Isaiah 53: can I get an Amen?

Can I get an Amen?

Isaiah 53

Who has ¹believed what we have heard?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men;

a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

1. Who “can say amen” (believed)

How many of you know that the Hebrew word “amen” in not meant to be a way of signing off from prayer? Amen means to trust or believe. It is to be certain about something. In this passage, the word “believed” has been translated from the Hebrew word “amen.”

“What we have heard” is from the Hebrew word “shemuw’ah” (shem-oo-aw’). By itself, it just means, something heard, like an announcement. In this passage, Isaiah put a “lamed” prefix on the word. Lamed is a Hebrew letter that is a pictograph for a “shepherd’s staff” used to guide cattle toward something. Jesus (Y’shu-ah in Hebrew) is the shepherd of the souls of we who believe in Him. When a word has a lamed prefix it will be translated as “to” or “for” (but not always, as in this passage). The last letter of “shemuw’ah” is the Hebrew letter “hey” which communicates that God has made it fruitful (think, fruit of the spirit). Strangely enough, Isaiah has removed the letter hey and replaced it with the combination letters, tav-nun (tav pictures a sign from God and was originally written with a picture of a cross, and nun (pronounced noon) is generally said to be a sprouting seed, but some teachers have told me that it is a picture of a path with a goal that we are walking toward.

The “arm” is symbolic of strength. It is YHVH’s (the LORD’s) strength that is being reported. The English passage asks, "to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" However the Hebrew word “revealed” is prefixed with the letter nun which communicates “we will.” As a sprout, nun tells us “this is not yet mature”, We cannot yet see the goal but we will trust the great shepherds arm to guide us to the goal, the kingdom of Heaven and Jesus our king.

4 Surely he has borne our grief (sickness, Deuteronomy 7:15)

 and carried our sorrows (pain, as in childbirth);

yet we esteemed him stricken, (stricken is to hit in the face, smitten is a slap)

smitten by God, and afflicted (afflicted is to be humbled with words-nagged or brow-beaten, “by God” because the people who claim this do not know the LORD well enough to call him by name, only by position).

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions (rebellion),

he was bruised for our iniquities (perversion-immoral evil);

upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,

and with his stripes (welts, bruises, cuts) we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray (we are not walking in “the way”);

we have turned everyone to his own way;

and the LORD has laid on him (the alaph-tav or alpha and omega) the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter (loving the hand that holds the knife),

and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb (silent, no begging for understanding),

so he opened not his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off (Daniel 9:26) out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression (rebellion) of my people?

9 And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence (nothing wrong),

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him;

he has put him to grief;

when he makes himself an offering (gives his life) for (my) sin,

he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his (my-the offspring-believers) days;

the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand;

11           he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied;

by his knowledge (Hebrews 12:2) shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous;

and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;

because he poured out his soul to death,

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession (Hebrews 7:25) for the transgressors (those who go their own way).

On Isaiah 53:8 he carried our grief and sickness.

Deuteronomy 7:15 And the LORD will take away from you all sickness; and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict upon you, but he will lay them upon all who hate you. 

From Isaiah 53:8 On being "cut off" from the land of the living.

Daniel 9:26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off, and shall have nothing; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war; desolations are decreed. 

From Isaiah 53:11 The "knowledge" of Y'shu-ah was the joy that was before him as he faced and endured the cross.

Hebrews 12:2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

From Isaiah 53:12, Y'shu-ah makes intercession (an action verb, someone who settles disputes by pleading for someone. He can do this because his blood paid the penalty for my sin. Sometimes I hear people who believe "Jesus" pleads to God on our behalf, but I suspect that Y'shu-ah, who knows what my sin cost him, pleads to me to stay the course, The Way of righteousness. 

Hebrews 7:25 Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 

RSV+

Isaiah 12:2

Is Jesus in the Old Testament? (1st in a series)

Y'shu-ah, translated "salvation," is Jesus. In this, my first word study, of Y'shu-ah in the Hebrew Scriptures, I want to look at how the word is used. I will start with the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 12, verse 2.

 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."  Isaiah 12:2 RSV

Behold: is a flag word, it alerts us that we are about to get a peek into heaven, with understanding from Elohiym-God's point of view.

El Y'shu-ah the God Salvation. "is my" was added to English. Y'shu-ah is in the first person singular so "my" should be "I" but that does not work in English, "I God -Salvation" Actually the I should be connected to salvation, not God. I do tip my hat to the tough job translators have.

I will trust batach: this is my refuge, not as a fortress, it is more like a safe place to fall, or better, to rest safely. I first came across this word while studying Proverbs 31:11. It is significant that the phrase, "and will not be afraid," is connected to batach. This is the trust that will walk with Jesus, our Y'shu-ah through the "valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23), and not be afraid. Does the shadow of death become less frightening because we batach-trust Jesus? Absolutely! It has to do with the focus of the eyes of our heart (Ephesians 1:18). If I am looking at the circumstances, then yes, it is very frightening. What I see in the shadow of death overwhelms me with dread. But if I choose to keep my eyes on my Salvation, my Jesus, then the safety found in his arms, in his yoke, defines my walk through the  valley instead of the circumstances I am walking through.

strength 'oz or 'owz is a fortification. 'Oz is often connected to the word "tower" as in strong tower. We are not strong because we work out or have endurance. We have strength in YHVH our God because we are "in him and he in us" (John 14:20). There is none stronger. In fact, we are reminded that the Spirit within us is strong-'oz but our flesh is weak. This is not something to despise about ourselves, but rather something to accept. (Matthew 26:41 as well as Mark 14:38) Why should you accept your weakness instead of feeling shame because of it? Because, it is probably the reason YHVH-God chose you. (1 Corinthians 1:27). If I am powerful in myself, then what need do I have for the grace of YHVH? (2 Corinthians 12:10).

and my song is speaking of praise. Who do I praise in my life? Who is the hero I sing of if not Y'shu-ah the Messiah? To recognize his strength in the darkness is to praise him. To praise him is to feel his 'oz-strength empowering you (exactly the opposite of a vicious circle!)

he has become -hayah This word does not communicate "become" but "is." In Hebrews 11:6 does a good job explaining hayah ...whoever would draw near to God must believe that he is and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith we believe that Y'shu-ah (Jesus) IS our Salvation, that he is our El-our God of salvation, he is YHVH. Hayah was the word of the week in Lesson 5 of the Valiant Warrior, part of the Proverbs 31 women series for my Junior High girls.

