Podcasts about exod

The Plagues Were Against the Gods of EgyptIn this study we will take a look at the miracles that Yahweh performed on the Egyptians, when Israel was held in bondage, during this period in Exodus. We will see that those miracles were against the Egyptian deities or gods that they worshipped.The story of Moses is not just the story of the freedom of a group of slaves from Egypt in the second millennium BCE. It is the blueprint of the Plan of Salvation of the world as seen from the structure laid down in the Bible. Moses was the prototype of the Christ or Messiah. More importantly, the nation of Israel saw Moses as a prototype and the Bible record illustrates that point. Moses said: ‘And Yahweh said unto me, they have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.' (Deut. 18:17-18).In this study I continue in Exodus Chapter 11 verse 8The warning of the Last Plague8              And all these thy servants = Pharaoh's nobles, ministers, courtiers and counselors, who were then in his presence, and stood about him, to whom Moses pointed.   shall come down unto me = from Pharaoh's palace, which might be built on an elevated piece of ground, to the place where Moses had dwelt during the time he had been in Egypt, which might lie lower; or these should come from Zoan, or from Memphis, whichever of them was now the royal city, to the land of Goshen, which lay lower than the other part of Egypt; or it may only denote the submission of Pharaoh's, servants, that they should in the time of their distress be so humble and condescending as to come themselves to Moses, and as it follows.  and bow down themselves unto me = in the most submissive manner, humbly entreating, and earnestly begging him. 9              And the Lord said unto Moses = Not at this time when he went out from Pharaoh, but some time before this, for the words may be rendered, "the Lord had said", for so he had, as is related, Exod. 7:3, but the historian makes mention of it here, to show that Moses was not ignorant of the event of things; he knew that Pharaoh's heart would be hardened from time to time, and that one plague after another must be inflicted, before he would let the people go; and therefore when he prayed for the removal of any, it was not in expectation that he would abide by his promise, but to do the will of Yahweh, and the duty of his calling.  Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you = to Moses and Aaron, and let the people of Israel go as required of him.  that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt = which Jarchi interprets of the smiting of the firstborn, dividing the waters of the Red sea, and the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in it; but since these words were said before any of the plagues, were inflicted, it may refer to them all. I read from Thomas Horn Book ‘The Gods'10           hardened = ‘châzaq' ‘khaw-zak'' ‘chet-zayin-quph' ‘Aleph-Tav'Chet = (tent wall) outside, divide, halfzayin = (mattack) food, cut, nourishquph = (sun on the horizon) condense, circle, timeAleph = (ox) strength, strong, power, leaderTav = (cross) sign, covenant seal, mark and crossThis Hebrew word means to Seize: To grab hold tightly, to refrain or support by grabbing hold. But by adding the ‘eth' we see that the Spirit of Yahweh/Yahshua is the one that is actually seizing Pharaoh's heart. Why is Yahweh doing this? I believe so that all of the Egyptian deities would be defeated by the miracles perform by Yahweh/Yahshua Messiah!Chapter 12Verses 1 – 20              The Passover InstitutedVerses 21 – 28            The Passover CommunicatedVerse 31 – 14:31         Yahweh's Deliverance of Israel I Read from the Legends of the Old Testament, Moses before Pharaoh, PDF page 291The Institution of the PassoverThe deliverance from Egypt [which is symbolic of bondage] is to be not only from physical but also from spiritual slavery. Israel [whom El commands or rules] is to be freed from all heathen influences and consecrated to the service of Yahweh. These commandments concerning Passover open the religious legislation of the Torah. The occasion when they were given and the manner in which they were enjoined emphasize the basic importance of that Festival in the life and history of Israel. The Exodus from Egypt is not only one of the greatest events and epochs in the history of the Jews, but one of the greatest events and epochs in the history of the world. This Exodus proves without a shadow of doubt that Yahweh is the most powerful Creator throughout the world, has He defeated all the gods of the Egyptians. 1          the Lord spake unto Moses = rather, “had spoken unto Moses and Aaron”; for it is evident that the communication here described must have been made to them on or before the tenth of the month.2              this month = It is supposed that Yahweh now changed the commencement of the Jewish year. The month to which this verse refers, the month Abib [which signifies an ear of corn, and at this time we find that the barley was in ear], answers to a part of our March and April; whereas it is supposed that previously to this, the year began with Tisri, which answers to a part of our September; for in this month the Hebrews suppose Yahweh created the world, when the earth appeared at once with all its fruits in perfection. From this circumstance the Hebrew have formed a twofold commencement of the year, which has given rise to a twofold denomination of the year itself, to which they afterwards attended in all their reckonings: that which began with Tisri or September was called their civil year; that which began with Abib or March was called the sacred or ecclesiastical year.3              tenth day of the month = 10 equals Ordinal Perfection [expressing divine order or succession. Keep in mind that everything that Yahweh does is always in order! What does this mean for us Christians of today?I quote John Wesley comments on this verse.Have any questions? Feel free to email me keitner2024@outlook.com

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 shall finish Miriam the sister of Moses.Miriam (rebellion) – Moses Sister – A ProphetessMiriam was the older sister of Moses, and it was she who watched over him when he was placed in a basket on the River Nile. She went on to become a leader of the Hebrews when they escaped from Egypt and went in search of the Promised Land.Miriam is best known for helping to deliver Moses at the Nile River and leading the Hebrew women in singing, dancing, and playing drums after crossing the Red Sea. Later, she and her brother Aaron challenge the actions and authority of Moses. She understands leadership to embrace diverse voices, female and male. But the price of speaking out is severe; Yahweh punishes her, after which she never speaks, nor is she spoken to. Centuries later, prophecy remembers her as the equal of Moses and Aaron in representing Yahweh before the people, and as the inaugurator of a performance and composition tradition of song, drums, and dances in Israel.                Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron (Exod. 15:20.), is the first of her order mentioned in the Word of Yahweh. While Yahweh never ordained a woman to be priest, nor do we read of women as bishops or pastors in the New Testament, the vocation of "prophetess" is common to both dispensations. Hannah (1Sam. 1:2) was practically a prophetess, and so was Huldah, to whom King Josiah went in his time of perplexity. Deborah (Judges 4:5) was a prophetess (2Kings 22:14), and there were also false prophetesses, such as Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), as well as false prophets.                Yahweh's order in the family is not according to earthly birthright. Speaking of the leaders of His people Israel, He says: "I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam." (Micah 6:4.) All these children of Amram were of the prophet order. Miriam was the eldest, Moses the youngest; yet Moses is first mentioned, because he knew his Yahweh more fully than either his brother or his sister. Aaron, his elder brother, ranks next, and Miriam, the eldest of the three, ranks last.Miriam was a leader of the Hebrew people during the Exodus, the great founding event of Judaism. The episodes we have about her are disjointed and probably only represent a fraction of the stories originally told in the oral tradition of the Hebrew people.  The story of Miriam contains four different episodes:   1 Miriam saved her brother Moses, Exodus 2:1-10. This well-known story shows that the survival of the leader of the Exodus, Moses, depended on the courage and ingenuity of one young woman, his sister Miriam.   2 The song of Miriam, Exodus 15:20-21. This fragment of the Song of Miriam is one of the oldest poetic couplets in the Old Testament. It is an example of a literary genre devoted to celebrating military victories with triumphal poems.  3 Miriam's ordeal, Numbers 12. This story is about the authority of established law. Moses was the great lawgiver of the Hebrew people Moses' legislation formed the basis of Hebrew life. The story acknowledged that Miriam and Aaron were both popular leaders, but the Law, represented by Moses, bound them.  4 Miriam's death, Numbers 20:1-2. Miriam died in a waterless place in the wilderness, but Yahweh subsequently caused water to appear there.  In this study we finish up with #3 Miriam's ordeal and complete the study with Miriam's death While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had indeed married a Cushite woman); and they said, 'Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?' And Yahweh heard it. Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth.Yahweh knows when we criticize and snip at each other. No matter our position in the church, we have to remember that all of Yahweh's children are special to Him. In fact, today, we can be even closer to Yahweh than Moses was the one who stood face to face with Yahweh. Our Yahweh now lives inside of us, for we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. How then can we not be afraid to speak against another of Yahweh's servants, His child? If we do so, we may very anger Yahweh and cause Him to depart from us.Numbers 12:10: Suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow = Leprosy was a disease where the body rotted and decayed. It was considered a “walking death” – and Miriam had an advanced case of leprosy (white as snow) instantly. At this moment, Yahweh caused her body to reflect her heart.Leprous = First occurance is in Exodus 4:6. Nine (Denotes Finality of judgment. It is 3x3, the product of Divine completeness. The number nine, or its factors or multiples, is seen in all cases when judgment is the subject.)so afflicted: Exo. 4:6. Num. 12:10. 2Kings 5:1, 2Kings 5:27; 7:3; 15:5. (2Chron. 26:20). Matthew 8:2; 26:6. Luke 17:12. (Nine cases, 21 individuals.)By the way 21 in the Biblical Number for Divine Completion as regardsSpiritual Perfection, Many times, I have read that Yahweh punished Miriam by making her leprous. There is a big debate on whether Yahweh did this or not. Let's read the verse again. Yahweh was angry and left in verse 9 and here in verse 10 we read of the cloud departing, and Miriam was leprous. No where are we told Yahweh made Miriam leprous or even that Yahweh punished Miriam with leprosy. Yahweh went away. There is protection under the shadow of Yahweh's wing, but when we leave that protection or by our actions cause Yahweh to withdraw we lose that protection.11           Oh my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us = Aaron called Moses his master (my lord), and he attributed to Moses the power to strike Miriam with leprosy. Aaron also confessed his previous criticism as foolish and sinful (we have done foolishly…we have sinned).13           So Moses cried out to Yahweh = This was the first word spoken by Moses in this chapter. He had not spoken the entire time he was accused, leaving it up to Yahweh to answer his critics.14           Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again = Yahweh did heal Miriam. If she were still a leper, she would not have been allowed to remain in the camp of Israel, and she was received again. Yet, Yahweh allowed her to live with the outward display of her inward heart for seven days – and allowed the whole nation to know it.Miriam's question 'has Yahweh indeed spoken only through Moses?' was a profound one.  It asked   How do we know what Yahweh wants? What ways does Yahweh speak to us? Who has authority over us? These questions are universal, asked by people of every place and era.Numbers 20:2 The people stayed in Kadesh (sanctuary); and Miriam died there and was buried there = Miriam died in Kadesh. Through the years of wandering in the wilderness, Israel came now to Kadesh. This is probably another place named Kadesh but presented to remind us of the failure of faith at the Kadesh of Numbers 13:26.Miriam, with her brothers Moses and Aaron, led the Hebrew people throughout the forty years when they reverted to the nomadic life, searching meanwhile for a land where they could settle.  The life they led was hard, and they must often have yearned for the stability and settled life they had left back in Egypt. Water was always scarce, the food supply was unreliable, and the physical living conditions were rigorous. Eventually these conditions took their toll on Miriam, and she died.  'The Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there, and was buried there.'  Water, the symbol of life, had played quite a large part in Miriam's life. She saved her brother from the water; she led the song of victory after the parting of the Red Sea; she died in a waterless place. Immediately after her death, Yahweh gave abundant water to the people, in the form of a spring. Unlike most women in the Bible, Miriam is never called wife or mother. She has neither husband nor children. Jewish traditions, however, cannot tolerate her status as single. The historian Josephus deems Hur the husband of Miriam (Antiquities 3.54; see Exod 17:10–12). Rabbinic sources give her Caleb for a husband and Hur for a son (but compare 1 Chr 2:19). 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

August 02 2026 Sunday Who Jesus Made You To Be / Week 37 / T. Stacy Hayes #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. Isaiah 53:5  Healing… Matthew 18:19  Agree with God's Word… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Acts 10:34  God is no respectåer of persons "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 KJV "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 NLT "So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you." James 4:7 AMPC "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:" 1 Peter 2:9 KJV "But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9 NLT "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. [Exod. 19:5, 6.]" 1 Peter 2:9 AMPC "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:" 1 Peter 2:21 KJV "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps." 1 Peter 2:21 NLT "For even to this were you called [it is inseparable from your vocation]. For Christ also suffered for you, leaving you [His personal] example, so that you should follow in His footsteps." 1 Peter 2:21 AMPC "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" 1 Peter 3:18 KJV "Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit." 1 Peter 3:18 NLT "For Christ [the Messiah Himself] died for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous (the Just for the unjust, the Innocent for the guilty), that He might bring us to God. In His human body He was put to death, but He was made alive in the spirit," 1 Peter 3:18 AMPC "casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7 KJV "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7 NLT "Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. [Ps. 55:22.]" 1 Peter 5:7 AMPC Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… Romans 10:17  Faith in God comes from hearing His Word… Matthew 11:28-30  Jesus'Yoke is Easy… John 3:16  God gave Jesus to pay for our Salvation… God Loves The abortion dr As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Philippians 12:2  Work out your own Salvation… Romans 8:1  No condemnation in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior…  Luke Chapter 15 The Story Of The Prodigal Son… Philippians 4:19  God will supply all your needs let Him… Romans 4:20  Don't Stagger at What God Is Saying In His Word… John 15:5 We can't do anything aside from Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are The Righteousness of God In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Ephesians 2:8  We are Saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Believe God's Word Above All Opinions God Loves The abortion dr's As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media… Website https://the-prodigalson.com Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com  YouVersion Bible App https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

As one examines Exod. 25-31 and 35-39 one finds a repeat – almost word for word in some cases – of verses related to the construction of the Tabernacle.  In the first instance it is God giving detailed instructions to Moses about the construction and the details of the garments of the High Priest and the Priests of the Sanctuary and their ordination ceremony.  In the second case, in chapters 35-39, we read about the actual construction of the Mishkan HaKodesh, the Holy Dwelling place of the Lord, or His Ohel HaKodesh, the Holy Tent (tabernacle in Latin just means tent).  So, we ask why the repeat of so many verses almost word for word.  This has led a few Bible scholars to develop the DOCUMENTARY HYPOTHESIS or the theory that the Torah was not written by only one man, namely Moses.  Thus, this makes Jesus, the Lord, God Himself, a liar when Jesus says the Torah are the books of Moses.  If they were written by special groups and more than one person, then Jesus should not say the Torah are the books of Moses implying Moses is the author.  Jesus is God and this creates a real problem as per the character of the Lord. However, a Jewish scholar, highly recognized and considered a superb Bible historian, Torah expert, and Hebrew scholar, Umberto Cassuto, found the answer to this repetition!  He found archaeologically that in the ancient near east those ancient peoples when writing about the construction of a special temple would repeat what they wrote.  The first writing was to show how a god or gods gave instruction to build the special temple.  The repeat was to describe the actual construction leading to the dedication.  This fits the Torah.  First … here's some background on Umberto Cassuto. UMBERTO CASSUTO Umberto (Moshe David) Cassuto, an early 20th-century Italian historian, rabbi, and scholar, wrote a popular Hebrew commentary on the Bible, as well as more detailed commentaries on the Book of Genesis and part of the Book of Exodus. His commentary is marked by an assumption that in order to understand the Bible, one must understand the Ancient Near-Eastern cultural context in which it was composed. As such, he incorporates archeological findings, his understanding of ancient Semitic languages, and literary tools into his analysis of biblical verses.  Cassuto in his own words discussing the repetition found not only in Exodus but throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. REPETITION IN EXODUS “The subject of the founding and building of a temple was a kind of permanent literary genre in the ancient literatures of the East; In it, it was customary to first come the divine speech describing the plan of the Temple in all its details and grammar, and then the story of the action, which repeats in an equal or similar way the description in the divine speech. And this is nothing more than a special detail of a general method, the method of repetition that was very popular with the writers of the ancient East.” (Accessed from https://www.sefaria.org/Cassuto_on_Exodus.35.2?lang=bi) Here are two links to two articles that are a must read.  These again will enhance and expand your understanding that Moses DID write the Torah and that the Documentary Hypothesis has been proven wrong. ARTICLE ON MOSES AS THE SOLE WRITER OF TORAH https://answersingenesis.org/bible-characters/moses/evidence-mosaic-authorship-of-torah/ SCHOLARLY ARTICLE BY CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS USNG CASSUTO'S FINDINGS  https://biblearchaeology.org/research-articles/the-documentary-hypothesis/ Once again I provide the article on Jesus' teaching about the Rabbi/Talmid model of His day.  He taught it precisely and accurately but NOT IN ENGLISH.  And He did not teach it IN GREEK but in HEBREW.  We in the church are commanded by the Lord to go and make disciples (talmidim in Hebrew).  And yet few churches even understand what Jesus meant when He mentioined disciples or talmidim.  Probably since so fe in the church know the Gree or the Biblical Hebrew and how to connect the Greek to the Hebrew.  Check it out … DID JESUS EVER SPEAK OF THE RABBI DISCIPLE RELATIONSHIP? DID HE EVER TEACH US USING HIS CULTURE? NOT IN ENGLISH OR GREEK BUT HEBREW!! Jesus said, "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. (Luk 6:40) Pupil?  Nope.  The Greek word used here is μαθητής mathētēs (Strongs number G3101) meaning a learner, disciple or a pupil.  But, Jesus is speaking Hebrew and not Greek.  What is the Hebrew word for disciple?  It is Talmid (תַּלְמִיד) Strongs umber H8527 (pronounced talmeed). The plural form is Talmidim (תַּלְמִידִים) (pronounced talmideem). Teacher? Nope.  The Greek word used here is διδάσκαλος Didaskalos (Strongs number G1320) meaning instructor, doctor, master, teacher.  The Hebrew word in Jesus' day that διδάσκαλος Didaskalos translates is RAV ( רַב )(Strongs number is H8227) meaning master.  The Hebrew word RAVEE רבי meaning “my master.” So when Jesus is called “RABBI” in the Gospels in Hebrew He is being called RAVEE רבי or “my master.” So, so far, Luke 6:40 can be read … "A TALMID is not above his RAV but TALMIDIM, after they have been fully trained, will be like their RAV.” (Luk 6:40) FULLY TRAINED – Nope.  Better is “after he has been made καταρτίζω katartizō (Strongs number is G2675) meaning complete or perfect or finished).  In Jesus' day a TALMID of a RAV was finished when the RAV saw that his talmid was ready to go in the name of the RAV to teach the Bible just like the talmid's master or his rav.  Now we read Luke 6:40 from the Hebrew … "A TALMID is not above his RAV but TALMIDIM, after they have finished, will be like their RAV.” (Luk 6:40) BE?? – Nope.  The Greek word used here is ὡς hōs (Strongs; number 5613) meaning “exactly like.”  It translates the Hebrew letter used as a prefix KEE כְּ meaning just like, identical, the same as, be like.  So we finally come to the complete translation from the English to the Greek to the Hebrew of Luke 6:40.  "A TALMID is not above his RAV but TALMIDIM, after they have finished, will be EXACTLY LIKE their RAV.” (Luk 6:40) The RAV and TALMID Relationship To be a talmid was a highly esteemed honor. The relationship between a RAV (we'd say rabbi) and his talmidim went far beyond basic education: Total Dedication: A talmid would often leave their former life, home, and family to follow their rabbi full-time. Imitation: The primary goal of a disciple was not just to know what the rabbi knew, but to become exactly like the rabbi. This meant absorbing the rabbi's lifestyle, character, and interpretation of the scriptures. Walking in the Dust: Ancient Jewish writings describe disciples following their teacher so closely that they became covered in the "dust of the rabbi's feet". See this video Bible study from Light of Menorah ministries. Part 1 of what is a disciple - https://youtu.be/JZv2YhSoya8?si=_WidHCq2RTtDVl5R Link to part 2 - https://youtu.be/m9pNgjAI18g?si=CThLTsg5uLD9gtId Check out these links from Ray Vander Laan's website entitled THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW … https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/rabbi-and-talmidim https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/preview/1539 https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/preview/1540 https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/preview/1540 https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/preview/1568 https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/preview/1557 In this Bible study podcast I brought up the verse 1 Cor. 3:16 that we are THE TEMPLE of God and the “you” in the verse in Greek is plural!  Check out the Bible study podcasts I did on these verses. Truth Nuggets #3 part 1 – https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-lesson-3-part-1/ Truth Nuggets #3 part 2 - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-lesson-3-part-2/ Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  (Ferret - teaching somewhere in the Galilee) What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0          

