Podcasts about Eliezer

#información #propuestas #alcalde Vientos de huracán que amenazan El Escambrón. Las comunidades de San juan se aprestan a dejar claro por qué se oponen al propyecto de construir estacionamiento en El Escambrón, mientras descubrimos que el Alcalde lo maneja desde el 2025 y nunca dijo nada. | Ex secretario de DRNA del PNP advierte que hay dos proyectos en la Legislatura que son detrimentales para la costa de PR. ¡Conéctate, comenta y comparte! #periodismoindependiente #periodismodigital #periodismoinvestigativo Síguenos en nuestras redes sociales: tiktok.com: https://x.com/Bonita_Radio Facebook: / bonitaradio Instagram: / bonitaradio X: https://x.com/Bonita_Radio

#información #propuestas #alcalde Vientos de huracán que amenazan El Escambrón. Las comunidades de San juan se aprestan a dejar claro por qué se oponen al propyecto de construir estacionamiento en El Escambrón, mientras descubrimos que el Alcalde lo maneja desde el 2025 y nunca dijo nada. | Ex secretario de DRNA del PNP advierte que hay dos proyectos en la Legislatura que son detrimentales para la costa de PR. ¡Conéctate, comenta y comparte! #periodismoindependiente #periodismodigital #periodismoinvestigativo Síguenos en nuestras redes sociales: tiktok.com: https://x.com/Bonita_Radio Facebook: / bonitaradio Instagram: / bonitaradio X: https://x.com/Bonita_Radio

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Turn Back to God by Autumn Dickson Time for another Old Testament story. Jehoshaphat is a king of Judah. He is a righteous king who worked on pushing the hearts of his people towards the Lord. He tears down idols. He seeks out the will of the Lord. He's a good man, though imperfect at times. At one point in time, Jehoshaphat finds himself in Israel with his ally, the wicked King Ahab. Ahab wants to go fight Syria to recapture a city that was taken from Israel. Jehoshaphat agrees but wants to consult a prophet first. After consulting 400 false prophets who declare that they will be victorious, Jehoshaphat insists on consulting a true prophet. The true prophet, Micaiah, comes and prophesies that they will lose and Ahab will die. Micaiah is actually quite awesome, but he is a story for another day. Despite Micaiah's prophecies, Ahab and Jehoshaphat try to fight Syria. It obviously doesn't go very well. Ahab tells Jehoshaphat to wear royal robes, and Ahab dresses like a common soldier. Syria immediately starts trying to kill Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat calls out to the Lord and is saved. Ahab takes a random arrow and dies. Jehoshaphat returns home and is greeted by a prophet from his own kingdom. 2 Chronicles 19:2-3 2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. 3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. After this experience, Jehoshaphat continues to make reforms to point his people towards the Lord. Jehoshaphat was not a perfect king, but he was a good king. In the Old Testament, we read a lot about the Lord punishing disobedience quickly and strongly. There is a reason for that; the Lord is warning us about the spiritual consequences of disobedience. And yet, the Lord doesn't do this with Jehoshaphat despite his multiple recorded failings. We see Jehoshaphat's weakness a few more times over his reign. Later on, Jehoshaphat makes another alliance with Ahab's son, the new king of Israel. They built a bunch of ships together, and the prophet, Eliezer, prophesies that the ships will get destroyed. They get destroyed. One of the ways that these two nations were allied was through a marriage. Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, marries Ahab's daughter. It comes back to haunt Jehoshaphat later when Jehoram starts worshipping idols and Ahab's daughter tries to wipe out the Davidic line. I love the nuance here. Jehoshaphat made mistakes, but God spares him. He has weaknesses; he keeps trying to connect himself further with the northern kingdom that is wicked and idolatrous. There are two “despites” here that teach something really important. Despite the fact that Jehoshaphat loves God, his disobedience and lack of trust come back to bite him. He loves God, but he has to experience consequences because of his flaws. Despite the fact that Jehoshaphat has flaws, God continues to save him. He is directly saved in the battle that he fought with King Ahab, but he is preserved upon the throne until he “rested with his ancestors.” This is a biblical phrase that suggests he died peacefully. I see it in my own life all the time. Despite the fact that I love God, I have flaws and they come with consequences. They drive me to be unhappy. When I get frustrated with my kids or get prideful or uncharitable, I find innate consequences that come back to bite me. And yet, despite the fact that I have flaws, God continues to save me. We just keep on trying to move forward. As I pondered this pattern, I thought of some of the other patterns I find in the Old Testament, specifically the pattern where God punishes those who trust mankind over Him. We see examples of kings that trusted Egypt but found themselves completely fallen to Babylon. Why didn't Jehoshaphat find himself in this category? As I pondered Jehoshaphat's exception, I was reminded that Hezekiah is another example of this. Hezekiah tried paying tribute to Babylon to get them to go away, and he even stripped the gold and silver out of the temple in order to pay that tribute. So why were Hezekiah and Jehoshaphat spared when they also didn't put their trust fully in God? There is one more verse I want to share. It's about Jehoshaphat, but Hezekiah did a similar thing. 2 Chronicles 18:31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him. What was the difference? Jehoshaphat called out to God. Hezekiah did similarly. After stripping the temple and failing, Hezekiah went to the temple and pleaded with the Lord. When do we really lose the battle? When we turn on the Lord and don't turn back to Him again after. I think that's really one of the keys to life here. We all fail. It's inevitable. What keeps us in the pattern of Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah? We turn to the Lord again even after we failed Him. We plead to Him and ask for forgiveness even in the midst of the potentially devastating consequences that we got ourselves into. We just keep turning back, no matter how many times we've failed. I testify that we can turn to God, no matter how many times we've failed. I testify that this pattern is the one that really grants us success: turning to the Lord over and over and over and over. Even when we've failed Him, we turn right back. We trust that He will still love us, and we ask Him to help us get out of it and get better. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

