updated Translation to Psalm 119: 109

 Psalm 119:109: My soul is in my palm continually, but Your Line I did not forget.

 

If you have read previous posts of mine, you will note that the word for soul is occasionally understood as appetite or desire. The word for soul in Hebrew is NEFESH. It is widely used in a sense to encompass appetite, desire, lust, the mind, pleasure either negatively or positively. The ancient Hebrews often referred to 'afflicting the soul' which meant to abstain from food. Hence our soul is the part of our being that is responsible for desires delights and affections. “He satisfieth the hungry soul with goodness – Ps 107:9” https://torahgoy.blogspot.com/2015/07/praying-shema.html

Therefore, I have amended this verse to read: 

My desire is in my palm continually, but Your Line I did not forget.

The Way Into the Throne Room of God

Today, as I was singing in the Spirit, I looked down at where my devotional NIV Bible had fallen open and the title of the devotion was “The Path is Open, but you must take the Step”. I sensed it was the presence of God letting me know this was His voice. The Holy Spirit directed me to the verse in Hebrews, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-23 NIV) Then He took me to John 14, “Thomas said unto Him, 'Lord, we don't know where You are going, so how can we know the way?'” Jesus answered, 'I am the Way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.'” (John 14:5-7 NIV) I am reminded how the Apostle Paul told the Ephesians, “For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:18 NIV)

The way in to the Throne of God has been opened for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but we have to take a hold of His atonement by faith. Good works will not get us in. Believing a creed or some religious practice will not get us in. Only through trusting in the works of Jesus our Messiah, are we allowed access to the Father. You can't get in by trusting in the pope, a prophet, Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, transcendental meditation, Shamanism, paganism nor any other religion or “spiritual practice”. The only way to God is through faith in Jesus Christ and He said, “ He that comes to me, I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)

Psalm 119 - Translation by Jonathan Hollis

 Aleph:

 How blessed are those whose way is perfect, who walk in the Line of the LORD!

How blessed are those who guard His eye-witness reports, wholeheartedly they seek Him!

Also, they have not done iniquity, in His Ways they have walked.

You have directed Your charges to be guarded diligently.

Oh, that You would established my ways to guard Your boundaries!

Then I will not be ashamed when I gaze at all Your directions.

I will give thanks to You in an upright heart, when I study Your right decisions.

Your boundaries I will guard, O, forsake me not utterly.

Bet:

How can a young man purify his path? By guarding Your Word.

Wholeheartedly I sought You, do not let me stray from Your directions.

Your Word have I concealed in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

Blessed are You, O LORD, teach me Your boundaries.

With my lips have I recounted all the decisions of Your mouth.

In the way of Your eye-witness reports I rejoiced, as much as in all wealth.

Of Your charges I speak, and I look at Your paths.

In Your boundaries I engross myself, I will not forget Your Word.

Gimel:

Bestow upon Your servant, that I should live, that I may guard Your Word.

Uncover my eyes, that I may perceive wonders from Your Line.

A stranger am I in the earth, hide not Your directions from me.

Crushed is my soul with love for Your decisions at all time.

You rebuked the proud who are cursed, who stray from Your directions.

Remove from upon me disgrace and contempt, for Your evidence I have safeguarded.

Although princes did sit and speak against me, Your servant meditates on Your boundaries.

Also, Your eye-witness reports are my primary focus, the men of my counsel.

Dalet:

Cling to the dust has my soul; resuscitate me according to Your word.

My ways have I recounted and You answered me, teach me Your boundaries.

Cause me to understand the way of Your charges, that I may meditate Your wonders.

Melt does my soul from sorrow, preserve me according to Your Word.

The way of lying remove from me, and with Your Line favor me.

The way of faithfulness I have chosen, Your decisions I have laid down.

I have clung to Your eye-witness accounts, O LORD, put me not to shame.

In the way of Your directions I will run, for You will broaden my heart.

Hey:

Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your boundaries, and I will safeguard it unto the end.

Grant me understanding that I may safeguard Your Line, and guard it wholeheartedly.

Lead me on the beaten path of Your directions, for that is my desire.

