Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.
(John 4:14)


(LIVING WATER)
ISSUE: #145

MEM

(Messianic Email Message)
Psalms 119:97 - 104
Seeking The Truth
MEM Index
Article Index

And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb
(Rev 22:1)

For His Glory!

Message

The Book

He who has an ear let him hear

From the "One Year Book of Christian History"

By E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale ISBN 10: 0-8423-5507-3)

(Bolding and reference Scripture added by MEM)

****

God had greatly blessed His people, Israel, through Nehemiah, a Jew, who was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I of Persia (c, 465-424 B.C.) King Artaxerxes had made Nehemiah governor of Judah and as governor he had directed the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem in just fifty-two days (Nehemiah 1:1-6: 16).

However, restoration of the walls and gates was not the most important challenge facing the Jews returning to Jerusalem. Of far greater importance was their need for spiritual restoration. Therefore on October 8, 445 B. C. Ezra the priest brought the scroll of the Law before an assembly of all the Jews in Jerusalem. He stood on a high wooden platform that had been built for the occasion. On the platform with Ezra were thirteen assistants, probably priest or Levites. The assembly included not only men and women but also all children old enough to understand the reading of the Law.

Nehemiah 8:1 NLT (New Living Translation unless indicated) all the people assembled together as one person at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had given for Israel to obey.

Neh 8:2 NAS Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

Neh 8:3 NLT He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people paid close attention to the Book of the Law. 4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion…

The date itself was significant, for the Hebrew civil calendar this was the first day of the year. Today it is celebrated as New Year’s Day, or Rosh Hashanah, meaning "the beginning of the year." Of this day God had instructed in the law, "You are to celebrate a day of complete rest. All your work must stop on that day. You will call the people to a sacred assembly-The Festival of Trumpets-with loud blasts from a trumpet" (Leviticus 23:24). The purpose was to assemble Israel to rejoice before the LORD.

Ezra unrolled the scroll at daybreak, and as he did so, everyone stood up. Before Ezra began to read, he praised the LORD, the great God whose word he was about to read, and all the people lifted their hands toward heaven and shouted, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Neh 8:5 NLT Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet. 6 Then Ezra praised the LORD, the great God, and all the people chanted, "Amen! Amen!" as they lifted their hands toward heaven. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

When the people rose to their feet, Ezra began to read and continued until noon. Although the people stood for five to six hours, they listened attentively and began to weep as they realized that what they were hearing were the very words of God

As the Law was being read, thirteen additional Levites circulated through the crowd, explaining what was being read so that everyone could understand…

Neh 8:7 NLT Now the Levites-- Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah-- instructed the people who were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage. 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, "Don't weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God." All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the law.

The people’s response to the reading was to weep before the LORD, but Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites said to them, "Don’t weep … Go and celebrate with a feast … Don’t be dejected and sad, for the Joy of the LORD is your strength!" They wanted the people to realize that in spite of their sins, their strength against their enemies in the coming years would be their joy in their Savior God

Neh 8:10 NLT And Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of choice foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" 11 And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, "Hush! Don't weep! For this is a sacred day."

The people then left the assembly in the early afternoon so they could prepare a holiday meal and celebrate with great joy, for they had heard God’s words and understood them

Neh 8:12 NLT So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God's words and understood them.

The reading of the Law on October 8, 445 B.C., was a turning point in the history of Israel. Up to then Israel had been a people whose religious life centered around the temple. On this day they became a people whose religious life centered on the book-God’s book.

Reflections:

What part does the Bible play in your spiritual life? Do you prefer to read it yourself or to listen to what others say about its teachings? Are you a person of the Book? God works in the lives of his people using two agents, His Spirit and His Word. He controls His Spirit, but we are responsible to appropriate His Word in our lives.

Ps 119:11 NLT I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

End commentary

****

Deuteronomy 8:3 "And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

Here we have the two ways:

  • To live by bread alone; being consumed with fulfilling our basic physical needs
  • To live by every word that comes from the mouth of YHVH; to live dependent upon Elohim (God)

"Living life the way God intends requires strict attention to His every word." (Alan Gilman)

****

How important is the Word of Elohim to you? Consider all He has done for us and all the lives that have been laid down that we might hold it in our hands as a neatly bound readable book, The Holy Bible. It is not just a book, it is the living Word of the Almighty reaching out to us. Revealing Himself to us, bringing us liberty and peace by offering us the hope of salvation. Being reconciled to Him - it is all in The Book.

