Mask we wear

Don't be fooled by me! Don't be fooled by the face I wear! For I wear a thousand masks, masks that I'm afraid to take off, and none of them are me. Pretending is an art that's second nature with me, but don't be fooled, for G-d's sake...don't be fooled.

I give the impression that I'm secure, that all is sunny and unfuffled with me, within as well as without, that confidence is my name and coolness my game: that the water's calm and I'm in command, and that I need no one. But don't believe me...Please.

My surface may seem smooth, but my surface is my mask. Beneath this lies no complacence. Beneath dwells the real me in confusion, in fear, and aloneness. But I hide this. I don't want anyboby to know. I panic at the thought of my weakness and fear being exposed. That's why I frantically create a mask to hide behind, a nonchalant, sophisticated facade, to help me pretend, to shield me from the glance that knows. But such a glance is precisely my salvation. My only salvation, and I know it - that is if it's followed by acceptance, if it's followed by love. It's the only thing that will assure me of what I can't assure myself, that I am worth something.

But I don't tell you this, I don't dare, I'm afraid to. I'm afraid your glance will not be followed by acceptance and love. I'm afraid you'll think less of me, that you'll laugh at me, and your laugh would kill me. I'm afraid that deep-down I'm nothing, that I'm no good, and that you will see this and reject me. So I plan my game, my desparate game, with a facade of assurance without, and a trembling child within, and so begins the parade of masks and my life becomes a front.

I idly chatter to you in the suave tones of surface talk. I tell you everything that is really nothing, and nothing of what's everything, of what's crying within me: so when I'm going through my routine do not be fooled by what I'm saying. Please listen carefully and try to hear what I'm not saying, what I'd like to be able to say, what for survival I need to say, but what I can't say.

I dislike hiding...Honestly! I dislike the superficial game I'm playing, the phony game! I'd really like to be genuine and spontaneous and me, but you've got to help me. You've got to hold out your hand, even when that's the last thing I seem to want. Only you can wipe away from my eyes the blank stare of breathing death. Only you can call me into aliveness. Each time you are kind and gentle and encouraging, each time you try to understand because you really care, my heart begins to grow wings, very small wings, very feeble wings, but... wings. With your sensitivity and sympathy, and your power of understanding, you can breathe life into me, if you chose to. Please choose to. You alone can break down the wall behind which I tremble, the world of panic and uncertainty surrounding or encompassy my lonely person.

Do not pass me by...please...do not pass me by. It will not be easy for you. A long conviction of worthlessness builds strong walls. The nearer you approach me, the blinder I strike back. I fight against the very thing I cry out for. But I am told that love has stronger walls, and in this lies gentle hands...for a child is very sensitive.

Who am I...You may wonder, I am someone you know very well...for I am every man you meet and I am every woman you meet.

Author unknown

Teachable Spirit

[Job 6:24] Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
[Teach me, and I will hold my tongue - Convince me by solid arguments and I will patiently hear and gladly receive your counsels.
You may give your defense but then show that you are not stubborn and are flexible. Open to conviction, and ready to attend and hearken to what might be further said.
You must desire to be taught and instructed in the way; suggesting that, upon being convinced of your mistakes, you should honestly acknowledge them.Good people are desirous of being taught of both G-d and men; they are not above instruction, or think themselves wiser than their teachers. They are willing to receive knowledge, not only from their superiors, but also from their equals, and even from those that are inferior to them.
Though some had been unkind to you, and bore very hard upon you. You promises that while they were speaking your would be silent, and not noisy, and clamorous, nor interrupt nor contradict them; but would patiently and attentively listen to what they said, and seriously consider it, and weigh it well in your mind. Should one be convinced thereby, would no longer continue your complaints unto G-d, nor murmur at His providences; and would cease reflecting on them as your friends, and no more charge them with deceit, disloyalty, and unkindness. By your silence would acknowledge your guilt and not stubborn stand in an evil matter, but lay your hand on your mouth; you’re your tongue; that is, be silent, as in Hebrew; and even take shame to yourself, and in this way confess your iniquity, and do so no more:
Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; for I have often found, with pleasure and wonder, how forcible right words are. But the method you use is important, for the wrong method will never make proselytes: What doth your arguing reprove? Your hypothesis is false, your surmises are groundless, your management is weak, and your application peevish and uncharitable.
1. Fair reasoning has a commanding power, and it is a wonder if men are not conquered by it; but railing and foul language are impotent and foolish, and it is no wonder if men are exasperated and hardened by them.
2. It is the undoubted character of every honest person that they truly desirous to have their mistakes rectified, and to be made to understand wherein they has erred; and they will acknowledge that right words, when they appear to them to be so, though contrary to their former sentiments, are both forcible and acceptable.
Cause me to understand wherein I have erred - error is common to human nature; the best of people are liable to mistakes; and those are so frequent and numerous, that many of them escape notice; "who can understand his errors?" (Ps. 19:12) Wherefore wise and good people will esteem it a favour to have their errors pointed out to them, and their mistakes rectified. It becomes people of capacity and ability to take some pains to do this, since they that converts one that has erred, whether in principle or practice, saves a soul from death, and covers a multitude of sins; (James 5:19,20). Job is desirous, that if he had swallow or uttered any error in principle, any thing unbecoming the Divine Being, contrary to His perfections, or to the holy religion which he professed. Or was guilty of any in practice, in his conduct and behavior, especially under the present providence, that it might be clearly made out unto him, and he should at once frankly and freely own it, retract and relinquish it.
We can learn a lot for Job in this area.]

Friend in Need

[6:14] To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
[To him - Heb. ‘to him that is melted or dissolved with affections.’ The words may be rendered, "to him that is melted"; afflictions are like a furnace or refining pot for the melting of metals, and are called the furnace of afflictions: and saints are the metal, which are put into it. Afflictions also are the fire, of fiery trials, which heat and melt, and by which means the dross of sin and corruption is removed, and the graces of the spirit are tried and made the brighter. Though here it rather signifies the melting of the heart like wax or water through the affliction, and denotes the anguish and distress, the trembling and fears, a person is in through it, being overwhelmed and borne down by it, which was Job's case.
An afflicted man is an object of pity, one that is afflicted of G-d; either inwardly with a wounded spirit, with a sense of G-d's displeasure, with divine desertions, with the arrows of the Almighty sticking in him. The poison thereof drinking up his spirits; or outwardly with diseases of body, with want of the necessaries of life, with loss of near relations as well as substance, which was Job's case. Or afflicted by Satan, shot at, sifted and buffered by him, distressed by his temptations, suggestions, and solicitations; or afflicted by men, reproached and persecuted for righteousness sake.
But - But you have no pity for your friend; a plain confirmation that you art guilty of what you did charge me with, even of the want of the fear of G-d. The least which those that are at ease can do for them that are pained is to pity them, to feel a tender concern for them, and to sympathize with them.
Pity - a proverb. In all such cases and circumstances should be showed; which is an inward affection of the mind, sympathy of spirit, a sensible feeling of the afflictions of others. Which is expressed by gestures, motions, and actions, as by visiting them in their affliction, speaking comfortably to them, and relieving their necessities according to ability and as the case requires.
Friend - This may be expected from a friend, and what the law of friendship requires, whether it is in a natural and civil sense, or in a religious and spiritual one. The union between friends being so near and close, that they are, as it were, one soul, as the people of G-d, members of the same body is, so that if one suffers, all the rest do, or should suffer and sympathize with it. Though this duty is not always performed, at least as it should be, by natural and spiritual friends, yet this grace is always shown by G-d, who is a friend that loves at all times.
He forsaketh the fear of the Almighty - or "melts in pity to his friend, he forsakes" … that is, he that fails in pity, is destitute of compassion, and shuts up the bowels of it to his friend in distress, has not the fear of G-d before his eyes. In this sense makes Job himself to be the friend in affliction, and Eliphaz, and those with him, the persons that are lacking in their mercy, pity, and compassion. The word for pity is so used in (Prov. 14:34); and the reproach on Job was, that he had cast off the fear of G-d, (4:6) (15:4). This grieved him most of all, and added to his affliction, and of which he complains as very cruel usage; and very cutting it was that he should be reckoned a man destitute of the fear of
G-d, and that because he was afflicted by him; though rather the following words, charity is the love which judges indulgently of our fellow men: it is put on a par with truth in Prov. 3:3, for they together form the essence of moral perfection. It is the spirit of a Believer (1 Pet. 4:8; 1 Co 13:7; Prov. 10:12; 17:17), if it ought to be used towards all men, much more towards friends, but he who does not use it forsaketh (renounces) the fear of the Almighty (Jas 2:13). To show mercy to an afflicted friend is a religious act, a part of pure and undefiled religion, a branch of the fear of G-d; and he that neglects it is so far wanting in it, and acts contrary to his profession of G-d, of fear of Him, and love to Him; see (James 1:26) (1 John 3:17).
Eliphaz had, in effect, despised Job; and on this ground had acted any thing but the part of a friend towards him; and he well deserved the severe stroke which he here receives. A FRIEND IN NEED is a FRIEND INDEED Job's friends, so called, supported each other in their attempts to blacken the character of this worthy man; and their hand became the heavier, because they supposed the hand of G-d was upon him. He who, malignant, tears an absent friend and friendship's secrets knows not to conceal.
1. Compassion is a debt owing to those that are in affliction. The least which those that are at ease can do for those that are pained and in anguish is to pity them,--to manifest the sincerity of a tender concern for them, and to sympathize with them,--to take cognizance of their case, enquire into their grievances, hear their complaints, and mingle their tears with theirs,--to comfort them, and to do all they can to help and relieve them. This well becomes the members of the same body, who should feel for the grievances of their fellow-members, not knowing how soon the same may be their own.
2. Inhumanity is impiety and irreligion. He that withholds compassion from his friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. How dwells the love of G-d in that man? 1 John 3:17. Surely those have no fear of the rod of G-d upon themselves who have no compassion for those that feel the smart of it. James 1:27.
3. Troubles are the trials of friendship. When a man is afflicted he will see who are his friends indeed and who are but pretenders; for a brother is born for adversity, Prov. 17:17, 18:24.]
What kind of friend do you want to be?
Do you show pity or compassion?
Do you stick with them through their bad times as well as the good times?

