Joshua 15:63,Jerusalem…the children of Judah. The city of Jerusalem was located in such a place as to be easily defended and nearly impossible to capture, even for the powerful and venerable armies of Israel. It was only by stealth and creativity that David finally captured it some four hundred years later (2 Sam 5:6–7). Much later, both the Babylonians and finally the Romans captured it but only with great effort and difficulty.
Joshua 18
Joshua 18:1,Shiloh…tabernacle of meeting. Shiloh became the center of Israel’s spiritual activity some four hundred years before David captured Jerusalem and made it the center Israel’s spiritual and political life.
Joshua 18:3,How long will you neglect. The children of Israel had grown weary and lax in fulfilling the mission that YHVH had given them to conquer and possess the Promised Land. They had become content to accept only half the victory and half the promise YHVH had made to them. When YHVH gives his people a mission, they must be faithful to complete it to the end all the while trusting him to give them the strength and resources to do so. Sometimes, one generation will start the work of YHVH, but the next generation becomes complacent with the successes of the previous generation the looses the passion to pick up the mantle and to continue the vision forward to completion. This is not the fault of YHVH, nor necessarily that of the first generation, but that of the subsequent generation.
Joshua 18:18,Arabah. This Hebrew word literally means “desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness,” and derives from the Hebrew word arab meaning “to become evening, grow dark.” Often arabah is translated in the KJV as “in the plains of” and relates to the desert area adjacent to Moab, by the Red Sea (probably referring to the Gulf of Aqaba), as well as the desert near Jordan, Jericho, Gilgal. The specific area in these references is referring to the rift valley area running along the Jordan River south of the Sea of Galilee and all the way past the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is believed that King Solomon mined copper in the Timna Valley where to this day there exist some 9000 ancient copper mines and hundreds of smelting sites. This area was also home to the Edomites and Nabateans.
Joshua 19
Joshua 19:9,Simeon. The tribal allotment of Simeon was contained within the tribe of Judah. Some Jewish sages suggest that this is because of Simeon’s vengeful spirit when avenging the rape of his sister, Dinah, in Genesis 34. This assumes that this the descendants of Simeon had inherited a similar disposition to wreck vengeance upon the enemies. Contained with in Judah, they would be less likely to take matters into their own hands and to break out recklessly and to take matters into their own hands in avenging themselves against Israel’s enemies.
Joshua 21
Joshua 21:43,All the land. This is another example where the word all in the Bible does not necessarily mean “all” in the sense that it means in English. Here all means “all that the land that the Israelites were to possess at that point in time,” but not all the land that Elohim had ultimately promised to the patriarchs from the Nile to the Euphrates rivers. That promise is yet to be fulfilled, and will not be so until the return of Yeshua when he establishes his millennial kingdom.
Psalm 8:5,A little lower than Elohim/the angels. The Hebrew says elohim. Is this referring to Elohim (“God”) or to elohim (gods); that is, to the sons of Elohim or beney Elohim (hosts of heaven or angels)as mentioned in Job 1:6 and 2:1? The KJV assumes the first interpretation, while the NKJV assumes the second translation. The second translation seems preferable, since man is not a little lower than Elohim, but is light years below him. By contrast, man is a little lower than the angels. The writer of Hebrews assumes that elohim in this verse is referring not to Elohim but to the sons of Elohim when in Heb 2:7 he quotes this verse and uses the Greek word angelos instead of theos.
Psalm 9
Psalm 9:16,Higgaion. Meditation, resounding music, musing; from hagah meaning “ to moan, growl, muse, mutter, meditate, devise, plot, speak, groan.” See also Pss. 5:1, 19:14 (meditation), and 92:3 (with a solemn sound).
Psalm 11
Psalm 11:1,Flee as a bird. When the enemy attacks, fleeing to a mountain—escapism—seems tempting, yet it’s not the solution, for the arrows of the wicked can reach one there also. So what can the righteous do (v. 3)? They must trust in YHVH (v. 1) to defend the righteous against the wicked. YHVH will bring judgment against the enemies of the righteous (v. 6), for he loves he righteous (v. 7).
Psalm 11:3,If the foundations are destroyed. We have seen the moral, ethical and spiritual foundations of the West and America destroyed, and our societies are now in chaos; we have lost our way, and are destroying each other because of conflicting values. The righteous sigh and cry for the abominations that are committed and the spiritual darkness that has descended upon the land like a led blanket, and for the evil that is overtaking us like a tsunami.