The writings, faithfully inspired by the Spirit of YHVH is the witness and testimony of His love for us. They are His guidelines for walking with Him and with one another. Those born of Him have the promise of eternal life -to be in His Kingdom - eternally with the Holy One of Israel. Amen

****

YHVH thank you for preserving Your word for us, even to this day.


Proverbs

Words from Proverbs about The Book of the Law (the first 5 books of Moses called the Torah)

Proverbs 28:4 (NAS unless indicated) Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But those who keep the law strive with them.

Proverbs 28:7 He who keeps the law is a discerning son…

Proverbs 28:9 He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.

Thankfully we have His instruction in the form of His written Word. And His Spirit to guide us in His paths.

****

Eternal One help us to be discerning sons by giving attention to Your will as expressed in Your Testimony.


Saying(s)

"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads." Albert Camus

Thus we find this happiness, this harmony - by giving heed to YHVH’s instruction.

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.

****

Almighty Elohim, where can we find harmony with You and one another, save in the obedience to Your Word.


Bible Quiz
  1. What did the blind beggar call Yeshua (Jesus)?
  2. Which book takes its name from the numbering of the Israelites?
  3. What was a group of ten cities east of the Jordan called?
  4. When will each person receive his praise from God?
  5. What was Naaman’s physical problem?
  6. Which queen of the Ethiopians is mentioned in the book of Acts?
  7. Who said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name"?

Humility

In our pursuit of humility:

(Lessons from humility and happiness)

HOLINESS

"Every Christian who seeks to advance in holiness should remember this: there may be intense consecration and fervent zeal, and if the Lord Himself does not step in, there may be unconscious self-exaltation. Let us learn the lesson that the greatest holiness comes in the deepest humility." Andrew Murray

****

Looking in the Word of Elohim we are told to be holy -

Lev 19:2 "Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

1Pet 1:15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

And how else do we know how to be holy except by abiding in His word and He in us?

****

Father, grant us a true understanding of holiness as we seek Your guidance.


Prayer

Understanding the precepts of prayer.

Praying is but our conversation (communion) with the Most High - Creator of heaven and earth.

Ps 39:12 "Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner like all my fathers.

Ps 42:8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.

Ps 54:2 Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth.

How or why can we pray like this? To have such confidence? Because…

Ps 1:1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

****

YHVH, our delight is in Your instruction - By meditating on Your Word we see Your direction for us?


Heart of God

How does God feel about issues we face today?

Bread of Life

Do you understand the importance of the Bible to the Christian life? When you read it what do you find? It contains stories about people who encountered God in their lives. Are you content to read their stories? You consider God’s word to have supreme authority in doctrine and the practice of faith; the standard by which all others are judged, but you shouldn't be content with reading the stories of other people. For God’s word is a call to action, not just to study, but to respond to and act on. Search the scriptures and see that they testify of Yeshua (Jesus). Come to Yeshua and encounter Him yourself that you may have life. (Adopted from a blog post by Dale Cresap)

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. (Ps 119:105)

And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)

Material in this section is based on various prayer diaries.


Did you know?

Rise and shine. It's the time for your history lesson for today.

Most Americans are unaware of the fact that over two hundred years ago, the United States had declared war on Islam, and Thomas Jefferson led the charge!!!

At the height of the eighteenth century, Muslim pirates were the terror of the Mediterranean and a large area of the North Atlantic.  They attacked every ship in sight, and held the crews for exorbitant ransoms.  Those taken hostage were subjected to barbaric treatment and wrote heart breaking letters home, begging their government and family members to pay whatever their Mohammedan captors demanded.

These extortionists of the high seas represented the Islamic nations of Tripoli, Tunis, Morocco, and Algiers collectively referred to as the Barbary Coast and presented a dangerous and unprovoked threat to the new American Republic.

Before the Revolutionary War, U.S. merchant ships had been under the protection of Great Britain.  When the U.S. declared its independence and entered into war, the ships of the United States were protected by France. However, once the war was won, America had to protect its own fleets. Thus, the birth of the U.S. Navy.
Beginning in1784, seventeen years before he would become president, Thomas Jefferson became America's Minister to France.  That same year, the U.S. Congress sought to appease its Muslim adversaries by following in the footsteps of European nations who paid bribes to the Barbary States, rather than engaging them in war.
In July of 1785, Algerian pirates captured American ships, and the Dey of Algiers demanded an unheard-of ransom of $60,000.  It was a plain and simple case of extortion, and Thomas Jefferson was vehemently opposed to any further payments.  Instead, he proposed to Congress the formation of a coalition of allied nations who together could force the Islamic states into peace.  A disinterested Congress decided to pay the ransom.

