BORDERS OF PREJUDICE

Yehovah is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. Yehovah is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:8-9).

If asked if you are a merciful person, you would probably answer, “I think I am merciful. To the best of my ability, I sympathize with those who suffer. I try to help others and when people hurt me, I forgive them and don’t hold a grudge.”

All true Christians have a good measure of mercy for the lost and hurting, certainly, and that’s something to be thankful for. But the sad truth is, there are biases in our hearts running like deep rivers, and over the years they have carved out borders of prejudice.

From what Scripture says, we know that our Savior would never turn down the desperate cry of a prostitute, a homosexual, a drug addict or an alcoholic who has hit rock bottom. The Messiah’s mercies are unlimited: there is no end to them. Therefore, as his called-out Assembly; The Messiah’s representative body on the earth; we cannot cut off anyone who cries out for mercy and deliverance.

All over the world, God’s people are experiencing suffering, afflictions and torture more than ever in their lifetime. And there is a divine, eternal purpose in the intensity of these spiritual and physical battles now being endured in the true body of the Messiah Jesus. Like his God and Father Yehovah he shows tender mercy towards all people.

Jesus never established vengeful, hate-filled armies; he used no carnal weapons. Instead, he pulled down strongholds by his mighty lovingkindness. Our lord has but one battle plan: tender, merciful love. Indeed, love drives all his works on earth. Jesus is the full expression of God’s love: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

The darker the days become, the more the world is going to need consolation, hope and love. People will need to see that others have been in the battle of their lives and were brought through. We need to be able to say, “I have proven the Messiah I serve to be merciful and kind. He has loved me through everything, and his love and mercy can be yours, as well.”

No matter how hopeless things seem, the lord Jesus has tender mercies for you, to bring you through.

Written by David Wilkerson and edited by Bruce Lyon  

YEHOVAH’S PROPOSAL TO ISRAEL

Exodus: 19:3-6: And Moses went up unto God, and Yehovah called unto him out of the mountain, saying, thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; you have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and [how] I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself. Now therefore, if you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant then:

You shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all People: for all the earth [is] Mine: And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.

The word for “possession” is a very special Hebrew word, “segullah”. It refers to a king’s most highly prized and treasured possession. Israel was being offered the opportunity to be Yehovah’s crown jewel. The final clause calls attention to the fact that although every nation and people belongs to Yehovah, His intention was to set Israel aside as a special people, uniquely above any other. 

A holy nation of Priests 

Notice Exodus 19:6: … “you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” which elaborates the specific nature of the proposal He was making to Israel. So we see that joined with Israel’s calling to be Yehovah’s treasured possession was to be a kingdom of priests. As priests they were to SERVE as Yehovah’s mediator’s, representatives, and ambassador’s to the rest of the world. The call was both corporate and individual.

The invitation to become a kingdom was to fulfill the promised made to Abraham and Judah. Yehovah had promised that His seed – Jesus would process the promised land. In order to possess the land he would have to rule over it. Thus, Abrahams “seed” (Jesus) would by necessity be a king. [Galatians 3:16: Now to Abraham and his “seed” were the promises made. He doesn’t say, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to your “seed”, which is the Messiah] All kings of course, need a kingdom. Further, Yehovah clearly promised Judah that a king would come from his line to rule over all of Israel [Genesis 49:8-10]. Thus, if Israel accepted Yehovah’s proposal given at Mount Sinai, Yehovah’s promised kingdom program would be initiated. Yehovah’s plan to fix everything, to restore the Garden of Eden, to heal the cosmos, was no longer a mere concept. At Sinai, Yehovah’s promise to undo the damage done in the Garden when Adam rebelled against Him, began to take form. 

YEHOVAH SO LOVED THE WORLD

THAT HE CHOSE ISRAEL 

Yehovah invited Israel to become a special kingdom, distinct from all the nations of the world. Does that mean that Gentiles are less valuable in the eyes of Yehovah that Israel? Absolutely not! As the apostle Peter says: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right” (Acts 34-35). The reason Yehovah chose Israel was to have them serve as “a kingdom of priests and be a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). A priest acts as a mediator between God and man. Israel was being called to function as a people uniquely devoted to Yehovah, who would introduce Him to nations of the world.

Note: They were not to be a people unto themselves, enjoying their special relationship to Yehovah and paying no attention to the nations of the world. Rather, they were to represent Yehovah to the nations of the world and attempt to bring them to Him.

This calling was a clear reiteration of what Yehovah stated previously to Abraham, “I will make of you a great nation… and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” [Genesis 12:2-3]. Yehovah’s purpose from the very beginning was to bless, “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” [Revelation 5:9]. The reason Yehovah called Israel and made them a special nation is because He loves every nation!

Yehovah so loved the world that He chose Israel. They were called to SERVE as a priestly nation, as Yehovah’s special ambassador’s and representatives. When you read the New Testament you will notice that this call to be a “kingdom of priests,” is a phrase used by the apostle John to refer to all believers, both Jew and Gentile. In the book of Revelation, we are told that Jesus, “has made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father.

Note: Peter 2:5: You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus the Messiah.

Verse 9: … you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him – Yehovah, who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light:

Yehovah first called Israel to be a unique people who would function in a priestly role for Him. Today, this calling remains for all who have been grafted into the true “Israel of God” [Romans 11:11-20; Galatians 6:15-16] If you are a disciple of Jesus the Messiah, then, like Israel, you have been called as Yehovah’s representative, His witness, and His ambassador’s of blessing to the world.

YOUR POSITION IN THE MESSIAH

In John 14, Jesus tells us it is time for us to know our heavenly position in him. He explained to the disciples, “Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in my Father; and you are in me, and I in you” (John 14:29-20). This verse is one of my favorites! We are now living in “that day” Jesus speaks of. In short, we are to understand our heavenly position in our Messiah.