One of the first things Moses does is to gather all Israel and begin to teach them everything God told him since Exod. 20:19.  The Hebrews at this time, the time when Moses cam down from the mountain the 2nd time, knew none of all the things we've studied since the giving of the Ten Commandments.  Moses starts with the law of the Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew).  What we find is God talks about these commandments and says for those who love me as they keep my commandments.  And one of them is the law of Shabbat.  It probably is the most important of God's "feasts."  But, this commandment along with the other nine are God's commandments.  It is more impacting than when one reads it.  When did Jesus ever say He is God?  He did many times in the New Testament.  We missed it since few of our teachers today know Greek or Hebrew or realize Jesus spoke Hebrew.  Few of our teachers today know how to take the English to the Greek and to the Hebrew.  Few if any of our teachers have studied the Bible in its historical context or to understand the Jewish roots Old Testament of the New Testament.  In this lesson we studied one of Jesus' statements when He said … "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (Joh 14:15) When He said this there was NO New Testament.  All they had when He said this was the Hebrew Scriptures or the Old Testament with the five foundational books being the Torah or Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  So, if you are a Jew in Jesus' day and you hear these words you'll know that the Hebrew word for commandments is MITZAVOT מצוות (H4687).  The word to keep is SHAMAR שמר (H8104).  The Jewish disciples of Jesus wee brought up on the Torah and knew the following … “…but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep (SHAMAR שמר) My commandments (MITZAVOT מצוות).” (Exo 20:6) “…but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep (SHAMAR שמר) My commandments (MITZAVOT מצוות).” (Deu 5:10) God is using the words joining the idea of loving Him to keeping His commandments.  Jesus is saying the same thing.  Not in English but in Hebrew.  So, what is Jesus saying to them in His day, the Jews brought up on Torah?  Jesus is saying that He is God, the God of the Bible.    In a previous lesson we took a look at an alternative way of “looking” at the concept of what the church calls the TRINITY.  The standard way we look at Jesus is one person of three persons.  But, studying the Greek we find that an alternative viable “picture” of this concept.  Here's the link to that lesson - https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-qavkp-1b03249 We found in this lesson that Jesus is a “FACE” of God of God's many faces.  Check it out.  It makes so much more sense that when Jesus says, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments,” that He is saying He is God, one of the faces of God.  In this lesson we also focused on the Lord's Sabbath or SHABBAT in Hebrew.  Few Christians ever study the history of how the Roman church changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.  Few Christians ever study the concept of the Sabbath.  Below you'll find two links.  The first is to an excellent article that highlights the historical development of the change.  It is a great article to start your further study of the most important of God's feast that are actually in Hebrew called His “Appointed Times” or Moedim (מועדים).  God has NO feasts.  He has only appointed times that He commands. Link to article - https://www.sabbathtruth.com/sabbath-history/how-the-sabbath-was-changed The second link is to the “playlist” of a series of lessons I did on Shabbat for Christians.  It starts out with lessons that are introduced by saying whether you do Shabbat as per the Bible or as per the Church, we need to study what is the Sabbath as per the very words of God.  Also, inherent in the series is how does the Sabbath testify of Jesus.  Jesus said that scripture testifies of Himself.  So if the Shabbat is the most important of God's APPOINTED TIMES we'd better understand how Shabbat testifies of Jesus.  Here's the link … https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvcIXun2BQDLshZetXi0avkG665YNcI5I Finally, we come to Jesus' words … "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. (Luk 6:40) As we take the English to the Greek and the Greek to the Hebrew we find that Jesus was telling us about the relationship of a disciple (talmid) and His rabbi (ravee).  The relationship is between a rabbi and his disciples is so misunderstood in the church that for the most part few churches today know how to “make disciples” as Jesus commanded and NOT converts.  DID JESUS EVER SPEAK OF THE RABBI DISCIPLE RELATIONSHIP?  DID HE EVER TEACH US USING HIS CULTURE?  NOT IN ENGLISH!! Jesus said, "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. (Luk 6:40) Pupil?  Nope.  The Greek word used here is μαθητής mathētēs (Strongs number G3101) meaning a learner, disciple or a pupil.  But, Jesus is speaking Hebrew and not Greek.  What is the Hebrew word for disciple?  It is Talmid (תַּלְמִיד) Strongs umber H8527 (pronounced talmeed). The plural form is Talmidim (תַּלְמִידִים) (pronounced talmideem). Teacher? Nope.  The Greek word used here is διδάσκαλος Didaskalos (Strongs number G1320) meaning instructor, doctor, master, teacher.  The Hebrew word in Jesus' day that διδάσκαλος Didaskalos translates is RAV ( רַב )(Strongs number is H8227) meaning master.  The Hebrew word RAVEE רבי meaning “my master.” So when Jesus is called “RABBI” in the Gospels in Hebrew He is being called RAVEE רבי or “my master.” So, so far, Luke 6:40 can be read … "A TALMID is not above his RAV but TALMIDIM, after they have been fully trained, will be like their RAV.” (Luk 6:40) FULLY TRAINED – Nope.  Better is “after he has been made καταρτίζω katartizō (Strongs number is G2675) meaning complete or perfect or finished).  In Jesus' day a TALMID of a RAV was finished when the RAV saw that his talmid was ready to go in the name of the RAV to teach the Bible just like the talmid's master or his rav.  Now we read Luke 6:40 from the Hebrew … "A TALMID is not above his RAV but TALMIDIM, after they have finished, will be like their RAV.” (Luk 6:40) BE?? – Nope.  The Greek word used here is ὡς hōs (Strongs; number 5613) meaning “exactly like.”  It translates the Hebrew letter used as a prefix KEE כְּ meaning just like, identical, the same as, be like.  So we finally come to the complete translation from the English to the Greek to the Hebrew of Luke 6:40.  "A TALMID is not above his RAV but TALMIDIM, after they have finished, will be EXACTLY LIKE their RAV.” (Luk 6:40) The RAV and TALMID Relationship  To be a talmid was a highly esteemed honor. The relationship between a RAV (we'd say rabbi) and his talmidim went far beyond basic education:  Total Dedication: A talmid would often leave their former life, home, and family to follow their rabbi full-time.  Imitation: The primary goal of a disciple was not just to know what the rabbi knew, but to become exactly like the rabbi. This meant absorbing the rabbi's lifestyle, character, and interpretation of the scriptures.  Walking in the Dust: Ancient Jewish writings describe disciples following their teacher so closely that they became covered in the "dust of the rabbi's feet". See this video Bible study from Light of Menorah ministries – Part 1 of what is a disciple - https://youtu.be/JZv2YhSoya8?si=_WidHCq2RTtDVl5R Link to part 2 - https://youtu.be/m9pNgjAI18g?si=CThLTsg5uLD9gtId   Check out these links from Ray Vander Laan's website entitled THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW … https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/rabbi-and-talmidim https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/preview/1539 https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/preview/1540 https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/preview/1540 https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/preview/1568 https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/preview/1557 Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  (Ferret - teaching somewhere in the Galilee) What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0

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.

