And you will call Him Immanuel - which means "God with us"

The prophet Isaiah said those words some 700+ years before the baby born in Bethlehem named Jesus came and made His home amongst us.  Rabbis have argued that the sign of a child born to a virgin/young maiden in Isaiah 7:4 was not the Messiah. That the baby Isaiah prophesied was not Jesus of Nazareth - born in Bethlehem.  At one point I wanted to believe their instruction.  It seemed too simple. 

Then, when I read the New Covenant in Matthew 1:23 that clearly states, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us" it now became a matter of faith.  In order for me to believe in the Messiah Yeshua, I must take hold of those Old Covenant prophecies He  fulfilled  as stated in the testimony of the New Covenant.  Either, I believe Jesus was the fulfillment of that baby and promised Messiah as written by the incredibly-obedient-unto-death prophet, Isaiah,  and the incredibly-obedient-unto-death apostle, Matthew, or I believe the Rabbis.  The choice was clear and G-d pierced my heart.  It was as simple as 1-2-3 or Matthew 1:23.  Merry Messiahmas

"Put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament..."

I had a very intense dream about 6 years ago that comes back to memory every so often.  I rarely have them.  But, when I do, they go into a journal because they are so incredible!  This one was about an evening of celebration in a room full of people known to me. We are in a high rise overlooking the city.  I was near the window and saw a convoy of helicopters. One helicopter came so close to the window - it looked like it was inspecting us.  It tipped from side to side, slowly.  I immediately jumped back from the window and felt panic for my daughters.  But, when I looked at them, they had raised cross like forms on their foreheads.  Immediate relief came to me and when I turned to look at that helicopter it slowly turned away from the window.  I woke up.  Very strange. But, there has been revelation of this dream over the last 6 years. 

2 years later in 2008 I was watching a sermon that was teaching on Revelation 22:13, "I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." and the pastor was preaching on the Hebrew letters Aleph (greek=Alpha) and Tav (greek=Omega).   The symbol of the Aleph is a picture of an ox head, or in ancient Hebrew culture, a sacrificial animal, and the symbol for Tav in ancient Paleo-Hebrew is like a cross or funny 't'.  The pastor put it together that Jesus the Messiah was the Aleph - or sacrifice via the Tav -  or cross. 

So last week, I am reading Ezekiel. In chapter 9, God shows Ezekiel a man clothed in linen who is to mark the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over the idolatry being done in His Holy Temple. In doing some research, I found that this word 'mark' is written in Hebrew as the Tav.  Fascinating.  So, the Tav was the symbol of God's covering from the wrath to come written on the foreheads of those He had marked to be spared. And even though  Ezekiel cried out for God's people -  God would not stop the plan and warned, and in the last verse of chapter 9 it is written, "Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, 'I have done as you commanded.'"

Another man said 'It is done' - Jesus of Nazareth.  As He died upon the cross He said, "It is finished."  and in Revelation 21:6 Jesus said, "It is done.  I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End." He did not turn back either.  He did as commanded by God and was the sacrifice on the cross for the sin of the world. 

What do we do with the wrong in our lives?  Do we just keep on doing it because we have done it for so long?  Or, do we come to a point in time where we recognize we don't want to keep on the same way, with the same thoughts and the same responses.  We begin to grieve and lament the darkness in our own lives.  And that is what the people of Ezekiel's time did as they saw what was going on with God's People and His Holy Temple.  Their grief over sin blessed God.  He was attentive to them because they recognized their life choices were not in line with His goodness and commands. 

It is the same for us now.  We need to look at ourselves and grieve and lament our own choices.  The God of Israel, who is a God of Justice,  has declared in His Word that He will punish the earth and everything in it for her sin.  We can't escape that truth, but we can be marked as His.  His choice of mark this time is the blood shed on the Cross. 

Do you receive that statement as from Him?  Some 5000+ years ago Israel had to believe that the shed blood of a lamb on a doorpost would save them from God's declared wrath.  Moses told them. Do you think Israel might have had a difficult time understanding that mark? Oh, you betcha it would have been difficult to believe...until the actual wrath of God passed!  And now, every year since the first Passover, that is what we remember... the people of Israel doing as God commanded, and living.