A Shepherd's Insights

Psalm 23: The endless effort put forth by our Savior for His sheep.
The L-rd is my Shepherd: if we are willing to allow Him to have authority or control – and outright ownership of our lives. The beautiful relationships given to us repeatedly in Scripture between G-d and man are those of a father to his children and a shepherd to his sheep. To think that G-d is deeply concerned about me as a particular person immediately gives great purpose and enormous meaning to me short sojourn upon this planet.
David, in this Psalm, is speaking not as the shepherd, but as a sheep; one of the flock. After all, he knew from firsthand experience that the lot in life of any particular sheep depended on the type of person who owned it. So one needs to know something about His character and understand something of His ability, to call Him, ‘my Shepherd.’ All this is a bit humbling. It drains the ego from one and puts things in proper perspective. We belong to Him simply because He deliberately chose to create us as the object of His own affection. He demonstrated at Calvary the deep desire of His heart to have mankind come under His benevolent care. He Himself absorbed the penalty for their perverseness, stating clearly that ‘all we like sheep have gone astray, …in Isa. 53:6. Therefore the characteristics of the L-rd is that He chooses us, buys us, calls us by name, makes us His own, and delights in caring for us.
Each shepherd has his own distinctive earmark which he cuts into one of the ears of his sheep. In this way, even at a distance, it is easy to determine to whom the sheep belongs. It is not the most pleasant procedure to catch an ewe in turn and lay her ear on a wooden block, then notch it deeply with the razor-sharp edge of the knife. There is pain for both of them. But from our mutual suffering an indelible lifelong mark of ownership was made that could never be erased. In the OT when a slave in any Hebrew household chose of his own free will, to become a lifetime member of that home, he was subjected to a certain ritual were his ear lobe was marked for life as belonging to that house.
I shall NOT want: which means not lacking – not deficient – in proper care, management, or husbandry. Many of G-d’s people may be called to experience lack of wealth or material benefits, yet amid such hardship one can still boast of not lacking the expert care and management of their Master, for they have learn to trust in Him, for it is the Master in people’s lives who make the difference in their destiny. People who have known hardship, disaster, and the struggle to stay afloat financially become permeated by a deep, quiet, settled peace and radiate a serene confidence and quiet joy that surmounts all the tragedies of their time. Contentment should be the hallmark of a person who has put their affairs in the hands of the Shepherd. Our Shepherd goes to no end of trouble and labor to supply us with the finest grazing, the richest pasturage, ample winter feed, and clean water. He will spare Himself no pains to provide shelter from storms, protection from ruthless enemies and the diseases and parasites to which sheep are so susceptible.
A diligent sheep-man rises early and goes out first thing every morning without fail to look over his flock. It is the initial, intimate contact of the day. With a practiced, searching, sympathetic eye he examines the sheep to see that they are fit and content and able to be on their feet. In an instant he can tell if they have been molested during the night – whether any are ill or if there are some which require special attention.
Repeatedly throughout the day he casts his eye over the flock to make sure that all is well. This is a sublime picture of the care given to the flock of the Good shepherd. For He neither slumber nor sleeps.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: The strange thing about sheep is that because of their very make-up it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met.
1. Owing to their timidity they refuse toile down unless they are free of all fear.
2. Because of the social behavior within a flock, sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind.
3. If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down.
4. They will not lie down if they have a need of finding food. They must be free of hunger.
Rest comes when there is a sense of freedom from fear, tension, aggravations, and hunger. It is the sheep-man who must provide release from these anxieties and disturbing influences. Nothing so quieted and reassured the sheep as to see the Shepherd in their mist that dispels the terror of the unknown. His presence in the picture throws a different light on the whole scene, suddenly things are not half so black or nearly so terrifying. The outlook changes and there is hope, rest returns and one can relax in His arms.
When our eyes are on our Master they are not on those disturbances around us.
In the case of freedom from fear of predators or friction within the flock, the freedom of fear from the torments of parasites and insects is essential to the contentment of sheep. Sheep, especially in the summer, can be driven to absolute distraction by nasal flies, bot flies, warble flies, and ticks. When tormented by these pests, they are up on their feet, stamping their legs, shaking their heads, ready to rush off into the bush for relief. The shepherd must apply various types of insect repellents to his sheep. He will see that they are dipped to clear their fleeces of ticks. And he will see that there are shelter belts of trees and bush available where they can find refuge and release from their tormentors.
In a Believers life there are bound to be many small irritations. There are the annoyances of petty frustrations and ever-recurring disagreeable experiences. We refer to these upsetting circumstances as ‘being bugged.’ We can say to our Shepherd “Master, this is beyond me I can’t cope with it – it’s bugging me – please take over and send relief!” He will applies the healing, soothing, effective antidote of His own Spirit and presence to our particular problems.
Freedom from hunger – green pastures do not happen by chance. They are the product of tremendous labor, time, and skill in land use. Green pastures were the result of clearing rough, rocky land; of tearing out brush and roots and stumps; of deep plowing and careful soil preparation; of seeding and planting special grains and legumes; of irrigating with water and husbanding with care the crops of forage that would feed the flocks. When lambs are maturing the ewes need green, succulent feed for a heavy milk flow, there is no substitute for good pasturage. This portrays how the Shepherd works to clear the life of rocks of stony unbelief. How He tries to tear out the roots of bitterness. He attempts to break up the hard, proud human heart and He then sows the seed of His own precious Word so that it will grow and produce rich crops of contentment and peace. He waters this with the dews and rain of His own presence by the Holy Spirit. He tends and cares and cultivates the life, longing to see it become rich and green and productive.
He leadeth me beside the still waters: there again the clue to where the water can be obtained lies with the shepherd. Just as the physical body has a capacity and need for water, so Scripture points out to us clearly that the human personality, the human soul has a capacity and need for the water of the Spirit. The Good Shepherd knows where to still, quiet, deep, clean, pure water is to be found that can satisfy His sheep and keep them fit.. Generally speaking, water for the sheep came from three main sources…dew on the grass…deep wells…or springs and streams. The diligent manager, makes sure that his sheep can be out and grazing on the dew-drenched vegetation. It means he himself has to rise early to be out with his flock. In a Believer’s life one copes with life’s complexities when they rise each day to feed on G-d’s Word to help them make it through the rest of the day. Now, strange as it may appear on the surface, the deep wells of G-d from which we may drink are not always necessarily the delightful experiences we may imagine them to be. Many of the places we may be led into will appear to us as dark, deep, dangerous, and somewhat disagreeable. But He is there with us in it, and is very much at work in the situation. It is His energy, effort, and strength expanded on our behalf that produces a benefit for us. He can make sense and purpose and meaning come out of situations which otherwise could be but a mockery to us. Over-coming life is imparted to us by His Spirit and we will be refreshed and satisfied.
He restoreth my soul: When cast down and dejected, tasting defeat in one’s life and feeling the frustration of having fallen under temptation, hopeless; one can reach out to be restored! A cast sheep is a very pathetic sight. Lying on its back, its feet in the air, it flays away frantically struggling to stand up, without success. Sometimes it will bleat a little for help, but generally it lies there lashing about in frightened frustration. If it does not get help in a short time it will die. It is not only the shepherd who keeps a sharp eye for cast sheep, but also the predators who find it as easy prey and vulnerable to attack.
Our Shepherd is keeping a count of His flock and repeatedly saving and restoring His cast sheep, this magnificent the story of the ninety and nine sheep with one astray.
In a Believer’s life there is great danger in always looking for the easy place, the cozy corner, the comfortable position where there is no hardship, no need for endurance, no demand upon self-discipline. Sometimes our Shepherd may move us to a pasture where things aren’t quite so comfortable – not only for our own good but also His benefit as well. Too much wool can cast down a sheep; wool in Scripture depicts the old self-life in the Believer. It is the outward expression of an inner attitude, the assertion of one’s own desire and hopes and aspirations. This can weigh, drag, and hold one down.
Remember no high priest was ever allowed to wear wool when he entered the Holy of Holies. This spoke of self, of pride, of personal preference – and G-d would not tolerate it. The Master must take us in hand and apply the keen cutting edge of His word to our lives. It may unpleasant business for a time, we struggle and kick about it and we get a few cuts and wounds, but great relief when it is all over.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake; Sheep are notorious creatures of habit, they follow the same patterns. If sheep was to flourish and the owner’s reputation was to be held in high esteem as a good manager, the sheep has to be constantly under his meticulous control and guidance. To save-guard against these adverse animal traits, many precautions are taken. In a word – there must be a predetermined plan of action, a deliberate, planned rotation from grazing ground to another in line with right and proper principles of sound management, keeping them moving onto wholesome, new, fresh forage.
A believer’s patterns and life habits are so much like that of sheep it is well nigh embarrassing. Scripture points out that most of us are stiff-neck and stubborn lot, inexorably interlocked with personal pride and self-assertion. We like to purse our old paths and graze on its old polluted grounds. One must go on either with G-d or at which point one chooses to go back to their old ways. Are you willing to pay the cost? Instead of being one of the crowd, are you willing to be singled out, set apart from the gang? Instead of your right, are you willing to forego them in favor of others? Instead of being boss, are you willing to be at the bottom of the heap? Instead of finding fault with life are you willing to accept circumstances in an attitude of gratitude?
Yea, though I walk through the valley: the personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘Thou’ enter the conversation, it becomes a intimate discourse of deep affection, sheep that have gone the long drives and stayed in solitary care of the shepherd.
In the Believer’s life we often speak of wanting ‘to move onto higher ground, mountaintop experiences and we envy those who have ascended the heights and entered into this more sublime sort of life. We often imagine we can be ‘air lifted’ onto higher ground, but on the rough trail of the Believer’s life this is not so, for one has to gain higher ground by climbing up through the valleys. And it is in the valleys were all lessons are taught. One has to notice that the verse states, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” it does not say I die there, or stop there – but walk through. But even here, for the Believer, death is not the end but merely the door into a higher and more exalted life of intimate contact with the Father. Not something to fear or dread, but an experience through which one passes on the path to a more perfect life. In the valleys of our lives we fine refreshment from G-d Himself. It is not until we have walked with Him through some very deep troubles that we discover He can lead us to find our refreshment in Him right there in the midst of our difficulties.
The person with a powerful confidence in Y’Shua; the one who has proved by past experience that G-d is with him in adversity; the one who walks through life’s dark valleys without fear, is the one who in turn is a tower of strength and a source of inspiration to his companions.
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me: this was common equipment of the primitive sheep-man as the main weapon of defense for both himself and his sheep. The rod was an extension of the owner’s right arm, a symbol of his strength, his power, his authority, and his discipline. Moses’ rod speaks of the spoken Word, the expressed intent, the extended activity of G-d’s mind and will in dealing with mankind. It implies the authority of divinity, and it carries the convicting power and irrefutable impact of Thus saith the L-rd. It is G-d’s Word that can meet and master the difficulties if we will rely on it.
The staff is essentially a symbol of the concern, the compassion that a shepherd has for his charges, it is of comfort also for himself, for he can lean on it for support and strength. It is also used to draw sheep together into an intimate relationship, or to catch a stray sheep, and used to guide sheep.
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter that draws folks together or draws us to Y’Shua. He is the one that says: “this is the way-walk in it.”
Thou preparest a table before me: sheep grazing is called ‘the table’. The sheep-man prepares the tableland before the sheep arrive. He takes along a supply of salt and minerals to be distributed over the land at strategic spots for the benefit of the sheep. He must find the best bed grounds, and determine how vigorous the grass and upland vegetation is. He will check to see if there are poisonous weeds and take drastic steps to eradicate them. Plus remove any predators, and cleans out the watering holes, or drinking places. Preparing the table was no easy task.
Believer’s like sheep, thing they need to try everything that comes their way. We have to taste this thing or that, sampling everything just to se what it’s like, whether it is good for us or not. Our Savior knows every wile, every trick, every treachery plan of satan and his companions, therefore our Shepherd wants to forestall such a calamity. He has already gone before us into every situation and every extremity that we might encounter.
Thou anointest my head with oil: Insects that torment the sheep and drive them almost to distraction. The shepherd must apply an antidote to their heads, a homemade remedy composed of linseed oil, sulfur, and tar, which is smeared over the sheep’s nose and head as a protection against nose flies. Just as with sheep, there are continuous and renewed application of oil to forestall the ‘flies’ in our lives with a continuous anointing from the Spirit.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me: The sheep with such a shepherd knows of a surety that his is a privileged position. Goodness and mercy will be the treatment he receives from his master’s expert, loving hands!
I will dwell in the house of the L-rd for ever!

