Month: October 2023

“And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.”

Genesis 22:5-8 (NASB)

This scripture brings a familiar picture to mind. Here is young Isaac, carrying wood and walking up Mount Moriah with His father, Abraham, in order to offer a sacrifice to God.

It is one of many prophetic images concealed in scripture. Jesus carried the wood of His own cross, in obedience to His father, and walked up the hill of Golgotha to offer Himself as a sacrifice. 

In this story, we see Isaac’s complete trust in his father, as he didn’t know he was carrying the wood which was to be used in his own sacrifice. Abraham was being tested by God, but one thing is certain, Isaac had full confidence that his father loved him, and had his best interests at heart. 

I’m fascinated by two facts that I overlooked in reading this story previously. The words of Abraham reveal two important truths:

Abraham told his two servants who accompanied him, “Stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over there. We will worship and then come back to you.” 

He told his servants that he and his boy would be back. Abraham knew that Isaac was the sacrifice, but he still trusted the goodness of God, believing that He would and could raise his boy from the dead, if necessary. God sent an angel in time to stop Abraham from going through with the sacrifice, it was all just a test, which Abraham passed. 

The other fact revealed in Abraham’s words was in referring to sacrifice as worship. For Abraham, sacrificing something he loved was equivalent to worshipping God. He told his servants he was going up to the mountain to “worship” God, knowing all along that he was going to offer up His only son. In Abraham’s heart, this test of offering Isaac was a form of worship. Abraham totally trusted God that Isaac was in good hands. 

Sometimes worship takes the form of sacrifice in our lives too. If worship only meant singing songs in church or saying words that bring honor and praise to God, we would forget the great cost of sacrifice and what it really means.

Sometimes we find ourselves walking an uphill stride, through a trial that no one else can walk along with us. In times like these, we walk up our own Mount Moriah, having to leave all our friends behind, like Abraham did. There will be sacrifices that we make, not always by choice, and some which we can only do alone, yet these sacrifices can be offered to God as our worship. As Isaac trusted that his father had only good will intended for him, Abraham also trusted in the goodness of God.  

Whatever is being sacrificed in our lives, when we know that God is our loving father, who wants only the best for us, we can walk up our Mount Moriah with a heart filled with faith and worship, just like Abraham did.

Whatever type of suffering or sacrifice we go through, whether physical, emotional or some form of humiliation, we can identify with Jesus, and offer it to God in a spirit of worship.

Jesus had disciples and friends who loved Him and believed in Him, but when the time for sacrifice came, He left them all behind, and walked up the hill of Golgotha, alone. There are times in our life that we cannot take our friends with us. Some sacrifices must be offered alone as Jesus showed us, but He also  told His friends and servants that He would be back again, on the third day. In every sacrifice, there is always a hope of resurrection. 

Abraham carried the fire and the knife, trusting God would provide the lamb that day, and Isaac carried the wood, trusting completely in his father’s love. As they went up the mountain with the intent of sacrifice as worship, God provided a lamb for them, caught in a very dense shrub. 

Abraham knew that God would come through, and that’s why he told his servants he and Isaac would be back. God shows us He loves us, when we trust and offer ourselves completely to Him. Isaac had the attitude that every believer needs during difficult times. In Isaac’s mind, he knew, “What can go wrong when my father loves me so much?”

Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow Him. As we imitate Him, carrying the wood up Mount Moriah alone, we are never truly alone. We have a Heavenly Father who loves us so much, and sent His own son to be with us always. 

God was looking for the willingness of Abraham’s heart. Sacrifice, when offered to God as worship, is really about a willing heart in total surrender to Him. Jesus set the most perfect example of a willing heart surrendered to God. 

At the top of Mount Moriah, God provided the lamb. In the final sacrifice, God provided the Lamb for us, in Jesus, and He meets us at the top of our Moriah. 

Sacrifices take many different forms throughout our lifetime. Whatever we think of as a trial in the form of humiliation or sacrifice, becomes our offering of worship, as our living sacrifice to God.

Paul knew this truth when he wrote, 

“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1)

We don’t have to carry any wood up a mountain, because Jesus already completed a sacrifice for our atonement. Now we offer our whole selves to God as a “living” sacrifice, as our spiritual service of worship to Him. Our sacrifices are offered to God throughout our lives, and it is worship in the highest form.