Most of us do know our position in the Messiah; that we are seated with him in the heavenly places; but only metaphorically. We don’t know it in experience. What do I mean by this expression, “our position in our Messiah”?

Very simply: Position is “where one is placed, where one is.” Yehovah our God and Father has placed us where we are, which is in the Messiah. In turn, the Messiah is in and with the Father, seated at His right hand. Therefore, if we are in the Messiah, we are actually seated with Jesus in the throne room, where he is. That means we are sitting in the presence of Yehovah, the Almighty God. This is what Paul refers to when he says we’re made to “sit together in the heavenly places in the Messiah Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

The moment you place your trust in Yehovah's anointed one, the Messiah, and follow up in obedience, and are baptised, and die to self, you’re taken into him by faith. You become a new creation in him, as a part of the New Humanity that he - Jesus is the beginning of, and the Federal head. Yehovah acknowledges you in His son, and as one of His sons seats you with His son in the heavenlies. This is not merely some theological point, but a factual position.

So now, as you surrender your will to Yehovah, you are able to claim all the spiritual blessings that come with the position He has placed you. Of course, being “in the Messiah” doesn’t mean you leave this earth. You can’t manufacture some emotion or feeling that takes you up into the heavenlies. No, heaven has come down to you, through the power of the Spirit of God. The Messiah the son, and Yehovah the Father come to indwell you and made their abode there: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and WE will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23).

Note: Jesus says, if you love him you will keep his word and if you do that then his Father - Yehovah will love you, and both he and Yehovah will come to you, and indwell you through the spirit of Yehovah.

John 14:10-11: Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me...

John 3:33-34: The one who has received his - Jesus testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God sent continues to speak the words of God, for He continues to give to him the spirit without measure.

Leave your sins and worldly pursuits behind and “lay aside every fleshly weight that so easily besets you.” Go inside and take your position in the Messiah. Yehovah, our God and Father has called you to enter into the joy of your deliverance and acceptance. So, when you wake up tomorrow, shout, “Hallelujah - Praise Yehovah! for I’m accepted by Him and my heart abounds with thanksgiving and joy.”

WHAT "FULFILL THE LAW" MEANT IN ITS JEWISH CONTEXT

What did Jesus mean when he said that he “came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it”? (Matthew 5:17)

The key is that the phrase “fulfill the Law” is a rabbinic idiom. It is found several other places in the New Testament and in Jewish sayings too. Hearing it in context will shed light on its true meaning.

To fulfil the Torah

The translation of “to fulfill” is lekayem in Hebrew (le-KAI-yem), which means to uphold or establish, as well as to fulfill, complete or accomplish. David Bivin has pointed out that the phrase “fulfill the Law” is often used as an idiom to mean to properly interpret the Torah so that people can obey it as God really intends.

The word “abolish” was likely either levatel, to nullify, or (la’akor), to uproot, which meant to undermine the Torah by misinterpreting it. For example, the law against adultery could be interpreted as only about cheating on one’s spouse, but not about pornography. When Jesus declared that lust also was a violation of the commandment, he was clarifying the true intent of that law, so in rabbinic parlance he was “fulfilling the Law.”

Fulfilling the Law as Obedience

The phrase “fulfill the Law” has another sense, which is to carry out a law – to actually do what it says. In Jewish sayings from near Jesus’ time, we see many examples of this second usage as well:

These two meanings of “fulfill” shed light on Jesus’ words on in Matthew 5:19:

…Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Here the two actions of “practicing” and “teaching others to do the same” are an exact parallel to the two idiomatic senses of “fulfill.” In contrast, the words “break” and “teach others to break” are the idiomatic senses of “abolish.”With this in mind, you can see that Matthew 5:19 parallels and expands on Jesus’ words about fulfilling and abolishing the Torah in Matthew 5:17.

By understanding this idiom we see that Jesus was emphatically stating that his intention was to explain God’s Word and live it out perfectly, not to undermine or destroy it.

Why was Jesus emphasizing this point? Most likely because the Jewish religious leaders had accused him of undermining the Torah in his preaching. Jesus was responding that he was not misinterpreting God’s law, but bringing it to its best understanding.

Furthermore, if any of his disciples twisted or misinterpreted its least command, they would be considered “least” in his kingdom. Jesus’s entire ministry as the Messiah was devoted to getting to the heart of God’s Torah through what he said and how he lived.

Notice that on at least one occasion, Jesus leveled this same charge against the Pharisees. He accused them of nullifying the law to honor one’s mother and father by saying that possessions declared corban (dedicated to God) could not be released to support one’s elderly parents (Mark 7:11–12).

Certainly Jesus fulfilled the law by obeying it perfectly. But as the Messiah, he also “fulfilled” it by clarifying its meaning and enlightening people about how God truly wanted them to live.

What Paul says about fulfilling the Law

In the past, the idea that “the Messiah brought the Law to an end by fulfilling it” has been the traditional rationale of why Christians are not obligated to keep the laws of the Old Testament.

We overlook the fact that in Acts 15, the early church declared that Gentiles were not obligated to convert to Judaism by being circumcised and taking on the covenant of Torah that was given to Israel.

Instead they were told that they must simply observe the three most basic laws against idolatry, sexual immorality and murder, the minimal observance required of Gentile God-fearers.1

According to Acts, the reason Christians have not been required to observe the Torah was not because it has ended, but because we are Gentiles (at least most of us).

Paul, of course, was zealous in saying that Gentiles were not required to observe the Torah when some insisted they become circumcised and take on other observances. He himself still observed the Torah, and proved it to James when asked to do so in Acts 21:24-26. Yet he still maintained that Gentiles were saved apart from observing it.

Paul supported this idea by pointing out that the Gentiles were being filled with the Holy Spirit when they first believed in the Messiah, not after they had become Torah observant (Galatians 3:2-5).