In 1786, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams met with Tripoli's ambassador to Great Britain to ask by what right his nation attacked American ships and enslaved American citizens, and why Muslims held so much hostility towards America, a nation with which they had no previous contacts.

The two future presidents reported that Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja had answered that Islam "was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Quran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise."

Despite this stunning admission of premeditated violence on non-Muslim nations, as well as the objections of many notable American leaders, including George Washington, who warned that caving in was both wrong and would only further embolden the enemy, for the following fifteen years, the American government paid the Muslims millions of dollars for the safe passage of American ships or the return of American hostages. The payments in ransom and tribute amounted to over twenty percent of the United States government annual revenues in 1800.

Jefferson was disgusted.  Shortly after his being sworn in as the third President of the United States in 1801, the Pasha of Tripoli sent him a note demanding the immediate payment of $225,000 plus $25,000 a year for every year forthcoming.  That changed everything.

Jefferson let the Pasha know, in no uncertain terms, what he could do with his demand.  The Pasha responded by cutting down the flagpole at the American consulate and declared war on the United States.  Tunis, Morocco, and Algiers immediately followed suit.  Jefferson, until now, had been against America raising a naval force for anything beyond coastal defense, but having watched his nation be cowed by Islamic thuggery for long enough, decided that is was finally time to meet force with force.

He dispatched a squadron of frigates to the Mediterranean and taught the Muslim nations of the Barbary Coast a lesson he hoped they would never forget.  Congress authorized Jefferson to empower U.S. ships to seize all vessels and goods of the Pasha of Tripoli and to cause to be done all other acts of precaution or hostility as the state of war would justify.

When Algiers and Tunis, who were both accustomed to American cowardice and acquiescence, saw the newly independent United States had both the will and the might to strike back, they quickly abandoned their allegiance to Tripoli. The war with Tripoli lasted for four more years, and raged up again in 1815.  The bravery of the U.S. Marine Corps in these wars led to the line "to the shores of Tripoli" in the Marine Hymn. They would forever be known as "leathernecks" for the leather collars of their uniforms, designed to prevent their heads from being cut off by the Muslim scimitars when boarding enemy ships.

Islam, and what its Barbary followers justified doing in the name of their prophet and their god, disturbed Jefferson quite deeply.  America had a tradition of religious tolerance, the fact that Jefferson, himself, had co-authored the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, but fundamentalist Islam was like no other religion the world had ever seen.  A religion based on supremacism, whose holy book not only condoned but mandated violence against unbelievers was unacceptable to him.  His greatest fear was that someday this brand of Islam would return and pose an even greater threat to the United States.

****

This should bother every American.  That the Islamists have brought about women-only classes and swimming times at taxpayer-funded universities and public pools; that Christians, Jews, and Hindus have been banned from serving on juries where Muslim defendants are being judged; Piggy banks and Porky Pig tissue dispensers have been banned from workplaces because they offend Islamist sensibilities.  Ice cream has been discontinued at certain Burger King locations because the picture on the wrapper looks similar to the Arabic script for Allah, on and on …

By not fighting back, by allowing groups to obfuscate what is really happening, and not insisting that the Islamists adapt to our own culture, the United States is cutting its own throat with a politically correct knife, and helping to further the Islamists agenda. Sadly, it appears that today's America would rather be politically correct than victorious.

Any doubts, just Google Thomas Jefferson vs. the Muslim World.


Simple Bible Quiz
J. Vernon Jacobs

A certain king they chose one day,

In stature very tall,

And he was bashful, too, forsooth,

His name, you see, was _____.

(See end of MEM)


Lighter Side

INTERESTING OBSERVATION

1. The sport of choice for the urban poor is BASKETBALL.

2. The sport of choice for maintenance level employees is BOWLING.

3. The sport of choice for front-line workers is FOOTBALL.

4. The sport of choice for supervisors is BASEBALL.

5. The sport of choice for middle management is TENNIS.

And...

6. The sport of choice for corporate executives and officers is GOLF.

THE AMAZING CONCLUSION:

The higher you go in the corporate structure, the ball becomes smaller.

How many are just playing marbles?

********

Have a good day!