Look up! Look in. The God of heaven, El Y'shu-ah is your strength in the valley of the shadow of death. He sees you, He has conquered your circumstances, He will walk you through them, never leaving you, never forsaking you. He is your strength in your times of weakness, He loves you enough to be the safe place to get real and speak up about (confess) your fear. Run to him beloved! Run into his arms and let Y'shu-ah be your strength!

The Valiant Warrior, Lesson 5: Proverbs 31:14

She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from afar. Proverbs 31:14

My mother is a wonderful hostess and cook. My mother in law could take everyday food and lay down a meal that would almost make me believe she had been expecting me. I come from women who are amazing hostesses. Sadly, that is not me. I have a difficult time getting two dishes to finish at the same time, I frighten more souls then I make feel loved when they come to my table. Am I therefore disqualified as a Proverbs 31 Woman?

This week

(1) The Hebrew letter hey

(2) Hebrew word of the week; hayah (hay-yah)

(3) Review of Lessons 1-4,

(4) like a ship

     food from afar

(5) Conclusion

(1) The letter hey.          

 The Hebrew letter Hey (5) is one of my favorites. I LOVE the little stick figure with his arms in the air who proclaims BEHOLD! Why is the hey used for “behold”? It is the letter of revelation, a window to heaven.

As the number 5 hey represents “a people called out of mankind, redeemed and saved, to walk with God from earth to heaven” (Bullinger,129). Grace is also associated with hey (5).

From E.W. Bullinger, page 130. “Grace means favor. But what kind of favor? Favor shown to the miserable is called mercy; favor shown to the poor is pity; favor shown to the suffering is called compassion; favor shown to the obstinate is patience; but favor shown to the unworthy we call GRACE!”

Romans 3:24 they (all who have sinned and fall short, v 23) are justified by his grace as a gift (freely), through the redemption (the buy-back program) which is in Christ Jesus,

The word translated “gift” (or freely) occurs in John 15:25 as “without a cause”

John 15:25 It is to fulfill the word that is written in their Torah, 'They hated me without a cause.'

“Gift” and “without a cause” are from the same Greek word. Just as there was no actual cause why they hated Y’shua-Jesus, there is also no “cause” in us why God should ever justify us. So Romans 3:24 could read, “Being justified without a cause by his grace.” Favor to the unworthy.” (Bullinger 130)

When God chose Abram and Sar'ai, he marked them with his grace when He added the letter of revelation to their names, the letter hey. Hey adds a breathy sound to words. Spirit is the breath of God. By adding hey to their names he indicated that his Spirit was filling them.

Hey as a prefix to a word works as like a direct object (The President instead of a president for instance). As a suffix, hey makes a word feminine. Just about every key word we have looked at in Proverbs 31 has a hey suffix and is translated as “she girds” or “she is like.” More than adding the word she, the hey suffix says that the word is fruitful.

(2) Hebrew word of the week hayatah (ha-yaw+ta+ha)

Hayah (the root word without the suffix) means “to exist.” It means more than simple existence. It means as God exists, all things follow God in their existence. Take another look at that sentence;

 as God exists, all things follow God in their existence. 

That is almost an overwhelming thought.

The first use of ha-yah is Genesis 1:2, The earth was… the word translated “was” is ha-yah. Even though it was formless and empty it still existed. Next use is Genesis 1:3, God said, “Let there be light”… “let there be” is ha-yah. English plays with the tense (time). Elohim said, “The earth is… there is light…

I AM is the famous name of YHVH. The ha-yah with an aleph prefix. This prefix is called “Qal Imperfect, first person, masculine” in Hebrew grammar. It does not have a tense. We give these verbs a tense in English. At the most basic level of understanding, God told Moses, “I IS” (Exodus 3:14)

 I had a difficult time finding this word used in a way that blew open the doors of understanding for me, until I came to a verse in Hebrews.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hayah is belief by faith. Ha-yaw is “The God” (yaw is a short form of YHVH). The unseen God exists. He rewards us for seeking him.

 (3) Review of Lessons 1-4

Lesson 1: Aleph, the strong leader, the mighty God. The key aleph word in Proverbs 31 is ‘ishshah meaning woman. In the beginning, God created women to be strong. Only wisdom is more valuable then the chayil-virtuous woman.

Lesson 2: Bet the house, the Son of God. Our key bet word was batach-worthy of trust. The idea of one woman for one man for one life as something that can be trusted (a safe place to fall when we are weak). Just as we are safe trusting Y’shua-Jesus, our husband (even if we have not met him yet) can trust in us because of Him.

Lesson 3: Gamal the Spirit of God who brings what we need, be it comfort, help or daily food. The key word was gamal meaning to bring a person to maturity for service. Not weakening our husband by making him dependent on us, but strengthening him to serve God, not yourself because we are yoke-mates, serving together.

Lesson 4: Dalet the door. We learned that Y’shua is the door. We come to him as needy people and he provides for us. Our key word was darash to seek along The Way.

(4) Lesson 5: She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. Proverbs 31:14

The Proverbs 31 woman’s existence is like “the ships” of the merchant. Verse 14 is dominated by the Hebrew letter hey, for insight from the breath of God. In the 21^st century, merchants transport cargo on huge container ships. Nearly every man who has taught this passage to me seems to think that this verse is all about boats, merchants and exotic food. Bad news for a post-modern, subsistence farmer who buys local. By men’s standards I am disqualified from being a Proverbs 31 woman because of my shopping habits.

I hope by now you are a step ahead of me and know that God’s Ways are very different then the ways of men. When Bathsheba advised her son on finding a valiant warrior for a wife, merchant ships were still powered by the wind. To carry food from far away, the sails must be filled with wind to move the boat. Even the largest, most impressive boat at the dock is “dead in the water” unless its sails are filled with the wind. Wind and Spirit are the same word, Ruwach.

Be filled with the Spirit. We are moved with purpose by an invisible force we call “the Spirit of God” Y’shua spoke of the Spirit when he answered Nicode’mus.

