therefore, original. I share it because, for many, it may be new. I share it, because there may be someone who reads this post, and who, in the providence of Almighty God, is ready to set out on that road. May it be a blessing to all who read - but especially to anyone who may find new life in the Lord Jesus, the Christ, as they travel along it.

The Romans' Road starts, appropriately, at the beginning. In what we know (although remember that none of the Bible books were written in chapters and verses!) as the first chapter of Paul's great letter, we read: "Ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature, namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; for although they knew God they did not honour Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened." (Rom 1:20-21). We know, of course, that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen 1:1), but if we wish to walk this road, then we must acknowledge Almighty God as the Creator of everything, humbly accepting our own position in His created order and purposes. The writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus wrote: "... without faith it is impossible to please Him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." (Heb 11:6).

Is this where you need to be - just at the beginning of the road? Do you need to accept that you are but a mortal being, whose life may be snuffed out at any moment - even by something as small as a virus, as is happening to so many at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic? If you refuse to believe that He even exists, then you are not able to take even the first step on this road! Please look at the evidence - it's all around you. 

However, if you are able to take that first step, then you may move on to the second one. And that is simply that we must realise that we are sinners, and that we need forgiveness. Many believe that they will go to heaven because they have lived a "good" life, done some charity work, been baptised as an infant, attended church 'regularly'("I never miss the Christmas Eve Service"!), or treated others fairly. However, Paul writes in Romans 3:23 that "... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,". In other words, none of us (and the word "none" is a contraction of "not one"), judged by God's standards, is worthy. Each of us is a sinner - and that is not the easiest thing to admit. It hits us where it hurts - in our pride! But it's true, and it is an essential step on this road.

Remember how that came about. Almighty God had created a perfect world, and two perfect beings - the man, Adam, and the woman, Eve. However, "... the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'? And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'' But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. 

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?' And he said, 'I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.' He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?' The man said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.' Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?. The woman said, 'The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.'" (Gen 3:1-13). Sin had entered the world, and we are all born in sin. You are not a sinner because you sin; you sin because you are a sinner. That is your nature, and there is nothing that you can do about it!

Just one more step in this post (we'll share the remainder in the next one!). It's not really a step that we must take, but more of a truth that we must accept - and in which we may rejoice. That truth, Paul shares in Romans 5:8 - "... God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." You and I can do nothing about our sinful nature but, praise God, He can - and He has! He has given us the way by which our sins may be forgiven, and our sinful nature renewed. That way was to come into the realm of time, in the very human flesh that He had created, in the Persona (not a typo - see the chapter on the Trinity in my book "Great Words of the Faith"; link at the top of the page. ALL royalties sent directly to Release International in support of the persecuted church) of the Son, the Lord Jesus, the Christ.

It was on a cross, on a hill outside the ancient city of Jerusalem, that He became the One Who paid the penalty for your sins, and for mine. As someone has said, and I often quote: "He paid a debt that He did not owe, because I owed a debt that I could not pay".

Well there are still a few steps to take on this Romans' Road. But that is all for now. Be sure to check Part 2. Blessings, and shalom.

True security

So, the General Election, 2019 is now a part of history - a part that a number of former members of Parliament will be only too eager to forget! I took the time to at least "skim" through the manifestos of the major players in the election. One area that was not given much, if any, space was that of national defence! (I apologise if I simply missed it!).

Yet defence of the realm is, surely, one of the major responsibilities of any government. Certainly, feeling secure is a high priority for many in this unsafe, volatile world. Ask those living in London; or in the southern parts of Israel; or in any of the "hot-spots" - national or urban. I read, earlier today that one private investigation agency (I suspect in the USA!) promises to "work diligently to restore the sense of security and safety that you and your family deserve."

As some may recall, I recently spent the first part of my personal devotions in the Book of Psalms (actually "BookS of Psalms - there are five of them in a single volume!). The composer of Ps. 91 found a place of safety and security. That is good - but what is better is that you and I may rest secure in that same place! The psalmist described it in a number of ways. 

First of all, he writes of abiding "... in the shadow of the Almighty," (v.1). Shadows, of course, provide protection from the direct heat of the sun - something that can be very severe in the Middle East! However, even if the heat is severe, being in the shade reduces what we actually feel. When you and I are under the shadow of Father God - being protected by Him - then we do not face the full heat of our difficulties. We may not be removed from them, but His presence enables us to persevere.