He also pointed out that Abraham did not observe the laws of the Torah that were given 400 years later, but was justified because of his faith. (Galatians 3:6-9)2 He concluded that all who believe are “sons of Abraham” even though this very term was usually reserved for circumcised Jews.

Paul’s use of “Fulfill the Law”

An important part of this discussion is that Christians widely misunderstand the word “Torah,” which we translate as “law.” We associate it with burdensome regulations and legal courts. In the Jewish mind, the main sense of “Torah” is teaching, guidance and instruction, rather than legal regulation. Notice; a torah of hesed, “a teaching of kindness” is on the tongue of the Proverbs 31, woman (Proverbs 31:26).Why would torah be translated as law? Because when God instructs his people how to live, he does it with great authority. His torah demands obedience, so the word takes on the sense of “law.” But in Jewish parlance, torah has a very positive sense, that our loving Creator would teach us how to live. It was a joy and privilege to teach others how to live life by God’s instructions. This was the goal of every rabbi, including the Messiah Jesus.

The question then becomes, if the Torah is God’s loving instructions for how to live, why would Gentiles be excluded from its wonderful truths?Surprisingly, in both Romans and Galatians, after Paul has spent a lot of time arguing against their need to observe the Torah, he actually answers this question by explaining how they can “fulfill the Law.” He says:

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

If Paul is using first idiomatic sense of “fulfill the Torah”, he is saying that love is the supreme interpretation of the Torah; the ultimate summation of everything that God has taught in the Scriptures.

Paul was reiterating Jesus’ key teaching about loving God and neighbor that says “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40). The two laws about love are not just more important than the rest, they are actually the grand summation of it all.

About a century later, Rabbi Akiva put it this way: “Love your neighbor as yourself; this is the very essence (klal gadol) of the Torah.” Love is the overriding principle that shapes how all laws should be obeyed.

Love as fulfilling the Torah

Paul also seems to be using the second idiomatic sense of “fulfill the Torah” (as obedience; to say that loving your neighbor is actually the living out of the Torah. When we love our neighbor, it is as if we have done everything God has asked of us. A Jewish saying from around that time has a similar style:

If one is honest in his business dealings and people esteem him, it is accounted to him as though he had fulfilled the whole Torah.

The point of the saying above is that a person who is honest and praiseworthy in all his dealings with others has truly hit God’s goal for how he should live. He didn’t cancel the Law, he did it to the utmost!

Similarly, Paul is saying that when we love our neighbor, we have truly achieved the goal of all the commandments. So instead of saying that the Gentiles are without the law altogether, he says that they are doing everything it requires when they obey the “Law of the Messiah,” which is to love one another. (Mark 12:28-34)

For him, the command to love is the great equalizer between the Jew who observes the Torah, and Gentile who does not, but who both believe in the Messiah.

Paul says: “For in the Messiah Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:6)

Is the Messiah the end of the Law?

Paul tells us in Romans 10:4 that the “telos” of the law is the Messiah, which has been translated “the Messiah is the end of the law”. Much debate has occurred over this line. However, few have noticed the surprising way that "telos" is used elsewhere in the New Testament.

Believe it or not, we find two other places where the verb form of "teleos" (to end, complete) is used together with "nomos"(law) in the sense of in the sense of keeping or fulfilling (obeying) it!

Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps (teleo) the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. (Romans 2:27)

If you really fulfill (teleo) the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. (James 2:8)

Certainly in these two passages, the sense of teleo is not “terminate, bring to an end.”

Let’s also examine the other verb that is used in a similar context, pleroo (“to fulfill,” in the sense of filling up). This is what is used in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill (pleroo) them.”

Note how the verb pleroo is used in these other passages:

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling (pleroo) of the law. (Romans 13:10)

For the whole law is fulfilled (pleroo) in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

Like teleo, the sense of pleroo here is that of upholding the Torah and living it out, rather than seeking its termination.

The Messiah is the Goal of the Torah

So, how should we read Romans 10:4? In light of the rest of Paul’s writing, I think it’s wise to take a two-handed approach. Scholars point out that while "telos" can mean “end,” it can also mean “goal” or “culmination.” They suggest that Paul’s wording in Romans 10:4 is deliberately vague, conveying two ideas at once. The Messiah  is both the goal and the end of the Law, they conclude. The Messiah is the climactic goal of the Torah, the living embodiment of the holiness and compassion toward which God was aiming. Jesus is the “word made flesh.” He is the only one who has ever perfectly lived out the Torah, thus becoming the only perfect man who has ever lived.

If the Torah is God’s teaching for how to live as his people, in what sense could it end? It doesn’t. But, as Christians, we believe that Jesus took upon himself the punishment we deserve for our inability to keep God’s commands. As such, he brought the law to the end of its ability to separate us from God because of our sin. For that we rejoice!

Second, God’s policy for centuries had been to separate Israel from the influence of its pagan neighbors. He did this so that he could train his people properly, like a parent teaching a child (Galatians 3:24). In the Messiah, God gave a new command that went in the opposite direction. Instead of maintaining their distance, Jesus’ followers were to go into the world and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).

The instant Peter visited the first Gentile, the policy of separation collided with the new policy of outreach. According to Jewish law, Peter could not accept Cornelius’s hospitality because Gentiles were “unclean.” But God had given him a vision in which unclean animals were declared “clean.” (Acts 10:9-16)

With the guidance of the Spirit, the church ruled in Acts 15 that Gentile believers did not need to enter into the covenant that was given on Mount Sinai. The “dividing wall of hostility” that the Torah put up to keep the Gentiles away was brought to an end (Ephesians 2:14).

What about God’s Covenant with Israel?