Psalm 11:3–7,What can the righteous do? So what can the righteous do when evil is overtaking them like a tsunami? The psalmist doesn’t answer this question directly. Perhaps there is no answer, at least in the immediate future. Certain things in the course of human events simply have to play out to fulfill the larger, global purposes of Elohim. But the righteous can be assured of several things. Elohim is in heaven ruling, and nothing man can do will change undermine much less destroys the sovereignty of Elohim (v. 4). Moreover, YHVH hates violence and the wicked (v. 5), and he will eventually pass a fiery judgment upon them (v. 6). This is an allusion to the lake of fire, which is the ultimate fate of the wicked. Through it all, the righteous can be assured that YHVH loves them and he keeps them in his sight through all the perils and evil machinations of the wicked (v. 7).
Psalm 14
Psalm 14:1,The fool has said in his heart.Atheists and Elohim haters often don’t verbalize their true belief, but their actions reveal what is really in their heart as the next several verses go on to show. By one’s fruits, the real beliefs of the heart are evidenced.
The modern alternative to believing in a Divine Creator is to credit our existence to evolution, to aliens, or some unknown and undefined spiritual entity somewhere. This is utter idiotic foolishness because it require leaps of faith to believe such, even though there is not a shred of evidence to support such a belief.
Joshua 8:14,When the king of Ai saw it. Pride as a result of over-selfconfidence is folly and can result in disastrous as the people of Ai discovered. Pride creates blind spots preventing one from viewing circumstances realistically and objectively.
Joshua 9
Joshua 9:14,Did not ask counsel of YHVH. In the wake of his success in defeating and destroying Jericho and Ai, Joshua became over confident in his own abilities and failed to consult YHVH, and thus fell to the deception of the Gibeonites. We must consult with YHVH over every major move that we make in our lives. Even though YHVH commanded the Israelites to kill all the Canaanites, allowances were made to spare those who chose not to fight Israel but to submit to and join themselves with Israel. This was the case with Rahab and Caleb.
On the other hand, the Gibeonites surreptitiously wormed their way into the nation of Israel through deceit. This teaches us that the saints are to be ever vigilant against ungodly interlopers who, for one reason or another, seek to become a part of their company. When the saints allow this to happen, they risk being pulled down from a high position spiritually to a lower one, which can lead to apostasy. As Paul states, “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits,”(1 Cor 15:33), or as he declares elsewhere, “Do you not know that little leaven [i.e. sin] leavens the whole lump?” (I Cor 5:6). YHVH’s people are not to assimilate with the world, nor to allow the world to assimilate with them. The saints are called to come out of the world and to be separate and to not touch that which is unclean (2 Cor 6:17). To become like the world is a slippery slop downward toward what the Bible refers to as apostasy or the abandonment of divinely revealed Truth. On the other hand, to require the world to come up to the level and biblical standards of righteousness is the biblical definition of evangelism and can result in spiritual conversion of the heathen from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light or Elohim.
It appears that the Gibeonite people gradually assimilated into the nation of Israel and did not contribute to that nation’s moral decline, for we hear nothing more of them as being a distinct people group.
This story is an example of YHVH’s mercy triumphing over his judgment vis-à-vis both the Gibeonites (who were not killed) and the Israelites (who had failed to obey YHVH).
Joshua 10
Joshua 10:1,Jerusalem. This is the first mention of Jerusalem in the Bible, a city of the Jebusites and also called Jebus (Josh 19:10). There are different opinions as to the meaning of the name Jerusalem. The traditional view is that it means “city of peace, wholeness, well-being” (ayr rHG and shalom OKA). It may also mean “to teach peace, wholeness or well-being” (yareh/ vrH and shalom OKA).
Jerusalem is mentioned 767 times in the Scriptures and is called by seventy different titles according to Menashe Har-El (Golden Jerusalem, p. 24). Although Jerusalem seems to be an atypical place for a city in that it is located inland away from rivers, coasts and ports, it is strategic in that it was the junction of several ancient regional highways and international trade routes that linked three continents.
The children of Israel have come to the end of their forty year wilderness journey. Now YHVH’s people must go forward in possessing the land and the inheritance that he has for them. This is a new beginning for the Israelites. They must go forth and carry with them into the Promised Land YHVH’s teachings or instructions in righteousness—the Torah—as well as the lessons they have learned in their wilderness experience. This principle applies to us as much as it did to the ancient Israelites, for as Paul said, “these things happened to them for examples [or types] and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world [or ages] are come” (1 Cor 10:11).
The saga of YHVH dealing with Israel did not end with the death of Moses. Similarly, the life of a believer does not start and end at the work of Yeshua at his first coming (whom Moses foreshadowed, see Deut 18:15–18). No, as the death of Moses signaled a new beginning for Israel, so Yeshua’s death on the cross marks a new beginning for redeemed believers as they make their way into their spiritual Promised Land. As Joshua (in Hebrew, Yehoshua meaning “YHVH saves”) led Israel into their physical Promised Land, so Yeshua (the Hebrew word for salvation) at his second coming will lead the saints into the “Promised Land” of his millennial kingdom, and then eventually into the spiritual kingdom of the New Heaven and Earth and the New Jerusalem 1000 years later. Read Hebrews chapters three and four for insights and understanding into how Moses and Joshua were prophetic shadow pictures of Yeshua at his two advents.