John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, "Amen, Amen (Truly, truly), I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicode'mus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.'  The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Often scripture seems to compares being filled with the Spirit to drunkenness. A common name for alcoholic beverages is “liquid courage.” Being filled with the spirit is our courage. Paul wrote, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) No matter what Paul’s circumstance, no matter what resistance he faced, what threats he was under, no matter how hopeless his circumstances seemed, he knew that he was along for the ride and he would get where God intended him to go. That is how Paul was like a ship, filled with the wind of the Spirit, moved with purpose through these storms. It is no different for you and me. It was that way for our master Y’shua too.

Mark 14:35-36 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt."

Hebrews 12:2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

…bringing her food from afar. What is our food?

John 4:31-35 Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one another, "Has any one brought him food?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.

We come to God, believing that He Is, not so we can have cheese from Italy, wine from New Zealand or produce from Chili. The reason we are filled with the Spirit as a ships sails are filled with the wind is to do the will of God. That is the definition of our food. The purpose that drives our life is in being the hands and feet that accomplish the will of God. This is the reason that I live in Him and He lives his life through me, to the glory of God.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;  to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;  to grant to those who mourn in Zion - to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.

John 6:33-36 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world."  They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always."   Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.

The Valiant Warrior, the Proverbs 31 woman, is a powerful force because she is filled with the Spirit, the Ruwach of God to do His will. She does not need to be strong willed, head strong, single-focused or physically fit. In the Kingdom of God, there is nothing wrong with anyone who has any of these attributes. But none of these characteristics will empower you to do the will of God (the food of the kingdom). You need only look to women like Corrie ten Boom, Joni Erickson-Tada, or Dorie Van Stone to realize that the will of God is accomplished, not by might, nor by power, but by the Ruwach of YHVH (Zechariah 4:6). My sister in Messiah, be filled with that Ruwach, that Spirit, as a ship’s sails are filled with the wind.

(5) Conclusion Maybe, like Nicodemus, you try to be good, you go to church, you memorize passages of the Bible but it still feels like you may be missing something. You wake up at night, thinking about your life and your life to come. Perhaps it is not comforting, your night thoughts may frighten you. Pick up your Bible, open it to John’s Gospel, chapter 3. It was at night that Nicodemus, the very religious, instructor of the people of God, came to Y'shua-Jesus. At some point all of us must come to him. What He said to Nicodemus he says to all of us.

You must be born again.

There will be no wind in your heart’s sails or food from heaven unless you have been born again. You already realize there will be wrath for every soul who is not born again (John 3:36), that is what wakes you up in the night. How are you born again?

John 3:14-15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."

Moses lifted up a serpent in the wilderness? Yes he did. That was what God told him to do after the children of Israel sinned. Their sin was “speaking against YHVH (the LORD) and Moses, despising the food provided for them.” Snakes were sent to bite the people, many died without repentance from their attitude with ungrateful hearts. (Numbers 21:4-9). The people came to Moses, realizing that the snake bites were the result of their own criminal violation of Torah (sin), begging for the serpents to be removed. Moses prayed, YHVH answered. He instructed Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole. When someone is bitten, if they look in faith to the serpent lifted on the pole, they would live. If they try to hide the bite or treat it themselves they die.

That is how it is with us. We sin for a lot of reasons. The Apostle John summed it up by saying “we lust” and boast about it. It feels good, that is how sin works, that is why we do it, until we feel the sting of the serpent’s bite. Look to Jesus who was lifted up on a pole, the cross, look in faith and he will give you the eternal life that we call born again. It really is that simple.

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

In the wilderness, God did not remove the serpents. He does not remove temptation to sin for us either. We will still be tempted, we will still sin, but we expose our life, our deeds to the light (John 3:19-21) and by faith in Y’shua-Jesus, turns us away from our sin (repentance), when we look to him for life. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Do you need to be perfect to do the will of God? I suspect that you have met enough Christians by now to know that even the most powerful are not perfect, they are simply yoked to Y’shua, they expose their deeds to his light, and claim his righteousness because our own righteousness is worthless. That is how it will be for you too. Your goodness is never good enough for eternal life (the kingdom of heaven), but the goodness of Y’shua covers you. That is why we can pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread;” (Matthew 6:10-11) and that is why we say, “For I find my delight in thy commandments, which I love.” (Psalm 119:47) Filled with his Spirit, doing his will, is our power (the wind that moves us) and our daily bread, because we exist for him and by looking to him. Be that woman.
Mrs. Hagerty, October 13, 2014 (Happy Columbus Day!
Updated December 4, 2014 MsH

The Hebrew letter hey

  She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from afar.     Proverbs 31:14

How many of you knew that the Proverbs 31 woman is written as an acrostic? An acrostic uses a Hebrew letter to paint a picture of what is being taught. Proverbs 31:14 springs from the Hebrew letter hey (or hei). The word for hey is often translated "behold." When Y'shua says "behold" it is a flag word, he is about to give you insight from heaven, understanding that you cannot see without the Spirit of God.

This ancient image of the hey is one of my favorites. I use it in my Bible to tag the word "behold" and what comes after it. If you are someone who writes in your Bible you should try this sometime. The things you can learn are fun. YHVH the LORD uses this fifth letter to indicate revelation of spiritual things. The sound you make when you say the word hey is a very breathy sound. You probably already know that the word for spirit and the word for wind are the same word in both Hebrew and Greek. How the word is used in a sentence determines how it is translated into English. The more I learn Hebrew (and I really do not know it beyond a first grade level, if that well), the more I wonder how frustrating translation work must have been at times with words like Spirit and wind.

Hey represents the breath of God, the Spirit, the wind, that gives life to the word of God. I wonder if you are like me in thinking that at the immersion (baptism) of Y'shua-Jesus we were given a fantastic picture of the breath of God (the Spirit) giving life to the Word of God, made flesh. A rare moment when the Breath of God was manifest as a dove (dove and tears are the same Hebrew word with different vowel marks, the passage, if translated from Hebrew, could read ...I saw the Spirit descend as tears from heaven...). On the day that you submit to that new life, what Christians call, "born again" the breath of God, the Spirit, will likewise quietly fill your heart, tho it will not be a visible filling and you will not hear the "well done" until your finish your time on earth and meet YHVH face to face in Heaven.

