Hoshana Rabbah Blog

Midrash with Natan Lawrence

Hoshana Rabbah Blog

The Importance of Using the Biblical Names of Elohim

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Exodus 3:14–15, I AM THAT I AM. The name YHVH is Elohim’s memorial name forever. It reflects that fact that he is; that he is undefinable in human terms, and that he has always existed. This is the name by which he is to be remembered (not forgotten as is the case with the ineffable name concept of the rabbinic Jews whereby the names of deity are forbidden to be used).

The Scriptures clearly teach us that YHVH wants his people to use his Hebrew names and titles (e.g. YHVH, Yah, El, Elohim, Adonai and Yeshua). If not, than why is “YHVH,” the personal name of the biblical deity, found in the Tanakh (or Old Testament) almost 7000 times?

Despite the proliferation of the name YHVH in the Bible, men are not to use his name carelessly as the third commandments teaches us (Exod 20:7).

The problem is that YHVH’s people have forgotten YHVH’s Hebrew names and worshipped pagan gods instead (Ps 44:20; Jer 23:27). Interesting, it’s a fact that most of our common English substitutes for the Hebrew names of Elohim derive from the names of pagan deities (e.g. God, Lord, Holy, Christ, Jesus). At the same time, the Scriptures prophesy that YHVH’s name will be restored and used again (Jer 23:6; 31:23; Ezek 39:7).

Interestingly, Satan’s name has never been changed down through the millennia from one language to another. The names of significant Hebrew biblical personalities along with Greek and Roman notable historical figures remain essentially unchanged to our day. However, the Hebrew names of Elohim and his Messiah not only have been changed, but often masked under the names of pre-exisiting pagan deities. Doesn’t this sound like a Continue reading →

 

Do you desire to be a spiritual leader? READ THIS!

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Luke 6:40, Perfectly/fully trained. Those disciples of Yeshua, the Master-Teacher, who are properly trained, fit out, prepared or equipped can become like Yeshua the Master-Teacher. Those who aren’t properly equipped or trained to teach are like the blind leading the blind and will cause others to fall into a spiritual ditch (Luke 6:39).

The person who isn’t properly trained, but who is trying to lead people spiritually, not only will be like a blind man leading the blind, but will also be hypocritical in their judgments and assessments of things. This is because they lack the experience, wisdom and skills to be able to point out the faults of others because they are still inexperienced and have too many blind spots themselves and are still like the blind leading the blind (Luke 6:41–42).

This is why Paul very carefully lays out the qualifications for those in spiritual leadership in the local congregation. A spiritual leader was not to be an inexperienced individual, a new convert or a novice (1 Tim 3:6), but well-discipled in YHVH’s truth before hand (Tit 1:9).

Paul goes on to say that it is good thing for a person to desire to be a spiritual leader (1 Tim 3:1), but it isn’t a good thing if they doesn’t meet the criteria or qualifications, which Paul then lays out (1 Tim 3:2–13).

The problem is that in our day, there are many individuals who desire to be leaders and teachers, but who are self-appointed, and who have not been perfectly or fully trained. Since the advent of the internet, such people now have an easily accessible pulpit-platform from which egotistically to influence others. Sadly, they are like the blind hypocrite in Yeshua’s parable leading many astray and causing many to stumble and to fall into spiritual ditches of false doctrines and errant teachings.

Just because someone has a website, a YouTube channel, has published a book, spoken at a conference, has academic credentials or been on radio and television doesn’t mean they have been perfectly equipped or fully trained for the position of a Bible teacher or a leader in the spiritual body of Yeshua.

We may not always know what a person’s background or qualifications are, but the spiritual fruit they produce, whether good or bad, can be an excellent indicator as to what type of spiritual tree they are, as Yeshua goes on to say in the next verses (Luke 6:43–45).

Those who sense a divine calling on their lives to teach or to lead YHVH’s people need to be first discipled and raised up by older and mature, wise spiritual leaders who have a proven track record of good spiritual fruit. This is the biblical way!

 

Florida girl, 11, wearing headphones, looking at phone hit and killed by train

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Parents and those who care for young people: PLEASE teach the young people in your life the basic rules of common sense and the necessary survival skills to function in modern life thus protecting them from needless tragedies! We are all too addicted to our electronic devices. If we’re not careful, we’re going to have a society full of mindless, zombified idiots who can’t even walk down the street without getting injured or killed.