Noah and sons

The descendants of Japheth, after the Tower of Babel, when God made man go out and populate the world migrated west and north. The sons of Japheth's sons are listed giving more detail than is found in the list of Ham's or Shem's sons. A study of names Japheth's sons and grandsons sheds some light on who are his descendants today.
Name of the Son
People Associated With the Name
Japheth
Greeks, Aryans of India
Gomer
People living in area of the Black Sea, Germany and Wales.
Magog
Reference to "Gog" referring to Georgia, a region near the Black Sea and Scythians.
Madai
Medes (Persia), Japheth through Madai father of peoples of India.
Javan
People of Greece and Cyprus.
Tubal
Russian, city of Tobolsk.
Meshech
Russian, (Name Muskovi) city of Moscow.
Tiras
Thracians, possibly the Etruscans of Italy.
Ashkenaz
Germany, Armenia, Scandinavia, Denmark, northern islands of Europe and European west coast.
Ripath
Generally Europe, Carpathians and Paphlagonians
Togarmah
Armenians, Germany and Turkey
Elishah
Greeks ("Hellas" is a form of word Elishah)
Tarshish
Spain, Carthage in North Africa
Kittim
Greeks, Cyprus, Macedonia
Dodanium
Greeks, Rhodes, Dardanelles
THE DESCENDANTS OF HAMGenesis 10:6-20
Ham's descendants settled towards the south west along the Mediterranean into North Africa and southward into the rest of the continent. Ham had four sons, but grandsons are listed for only three.
THE CUSHITES The Cushites settled in south Arabia, southern Egypt, the Sudan and northern Ethiopia. Seba is associated with Upper Egypt. Havilah, meaning "sea land" could refer to northern Arabia on the Persian Gulf or Ethiopia. Raamah and Sabtechah were in southern Arabia. Sheba, home of the Queen of Sheba, of I Kings 10, was in southwest Arabia and Dedan in the north. Various tribes in these areas trace their heritage back to Shem, which would indicate some mixing of the tribes.
NIMROD Verse 9:8-10, refer to Cush's son Nimrod. Nimrod's name means "to rebel" or "let us rebel". Nimrod, is called a "mighty hunter". This is in sharp contrast to the prophecy of Noah, that Ham's descendants would be servants to Shem and Japheth. Nimrod built and apparently ruled the first great city after the Floor, Babylon. Afterward he extended his rule into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth and Calah. Nimrod was the first world ruler. The Bible does not say that Nimrod was responsible for the Tower of Babel, but it seems logical that he was being the founder and ruler of the city. The Babylonians invented the first false religion which was a worship of the stars, astrology. Babylon is infamous in Scripture as being a wicked city openly rebelling and fighting against God. The people of these great cities were major enemies of Israel throughout history. Nimrod was not a servant as Noah had prophesied, but the opposite a "mighty hunter".It seems Nimrod's goal in life was to disprove the prophecy of his grandfather and it is possible Ham's resentment of his father Noah was kindled in his grandson.
MIZRAIM Ham's son Mizraim's descendants are associated with North Africa to the island of Crete. The note in verse 14, states that from Casluhium came the Philistim or Philistines.
THE CANAANITES The origin of the hated and sinful Canaanite who lived in Palestine came for the lineage of Ham. The Canaanites practiced probably the most sordid and evil religions based on murder and sexual perversion. The idol Baal, was the son of El, the head of a pantheon of decadent deities. Their civilizations was so corrupted that God commanded the Children of Israel to completely destroy them including their animals. Other descendants of the Canaanites were the Chinese, from the Sinites, verse 10:17. Further, the Sinites were probably the ancestors of all the Mongoloid peoples including the people of the South Sea Islands and the Americas.
THE DESCENDANTS OF SHEMGenesis 10:21-31 The descendants of Shem settled the northern area of Persian Gulf and westward into toward the Indian Ocean. Included in this area are the lands of Syria, Chaldea and parts of Assyria, Persia and the Arabian peninsula. The spiritual blessing promised by Noah, came to all people on Earth through the lineage of Shem to the Messiah, the L-rd Jesus Christ.
All of these evidences lead to the conclusion that if the continents did divide this dividing could have occurred in relation to the division of the languages after the Tower of Babel. Possibly, some time after the migrations caused by the confusion of languages, when the people when sufficiently dispersed, G-d caused the continents of move apart. This would account for man, and animals being on the isolated continents of North and South America and Australia. There were people on the continents when they moved. It appears that G-d not only divided the people by confusing their languages, He also divided in the land so the dispersion would continue. The division of the land precluded that the people on earth could have physically come back together had they been able to overcome the language barriers. The concluding statement of Chapter Ten makes it clear that everyone on earth today is a descendent of one of Noah's sons. When we look at all the different types of people on earth today it is at first difficult to understand. People are so different all over the world. How can it be explained?
The answer is simple. From each of Noah's sons came the three divisions of called the "races". Anthropologists divide all the world's peoples into three races, Caucasian (white), Mongoloid (yellow) and Negroid (black). Further within each of the sons was the potential to produce all the variations that is evident within the three races.