Ear To Hear

Listen as you Read

How do you go about studying the Word of God? You have experience in the academic study of literature from school. Do you take the same approach to the Bible? His word affirms that it is living and powerful. Do you regard it in this way when you study it? When you read The Word do you listen for His voice? Some things do not lend themselves completely to book learning and revelation is one of them. The Spirit will speak to you through the Word but it is helpful if you are attentive to it in a way that transcends conventional human learning. He who has ears to hear, let him hear YHVH’s voice as he reads the living word. 

(Adapted from the Dale Cresap blog)


Cause and Effect

Scribbles

Michael Boldea Jr.

Staying on the Path (edited for length)

We reject repentance at our own peril. We reject righteousness, sanctification and the pursuit of holiness to our own detriment. Though there is safety on the narrow path, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to blaze our own trail, indifferent to the untold perils and dangers waiting those who stray.

I wish, with all my heart, I could write happy things in my letter to you today. I wish I could tell you the sun will come out tomorrow and the storm clouds will pass, but our refusal to accept God’s help, our refusal to submit and humble ourselves before Him only hastens judgment.

The wolves have gathered, the hunt begins, and this weakened nation is the prey.

The level of your relationship with Christ today will determine whether you stand or fall by the wayside tomorrow. Know that you are resting in Him, know that you draw your strength from Him, and know that you have placed your hope and trust in Him.

On Christ the solid Rock we stand, for truly, all other ground is sinking sand.

Ps 124:6 Blessed be the LORD, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.

With love in Christ

Michael Boldea Jr.

www handofhelp.com


Consider

Volunteers are caring friends

Nothing makes a woman so pretty as telling her she is

I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today

Happiness is something that multiplies by division

When you love, don’t lose the lesson


Bytes

Abominable Practices

When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. (Deuteronomy 18:9; ESV)

As the people of Israel were prepared by God to enter the Promised Land, they were given specific details as to how they were to live. God's directives are not just a bunch of arbitrary religious regulations. Rather, they are an entire way of life that if carefully adhered to will enable God's people to live the way human beings were designed by God to live. While there were certain aspects of this lifestyle that were only for a certain time and place, much of what God revealed to Moses is his intention for all people for all time.
 
God's directives are expressed both positively, things we should do, and negatively, things we shouldn't do. I have heard it said that if we would fill our lives with good things, then we wouldn't have time for bad things. But that's not true. We humans seem to be able to always make time for bad stuff, no matter what else we may be doing. If we neglect obeying God in what he tells us not to do, we will certainly get ourselves and others into big trouble.
 
One of God's negative directives concerns our relationship to what Moses calls "the abominable practices" of the nations they were to dispossess. The people of Israel were to "not learn to follow" those practices. The way this is expressed emphasizes something more than just the avoiding of these practices. The people were to keep themselves from learning to follow them. This may suggest that while the people's initial reaction would be one of repulsion, if they allowed themselves they would learn to adopt them. God's directive then was that they should never even learn about them.
 
It is a challenge not to learn to follow abominable practices today. The sinful ways that are part and parcel of popular culture do not simply keep to themselves, waiting to see who might be interested in them. Rather they aggressively seek to influence us, calling to us to come and learn. They put on an appealing front in order to deceive us into thinking that any concern we may have over these things is an overreaction. Not only are abominable practices aggressive in their desire to lure us into their clutches, they are more than happy to have easy access to our lives through technology. At one time in order to learn these evil things, one had to purposefully go out of their way to seek them out. Now we can engage them with the simple push of a button anywhere, anytime.
 
To not learn to follow the abominable practices of our day takes a considerable amount of wisdom and effort. Perhaps like never before, we need to know the Scriptures. There are so many voices speaking in the name of the Bible, but do we have the ability to discern who is speaking the truth? Also, we need to have the courage to let the truth of Scripture confront the practices of the cultures around us. Cultural practices are not neutral. They are either under the influence of God or in the grip of evil. Too many people naively go along with the way things are, not taking the time to discern if they are truly of God or not. Once it is evident that certain practices are evil, we must not learn to follow them.

By Alan Gilman
TorahBytes Communications

*(This document may be edited for length)


Psalm Promise

Ps 48:14 (JPS)

For such is God, our God, for ever and ever; He will guide us eternally.

****

Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…)


Essence of the Message

1John 2:5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Ps 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.


Quiz Answers

1. "Jesus, Son of David" - Luke 18:35-39

2. Numbers

3. Decapolis - Mark 5:20

4. When the Lord returns - 1 Corinthians 4:5

5. He had leprosy - 2 Kings 5:1

6. Candace - Acts 8:27

7. The 72 who had been sent out - Luke 10:17


Simple Quiz answer – "Saul"


HOME : FEEDBACK