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]When God called Gideon to lead Israel against their enemies, He wanted to show that a small army empowered by God was more effective than the largest armies. But notice how they fought – without weapons that an army would normally use. They fought with shofars and lamps! They fought with weapons that the world would consider ineffective, yet triumphed mightily over their enemies. They shouted as loud as they could, sounded the shofar, and broke the vessels that held the fire so that their lamps burst through with brightness.
As parents trying to raise kids in this world, we’re constantly reminded by the Lord of Proverbs 22:6, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ The Hebrew word ‘train’, in this passage is, ‘Chanak’ which can be translated, ‘train up’ or ‘dedicate.’ It’s the root word from which we get the word, Chanukah.
While Chanukah is not a Biblical feast mentioned in the Old Testament, it is an important one. Chanukah commemorates the story of small group of men with much courage -- enough courage to defeat even the greatest of the world’s empires.
Some time ago, we wrote about pearl harvesting as an illustration of how the Lord takes us into His “shell” like an irritating grain of sand, and over time, covers us with His beautiful covering, forming us into polished and precious gems for his glory and delight. This image of sanctification takes the metaphor in one direction: but here is another interesting thought. The beautiful pearl inside the oyster cannot be seen or enjoyed without a great price being paid. The oyster must die. It must be torn open in order to find the treasure within. This speaks to me of the original foundation and source of our beauty. Yeshua (Jesus) our Messiah had to be bruised, afflicted, torn and killed so that the beautiful treasures God intended us to be from the beginning, could be discovered and released from the darkness of sin.
Lately we’ve been receiving more and more calls and emails asking us what we think might happen in the near future and how they should prepare. I love what John Calvin had to say about the matter…
In his book, Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan has written one of the most beautiful allegories about the journey we all travel as a believers. The book describes the hero, Christian, and his journey from the City of Destruction to his heavenly destination, the Celestial City. Now there’s one part of Pilgrim’s Progress that I want to focus on today — walking through the Swamp of Despondency!
While many around the world are apathetic and lack understanding about the times in which we live, we as believers should realize these are merely signs of the times and have a sense of urgency to be about the Lord’s business.