greatest commandment

Hanukkah – Stand Up for your Belief!

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Well, Hanukkah is approaching again! And there is no doubt about it, it is a fun Jewish holiday! Family, candles, donuts, latkes, some even give presents and special greetings…

But look at its core reason for being.

First, start in Daniel chapter 11, especially verses 21 – 35. This gives an amazingly accurate back story to the events that lead up to Hanukkah. (By the way, Daniel 11 is considered the most historically accurate chapter in the Bible by many scholars).

Society was turning from God to the “modern” world. Government was forcing Jews to quit the “old myths” and such. One priest stood up and said, “No! I will follow God and His ways! No matter what you do to me!” And He knew exactly what they were doing – killing (by both sword and fire!) those who wouldn’t drop the “old” ways.

What does that have to do with today, or even to do with Christians? More than you may think…

Yeshua (Jesus) “celebrated” the holiday – he made sure he was in the temple during that time (see John 10:22-39; “feast of dedication” is Hanukkah!)

Do you remember back in 1999, two young men went into their high school (Columbine) and started shooting fellow students and teachers. To one or two (or more – those details are fuzzy), they asked, “do you believe in God?” Those that answered knew exactly what was coming… getting shot. And so it happened to Cassie Bernall (who then died) and Valeen Schnurr (who survived). They both answered ‘Yes!’ Their faith in God was more important than their own lives!

And today we see such happening more and more in the world. Fortunately, in the USA, no one has had to give their life again, but will that remain?

Just this last Sunday, Nov. 8th, in the city of brotherly love (Philadelphia), a group of ‘pro-Palestine’ / ‘Pro-Hamas’ people decided they would ride their bikes around some popular Jewish restaurants and businesses in a well known area of town. And they had their placards ready, spewing hatred of Jews and Israel and… . But the people of Philadelphia stood up and said ‘no,’ and basically stopped that protest (Praise God for those people!).

But this kind of thing was happening in Germany and surrounding areas in the mid to late 1930s before the Holocaust. The sentiment of hate towards the Jews grew and grew until it finally boiled over into the mainstream, and on Nov. 9th-10th, 1938, the crowds went through many towns destroying and burning synagogues, destroying and looting Jewish businesses, killing Jews, and arresting thousands (and sending to ‘camps’). (And did you notice the timing of the protest in Philadelphia?) Are we in the USA building up to something similar?

“But that is about the Jews” you may say. It never stops or stays there. Hate grows. Next (or along with) are Christians (go read history). Would you be willing to stand up and say, “I believe in God, and His Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus)!

Make no excuses – this is already happening to many Christians in the world. And we are building up to it in the USA and Europe.

That’s what Hanukkah is about! Being willing to stand up for one’s faith in God and our Lord Yeshua (Jesus)! when the world is screaming, “drop that old myth! Come do the modern accepted things!” So, even though there is a sad, sobering, side to Hanukkah, it is meant to be an encouragement and a little ‘kick in our backsides’ to cause us to seriously, truly, follow our Lord Yeshua! And remember that even back then, God had all things in control. Those things didn’t happen because He lost control or couldn’t influence the happenings – He is always in control!

Do you remember when Yeshua (Jesus) gave the “two most important commands?” The first he took from a very well known (in Judaism – even in His day) verse, “Hear Israel! Love YHVH (the LORD) with all your heart! with all your soul! and with all your might!” There is a fun understanding of that verse in Judaism. Basically, it says, “If you don’t do it, then you didn’t hear it!” So go! Love your neighbor! Take care of the orphans (think abortions even) and widows! Do what God delights in! (See Jeremiah 9:23-24!)

One last, almost unrelated thought: back in Noah’s day, God destroyed the world because the earth was filled with …__________ . Go ahead, fill in the blank. … Did you put ‘evil’ in there? The actual Hebrew word is “Hamas”… yes, same spelling (if the Palestinians used Hebrew) and pronunciation of that group filling their people with hate and violence in Gaza. And the world is again filling with “Hamas” (the protest in Philadelphia was just a very small indication). God has promised to never again destroy the earth with a flood (the rainbow is a wonderful reminder of that), but what about with fire!?

So, stand up for your faith! Don’t let the people around you and their cry of ‘tolerance’ silence you! Stand up for love and care and peace! Stand up for Yeshua! And return to Him – repent, and learn of Him (His word), and follow Him! Read and understand that wonderful sermon He gave in Matthew chapters 5 to 7! And do!

Shalom! Yosef

Deuteronomy 4 and 5: Hearing and Doing

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In Deuteronomy 5, we have Moses retelling about both the giving of the “10 Statements” (10 commandments) and the 10 Statements themselves.  About the only time one hears about the “10 Commandments” in our culture now is when some people get upset that a government institution is removing them from public view.   Are they even important any more?  Should we pay attention to them?  Here are a couple points to ponder.

The 10 Statements themselves are the only words written by Yehovah (the LORD) Himself!

That fact should make them very, very important in your thinking.

How the 10 were given is also significant.  God’s voice was heard by several million people.  Group psychology would dictate that out of such a large group, if the event didn’t actually happen, someone would have said so.  Yet nowhere in any historical accounts is this episode doubted.  This is a powerful testimony to the truth of the Bible!

The 10 can be summed up, but not replaced, by this statement from Yeshua (Jesus). The 10 build on this statement.

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV)

Further on in Deuteronomy 5 we see the Israelites responding with the comment, “we will hear it [God’s words] and do it.”  This is, unfortunately, a far cry from how Christianity looks at God’s word.  If this statement were to be uttered by many in the churches today, it would read like this:

We’ll hear it [God’s words], and if we understand it and agree with it, and we don’t consider it ‘law’, then we might do it if it fits into our “statement of belief.”

When did God ever say that we had to understand and agree with what He asks before we should obey it.  Every chance we have of doing something commanded in His word is a chance to worship and love Him!  Let’s start with obeying the 10 Statements.  Read them (found in two places, in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5).  Think about them!  Discuss them with others (comment in the blog)!

When we hesitate to ‘do’ the Word of God, or talk with others about it, we are robbing ourselves of a chance to worship God and of a chance to grow in sanctification. 

Nowhere in scripture, be it the “old” or the “new testament”, does God ever get upset with someone who is following His word!  Nowhere!  We do, however, find Yeshua (Jesus) getting upset at those who were ‘adding’ to His word.  What do you think Yeshua (Jesus) would say to those subtracting from His word?  Here is what God says:

“You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it…” Deuteronomy 4:2 (ESV)

I think Yeshua (Jesus) would be just as confrontational with Christian leaders who subtract from God’s word just as he was confrontational with the Pharisees who were adding to God’s word!  Christianity as a whole takes away from God’s word!  Am I wrong?  Think “Old” Testament.  Even that name, “old”, implies it should be disregarded.

… Oh, and to those protesting the removal of the 10 Statements (commandments) from public view, I ask, are they posted in your church?  Your house? Anywhere you abide?  If the answer is ‘no’, then you have no business protesting or being surprised that the government is removing them from public spaces!

– Yosef

(Okay, this post is a bit confrontational.  It’s not meant to offend, but to challenge!  If you have a different opinion on the topic, please share it!  Or if you agree, let me know!)