The Jordan was at flood stage when the priests waded in — before the water moved. Obedience came first. Click here to read the sermon “Walk This Way” Joshua 3:1–4; 3:14–16; 4:18–24 It's such a treat to be back with you. My name is Rob Stone. If we haven't met yet, it's so good to be with you. This is my second of what will be three weeks preaching for you here at Yates Baptist Church. And we are in a series we started last week called Onward: Moving Toward the Uncharted. Onward, moving toward the uncharted. And of course we're walking through the book of Joshua. The book of Joshua is one of my favorite books of the Bible, because Joshua finds a people in the middle of a dramatic change, a dramatic shift. The people of Israel, if you follow from the book of Exodus, have been set free from their captivity, from their slavery in Egypt, but they have spent the better part of the last forty years wandering in the wilderness. They essentially lose a generation in the wilderness. But God is raising up a generation that's going to lead them into the promised land. So after the death of Moses, Joshua finds himself tasked with leading the people of Israel into the promised land. They're going to cross the Jordan River and make their way into Israel. I'm very excited about where we are today, because last week we discovered the what. Last week, we discovered the what: that God has called Joshua to lead the people into the promised land, and He made a lot of promises. We saw that Joshua will only inherit what he inhabits — Joshua will only inherit what he inhabits, which is another way of saying God's promise to Joshua is that every place the sole of his foot treads, God has given to him (cf. Josh 1:3, HCSB) [see "A New Dawn, A New Day," July 12, 2026]. And we talked about last week how that can be a promise, but it's not just a promise — it's a principle. And a principle is a promise that is user dependent. It's a promise that depends on whether or not you live it out, because God's promise to Joshua is a promise that depends on Joshua's action. Joshua has to take steps of obedience in order to receive the blessing that comes with God's promise. But if Joshua keeps his feet planted exactly as they are, if Joshua is not willing to be obedient, then the promise becomes a curse for him. Joshua has to take action. Joshua has to take steps of obedience. And I believe that is what God has called us to as well, because as we talked about last week, I believe God has not brought us this far just to bring us this far. There is more to go. There is further to go. And I believe, by God's power, that the best is yet to come. So before we jump into the second week of the series — looking not just at the what, but the how — because the what is great, but a what without a how leaves us all feeling a little confused. It leaves us lacking clarity, especially if we don't know how to get where we're going. Now, we live in 2026, and I have my phone right here — it has some points of the sermon that I'm going to cover. How many of you have your phones with you? Raise your hand if you have your phone, lift it up high. There we go. We are a smartphone people. Okay, let's try it this way — just for my own interest: if you're an iPhone user, raise your hand. Okay. If you use anything else, raise your hand. [Laughter.] Look at you. Come on now — a bunch of green dots showing up in the group texts. "So-and-so reacted to a photo." We can see it now, all you green-dot people, you non-iPhone users in the room. But here's why I mention it: a smartphone is beautiful, especially if you are lost. And really, with a smartphone, how could you ever truly be lost? But I want you to journey with me back to 2001 — December of 2001. I'm a college student at the University of Central Florida. I'm from Florida, by the way — I don't know if there are any other Floridians in the room. Come on, Sunshine State, look how far we've made it. I was a junior at the University of Central Florida, working with a campus ministry called Campus Crusade for Christ that now goes by Cru. Cru has Christmas Conference every year — our big regional conference. Because I was a student in the Southeast, Christmas Conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia. And there are lots of things to love about Atlanta, Georgia — Waffle House, Chick-fil-A, it's all wonderful, I appreciate it. But here's the thing I can't stand about Atlanta: driving in Atlanta is awful. Amen? Around the city of Atlanta is a circle, the perimeter, if you will, and it is a ten-lane highway that just forms a circle all around the city. And depending on where you get on this circle, the directions you're following make no sense, because there's an inner circle and an outer circle. Here I am in Atlanta before the invention of the iPhone. I want you to remember back in the days of a road atlas — you're pulling it out, maybe you've got it hidden in a map somewhere, and you pull that map out and try to figure out, as you're driving, where you're going. None of it is safe. We're going to our service project — how many of our youth went to Passport, by the way? Raise your hand if you were at Passport last week. Come on, vámonos, I love it, great job. So here's the thing: we're doing our service project as part of this conference, and we're headed into a place in Atlanta, and my friend who lives in Atlanta is like, "I know exactly how to get there." And then he proceeded to tell me — and if you don't live in a city, someone telling you the roads and the various points along the way isn't really helpful. So I do what dumb young men do: I go, "Got it. Gotcha. Totally see you there." And I take off, and I'm getting on I-285, this giant thing that goes around the city. I hop on I-285, and I know I need to go two exits west of where we are on the northern part of this highway. So I follow the sign that says west. But the west sign takes me in the opposite direction, because it's telling me where I'm ultimately trying to end up — not where I'm immediately going. Again, a highway that makes no sense. The fine folks of Atlanta, Georgia need to get their stuff figured out. But I turn the wrong way, and now I spend the next hour just looping around the city, seeing all the sights all the way around Atlanta. Finally, someone in my car has a cell phone — I don't own a cell phone yet, this is 2001, this is pre–cell phone days for me. Someone in the car has a cell phone: "Where are you all at?" "We're still on 285, looking for the exit." We eventually make our way there. This time, as we're going back to the hotel from the service project, I didn't just listen to what my friend told me when he told me how to get back. I said, "You go first, and I will follow you." We got back to the hotel in about five minutes. Now, there are wives in the room being very sweet about not elbowing your husbands right now — I appreciate that, I'm grateful for that — because if I had been married at that point, my wife would have said, "Hey, you don't know where you're going. How about you follow someone who does?" You don't know how to get there — why don't you follow someone who knows how to get there? I knew the what. I knew what we were going to do. I just didn't know how to get there, and I thought I could just figure it out. And of course I didn't, because you can't just figure out everything. Sometimes the only way to learn is to watch someone who knows what they're doing, who knows how to do it. And so here we are in week two of the sermon series Onward, with a message I have titled "Walk This Way." Because just like Joshua and the people of Israel, and just like us today, we need to know not just where we're going — we need to know how to get there. And so this is what we find as we open up Joshua chapter three and Joshua chapter four. We're not going to read the entirety of the two chapters — we're going to read some selections of Scripture from these two chapters. But beginning in Joshua chapter three, verse one — this is Joshua 3:1–4: Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. After three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you must break camp and follow it. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark. Don't go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven't traveled this way before." (Josh 3:1–4, HCSB) I love how practical this section of Scripture is. It's this beautiful thing — it's Joshua saying, "Hey, we're going to follow the ark. We're going to follow God. We're going to follow God where He is leading us, but we're going to let God lead the way. We're not going to jump ahead of God," because sometimes in our lives we try to jump ahead of God's will, and we find ourselves not in the place we wanted to be. Amen? Sometimes we go, "I know what God wants for me," and we find ourselves in a place we never thought we would be — in a circumstance we never imagined we would be in. And here's Joshua, and he's saying, "Come on, we're all going to be ready. You're going to get ready to follow." And the reason you're going to follow is because you don't know where we're going — you've never been there before. There's a French philosopher who said these beautiful words: "If we want to reach new lands, we must be willing to lose sight of the shore.”1 I don't know how many of you have maybe been out on a cruise ship — have you been out on the water? There's something terrifying that happens when you get out in the ocean, and suddenly you look around, three hundred sixty degrees, everywhere you look all you see is horizon. That's a scary spot to be, because if all you have is horizon, you don't really know where you are, you don't really know where you're going. For Joshua, he's saying, look, so much of our wandering, so much of the place we've been stuck in for the last forty years, is because we didn't know how to get out of it. We didn't know how to take the next step. We didn't know how to move forward. And here's Joshua saying: we're going to follow God, and God is going to lead us into a new place. But in order for God to lead us to a new place, we're going to have to walk in a brand-new way. We're going to have to go to a place we have never been before. To put it another way: if we want to reach new lands, we must follow a new path. Church, I want you to hear me when I say this. If we want to reach new lands, if we want to be in a new place, if we want to go where we have not been before, then we're going to have to take a brand-new path to get there. Because all the paths that are familiar to us, all the ways that are known to us, all the directions we are comfortable with, just lead us to the places we've already been. If we want to reach new lands, we've got to follow a brand-new path. We've got to be willing to do some new things and move in a new direction. And if we're honest — new is scary. New is scary, and let's be real: I'm in my forties now, I have three kids, I have teenagers at home. New isn't just scary — new feels sometimes a little irresponsible, because I've got people who are counting on me, I've got kids I'm trying to pay for college for. The older I get, new feels like more and more of a risk. So the older we get, new seems to be a bridge just too far. But God didn't bring us this far just to take us this far — which means it's time for us to get used to new. It's time to get comfortable with new. It's time to get comfortable with the risks that come with new, because we want to reach new lands, and you only reach new lands by following a new path. We're going to skip ahead to verse fourteen — this is Joshua 3:14–16: When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of the people. Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan. (Josh 3:14–16, HCSB) I want you to track what's happening here. There has been a command from Joshua to the officers for what all the people are going to do: hey, we're going to follow a new path, we're going to go a new direction. And the people are being obedient — the people are saying, "I'm ready, we are ready." They have broken camp. The people are leading. The priests carrying the ark step their feet in the water, and the water stops. Now, here's something to know: the Jordan River is not a large river. If you look at pictures of the Jordan, through most of the year it's about the width of this stage — so crossing it through most of the year is not really a huge deal, especially this far south, because once you get this far south, this is the lowest-lying region on planet Earth. The Dead Sea is just south of here. But it's flood season, so we're not talking about just crossing the stage — we're talking about a flood. In October 2024 (sic) [Hurricane Helene's catastrophic inland flooding in Western North Carolina occurred primarily September 26–28], Hurricane Helene came through Western Carolina and dumped an amount of rain the region had not seen in nearly a hundred years. What happened to all the rivers there? They immediately flooded. The problem is, in any mountainous terrain, you build roads next to rivers, because rivers do what water often does — they follow the path of least resistance. If you're engineering roads, you also want to follow the path of least resistance; otherwise, you're going to spend tons of time, energy, and resources cutting roads into a mountain. So when these rivers flooded, it didn't just flood the rivers — it flooded the roads, it flooded the homes, it flooded the businesses. Suddenly you have this whole area of Western North Carolina destroyed essentially by rain, by floodwaters overflowing these rivers, and you become acutely aware of how powerful floodwaters can be. So we get this detail — this is what the Jordan River was like as they're getting ready to cross. Now again, we've got to be comfortable with new, we've got to get comfortable with the risk associated with new, because let's be honest — if any of us was part of the team with Joshua that day, wouldn't we go, "You know, Joshua, if we could just chill here for another three months, this crossing would be much easier. Joshua, you've picked the worst time to do this — these are flooding rivers. We've waited forty years to do this; another two weeks ain't gonna kill us." That's what, let's be honest, that's what we would say if we were with Joshua that day. But we get this detail, and the reason we get this detail is to understand the power of what comes next: "But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge, and the water flowing downstream stood still." Now, what does this immediately remind you of? [A member of the congregation responds.] Q: And what's your name? A: Gail. Y'all give it up for Gail — Gail had the right answer, come on, that's right. This is the same group of people who, forty years earlier, was fleeing Pharaoh and the Egyptian army, and they get to the Red Sea, and what happens when they get to the water (cf. Exod 14:21–22)? Here they are — an entire race of people, an entire ethnicity of people, fleeing their enslavers, and they get to a body of water they cannot cross. It looks like it's over. It looks like this is the end of the story. Surely the people in that moment are terrified for their lives. But God tells Moses to stand up, and what happens to the waters? They part. Now here we are, forty years later, Joshua leading the people to cross the river — a much smaller body of water, but still a significant body of water in flood season — and the priests are carrying the ark, and their feet hit the water, and when their feet hit the water, a wall of water stands. I don't know about you, but when I am afraid, nothing comforts me faster than remembering how God has rescued me before. The older we get, the harder new becomes. But the older we get, the more testimony we have in our rearview mirror. The older we get, the more we have seen, time and time again: "I didn't think there was a way out. I didn't think there was any hope in this situation, and God came through." How many of us — the greatest testimony of our life is something we would have never asked for, something we would have dreaded if someone said it was coming, and yet we can look back on that season and go, "God, thank You. Thank You for bringing me to it, and thank You for bringing me through it. God, thank You, because now I know what You're capable of." There's this beautiful thing that happens before the people step into a new land, before they take this new path to their new destination, to their new future: before any of that happens, God reminds them of His past faithfulness. Church, we need our memories of God's past faithfulness. We need our memories of God's past faithfulness. We need that. [Addressing the media team.] This is the time for that slide to move on — thank you. We need our memories of God's past faithfulness. We need it. Every one of those stories you have — those stories we call your testimony — every one of those stories of God's past faithfulness, we need them. We need every one. We need the stories from the previous generations of God's faithfulness. If you were lucky enough to grow up with a mother and a father who worship the Lord, then you have generations of past faithfulness to talk about. Some of you in this room know what it's like to have generations and generations go before you, and you can tell the story of God's past faithfulness to those generations. And when you hear the stories of God's past faithfulness, it should not lead you to be afraid. It should not leave you suddenly more conservative in your decision-making. The more you are aware of God's past faithfulness, the more boldness you should have to take steps down a new path to a brand-new destination — because God has proven it time and time again, in your own story, in the story of your family before you, in the story of the generations that have gone before. God has been faithful time and time again, and He's not about to quit right now. He's not about to stop! This should be so encouraging for us, church, because seeing this story is the reminder that God is always true to His promise — He is faithful yesterday, today, and forever. So church, when we find ourselves at a crossroads where we've got to pick — hey, are we going to do the same thing we've always done and end up in the same place we've always been, or are we going to do something brand new? Are we going to have enough faith to take a new path to a new destination? If you're struggling with that today, if you're like me, if you're someone who — the older you get, the more you struggle with that kind of decision — I want to encourage you to take a moment today and just remember God's past faithfulness. I want you to remember the ways God showed up time and time again when people were willing to trust Him enough to follow a new path to a new destination. Joshua and the people of Israel, the twelve tribes of Israel, make their way across the river. Historians disagree on the predicted size of the nation of Israel at this time, but somewhere between eighty thousand and two hundred fifty thousand people is what we're talking about, and they have made the journey across the river. Now, moving across a river, especially when it's dry because the water has stopped, doesn't take forever — but when you've got that many people, it takes a while. It takes a while, and I wonder how many people got to the river, saw the water standing still, and still rushed, still ran — "Hey, it's been hours now, it was good for that tribe and that tribe, but I'd better get working fast, I'd better run my way across this river." The people of Israel make their way to the other side. And before they get out of the river entirely, Joshua orders each tribe to choose one person and send that person back to the riverbed to pull a rock out of the dry place they have crossed on. Joshua orders the people to go back, take twelve rocks, and bring those rocks to the west side of the river. They've crossed from the east side to the west side, and here they are on the west side, and they stack up these twelve stones as a monument. And the monument was not to an event. The monument was not to a thing that happened. The monument was about God's faithfulness. When we turn to Joshua 4:18–24, this is what we read: When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan and their feet stepped out onto solid ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course, flowing over all the banks as before. The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal, on the eastern limits of Jericho. Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan, and he said this to the Israelites: "In the future, when your children ask their fathers, 'What is the meaning of these stones?' you should tell your children, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord's hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God." (Josh 4:18–24, HCSB) I want to stop here for a second. Look at the Scripture — "This is so." Now, last week we opened up and talked about the what: it's God coming to Joshua — "Joshua, you're going to lead the people into the promised land, into the land I am giving them as an inheritance. You're going to do it, Joshua." There's the what. We started this week looking at the how: here's how we're going to do it. We don't know the way, so we're following God, and God is going to lead us on a new path to a brand-new land. So we've got the what and the how. But as Simon Sinek would say, the most important thing in your life is not the what or the how — the most important thing in your life is the why. Why are you being faithful? Why are you here in church this morning? Why do you give? Why do you sacrifice? Why do you do the right thing when no one is watching, when no one will ever know if you didn't? What's your why? I love that Joshua hears from the Lord — this is the why: "so that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord's hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God." There's a lie we can get sucked into if we're not careful — the lie that everything God has done in the Old Testament is about giving one ethnicity a place to call home. I want you to know that what God is doing in the Old Testament is so much bigger and so much greater than that, because what Joshua is doing is not about a people receiving this plot of land — it's about the whole earth knowing that the Lord's hand is mighty, and so that we may always have fear of the Lord our God, which is what Solomon will say is wisdom (cf. Prov 9:10, HCSB). God's why in getting a group of less than a quarter million people from one side of the river to the next, God's why in what He's going to do next week as we look at the Battle of Jericho, God's why in everything that happens in the rest of the Old Testament is the same: that all the earth may know the Lord and have wisdom, because the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. God's why is that the whole earth would know Him and have wisdom. I wonder today for us — we've got a called business meeting right after the church service. There's a lot going on at Yates Baptist Church, and let's be honest, I think there's still some confusion. But what I want to let you know is this: if we focus too much on this, we'll miss the whole story, we'll miss the bigger picture, we'll miss what God has come to do. And what I want to let you know is this: everything God has done in your life, everything God has done in this church, everything God has done in every church that has ever been, has been the same as God's why in Joshua chapter four — that the whole world would know Him and walk in wisdom. God's why is that the whole earth would know Him and walk in wisdom. And I wonder today, if that became your why — if that became your why, that everything you did was so that people could know God and walk in wisdom — how would it change things? How would it change your life? How would it change your choices? How would it change your community? How would God bring dead things to life all around you if we adopted that as our why? I love that Joshua gives the why to the people this way — he says, "In the future, when your children ask you." Do you see what's happening? It's Joshua saying, right now, I want you to prepare yourselves to remember, prepare yourselves to remember what God has done, because the day is coming where the next generation is going to ask you what this means, and you go, "I'm so glad you've asked" — because my why, my motivating factor in my whole life, has been to tell you this story. Let me tell you about my God, and let me give you all you need to begin walking in wisdom. So church, we've celebrated two weeks in a row of children and teenagers spending time in camp, spending formative time in community, hearing more about the God we worship. You've got to be a part of it — you've gotten to be a part of it already, in the last two weeks. In the future, when your children ask, you've been able to send your children to places where all they've done is learn about who God is and how to walk in wisdom. So church, today — are you prepared? Are you prepared to remember what God is about to do? Because the testimony of God's might and His work is not just a story for yesterday — that's a story for today. Tomorrow, you have no idea what God might do. You have no idea what God might do. So the question for each and every one of us: are we prepared to remember what God is about to do — what has not yet come to fruition, but which we see by faith and not by sight (cf. 2 Cor 5:7, HCSB)? I believe that's our why, and I believe if it becomes your why, it just might change the whole world. Let me pray for us. Heavenly Father, we love You, we praise You, God. We are people who have testimony, who have story after story of how You have been good, how You have been faithful, how You have delivered us when there seemed to be no other way. And so God, we are asking the same right now, and we are believing by faith, not by sight, that You are about to do a new thing. Would You give us the obedience? Would You give us the courage? Would You give us the boldness to follow You on a new path to a brand-new future? And would You prepare our hearts now to remember what You're about to do, so that as generations come, we can declare Your faithfulness to each and every generation. God, would You help us to live with a why like Yours, like Joshua's? Would You help us to live with a why that says everything I do is so that the whole world will know Jesus and walk in the wisdom His Holy Spirit provides? Jesus, we pray this in Your name. Amen. Endnote 1 This is a summary of the French novelist and essayist André Gide's words as they appear in dialogue near the end of his novel Les Faux-monnayeurs (The Counterfeiters), spoken between the characters Édouard and Bernard. The standard English rendering, from Dorothy Bussy's translation, reads: "One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight, for a very long time, of the shore." The French original reads: "On ne découvre pas de terre nouvelle sans consentir à perdre de vue, d'abord et longtemps, tout rivage." Works Cited Gide, André. Les Faux-monnayeurs. Paris: Gallimard, 1925. Gide, André. The Counterfeiters. Translated by Dorothy Bussy. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927. The Holy Bible, Holman Christian Standard Bible. 2004, rev. 2009. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers. Sinek, Simon. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. New York: Portfolio, 2009. © 2026 Rob Stone. All rights reserved.

The word “faces” in God's word is often used as a synonym for ‘minds,'  such as when ”the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face” [Exod.33 v.11] – and we see this today in Jeremiah.  The prophet is bitterly complaining to God about the attitudes of mind he sees all around him.“O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth?”  [5 v.3] But he does not find truth!  God brings trouble on them,  “but they felt no anguish …  they refused to take correction.  They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.”  Jeremiah thinks there will be a different attitude among the rich, but there is not!  “they are all alike … they have no sense … they do not know the way of the LORD” [v.5,4]How parallel this is with the attitudes of mind that exist today!  The people “'have been utterly treacherous to me', declares the LORD. They have spoken falsely of the LORD and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us” [v.11,12]  Today, the mature educated people sense the world's future is going to be increasingly difficult, but they in no way sense that there is a Creator who is going to cause this – or make it worse.     Jeremiah is told to “Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah … Do you not fear me? Declares the LORD … your sins have kept good from you … They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice … Shall I not punish them for these things? … shall I not avenge myself …” [v.20,22.28,29]   And God did avenge himself in the horrible destruction of the Temple and of all Jerusalem.  The chapter ends with a question we should ask ourselves.  After observing “my people love to have it so” the LORD asks the question, “but what will you do when the end comes?”   Do you know what you will do, for our world is so similar in so many ways to Jeremiah's!  God's word alone provides us with the answer – How “hard” is your “face”?  Only our daily reading will enable us to fully absorb that answer – and the more we join together to discuss and more fully understand God's word, the more that answer will become clear to us.

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 shall finish up with Zipporah and then take a look at Miriam the sister of Moses. ZIPPORAH (bird): THE WIFE OF MOSES.Exod. 2:15-22        Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. She heroically saves Moses and her sons from a random attack from an angel by cutting off her son's foreskin; the explanation for this act is unclear. However, Zipporah is shown as fiercely devoted to her husband, even though he neglects her.        Zipporah is a Midianite woman who becomes the wife of Moses. After Moses kills an Egyptian, he flees from the pharaoh and settles among the Midianites, an Arab people who occupied desert areas in southern Transjordan, northern Arabia, and the Sinai. He meets the seven daughters of Reuel, priest of Midian, at a well; rescues them from shepherds who are harassing them; and fills their jugs with water. In gratitude, Reuel (called Jethro or Hobab in other biblical passages) offers Moses hospitality, then gives him his daughter Zipporah in marriage (Exod 2:21–22). She and Moses have two sons, Gershom and Eliezer (Exod 18:3–4).       Zipporah is the heroine of a bizarre incident that takes place as Moses heads back to Egypt with his wife and sons (Exod 4:20). On their way, at a night encampment, “The Lord met him [Moses] and tried to kill him” (Exod 4:24). No reason is given, just as no reason is given for the angel's attack on Jacob as he came back from Mesopotamia (Gen 32:24). Jacob was alone and wrestled with the angel all night; Moses is with his wife, who comes to his rescue. She takes a flint and cuts off her son's foreskin. She then flings the foreskin at “his” feet, declaring that he is hatan damim to her (Exod 4:26). Zipporah's enigmatic statement has two possible explanations: she flings the foreskin at Moses's feet, saying, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me” (NRSV), or she flings it at Yahweh's feet, saying, “You are a blood father-in-law to me.” (Damim means “blood,” and hatan can mean either “bridegroom” or “father-in-law.”) Either way, her deed and words stop the attack. The story is already difficult for the narrator, who adds a comment that hatan damim refers to circumcision. The situation remains unclear to us. Zipporah, however, understood it and acted decisively to rescue Moses. Zipporah's name, meaning “bird,” combined with her protection of Moses, is reminiscent of the fierce loyalty to her husband Osiris of the Egyptian goddess Isis, who is often portrayed as a bird of prey.        Zipporah is not well rewarded. At some point before the exodus from Egypt, Moses sends her and the children away (Exod 18:2). After the exodus, her father, the priest of Midian (here called Jethro), comes to visit Moses, bringing Zipporah and her two sons. Moses is told that his father-in-law Jethro is “coming to see you, with your wife and her two sons” (Exod i8:6). Moses goes out to greet Jethro and takes him into his tent, but nothing is said about his greeting Zipporah.        Moses' neglect of Zipporah is obvious, as he (not Yahweh) tells the men at Sinai not to approach any women in preparation for Yahweh's approach in three days (Exod 19:2). Since he himself is apparently always in preparation for meeting with Yahweh, we can infer that he never sleeps with Zipporah. In Num 12:1 Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses because of the “Cushite woman” whom he married, but they do not mention her name. Midrashic tradition assumed they were discussing Moses' neglect of Zipporah. Other interpreters see the Cushite woman as a second wife, with Miriam and Aaron opposed to the marriage. But no children are ever recorded for a second wife of Moses.Miriam (rebellion) – Moses Sister – A ProphetessMiriam was the older sister of Moses, and it was she who watched over him when he was placed in a basket on the River Nile. She went on to become a leader of the Hebrews when they escaped from Egypt and went in search of the Promised Land.Miriam is best known for helping to deliver Moses at the Nile River and leading the Hebrew women in singing, dancing, and playing drums after crossing the Red Sea. Later, she and her brother Aaron challenge the actions and authority of Moses. She understands leadership to embrace diverse voices, female and male. But the price of speaking out is severe; Yahweh punishes her, after which she never speaks, nor is she spoken to. Centuries later, prophecy remembers her as the equal of Moses and Aaron in representing Yahweh before the people, and as the inaugurator of a performance and composition tradition of song, drums, and dances in Israel."I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy."—Joel 2:28.                Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron (Exod. 15:20.), is the first of her order mentioned in the Word of Yahweh. While Yahweh never ordained a woman to be priest, nor do we read of women as bishops or pastors in the New Testament, the vocation of "prophetess" is common to both dispensations. Hannah (1Sam. 1:2) was practically a prophetess, and so was Huldah, to whom King Josiah went in his time of perplexity. Deborah (Judges 4:5) was a prophetess (2Kings 22:14), and there were also false prophetesses, such as Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), as well as false prophets.                In the New Testament, Peter expressly declares that the pouring out of the Spirit of Yahweh upon all flesh should be upon sons and daughters, servants, and handmaids, "and they shall prophesy," quoting from the Old Testament. (Joel 2:28-32); compare (Acts 2:17-18.)  A number of those who "spake" "AS THE SPIRIT GAVE THEM UTTERANCE," (Acts. 2:4.) of the wonderful works of Yahweh on the Day of Pentecost, were women speaking in the spirit of prophecy. Philip, the deacon, we read, had four daughters "which did prophesy" (Acts 21:9); the Apostle Paul speaks of those women who labored with him in the Gospel. (Phl. 4:3.) It is he who especially recommends that, when women pray and prophesy, their heads should be covered; and explains what is this office of prophesying in the words: "He that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort." (1Chorin. 11:5; 14:3.) And while Paul commands that women should not speak in church, he ordains that all, i.e., both men and women, may prophesy, one by one, that all may learn, and may be comforted. (1Corin. 14:31-34.)                Yahweh's order in the family is not according to earthly birthright. Speaking of the leaders of His people Israel, He says: "I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam." (Micah 6:4.) All these children of Amram were of the prophet order. Miriam was the eldest, Moses the youngest; yet Moses is first mentioned, because he knew his Yahweh more fully than either his brother or his sister. Aaron, his elder brother, ranks next, and Miriam, the eldest of the three, ranks last.     Miriam was a leader of the Hebrew people during the Exodus, the great founding event of Judaism. The episodes we have about her are disjointed and probably only represent a fraction of the stories originally told in the oral tradition of the Hebrew people. The story of Miriam contains four different episodes:   1 Miriam saved her brother Moses, Exodus 2:1-10. This well-known story shows that the survival of the leader of the Exodus, Moses, depended on the courage and ingenuity of one young woman, his sister Miriam.   2 The song of Miriam, Exodus 15:20-21. This fragment of the Song of Miriam is one of the oldest poetic couplets in the Old Testament. It is an example of a literary genre devoted to celebrating military victories with triumphal poems. 3 Miriam's ordeal, Numbers 12. This story is about the authority of established law. Moses was the great lawgiver of the Hebrew people Moses' legislation formed the basis of Hebrew life. The story acknowledged that Miriam and Aaron were both popular leaders, but the Law, represented by Moses, bound them.  4 Miriam's death, Numbers 20:1-2. Miriam died in a waterless place in the wilderness, but Yahweh subsequently caused water to appear there. 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

