Witness to God

“‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me’.” — Isaiah 43:10

The Torah portion for this week, B’reisheet, is from Genesis 1:1–6:8 and Isaiah 42:5–43:10.

Every Saturday in the synagogue, just after the weekly Torah portion is read, we read a portion from Prophets. The verses from Prophets are always connected to the portion from the Torah. You don’t have to search hard to find the connection between Isaiah 42–43 and the beginning of Genesis. Genesis begins with the story of Creation. The portion from Isaiah ends with these words:  “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD . . . ‘Before me no godwas formed, nor will there be one after me.’” We need to bear witness that God is the eternal being Who created the world.

How do we serve as a witness for God? The Sages explain that we do this by observing the Sabbath.

Take a look at the fifth of the Ten Commandments:  “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God . . . For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 20:9–11).

By observing the Sabbath, we acknowledge that God created the world in six days and then rested on the seventh. One day, every week, we remember that while we spend most of our lives working and creating, there is only one true Creator and He is our God.

A few years back, Benjamin Netanyahu was interviewed on Larry King Live. Larry said to him, “You live in the center of a hostile world. Do you ever get to really relax?” Netanyahu answered, “Yes, and I’ll tell you when. Every Saturday we have a day off. I take an hour and a half and I read from the Bible with my younger boy. I relax then and I draw a lot of spiritual strength.”

Many people mistakenly think that the Sabbath is merely a day of physical rest. But they are missing the whole point. The Sabbath is a day of spiritual connection. It’s a day to recognize God as the Master of the Universe and to study His Word. We don’t refrain from working just so that we can have a short break before we go back to the grind the next day; we rest from activity so that we can exercise our soul.

Everyone needs to recharge their batteries. But make sure that you revive your soul as well. Take one day a week to concentrate on all things spiritual. That one day a week will give direction to the other six and give more meaning to your entire life.

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/witness-to-god

Don’t Argue, Just Praise God!

“She was made straight, and glorified God.” Lk 13:13 NKJV One day Jesus healed a woman in the synagogue who’d been crippled for eighteen years. As a result, two things happened: First, she rejoiced like anybody would who’d been set free from an eighteen-year illness. Second, some church folks condemned Jesus for healing her on the Sabbath day. What a scene; while she was glorifying God over here, they were arguing the fine points of doctrine over there. So what did she do? She just kept praising God! She didn’t stop to explain herself or try to convince her critics, because she knew their minds were already made up and weren’t open to change. You don’t have to defend yourself because the Lord is your defender. Plus, when you’ve been through difficult times you can’t afford to mess around with people’s moods and attitudes. If you do, your defensiveness can make you vulnerable to the Enemy. This woman protected herself by entering into defensive praise, and you must do that too! Don’t get pulled into arguments. When you quit defending yourself, you open a door for the Lord to fight for you. This woman built a wall of protection around herself. She could easily have fallen into negative thinking, but she didn’t. Can you imagine what would have happened if she’d stopped rejoicing and started debating? If argument had gotten through the door, this whole scene would have ended in a fight. But instead she decided to just keep praising God—and you should too!

http://theencouragingword.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/dont-argue-just-praise-god/

The Sabbath Experience

“O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,        for with the LORD is unfailing love        and with him is full redemption.” — Psalm 130:7

If you have ever been on a spiritual retreat, you know how difficult it can be to “re-enter” into the daily routine. Those closing moments are bittersweet as you savor the fellowship time you have spent with God and with others, coupled with the knowledge that soon it will be over.

In many respects, that parallels our experience as the Sabbath comes to a close. The Sabbath is to be experienced as “an island in time” — we are to live fully in that moment and find the pleasure and holiness that comes from relaxing, studying the Torah, and having fellowship with family and friends. If we fully partake of the Sabbath experience — rest, study, and fellowship — then we have achieved our spiritual goal.

As the Sabbath comes to a close, we formally conclude this time with an evening prayer service and the Havdalh, or “separation ceremony.” During that time, we reaffirm our belief in the coming of Messiah and the redemption of the world. We acknowledge again our duty to sanctify life every day and to fill it with holiness. Then, we light a long braided candle, drink from an overflowing cup of wine, and deeply inhale the fragrance of spices as we chant the prayer, “Be not afraid, my servant Jacob, for I, the LORD, am with you” (from Jeremiah 30:10).

Each step of this ceremony is very important. The light of the braided candle symbolizes the intertwining of the Eternal One and the divine spirit in man; for as the Bible says, “the LORD is our light and our redeemer.” The overflowing cup of wine symbolizes our uncontainable optimism and hope for the coming week. And the aromatic spices refresh our soul and dispel the emptiness we feel at the conclusion of Shabbat.