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." John 1:29-34

The letter hey was used to show God's eternal covenant with both Abraham and his wife Sarah. By adding the letter hey to their names, no one would ever again say their name without the breathy sound of the Spirit. An eternal reminder of YHVH's filling in their lives. The same thing happened to Jonathan, the dear friend of King David, but it is impossible to see in English.

I did my preschool lessons on the letter hey in another acrostic, Psalm 119: 33-40. where I first learned that the divine breath, the Spirit of YHVH is cause of all I receive from the Word of God. I've made some changes to the passage to fit the orginal Hebrew instead of the often anti-Torah translation.

Psalm 119:33-40 Hey 

33 Teach me (point the way), O YHVH, the way of thy appointments (as the feast days); and I will keep (guard and protect) it to the end. 
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep (guard and protect) thy Torah and observe (hedge with thorns) it with my whole heart (the heart is the shepherds house in Hebrew pictograph). 
35 Lead me in the path of thy commandments (mitsvah generally the 10 commandments, but all God's commands are included), for I delight in it. 
36 Incline (stretch me out, turn me to see--the picture of me as the little stick figure lifting my hands in wonder!) my heart to thy testimonies (evidence, the witness given), and not to gain (covetousness, a discontent with what I have)! 
37 Turn (cover) my eyes from looking at vanities (idolatry, evil, paganism that is folded into worship of the true God who has told us how he will be worshipped); and give me life in thy way. 
38 Confirm (cause me to stand or take a stand) to thy bond-servant thy promise, which is for those who fear (moral reverence) thee. 
39 Turn away (carry, to pass or cross over) the reproach (shame) which I dread; for thy ordinances (mishpat- legal judgements, Torah based decisions) are good. 
40 Behold, I long for thy precepts (from a root meaning "visits" precepts are times with God in His Torah, during the "appointed feasts" or anytime our focus is on God); in thy righteousness give me life! 

I'll end this pretty study on the Hebrew letter hey with one of my favorite Amy Carmichael poems, The Flame.

From prayer that asks that I may be sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,  

From fearing when I should aspire, from faltering when I should climb higher 

From silken self, O Captain , free thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things, from easy choices, weakenings, 

(Not thus are spirits fortified, not this way went the Crucified) 

From all that dims thy Calvary O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way, the faith that nothing can dismay

The hope no disappointments tire, the passion that will burn like fire; 

Let me not sink to be a clod; make me thy fuel, Flame of God.

John 10:1 The door and the theif

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber;  John 10:1 

Amen, amen, I further-say to you...

Our English Bibles are full of surprises. The Jewishness of Jesus has been erased. I started my morning intending to pray for a friend whose marriage is in distress. When my own marriage was on shaky ground, John chapter 10 was my go-to passage for prayer. I've never done a word study on the passage but I have prayed it many times.

I was happily surprised to see that John 10:1 does not begin, Verily, verily (what does that mean?) or even "Truly, truly" but the Jewish Messiah began this chapter with the words, "A'men, a'men." Stand firm--believe and have faith in the Torah. I wondered what else I did not know about this favorite passage.

"I say" is translated from the Greek word lego, just like the toy. It means a foundation to build your life upon. The solid foundation, the rock that is Messiah. 

If you have been following the Proverbs 31 study I have been doing, you may know by now that Y'shua is the door, the dalet. We are the sheep

So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:7-10

Then he led forth his people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. Psalm 78:52

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would hearken to his voice! Psalm 95:7

Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3

I also believe that when we come to Y'shua for salvation, (to be born again) we commit ourselves to a righteous life style, a life of faith (amen in Hebrew) that is described in Torah as The Way. 

...but climbs in by another way

If ever you set down to do a word-study on "the way" one thing will quickly become clear. There is a way that is laid out by God and then there are many "other ways" that lead to death and destruction.

"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14

I'm not sure if this means anything or not, but ever since discovering that words like hamas and allah are both in the Old Testament, and neither is flattering, I have started wondering what else it tucked into Scripture that once seemed neutral but has meaning in these last days. In that light, I noticed that the word translated "but" (but climbs in by another way) is not the from the usual Greek word that is translated "but." In this passage it seems to be the word "allah" the enemy of Messiah. Allah climbs in by "another way" he is a thief (a klepto who steals by fraud and in secret) and a robber (a brigand- someone who openly uses violence, especially against travelers -those who walk the way- to rob them).

Verse 1 of John chapter 10 is as far as I got. I am praying for my friend and her family. She has chosen the way of life, her husband is still a prisoner of the enemy of souls. They love each other but the Serpent does not want to give up his prize. To me that can only mean that Y'shua is calling the husband. Now the Serpent is using violence (cruel words and cruel thoughts) instead of secret fraud against that couple's mind to keep him from The Way of life. 

Do you know people in marital distress? Don't feel sorry for them, Y'shua is fixen to rescue them but we must pray. Now is the time to pray for the freedom that Messiah sets us free with. Joy!

 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."  John 8:32

The Valiant Warrior, Lesson 4: Proverbs 31:13

 She looks for wool and flax and works with her hands in delight.            Proverbs 31:13

What does tomorrow hold? Indeed, what will we face today? Many of us wonder if we have everything we need. Should there be an emergency, will the contents of our bug-out-bag get us through the crisis or will we be found wanting? We who believe in Y'shua--Jesus have something far better then a bug-out-bag for every emergency. You may wonder how we get what we need. The answer is in both begging and seeking....

This week

1. The Hebrew letter dalet
2. Hebrew word of the week; dawrash (daw-rash'+ah)
3. Review of Lesson 3
4. Lesson 4, She seeks...
5. Conclusion

(1) The letter dalet.   The Hebrew letter dalet pictures a door. Beggars would go to the door to ask for alms (money or food given to the poor) Isn't it amazing that Y’shua-Jesus tells us 

"Blessed (the favor of God) are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.       Matthew 5:3             

Why does God favor the poor? I think it is because we know we are needy and must come to Him with our requests. You may ask, doesn't God favor those who are not poor? I would like to suggest that he wants to give them the same favor, but in not having to worry about basic needs, they do not think they need Him. The English word "poor" means a beggar. Beggars do not have high standing in America. I have heard people proclaim that they do not trust beggars, that beggars only want money for drugs and alcohol, and certainly there are beggars on street corners who are hoping for exactly that. A person who goes begging at the door of God is not necessarily like a beggar on a street corner.  One difference is that they are calling on God who loves them and can meet all their needs instead of a hard-hearted and jaded people without compassion for their needs.      

