the man of the Spirit discerns all things

We read wisdom today.

Kehillah in Corinth I 2Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)

When I came to you, Achim b’Moshiach, I did not come preaching and announcing to you the sod Hashem (mystery of G-d) as a ba’al melitzot (rhetorician, fine talker) or in the excellence of chochmah.

² For I made the decision not to have da’as of anything among you except Moshiach and nivlato al haEtz (his body –gufa, kerper—on the Tree Boim (Yiddish for tree), DEVARIM 21:23).

³ And I came to you (Ac 18:1) in weakness (1:25,27) and in yir’at Shomayim and in fear and in much trembling I was with you,

⁴ And my speech and my hachrazah (proclamation, kyrygma, preaching) to you of the Besuras HaGeulah of Hashem was not in persuasive words but in the demonstration of the Ruach Hakodesh and the gevurat Hashem (power of G-d—1:17),

⁵ That the [orthodox Jewish] emunah (faith) of you may not be in the [Olam Hazeh] “chochmah” of Bnei Adam, but in the gevurat Hashem [1:17].

⁶ But we do speak chochmah (wisdom) to the man who is mevugar (mature, grown up), to those with mature ruchaniyut (spirituality in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach), yet, it is a chochmah (wisdom) not of the Olam Hazeh, neither of the rulers of the Olam Hazeh (Ro 13:3), the ones being brought to naught (1:28). [TEHILLIM 146:4]

⁷ But we speak the chochmah of Hashem in a hidden sod (mystery 2:1), which was nigzar merosh (determined from the beginning, preordained, predestined, decided beforehand) by Hashem lifnei yemei haOlam (before the days of eternity) for our kavod (glory, Ro 8:29-30);

⁸ A chochmah which not one of the rulers of the Olam Hazeh has known, for, if they had had da’as, they would not have made talui al HaEtz HaKelalat Hashem (being hanged on the Tree of the Curse of G-d- Dt 21:23) the [Moshiach] Adon HaKavod. [Ps 24:7]

⁹ But even as it has been written, “Things which no eye has seen and LO SHAMU (“they had not heard”) nor did it come up into the heart of Bnei Adam, the things G-d prepared for the ones who have ahavah for him.” Isa 64:3[4] TARGUM HASHIVIM; Isa 52:15

¹⁰ But Hashem has made the hitgalut haSod (the revelation of the mystery) to us of these things through the Ruach Hakodesh; for the Ruach Hakodesh searches all things, even the deep things of G-d.

¹¹ For who of Bnei Adam has da’as of the things of Bnei Adam except the ruach of a man in him? So also the things of G-d no one has known except the Ruach Hashem. [Jer 17:9; Prov 20:27]

¹² Now we have not received the ruach of the Olam Hazeh but the Ruach Hakodesh from Hashem, that we may have da’as of the things having been freely given to us by Hashem,

¹³ Which things also we speak, not in dvarim (words) taught by chochmah haBnei Adam, but in dvarim taught by the Ruach Hakodesh, making midrash [exposition, interpretation] of the things of the Ruach Hakodesh [2:12] by means of the words of the Ruach Hakodesh.

¹⁴ But a natural person does not receive the things of the Ruach Hakodesh of Hashem, for they are narrishkait (foolishness 1:21-24) to him, and he is not able to have personal saving da’as of them, because they are discerned in the Ruach Hakodesh.

¹⁵ Now the man of the Ruach Hakodesh discerns all things, but, by no one is he discerned.

¹⁶ For, “Who has known the mind of Hashem so as to instruct Him” [Isa 40:13 TARGUM HASHIVIM]? But we have the mind of Moshiach. [YESHAYAH 40:13]

My brethren, count it all joy

Today’s message. (Apostle James chapter 1)

James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:

Greetings.

Profiting from Trials

² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The Perspective of Rich and Poor

⁹ Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, ¹⁰ but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. ¹¹ For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

Loving God Under Trials

¹² Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. ¹⁸ Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

Qualities Needed in Trials

¹⁹ So then,^[a] my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Doers—Not Hearers Only

²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶ If anyone among you^[b] thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Footnotes:

1. James 1:19 NU-Text reads Know this or This you know.
2. James 1:26 NU-Text omits among you.

sukkot 2015: God gathers

Today we read a bit of Sukkot history. Excerpts quoted: “Sukkot, a Hebrew word meaning “booths” or “huts,” refers to the annual Jewish festival of giving thanks for a bountiful fall harvest and commemorates the 40 years of Jewish wandering in the desert after the giving of the Torah atop Mt. Sinai. Sukkot begins five days after Yom Kippur. It is observed for seven days by Israelis and many Reform Jews, and for eight days by other Jews living outside Israel. The eighth day of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, is traditionally a separate festival in its own right. In Reform congregations, which generally observe one day of holidays, rather than two, Shemini Atzeret is observed concurrently with Simchat Torah, the festival of “rejoicing in the Torah.” – (See more at: http://www.reformjudaism.org/sukkot-history#sthash.dwUj5rrj.dpuf)

Bible verses:

Nehemiah 8 New International Version (NIV) ¹⁴ They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month ¹⁵ and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.^{[b] 16} So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.

Exodus 23:16

“Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. “Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.

In Context | Full Chapter

Leviticus 23:39

“‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest.

In Context

Bible verses from Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

Ezekiel 11:17

Therefore, say that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘“I will gather you from the peoples and collect you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give the land of Isra’el to you.”