When we stop looking at suffering as punishment, or a problem to be delivered from, but as our sacrifice of worship offered to God on our own Mount Moriah, we realize, through Jesus, that sacrifice has always been the highest form of worship. 

Lord, we offer up to you, anything that feels like loss, every strained relationship, every difficult situation that weighs on us, all the personal offenses suffered, and in dying to our selves, we give it all to you as a sacrifice of worship because we know nothing can go wrong with a Father who loves us so much. Amen

“Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Genesis 18:10-14 (NIV)

On a hot middle eastern afternoon, in the hottest part of the day, around noon, three men appeared to Abraham, while he was resting under a shady oak tree. It would have been the best time to find someone home, since most people rested in a cool place during the scorching heat of the midday. Not many people were walking around during this part of the day, when out of nowhere, these three men approached Abraham.

Many commentators of scripture think that two of those three men were angels and one was the Lord, since He didn’t stop Abraham from bowing down to Him in homage. 

He then washed the men’s feet and gave them lunch. 

The one man may have been Jesus, who scripture refers to as, the Lord. He was the one who delivered the message to Abraham, but first He asked “ Where is your wife, Sarah?” He went on to tell Abraham that He would return the following year and Sarah would have a son.

Sarah, in overhearing these words, laughed to herself. She didn’t laugh out loud or verbalize her doubt or unbelief, she just laughed to herself, as an innermost thought. She found it hard to believe that she, a ninety year old post menopausal woman, would get pregnant and bear a son, although God promised them a son many years earlier.

The man who scripture calls, “the Lord”, knew immediately that Sarah laughed within herself, because He asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh ?”

It’s easy to forget that God reads every thought that passes through our minds. He reads our motives, our doubts, our fears, all our heart felt sincerity, even our heartbreaks and our deepest anxieties.  

Did you ever find yourself thinking of all the reasons not believe God to do something? I have done so, and then I realize, how silly, since He has already read my heart and motives. He knows where I lack in faith, and He reads every doubt that is circling my mind. He is patient with us in our unbelief and even in our unwillingness. Since He knows everything that is already within us, it’s best to just go to Jesus and tell the truth. 

Sarah may have laughed in disbelief, but God still did exactly what He promised. God is faithful to fulfill all His promises. In Genesis 21:1, it says that “The Lord took note of Sarah as He had said He would; the Lord did for her just as He had promised.”

Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 in the following year when she gave birth to the miracle baby, and promised heir, Isaac. There was an entire three months that passed by before Sarah even became pregnant. Many things happened during those next three months, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, for one, and they must have wondered when God would do for Sarah, what He promised. Nine months later she held Isaac in her arms. 

God takes note of our needs, our prayer requests, and even the inner doubts, fears and anxiety we hold inside. Many  events happen in our lives, while we await the answers to our prayers. God knows all our thoughts, so we might as well admit our doubts and fears to Him. He comes to us in the heat of our day, when we least expect it, and He takes note of all that is within our hearts. 

As we are truthful, we can trust in His son to do all that He promised. God’s promises overrule our innermost thoughts. As we open our heart in honesty to Jesus, He is ready to help us through the waiting period.

Lord, help all of us who struggle with unbelief, doubt and fear. As you did exactly what you promised Abraham and Sarah, we trust you to meet all of our needs as well. Give us hope, peace and patience while we wait for your promised answers. Amen

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” Matthew 12:40-41 (RSV)

The number three is significant throughout the stories of the Bible, which is not surprising since everything was created by God, who is a three in one Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

In comparing Himself to Jonah, Jesus foretold His own resurrection on the third day. The scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign, even though their skeptical minds were already made up. He told them the only sign they will see is the sign of Jonah.

Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees to heed His words, warning them about the judgement day, but He also showed His divine mercy, by inviting all to come to Him, saying

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” 

(John 6:37)

Jesus had the power and love to save anyone and the authority and grace to keep them, not turning anyone away. He boldly revealed who He was and His invitation was extended to all, scribes and Pharisees included.