A sermon preached by Rev. Dr. Yongchi Rhie with Foundry United Methodist Church, July 12, 2026. "Sermon Series Part II: The United Methodist Way". Scripture: Exodus 2:15–22; Hebrews 13:1–2   On a hot July day in 2014, I stood in a long line outside the United States Embassy in Seoul. All around me, people were checking their documents, whispering the latest rumors about American immigration policy. Some were praying. Others were quietly rehearsing their lines. When my number was called, I sat down across from a consular officer who read through my papers, jotting notes, pausing on certain pages longer than I would have liked. My pulse rose with every pause. Finally, he looked up and asked, "Ms. Rhie, I see you have just returned home after living in England for quite some time. You already hold a Ph.D. Why do you wish to study theology in the United States?" He had a fair point. What could I say? That after seven years of dissecting the Bible within an inch of its life, I had finally realized what Scripture is for — not an object of intellectual indulgence, but a word meant to be lived out in the lives of people? Should I describe my grief at preaching to empty pews in an increasingly secular Britain, where so many considered the Bible, faith, and God simply no longer relevant? I had to be careful. I had been denied a visa once before, for this very reason. The officer asked about my story, but he seemed to be working from a script of his own, testing whether my story would hold. Every visa interview requires delicate tuning: you must convince them you have real plans for their country while assuring them you have no intention of staying. I truly desire to come to your country! I see abundant opportunity there! Will you let me in? But don't worry — I will never get comfortable enough to call it home. A month later, my passport came back with a visa stamped inside. It declared me a legal alien. That word “alien” always makes me laugh. Ever since I left my home country, I have been a legal alien. And I have learned that it doesn't take green skin, an oversized head, or extraterrestrial powers to be counted an outsider. Sometimes the way I look, the way I speak, or simply the way I carry myself is enough to register as a threat, or at least a discomfort. I could learn the customs of a new land. But would I ever be permitted to call it home? For most of my adult life, I have lived as a stranger in a strange land. A Man With No Country Moses knew that feeling so intimately that he engraved it into his son's name: "She bore a son, and he named him Gershom; for he said, 'I have been an alien residing in a foreign land'" (Exodus 2:22). Hey, Moses, did you ask Gershom about this? Did his mother agree? I feel for the boy. Imagine carrying your father's loneliness as your name. Let's step into the story and meet Moses by a well in Midian. His whole life, up to this moment, has been an exercise in not belonging and his very name tells the story. Pharaoh's daughter called him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water" (Exod. 2:10). Drawn out: a Hebrew baby lifted from the Nile, out of a death decree, into a palace that was never quite his. Hebrew by blood, Egyptian by upbringing, Moses grows up belonging to neither world. And when he finally goes out to "his people," as the text pointedly calls them in verse 11, everything unravels. He sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave and strikes the Egyptian down (2:11–12). The next day he tries to reconcile two Hebrews who are fighting, and one of them turns on him: "Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Do you hear the wound in that question? Yes, Moses committed a crime the day before; out of anger, perhaps, but also out of compassion for an enslaved kinsman. Today he steps in again, and his own people read his help as a grab for power: the palace insider playing ruler over the enslaved. His act of deliverance is recast as a threat; his sacrifice, as ambition. When word reaches Pharaoh, the king seeks his life. So Moses flees - rejected by Egypt as a criminal, rejected by the Hebrews as a pretender - a man with no country, no people, and a name that only reminds him he was pulled out of one world without ever being planted in another. That is the man who collapses, exhausted, by a well in Midian. What Happens at a Well Now listen closely to how the text tells what happens there, because every detail is doing holy work. Scripture says, "he sat down by a well" (v. 15). In the Hebrew Bible, nothing significant ever happens by accident at a well. Wells are where Abraham's servant found Rebekah, where Jacob met Rachel, where Jesus met a Samaritan woman: places of encounter where God's providence quietly gathers up displaced people and gives them a future. When the original audience heard "Moses sat down by a well," they leaned in. Something is about to begin. Seven daughters of the priest of Midian come to draw water, and rough shepherds drive them away. Hear the Hebrew: the shepherds vayegarshum — they drove them out. It is the very root, garash, from which Moses will later coin the name Gershom, the driven-out one. And here is what astonishes me: Moses inserts himself again. Consider what meddling has already cost this man- his home, his standing, very nearly his life. The prudent thing would be to keep his head down, drink his water, and let Midian's troubles remain Midian's troubles. He owes these women nothing, and no one in this town even knows his name. Yet the one who has been driven out cannot sit still while others are driven out before his eyes. And what does the text say he does? "Moses stood up and saved them" (v. 17) — vayoshian, from yasha, the root that will one day give us the names Joshua and Jesus. Here, at a foreign well, in a single unrewarded act - defending strangers, drawing water for distressed people and their animals - the fugitive rehearses his calling. This is the man through whom God will save a people. Then comes the irony. The daughters run home and report, "An Egyptian delivered us from the shepherds." An Egyptian! Moses is a Hebrew raised in Pharaoh's house, a man belonging fully to neither world, and even his good deed is credited to the wrong identity. Why Bother? And then the young women are gone, and Moses is alone again. No thank-you. No name asked. Not even a drink of fresh water from the well he had just defended. Three times now he has stretched himself for others, and three times his actions went unacknowledged, his words were rebuked, his authority was denied, his very identity was questioned. Sitting in the dust by that well, Moses might well have wondered: Why do I keep doing this? Why can't I just mind my own business? When your act of hospitality is met with silence — or worse, resentment — the temptation whispers: Why bother? I could just live for my own interest, my own comfort, my own happiness. Going the extra mile only makes you tired and pushes you further from your home. Friends, be honest: have you been there? Why do we help others? What is going on inside us when we stretch ourselves for people who may never stretch back? The One Who Noticed But even in the middle of this mess, someone notices Moses. Hearing what happened at the well, Reuel asks his daughters: "Where is he? Why did you leave the man? Invite him to break bread." Reuel is a Midianite priest - a foreigner, an outsider to Israel's story —- and yet he is the one who models the hospitality that the daughters, and Egypt, and even Moses' own people had failed to offer. This foreigner does not interrogate the stranger's papers. He sets a table. And at that table, the fugitive becomes family. Moses marries Zipporah and holds a son whose name tells the truth — ger, stranger. It is no accident that the Torah will later command Israel more than thirty times to protect the ger: "You shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." We lament the loss of this entire ethic of welcome in today's world. And notice: it all happened around the well. The well was already there. Before Moses arrived - before he had done anything right, and long after he had done something terribly wrong - the water was waiting. This is the heartbeat of our United Methodist way. John Wesley called it prevenient grace: the grace that goes before us. Before we repent, before we believe, before we even know God's name, God's love is already at work ahead of us, digging wells in the deserts of our lives. Moses thought he was a fugitive stumbling upon a random watering hole. In truth, grace had arrived before him; with a family, a vocation, and, on a nearby mountain, the God who says, "I have observed the misery of my people, and I have come down to deliver them." Two Loves, One Gospel Our second reading today, the letter to the Hebrews gathers this whole story into two luminous verses: "Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:1-2). The Greek translation is even better than the English here, because it names two different loves. Mutual love is philadelphia — the love of brothers and sisters. Anyone from Philly here? Did you know your city's name means the love of kinship? Philadelphia is the affection we give people who are already ours: family, friends, fellow members — the ones who look like us, pray like us, vote like us. That love matters. "Let it continue," Hebrews says. But then comes the harder word: philoxenia. Literally, love of the xenos — the stranger, the outsider, the one who shares nothing with you but a common humanity. Philadelphia loves the person already inside the circle; philoxenia widens the circle. Any club can manage philadelphia. Only the gospel produces philoxenia. And we know the opposite word all too well, because it is one of the few Greek words English never bothered to translate: xenophobia — fear of the stranger. We see it whenever an entire people is reduced to a threat: when immigrants are spoken of as terrorists and criminals rather than as mothers, fathers, and children of sacred worth; when a teenager sits in a church pew and learns to hide who they are, because the sanctuary feels less safe than the street; when a synagogue or a mosque must hire armed guards just to gather for prayer; when a job application is quietly set aside because the name at the top sounds too foreign. Xenophobia is the world's oldest sickness. It built Pharaoh's brickyards, and it is still building walls that separate children from their parents today. But friends, I have also seen philoxenia — and so have you. I have seen it in congregations that furnished apartments and stocked refrigerators for refugee families they had never met. I have seen it right here in this city, when buses of migrants arrived at Union Station with nothing, and churches and neighbors showed up with food, coats, and cots — before the cameras did. I have seen it in church basements turned into English classes and legal clinics, and at kitchen tables where someone simply said to the new family on the block, "Come, eat with us." Hospitality, Scripture insists, is not charity flowing downhill from host to guest. It is "entertaining angels without knowing it." It is the doorway through which God's love slips into our lives, often unannounced. Holy Meddling Now, this is the final Sunday of our series on the United Methodist way. Who are we? What defines us? What is our calling — as Christians, as United Methodists, as members of Foundry? I want to name something about Moses that we United Methodists have always claimed as our own: Moses meddles. Three times in one chapter he inserts himself into conflicts that were, strictly speaking, none of his business: an enslaved Hebrew, two quarreling kinsmen, seven harassed women at a well. He refuses to stay in his comfort zone. That holy meddling is our family trait. Our Social Principles declare of our public witness: "The United Methodist Church believes God's love for the world is an active and engaged love, a love seeking justice and liberty. We cannot just be observers." There is no private faith that hoards grace and calls it piety. As Desmond Tutu warned us: "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." Friends, this is who we are. We are the people who refuse to mind our own business when God's children are being driven out — from lunch counters to detention centers, from housing courts to hospital waiting rooms. We wrestle with Scripture, we wrestle with our assumptions, we wrestle with our faith and our calling — and like Moses, we stand up. Because we serve a Lord who said, "I was a stranger, and you welcomed me." From Gershom to Eliezer Church, watch what grace does with a meddler. Moses named his first son Gershom: "I have been a stranger in a strange land." But his second son he named Eliezer: "My God is my helper." Between those two names lies an entire conversion. The stranger became a host. The man who once sought water at a well became the one through whom God drew a whole people out of bondage, through mighty waters, into freedom. God still loves to do this. God takes our Gershom — our alienation, our wounds, our wandering — and rewrites it as Eliezer: my God is my helper. Helper: not in advancing my ambitions or protecting my own wealth, family, and safety, but in teaching me to love God and to love my neighbor as myself. People often mistake "with God, all things are possible" for a guarantee of personal fulfillment. No. God helps us toward something far greater: to serve higher purposes, to forgive and to love, to give and to build, to lay down our lives for friends who were once strangers. We can live out the radical, divine, universal love of God — because God is with us, and God helps us. The Invitation So here is my invitation: this week, don't leave the town of Philly just yet. It is good to stay connected to the love of kin — philadelphia. But intentionally seek out and practice philoxenia. Is there a newcomer in the pew near you, or new to your building, your office, your block? Don't wait for the welcome committee - go say hello, learn their name, and remember it. Does someone need prayer? Don't merely promise to pray for them; ask if you may pray with them, right there, for two holy minutes. Is a neighbor navigating a new language, a new diagnosis, a new grief? Set a table, the way Reuel did: "Invite them to break bread." Philadelphia is dinner with your sister; philoxenia is adding a chair for someone whose story you don't yet know. One helpful discipline for the coming week: each evening, ask yourself two questions. Who did I love today who already loves me? That's philadelphia — good, keep it up. And: Who did I welcome today who could give me nothing back? That's philoxenia — the stretch. If the second column stays empty for a few days, that's the invitation talking. And now, before we close, one more invitation, because sermons about wells should end at one. If today you are the one in the wilderness - if you walked in this morning feeling like a stranger in a strange land - hear the good news: the well is already here. Grace arrived before you did. Before you ever learn to love yourself, before you learn to love your neighbor as yourself, you are already loved by the God of living water…not because of anything you have done, but because of whose you are. If you doubt this grace, then as we sing our final hymn, I invite you: come. Come to this altar, and let us pray with you. You don't need the right words; Moses didn't have them either. Just come and stand by the well with us. And perhaps you came in this morning already full. Then I invite you to consider the many ways you can become a living well for others: a place where people come to know and experience the way of philoxenia, the love of the stranger. The name you have yet to forgive. The prayer you will offer on the spot. The table you will set for the weary. The grace you will give without asking anything in return. Whether you come forward or stand still, the invitation is the same: Come to the well, and then go and become one. Amen.

