Lewende Water - Mayim chayim

Love and Marriage

2011-11-13T17:57:00.002+02:00

Parasha: Chayei Sarah

Love and Marriage

Chayei Sarah - חיי שרה : "Life of Sarah"
Torah : Genesis 23:1-25:18
Haftarah : I Kings 1:1-31
Gospel : Matthew 2:1-23

Thought for the Week:

Genesis 24:67 says that Isaac took Rebekah, she became his wife and he loved her. Notice the order. This seems backward to us. We would expect the opposite. In our culture, we believe that a person should marry whoever he or she falls in love with. Falling in love is a terrible criteria upon which to base a marriage. What should marriage be based upon?

Commentary:

Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. (Genesis 24:67)

Isaac took his bride into his mother's tent. All this time Sarah's tent had been empty and forlorn, symbolizing the absence of the eishet chayil (virtuous wife). The Torah portion began the story of Rebekah by telling us of the death of Sarah. Since his mother's death, Isaac had been in mourning. He keenly felt her absence. Isaac taking his bride into Sarah's tent symbolizes Rebekah stepping into Sarah's role as matriarch over the house of Abraham. In the language of the rabbis, Rebekah became the house of Isaac.
Abraham loved Sarah, and Isaac loved Rebekah. Genesis 24:67 says that Isaac took Rebekah, she became his wife and he loved her. Notice the order. This seems backward to us. We would expect the opposite. He should have fallen in love with her, married her and then taken her into the tent. The Bible has a more sober (but no less romantic) view of marriage. Isaac did not marry Rebekah because he loved her; he loved Rebekah because he married her. Considering the folly of the human heart and the fickle ups and downs of emotions, this is the proper order of things. We should love our spouses because they are our spouses.
In our culture, we believe that a person should marry whoever he or she falls in love with. This is a bad plan. It is possible to fall in love with the wrong person. It is possible to fall in love with many wrong persons. Falling in love is a terrible criteria upon which to base a marriage. It would have been easy for Isaac to fall in love with any number of Canaanite girls.
As children of Abraham and followers of Messiah, we men are to love our wives. Paul tells men to love their wives as themselves--and more than that, to love them as Messiah loved the assembly. He warns husbands not to become embittered against their wives. It's not a matter of the whims and inclinations of the heart; it is a duty of every husband to love his wife.
If a man or woman bases his or her marriage merely on love, it is doomed from the start. Feelings are unpredictable. They rise and fall. They come and go. Marriage must not be based upon love. Love must be based upon marriage.
© 2011 First Fruits of Zion, Inc. | All Rights Reserved
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Jona gediggie

2011-05-29T17:05:00.001+02:00

Coming Around

And Jonah stalked
to his shaded seat
and waited for God
to come around
to his way of thinking.

And God is still waiting
for a host of Jonahs
in their comfortable houses
to come around
to His way of loving.

Thomas J Carlisle

Paulus se lering omtrent die Torah

2011-05-04T22:00:00.000+02:00

The Rape of the Torah in the New Covenant

Gospels and Acts - Chapter 3

Remember, Paul was NOT against the Torah. His own words bear witness to this. So, what was he against? He was against those who would teach the law as a means for salvation. Do you see the difference? Most Bible teachers have missed the context of Paul’s writings, substituting obedience for justification. Paul was not teaching us to ignore YHWH’s commandments when he said “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” Paul was warning us not to listen to those who would seek to put conditions on YHWH’s unconditional love!

Rest assured that Paul does not teach us to ignore the instructions of the Living God. In fact, if he did, then he was a false prophet as according to Deuteronomy 13 and deserving of death by stoning. Speaking of stoning, do you know why Stephen was stoned to death? If you remember he too was falsely accused of something. You can find the answer in Acts 6:11-14. Once again, remember, this is after Y’shua went to the cross!!332

Paul, along with the other Jewish Believers, continued to follow the Torah of Moses after accepting Y’shua as the Messiah. Paul's lifestyle was undoubtly Torah-observant.

A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.333

Ananias was the Christian man that YHWH selected as the agent to restore Paul's sight, baptize him, fill him with the Holy Spirit, and commission him as an apostle.

