Volume Five
…Change…
1 Corinthians 4:6–14 (CJB)
6 Now in what I have said here,
brothers, I have used myself and Apollos as examples to teach you not to go
beyond what the Tanakh says,
proudly taking the side of one leader against another. 7 After
all, what makes you so special? What do you have that you didn’t receive as a
gift? And if in fact it was a gift, why do you boast as if it weren’t? 8 You
are glutted already? You are rich already? You have become kings, even though
we are not? Well, I wish you really were kings, so that we might share the
kingship with you! 9 For I think G-d has been placing us
emissaries on display at the tail of the parade, like men condemned to die in
the public arena: we have become a spectacle before the whole universe, angels
as well as men. 10 For the Messiah’s sake we are fools, but
united with the Messiah you are wise! We are weak, but you are strong; you are
honored, but we are dishonored. 11 Till this very moment we go
hungry and thirsty, we are dressed in rags, we are treated roughly, we wander
from place to place, 12 we exhaust ourselves working with our
own hands for our living. When we are cursed, we keep on blessing; when we are
persecuted, we go on putting up with it; 13 when we are
slandered, we continue making our appeal. We are the world’s garbage, the scum
of the earth—yes, to this moment!
14 I am not writing you this to make
you feel ashamed, but, as my dear children, to confront you and get you to
change. [5]
“…What about the change
What about the difference
What about the grace
What about forgiveness
I want to live a life that's showing
I'm undergoing the change…” [6]
What about the difference
What about the grace
What about forgiveness
I want to live a life that's showing
I'm undergoing the change…” [6]
What is there about the “change”?
What’s different in a life
transformed?
How do you explain the unexplainable?
What happens if we change - or don't?
1
Corinthians 1:18 (NET)
18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of G-d. [7]
18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of G-d. [7]
Frustration
can set in, trying to explain the cross to someone that can’t or won’t
understand; but the battle isn’t ours, it belongs to G-d. The reality of Messiah can only be
experienced, not taught. To a marked
soul, one that Elohim has already decided will be saved, the decision is out of
theirs and our hands; G-d will bring that soul to him. Free will dictates the terms of surrender –
whether it be days, months, and years – it’s all the same to G-d. How many brick walls that person wishes to
bang his/her head against is up to them - the outcome though is always going to
be the same; all of heaven will stop and rejoice when the object of G-d’s
desire bows their knee to Him. It took
me 40 years. For His glory and His glory
alone through the course of those years I suffered defeats, celebrated
“successes”, hurt others and others hurt me.
In the end, the result was the same; heaven rejoiced when I bowed my
knees to the one true G-d.
Isaiah
45:18-25 (NET)
45:18 For this is what the
Lord says, the one who created the sky – he is the true G-d,48 the one who formed the earth and made it; he established it, he did not
create it without order,49
he formed it to be inhabited –
“I am the Lord, I have no peer.
I am the Lord, the one who speaks honestly,
45:20
Gather together and come!
Approach together, you refugees from the nations!
Those who carry wooden idols know nothing, those who pray to a G-d that
cannot deliver.
45:21
Tell me! Present the evidence!53 Let them consult with one another! Who predicted this in the past?
Who announced it beforehand?
Was it not I, the Lord?
For I am G-d, and I have no peer.
(Rom 14:11
KJV)
For it is
written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every
tongue shall confess to G-d.
Every
knee. Whether you believe or not, slave
or free, master or servant, rich or poor.
Every knee. What
transpires next in the meantime is our
choice: what happens afterwards is up to G-d.
If we bow now during the season of grace the Master of heaven and earth
will bring us into the fullness of His love and life.
Will there be trials?
Yes.
Will there be
tribulation? Yes.
Sorrow? Pain?
Yes, yes, yes.
So
what’s the point? Why suffer as a
believer when if we’re going to suffer anyway, why not do it with what ever the
world has to offer? The pay is what’s
different:
Romans
6:17-23 (NASB95)
17 But athanks be to G-d that 1though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that
bform of teaching to which you were committed,
19 aI am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For
just bas you presented your members as slaves to impurity
and to lawlessness, 1resulting in further lawlessness, so now
present your members as slaves to righteousness, 2resulting in sanctification.
21 Therefore what 1abenefit were you then 2deriving 3from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the
outcome of those things is bdeath.