My wife and I can’t tell you how many people we encounter in our town whose heads are glued downward to their electronic devices when crossing a busy street. They don’t even look up to check on-coming traffic before stepping off the curb. They just assume the cars will stop. Is life so cheap to them that there’s no fear of death? Are they so addicted to your devices that their brains have become mush? Dear Lord, please save us from our own stupidity! Do you anyone out there know what I mean?

From: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/04/florida-girl-11-wearing-headphones-looking-at-phone-hit-and-killed-by-train.html

By Madeline Fish | Fox News
Yazmin White, 11, was struck and killed by an Amtrak train while walking home Wednesday.

Yazmin White, 11, was struck and killed by an Amtrak train while walking home Wednesday.  (Fox 13 Tampa)

An 11-year-old girl was hit and killed by an Amtrak train in Florida Wednesday after she failed to hear the train conductor’s horn blow while she was crossing the tracks, investigators said.

Yazmin White was on the way home from a supermarket before walking through a wooded area and trying to cross over the railroad tracks, according to a media release.

Polk County detectives investigating the death said the conductor blew the train horn and started braking when he saw the girl attempting to cross the tracks. Investigators said Yazmin didn’t make any indication she was aware the train was approaching — and evidence revealed she was wearing headphones at the time.

The conductor also told police she was looking down at her phone while she was walking.

trainscene

The Amtrak train conductor says he blew the horn but Yazmin was wearing headphones.  (Fox 13 Tampa)

The train, which had 12 passenger cars and two engines, was going about 68 miles per hour when it struck the 11-year-old.

“We are completely heartbroken and send our deepest condolences to Yazmin White’s family,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “This is a tragedy no parent or family should have to go through. Please keep them in your prayers.”

Yazmin attended Davenport School of the Arts where she studied piano, according to Fox 13 Tampa.

 

Elgin, Ill. Man Threatened to Have House Condemned for Sheltering Homeless

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The city officials of Elgin, Illinois had better be prepared to hear the condemnation of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah when he returns to this earth for not letting Greg Schiller do exactly what Yeshua commanded decent and caring humans to do: to feed the hungry, cloth the naked and visit those in prison—in other words, care for the needy (The Bible, Matthew 25:31–46).

Sometimes the laws of men run counter to the higher laws of Elohim (God) as spelled out in the Bible. In those cases, for example, to save lives, one must be willing to break the laws of man. Saving a life takes precedence over obeying the ordinances of bunch of godless two-bit city officials who have no fear of Elohim and view themselves as demigods! Shame on the lot of them!

You politicians are commended for having a city homeless shelters, but what is to be done when they’re full resulting in people freezing to death on the streets? If only one homeless person dies of exposure to the cold, who could have found refuge in Greg Schiller’s basement, then you will have that person’s blood on your heads, and, unless you repent of your sin, Yeshua will have this to say to you on judgment day:

 Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these [e.g. care for the homeless], ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (The Bible, Matthew 25:45–46).

From: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/elgin-greg-schiller-slumber-parties-homeless-cold-467714563.html

Elgin Man Told to Stop ‘Slumber Parties’ for Homeless During Cold, He Says

A suburban Chicago resident who was offering up “slumber parties” in his basement for homeless people in his neighborhood during dangerously cold weather says city officials have given him an ultimatum.

Stop the “slumber parties” or the house will be condemned.

Greg Schiller, of Elgin, said he began letting a group of homeless people sleep in his unfinished basement last month during brutally cold nights, offering them food, warm beverages and a cot to sleep on while watching movies.

“I would stay up all night with them and give them coffee and stuff and feed them,” he said, adding that no drugs or alcohol were allowed inside his residence during the evening events.

Last winter, Schiller offered up his garage to area homeless, but said he was told he could no longer do so after EMTs were called to help a man with a heart condition. That’s when he had the idea to move them to his basement – complete with all the activities needed to consider them simply “slumber parties.”

Schiller believed city code allowed for slumber parties, but officials said there are “sleeping regulations” for basements and Schiller’s basement doesn’t meet those requirements.

“While we appreciate those who volunteer to provide additional resources in the community, Mr. Schiller’s house does not comply with codes and regulations that guard against potential dangers such as carbon monoxide poisoning, inadequate light and ventilation, and insufficient exits in the event of a fire,” city spokesperson Molly Center said in a statement.

Schiller said city officials and police officers came to his home with a warrant Tuesday and went into his basement. There, he said they found his ceiling height too low and windows too high and too small to be an egress.

