ISSUE: #18

MEM

Message

A few days ago I went to hear a message about having a close relationship with Yeshua. The core of the message was we need to discover our secret sins, repent or make them right, in order to have a close personal relationship with our Creator.

Later reviewing a book, I was surprised to find the same message in one of the chapters. Now why had it not been evident to me the first time? It took a man, so convincing, so powerful, with such a living relationship with Yeshua, to convey to my mind what should have been there all along.

I recommend reading the above mentioned book – "The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer", by Andrew Murray. Chapter six entitled – "Is Prayerlessness Sin?" listed several points:

1. The presence of YHVH is the great privilege of God’s people and their only power against the enemy.
2. Defeat and failure are always due to the loss of God’s presence.
3. The loss of God’s presence is always due to some hidden sin.
4. God himself will reveal the hidden sin.
5. When God discloses sin, it must be confessed and cast out.
6. When sin is cast out, God’s presence is restored.

The author used the incident at Ai in Joshua chapter 7 to help illustrate the defeat we can suffer by a hidden sin. The speaker testified about many miracles in his life as the result of having an ongoing relationship with Yeshua our Messiah.

Proverb

Proverbs 20:9

Who can say, "I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin"?

Saying

Failures are divided into two classes – those who thought and never did and those who did and never thought. John Charles Salak

Bible Quiz

1. What happened to the seed that fell along the path?
2. How many commandments were given by God to Moses?
3. What did Jacob call the place where he dreamed of a stairway to heaven?
4. Paul planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but who made it grow?
5. How much manna was each man to gather on the sixth day?
6. Which child heard God speak to him during the night?
7. Who said, "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy"?

Quote

When we are reactive, we tend to let our actions follow our feelings. So if we feel unloving, we act in unloving ways. If, however, we disregard those feelings and follow our loving values despite our feelings, we often find that our feelings change. Acting in kind and loving ways causes us to experience kind and loving feelings. Stephen R. Covey

Hebraic Lesson

The Day of Atonement

Yom Kipper

In this Hebraic Lesson we are continuing to cover the "Feasts of the LORD (YHVH)". This fall festival is the sixth of the seven annual feasts and is a Holy Day. This day is not a typical feast as we do not eat on this day; however it pictures a primary event in the plan of Elohyim (Hebrew el-o-heem, translated as God). It normally falls in the secular month of September.

Leviticus 16:30-31 – "For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It shall be a Sabbath of rest unto you, and you shall afflict your souls, by a statute forever." (Afflict your souls means to fast [abstain from food and water]. We can see an example of that in Ezra 8:21)

Isaiah 58:6-11 explains how we should fast and the blessings derived from obedience to this summons.

The Day of Atonement was the most solemn of all the feast days. On this day alone, once a year, the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies, within the veil of the temple, carrying the blood of the goat for the sin offering. Here he sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat. The blood of the sin offering on the great Day of Atonement pictured the cleansing of all sin for the priesthood, the sanctuary, and Israel as a nation. Leviticus 16:29-34

The Messiah is our High Priest. The Day of Atonement pictured the ultimate sacrifice of our Messiah for the sins of the whole world. He became our Redeemer and the Mediator of the new covenant.

Hebrews 9: 11-15 "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living YHVH? For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, …" (emphasis added)

25-28 "Not yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entered into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world has he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

As we approach this feast in the coming months, consider how we can prepare ourselves for this feast. May Yeshua reveal to us our hidden sins so we can repent and then observe the feast with a clear conscience. (Romans 12:1-2)

Did you know:

The Little, Brown book of Anecdotes

Curie, Marie (1867-1934) Polish chemist. Married a French physicist, Pierre Curie (1895). In 1903 she shared the Nobel Prize for physics with discoverer of radioactivity, Henri Becquerel. Marie Curie also isolated the highly radioactive element polonium, for which she won the 1911 Nobel Prize for chemistry. She died from the effects of the radiation to which she had been exposed.