Joshua 1:1,Joshua … Moses’ servant. For how long was Joshua Moses’ servant before he became the leader of Israel? What does this teach us about YHVH’s discipleship program? How many other servants of YHVH’s does Scripture reveal spent years in training for the ultimate mission YHVH had for them as leaders of his people? How long was Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, the disciples of Yeshua and Paul in training, to name a few, before YHVH was ready to use them for his special purposes? As Matthew Henry says in his commentary on this verse, “Those are fittest to rule, who have learned to obey.”
Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 18,Be strong and of a good courage. Four times in the first chapter YHVH encourages the Israelites with this phrase. Why the fourfold repetition of this admonition at this juncture in Israel’s sojourn? Be strong is the Hebrew word chazak/קזח meaning “to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, and be resolute.”According to The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, the majority of times chazak is used in Scripture it refers to “being strong in battle.”This word can also mean “to harden one’s heart”against YHVH’s purposes as was the case with Pharaoh twelve times between Exodus chapters 4 and 14. Good courage is the Hebrew word amats/ץמא meaning “to be strong, alert, courageous, brave, stout, bold, solid, hard.”The aspect of this word that means “to harden one’s heart” can have both a good and bad connotation. One can harden or secure one’s heart with the resolve to obey YHVH, or contrariwise, choose to disobey him with an obstinate heart as well. Examples in Scripture where amats is used in the negative sense are Deuteronomy 2:30 and Amos 2:14. These two words, chazak and amats almost appear to be synonyms. Why would YHVH use two words with only slight variation in meaning in admonishing the Israelites as they were about to enter the Promised Land? Was he trying to emphasize a point? Perhaps he anticipated that eventually they would grow faint and weary battling the onslaught of evil around them and succumb to the influences of the surrounding pagan nations leading to their apostasy. Perhaps the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews had these two Hebrew words in mind when he wrote the following:
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living Elohim. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Messiah, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, “Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Heb 3:12–19)
The Israelites crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land.
What can we learn from our ancient forefathers in this regard as we face the challenges of remaining faithful to YHVH in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation?
Joshua 1:8, Make your way prosperous…you shall have good [Heb. sakal] success.The expanded meaning of the word prosperous is literally “to press through, to break out”or “to accomplish satisfactorily what is intended” (according to The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament). The TWOT continues, “Real prosperity results from the work of God in the life of one who seeks God with all his heart (2 Chr 31:21; Ps 1:3, vol. 2, p. 766). The word success literally means “understanding, prudence, good sense, insight, prosperity.” An alternate rendering of this last phrase of Joshua 1:8 reads, “Make your way successful, and then you will act wisely” (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanach).
But how is that prosperity and success achieved? The answer is to be found in the first part of verse eight where four keys to success are given. They are:
My commentary on the first five chapters of Genesis is 67 pages. There is no way this can be shared in a blog. So I will give you some hopefully salient snippets from my commentary.
Genesis 1
Genesis 1:1, Elohim created the heavens and the earth. The process of creation lasted for a literal six days as stated in Exodus 20:11.
Heavens. The Bible reveals that there are at least three heavens: the heaven of earth’s atmosphere, the heaven of the sun, moon, planets and stars, and the heaven of YHVH Elohim’s abode.
Genesis 1:16, Greater light…lesser light. Elohim made two great lights to shine in the darkness—the sun (the greater light) and the moon (the lesser light). The sun is a spiritual picture of Yeshua whom the Bible calls the Light of the world (John 1:9; 8:12), the Sun of Righteousness (Mal 4:2), whose face shines like the sun (Rev 1:16), and who will be the light of the New Jerusalem replacing the physical sun (Rev 21:23). But who does the moon represent in this spiritual picture? If the sun is a picture of Yeshua, the Light of the World, then who has been tasked with the responsibility of reflecting Yeshua’s light into the spiritual darkness of this world? Of course, this is the job of the saints who Yeshua called to be a like light on a hill (Matt 5:14), or a menorah lamp stand (Rev 2:1).