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Jungle Quest: Discovering History, Redemption, and Unity Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2026-07-21-22-34-02-he Story Transcript:He: בקיץ חם ויבש, שלוש דמויות התכנסו בתחילת דרכן במסע אל תוך הג'ונגלים העבותים.En: In the hot and dry summer, three figures gathered at the beginning of their journey into the dense jungles.He: אליעזר, מרצה להיסטוריה, תלוי במוניטין שלו לתקן שגיאות עבר.En: Eliezer, a history lecturer, relied on his reputation to correct past mistakes.He: דליה, סטודנטית נמרצת, נחושה להוכיח את ערכה האקדמי.En: Dalia, a determined student, was intent on proving her academic worth.He: רונן, מדריך טיולים בעל ניסיון, אינו מאמין בקיומו של המקדש הנסתר.En: Ronen, an experienced tour guide, did not believe in the existence of the hidden temple.He: הליכה בג'ונגל הייתה לא פשוטה.En: Walking in the jungle was not easy.He: הצמחייה הייתה עבה והלחות כבדה באוויר.En: The vegetation was thick and the humidity heavy in the air.He: הטבע נראה כמעט מעלי צירופים של מוזיקה פראית וקולות חייתיים.En: Nature seemed to nearly overwhelm with combinations of wild music and animal sounds.He: מול מזלם, היום היה תשעה באב, יום צום ואבל ביהדות, הזמן בו קיווה אליעזר למצוא גאולה.En: Facing their luck, the day was Tisha B'Av, a fast day of mourning in Judaism, the time when Eliezer hoped to find redemption.He: "אני חושב שאני רואה דרך קצרה יותר", אמר אליעזר והביט בחליפין דרך הסבך.En: "I think I see a shorter way," said Eliezer, looking alternately through the thicket.He: למרות הסכנות, בחרו לחצות את השביל העוקף.En: Despite the dangers, they chose to cross the bypass path.He: השטח היה חלקלק וקשה, אך התחושה של מטרה נשגבת האירה דרכם.En: The terrain was slippery and difficult, but the feeling of a noble purpose illuminated their way.He: כשהשמש החלה לשקוע וכשהרוחות התחילו לנשב בעקשנות, גילו סוף סוף את המקדש הנסתר.En: As the sun began to set and the winds started to blow stubbornly, they finally discovered the hidden temple.He: פתחו היה כמרביעים שער סתור, מסתיר תוכו את הדבר שבאו לחפש.En: Its entrance was like a distorted gate, concealing within it the thing they had come to find.He: דליה ורונן כבר היו מוכנים לוותר, אך עקשנותו של אליעזר מהש בכולם.En: Dalia and Ronen were ready to give up, but Eliezer's persistence rekindled everyone.He: בסערת הרעמים והברקים, הצליחו להיכנס פנימה, ומצאו את האבן הנצורה בזמן בשיתוף פעולה שאיחד את הכוחות.En: In the storm of thunder and lightning, they managed to enter inside and found the stone trapped in time through cooperation that united their forces.He: הם חשו את השמחה המעורבת של גאולה אישית ואחדות קבוצתית.En: They felt the mixed joy of personal redemption and group unity.He: כשהסערה שכחה, שבו לחופשי, יותר קרובים ויותר מבינים זה את זה.En: When the storm subsided, they returned to freedom, closer and more understanding of one another.He: אחרי המסע, אליעזר הבין שבמסעו לגאולה האישית, גילה חשיבות של עבודה בצוות ונכונות לסלוח לעצמו.En: After the journey, Eliezer realized that in his journey for personal redemption, he discovered the importance of teamwork and the willingness to forgive himself.He: דליה ורונן חשו בקשר עמוק יותר להיסטוריה ולתרבותם בזמן שהכירו את החשיבות של אמון הדדי.En: Dalia and Ronen felt a deeper connection to history and their culture while recognizing the importance of mutual trust.He: כך גמר המסע להביא אותם לא רק לתגליתם האישית אלא גם להבנה עמוקה יותר של משמעויות החיים המשותפים.En: Thus, the journey ended up bringing them not only to their personal discovery but also to a deeper understanding of the meanings of shared life. Vocabulary Words:figures: דמויותdense: עבותיםreputation: מוניטיןdetermined: נחושהthicket: סבךintent: נמרצותconcealing: מסתירredemption: גאולהslippery: חלקלקilluminated: האירstubbornly: בעקשנותrekindled: חידשdistorted: סתורoverwhelm: מעלtrapped: נצורהthunder: רעמיםlightning: ברקיםcooperation: שיתוף פעולהunity: אחדותstorm: סערהsubside: שכחהfreedom: חופשיresilience: לחץacknowledgment: הכרהterrain: שטחwillingness: נכונותmutual: הדדיtrust: אמוןnoble: נשגבתjourney: מסעBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Ain choshisn lzera hav according to Reb yehuda is a safek and seh and miktzas seh macklokes reb Eliezer and the rabanan

(This podcast was previously published on August 28, 2021)   Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...   The linage from Abraham to Moses is very interesting to those who are interested in the elect of God.   For there is an elect of God which will be taken by Jesus into heaven when Jesus returns to gather the elect of God from off this earth.   Matthew 24:31 And HE (Jesus) shall send HIS angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together HIS elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.  