'Behold, I (Y’shua-Jesus) stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20

Did you catch what happened in Revelation 3:20? Read it again. It is the needy who traditionally come to the door to beg, but in this passage of the Revelation, Y’shua-Jesus came to the door looking for those of us who do not realize we are needy because we are distracted by our “stuff.”

If we are to go to the door to beg for what we need, then we should know where the door is. But since we do not even know we are needy (I am speaking to those who believe), Y'shua, the door, comes to us.  Twice in the book of John, chapter 10, Y’shua-Jesus tells us that He is the door. When Jesus tells you something twice you need to pay close attention!

So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.   John 10:7

 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:99

What does it mean that Y’shua-Jesus is the door? When we are born again (and not before) we become like Y’shua, who is both Ruach-spirit and flesh. In this world we were born as creatures of flesh. We know exactly what that means. But when we are born again we become Ruach-spirit like the Savior (Y’shua means Savior).

But as many as received Him (Y’shua-Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name (Y’shua means salvation),  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.    John 1:11-13

Jesus answered and said to him (Nicodemus), "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him (Y’shua), "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Ruach-Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Ruach-Spirit is Ruach-spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The Ruach-wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Ruach-Spirit."           John 3:3-8

Note: ruach means both spirit and wind. How the word is used in a sentence is how we know which is which.

After we are born again we need to learn what it means to be a child of God. The reason we must go to Y’shua, and the reason he calls himself “the dalet, the door,” is because it is Him who we must go through to be born-again. It is also because He is the only one in all of creation who is able to function in both the physical world (or realm) and the spiritual world.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.            1 Peter 1:3-5

As children of God we already have an inheritance but we do not see it yet. We are people who have lived all our life in this physical world; we do not always see what we have in Y’shua. We are “needy” and we must go to the door, the dalet, which is Y’shua, to knock and ask for what we need. Since our inheritance comes from the Kingdom of God and is spiritual, we need to seek it even after we ask for what we need from our heart (remember, the heart, the leb, is the house of our shepherd) Y'shua taught us…

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.    Matthew 7:7-8

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.   Mark 11:24

There are times when you need Y’shua’s help just to see (seek) what he has given. He will never trick you with something bad because you did not ask in a careful manner (Luke 11: 11-13), he knows our hearts and knows what we want.

 Dalet is the 4^th letter of the aleph-bet and is represented by the number 4. Four stands for the created world. The fourth commandment is the first of the ten commandments that is for the earth, the natural, physical realm. Even so, the Sabbath is the day set aside for meeting with our heavenly father. Sabbath is a day when physical creatures take a full day of rest to remember the heavenly realm and what pleases our heavenly father. In case I have you thinking that all the help Y’shua gives is spiritual, let me point out that as the number four, dalet points to the physical creation. The door is the connection between the our physical world and the world to come. Y’shua meets your every need, not just your spiritual needs. He loves who we are right now, he cares about what we need and is generous, even (it seems) with us who are too proud to ask. Do not give up seeking the answer to your prayer because it is our chance to show trust in God. We are warned,

"Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.         Luke 8:13

In other words, they stop seeking, they start thinking that maybe Y’shua does not care about them because it might be too hard to ask, and knock and seek.

(2) Hebrew word of the week dawrash

She looks for wool and flax and works with her hands in delight.     Proverbs 31:13

Dawrash means, to seek, to look for along a well worn path. The path that believers are on is known as “The Way.” Y’shua-Jesus said that He is The Way

Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me (Y’shua).  "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.  "And you know The Way where I am going."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know The Way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am The Way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.          John 14:1-6

This is really interesting, it stirs my soul with excitement about my Y’shua, but what does all of this have to do with The Valiant Warrior? If you look at today’s verse, you can see that she is a woman who “seeks.”

(3) In Lesson 3 we learned that the Ruach, the Spirit of God, brings gifts from Heaven to his people. The Ruach is not like the dark spirit we have come to know as Santa who tickles our lust with materialism, but the Ruach is the very breath of our heavenly father. The Torah of God, that word spoken on Sinai and confirmed on Golgotha which is our life, comes to life because the Almighty breathes life into it with his own breath-The Ruach ha kodesh (In English you know this breath of life as the Holy Spirit). We learned from Barnabus that we can trust the Ruach of God in a redeemed persons heart even when what we know of a person is scary. A person, no matter who they once were, with a testimony of Y’shua (Salvation) is a person we can fellowship with.

(4) Lesson 4 She seeks... Wool and flax are used to make fabric, so what does this have to do with her being a seeker? What does it have to do with what we have learned from the picture language of the dalet?

The Torah of the Almighty (Law in English) clearly teaches that God is not pleased when two specific fabrics are mixed or twisted together. Those two fabrics happen to be wool and flax. Flax is also known as linen. I do not know why the Almighty made this commandment, a few people have tried to explain it to me, in the end I just accept it by faith. (Leviticus 19:19 and Deuteronomy 22:9-11 are the passages just in case you are wondering)

There are two exceptions to the instruction on not mixing yarn or fabric. The first is the wearing of tzitzit (tassels) which are used to help us remember the Torah of God. They can be made of all linen threads or all wool threads or they can be made of white linen with blue wool yarn. So remembering the Torah, which is The Truth, is one of the times we are allowed to mix wool and flax-linen (look back at John 14:1-6 to see who is The Truth) When The Virtuous Warrior is praying, it is right for her to “seek flax and wool and work with her hands” (running her fingers over the tzitzit)

The other exception to mixing wool and flax-linen is the High Priest’s garment. His clothing is to be made of pure white linen wrapped with a girdle (a really long, wrap-around belt) woven with purple, blue and scarlet wool. Are you thinking, “We do not have a high priest anymore, what does the priest’s garments have to do with seeking wool and flax? The book of Hebrews tells us that we do have a high priest, but it is not a son of Aaron, He is the Son of the Almighty.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet  without sin.       Hebrews 4: 14-15

By now you know that being a Valiant Warrior, a Proverbs 31 woman, means that you are in this world but not of it. We who are born again call The Kingdom of Heaven our home (John 17: 13-17) The Valiant Warrior is born again and comes to the dalet, the door, which is Y’shua-Jesus. She seeks him as her high priest in prayer. She absolutely knows that He hears her prayers and is delighted to provide what she needs to function as his beloved ambassador in the world.