POWERFUL EXAMPLE OF TORAH SCRIPTURE THAT TESTIFIES OF YESHUA WHO BEARS OUR SIN (See Exod. 34:7 and 1 Pete. 2:24) In this podcast we will learn that indeed the Torah in Hebrew testifies of Jesus just like He taught us in John's Gospel in John 5:39.  This is not apparent in English and so we miss it again!  Few will teach God's word in its historical context and check the Hebrew and not the English.  This podcast does and you'll see that the very word of God shows that the Torah testifies of Jesus in ways that are beyond powerful. One of the first things we encountered in this lesson as what is called "The 13 Attributes of the Lord" that the rabbis came up with.  See the chart below from the website www.CalledOutBelievers.org of how the verese Exod. 34:6-8 show these 13 attributes of God. Also, here's a link to an excellent article on the Jewish understanding of the 13 Attributes from "My Jewish Learning" - https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-13-attributes-of-mercy/ In Christianity we all understand sin as being intentional.  We don't say that someone who acted in error or inadvertently or by mistake, committed a sin.  Sin for Christian is intentional, done on purpose, or a deliberate action against God.  But, in the Bible there are two types of sin, UNINTENTIONAL and INTENTIONAL.  This is so clear when youstudy God's instruction on the Sin Offering in Leviticus 4.  Consider ... Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD a bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. (Lev 4:1-3) You can also read what God has to say about this in Numbers 15.   'But when you unwittingly fail and do not observe all these commandments, which the LORD has spoken to Moses, even all that the LORD has commanded you through Moses, from the day when the LORD gave commandment and onward throughout your generations, then it shall be, if it is done unintentionally, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one bull for a burnt offering, as a soothing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one male goat for a sin offering. (Num 15:22-24) The Sin Offering is thus only for cleansing UNINTENTIONAL sins and not sin as Christians know it, INTENTIONAL.   Jewish scholars agree that there is NO sacrifice or ritual in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, to forgive intentional sin.  There are no number of goats and sheep that can be sacrificed to erase someone's intentional sin.  Here's an awesome article that goes into this big time.  This Jewish scholarly article thus supports our Christian understanding.  What would we expect?  It supports the reason why Jesus came.  He came to die so our sins (intentional) would be atoned for and we would regain a right standing with God.  The Sinai Covenant did not have such a sacrifice.  So Jesus came and provided the WAY back to the Father and He can therefore say He came and the Sinai Covenant, as Jesus said, "It is finished."  Check out the article.  https://www.jewfaq.org/qorbanot.htm#Purposes In this lesson we focus on Exod. 34:7 where it says about God that He forgives inquity, transgression, and sin.  But, the word is not forgives but the Hebrew word NAHSAH (H5375) which has the conceptual idea of carrying a burden, bearing a load, lifiting something up, taking something away.  God is giving us an amazing picture of what forgiveness "looks like."  What is so awesome is that God, who is Jesus, since Jesus is only a face of the Lord (see lesson 75) carries our sin to a special place and to a special time.  He takes our sins to the His Cross. Shown below are links to Bible lessons I have done that go into these ideas in depth.  I list them for your reference so that you can consider studying the very words of God and enhancing your understanding that the 13 Attributes of Yahvay are all about Him, Jesus, who is God, a manifestion of the Lord. LINKS FOR LOM PODCASTS YOM KIPPUR 1ST – IT IS FINISHED AND 2ND – THE GOAT AND THE LAMB https://youtu.be/LtiB77wbNd8?si=zDi2upP9WPMh1kh5 https://youtu.be/KoI6_yUnT2w?si=ftKR9QfBLWtcGAEE TORAH IS FINISHED BY THE CROSS https://youtu.be/-FSJ0GytjSo?si=yl4PrBP1EkWUDYzO Also, check out the article I wrote from one of my classbooks.  It addresses unintentional and intentional sin, the Hebrew word NAHSAH and how it is used in God's word, and how Jesus as God, the only God,  carries our sins like bearing a heavy load to the cross. Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  (Ferret - somewhere in the Galilee) What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0

In this study we will take a look at the miracles that Yahweh performed on the Egyptians, when Israel was held in bondage, during this period in Exodus. We will see that those miracles were against the Egyptian deities or gods that they worshipped.The story of Moses is not just the story of the freedom of a group of slaves from Egypt in the second millennium BCE. It is the blueprint of the Plan of Salvation of the world as seen from the structure laid down in the Bible. Moses was the prototype of the Christ or Messiah. More importantly, the nation of Israel saw Moses as a prototype and the Bible record illustrates that point. Moses said: ‘And Yahweh said unto me, they have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.' (Deut. 18:17-18).In this study I begin in Exodus Chapter 11The warning of the Last Plague1                       The Lord said = Or “Yahweh had said.” The first three verses of this chapter are parenthetical. Before Moses relates the last warning given to Pharaoh, he feels it right to recall to his readers' minds the revelation and command which had been previously given to him by Yahweh.2                       borrow = shaw-al, request or ask3                       And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, = So that they freely and willingly lent them the things they asked of them; which seems to be said by way of anticipation, for this was not done until the following plague was inflicted, see Exod.12:35,  The people = ‘am' ‘ayin-mem' ‘Aleph-tav'Ayin = (eye) watch, know, shade (this letter is basically silent) Mem = (water) chaos, blood, mightyAleph = (ox) strength, strong, power, leader Tav = (cross) sign, covenant seal, mark and cross The Hebrew Letter ‘ayin'is a picture of the eye, the Hebrew Letter ‘mem' is a picture of the sea representing mass. Combined these mean "see a mass". A large group of people in one location. But when we add the ‘eth' ‘Alpeh-Tav' we are not talking about any group of people, but Yahweh/Yahshua Messiah's Elect.5                       that sitteth upon his throne = this phrase to Pharaoh and not to the eldest son.   First-born of the maidservant = the meanest person in the kingdom is contrasted with the noblest. Grinding the corn, the lowest labor, was the work of women, slaves and captives. Two portable millstones are used for the purpose, of which the uppermost is turned by a small wooden handle and during the operation the maid sits behind the mill   First-born of beasts = the plague of the cattle described in Chapter 9:6 was limited to the ‘cattle which are in the field'. The Hebrew word for cattle in 9:6 is ‘mikneh', whereas here the word ‘behemah' is used. The Egyptians paid divine honors to various animals; and the first born of all these beasts were to be doomed.6                       And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt = Of parents for the loss of their firstborn sons, their heirs, the support and glory of their families; children for the loss of their elder brethren; and servants for the loss of the prime and principal in their masters' houses; and all in a dreadful fright, expecting instantly death themselves. I read from Thomas Horn Book ‘The Gods' PDF page 82, to close the section on the death of the firstborn.Book of Wisdom of the Apocrypha Chapter 17Wis 17:1For great are thy judgments, and cannot be expressed:therefore unnurtured souls have erred. Wis 17:2For when unrighteous men thought to oppress the holy nation;they being shut up in their houses, the prisoners of darkness,and fettered with the bonds of a long night, lay [there] exiledfrom the eternal providence. Wis 17:3For while they supposed to lie hid in their secret sins, theywere scattered under a dark veil of forgetfulness, beinghorribly astonished, and troubled with [strange] apparitions. Wis 17:4For neither might the corner that held them keep them fromfear: but noises [as of waters] falling down sounded about them,and sad visions appeared unto them with heavy countenances. Wis 17:5No power of the fire might give them light: neither could thebright flames of the stars endure to lighten that horriblenight. 7                       But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast = That is, no hurt should be done to man or beast among them, to the firstborn of either of them, so there would be no noise or cry in their dwellings, but the profoundest silence, stillness, and quietness among themthat ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel = by preserving them and theirs, when the firstborn of Egypt were destroyed, and by causing stillness and quietness among them when there was an hideous outcry and doleful lamentation among the Egyptians; and by bringing Israel quietly out from among them, none offering to give the least molestation. Have any questions? Feel free to email me keitner2024@outlook.com

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 shall take a look at Jochebed and Zipporah.JOCHEBED (Yahweh Gloried): THE MOTHER OF MOSES.Jochebed, wife of Amram and mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, is mentioned by name only in Exod 6:20 and Num 26:59, both genealogical listings. Jochebed, whose name apparently means YHWH is glory,” is notable as the first person in the Bible to have a name with the divine element yah, a shortened form of YHWH.Jochebed, wife of Amram and mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, is mentioned by name only in Exod 6:20 and Num 26:59, both genealogical listings. The narrative in Exodus 2 about Moses' birth introduces her, without providing her name, as a member of the priestly tribe Levi; she marries a Levitical man, also unnamed here. The mother, in defiance of the Pharaoh's order that every male Hebrew child be killed, hides her newborn son for three months and then places him in a basket in the Nile. Pharaoh's daughter (also unnamed) finds the child and accepts the offer of Moses's sister Miriam, who witnesses the rescue of her brother, to find a Hebrew woman as a wet nurse for the infant. The narrative cleverly places Jochebed as the caregiver for her own son.The story in Exodus 2 clearly focuses on Moses, whose rescue from the river resembles other birth tales presenting culture heroes. The omission of the names of the child's family members contributes to the heightened interest in Moses. The genealogical information about his mother, as not only the daughter of Levi but also as the wife (and aunt!) of a Levite, serves to highlight the priestly pedigree of both Moses and Aaron. In addition, Jochebed, whose name (Hebrew yokheved) apparently means “YHWH is glory,” is notable as the first person in the Bible to have a name with the divine element yah, a shortened form of YHWH. The tradition that Moses announces to the Israelites that YHWH is the name of their Elohim (Exod 6:1–8) is thus embedded in his maternal lineage: if his mother bears YHWH's name, Moses learned it from her.Pharaoh's daughter said to Jochebed: "Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages." (Exod. 2:9.)This is the last we hear of Jochebed, Moses' mother.THE RESULT OF HER LIFE's WORKwas the man Moses. The true mother lives again in her son. There is the answer to her prayers; there is the result of her watchfulness; there is the true correction of her own faults reproduced in her son. Moses might never have been the man he was had it not been for Jochebed.                Who knows how many a leader of Yahweh's people may be at the present time in course of training by some pious mother? Who knows but that the little James or John or William, who is playing with the kitten in the living room, may someday become a man to whom hundreds or thousands may look for help and direction? Oh let every mother who reads these pages understand her vocation when a higher than Pharaoh's daughter says to her: "Take this child and nurse it for Me, and I will give thee thy wages."                But the wages of Jochebed were not to be given by the princes of this world. To be the mother of a Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face, like who there arose not since in Israel (Deut. 34:10): this was an honor which none but Yahweh could give. ZIPPORAH (bird): THE WIFE OF MOSES.Exod. 2:15-22                Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. She heroically saves Moses and her sons from a random attack from an angel by cutting off her son's foreskin; the explanation for this act is unclear. However, Zipporah is shown as fiercely devoted to her husband, even though he neglects her.                Zipporah is a Midianite woman who becomes the wife of Moses. After Moses kills an Egyptian, he flees from the pharaoh and settles among the Midianites, an Arab people who occupied desert areas in southern Transjordan, northern Arabia, and the Sinai. He meets the seven daughters of Reuel, priest of Midian, at a well; rescues them from shepherds who are harassing them; and fills their jugs with water. In gratitude, Reuel (called Jethro or Hobab in other biblical passages) offers Moses hospitality, then gives him his daughter Zipporah in marriage (Exod 2:21–22). She and Moses have two sons, Gershom and Eliezer (Exod 18:3–4).Zipporah is the heroine of a bizarre incident that takes place as Moses heads back to Egypt with his wife and sons (Exod 4:20). On their way, at a night encampment, “The Lord met him [Moses] and tried to kill him” (Exod 4:24). No reason is given, just as no reason is given for the angel's attack on Jacob as he came back from Mesopotamia (Gen 32:24). Jacob was alone and wrestled with the angel all night; Moses is with his wife, who comes to his rescue. She takes a flint and cuts off her son's foreskin. She then flings the foreskin at “his” feet, declaring that he is hatan damim to her (Exod 4:26). Zipporah's enigmatic statement has two possible explanations: she flings the foreskin at Moses's feet, saying, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me” (NRSV), or she flings it at Yahweh's feet, saying, “You are a blood father-in-law to me.” (Damim means “blood,” and hatan can mean either “bridegroom” or “father-in-law.”) Either way, her deed and words stop the attack. The story is already difficult for the narrator, who adds a comment that hatan damim refers to circumcision. The situation remains unclear to us. Zipporah, however, understood it and acted decisively to rescue Moses. Zipporah's name, meaning “bird,” combined with her protection of Moses, is reminiscent of the fierce loyalty to her husband Osiris of the Egyptian goddess Isis, who is often portrayed as a bird of prey.Zipporah is not well rewarded. At some point before the exodus from Egypt, Moses sends her and the children away (Exod 18:2). After the exodus, her father, the priest of Midian (here called Jethro), comes to visit Moses, bringing Zipporah and her two sons. Moses is told that his father-in-law Jethro is “coming to see you, with your wife and her two sons” (Exod i8:6). Moses goes out to greet Jethro and takes him into his tent, but nothing is said about his greeting Zipporah.Moses' neglect of Zipporah is obvious, as he (not Yahweh) tells the men at Sinai not to approach any women in preparation for Yahweh's approach in three days (Exod 19:2). Since he himself is apparently always in preparation for meeting with Yahweh, we can infer that he never sleeps with Zipporah. In Num 12:1 Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses because of the “Cushite woman” whom he married, but they do not mention her name. Midrashic tradition assumed they were discussing Moses' neglect of Zipporah. Other interpreters see the Cushite woman as a second wife, with Miriam and Aaron opposed to the marriage. But no children are ever recorded for a second wife of Moses.