“They shut me down and said I have 24 hours to return my basement to storage and take down – I have several cots with sleeping bags for everybody – or they’ll condemn the house.”

Center confirmed that Schiller was given 24 hours to clear the basement in an emailed statement, adding, “If not, the City will take additional enforcement action to compel the removal of the unlawful basement sleeping area. 

[NATL] Extreme Weather Photos

AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Officials had earlier threatened citations for other violations at the home, which is owned by Schiller’s girlfriend, including a broken window, a fold-up trailer on the property and a portable toilet he had set up for the group to use, Schiller said.

“I’m trying to help these people get out of the cold,” he told NBC 5. “There’s not a lot of help for them as far as places to lay their heads.”

Schiller said he only opened up the basement when an area shelter wasn’t available.

He noted that some shelters in the area require homeless to meet a specific set of criteria and others open only when temperatures reach a certain level.

PADS of Elgin confirmed that there are requirements to be eligible for their services, but declined to specify what that criteria included.

An emergency shelter at First United Methodist Church of Elgin, operated by the organization Matthew 25:40, opens when the temperature outside is 15 degrees or less.

Schiller said he hosted his “slumber parties” when wind chill values were 15 degrees or less, but would not offer up the basement if the emergency shelter was open.

“It’s cold enough to freeze to death,” he said.

Matthew 25:40 did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment Tuesday.

“Elgin has lawful shelters that provide a safe space for people to go throughout the year,” Center said in a statement. “In times of extreme temperature, temporary locations open within the community that all conform to regulations and codes.”

The city also noted there is a women’s shelter and other facilities around the area where people can go. A full list can be found on the city’s website.

Temperatures Tuesday in Elgin were forecast to reach a high of only 6 degrees, meaning area shelters should open. They aren’t expected to warm above the threshold again until this weekend, when they could rise back into the upper-20s. It’s not clear if shelters plan to remain open.

Schiller said that while he does plan to stop hosting his slumber parties, he’s working to find other options for taking care of the homeless he now knows so well.

“Somebody’s going to die,” he said.

 

The Dunamis Power of Elohim and Divine Healing

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Luke 5:17, The power [Gr. dumanis] of YHVH was present. Sometimes the power of YHVH is present to heal people, sometimes it is not. There are many factors that determine this such as the sovereign will of Elohim, the faith of the individuals performing or receiving the healing, repentance of sin or the lack thereof, whether one is a saint or not and many more of which we may or may not be aware in our limited understanding of the spiritual dimension where Elohim operates.

Let’s explore the healing activities of Yeshua. The Greek word dunamis means “strength, power, ability” or as often used in the Testimony of Yeshua, “miraculous power.” (In fact, our English words dynamic, dynamo and dynamite originate from this Greek word.) This is an interesting statement pertaining to the dynamics of Yeshua’s healing activities. Did Yeshua heal all people all the time, or only when the power of Elohim was present for him to do so? This verse, at least in this case, would indicate the latter. Elsewhere, we read that Yeshua “healed many that were sick” (Mark 1:34), but not all that were sick. On other occasions, the Gospels record indicates that Yeshua did in fact heal all the sick who were brought to him (Matt 4:23–25; 9:35; Luke 6:19).

The Gospels reveal some other interesting facts about Yeshua’s healing activities that we often pass over. On at least one occasions, Yeshua prayed to heal someone and they were only partially healed. After he prayed for them the second time, they were completely healed (Mark 8:22–25). Often Yeshua healed people after he was “moved with compassion [love and pity]” for someone who was sick (Matt 14:14; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13–15). The Greek word for compassion, literally means “to be moved in one’s bowels,” or in the deepest areas of one’s emotions. Some people simply touched Yeshua’s clothing as he was walking by, and the miraculous power (Gr. dunamis) of Elohim flowed from him and healed them (Matt 9:20; Mark 6:56; Luke 8:44 cp. Luke 6:19).

Elsewhere, it appears that Yeshua’s healing activities were hampered by the presence of those who ridiculed him and exhibited doubt and unbelief, which is why, on one occasion, he put the unbelievers out of the room and closed the door behind them when he raised the little girl from the dead (Mark 5:40–42). Similarly, in his hometown of Nazareth, Yeshua “could do no mighty works there” except for healing a few sick people, “because of their [the townspeople’s] unbelief” (Mark 6:5–6; also Matt 13:58). Matthew’s account adds that the people of Nazareth were offended (literally, scandalized) by Yeshua, or that they stumbled over (or judged unfavorably, distrusted) Yeshua. Because of their low esteem for him, they lacked the faith to receive healing, which is why he healed so few people in that town.

