At the Gates of Yerushalayim; A Search for Messiah: October 2013

…Author’s Note: I’d like to acknowledge Dr. Frank Seekins of Living Word Pictures for his input and influence in the development of this lesson; for more information see note below…

Part Two: Trouble and True Treasure

(Heb 11:1-6 WoY)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of Yahvey, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto Elohim a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, Elohim testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because Elohim had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased Elohim. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to Elohim must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

(Rom 10:9-17 WoY)

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Master Y’shua, and shalt believe in thine heart that Elohim hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Sovereign over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of Yahvey shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the good news of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things But they have not all obeyed the good news. For Isaiah saith, Yahvey, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Yahvey. [1]

We begin Part 2 of our study on Time and True Treasure, we’ll look at building relationships and then at that which besets us, trouble and how trouble lead us into true treasure. Now, what we have been taught is treasure I will say, is not in line with the reality of G-d’s word. Remember all of Hebrew is conceptual: so when speaking of treasure, the writers of the Scriptures were not looking for the pot of gold under the rainbow, with a dancing little leprechaun.

They were looking at a concept, as we unfold the teaching today, that concept will become clear to you and you will not look at treasure in the same way again.

Let’s begin with a bit of review. The five concepts of friendship are what we touched on last week, and they were:

1. Reyah: “the person that you see” someone you spend time with

2. Ach: “One who stands between the enemy and the family, a protector”; someone you protect or who protects you

3. Chavar or chabar: “the friend that is more than the person you see, this is the person inside your fence”; someone who shares their life, who partners with another

4. Ahav or ahab: “the type of love that reveals the heart of G-d, a heart that was and is willing to lay everything aside for the sake of another”; Love, deep love that is willing to pay the price (“All I have is yours”)

5. Dode: ““that which is nailed between the breasts, that which is precious”; Beloved, the fruit of the others

These concepts are basic and essential to any relationship; they are all built upon time – time spent in sharing, in caring, in weeping, in joy, in moments of frustration, in all that makes us human. Being a friend and the requirements there of are similar to doing the work of the Cross, of being an “evangelist” or a messenger of the Gospel. Remember, personal care must be given new believers, if only for a time, so that the way for them to proceed is clearly outlined so as not to allow them to wander around aimless, but with direction and purpose. Is this not also true of friendship and relationships? Relationships involve “one to one” participation, the commitment of one who is willing to give of himself or herself to be at service to another, or to others. Do you see how this ties in with the concepts of friendship?

This is the basis of the way of our Messiah and His being an example for us. We are to be examples for others to follow; what good does it do to go after the lost, introduce them to Messiah and then let them go and fend for themselves? We must not leave our new brothers and sisters to find their way alone: sacrifice is needed to raise children and the same is true of God’s children. We are talking about a way of making ourselves available to teach, to pray, to lead by example, to walk before them, to help instruct them how to walk, not weekly or monthly, but day to day. We struggle ourselves, but are these struggles to be hidden away, or can our struggles be used to show the victory that is in Messiah Yeshua?

What is the cost? To be this type of friend, to be this type of mentor will cost you everything. This is a call to a commitment that few will answer. This is a call to obedience. I know, you’ve heard it before, but it is crucial to our understanding of all things of G-d! You have to be obedient! You just have to be…

To be obedient, one must be loyal. To be loyal, one must trust in whom He places His loyalty. (Again, this ties in with what we have learned…) For Messiah this meant the cross: to be the messenger God demands is to:

^·Love totally, The Father and Yeshua first and others next

^·To obey the Lord, His word, His commandments, His Torah…

^·To pick up the cross and deny ourselves for others

To obey the Lord, to have a lasting and real relationship with Him and to properly serve, you must be committed to whatever the Lord wills. There will be a price, one that will always be on the terms of Messiah, not our own. Yeshua has no time for those who want to dictate the terms of their surrender.