22 But now having been afreed from sin and benslaved to G-d, you 1derive your 2cbenefit, 3resulting in sanctification, and dthe outcome, eternal life.
23 For the wages of asin is death, but the free gift of G-d is beternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [9]
See
it for what it is:
(Eccl
3:19-21 KJV)
For that
which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth
them:
as the one
dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no
preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
{20} All go
unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. {21} Who
knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that
goeth downward to the earth?
(Eccl 5:15
KJV)
As he came
forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall
take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
Yes,
we’ll all go the grave, unless Yahveh shortens the days before His Son Yeshua
returns. It is what awaits us that is
different. Whether or not you believe in
a Living G-d doesn’t really matter for even if you believe, well, even the
demons believe…
James 2:19
(HCSB)
19 You believe that G-d is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder. v [10]
19 You believe that G-d is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder. v [10]
So
if you believe, tremble. If you don’t believe, well:
Deuteronomy
30:19–20 (CJB)
19 “I call on
heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with
life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you
will live, you and your descendants, 20 loving Adonai
your G-d, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him—for that is the
purpose of your life!
On this
depends the length of time you will live in the land Adonai swore he
would give to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.”[11]
Proverbs 13:13–16 (NASB95)
13) The one who adespises the word will be 1in
debt to it, but the one who fears the commandment will be brewarded. (14)
The 1teaching
of the wise is a afountain of life, To turn aside from
the bsnares
of death. (15) aGood understanding produces favor, But the way of the
treacherous is hard. (16) Every aprudent man acts with knowledge,
Of this Matthew Henry says: “…{15}
The service of sin is slavery; the road to hell is strewed with the thorns and
thistles that followed the curse. {16} It is folly to talk of things of which
we know nothing, and to undertake what we are no way fit for…”
Stand in awe of Yahveh. Stand in reverent fear of the
One who can not only destroy, but also can cast the soul into hell. This One
can either love you with all that heaven has to offer, with all the goodness
that Adonai Tzva’ot has to bestow or He can visit His wrath upon you for the
sins in your life. The way of the unrepentant is hard; not only upon themselves
but also upon those around them. Look once again at the choices laid out before
you. I can only testify about the misery I invoked upon those I loved but I can
also thank Yahveh and Yeshua, blessed be their names, that my beloved did not
give up on me. They, at the very least, my wife, held me up to Yahveh Elohim in
her prayers and He heard and rescued me – not for my sake – by for His name’s
sake and for His honor as He answered her prayers. Not all have that luxury I
know, of those that pray for them, but this I know: when I pray, I always ask
Father to look about, and find someone just like me – and help them. You see,
Adonai has a way out for us all, in just three little words: “G-d help me.”
(Amos 5:14
KJV)
Seek good,
and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the G-d of hosts, shall be
with you, as ye have spoken.
Speak these
words: they are enough to move the mighty hand of G-d Almighty Himself. They
are all He really needs to hear if they are spoken from a broken and contrite
heart. And what does that mean? It means those three words are uttered by one
who has had enough, one who is done. The emptiness and the futility of a life
that just doesn't make any sense can only the inescapable conclusion that there
is no place left to go. If you're there, you know what I mean. If not, but your
heart still tugs because you know you are dancing on the razor's edge,
listen...
G-d meets us in three different positions in our life,
and this applies to us all, rich, poor, man, woman, child, sober or not,
whatever our station in life may be.
·
He first
meets us when we are still able to stand, holding on to our image of
"self-control", thinking we are in charge of our lives, even though
we can sense the fabric that holds our reality together is unraveling. He meets
us as we are standing there and quietly asks us, "Are you done yet?"
·
The second
place He comes to us is when that illusion of self-control has slipped and we
are bent over, our hands on our knees, and we are desperately trying to catch
our breath so that we can stand again. He bends over with us, down to our level
and asks once again, "Are you done yet?"
·
Thirdly and
lastly, we are face down in the slime, drowning in the mud and the debris that
had been our life. The fabric of our existence has totally unraveled and in
fact, there is only a shear thread left and it is breaking. We can't stand; we
are too tired, the bruises to large, the cuts are too deep. All that's left for
us are our tears and even those are almost gone. The stench that surrounds us is
almost unbearable, it has the smell of death clinging to it. The old "friend"
that had been hanging around us, you know - that old serpent - well, he's
satisfied. He has beaten us down, robbed us of all we had, stripped us naked
and then kicked us some more while we were down. He walks away with all he has stolen,
then turns and shoves our face one more time into the cesspool of our life he
destroyed. We hear his scornful hate-fill laugh as he turns from us, convinced
that we are finished.
