Have you ever been given a gift from a total stranger? Your having a bad day, everything seems to be going wrong. The light at the end of the tunnel is the proverbial train. You want to scream at the top of your lungs but you are so tired that you can't think straight and then out of no where you are given a gift that just suddenly changes everything.Nothing huge, but just enough to change your day. What goes through your mind when that happens? Do you see it as a gift from G-D or do you ask; whats the catch?
I remember a day when my car broke down. I had brought my brother to the train station and was getting ready to leave and I couldn't get my car to start. I was not a happy camper. This was before cell phones, so I had to find a phone and give my brother in law, Jason, a call to see if he could help. He was a bit more mechanically minded that I was at the time so I figured he might know. He picked up my wife on the way to me and then the 3 of us pushed and pulled and wiggled everything that we could think of to get it to work and nothing happened. The short side of this is that it wound up being something minor but we were stuck in this parking lot all afternoon while we tried various things, it was hot and we were hungry and tired. We finally got to the point of where we thought we knew what it was and Jason headed off to the parts store to get what we needed. But there we sat, getting hotter and hungrier by the moment and there was nothing we could do. To make it worse there was a Pizza place near where we were parked and we could smell the food but we had no money on us, we had given Jason what we had so all we could do was smell. Then the oddest thing happened. A man approached us and handed us a twenty dollar bill and simply said I thought you could use this, you look mighty hungry and tired. I'm not even sure we said thanks because we were so surprised, but here a total stranger blessed us with a gift and we were able to eat and refresh ourselves in the Air conditioning while we were waiting. The man apparently had no other agenda other then to see us blessed and I am guessing that in the end He will be blessed as well.
What made me think of this was is the story of Joseph's brothers when they returned to Egypt to buy more food. Remember that they had gone home the first time and not only did they have all the food that they had bought , but they also had all the money still in their bags. That scared them so so much that when they returned ,along with Benjamin,they brought all of that back plus more money to by food and they brought gifts as well. They didn't know how the money got there but they wanted to make sure that they were not considered to be thieves and they wanted to make it right. Upon their return however Joseph has them taken to his house and they assume the worst.They approached his steward and explained to him what had happened and that they were clueless as to how the money got there but they had brought all that back plus more to buy with. It's what the steward said to them that got my attention.
Look at Gen.43:23 But he said, Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your G-D and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.
What is interesting here is that the Egyptian steward was likely the one who had put it there under Joseph's orders but rather then tell them that, he speaks peace to them and then he tells them that it was a gift from G-D.
How do you handle gifts from G-D? Do you recognize them for what they are or do you panic and tremble in fear? I think that many times we don't even see the gift because we have been so programmed to think that we are so low on the Totem pole that G-D would not take the time to bless us. I am sure that this is what the brothers felt, they knew what they had done to Joseph and they had 20 years to think about it an wallow in their guilt. So when Joseph had them taken to his house they believed that this was now going to be the time that they paid for their sins. Surprise! They were blessed instead.
I don't know whats going on in your life, but please understand that G-D is waiting to bless us and many times he does it in small ways that we don't even recognize, other times it may be something big. Perhaps it will be $20 so that you can have a pizza and cool off or it may be a bag of gold, but rather then fear and tremble, rejoice in the gifts that He has blessed you with and then go out and bless others.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Friday, October 23, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Feast of Tabernacles
This evening at sundown starts, what is known in the Jewish world as the Feast of Tabernacles otherwise known as Sukkot.This is the time of year when all of G-D's children are to remember the 40 years of G-D's care in the wilderness by building booths or Sukkot to "dwell in" for 7 days.It is a time of many services but it also a time of great rejoicing. This time not only reminds us of G-D's deliverance but it also marks the end of the time of Judgment which began with the feast of trumpets. When I say it is a celebration, I mean it is a celebration! I can't help but wonder what the world would be like if we all celebrated the blessings that G-D has given us. I think we'd be so busy praising Him that we wouldn't have time to fight with each other.
Last year was our first time of doing this and we were able to do it with a group and in so doing we learned a lot from them. Unlike most Christian Holy days, this was a time of music and dance and lots of food and drink. We had a huge bonfire going most of the time we were there and we praised G-D constantly and slept out in the cold and loved every minute of it! On the last Sabbath we also had a wedding and the way it was done was to symbolize how G-D will someday come to receive His bride, His Holy people, it was wonderful.
This year we are on our own but we are going to do it anyways. I have been told that you can use what ever material is at hand as long as you use branches for the roof, so we are using a canopy frame and some rope ( to hold up the branches)and will be using tarps as walls. Ill be using a camp chair and bed along with a card table for furnishing and will spend as much time in it as possible during the next week.
No it won't be comfortable and yes I might get wet, but the whole point of it is to remember G-D's deliverance and His blessings we should all do this.
Here are a few passages for you to consider: Lev. 23:33-44
33 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.
37 ‘These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— 38 besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD.
39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.’”
44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.
Duet.16:14-16
3 “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. 14 And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. 15 Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.
16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.
And lastly Zech.14:16-19. This one is really interesting because it speaks of the time after G-D has set up His Kingdom here on the earth and it is speaking of all the nations that are left of those who came up against Israel as well. This , along with the New Moon celebration and the Sabbath, will be celebrated in the Kingdom to come.
Kind of strange that most of the world ignores these Holy days when G-d makes it clear that they will be for all eternity.
Zech.14:16-19 16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
So there it is, nothing fancy, just the straight word from G-D. I would suggest we get in the habit of doing it now, because in the time to come we will be doing so why wait? The blessings are already in place.
Just a quick note, on sunset of our last day ,last year, it rained!
Shalom,
Ignacio
Last year was our first time of doing this and we were able to do it with a group and in so doing we learned a lot from them. Unlike most Christian Holy days, this was a time of music and dance and lots of food and drink. We had a huge bonfire going most of the time we were there and we praised G-D constantly and slept out in the cold and loved every minute of it! On the last Sabbath we also had a wedding and the way it was done was to symbolize how G-D will someday come to receive His bride, His Holy people, it was wonderful.
This year we are on our own but we are going to do it anyways. I have been told that you can use what ever material is at hand as long as you use branches for the roof, so we are using a canopy frame and some rope ( to hold up the branches)and will be using tarps as walls. Ill be using a camp chair and bed along with a card table for furnishing and will spend as much time in it as possible during the next week.
No it won't be comfortable and yes I might get wet, but the whole point of it is to remember G-D's deliverance and His blessings we should all do this.
Here are a few passages for you to consider: Lev. 23:33-44
33 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.
37 ‘These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— 38 besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD.
39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.’”
44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.
Duet.16:14-16
3 “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. 14 And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. 15 Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.
16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.
And lastly Zech.14:16-19. This one is really interesting because it speaks of the time after G-D has set up His Kingdom here on the earth and it is speaking of all the nations that are left of those who came up against Israel as well. This , along with the New Moon celebration and the Sabbath, will be celebrated in the Kingdom to come.
Kind of strange that most of the world ignores these Holy days when G-d makes it clear that they will be for all eternity.
Zech.14:16-19 16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
So there it is, nothing fancy, just the straight word from G-D. I would suggest we get in the habit of doing it now, because in the time to come we will be doing so why wait? The blessings are already in place.
Just a quick note, on sunset of our last day ,last year, it rained!
Shalom,
Ignacio
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