Now think about this. Although the moon is a quarter of a million miles from the earth, and because it has no atmosphere to absorb the sun’s light, it is able to reflect the sun’s light to this earth, so that a person is able to see in the darkness of night. The amazing thing is that the moon’s surface isn’t a polished mirror. Rather, it’s a dull rocky surface. Not only that, it’s not even flat. It’s pockmarked—covered with huge craters, mountains, valleys and canyons. With such an uneven, gray and nondescript surface, it seems miraculous that it’s even able to reflect any light at all, much less all the way to the earth! This speaks to the unimaginable power of the sun to throw its light such a great distance through space and then to ricochet it off the moon earthward even though the moon’s surface is anything but reflective.
The moon is a perfect picture of each of us. We are nondescript in appearance, possess rough natures, stoney hearts, gray dispositions, barren of spiritual fruit, possessing no power of our own, pockmarked by sin, covered by mountains of human pride, and etched with canyons of guilt and shame. In truth, YHVH has not chosen many wise or noble people to reflect the light of his Son, Yeshua, the Sun of Righteousness, but instead he has chosen the weak, foolish, despised and base things of this world to put to shame the things that are wise (1 Cor 1:26–28). As the lesser light, like the moon is to the sun, YHVH has called the saints to be his sons of light (Luke 16:8; John 12:36; Eph 5:8; 1 Pet 2:9) to shine the Light of Yeshua into the midst of crooked and perverse world (Phil 2:15).
Since Yeshua has called us out of spiritual darkness into his marvellous light, let us embrace and demonstrate the fact that he calls us a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and his own special people by being ready and quick to proclaim his praises to everyone everywhere every time (1 Pet 2:9)!
The Sun, Moon, the Feasts and the Saints. Genesis 1:14–16 reveals that the sun is the greater light and the moon is the lesser light. The Bible reveals that the sun is a spiritual metaphor for Yeshua who is the Sun of Righteousness (Mal 4:2), the Light of the World (John 8:12) and whose face shines like the sun (Rev 1:16). The saints, like the moon, are the lesser light that reflects the light of Yeshua into this dark world. One of the ways the saints do this is through observing and teaching about the seven biblical feasts, which are the seven steps of YHVH’s plan of salvation. Seeing the visible new moon is how we determine the beginning of the months and hence the dates of the feasts. In other words, by the light of the moon we determine the feasts. The visible new moon is a visible sign (Heb. owt, Gen 1:14) to point us toward YHVH’s seasons or moedim (i.e. the biblical feasts). In the same way, by our reflecting the light of Yeshua and the truth of his feasts into this dark world, we bring the light of the gospel to the world. This analogy breaks down if the month starts when the moon is dark in its conjunction.
Genesis 1:28, Dominion over the fish…birds…[the land animals]. Elohim gave man dominion over the animals. Elohim, however, never, however, gave man the authority to take dominion over other people, which is what Cain, Nimrod and their descendants did when they started cities, states and kingdoms.
YHVH’s government is patriarchal and tribal in nature and is built on the foundation of the family, which is something the devil and his servants have been attacking from time immemorial.
Yeshua echoes this same divine prohibition of man ruling other men in Matt 20:25–26 where he tells his disciples that the Gentiles rule each other through oppression, but that was not how the kingdom of Elohim was to operate. Government was to be based on servant-leadership.
Elohim created man to work the land and to live free, and he designed humans to be more or less self-sufficient and to help each other in loving service to one another when and where needed. The Scriptures decry and even pronounce woe upon those who form urban communities as they “join house to house,” so that people no longer “dwell alone in the midst of the land” on ten acre farms (Isa 5:8–10).
Men’s cities and the hierarchial Babylonian system of government they require to operate is opposed to Elohim’s system of family farms and patriarchal servant-leadership. This is because the urbanization of men results in the collectivization of humans by other humans ostensibly for the purpose of making life easier, but in reality, it enslave them to oppressive human-led governmental systems where humans are forced to look to human leaders for their sustenance and for handouts instead of relying on the Creator. This bondage is forcibly financed through legalized extortion called taxation, and enforced through draconian government regulations that control nearly every aspect of a person’s life.
This transferral from a rural to an urban-based society model not only reduces man’s freedom and self-sufficiency as he becomes increasingly dependent on government for his sustenance, but it also tends to facilitate spiritual apostasy, the breakdown of the family and the stratification or splitting apart of society. In other words, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, class distinctions occur, which further divide and separate people causing racism and prejudice as men slide downward morally and spiritually away from Elohim. The family on the micro and macro levels fall apart and disintegrate.