He's
not wrong. There's no place left to go.
The ooze fills our mouths, and threatens to choke what
life 
we have left out of us. We close
our eyes, hoping for the only peace we think is left to us, the grave. Then something
unexpected happens though; we hear the sound of someone laying down in the
slime beside us; strong, gentle hands begin to clean our face, wiping the filth
from our lips. Our eyes are so tired, we can't see who this one is, but then we
hear His voice, speaking to us even as He is covering our nakedness with His
own robe.
we have left out of us. We close
our eyes, hoping for the only peace we think is left to us, the grave. Then something
unexpected happens though; we hear the sound of someone laying down in the
slime beside us; strong, gentle hands begin to clean our face, wiping the filth
from our lips. Our eyes are so tired, we can't see who this one is, but then we
hear His voice, speaking to us even as He is covering our nakedness with His
own robe.
"My
child; you are done. Come…"
This One doesn't wait for an answer this time. Before,
we had the strength to tell Him no... now He knows our strength is gone. He
could just leave us there in our own filth to die, but, He's wrapped us in His
robe and picked us up from the mire. He rests our weary head on His chest, His
voice telling us over and over, "It's done. I'm here. I love you and no
one will hurt you again... I promise."
Time to rest child. No matter which of the three
stations you're in, He is there. I waited until He carried me out of the slime
but you don't have to. What we have sown in our life, we will reap, but the
harvest doesn't have to be bitter. Turn to Him now and let the healing begin,
let the bitterness be replaced with the sowing of good seed, of the Spirit of
truth and light. Rest your head on His bosom, feel the beat of His heart.
What
He promises is true. Life for life; but don't be a fool, He knows your heart...
(Gal 6:7-8 KJV) Be not deceived; G-d
is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. {8} For he
that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth
to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
I said before believing is one thing, but what you do
with what you believe is the important thing. Is there a guarantee that what we
believe is true? Well, the only way I can answer you that is that my life was
transformed, by the change and what has occurred since I was
raised out of the depth of my sin. Let me ask you this one thing though; if we
who believe in an Almighty G-d, in the Yeshua Ha’Machiach are wrong, and there
is no G-d, what have we lost?
If
we who believe are wrong, and there is no G-d, what have we lost?
A few “good” times at the bar? Maybe some STD’s? Didn’t watch some X-rated movies? No drugs? O my, no more scrounging' around in
garbage cans for something to eat, no more sleeping under a dark bridge, no
more beating my spouse or my children!?!
You get my point? What have we missed?
Our lives have changed; we go home to our families, pay our bills, enjoying
life to the fullest extent possible for we are at peace with our fellow
man… Being a blessing and not a curse…
Then
we die.
Psalm
103:15-16 (NET)
Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
Our lives are short, nothing but
a vapor. Our life can be compared to the flower in the wild, subject to the
whim of nature and the dangers of the field. Who will know us when we are gone?
Time passes and memories fade. Who remembers? If believers are truly wrong,
then we die and are forgotten. What have we lost? Hopefully we've left
something behind, if only just the fading memories of a life well lived, of a
legacy of helping and loving others as we love ourselves, of trying to make a
difference in the name of a loving Savior. To say we are wrong, then, is to say
that there no point, truly no justice except what man can mete out to those
it's laws can catch and punish. Those who can get away with their crimes die
just like us, the memories eventually fading, their victims unavenged. Let the
strong rule the weak and those who dream of a life in the here-after are just
fools. What point is life then? To just survive and get as much out of it as we
can by whatever method appeals to us? This entire struggle for of life - for
what? If this is all there is then truly there is no purpose in life but to
survive it. We struggle and survive whatever life hands us, just so we can die.
The wisest man ever, Solomon, put it this way:
Ecclesiastes
2:14-18 (AMP)
14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness;
and yet I perceived that [in the end] one event happens to them both. [Prov.
17:24.]
15 Then said I in my heart, As it happens to the fool, so it will happen
even to me. And of what use is it then for me to be more wise? Then I said in
my heart, this also is vanity (emptiness, vainglory, and futility)!
