ISSUE: #10

MEM

Message

In the Hebraic Lesson (below) the main topic is the purification of the Temple of God. No unclean thing was to enter the Temple of God lest it defile the Temple. It was an involved process to be cleansed so one could enjoy the honor of going to the Temple to worship. (see Numbers chapter 19). The Temple was where God’s presence was to be.

Purification (from Easton’s Bible Dictionary)

The process by which a person, being unclean according to the Levitical law, and thereby cut off from the sanctuary and festivals, was restored to the enjoyment of all these privileges. The great annual purification of the people was on the Day of Atonement (q.v.). But in the details of daily life there were special causes of ceremonial uncleanness which were severally provided for by ceremonial laws enacted for each separate case.

Today we can be the temple where the presence of God may dwell. That is the very Spirit of the living God dwelling in us. Yet we too can be defiled by sin and death. Consequently, we need help to maintain a healthy relationship with our Creator. That help is from God's Holy Spirit.

Acts 11:9 What God has cleansed, you do not call common (defiled, or unclean).

Hebrews 9:13-14 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh. How much more shall the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

It is important to allow the Spirit of God to cleanse us, to purify us, so the very presence of God may dwell in us and not be defiled.

How can we purify ourselves? By obeying the truth, Yeshua said God's Word is truth.

This was part of David’s prayer:

Proverb

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

Saying

The smallest good deed is greater than the grandest intention.

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. Amelia Earhart

Bible QuizBible Quiz

1. What did Jesus say that gave reassurance to the nobleman’s faith? John 4:50
2. What is the name for the Greek translation of the Old Testament made in Alexandria between 250 and 150 bc.?
3. After the resurrection of Jesus, where did an angel tell the disciples they should go to see Him? Matthew 28:6-7
4. What stone became the capstone? Luke 20:17
5. What did Elisha tell Joash, king of Israel, to do with the arrows? II Kings 13:14-19
6. Who did Paul find in Lystra? Acts 16:1-3
7. Which prophet told King David that he was that man who took the poor man’s lamb. II Samuel 12:7

Hebraic Lesson

It will soon be the time of the Jewish Festival of Chanukah (Hanukkah). This year the festival dates are December 20 –27

The Hebrew word Hanukkah means "dedication".

Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem by Judah the Maccabee in 165 BC after the temple had been profaned by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, king of Syria. Antiochus had set up an altar in the Temple to the pagan god Zeus in 168 BC.

When Judah the Maccabee recaptured Jerusalem three years later, he had the temple purged and a new altar put up in place of the desecrated one. The temple was then re-dedicated to God with festivities that lasted eight days. According to Talmudic tradition, only one cruse of pure olive oil, sealed by the high priest and necessary for the re-dedication ritual could be found, but that small quantity burned miraculously for eight days.

A principal feature of the present day celebration commemorating this miracle is the lighting of the candles; one is lit the first night, two the second and so on until a special eight-branched candelabrum (hannukiyah) is completely filled on the eighth day. During Hanukkah, gifts are exchanged each evening.

Bible Story

Number seven

It is important to understand how Israel learned to be obedient. The LORD instructed Moses and used the cloud as His way of showing this large number of people His presence and leading. Moses passed God’s teachings down to the individuals through a system of leaders, so to speak, from the top down. Survival was based on being obedient to this instruction and following the cloud. The Israelites were among hostile people. As long as they remained together and in the grace of God their safety was assured.

Today we have the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct us. Are we as willing to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading as Israel was to follow the cloud? Notice what the following scriptures reveal about the Israelites?

This is not to say there were no problems. Time and again Moses had to deal with issues that stemmed from the hard heart of the people, the whole older generation perished in the wilderness because they lacked the faith to enter the promise land. This new younger generation quickly learned to move, together, and in harmony when it came time to move. If they did not they were left to the enemy. Maybe one day, a month, a year no matter how long or how little they waited for the LORD to move. Will we wait for Him to lead? Some go before, some lag behind, let us learn to move when we are shown.

This story is intended to cause us to think about the simple everyday things this family, which was only a small part of the great multitude, might have faced on their journey to the Promised Land.

Did you know:

Abraham Lincoln (1809-65), was the 16^th president of the United States (1861-65). He became a lawyer and in 1847 entered Congress as a representative from Illinois.

In his legal practice Lincoln was never greedy for fees and discouraged unnecessary litigation.

A man came to him in a passion, asking him to bring a suit for $2.50 against an impoverished debtor. Lincoln tried to dissuade him, but the man was determined upon revenge. When he saw that the creditor was not to be put off, Lincoln asked for and got $10.00 as his legal fee. He gave half of this to the defendant, who thereupon willingly confessed to the debt and paid up the $2.50, thus settling the matter to the entire satisfaction of the irate plaintiff.

Humor

Only in America….are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

Only in America….do we have hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America….do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Bible Puzzle For Children

Quiz Answers

1. "You may go. Your son will live."
2. The Septuagint
3. Galilee
4. The one the builders rejected – (Jesus Christ)
5. To strike the ground with the arrows
6. Timothy
7. Nathan

Puzzle answer from last month

This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Tayle, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving the puzzle so involved she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That’s a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new sales record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that his puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need to mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found.