Ezekiel 20:34

I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered, with a mighty hand, with a stretched-out arm and with poured-out fury;

Ezekiel 20:41

I will accept you with your sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered; and through you I will manifest my holiness in the sight of the nations.

Ezekiel 28:25

“Adonai Elohim says, ‘Once I have gathered the house of Isra’el from the peoples among whom they are scattered, once I have shown my holiness in them as the Goyim watch, then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Ya‘akov.

Ezekiel 34:13

I will bring them back from those peoples, gather them from those countries and return them to their own land. Then I will let them feed on the mountains of Isra’el, by the streams and in all the livable places of the land.

Ezekiel 36:24

For I will take you from among the nations, gather you from all the countries, and return you to your own soil.

Ezekiel 37:21

Then say to them that Adonai Elohim says: ‘I will take the people of Isra’el from among the nations where they have gone and gather them from every side and bring them back to their own land.

Ezekiel 39:27

This will be after I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, thereby being consecrated through them in the sight of many nations.

New International Version (NIV)

Ezekiel 11:17

“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’

In Context

Ezekiel 20:34

I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with out poured wrath.

Ezekiel 20:41

I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations.

In Context

Ezekiel 22:19

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem.

In Context

Ezekiel 22:20

As silver, copper, iron, lead and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you.

In Context

Ezekiel 22:21

I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her.

In Context

Ezekiel 28:25

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.

In Context

Ezekiel 34:13

I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.

In Context

Ezekiel 36:24

“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.

In Context

Ezekiel 37:21

and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.

In Context

Ezekiel 38:12

I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.”

In Context

Ezekiel 39:27

When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations.

In Context

Ezekiel 39:28

Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind.

In Context

Jesus wept.

Today we read about weeping.

Psalm 137:1

[ Psalm 137 ] By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

Nehemiah 1:4

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Ezra 3:12

But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.

Ezra 10:1

[ The People’s Confession of Sin ] While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.

John 11:35

Jesus wept.

In Context | Full Chapter

Luke 19:39-44

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

⁴⁰ “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

⁴¹ As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it ⁴² and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Eve of Yom Kippur

This is a heavy day as we are preparing with our Jewish brethren for September 23. The watchman has decided to go through the same fast and pray and reading of God’s words on September 23. In preparation the watchman was led in the spirit to start listening to the audio Bible since September 21. This will continue for these three days’ season of intercession for the descendants of Israel. The Spirit of the Lord says: “Whoever has ears, let him hear.”

Today’s reading of the Gospel: (excerpts from John 12)

Yochanan 12 Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)

³⁵ Therefore, he said to them, Yet a little time is the Ohr among you. Walk while you have the Ohr lest choshech overtake you; the one walking in the choshech does not have da’as of where he is going.

³⁶ While you have the Ohr, walk in the Ohr that you may become Bnei HaOhr. These things spoke Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. And, having gone away, he was hidden from them.

³⁷ Though so many otot he had done before them, they lacked emunah in him,

³⁸ That the dvar of Yeshayah HaNavi may be fulfilled, which said, Adonoi, MI HE’EMIN LISHMU’ATEINU UZERO’A HASHEM AL-MI NIGLATAH? (Who has believed our report and to whom is the arm of Hashem revealed?‖Isa 53:1)

³⁹ Therefore, they were not able to have emunah, because, again Yeshayah said,

⁴⁰ HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES, HASHMIN LEV HAAM HAZEH (Harden the heart of this people), THAT THEY MIGHT NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND HAVE BINAH WITH THEIR LEV AND MIGHT TURN AND I WILL HEAL THEM. [YESHAYAH 6:10]

⁴¹ These things Yeshayah spoke because he saw the kavod (glory) of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach and he spoke about him. [Isa 6:1]

⁴² Nevertheless, however, even among the manhigim (leaders) many had emunah (faith) in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. But because of the Perushim, they were not making hoda’ah (confession) of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, lest under the cherem ban they should be put away from the shul.

⁴³ For their ahavah was for the kavod Bnei Adam rather than the kavod Hashem. [SHMUEL ALEF 15:30]

⁴⁴ But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach cried out, The ma’amin in me does not have emunah in me, but in the One having sent me.

⁴⁵ And the one seeing me sees the One having sent me.

⁴⁶ I have come as an Ohr (Light) into the Olam Hazeh that everyone believing in me may not remain in the choshech (darkness).

⁴⁷ And if anyone hears my dvarim and of my dvarim is not shomer, I do not judge him, for I did not come to bring the Olam Hazeh into mishpat, but that I may save the Olam Hazeh.

⁴⁸ The one setting me aside and not receiving the dvarim has his Shofet: the dvar which I spoke will judge him on the Yom HaAcharon [i.e., the Yom HaDin].

⁴⁹ Because I do not speak on my own, but the one having sent me [Elohim] HaAv He has given me a mitzvah of what I may say and what I may speak.

⁵⁰ And I have da’as that the mitzvah of Him is Chayyei Olam. Whatsoever things I speak, I speak, therefore, just as HaAv has told me.

Who Has Believed Our Report?

³⁴ The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”

³⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶ While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

³⁷ But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, ³⁸ that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

“Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”^[f]

³⁹ Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”^[g]

⁴¹ These things Isaiah said when^[h] he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

Walk in the Light

⁴² Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. ⁴⁵ And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. ⁴⁶ I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. ⁴⁷ And if anyone hears My words and does not believe,^[i] I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. ⁴⁸ He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. ⁴⁹ For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”