Mich’tam
…10
Words - Part Two…
…Basics
of Life…
(Authors’ Note: As
stated in the Part One,
I want to take this
opportunity to acknowledge that portions of this teaching are based in part of
the Teachings of Dr. Frank Seekins, whose work can be found at www.Livingwordpictures.com.
While I take all endeavors to present new and fresh teachings, I am indebted to
those who have taught me, and humbled that the Ruach Ha’Kodesh allows me to be
a part of this awakening of the ekklesia of God with the truth of His Word.
When I use another’s, I credit him, for his efforts should be recognized. Some truths are too important to re-package
in an attempt to lay claim to them, which I seek not to do. Therefore, Dr.
Seekins’ work will be acknowledged and incorporated in with the gleanings of my
own, to present to you a balanced and well thought-out study on this subject.
May the name of Yeshua be magnified in all that is done, Amein…)
What is reality?
Have you ever tried to mich’tam
[contemplate] what reality is? The vast majority of all human beings consider
this time we spend from cradle to the grave as reality, but is it? Now before
you think that I’m descending into some sort of philosophical quagmire, this is
the point I’m trying to make. If you are reading this, then you already have a
mind that is open [at least somewhat I hope] to the fact that there is a
greater reality out there than just this in which we currently live. This life
is temporal, only temporary. The greater reality is eternal.
In the grand
scheme of things, man has existed but for a pencil point; that is the
conventional wisdom, steeped in its embrace of Darwinism and evolution. Call them
what you will, Creationists see things a bit different, that mankind has been
here almost since the beginning (minus about six days…). One either believes
God at His word or one does not, one either believes in the literal seven days
of Creation or one does not. Mental gymnastics aside, what a person holds to in
this arena defines their worldview; atheistic, mono-theistic, evolutionist,
creationist, believer or non-believer; the Word of God separates and defines
the reality that one chooses to live in. What religion one adheres to is also dependant
upon on how one approaches the God of the Hebrew Scriptures; thus the basics of
all life flow from the Hebrew Scriptures, independent of the world view one
holds. The choice is stark, black versus white: either the Hebrew Scriptures
are right, or they are wrong. Where does
one stand? Truth is eternal or it is the ranting and ravings of crazy men in
the deserts of the Middle East, full of legend and falsehoods. So where do you,
dear reader, stand? It is an easy choice for me; I’m all in for this God of the
Scriptures. I’ll admit my bias upfront.
The honest truth is, you have to suspend a critical mind, you have to shut down
an intellectual pursuit of “Is it real or is it false?” and replace it with a
blind, from-the-gut faith. One has to believe without sight, without absolute
proof that God exists in order for God to become real to one’s self; He only
shows up to those who abandon their disbelief and their “inquiring minds” for
the existential reality of the Super-natural; take it on faith or go home.
So what do we draw
from this? Well, from the last couple of paragraphs, one thing is certain. It
all seems to revolve around a collection of books called the Hebrew Scriptures;
thus by conclusion one can say this: the basic of life is in the Hebrew. There
is no other conclusion one can come to. All things, good or evil rotate around
not only the Hebrew language, but also the Hebrew people. You can draw lines around the ancient
civilizations, the Egyptians, the Chinese, or pick one of your own; all of them
have disappeared or all have evolved, yet only one civilization has stood
despite every effort by countless others to wipe it out: the Jewish people.
Their books of Scriptures, the rolls of parchment they call TORAH, their way of
life, their identities, all of these have faced persecution and trials that no
other civilization that came under similar circumstances survived; yet the Jews
endure. Their books endure. The TORAH endures. They endure. There is a reality
here that we causally overlook. There is more to this story than meets the eye;
the eternal dominates their history, and it bears a closer look from those of
us outside of it, for it might just figure into our own survival as well.
From its first
inception the Hebrew language would have an influence on the things to come.
In fact, the ancient Hebrew was a language that was
written/perceived in three different ways:
1)
By sounds;
2)
By pictures;
3)
By relationship [relational].
Here is an example of the ancient script used :
| Figure 2. Ancient Hebrew AlephBet Chart By Jeff A. Benner |
The ancient
Hebraic language has to be read relational – or the message of the word is
missed. This even applies today in the modern script of most Hebrew Scriptures.
Some examples:
“God”
Transliterated: ‘el’
Word Pictures:
Lamed (control, shepherd) Aleph (ox, strong, leader, first)
Meaning: “the first or strong controller”
"Father"
Transliterated: 'ab'
Bet
(house) Aleph (ox, strong, leader)
Meaning: “strong
leader of the house”
Or “the strength or the leader of the house”
"Brother"
Transliterated: 'ach'
Chet(fence)
Aleph (ox, strong, leader)
Meaning: “a strong
fence”
or “protector”
If we are brothers, do we protect one another?
What does all this mean? “Ab” or “Abba”:
Gal 4:6
Because you are sons, aGod has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts,
crying, “bAbba! Father!” [5]
The ancient word picture gives you a better understanding of the role of a
father, the leader, the strong one of the house. In the Hebrew culture, we have
three types of fathers: the first is our natural father, the one who raises us.
The second is likened unto the man whose feet we sit and learn from, one who
teaches us how to succeed. These first two, for all they can do, cannot provide
us with all the strength and direction we require in life. This can only come
from the third Father, our heavenly Father.[6]
Just like the father, the mother is also revealed in the Hebrew word
pictures. She is revealed as a source of life, like water in the desert, a
lifegiver.[7]
Faithful is the Father’s love, likened unto that of a mother’s. Isaiah 49:15 says:
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child And
have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but aI will not forget you. [8]
These concepts are found throughout the bible by using the ancient picture
language. That is why the basics of life are found in the Hebrew, why
relationships are literally “spelled” out in the concepts found in the meanings
of the letters. Another word formed is
This has been a fairly long explanation, and one
which might have caused you dear reader to roll your eyes in the back of your
head wondering what all this has to do with anything… Well, all of this is a
lead-in to a concept that we have to learn in order to understand the Ten
Words. You probably are wondering what they are also, but first our concept…
It is summed up in one word:
Honor. A subject,
a concept that is not taught or even spoke of much today. To a certain degree
military personnel know of this word; those who have fought and bled on the
battlefields know this word. But this percentage of people is small compared to
the myriad of those that have lived and live on this small planet of ours. It
is safe to say that our culture has no clue about honor; in fact, the body of
Christ as a whole has no inkling or idea what honor is. It is paid lip service
to, but the heart remains closed to its true meaning. “Kavod” or honor is the
single greatest Hebrew concept, and the single one that is the least understood
and practiced.
What is honor? In our world today it is as if
nothing is sacred anymore; it seems that there is nothing that cannot be bought, that even what the world holds to
as “honor” comes with a price tag attached. Yet at the heart of the word
“kavod” the true definition of what honor really is comes through: it is the
attaching of weight to a person, place or thing – in other words, substance and
meaning. Honor brings forth kvod Shamayim or the glory of
Heaven.
Debbie Greenblatt describes it thus:
“…In a society in which nothing is sacrosanct and
honor can be bought for a price, it is no wonder that we have some confusion
over the definition of kavod
(honor). Even our Torah sources need to be illuminated if we are to grasp
the role of kavod in our lives
and relationships. We learn that if you chase kavod, it runs away from you. Conversely, if you run away
from kavod, it will chase
you. Should we be running towards or running away? Do we want to be caught or
not? We learn in Pirkei Avos
(4:28) that jealousy, physical desire, and honor remove a person from the
world. That makes honor seem like something we would want to stay away from. At
the same time, the Navi (Yeshayahu 43:7) tells us that
everything that the One Above created was created for His kavod. That
certainly sounds positive. Let’s try to understand the concept of kvod Shamayim, honor of
Heaven, as a key to clarifying the above-mentioned sources. Our Creator created
a world in which His presence is hidden. Through our actions, we attempt to demonstrate
that He is always here, that what is hidden not only exists, but also
constitutes the true reality. Kavod,
then, reveals what is hidden beneath the surface, and allows us to respond to
the inner, truer dimension of existence. Finding that inner dimension in each
aspect of Creation, and in every interaction with another person, is the way we
indicate kvod Shamayim…” [9]
How is honor
defined? In the Webster’s 1828 dictionary it is defined as:
…”HON'OR,
v.t on'or. [L. honoro.]