An American newspaper man tracked the Curies down to the remote cottage in Brittany where they were vacationing. He found a rather dowdy woman sitting outside the door. "Are you the housekeeper?" he began. "Yes."

"Is your mistress inside?" "No."

"Will she be back soon?"" I don’t think so."

The reporter sat down. "Can you tell me something confidential about your mistress?" he went on. "Madame Curie has only one message that she likes to be given to reporters," said Marie Curie. "that is: be less curious about people and more curious about ideas."

Humor

Ever Wonder:

…why you don’t ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

…why "abbreviated" is such a long word?

…why doctors call what they do "practice"?

…why you have to click on "Start" to stop your Windows computer?

…why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor, while dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons?

…why the man who invests all your money is called a broker?

…why there isn’t mouse-flavored cat food?

…why Noah didn’t swat those two mosquitoes?

Children’s Story

Chapter fifteen: Day of Preparation

Morning light seemed to come early this day. The last of the flocks and herds of the northern tribes could be seen headed to the north pastures. The small army of the clean up crew was approaching from the east.

Family members streamed out of the camp area to gather their daily supply of manna. Only today they would be gathering twice as much as it was the preparation day for the Sabbath. Those on work details or other critical assignments would gather manna as they could but others would always share with those on duty. No matter how much one would gather and share with those in need, there was enough to go around.

It was time to get back into the routine of camp living. Joseph was able to get a couple of hours of early morning sleep before he went to the main work area for the western tribes. Here campers and leaders would gather to get news, request assistance, turn in or report missing items. The young men and older teens would assist in whatever was necessary. It was at these meetings where shepherds were assigned and camp clean up crews and work parties were formed. Joseph, being the oldest, was looking forward to his time of being in the army; he would listen to all their news and watch them train whenever possible.

Benjamin headed for the animals to take a count of the sheep and check on the health of the oxen and donkey. He would be sure they had been well accounted for by those in charge of the pastures. It seems he had a natural talent with animals, especially the sheep. He was looking forward to the day when he could be appointed as one of the main clan shepherds. To prepare for that time he would sometimes go with the head shepherds to learn how to care for the sheep and how to select the lambs qualified to be sacrificial. Not only was it a learning experience, it was rewarding to help with the lambing and shearing, which afforded a small source of income for him.

Tamah was busy unpacking and arranging items from the cart as Elisabeth assisted wherever possible. The preparing of food for the Sabbath was necessary on this day. Sarah was busy going after water for today as well as the Sabbath. She liked to go to the river of water where the other girls would gather. There were always girl things to talk about. Many times she would be the center of conversation because she was almost 15 and had not yet been promised in marriage. This was indeed unusual.

By noon the clean up crew would be visiting the gathering area of the western tribes so anyone looking for misplaced or lost items could inquire about them. It was typical to have wagon loads of items left over; if they were not claimed they would be divided among the tribes for those in need. It was amazing how much abundance the Israelites had. With the blessings of YHVH there was no reason for need.

Preparing for the Sabbath was always done with great expectation. There was the promised rest with YHVH, family and friends along with feasting, singing, and dancing. The ladies would always make special treats for this time. They would bathe and wear their best clean clothes. It would be a special treat if your family were selected to go to the tabernacle to observe the Sabbath celebration. Most leaders and heads of tribes would be there every Sabbath. Because of the layout of the camp, almost everyone could look down to see the events taking place. It was always a most joyous occasion.

Thank you Most Gracious One, you have given us Your Holy Sabbath to celebrate with You now; it is not only a remembrance of Your creation but a picture of the future promises You have given us. We look forward to entering Your promised rest. Blessed be Your name.

Quiz Answers

1) It was trampled on, and the birds ate it Luke 8:5

2) Ten Exodus 20: 1-21

3) Bethel Genesis 28:10-19

4) God (YHVH) 1 Corinthians 3:6

5) Twice as much, or two omers, for each person Exodus 16:22

6) Samuel 1 Samuel 3:2-10

7) God (YHVH) Exodus 20:8