Incline my heart toward Your eye-witness reports and not to greed.

Avert my eyes from seeing worthlessness; in Your ways cause me to live.

Confirm for Your servant Your Word concerning awe of You.

Avert my disgrace which I dreaded, for Your decisions are good.

See, I crave for Your charges, in Your justice may I live.

Vav:

And come to me may Your compassion, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your Word.

And I shall offer to those who scorn me an answer, for I have trusted in Your Word.

And remove not from my mouth utterly the Word of truth, because for Your decisions I hoped.

And I will guard Your Line continually, forever and ever.

And I will walk in broad ways, because Your charges I have sought.

And I will speak of Your eye-witness accounts before kings, and I will not be ashamed.

And I will focus all my attention on Your directions that I love.

And I will lift my hands to Your directions which I love, and I will meditate in Your boundaries.

Zayin:

Remember the Word to Your servant, by which You made me hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your Word resuscitated me.

The proud scoffed at me exceeding greatly, but from Your Line I did not go astray.

I remembered Your decisions of old, O LORD, and I was comforted.

I have been frozen in terror because of the wicked who forsake Your Line.

Music to me were Your boundaries, in the house where I dwell.

I remembered in the night Your Name, O LORD, and I guarded Your Line.

All this came to pass for me because Your charges I guarded.

Chet:

My share is the LORD, I have declared to guard Your Word.

I have entreated before You with my whole heart; give me grace according to Your declaration.

I considered my ways and returned my feet to Your eye-witness reports.

I hastened and I did not delay to guard Your directions.

Bands of evil men robbed me, but Your Line I did not forget.

At midnight I arise to thank You for Your right decisions.

A friend am I to all who are in awe of You, and to those who guard Your charges.

Your compassion, O LORD, fills the earth; Your boundaries, teach me.

Tet:

Good have You done to Your servant, O LORD, according to Your Word.

Good reasoning and knowledge teach me, for I have been faithful to Your directive.

Before I was afflicted I erred; but now Your Word I guard.

Good are You and You do good, teach me Your boundaries.

Smeared upon me lies have the proud, but I wholeheartedly safeguarded Your charges.

Thickened as fat did their heart, but for me Your Line is my primary focus.

Good for me that I was afflicted, so that I might learn Your boundaries.

Better for me is the Line of Your mouth than thousands in gold and silver.

Yud:

Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn Your directions.

Those who are in awe of You shall see me and rejoice, because in Your Word I hoped.

I know, O LORD, that just are Your decisions, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

Let it be, I pray, that Your compassion comforts me, according to Your promise to Your servant.

Come may Your mercies upon me, so that I may live, for Your Line is my primary focus.

May shamed be the proud, for with lies have they dealt with me, but I will meditate in Your charges.

May they return to me – those who are in awe of You and who know Your eye-witness accounts.

May my heart be perfect in Your boundaries, so that I will not be ashamed.

Caph:

Crave Your salvation does my soul; for Your Word I hoped.

Crave do my eyes Your promise, saying: When will You comfort me?

For I have been like a wineskin in the smoke, Your boundaries I did not forget.

How many are the days of Your servant? When will You carry out on those who chase me Your sentences?

Dig pits for me did the proud, which is not in accordance with Your Line.

All Your directions are faithful; lies they chase me: Help me!

Almost destroyed am I in the earth, but I did not forsake Your charges.

In accordance with Your compassion give me life, and I will guard the evidence of Your mouth.

Lamed:

Forever, O LORD, Your Word is fixed in the heavens.

From generation to generation is Your faithfulness, You established the earth and it stands.

To fulfill Your decisions they stand to this day for all Your servants.

Had not Your Line been my main focus, then I would have perished in my affliction.

Never will I forget Your charges, for through them You have given me life.

Yours I am, save me, for Your charges have I sought.

Against me have bound the wicked to destroy me, but Your eye-witness accounts I contemplate.

To every accomplishment I have seen an end, but broad is Your directions exceedingly!

Mem:

O how I love Your Line! It is my meditation all day long.

More than mine enemies, I am made wiser by Your directions, because it is ever with me.