16 For of the wise man, the same as of the fool, there is no permanent
remembrance, since in the days to come all will be long forgotten. And how does
the wise man die? Even as the fool!
17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to
me; for all is vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it.
18 And I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing
that I must leave it to the man who will succeed me. [Ps. 49:10.] [14]
Of these verses spoke Matthew Henry:
“…Verses 18–26
Our hearts are very loth to quit their expectations of
great things from the creature; but Solomon came to this at length. The world
is a vale of tears, even to those that have much of it. See what fools they
are, who make themselves drudges to the world, which affords a man nothing
better than subsistence for the body. And the utmost he can attain in this
respect is to allow himself a sober, cheerful use thereof, according to his rank
and condition. But we must enjoy good in our labour; we must use those things
to make us diligent and cheerful in worldly business. And this is the gift of
God. Riches are a blessing or a curse to a man, according as he has, or has
not, a heart to make a good use of them. To those that are accepted of the
Lord, he gives joy and satisfaction in the knowledge and love of him. But to
the sinner he allots labour, sorrow, vanity, and vexation, in seeking a worldly
portion, which yet afterwards comes into better hands. Let the sinner seriously
consider his latter end. To seek a lasting portion in the love of Christ and
the blessings it bestows, is the only way to true and satisfying enjoyment even
of this present world…” [15]
So is this only our opinion? If
it is, no consequence; we die, and that's it. Whatever we were able to wrought
out of life is our legacy, that and a slab of granite over a small plot of land
if we are lucky. Vanity, all vanity.
But
yet, there is a flip side; what if believers are right?
What if there is a Creator in
heaven, weighing out the scales of justice, of mercy and grace? What if this G-d
created us for the purpose of loving us and in return we loving Him, of being called
the sons and daughters of the Most High G-d if we believe? What's the
consequence then? It is ETERNAL...
Matthew
5:17-22 (NET)
5:17 “Do not think that I
have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these
things but to fulfill them.17 5:18 I18 tell you the truth,19 until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a
letter20 will pass from the law until everything takes place. 5:19
So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others21 to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever
obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of
heaven. 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes
beyond that of the experts in the law22 and the Pharisees,23 you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Anger and Murder
5:21 “You have heard that
it was said to an older generation,24 ‘Do not murder,’25 and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’ 5:22
But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother26 will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults27 a brother will be brought before28 the council,29
Matthew
5:29-30 (HCSB)
29 If your right eye •causes you to sin, m gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into •hell. n 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell! [17]
29 If your right eye •causes you to sin, m gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into •hell. n 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell! [17]
Matthew
10:28 (JNT)
28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are powerless to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gei-Hinnom. [18]
28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are powerless to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gei-Hinnom. [18]
Matthew
23:13–39 (CJB)
13 “But woe to
you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! For you are
shutting the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces, neither entering yourselves
nor allowing those who wish to enter to do so. 14 *
15 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You
go about over land and sea to make one proselyte; and when you succeed, you
make him twice as fit for Gei-Hinnom as you are!
16 “Woe to you, you blind guides! You say, ‘If someone swears by the Temple,
he is not bound by his oath; but if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is
bound.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is more important? the gold?
or the Temple which makes the gold holy? 18 And you say, ‘If
someone swears by the altar, he is not bound by his oath; but if he swears by
the offering on the altar, he is bound.’ 19 Blind men! Which is
more important? the sacrifice? or the altar which makes the sacrifice holy? 20 So
someone who swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it. 21 And
someone who swears by the Temple swears by it and the One who lives in it. 22 And
someone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and the One who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You
pay your tithes of mint, dill and cumin; but you have neglected the weightier
matters of the Torah—justice, mercy, trust. These are the things you
should have attended to—without neglecting the others! 24 Blind
guides!—straining out a gnat, meanwhile swallowing a camel!
25 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You
clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of robbery
and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Parush! First clean the
inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean too.
27 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You
are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but inside are full
of dead people’s bones and all kinds of rottenness. 28 Likewise,
you appear to people from the outside to be good and honest, but inwardly you
are full of hypocrisy and far from Torah.
29 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You
build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the tzaddikim, 30 and
you say, ‘Had we lived when our fathers did, we would never have taken part in
killing the prophets.’ 31 In this you testify against
yourselves that you are worthy descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go
ahead then, finish what your fathers started!