Part of what we do is learning: learning of him, learn how and why He did what He did. To do so is to grow in His grace and as we grow in this grace, knowledge and revelation increase. We then begin to walk in the way He has instructed us to, not in the ways of man or the world, but in His footsteps. I’ve said this before, but we really must ask ourselves this question: if it was important for Messiah to do something, then should not we be studying the Word to see what it was that Yeshua did and follow His example? With these lessons learned, with a willingness to be open and let God’s word tells us how we are to be, then we will be better prepared to accept the role that Messiah expects us to be in, that leading His children to their own growth so they in turn will lead others, and in that process we become their friends. This is obedience, this following of the Son of Man, and is not a doctrine. This is all about loving Messiah, not what He represents. Yeshua’s love translated into His death on the cross. He represents the supreme act of obedience.

(Luke 22:42)

…saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done… ^{^[2]}

Obedience to God can never be compromised: it is always a commitment unto death.

(Mark 10:45)

For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. ^{^[3]}

(Luke 19:10)

For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. ^{^[4]}

This was foretold before the world began:

(Revelation 13:8)

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.^{^[5]}

To save the world required Messiah to lose His life; it required complete obedience to the Father’s will.

Where are we today? Do we remember the lesson? Messiah was and is our example of how we are to be with our Father. His was the perfect relationship, full of all five concepts, from Reyah to Dode; He is His Father’s beloved.

Where is our obedience today? Our relationship to God and man? In reaching out to the lost, do we keep them at arm’s reach? How do we expect to be effective if we don’t follow our Master’s example to its logical conclusion? Half measures aren’t acceptable to Him. Did He go half-way on the cross? Who among the church today will abandon all for the sake of the One? Not only the the One who obeyed unto death but also for one out of the 100, leaving the 99? Denial of self, commitment to His word, and to the cross, that’s what is expected.

We are all in a comfort zone. The older among us, the mature believer, see themselves as committed, following the Master’s call but are you sacrificing for the leaders of tomorrow? For myself, when I teach should not sacrifice for the King of Heaven be the first on the list of objectives taught? It isn’t enough to teach the words of Messiah, it’s Messiah I must show, it’s Messiah who must have priority. His example was a complete surrender to the Will of God, a devotion to His word and a commitment to His Torah. The younger believers, those that are new to the Faith, have to be taught how to dedicate themselves to His will, even if they or we don’t fully understand what that means. In spiritual matters, faith precedes understanding and what faith needs to properly function is obedience.

What I said last week is true though: it is time to go beyond knowledge and understanding into living out what God expects of us. We have to go into this whole-hearted for the enemy of our soul is well placed, organized and equipped to defeat any half-hearted attempts of living the believers walk we put forth and I want you to be aware and be sure of one undeniable fact:

Only disaster will accompany such a display of half-hearted mediocrity.

(Act 19:11-17 MKJV)

And God did works of power through the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons from his skin being brought onto the sick, the diseases were released, and the evil spirits went out of them.

And certain from the strolling Jews, exorcists, undertook to name the name of the Lord Jesus over those having evil spirits, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.

And there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

But answering the evil spirit said,

Jesus I know, and I comprehend Paul, but who are you?

And the man in whom the evil spirit resided leaped on them, and overcoming them he was strong against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks who lived at Ephesus, and fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

God expects His friends to be leaders. Leaders will only arise if a leader teaches. It is not enough to now in these end times to just walk; we also have to act, to do. Do what a friend does; prayers must be offered and encouraged and the cost of discipleship, of following God and His Messiah Yeshua has to be realistically portrayed.

(Joh 6:25-69 MKJV)

And when they had found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, Rabbi, when did you come here? Jesus answered them and said,

Truly, truly, I say to you, You seek Me not because you saw the miracles, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for that food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you. For God the Father sealed Him.

Then they said to Him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them,

This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent.

Therefore they said to Him, What sign do you show then, so that we may see and believe you? What do you work? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert, as it is written, "He gave them bread from Heaven to eat." Then Jesus said to them,

Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give you that bread from Heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.

Then they said to him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said to them,

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes on Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you also have seen Me and do not believe. All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no way cast out. For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him should have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day.

Then the Jews murmured about Him, because He said,

I am the bread which came down from Heaven.