The Torah also contains God’s covenant with Israel. Did Jesus bring this covenant to an end? Absolutely not, Paul exclaims! Just look at Romans 11:

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! …As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:1, 28-29

Paul mourns deeply for his Jewish brothers who have been alienated from God’s promises, and he longs for them to believe in their Messiah. He pictures Israel, the family of Abraham, as an olive tree that Gentiles have been grafted into. Some of Israel’s branches have been cut off, but he’s is optimistic that they can be grafted back in again. In no way does Paul think of God’s covenant with Israel as nullified.

In Conclusion

As Gentiles, Christians are not obligated to keep the Mosaic covenant. It was given to Israel, not to the world. We are saved by faith in the Messiah because of his atoning death, not by keeping a covenant we were never given.

How then are we to live? Paul and the other New Testament writers spend most of their letters discussing this very subject. In Acts 15:21, the Jerusalem Council points out that that Gentile believers will hear Moses preached every weekend in the synagogue. Certainly they will learn how to live from hearing the Torah preached.

The Apostles knew that we can discover great wisdom within the Torah because Christ himself was the goal toward which it was aiming. This is our goal too; to be filled with the love and goodness of our lord and Messiah, Jesus.

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Note: The three commandments against idolatry, sexual immorality and murder were considered the three most heinous sins, and also sins that Gentiles were particularly prone to commit. The requirements for Gentiles in Acts 15 are stated plainly.

A GOOD EY OR A BAD EYE? A CRITICAL IDIOM

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23)

Over the years, these mysterious words of Jesus have invited all kinds of speculation. But we can crack Jesus’ cryptic saying about the “eye” by hearing it within its Hebraic context, and grasping the figures of speech that Jesus was employing.

Jesus was most likely comparing the idea of having a “good eye” with having a “bad eye,” two idioms that have been a part of the Hebrew language from biblical times until today.

Having a “good eye” (ayin tovah) is to look out for the needs of others and be generous in giving to the poor. To have a “bad eye” (ayin ra’ah) is to be greedy and self-centered, blind to the needs of those around you.

You might be surprised at this, but these same idioms appear elsewhere in the Scriptures where they clearly refer to generosity or stinginess. (See Matthew 20:15; Proverbs 22:5, 28:22) The subject of money is also prominent in surrounding passages in this sermon.

Why Your “Eye” is Critical

Why is a person’s “eye” toward others so critical to Jesus? Because our relationship with money reveals our relationship with God. To have a “bad eye” is to cling to the little that you have, resenting those with more and refusing to help those with less.

Your attitude shows you think that God isn't generous, that He is either unwilling or unable to care for you. It also reveals how disconnected you are from the struggles of others. No wonder Jesus says that life becomes dark indeed when you’ve cut yourself off from both God and those around you.

On the other hand, if you’re radically convinced of God’s caring presence in your life, you’re also confident that God will provide for your needs, as you wal in faith obedience before Him. Not just materially, but emotionally and spiritually as well.

You may not be wealthy by the world’s standards, but you have a rock-solid understanding that what you have is enough, that ultimately your own situation will be secure. The fruit is a generous attitude, a “good eye” toward others. How can your life not brighten when you think this way?

Having a “good eye” or a “bad eye” also points toward a more fundamental issue; what is your primary motivation? Is your driving concern your own comfort in life, or do you look beyond yourself?

Ever more our Christian culture reinforces our self-centeredness, as books and sermons increasingly aim to appeal to our “felt needs.” After steady diet of self-therapy, however, we simply won’t tolerate a sermon that points out sin or pushes us to care about others. All we want to hear about is, “What’s in it for me?”

What the Torah Taught

Many of us are glad to skip past the Old Testament’s legal codes. Its laws about unclean foods and ritual impurity strike us as strange and distasteful. But these rules likely didn’t surprise the Israelites, because sacrifice and food laws were common among Israel’s neighbors.

What would have shocked Moses’ first listeners were God’s lengthy list of commands for caring for the vulnerable. Loans to the needy were to be without interest, and if they couldn’t be repaid in seven years, they were to be forgiven (Deuteronomy 15:1-3).Slaves and even animals were released from labor for one day of the week, making their need for rest equal to their owner’s. If hard times forced a farmer to sell his land, it was to be returned in the year of Jubilee, which took place every fifty years (Leviticus 25:28).

In contrast, the gods of Israel’s neighbors were concerned only with sacrifices and ceremonies. They were not terribly moral, and often were fickle and cruel. The God of Israel was unique in tying worship of him with compassion for others. When his people began to believe that rituals were all he required, God sent prophets to remind them that justice to the poor was his greatest concern. This was the heart of Jesus’ teaching too!

Today, people wonder what difference it makes that Jesus was Jewish. What about his culture should affect us here and now? The rituals and food laws of Israel were quite similar to those of other nations. The distinctive feature of the Torah was its great concern for society’s vulnerable. When Jesus came along, he emphasized the very same thing!

The more we read Jesus’ words in their Hebraic setting, the more we discover that to follow Jesus as his first Jewish disciples did, we need to learn to have a very “good eye.”

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Note: Having an ayin ra’ah, a “bad eye,” a self-centered attitude, should not be confused with “the evil eye” (ayin ha’rah)—a superstition that a person can cast a spell through an envious gaze.

WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATIN WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING

One of the most difficult lines in the New Testament is Paul’s command that we “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12). Did he really mean that we should constantly shudder in fear of God’s judgment?

I think Paul has a completely different idea in mind here. Let’s take a closer look.

First of all, “fear” in the Bible has a wider range of meaning than in English, often encompassing positive ideas like respect and awe. I’ve written about this before. In Hebrew, “Fear” can even describe how the emotion translates into action. “Fear” can mean refer to worship, or to obedience that comes from holding someone in great respect.*

Reverent Obedience?

Paul uses this exact same phrase, "phobos kai tromos" (fear and trembling) to mean “reverent obedience” elsewhere.