33 “You snakes! Sons of snakes! How can you escape being condemned to
Gei-Hinnom? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages
and Torah-teachers—some of them you will kill, indeed, you will have
them executed on stakes as criminals; some you will flog in your synagogues and
pursue from town to town. 35 And so, on you will fall the guilt
for all the innocent blood that has ever been shed on earth, from the blood of
innocent Hevel to the blood of Z’kharyah Ben-Berekhyah, whom you murdered
between the Temple and the altar. 36 Yes! I tell you that all
this will fall on this generation!
37 “Yerushalayim! Yerushalayim! You kill the prophets! You stone those who
are sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children, just as a hen
gathers her chickens under her wings, but you refused! 38 Look!
God is abandoning your house to you, leaving it desolate.e
39 For I tell you, from now on, you will not see me again until
you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of Adonai.’ ” f
[20]
[21]
There
are those who speak out against this God, who revile Him, curse His name and
His Son, those who do evil to others and fear nothing they do or say:
(James 3:6
KJV)
And the
tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that
it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is
set on fire of hell.
(2 Pet
2:2-9 KJV)
And many
shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be
evil spoken of. {3} And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make
merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their
damnation slumbereth not. {4} For if G-d spared not the angels that sinned, but
cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be
reserved unto judgment; {5} And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the
eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the
world of the unG-dly; {6} And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into
ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that
after should live unG-dly; {7} And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy
conversation of the wicked: {8} (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in
seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their
unlawful deeds;) {9} The Lord knoweth how to deliver the G-dly out of
temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
O man! See that if YOU are wrong, what awaits
you! What does it profit you to hold on
to this world at the peril of your eternal soul?
Matthew
16:24-27 NASB
24 Then
Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny
himself, and atake up his cross and follow Me.
25 “For
awhoever
wishes to save his 1life will lose it; but whoever loses
his 1life for My sake will find it.
26 “For
what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or
what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
What
is your soul worth?
The
things of the flesh, of this world?
The
things that can be destroyed, stolen, taken away?
When you pour all you have into those things made by
man's hands, how long do you think your kingdom will stand? You work and build,
toil again and again, longing for rest but having none. If you die with the
most toys but lose your soul in the end, what have you gained? As you wail and
gnash your teeth in the vast emptiness of hell will all that you have striven
for have been worth eternal separation from the One that created you, especially
when all He asked from you was your love?
Love
that would have been returned unconditionally, completely.
What price did you forfeit your soul for, to deny Him
and the words of life? Change. Turn around. Repent this day, this hour,
for He who sits on the throne of heaven could demand your soul of you – you are
after all, only one heartbeat away from eternity.
If you only had a
1% chance of dying from an exotic disease, but no chance of dying if you took a
free, completely safe vaccination, would you get the shot or would you be
willing to take the risk? It's the same with grace. If there was only a one
percent chance that God does exist, is it worth it to deny His grace? God's
grace is free, yours for the asking. The day of grace is closing though. Take
the cure and live, or ignore it and pay the price. Two choices, but know this,
they're the only two offered.
Whether
you believe or not DOES matter.
For
all eternity, it matters.
All men/women KNOW in their spirit that God does exist.
What we do with this knowledge determines our destiny, either forever with Yahveh
the Father or forever where the worm dies not and there is weeping and gnashing
of teeth. Change? I pray you make the right choice. I leave you with this:
(John 8:36
KJV)
If
the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
May
Yahveh richly bless you my beloved, Amein.
[1] Authors note: Use
of information from Jewish-themed websites should not be construed as these
sites endorsing or confirming any thesis introduced by the author of this
epistle. I present the information from their respective sites for
instructional purposes only and/or to aid in the readers understanding of the
subjects discussed. The inverse is also true – by using these sites in no way
confirms or denies that this author holds to all things found on these sites –
but brethren, we all can learn from one another, Jew and Gentile; may it be so
in shalom and love and respect.
[2]
Author’s note:
Throughout this study I’ll be using the Net® Bible and the Net® Notes: within the notes you’ll see symbols like this: ( א B Ψ 892*
2427 sys). These are abbreviations used by the NetBible© for
identifying the principal manuscript evidence that they (authors and
translators of the NetBible©) used in
translating the New Testament. Please go to
https://bible.org/netbible/ and
see their section labeled “NET Bible Principals of Translation” for a more
complete explanation on these symbols and other items pertinent to the way the
NET Bible uses them.