Prayer Shawl

(Tallit)
There are several times during the service when it is customary to kiss the corner threads symbolically:Prior to the reciting of “Hear Israel” the corners of the prayer shawl are gathered together in one hand. At this time the corner threads should be checked to see that they haven’t become unraveled or untied. If you have checked that the four sets of corner threads have five knots on each corner, you have done what is necessary.Usually if there is a problem, it is that the last knot and some twists have come undone. The fourth and last section of the corner threads of each corner has thirteen twists and then a double knot. Correct what has come unraveled.
During the recitation of the third paragraph of “Hear Israel” (Numbers 15:37-41) which mentions the threads three times, each time the word “threads” is read, it is customary to kiss the corner threads.When the Torah is removed from the Ark and carried around the synagogue in procession, those within reach may touch the Torah mantle with the corner threads of their prayer shawl or with a closed prayer book, if they are not wearing a prayer shawl. It is then customary to kiss the corner threads or prayer book binding which touched the Torah scroll as an expression of love for the gift of Torah.
A prayer shawl is not worn in the rest room.
The prayer shawl holds the threads that are there to remind the wearer of the 613 commandments. The blue treads on the corners resembles sapphire, and the Tablets were of sapphire, so to gaze upon the blue threads would be a reminder of that which is inscribed on the Tablets and a reminder to fulfill what is written there. The Phoenicians were the ancient sea merchants of the Middle East and the traders of blue dye, which was centered on the Mediterranean coast and famous throughout the ancient world. This blue dye was derived from snails and was so rare and sought after that it was worth its weight in gold. It colored the robes of the kings and princes of Media, Babylon, Egypt, Greece and Rome. To wear it was to be identified with royalty. Thus the blue thread was also a constant and conspicuous reminder of the stature of Jews as noble sons of the King of the Universe. Blue dye production slowly came under imperial control. The Romans issued edicts that only royalty could wear garments colored with these dyes, and only imperial dye houses were permitted to manufacture it.Because the blue dye became problematic, the commandment to have a thread of blue in each corner of the prayer shawl was waived in the second century of the Common Era. With time the secret of producing the dye was also lost. Recently there has been a revival of interest in the blue dye in Israel. A member of the Israel Fiber Institute has published a number of articles on the subject, and a professor of the Shenkar College of Fibers has carried out chemical analysis of the dye from present day snails as compared with samples from archeological artifacts dating back 3,200 years.As a result of these and other efforts the threads are now again being produced in Israel. The blue stripes in the Israeli flag was put there as a reminder of the blue stripe that was traditionally put in the prayer shawl.
The Tying of the Threads of a Prayer Shawl
The white threads come in sets of 12 strings about 2 feet long, and 4 strings about 3 feet long. These will suffice for the four corners of one prayer shawl. They must be divided into four sets, one for each corner, each with three shorter strings and one longer string.The longer string is the one you wrap around the others.Even up the strings at one end and put them through the buttonhole in the center of the corner of the prayer shawl.Double the four strands in half. You should be left with seven even strings and one long one.
1. Tie a double knot using all the strings.2. Wrap the long strand around the other seven strands seven times.3. Tie a double knot using all the strings.4. Wrap the long strand around the other seven strands eight times.5. Tie another double knot using all the strings.6. Wrap the long strand around the other seven strands eleven times.7. Tie another double knot using all the strings.8. Wrap the long strand around the other seven strands thirteen times.9. Make another double knot using all the strings.
There are Rabbinic reasons for every knot and twist.The first two sets of windings (seven plus eight) equal fifteen. The third set of windings is eleven. Together they come to twenty-six.
Every Hebrew letter has a numerical value (aleph is one, bet is two, etc.). The number twenty-six is equal to the Hebrew letters YOD HAY VAV HAY. These letters form the Name of God.
Now the final thirteen wrappings (the last set) equals the Hebrew letters Alef Chet Dalet.These make the Hebrew word “Echad,” “One”. So, whenever you look at the threads, you are reminded of “Hear of Israel, the Lord is one”.
Also, the number value for the Hebrew letters of the word for fringes is: 400 10 90 10 90. Together, 600. In each fringe, there are eight threads plus five double knots. Thus, whenever you look at the corner threads, you see 600 plus eight, plus five, which equals 613, which is the number of commandments. So every time you look at the corner threads, you see a reminder of all of the commandments.
The mantle was a material channel for demonstrating the power of G-d’s Word that he had breathed into your life. The tallit as a mantle of anointing and authority had passed from the mentor to the student. One may leave his mantle as a legacy though in itself it was of small value, yet as it is a token of the descent of the anointing upon you. It is to be received not as a sacred relic to be worshipped; but used for comfort, and the strengthening of one’s faith, as a pledge, that together with your mantle, G-d’s Spirit should rest upon you as your carry the anointing. Or one may wish to be buried, wrap in the prayer shawl.
I as a believer in Y’Shua wear my prayer shawl as a reminder that He is my head and covering, He has set His Laws or instructions down for me to follow. It is my prayer closet and I feel His presents with His arms wrapped around me. I carry His anointing and authority.

Praying hands

"The History Of The Praying Hands"
Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.
Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.
They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works. When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you." All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no."
Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ... for me it is too late."
More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office. One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."
No one - - ever makes it alone!

Travial

The Prayer that Brings Birth”
Travail occurs 31 times in 30 verses
1. Eight Barren Desperate Women
In scripture eight barren women were specifically named who were healed from barrenness! They had several things in common. They were desperate. They cried out to the Lord. And each brought forth either a prophet or a deliverer of the nation. Let me list these eight women for you:
1. Sarah, who brought forth Isaac (Genesis 11:30; 16:1; 18:1–15; 21:1–8)
2. Rebekah, who brought forth Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25:21–26)
3. Rachel, who brought forth Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 29:31; 30:1, 22–24; 35:16–18)
4. Manoah’s wife, who brought forth Samson (Judges 13:2–24)
5. Ruth, who brought forth Obed (Ruth 4:13)
6. Hannah, who brought forth Samuel (1 Samuel 1:2–20)
7. Elizabeth, who brought forth John the Baptist (Luke 1:7–13, 57)
I have listed only seven barren women thus far, while I told you I found eight examples. Who is the eighth?
Isaiah 66:8 portrays her vividly: “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.”
Zion is the eighth barren woman. She will bring forth her precious fruit in the earth as soon as—when? As soon as Zion travails, she will bring forth sons.
What Is Travail? Defining Our Terms 3205: 1) to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail
1) to bear, bring forth, of child birth, of distress (simile). of wicked(behaviour)
2) to beget b) (Niphal) to be born
3) (Piel) to cause or help to bring forth, to assist or tend as a midwife, midwife (participle)
4) (Pual) to be born
5) (Hiphil) to beget (a child), to bear (fig. - of wicked bringing forth iniquity)
6) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive)
7) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)
“What is travail?” As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. Travail is a form of intense intercession given by the Holy Spirit whereby an individual or group is gripped by something that grips G-d’s heart. The individual or group labors with Him for an opening to be created so that the new life can come forth.The definition of travail from Webster’s New World Dictionary is simple: 1. Very hard work. 2. The pains of childbirth. 3. Intense pain; agony. v. 1. To toil. 2. To suffer the pains of childbirth.” I have found this definition describing physical travail to be correct in the spiritual realm as well.
Travail takes place after you have carried something in your heart for a period of time. But it comes on you suddenly. Travail can be associated with the prayer of tears but does not require it. It is preceded by nurturing the promise; later the strategic time comes to push that promise forth through the prayer canal. Finally you realize that the promise has been born, and you are greatly relieved when the delivery is over!The prayer of travail is G-d desiring to create an “opening” to bring forth a measure of life or growth. If the “opening” was already in place, there would not be the need for travail. Just as the “opening” of the natural womb is enlarged to bring forth the baby, so, travail creates an “opening or way,” whereas before the opening or way was closed. With travail, there is always a way opened for life, newness, change or growth.
3. Accounts of Agonizing and Wrestling in Prayer:
Different portions of the Body of Messiah use different terminology to describe similar or overlapping experiences. Associated with the prayer of travail throughout church history have often been accounts of “agonizing and wrestling” in prayer. Where are these holy wrestlers for our generation? Perhaps one reason that few wrestle in prayer today is that few have the understanding needed and the perseverance required for its strenuous demands. By revelation, you recognize what is at stake: the eternal destiny of an unsaved loved one; the success of an urgent endeavor; the life of a sick one; the honor of the name of G-d; the welfare of the Kingdom of G-d.Wrestling in prayer enlists all the capacities of your soul, marshals your deepest holy desire, and by the grace of G-d uses all the perseverance of your holy determination. You push through a host of difficulties. You push back the heavy, threatening clouds of darkness. You reach beyond the visible and natural to the very throne of G-d. With all your strength and stubbornness, you lay hold of G-d’s grace and power as it becomes a passion of your soul.Remember Jacob wrestling with the angel until he received the blessing? Let’s look at that passage again: “Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.’ But he said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’
Genesis 32:24–26As Jacob found out, stubborn, persevering prayer eventually pays off.
Additional Scriptural Accounts of Wrestling
We do not know for certain what Paul meant, but ponder the following passage from Colossians:
“Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Y’Shua Messiah, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of G-d. For I bear him witness that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.”Colossians 4:12–13, The NIV says Epaphras was “always wrestling in prayer.” Wow! I wonder what his “deep concern,” which was expressed through laboring prayer, looked like. One thing we are assured of: It was intense!When Paul wrote that our struggle, or wrestling match, is against the forces of darkness, he had in mind the backdrop of the Olympic-style games in ancient Greece. Each wrestler sought to throw his opponent onto the ground and put his own foot on his opponent’s neck.
The Amplified Version renders the passage like this: “Put on G-d’s whole armor—the armor of a heavy-armed soldier, which G-d supplies—that you may be able successfully to stand up against all the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood—contending only with physical opponents—but against the despotisms, against the master spirits who are the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.”
Ephesians 6:11–12 Clearly we are given pictures here of pinning or wrestling with the enemy, as well as with our heavenly Father in the divine interplay of prayer. One common thread is for certain in both accounts: Don’t give up! Continue in your wrestling match. It’s not over till it’s over! Continue in persevering, prevailing intercession.
The Epitome of Travail: The G-d of the universe is speaking; declaring that rain is coming to end the drought. Is anyone listening?Before a development ever appears in the natural, it must exist first in the heart of G-d. As recorded from the life of Elijah in I Kings 18, before the rain came to end the drought, Elijah heard the rain with his spiritual ears. Even today G-d speaks first. This creates a spark of faith within a man or woman. Remember, faith comes by “hearing . . . the word of Messiah” (Romans 10:17). But Elijah did not just go out and declare all he had heard. He prayed the promise into being. He literally knelt on the promise. He crouched on Mount Carmel as he put his face between his knees. He birthed end of one season and the beginning of another! The drought ended and the rain poured down!There are many lessons to grasp here—but let’s keep it simple. G-d speaks. Man hears. Faith is created. Man responds to the spark of faith and prays the promise into being. Stubbornness and endurance are required when the desired result seems to be delayed. Even when breakthrough starts to come, it takes eyes of discernment to recognize the day of visitation. We are not to “despise the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10), as a cloud the size of a man’s hand grows and consumes the sky in a downpour of mercy, and the drought comes to an end.Yes, as we see in the encounter with Elijah, travail brings birth.
Travail is the posture of desperation. It expresses the urgent prayer of the heart. Could this be one of the missing keys to an authentic apostolic worldwide awakening?Join many other tenacious intercessors.
May we truly go forth kneeling on the promises—birthing G-d’s purposes through the power of prophetic intercession.