1. To
revere; to respect; to treat with deference and submission, and perform
relative duties to.
- Honor thy father and thy mother. Exo 20.
2. To reverence; to manifest the highest veneration
for, in words and actions; to entertain the most exalted thoughts of; to
worship; to adore.
- That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. John 5.
3. To dignify; to raise to distinction or notice; to
elevate in rank or station; to exalt. Men are sometimes honored with titles and
offices, which they do not merit.
- Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor. Est 6.
4. To glorify; to render illustrious.
- I will be honored upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host. Exo 14.
5. To treat with due civility and respect in the
ordinary intercourse of life. The troops honored the governor with a salute.
6. In commerce, to accept and pay when due; as, to
honor a bill of exchange…”[10]
The first
definition is the one in which we will focus our attention, but first we must
lay the ground work.
Sometimes,
men of God must come out from their comfort zone and be willing to speak out on
the topics of the day. This leaves one vulnerable to the mob rule mentality
that exists today, but the truth is, if the man of God won’t speak up against
the madness, who will? There are many
voices out there, some from soap boxes on the streets, some from pulpits, some
from the anchor desks of the so-called “news” and none of them speak the
truth. The vicious “tweeters” surely
don’t, no matter what side of tragedy they fall on; the talk show hosts, the
talking heads on the cable shows and even those in government speak only what
they think will gain them an advantage, none dare speak the truth. And what is the truth? When a tragedy happens
whether you want to admit it or not,
lives are usually lost. People, I’m saying take a step back and hold your head
in shame if you feel anything other than pity, for pity is the only emotion
that is appropriate in these situations.
Take the tsunami in the Philippine’s: I have pity on all those involved,
on the lives lost. For the ones who are
no longer with us, their destines are
already set, may God have mercy on their souls.
It is time to address the truth; it is time to discuss why tragedies
such as this happen with a clear, steady voice, and not with shrill hatred (“Oh
they are mostly Muslim…”) and the naked rancor that is out there. This isn’t about race or injustice, or
oppression or God’s wrath. This is
simply about what happens when you break a reality; this and other tragedies occur
because of the fallen state of man and of a sick and dying world that has
ignored the realities of life. I do not
mean what happens on the street, or a broken home, or failed opportunities or the
fury of nature or whatever other excuse you want to put on it. These things happened because of mankind
ignoring the 10 realities of life, resulting in the destruction that has
occurred because man would not obey his Creator.
In this world
there are absolutes; shades of grey are just that, grey, but realities are very
simple. Black is black, white is white, up is up, down is down. It is easier if
we define terms, such as “concrete” and “abstract” because in dealing with the
reality of absolutes there will always be those who confuse these terms. We now
know what is concrete and that which is the abstract. If it can be perceived by our senses, it is
concrete. If it is to be understood by
our mind and heart, it is abstract.
Hence absolutes. They can be understood by our senses for they are
rooted in reality. Fear, the “race-baiting” and hatred of some and the
manipulation of justice from others all appear to appeal to the whims of the
masses – therefore these are abstract things. I do not choose sides in this
matter but I’m dealing with the reality: lawlessness (re: sin) abounds in the
world today. Children grow up without the benefit of a mom and dad; morality is
down played everywhere you turn. God is mocked and reviled by every aspect of
our society from the top on down. There
is no more moral compass and no sure pointer to tell us what is right that is
taught anymore, either in the home, schools, or sad to say, most religious
institutions. We are living in a world
of abstracts, a world run on emotion and on conflicting religious beliefs, of and
by “leaders” that spend all their time hiding behind a guise of “intellect”
that tries to pass itself off as reality, but can something so subjective give
us any guidance at all?
Proverbs 5:21-23 (KJV)
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. 22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sinsd. 23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. 22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sinsd. 23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Proverbs 12:15 (KJV)
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
Proverbs 14:12 (KJV)
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 16:25 (KJV)
25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 18:17 (KJV)
17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.
17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.
Proverbs 20:11 (KJV)
11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
Proverbs 21:2 (KJV)
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. [11]
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. [11]
The counsel and teachings of man are at fault
here. Lawlessness, which is simply sin
and the lack of the knowledge of the instructions of God, is what is destroying
lives and societies at break-neck speed, and it is not limited to any
particular culture or region; this rampant lawlessness is what is destroying
not only the social structure of America but the whole world today. There are
absolutes. They are grounded in the Ten Realities we commonly call the “Ten
Commandments”. To show you what I mean we
first we have to discuss what reality is.
I asked the question question: what is reality? What do you mich’tam
[contemplate] reality to be? As I stated before, the vast majority of all human
beings consider this time we spend from cradle to the grave as reality, but if
it really isn’t then what is? Is the greater reality the eternal, the realm of
the spiritual?
And this begs the next question to ponder: who or what defines for us
the eternal? Which “holy book” do you adhere to? The Quran? The New Testament?
The Tanakah? The Hindu Bhagavad-Gita, Ramayana and Veda? The forty volume Buddist Tripitaka? The phone
book? Sears and Roebuck® catalog? Is
your God the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob or does your god fit into some
other theological box of your own making?
I’ll repeat: what a person holds to in this arena defines their
worldview be it atheistic, monotheistic, evolutionist, agnostic, creationist,
believer or non-believer, follower of space aliens etc. It is how we approach the
Word of God as written in the Scriptures of the Jews (and I do include the
Messianic Writings in with the Tanach, whether you agree or not) which separates
and defines the reality that one chooses to live in. Your religion dictates whether or not
you are apt to come near the God of the
Hebrew Scriptures; my question therefore
for you is simply in your world view does He exist or not; is He the only true
God to you or just another in the long list of deities that are thrown out
there? No matter how you answer the question, the basis of all life flows from
and around these ancient Hebrew Scriptures independent of the world view one
holds. It is black verses white: only one path is right, and whatever path you
are on, you better be sure it’s right. Now before you say that is not really
true, think carefully.
Despite what you believe or do not believe, you have made a choice
concerning the Scriptures of the Jews. Are you Hindu? You’ve chosen the
pantheon of 4.5 million gods to choose from. Buddhist? You’ve elected the
spiritual journey of “supreme
enlightenment”. Muslim?
“…Muslims believe that the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad by God through the archangel
Gabriel (Jibrīl) on many occasions
between 610 CE until his death on June 8, 632 CE.[12] While Muhammad was alive,
all of these revelations were written down by his companions (sahabah), although the prime method of
transmission was orally through memorization[13]…”[14] (now throw in some Hebrew Scriptures and stir
rapidly…)[15]
If you are atheist,
agnostic, Urantian, Unitarian, Christian or Jewish or
whatever – no matter what you profess, you’ve made a decision, a choice. Your
world view hinges on the decision you have made concerning the Hebrew
Scriptures.
So what conclusion is reached? The choice is stark, black versus white:
either the Hebrew Scriptures are right, or they are wrong. Where does one stand?
Doesn’t one find it odd that all the ills of the world, the wars, the
moral decays, the poverty, the greed, the ambitions, the decline of nations and
civilizations all flow from whether or not a collection of writings penned by
men some 3500 to 4000 (or longer) years ago are actually the inspired Word of
God or not? That from these words sprang a nation that continues to this day to
be the lightning rod of not only world opinion, but also undying love or
unquenchable hate. A relatively small group of people, who identify themselves
as Jews are on one hand the focus of a world gone mad, one that sees “Jews”
under every rock, behind every ill, in control of all things, as an “evil”
force that has to be annihilated. On the other hand, it just may be that they
are the epicenter and the reason for the climatic and dramatic end of all
things when their God [and according to my bias – The ONLY God] will return and
recompense all their enemies for the evil that they have wrought upon them over
the centuries, through the medium of a mighty, supernatural army led by God’s
own Son, the Jewish Messiah, who was “slain before the foundation of the world”
in order that He might save Israel and its people. Folks, you can’t make these
things up. This is either Truth or it is not. Your take on this or your answer
to this is the reality that you have chosen to live in, but unless it lines up
with the Hebrew God, it is not reality. And how well do I
know that there are many who will absolutely disagree with me and that’s okay…
Not my job to convince you, I just am a road sign pointing the way; you have to
make the choice to follow the sign or not. Roll the dice if you want, but as
for me and my house, we will serve the Lord…
This then, I
feel, is the beginning point of understanding reality, the true reality. This
is the reality that the heavens shout out in the splendor and the majesty of
creation. This is the reality that only
intelligent design can explain. This is the reality that is a paradox; that all
of history, the pole and rope that all of mankind’s dirty laundry hangs on, all
his achievements and accomplishments revolve around a decision by individuals
to decide if the Ten D’varim, ten words spoken to an ancient group of people
from the twelve tribes of Israel and the multitude of others who left Egypt
with them, are really the eternal words of Truth. The cure for a sick, wounded world is found
in these words, and in them, are the only reality that matters.