When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law."334

Historical sources confirm that Torah-observance was the norm among the Jewish Christians. Paul's lifestyle did not differ in that regard. The Book of Acts contains ample evidence that Paul continued to faithfully observe the TaNaCh’s laws.

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.335

In the notes for this verse, the NIV Study Bible acknowledges, "For the Jew's sake Paul conformed to the Jewish law." That isn't something that Paul could have done on a part-time basis. Unfortunately, some people would rather portray Paul as a clever hypocrite - acting like a Christian when he's with Christians, acting like a Jew when he's with Jews, and acting like a Gentile when he's with Gentiles - as if Paul might gain some missionary advantage by doing so. We know that Paul did not approve of that kind of hypocrisy because he had publicly rebuked Peter for such behaviour. In Gal 2:11-14 Peter had reverted to following a man-made tradition. We also know that there were very few times in Paul's ministry when he was not in the company of Jews.

Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.336

The context of this passage refers to the Torah of Moses. James and the apostles who were acquainted with Paul knew that Paul was Torah-observant. By joining in the purification rites it would become apparent to everyone that Paul had been living in obedience to the Torah. Paul did join in the purification rites, so today everyone should know that Paul himself was living in obedience to the Torah of Moses. There was no truth in the rumours that Paul was teaching people to turn away from Moses.

Paul didn't do this to appease the Jews. When he left Corinth earlier, Paul’s head was shaved as part of a vow that he had not yet completed. To fulfill that earlier vow it was necessary for Paul to participate in these purification rites in Jerusalem according to Acts 18:18 and Numbers 6).

332 http://seedsofrestoration.wordpress.com/2007/09/09/my-pastor-sayspaul-was-against-us-obeying-the-law-of-moses-2/

333 Acts 22:12 (NIV)

334 Acts 21:20 (NIV)

335 1 Cor 9:20 (NIV)

336 Acts 21:24 (NIV)

If Paul had been in the habit of disregarding the Torah of Moses, it would have been deceitful for Paul to join in the purification rites knowing that everyone would think he had been living according to the Torah. It also would have been deceitful for James and the elders to recommend a course of action that would have intentionally misled the Believers in Jerusalem. So it is apparent that Paul really had been living in obedience to the Torah all along.

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."337

Many Christians today could say the same thing that Paul said. However, a few moments later Paul also stated that he was a Pharisee, which defines more clearly what he and the Sanhedrin understood as his duty to YHWH.

Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead."338

Although Paul evidently said this in order to take advantage of the dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, it would not have worked if Paul had not been living in accordance with the Torah of Moses. In that case, it would probably have been laughter, rather than a dispute, that broke out in the Sanhedrin when Paul claimed to be a Pharisee. Apparently there was enough evidence to show that Paul's claim to being a Pharisee was valid. Some of the Pharisees argued vigorously, "We find nothing wrong with this man" (Acts 23:9). It is doubtful they would have said this about a man who was not following the teachings of Moses.

Subsequent passages show how determined the Jews were to be rid of Paul, which makes this vindication of Paul by some of his enemies even more significant.

However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,339

When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."340

I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.341

"The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.342

Notice that Paul says, "our religion" instead of "their religion". Paul still thought of himself as a part of the Jewish religion. Apparently Paul's behavior had been fairly consistent ever since he was a child. It's not likely that Paul would have invited the Jews to testify that he lived as a Pharisee unless he was still living essentially as a Pharisee because the Jews would have been eager to challenge, rather than verify, Paul's testimony.

Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.343

In the New Covenant, it was the enemies of the Christians who falsely accused the Believers of breaking the Torah of Moses and teaching others to disregard it too (Acts 6:11-14; Acts 18:13; Acts 21:21-24; Acts 21:28- 29). Today, it is Christians themselves who sometimes repeat those same assertions about Paul.