The psalmist then goes on to describe Almighty God as "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust." (v.2).  The Creator of all that exists is the strongest protector we could ever have - and we may run to Him for help in any, and every situation. Nothing can get past Him, unless it is as part of His own loving plan for our ultimate good.

The third word-picture that the psalmist draws is in v.4. "... under His wings you will find refuge;" So many have a picture in their minds of God as some kind of celestial police officer, intent on punishing us for every wrongdoing. They have not read, or understood, what is often referred to as "the Gospel in a nutshell". "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:16-17). The God of the Bible is not, of course, some "easy push-over". However, He is soft and tender, like a caring mother bird. Remember when the Lord Jesus wept over Jerusalem? "O Jerusalem , Jerusalem , killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" (Matt 23:37). When troubles rage, He draws us close - if we are willing! We don't need to fear that He will cast us out, if we are His!

Just one more reference from a number of those available. "Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent." (vs.9-10). If we are dwelling "in the Lord" He will be our home, our habitation, now and forever! 

True security can be found only in the God Who promises to save those who call upon Him; and to hold them close Himself. He is the One Who can be "... Emmanuel" (which means, God with us)." (Matt 1:23) in a personal sense. As the celebration of the birth of the only-begotten of the Father draws close, may all who read these words find, in Him, their refuge, their strength, their eternal hope.

Meditation

It was while my elder daughter was a student at the, then, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, that I first came across the beautiful piece of music by the French composer Massenet, that is named "Meditation". Indeed, it caused a wee bit of friction between my daughter and me when she asked me to purchase a copy of the score while I was in Glasgow. She merely asked if I could obtain a copy of the "Massenet" (probably because the Meditation is his best-known piece). However, what my non-professional ear heard was a request for a copy of "the Mass in A"!!! "By whom?", I asked. "Massenet!", came the reply. "Yes, I heard that. But who is the composer?" "Dad, Massenet is the name of the composer!" The conversation was actually a little longer than that - but left one somewhat chastened father!!!

However, the meditation referred to at the top, is the mental exercise of giving deep and focused thought to something. Today is known, in the English-speaking world, as "Good Friday", and is the day on which disciples of Jesus especially recall His death on the cross at Calvary, just outside the old city of Jerusalem.

People often ask the understandable question: "Why did Jesus die?" The New Testament writers don't go into a lot of detail about the crucifixion,. They had no need to do so. It was an all-too-common occurrence in the Roman Empire! In his record of the event, Mark simply writes: "And they crucified Him ..." (15:24). But why was He crucified in the first place? This was One Who had never committed any crime; Who had gone about doing good; Who was loved by children (who seem to have an instinct about adults who may be trusted!). Why would He suffer and die in such an agonising fashion?

Jesus did not die as a frustrated "super-star, in spite of the name of a well-known musical from last century. He did not die as an exemplary hero for some cause. Indeed, the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ (Messiah) was not even, primarily, an act of love! His death was, primarily, a sacrifice for sin. There was love, deep love, in it. It was His love for you, and for me, that held Him to that cross. But, first and foremost, it was a sacrifice.

Jesus "...gave Himself for our sins ..." (Gal.1:4). He Who knew no sin, became sin for you, and for me. Paul writes to the Corinthian believers: "For our sake He [the Father] made Him [the Son] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him [the Son] we might become the righteousness of God." (II Cor 5:21). It is not too many years since I came across that verse and, in spite of having read it countless times before, something of the horror of it suddenly hit me. For a brief moment of human time, the spotless, sinless, Son; the Second Persona of the Trinity; Himself God; became sin! Sin - that upon which Almighty God cannot bear to look. Sin - the very opposite of the Holiness and perfection of the Father . Sin - that vile, filthy, rejection that spits in the face of the Father Who loves with an everlasting love (Is.54:8). Sin - in all of its blackness, its obnoxiousness, its evil, its nastiness, and any other similar description. He became sin - for us!