She is a woman of prayer, a spiritual beggar, who comes to the dalet, the door to the Kingdom of Heaven which is Y’shua-Jesus. She seeks her Beloved, her High Priest, Y’shua-Jesus, for everything she needs. Hers may not be a life of luxury, but she takes pleasure in what she does (the Hebrews teach that pleasure is the meaning of “works with her hands”)

(5) Conclusion When Y’shua-Jesus walked on the earth he taught us that the first thing we should seek is The Kingdom of Heaven, He would take care of the rest. (Matthew 6:33). Pray for each other. Sometimes it takes a special kind of “seeking” to find what you have asked for. This is what Paul prayed for us.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might     Ephesians 1:18-20

Mrs. Hagerty, October 6, 2014
Updated December 2, 2015 MsH

The Valiant Warrior, Lesson 3, Proverbs 31:12

She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.

 Proverbs 31:12

“The word comfort is from two Latin words meaning “with” and “strong” – He is with us to make us strong. Comfort is not soft, weakening commiseration; it is true, strengthening love

 – Amy Carmichael

This week

(1) The Hebrew letter gimel

(2) Hebrew word of the week; gamal

(3) Review of Lesson 2 

(4) Barnabus

(5) Conclusion

(1) The third letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet is the gimel (rhymes with camel). Remember that the letter aleph reminds us of God the father. The letter bet pictures the son. The third letter, gimel, pictures the third person of the God-head; the Spirit. The letter gimel teaches us about kindness without making us dependent. How many of you know that the Spirit is called “the helper and the comforter”?

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Acts 9:31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Help and comfort are acts of kindness that strengthen us so that we can stand on the Word of God without fear. Gimel is represented by the number 3. Three stands for everything that is solid, real substantial, complete, and entire. (Bullinger p. 102) Three is symbolic of divine perfection. There are three persons in the God-head. I am astonished that a concept as difficult to nail down as the Spirit of God (the Ruach ha Qodesh) is what gives substance to faith. It is the Spirit who makes the things of Messiah real and solid in our daily walk (Bullinger 105). Any attempt we make to live out the commandments is nothing but religion without the life giving Spirit of God.

Gimel is the number 3.

• The third day of creation was when the waters and land were separated (a resurrection as pictured by baptism
• The third commandment tells us to not speak YHVH's name in vain (to make it worthless)
• Leviticus, the third book of scripture instructs us on how we ought to righteously worship YHVH by faith

·    I like this, in English, gimel rhymes with camel because the pictograph of gimel is of a camel. The camel represents wealth. It is able to travel long distances with cargo. The gifts the magi brought to the Messiah, when he was a child in Bethlehem, are traditionally said to have been carried by camels.

Matthew 19:24 "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Ever wondered what this weird verse means? Because the gimel represents the Spirit but the pictograph is the camel, and brings wealth to mind, then perhaps the Word is teaching us something about the kind of wealth that is important. When we love “things” more than we love God, even if we really love God a lot, we have a problem. Treasure, stuff, is for earth not heaven. The woman who is dependent upon Heaven, who asks God for her daily needs, has treasure in heaven. Spiritual treasure can easily pass through the eye of the needle. Earthly treasure cannot. Do you say you love God with all your heart? Is there anything you are unwilling to give up? The things you want to hang onto are the things you treasure in your heart.

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 19:20-22 The young man said to Him, "All these commandments I have kept; what am I still lacking?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

(2) “She will do him good” is from the Hebrew word gamal, a word very similar to gimel. In fact, in Hebrew the two words look exactly alike, they just have different vowel points. Gamal (pronounced gaw-mal’) is a word that means “to mature, to wean” The valiant warrior is a woman who encourages others to grow in the Spirit, to become warriors in fellowship. To do that she has to be a spiritual woman. A woman of kindness and a woman of comfort. She has to be a woman who hopes the best for her sisters, for her family. A woman who points to the need for God, not herself, as the central point of others lives.

(3) In lesson 2 we learned that the Valiant Warrior is a woman worthy of trust. There is nothing about her as an earthling, a natural woman that makes her worthy of trust. It is the Spirit of Y'shua-Jesus who has made her heart his temple; that gives her worth. This week I want to show you a man named Barnabas who trusted the Spirit of Y'shua in Paul, even though Paul's natural self had proven to be worthless.

(4) Do you remember the story of Barnabas and Paul? Barnabas is the picture of Gamal. He was kind and comforting without making Paul weak or dependent on him. Paul had hurt many of his people. He was cruel beyond belief to the believers in Jerusalem. When he came back to Jerusalem after his salvation, people were afraid of him. There was bitterness and hurt because of who he was before he met Y’shua-Jesus. If not for Barnabas there would have been no fellowship or ministry for Paul. The world might have never known the brilliant Bible writer in not for Barnabas. 

Barnabas trusted God more then he feared Paul. It was the Holy Spirit living in Paul that he was willing to trust. Paul was living his life in submission to that Spirit but he had been so utterly wicked as a natural, though very religious man, that no one else was willing to trust him. It took a special kind of believer, a (man in this case) who was chayil! There are no books of the Bible written by Barnabas. But I wonder if you realize that if it had not been for Barnabas, we might not have any of the great epistles of Paul.

Barnabas practiced the ministry of Gamal. He did good for Paul when everyone else would do evil by withholding the love of God, and who could blame them? I do not know if Barnabas personally felt the sting of the old Paul, scripture does not say, but I know he knew about Paul's old life, I am sure that it was an often discussed subject.

Acts 9:26-31 When he came to Jerusalem, he (Paul) was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. 

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Someday, when you become a wife, there is a very good chance that you will feel deeply crushed, hurt right to the core of your soul. You will think that the person who hurt you is your husband. But even in a marriage our battle is not against flesh and blood. At that season of your life you will have to decide if you wish to be a Valiant Warrior, like Barnabas, and do good for your husband (I am sure he will have to make the same choice about you, Satan loves a soft target) or do you want to be a victim? Victims have rights, they have advocates but the Chayil woman has something far better. She has the power of the Holy Spirit.