In 2 Corinthians 7:15 Paul describes how impressed Titus was when he visited the Corinthians:

“And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with phobos kai tromos - fear and trembling.”

In Ephesians 6:5 Paul says:

“Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with "phobos kai tromos" - fear and trembling, in the sincerity of heart, as to Messiah.”

Theoretically you could read this passage as about being terrified, but that seems much less likely than it being about having great respect, which will lead to obedience.

Let’s look again at Philippians 2:12-13:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed; not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence; continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

The passage starts out by Paul praising the congregation for how obedient they were in his presence. Then, Paul exhorts the Philippians to do even more in his absence, because God is doing a “good work in you.” Reading "phobos kai tromos" as about reverent awe fits better here than as being terrified of judgment, which is not on Paul’s mind otherwise in this very positive context.

Of course, this is not to say that the New Testament doesn’t remind us to fear God’s judgment elsewhere. (Revelation 14:7, etc.) It’s just not likely Paul’s intent in Philippians 2:12.

Fear and Trembling

Still, you might ask why Paul uses the word “trembling.” Most likely this whole phrase, “fear and trembling” is a hendiadys, a type of idiom that especially common in Hebrew. Two words are linked by “and” in order to modify one of them, usually for intensification. We use them in English too. Here are a few examples:

I’m sick and tired of my job. (= very tired)
I’ll do it when I’m good and ready. (= very ready)
It’s nice and warm in your house. (= nicely warm)

Similarly, “fear and trembling” isn’t likely about being afraid and also shaking. It simply means to have “great fear,” which can be either positive (awe) or negative (fright, dread). Likely Paul is using it quite positively.

If you’re not convinced of how positive “fear and trembling” can be, look at how a similar phrase is used in Jeremiah 33:9.

Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it. (NIV)

The JPS Tanakh makes it even clearer, saying,

They will thrill and quiver because of all the good fortune and all the prosperity that I provide for her.

What a wonderful thought, to be quivering with spine-tingling awe at what God has done!

Note: The JPS (Jewish Publication Society) Tanakh seems to be far more aware of the subtleties of the Hebrew language than other translations, and doesn’t hesitate to express nuances of meaning in English.

Written by Lois Tverberg and edited by Bruce Lyon

BE WISE TO THE SATAN'S TACTICS

We know from Scripture that storms and great trials come to all who have truly become totally committed to loving Yehovah and walking in obedience to His will: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Yehovah delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). Moreover, as you hunger after Yehovah; if you are determined to seek Him with your whole heart, setting your mind to obey the words He gave the lord Jesus to give to us to obey; you will continually be a target of the devil’s tactics of deception. The most trying of all spiritual battles takes place in the mind of the believer. Many Christians battle thoughts that are oppressive, fearful, and unspiritual. They battle memories of past failures and end up feeling unworthy of fellowship or of receiving God’s blessings. There aren’t always answers for all the reasons why believers suffer, but one thing is certain. Satan's influence is always around seeking to cause you to fail and fall away from being totally committed to walking in new covenant faithfulness before Yehovah The devil wants to rob Yehovah’s saints of their rest, their intimacy, their hope of entering into the coming Kingdom of God; joining with Jesus as co-rulers, in the Theocratic Government he will establish, when he takes his place on David's throne at Zion. Satan wants to destroy anyone who is filled with the spirit of God; who are new creations in the Messiah, that are going to become glorified man and women when they rise up to meet the lord Jesus in the are at his return. The moment you made a decision to be totally committed to Yehovah, and Yehovah’s concerns became your concerns, you became a target of Satan’s wrath. Even though your faith might be weak right now, Satan will not let up on you. He is determined not to allow any chance for the holy spirit to lead you to enter into the Kingdom of God. For this reason, Paul warns us not to be ignorant of the devil’s wiles: “Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11). If we ignore the enemy’s tactics, we may allow him to gain a foothold, or advantage, over us. We need to be on guard enabled by the spirit of the lord Jesus and of Yehovah to withstand the enemies tactics. Paul writes, “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). Paul’s warning here is crystal clear: Satan uses ungodly people as messengers of his deception, wrath and envy. And, according to the apostle, these people have infiltrated the called-out Assembly of God. Have you ever met such people? The fact remains that we are all going to be in a fight until we die or Jesus comes back to earth. We may be given seasons of calm, but as long as we’re on earth, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. But we have been given weapons that are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We have been equipped with weapons that Satan cannot withstand: prayer, fasting , faith and the enabling power of God's spirit to help us overcome Satan's tactics. Praise Yehovah - Hallelujah

A CROWN OF VICTORY

In Psalm 21, David wrote, in essence: “Yehovah, you pour out blessings and loving kindness on me before I can even ask. And you offer more than I could ever conceive of asking.” David is referring to some awesome work that God performed for him in the spiritual realm. It is something that gave David victory over his enemies, answers to prayer, overcoming power, and unspeakable joy. And God did it all before David could even go to prayer, unburden his heart or present his request. Once David finally did pour out his heart, he discovered that God had already made provision to defeat his enemies. David’s victory was assured before he could even get near the battlefield. Indeed, when David wrote Psalm 21, he was speaking of a literal battle. This psalm is a companion chapter to Psalm 20, both referring to a battle described in 2 Samuel 10 where Israel’s enemy, the Ammonites, had hired Syrian battalions to wage war against David. David’s military leader Joab and a choice army defeated the Syrians soundly in an overwhelming victory, and the enemy fled in fear. David rejoiced, thinking, “That’s the end of the Syrians. Our army dealt them a death blow.” He wrote, “I have wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet” (Psalm 18:38). Yet, the enemy regrouped and began plotting yet another attack (see 2 Samuel 10:15). Of course, this story is about more than David’s troubles with the Syrians. It is also an an example for us as followers of the Messiah today and our battle with Satan, our Adversary. It’s about a never ending battle we have against our Adversary Satan, where we win one battle against our sinful nature, and say, “I’ve finally won the victory.” Note: God gives us the story of David and the Syrians to reveal to us a crucial lesson. Every victory we win over the flesh, and Satan's influence, will be followed by an even greater temptation and attack. Satan simply will not give up in his war against God’s people. Once we defeat him in one area of our lives, he will redouble his forces and come right back at us. David made this statement of faith just before going to war: “You set a crown of pure gold upon [my] head” (Psalm 21:3). The crown David mentions here is a symbol of victory and dominion. David was saying, “I’m going to war riding on God’s promise to me; a crown of victory!” Receive Yehovah’s promise to you today. He tells us, “This work is accomplished only by faith in the finished work of the cross. It has already been accomplished by me so accept it by faith.” Note: Romans 7:24-25: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God [Who delivers me] through Jesus the Messiah my lord.