And they said, Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How now does this One say, I have come down from Heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said to them,

Do not murmur with one another. No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets, "And they shall all be taught of God." Therefore everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God, He has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me has everlasting life. I am the Bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and died. This is the Bread which comes down from Heaven, so that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he shall live forever. And truly the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Then the Jews argued with one another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus says to them,

Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Whoever partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood dwells in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he who partakes of Me, even he shall live by Me. This is the Bread which came down from Heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna, and died; he who partakes of this Bread shall live forever.

He said these things in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Then when they had heard, many of His disciples said, This is a hard saying, who can hear it? But knowing in Himself that His disciples murmured about it, Jesus said to them,

Does this offend you? Then what if you should see the Son of Man going up where He was before? It is the Spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.

For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who is the one betraying Him. And He said,

Because of this I said to you that no one can come to Me unless it was given to him from My Father.

From this time many of His disciples went back into the things behind, and walked no more with Him. Then Jesus said to the Twelve,

Do you also wish to go away?

Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life. And we have believed and have known that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.[6]

Those that walk away, let them walk; the job of bringing them back belongs to God, not us. This is why only committed, dedicated servants are needed. The cost is high - don’t deceive yourself. Obedience unto death is the requirement of friendship with God. Are you ready?

The One who loves us gave Himself away for us. This was chavar; this is ahav. For us, obedience to Him shouldn’t be open for discussion, just a simple “Yes Lord”. To understand this, look again at what was just said.

“The One who Loves us...”

The key is love.

Love unfathomable, love unconquerable, love unconditional. Yeshua gave all He had; all His joy, peace, love, power and authority; all grace and mercy; all of the Father’s compassion He loosed upon us. His life, He gave it all away. John 3:16, love defined... “…For God so loved the world…”

This was the cross, pure and simple, to give all God had, His only Son, so that all who believe might not perish, but have everlasting life. For Yeshua, to obey was to die; for us, the requirement is the same. Die to self, put off the world, and sacrifice ourselves for others.

“…Greater love hath no man…” (John 15:13)

Why did Yeshua do all these things? It is because of the compassion of the Father for the lost that He came into this world. If we are to be God’s people and to be His friends and are going to evangelize (which truthfully is only giving out the message - salvation belongs to God...) , then this compassion must be our motivation also. We must have the Father’s heart for the lost. Nothing, no sacrifice or service to them is too small or beneath us if done for God’s glory. Only by reaching out in the heart of the Master to those who are cold and lost can we say we are truly His disciples and friends. Love is the key for it has to be the motivation for all we do. Messiah abandoned all the world holds dear to reach the poor and the downtrodden. What does prestige, job or any material thing matter if it keeps you from the Master’s heart?

Make no mistake-- Yeshua expects no less from us. Satan has organized this world and has enslaved mankind with his gospel of force, greed, selfishness, ambition and pleasure. Only the true love of Yeshua Ha’Machiach can overcome these strongholds of the devil. If we go forth in anything less, we will be defeated. Purify your heart with His words, wash yourself in His blood and reach out your hands to His lost sheep: your arms will be held up by the right Hand of God and the strongholds will fall, just like the walls of Jericho.

It is in our commitment to love that all success or failure hinges. It was in this love of Messiah for a lost world that all things became new at the cross. So must it be in our commitment to God, to reach His lost.

Would a friend leave a new born to the wolves of the world without protection or knowledge of how to stand? Is all that we are willing to teach them simply what we regurgitate from what somebody else taught us, or do we do the hard work of actually studying the Holy Word of God, shedding our preconceived notions, our traditions for the Truth that is written in the Word? The truth of being a friend to God is found in the pages of Scripture, yet it is not taught. Trust me in this… who else have you heard this from, who else has shown you the way to become a friend of God? Friendship is not born, it is not handed out. Remember the lesson from last week:

If we neglect any step, if we neglect reyah, ach, or cha-var we cannot honestly call ourselves God’s friend. If we think we can share our hearts with someone who doesn’t really know us, like us or protects us on a human level and expect a relationship comprised of ahav or dode, it is fool’s errand we are on. If we try to forge a relationship with God and we don’t try to get to know Him by spending time with Him, if we cherry-pick our way through His word and won’t guard His precepts and commandments except as it suits us, if we are unwilling to protect His word and His bride from the attack of a world system hell-bent on destroying them, this is more than a fool’s errand; this is a blueprint for ruin.