[3] Author’s Note: In
these studies I have used the notes that come along with the passages I cite
from the sources that I cite: these need a bit of a disclaimer though. As in
all things, not everything that is footnoted is something that I necessarily
agree with, especially if it contradicts what I believe pertains to any matters
of the Torah or the commandments of G-d. I give you the notes as they are written by the authors of the
material I cite from, so that you can see the information contained within
them. It truly is not my place to edit or correct them; if they state anything
that is in opposition to what I teach, then so be it. I will address these
issues if requested, but for the sake of brevity (as if any of these posts of
mine are brief ☺ ) I insert them and let them stand
as they are. If I don’t agree with them, why do I include them you might ask? I
don’t believe in censuring anyone’s opinions or scholarship; as I would not
want mine censured, so I will not do to that to another. As Rabbi Hillel once
stated, “What is hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the whole Torah.
Go and learn it.” Torah leads me to respect others, even if I disagree; it leads
me to present both sides of the coin, even if it could mean I’d lose part of
the argument. That is not to say I should not challenge something I believe
contradicts the truth of G-d’s word; that I will do in the main body of my
epistles; that is where my gentle dissent belongs. Most (but not all) of the
differences will come when I quote from the NET® Bible (but not exclusively);
it has a decidedly Western/Greek mindset to it, but as a wise man once said
“How do you eat chicken? Swallow the meat and spit out the bones…” I do though
want to present the NET® notes because there is a wealth of information and
research contained within them that I hope you find helpful.
[4] One may wonder why I omit the “o”
when I write the title “G-d”. While there are many who say that to leave out
the “o” is a sign of being under the influence of the Rabbis who forbid saying
the name of Yahveh, I say, one must come to a conclusion on their own, and do
as their heart convicts them (within the bounds of G-d’s word of course). I
believe in the power of the name of the Most High – the name of Yahveh – and in
uttering it in awe and reverence, yet find no contradiction in my soul for the
hyphenated title “G-d”. I have written it both ways – stopped doing it, and now
I have returned to the practice – as I said, one must follow the conviction of
their heart. I do not disrespect anyone else’s opinion on this matter, and
regardless if you think it wrong or right, I ask for the same respect. Let each
be fully persuaded in their own mind and heart – and let G-d sort it out with
each believer. For now, this is right for me, till the Father corrects - or
confirms; I am after all, a work in progress. Shalom.
[5] Stern,
D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible: an English version of the Tanakh (Old
Testament) and B’rit Hadashah (New Testament) (1st ed., 1 Co 4:6–14).
Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications.
[7] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The
NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible.
Biblical Studies Press.
·
[The following notes are taken from the
NET Bible® footnotes, copyright (c) 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press L.L.C.
All rights reserved. Used by permission from www.bible.org, n.d. Numbering
system is unique to NET® Notes.. For
more information see footnote #2 and 3.]
49 tn Or “unformed.” Gen 1:2
describes the world as “unformed” (תֹהוּ,
tohu) prior to G-d’s creative work, but G-d then
formed the world and made it fit for habitation.
52 tn
The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק
(tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים
(mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they
are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one
might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”
55 tn
The Niphal imperative with prefixed vav
(ו) indicates purpose after the
preceding imperative. The Niphal probably has a tolerative sense, “allow
yourselves to be delivered, accept help.”
[8] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English.
NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.
[9] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update.
1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard
version. 2003. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Stern,
D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible: an English version of the Tanakh (Old
Testament) and B’rit Hadashah (New Testament) (1st ed., Dt 30:19–20).
Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications.
a Num 15:31; 2 Chr 36:16
1 Lit pledged to it
b Prov 13:21
1 Or law
a Prov 10:11; 14:27
b Ps 18:5
a Ps 111:10; Prov 3:4
a Prov 12:23
1 Lit spreads out
[12] New
American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Pr 13:13–16). LaHabra, CA:
The Lockman Foundation.
·
[The following notes are taken from the NET
Bible® footnotes, copyright (c) 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press L.L.C. All
rights reserved. Used by permission from www.bible.org, n.d.
Numbering system is unique to NET® Notes..
For more information see footnote #2 and 3.]
25 tn Heb “[as for] mankind,
like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ
(’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What
is said is true of all mankind.
26 tn
Heb “[the] wind.” The word “hot” is
supplied in the translation for clarification.