THE MESSIAH LIKE LIFE

“Yehovah is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of Yehovah will come as a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:9-10).

Right now, the world is in frightening disorder. God warns his faithful ones so that when sudden disaster strikes, they are not swept away with fear. God’s people must know that whatever happens, it is not an accident or a random act. They are to have the peace of the Messiah in their hearts, knowing that God is still master of the universe. In this way, they will have been warned and they won’t panic when other men’s hearts fail them for fear.

Many Christians might cringe when they read the message Peter delivers, and inside they might wonder, “Why do we have to be reminded of this? There’s so much bad news and stress already.”

Peter went on to say, “Since you know this beforehand, beware [be on your guard] lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our lord and savior Jesus the Messiah” (3:17-18).

Paul also preached: “Walk worthy of the lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

Considering these two apostles’ messages, what might we expect the word to be for a society about to be judged in our time? We find that word coming from Paul and it is directed to the Messiah’s beloved: “My prayer for you is that you pursue intimacy, grow in spiritual understanding, and walk worthy of the Messiah” (Colossians 1:9-10, paraphrase).

What is required for such a pleasing walk? Paul tells us: “As the chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another and forgive one another, whoever has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive” (see Colossians 3:12-13).

Examining your walk with the Messiah means looking not so much at what you are doing; but rather at what you are becoming.

Peter and Paul are both saying, “Don’t fear what is ahead. Keep God’s Word in remembrance at all times, through all things. And meanwhile, let God's Spirit make you into a different, more Messiah like person.”

Written by David Wilkerson and edited by Bruce Lyon

POWER RELEASED BY PRAYER

 

In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus quoted the words of Isaiah 61:1, saying, “The Spirit of Yehovah is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of Yehovah’s favor”.

Jesus stood in the synagogue, opened the Scripture, and essentially said, “The Spirit of Yehovah is upon me for you, and you, and you, and you …” There was no other reason the Spirit was upon him except to speak about the coming Kingdom of God, and to be enabled to become a sin-offering sacrifice, in order to reconcile humanity to his God and Father, Yehovah. Jesus’ desire was to bring fallen people into the knowledge of Yehovah, the only true God - John 17:3 -  and, ultimately, to show them the way, truth and the life, and  give them the light that leads to being with Yehovah for all eternity.

It is impossible to say that “the Messiah is mine, and I am the Messiah’s” yet remain completely self-absorbed. The apostle Paul, writing in 2 Timothy, warned, that perilous times will come. “Men will be lovers of self,” he wrote (2 Timothy 3:2, NASB). That self-love would be the underpinning of everything else he was about to write. Loving ourselves and giving ourselves preeminence in life automatically means that our relationships with others are as a form of religion that lacks the power of God.

Note: When a person enters into the waters of baptism they are dying to self and coming out of the water are new creations in the lord Messiah Jesus with indwelling new age life and the realization that we are bought and paid for by the blood of the lord Jesus, and therefore his slaves and thus slaves to righteousness. Paul ultimately is saying to us, turn away from self-serving religion.

Any faith based on the life of Jesus the Messiah dwelling within us must be lived for the benefit and the sake of other people. We must walk in obedience to his creed, which is to love others as ourselves. (Mark 12:31) We must as members of his body the called-out Assembly live by the words that his God and Father Yehovah gave to him to give to us. Jesus said that the words he spoke were not his, but the Father’s words that He gave to him to speak. (John 14:10)

Note: Under the law of Jewish Agency Jesus was commissioned to act as Yehovah’s agent, and whatever he did as God’s agent, speaking or doing, was as if Yehovah was saying the words or doing the works, thus Jesus said the words that he spoke were not his but those given him to speak forth by his Father.

We can know in large measure the heart Yehovah has for people when we come to understand that Jesus was the outshining of the nature of Yehovah, and all he did was in love for others. Mark 8:23-26 records the story of Jesus leading the blind man away from the village of Bethsaida in order to restore his sight, which I think represents leading people away from a culture that confines and even tries to hijack the love of God and give credit to humankind for the things that God does. The carnal nature is all about me, myself, and I, with no room left for God.

This blind man’s sight was only partially restored at first. It wasn’t until Jesus acting as Yehovah’s agent touched him the second time that he saw clearly. That’s how it often works in our walk with God. He continues to touch our eyes and our hearts as often as needed until we see clearly and love others willingly, sincerely, and genuinely in obedience to His will.

