Hebrew Thought
According to Hebrew thought when the Lord gave Moses the Law on Mount Sinai the Law represented a marriage covenant between the Lord and His people - the Lord was literally betrothing Himself to the nation of Israel…
Jeremiah 31:31, 32
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.
After the children of Israel entered the promised land they began to turn away from following the Lord and started to worship idols. They broke the marriage covenant and began to play the harlot…
Hosea 1:2
When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD.”
In Hosea 2 the Lord takes drastic measures in order to win His people back to Himself. And even though these measures may seem harsh it is the Lord’s great love, mercy and compassion which motivates Him. And even though the nation of Israel broke the marriage covenant with their Husband the Lord never divorced Himself from His people.
Hosea 2:16
“It will come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “That you will call Me Ishi (My Husband) and will no longer call Me Baali (My Master).”
The nation of Israel is a picture of you and me. There are times in our lives when we play the harlot, when we turn away from following the Lord and put other things (idols) before Him. And sometimes our Husband must take drastic measures in order to win us back to Himself, but His motivation is always the love, mercy and compassion that He has for you and for me.
Though you and I may break the marriage covenant and turn away from our Husband, our Husband will never divorce Himself from us. He will always be there waiting for us to return to Him.
Though you and I may break the marriage covenant and turn away from our Husband, our Husband will never divorce Himself from us. He will always be there waiting for us to return to Him.
Hosea 2:19, 20
“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD.”
So..
Have you played the harlot?
Jesus still wants to be your Husband if you will return to Him.
Hebrew Thought
The Hebrew concept of Chachmah.
Chachmah means wisdom - not man’s wisdom but the Lord’s wisdom. Chachmah is not a clever saying or anecdote but rather Chachmah is eternal truth - truth which does not change and cannot be refuted - truth which is just as valid today as it was yesterday. With Chachmah also comes understanding.
In 1 Kings 3:5-14 Solomon asked the Lord for Chachmah to govern His people. The Lord granted Solomon his request and he became the wisest man who ever lived. All of the other kings of the earth came to Solomon to hear his wisdom.
The book of Proverbs, which was written by Solomon, contains Chachmah - wisdom that is just as true today as it was in the time of Solomon. And here Solomon tells us how we can acquire Chachmah…
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of Chachmah, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Chachmah is also one of the gifts of the Spirit - the gift of wisdom. The gift of Chachmah may fall upon any believer at any time when, in the spontaneity of the moment, we receive a flash of insight or revelation in response to a particular situation.
Jesus demonstrated Chachmah throughout the Gospels. His teachings such as the Sermon on the Mount are examples of Chachmah. He also manifested the gift of Chachmah. In Luke 20:19-26 the Pharisees sent spies to Jesus in an attempt to trick Him by asking if they should pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus responded…
Luke 20:24, 25
“Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Again in John 8:1-11 the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery before Him and asked if she should be stoned…
John 8:7
John 8:7
But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
In both cases the Pharisees were dumb-founded by Jesus’ response, they could not refute Him and their only response was to walk away in silence.
As you and I read the Scriptures and grow in our relationship with the Father we too will acquire Chachmah. And as we learn to walk in the Spirit and become open and receptive to Him then we too will experience the gift of Chachmah when, at a critical moment, we will receive a flash of insight and bring glory and honor to the Father.
So…
How wise are you?
Hebrew Thought
The Hebrew concept of Da’at.
Da’at means a personal knowledge as opposed to a facts and figures knowledge. It’s like two best friends know each other or a parent knows their child.
John 8:54, 55
Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, whom you say ‘He is our God’; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.”
Jesus obviously knew God and the best example of someone else who knew God was David. When the Lord was about to take the kingdom away from Saul and give it to David Samuel said to Saul…
1 Samuel 13:14
“But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
David knew the Lord and His ways because he was a man after the Lord’s own heart. The book of Psalms, many of which were written by David, describe his knowledge of the Lord and the intimacy of the relationship he had with Him…
Psalms 25: 4-6
Make me know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day. Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from of old.
Psalms 86: 11-13
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever. For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
Jesus, of course, had Da’at. He knew the Father and was intimately acquainted with all of His ways…
John 5:19, 20
John 5:19, 20
Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.”
As you and I seek after the Lord’s own heart as David did we too will acquire Da’at. We will come to know the Lord in an intimate and personal way and He will begin to show us what He is doing.
So…
Do you know the Lord and His ways?
Hebrew Thought
Matthew 4:23
Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.
What is the Gospel?
The Hebrew word for Gospel is Basar which literally translated means meat. And just as meat gives life to us physically the Basar gives life to us spiritually. Jesus preached the “gospel of the kingdom” and in many of His parables He likens the Kingdom of Heaven to something - a sower of seed, tares in a field, a mustard seed, a woman with three loaves of bread, treasure hidden in a field, a merchant seeking fine pearls and a dragnet cast into the sea (Matthew 13).