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Against All Odds: Flower Power in the Negev Desert Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2026-07-18-22-34-01-he Story Transcript:He: ביום חם בלב מדבר הנגב, היתה חוות פרחים מיוחדת מלאת צבעים.En: On a hot day in the heart of the Negev desert, there was a unique flower farm full of colors.He: יונה היה גיבור הסיפור שלנו.En: Yonah was the hero of our story.He: גבר בתחילת שנות השלושים לחייו, חקלאי נחוש ומלא גאווה.En: A man in his early thirties, a determined and proud farmer.He: הוא טיפח פרחים בעמק הצחיח.En: He cultivated flowers in the arid valley.He: יונה תמיד נראה רגוע ובטוח, אבל בליבו הסתתרה פחד.En: Yonah always appeared calm and confident, but a fear lurked in his heart.He: אם מזג האוויר המדברי ישנה את גורלו.En: What if the desert weather changed his fate?He: מירי ואליעזר, שני עוזרים נאמנים, והשכנים כולם התאספו לפסטיבל הקציר.En: Miri and Eliezer, two loyal assistants, and all the neighbors gathered for the harvest festival.He: שירה, ריקודים וריח פרחים מילאו את האוויר.En: Singing, dancing, and the smell of flowers filled the air.He: פתאום, השמיים התעבו, רוח חזקה החלה לנשוב, וסופת חול איימה להרוס את השמחה.En: Suddenly, the sky thickened, a strong wind began to blow, and a sandstorm threatened to ruin the joy.He: פחד צף בליבו של יונה.En: Fear surfaced in Yonah's heart.He: מה לעשות?En: What to do?He: אם ינסה להציל את הקציר, הסכנה רבה, אבל לא יכול לתת לחוותו להיהרס.En: If he tried to save the harvest, the danger was great, but he couldn't allow his farm to be destroyed.He: היו כיפות הגנה שהיו אמורות להגן על הצמחים בזמן סערה, אבל צריך כוחות עזר כדי לכסות אותם בזמן.En: There were protective domes that were supposed to shield the plants during a storm, but extra hands were needed to cover them in time.He: במהירות החליט יונה לעורר את קהל הפסטיבל.En: Quickly, Yonah decided to rally the festival crowd.He: "בואו נעשה שרשרת אנושית!En: "Let's form a human chain!"He: " קרא בקול.En: he called out loudly.He: כל אחד מהם תפס את יד חברו, יחד חיפו את הצמחים בכיסויי מגן.En: Each person grabbed the hand of their friend, together covering the plants with protective covers.He: הרוח הרביצה בפנים, אבל הכיסוי עמד במבחן.En: The wind slapped their faces, but the covering held the test.He: כל אימת שהסופה התחזקה, הקהיל הפרחים ונאבק עם הטבע.En: Each time the storm intensified, the flower community battled with nature.He: ליבה של מרים הצטרף עם כל פעימה, ואילו אליעזר המשיך לצעוד בעוז.En: Miriam's heart joined with each beat, while Eliezer continued to march with courage.He: ביום החם והמאובק, בין תמרים מקרקשים קיבל יונה מתנה בלית מצפה – הכוח של קהילה מאוחדת.En: On that hot and dusty day, amid rattling palm branches, Yonah received an unexpected gift – the power of a united community.He: לאחר שסופת החול שקטה והאופק התבהר, הפרחים לא ניזוקו.En: After the sandstorm calmed and the horizon cleared, the flowers were unharmed.He: החגיגות נמשכו ליבן, אולי יותר שמחות ממקודם.En: The celebrations continued in their essence, perhaps happier than before.He: יונה הביט סביב, חיוך פניו.En: Yonah looked around, a smile on his face.He: הוא הבין כי לא לבד במעמדו וכי קהילה חזקה מאי פעם חיכתה לו מאחור.En: He realized he was not alone in his standing and that a strong community awaited him, more ready than ever to support him.He: יחד הם יכלו לכל אתגר.En: Together they could overcome any challenge.He: ולראשונה מזה זמן רב, פחדיו התפוגגו.En: And for the first time in a long while, his fears dissipated. Vocabulary Words:unique: מיוחדתdetermined: נחושcultivated: טיפחarid: צחיחlurked: הסתתרהneighbors: שכניםgathered: התאספוthreatened: איימהintentified: התחזקהessence: לבםcommunity: קהילהrattling: מקרקשיםunharmed: לא ניזוקוdusperated: התפוגגוsandstorm: סופת חולthickened: התעבוcovering: חיפוprotective: מגןunexpected: בלתי מצפהbattled: נאבקshield: להגןintensified: התחזקהsupport: לתמוךfate: גורלcalm: רגועconfident: בטוחdetermined: נחושassistants: עוזריםloyal: נאמניםharvest: הקצירBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

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O apóstolo Eliezer Rodrigues nos ensina 5 passos para vencermos o desânimo de acordo com a palavra de Deus. Ouça e Compartilhe.

How do we raise resilient, confident kids in an imperfect world?In this episode, Mussi talks with Keren Eliezer, LSW—social worker, Nurtured Heart Approach trainer, and mother of five—about building strong connections with our children, navigating challenging school systems, and creating the kind of home that helps kids thrive wherever they go.Keren shares her personal journey with NHA and how she uses it now to shape her home and inspire others. Whether you're parenting through everyday challenges or major life transitions, this conversation will leave you encouraged and equipped with simple, powerful tools.How do we raise resilient, confident kids in an imperfect world?In this episode, Mussi talks with Keren Eliezer, LSW—social worker, Nurtured Heart Approach trainer, and mother of five—about building strong connections with our children, navigating challenging school systems, and creating the kind of home that helps kids thrive wherever they go.Keren shares her personal journey with NHA and how she uses it now to shape her home and inspire others. Whether you're parenting through everyday challenges or major life transitions, this conversation will leave you encouraged and equipped with simple, powerful tools.If you want to connect with Keren you can reach her at Keren.eliezer@gmail.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1PbXfKnENr/?mibextid=wwXIfr Instagram: @educationalconsultingisrael For more from me visit my website MussiDiskin.com or email me at EnergizingHearts@gmail.com Check out my free parenting course called Parenting 101 at MussiDiskin.com/freecontent

Phil Smith and James Copley are back on The Roar Podcast to discuss the latest Sunderland transfer news after a dramatic few days on Wearside.The lads react to Granit Xhaka staying at Sunderland following Chelsea interest, what it means for the Black Cats moving forward and why keeping their captain is such a major statement.They also discuss Eliezer Mayenda's departure, the £20million deal, his Sunderland legacy and what the club must do next in the forward market.Plus, the latest transfer links, squad questions and what could happen next as Sunderland continue preparations for the new season.