Observing the Sabbath for us is intentional, purposeful, and spiritual — involving all our senses and impacting all aspects of our lives. As you reflect on your own spiritual encounters with God, both daily and weekly, consider what you might add — or subtract — to make your experience more meaningful. What spiritual goals might you adopt? How can you involve more of your senses in helping you to focus on God?

As the psalm writer noted, “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8). The invitation is open; God is waiting.

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/the-sabbath-experience-2

God’s Stop Sign

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” — Genesis 2:2–3

One of the main misconceptions about the Jewish observance of the Sabbath is the prohibition about working on that day. How do we define work? Are we able to do anything at all? Many view prohibitions like lighting a fire or cooking on the Sabbath as antiquated because today these activities involve so little effort that they can hardly be considered work.

For answers, we turn to God’s word. In Exodus 35:3, it clearly prohibits milekhet machashevet (me-LECH-et maak-a-CHEV), which means “creative work” in Hebrew. For six days we are permitted — even commanded — to work and subdue nature. In this capacity, we serve as God’s co-partners in the creation of the world. But on the seventh day, we are commanded to take a break from our own creative work so we could focus on the true Creator — God.

You see, God knows us all too well. He recognized and anticipated that our intelligence and creativity might lead us to forget the actual source of our own creative power. As human beings, we can easily get caught up in what we do and how much we accomplish, neglect the spiritual side of life, and turn away from Him. Doubt that’s true? Flip a few pages in your Bible from Genesis 2 to Genesis 11 and the story of the Tower of Babel.

We all know the story:  The act of building a tower reaching to the sky reflected man’s attempt to dethrone God, to rid Him of divine sovereignty, and to fill that vacuum with man’s creative genius. This is why God decided to confuse their language and scatter them all over the world. They lost their focus on the true Creator.

When we refrain from all creative activities on the Sabbath — including cooking — we are acknowledging that God is the ultimate source of being and creation. We affirm that the earth belongs to the Him and that man is not God.

Consider how you might change your attitudes and behaviors on Sunday to keep your focus on God. In what ways can you affirm God as Creator?

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/gods-stop-sign-2

The Price of Freedom

“I will walk about in freedom,        for I have sought out your precepts.” — Psalm 119:45

Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw once penned, “Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” Think about that for a moment. Most of us would equate freedom with the absence of responsibility and the opportunity to do whatever we please. But for Jews, true freedom does include responsibility — a responsibility to serve God. And this concept of freedom is rooted in our celebration and observance of the Sabbath.

When God gave Moses and the people of Israel the Ten Commandments, He instructed them, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:15). The Sabbath is a sacred day set aside for us by God to remind us of the Jews’ slavery in and exodus from Egypt.

However, the freedom that was gained when we left Egypt was not intended to be total independence from all authority. This freedom — true freedom — included voluntary servitude to God. For this reason, the Bible states in Exodus 20:10 that on the Sabbath, “you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.”

You see, every man and beast must be free, at least for one day in seven, to embrace something more supreme — something more — than just serving men. Indeed, even when not in bondage to other men, we can enslave ourselves to things that are not truly critical. Moses understood that true freedom from slavery did not mean that we may do whatever we please. Rather freedom from slavery is only true freedom if it leads to the acceptance of serving God.

By recalling the exodus motif on Shabbat, we are reminded of the true nature of slavery and freedom, and of our duty to bring spiritual purpose and meaning into our lives. Clearly, God had a higher purpose in freeing Israel from Egyptian bondage. He wanted them to work for, and with, Him.

A wise man once said that “we should always be running toward something, not away from something.” Celebrate your freedom today, as the psalmist says, by running toward God’s precepts and His word.

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/the-price-of-freedom-2

Heaven on Earth

“I rejoiced with those who said to me,       ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’” — Psalm 122:1

If you were to imagine heaven on earth, what would it look like? A tropical paradise? A mountaintop hide-away? A place where all your favorite people are gathered? A place that is stress-free — no disease, no disasters, no disappointments?

What about a place where it is always the Sabbath?

In the Jewish faith, that is exactly how heaven — or the world to come — is described. Life in heaven is described as a time when it is always Sabbath, a time when the beauty and tranquility of Shabbat (Hebrew for Sabbath) are constantly felt. In other words, Jews believe that the observance of Shabbat enables us to experience a taste of that world to come and gives us a glimpse of that ideal state of creation experienced by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

The concept of Sabbath is so central to the Jewish faith and life. More Jewish literature — legal, mystical, and homiletic — has been written on this topic than on any other. It is described by the rabbis as shekulah kineged kol hamitzvot, “of equal import to all the rest of the commandments put together.” Those who observe the Sabbath are regarded as if they have observed the entire Torah.