Moreover, such a system promotes institutionalized religious systems and personally enriches those who are at the pinnacle of those systems. Out of this false, non-biblical system, religious construction projects such as temples, cathedrals and educational institutions abound allegedly to enhance the worship of Elohim, but in reality, they’re usually monuments, not unlike the ziggurat Tower of Babel, of men’s achievements as men are attempting to reach Elohim through their own humanistic efforts and turn themselves into their own self-promoting and self-adulating demigods. Elohim doesn’t require the construction of such projects for men to have a personal, spiritual relationship with him, as Paul states in his epistle to the Romans, which is a rephrasing of a passage from Deut 30, “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?’’’ (that is, to bring Messiah down from above) or,”, “Who will descend into the abyss?”’ (that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach)” (Rom 30:6–8). The construction of denominations and buildings are primarily for the benefit of the ruling elite who have found a way to insert themselves as middlemen between man and his Creator largely for the purposes of money and power.
All of these things are a result of the man’s move from a rural to an urban living environment and taking dominion over one another instead of stewarding the earth and its animals and serving one another in love as Elohim originally instructed him to do.
Genesis 2
Genesis 2:2, The seventh day.Sabbath. Though this is not a direct command to keep the Sabbath (Heb. Shabbat), YHVH was leading his people by example when he sanctified the Sabbath and then rested from his work on this day. In Hebraic thought, one leads by example, without necessarily stating the command to do so. YHVH blessed the family first (Gen 1:28), then Sabbath next. Sabbath keeps the family together that keeps the Sabbath. The imperative command to keep the Sabbath is first found in Exodus 16–30 and then repeated in 20:8–11.
Genesis 2:4,The LORD/YHVH. This is the first mention in the Scriptures of the name of Elohim. He wants us to use his Hebrew names (YHVH, Elohim, Adonai and Yeshua). If not, then why is “YHVH” found in the Tanakh nearly 7000 times? True, we are not to use his Hebrew name carelessly as the third commandments teaches us (Exod 20:7). YHVH’s people have forgotten his name (Ps 44:20; Jer 23:27). His name will be restored and used again (Jer 23:6; 31:23; Ezek 39:7). His name was so precious to his people in ancient times that it was used in common greeting (Ruth 2:4; Ps 129:8; Jer 31:23). The Hebrew name YHVH will be applied to Yeshua at his second coming (Ps 118:26; Matt 23:39). The prohibition of the rabbinic Jews about using God’s Hebrew names is not supported biblically, but is a more recent man-made tradition. Therefore, I believe and teach that the sacred names are to be used.
This chapter is a prophecy pertaining to the second coming of Yeshua, the time of his wrath, and his defeat of his enemies and his installment and rule as King of kings during the millennial age.
Psalm 2:7,You are my Son; this day have I begotten you [or brought you forth]. (See also Acts 13:33, Heb 1:5; 5:5). The word begotten is the Hebrew word yalad meaning “to beget, bare, to be born, bring forth or deliver”and refers to the action of giving birth. In this verse, Elohim is acting as a spiritual midwife delivering his son and then presenting it to the world. This is a prophecy where at some time in the future, YHVH Elohim will officially present his anointed Son, the Messiah, to the world. This prophecy was fulfilled in Luke 3:22 at Yeshua’s baptism and the subsequent announcement from heaven as to who Yeshua was. Yeshua did not become Elohim’s son at his baptism; rather, he was simply presented to the world.
Yalad is the same word used in Isaiah 7:14, “Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear [yalad] a son … ” andusually refers to a literal childbirth but can be used in a figurative sense as well. Its usage occurs 498 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, so its uses are rich and varied.
We believe Psalm 2:7 is yet another clear reference to the incarnation and virgin birth of the Messiah at the hands of Elohim just as this concept is echoed numerous times in Testimony of Yeshua:
John 1:14, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:18, No man hath seen Elohim at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 3:16, For Elohim so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:18, He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of Elohim.
Acts 13:33, Elohim hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Yeshua again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
Hebrews 1:5, For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Hebrews 5:5, So also Messiah glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
Hebrews 11:17, By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
1 John 4:9, In this was manifested the love of Elohim toward us, because that Elohim sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
In an to divert attention away from Yeshua the Messiah, modern rabbinic scholars have purged this verse of Messianic meaning referring its fulfillment instead to king David (See ArtScroll Schottenstein Edition Tehilim, p. 4, explanatory footnotes). But this has not always been the case in rabbinic circles. According to Santala, the ancient Jewish sages as well as medieval Jewish scholars such as Rashi, Rambam and Ibn Ezra all viewed Psalm 2 in a Messianic light (Santala, pp. 68-69, 117-119). As proof he quotes the Jewish Midrash (commentary on Psalms) stating this (ibid.).
Psalm 2:12,Kiss [nashaq] the son. Or “kiss the feet of the son” as an act of homage and as was the ancient Near Eastern when a subject came before his king (according to The TWOT).