Sermon by David Rountree on 6/28/26 at New Covenant Church in Anderson, SC. Scripture: Various Texts Outline: UNDERSTANDING COMMON GRACE - WAYS: 1. Universal Common Grace: General blessings to all creation. Job 33:4; 34:14, 15; Ps. 104:24-30 2. General Common Grace: General blessings on mankind. a. Restrain sin, maintain social order. Gen. 6:3; Isa. 63:10-14; Acts 7:51 b. Artistic abilities. Exod. 31:3-6; c. Intellectual insight. Job 32:8 3. Covenant Common Grace: blessings only found in the covenant community. Heb. 6:4-6; 1 Cor.7:14 UNVEILING COMMON GRACE - WORKS (additional examples): 1. Summary 2. Provides Performance Abilities 3. Restrains Sin 4. Preserves the true, good and beautiful 5. Enables civil and social righteousness 6. Brings many general blessings UNLEASHING COMMON GRACE - WISDOM: 1. Teach Celebration 2. Teach Children 3. Teach Conversion 4. Teach to Treasure Church www.ncchurch.net

One of the more pivotal chapters. The people of God have moved to kadesh barnea The Lord spoke to Moses saying send men to spy out cannan Deut 1:19 Go up take possession and do not fear nor be afraid, but the people want to send in spies. Moses said let's go take it but they want to check it out first Now in numbers 13 this is what is happening V8 God changes The name from God saves to Yahweh saves so he is now Joshua. V17 go see what the land is and what the people and land is like, warriors or fortified cities, or camps and weak people Go and spy out from the bottom to the top Cut cluster of grapes, need a pole to carry and Eschol means cluster George Whitfield with out amplification could preach and Benjamin Franklin figured out 24000 people could hear him when he preached: Everything that is needed to live here it is flowing with milk and honey and God is right.  This is the report but However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. - Numbers 13:28 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan." - Numbers 13:29 All these people were Canaanite people and were descendants of Noah. God said he would punish them but was waiting on their sin to be full grown and He is going to use the Israelites to judge them 30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it."31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are." - Numbers 13:30-31 They saying this land devours its inhabitants means they are always at war and there are giants in the land. They say these are like the Nephilim. Josh believes these are the great and mighty people of Seth.  They believe the Nephilim survived the flood and we cannot win against them. Ch 14 The people wept because the went through the wilderness and now are at the promised land and it is over since we cannot go in and do what God says to do.  They say we no longer trust God anymore Moses and Aaron fall on their face and worship God since they reject God and their leadership   Joshua and Caleb tear their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, "The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. - Numbers 14:7 The battle is between faith and fear.  Then all the congregation says to stone them with stones now But the glory of the Lord appeared int the tent 11 And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they." - Numbers 14:11-12         In spite of God had done they still don't believe.. God says He will disinherit them, destroy them and make a nation of Moses       We cannot be paralyzed and live in fear of the obstacles that are in the way of God's plans How many times do we have to see in Scripture and our lives God doing his will in spite of the obstacles and yet we still don't believe We must believe no matter what.  Remember what God says to Joshua after Moses dies and He says be strong and courageous and do my will and you will have success God had proved His supernatural power to the Israelites many times since they left Egypt. How easily we forget when we focus on the wrong things. "The will of God will never lead us where the grace of God can't provide for us or the power of God protect us. If our daily prayer is, 'Thy will be done,' and if we walk in obedience to God's will, then what is there to complain about? A complaining spirit is evidence of an ungrateful heart and an unsurrendered will. By our grumbling, we're daring to say that we know more than God does about what's best for His people!" (Warren Wiersbe) They allowed their fear to steal their faith and trust in God. Instead of trusting they grumbled. They wanted to return to Egypt, where they were slaves. Their old life is what they knew, but it is what God freed them from, now they keep wanting to return.             Why do people return to their old life? What causes them to do this? Focusing on circumstances and relying on their own ability, instead of focusing and relying on God and trusting Him.       They keep looking back instead of pressing on forward. Lot's wife looked back longing for her old life in Sodom, what happened to her?         Philippians 3:12-17 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. 17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. Proverbs 26:11, As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. Instead of pressing on forward with the LORD, they kept wanting to return to their slavery, how foolish. Do the best to come up with the best we can conceive of God's greatness and then realize that it's infinitely greater than all we can ask or believe.. ATTEMPT great things for God and expect great results. God doesn't want our ability but our availability God was teaching the Israelites a basic lesson of the life of faith, namely, that the real power in the lives of God's people is God's power. As we trust and obey God, He releases His power through us. We are never adequate in ourselves, but God empowers the obedient and trusting. Jesus taught His disciples the same lesson when He multiplied the loaves and fishes— twice. 2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, Power of intercession prayer 13 But Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, 14 and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people. For you, O LORD, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. - Numbers 14:13-14                The failure of the Israelites grew out of unbelief (cf. Heb. 3:19). The majority failed to believe that God would give them the land of their enemies as He had promised.            "Like Pharaoh, they were hardening their hearts and ignoring God's clear command. Moses Intercedes              In verses 13-19 Moses intercedes again for the people. Similar to the last lesson, Moses appeals to the LORD's character and reputation. He repeated God's words back to Him-praying scripture. Not important that his name is great but God's glory is important Plead for God's grace Our prayers matter         "Here is a whole nation rescued from ruin by the effectual fervent prayer of one righteous man [cf. James 5:16]."            V17 Let your power be great This rebellion was a test for Moses, similar to the test that Abraham faced when God told him to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22) If He had actually done what He threatened to do, God could still have fulfilled His promises to Abraham, by destroying and dispossessing all the other living Israelites, and by sparing only Moses and his descendants. However, God could not have fulfilled the prophetic promises that He had given through Jacob (Gen. 49)—had He done so. There would have to be descendants of Judah, from whom a great ruler would come (Gen. 49:10), as well as some future for the other tribes.             Perhaps God meant that He would completely destroy that older generation of Israelites immediately, wiping them out in one blow, instead of gradually (cf. Exod. 32:10). Our sins can have irreversible consequences in our lives even though they are forgiven 20 Then the LORD said, "I have pardoned, according to your word.21 But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, 22 none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23 shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. - Numbers 14:20-23 Children will inherit and will not be prey All but Joshua and Caleb will die in the desert and will not enter into His rest Leadership die immediately because they have the greater responsibility       This oath was fulfilled partially when Israel entered the Promised Land (cf. Josh. 2:9- 11), but it will be fulfilled completely when God consummates His dealings with Israel in the future.              The failure of the Israelites would not frustrate God's purpose to manifest His glory throughout the earth, through the seed of Abraham. Even though the present generation would die in the wilderness, Caleb (and Joshua, not mentioned here in v. 24 but in v. 30) would enter the Promised Land.          Though some take the number ten as a round number, the text does record ten times the Israelites tested God (v. 22) by complaining: At the Red Sea (Exod. 14:11-12) At Marah (Exod. 15:23) In the wilderness of Sin (Exod. 16:2) In the wilderness of Sin (Exod. 16:20) In the wilderness of Sin (Exod. 16:27) At Rephidim (Exod. 17:1-2) At Horeb (Exod. 32) At Taberah (Num. 11:1-3) At Kibroth-hattaavah (Num. 11:4-34) At Kadesh (Num. 14:1-3) "… this passage intends to show that the people failed to inherit the Promised Land and hence died in the wilderness without inheriting the blessing, not so much for a specific act of disobedience or for fear of the battles that lay ahead, but rather for the simple fact of their unbelief. They failed to trust in God."                   Next the people repent, now we will go. It is too late at this point.  Is this not scary to us.  The Lord has every right to say no.  The Lord does not have to save any of us.  It is a privilege not a right. The lesson is don't sin, live in faith and trust Him Two things, don't presume on Gods grace Don't try to do what God only can do They were only 3 days away. They could have been on their way to conquer the land, but they refused. This section of text teaches us important lessons about inadequacy and adequacy. The 10 spies, who did not want the Israelites to enter the land, felt inadequate (cf. John 15:5). In this, they were being realistic. However, they should have compensated for their feelings of personal inadequacy, by reminding themselves of God's complete adequacy (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9; Luke 1:37; Matt. 19:26; Phil. 4:13). 1Sailhamer, p. 388.            God was teaching the Israelites a basic lesson of the life of faith, namely, that the real power in the lives of God's people is God's power. As we trust and obey God, He releases His power through us. We are never adequate in ourselves, but God empowers the obedient and trusting. Jesus taught His disciples the same lesson when He multiplied the loaves and fishes— twice. Joshua 14 Josh's one of his favorite scriptures Just whipped everyone and now Joshua says it is time to conquer the land, won the major battles.  Joshua and Caleb are 45 years older than everyone else.  Took five years to get to this place. Caleb says give me the mountains and the giants and I will show you what I SAID 45 years ago about GOD is true and He will win the battle The old name was for the leaders of these people and now it is the mountains of God 6 Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. 8 But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God. 9 And Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.' 10 And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. 11 I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 12 So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said." 13 Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.14 Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel. 15 Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba. (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.) And the land had rest from war. - Joshua 14:6-15

Proper 6: Exod. 19:1-8; Ps. 100; Rom. 5:1-11; Matt. 9:35-10:15 (Fr. David Smith)

June 14 2026 Sunday Who Jesus Made You To Be / Week 30 / T. Stacy Hayes #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. Isaiah 53:5  Healing… Matthew 18:19  Agree with God's Word… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Acts 10:34  God is no respecter of persons "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:11 KJV "Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:11 NLT "And such some of you were [once]. But you were washed clean (purified by a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin), and you were consecrated (set apart, hallowed), and you were justified [pronounced righteous, by trusting] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:11 AMPC "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." Matthew 8:17 KJV "This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, "He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases."" Matthew 8:17 NLT "And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took [in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases. [Isa. 53:4.]" Matthew 8:17 AMPC "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 KJV "Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."" Matthew 11:28-30 NLT "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. [Jer. 6:16.] For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good–not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne." Matthew 11:28-30 AMPC "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost." Matthew 18:11 KJV No Verse In NLT "For the Son of man came to save [from the penalty of eternal death] that which was lost." Matthew 18:11 AMPC "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:18-20 KJV ""I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. "I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them."" Matthew 18:18-20 NLT "Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven. Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them. [Exod. 3:14.]" Matthew 18:18-20 AMPC Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… Romans 10:17  Faith in God comes from hearing His Word… Matthew 11:28-30  Jesus'Yoke is Easy… John 3:16  God gave Jesus to pay for our Salvation… God Loves The abortion dr As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Philippians 12:2  Work out your own Salvation… Romans 8:1  No condemnation in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior…  Luke Chapter 15 The Story Of The Prodigal Son… Philippians 4:19  God will supply all your needs let Him… Romans 4:20  Don't Stagger at What God Is Saying In His Word… John 15:5 We can't do anything aside from Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are The Righteousness of God In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Ephesians 2:8  We are Saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Believe God's Word Above All Opinions God Loves The abortion dr's As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media… Website https://the-prodigalson.com Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com  YouVersion Bible App https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

Exod. 1:15–22 Dan. 3:8–18 Matt. 5:38–42 Rev. 13:1–10  Should Christians only ever obey civil authorities, or are there times when we must disobey? Scripture gives us very useful categories for understanding when we must or may disobey the governing authorities. In this message, and with the help of the Protestant tradition, we explore the biblical conditions and reasoning for engaging in civil disobedience.

June 07 2026 Sunday Who Jesus Made You To Be / Week 29 / T. Stacy Hayes #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. Isaiah 53:5  Healing… Matthew 18:19  Agree with God's Word… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Acts 10:34  God is no respecter of persons "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." John 15:9 KJV ""I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love." John 15:9 NLT "I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [continue in His love with Me]." John 15:9 AMPC "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20 KJV "For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them."" Matthew 18:20 NLT "For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them. [Exod. 3:14.]" Matthew 18:20 AMPC "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Mark 16:17-18 KJV "These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed."" Mark 16:17-18 NLT "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well." Mark 16:17-18 AMPC "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." John 14:13-14 KJV "You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!" John 14:13-14 NLT "And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son. [Exod. 3:14.] [Yes] I will grant [I Myself will do for you] whatever you shall ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]." John 14:13-14 AMPC "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:23-24 KJV "At that time you won't need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven't done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy." John 16:23-24 NLT "And when that time comes, you will ask nothing of Me [you will need to ask Me no questions]. I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]. [Exod. 3:14.] Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete." John 16:23-24 AMPC Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… Romans 10:17  Faith in God comes from hearing His Word… Matthew 11:28-30  Jesus'Yoke is Easy… John 3:16  God gave Jesus to pay for our Salvation… God Loves The abortion dr As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Philippians 12:2  Work out your own Salvation… Romans 8:1  No condemnation in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior…  Luke Chapter 15 The Story Of The Prodigal Son… Philippians 4:19  God will supply all your needs let Him… Romans 4:20  Don't Stagger at What God Is Saying In His Word… John 15:5 We can't do anything aside from Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are The Righteousness of God In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Ephesians 2:8  We are Saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Believe God's Word Above All Opinions God Loves The abortion dr's As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media… Website https://the-prodigalson.com Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com  YouVersion Bible App https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

EXODUS LESSON 73 PART 2 I strongly urge you to listen to Lesson 73 part 1 before listening to part 2.  You'll see how important it is to make sure you do this to get a better understanding of the questions and issues in these verses.  Here's the link for part 1 - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/exodus-73-part-1-exod-3210-18-god-cant-change-his-mind/ One major problem we'll deal with is the way the translators of the New American Standard Bible 1995 translated the Hebrew in Exod. 32:14 to come up with the phrase, “God changed His mind.”  In part 1 it is so clear that God does not change and never changes His mind.  This is a major issue and one wonders how this could've happened since again and again the very words of God show the truth that God does not change and never changes His mind.  Below check out the chart.  You'll see that the NASB is the only Bible version that uses the phrase “God changed His mind.” The King James (KJV) and the Amplified Bible (AMP) and the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) translations are probably the most accurate.  The Lord repented or turned away from one thing to turn to another.  Repent in Hebrew comes from the Hebrew verb LaShuv לָשׁוּב meaning to turn around or to go back.  The Strong's number H7725.  It is the verb that forms the Hebrew word for repentance of Teshuvah תְּשׁוּבָה.  It is not just connected to doing repentance from sin.  It could be one wants to give up smoking.  So one would turn from smoking and to turn to something else.  In other words one is doing Teshuvah תְּשׁוּבָה from smoking.  That is how the Bible uses the word and not just related to sin.  Thus, God is turning from one thing to do another.  I wrote an article on trying to get at this in a more understandable way.  Here's the article below. Does God change His mind? How can this be?  We have two verses that contradict each other.  Consider ... Exodus 32:14 So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. (Exo 32:14) Malachi 3:6 "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." (Mal 3:6) Which is it? If God does not change then how did Moses have God change His mind and yet God says He will not.  This is not like God.  This is nuts.  I thought the Bible was in full agreement!!  Can this be explained?? Also, one reads in the very words of God that certain people will be restricted from the Assembly of God.  Deu 23:1-8  "No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD.  (2)  "No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the assembly of the LORD.  (3)  "No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD,  (4)  because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.  (5)  "Nevertheless, the LORD your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you.  (6)  "You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.  (7)  "You shall not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not detest an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land.  (8)  "The sons of the third generation who are born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD. It says that all Moabites are so restricted and yet Ruth gets in.  Why?  How?  (Listen to part 1 carefully regarding the Moabites.  No Moabite will be allowed in to the Assembly of Israel up to an including the 10th generation by God's own words.  Wait till you see how Ruth is probably of the 11th generation when one studies the Bible in its historical context.  So, she can get in and she did!) It says that a MUMZER will not enter and Timothy is a mumzer - his mom was Jewish and his dad a pagan (Hebrew for one of illegitimate birth)!!  Timothy!!  He became a leader of the assembly of Messiah in Ephesus.  We say as Gentiles we are grafted in but the Torah says NO!!  God says it loud and clear.  What is going on?  How can both be true?  Oh sure. One is the church and one is the synagogue.  Right??  It can't be.  This is a conundrum!!  Let's check the Hebrew of Exod. 32:14 and Mal. 3:6. Exo 32:14  וינחם H5162  יהוה H3068  על H5921  הרעה H7451  אשׁר H834  דבר H1696  לעשׂות H6213  לעמו׃ H5971  Mal 3:6  כי H3588  אני H589  יהוה H3068  לא H3808  שׁניתי H8138  ואתם H859  בני  H1121  יעקב  H3290  לא H3808  כליתם׃ H3615  In English we are reading the word “change” (as to change one's mind in Ex 32:14 - word # 5162) and change (as to someone not changing as in Mal 3:6 - word #8138).  In Exod 32:14 God "racham's" - it does NOT say He changes His mind!!  The word racham is the word that is translated as "He changed His mind."  That phrase is not even there.  A better way to say this is that God repents; God turns from one thing to another.  He REPENTS.  Moses did NOT change HIS mind.  What happened is God has set in place either punishment or a curse on those who are unrighteous.  That is His intention.  However,  equally part of HIS intention is God's other option to forgive and erase the punishment if there is true repentance.  Both options exist for God.  It is one or the other - this is His simultaneous intention and purpose.  Moses intervened for Israel and God did not change His mind.  He can't.  What God did was to turn, to repent, and allowed the other option.  Both options are in play, both are His intentions.  God has laid out those two options as part of His intentions.  Thus, He did not change at all. In Mal 3:6 the word is "shanaw."  This has the picture of "folding" one side on another.  It has the implication of duplicating.  God stays constant.  He is ONE and will remain ONE.  He is the Lord and HE does not go from one intention to another.  Like with Moses God had either punishment or forgiveness.  Both exist at once as God's intentions.  In the case of sin this is God - both exist.  He will turn from one to the other, from punishment to forgiveness if there is true teshuvah, repentance from the sin, and will not do option 1 but option 2.  God is like that.  He is always like that.  God has it all covered and these options are already in place with HIM as His intentions.  He will not do anything that is not already a part of HIMSELF.  Thus, we study Torah to know HIM deeply and intimately and to begin to understand His ways.     Finally, Moses was the greatest prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures (Deut. 34:10).  God tells Moses the following … “I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” (Deu 18:18) This is the Lord's prediction of the future coming of His Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah.  So, Jesus is a prophet like Moses; for us as disciples of Jesus we'd say Jesus is the Greatest Prophet ever.  But, we are to be disciples of Jesus or talmidim תַּלְמִידִים.  A talmid is one who is a student of a rabbi and who lives to be like his rabbi.  Check out the article entitled "Rabbi and Talmidim" at this link ... https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/rabbi-and-talmidim Jesus says this quite clearly … “A pupil (from the Greek to the Hebrew is TALMID) is not above his teacher (from the Greek to the Hebrew is RAV or master. We say RABBI); but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” (Luk 6:40)   Thus, if we are real talmidim we are to be like Jesus.  He was given the words of His Father to proclaim and thus Jesus is a prophet.  But we are given the words of Jesus to go and proclaim.  So, we are prophets as well in that Jesus sends us to bring the word to the Ends of the Earth.  And as Moses offers prayers of intercession for Israel so Jesus offers prayers of intercession for His talmidim and the church, His Bride.  Thus, if we are truly living to be a true disciple then we to must be ones who offer prayers of intercession for the ones we meet as well.  We are to be like Him and follow Paul's teaching when he taught that we are to be like Paul since he is like his master, his RAV, Jesus (1Cor. 11:1). Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  (Ferret - somewhere in the desert north of Eilat Israel) What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0          