They point to an answer, so we need to examine
them, one by one…
Aseret ha-Dibrot:
The words d'varim and dibrot come
from the Hebrew root Dalet-Beit-Reish, meaning word, speak or thing; thus, the phrase is
accurately translated as the Ten Sayings, the Ten Statements, the Ten
Declarations, the Ten Words[16]
…Reality
Number One…
Exo 20:1-2 [The Hebrew letter
“alef” א [
1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “aI am the Lord your God, bwho brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 1slavery. [17]
At the beginning of the scripture is the first
letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the alef (or aleph) א,
what could be called the West’s letter “A”.
In ancient times it looked like this: Aso you can see where we
got our “A” from. Hebrew is a concept
language, meaning that each letter can be one of three things: a letter, a
number, or a pictograph. Written 2,500
to 3,500 years ago it was in this “pictographic” language that Moshe (Moses)
would have composed the first five books of the Tanach - what we call the Torah today. Most modern day
Hebrew can be transliterated with the Paleo-Hebraic text and the definition of
the word can then be ascertained according to the pictograph represented. It is
here we begin our look at the Ten Realities:
“…The original pictograph for this letter is a picture of an
ox head - arepresenting
strength and power from the work performed by the animal. This pictograph also
represents a chief or other leader…”[18]
What
we in the West call the “Ten Commandments” are actually the “Ten Words”; they
represent the categories that the 613 commandments found in the Tanach fall
under. The first category is found here
in Exodus 20:2 : “…I am Adonai your God…”
Now, before we look any farther, you might ask, “Commandments” or
“Words” – what’s the difference? The
difference is in the concept, in the construction of what these words
mean. Take the word “commandment”: what
does that mean to you? Probably a command, a rule, a law. Now ask yourself
this: when was the last time you broke a
command, a rule or a law? How about
driving today? Did you stay within the
posted speed limits? If not, why not?
That rule, that law is there for a reason, didn’t you “feel” compelled by the
command of the sign to obey it? You
would if you see a police car wouldn’t you?
It is the threat of consequence that keeps you from going 100 miles an
hour in a 60 mile an hour zone isn’t it?
As long as there is no danger or consequence to getting caught, we break
laws and rules every day. We forget that the Father put rules into place for
our own good; we forget or we just do not want to acknowledge that our actions
are watched and weighed every moment by a Holy God – and one day there will be
a reckoning, a recompense for all that
we say and do. There is danger in
ignoring the warning signs of God’s word.
One aspect of
this can best be seen in the concept of a “low bridge” sign.[19]
You
can forget that there is a God in heaven, ignore His calls and His warnings,
you can even think you can go on your living your life any way you want. Beware
though, be prepared to be broken.
Mothers, fathers, if you do not or will not raise your children in fear
and admonition of the Lord, do not be surprised when they are broken. Fathers, abandon your children to the welfare
state? They will be broken. The list can
go on till I am out of ink…. But the result will never change. If we do not
admit and acknowledge that HE IS GOD, and then live our lives as if it is a
reality – there will be brokenness. Ask any who question why bad things happen. Do they acknowledge Adonai as God? Can the acknowledgement of a sovereign God change your perspective
on tragedies? God has to first, the
head, the authority in all our lives. Only in understanding the First can we
move to the second…
…Reality
Number Two…
Exodus 20:3-6
Exo
20:3[The Hebrew letter “beyt” ב ]
"You are to have no other gods before me.
Exo 20:4 You are
not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of
anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the
shoreline.
Exo 20:5 You are
not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous
God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate me,
Exo 20:6 but
displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my
mitzvoth [commandments].[21]
Words
have meaning. The holy words of God have
even more. They are davar, they are substance.
These words I write – do they mean anything to you? If they are just
human words, it is no more than my opinion on paper. If God has inspired me to write these words,
if by using Godly men He has shown me the truth of His Words – then these words
become prophetic: an absolute statement of reality.[22] Now I
must make a statement here: some things bear repeating, and this statement from
Dr. Seekins is one: God’s word is an absolute statement of reality. They are concrete. Remember our definition of
abstract and concrete? Let me repeat it:
If it can be perceived by our senses, it is
concrete. If it is to be understood by
our mind and heart, it is abstract.
“…Concrete thought
is the expression of concepts and ideas in ways that can be seen, touched,
smelled, tasted or heard. All five of the senses are used when speaking,
hearing, writing and reading the Hebrew language. An example of this can be
found in Psalms 1:3; “He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither”.
In this passage the author expresses his thoughts in concrete terms such as;
tree, streams of water, fruit and leaf.
Abstract thought
is the expression of concepts and ideas in ways that cannot be seen, touched,
smelled, tasted or heard. Examples of Abstract thought can be found in Psalms
103:8; “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger,
abounding in love”. The words compassion, grace, anger and love are all
abstract words, ideas that cannot be experienced by the senses. Why do we find
these abstract words in a passage of concrete thinking Hebrews? Actually, these
are abstract English words used to translate the original Hebrew concrete words…”
[23]
“…You shall have no other gods before me…” According to
Jeff Benner the
ב B or “beyt” pictographs are representative
of a house or tent, or of what is inside.[24] And
what is inside your house, your tent?
Your family. So it is in God’s
house. The Scriptures say:
1
Corinthians 3:16-17 (NASB95)
16 aDo you not know that byou are a 1temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
16 aDo you not know that byou are a 1temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If any man destroys the 1temple
of God, God will destroy him, for the 1temple of God is holy,
and 2that
is what you are.[25]
Also:
2
Corinthians 6:14-18
14 aDo
not be 1bound together with bunbelievers; for what
cpartnership
have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
15 Or what aharmony
has Christ with 1Belial, or 2what has a bbeliever
in common with an cunbeliever?
16 Or awhat
agreement has the temple of God with idols?
And I will be their
God, and they shall be My people.
“And do not
touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
18 “aAnd I will be
a father to you,
And you shall be bsons and daughters to
Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty. [26]
God wants a holy house; there can and will be
nothing else before Him. The meaning of the letter “beyt” agrees with the
second dāḇār(word); “…You are to have no
other gods before me…”. When we consider
the alef and the beyt (ba) in the ancient
picture language, what do we see [remember Hebrew reads right to left]? What we
see is the Hebrew word for “father [in modern Hebrew it looks like this: ba]”, the word “ab”
or “av”. The heart of the house is the
Father. In our homes, in our hearts,
there should be no room for another; no other God, no false idols. Our identity should be in Him. But what do we
see in America? God is not in our homes. He is not in our schools. He is not in
the public institutions that our founding fathers said He belonged in. And what is the result of this “Fatherless” nation?
In an article titled “Fathers disappear from households across America” by Luke Rosiak of the Washington Times and posted on the 25th of December
2012, he painted a disheartening picture:
“…Nicole
Hawkins‘ three daughters have matching glittery boots, but none has the
same father. Each has uniquely colored ties in her hair, but none has a dad
present in her life.
As another single mother on
Sumner Road decked her row-house stoop with Christmas lights
and a plastic Santa, Ms.
Hawkins recalled that her middle child’s father has never spent a
holiday or birthday with her. In her neighborhood in Southeast Washington, 1 in
10 children live with both parents, and 84 percent live with only their mother.
In every state, the portion of
families where children have two parents, rather than one, has dropped
significantly over the past decade. Even as the country added 160,000 families
with children, the number of two-parent households decreased by 1.2 million.
Fifteen million U.S. children, or 1 in 3, live without a father, and nearly 5
million live without a mother. In 1960, just 11 percent of American children
lived in homes without fathers.