Confira no Morning Show desta quinta-feira (02): O presidente dos EUA, Donald Trump, sancionou cidadãos e empresas brasileiras supostamente ligadas ao Primeiro Comando da Capital, maior facção criminosa do país. A medida vem logo após a mudança de designação do PCC de organização criminosa para grupo terrorista pelo governo americano. Segundo fontes da Jovem Pan em Washington, essa é a primeira ação de muitas que ainda virão. O pastor Marcio Poncio (Solidariedade) foi preso em uma operação da Polícia Federal que combate a máfia do cigarro no Rio de Janeiro. Rodrigo Bacellar (PL), ex-presidente da ALERJ e o bicheiro Adilsinho também são investigados no caso. Poncio é pai da deputada estadual e influenciadora Sarah Poncio (Solidariedade). O senador e pré-candidato à Presidência da República Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) falou sobre uma postagem feita por sua madrasta, Michelle Bolsonaro (PL), insinuando que Flávio participou da “Noite das Astronautas”, suposta festa erótica organizada por Daniel Vorcaro, dono do Banco Master, em Nova Iorque. Segundo o senador, Michelle “está completamente desinformada” e não o verão “em festinhas de Vorcaro”. A fala ocorreu em uma reunião do PL Mulher. A mais recente pesquisa Atlas Intel/Bloomberg, que avalia fatos políticos e não a eleição em si, aponta que o suposto envolvimento do senador e ex-líder do governo no Senado, Jaques Wagner (PT), com Daniel Vorcaro, atrapalha a gestão federal e uma possível reeleição do presidente Lula (PT). A Procuradoria-Geral da República defendeu a manutenção da prisão domiciliar do ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro (PL), mas afirmou que há necessidade da retirada da arma de fogo de Bolsonaro encontrada em uma blitz em Brasília com um segurança. Em 48 horas, a defesa do ex-presidente deve responder o inquérito sobre o caso e, após isso, o ministro do Supremo Alexandre de Moraes irá apresentar um parecer mantendo a domiciliar ou reconduzindo Jair Bolsonaro ao Complexo Penitenciário da Papuda. O presidente do Senado Federal, Davi Alcolumbre (União), defendeu o fim da escala 6x1 sem um período de transição durante uma reunião com representantes sindicais nesta quarta-feira (1°). O governador Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos) inaugurou a Linha 6-Laranja do Metrô de São Paulo. A nova linha terá 15 estações ao todo, mas por enquanto o trecho entregue é de seis estações, entre Santa Marina e Perdizes. A inauguração ocorre dois dias antes da restrição do TSE para publicidade institucional. Um homem de 43 anos foi retirado debaixo de escombros na capital venezuelana nesta quinta-feira (02), oito dias após os terremotos que devastaram diversas cidades do país. A Câmara dos Deputados aprovou o regime de urgência para a votação do PL da misoginia. A urgência permite que o projeto seja votado sem precisar passar por comissões. A deputada federal Julia Zanatta (PL) comenta o assunto. Uma mulher foi presa após confessar ter assassinado um casal de idosos em Belo Horizonte (MG). A diarista Paola Stefano Neto Cirino foi capturada pela polícia em Itabira, região central de Minas Gerais, após matar os patrões com 24 facadas e vender cerca de R$ 3 mil em itens roubados da casa das vítimas. O reality show entre funcionários criado pela influenciadora Viih Tube e seu marido, o também influenciador Eliezer, virou alvo do Ministério Público do Trabalho. O programa, que saiu do ar após críticas na internet, promovia competições entre os empregados da residência do casal em troca de prêmios em dinheiro e benefícios no trabalho. Essas e outras notícias você confere no Morning Show.

Phil Smith and James Copley are back on The Roar Podcast to discuss the latest Sunderland transfer news, with Granit Xhaka's future dominating the agenda amid Chelsea interest.The lads also discuss the latest on Eliezer Mayenda, with Rennes and Porto linked with signing the striker, as well as what Sunderland's stance should be in a summer where keeping key players could be just as important as new signings.Plenty to get into as the drama ramps up on Wearside.

Yiftach's daughter's fate; Why the vow was not annulled; Why Yiftach was not answered like Eliezer and Shaul; Gilgulim

The Rebbe thanks Chaim Eliezer HaLevi for delivering his letter to the attendees of the public Torah class and encourages him to explain its contents as needed. He extends wishes for a kosher and joyous Pesach and much success with his students. https://www.torahrecordings.com/rebbe/igroskodesh/012/006/4174

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Full TorahAnytime Lecture Video or Audio More classes from R' Zecharia Wallerstein ZTL ⭐ 2,638

Genesis 24 contains the account of Abraham obtaining a wife for his son Isaac. Unlike Ishmael, Abraham desired that Isaac have a son from their kindred, not from the land as was the case with Ishmael. As a result, he sends his oldest servant, who many believe to be Eliezer, back to where Abraham's brother, Nahor, lived to find a wife from his family.

No episódio do Podcast do PublishNews desta semana, falamos sobre Sebos, ou o mercado de livros usados. Conversamos com André Palme, CEO da Estante Virtual, marketplace dedicado a livros, conectando sebos e pequenas livrarias aos leitores. E também Bruno Eliezer, livreiro da Ponta de Lança, editor e dono do Sebo da Ponta.Falamos sobre sebos e mercado de livros usados, da sua importância no mercado editorial, da descoberta de títulos em catálogo e o futuro do ponto físico.O podcast é oferecimento da: MVB América Latina Um livro, Câmara Brasileira do Livro e Nielsen BookData — referência mundial em dados que impulsionam estratégias e Gráfica Viena.Este podcast é um oferecimento da MVB América Latina! Onde a inovação e tecnologia impulsionam o mercado do livro. Com a Pubnet, você ganha eficiência, agilidade e segurança em cada pedido.E quando o assunto é metadados… metadados é com Metabooks! Porque, no fim das contas, o propósito da MVB é um só: levar os livros até os leitores! https://pt.mvb-online.com/Já ouviu falar em POD, impressão sob demanda? Nossos parceiros da UmLivro são referência dessa tecnologia no Brasil, que permite vender primeiro e imprimir depois; reduzindo custos com estoque, armazenamento e distribuição. Com o POD da UmLivro, você disponibiliza 100% do seu catálogo sem perder nenhuma venda. http://umlivro.com.brA Câmara Brasileira do Livro representa editores, livreiros, distribuidores e demais profissionais do setor e atua para promover o acesso ao livro e a democratização da leitura no Brasil. É a Agência Brasileira do ISBN e possui uma plataforma digital que oferece serviços como: ISBN, Código de Barras, Ficha Catalográfica, Registro de Direito Autoral e Carta de Exclusividade. https://cbl.org.brIndicações:Livro: Conspiração no Triângulo Maia - Leonelo Abello Mesa (Ponta de Lança)Livro: Bambino a Roma - Chico Buarque (Companhia das Letras)Livro: Luiza Helena – Mulher do Brasil - Pedro Bial (Editora Gente)Livro: Clara dos anjos - Lima BarretoSérie: Brasil 70: A Saga do Tri

Moses was the father of two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, and he also served as a father figure to the entire Hebrew people as they escaped from slavery in Egypt.He loved his people and helped discipline and provide for them on their 40-year journey to the Promised Land. Imagine leading a frustrated, tired, hungry group of travelers through the desert — without air conditioning or handheld electronics — for four decades!So many aspects of Moses' life story seem larger-than-life, and he was indeed a hero of his time — but he was also merely a man. Moses' perseverance in the face of incredible challenges over the course of his life shows today's fathers that overwhelming tasks can be achieved when we stay close to God.Exodus 16:11–12 says, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.'”The Israelites were afraid they would starve in the barren desert after fleeing Egypt, and complained to Moses that it would have been better if they had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt, where they had enough to eat, than to wander the desert without provisions. Imagine how frustrated Moses must have been! The Lord had miraculously saved the Israelites from slavery, and now they worried God wouldn't provide what they needed to survive.Through God's faithful guidance, Moses was able to shepherd the Israelites through 40 years of wilderness living. They quarreled with Moses. They accused him of leading them to disaster and ruin. They complained frequently — even after they had seen God's promises fulfilled. Yet still, Moses carried on. He brought every concern to the Lord, and with God's blessing and guidance, he was able to keep going.Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”Moses teaches fathers that with God, all things are possible.God answers prayer, and desires intimate fellowship with every believer.No one can follow God's laws perfectly. We all need a Savior.Let's pray.Heavenly Father, sometimes parenting is exhausting! Thank you for the blessing of children, and we ask you to bless dads with patience to spare and to make your presence known to tired dads in the trenches who need your wisdom, and your grace. In Jesus' name, amen.Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

June 8, 2026Today's Reading: Genesis 15:1-6Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 5:1-23; Proverbs 6:1-7:27; John 12:20-36a“But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?'” (Genesis 15:2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Perhaps Abram has a point. At age 75, he was called by God to leave his home and travel to a new land, but life has been fraught with problems. There was a famine, so Abram found himself in Egypt, where that (first) awkward encounter between the Pharaoh and Sarai happened. And then, Abram has to rescue his nephew Lot from war in Sodom and Gomorrah. What about the promises of being a great nation, being blessed, and having his name be great? Ever since Abram listened to God, it has been one issue after another; there doesn't seem to be any follow-through on those promises. In today's reading, God is making promises again: Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram pushes back: But God…what will you give me? I don't even have an heir of my own!Here's the thing. We sinners like to develop our own timelines and our own measuring sticks. Abram wanted those promises fulfilled now. He wanted what was coming to him. He wanted proof and assurance that this was going to be worth it. Abram is having doubts; he and Sarai hadn't had a child yet - how could they possibly be the great nation that God had promised? Abram doubts. You and I doubt too. Why is my life full of suffering? Why is the Christian life hard? When will I receive what God has promised? The rest of today's reading is the comfort we need. Abram expresses his doubts, and God hears them! God's character is one of mercy and patience. While Abram had no ‘right' to question God or worry about what was going to happen, God met Abram's question with assurances. God gave Abram more promises - Abram, you will have your own son. You will have more descendants than stars in the sky. And even more amazing - when Abram believes these words from God, God counts his belief as righteousness! What about for you? What about when you ask questions, worry, and doubt? God answers you, too. Remember your Baptism. You are named as a Child of God and covered by Jesus. Go to the Divine Service and hear God's Word of Law and Gospel for you. Be reminded that you are a sinner - one for whom Jesus bled and died. Rejoice that you are a saint and that Jesus' resurrection is yours also. Take and eat Jesus' Body and Blood. Believe in the One who always keeps His promises and always hears your prayers. God is faithful.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.God gives me my days of gladness, And I will Trust Him still When He sends me sadness, God is good; His love attends me Day by day, Come what may, Guides me and defends me. (LSB 756:3) Deac. Sarah Longmire, Curricula Curator for Higher Things and Director of Family Life at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee's Summit, MO.