·
End “NET®” notes
[13] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English.
NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.
[14] The amplified Bible, containing the
amplified Old Testament and the amplified New Testament. 1987. La Habra,
CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[15]Henry, M., & Scott, T. (1997). Matthew Henry's
Concise Commentary (Ec 2:18). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems.
·
[The following notes are taken from the NET
Bible® footnotes, copyright (c) 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press L.L.C. All
rights reserved. Used by permission from www.bible.org, n.d. Numbering system
is unique to NET® Notes.. For more
information see footnote #2 and 3.]
17 tn Grk “not come to abolish
but to fulfill.” Direct objects (“these things,” “them”) were frequently
omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but have been supplied here to
conform to contemporary English style.
sn The smallest letter refers to the
smallest Hebrew letter (yod) and the stroke of a letter to a
serif (a hook or projection on a Hebrew letter).
26 tc The majority of mss read the word εἰκῇ (eikē, “without cause”) here after “brother.” This
insertion has support from א2 D L W Θ 0233 f1, 13 33 M it sy co Irlat Ormss
Cyp Cyr. Thus the Western, Caesarean, and Byzantine texttypes all include the
word, while the best Alexandrian and some other witnesses (P64 א* B 1424mg pc aur vg Or Hiermss) lack it. The ms evidence favors
its exclusion, though there is a remote possibility that εἰκῇ could have been accidentally omitted from these
witnesses by way of homoioarcton (the next word, ἔνοχος [enochos, “guilty“], begins with the same letter).
An intentional change would likely arise from the desire to qualify “angry,”
especially in light of the absolute tone of Jesus’ words. While “without cause”
makes good practical sense in this context, and must surely be a true
interpretation of Jesus’ meaning (cf. Mark 3:5), it does not commend itself as
original.
27 tn
Grk “whoever says to his brother ‘Raca,’” an Aramaic word of contempt or
abuse meaning “fool” or “empty head.”
30 tn
The meaning of the term μωρός (mōros) is somewhat disputed. Most take it to mean, following the Syriac
versions, “you fool,” although some have argued that it represents a
transliteration into Greek of the Hebrew term מוֹרֵה (moreh) “rebel” (Deut 21:18, 20; cf. BDAG 663 s.v. μωρός c).
sn The word translated hell is
“Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south
side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan
god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5–6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place
where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the
intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine
punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).
[16] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English.
NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.
• The Greek word skandalizo has a root meaning of “snare” or “trap,”
but has no real English counterpart.
• Greek Gehenna; Aramaic for Valley of Hinnom
on the south side of Jerusalem; it was formerly a place of human sacrifice and
in NT times a place for the burning of garbage; the place of final judgment for
those rejecting Christ.
[18] Stern, D. H. (1989). Jewish New Testament
: A translation of the New Testament that expresses its Jewishness (1st
ed.). Jerusalem, Israel; Clarksville, Md., USA: Jewish New Testament
Publications.
* Some manuscripts include verse
14: Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! For you
swallow up widow’s houses while making a show of davvening at great
length. Because of this your punishment will be all the worse!
e Jeremiah 22:5
[21] 13–36 Nowhere
is it clearer than here and at 21:12–13 that the image of “gentle Jesus, meek
and mild” falls short of reality. The repeated slashing litany, Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers (“scribes”; see 2:4N)
and P˒rushim!
angers Jews, mystifies Gentiles and embarrasses Christians, who find Yeshua’s
remarks intemperate, antisemitic, even “un-Christlike.” But Yeshua, like all
the prophets, spoke the words of God without fear or favor. He comforted those
who were open to him and made repeated invitation to those who opposed him; but
when it had become evident that these particular Torah-teachers and P˒rushim
were hardhearted, closed-minded and interested only in confuting or trapping
him, he seized the initiative, revealing his accusers for what they were. Was
he “unloving” toward them? Love must sometimes be tough. Even less was he
antisemitic: his within-the-family correction was aimed at making these Jewish
brothers of his live up to their high calling (and he partly succeeded; see Ac
15:5, 21:20, 23:6). If Yeshua was unloving or antisemitic, one must say the
same of all the Jewish prophets from Moses to Malachi.