Now that I’ve totally belabored this point to death, how does all this fit in? Well, we understand the concept a little better (or at least I hope you do ;)… The major concept is to realize how the ancient (and to some degree the modern) Hebrew language works; every letter is both a sound and a picture. For us today, when we see the clear meaning of a word, there is a message for us today that has transcended time.

Take the letter “mem”: in modern Hebrew this letter (which became our letter “M”) looks like this:

In the Ancient Hebrew it was this:

or a symbol for water. You can see that it looks likes the waves of the ocean. In Scripture, we often see water used as a metaphor for “chaos”. Now the “mem” is used in many Hebrew words that are questions:

As we look at the picture language the meaning of “What” becomes “what comes from chaos” or “chaos revealed”. Questions usually come from our confusion, our not knowing. Questions can cause uncertainty that will toss us like the waves of the ocean. We have or will all encounter times and periods of uncertainty in our lives; it is during these times we become vulnerable to doubts, fear and troubles. It is then instead of just being surrounded by the waters of chaos, we tend to become men and women of chaos. There is another word that is related to chaos; it’s the word

, which translated is “mar”. A literal translation of “mar” is “a chaos man”, but we could translate the word as “rebel”. “Mar” is also the Hebrew word used for bitterness.

Bitterness and rebellion are interwoven, not only in the Hebrew, but in our own lives also. If we allow bitterness to come into our lives, chaos and confusion does not just surround us, it enters us. The book of Hebrews warns us:

(Heb 12:14-15 MKJV)

Follow peace with all, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord; looking diligently lest any fail of the grace of God, or lest any root of bitterness springing up disturb you, and by it many are defiled…

The root of bitterness defiles us; actually it is the chaos within us that defiles. Chaos can exist around us or in us; that around us will always be in the form of trials and tribulations. Trials and even failures are not what defile us, it is how we respond to them that brings chaos within, or keeps it out. There is of course an answer, but we’ll get to that in a while.

To understand what is the “root of bitterness”, we have to look at what it is that snares us, we need to understand where it all begins; it begins with trouble. What we need to look at is the truth about trouble.

The picture you see at the left is thousands of years old and was taken from an Assyrian palace. It shows two captives who have had a hook placed in their lips so as to induce compliant behavior. [7] It was common practice among the Assyrians to “hook” their captives like this, through the lips, cheeks, nose and/or breasts so that they could be more easily controlled. Pain is a powerful motivator, and when shackled in such a manor, a prisoner found it difficult to resist. A captive has no choice but to walk where he is led; he is a man in trouble. The Hebrew word for trouble is (H6862) צר צר tsar tsâr tsar, tsawr defined in Strong’s as:

From H6887; narrow; (as a noun) a tight place (usually figuratively, that is, trouble); also a pebble (as in H6864); (transitively) an opponent (as crowding): - adversary, afflicted (-tion), anguish, close, distress, enemy, flint, foe, narrow, small, sorrow, strait, tribulation, trouble. [8]

In the Paleo Hebraic picture language, tsar was written like this:

Literally, a man in trouble is a hooked man. The “hooked man” is a person in captivity, led by whims and desires, by lusts or addictions, sorrow, grief, bitterness, etc. In fact, the very word “desire” was written as this:

The word in Hebrew is “ra-tsah” and literally means a “person hooked strongly”. While the order of the words are reversed, it can be inferred that both tsar and ra-tsah are very strong hooks indeed. Desire can be both good and bad, depending on what the aim of the desire is. What we need to understand is that desire is a hook in our lives and can lead us into captivity by changing the authority in our lives from good to evil…

(Rom 6:13 KJV)

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

(Rom 6:16 KJV)

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

The word for “rebellion” is similar. We have seen that the word “mar” means both bitter and rebel, but what is rebellion? It is this:

”aleph” symbolizes the ox, and means strength, first or authority...