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.11 Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.18 And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.20 And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah.21 And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.22 And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.23 Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.24 Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.25 Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.26 And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.28 Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.30 And of the sons of Pahathmoab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.31 And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.33 Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.34 Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.44 All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.2 Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.3 Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty.4 Of the sons of Pahathmoab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.5 Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.6 Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.7 And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.8 And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males.9 Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.10 And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males.11 And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males.12 And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.13 And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.14 Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.16 Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.18 And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;19 And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;20 Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.24 Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,25 And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:26 I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;27 Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.28 And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the Lord; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers.29 Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.30 So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.32 And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.33 Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;34 By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the Lord.36 And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.

IntroductionPeople bring criticism against the Reformed people's love for doctrine. People claim that if you go to a Reformed church, you will see that we are people concerned with the head, not the heart. That our catechisms and confessions are cold documents. These are documents fueling intellectual exercises that keep doctrine tidy but leave the soul unmoved. That we know about God without actually knowing him.The Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 13, communicates to us that God is very personal. In fact, we are brought into the Lord's family. We are adopted as sons for the sake of our faithful Savior. We were the estranged children who had been brought near to God through the faithful son. So, is it fair to say that we are people who love doctrine and not the Lord? Is it fair to say that the Reformed faith makes one distant in relation to God? Children by AdoptionThe catechism is careful to distinguish between Christ's sonship and ours. Christ is the Son from eternity who is not created, not adopted, but of the same essence as the Father. When we confess the only begotten Son, we are saying that Christ is of the same nature as the Father. He has not sinned or done anything wrong. He is eternal, having the same attributes and nature as the Father. We are sons by adoption. And we need to be very encouraged by this. In the ancient world, adoption was not a consolation prize. In Roman law and in the Old Testament background, an adopted son received full inheritance rights. Abram understood this in Genesis 15, when he offered Eliezer of Damascus as an option to be an heir. Eliezer was not merely a faithful servant, but Abraham requested him to be the heir. Abraham is offering God an easy option, and not the challenge to bring a son through two elderly people without children. And Paul presses this further in verse 14. He declares that all who are led by the Spirit are sons of God. This language is important because all in the Spirit are sons possessing full inheritance. Note that firstborn sons are the ones who receive the greatest portion. Whatever your gender, whatever your genealogy, if you have the Spirit, you share in the inheritance of the eternal firstborn Son of God. You have done nothing to earn it. You have done everything to forfeit it. However, Christ, as a faithful son, secured His people to be coheirs with him as firstborn children. This love that the Father has for his children goes clear to the core of our heart. Why Submit to God? The Freedom of the RedeemedOur culture does not love submission. Even the word sounds like loss. But Paul reframes the question entirely in verse 15: you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.Paul has already named the alternative. Living by the flesh is death. We see that in the fall. No, they did not fall dead, but they immediately broke fellowship with God. They were naked and ashamed. They thought they would find freedom in their rebellion, but they discovered that being estranged from God is a problem. Christ, washing the disciples' feet in John 13, says something remarkable to Peter: “ You are already clean.” Christ makes this declaration even before Christ is raised from the dead. Christ's work is so certain that he assures his disciples of its benefit before it is officially confirmed. The disciples consciously know who Christ is, but they need to rest in his cleansing. John Murray captured it well: in Christ, we have moved from the courtroom to the family room. The legal question is settled. Yes, affirming with the head, but resting in the heart. Honoring God without TerrorIf submission sounds like an obligation, honoring God can sound like performance. We can think that we better make sure we earn our Lord's favor. We have to make sure that we are doing the right things to prevent the Lord smiting us or harming us in some way. Paul does not want people to have this mindset of the Lord's grace and mercy. He tells us in verse 15 that we have received the spirit of adoption, by which we cry Abba, Father. This is the same word Christ uses in Gethsemane. This is the time of his greatest anguish, of going to the cross. Christ is vulnerable; this is his darkest moment as he is about to face hell, and in this time of need, he cries out, “Abba.” We call on our heavenly Father as Christ calls on His Father. This is more like Dad rather than “master” or “Father.” It is communicating to us that we are brought near in the family in such a way that we have God's attention. The reason we want to honor God is not out of dread. Rather, when we consider the inheritance, we see that we are: heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ. Not servants who have earned their way up. Not subordinate sons who receive a smaller portion. Fellow heirs. Co-heirs with the one who never sinned, never failed, and never rebelled. Christ does not gloat over his success, but rather freely shares everything he has merited with those who deserved none of it. Yes, we do consciously profess this with our minds, but the Spirit works in our hearts to see the joy of the new life. So, we cannot divorce the head from the heart. ConclusionThe Heidelberg Catechism seeks to bring out the implications of being brought near to God. The Heidelberg Catechism is not a cold document. It is a document written for people who need to know who they are. People who feel the weight of sin and ask whether God is really on their side. People who wonder whether submission to Christ is freedom or just a nicer version of slavery.The Heidelberg Catechism summarizes Romans 8 with the assurance that you are not a servant who performed well enough to be elevated. You are not an orphan who has been adopted by an abusive or lonely father. You are an adopted child of the living God, a co-heir with his faithful Son, indwelt by the Spirit who prods you toward life and away from death.We honor God, then, not because we have conceded that a terrible master is preferable to a really abusive one. We honor him because he is ours, and we are his, and the inheritance is already secured in the one who went to the cross knowing exactly what the wrath of God costs. He knows the cost and went anyway. He did so in order to make sure we all share in his inheritance. Our life lived before the face of God is not an obligation, but a joy.

