2 Corinthians 4:3-4

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

When we read the word blind; or blinded as we see it in the above Scripture, we tend to immediately think it refers to being unable to see.

However, the Hebrew concept of being blinded is to have your seeing bound to the negative.

You can see just fine, but you are passing all that you see through a filter of negativity.

​As believers, if we allow our seeing to be bound to the negative, then we will fail to see the light of the Father shining in the midst of the current chaos of darkness.

Genesis 26:1,12 & 13
There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;

Here we are living through a modern day expression of "famine". 

Interestingly, one of the word picture meanings behind famine is: trembling inside the house (body).

This trembling inside, at its zenith, manifests in verbal and physical violence towards others.

Isaac found himself in the a famine and in the midst of it God caused him to prosper, continue prospering until he became very prosperous.

The word picture behind prosper, which in Hebrew is gadal, is: to lift up a way of life that teaches heart knowledge.

​Whilst Isaac was blessed materially in the midst of famine, I believe God's agenda was more focussed on lifting up Isaac as an example of a life that teaches heart knowledge.

The first occurrence of this word gadal in Scripture is in Genesis 12:2 where God announces His blessing over Abraham, Isaac's father:

I will make you a great (gadal) nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great (gadal) ;
And you shall be a blessing. 

Given that Abraham is our father in the faith, could it be that God is calling us to step into this "generational" blessing in the midst of this worldwide famine (trembling inside the house) to be a people who are an example of a life that teaches heart knowledge?

Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Mark 14:36
And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

I was stunned when I looked at the Greek rendering of the above verses. Here is the more literal rendering in the Greek: 

​Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men incapable, but with God all powerful."
Mark 14:36
And He said, “Abba, Father, all powerful. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

​The word picture understanding of this word(s) possible/powerful is: to experience the pull towards support.

As Yeshua faced the prospect of the cross, in Mark 14:36, He experienced the desire of the Father to give Yeshua His full and powerful support.

We see the full blown evidence of this "powerful support" in the reality of the empty tomb.

​Our world is going through a death experience in which there is a very real sense of our being "incapable" of dealing with it. There has never been a more poignant moment for us to experience the desire of Abba to give us His full and powerful support.

 Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

2 Corinthians 1:19-20
For the Son of God, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.
For all the promises of God in Him (Yeshua) are Yes, and in Him (Yeshua) Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Yeshua (yes You Are) my Love

Yeshua (yes You Are) my Joy

Yeshua (yes You Are) my Peace

Yeshua (yes You Are) my Patience

Yeshua (yes You Are) my Kindness

Yeshua (yes You Are) my Goodness

Yeshua (yes You Are) my Faithfulness

Yeshua (yes You Are) my Gentleness

Yeshua (yes You Are) my Self Control

Psalm 143:5
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doing; I muse on the work of Your hands   

Believe it or not, the person in the above picture is illustrating for us what it means to meditate from a Hebrew perspective.

As he focuses on where he has been, it automatically determines how he transitions into where he is going. If you like, he is "remembering the days of old".

The actual word picture behind the word meditate is: what comes from the action.

What is the "action"?

It is what we look at or focus on.

If we focus on the future actions of mankind we will end up in fear.
Failure of
Every
Avenue of
Rescue.

However, if we focus on the past actions of Yahweh we will end up in faith,
Full
Assurance
In
Trusting
Him.

 

James 3:5 & 6

Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.​

At the end of September 2019 I shared the following with you regarding the Jewish New Year 5780:

​"September 30 and October 1 2019 mark the celebration of Rosh Hashanah or the head of the Jewish New Year.

The coming New Year on the Jewish calendar is 5780.

In Hebrew the numerical system is deeply entwined in the function of the Hebrew alphabet; with each number being linked to a letter.

Hence, if we look at the number 5780, from a Hebrew perspective, this is the meaning we see: 
right hand power (of God) to reveal the covenant of consuming fire, breathing, speaking, bringing into reality words of life.

What we have been experiencing increasingly over recent years is the escalation of the "war of words". Media and especially social media have perpetuated this "war of words" which we now accept as the norm.