EXODUS LESSON 73 PART 1 In lesson 73 part one and part two we tackle the question, "Does God change His mind?"  As we study Exod. 32:10-18 it is clear the answer to this question is critical.  Also, Moses asks the Lord to not destroy the Hebrews.  It seems as if Moses intercessory request affects the Lord and He "changes His mind."  Or does He?   In this lesson I mention the fact that a generation in the days of Abraham and Moses and Joshua and David and most of the Old Testament is roughly 30 years.  It is not my opinion and here's a link (see below) to to support the 30 year generation.  There are many other scholarly sites that also support a 30 year generation in the Old Testament.  This is critical as we study the days of Ruth.  God said no Moabites were allowed to join the congregation of Israel.  But, Ruth, a Moabite, gets in.  Did God change His mind?  You'll see how a 30 year generation is related to help us understand this dilemma.   Link - GotQuestions.org - https://www.gotquestions.org/generation-in-the-Bible.html Another event in the Bible is the sickness of Hezekiah.   Hezekiah asked the Lord to give him more days to live.  God answered his prayer.  So, God must've changed His mind, right?  Related to this is the link below.  It discusses the question that for God's chosen, for God's elect, His people, disciples of Yeshua, that God fixes the day of our death.  Really? Check it out once again at GotQuestions.org. Link -https://www.gotquestions.org/appointed-death.html So Muslims say Allah الله is our Lord or Adonai יהוה and that our God, Adonai יהוה, is the same as Allah الله.  Really?  This is a very interesting study from the Quran and the Hebrew Scriptures.  It is clear that Allah الله is NOT the same as our Lord or Adonai יהוה.  There is only one God, one Lord, He tells us in His own words.  There is no other God but Yahvay or Adonai יהוה. Here's two links to two articles you must study.  The first shows that Allah الله states in his own words that he can change his mind.  His words show Allah الله contradicts himself when this god says he knows all things and does not change.  And the 2nd article is a paper I did awhile back that shows that Allah الله is NOT the same as our Lord or Adonai יהוה. Link 1 -https://www.calloflove.org/post/contradiction-in-the-quran-allah-changing-his-word Link 2 -https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/g41mrsjrkidlzatocdhpq/The-Bible-Adonai-Allah-and-the-Quran-Who-is-Who.pdf?rlkey=m1ywwe45v4zp1n28w6qmmyhls&st=b3jdqokx&dl=0 Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  (Ferret - somewhere in the desert north of Eilat Israel) What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0    

Sabbath School panel discussion and insight by 3ABN pastors and teachers. This podcast episode follows 2026 quarter 2, lesson 10 of the adult Bible study guide book. This quarter's book topic is “Growing in a Relationship with God”, and this week's Sabbath School lesson is titled “Repentance & Forgiveness”. Join us every week for a fresh and relevant study of the word of God.  Reading: Isa. 61:10; Hosea 6; Acts 3:18, 19; Exod. 34:1-10; Rom. 6:23; Matt. 22:1-14. Memory Text: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, NKJV). (May 30 - June 5)  Sunday (Jill Morikone) - “The Rush of Life”Monday (John Lomacang) - “Holy Spirit Promptings” Tuesday (John Dinzey) - “Real Repentance”Wednesday (Risë Rafferty) - “Sufficient Grace”Thursday (Shelley Quinn) - “The Most Expensive Robe” Want the Panelists' notes? You can sign up here: https://3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com/notes/  Questions or Comments? Email us at mail@3abn.org Donate: https://3abn.org/donate-quick.html

Acts 2:1-4 When the wind and fire came, it got everyone's attention. God had appeared in fire before (Exod 3:2-5; 14:24; 19:18; 40:33-38; Lev 9:22-24; Deut 4:24; 2 Chron 7:1-3). Speaking in tongues is a miracle wherein God's spirit enables someone to speak a foreign language without learning it (1 Cor 14:2, 14). Acts 2:5-11 Pentecost was a major Jewish festival that brought pilgrims in from all over the surrounding regions. Although God always cared about the nations (Gen 10), he confused their languages at the Tower of Babel (Gen 11) and began working with Abraham and his descendants (Gen 12). Now that Jesus had brought salvation, God was taking the nations back—all who call upon the name of the Lord. Acts 2:12-21 Peter pointed to Joel's prophecy to answer the question, “What does this mean?” The spirit of God had gone public—and it happened prior to the end of the age! Acts 2:22-24 Finally, Peter gets to talking about Jesus. He tells them two accepted claims followed by two startling claims. Acts 2:25-33 Looking to David's prophecy in Psalm 16, we see that this event was predicted centuries before. That the spirit has been poured out is now proof that Jesus indeed is the messiah exalted to God's right hand in heaven. Acts 2:34-42 When he boldly confronted the people for crucifying their own messiah, they asked, “What should we do?” Peter told them to repent and be baptized. If they did, they would receive forgiveness for their sins and the gift of the holy spirit too!The post God's Spirit Poured Out first appeared on Living Hope.

My friend Shana Reif suffered from Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and other organs. It causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the airways, leading to repeated infections, inflammation, and progressive lung damage. In many cases, the disease can advance until the lungs can no longer do what God created them to dobring oxygen into the body and sustain life. Cystic Fibrosis is a horrible and incurable disease, and it was the disease Shana endured all her life. When she was born, her parents were told she would not live much past her twentieth birthday. But Shana lived to be thirty-two. I came to know Shana in high school, not long after I became a follower of Jesus. After high school, we became very close friends. She edited my Bible college papers, and I visited her often during her many hospital stays. I also visited her at home as she recovered from the latest infection. By 2003, her lungs had been so damaged by chronic infections that she was placed on the waiting list for new lungs. She received a double lung transplant in 2004, but even then, her suffering did not fully end. Her body remained fragile. Her fight continued. But Shana loved Jesus. Though she struggled deeply with her disease, she held onto the hope of the gospel. One of the last emails I received from her was signed with words from her favorite hymn: Great is Thy faithfulness. In 2007, Shana died from complications after a procedure to reopen a constricted airway. When someone you love suffers like that, the question How long? is not theoretical. How long will disease ravage bodies? How long will death take those we love? How long will Gods people suffer in a world still broken by sin? How long before Christ makes all things new? Revelation 6:911 brings us to that question. But here, the cry comes specifically from those who have been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained. The Martyrs: The Cost of Their Witness (v. 9) There are three cycles of judgment in Revelation: the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls. These cycles do not unfold in strict linear successionseals, then trumpets, then bowlsbut recapitulate the same period of history with increasing intensity, like birth pains. For our purposes, I simply want you to notice one pattern that helps us understand what is happening in this passage. In each cyclethe seals, trumpets, and bowlsthe first four judgments affect the world in broad, visible ways, but the fifth shifts the focus. The fifth seal shows the saints crying out for justice (Rev. 6:911). The fifth trumpet shows judgment beginning to fall on the enemies of Godthose who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev. 9:112; especially 9:4). The fifth bowl shows judgment reaching the very throne of the beast, whose kingdom wages war against all who refuse to worship him (Rev. 16:1011; cf. Rev. 13:78, 15). This is why the first four seals show us the horsemen riding across the earth. But when the fifth seal is opened, the focus shifts from what is happening on earth to what heaven sees when Gods people suffer because of the word of God and the testimony they maintain. These martyrs are not beneath the altar because they were victims of history. They are there because they belonged to the Lamb and remained faithful to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Their witness cost them their lives. John is showing us what Jesus had already told His disciples: If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me (Matt. 16:24; NASB). The fifth seal reminds us that following Jesus is not merely a call to believe certain truths about Him; it is a call to bear faithful witness to those truths, even when obedience is costly. Polycarp is said to have been a disciple of the apostle John and later became the bishop of Smyrna. Smyrna, you may remember, was one of the seven churches Jesus addressed in Revelation. Jesus told that suffering church, Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Rev. 2:10). Years later, Polycarp was arrested and ordered to deny Christ. When pressed to renounce Jesus, he replied, Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour? Polycarps witness cost him his life, but heaven did not see his death as Rome did. Rome saw a criminal to be silenced. Heaven saw a faithful witness beneath the altar. And we do not have to go back to Polycarp to see this kind of witness. You may remember the twenty-one Coptic Christians who were taken by ISIS in Libya and led onto a beach in orange jumpsuits. They were ordinary men who refused to renounce their faith in Jesus. Their blood was shed on earth, but Revelation 6 reminds us that heaven did not miss a drop. The world saw men being led to execution. Heaven saw faithful witnesses beneath the altar. Since 2015, conservative estimates suggest that more than 50,000 Christians have been killed for faith-related reasons around the world. According to Open Doors 2026 World Watch List, North Korea remains the most dangerous country in the world to be a Christian, while Nigeria is the deadliest, accounting for 3,490 of the 4,849 Christians killed for their faith during the latest reporting period. The seals describe the birth pains that mark this present age. The first four seals show us a world marked by conquest, war, famine, and death. But when the fifth seal is opened, we are shown what heaven sees when Gods people suffer because of the word of God and the testimony they maintain. The Altar: The Cry Before God (v. 10) Notice that John not only tells us that these faithful Christ-followers suffered and died for their faith, but also tells us where he saw these Christians. They are under the altar. This is a crucial detail that you can only understand if you know something about the Old Testament tabernacle that God told Moses to build. Scripture tells us that the earthly tabernacle was a copy and shadow of the one in heaven (Heb. 8:4-5; Exod. 25-31; 35-40). So when John sees an altar in heaven, he is not seeing something new, but the heavenly reality to which Israels worship had always pointed. Within the tabernacle, there were two primary altars. The bronze altar stood in the courtyard, where sacrifices were offered. The altar of incense stood near the Most Holy Place, close to the ark of the covenant, which represented the throne of God. Both altars help us understand what John sees. The blood of the sacrifice was poured at the altars base, and the incense rising before the Lord symbolized the prayers of Gods people ascending into His presence. So when John sees the souls of the martyrs beneath the altar, he sees their lives as precious before God and their prayers as heard before His throne. In the earthly tabernacle, a veil stood between the priests and God's immediate presence. But in heaven, no curtain hides His throne from His redeemed people. The martyrs are not far from God. They are beneath the altar, before the throne, and in the presence of the Lord God Almighty. Now, picture what is happening before Johns eyes. Those who suffered the ultimate cost for following Jesus are not behind the altar, nor are they on top of the altar. These saints are under the altar, which tells us that they are closest to the throne. Also, the martyrs are not passive, but are actively pleading for vindication in Gods heavenly court. There is no magical language here, for their cries are raw and honest. There is no anger hurled before God, but cries of vindication in light of their understanding of who God is! Notice what these dear saints include in their prayer: O Sovereign Lord, holy and true... Now lets stop there for a moment. The ESV translates the word well asSovereign Lord.The Greek word used here is not the most common term for Lord,kyrios, butdespotēs, and this is the only time it appears in the entire book of Revelation. The word these martyred saints use conveys absolute ownership, supreme authority, and sovereign mastery. We get our English worddespotfrom this word, but whiledespotusually carries a negative meaning in English, that is not the case whendespotēs is used of God in the New Testament. When used of God, it emphasizes His complete authority over creation, His servants, history, judgment, and justice. This matters because these Christians are not merely crying out to God as sufferers, asking whether He cares. They are crying out to the One they know to be the Sovereign Master over all things. They are appealing to the One who has the authority to judge, avenge, vindicate, and bring history to its appointed end. They are not crying out in doubt. They are crying out in faith. They know He is able. They know He is holy. They know He is true. And they know that the Sovereign Lord will do what is right. Notice what the saints attribute to God next. Not only is He the Sovereign Master, but He is holy. These saints who have suffered much understand that their God is utterly set apart from all evil, corruption, compromise, and injustice. He is not like the kingdoms and the kings of this world. He is not indifferent to injustice and the bloodshed at the hands of the wicked. He is not morally conflicted. He is pure in all His judgments, righteous in all His ways, and completely opposed to everything wicked. He is holy and these saints know it! God is not only holy; He is also true. When these saints plead their case before the throne of God, they do so knowing that He is faithful to all He has promised. He does not forget. He does not make empty threats or hollow promises. What He has spoken, He will do (Num. 23:19; Josh. 21:45; Isa. 55:1011; Titus 1:2; Heb. 10:23). So when these martyrs cry, How long? they are not questioning Gods goodness, nor are they doubting that He will keep His word. They are asking when the God who is holy and true will act in perfect faithfulness to His word and to those He has promised never to forsake (Deut. 31:6; Heb. 13:5; Rev). The breaking of the fifth seal and the prayer of these suffering saints teach us an important truth about how we can and should pray. They pray from their understanding of who God truly is. This is the kind of thing we read about in Daniel 11:32: ...the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. These saints know their God, and so they cry out, O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? This prayer is not a contradiction of Jesus command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44). It is a plea to the holy and true God to judge evil, vindicate His people, and set the world right. Their cry is rooted in the justice of God, knowing that His Word teaches that vengeance belongs to Him and not to His people (Deut. 32:35; Rom. 12:19). The martyrs beneath the altar are asking God to do what only God has the right and authority to do. The Throne: The Completion of Gods Purpose (v. 11) Now, notice what happens next. God responds, meaning He heard their prayer. But He does not respond as we might initially expect. The God who is sovereign, holy, and true responds by giving these Christians white robes as a sign of honor, purity, and vindication. These robes signify the righteousness that is theirs because of Jesus. When we see this great multitude again in Revelation 7, we are told, They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14). These martyred saints represent every faithful witness who has been slain for the word of God and the testimony they upheldfrom the earliest martyrs of the church to our brothers and sisters suffering for Christ today. They are not treated as victims of random violence but as saints who belong to Christ and whose witness is precious before God. God responds by giving them white robes and telling them to do the thing we all hate: wait. Verse 11 says they were told to rest a little longer. That word, rest, matters. God is not dismissing their cry. He is not ignoring their suffering. He is calling them to rest in His presence, assured that perfect justice will come in His appointed time and in His sovereign way. Why must they wait? Because other Christians will suffer as they did, and they must wait until their number is complete. This means Gods justice is not delayed because He is indifferent. It is delayed because His purpose is not yet complete. There are still more witnesses to be gathered, more saints to be strengthened, and more glory to be given to Christ through the faithful endurance of His people. Gods answer to their prayer was to wait a little while longer. Conclusion My friend Shana frequently asked the same question you may have asked more than you can count: How long O Sovereign Lord, holy and true... It is the plea of the suffering. Shana was not a martyr, she was not killed by persecutors because of the word of God. She died on the operating table due to complications at the hands of surgeons who were trying to ease her suffering. Let me tell you what Shana did know. She knew what it meant to suffer in a world that is still waiting for Christ to make all things new. She knew what it meant to groan. She knew what it meant to wait. She knew what it meant to hope. I know that God used her life to encourage and strengthen the faith of others. Revelation 6:9-11 teaches us that we need not pretend the pain we experience is small. We need not pretend injustice does not matter. We need not pretend that death is natural. We can cry How long and do so in faith, not despair. We can cry it to the Sovereign Lord, who is holy and true. The Lamb who opens the fifth seal, is the Lamb who sees the suffering of His people. He honors the witness of His redeemed. He gives those who follow Him rest. The Lamb who died for you, is the Lord who will bring His purpose to completion for His glory and for your good! So, my dear brothers and sisters, we wait. But we do not wait as people forgotten by the One who sits upon the throne. We wait as those who belong to the Lamb. We wait as those whose lives are precious before the One on the throne. And we wait with confidence that the One who is sovereign, holy, and true will do exactly what He has promised. We can trust Him to do what is good and right because that is who He is.