I realised, on the day when that verse first "hit" me - as it had never done before - that it was at that moment, in time, that Jesus experienced what He did not experience in all of eternity: the Father turning away from Him. That was when He uttered those words, known as "the cry of dereliction" - "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matt 27:46). It was, surely, at that moment that Jesus experienced separation from the Father. How that happened, in the unity of the Godhead, I do not know. But it would have been, for Him, much, much worse than all of the physical pain and agony that He had already endured. And it was for you, and for me.

On this "Good Friday", take time to think deeply on this truth. Take to heart those words uttered by John the Baptiser: "Behold, the Lamb of God , Who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29), and rejoice that He did it for you!

Please pray for me.

It's been too long since I last published a post on my blog! In fact, I haven't done so since last year!! So, safely back home, and having caught up on a lot of other essentials, it's time to do some serious work. The subject of this post is the very important one of prayer.

The apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, asked his Christian friends in the great Roman metropolis to pray for him: "I appeal to you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company." (Rom 15:30-32).

Paul asked these fellow-believers in the capital city of the Roman Empire to join with him in prayer as he anticipated his visit to Jerusalem with the contributions he had gathered from Gentile (non-Jewish) believers. He not only needed deliverance from hostile opponents, but desired also that his service among the saints of God (i.e. every one who has come to Father God in repentance, and faith, accepting the salvation so graciously offered through the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus at Calvary) would be acceptable. He fully believed that the Lord works when His people spend time in earnest intercession for others. He then expected that he would be able to joyfully travel to Rome and find further refreshment in the company of the disciples of Jesus who dwelt there.

The whole story is recorded in Acts 21:17 - 28:16, but you must look that up, and read it in a Bible, as it is too much for me to put into a post! Things didn't work out quite as Paul had expected! However, what we must emphasise is that he submits himself, with his whole being, to the sovereign will of Almighty God for life, and death, and eternity. That is why he writes "... by God's will ..."!

One day, a humble labourer was on his knees smashing stones on an anvil, when his pastor came by. Impressed by the man's untiring effort, the pastor exclaimed, "John, how I wish that that I could break hard hearts the way you break those stones!" John immediately responded: "You can, pastor - but you must do it on your knees."! Every disciple of Jesus who longs to be truly effective in touching lives for the Master, must learn this lesson - a lesson that is not easy to learn!

Intercessory prayer is a wonderful source of strength and encouragement to those who are brought to the Throne of Grace. One minister of the Gospel records that one of the greatest blessings he ever received came at the bedside of an elderly, and infirm, woman whom he had visited. After he had prayed with her, she placed her hand on his and said: "Now, pastor, let me pray for you." She did so and, then informed him that she had been faithfully praying for him for the past ten years! He left that home greatly renewed in his own spirit.

A Scandinavian pastor preached before a congregation to which my wife and I belonged, many many years ago. I regret to have to confess that I remember little of his message. However, what I do recall is of great importance, as he encouraged us to specifically inform brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus when we were praying for them! What we might term "the other side of that coin" is that, like Paul, we should not be hesitant in asking fellow-believers to pray for us!

A final thought for this post. In his commentary on the great Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus, Raymond Brown makes this heart-searching statement: "To be prayerless is to be guilty of the worst form of practical atheism." Someone else has written, conversely, that the best way of influencing others for God, is to uphold them, in prayer, before God!

Please pray for me!

Abraham - the father of the faithful. (2)

So, there was Avram, setting off on the greatest 'mystery tour' in history! He set off, not knowing his destination, but in obedience to the command of El Shaddai, and with His promise ringing in his ears: "... I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves." (Gen.12:2-3).

The promise was not only to Avram's descendants, but to all of mankind - "... all the families of the earth ..."! Almighty God, the Creator of all that exists, chose to reach out to the entire world, by choosing Israel to represent Him - and He started with Avram.

On Sunday, I was preaching on Paul's description of disciples of Jesus, as given in II Cor.5:20, where he writes: "So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us." One of the points that I made was that an earthly ambassador is important, not on his own merit, but because of the monarch, president, or emperor who has chosen the ambassador to represent him. With such "chosenness" comes the great responsibility of correctly expressing the ideas, and carrying out the plans, of the one represented. However, this is not done solely for the benefit of the ruler. The ruler and his many ambassasdors work together to serve all of the peopleof the country.