Psalm 4
Psalm 4:4,Meditate/commune. Heb. amar. This verb, primitive root, means “to say” and, beyond its basic definition, has a wide range of meanings including “answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge or charge.” This verse speaks of saying within one’s heart or the act of talking to oneself or, in other words, meditating on or thinking about something. In the process of engaging in this activity, one may receive divine insights or inspiration from Elohim. In another psalm, this is referred to as receiving an oracle within one’s heart (Ps 36:1).
Meditate…on your bed…be still.When we are quiet and relaxed, not anxious or distracted is when we are more likely to hear from Elohim. As the psalmist stated elsewhere quoting Elohim, “Be still and know that I am Elohim” (Ps 46:10). Elijah found this out in the cave. Elohim was not in the wind, earthquake or the fire but in the solitude and silence when he heard the still small voice of his Maker (1 Kgs 19:11–12).
Psalm 4:6,Lift up the light of your countenance upon us.Countenance is Hebrew word paniym. Light is the Hebrew word ohr from which our English word aura ultimately derives. Light is a biblical metaphor meaning “truth” or “the ultimate, divinely revealed Truth (capital T) that comes only from YHVH Elohim as opposed to small T truth derived through natural, human observation.” Here, ohr is spelled non-defectively (rwa instead of ra) with the vav indicating “the full light of YHVH’s face or truth.”
Psalm 4:7–8,Gladness…lie down in peace…safety.When we have stilled our heart, meditated on YHVH and have heart his voice, and he has made the light of his face to shine upon us and has revealed his Truth to us, a sense of joy or gladness (Heb. simchah), peace (Heb. shalom spelled non-defectively as ~wlX meaning “ a full, divinely imparted peace as opposed to ~lX or a peace that is derived from physical or human emotional sources) and we will be able to dwell, rest or sleep with a complete sense of safety and security in him.
Psalm 4:7,More than in the season.The joy or simchah that comes to those who are recipients of YHVH’s favor and the light of his Truth far exceeds that of physical blessings including the joy of a bountiful harvest for the farmer whose life depends on such for his physical survival and flourishing. This reminds us of Yeshua’s command and promise that to those who seek first the kingdom of Elohim and his righteousness, all of the physical blessings of life will automatically accrue to such a person.
Psalm 5
Psalm 5:5,You hate.The idea of Elohim hating is anathema to the sensibilities of most Christians. After all, doesn’t the Bible declare that “Elohim is love” (1 John 4:8,16)? How could he also hate anything, much less people? Yet this is what this verse says, “[YHVH] hates all workers of iniquity.” Let’s explore this concept and try to understand how this could be so.
But first, let’s define the word hate. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, hate means “to have a strong dislike or ill will for; to wish to avoid.” According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the word hate in the Tanakh (or Old Testament) means “to hate as an enemy or foe, to be utterly odious.” As used in the Testimony of Yeshua, hate means “to detest.”
Here are some examples of certain things that Elohim hates, and of Elohim commanding his people to hate certain things as well.
Your throne, O Elohim, is for ever and ever…. You love righteousness, and hate wickedness… (Ps 45:6–7)
Here we see that Elohim loves what is good and detests that which is evil or sinful (or Torahless).
The foolish shall not stand in your sight; you hate all workers of iniquity. (Ps 5:5)
Workers of iniquity is a biblical expression referring to “those who walk contrary to Torah.”
YHVH tries the righteous, but the wicked and him that loves violence his soul hates. (Ps 11:5)
These six things does YHVH hate, yes, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brethren. (Prov 6:16–19)
Elohim strongly dislikes or detests those things that are sinful (Torahless) or wicked—those things which hurt people and which cause pain and suffering. Even his hatred is out of a heart of love for the lost and a desire for them to repent and return to Torah.
For I, YHVH, love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. (Isa 61:8)
YHVH hates religious hypocrisy, and those who plunder his people spiritually for their own personal gain.
Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.”(Jer 44:4)
When people disobey the Word of Elohim, YHVH hates this and calls it “an abominable thing.”
Seek good, and not evil, that you may live, and so YHVH, the Elohim of Hosts, shall be with you, as you have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate; it may be that YHVH Elohim of Hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. (Amos 5:14–15)
Here Elohim commands his people to hate evil and to love good even as he does.
The fear of YHVH is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. (Prov 8:13)
Elsewhere we read that “the fear of Elohim is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 1:7). Therefore, we can conclude that an aspect of godly wisdom is to hate evil even as Elohim hates evil. Wisdom is a biblical Hebraism meaning “Torah.”
These are the things that you shall do: speak you every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates, and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath, for all these are things that I hate, says YHVH. (Zech 8:16–17).
All their wickedness is in Gilgal, for there I hated them, for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more; all their princes are revolters. (Hos 9:15)
Elohim hated the house of Israel (Ephraim) because of their rebellion against him and their wickedness (or Torahlessness), because they had turned away from Torah (Hos 8:1,12), and because they had become morally and sexually corrupt (Hos 9:9).