According to Hebrew thought the Kingdom of Heaven is the Garden of Eden and the Basar is the restoration of both Mankind and the earth back to the way it was in the Garden of Eden. A time and a place where there will be no sickness, no sorrow, no pain, no death, no oppression, no sin and most importantly when our relationship with the Father will once again be restored.
The Basar…
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
Jesus (the Messiah, the Sent One, the Anointed One) would be the agent through whom this restoration would take place. Through His sacrifice we may be saved, by His death our relationship with the Father may be restored.
Isaiah 53:4-6, 10-12
Isaiah 53:4-6, 10-12
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.
But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
So…
Proclaim the Basar lately?
Hebrew Thought
The Lord gave the nation of Israel a way in which one’s debt could be canceled in the “Year of Jubilee”.
Leviticus 25:10
“You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.”
Every fifty years would come the year of jubilee or the favorable year of the Lord. In this year everyone’s debt was cancelled - the slate was wiped clean. Those who had sold themselves into slavery were set free. They returned to their families and their land was restored. It was truly a year of great gladness and rejoicing.
Luke 4:17-19
And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”
The Gospel which Jesus preached was one of freedom, restoration, peace and jubilation. Jesus preached the favorable year of the Lord.
Unfortunately however, there are people out there in the world today who are preaching a different gospel. They are preaching a gospel of judgment, condemnation, wrath, fear and guilt - the opposite of the Gospel which Jesus proclaimed.
The Gospel of Jesus caused multitudes to follow Him.
The gospel of judgment pushes the multitudes away from the Father.
Matthew 11:29, 30
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Jesus’ Gospel is easy and light and we must beware of those who preach a burdensome gospel.
Jesus’ Gospel is easy and light and we must beware of those who preach a burdensome gospel.
So…
Has your debt been cancelled?
Have you been set free?
How light is your burden?
Hebrew Thought
In Hebrew Adam literally means God’s blood. And in the Old Testament blood symbolizes life.
Genesis 1:27
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 2:7
Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
When the Lord created Adam in His own image and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, He put His Spirit (His life, His blood) into Adam and he became a living being.
It was the Holy Spirit (God’s blood) which gave Adam and Eve life and allowed them to commune and fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden.
When Adam and Eve sinned the Spirit left them and they died spiritually - God’s blood was shed and the relationship between Adam and Eve and the Lord was broken.
It is only through the shedding of Jesus’ blood that our relationship and fellowship with the Father can once again be restored.
When you and I came to believe in Jesus His Spirit (His life) was breathed into our nostrils and for the first time we became living beings.
John 6:54-56
“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”
Jesus’ blood is true drink because it represents spiritual life. And when we abide in Jesus His blood (God’s blood) begins to flow within us and we become like Adam and Eve when they were first created - able to walk with the Father in the Garden of Eden.
So…
So…
Has the Lord breathed into your nostrils the breath of life?
Does God’s blood flow in you?
Hebrew Thought.
Please note, the following is a personal observation and not Scriptural fact…
There is a theme throughout the Bible of the Jew and the Gentile - two different peoples. In John 10 Jesus is talking to the Jewish people in a figure of speech saying He is like a shepherd and those who follow Him are His sheep…
John 10:16
“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”
The sheep which are not of this fold (the Jewish fold) are the Gentiles.
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is there neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
A man is not “better” or “superior” to a woman nor is a woman better or superior to a man but rather they complement one another because they view things from different perspectives.
A Jew is not “better” or “superior” to a Gentile nor is a Gentile better or superior to a Jew but rather they complement one another because they view things from different perspectives.
And just as there are the Jewish people and the Gentile people there is also the Hebrew mind and the Gentile mind - two different ways of thinking and perceiving things.
It is helpful to recognize the difference between the Hebrew mind and the Gentile mind as we study the Scriptures.
Mark 4:9
And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Hebrew mind hears with it’s ear whereas the Gentile mind sees with it’s eye.
The Gentile mind thinks in terms of formulas and equations whereas the Hebrew mind thinks in terms of pictures and illustrations (or parables).
The Epistles of Paul characterize the Gentile mind and how it thinks and the words of Jesus characterize the Hebrew mind and how it thinks.
Paul analyzes and reasons, Jesus illustrates and paints pictures.
In Matthew 13 Jesus uses seven different parables to explain the Kingdom of Heaven. In John 4 Jesus says He’s living water. In John 6 Jesus says He’s the bread of life which comes down out of heaven. And in John 15 Jesus likens Himself to a vine, the Father to a vinedresser and the believer to a branch.
Throughout the Bible the Lord paints us many pictures and we must learn to recognize them.
Jesus and Paul are saying the same thing, they are just presenting them in two different manners, two different frames of mind, two different ways of thinking and perceiving things.
As we study the Scriptures we must learn to see with our eyes and hear with our ears. We must learn to analyze as well as paint pictures because by doing so we will gain a better understanding into what the Lord is trying to tell us. And we will see Him and hear Him as we have never seen or heard Him before…
Luke 10:23, 24
Turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”
So…
What do you see?
What do you hear?