Likewise, El Shaddai choosing Israel was not God favouring one nation (as yet not even in existence!) oveer another. It was about the Creator manifesting His love to the entire world - and He chose Averam as His first ambassador to carry out His plan.

God longs to have a relationship with each and every person individually. That is why we were created. El Shaddai longs for each of us to have a personal knowledge of Him. His plan for communicating His identity to the world, and how to repair the relationship that was broken in the Garden of Eden, would be through the nation of Israel - the descendants of Avram, Yitzak, and Yacob. Within that larger scope, His plan has been working out through many people and events: Moses; the Torah; the prophets; and, in the fulness of time, through Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus the Messiah, or "Anointed One").

Israel became a conduit of God's blessing to the world, and the path for the world to reach Him. A Son of Israel, Yeshua, would manifest this blessing further as "... a light that will bring revelation to the Goyim (Gentiles) and glory to Your people Isra’el." (Luke 2:32; CJB). Israel reveals both the heart of God, and the ways and depth of His love. This unique relationship with Israel draws mankind to Him. "Adonai-Tzva’ot (the LORD of Hosts) says, ‘When that time comes, ten men will take hold — speaking all the languages of the nations — will grab hold of the cloak of a Jew and say, “We want to go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.”" (Zech.8:32; CJB). With His identity forever linked to Israel (the nation!), God's reputation is wrapped up in Israel's destiny!

Biblically-aligned believers, defined by their personal relationship with Yeshua, understand that "... salvation comes from the Jews."(John 4:22; CJB). That salvation would come through the One Who spoke those words - haMashiach, for Whom the Jewish people have been wating for millennia. Jewish people pray, on a daily basis, for the coming of Messiah as foretold in the Tanakh (the 'Old Testament'). Israel has already had the privilege of her Messiah's coming - to Bethlehem, as prophesied by Micah: "But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y’hudah, out of you will come forth to Me the future ruler of Isra’el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times." (5:1).

Yeshuah made apublic declaraion that He was the Anointed One when He read, in the synagogue in Nazareth, this prophecy from Isaiah; "The Spirit of Adonai Elohim is upon me, because Adonai has anointed me to announce good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim freedom to the captives, to let out into light those bound in the dark;" (Isaiah 61:1; CJB).

God's message of salvation and redemption, which Yeshua (Jesus) taught during His three years of public ministry, was directed specifically, to the Chosen People. He was fully conscious that He "... was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Isra’el." (Matt.15:24; CJB). Yet, He ministered to all who put their faith in Him, as Messiah, and instructed His Jewish followers to reach out to all mankind: " Then He said to them, “As you go throughout the world, proclaim the Good News to all creation. Whoever trusts and is immersed will be saved; whoever does not trust will be condemned." (Mark 16:15-16; CJB).

God's plan of spiritual redemption through Yeshua HaMashiach, is available to all who repent and believe that Yeshua paid the penalty for our sin. He paid a debt He did not owe, because we owe a debt we cannot pay! His followers now await His second coming, when He comes to defend the Children of Israel, and reign from the Holy City - Jerusalem. Are you ready?!

Temple Mount Tensions

The past week has seen a great deal of violence in, and around, the area of the Temple Mount, in the true capital of Israel, Jerusalem. The MSM tend to be, in general, guilty of an anti-Israel bias, so I offer you the link below that will, I trust, provide a more accurate perspective on this situation.

It has been published by CUFI (Christians United for Israel).

http://www.cufi.org.uk/news/temple-mount-tensions-timeline-of-the-facts/

It has just been pointed out to me that the link is not operating correctly! However, if you "copy and paste" then that seems to do the trick! I apologise for that. :-)

Die spending it!

Although I read the Bible on a daily basis, and although I read plenty of "theological" books, I also enjoy reading a good mystery story, or a thriller. In the story I started to read during "gouter" this afternoon, one of the characters provides the line: "I made my money, and it's all mine. I'll spend it all before I die!"

I am unable to recall the precise wording on a tee-shirt I saw someone wearing, a long time ago. However, it was along the same lines (and those of the heading to this post). It is, undoubtedly, a very natural idea. If I have worked hard to amass a fortune (I haven't, by the way - amassed a fortune, that is!), then it seems only fair that I should enjoy the fruits of my labour, and spend that fortune on myself - doesn't it?!