Everything we do points to Shabbat. It is a day that rejuvenates our spirits, replenishes our strength, and revitalizes us so that we can face another week. But it has a deeper meaning as the epitome of sanctified living. The Sabbath is observed not for the sake of the rest of the week, but rather, the rest of the week is the prologue for the arrival of Shabbat. We live each day in anticipation of the Sabbath.

What would it look like if you fashioned your week in anticipation of spending time with God? If you carved out time each week when — truly — no work was done, phones were turned off, the TV was silent? How might this refresh and rejuvenate you? How might it change your relationship with God?

As the Jewish philosopher Abraham Heschel wrote, the Sabbath is “an island in time.”

Sounds a bit like heaven on earth, doesn’t it?

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/heaven-on-earth-3

Express Yourself!

“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” — Psalm 84:2

A few hundred years ago, there were two great Jewish masters who had very different styles of worshiping God. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was renowned for his unbridled passion for all things holy. He could never stand still during prayers; instead he would be seen dancing and swaying, from one side of the room to the next. In direct contrast was Rabbi Baruch of Medzibuz. His service to God was extremely dignified. His every action was performed with total control and utmost discipline.

Rabbi Levi’s greatest wish was to spend the Sabbath with Rabbi Baruch, but Rabbi Baruch was concerned that Rabbi Levi’s form of worship would disturb the quiet, meditative service of his community. He agreed to host his colleague but made him promise to keep things calm. Rabbi Levi agreed and held himself back from his normal expressiveness during his prayers. Everything was going well until they began the festive Sabbath meal.

“Would you like sour fish or sweet fish?” a young student asked Rabbi Levi.

“Like? I only like God,” burst out the holy soul.

Rabbi Levi jumped up and, in doing so, overturned the entire tray of fish. “I love God, I love God!” Rabbi Levi could no longer control himself! He was now dancing and singing, with all his pent-up energy finally let loose. The fish flew into the air as Rabbi Levi waved his arms in holy ecstasy. When the fish landed, they were found on none other than Rabbi Baruch’s pristine white prayer shawl.

Afterwards, Rabbi Baruch refused to allow anyone to wash that prayer shawl, although it was stained. “I want to wear the prayer shawl stained with love for God,” he explained. And so it was. That prayer shawl was handed down from one generation to the next. Never was it washed, for the holy stains were reminders of what it means to truly love God.

In Psalm 84, the Psalmist expresses his deep love for the Lord:  “My soul yearns, even faints . . . my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” King David described his deep desire to be connected to God. Somewhere deep within us, our souls yearn too. Like Rabbi Levi, our innermost being wants nothing more than to cleave to the living God.

It’s not always appropriate to break out in song and dance in expression of love for God. I can imagine that it might be disturbing in the middle of your supermarket! But every once in a while, it’s important to let yourself go. Let loose in song or dance or in any other form of expression. As you express your deep love for God, you will experience His love for you.

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/express-yourself

Getting Away From It All

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:2-3

A pastor friend of mine was telling another pastor about the long-awaited vacation that he and his family were preparing for. The other pastor immediately replied, “Vacation? I never take a vacation. Satan doesn’t take a vacation and neither do I!”

To which my friend wisely retorted, “Well, that’s all right. Satan has never been my example!”

In the summer when school is out and the sun is shining, our thoughts turn toward vacation. And that’s a good thing! We were wired with an innate need to take a break from our usual pace and spend some time being refreshed and recharged.

But for some reason, we sometimes seem apologetic about taking time off or needing a change of pace for a little while. It may be that our internal understanding of a real “work ethic” demands that we feel a little guilty about time that we’re not being “productive” or “efficient.” Or maybe we are concerned that those projects and clients we have been carefully nurturing along will fall to pieces if we put them on hold for a week or two. Maybe we are distorting Paul’s words to the Ephesians, resisting vacations and working nonstop so that we can “make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).

If that’s your brain strain, then let me put a biblical stop to that train of thought and provide you with three solid, straight-from-Scripture reasons to enjoy a guilt-free, refreshing time away from your usual pace of work this summer.

Reason number one: it’s commanded in Scripture. The fourth commandment tells us to “remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8). That means more than just going to church on Sunday. The principle of “Sabbath”—rooted in God’s example through creation of resting on the seventh day—intertwines with the Old Testament law code.