America is awash in poverty,
crime, drugs and other problems, but more than perhaps anything else, it all
comes down to this, said Vincent
DiCaro, vice president of the National Fatherhood Initiative: Deal with
absent fathers, and the rest follows…”[27]
Fathers are disappearing in the inner cities. The hole that is left their absences rips at the very heart and fabric of a society awash in drugs, violence and poverty. Young men with no positive role models gravitate toward the cultural vacuum and fill it with the violent roles they see modeled by the entertainment industry; gangsters, thugs, thieves of all colors, shapes and sizes. Rosiak continued:
“…Though income is the primary
predictor, the lack of live-in fathers also is overwhelmingly a black problem,
regardless of poverty status, census data show. Among blacks, nearly 5 million
children, or 54 percent, live with only their mother. Twelve percent of black
families below the poverty line have two parents present, compared with 41
percent of impoverished Hispanic families and 32 percent of poor white families.
The schism is most apparent in
the District, which has a higher portion of two-parent families among whites,
at 85 percent, and a lower share among blacks, at 25 percent, than any state.
In all but 11 states, most
black children do not live with both parents. In every state, 7 in 10 white
children do. In all states but Rhode Island and Massachusetts, most Hispanic
children do. In Wisconsin, 77 percent of white children and 61 percent of
Hispanics live with both parents, compared with more than 25 percent of black
children…” [28]
While these statistics are sharp, nothing says that they cannot be reversed. But where to start? Bring God back. Bring Him back in our homes, our jobs, our government institutions. Bring God back into the lives of men, place in their hearts the admonishment of Scripture:
1st Timothy 5:8
“…But if any provide not for his own, and
specially for those of his own houseb, he hath denied the
faith, and is worse than an infidel…”
[29]
This problem goes beyond any color line; it
goes straight into the heart of man. God must be pre-eminent in our lives and
culture once more. We must not turn toward any other god, be it money, power,
fame, for a “Father-less society is a
lawless society.” Small wonder tragedies
occur. We have allowed them, and have
set our children up to fail by neglecting the only thing that can make them
succeed.
If we have the first two though, we can move
into the third reality of life.
…Reality
Number Three…
Exo
20:7[the Hebrew letter “gam or gimel” ג]
"You are not to use lightly the name of
Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who uses his
name lightly.
In the Paleo-Hebraic language the “gam or gimel” was represented in
this manner: mc ""The c is the foot representing “walk” and the m is “water”… Combined these mean “walk (go) to the water”…” [30] The word later changed in the Semitic Middle
language to what we call the “gimel” c, which is representative of the
camel. The gimel symbolizes a “lifted up
head, or exaltation”. Water is a symbol
for chaos… Benner describes it as:
“…Mah…
The Early Semitic
pictograph for this letter is m a picture of waves of water. This
pictograph has the meanings of liquid, water and sea, mighty and massive from
the size of the sea and chaos from the storms of the sea. To the Hebrews the
sea was a feared and unknown place, for this reason this letter is used as a
question word, who, what, when, where, why and how, in the sense of searching
for an unknown…” [31]
So one way of looking at the “gam or gimel” is to rise above the chaos. Isn’t that
what calling upon the Name of the Lord is to do in our lives?
Psalms 66:13-20
14 Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was ain distress.
I shall make an offering of 1bulls with male
goats. Selah.
19 But certainly aGod
has heard; He has given heed to the
voice of my prayer.
Nor His lovingkindness
from me. [32]
Yet how many of us cry unto God today with the
thankfulness of heart? How many of us make demands upon Him with no regard for
the wickedness of our hearts? When we take His name in vain, surely it only
means misusing it right? O no my brethren; it is the act of us treating God’s
name as if it carries no weight in this world.
It is the act of us showing Him contempt, of treating His Holy and
Righteous Name as if it was a common thing. We Call Him God, we call Him Lord,
yet these are titles; we use the Name of His only Begotten Son as a pejorative,
we use it almost as a swear word, derogatory and depreciative to the point of
blasphemy. To His title that designates
Him as the Supreme Monarch of the Universe
we tack on the “D” word and string His name with many other invectives. We denigrate this Most High God in our words
and deeds – and wonder why only trouble comes our way.
Psalm 37:7-15 (NKJV)
7 Rest in the Lord, gand wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who hprospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 iCease from anger, and forsake wrath; jDo not fret—it only causes harm. 9 For evildoers shall be 2cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall kinherit the earth.
7 Rest in the Lord, gand wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who hprospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 iCease from anger, and forsake wrath; jDo not fret—it only causes harm. 9 For evildoers shall be 2cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall kinherit the earth.
10 For
lyet
a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, myou
will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.
11 nBut
the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance
of peace.
12 The
wicked plots against the just, oAnd gnashes at him with his teeth.
14 The
wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and
needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15 Their
sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. [33]
O how we have despised this King of ours, yet
we want Him to rescue us, to rescue our children, we want Him to bow and scrape
before us as if we were the rulers over all things instead of Him…
Our weeping for the dead and dying never ends because we have esteemed
Him lightly,
Allowing the chaos to reign,
instead of it being reigned in.
If only we had been taught and then taught our
children also, the first three realities…
We could move onto the fourth if we know the
first three.
…Reality
Number Four…
Exo 20:8 [the Hebrew letter dalet ד ]
"Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it
apart for God.
Exo
20:9 You have six days to labor and
do all your work,
Exo
20:10 but the seventh day is a
Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work — not
you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your
livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your
property.
Exo
20:11 For in six days, Adonai made
heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he
rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for
himself. “ [34]
Shabbat, or as we commonly see it today “Sabbath” is the Hebrew word (H7676) שׁבּת . Moshe would have written it as: T B S ; right to left it
is the letters shin, beyt, taw (or tav). The shin
pictures teeth; the beyt we know as house; and the taw, is a mark, a sign or signature. The
letters shin and beyt form the word return; the taw
represents covenant; therefore the word Shabbat in the Hebrew picture language
means to “return to the covenant”.
The letter D or dalet is a letter so old that it represents a hide stretched across
an opening, a door. Shabbat is our door,
the way we return to covenant with the God of Heaven. The door is a path to life; Shabbat is our
path. But what have we done with the
Seventh day? Instead of revering the
most Holy day of the week, the time from sundown Friday night to sundown
Saturday night, as the time to meet and gather in our homes, in a place of
worship and give thanks to The All-Mighty, we have turned it into a night of
drunkenness and debauchery. God is the
furthest thing from our minds, except as an epithet of “TGIF!” We let our sons go out, hell bent for
trouble, our daughters are dressed in clothes that would make a madam blush and
we wonder why they are in trouble. We
look the other way as drugs and drink and sex and filth invade our neighbor
hoods, either because we are scared or we-just-plain-don’t-give-a-#&@%
cause we are too busy enjoying the “fruits” of our labor ourselves. What “fruit” are we enjoying? Forbidden fruit, the fruit of the poisoned
tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We let our boys sell drugs on the corner,
killing our neighbors and strangers all for the god of money. We let our daughters pop out babies at the
age of twelve, thirteen so on and so on, and reap all for the dollars from the
public coffers that the child brings in, or we send them into the modern day
Auschwitz and Dachau we call “Planned Parenthood” to sacrifice their unborn at
the altar of Moloch. [35]
We
have turned the sacred into the profane and wonder why tragedies continue to
plague us and our world. When injustice happens we all too often think that riots
in the streets are the answer, but truthfully, we should be on our face before
God begging for mercy and forgiveness.
Instead of listening to the race-baiters and the haters we should be
crying for deliverance from our sins and the sins of our nation. Instead of false posturing for the sake of
advantage we should realize just at what disadvantage our youth is in, when we
turn away from the ancient path of God, from the way of life He set before us
through the blood of Messiah Yeshua [Jesus] and His Holy commandments. The word Shabbat should be the key in our
lives; the shin beyt tells us to
“destroy our house”, the one our hands have built and return to the covenant
with God! Instead of burning down our
neighborhoods and running lawless in the streets, burn down the hate! Burn down
our own prejudices, go through the door of life and start to live! O how many have condemned themselves before
God for their hate-filled words and threats of violence? O how many will ruin their own lives if they
act out on these threats? How many
innocents will suffer? Why can’t anyone
ask these questions without fear of retaliation? Brethren I ask them because they need to be
screamed from the highest places in the land, yet our elected officials never
want to see a “good tragedy” go to waste!
How dare they! How dare we….