There is, of course, one major flaw in that attitude - not one of us knows, for certain, when we are going to die! If I had £1million in my bank account, and I want to spend it before I die, then I had better be quick about it. I may die in my sleep tonight; I may be hit by a speeding car, tomorrow; a meteor might, even as I type, be hurtling through the earth's atmosphere, heading directly towards my home, and I have only another 75 secs to live. I suspect that it would be difficult to spend even £10, never mind £1million, on oneself, in 75 secs!

Space, we were told in the early series of Star Trek, was the final frontier for mankind. Not quite true. From a purely human perspective, we know a great deal more about space than we do about death. It is, in our contemporary society, the "taboo" subject. Many refuse to use the word at all! Their loved one has not "died", but "passed away", or "passed over", or simply "passed"; or they have "kicked the bucket", or are (if the funeral, and a burial, have taken place) "kicking up the daisies"!

At least a part of the reason for this is the fear we tend to have, of the unknown. What happens when we die? Is it a case that, as the humanist atheist would have us believe, that we simply cease to exist, and return to the basic elements of which we are composed? Or, perhaps, as those who believe in the concept of reincarnation would claim, that we return in a different body - that may, or may not, be human - depending on how well we have lived this current life?

The Bible says, quite simply that "... it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment," (Heb.9:27). This life is not a rehearsal - it's the real thing. However, that same Bible also makes clear that there need be no fear. Why? Because death, and hell, and the grave have been defeated! At Calvary, just outside the ancient city of Jerusalem, almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son, was crucified for your sins, and for mine. That, in itself, is an amazing truth. He paid the penalty that was, and is, deservedly mine! However, that wasn't the end. For, on the third day, the tomb in which His dead body was laid was found to be empty! He had been raised from the dead, and ;lives forevermore.

This is why the genuine disciple of Jesus has no fear of death. There may be concern about the process of dying, that can often be a long, drawn-out, painful experience. But death itself? Paul wrote: "'O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Cor.15:55-57). That whole chapter is actually well worth reading!

There is another common saying that "There are no pockets in a shroud", i.e. when I die I will leave behind as much as Bill Gates - everything! (Okay - so his 'everything' will be somewhat more than mine! But you get my point?!). Jesus said: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt.6:19-21). All that I can "take with me" is what I have sent on ahead - my life given over to His control, as I accepted, by faith, the salvation so graciously provided by Him. (see Eph.2:8).

Does the thought of death cause you dismay? Then come to the One Who has conquered death, and let Him lead you through the remainder of your mortal life. You'll never regret it, if you do.

Independence Day - in Israel.

Today, in Israel, is known as Yom Ha’atzmaut. It is the anniversary of the Israeli Declaration of

Independence in 1948. It is officially observed on the 5th of Iyar according to the Hebrew calendar, although this date is often adjusted by a day or two in order to ensure that the Yom Ha’atzmaut festivities and the Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) commemorations, that take place the day before, do not interfere with the observance of Shabbat. Today was the 69th anniversary of the establishment of the new State of Israel in fulfilment, many are convinced, of the Biblical prophecies concerning the nation - cf. Amos 9:14-15; Ezekiel 37:10-14; Jeremiah 16:14-15 et al.

However, there is another prophecy that is being fulfilled before our eyes. In Gen.18:17-18 we read these words of YHWH (the covenant name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob): "YHWH said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." (emphasis added; see also 22:18, 26:4).

So, how has this prophetic word been fulfilled? Well let me share just some of the achievements of the nation of Israel, since 1948 - and remember that, during that whole 69 years, she has had to deal with the enmity of most of the surrounding nations - with Iran, in particular, making no secret of its desire to see the nation destroyed, and every one of the Children of Israel dead.

• .

