OMER DAY 9

“Today is nine days, which are one week and two days of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the week: Gevurah – Severity and Strength

·       Theme of the day:  Gevurah – Severity and Strength

·       Overall Theme: “The Severity and Strength of His Severity and Strength.”

We seen Yesterday His Love manifested in His Severity. Today let us see the Totality of His severity with a total absence of Love that brings to full circle yesterdays theme.

Rev. 20:1,14 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.


The Traditional text to read is Psalm 119:65-72:

65     ¶ TETH. Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD, according unto thy word.

G-d is fair and just, all the time, always whether we can understand it or not.

            

66     Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.

It’s as if David is saying, “Teach me, Teach me, Teach me about every aspect of Your Torah G-d, even if my little brain can’t fully comprehend it! I want to know about it all!”

67     ¶ Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

Obeying Torah promotes healing and wellness body mind and spirit. Disobeying causes the opposite to occur.

68 ¶ Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

As the modern saying goes, “G-d is good, all the time. All the time, G-d is good.” This being fact, this means His Torah, every part of it is good too. So why wouldn’t we want to know and obey it!?

69     ¶ The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.

Torah keepers WILL be persecuted; regardless David will not budge from his Torah Obedience. Sounds like something the Messiah Himself said in Matthew 5:10-12.

70     Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.

David knows because of fear, ignorance and rebellion most people are def and numb to the Torah, but it is everything to David.

71     ¶ It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

Ah, finally, a clue, a possible ray of light on the part of G-d’s Torah that G-d gave us without any logical explanation, He just told us to do it because He is G-d. Even when David is being punished for disobeying G-d’s Torah, any lesson derived from Torah no matter positive or negative is a worthy lesson learned. See I Pet. 1:6-7, James 1:2

72     ¶ The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.

He acknowledges that the Torah is not made up by man, but they are the very Word’s of G-d Himself and deserved to be heeded, followed, and obeyed.  That The Torah is far more precious and far more valuable than precious metals.

“I Thank You Abba YHWH Elohim that You love us enough that one day our enemies will be utterly and irreparably vanquished! All because of your Gevurah expressed through Your Holiness. In Messiah Yeshua’s Name I pray, Ameyn.”

Time to Come Out of the Closet

Time to Come Out of the Closet

Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr

For far too long many Messianics and Natsarim in an attempt to separate themselves from, and not associate with Christendom, and have taken on an Orthodox persona in an effort to connect ourselves with and show our solidarity to the Jewish Faith, while at the same time maintain our belief in Yeshua the Divine Messiah. But really where has that gotten us? To date no non-believing Jewish entity has acknowledged or accepted our Natsari identity as legitimate. Yet we have taken on many customs and traditions of the Orthodox and make ourselves  feel good about it by saying, “There’s enough allusions to Yeshua in the customs and traditions of Judaism that we really don’t need to make a point of bringing them out;” convincing ourselves that we are not denying Yeshua’s Messiahship or Divinity. This may be true in a technical sense as a matter of commission, but we transgress by omission. True, we are not committing a sin of commission like Kefa (Peter) by actually and verbally denying Yeshua in anyway (Matt. 26:69-75), we may not betray Him like Judah (Judas) did by commission (Matt. 26:14-16, Luke 22:48), but we are denying Yeshua by not speaking boldly about Him, His Messiahship and Divinity.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. – Rebbe Yeshua - Matt. 10:33

You say, I don’t want to be like those Jews for Jesus who shove Yeshua down the Orthodox throat. No one is asking you to. But it’s as if we are afraid or ashamed to do anything that may even hint to an Orthodox that we are Messianic or Natsari.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. – Rav Sha’ul (Apostle Paul) - Rom. 1:16

Hate to break it to you, but most of them can spot a Messianic/Natsari a mile away. We are not fooling anyone! Just like the nerd in school who dresses up in football jerseys and tries to hang and be a part of the jocks and cheerleaders. Sure they may tolerate him and them make fun of him behind his back, but he will never be one of them. Same with those in the Messianic and Natsari movement that are trying to pass themselves off as Orthodox Jews and look like half-baked wanna-bes! 