A truer measure of antisemitism—as it developed in the
Church—is the ease with which the terms “scribes” and “Pharisees” are
uncritically equated with “hypocrites,” falsely implying that all of them were. For Yeshua, in
addressing “you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P˒rushim” rather than “the
hypocritical Torah-teachers and P˒rushim,” restricts his scathing
denunciation to a specific group of them. See 3:7N, Mk 12:38N, 1 Th
2:14–16&NN. The Jewish scholar Menahem Mansoor, writing in the Encyclopedia Judaica, also recognizes
this:
“While the Pharisees, as a whole, set a high ethical
standard for themselves, not all lived up to it. It is mistakenly held that the
New Testament references to them as ‘hypocrites’ or ‘offspring of vipers’
(Matt. 3:7; Luke 18:9ff., etc.) are applicable to the entire group. However,
the leaders were well aware of the presence of the insincere among their
numbers, described by the Pharisees themselves in the Talmud as ‘sore spots’ or
‘plagues of the Pharisaic party’ (Sot. 3:4 and 22b).” (Encyclopedia Judaica 13:366)
The Mishna remarks that the “plagues” (or “hits” or
“self-inflicted wounds”) “of Pharisees … ruin the world” (Sotah 3:4). The
Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds both comment on this in famous passages
delineating seven kinds of Pharisees (J. B’rakhot 14b, Sotah 20c; B. Sotah
22b). The following is a hybrid combining elements from both Talmuds with
rabbinic expositions; it mentions eight kinds:
There are seven kinds of Pharisees: the “shoulder”
Pharisee, who ostentatiously carries his good deeds on his shoulder so all can
see them; the “wait-a-moment” Pharisee, who wants you to wait while he performs
a mitzvah; the bruised Pharisee, who
runs into a wall while looking at the ground to avoid seeing a woman; the
“reckoning” Pharisee, who commits a sin, then does a good deed and balances the
one against the other; the “pestle” Pharisee, whose head is bowed in false
humility, like a pestle in a mortar; the Pharisee who asks, “What is my duty,
so that I may do it?” as if he thought he had fulfilled every obligation
already (compare Pp 3:5–6&NN); the Pharisee from fear of the consequences
if he doesn’t perform the commandments; and the Pharisee from love—either love
of the rewards God promises for performing the commandments, or love of Torah itself [no matter which, he is
understood here to be the one good kind of Pharisee].
Continuing with B. Sotah 22b:
“Abaye and Raba said to the teacher [of the above
passage], ‘Don’t mention the Pharisee from love and the Pharisee from fear,
because Rav Y’hudah quoted Rav as saying, “A person should always engage
himself in Torah and mitzvot even if not for their own sake
[i.e., even if motivated by fear of punishment or love of reward; see above];
because from doing them not for their own sake he will come to do them for
their own sake.” ’ Rabbi Nachman ben-Yitzchak said, ‘What is hidden is hidden,
and what is revealed is revealed—the Great Tribunal will punish those who rub
themselves against the walls, simulating humility [that is, God penetrates
hypocrisy, reads hearts and judges truly; compare Lk 16:15&N, Yn 2:25].’ ”
The passage concludes with this quotation from
Alexander Yannai, the Hasmonean ruler of Judea (103–76 b.c.e.), who hated the
Pharisees:
“King Yannai said to his wife, ‘Fear neither the
Pharisees nor those who are not Pharisees; rather, fear the tsvu˓in who ape the Pharisees, because
their deeds are like the deed of Zimri (Numbers 25:14) but they expect a reward
like that of Pinchas (Numbers 25:11).’ ”
The literal sense of the Aramaic word “tsvu˓in” is “dyed, colored,” from which
comes the metaphorical meaning, “hypocrites”; it also means “hyenas.”
a Matt 10:38; Luke 14:27
a Matt 10:39
1 Or soul
a Matt 8:20
b Matt 10:23; 24:3, 27, 37, 39; 26:64;
Mark 8:38; 13:26; Luke 21:27; John 21:22; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor 15:23; 1 Thess 1:10;
4:16; 2 Thess 1:7, 10; 2:1, 8; James 5:7f; 2 Pet 1:16; 3:4, 12; 1 John 2:28;
Rev 1:7
c Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12; Rom 2:6; 14:12; 1
Cor 3:13; 2 Cor 5:10; Eph 6:8; Col 3:25; Rev 2:23; 20:12; 22:12
1 Or recompense
2 Lit doing
[22]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Mt
16:24-27). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
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