I’ll tell you the
truth. Jesus wept.
Why can’t we?
Anger is not the
answer; tears of remorse for what we have become are; tears of remorse in ALL
communities, in ALL municipalities, in ALL branches of government. Those so-called leaders who only promote hate
and revenge must be shut down, shouted down for we do not want to hear their
blasphemous cries anymore. No man of God
promotes anger or hatred just to get their names on the front page or an invite
to the talk shows. No politician who
promotes unrest should be allowed to keep their job, and no mob should rule in
this, the greatest nation on the earth.
What has to happen, what needs to happen, what I pray happens is a
return to the roots of our faith, away from religion that is killing us; a
return to the God of our fathers, of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, and away from the sin that is bewitching us; we need to
turn back, o turn back America, to weep between the porch and the altar….
We have six more
realities to go through. O my brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors and
strangers, look inside yourselves, for this is a lot to digest; look not at what
those who profit off of misery want you to see.
These men and women of all colors and creeds that pander the lawlessness
of society into a means of gain for themselves, they are the real killers in
all of this, because they have taught us all to hate, and not to repent and
find peace. Remember awhile back the sad story of Trayvon and George? These two
young men clashed with tragic results, yet what was screamed at us from the
headlines was not the problem; their
tragic meeting became just one more symptom of the rot and disease that the
so-called “professionals” are shoving down our throats. These hate-mongers care not if any of you
perish in a riot or civil disturbance; if they can cause unrest it will only
feed their lust for your blood and your money.
Turn away, turn away, turn away my people…
We will finish our
journey now by going through the other six realities.
…Reality
Number Five…
Exo 20:12 [The Hebrew Letter”hey” ה ]
"Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land
which Adonai your God is giving you.
The Hebrew letter
“hey” opens us up for the Fifth Reality. The original pictograph was e, symbolizing a man standing with his arms raised out. In later periods e would come to represent the “hey”, or
symbolize an open window. It can also
mean “breath” or “sigh” as if one has seen something spectacular. Either way
its meaning was clear: it meant “to behold” or “what is revealed”. “This letter is commonly used as a prefix to
words to mean “the” as in “ha’arets” meaning “the land”. The use of this prefix
is to reveal something of importance within the sentence.” [36]
Here in Exodus 20:12 we see
the first commandment given by Yahvey that carries with it a promise. This
verse carries such an important promise it is repeated throughout Scripture
many times:
“Lev 19:3 | ‘Every one of you shall reverence his
mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am the LORD your
God.
Mt 15:4 |
“For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL
OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’
Mk 7:10 |
“For Moses said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER’; and, ‘HE WHO
SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH’;
Lk 18:20 |
“You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO
NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’ ”
Eph 6:2 |
HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a
promise),
Lev 19:3; Dt 5:16, 33, 6:2, 11:8, 9, 27:16; Je 35:18, 19; Mt 15:4, 19:19; Mk 7:10, 10:19; Lk 18:20, Eph 6:2,3” [37]
Let’s recap briefly what we learned from Reality Number Three, “…You are not to use
lightly the name of Adonai your God…” :
“…When we take His name in vain, surely it
only means misusing it right? O no my brethren; it is the act of
us treating God’s name as if it carries no weight in this world. It is the act of us showing Him contempt, of
treating His Holy and Righteous Name as if it was a common thing. We Call Him
God, we call Him Lord, yet these are titles; we use the Name of His only
Begotten Son as a pejorative, we use it almost as a swear word, derogatory and
depreciative to the point of blasphemy.
To His title that designates Him as the Supreme Monarch of the Universe we tack on the “D”
word and string His name with many other invectives. We denigrate this Most High God in our words
and deeds – and wonder why only trouble comes our way…” [38]
Notice the highlighted portion. Using God’s name in vain is treating it
as it carries no weight. Let us examine
that weight now – it can be found in one word: כָּבֵד (kā·ḇēḏ): honor.
Honor is seldom taught or understood in our
culture today. Ironically, it is the very solution to some of our greatest
hurts and needs. God has said that if children learn to give honor to
their parents, their life will be good (the same root word is used when God
created and said or saw it was "good"). In Hebrew this is a
powerful concept.
The root of this word as stated in the TWOT [39] :
“…with its derivatives occurs 376 times in the Hebrew
Bible. It is especially prominent in Ps (sixty-four occurrences) and Isa
(sixty-three), as well as Ex (thirty-three), Ezk (twenty-five) and prov
(twenty-four). Of the total number of occurrences, 114 are verbal. The root is
a common Semitic one, occurring in all except Aramaic where yāqār seems to
take its place. The basic meaning is “to be heavy, weighty,” a meaning which is
only rarely used literally, the figurative (e.g. “heavy with sin”) being more
common. From this figurative usage it is an easy step to the concept of a
“weighty” person in society, someone who is honorable, impressive, worthy of
respect…” [40]
The Hebrew word for honor " kā·ḇēḏ ",
literally means heavy. To the modern reader this might not make
sense, until we realize that in the ancient times, the Jews bought and sold by
weight. Even their money, the shekel, was based on weight. How does this apply
to us today? We
live in a world where relationships are often based on feelings. When we say
that we love someone, we are usually talking about a feeling. But the Biblical
concept of love is based on the value of the object of our love. The
feeling may follow the value but honor is much more than a feeling.
Value changes
your actions.
How does value
change our actions? Great value changes everything. This is a basic precept
of God's Kingdom. The Bible says in Matthew 13:44 - 46 that...
Matthew
13:44-46 (NASB95)
44 “aThe kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and bsells all that he has and buys that field.
44 “aThe kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and bsells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, athe kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold
all that he had and bought it. [41]
Honor changes you.
Honor transforms lives and relationships, not to mention cultures and
communities. This concept of honor that can transform lives can be seen in the
word pictographs of the Ancient Hebrew.
In modern Hebrew honor is written as כָבֵד; in the Paleo-Hebrew it
is written as: D B K (from right to left
the kaf or kaph, beyt, dalet).
Each letter represents something:
- The kaf (or kaph): The Ancient form of this letter is K the open palm of a hand. The meanings of this letter are bend and curve from the shape of the palm as well as to tame or subdue as one who has been bent to another's will. [42]
- The beyt (or bet): The pictograph b is chosen as it best represents the nomadic tents of the Hebrews… The meanings of this letter are house, tent, family as well as in, with, inside or within as the family resides within the house or tent.[43]
·
The dalet: The basic meaning of the letter d is “door” but has several other meanings
associated with it. It can mean “a back and forth movement” as one goes back
and forth through the tent through the door. It can mean “dangle” as the tent
door dangled down from a roof pole of the tent. It can also mean weak or poor
as one who dangles the head down.[44]
What we see in the interpretation is this: the
picture for honor is:
K the
hand opens B the inside D door
The inside door is the door of our heart.
Honor is concrete and abstract at the same time. Concrete because of the
actions we can perceive and measure that show value is being attached to
ourselves. Abstract because it takes our mind and heart to process this worth
that is being assigned. If you have ever been treated with honor, then you have
experienced the weight, the heaviness of
that honor, even if it but for a fleeting moment. The Hebrew word picture for honor agrees with
the Scriptures about the impact this value brings to our life. When we are
valued, we open our heart and our soul.
How
could this have prevented the tragedy of Trayvon and George and how can it
prevent others that we read of every day, the senseless murders, the sexual
abuse of children, the shootings, the robberies, O it goes on and on…. Think
about these other tragedies; Columbine, Sandy Hook, the Denver movie theater;
what about other countless acts of mindless rage, bullying, wars, famines, and
to a lesser degree, the useless posturing by our elected officials that have
hurled our nation on a downward spiral?
Could the simple concept of honor have changed all these horrible
situations? What if we all held to the words of the Israelite Shema,
the declaration of dependence upon God:
Deut 6:4
5 “aYou shall love the Lord your God bwith all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 “aThese
words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
7 “aYou shall teach them diligently to your
sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the
way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
8 “aYou shall
bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as 1frontals 2on
your forehead.
9 “aYou shall
write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
10 “Then
it shall come about when the Lord
your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, to give you, agreat and splendid cities which you
did not build,
11 and houses full of all
good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig,
vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and ayou eat and
are satisfied,
12 then watch yourself,
that ayou do not forget the Lord
who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of 1slavery.