337 Acts 23:1 (NIV)

338 Acts 23:6 (NIV)

339 Acts 24:14 (NIV)

340 Acts 25:7-8 (NIV)

341 2 Tim 1:3 (NIV)

342 Acts 26:4-5 (NIV)

343 Acts 28:17 (NIV)

If Paul were in the habit of disregarding the Torah instructions, then we would expect to find recorded in the New Covenant at least one instance where Paul disobeyed the Torah. However, no such record exists. Should we assume that Paul is guilty of law breaking until someone proves him innocent? Not according to Scripture. Two or three truthful witnesses are required before we can find a person guilty of transgressing the law (Deut 19:15, 1 Tim 5:19). Through his words and actions Paul repeatedly led people to believe that he was living according to the Torah of Moses. It should be safe to assume that Paul's testimony about his own lifestyle is true. Or will we choose to affirm instead the same assertions that Paul's enemies directed against him?

Paul taught the Gentiles to follow his own lifestyle and example:

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.344

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.345

Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.346 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.347

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings [or tradition -- NIV footnote], just as I passed them on to you.348

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you

yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.349

Paul set himself up as a model for Gentile believers to follow. So when Paul rested on Sabbaths and during the annual Sabbaths of the Biblical feasts, resting on those days would have become part of the work ethic that the Gentiles were supposed to follow.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" Paul replied, "Short time or long--I pray God that not only you but all who are

listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains." 350

Notice that Paul's prayer was for everyone listening to become, not only a Christian as Agrippa suggested, but a Christian specifically like Paul himself. Paul believed that he was an appropriate role model for all Christians, whether they were Gentiles or not.

Act 23:29

Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

344 Phil 3:17 (NIV)

345 Phil 4:9 (NIV)

346 1 Cor 4: 16, 17 (NIV)

347 1 Thes 1: 5-7 (NIV)

348 1 Cor 11:1-2 (NIV)

349 2 Thes 3:6-9 (NIV)

350 Acts 26:28

Paul uses the argument that he was accused to question “their law” and argues that he lived fearfully under the conditions of the Torah and that he did not violate any part of the Torah. He basically told the Sanhedrin, his “brothers,”351 that he walked blameless and that he is innocent.

Act 24:6, 14

6 Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law. 14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: Explanation as per Acts 23:29.

Act 25:8

While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all. Explanation as per Acts 23:29.

Act 26:22

Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: Again Paul admits that he only speak the things said in the “prophets” and “Moses” (Torah), meaning he is upholding the Torah.

Act 28:23

And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

Again the Scripture reinforces that Paul’s basis for teaching was from the “law of Moses,” from morning to evening. The Law of Moses included laws of ritual purification, prophecies about the Messiah, rules about treating livestock, and civil laws about penalties for religious crimes. In fact the "law of Moses'' included everything Moses wrote, what we now call the Books of Moses. Jews call it the Torah, the Law, one of the three main sections of the TaNaCh.

Uittreksel uit die boek deur Prof Wimpie Liebenberg

Heilig die Naam van God

2011-05-02T20:31:00.001+02:00

05/02/2011

Sanctifying the Name of God

Parasha: EmorEmor : אמר - "Say"
Torah : Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Haftarah : Ezekiel 44:15-31
Gospel : Luke 11:1-12:59

Thought for the Week

A king had two sons: a wise son and a wicked son. When people encountered the wicked son, he would abuse them and carry on in a manner unbefitting the prince. People would remark, "Is this how the king raises his son? Is this the kind of man the king is?" Yet when people encountered the wise son, he would treat them courteously and provide them all manner of service as befits a prince among his people. Then they would say, "What a fine king we have over us who has raised such a fine son. Truly he is worthy of his throne."

Commentary

Leviticus 22:29-33 : Leviticus 22:32 says, "You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel." What does it mean to profane or desecrate the Name? Conversely, how does one sanctify the Name of God? The concept is one of reputation. It is the idea that our actions and behaviors affect God's reputation. Our behavior reflects on Him. If we act in a holy manner befitting children of God, God's name is sanctified. If we act in a godless or wicked manner, God's reputation is sullied. Our behavior profanes His reputation.

A significant amount of Jewish ethical standards are formulated around the idea of sanctifying the Name of God (Kiddush HaShem, קדוש השם). Every choice we make in life will in someway or another reflect upon God. Our every interaction with other human beings will in one way or another say something about the God we serve.