Choose friends who make you strong. Anyone can weaken you by feeling sorry for you and encourage you to just blow off the person who caused you pain. (I am NOT talking about bruises, broken and sprained bones or the constant verbal attack that some men are fond of) But a friend who encourages you, reminding you that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against wicked spirits in dark places, is the kind of person you want around to encourage you when the invisible battle is raging.  BE THAT FRIEND! That valiant warrior.

 (5) I’ll conclude with a favorite poem-prayer from my valiant warrior hero of the faith.

From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from the winds that beat on thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher
From silken self, O Captain free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.
From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakening,
(Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified)
From all that dims Thy Calvary
O Lamb of God, deliver me.
Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire;
Let me not sink to be a clod;
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God
-- Amy Carmichael 

Mrs. Hagerty, September 29, 2014
Updated November 22, 2015 MsH

Stay the course... 1 Corinthians 15:58

 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Cor 15:58

We will be changed, at the last trumpet of a soon coming Yom Teru’ah (The feast of trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah, a.k.a. the day and hour which no one knows). At that final trumpet sound, who we are in Y’shua will be revealed for who we really are. Imperishable, immortal. Hallelujah! For we who believe, death has already been swallowed up in victory (1 Cor.15:54, quoting Isaiah 28:8, and I Cor. 15:57)

Why then are we still walking the earth where thorns (the meaning of “sting” in Hos. 13:14 quoted by Paul) are still able to make our labor that of tears, pain and loss? It is because the world is full of souls who do not know anything but the entanglement of the thorns of death. The only future most know for certain is death, an end that we all resist with every cell in our body! The work of YHVH does not include the idea of pain, only abundance of joy, so why do we still cry, if not for the beloved souls who do not know the joy of YHVH (the LORD in English) in Y’shua (Jesus). Just as Y’shua came in flesh to labor for souls trapped in the thorns of sin and death, embracing the ultimate sting of nails and a crown, so we also labor with tears, exhaustion, pain, and pointless work, knowing that what we do here on earth is for the kingdom of heaven and has far greater value to our God then what we perceive with our senses.

Just be diligent to stay the course, The Way, and walk pleasing to our God. The thorns will not sting you, but you must work to proclaim the truth, setting souls free by the power that set you free, which is Y'shua!

Obstruction Point Trail north east of Hurricane Ridge in Washington's Olympic National Park

The Kingdom of Heaven is ….. accountability

A pleasant, thickly accented voice was teaching Hebrew. A beautiful lesson from a man I’ve not heard before. I was drifting along in the sermon of Dr Danny Ben-Gigi when he lost me. Lost not to disagreement but to a statement he made that was so sensible that I forgot to pay attention to what else was being said. Have you had those moments?

Bees and blackberry blossoms at the Toy Box Sub-Urban Farm

The Kingdom of heaven is accountability. Such a simple statement but one that goes to the heart with the simplicity of truth. The memory of dozens of lessons on what the kingdom of heaven might be and what it means for it to be at hand began to replay in my head. If the kingdom is accountability then we must have something and someone we are accountable to. The something is Torah. The someone is the King, Y’shua ha Mashiach (Jesus who is the Christ).

If ever there was a passage of scripture that seems simple to understand but trips people up again and again is "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 3:2  What does it mean?

The term "at hand" seems to make sense from the mouth of John the Baptist. An idea of pending, soon to appear, is the impression that I get. After all, John was the forerunner. But when the same statement comes from the mouth of the apparent king, it sets me back a bit. 

 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17

What if John and the King were both saying, it is time to stop living your life as if you are not accountable to the Word of God, to the Torah, What if the king and the kingdom, that we are accountable to, are not primarily a personality or power but the Word of God, made flesh? 

If the kingdom of Heaven is accountability to Torah then The One I am directly accountable to is Y’shua (Salvation). This is not a salvation issue, because you cannot be accountable to the living Word unless you are already born again. Accountability is a matter of faith. Faith (A'men) does not always ask me to make sense of Torah but to stand firm on the truth of it. A righteous life suddenly makes sense. The kingdom of heaven is accountability to Torah in Y’shua-Salvation.

The Valiant Warrior, Lesson 2: Proverbs 31:11

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 

The Proverbs 31 woman is not who you think she is. Valiant Warrior is a better tag then Victorian Woman. Her battle is not against flesh and blood. Her weapons are not of this world. Neither are her ideals. MsH

This week

1.  The Hebrew letter bet
2. Hebrew word of the week, batach
3.  A short review of Proverbs 31:10
4.  She can be trusted because of her trust in YHVH
5. A word about Wisdom

(1) The Hebrew letter bet is the 2^nd letter of the Aleph-bet but the first letter of Scripture. “Bet” pictures a house. The pictograph is of a tent, something you go into. Being a member of a family is something most of us value, most of the time. However, there is a basic problem when people live together in one tent or house (bet). It is their differences. The very thing that makes us special is also the reason for the possibility of division. Marriages begin in romance, that is never how they end. A heart that is willing to trust is often required.

The numeric value of bet is two. Here is a fact about the number 2. It is the first number that can be divided. One of the most basic ideas about the number two is division because of difference. Light was the second creation. God said it was good. God divided the light and the darkness. Division and difference are key ideas about bet. (E.W. Bullinger)

Matthew 12:25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand;

Bet is often used as a prefix. When bet is used at the beginning of a root word it tells us that the subject or object is IN something. For instance, the very first word of Scripture is, re’shiyth (pronounced “ray-sheeth”). It means, “at the head, the start, the first. Re’shiyth has a  bet prefix.
“In” + “the start-the first” giving us our English phrase, “In the beginning” b^are’shiyth. The English word is Genesis.

The heart of her husband Batach -trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. Proverbs 31:11

(2) Batach (pronounced baw-takh’) is a Hebrew root word meaning, “go quickly to, for refuge”

How many of you know that “trust” is not something that you have in yourself? What you have in yourself might be confidence. Trust is something we have for other people. Other people trust us. The people who love us usually trust us. One difference between trust and love is that it is often easier to stop trusting someone then it is to stop loving them. Love is probably stronger than trust but I want the people that I love to trust me. For me, this means that I must be worthy of their trust.