So reading right to left, the word for rebellion, which is “ma-ra” means this:

“When bitterness is first”

And what is bitterness? Bitterness is what I believe to be the fruit of the oldest evil: rejection.

What sprang out of Lucifer’s rejection of God? Bitterness.
What sprang out of God’s rejection of Cain’s offering? Bitterness that led to murder.
What sprang out of the rejection of Ishmael? Bitterness and rivalry between his seed and the seed of Issac.

We can see it today, as more and more people reject God, their bitterness towards anything that has to do with God increases, as do their attacks against the people of God. There is only one solution, yet it is born out of the ultimate rejection, the rejection of God; He was rejected by His creation first, yet where is His bitterness? It doesn’t exist. What does exist though is the solution to rejection, the solution to bitterness. His Name.

In Hebrew there are three meanings for the name. The first is a direct reference to God. The name speaks of God's Holy Name. It is used only for the true God. The word picture tells us that it is God who destroys chaos.

Dr. Seekins puts it this way: “…The name also speaks of authority. Ephesians 1:21 says that Christ is "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." By understanding that His nature and authority destroy chaos we begin to see the final concept of the name. The name in Hebrew also means the true nature of an object, a situation or a person. God's truth can transform my view of my life or of the world around me. God wants us to grow in understanding and maturity so that "we are no longer to be children, tossed about by every wave". (Ephesians 4:14) It is important for me to understand who I am. But it is more important to understand who God is and the authority that has been given me in His name. What counts in the end, what will truly destroy the chaos of my life (both within and without) is for me to understand the nature and the name of God…” [9]

(Psa 9:7-10 KJV)

But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

There are more words that correlate to “The Name”; we can see it in the word for “protect or guard”. Remember, that to protect or guard is one of the foundations for friendship as seen in the word ach for brother. The word for protect is:

How do you protect a relationship or a family? By not allowing bitterness to take root. Ephesians 4:26 tells us to:

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. (Eph 4:25-27 KJV)

More deadly than any enemy that can surround us is the bitterness that can destroy us from within. The best way to protect is to destroy the bitterness.

Why do we prune? So that the vine produces less vine and more fruit. In John 15:1-2 Yeshua says:

“…I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit…” (John 15:1-2 KJV)

Pruning results in more fruit. God does not prune to destroy us, but to bring about fruit. Pruning does not cut away the life of the vine, but it will always cut away the bitterness…” [11]

(Eph 4:31-32 KJV)

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

All that we do, say or think either has a positive or a negative impact upon our lives and the lives of those around us. As I said before, rejection is, I believe, the fundamental cause of the “root of bitterness” and the rebellion that follows. Beloved, our hearts are fragile. In the majesty of God and His wisdom, He gave us a heart that can either be flesh or stone; if it is flesh, it can be hurt. If it is stone, it already has been. But the ability to be hurt, to make ourselves vulnerable, to expose the inner most part of our hearts to another is what makes us human, and I feel, is the spark of the divine that God has placed within us. How can we love with a cold, hard heart? Only a heart of flesh is willing to be hurt. Now no one wants to be hurt. If we are going to love though, it is a chance we have to take, a risk that we must be willing to engage. The Father bared His heart on Golgotha; the Son gave His heart for us; can we do any less?

Now it is time for us to see what is the result of all this. What true treasure is. Yeshua said:

(Mat 6:19-21 MKJV)

Do not lay up treasures on earth for yourselves, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up treasures in Heaven for yourselves, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

What are the treasures in heaven that we are to lay up for ourselves? We know about so-called treasures on earth: gold, silver, material wealth, power, pride, ambition, fame, possessions…

A big house, a big car, a fat wallet – these are the measures of success and treasure on earth. Yet what can this do for us? Didn’t Yeshua also say:

(Mat 19:16-26 KJV)

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

And again:

(Luke 6:22-24 MKJV)

Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall cut you off, and when they shall reproach you and shall cast out your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy. For behold, your reward [treasure] is great in Heaven. For so their fathers did according to these things to the prophets.

But woe to you who are rich! For you have received your consolation.

Once again, in the Song of Miriam, mother of Yeshua:

(Luke 1:49-55 MKJV)

For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has worked power with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.