So, what does the year 5780 mean in the context of this ever increasing "war of words"?

In this year, nothing will be of greater importance than the words spoken by the Body of Christ here on earth. This year offers the opportunity for the words of life to take the ascendancy and ultimately the victory in this "war of words".

However, for this to occur our words must be an accurate, uncompromising reflection of He who is the right hand power of God: Yeshua.

Our words must be an accurate, uncompromising reflection of the covenantal nature of our LORD."

Since that time Australia has been ravaged by unprecedented bushfires.

"The 2019–20 Australian bushfire season has burned an estimated 6,300,000 hectares (16,000,000 acres; 63,000 km2; 24,000 sq mi), destroyed over 2,500 buildings (including over 1,300 houses) and killed 24 people as of 4 January 2020, with a further six missing in the state of Victoria."

​This situation has prompted me to reflect afresh upon the words of James with a renewed understanding of what he meant by: "how great a forest a little fire kindles!"

One of the major challenges of our firefighters has been the "ember storms", where the embers from the main fire are blown kilometers ahead of the main fire to ignite new catastrophic blazes. 

Is what we are seeing in the natural, here in Australia, actually a true demonstration of the impact  the "war of words" has had on our global community mentally, spiritually and socially? 

My continued prayer is that this year will see the words of life take ascendancy and ultimately the victory over this "war of words".

Luke 1:14
“And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

Over the coming week or so we will hear the exclamation "joy to the world" many, many times.

Hence, I thought it might be helpful if we looked at the Hebrew word picture for this word "joy" that is linked with the birth of Yeshua.

Here is the word picture meaning I discovered: to reveal the womb of God protecting the victory over evil.

Acts 2:2 & 3
And suddenly there came an echoing sound out of heaven as of wind borne along violently. And it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues that had the appearance of fire, these tongues being distributed among them, and one of these tongues took up a position upon each of them. (Wuest's Expanded Translation)

Here in Acts 2:3 we have the picture of what it means to be blessed.

Do you find that confusing?

Let me explain. The Hebrew word picture behind the word blessed is: fire on the head.

Unfortunately, most of our religious education has defined being blessed from a predominantly material or circumstantial point of view.

However, I would like to suggest that being blessed, from a Hebrew/Biblical point of view is to recognise and acknowledge the work of Holy Spirit in and around our lives regardless of the circumstances.

Maybe this understanding of being blessed is the secret of the persecuted and martyred believers.

1 Chronicles 16:34
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

The word picture behind the phrase "O give thanks" is: a deed done that opens the door of humility, selflessness and self denial to the breath of God, divine revelation and His light.

On the site in Bethlehem, that is believed to be the birthplace of Yeshua, stands the Church of the Nativity. You enter the Church of the Nativity via what is known as the door of humility. You can see from the above picture why it bears that name.

When we see this link between thanks and the birth of Yeshua we realise that to give thanks is to focus on the goodness of Yahweh.

1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

Also, it highlights to us the fact that thanks is not just words but rather actions. Perhaps this will help bring new light to the following scripture:

​1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

September 30 and October 1 2019 mark the celebration of Rosh Hashanah or the head of the Jewish Year.

The coming New Year on the Jewish calendar is 5780.

In Hebrew the numerical system is deeply entwined in the function of the Hebrew alphabet; with each number being linked to a letter.

Hence, if we look at the number 5780, from a Hebrew perspective, this is the meaning we see: right hand power (of God) to reveal the covenant of consuming fire, breathing, speaking, bringing into reality words of life.

What we have been experiencing increasingly over recent years is the escalation of the "war of words". Media and especially social media have perpetuated this "war of words" which we now accept as the norm.

So, what does the year 5780 mean in the context of this ever increasing "war of words"?

In this year, nothing will be of greater importance than the words spoken by the Body of Christ here on earth. This year offers the opportunity for the words of life to take the ascendancy and ultimately the victory in this "war of words".

However, for this to occur our words must be an accurate, uncompromising reflection of He who is the right hand power of God: Yeshua.

Our words must be an accurate, uncompromising reflection of the covenantal nature of our LORD.