WHERE TO LOOK FOR HOPE

 

“Concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2). Paul described to the disciples what would take place when the Messiah returns: “The lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with trumpet of God. And the dead in the Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (4:16-18). The ancient stoics believed the world went through fixed periods of time. In their minds, at the end of each period the world was destroyed by a great fire. Then the earth was restored precisely as it had been, so that things began all over again and resumed just as they had before. In other words, history repeated itself over and over. The same stars followed in the same orbits, and the same lives were lived again, with the same friends, the same concerns, the same experiences. Everything was restored each time, not just once but in perpetuity. Human beings were bound to an eternal treadmill from which there was no escape. The apostle Peter’s words cut directly against this thinking when he said that, according to God’s promise, Christians are to “look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). Moreover, he says, if we believe God’s word, we can know that history is racing toward the day of the lord’s coming, when “heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat” (3:12). Note: The heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat after the White Throne Judgement; then there will be created a new heavens and a new earth before all those who have been written in the book of life will enter into that coming new age as glorified immortal men and women in the Messiah Jesus! It is then that Yehovah will come down to the new earth to dwell with all the glorified immortal men and woman. As followers of the Messiah, we should not be consumed by daily news reports or events taking place in our lives but, rather, on the coming of our Redeemer. Our world certainly is in great turmoil, but Jesus said, “They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:27-28). He was talking about where our focus should be. By David Wilkerson (1931-2011) edited by Bruce Lyon

JESUS' WORDS IN CONTEXT: GOD'S SERVANT HEART

[Jesus] got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet… [Afterwards, he said,] “Now that I, your lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. – John 13:4-5,14

Humility and serving others was of great concern to Jesus. In the above passage, Jesus embodies these themes in his washing of the disciple’s feet. He speaks with disgust about teachers who “love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues” (Matthew 23:6) and adds, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (vs. 11-12).

Honor was vital in the first-century Jewish world, and many customs differentiated those with lesser status from those with more. Specifically, students were expected to honor their teachers, and disciples their rabbis. Disciples were to act as servants to their rabbi, serving his food and pouring water over his hands for him to wash. Their model was Elisha who humbly served as Elijah’s mesharet, meaning “assistant” (2 Kings 3:11).

When Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, he not only violated the custom that delegated this task to the lowest household servant but also epitomized humility, as he served those who were supposed to serve him. His actions were even more poignant in light of the argument that the disciples were having over who was the greatest (Luke 22:24-27).

A Similar Scene in Gamaliel’s Life

Interestingly, a similar story is recorded about Gamaliel a few decades later. Gamaliel was the head of the Sanhedrin, the highest office in Israel. At a banquet, he got up and served food and drink to others of lower stature. Some were shocked and rejected his service, just as Peter rejected Jesus’ offer to wash his feet. Honoring a rabbinic scholar is was like honoring the Torah! Surely it shouldn’t be neglected.

A debate ensued about whether the great sage could set aside his own honor to serve others. After considering biblical precedent, the other rabbis declared that he could:

Is Gamaliel a lowly servant? He serves like a household servant, but there is one greater than him who serves.

Consider Abraham, who, even though he was the greatest of his generation, ran to serve what looked like three lowly wanderers (Genesis 18:8).

There is one even greater than Abraham who serves. Consider the Holy One, blessed be He, who brings forth rain and causes the earth to bloom and arranges a table before each and every person.¹ (Psalm 78:19)

It is interesting that Gamaliel is on record as acting very similarly to Jesus by humbly serving others. He is the same man who educated Paul and defended the early church in Acts 5:34-40. Could he have been influenced by Jesus’ teaching? Considering that he was familiar with the famous rabbi and his unique movement, it doesn’t seem unlikely.

Paul, a disciple of Gamaliel, beautifully brought all these ideas about the humility of God in the person of the Messiah in his letter to the Philippians:

Your attitude should be the same as that of the Messiah Jesus: who, being in form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death; even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus the Messiah is lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

 

WHAT IS LIVING WATER?

The Bible is often hard for us to understand because it comes from a Hebrew-thinking mindset very different than our own. Many words translate one way into English, but actually have a richer meaning in Hebrew that sheds light on many passages.

It’s also important to have a sense of the spiritual imagery that the Bible uses, to get into the minds of the ancient Israelites and see how they experienced God’s presence in the world. They found pictures of theological concepts in the world around them, and God communicated with them through them. Jesus also uses these images to tell about himself, and we need to understand his culture to comprehend his message.

One prominent image that recurs from Genesis to Revelation is that of living water.

In the Middle East, water is scarce and precious, and very much needed for survival. Only a few months of the year does rain fall in Israel, and the rest of the time the ancient peoples survived on stagnant water that was stored in cisterns in the ground. When rain does fall after many months of clear blue skies, it seems to be a miraculous gift from God.

The difference with or without rain in Israel is amazing – the hills can be barren and brown much of the year, but after a season of rain, covered in green meadows and flowers. Where there are rivers, lush vegetation surrounds those, while only yards away, all is barren.

Out of this arose the idea of living water, or mayim chaim (MY-eem KHY-eem), which refers to water in the form of rain or flowing from a natural spring, which has come directly from God, not carried by human hands or stored in cisterns. It also is a contrast to sea water, especially that of the Dead Sea, which looks refreshing but is poisonous, and makes the land around it barren.

Living water was strongly associated with the presence of God. Many times in the scriptures, God is called the source of living water.

From Eden, where God dwelled with man, a river welled up that formed the headwaters of four mighty rivers. (Gen 2:10).

Psalm 29:10 pictures God sitting “enthroned over the flood.”

In Revelation, the river of life flows out from under the throne of God (Revelation 22:1).

In Jeremiah it says,

O Yehovah, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken Yehovah, the spring of living water. (Jeremiah 17:13)

Spiritual Lesson: Water in Israel and Egypt

One lesson that the ancient Hebrews would have learned about God’s ways came from the contrast in the water sources of Egypt and Israel. In Deuteronomy 11:10–12 it says:

The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land Yehovah your God cares for; the eyes of Yehovah your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.