Did you know you just can buy any old long black coat and a black fedora and pass yourself off as an Orthodox Jew!? Why? Because the clothes are like gang paraphernalia. Each sect of the Orthodox has their own special regulation black coats and fedoras. Each sects hat band is a different width and style, etc. Only an insider would truly know what is what. Stop pretending! You’re not fooling anyone!

In being all secretive and hush-hush about Yeshua in our practice we have unwittingly become like Kefa (Peter).

But Peter followed him afar off… Matt. 26:58

We follow Yeshua, but “afar off.” And if we do that, what is the next step in that parade?

DENIAL!!!

Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. – Matt. 26:69-75

No wonder as a movement we have lost so many to the Karaites or the Orthodox, because we have wimped out and denied Messiah by omission! If the Lubavitcher’s (Chabad) can proudly and unashamedly proclaim Rabbi Schneerson as their Rebbe and Messiah and Breslov can proudly proclaim Rabbi Nachman as their Rebbe, then why are we ashamed to boast about our Rebbe and Messiah, Yeshua!É

If Yeshua is the Divine Messiah and a physical manifestation of the Written Torah (John 1), then why keep quiet about Him!?

Folks, it is time to stand or bow out!
It’s time to put Yeshua back in the center where He belongs, right next to the Written Torah, for HE IS THE LIVING TORAH!

It’s time to come out of our closet, our prayer closet, our tallits and boldly proclaim Yeshua as our Rebbe and Divine Messiah.

OMER DAY 8

“Today is eight days, which is one week and one day of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the week: Gevurah – Severity and Strength

·       Theme of the day: Chesed – Loving kindness

·       Overall Theme: “The Loving-kindness of His Severity and Strength.”

Gen. 3:22-24 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Getting booted out of Paradise for breaking one measly rule! Ouch! That’s Harsh!
Well, if you read and meditate on the text carefully, you will witness the Love in G-d’s severity. Yes, expulsion from Eden and death upon all mankind was sever, no doubt; but EXTREMELY Loving. If YHWH cared nothing for us, He would have allowed us to stay in the Garden, eat of the Tree of Life in our sinful state and forever be separated from Him, now that would truly be an eternal living hell, and eternal separation from G-d is currently what makes hell, hell.

The Traditional text to read is Psalm 119:57-64:

57     ¶ CHETH. Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.

Land, Kingdom, Wealth, Women…. Heck, it’s nothing compared to G-d and His Torah. That is enough “portion” for David.

58     ¶ I entreated thy favor with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.

Torah is not just a hap-hazard thing to David it’s all or nothing!

59     ¶ I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.

“Turn my feet” implies teshuvah, repentance, a 180 after wrong doing is realized; a turning away from sin and a turning to the Source, a turning to G-d. David is turning to G-d and His Righteousness.

60     I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.

David didn’t make an excuse NOT to keep the Commandments, HE wasted no time in keeping them!

61     ¶ The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.

Come hell or high water, come persecution or loss David will keep the Torah no matter what!

62     ¶ At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.

G-d and His torah is so awesome, sometimes David can’t even sleep he is so giddy about it and he can’t help but give praise to YHWH. Or even if something is on his mind and keeping him up all night he will end up praising G-d because of His Torah. He knows if he follows it that G-d has his back and it all will be okay.

63     ¶ I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.

David admits that there is a brotherhood, a family quality among those who keep His commandments, and indeed I can testify this for my self that it is so true.

64     ¶ The earth, O LORD, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes.

Though we cannot understand the Chukim with out finite minds this verse hints that G-d gave them to us and that is why the earth is full with His mercy.

“Abba YHWH Elohim, if it were not for Your Loving-kindness coupled with Your Severity, I would not be talking to You right now. HalleluYah! Praise, Glory and Honor be unto You in the Holy Name of Yeshua I pray, Ameyn!”