One of the great ploys of the Yetzer Hara is to make people forget how powerful tefillah really is. A person prays, but deep down he may already feel trapped by his situation. He says the words, but the fire and confidence are missing. Very often, the yeshuah is already prepared and waiting. The person simply needs to awaken within himself and truly believe in the power of speaking to Hashem. Sometimes Hashem sends a person a reminder — perhaps a memory, a story, or a moment of inspiration — to reignite his belief in tefillah so that he will finally cry out properly from the depths of his heart. In the sefer He'emanti Va'asapera, there is a story about Eliezer, a man whose housewares business was collapsing. Every evening he would lower the shutters on his store feeling crushed by stress and worry. Customers were disappearing, profits were shrinking, and it was becoming painfully clear that his business was nearing its end. One night, as he prepared to close the store, something suddenly stopped him. A memory came flooding back from forty years earlier. As a young man living in London, Eliezer had desperately wanted to learn in Eretz Yisrael, but his family did not have the means to send him. One night he saw his father crying while saying Tehillim. The next day his father explained that he had been begging Hashem to somehow help him pay for his son's expenses so he could go learn Torah in Eretz Yisrael. Then something unbelievable happened. The next morning, completely out of character, his father bought a scratch-off ticket and won exactly the amount they needed. Within days, Eliezer was on his way to yeshivah in Eretz Yisrael. Now, forty years later, sitting alone in his darkened store, Eliezer suddenly understood the message. His father's salvation had come through heartfelt tefillah, and now Hashem was reminding him of that lesson for himself. He realized that sighing was not going to help him. Worrying was not going to save his business. He needed to truly pray from the depths of his heart. He took out a Tehillim and began pouring out his heart to Hashem. It was not a quick tefillah. It was not distracted words, but rather real tefillah. He sat there for over an hour crying, pleading, and speaking honestly to Hashem. Then suddenly there was a knock at the door. A stranger stood outside insisting that he urgently needed to come in. Eliezer almost sent him away, upset that someone was interrupting such a powerful moment of tefillah. But the man pleaded with him to listen. He explained that he managed a brand-new hall that was about to open. He had been planning to meet wholesalers over the coming weeks to buy dishes and silverware, but suddenly he discovered that he urgently had to fly overseas. He needed to purchase everything immediately before leaving. Eliezer showed him the merchandise that he had in his store. The man quickly chose what he wanted and ordered seven hundred complete sets of dishes, cups, and silverware — the largest order Eliezer had ever received in his life. In that one visit, he received an entire year's worth of revenue. The profits from that deal saved his business. Then it all became clear. Why had this customer arrived specifically then? Why didn't he go to another store? Because every other store was closed. Eliezer was only there because he had stayed back to pray. The salvation had already been set into motion. The customer had already been sent. The order was already waiting to be made. But Eliezer needed the reminder from his father's story to awaken him to the power of tefillah so that he would cry out the right way for the yeshuah to reach him. Sometimes people become so busy worrying, calculating, panicking, and searching everywhere else that they forget the greatest power they possess — the ability to stand before מלך מלכי המלכים and pour out their hearts. The Yetzer Hara works overtime to weaken a person's belief in tefillah because once a person truly believes that Hashem is listening, his tefillah takes on an entirely new dimension and becomes an uplifting avodah. The greatest chizuk we can have is knowing that Hashem is here. He is listening. He is arranging. He is preparing. He is orchestrating every detail. Sometimes our salvation is already waiting, and all Hashem wants is for us to remember Who we are speaking to — and to speak the right way.

In this study we will take a look at the women within the Bible. We will look at each one of them and see how their story influences our lives today.As we continue our study in this fantastic insight of the Women of the Bible, this morning we will take a look at Rebekah.Rebecca – We can say that she is Ambitious Rebecca was the much-loved wife of Isaac. A woman of Godly character, but not without her human weaknesses. She had twin sons Esau and Jacob. Esau, born first, should have inherited the role of leader of the tribe, but Rebecca judged that Jacob would be better than his brother, so she and Jacob tricked the old man into giving the leadership to Jacob.Names in the Bible often says something about the person:Rebecca means 'ensnarer'Isaac means 'laughter', perhaps a reference to his mother Sarah's laughter when she heard she was to become pregnant in her old ageJacob means 'heel catcher' - either his brother's heel at the moment of birth, or his brother's inheritance later onEsau was nicknamed Edom, which meant 'red'; he was born with a ruddy complexion then spent most of his time outdoors in the sun, so his face and skin may have been unusually red. What her story is aboutThis story shows the gradual fulfillment of the promise made by Yahweh, that Sarah and Abraham would have many descendents, enough to become a nation.The story of Rebecca contains three different episodes: 1 the engagement and marriage of Rebecca(Genesis 24). Rebecca is introduced as a brave and resourceful young woman; she impressed all the people who met her. She was a good match for Isaac.      2 the birth and youth of Esau and Jacob(Genesis 25:19-34). Rebecca gave birth to two sons with very different temperaments. The conflict between them would be the basis for conflict between later generations and nations.3 Rebecca and the blessing of Isaac(Genesis 27). Rebecca manipulated the situation so that the tribe would be led by an intelligent man rather than a popular but shallow man, so that decisions for the tribe would be based on wisdom rather than impulse or emotion.Now we come to Part 2 of the story, The Birth and Youth of Esau and Jacob In our last study we read the story of Rebekah as Abrahams servant (Eliezer) went back to the homeland of Abraham to bring back a wife for his son Isaac. Now we continue with her story as she is barren and we see Isaac seeking out Yahweh on this issue of Rebekah barrenness.Just as Sarah and Abraham, this was true of Isaac and Rebekah. Rebekah was barren and Isaac prayed for her and Yahweh heard his prayer (Genesis 25:21). Couples need to lift each other up in prayer. There are times when it is your prayers that will help your partner. Rebekah was a woman of prayer and had no less access to Yahweh than Isaac did. Indeed we see her seeking Yahweh over the issue of her children and getting a clear answer (Genesis 25: 22-25). Maybe she had gained her confidence back after becoming pregnant.23.          Two nations are in your womb = What Yahweh said was simple. Rebekah would give birth to twins. The twins would each be ancestors of nations. One of the sons and nations would be greater than the other. The younger son and the nation descended from him would be greater than the older son and his descendants.And the older shall serve the younger = Yahweh commanded that in the case of these twin sons, the long-established practice of privilege for the firstborn be set aside and the younger son be considered as privileged over his older brother. In normal cases, Yahweh recognized the custom of preference for the firstborn and older. Yet Yahweh may upset normal customs and hierarchies to advance His plan and purpose.Despite her beauty, and despite Isaac's love for her, Rebecca did not an easy time of it. She did not conceive for quite some years, and this was considered both a personal misfortune and a sign that she was not favored by Yahweh. Eventually however she became pregnant, but even then it was not plain sailing. She had a difficult pregnancy, since the two babies inside her were constantly moving, so that she had no peace. Like many women before and since, she wondered what she had got herself into.   So she 'went to enquire of Yahweh'. Rebecca was the first woman we hear of who sought Yahweh out and asked Him for some explanation of her condition. This shows her initiative and self-confidence. The method she used to speak with Yahweh is not explained, but a common practice in the ancient world was to consult a prophet or oracle. Rebecca may have followed this practice or, as in Numbers 12:6, the message may have come to her in a dream.   Yahweh told her that'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.' Couples need to support one another. Taking support from your partner is not a sign of weakness. Rebekah could certainly hear from Yahweh directly, nevertheless she still allowed Isaac to do it when it regarded child birth. My guess is that they had both been praying for children together and as discouragement set in Isaac took it up more aggressively. The next chapter involves Rebecca and King Abimelech in Gerar.The episode is really about water rights in the area, essential to a nomadic people. In the section involving Rebecca (26:1-11), all Rebecca's actions suggest that she was active, not passive, a planner and doer, not a victim. So the episode with Abimelech is likely to have resulted from co-operation between her and Isaac. Indeed, judging from other events in her life, the plan may have originated with her. There was a famine in the land = Though Isaac lived in the land Yahweh promised to his father Abraham and his descendants, it did not mean that life in the land would be without trouble or challenge. As there was a famine in the days of Abram (Genesis 12:10), so there was a famine in Isaac's day.Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar = Isaac began to go south towards Egypt, as Abram did in famine (Genesis 12:10). It seems that Isaac thought to travel along the famous road between Egypt and Canaan that went along the Mediterranean Sea. Gerar was the same place where Isaac's father Abraham met another Abimelech and almost compromised his wife (Genesis 20:1-18). A similar story, comparable in the actions of Yahweh and men, would play out with Abraham's son.The ruler of Gerar was called Abimelech as a title, not as a personal name. This is why both Abraham and Isaac dealt with Abimelech (Genesis 20, Genesis 26). Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh!Have any questions? Feel free to email me; keitner2024@outlook.com

En el PPP de hoy• Analizamos si finalmente se encamina un acuerdo en la UPR.• Discutimos los resultados del SME, incluyendo confianza en medios, podcasts, inteligencia artificial y cómo quedaron retratados muchos medios tradicionales. ¡Y celebramos que salimos en el maldito estudio!• Y en el chit chat: Eliezer Molina intenta apagar otro fuego reclutando a Xposed News.Además:consumo de podcasts en Puerto Ricomedios independientesconfianza en IAconectividad y bienestar

Ezra 10 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. 2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. 4 Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.” 5 Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night,[b] neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. 7 And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that if anyone did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles. 9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain. 10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. 11 Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them. 16 Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men,[c] heads of fathers' houses, according to their fathers' houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; 17 and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women. Those Guilty of Intermarriage 18 Now there were found some of the sons of the priests who had married foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, some of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers. 19 They pledged themselves to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt.[d] 20 Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. 21 Of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22 Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. 23 Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri. 25 And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah,[e] and Benaiah. 26 Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah. 27 Of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza. 28 Of the sons of Bebai were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai. 29 Of the sons of Bani were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth. 30 Of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh. 31 Of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah. 33 Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34 Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu. 38 Of the sons of Binnui:[f] Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. 44 All these had married foreign women, and some of the women had even borne children.