The difference between Egypt and the promised land of Canaan was that in Egypt almost no rain fell, and crops were entirely irrigated by the flooding Nile and by the labor of hand-watering, while in Canaan the land was entirely watered by rain from God. While Egypt didn’t feel the presence of God through rain, it achieved its secure food source through human effort. Egypt and Canaan, therefore, were a contrast of security of human effort compared to dependence on God. The Egyptians were even aware of the difference between their land and others – one Greek historian quotes them as feeling this way:

“If the gods shall some day see fit not to grant the Greeks rain, but shall afflict them with a long drought, the Greeks will be swept away by a famine, since they have nothing to rely on but rain from Zeus, and have no other resources for water.” (Heroditus 2:13)

And in fact, in Genesis we hear that Abraham and Isaac are forced to go to Egypt several times when a drought overtakes Canaan, and of course during Joseph’s time, that is what brings the entire family to Egypt to survive.

There was a spiritual lesson for the Israelites when they left the land of Egypt for the promised land of Canaan — that when God chose a land for his people, he didn’t choose a place where they could have security because of their own efforts, he chose a land where they would be far more dependent on him and would need his presence watching over them to send them the living water of rain.

Many Christians have seen God do the same thing in their own lives, when they step out to follow him and he takes them from security of their own effort and brings them to a point of dependence on him, which doesn’t always include prosperity as the world sees it.

In like manner, even though Israel is the “Promised Land,” in many places the land is not nearly as lush as Egypt. It is interesting that God often desires dependence for his people rather than abundance, as our “prosperity gospel” teachers may tell us.

Living Water as the Holy Spirit

For the Israelites, the presence of rain in Israel was very much associated with blessing by God, and its absence with his disapproval. Almost every prophet decreed that drought would come as a punishment for their sins. But God’s redemption was likened to him sending abundant rain, giving them living water to drink:

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. (Isaiah 35:5-7)

Because living water came directly from God, it was closely associated with God’s Spirit in the world. When God promised to redeem his people, he promised to send his Spirit:

For I will pour out water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants; and they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water. (Isaiah 44:3 – 4)

In Joel, the outpouring of God’s Spirit in the last days is closely associated with living water:

Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in Yehovah your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before… Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am Yehovah your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be ashamed. And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:23, 27-29)

This image of living water is therefore an important feature of the ministry of Jesus. In the book of John, he explains that he is the one who truly brings living water into the world. He says to the Samaritan woman,

Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. (John 4:13-14)

And later, during the feast of Sukkot, on the last and greatest day, when the prayers of Israel were an impassioned plea for God to bless them with rain, Jesus stood up and shouted, saying,

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! He who believes in me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” But this he spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37 – 39)

An interesting rabbinic insight is that “living water” is also understood to mean a true knowledge of God. Certainly this is associated with the Holy Spirit, who teaches us God’s will and guides and directs us. And certainly it is associated with Jesus’ ministry of revealing God’s true character by Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. It is in contrast with that of “brackish water” like that of the Dead Sea, which is a false knowledge of God that false prophets and twisted doctrines yield. Although it looks fine to the eye, it is quite poisonous!

And, in Hebrew, the word for knowledge, da’at, carries the connotation of intimacy and care, as when we know a person, we care for them. So, living water as knowledge of God really means an intimate relationship with him, which is what the Spirit gives us.

A Beautiful Prophecy of Living Water

In Ezekiel 47, there is a wonderful picture of living water. The prophet Ezekiel is at the temple, and sees a little trickle of water flowing out from under the alter. The water flows out of the temple down the south stairs. A thousand cubits from the temple, the strange flow of water has grown ankle-deep, and a thousand more cubits it is knee-deep, and a thousand more it is waist deep, and finally it becomes a stream so deep and wide that it can’t be crossed. This paradoxical river does a strange thing – it gets fuller as it flows away from its source. How can that be?

Moreover, this little stream from the temple is flowing southeast out of Jerusalem toward the Dead Sea, twelve miles away. The land to the east of Jerusalem is arid, and the area near the Dead Sea is a poisoned salt wasteland where absolutely nothing can live. But this stream has a marvelous affect:

On the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then he said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh. “It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. “

And it will come about that fishermen will stand beside it; from En-Gedi to En-Eglaim there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many. “But it's swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. “By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.” (Ezekiel 47:7-12)

It is beautiful to see how the image of this river of life flowing from the temple in Ezekiel 47 describes the outpouring of the Spirit that occurred at Pentecost. Of course, the Spirit first fell on the people in the temple as they were worshiping there, as tongues of flame settled on them. It was as if the Spirit started trickling out of the sanctuary to that little “puddle” of believers.

Interestingly, when Peter preached to the people at the temple at Pentecost, he was probably standing on the south stairs, where the water in Ezekiel’s vision flowed! That is a large public gathering place where the worshippers entered the temple, a common site of public teaching. Also on that south stairs are the mikvehs (ceremonial baths), where 3000 people that day were baptized in living water. They have been excavated and are visible even today.

The trickle of God’s Spirit became ankle deep as the first believers shared the gospel and many in the city believed, and then knee deep as they carried the gospel to the surrounding countries. Instead of running out of energy as it flowed, the river of God’s Spirit got deeper and wider as it flowed! And its ultimate destination is that of the most desolate of wastelands, full of the poisonous, brackish water of the Dead Sea. This is the dark reality of a world devoid of a true knowledge of God. Anywhere it touches it gives new life and an intimate relationship with God where there was only death before.

We were all the more touched by the fact that one of the places where this river of life flows is En-Gedi, the image we chose for our name. We knew that En-Gedi is an oasis full of waterfalls that show the image of living water. But only after studying this passage did we realize that En-Gedi is fed by waters that come down from the mountain of Jerusalem, and are right at the edge of this “River of Life” of God’s Holy Spirit that he is pouring out on the world.

What is God’s final plan for this river that gets deeper and wider as it flows?

The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk. 2:14, Isaiah 11:9)