After Jonah was spit out of that whale’s mouth on the third day, he finally followed God’s will and preached to the multitudes in Nineveh, and many believed. 

Jesus referred to Jonah’s three day resurrection, hinting that He would also launch a ministry after He rises from the dead after three days.

The number three brings resurrection and redemption to the world.

There are so many other threes throughout scripture. Daniel was forbidden by law to pray, but he prayed three times a day, anyway.

Moses, as a baby, was kept hidden for three months, from Pharaoh’s order to kill all male babies. When Jesus was a boy, He went missing for three days, but was found on the third day in the temple, discussing scripture with the elders. 

The number three brings to light all that was once hidden.

When He approached Peter, Jesus asked three times consecutively, “Peter, do you love Me?” Then He repeated three times, “Feed My sheep.” Peter said yes to all Jesus asked, but later under pressure, denied Him three times, but it wasn’t the end of the story, because Peter was changed, forgiven and became empowered by the Holy Spirit. He devoted himself to ministry and saw the same signs and wonders that Jesus did. 

The number three brings a new calling and new beginnings.

The ark of the covenant was a gold covered chest that contained three relics from the miraculous exodus story. The holy ark was untouchable by human hands, because of the three items within it: 

Manna, the miracle bread from heaven, Aaron’s rod, a symbol of a holy priesthood, and the tablets of the commandments, carved by the finger of God, Himself. 

God gave explicit instructions for transporting the ark from place to place. It was sacred and had to be held by the poles as handles, never touched directly by any one’s hand. 

Those three sacred items inside the ark all foreshadowed Jesus:

• He is the Manna, the true Bread from heaven, which He called Himself, promising to satisfy forever those who believe in Him.

• He is the eternal Priest and mediator, who told us that no one can come to the Father, except through Him. 

• He is the fulfillment of those stone tablets of commandments. By faith in Him, He now writes His laws on our hearts, through the Holy Spirit.

As three relics were inside the first ark of the covenant, Jesus came into the world in an ark of human flesh. While the ark of the old covenant was a gold covered chest, the ark of the new covenant, was the womb of Mary, who carried the world’s only Messiah to full term. 

The ark of the old covenant was transported to the home of Obed-Edom, where it remained for three months. (2 Samuel 6:11)

The ark of the new covenant, Mary, traveled to the home of Elizabeth, where she remained for three months. (Luke 1:56)

The number three brings the Presence of God into one’s home.

God leaves hints of His divine plan and purpose by using the number three or multiples of three in various ways. Jesus began His public ministry at age 30, and was crucified at 33. With only three brief years of ministry, God touched the entire world through Jesus, and the world has never been the same since.

Lord, as we meditate on the number three, you are the bread of heaven, our high priest and the word who became flesh. You touch all people with your love, mercy and grace, and today we open our heart and mind to receive all that you have for us. Amen

( Ark of the covenant model)

(An artist’s rendering of Mary, pregnant with Jesus)

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished..”  Exodus 34:6-7 (NIV)

I love God’s self description in Exodus, as He described Himself as slow to anger, abounding in love, patience and forgiveness, yet, not leaving the guilty unpunished. What a holy and awesome God, who is so slow to anger and wants to give each of us every chance for redemption. 

The Lord told Moses to “cut two new stone tablets like the former, so that I may write on them the words which were on the former tablets that you broke”. Exodus 34:1 (NAB)

The original ten commandment tablets were thrown down and broken by Moses, the exasperated leader, who simply lost it when he saw his people fall back into their old ways, after God parted the sea for them and gave them bread out of heaven.

God told Moses to re-carve two new stone tablets. Moses may have been angry enough to throw the tablets down and break them, but God is slow to anger. He patiently started over again, and wrote His words on the new tablets that Moses cut out.

Making a new set of stone tablets was an act of mercy, forgiveness and hope for renewal. The new tablets were a sign of God’s grace upon all humanity. God longs for all people to be reconciled to Him. 

God has a way of reworking His original plan, and rerouting lost souls back to Him. Broken tablets are symbolic of our broken dreams, our crushed hopes, our disappointments, failures and mistakes. God doesn’t walk away from us in the midst of our loss or failures. He is never finished with us, just because the tablets are broken. 

