Psalms 27:1,5,14The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Traditionally in Jewish spirituality, these 40 days of prayer and repentance beginning the 1st of Elul to Yom Kippur parallel the 40 days that Moses spent on the mountain [Exodus 34:28] pleading God’s forgiveness for Israel’s sin of creating and worshiping the golden calf. Interestingly, Psalm 27 is read each day of the month of Elul, along with the shofar blast in preparation for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
Ancient Jewish sages teach that Elul is an intense season of repentance and reckoning, preparing for a direct “face to face” encounter with God. Their belief is that such repentance qualifies us to be in right standing with the Almighty, able to speak to Him without any hindrances, “face to face” as Moses did as God’s friend; [Exodus 33:11]. Moses waited on the LORD for 40 days until his face radiated the glory of God; so the daily exhortation in Psalm 27 “Seek my face” [verse 8], serves for them as an exhortation during this season, with the expectation of a divine encounter.
How does seeking God’s face in the presence of enemies (the major theme of Psalm 27) relate to Moses’ 40 days on Mount Sinai? Simply that the sin of Israel’s idolatrous worship opened the door for God’s judgment, often manifested as enemy invasion. And turning back to Him was the only sure protection. Moses did this as an intercessor for the nation, as such, typifying the intercessory work of the Messiah, descending from the mountain radiant with the glory of God on His face, and carrying a second presentation of YHVH’s word, the Ten Commandments.
We know, however, that repentance alone, no matter how fervent or persistent, does not qualify us for a “face-to-face” encounter with God and that the Law of Moses is insufficient to provide for us the righteousness God requires for intimate communion with Him. In fact, the apostle Paul describes the covenant of Moses: “…the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones…[2 Corinthians 3:7], even though it appeared with the glory of God on His servant’s face.
But, “..we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord;” [2 Corinthians 3:18]. Beholding the glory of Messiah, waiting on Him in this, or any season, will cause us to radiate His nature, presence, and love. This is the amazing glory of the New Covenant in His blood, access to the very presence of God through Yeshua the Messiah. Spend time in His Presence, radiate His glory.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]The book of Isaiah, often called the Old Testament Gospel, reveals that a child was to be born and his name called “The Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father”. We know that this Child was Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, that He is the unique Son of God, the express image of the invisible God. The throne of David was to be given to Him and He now holds its “key”, a symbol of the right and authority of His reign, which will be consummated when He returns to this world and restores the Kingdom to Israel [Acts 1:6-7].
When I studied Isaiah 53 earnestly in the ancient Hebrew, I was taken back by the Hebrew word for “afflicted” (me-u-neh). In modern Hebrew this word means “tortured”. When I was young, and first learned what torture actually involved, my soul was shocked that this could happen to people; in fact that it was happening to people. That a person could be kept alive for the purpose of intentionally causing him intense agonizing pain was an astounding enigma for my young soul. It really frightened me; and I think that fear of torture is probably the greatest fear that humans can experience. We read about people who have been tortured, with a kind of horrified awe. And quietly we wonder inside, “How can this be?” And, “Could this ever happen to me?”
I love this story! Peter was sitting between two guards and suddenly an angel of the Lord comes to him and frees him — and he thinks it’s a vision! He’s not sure if he truly believes it.
“Exhausted but still in pursuit…” Well, now we know why the angel of YHVH addressed Gideon the way he did. With his small three hundred man army he had just decimated the army of Midian — but the victory wasn’t complete, and so the Jewish general and his small, exhausted, hungry, band were determined to cross the Jordan and take care of 15,000 additional Midanite enemies and their leaders, Zebah and Zalmunna.
His nightmares began each day when he awoke. James Stegalls was nineteen. He was in Vietnam. Though he carried a small Gideon New Testament in his shirt pocket, he couldn’t bring himself to read it. His buddies were cut down around him, terror was building within him, and God seemed far away. His twentieth birthday passed, then his twenty-first. At last, he felt he couldn’t go on.
On January 1st 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which proclaimed freedom for all slaves in the ten states which were in rebellion. At the time, when U.S. Secretary of State Seward took the document to the President to sign, Lincoln took a pen, and held it for a moment. He then removed his hand and dropped his pen. Lincoln turned to Seward and said, “I have been shaking hands since nine o’clock this morning and my right arm is almost paralyzed. If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.” He hesitated, then took the pen, and without wavering, took the document and boldly signed it!
For nearly 2000 years the Jewish people were scattered across the world without a homeland. In one day, according to the meticulous preparation of God, on May 14th 1948, the nation of Israel was restored. As millions of Jews were returning to their homeland they began rebuilding the ancient cities that were destroyed, restoring the desolations of many generations, and fulfilling Biblical prophecy…