Star of David

( Shield of David )
Moses Gaster claimed that the symbol was introduced into Judaism by Rabbi Akiba during the second century. Akiba allegedly used it as a Messianic symbol in the war of liberation conducted by Bar Kokhba, the Son of a Star, against the Emperor Hadrian.
This international sign was not accepted as a specifically Jewish symbol until Isaac Luria. He sees in it the image of the Adam Kadmon ( The primeval man in the world of the divine ten spheres or sefirot). The six triangles plus the hexagon in the center represents the seven lower spheres while the upper three are to be conceived as lying above it.
For the official use of the hexagram as the insignia of a Jewish community had its origin in Prague. Not knowing whether the Jews themselves chose the sign for their flag and seal or whether it was imposed on them by the Christian authorities.
The symbol has been preserved in a number of Hebrew manuscripts with letters similar to a Latin V which has three small circles at its three corners. It is said to have been constructed in the manner of a shield , for King David had a shield on which the Great Name of G-d containing seventy-two letters (a combination of holy names which according to an ancient Jewish legend made it possible for Israel's redemption) was engraved and which helped him to win all of his wars.
Not really knowing the real meaning of the symbol, one may say that, just at the time of its greatest dissemination, in the nineteenth century, the shield of David served as the empty symbol of a Judaism which itself was more and more falling into meaninglessness.
With the sanctity of a genuine symbol has been done by those who made it for million into a make of shame and degradation. Under this sign they were murdered; under this sign they came to Israel.
The sign which in our own days has been sanctified by suffering and dread has become worthy of illuminating the path into the abyss; there the symbol received its ultimate humiliation and there it won it's greatness.

Restoration

Restoration of Friends
In the tunnel of conflict is the passageway to intimacy in any relationship, we grow closer to each other by facing and resolving our differences. Frankness is not a license to say anything you want, wherever and whenever you want. Thoughtless words leave lasting wounds.
Humility is the oil that smoothes and soothes relationships. Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
Some people are EGR people - “Extra Grace Required.” One key to courtesy is to understand where people are coming from. Discover their history. When you know what they’ve been through, you will be more understanding, and will think about how far they have come in spite of their hurts. You make it safe enough to share their doubts and fears without being judged.
We will share our true feelings (genuineness), encourage each other (support), forgive each other (mercy), speak to truth in love (honesty), admit our weaknesses (humility), respect our differences, (courtesy), not gossip (confidentiality), and make group a priority (frequency).
Genuine fellowship is rare, it means giving up our self-centeredness and independency in order to become interdependent.
Peacemaking is not avoiding conflict. Running from a problem, pretending it doesn't exist, or being afraid to talk about it is actually cowardice. Y’Shua, the Prince of Peace, was never afraid of conflict. On occasion He provoked it for the good of everyone. Sometimes we need to avoid conflict, sometimes we need to create it, and sometimes we need to resolve it. That’s why we must pray for the Holy Spirit’s continual guidance.
Peacemaking is also not appeasement. Always giving in, acting like a doormat, and allowing others to always run over you is not what Y’Shua had in mind.
Here are seven biblical steps to restoring fellowship:
1. Talk to the Father before talking to the person.
You will often discover that either G-d changes your heart or He changes the other person without your help.
Tell Him exactly how you feel for most conflicts are rooted in unmet needs.
No one can meet all of your needs except the Father.
2. Always take the initiative.
It doesn’t matter whether you are the offender or the offended: G-d expects you to make the first move.
When fellowship is strained or broken, plan a peace conference immediately. Don’s procrastinate, make excuses, schedule a face-to-face meeting as soon as possible. Delay only deepens resentment and makes matters worse. In conflict, time heals nothing; it causes hurts to fester.
Unresolved conflict, blocks our fellowship with G-d and keeps our prayers from being answered, besides making us miserable.
3. Sympathize with their feelings.
Use your ears more than your mouth.
Pay close attention! Focus on their feelings, not the facts. Begin with sympathy, not solutions.
Feelings are not always true or logical.
Patience comes from wisdom, and wisdom comes from hearing the perspective of others. Listening says, “I value your opinion, I care about our relationship, and you matter to me.” The cliché is true: People don’t care what we know until they know we care.
4. Confess your part of the conflict.
Since we all have blind spots, you may need to ask a third party to help you evaluate your own actions before meeting with the person with whom you have a conflict. Ask
G-d to show you how much of the problem is your fault.
Don’t make excuses or shift the blame; just honestly own up to any part you have played in the conflict. Accept responsibility for your mistakes and ask for forgiveness.
5. Attack the problem, not the person.
Choose your words wisely for how you say it is as important as what you say.
6. Cooperate as much as possible.
Peace always has a price tag. It cost our pride; it often cost our self-centeredness.
7. Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.
Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem.
Believers often have legitimate, honest disagreements and differing opinions, but we can disagree without being disagreeable.
We can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue.
You may need to continue discussing and even debating - but you do it in a spirit of harmony. Reconciliation means you bury the hatchet, not necessarily the issue.
These seven steps are simple, but they are not easy.