But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Rev 2:6).
Here YHVH commends these early first century believers for hating the sinful (Torahless) deeds of the heretics called the Nicolaitans, even as he (YHVH) hated them. Here YHVH teaches us that we are to hate the actions of false teachers who come into the congregation or the spiritual body of Yeshua. We also learn that we’re not to hate the sinner, but to hate the sin. We are also to hate the things that Elohim hates.
From the above study, hopefully we can learn several things. When studying these verses of the Scriptures in the context of the rest of the Bible, we should see that while Elohim is a God of love, and he loves humans so much that he sent Yeshua, his Son, to die for us, he is, at the same time, an Elohim of justices, righteousness and holiness. He abhors the sinful (Torahless) deeds of wicked and rebellious men, for sin and evil destroy that which he loves. He desires that all men turn from the sin (Torahlessness) that will not only hurt them and others now, but will damn them to the lake of fire for eternity. In brief, he hates those things which destroy or make impossible a loving relationship with him—our Heavenly Father (see 1 John 1:9–2:2).
Should we hate the workers of iniquity as YHVH does?
There are levels and degrees of sin and sinfulness. We must love the things Yah loves and hates the things he hates. The problem is knowing when and how to hate not only the sin but also the sinner. It’s not that these are to be separated, but how do we separate them in our minds without falling into sin ourself—the sin of pride, the sin of thinking we’re better than the next guy, the sin of hypocritical judgmentalism, the sin of hating someone when we should be loving them? So as not unwittingly to fall into these sin traps, it is safer for us, in most cases, to love the sinner and hate the sin.
When Yah hates the workers of iniquity, this is a class of people who are so sold out to sin that they have become reprobate. They are hell-bent,and there’s no stopping them. Most people aren’t that far gone spiritually and there is still hope for them the repent. If we hate all sinners, then how are we to have the right perspective and heart attitude to be able to love them into the truth?
John 3:16 says that YHVH so loved the world…. That means, in a general sense, he loves everyone—even the sinners, which is why he sent Yeshua. He loved us while we were yet sinners (Rom 5:8). So he loves everyone, but he hates those who, again, are so sold out to sin, like Satan, that they are beyond redemption.
David talks about hating with a perfect hatred (Ps 139:22). This involves hating those who hate YHVH. Most people don’t really hate YHVH, but some do. This is the hatred with which Yah hates. It’s a hatred that is not sinful. I don’t know that we’re capable of that in most cases without ourselves falling into sin. That’s why, in most cases, it’s better to stay on safer ground and to hate the sin and not the sinner.
Psalm 7
Psalm 7:1,Shiggaion. From the verb shagah meaning “to reel about through drink.” The plural form, shigionoth, is found in Hab. 3:1. The word denotes “a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion; a song of impassioned imagination accompanied with suitable music; a dithyrambic ode.”
Psalm 7:8,My righteousness. YHVH will judge humans according to their righteousness. Righteousness is based on one obedience to YHVH’s Torah as well as the righteuosness of Yeshua that is imputed to each saint to make up for each person’s own lack of righteousness. Our own righteousness can’t save us, but it will determine our rewards in the afterlife (Matt 5:19).
Ecclesiastes 11:1–2, 6,Cast your bread. Go through life being a giver, for it will come back to you. Some people call it karma (a Hindu expression reflecting the pagan idea of reincarnation). In the Bible, on the other hand, it can be referred to as the law of reaping and sowing or the law of reciprocity: you reap what you sow.
Ecclesiastes 11:3,If…there it shall be. Many things that happen in life are what they are, and you cannot change them, so accept them and just deal with it.
Ecclesiastes 11:4,He who observes the wind. If one spends one’s life waiting around for ideal conditions before doing anything, then one will never accomplish anything.
Ecclesiastes 11:5,You do not know. If it is impossible for us to wrap our brains around aspects of Elohim’s physical creation and how he interacts with humans on a spiritual level, then how can we understand his ways and methods? (Why even try to understand things that are above our limited capacity to do so? It is futile. Just praise, worship and obey YHVH Elohim!) For example, modern science has discovered much about the world around us, but wherever scientists’ searches take them, they eventually hit up against a wall of impenetrable mystery beyond which lays the unexplainable and ultimately the spiritual realm or dimension and the divine. Why not be a wise person and skip the middle man and go there directly by seeking, praising, worshipping and obeying YHVH Elohim?
Ecclesiastes 11:7–10,O young man. This is a final call to young people, upon whose shoulders the future rests, to wake up from the often foolish youthful ways and to face reality and the light of truth while they are still young and before it is too late. The old and wise Preacher instructs the youth to enjoy life, but that while doing so, not forget that a day of reckoning is coming. Even though ultimately everything in life is vanity or empty, meaningless nothingness, there is nevertheless something else beyond it all that is there for those who are wise and will open their eyes to the reality of this truth.