13 “aYou shall 1fear
only the Lord your God; and
you shall 2worship Him and bswear by His name.
14 “aYou shall
not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,
15 for the Lord your God in the midst of you is a ajealous
God; otherwise the anger of the Lord
your God will be kindled against you, and He will 1wipe you
off the face of the earth.
17 “aYou should
diligently keep the commandments of the Lord
your God, and His testimonies and His statutes which He has commanded you.
18 “You shall do what is
right and good in the sight of the Lord,
that ait may be well with you and that you may go in and
possess the good land which the Lord
swore to give your fathers,
19 by driving out all
your enemies from before you, as the Lord
has spoken.[45]
O if only we
taught our children diligently. To love God and to honor one another; we could
have had the Promised Land; instead we live in a land where everyone promises
but never intend to deliver. We wander like the Israelites in the wilderness; like the Israelites leaving Egypt, if we come
to believe, we are no longer slaves to sin. We have been freed; we can worship
God and build a new life. But, for many of us something is still missing in our
lives, families and marriages. It is as if we are following God through
the desert, seeing His presence, maybe even His miracles, but we never enter
the Promised Land.
But God has promised that those who learn to honor, will live long in
the land that He has given, "the Promised Land." Honor has to be taught though; respect has to be earned by word,
action and deeds. How can a child learn honor if his parents have not chosen to
honor one another? The father for good
or bad, teaches every child how to value their mother. The mother for good or
bad teaches every child how to honor their father. Honor when learned at home
will cause the boy or girl to view people differently, but what happens to the
person never trained in honor?
If honor was not the foundation of the home he or she grew up in- if the
father and mother did not honor, but instead discounted the value of each other
and their children- then the result is a person who does not know the power or
reality of honor in life.
When we learn the first four realities, we learn the value of honor, of
the weight of the love for Yahvey Elohim, and His love of us. Honor opens the
door of our hearts to all relationships, family, friends, but especially
toward the Father and Son. But if there
is no honor we will lose the very foundation of our lives.
Our Western culture lives in opposition to Yahvey’s ways, as it focuses
on the individual; the Kingdom of God instead is a kingdom of relationship and
value. The concept of the Fifth Mitzvot [Commandments] gives us the
understanding of value, of honor.
This
concept of honoring fathers and mothers
is a Kingdom concept. Regardless of our situation, whether or not we come from
a good home or a broken home, if we can leave behind the wreckage and embrace
the Kingdom concept, the promise of the blessings of God begin here…
“…that you may live long in the land…”
The how and
why of learning honor is only found if we embrace the first four realities.
There is no other way. We can talk of duty and honor, but it involves giving
value and weight to what we see, to whom we deal with, to one another. Can we
honor our soldiers if we don’t value them? Can we honor our nation if all we do
is tear it down and try to radically change it? Is marriage honorable when we
take it out of its Biblical mandate and just turn it into an institution that
has lost all meaning, when we redefine the family into a travesty that excludes
the natural roles of mother and father ? Can a family be complete without a mom
and dad loving and holding each other up in honor? Can the madness around us be stopped if we do
not honor?
Only the
embrace of the ultimate reality, “I AM
YAHVEY ELOHIM YOUR GOD” can lead us into Realities Two, Three and Four;
then we will know what honor is and can move into number five.
IF… I know
God as my Reality then I will be able to move away from that which is false and
unprofitable. If God is my reality then
I will seek truth and love justice, I will value His Name, I will attach worth
and weight to it. When I can value this
Name above all names, I can rest in His peace and be assured of comfort –
things might not be easy, but I can take comfort knowing that all things work
together for good for all who believe.
Rest will bring me to the place of honor and from here all things
change.
I
understand life’s realities. Some of us have mothers and/or fathers that we
feel we just cannot honor. Maybe they have addictions; maybe they were or are
abusive. There are lots of situations that I cannot address, and maybe these
words seem hollow. Can you hold onto
God? Can you honor your spiritual Father
and Mother? In spite of your pain, can you value Him?
It is ever more the norm today for men and
women to claim that they are atheists, to decry religion, to mock and curse the
very mention of God or Yeshua, Jesus our Messiah. Richard Wurmbrand in his book
“Tortured for Christ” had this to say:
“…The cruelty of atheism is hard to believe. When a man has no faith in the reward of good
or the punishment of evil, there is no reason to be human. There is no restraint from the depths of evil
that is in man. The Communist torturers often said, “There is no God, no
hereafter, no punishment for evil. We can do what we wish.” I heard one
torturer say, “ I thank God, in whom I don’t believe, that I have lived to this
hour when I can express all the evil in my heart.” He expressed it in
unbelievable brutality and torture inflicted on prisoners…” [46]
“…there is no reason to be human…” Chilling
words. Put these words into the context of today. Mass murder, school yard
shootings, rape, robbery, homelessness, drug addiction, alcoholism, the list is
endless, all because there is no God, no moral absolutes, no restraint on the
evil in a man’s heart. No honor.
…If I honor…
…Reality
Number Six…
Exo 20:13[the Hebrew Letter
Vaw ו
]
"Do not murder.”
The original
pictograph used in the Early Semitic script is F, a picture of a tent peg. The meaning of this
letter is to add or secure.[47] If
there is honor, then a person feels secure, connected. Would a fight have
broken out, and a life been lost that night a while ago if Trayvon and George
had had honor? If you know God, it is
harder to hate, harder to stereotype, harder to not be human. How can you
attack someone if you have honor? How could you put yourself in a situation
where deadly force might have to be used if you have honor? How can someone
murder another if you honor people and life, if life is sacred?
It is easier and
easier nowadays to kill another, when we won’t even prevent the slaughter of
the unborn. Where is the honor in that?
Think about it. In the Hebraic mindset Reality Six is connected to the
first…
“I am the Lord
your God”
…Reality
Number Seven…
"Do not commit adultery.”[49]
The
ancient pictograph for this letter is z; it is thought to represent a farming tool,
but it also has the meaning of “cut” or “weapon” . Whie a weapon can be used to protect, it can
also destroy. Yeshua said in Matthew
5:27-28:
28 but I
say to you that everyone who looks at a woman awith lust for her
has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [50]
Can it not be said that the destruction of the family is in large part due
to the lust in a man’s heart? Dads abandoning their children, mothers having
children with different fathers; the break-up of the home is prevalent across
all colors, across all ethnic backgrounds and economic status; perversions and
abhorrent behavior abounds. The church suffers from a high divorce rate, with
scandal after scandal occurring in the pulpits; we have clergy right now
embroiled in the horrendous worldwide child sex trade that was just broken up
by Canadian and U.S. Postal Inspectors. The enemy of our soul is using this
weapon to undermine our society, with the full blessings of the courts and
heads of government as they endorse this behavior that mocks God at every turn.
Without honor, there is no home. When a man puts another before his spouse, he
has brought a weapon to bear. There is no difference here than in the Second
reality; we break covenant with our loved ones, we have broken covenant with
God.
What a difference honor makes in the home.
…Reality Number Eight…
Exo
20:15[The Hebrew Letter Hhet or Chet (20:13) ח ]
"Do not steal.”[51]
The ancient
pictograph h is a picture of a tent wall.[52] It
also symbolizes a fence or “to protect”.
Walls are built all the time, as are fences. We build fences to keep
things out, we build then to keep things in. Fences and walls tend to separate
us, to isolate us from one another. That’s why people live in gated
communities; the truth is though people living behind walls and fences have no
real security, just the illusion of such.
The Bible views a
fence as protection; the Hebrew word picture for a brother says he is “a strong
fence”. If a man has honor, if he has learned it at home, in the value he
places on God and family, will he not look upon other men as brothers? Truly, do we not need that now more than
ever? We divide ourselves up into
groups, into colors, into ethnicities, and there is no sense of protection,
only walls and fences. Some see a young
man and call him “punk”; others see another and call him “cracker”. Without God
it is easy to see how easy it is not to be human and view others as less than.
This commandment
is about more than just stealing another’s property – it is about not stealing
each man and woman’s humanity. If we are
just busy building walls and making laws to keep each other out, all we are left
with is broken dreams, broken hearts and an isolated society that is living
behind the rubble of false protection. If I am not my brother’s keeper – his
guard, his protector, then quite possibly the
only thing I am is his destroyer. Am
I willing to be a protector, or do others need protection from me? Honor says I
won’t steal your humanity, I’ll guard it instead.