Did you know, for example, that 

• Israel designed the airline industry’s most impenetrable flight security system;
• Israel is the only country in the Middle East that based its principles of government on both democratic liberal values and on the values of the Biblical prophets;
• Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth;
• Israel has the world’s second highest per capita rate of published books;
• Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees;
• Israel has more museums per capita than any country;
• Israel developed the cell phone, Windows NT and XP operating systems, Pentium MMX Chip technology, the Pentium-4 microprocessor, the Centrino Processor, voice mail technology, and AOL Instant Messenger ICQ;
• Israel has the highest per capita rate of home computers in the world;
• Israel designed and implemented the Iron Dome Defense system;
• Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees in the world;
• Israel is second in the world in the number of start-up companies behind only the U.S.of A.;
• Israel has the world’s largest per capita number of biotech start-ups;
• Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce;
• Israel is a world leader in water renewal, recycling, desalination, and solar heating;
• Israel invented the drip irrigation system used around the world;
• Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for ;breast cancer
• Israel’s Given Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill that can view the small intestine from the inside to detect for cancer and digestive disorders?

On top of all of that, there is the almost unbelievable improvement in the natural environment where one can see the fulfilment of yet other prophecies. In Isaiah 35 we read: "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon." (vs.1-2). And when will this amazing transformation take place? When "... the ransomed of YHWH shall return, and come to Zion with singing;" (v.10). In other words, when the redeemed Children of Israel return to Jerusalem, and the land that YHWH promised to their forefathers.

Of course, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) executive committee, in its great wisdom (sarcasm should be noted!) decided today in another politicized, anti-Israel decision regarding Jerusalem, that everything Israel does in Jerusalem is illegal. As in the case of past anti-Israel resolutions, the text was authored by Arab states. No hint of bias there, then (further sarcasm!). Let those of us who love Israel, and the Jewish nation, pray for the nation, and against every anti-Semitic move by those who wish only her demise.

L'Chaim Yisrael!

Gratitude - and blackmail!

The following is an e-mail sent out by Dr. Arieh Eldad an M.D. at Hadassah Hospital in Israel:

"I was instrumental in establishing the "Israeli National Skin Bank", which is the largest in the world. The National Skin Bank stores skin for every day needs as well as for war time or mass casualty situations.

This skin bank is hosted at the  hospital Hadassah Ein Kerem University in  wherJerusaleme I was the Chairman of plastic surgery.

This is how I was asked to supply skin for an Arab woman from Gaza, who was hospitalized in Soroka Hospital in Beersheva, after her family burned her.

Usually, such atrocities happen among Arab families when the women are suspected of having an affair.

We supplied all the needed Homografts for her treatment. She was successfully treated by my friend and colleague, Prof. Lior Rosenberg and discharged to return to Gaza .

She was invited for regular follow-up visits to the outpatient clinic in Beersheva.

One day she was caught at a border crossing wearing a suicide belt.  She meant to explode herself in the outpatient clinic of the hospital where they saved her life.

It seems that her family promised her that if she did that, they would forgive her.

This is only one example of the war between Jews and Muslims in the Land of Israel.  It is not a territorial conflict. This is a civilizational conflict, or rather a war between civilization & barbarism.

Bibi (Netanyahu) gets it, Obama did not, but Trump does. I have never written before asking everyone to please forward onwards so that as many as possible can understand radical Islam and what awaits the world if it is not stopped.

Dr. Arieh Eldad"

So, in the allegedly "apartheid" Israel, this Gazan Arab woman received first-class treatment after having been treated so badly by her own family! She shows her gratitude by being prepared to die, as long as Jews died with her! Of course, one may give her the benefit of some doubt by saying that she was, effectively, blackmailed into this suicide bombing attempt. Perhaps she was caught because her heart wasn't really in the deed she was sent out to accomplish. However, it is also true that, had she successfully detonated those explosives that were strapped to her body, she would not have been able to enjoy the "forgiveness" of her family! Surely she must have realised that!

Please feel free to share this account. In a world in which anti-semitism is on the rise; in which the propaganda of the Arabs who occupy parts of Israel, and claim that it is their birthright as "Palestinians" (conveniently ignoring the fact that there has never been a nation of "Palestinians"); in which even the UN seeks to re-write history by denying any Jewish claim to the "Temple Mount" - when even that name gives the lie to their Arab-nation inspired stupidity; those of us who recognise the truth must not be backward in coming forward in support of the Children of Israel who, as Corrie ten Boom's father reminded her, are still "the apple of His eye"! (see Zech.2:8, inter al).