There were not only to be days of Sabbath, but week-long festivals scattered throughout the Jewish seasons. In fact, there were Sabbath years in their calendar! God’s loving command was intended to pull His people aside for rest so they would be reminded that all good things come from Him . . . not from their frantic efforts at work.

A second reason why it’s a good idea to take a well-deserved break is that your body and spirit need it. I love the picture that David paints for us in Psalm 23:1-6 of a shepherd leading his sheep to a place of refreshment and rest. We are finite, fallible, limited creatures, and without rest we’ll find that burnout and exhaustion eventually take their toll. Our ability to be gracious, loving, and patient will be a casualty of our compulsive work habits. Fatigue and weariness will leave us vulnerable to temptation. And most disturbingly, our intimacy with the Lord will suffer as our time with Him becomes perfunctory at best, and nonexistent at worst. All that can be avoided if we allow our Good Shepherd to restore our soul with times of rest in green pastures and with seasons of refreshment beside quiet waters.

And just in case we need another reason to put our feet up and relax now and then, remember that Jesus did it! He often withdrew from the crush of the crowds to seasons of prayer and rest. During a storm on the Sea of Galilee He was sound asleep in the boat (Mark 4:38). And we are told that while on a trip from Judea to Galilee “Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well” (John 4:6). There were always more people to heal, more messages to preach, and more places to go, but Jesus displayed the importance of rest.

So, whether it’s a weekend of camping, a day at the pool, or a week away with close friends or family members, turn off the cell-phone, close the computer, and get away! There’s no good reason not to!

YOUR JOURNEY…

• How has God used previous vacations and times away to refresh and restore your soul?
• Do you find it hard to schedule time away, and do you feel guilty or fearful on vacations? Take some time to think through why that might be.
• What plans are in place for you to follow through on God’s instruction about rest and refreshment? It may not be this summer, or even during the fall, but what about within the next six months?

http://getmorestrength.org/daily/getting-away-from-it-all/

The Kingdom Of God

Once when little children were brought to Jesus that he might touch them, the disciples found fault with those who brought them. When Jesus saw it, he was displeased and said to his disciples, “Allow the little children to come to me; and do not forbid them, for of such as these is the Kingdom of God. I tell you, whoever will not accept the Kingdom of God like a little child, will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms, laid his hands on them, and lovingly blessed them.

One Sabbath day Jesus went to dine at the house of a leading Pharisee. One of the guests said to him, “Fortunate is he who will have a share in the Kingdom of God.”

But Jesus said to him, “A man once gave a great dinner and invited many guests. At dinner-time he sent out his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But all of them began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have bought a field and must go and look at it. I must ask you to excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them. I must ask you to excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just married and so I cannot come.’

“The servant returned and reported these answers to his master. Then the master of the house was angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out at once into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ When the servant reported, ‘Sir, your order has been carried out, yet there is still room,’ the master said to him, ‘Go out into the highways and the country lanes and compel people to come, so that my house may be filled; for I tell you, that not one of those who were first invited shall taste of my dinner.’”

Once when Jesus was walking along the road, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked, “Good Master, what must I do that I may be sure of eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one only: God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not be dishonest. Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Master, I have kept all these commands from my youth.” Looking upon him, Jesus loved him and said, “One thing you lack; go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come with me.” But when the man heard this, he looked sad, and he went away in sorrow, for he had great wealth. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!” They were surprised at his words, but again he said, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in wealth to enter the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” And they were so astonished that they said, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God, for with God everything is possible.”

http://kids.ochristian.com/Childrens-Bible/The-Kingdom-Of-God.shtml

Jesus Visits His Old Home

Jesus went to Nazareth where he had been brought up. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read the lesson. And he was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and on unrolling it he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

For he has called me to preach good news to the poor,

He has sent me to proclaim release to captives,

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set free those who have been crushed by cruelty,

To proclaim the year when the Lord will show favor.”

Then, having rolled up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him, and he said to them, “To-day what is here written is fulfilled in your sight.”

As he went on to teach in the synagogue, many who heard him were astonished and said: “Where did he get these teachings? What is this wisdom which has been given him? and what are these wonderful acts of healing that he does? Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters living here among us?” And they would not believe in him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and among his relatives and in his own home.”

In that place he could do no wonderful acts except laying his hands on a few sick people and healing them; and he was astonished at their lack of faith. So he went about the near-by villages teaching

http://kids.ochristian.com/Childrens-Bible/Jesus-Visits-His-Old-Home.shtml