…Reality Number Nine…
Exo 20:16 (20:13)[The Hebrew letter “Thet or
tet” ט ]
"Do not give false evidence against your neighbor.”[53]
The original pictograph for this letter is u, a container made of wicker or clay.[54] It can mean to surround or
in later use, it also meant “snake”.
Since we have two very opposite meanings, it is up to us to choose to
use it wisely. If we have honor, we will see the truth in this commandment, and
seek to “surround” those around us, not with malice or evil intent, but with
meaning, purpose and protection. Honor allows us to apply value to them, to make
them weigh something in our life. We
must always remember that hate directed is hate directed at ourselves.
My mother, God
rest her soul, always said “Hate destroys the vessel it is contained in more
than the vessel it is aimed at.” Surround yourself with the heart of the snake,
with lies and deceptions, with accusations and malevolence – there will be
destruction. Again, this reality breaks
the one it is contained in more than the one it is aimed at. A person can
survive slander; it is the slanderer that heaps the coals of fire upon
themselves.
Jeremiah 13:22-23 (NASB95)
22 “If you asay in your
heart, ‘bWhy have these things happened to me?’ Because of the cmagnitude of
your iniquity dYour skirts have been removed And
your heels have 1been exposed.
23 “aCan the Ethiopian
change his skin Or the leopard his spots? Then you also can bdo
good Who are accustomed to doing evil. [55]
Those that do evil, will not change; only God can change a lawless heart.
Lawless men will continue to do lawless things, and I do not mean the breaking
of the law of man. If you are lawless in the things of God, you are lawless
indeed. We need to choose to surround
ourselves with love, mercy, truth and joy; then we will be a protector, and
will have honor.
…Reality Number Ten…
Exo 20:17 (20:14)[ The Hebrew
letter “ Yad or Yood” י ]
"Do not covet your neighbor's house; do not covet
your neighbor's wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything
that belongs to your neighbor." [56]
The Early Semitic
pictograph of this letter is i, an arm and hand. The meaning of this letter is work, make and throw,
the functions of the hand. The Modern Hebrew name “yud” is a derivative of the
two letter word “yad” meaning "hand", the original name for the
letter.[57]
Proverbs 30:7-9
7 Two things have I required of thee; denyc
me them not before I die: 8 Remove far from me vanity and
lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and denye thee, and
say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of
my God in vain. [58]
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
9 And Jabezc was more
honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying,
Because I bare him with sorrow. 10 And Jabez called on the God of
Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast,
and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me
from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he
requested. [59]
The last
commandment brings us back to the first again and also the fifth. The point is
that if we know God, if we are worshipping Him, trusting him, what need we of
our neighbors goods? I will honor what is my neighbor’s, as I honor what is
mine as a gift to me from God. We work
with our own hands, we do as the writer of Proverbs and Jabez we trust God for
the increase in our lives, not on what we can acquire ourselves.
It is a shame
to us as a nation that we have allowed our fellow citizens to become so
dependent on a government handout that they shame God and break his laws by coveting what is not theirs. A Jewish proverb speaks that a father who
doesn’t teach his son a skill trains him to be a thief. We have allowed our brothers and sisters to
become thieves, we have not honored them by helping them learn a skill in which
they can provide for themselves and their children.
Where is the honor in a handout, and not a
hand up?
Brethren, we
have lost honor. We have forgotten the face of our God and brought ourselves to
shame. Our lack of understanding these
Ten Realities is destroying our nation and disrupting lives everywhere. Join me and let us make God’s way honorable
again by bowing our heads and humbling ourselves before Him ask His
forgiveness. We need to t’shuvah, we
need to return before another tragedy takes place.
Ponder on these things if you will… The path
has been laid out before you; all I can do is point it out. You have to be the
one to restore honor in your heart first, and then your home. One home at a
time, we can take back the night, and walk in the light of day, but we have to
start now.
I pray this has been a help, and may God have
mercy on us all…
“Honor Him”; this is what our President said
to do, to honor Trayvon – but it is too late for that. By the omission of God
in his life and in that of George’s, he lost his chance. May we, in our efforts, learn how to honor
the only One worthy enough to be honored, THEN we can diligently teach our
children and have honor be restored once again. As it was said of Jabez “he was
more honorable than his brethren” – may it be said of us….
Amein
[1] From Hebrew Word Pictures: How Does the Hebrew
Alphabet Reveal Prophetic Truths? By Dr. Frank T. Seekins, Living Word
Pictures Inc., ©1994, 2003 Frank T. Seekins
[2] From http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/3_home.html,
Copyright © 1999-2011 Ancient
Hebrew Research Center
[3] From http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/28_chart.html
Copyright © 1999-2011 Ancient
Hebrew Research Center
[4]All
examples gleaned from Hebrew Word
Pictures By Dr. Frank T. Seekins, Living Word Pictures Inc., ©1994, 2003
Frank T. Seekins
[6] Hebrew Word Pictures By Dr. Frank T. Seekins,
Living Word Pictures Inc., ©1994, 2003 Frank T. Seekins,
[7] ..Ibid..
[9] From the
article “Honor Sets the Stage” by Debbie Greenblatt, Sept 14, 2011, in Mishpacha- Jewish Family Weekly, http://www.mishpacha.com/Browse/Article/1426/Honor-Sets-the-Stage
[10] Webster’s Dictionary, 1828 Edition,
(electronic edition) e-Sword®, v. 9.9.1 Copyright ©2000-2011 by Rick Myers
d sins: Heb. sin
[11] The
Holy Bible : King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the
1611 Authorized Version. Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995.
[12] Esposito,
John L. (2000-04-06). The
Oxford History of Islam. Oxford University Press. pp. 76–77.
[13] Al Faruqi; Lois
Ibsen (1987). "The Cantillation of the Qur'an".Asian Music (Autumn – Winter 1987): 3–4.
a Lev 26:1; Deut 5:6; Ps 81:10
b Ex 13:3; 15:13, 16; Deut 7:8
1 Lit slaves
[17]New
American Standard Bible : 1995 Update, Ex 20:1-2 (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman
Foundation, 1995).
[18] Jeff A.
Benner, http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/3_al.html
@ Copyright © 1999-2013 Ancient Hebrew
Research Center
[19] Concept
adapted from Dr. Frank Seekins, website: www.livingwordpictures.com.
[20] Ibid…
[21]
Scripture quotations are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible, copyright 1998
by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. www.messianicjewish.net/jntp.
Distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources Int'l. www.messianicjewish.net. All rights
reserved. Used by permission. Testament Publications, Inc. www.messianicjewish.net/jntp.
Distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources Int'l. www.messianicjewish.net. All rights
reserved. Used by permission. Electronic edition, e-Sword 10.1.0, copyright
©200-2012 Rick Meyers; all rights reserved worldwide.
[22] Dr.
Frank Seekins, The Ten Realities,
copyright ©2011
[23] Jeff
A Benner, Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the
Bible, Hebrew Letters, Words and Roots Defined Within Their Ancient
Cultural Context, ©2005 Jeff A. Benner, electronic edition, theWord, © 2003-2012 -
Costas Stergiou
Version 4.0.0.1342
[24] Jeff A.
Benner, http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/3_bet.html
a Rom 6:16
b Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16; Eph 2:21f
1 Or sanctuary
1 Or sanctuary
2 Lit who you are
a Deut 22:10; 1 Cor 5:9f
1 Lit unequally yoked
b 1 Cor 6:6
c Eph 5:7, 11; 1 John 1:6
a 1 Cor 10:21
1 Gr Beliar
2 Lit what part has a believer with an
unbeliever
b Acts 5:14; 1 Pet 1:21
c 1 Cor 6:6
a 1 Cor 10:21
b 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19
c Matt 16:16
d Ex 29:45; Lev 26:12; Jer 31:1; Ezek
37:27
e Ex 25:8; John 14:23
f Rev 2:1
a Is 52:11
b Rev 18:4
a 2 Sam 7:14; 1 Chr 17:13; Is 43:6; Hos
1:10
b Rom 8:14
[26]New
American Standard Bible : 1995 Update, 2 Co 6:14-18 (LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation, 1995).
b house: or, kindred
[29]The
Holy Bible : King James Version., electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the
1611 Authorized Version., 1 Ti 5:8 (Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems,
Inc., 1995).