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In this episode of Strive for Truth, Rabbi Michael Cohen and I explore one of the most unsettling ideas we've discussed so far in Rav Dessler's writings: that the greatest obstacle to truth is not simply bias or flawed reasoning, but the possibility that we are not even perceiving reality correctly to begin with. Through Rav Dessler's essay The Ego, the Inclinations, the Spirit, and the Soul, we unpack how the Yetzer Hara shapes the very “inputs” we use to interpret situations before our intellect ever begins to reason. Using examples from Avimelech, Avraham Avinu sending Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchak, and the role of the neshama in accessing truth beyond the ego, we discuss why intelligence alone cannot guarantee clarity, why outside guidance is essential in major life decisions, and how Torah and yiras Shamayim help us step outside our own distortions in the lifelong pursuit of truth.Join the Conversation! Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up.Connect with Rabbi Michael CohenReach out to Rabbi Michael Cohen to learn more about his one-on-one coaching work, where he applies the teachings of Strive for Truth to help individuals untangle inner confusion, clarify priorities, and live more grounded, self-expressed lives. To inquire or connect, email him at mailto:rabbicohen@msn.com.

Ezra 8:15-36 15 I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi. 16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight, 17 and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers and[a] the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God. 18 And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen, 18; 19 also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20; 20 besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name. Fasting and Prayer for Protection 21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty. Priests to Guard Offerings 24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. 25 And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. 26 I weighed out into their hand 650 talents[b] of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents,[c] and 100 talents of gold, 27 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics,[d] and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold. 28 And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. 29 Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers' houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the Lord.” 30 So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God. 31 Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way. 32 We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days. 33 On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 34 The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded. 35 At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. 36 They also delivered the king's commissions to the king's satraps[e] and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they aided the people and the house of God.

Pastor Gabe George continues week three of our teaching series, The Life of Abraham. God isn't after surface-level belief, He's after deep relationship. In Genesis 15, we see a God who pursues us, makes an unbreakable covenant, and invites us to trust Him fully. In this message, Pastor Gabe explores the following Scriptures:  GENESIS 15:1A ESV 1a After these things ... REVELATION 21:1-3 ESV 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. GENESIS 15:9-10 ESV 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. JOHN 3:16 ESV 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. GENESIS 15:1 ESV 1 ... "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." GENESIS 15:7 ESV 7 ... "I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." HEBREWS 11:6 ESV 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. GENESIS 15:1-3 ESV 1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." GENESIS 15:6 ESV 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. GENESIS 15:7-8 ESV 7 And he said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." 8 But he said, "O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" GENESIS 15:17-18 ESV 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, MATTHEW 1:1 ESV 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. – Next Steps Looking to take a next step? We'd love to help you get connected.

Our Broken Arrow Senior Pastor, Ethan Vanse, continues week three of our teaching series, The Life of Abraham. In Genesis 15, we see that at the center of everything is a God who pursues us, initiates covenant, and invites us into something unbreakable. Abraham shows us what that kind of relationship looks like: bringing God his deepest desires, his honest doubts, and even his greatest shortcomings. And instead of pushing him away, God meets him there—making a promise Abraham could never fulfill on his own and carrying the weight of it Himself. In this message, Pastor Ethan explores the following Scriptures: Genesis 15:1-18 ESV 1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." 5 And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 And he said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." 8 But he said, "O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, Psalm 25:14 ESV 14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. Hebrews 4:16 ESV 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. – Next Steps Looking to take a next step? We'd love to help you get connected.

Friday Bible Study (4/10/26) // Ezra 10: 18-44 (ESV) // Those Guilty of Intermarriage // 18 Now there were found some of the sons of the priests who had married foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, some of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers. 19 They pledged themselves to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt.[a] 20 Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. 21 Of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22 Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.23 Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.25 And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah,[b] and Benaiah. 26 Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah. 27 Of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza. 28 Of the sons of Bebai were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai. 29 Of the sons of Bani were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth. 30 Of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh. 31 Of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah. 33 Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34 Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu. 38 Of the sons of Binnui:[c] Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. 44 All these had married foreign women, and some of the women had even borne children.[d]Footnotesa. Ezra 10:19 Or as their reparationb. Ezra 10:25 Septuagint; Hebrew Malchijahc. Ezra 10:38 Septuagint; Hebrew Bani, Binnuid. Ezra 10:44 Or and they put them away with their childrenWebsite: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mbchicago.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FOLLOW USFacebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  / mbc.chicago  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  / mbc.chicago  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  / mbc.chicago  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TO SUPPORT US Zelle to: info@mbchicago.org Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mbchicago.org/give⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Venmo: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://venmo.com/mbchurch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ DAF Donations: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://every.org/mbc.chicago⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PayPal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_but...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #Ezra #BookOfEzra #BibleStudy #BibleExplained #Bible #BiblicalStudies #BibleTeacher #WordOfGod #BiblicalLessons

Otra vez el mundo no se acabó na', pero nos dejó un duelo de soba'os entre Lúgaro y Ferdinand, Eliezer versus Gregorio, Speedy contra Pina y Maripily le tira a La Burbu. Karol vuelve a robar en el Coachella, Rubén Sánchez se pone b3llaco al aire, y comienza el programa favorito de los macacos que comen arroz con cuchara: Planeta Alofoke. ¡Avísale a tu vecina que La fokin Hora Mach0rra acaba de empezar!

“What should I do next?” is one of the most common questions believers bring to God—and in today's MY Devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef takes you to Genesis 24, where Scripture records the first prayer offered in the same way we pray today. Abraham's trusted servant Eliezer is sent on a mission that will shape the covenant line: find a wife for Isaac. Along the journey, he stops and prays a clear, specific prayer for guidance (Genesis 24:12–14)—and God answers before he finishes praying (Genesis 24:15). Dr. Youssef highlights why this matters for your decision-making: Specific prayers aren't unspiritual—God often honors clear, faith-filled requests. Flexibility matters—God may answer differently than expected, but never outside His wisdom. Prayer doesn't replace action—Eliezer prays and keeps moving, watching, and obeying. The takeaway is simple and challenging: faithful prayer + unconditional obedience = answered prayer. If you're seeking guidance for a major decision, this episode will help you pray with clarity, walk with confidence, and discern God's direction as He leads. Prayer: Lord, thank You that I can bring my specific requests to You and trust that You hear and answer them in Your perfect wisdom and timing. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.  “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10). *This devotional is adapted from Life-Changing Prayers by Michael Youssef © 2018. Published by Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission. Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon Life-Changing Prayers, Part 2: LISTEN NOW The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today's devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don't have to walk through it alone.

Saca la copa de cristal, échale cerveza y levántala alto porque es miércoles, y ustedes saben que llegó el oasis en medio de su semana: ¡llegaron los mach0rr0s! Esta semana estuvo con nosotros Melissa “@guzabra” Guzmán, quien sacó a pasear toda las testosterona que no tiene Vali. En este episodio hablamos de la pelea del novio de Gaby Nalgas y La GoLda, el extraño junte de Valerie y Eliezer, y del puño que le metieron a Santini. Yovín anda relax corriendo jetsko, regresan los ‘royal rumbles' en La Placita, arrestan a Almighty y le pedimos al gobierno que suelten a un inocente vendedor de frituras. Free Pastelillo, puñeta!