From all my teachers I grew wise, for Your eye-witness accounts are a meditation for me.

From elders I gain understanding, because Your charges I have safeguarded.

From every evil path I restrained my feet, so that I might guard Your word.

From Your decisions I did not revolt: for You have taught me.

How sweet to my palate is Your Word, more than honey to my mouth!

From Your charges I get understanding, therefore I hate every path that is deceptive.

Nun:

Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my footpath.

I have sworn, and I will fulfill, to guard Your just decisions.

Afflicted am I exceedingly; O LORD, cause me to live in accordance with Your Word.

The voluntary offering of my mouth accept with favor please, O LORD, and Your decisions teach me.

My desire is in my palm continually, but Your Line I did not forget.

The wicked laid a snare for me, but from Your charges I did not stray.

I have taken as my heritage Your eye-witness reports, forever, for the joy of my heart are they.

I have inclined my heart to do Your boundaries, forever, to the end.

Samekh:

The double-minded I hate, but Your Line I love.

My hiding place and my shield are You, in Your Word do I hope.

Depart from from me, you evildoers, and I will safeguard the directions of my God.

Uphold me according to Your promise that I may live, and shame me not in my hope.

Support me that I may be saved, and I will gaze in awe at Your boundaries continually.

You have weighed all who stray from Your boundaries, for lying is their deceit.

As trash, You have purged all the wicked of the earth: therefore I have loved Your witnesses.

Bristling from fear of You did my flesh, and Your decisions I respected.

Ayin:

I have done what is just and right, do not abandon me to those who oppress me.

Be the insurer for Your servant for good; do not let the proud oppress me.

My eyes crave Your salvation, and for Your promised justice.

Deal with Your servant according to Your compassion, and Your boundaries teach me.

Your servant am I, grant me understanding, so that I may know Your eye-witness reports.

It is time for You to act, LORD; they have erased Your Line.

Therefore I have loved Your directions more than gold, even fine gold.

Therefore of all Your charges all is just! Every path of lying I have hated.

Pey:

Wondrous are Your eye-witness reports, therefore my soul has safeguarded them.

The opening of Your words enlightens, giving understanding to the simple.

My mouth I opened wide and panted, for Your directions I crave.

Turn to me and favor me, as is Your practice to those who love Your Name.

Order my footsteps in Your Word, and let no iniquity dominate me.

Redeem me from oppression by man, and I will guard Your charges.

Your face cause to shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your boundaries.

Streams of water run down mine eyes, because they did not guard Your Line.

Tzaddi:

Just are You, O LORD, and just are Your decisions.

Your eye-witness reports You have directed are right and exceeding faithful.

Consumed me has my zeal, because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.

Refined is Your Word extremely, and Your servant loves it.

Young am I and despised, Your charges I do not forget.

Your justice is an everlasting justice, and Your Line is truth.

Distress and anxiety have befallen me, Your directions are my primary focus.

Just are Your eye-witness reports forever, grant me understanding that I may live.

Kuph:

I have called wholeheartedly, answer me, O LORD; Your boundaries I will safeguard.

I called You; save me, and I will guard Your eye-witness reports.

I preceded the dawn and I cried out; for Your Word I hoped.

Preceded did mine eyes the night-watches, to meditate Your Word.

My voice hear in accordance with Your compassion; O LORD, in accordance with Your decisions may I live.

Draw near do the pursuers of evil plans; from Your Line they are far.

Close by are You, O LORD, and all Your directions are true.

From the past, I gained knowledge from Your eye-witness reports, for from eternity You established them.

Resh:

See my affliction and deliver me, for Your Line have I not forgotten.

Defend my case and redeem me, for Your Word, resuscitate me.

Far from the wicked is salvation, for Your boundaries they sought not.

Your mercies are abundant, O LORD; as is Your decision resuscitate me.

Many were my pursuers and my distressors, but from Your eye-witness reports I did not turn away.

I saw the traitors and I was disgusted with them, because Your Word they guarded not.

See that Your charges I have loved, O LORD, in accordance with Your compassion resuscitate me.