[30]
Jeff A Benner, Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of
the Bible, Hebrew Letters, Words and Roots Defined Within Their Ancient
Cultural Context, ©2005 Jeff A. Benner, electronic edition, theWord, © 2003-2012 -
Costas Stergiou
Version 4.0.0.1342
[31] …Ibid…
a Ps 96:8; Jer 17:26
b Ps 22:25; 116:14; Eccl 5:4
a Ps 18:6
a Ps 51:19
b Num 6:14
1 Or cattle
a Ps 34:11
1 Or revere
b Ps 71:15, 24
1 Or praise
was under my tongue
a Ps 30:1
1 Or had
regarded
a Job 36:21; John 9:31
b Job 27:9; Ps 18:41; Prov 1:28; 28:9; Is
1:15; James 4:3
2 Or would
3 Or have
heard
a Ps 18:6; 116:1, 2
a Ps 68:35
b Ps 22:24
[32] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update.
(1995). (Ps 66:13–20). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
g
Ps. 40:1; 62:5; [Lam. 3:26]
h [Ps. 73:3–12]
i [Eph. 4:26]
j
Ps. 73:3
2 destroyed
k
Ps. 25:13; Prov. 2:21; [Is. 57:13; 60:21; Matt. 5:5]
l
[Heb. 10:37]
m
Job 7:10; Ps. 37:35, 36
n [Matt. 5:5]
o Ps.
35:16
p
Ps. 2:4; 59:8
q 1 Sam. 26:10; Job 18:20
[33] The New King James Version. Nashville:
Thomas Nelson, 1982.
[34]
Scripture quotations are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible, copyright 1998
by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. www.messianicjewish.net/jntp.
Distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources Int'l. www.messianicjewish.net. All rights
reserved. Used by permission. Testament Publications, Inc. www.messianicjewish.net/jntp. Distributed
by Messianic Jewish Resources Int'l. www.messianicjewish.net.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. Electronic edition, e-Sword 10.1.0,
copyright ©200-2012 Rick Meyers; all rights reserved worldwide.
[35] From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moloch: Moloch (representing Semitic מלך m-l-k,
a Semitic root meaning "king") – also rendered
as Molech, Molekh, Molok, Molek, Molock, Moloc, Melech, Milcom or Molcom – is the name of an ancient Ammonite god. Moloch worship was practiced by the Canaanites, Phoenician and related cultures in North Africa and the Levant. As a god worshipped by the Phoenicians and Canaanites, Moloch had associations with a
particular kind of propitiatory child sacrifice by parents. Moloch figures in the Book
of Deuteronomyand in the Book of Leviticus as a form of idolatry (Leviticus 18:21: "And thou shalt not
let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Moloch"). In the Old
Testament, Gehenna was a valley by Jerusalem, where apostate
Israelites and followers of various Baalim and Caananite gods, including Moloch,
sacrificed their children by fire (2 Chr. 28:3, 33:6; Jer. 7:31, 19:2–6).
[36]
Jeff A Benner, Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of
the Bible, Hebrew Letters, Words and Roots Defined Within Their Ancient
Cultural Context, ©2005 Jeff A. Benner, electronic edition, theWord, © 2003-2012 -
Costas Stergiou
Version 4.0.0.1342
[37]
From Passage Guide, Ex 20:12, Logos Bible Software 5.1 SR-1 (51.0.0950)
Copyright ©2000-2012 Logos Bible Software
[38]
From the epistle “…Trayvon, George and the Ten
Realities… Part One…” by David Robinson. See at : http://davidseedofabraham.blogspot.com/2013/07/trayvon-george-and-ten-realities-part.html
[39] Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
[40] Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament R. Laird
Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke; MOODY PUBLISHERS CHICAGO © 1980 by The Moody Bible
Institute of Chicago. Electronic Module by Costas Stergiou (root@theword.gr) for the Word Software. All rights
reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission
in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied
in critical articles or reviews.
a Matt 13:24
b Matt 13:46
a Matt 13:24
[42] Jeff A Benner, Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible, Hebrew Letters, Words and
Roots Defined Within Their Ancient Cultural Context, ©2005 Jeff A. Benner,
electronic edition, theWord, © 2003-2012 - Costas Stergiou Version 4.0.0.1342
[43]
Ibid…
[44]
Ibid…
a Matt 22:37; Mark 12:29, 30; Luke 10:27
b Deut 4:35, 39; John 10:30; 1 Cor 8:4;
Eph 4:6
a Matt 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27
b Deut 4:29; 10:12
a Deut 11:18
a Deut 4:9; 11:19; Eph 6:4
a Ex 12:14; 13:9, 16; Deut 11:18; Prov
3:3; 6:21; 7:3
1 Or frontlet bands
2 Lit between your eyes
a Deut 11:20
a Deut 9:1; 19:1; Josh 24:13; Ps 105:44
a Deut 8:10; 11:15; 14:29
a Deut 4:9
1 Lit slaves
a Deut 13:4; Matt 4:10; Luke 4:8
1 Or reverence
2 Or serve
b Deut 5:11; 10:20; Ps 63:11; Matt 5:33
a Jer 25:6
a Deut 4:24; 5:9
1 Lit destroy
a Matt 4:7; Luke 4:12
b Ex 17:7
a Deut 11:22; Ps 119:4
a Deut 4:40
[45]New
American Standard Bible : 1995 Update, Dt 6:4-19 (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman
Foundation, 1995).
[46] Tortured
for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, Living Sacrifice Book Company
©1967,1998 by the Voice of the Martyrs, Inc. All rights reserved. Kindle®
edition, location 637 of 2827.
[47] Jeff
A Benner, Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the
Bible, Hebrew Letters, Words and Roots Defined Within Their Ancient
Cultural Context, ©2005 Jeff A. Benner, electronic edition, theWord, © 2003-2012 -
Costas Stergiou
Version 4.0.0.1342
[48]
Verses 14, 15 and 16 are included in verse 13 in the Hebrew Scriptures.
[49]
Scripture quotations are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible, copyright 1998
by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc
Electronic edition, e-Sword 10.1.0, copyright ©200-2012 Rick Meyers; all rights
reserved worldwide.
a Matt 5:21, 33, 38, 43
b Ex 20:14; Deut 5:18
a 2 Sam 11:2–5; Job 31:1; Matt 15:19;
James 1:14, 15
[50] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update.
(1995). (Mt 5:27–28). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[51]
Scripture quotations are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible, copyright 1998
by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc
Electronic edition, e-Sword 10.1.0, copyright ©200-2012 Rick Meyers; all rights
reserved worldwide.
[52]
Jeff A Benner, Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of
the Bible, Hebrew Letters, Words and Roots Defined Within Their Ancient
Cultural Context, ©2005 Jeff A. Benner, electronic edition, theWord, © 2003-2012 -
Costas Stergiou
Version 4.0.0.1342
[53]
Scripture quotations are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible, copyright 1998
by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc
Electronic edition, e-Sword 10.1.0, copyright ©200-2012 Rick Meyers; all rights
reserved worldwide.
[54] …ibid…
a Deut 7:17
b Jer 5:19; 16:10
c Jer 2:17–19; 9:2–9
d Is 47:2; Ezek 16:37; Nah 3:5
1 Or suffered violence
a Prov 27:22; Is 1:5
b Jer 4:22; 9:5
[55] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update.
LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[56]
Scripture quotations are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible, copyright 1998
by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc
Electronic edition, e-Sword 10.1.0, copyright ©200-2012 Rick Meyers; all rights
reserved worldwide.
[57]
Jeff A Benner, Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of
the Bible, Hebrew Letters, Words and Roots Defined Within Their Ancient
Cultural Context, ©2005 Jeff A. Benner, electronic edition, theWord, © 2003-2012 -
Costas Stergiou
Version 4.0.0.1342
c deny...: Heb. withhold not from me
e deny...: Heb. belie thee
[58]The
Holy Bible : King James Version., electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the
1611 Authorized Version., Pr 30:7-9 (Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems,
Inc., 1995).
c Jabez: that is, Sorrowful
[59]The
Holy Bible : King James Version., electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the
1611 Authorized Version., 1 Ch 4:9-10 (Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems,
Inc., 1995).
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