To sanctify God's Name means to treat His Name with the respect, honor and consecration that He deserves. But in the broader sense, it refers to obedience and uprightness of character. The Torah explains that the formula for sanctifying God's Name is obedience to the commandments. "So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the LORD." (22:31) The Master concurs: "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) He is saying that when we do good works, we bring glory to our Father in Heaven. Glorifying God requires more than just saying, "Glory!" It actually requires us to do good. By the same token, our sins rob God of the glory that He is due.

This is part of the meaning of the words the Master taught us to pray. "Sanctified be Your Name, Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Haven," are all parallel statements. When God's will is done on earth, His commandments are being kept. His reign and rule are being exercised on Earth, and His Name is then sanctified.

When we sin, God's Name is profaned. His reputation is tarnished because of us. This is a very serious matter that deserves far more attention than we can accord to it here.

Verkry van : First Fruits of Zion

'n Volk afgesonder vir Hom.

2011-05-01T14:55:00.001+02:00

04/10/2011

A People Set Apart
Parasha: Acharei MotTags: conduct, culture, different, distinctions, sensuality, sexuality, society
Acharei Mot - אחרי מות : "After the death"
Torah : Leviticus 16:1-18:30
Haftarah : Ezekiel 22:1-19
Gospel : John 7:1-52

Thought for the Week

In Leviticus 18, the Lord warns the Israelites, "You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes." (Leviticus 18:3) We are not to imitate the ways of the Egyptians. This means that we are not to turn back to the evil ways of our past. He tells them not to do as the Canaanites do. This means that we are not to allow ourselves to be seduced by new temptations.

Commentary

The Torah this week warns us against the sexual deviancies of the larger culture. We are to be easily distinguishable from the secular/pagan context around us, and one of the most obvious ways in which we are to be different is in the area of sexuality.
The way we express our sexuality should draw a clean line of distinction between us and the rest of the world. As believers, we are still in the midst of the modern equivalent of Egyptians and Canaanites. Modern society is obsessed with sensuality. Fed by the media, advertising images, fashion industry and entertainment industry, the appetite for sexual display and deviance grows ever hungrier and more twisted. Free access to pornography, whether through internet, television or print, has seared the conscience and sensibility of our culture. Immodest dress is the standard wardrobe for men and women even within churches and liberal synagogues.

Believers are supposed to look different. According to the Bible's standards, it should be fairly obvious whether a person is one of faith or not simply on the basis of the way they dress and conduct themselves.
In the First Century, sexual immorality was intrinsically connected to the popular worship systems. Devotees to the gods followed their sexual exploits and imitated their base behavior in temple rituals which incorporated sanctified prostitution. Roman culture, for all its austere talk of moderation, was one of perversity, indulgence and depredation. In the midst of the sexually charged atmosphere of the First Century, the believers stood out as a people quite set apart.

Unfortunately, believers within our modern Egypt and Canaan have adopted the dress and behavior of the sexually depraved culture around us. This has created an unbearable contradiction. We dress our women like Canaanite women and tell our men not lust. We send our children on dates, little practice-run love affairs, and tell them to remain pure. We tell our singles that it is all right to kiss and touch here but not there, and the arbitrary lines keep moving. It's not kosher. We attend sensual movies and tell ourselves to close our eyes in the naughty bits, but we are peeking. We enjoy an endless supply of drama and comedy premised upon sexual deviancy. We shake our heads at the immoral culture around us, but we are voyeurs feeding off of it. It is self-defeating and psychologically harmful to simultaneously feed the wayward desire of the flesh and fight against it. We have lost the fight before we have begun.
God's solution is a total break from this culture. We are to be completely different. We should look different, act different and be different.

That is the meaning of holiness.

Verkry van : First Fruits of Zion

Paasfees / Pesach

2011-04-29T13:21:00.003+02:00

Die teken van Jona : Drie dae en drie nagte

Soos Jona drie dae en drie nagte in die maag van ‘n groot vis was, so sal die Seun van die mens drie dae en drie nagte binne-in die aarde wees.
Mat 12:40

Vrydag nag

Saterdag nag

Sondag nag

Die opstanding kon dus net op Maandag plaasvind.

Maar :

Na die sabbatdag, toe dit die Sondagmôre begin lig word, het Maria Magdalena en die ander Maria na die graf gaan kyk.
Mat 28:1

Dus was die kruisdood nie op die Vrydag nie.