He has put down rulers from their seats and exalted the lowly, He has filled the hungry with good things, and He has sent away the rich empty.

He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.

What is this treasure in heaven that is to desired more than the things of earth?

So treasure or 'âtsar is literally “strength for a hooked man (or for trouble)”.

Treasure is what gives us strength in the midst of the trouble, in the middle of the chaos. What is it that defeats us? Is it the trouble itself? The fears? The desires? The doubts? The rejection? The bitterness? No. What defeats us is the lack of treasure. It is the treasure of G-d that gives us the strength to endure, to hold on, to out-last the trouble that we find ourselves in.

Are there examples of G-d’s treasures in Scripture? Yes, and here are a few:

What is the source of real treasure? The answer is found in Isaiah 33:6:

(Isa 33:5-6 MKJV)

Yahoveh is exalted, for He dwells on high. He has filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. And He will be the security of your times, and strength of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;

the fear of Yahoveh is his treasure.

When we speak of fear of the Lord, we cannot use our modern day definition, of terror, of being afraid or apprehensive; the Hebraic concept of “fear” is taken from the word (H3374) יראה yir'âh yir-aw'. “Yir'âh” requires us to use several words to accurately define it, words such as “awe” and “reverence”, “respect” and “confidence” as well as “afraid”. The picture language shows us a more accurate description of “Fear”:

That which comes from one’s strength is what it means to see; recall that Hebrew is conceptual, and that a person’s ability to see was considered their greatest sense.

When you consider that we are in awe, or respect the “hand that we see”, it means the one who wields the most power. To the Hebrew mind, seeing involves personal knowledge and experience. The word formed from the reysh, the aleph and the hey, “ro-eh”, is the word used for spectator, observer and prophet. Thus to see is to know; nothing can replace personal knowledge and experience, whether it be say of work, or the presence of God.

Those that see the hand of God in all they do, in all that happens to them, in the blessings as well as the trials will then see His awesome power, His glorious grace, His eternal wisdom. They will be able to experience His protection, His presence and His refuge and safety. Proverbs 9:10 says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”; wisdom and safety in God can only come when we “fear”, that is, when we see the hand of God. If we cannot see the hand of God, then all that is left is seeing the hand of man and fearing what it can do…

Even Yeshua addressed this:

(Luke 12:1-5 KJV)

In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

So the personal knowledge and experience of God is not only His treasure to us, but it is truly our only treasure worth pursuing. The awesome power of God, His wisdom and love are all we can in fact rely upon in our day of trouble. Only by being able to stand on the perfect justice of God and in His great strength will we be able to overcome the adversity that rises up against us. If we cannot see the hand, we will be overwhelmed by whatever it is that troubles us.

It is the “strength for a hooked man” that will change our lives. That which becomes our source of strength in trouble will be what impacts our days to come and will be our treasure. Matthew 6:21 says:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

If God’s love and the love of Messiah Yeshua becomes what we turn to for strength, then our hearts will cherish them, and we will find refuge. In the midst of the swirling waters of chaos, there is a calm place; in the midst of the storm the Master is close at hand, sleeping with us. If we cherish Him and allow Him to be our place of refuge and our source of strength, no matter what it is we are facing, then surly our treasure is the treasure of Heaven where none can steal it, none can destroy it, none can corrupt it, and we are rich indeed my beloved, we are rich indeed.

Time and true treasure; both are born in the relationship, the friendship of God and His Son.

Time eternal

Treasure incorruptible

See the hand

O see the Name!

Consider,

Where is your heart, your treasure, today?

May the Ruach Ha’KOdesh,

The Holy Spirit

Guide you and keep this day

My Beloved

Amein.

^{^[2]} 1901 American Standard Version, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1994.

^{^[3]} …Ibid…

^{^[4]} …Ibid…

^{^[5]} The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

[10]

The zayin represents a weapon; its picture meaning is to cut or to cut off.

At the Gates of Yerushalayim; A Search for Messiah

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Monday, October 21, 2013

Time and Treasure, Part Two: Trouble and True Treasure

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