Your first utterance is truth, and for Eternity is every decision of Your justice.

Shin:

Princes have chased me without cause, but from Your Word my heart has feared.

Rejoice do I over Your Word, as one who finds abundant treasure.

Lies have I hated and abhorred it; Your Line I love.

Seven times a day I have praised You because of Your right decisions.

Abundant peace to those who love Your Line, and there is not a stumbling block for them.

I hoped for Your salvation, O LORD, and Your directions I have done.

Guard did my soul Your eye-witness reports, and I loved them exceedingly.

I have guarded Your charges and Your evidence, for all my ways are before You.

Tav:

Approach may my prayer before You, O LORD; give me understanding according to Your Word.

Let my supplication come before You: deliver me according to Your Word.

Utter praise shall my lips when You teach me Your boundaries.

Proclaim shall my tongue Your Word, for all Your directions are fair.

May Your hand help me, for Your charges I have chosen.

I crave Your salvation, O LORD, and Your Line is my primary focus.

May my soul live, and it shall praise You, and Your decisions will help me.

I have strayed like a sheep that is lost; seek out Your servant, for Your directions I have not forgotten.

Psalm 119 - Introduction to translation - Word Study

 Law – Torah (Strong's #8451) Pronounced TOHR'ah. Meaning law, direction, instruction, custom, ruling or teaching.

The root word for Torah is Yarah (Strong's #3384) and has the meaning of casting or throwing as in shooting an arrow or throwing out the trash. Because the root Moreh (Strong's #4175) is usually translated as teaching, this gives this word Torah a similar meaning in most translation. However, I have a difference of understanding. This word, Moreh also has the meaning of an archer.

When I lived in Jerusalem many years ago, I learned the phrase, "Yesh Tor". In modern Hebrew, this means, "There is a line." The reason I had to learn it is, people would attempt to "Jump the cue" or "break in line" and this would be the phrase to let them know they had to "get in line". I have heard many different definitions for the Hebrew word TORAH which is often translated law, teaching, instructions, etc. But the Word "Line" fits my vocabulary best. One can understand this word picture as shooting an arrow. The direct LINE the arrow goes from the bow to the target is TORAH. And when one sins, the definition for sin is "missing the mark".

Commandments – Mitzvah (Strong's #4687) Pronounced Mitz'VAH. Meaning an order or cammand. It comes from the root word Tzavah (Strong's #6680) meaning give a charge, set in order, send a messenger, I.E. to direct. I chose to translate this word as Directions, as when a father is teaching his son how to do something, he gives him directions.

Testimonies – Edut (Strong's #5707) Pronounced e'duwt. A testimony, witness

Eye-witness reports – Whenever I read this phrase, my mind goes back to the story of Joshua and Caleb and the ten spies. We find this story in the book of Numbers, chapter 13. The twelve spies were tasked with the responsibility of going into the land of Canaan to scope out the land. 10 of the spies brought back an “evil report”, however Caleb and Joshua brought a “good report”. Both reports were “eye-witness reports/accounts”.

When God gave directions concerning convicting someone of a deadly sin, He said that the sentence would only stand with the testimony of two or three witnesses. No matter what part of the Bible you are reading, you are reading the “eye-witness accounts.” When reading the four Gospels, you are reading the “eye-witness reports” of those who saw first hand the works of our Lord Jesus. Although Mark may not have been physically present, he was probably the scribe for Peter's account. Luke, too, may not have been physically present, but he, too, was a scribe for direct accounting of our Lord's work and with all four Gospels, we have eye-witness reports that agree to our Lord's working. Luke was definitely a first-hand “eye-witness” to the things recorded in the book of Acts.