Politically in Jerusalem

1- Within two years of the crucifixion Pilate was recalled to Rome after spending ten years as Governor of the Eastern Province to account for his participation in the crucifixion. One of the records suggests that Tiberius beheaded him and the other said that he committed suicide. There was a shocking event recorded in the Pretoria of Tiberius Caesar when Pilate was taken before Tiberius Caesar. It is reported that their was an earthquake-like event which destroyed statues in the hall. Tiberius obviously wasn't in favor of what happened.
2- Claudia Procula, the wife of Pilate, was a fledgling follower of Y’Shua and kept her grandfather, Tiberius Caesar, informed of these events. Tiberius knew Joseph of Arimathea personally. (Great Uncle of Y’Shua) He had appointed him to the Roman post of Noblis Decurio, or noble provider of metal. Some suggest that Joseph was also a provincial Roman Senator, which made Y’Shua a Roman Citizen too.
3- Annas's dead body was dragged through the streets by dogs. Certainly Annas was not attacked by some wild band of dogs. Rome had either killed him or allowed him to be killed. Annas had been a civil servant of Rome through Herod and owned the concessions at the Temple of Herod, sharing revenue with Herod and Rome. The donations to the temple were huge at this moment in history. He was also in charge of the civil police and other civic functions. For him to have been allowed to be dragged through the streets is strange.
4- Caiaphas has been found in recent years buried outside the walls of Jerusalem, an insult to Jews, especially ones who worked for Rome.
5- Joseph of Arimathea was expelled with a long list of famous personalities in 36 AD into the Mediterranean on a boat with no oars of sails. Certainly the remaining Sadducees who were bitter opponents of Y’Shua accomplished this. Joseph rigs a sail and passes first through Egypt, where he was born and eventually takes the Virgin Miriam back to the homeland of her mother, St Anna, for protection in Brittany. He is compelled by Phillip to move on to Glastonbury where he is received as a hero and given almost two thousand acres of ground on the island by the rich king Arviragus who becomes Christian along with his whole family.
6- Within thirty years Rome finished routing out all the remaining Jews from Jerusalem. Some have suggested that the Jewish wars were a rebellion against Rome. That is silly when we know that the Jews didn't have a standing army and knew that they couldn't possibly win such an uprising. Rome had some other reason for picking a fight with the very people who were making Caesar a fortune through his spectacular new seaport at Caesarea very near Jerusalem and next to Nazareth (a new bedroom community for Caesarea. The traffic to the East was the goose that laid the golden egg. To kill these people was strange indeed.
7- By 70 AD Rome dismantled the temple of Herod entirely and deposed the Dynasty of Herod. Rome send the enormous treasure from that temple to the Pyrenees in Western Europe following the trail of Joseph of Arimathea, rather than taking the treasure back to Rome. Why would any Caesar send such a treasure to the so called barbarian tribes?
8- In 60 AD Bodicea, the queen of the Iceni Tribe in London and relative of Arviragus, Caractacus (Cardoc) and Claudia, burns London to the ground and kills 40,000 Roman Soldiers holding the Spear of Destiny in her hands. That is the same year Nero burnt Rome to the ground and blamed it on Christians. Few historians have understood that Nero was seeking revenge for the loss of his garrisons in the West rather than blaming some obscure sect in Jerusalem.
9- Bodicea dies in battle in 62 AD holding the spear and in that battle Caesar sues for peace immediately, restoring the treaties of Julius Caesar with Britain in 52 BC. Seneca is reprimanded and forced to restore his ill-gotten loot that he plundered from the tribes in Britain.
10- By this time Bibles were going in all four directions. The Bee Bible went to the Far East into China and emerges in our day in the Eastern Church. The Kebra Nagast appears in Africa. The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles, used by the earliest Christians appears in Persia and India and later is protected today by the Dahlia Lama. The Kolbrin is begun in Britain and later appears with the exiles in New Zealand. The Nag Hammadi is buried for safe keeping in Egypt. The Dead Sea Scrolls is buried in Qumran.
11- By 100 AD Titus requires all Christians being sent to the Lions to confess three times before they were candidates for execution. That is one of the strangest of all genocide events in history.
12- Rome completely dismantled the temple including those caves beneath the temple mound. There is no possibility that the Templars were looking for the Arc of the Covenant in Jerusalem by the twelfth century. All of the artifacts were gone. The Templars were looking for something very different. The Templars were responsible as well for connecting the churches in the East with those from the West. The riches of the Templars aren’t a mystery once we acknowledge what really happened.
13- By 280 AD St Morris, a black African Roman General, is sent to the west to control the "barbarians" once again and returns to Rome refusing to kill fellow Christians. His name appears on the Silver covering beneath the Golden sheath on the Spear of Destiny currently in the Hapsburg Museum. However, Robert Feather proves in his recent documentary on the discovery channel that the Spear of Destiny in Austria that had once been confiscated by Hitler is a forgery from the 7th century. Charlemagne was responsible for this replica and the real Spear is somewhere else. St. Morris writes the first codes of Chivalry used by the first nights (King Arthur) in the sixth century.
14- Rumors of the Arc in Britain are firmly established by the time of the death of Y’Shua. Again the Templars could not possibly have been looking for the Arc in the twelfth century in Jerusalem. The rumors of the real location of the Arc surface by the time of King Arthur and his Avalon to the West.
15- The most important building in the Christian world is the Palace of the Britains which stands today across the street from the Vatican. It was the palatial home of Rufus Pudens the brother of Paul the apostle and the head Roman General under Claudius Caesar. It becomes the home of Peter, Paul, and a milieu of famous names.

Melchizedek

I. Melchizedek
A. Means "King of Righteousness"
B. Lived in the time of Abraham about 2085 BC
1. Worshiped and was a priest of the most high G-d
2. Elder of the city of Salem
3. Met Abraham in the "valley of Shaveh"-king's dale
4. Gave Abraham a blessing and fed his troops with bread and wine.
5. Received a tenth of all treasures taken
a. tithe was a practical acknowledgement of the his divine priesthood
b. tenth was the offering presented to deity, according to custom
C. Thought that...
1. Bread and wine were sacrificial
2. He was type of Messiah
3. He was appearance of Messiah Himself
D. He was...
1. Both priest and king
2. Typical of Yeshua the Messiah,
a. Spiritual priest and king
E. Order of Melchizedek
1. Means "likeness in official dignity"
2. Object of the Hebrew
a. To show that Messiah was the king and priest of the new dispensation
3. Objections to Yeshua being priest
a. Not of the tribe of Levi and father not a high priest
1, Ex. 29:29-30
b. Mother fell short of the requirements of the Law
1, Lev. 21:13-14
c. His descent must have been preserved in the records and have been pure from stains on both parents’ sides
d. Was to become a priest by education and high priest by consecration with holy oil
1, Ex. 29:9
e. Must hand over his office to a successor before his death.
f. Didn't carry out these Levitical ideas, therefore not priest after the order
F. Psalms predicted that David's greater son will be ordained by G-d to an eternal priesthood"after the order of Melchizedek",
1. Psalms 110:4
G. Heb. demonstrates that Melchizedek's priesthood is superior to Aaronic priesthood
1. A timeless priestly authority
a. "without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life"
b. Heb. 7:3
2. Priestly line of Aaron, then present in the loins of Abraham, acknowledged Melchizedek's superiority in Abraham's act of paying a tithe
a. Heb. 7:4-10
3. God's oath ordains an eternal priesthood for the one who takes up Melchizedek's role, while the Aaronic priesthood is destined to be set aside.
a. Heb. 7:11-28
4. He prefigures Christ's priesthood
H. Tradition identifies Melchizedek as;
1. Shem,the son of Noah (Gen. 11:11)
2. Philitis, the builder of the great Pyramid of Egypt
3. A Canaanite, like Job, an example godly non- Israelite
I. He comes to us in Scriptures
1. In history - Gen. 14:18-20
2. Heb. 5:6-10
3. In doctrine - Heb. 6:20 - 7:28
4. In prophesy - Psalm 110:4
5. Isaiah 11:4-9
II. Salem
A. Shalem means "peace".
B. Means Jerusalem
1. Psalm 76:2
2. Called "Uru-salim" (city of peace) in the Amarna Letters
C. Eight Roman miles from Scythopolis (Bethshean)
D. Contained ruins of the palace of Melchizedek
E. Some identified it with Jerusalem
F. Plain of Salem
1. Mountains of Ebal, Gertzim and Shechem on west end
2. Hills on which Salem stands on its east end.
III. Resources
A. Smith's Bible Dictionary
1. "Melchizedek", page 197.
2. "Salem", page 265.
B. The Revell Concise Bible Dictionary
1. "Melchizedek", page 377-378
C. Herbert Lockyer, All the Men of the Bible
1. "Melchizedek", page 234-235
D. The Full Life Study Bible
1. Page 28, (Expositional study notes)
E. Unger's Bible Dictionary
1. "Melchizedek", page 710-711
2. "Salem", page 955