If we ever missed a turn following GPS to a new route, it will reroute us, leading us down various side streets and turns until we are back on the path to our final destination. 

That’s what mercy does for anyone who comes to God in repentance. Even when others unjustly hurt or disappoint us in some way, God will rework His plan in our life and if we trust Him to reroute us, it always turns out for the good. 

Ezekiel, the priest, centuries before Christ, wrote, “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.” 

(Ezekiel 36:26-27)

These words were spoken 600 years before Christ, and yet it’s the essence of the gospel. It’s about receiving His Spirit, who renews our heart, and He guides and empowers us to walk in His ways. God does not give us tablets of stone, but He can change any heart of stone. He gives us a new heart with His Spirit engraved in us.

God tells us He is slow to anger and merciful. The more we read the prophets, and many other stories in scripture, the more we see God as the enduring, patient Father of mercy, just as Jesus described Him to us. 

God holds back His judgement in hope that many will turn back to Him, which is why He sent us a Savior. We need saving and we cannot save ourselves.

Broken tablets represent much more than our losses, our helplessness and our broken dreams. It means there are new beginnings ahead. God has been reaching out to each of us, because He knows which of our tablets were broken. He sees how our hearts were broken, He knows what dreams have been lost and He is saying “it isn’t over yet.” 

He wants to patiently reroute our path for the good.

He is a God of multiple chances, and  He is able to reroute us even after we have gone off the original route. As long as we are still breathing, His grace is still reaching for us.

Today, instead of engraving tablets in stone, He has sent His own Spirit to engrave Himself in our hearts. God didn’t make the most costly sacrifice of giving His perfectly innocent son to die a cruel death for us, if He didn’t individually love each of us so much, that He considers us worth it.

God’s love is more powerful than the broken tablets. The name of Jesus is above every name. It’s the only name, given among men, by which we must be saved. If we set the GPS of our souls’ journey to that name, He will get us right where God wants us.

Lord, we leave our broken tablets at the altar of your abundant grace and mercy. Heal and renew us, revealing how great your love is for us, and engrave your Spirit in our hearts and lead us in all your ways. Amen

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

I have learned so much about the power and effectiveness of prayer, since my son’s accident and head injury. So many people are sending me words of assurance, that their prayers will persist, and I’m grateful for that.

I also enjoy all the different ways that people pray, the different kinds of prayer, the different occasions to pray and the Holy Spirit’s part in all of this.

Today’s scripture says to pray on all occasions with “all kinds of prayer.”

My own favorite way to pray is to look at my favorite picture of Jesus and talk to Him about any situation.  I like to close the prayer with the words, “Let your will be done.”

There is no one correct way to pray. Whether a prayer is read from a book, or is memorized, or is short and spontaneous from the heart, Paul encouraged all kinds of prayer. 

 Something I didn’t know was that last Friday, my friend, Larry, asked his synagogue to pray for my son’s healing, and so Jon was the subject of prayer after reading the scripture from the Torah during the Friday synagogue service in Kfar Saba, Israel. 

Last Friday happened to be the first day that Jon opened both his eyes, and his nurses have him sitting up in a chair each day for a few hours, since then. Although his eyes are open, he’s still unresponsive, but only God knows whether he hears what we are saying to him. It’s a small step of progress, but I’m very thankful for the “world wide” prayers of support, which are being sent up to heaven on his behalf. 

I’m also grateful to receive prayers from anyone of any faith affiliation. Whether they are offered by Israeli Jews 6,000 miles away in Israel, or in this country by Pentecostals, non-denominational Christians, Baptists or Catholics, I believe God is moved by a sincere heartfelt prayer of any well meaning believer. 

God will receive prayers from any and all areas, anywhere in the world, and He can respond to all prayers, simultaneously. 

Nothing is too difficult for Jesus, or Yeshua, as He is known in Israel. 

He is an omnipresent merciful savior and the King of kings over all nations. Today, I ask God to answer the prayers of every reader and their loved ones, for healing, hope, deliverance and peace. 

Lord, thank you for every sincere heart that you hear and respond to. Thank you for being omnipresent and hearing all people everywhere at once, and giving us many blessings through our faith and prayers. Amen