When in doubt, always look for an opportunity to pray for a sick person. Before praying, one must discern the situation. Does the person have faith to be healed? Is the anointing or Presence of YHVH is there to heal the person? How is the Spirit of Elohim directing one to pray? Sometimes we sense the need to pray more authoritative prayers, other times, more pleading or intercessory prayers, and still other times prayers of agreement while asking for the healing.

What’s more, prospective converts and new believers tend to have their prayers for healing answered more quickly, since this is a demonstration of the signs Yeshua promised that would follow the preaching of the gospel. The saint can be healed, but often this will occur after having their faith stretched and refined. Therefore, the healing often takes longer to receive.

 

Overview of the Book of Exodus (Main Themes)

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Exodus (Heb. Shemot) is the book whose principle theme is redemption—Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. Here we learn how YHVH saves his people and we are shown that his people are redeemed in order to worship him.

The Theme of Redemption

Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, “I am YHVH, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your Elohim; and you shall know that I am YHVH your Elohim, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am YHVH.” (Exod 6:6–8, emphasis added)

Worship

And he said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be a token unto you, that I have sent you, when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve Elohim upon this mountain.” (Exod 3:12, emphasis added)

And I say unto you, “Let my son go, that he may serve me, and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your son, even your firstborn.” (Exod 4:23, emphasis added)

And you shall say unto him, “YHVH Elohim of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness, and, behold, until now you would not hear.’” (Exod 7:16, emphasis added)

The Basic Outline of Exodus

Chapters 1–6 show us the need for redemption.

Chapters 7–11 show us the power or might of the Redeemer as the ten plagues are poured out upon Egypt.

Chapters 12–18 show us the character of redemption; purchased by blood and emancipated by power.

Chapters 19–24 teaches us the duty of the redeemed.

Chapters 25–40 instructs us about the restoration of the redeemed—provisions are made for the failures of the redeemed when they fall spiritually.

The Metaphors in Exodus

Egypt is a metaphor for the world, the place of sin and bondage where one is held captive before being delivered or redeemed by the power of YHVH and the blood of Yeshua, the Lamb of Elohim. It is interesting to note that ­although Egypt was the land of science and art, it was simultaneously the land of death in that their religion that is was morbidly fixated with death.

Pharaoh is a metaphor for Satan, a merciless taskmaster who opposes the people of YHVH every step of the way.

Pharaoh’s magicians represents demonic spirits that are active in the world and are doing Pharaoh’s (Satan’s) bidding in opposing Israel, the people of Elohim, and Elohim’s plans.

Moses is a prophetic metaphor for Yeshua (his first coming), the Deliverer of his people from the bondage and power of sin, death and hell, which is the power of the enemy, Satan.

The blood of the lamb on the door posts is a metaphor for Yeshua, the Redeemer, whose death on the cross atoned for man’s sins causing YHVH’s judgment against sin to pass over his people.

The crossing of the Red Sea is a metaphor the saint’s union with Messiah Yeshua in his death and resurrection via the ritual of tevilah (immersion or baptism) at a mikvah (a gathering of waters).

The journey through the wilderness is a metaphor for the trials and testing that occur during the redeemed believer’s spiritual walk through this life with YHVH’s provision to meet every need and his protection from every attack of the adversary.

The giving of the Torah represents one’s spiritual walk after having exited spiritual Egypt, and teaches YHVH’s people the importance of obedience and submission that they owe him for freeing them from Satan and the world. He is now their new Master.

The Tabernacle of Moses with its furnishings is a picture, layout or blueprint of the steps in YHVH’s plan of redemption (salvation) for mankind and the steps in man’s spiritual maturation into intimacy with the Father through Yeshua the Messiah. It is like a giant gospel tract!

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 12-31 Through 1-6-18

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Shemot — Exodus 1:1 – 6:1
Haftarah — Isaiah 27:6 – 28:13; 29:22-23
Prophets — 2 Samuel 10:1 – 16:23
Writings — Psalms 89:30 – 95:11
Testimony — Luke 5:1 – 8:25

Our annual Scripture Reading Schedule for 2017-2018 is available to download and print.

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day: one each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 12/31/17 through 1/6/18.