Communion

Love Feast (Communion)
A pattern was set for us though out the Old Covenant and revealed in the New covenant on the breaking of the bread, which is our soul food. Starting at the court of the Tabernacle where sacrifices were brought to the Brazing Alter. The court yard was full of priest doing their duty. We are all called priest, enlisted in the service of G-d, and liken on to the Outer Court, we all have different functions to complete, united, woven together as the tapestry of the Holy Place.
Passing through the 5 Pillars, (the number of grace, and it also represents the so called five high callings mentioned in the New Covenant). Coming into the Holy Place we find three pieces of furniture:
1. The Golden Lamp stand known as the Menorah which has many symbolic meanings. Basically it foreshadowed the Messiah as our Light in a dark world. The New Covenant states “I have come as a light to a dark world, - Thy Word is a lamp onto my feet.”
2. The table of shewbread, represented prayer praise and worship. The table of presence (Lev. 24:5-8), consisted of 12 loaves or unleavened bread, in two rows, staked six high. Frankincense was placed on top of it to be taken to the Golden Alter to be burn. You could not eat the frankincense for it would make you regurgitate. There was also a cup and a bottle of wine on the table. The priest ate the bread here once a week with partaking of the wine. Not all the priest, just Aaron and his sons eat here. Aaron is a type of the Messiah and his sons as a type of the believers.
3. The Golden Alter which the priest prayed daily for the people, and burnt sweet incense on. In the New Covenant it says “your prays are like sweet incense in My nostrils.” It was also the last thing the High Priest would pass before going into the presents of G-d. Thus the three pieces of furniture represented the church.
During the Shabbat the women are given the honor of kindling the light, passing over the flame three times, (three being the number of the G-d head.) On the table she places two candles; one represents the nation of Israel and the other the Gentiles. For G-d said “I have other sheep you know not of”. A cup and a bottle of wine with two one pound loafs of bread, or one two pound loaf of bread to complete the covenant. Two representing the double portion, two witnesses always needed the Jew and the Gentile. The bread was usually woven together from five strands remembering the five pillars in the Tabernacle with its tapestry woven together symbolizing unity. Poppy seed covered the top of the bread remembering the Manna eaten in the desert, made it crunchy like the sand. Saying a prayer (the modern version) is:
Baruch ata Adonai, Elohainu Melech Ha-olam Asher Kidshanu B’mitzvotav, V’tzevanu L’hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat translated Blessed art thou, L-rd our G-d, king of the universe, who has sanctified us by His word, given us Y’Shua our Messiah and commanded us to be a light to the world.
In partaking together of the love feast, in Luke 22:15 the Messiah said: “With an earnestly desire”, He had great excitement for He was setting a pattern for us until He could partake the feast together in the Heavenlies. This was a Passover Feast which the church turn it into calling it the Last Supper, or communion.
Now let us compare the L-rd’s Temple with a pagan one: Let us learn from the church of Ephesus in Rev. 2 where Paul was writing to the angel of the church, (the leader). Ephesus was a declining church in 30-100 A.D. that was started by Paul. Verses 1-3 states their good points: Works, labor, patience, they were against evil Hippocrates that were made up of Bishops, Cardinals and Popes.
Background on the beautiful city of Ephesus was it was the chief city of the region of Asia. It was first formed around the temple of Diana. The first temple was wooden, built in a low place very near the ocean. The waters lapped at the base and the river itself is as thick as soup because it is carrying so much soil deposit. At the site of the old temple, a foundation of Alexander the Great led in the construction of a new temple for Diana. It was the largest Greek temple ever constructed. It was over 100 external columns about 56 feet in height of wood: columns and walls were of marble, the staircase was carved out of one vine from Cyprus.
The temple served as the bank of Asia and was the depository of vast sums of money. It was an art gallery displaying the masterpieces. Behind a purple curtain was the lewd and crude image of Dianna, the idol of fertility. She had many-breast, and carried a club in one hand and a trident in the other. Diana was the most sacred idol of heathenism. Her temple was four times larger than one at Athens, and it was finally destroyed by the Goths in 256 A.D. Around the temple of Diana was performed the grossest forms of immorality. She was worshipped more than any other idol and the wildest orgies that were excessive and cruel.
Now one of the condemnations in Rev. 2:4-5 was the believers had not quite departed from their past. The first love was the Love Feast, partaking of the bread and wine. The first works, (the Hebrew translation was the First Act), which was at the Passover that had established the L-rd’s table. When G-d said He would remove their light stand, He was saying He was going to remove His light and anointing from them. The lamp stand used oil and oil represented the Holy Spirit or the anointing.
The church of Ephesus represents the church at its best at that time, the Apostolic church but with all its good they did not partake of the Love Feast, (communion) so it would lose all.
The first time a bread and wine covenant was taken was in Gen. 14:18 where Melchisedek took bread and wine to partake with Abram. 1 Cor. 5:7 says to purge out therefore the old leaven that the Messiah was sacrificed for us and became our Passover that we may partake in Him.
The priest took communion once a week and Israel partook of the bread and wine once a year at Passover time. In Acts 2:46 and 20:7 it tells us the believers did it daily. Meat is another word for bread, or meal. They came together to discuss the Apostles Doctrine, which was the Word of G-d since the word had not been written down yet. In another words they came to study, pray, and partake in the love feast.
Look at Joel 1: 9, 13-16 were the priests were given a warning: Remove the meat (bread) and the drink (wine) offerings is removing the presents of G-d and being cut off! 69 times Scripture mentions bread and wine with offerings.
Exodus 29:39-40 states 2 sacrifices were made a day, one at 9 am and the other at 6 pm with bread and wine taken along with the lamb. At Passover time a third sacrifice was made and that was at 3 pm. In 25:30 the shewbread was also called the bread of presents, were the priest face the presents of G-d 2 to 3 times a day.
1 Cor. 1:9 says G-d is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son Y'Shua the Messiah our L-rd. In Greek the words called into fellowship is “Corniness” meaning social intercourse, (having great intimacy with the Father. In a marriage are not the vows where the intimacy is built, the promises made to one another than being consummated. Matt. 7:23 uses the word ‘knew’ which is the same word as Adam knew Eve or Joseph knew Mary. He is talking about an intimate relationship.
Hosea 4:6 states a ‘lack of knowledge has made the L-rd’s table a snare. And 8:11 tells us that there will be a famine in the land, and the famine is the lack of hearing the Words of the L-rd. The advisory has taken the soul food from us and twisted around its meaning.
Let me ask you - Who than is the bread of life? If we do not eat do we have life? John 6:66 says many had fallen away. This could be called the anti-christ verse for the devil has blinded us from the truth.
In Exodus 112:43-45 gives us the requirements to come to the Passover Table:
1. No stranger (a non-believer).
2. None that were not circumcised (in the New Covenant it means the circumcision of the heart.
How do we enter into the presents of G-d? (Hebrews 10:19-21)
1. With boldness.
2. By the blood (which will remove sin).
3. Through the veil (which is His flesh).
4. Having a High Priest (which is the Messiah).
5. A new and living way. (new way is the cup and the living way is the bread). (Lk. 22:20; John 6:35, 37, 48, 51, 53-57.)
Therefore we take the bread first to penetrate the veil going into His presents than receiving the cup that will reveal the sins in our lives that need to be repented of and removed. (Notice it did not say repent first than partake, but in partaking it would reveal your sins to you then you can repent). The L-rd said He would not drink at the last Passover. I believe that at the Marriage Supper Y'Shua will come to each one of us and say “Drink this is the cup of My covenant, now I have fulfilled it and you are in My glory for eternity.”
Do you need bread for spiritual battle? 1 Sam. 21:1-6 tells us David was given the hallowed bread, (the shewbread, which represented G-d’s presents) to build up his strength for the battle. For without food you can not do war, we need to replenish our selves daily.
Moses had been asking to take his people out of the enemies’ camp to have a Passover Feast. After partaking of the lamb, and the bread and wine and departing into the wilderness, were there any sick among them? (Ps. 105:37). No diseases were upon them plus they were healthy enough to carry treasures. Sickness is not G-d’s wish for you.
At the Passover there are 3 crackers, three being the number of the G-d head. The middle one is removed and hidden away until the end of the feast to be eaten. The Hebrew word for the middle one in English means “I came.” Today in the Orthodox some keep a portion of the Middle one to put safely aside – so when they have a need they can come into the presents and commune with the Father.
What did Paul say the proper way to take commune was? Look at his scolding the church of Corinthians (1 Cor. 11:18-36). They were disrespectable, not showing reverence to the purpose of partaking and remembering what the L-rd had done for them. Verses 27-29 the word ‘unworthily’ in Hebrew said without respect. It had nothing to do with your sins, making you unworthy, for the table was set for sinners to come into His present and become clean for His body delivers us, (Matt. 15:11-28) protects us, making us whole, and heals us, were as the blood is for sins.
John 9:5 Y’Shua said ‘I am the bread of life’. I want to reinforce how important the bread is:
Bread symbolized the mystery of life that comes from the G-d of Israel.
Bread was also referred to as the staff of life in Lev. 26:26. It was the main source of food for ancient people and was the all important commodity in the ancient near east.
Bread is gently torn as a sign of respect for G-d’s provision. A knife, in Jewish custom is considered a weapon of destruction and is not used on the bread.
In the Tabernacle and in the Temple, ten loaves of shewbread, also called the bread of presence, were always there and were replenished once a week. They indicated the presence of the L-rd, the bread of life, among the people.
At the time of Y’Shua, the main diet of poor Israelites was barley loaves and olives, with some fish. Bread was literally their staff of life.
In the disciples prayer, asking G-d to ‘give us this day our daily bread,’ is a plea for G-d to grant us our daily provisions (Lk. 15:17).
A kernel of corn, in the ancient world, provided the basic unit for the system of weights, and cereal took the place of money in business. Hosea paid part of the price of his wife in grain. A tiny, little dry kernel can be ground to get dry flour, meal or plant it to grow more corn.
Just the act of ‘breaking the bread together’ and eating a meal was a symbol of reconciliation and fellowship. It was understood that persons who ate and drank together were bound to one another by friendship and mutual obligation. The table is seen as a symbol of the altar and the bread as a symbol of shewbread of the presence where G-d brings peace and reconciliation. This was known as a ‘meal covenant.
Pitza bread resembles the type of simple bread used in Y’Shua’s time. As the bread of life, Y’Shua is our provider and sustainer – both physically and spiritually. Like bread which nourishes our physical body, Y’Shua would also satisfy our spiritual needs.
Each time we take part in the Love Feast, partaking of the elements can restore fellowship with the Father. Just as food and drink sustains physical life, spiritual food, the bread and wine, reminds us of the eternal life given to those who receive Him (Jn. 6:54).
This is Y’Shua’s desire to come in and sup with us and keep us in the eternal presence of the Father.
So how do we sup with Him? (Rev. 3:20)
1. Hear His voice.
2. Inviting Him in.
3. Sup with Him and He with you.
How often should we sup with Him?
Most important when we do sup with Him doing it in remembrance of what He has all done for you, showing reverence not being in a hurry, take your time become intimate with Him allowing Him to reveal to you what you need to take care of by repenting. It is a special time between the Father and you communing together.
Let us join in the Love Feast

