Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on a rock. And everyone who hears these sayings of Mine and does not do them shall be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the wind blew and beat on that house. And it fell, and great was its fall.
For much of the year, Israel receives little to no rain. The early rains ( "Yoreh") begin at the time of the Fall Feasts, September-October, and the "Latter Rain (“Malkosh”) concludes the rainy season around the time of the Spring festival of Passover.
With the heat and barely a cloud in the sky during the summer months, the ground becomes hard. When fall arrives the rainy season begins with frequently intense downpours creating streams in the desert since hardened ground never absorbs water. The rushing waters form cataracts flowing from the high places through valleys and crevasses, temporary rivers, which also create spectacular waterfalls in rocky places. Adventurous souls travel from all over the Land to see these flowing waters, yet tragically, entire groups hiking into the desert to enjoy the watery scenes have suddenly perished, inundated by sudden and horrific flash floods which they could not escape.
Yeshua gave this warning: “Whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on a rock. “ [Matthew 7:24-25]
We could say that this world is becoming more and more like a desert, hardened and dry, loveless and difficult to live in. Not only so, but floods are also increasing, flash floods we aren't expecting, unanticipated but deadly dangers for any who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Messiah warned everyone about these anticipated dangers, these floods of destruction. He said they will come, and they have, throughout all human history, but especially now, today as we approach the Second Coming. There is no excuse to be caught unaware! He instructed everyone how to prepare. Simply do what He said. Don't just hear it....be a doer of His word. The safety of obedience is powerful protection from the floods of this world.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]The Festival of Purim, which we celebrate on the 14th of Adar—the last month in the Biblical calendar—begins this Thursday evening and continues through Friday evening this year. Although Purim isn’t one of the moedim, or appointed festivals named in the Torah, it arose in the 4th century BC and has been cherished ever since.
In the Book of Kings, when King Solomon began his reign, God asked him, “What shall I give you?” He replied, “I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in” (1 Kings 3:7). Such a phrase seems curious, yet it holds deep significance. It is echoed throughout Scripture, revealing a principle that intimacy with God leads to victory!
When Yeshua (Jesus) went into the synagogue in Nazareth and was handed the scroll of Isaiah to read [Luke 4:18], He opened it to the passage we know of as Isaiah 61, a powerful Messianic proclamation filled with hope and promise and fresh with the joyful good news of His arrival. After reading the passage He immediately declared that it was fulfilled in the hearing of those present. The first response was amazement and wonder that the carpenter’s son was so gracious a communicator. But this did not last, as Yeshua immediately challenged his audience with a prophetic expectation…that they would reject Him, which they immediately did…nevertheless…
F.B. Meyer once said, “The education of our faith is incomplete [till] we learn that God’s providence works through loss…that there’s a ministry to us through the failure and fading of things. The dwindling brook where Elijah sat is a picture of our lives.
Most people reading this passage tend to focus in on the fruit that is produced. Okay…But a closer look will reveal that the Lord is really focusing on the tree. The fruit merely demonstrates the quality of the tree. We have all encountered this: there are trees whose fruit is healthy and delicious, and there are trees whose fruit is scarcely edible, or even useless.
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on in every person. He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’. One is evil — it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good…
There’s an interesting story about the great English actor, Macready. A respected preacher once asked him, “I wish you would explain something to me.”