Ecclesiastes 12
Ecclesiastes 12:1,Creator[s]. Heb. boreka, plural. (For more examples of the plurality of the Creator, see also Job 35:10; Isa 54:5; Ps 149:2 according to Bible commentators Keil and Delitzsch, Adam Clarke, Matthew Henry, Jamison Faucett and Brown, and John Gill.)
Ecclesiastes 12:1,Remember. Remember means “do not forget.” With youth comes the zest for life, idealism, much energy, many distractions and the notion that one will live forever, that is, that old age is so far down the road that who needs to think about end of life issues? The wise Preacher says, “No! Stop now while you are young and remember your Creator.” Remember is the Hebrew word zakar meaning “to think about, meditate upon, pay attention, recollect, commemorate, invoke and confess.” This word indicates deep thoughtfulness and critical thinking. How many young people (and even older folks) stop even for a moment from the busyness of life to deeply ponder the long term consequences of their actions before the difficult days of old age come? When one is young is the time to make the necessary adjustments in one’s life, so that one will end up in a good place at the end of life when it is too late to do so. And the missing ingredient to insuring this, according to the Preacher, is to “remember your Creator in the days of your youth.” This is such a simple instruction, yet so hard for most young people to implement. Very few heed this advice, and if so, only marginally. Sadly, most young people end up only giving their Creator the left over crumbs of their time, energy and attention.
Ecclesiastes 12:2–8,The rigors of old age. In this section, the Preacher describes in the most graphic and poetic terms the perils and difficulties of old age. He especially focuses on health issues and the deterioration of the body along with life’s desires and passions. All begins to die until there is little left to live for and mere existence becomes a painful and burdensome task.
Ecclesiastes 12:6,Remember your Creator. Even though this phrase is not in the original Hebrew text, it is implied, which is why the translators inserted it here. So once again, the wise Preacher, after describing the perils and plight of old age, challenges the youth to factor their Creator into the equation of life while they are young before it is too late—before death stops the time clock of life and the judges’s gavel falls and the final judgment on one’s life is rendered. As Scripture reveals elsewhere, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…” (Heb 9:27), and “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor 5:10).
Ecclesiastes 12:7,The spirit will return to Elohim. Previously, the Preacher almost provokes if not taunts the reader into thinking about end of life issues by asking the question, “Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?” (Eccl 3:21). Now at the end of his dissertation, he affirmatively declares that the spirit of man returns to Elohim who gave it. This is an important fact to consider in that there is a part of each of us that returns to Elohim at the time of death. Even though each man possesses as an aspect of his makeup a immortal substance called spirit (along with his soul and body; see 1 Thess 5:23; see also Heb 4:12; Luke 23:46; Ps 90:10), this in no way implies that the spirit of man is conscious after the body’s death. Scripture is silent on this subject. Yet one thing is clear. Physical death is not the end of the human. There is more, yet the Preacher fails to elucidate on this point.
Ecclesiastes 12:8,Vanity of vanities. As we have noted before, this phrase is found only twice in Ecclesiastes: once at the beginning of the book (Eccl 1:2) and here again at the end. Also, as discussed previously vanity is the Hebrew word hebel meaning “vapor, breath, wind” or figuratively, as the author of this book often uses it, “worthless, senseless, empty, futile or vacuous.” The root of the word hebel is the verb “to act emptily.” Thus, as we have seen after examining Ecclesiastes, the vast majority of human activities can be summed up as nothing more than being emptiness, meaningless and senseless. As the Preacher starts the book, so he ends the book with this terse and seemingly hopeless summation of life…yet he does not actually leave the reader in this hopeless place.
Ecclesiastes 12:13–14,Hear the conclusion. “Look heavenward!” the Preacher seems to declare. Through the gloomy mist and fog of life’s conundrums, the author continually encourages his readers to look up toward the heavens for the answers to the nagging questions about the meaning and purpose of life. He then concludes by saying,
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear Elohim and keep His [Torah] commandments, for this is man’s all. For Elohim will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. (Eccl 12:13–14)
Couple these verses with the revelation that the human spirit returns to Elohim when we die (v. 7), and that each of us will be judged for what we have done while in our bodes and rewarded accordingly (2 Cor 5:10), and if a person heeds the advice of the Preacher, it will end up well for him eternally.
Therefore, the overall message Ecclesiastes may seem gloomy and hopeless, there is a silver lining, so to speak, in this dark cloud called life for those who remember their Creator and look up and fear him by obeying his Word.