Forgiveness

A blank cashier’s check is the price already paid by the Father Himself for our repented sins (Heb. 2:14-18). In essence a blank check by which we can redeem ourselves from destruction promised for the commission of sin. Y’Shua has filled each of our accounts upon which we may draw to ‘pay’ for each transgression we commit. And Y’Shua has made just one rule to which each Believer must adhere in order to use their ‘account’ of mercy and grace. We each must voluntarily acknowledge and convict ourselves of each transgression, turn aside from the part of the path that led us to that transgression, and petition Him for forgiveness AFTER we have taken a different way. No prudent earthly investor would be foolish enough to expect a healthy return from a stingy investment.
Forgiveness is only possible after a soul makes the commitment to change the circumstances which foster that specific sin. It would be foolish to assume forgiveness to be ours if we were not assuming at the same time that we would be making good the accompanying commitment to avoid that specific sin, and the circumstances that lead to it. Forgiveness is not possible unless we do the procedure His way.
But AFTER that beginning commitment, the Father frown intensely upon one who uses the method of tendering a request for forgiveness without a specific examination of individual weakness that caused the transgression. We are to recognize, admit them, and turn away and TAKE ANOTHER PATH to wherever we were spiritually headed.
After one has come to Y’Shua, petitioning Him for Salvation, that soul makes a ‘bargain’ with the G-dhead. The ‘deal’ is, “….You save me from the fires of the lake, and I promise to be obedient….”. Our accountability will be during our personal judgment at the White Throne is whether we have kept our part of this ‘bargain’.
Changing one’s path IS repentance; and it is the ‘bargain’ we make with Y’Shua to be saved. It is the sure evidence of deception to believe that forgiveness can be given under other circumstances. But cultivating skill in a repentive nature is no guarantee a soul will not immediately transgress again. But improving that skill means two things that are very important to the Father’s plan for us.
Such improvements means we are not so likely to sin that particular sin so soon.
We have a longer period of time by which we can set the example for others and increase credibility of what we say, should they come to us for counsel and spiritual guidance.
But it should be said that neither of these things are intended by the Father’s master plan to increase our intrinsic worth to ourselves; only to others who have not traveled quite as much spiritual ‘road’ as yet.
We therefore will have no excuse if we do not understand His instruction because of incomplete study. The stone blocks of our spiritual constructs are not to be laid in place by the Father, He will supply the sticks and bricks but we are to do the labor. It is perhaps more easily said this way: He is the one supplying the stone brocks and we are charged to supply the mortar of discipline. We cannot blame anyone but our incomplete studies of our own individual weaknesses, for all of the disasters that can befall us in the spiritual world. He has, by His epic, prepared us well for battle.
The individual soul must tirelessly regain the spiritually obedient process until the habit of avoidance involves more of each soul’s personal history than the time spent by flesh’s unwillingness to correct itself. Obedience is all about correcting mistakes.
Nehemiah 4:5 “And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.”
Nehemiah pleads that the malicious acts not be allowed to fade quietly into the past and be forgotten. “Let there be no easy forgive and forget response to those who have caused so much pain.”
He is asking G-d to remember the victims of these cruel acts. The pain would double if there was not hope that someday G-d would call those oppressors to account for their wickedness. The Bible depicts G-d as gracious and forgiving, but this view of the divine L-rd does not mean that He advertises ‘cheap grace’ or ‘quick and easy forgiveness’.
G-d has an ear and a heart for those who suffer - for the victims. He holds oppressors responsible and will bring them to judgment. “Forgiveness” that quickly assures the oppressor that G-d will forgive has no sense of the victim’s hurt, it is uncaring and cruel.
Believing in a G-d who cares, Nehemiah prayed for release; and calls for justice for anger grows out of long-term suffering; it rises from facing unyielding, unprincipled opponents who try to destroy you. The deeds of these people deserve the judgment that is coming to them. G-d hears the cry of His people.
Nehemiah prays for G-d’s protection, but knows enough to be prepared. G-d will go through trials with you but expects you to do your part. Nehemiah has to stay armed night and day from his oppressors, never letting his guard down, always keeping one eye open.
Have you been keep down having to always be on your guard from the adversary? Feeling like the adversary is out to destroy you, trying to constantly trip you up from being all that you were meant to be? Dodging the fiery darts? Remember he is the father of lies and there is hope for you - Ephesians 6:16. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Be assured G-d hears your cries and will walk with you through life’s journey, and He will bring your oppressors to account for He is a just G-d as well as a loving G-d. It is all in His timing for:
Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the
L-RD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the L-RD.

Jabez's Prayer

1 Chronicles 4
[9] And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
[Jabez - was, as many think, the son of Coz, or Kenaz, and is here eulogized for his sincere and fervent piety, as well, perhaps, as for some public and patriotic works which he performed. The Jewish writers affirm that he was an eminent doctor in the law, whose reputation drew so many scribes around him that a town was called by his name (2:55); and to the piety of his character this passage bears ample testimony. The memory of the critical circumstances which marked his birth was perpetuated in his name (compare Genesis 35:15); and yet, in the development of his high talents or distinguished worth in later life, his mother must have found a satisfaction and delight that sufficiently rewarded for all her early trials. His prayer which is here recorded, and which, like Jacob's, is in the form of a vow (Genesis 28:20), seems to have been uttered when he was entering on an important or critical service, for the successful execution of which he placed confidence neither on his own nor his people's prowess, but looked anxiously for the aid and blessing of G-d. The enterprise was in all probability the exclusion of the Canaanites from the territory he occupied; and as this was a war of extermination, which G-d Himself had commanded, His blessing could be the more reasonably asked and expected in preserving them from all the evils to which the undertaking might expose him. In these words, "that it may not grieve me," and which might be more literally rendered, "that I may have no more sorrow," there is an allusion to the meaning of his name, Jabez, signifying "grief"; and the import of this petition is, Let me not experience the grief which my name implies, and which my sins may well produce.
Honourable - For courage, and for fervent piety. She records this, that it might be a memorandum to herself, to be thankful to G-d as long as she lived, for bringing her through that sorrow: and a memorandum to him, that she bore him into a vale of tears, in which he might expect few days and full of trouble. And the sorrow in his name might serve to put seriousness upon his spirit. Jabez was eminent:
1. In learning, because we find that the families of the scribes dwelt at Jabez (cp. 2:55), a city which, it is likely, took its name from him. The Jews say that he was a famous doctor of the law and left many disciples behind him. And it should seem, by the mentioning of him so abruptly here, that his name was well known when Ezra wrote this.
2. In piety, because we find here that he was a praying man. His inclination to devotion made him truly honourable, and by prayer he obtained those blessings from G-d which added much to his honour. The way to be truly great is to be truly good and to pray much.
3. The prayer he made, probably like Solomon’s prayer for wisdom, just when he was setting out in the world. He set himself to acknowledge G-d in all his ways, put himself under the divine blessing and protection, and prospered accordingly. Perhaps these were the heads on which he enlarged in his daily prayers; for this purpose it was his constant practice to pray alone, and with his family, as Daniel. Some think that it was upon some particular occasion, when he was straitened and threatened by his enemies, that he prayed this prayer.]
[10] And Jabez called on the G-d of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And G-d granted him that which he requested.
[Called - When he was undertaking some great and dangerous service.
Enlarge - Drive out these Canaanites, whom thou hast commanded us to root out.
Grieve - That it may not oppress and overcome me: more is understood than is expressed. He used this expression in allusion to his name, which signifies grief.
And G-d granted. - Prospered him remarkably in his undertakings, in his studies, in his worldly business, and in his conflicts with the Canaanites.
G-d granted him that which he requested - Whatever was the kind of undertaking which roused his anxieties, Jabez enjoyed a remarkable degree of prosperity, and G-d, in this instance, proved that He was not only the hearer, but the answerer of prayer. Observe:
1. To whom he prayed, not to any of the G-ds of the Gentiles; no, he called on the G-d of Israel, the living and true G-d, who alone can hear and answer prayer, and in prayer had an eye to him as the G-d of Israel, a G-d in covenant with his people, the G-d with whom Jacob wrestled and prevailed and was thence called Israel.
2. What was the nature of his prayer:
(A.) As the margin reads it, it was a solemn vow— If thou wilt bless me indeed, etc. and then the sense is imperfect, but may easily be filled up from Jacob’s vow, or some such like— then thou shalt be my G-d. He did not express his promise, but left it to be understood, either because he was afraid to promise in his own strength or because he resolved to devote himself entirely to G-d. He does, as it were, give G-d a blank paper, let him write what he pleases: "L-d, if thou wilt bless me and keep me, do what thou wilt with me, I will be at thy command and disposal for ever.’’
(B.) As the text reads it, it was the language of a most ardent and affectionate desire: O that thou wouldst bless me!
3. What was the matter of his prayer. Four things he prayed for:
(A.) That G-d would bless him indeed: "That, blessing, thou wilt bless me, bless me greatly with manifold and abundant blessings.’’ Perhaps he had an eye to the promise G-d made to Abraham (Gen. 22:17), in blessing, I will bless thee. "Let that blessing of Abraham come upon me.’’ Spiritual blessings are the best blessings, and those are blessed indeed who are blessed with them. G-d’s blessings are real things and produce real effects. We can but wish a blessing: he commands it. Those whom he blesses are blessed indeed.
(B.) That he would enlarge his coast that he would prosper his endeavors for the increase of what fell to his lot either by work or war. That G-d would enlarge our hearts, and so enlarge our portion in himself and in the heavenly Canaan, ought to be our desire and prayer.
(C.) That G-d’s hand might be with him. The prayer of Moses for this tribe of Judah was, That his own hands might be sufficient for him, Deut. 33:7; but Jabez expects not that this can be the case, unless he have G-d’s hand with him and the presence of his power. G-d’s hand with us, to lead us, protect us, strengthen us, and to work all our works in us and for us, is indeed a hand sufficient for us, all-sufficient.
(D.) That he would keep him from evil, the evil of sin, the evil of trouble, all the evil designs of his enemies, that they might not hurt him, nor grieve him, nor make him a Jabez indeed, a man of sorrow: in the original there is an allusion to his name. Father in heaven, deliver me from evil.
4. What was the success of his prayer: G-d granted him that which he requested, prospered him remarkably, and gave him success in his undertakings, in his studies, in his worldly business, in his conflicts with the Canaanites, and so he became more honourable than his brethren. G-d was of old always ready to hear prayer, and his ear is not yet heavy.]