What does it mean to be worthy of trust? It is as simple as making what is important to the person I love, important to me. It isn't just about keeping secrets.

Psalm 52:7-8 "Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and was strong in his evil desire."  But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I Batach-trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Batach-Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your Ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

I watch so many people try to figure out their choices, try to make sense of their situation in order to plan their next move in life. They check their bank account to see what they can afford. An upgrade seems more important then contentment. Yah (the LORD) deserves your trust. But we want to "lean on our own understanding" and choose what seems best for us. Trusting Yah with the control of your heart can give you a helpless feeling. I would like to testify that "leaning on my own understanding" does not take away the helpless feeling. You know this to be true whenever things go wrong. The best a life plan can do for you is distract you with the discipline of sticking to your plan. Walking in The Way is walking with Y'shua (Jesus) in control. He straightens the path, not so you can see what is coming, to prepare yourself, but because he already knows what is coming and wants you to walk straight through it. How do I acknowledge him in The Way? That is a study in itself. But for me, acknowledgement of God resulting in a choice to trust Him begins with thanking Him for everything and in everything.

...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

(3) Last week we saw that the Valiant Warrior is a woman of Chayil, 

In Proverbs 31:10 we were introduced to a woman who is a powerful force, able to do the ministry that God created Chavah-Eve to do. Eve's job was to guard Adam (she has his back) and to be his ‘ezer, his co-warrior, to guard and protect creation. We found out that a “chayil” woman is of greater value than anything else that a man could desire on earth. Only Wisdom has more value than the Valiant Warrior. No one has more value than a valiant woman with wisdom.

(4) This week we learn that the woman of chayil is someone who can be trusted. 

Many people will “trust you…. With their secrets, with their tears, even with their gossip, but being a woman of Batach-trust is something that is reserved for the closest relationship.

Batach-trust is a godly trait more than a human attribute. The woman who can be trusted is a woman who has trusted in Y’shua-Jesus herself. Because she trusts Him, she is able to reflect that in her relationships. Batach-trust is not an accident of being raised in a godly family or being born special. Instead it is something we receive as a “seed gift” when we come into relationship to The Savior. A seed gift is something that grows stronger with use. This helps explain why the Valiant Warrior is such a valuable wife and friend.You are safe when you trust her. Only Wisdom has more value than she does. Why is Wisdom special? Let’s take a peak.

Proverbs 2:6-10 For YHVH gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, Guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves The Way of His godly ones.
 Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course.
For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

God the Father, Abba, give wisdom.It does not come from education or life experience, as valuable as those things are. Wisdom is the ability to see life from a perspective that is closer to the Fathers.

Our heart is meant to be wisdom's house. Wisdom is not kept in books. Books contain knowledge. Wisdom does more then make sense of knowledge (that is understanding). Wisdom gives life to what you know. Wisdom is a shield (a form of protection). Earthly shields have grips that allow us to hold on to them. The shield of Wisdom is gripped with the integrity of our life.  

Proverbs 3:19 YHVH by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He established the heavens.

Why is Wisdom so valuable? Wisdom is not a thing but a spirit, a person. Do you need one more hint about the value of Wisdom? Here is a passage that does not talk about wisdom but about "the founding of the earth, creation, We know the earth was created by Wisdom. (Proverbs 3:19) But who is Wisdom? Look at the next hint from Scripture.

John 1:1-3   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Do you know who Wisdom is yet? He created the world, Your heart was created to be his home. He was given to us by God the Father. Do you know who he is yet? I call him Y'shua (Hebrew for Salvation), you might know him by the name Jesus. 

(5) Wisdom is the only person that has greater value then the Valiant Warrior 

Now you know, Wisdom is Jesus and Jesus is Wisdom. Your heart was meant to be his home. Without Wisdom, you will never be a Valiant Warrior. You can be really smart, or you can be someone who has a very difficult time learning anything. It does not matter what you know. What matters is, "Does Jesus live in your heart?

On being smart or not very smart, it is important to me that you remember the difference between having a hard time learning and being a fool. There is no shame for a person who finds learning difficult. A fool is something different. Never call a believer a fool, (Matthew 5:22). The reason is that a fool can be (and probably is) really smart, meaning full of knowledge. Knowing information or being ignorant does not make a person a fool. Only one thing qualifies a person as a fool. They say in there heart, there is no God. (Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1)

Without Wisdom you are no different then Eve who was deceived by the Serpent. “Wisdom that comes from above” living in the heart of Eve may have prevented her from being deceived. Adam batach-trusted her. How deeply did Adam trust her? Scripture says that Eve was deceived but Adam sinned. Adam was willing to do what he knew was sin because he trusted Eve! Does that help explain why a Valiant Warrior, a Chaiel woman is so valuable? Her husband’s heart can safely trust her because she trusts God. Eve "leaned on her own understanding" instead of acknowledging God. Adam trusted her to acknowledge God, not her own understanding. The brilliance of the Serpent was not in causing her to desire to be like God, All of us want to be like the one we love and follow. No, the genius of the serpent was to deceive Eve into "thinking for herself" instead of acknowledging God. In this world, not everything can be figured out and categorized in our heads. But by faith we can acknowledge God's Word. Faith means to stand firm on something. The Hebrew idea is Amen, meaning I take my stand on the Word of God. That word is written on my heart where Wisdom lives when Jesus is invited in.

You cannot make yourself that woman of valor, you must be, “born again” for Wisdom, Y’shua-Jesus to make his home in your heart. The more you live according to the Word, the Torah of God, the more your heart, Jesus home, becomes a safe place for the one you love. Only by Jesus can two people become one. There is no other way. One cannot be divided. Do you loose yourself by becoming one with your husband? Not at all, because the secret is that you and your husband become one by being bound together like a rope with Y'shua as the third, unbreakable strand.

Note: many will say, Adam should have protected Eve. Or, she should have submitted to Adam;s judgement. All true statements. But this is a lesson for a woman and we are responsible for what we do, not for what others do. MsH
Mrs. Hagerty, September 22, 2014
Updated November 16, 2015, MsH