This is another awesome example of scripture that testifies of Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Christ.  We will study the event of the Golden Calf and God will teach us in His TORAH, His instructions, that He had a plan for Israel.  He had an awesome purpose for His treasured possession (Exod. 19:5)  It all relates to John 3:16 and the love the Lord has for all, the whole world.  But, the Hebrews failed and chose another god, a god of gold, a bull calf.  They didn't give up on the one true God, they just disobeyed Him in making an animal to represent the one God, the only God, יהוה Yahvay (I pronounce His name Yahvay and not Yahway since  Hebrew has no W sound so it is an error to say Yahway for His name).  Yahvay put this in His Ten Statements, His Ten Commandments, that we are not to make an image to represent the Lord.  The Hebrews  did.  And they did not follow His commands and went their own way. Once again, I brought up the likelihood that the Hebrews had assimilated into the Egyptian culture.  The Hebrews cried out in Exod. 2:23.  But, it is more than cried out.  The Hebrew word is za'aka זעק H2199 which is shriek or scream in deep anguish or terror.  On top of that the Hebrews cried out to no one!  In Exod. 2:23 they cried out - to who?  God heard them but they did not cry out, shriek in deep pain, to the Lord.  Later, at the sea before they crossed over, one they were reintroduced to the God of Abraham, we read in Exod. 14:10 that Israel cried out TO THE LORD.  We miss that.  We think they cried out to the Lord in Exod. 2:23.  That is putting words in the Bible that aren't there.  They didn't know the God of their fathers anymore.  What happened?  What's going on?  The answer - they had assimilated into the Egyptian culture.  The Bible proves it yet we missed it.  All they knew were the gods of Egypt.  It is easy to get Israel out of Egypt but it is nigh impossible to get Egypt out of Israel.   The Hebrews after hundreds of years were deeply imbedded into the Egyptian culture and ways.  Here's the link to study that the Hebrews assimilated into Egypt – https://halakhaoftheday.org/2023/03/29/from-propsperty-to-assimilationn/ Here' a link to lesson 4 part 2 in this series where we study this idea.  It is seemingly proven from the very word of God.  Here's the link - https://youtu.be/9tY5N0mAJ2I?si=BQ2ID2W8eVXZT1xb I did an “AI” search (artificial intelligence) of the Apis Bull in ancient Egypt.  I came up with the following.  I know a lot about the Apis Bull from my days traveling and doing research in Egypt plus my own personal study.  The “AI” material is right on.  So here it is in its entirety.  I do this just in case you want to expand your study to learn more about the Apis Bull and ancient Egypt. AI SEARCH ON THE APIS BULL – MAY 2026 The Apis bull was a sacred animal in ancient Egypt, serving as a living manifestation of the god Ptah and, during its life, a powerful symbol of the pharaoh's vitality, strength, and divine right to rule. As a direct connection between the gods and the kingdom, the Apis bull reinforced the legitimacy of the monarch and was frequently referred to as the "strong bull" in royal inscriptions. [1, 2, 3, 4] Connection to the Pharaoh Symbol of Power: The Apis bull directly symbolized the fertility, power, and vitality of the pharaoh. "Strong Bull" Titles: Pharaohs often used titles such as "Strong Bull of His Mother" to equate themselves with the sacred animal. Ritual Union: During the Sed festival (rejuvenation ceremony), the pharaoh participated in rituals with the bull to absorb its divine power, often described as running or walking with the Apis. Divine Manifestation: The bull was considered an earthly avatar of Ptah (creator god) and, upon death, united with Osiris to become Osiris-Apis. [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7] Worship and Life Selection: Priests selected the bull based on strict, specific markings, including a black coat, a white triangle on the forehead, an eagle-shaped mark on the back, and a beetle-shaped mark under the tongue. Royal Treatment: Once selected, the Apis lived in a specialized "House of Apis" in Memphis, treating the bull with the same reverence and luxury as a pharaoh. Afterlife: When the Apis died, it was mummified and buried with immense fanfare in a dedicated cemetery known as the Serapeum at Saqqara. [2, 8, 9, 10] [1] https://www.ancientegyptblog.com/?p=3313 [2] https://www.facebook.com/Egypt.Culture/posts/the-sacred-bull-apis-was-one-of-the-greatest-religious-symbols-in-ancient-egypt-/930050865826543/ [3] https://www.magellantv.com/articles/by-the-horns-of-apis-ancient-egypts-noble-bullgod [4] https://egyptatours.com/what-is-apis-bull/ [5] https://australian.museum/learn/cultures/international-collection/ancient-egyptian/bull-apis-e39829/ [6] https://templeofathena.blog/2016/08/18/god-of-the-month-club-apis-the-living-bull-god-of-egypt/ [7] https://www.livius.org/articles/religion/apis/ [8] https://www.facebook.com/Tresuresofancientegypt/posts/a-sacred-bull-apis-egypt-with-ahmed-graeco-roman-museum-of-alexandria/833234285657958/ [9] https://egypt-museum.com/cows-bulls-in-ancient-egypt/ [10] https://x.com/archeohistories/status/1939677557500293212 In this lesson the Bible supports the idea that Aaron was complicit in the event of the Golden Bull Calf.  Orthodix Jewish Rabbis, however, stick up for Aaron and try to argue he is totally innocent with regards to the Golden Bull Calf incident.  Their views are merely opinion not based upon God's word and in fact are dismissive of the word when it says that Aaron is guilty and the Lord will destroy him along with all Israel.  Their views are totally unacceptable and in great error. Aaron may not have participated in the worship of the Golden Bull Calf, but he made the molten image and thus got all Israel to sin grievously against the Lord.  That Aaron was found guilty is clear in the very words of God Himself and God wanted to destroy all Israel and AARON!!  "The LORD spoke further to me, saying, 'I have seen this people, and indeed, it is a stubborn people. 'Let Me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.' "(Deu 9:13-14) "The LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him; so I also prayed for Aaron at the same time."  (Deu 9:20) Here's some links that will add to your study with regards to Aaron's guilt in this terrible event of the Golden Bull Calf. ARTICLE ON AARON'S GUILT FROM CHABAD – AN ORTHODIX JEWISH SITE - https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/860977/jewish/Why-Did-Aaron-Make-the-Golden-Calf.htm ARTICLE ON AARON'S GUILT FROM www.GotQuestions.org - https://www.gotquestions.org/Aaron-golden-calf.html In this lesson we hear God say, "They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them ..." (Exo 32:8) What is God's WAY that He wanted the Hebrews to follow?  The Hebrew word for the word WAY is derekh (דֶּרֶךְ).  It is the word used in Genesis 3 when the Lord shows the WAY back to the Garden was closed and guarded by two mighty Khrooveem (not cherubs).  The WAY to the Father was blocked.  Now in Exodus 32 God talks about His WAY, His derekh (דֶּרֶךְ) He wants the Hebrews to follow.  Later, the Lord comes to us and He says in John 14 that, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (Joh 14:6)  So, what might he Lord be getting at?  What is the lesson?   I suggest it seems to be summed up in the first verses of Psalm 119. How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the LORD. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart. They also do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways. You have ordained Your precepts, That we should keep them diligently. Oh that my ways may be established To keep Your statutes!   (Psa 119:1-6) In TORAH the Lord gives us His intruction to live as His people, His chosen ones.  We are to liv in such a way that our lives show we are lovng the Lord God and serving Him by living as per His word, the Written Word.  But then He came to us.  Yeshua.  He is the Living Word.  In John 14 we read that Yeshua says if we are His true disciples He is in us and we in Him.  We abide together.  And as true branches of the "true vine" that is Yeshua we are to be fruitful so that our work in Yeshua keeps until the final harvest of the Vinedresser, the Father, and show ourselves to be His disciples.  We live to be His People of THE WAY,  derekh (דֶּרֶךְ). Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  (Ferret - somewhere on the Jordan River in northern Galilee) What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0  

Exodus Lesson 71 Part 2 In Exod. 31:13 it says … “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” (Exo 31:13) The word BUT is the Hebrew word ACH (אַךְ H389) meaning “never the less, or none the less, or but, or surely and more.  It is as if God is saying “What came before is very important but what comes now is even more important that all that has come before, so, Moses, speak to the sons of Israel … “  The Sabbath, the Lord's Sabbath, His Shabbat in Hebrew is  more important than all that has come before.  More important than all the instruction and all the detail about God's Tabernacle and the dress of the High Priest and the Priests starting in chapter 25.  More important that the induction ceremony of the Aaron and his sons.  It seems God is saying it is more important than when Moses first went up Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.  He's been there since and in v. 18 he gets the two tablets from the Lord and this ends his stay of 40 days and nights on Sinai.  It seems that the Shabbat is more important than everything back to chapter 20!  That was when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Covenant.  Shabbat is bigger than all this.  On our YouTube channel I have a “playlist” series I did on the Lord's Shabbat, or the Sabbath.  It is incumbent on us, true disciples of Messiah, to know about Jesus' Shabbat, God's Shabbat.  We'll find that it is the most important of the Lord's feasts.  LINK to the Shabbat playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05bc07ssllo&list=PLvcIXun2BQDLshZetXi0avkG665YNcI5I And now here in Exod. 31:12-18 we see the Shabbat is called a SIGN (אוֹת – “oat”) and it is called the covenant of Shabbat.  It is given to man and not man given to shabbat.  But the Hebrews are the Bride.  Just like in a contemporary religious Jewish wedding, only the bride gets a ring.  So, only the bride gets the Shabbat, God's ring, the sign or אוֹת – “oat” of the covenant.  But Jesus is our Bridegroom, our future “husband” and He asked us to keep His commandments and the greatest feast of the Lord is the Sabbath of THE SHABBAT.  And Jesus said do it to show me our love!  (Joh 14:15)  "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  The shabbat is like our ring as we are betrothed to our Bridegroom, our Yeshua, our Jesus.  We do His Sabbath to tell Him we love Him and to use it as a testimony to the world of God and His Salvation.  How dare us say we can Shabbat on any day we want.  It is NOT about onl rest.  It is about the Lord's Shabbat to testify He is and He is the creator of the universe and He brings His salvation to all of us both Jew and Gentile.  We do Shabbat on God's designated day to testify of Him. Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  (Ferret - visiting ancient Gath in Israel.  Didn't see Goliath though!) What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0    

Sabbath School panel discussion and insight by 3ABN pastors and teachers. This podcast episode follows 2026 quarter 2, lesson 6 of the adult Bible study guide book. This quarter's book topic is “Growing in a Relationship with God”, and this week's Sabbath School lesson is titled “Prayer Warriors”. Join us every week for a fresh and relevant study of the word of God.  Reading: Dan. 2:20-23; Dan. 6:10, 11; Acts 20:36; Gen. 5:22-24; Exod 33:15-23; Exod 32:31, 32. Memory Text: "I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, there­ fore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (Psalm 116:1, 2, NKJV). (May 2 - May 8)  Sunday (John Dinzey) - “Faithful Daniel”Monday (James Rafferty) - “The Posture of Prayer” Tuesday (Jill Morikone) - “Enoch Walked and Talked”Wednesday (John Lomacang) - “Moses, Godly Leader”Thursday (Shelley Quinn) - “Moses Intercedes for a Nation” Want the Panelists' notes? You can sign up here: https://3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com/notes/  Questions or Comments? Email us at mail@3abn.orgDonate: https://3abn.org/donate-quick.html

In this study we will take a look at the miracles that Yahweh performed on the Egyptians, when Israel was held in bondage, during this period in Exodus. We will see that those miracles were against the Egyptian deities or gods that they worshipped.The story of Moses is not just the story of the freedom of a group of slaves from Egypt in the second millennium BCE. It is the blueprint of the Plan of Salvation of the world as seen from the structure laid down in the Bible. Moses was the prototype of the Christ or Messiah. More importantly, the nation of Israel saw Moses as a prototype and the Bible record illustrates that point. Moses said: ‘And Yahweh said unto me, they have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.' (Deut. 18:17-18).In this study I finish chapter 10  Chapter 10Verse 21-29 The Ninth Plague Darkness21  And Yahweh said unto Moses = About the eleventh day of the month Abib: darkness = first of 4 instances of darkness in judgments. Exod. 10:22; Matt. 27:45; Jude 13; Rev. 16:10Darkness over the land = like the third and sixth plagues, it is inflicted unannounced; and the parleying, [i.e. the conference with the enemy], the driving of a agreement and then breaking it, by which the eighth was attended, is quite enough to account for thisThis plague would especially affect the spirits of the Egyptians, whose chief object of worship was Ra, the sun-god. Merneptah is depicted in a sculptured effigy with the inscription, ‘He adores the sun.' I READ from the 1611 King James Bible in the Apocrypha ‘The Wisdom of Solomon Chapter 17 of a wonderful description of Darkness22  And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness over all the land of Egypt three days = The eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth days of the month Abib; with this compare the fifth vial, Rev. 16:1023  All the children of Israel had light = By thus distinguishing the Israelites, Yahweh showed the Egyptians that the darkness was produced by His power;27   Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart = Yahweh had yet another miracle to work for the complete conviction of the Egyptians and triumph of His people; and till that was produced He permitted the natural stubbornness of Pharaoh's arrogant heart to have its full sway, after each resistance of the gracious influence which was intended to soften and bring him to repentanceHardened = ‘châzaq' ‘khaw-zak'' ‘chet-zayin-quph' ‘Aleph-Tav'Chet = (tent wall) outside, divide, halfzayin = (mattack) food, cut, nourishquph = (sun on the horizon) condense, circle, timeAleph = (ox) strength, strong, power, leaderTav = (cross) sign, covenant seal, mark and crossThis Hebrew word means to Seize: To grab hold tightly. To refrain or support by grabbing hold. But by adding the ‘eth' we see that the Spirit of Yahweh/Yahshua is the one that is actually seizing Pharaoh's heart. Why is Yahweh doing this? I believe so that all of the Egyptian deities would be defeated by the miracles perform by Yahweh/Yahshua Messiah!28     see my face no more = ‘seek no more admittance to my presence29     But before Moses leaves Pharaoh's presence, he announces to him the 10th plague, in Chapter 11:4 and then leaves him for the last time in Chapter 11:8I read from Thomas Horn Book ‘The Gods' to close the section on the hail plagueHave any questions? Feel free to email me keitner2024@outlook.com