Today, God is asking us to paint the doorpost of our hearts with faith in the blood of the Messiah shed 2000 years ago.  Another difficult concept, but just as the people of Ezekiel's time might have thought grieving was not enough to be marked.  It was.

I pray for dreams of many with the 'cross like' symbol upon their foreheads.  It gives me great peace to know that no matter what happens, those whom God has marked will be eternally safe in the palm of His hand.  He has promised.  In fact, it is written, "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Isaiah 49:16

 

To know the God of Israel

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Exodus 5:1-2 "Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ Pharoah said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.' ”

Wanting 'to know' God has been my personal journey.  Pharaoh admitted he did not know the Lord - fair enough - he didn't - yet.  He was very busy making himself to be god to those under his jurisdiction.   But,  if you know a bit about the plagues and Red Sea crossing, it is fair to say that God brought before Pharaoh many examples and signs of Who He is and His power. God even brought a witness of Himself through the man of Moses. Has He ever done that for you?  Has He ever brought someone before you to witness or testify of God's great power and love? He has for me.  I thought they were a bit annoying at first.  Persevering with their message of Hope and Salvation.  But, there was a day that I just prayed a simple prayer, "God, what is the Truth."  And as far as I am concerned, He spoke to me through signs and people and eventually through His Holy Word.

Pharaoh can no longer stand before God and claim that he did not know God...God was faithful to show Himself to Pharaoh.  Pharoah just did not want to believe what he heard or saw.  How about you?

So, the reason this scripture leaped out at me this morning was because of my study on the term, "God of Israel" and noting that the first time it was attributed to the God of the Bible was in Exodus.  Cool.

The funny thing is I wanted to really talk to you about "knowing" God - and that is just how it works sometimes.  My mind says stay the course on one thing - the topic of the God of Israel,  but my heart has another prompting, and God combines both my heart and mind in one verse.  The Exodus passage speaks at first about the God of Israel and then of the enemy of God who doesn't know Him.  Do you know God?  Tell me how He has revealed Himself to you - I love to share the story...

We can back track a bit and discuss the name 'Israel' which was given to Jacob (Genesis 32:22-32) when God changed Jacob's name to Israel because he "struggled with God and with men and have overcome." (verse 28) The very translation of the Hebrew word, Israel, means 'he struggles with God."  In my opinion, this exchange is the essence of what God wants to do in all of us. It is the first step in getting to know Him.  It's personal wrestling with God in your desert - just like Jacob.  Growing up, I remember that I prayed to the "God of Jacob" not really knowing who or what that meant outside of religious rote prayer.  And God was so patient to draw me to know that part of Him.  He wants us to struggle with Him and seek to know Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  Then, when we seek Him, we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart.  It worked for Jacob and God promises it will work for you too.  Pharaoh did not seek God with all his heart.  He opposed whatever was brought to him about God.  How do you respond when others share what God has shown them with you?  My responses weren't always so gracious.  Sad to say.

But, this is a journey and a forum to discuss the God of Israel.

The God of Israel

 

Monday, November 15, 2010

Psalm 72:18-19 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.  Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory.  Amen and Amen.

So, this is the Word that has been churning in the depth of my heart for the last few months.

Let me just start off by telling you that there is no agenda here.  You can respond with yours...but, for me this is a place to say what I must say whether or not you agree. 

Read Psalm 72 and ask yourself...When did the God of Israel stop being the One True God of Israel?  Where does He stop being whatever He says He is and will always be?  And, if He stopped being the God of Israel - couldn't He then also stop being the God of the Nations?  And if He stopped being the God of the Nations - where does that leave the world? Dead in her trespasses...if you care at all.

There is a scripture in John 16:12 where Jesus is patiently trying to teach His disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit.  He says, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear."  

I think that is where I need to stop now and take in that as a Gentile, I worship the God of Israel.