We live in a day when worship is often treated casuallybut Scripture makes it clear that God does not take worship lightly. And yet, many of us rarely stop to consider what is actually taking place in heaven right now what true worship really looks like before the throne of God. Last week, we were given a glimpse into that throne room, where everything centers on the One who sits upon the thronesurrounded by splendor, power, and unshakable sovereignty. But as Johns vision continues, our attention now shifts from the throne itself to the worship that surrounds it. After the Lord delivered Israel from the clutches of Pharaoh by parting the Red Sea, Moses and the people sang a song of praise. At the center of that song is this question: Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exod. 15:11). It is here that we are reminded why we existnot for ourselves, but for God, whose holiness sets Him apart from all else. Scripture repeatedly shows us what happens when that holiness is not regarded. Nadab and Abihu approached God in worship on their own termsand they were consumed (Lev. 10:12). Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the arkand he was struck down (2 Sam. 6:67). These are not isolated incidents. They are warnings. Worship that disregards the holiness of God is not merely deficientit is dangerous. For as the Lord has said, You shall be holy, for I am holy (Lev. 11:44; cf. 1 Pet. 1:16). And it is precisely this holinessthe holiness that cannot be ignored, redefined, or approached on our termsthat fills the throne room of heaven in Revelation 4, where unceasing worship rises before the One who is holy, holy, holy. The worship we see in Revelation 4 is not casual, and it is not optionalit is the only right response to who God is. So if Revelation 4 shows us what true worship looks like in heaven, then the question we must ask is this:Why is God so worthy of that kind of worship? We Worship the LORD Because There is No One Like Him (v. 6a) Revelation 4 shows us that the experience of Gods presence is not rooted in what we feel, nor is it produced by the latest worship songit is grounded in the truth of who God has revealed Himself to be in His Word. Do you remember what I said about the sea of glass before the throne of God? The sea represents chaos and opposition to Gods purposes, and it is from the sea that the beast comes. Yet here, before the throne, the sea is stilled, reminding us that what threatens creation elsewhere is powerless in His presence. In the presence of the One on the throne is where the redeemed find shalom (peace). What John sees in Revelation 4 is not only a display of powerit is a revelation of who God is. He is the Lord Almighty who rules over all things. He is a covenant-keeping God who keeps His promises. And He is a worship-worthy God before whom all of heaven bows down. And what is heavens response? Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power He is worthynot because of what He gives, but because of who He is. There is only one other place in Revelation where the sea of glass is referenced, and it appears in Revelation 15the fourth of the seven heavenly throne-room scenes in Johns apocalypse. There, John describes the same sea of glass, but with an added detail: And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fireand also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands (v. 2). At the Red Sea, Gods presence stood between His people and their enemiesbringing light to one and judgment to the other (Exod. 14:1920). In Revelation, that same reality is intensified as the sea itself is mingled with fire (Rev. 15:2)symbolically pointing us back to Exodus 14, where God prevented Egypt from pursuing Israel (Exod. 14:2425). After allowing Pharaoh and his army to begin crossing the parted sea, He then consumed the enemies of God by bringing the waters of the Red Sea upon them (Exod. 14:2628). This connection is not incidental. The redeemed stand beside the sea with harps in their hands and sing what John calls the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb (v. 3). Just as Israel stood on the far side of the Red Sea and sang of their deliverance, so now the people of God stand victorious and sing once moreonly this time, their deliverance is final. And just as the plagues of Egypt preceded Israels redemption, so here the song is sung on the threshold of judgment, just before the seven bowls of wrath are poured outjudgments that unmistakably echo the plagues that fell upon Egypt. For now, lets focus on a single verse from the song Israel sang after crossing the Red Sea: Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exod. 15:11). In Revelation 15:34, a similar song is taken up and directed to the Lamb: Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. What began as a song of deliverance at the Red Sea becomes, in Revelation, a song of final redemption before the throneand at the center of both songs is the same unchanging truth: there is no one like Him. We Worship the LORD Because He is the Creator of All (vv. 6b-7) We are now introduced to four living creatures whose praise echoes that of the seraphim inIsaiah6, who declare of the One on the throne: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory (Isa. 6:3). Like the seraphim, these creatures have six wings, but unlike them, they are described as being full of eyes in front and behind. These eyes symbolize unceasing awarenessnothing escapes their sight as they live in continual service before their Creator. At the same time, each creature is distinct, representing a different realm of creation and reflecting the goodness of the One who made all things. There are four creatures because they represent the fullness of creation, yet each highlights a distinct category of created life. The creature like a lion represents the wild animalsstrength, majesty, and power. The creature like an ox represents domesticated animalsservice, endurance, and strength under authority. The creature with the face of a man represents humanityintelligence, reason, and the image of God. The creature like an eagle in flight represents the birds of the airswiftness and dominion in the skies. Together, these four living creatures represent the strongest, wisest, most powerful, and most majestic forms of created lifeand all of them are oriented toward the worship of their Creator. Some scholars have also noted a possible connection between these four living creatures and the way Israel was arranged in the wilderness. InNumbers2, the twelve tribes were divided into four groups and positioned around the tabernacle, with the presence of God at the center. Later Jewish tradition suggests that each group bore a distinct imagesuch as a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagleimages that closely resemble the creatures described here. If this connection is valid, it adds another layer of meaning: the living creatures would not only represent the fullness of creation, but also reflect the people of God gathered in ordered worship around His presence. In that sense, they may point to humanity as it was always meant to bea community centered on God and devoted entirely to His glory. Whether these creatures are the cherubim described elsewhere in Scripture or a distinct class of heavenly beings, the point remains clear: they represent all of created life, and they perform the very function that all of creation was designed to fulfillwhich is worship. And like the seraphim, they never cease to say: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! (v. 8). We Worship the LORD Because He is Perfectly Holy (v. 8) The declaration of the four living creatures is not that He is lovethough He most certainly is. Nor do they declare that He is just, though everything around the throne testifies to His perfect justice. They do not highlight any of His other attributes. Instead, they declare the one attribute that lies at the very core of all that He isHis holiness. And they declare it to the highest degree. He is not merely holy, nor even holy, holy. Noour God is: Holy, holy, holy! This is the only attribute of God raised to the third degree in all of Scripture. But what does it mean that God is holy? To be holy is to be set apart and separate from all that is sinful, impure, or morally imperfect. As it relates to God, there is nothing like Him in all of creation, and there is nothing in Him that is flawed, corrupt, or deficient. Gods holiness is the beauty of all that He is. Stephen Charnock rightly said, Holiness is the beauty of all Gods attributes. Brothers and sisters, it is Gods holiness that makes Him gloriousit is what makes His justice just, His mercy merciful, and His power pure. This is why the worship of God is both serious and dangerous. As Michael Horton argues in his bookIn the Face of God, the danger is not in drawing near to Godthe danger is in doing so on our own terms. Nadab and Abihu approached God on their own termsand they were consumed (Lev. 10:13). Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark, assuming his hand was cleaner than the dirtand he was struck down (2 Sam. 6:67). Ananias and Sapphira were more concerned with their image than Gods gloryand they too fell dead (Acts 5:111). Why? Because the holiness of God cannot be approached casually, on our own terms, or treated as common. And, just in case you are tempted to think that these examples are extreme and ought not be taken too seriously, consider the way Jesus taught us to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Jesus did not say to recite this prayer (though that is okay), but to pray like this. We are to begin with something like: Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. That first petition is not one request among manyit is the foundation of them all, just as holiness is for the character of the Lord God Almighty! Every other request modeled for us in our Lords prayer flows from it and serves it: Your kingdom come for the hallowing of your name. Your will be done for the hallowing of your name. Give us this day our daily bread for the hallowing of your name. Forgive us as we forgive others for the hallowing of your name. Lead us not into temptation for the hallowing of your name. Deliver us from evil... for the hallowing of your name. Do you see it? We exist for the renown of Gods holy name in every area and part of our lives because He is holy, holy, holy! This is exactly what we see in Revelation 4. Heaven is not centered on man but on God. He is the Creator, and we are the creature. He reigns from heaven, and we are on earth. He is eternally sufficient, and we are utterly dependent upon Him. All that we dohow we live, how we pray, how we worshipis to be shaped and motivated by one great purpose: that Gods name would be hallowed! As His Word reminds us, For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen (Rom. 11:36). Only when God becomes the center of your universe will you begin to see your life rightly. And only then will you experience the kind of joy and satisfaction you were created for. At the center of that reality is the question sung in victorious celebration by Moses and the rest of Israel: Who is like you O Lord... majestic in holiness? (Exod. 15:11) We Worship the LORD Because He Alone is Worthy (vv. 9-11) Notice the response of the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. They fall down before Him who is seated on the throne. Their posture shows us the proper response to Gods holinessnot pride, but surrender. The twenty-four elders lay down their crowns because they recognize that whatever authority, honor, or reward they possess ultimately belongs to the One on the throne. In response to the declaration that our unchanging God is Holy, holy, holy, the elders proclaim: Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Everything that exists does so because God wills it. That means your life is not random, nor did it come by chance. You were created by Him and for Himand the only right response is to lay down whatever you are holding onto and give Him the glory He deserves. Listenif you approach God on your terms, you will never experience Him as you were created to. Your way of worship will always lead you to your idols and away from the living God. But when you see Him for who He truly isholy, holy, holyyou will do what heaven does: you will bow, you will surrender, and you will worship. Heaven is not confused about who it is that sits on the throne. Heaven is not distracted by lesser glories. Heaven is not divided by that which does not last. All of heaven is fixed on one reality that outweighs everything else infinitely more: God is holy, and He is worthy of it all! One day, you will join this scene that we are given in Revelation 4. One day, you will stand before the One who sits on the throne. The only question is this: Will you bow before Him now in worship, or will you bow before Him then in judgment? If you really want to experience God, if you really want to live your life for that which will last and which matters, then be determined in your heart to do this: Turn from lesser things by giving God what heaven already declaresglory, honor, and all that you are. Why? Because there is no one like Him. Because He is the Creator. Because He is holy. And because He alone is worthy.

Exod. 26:26–30 1 Chron. 16:1–7 Luke 4:16–22 Heb. 8:1–7 Christ is the true worship leader. As our mediator and high priest, He leads the worship of His people and summons them up to heaven with Him. In this message, we explore the glories of New Covenant worship done not according to passing trends, but according to the Word.

April 2, 2026 Exod. 39:1–43; Ps. 35:10-18; Prov. 12:11; Mark 1:1-15

March 29, 2026 Exod. 35:10–36:7; Ps. 34:4-10; Prov. 12:4; Matt. 27:32-53

The Bible Isn't the Point (But You Can't Get There Without It)There's a story near the end of Luke's gospel that doesn't get enough attention.Two disciples are walking away from Jerusalem, heading toward a village called Emmaus. They've just watched Jesus be crucified. Their hope is gone. And as they walk, talking through everything that happened, a stranger falls into step beside them.The stranger asks what they're discussing. They stop, looking at him with disbelief. He's the only person in Jerusalem who doesn't seem to know what happened. So they explain everything: the miracles, the arrest, the cross. And then the stranger opens his mouth and takes them through the entire Hebrew scriptures, showing them how it all pointed to this moment.It's what I can only imagine was the greatest Bible study ever given. And it has everything to do with how we read scripture today.God Has Always Been Trying to Be KnownThe story of the Bible is the story of God pursuing his creation.It starts in Genesis, where God doesn't snap creation into existence or simply will it to be. He speaks. “Let there be light.” That's not a small detail. Actions can reveal that something exists, but words reveal what someone wants. God speaks because he wants to be known.When Adam and Eve hide after the fall, what does God do? He calls out to them. “Where are you?” Even after the first rupture in the relationship, God is looking for his people with his words.That impulse doesn't stop. The first time the Bible mentions itself is in Exodus 17, when God tells Moses to write down what's happened so that future generations won't forget. God's spoken word becomes a written word, preserved across time so that people who weren't there could still know the story they were living inside.Moses receives all of this, leads his people through the wilderness, and then asks for something more. “Show me your glory.” He's heard God's voice. He has the written law. But there's something he's still after: encounter with God himself.God tells him no one can see his face and live. But Moses' longing points to something real. Knowing what God says is not the same as knowing God.The Word Became a PersonThe Gospel of John opens with language that would have stopped both Greek and Jewish readers in their tracks.For Greeks, the word logos meant reason itself, the organizing principle of the universe, the logic behind all of reality. For Jews, John's opening lines echoed Genesis: “In the beginning, God created…” and now “In the beginning was the Word.”John is doing something remarkable here. He's saying: that thing the Greeks called logos, the ultimate logic behind the cosmos? It's not an idea. It's a person. And the Word that spoke creation into existence, that called out to Adam in the garden, that thundered on Sinai, that has been pursuing humanity since the beginning? That Word became flesh.Jesus is God's fullest self-revelation. Not a book. Not a set of rules. A person.The author of Hebrews says it plainly: in the past, God spoke through the prophets in many ways, but in these last days he has spoken through his Son. The same Word that was present at creation is now walking around in sandals, eating fish, asking questions, touching lepers.So what does that mean for how we read the Bible?The Bible Points Beyond ItselfJesus, still walking with the two disciples on the Emmaus road, shows them how every thread of scripture points to him. But then, when they reach the village, he keeps walking. He doesn't force himself through their door.That's not an accident. God wants to be sought. He's always wanted that. He doesn't force himself on us, even in scripture. The Bible is an invitation, not a guarantee.Jesus confronted the Pharisees about exactly this. They had the scriptures memorized. They had built their entire lives around the written word. And they completely missed Jesus standing in front of them. You can know the Bible inside and out and still miss the whole point.The point is encounter. The point is meeting the Author behind the words.Whatever you come to the Bible looking for, you'll probably find it. Rules. Validation. Ammunition. The Bible has been twisted and weaponized throughout history by people who came to it looking for something other than Jesus.But if you come to it wanting to meet Jesus, that's what it's built for. That's what it's always been built for.Back in Emmaus, the two disciples invite the stranger in. He breaks bread with them. And suddenly they recognize who he is. They turn to each other and say, “Weren't our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road?”That's the invitation. Not just to read the Bible, but to let it lead you somewhere. To let it lead you to someone. Burning hearts. That's what's waiting on the other side of the words, if you're willing to look for more than information.Have you encountered Jesus? Or have you just been reading about him?

March 26, 2026 Exod. 32:31–33:23; Ps. 33:12-19; Prov. 11:29-31; Matt. 27:1-14

March 23, 2026 Exod. 30:11–38; Ps. 32:8-11; Prov. 11:24-26; Matt. 26:47-56

Exod. 18:13–27 Prov. 11:14; 15:22 Matt. 23:1–4 1 Tim. 3:1–13  Every group on earth has to get organized in order to get anything done. It's the same with the Church. But the difference is that the Church is a heavenly institution that also exists on earth. In this sermon, we learn that Christ's care for and rule over His people is experienced in the order and officers of the Church.

March 20, 2026 Exod. 28:15–43; Ps. 31:21-22; Prov. 11:20-21; Matt. 26:1-13

March 17, 2026 Exod. 25:31–26:29; Ps. 31:3-8; Prov. 11:15; Matt. 25:1-13

Exod. 30:1–10 Isa. 29:11–16 Matt. 15:1–9 Acts 7:51–60 In Acts 7, Stephen brings down an indictment on the Pharisees, who were the leaders of the church in that day, saying, “You…received the law as delivered by angels, but did not keep it.” In fact, they did the opposite. They opposed and persecuted the prophet, they resisted the Holy Spirit. Stephen strong words shows us there is such a thing as false churches. Those who have the trappings of religion, but are actually enemies of God. How can we know? We have the marks of false churches to help us.

March 14, 2026 Exod. 22:14–23:13; Ps. 30:1-3; Prov. 11:9-11; Matt. 24:15-28

March 11, 2026 Exod. 19:16–20:26; Ps. 28:6-9; Prov. 11:5-6; Matt. 23:13-26

March 8, 2026 Exod. 16:19–17:16; Ps. 27:7-10; Prov. 10:31-32; Matt. 22:23-33

March 5, 2026 Exod. 13:17–14:31; Ps. 27:1; Prov. 10:26; Matt. 21:23-32

March 2, 2026 Exod. 11:1–12:13; Ps. 25:16-22; Prov. 10:22; Matt. 20:17-28

Today's readings.. (Leviticus 5,6), (Psalm 105), (1 Corinthians 14)Our Psalms reading (105) stresses that God is fully conscious of all that happens among his creation.  Many examples are given that illustrate the reality of what Paul told the Athenians, that God “is actually not far from each one of us” [Acts 17 v.27) that “we have our being” within the Divine presence and, as Job expressed it, “In his hand is the life of every living thing” [12 v.10]  Look at some of the illustrations of this in today's Psalm, note how it tells us to “seek the LORD and his strength; his presence continually.” [v.4] We do not have to travel to seek his presence, we need to start each day by doing that: we need to “remember the wondrous works that he has done.” [v.5]  These works are seen, both in creation, and in the wonderful way “all things work together” (see Romans 8 v.28) to achieve God's purpose.  This is seen in history; David reminds us of “his miracles, and the judgments he uttered” to the “offspring of Abraham” [v.5,6].  But it is not just with Israel that God is involved, “his judgments are in all the earth” [v.7] and the full reality and climax of this will be seen when Jesus returns. The detail of the divine involvement in human life is made clear in our Leviticus reading (ch. 5 & 6). We read of more of the divine laws being put in place to cause the nation being formed in the wilderness to become a genuine “”holy nation” (Exod. 19 v.6).  Sadly, they failed in this. David and his son Solomon did their best in their days to lead the people into becoming a holy nation.  Then God's son came to inspire people to develop personal holiness.  The aim must be, as we will read next week in Paul's 2nd letter to the Corinthians, to “cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” [7 v.1]In our chapter today Paul is urgently encouraging them to “let all things be done for building up … for God is not the author of confusion but of peace …” [14 v.33].  Confusion comes when God's word is not read properly – we should not pick and choose the parts which suit us, fully realizing that when “his judgments are in all the earth” when Christ returns,  “then each of us will give account of him(her)self to God.” [Rom. 14 v. 12]  Let us “seek … his strength and “his presence continually.”

February 26, 2026 Exod. 7:1-25; Ps. 24:3-6; Prov. 10:17; Matt. 19:1-12

February 23, 2026 Exod. 4:1-26; Ps. 22:27-31; Prov. 10:11-12; Matt. 18:1-14

February 20, 2026 Exod. 1:1-2:10; Ps. 22:1-18; Prov. 10:6-7; Matt. 16:21-17:9

What a mixture of fascinating readings we have today!  We recall how the 12 tribes in escaping from Egypt, first asked many things from the Egyptians,  (Exod. 3 v.22)”…you shall plunder the Egyptians.”  It was from these things that they could provide all that was needed to make the golden ark, lampstands, etc.  We read today that from “everyone whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution … gold, silver, and bronze,   blue and purple and scarlet yarns and …” [25 v.2-4]  Our God desires our freewill service of heart, may our hearts be moved in this way.The 72 verses of our Psalm 78 is teaching “a parable” [v.1,2] about the wonders of God's actions in delivering them from Egypt, to “tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD” [v.4]  Yet we know that the generation that experienced the miraculous escape from Egypt failed to serve God acceptably; they did not develop genuine faith and died in the wilderness: a lesson for us.Our N. T. reading shows the primary weakness of human nature. In Mark's gospel we read how two of Jesus' disciples. “said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.'” [10 v.37] Jesus told them that “those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you.” [v.42,43]Our news constantly contains accounts of conflicts between those seeking to exercise authority, seeking the ‘top' job, especially in politics: there is particular aggressiveness in election campaigns.  But Jesus told his disciples (and us) “whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”[v.43-45]In the future, those who have truly followed the example of Jesus, will be made “great” in whatever way the Master decides.  We looked back at v.29-31 and the teaching of Jesus that “there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters  …. who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time…” also “houses and brothers and sisters (in Christ – now)  … with persecutions” (and we think of those today in countries such as Iran)  – all such will receive  “in the age to come eternal life.”   Let us seek the ‘slavery' of service to our Lord now, with its blessings of a spiritual family –  anticipating in faith, when the angels are sent forth, we will be dramatically delivered from the ‘Egypt' that surrounds us today.

We read today in great detail of the arrival of the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai on “the third new moon” [Exod. 19 v.1].  For the great mass of people with their flocks and herds, it had been a testing journey from Egypt; there had been many faith testing experiences along the way.  Now they are “encamped before the mountain” [v.2] and the “LORD called to” Moses and tells him to remind them of all their experiences. “Thus you shall … tell the people of Israel:  You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.” [v.3,4]And today, we have God's word, if we will regularly and diligently read it, to bring into our minds all that God has done in the past and promises to do in the future. We must read it – so that our awareness of God's past actions. words and promises become ‘heart felt' – and not just head knowledge.    Those who commit their lives to God, find their relationship with him keeps growing – we realize we are in a two-way relationship – as Israel had to realize.  The prophet Isaiah wrote, “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.” [63 v.9]We also read today in Exodus 20 details of the giving of the 10 commandments: these were accompanied by “thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled” [v.18] “  Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” [v.20] but “the people stood far off …” [v.21]  How close are we to God?  Do we feel inclined to stand “far off”? Perhaps not – but, are we finding getting really ‘close' not at all comfortable? If we read God's word diligently we will see many examples of this testing; our convictions of belief should be increasingly seen by the things we give priority to each day. When we spend much of our time and money mingling with the world, our God is “jealous.”  We must never forget we “were bought with a price” [1 Cor. 6 v.20; 7 v.23].There is a sense in which we no longer belong to ourselves!  We had been, in a sense, in slavery to the world, it surrounded us; physically it still does and it threatens to suffocate us!   How joyful were the Israelites – at first – in their deliverance, what a sense of freedom they must have felt; and surely we were joyful when we first accepted Christ as our deliverer from the world around us – the sense of purpose in our lives – the optimism for the future!  Have those feelings faded? How inspiring are the words in today's Psalm 73, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart … for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge” [v.26,28] Our reading and meditation of God's word is an essential part in maintaining that “strength” – then when events “test you” you have the strength to endure and find “refuge” – and – indeed, you then feel even stronger!