Statute - Chukkah (Stong's # 2708) = the Ch is pronounced gutterally in the back of the throat like the ch in Bach and the whole word rhymes with Hukkah. The meaning is statute, ordinance, limit, enactment, something prescribed. A beautiful example of this word is found in Proverbs 8:29: “when he gave the sea its BOUNDARY so the waters would not overstep his command...” NIV

Notice the wording here is boundary or a limit that has been set. The word Chukkah is translated as boundary. So we can see from the picture here that God's statutes are His boundaries. Another Hebrew word that means Boundary is Gibul (Pronounced = Gee'bull) (Strong's #1366) and it is used in a similar way in Psalm 104:9 describing God's boundary for the sea: “You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.” NIV. This same word (Gibul) is used in Exodus 19, when God commands Moses to tell the people to sanctify themselves for three days and put a BOUNDARY around the mountain so that man nor beast might cross over and touch the mountain as God descends upon it.

When you read the word Statutes, or in my translation, Boundaries, picture guardrails on the side of the road to prevent you from going over the cliff or ravine, should you veer from the path. 

 

Precept - Piqqud (Stong's # 6490) Pronounced Pi'kood. thing appointed, charge, Other variations of this word in Hebrew mean “oversight, ward, supervision, responsibility” This was a word I struggled with, to find the right translation. At first, I thought about Wards and Guardians, but it didn't flow, especially when David said he would “guard Your guardians” or “Guard Your wardians”. I also thought about how often a supervisor follows guidelines given by the main boss, and I like the word “guidelines”, but it didn't translate adequately. So, I settled on the word “charges” and it shows “responsibility of the supervisor/guardian or ward”

Judgment – Mishpat (Strongs's #4941) Pronounced Mish'POT. Meaning: a verdict, a sentence, a ruling, or a vindication. I arrived at my translation of this word based on these definitions. A judgment is God's decision concerning a matter or His sentence passed over someone judged guilty of a crime or sin.

Psalm 119 Introduction - Beginning the Journey

Over the past several years, Psalm 119 has become one of my favorite chapters of the book of Psalms. I learned to read it through in Hebrew and have read it through in Hebrew more than a hundred times, probably. I have yet to commit it to memory in Hebrew, however, I have been able to translate it using a number of different sources, including other Jewish and English translations. 

In Hebrew, the Psalm is written as an acrostic poem -- the first letter of each verse begins with the letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet (alphabet). Only, Psalm 119 assigns 8 verses to each letter. For instance it would be like this if were an English poem with eight lines beginning with A and so forth:

All God's children love God and each other.

Better a friend nearby than a far-away brother.

Christ is the answer and not another.

Also, another interesting find about this Psalm is that every verse uses a synonym for God's Word, i.e. Commandments, statutes, laws, precepts, Word, testimonies. There are only two exceptions to this: verses 37, 90.

I have always struggled with this Psalm because of the use of the legalistic words. The Jewish sages have discouraged non-Jews from reading this Psalm, as they believe it "damages the soul" (Maimonides).  However, after reading through this Psalm so many times, I began to see it as a pathway or journey.  King David often used terms about a Pathway or roads in reference to God. In fact, the relationship between God and His servants was often referred to as "walking with God." You can refer to earlier posts that I made on this subject. 

The words used began to make since for me. For instance, instead of Commandments, I saw the word as Directions, or signposts along the way. I saw the statues as guardrails and precepts as the posted speed-limits which are all for our safety. When I lived in Jerusalem many years ago, I learned the phrase, "Yesh Tor". In modern Hebrew, this means, "There is a line." The reason I had to learn it is, people would attempt to "Jump the cue" or "break in line" and this would be the phrase to let them know they had to "get in line".  I have heard many different definitions for the Hebrew word TORAH which is often translated law, teaching, instructions, etc.  But the Word "Line" fits my vocabulary best.  One can understand this word picture as shooting an arrow.  The direct LINE the arrow goes from the bow to the target is TORAH. And when one sins, the definition for sin is "missing the mark". 

                            \.........                                                                                      ______________/_____________

The Torah is the straight line in the previous diagram is the pathway that leads to life. The broken line is the way of evil, lying and falsehood.

In the following post, I will share my translation of Psalm 119.  Here is a list of words that I have translated from the original Hebrew:

Commandments: DIRECTIONS

Statutes: BOUNDARIES 

Law: LINE

Precepts: CHARGES

 Testimonies: EYE-WITNESS REPORT/ACCOUNT or EVIDENCE

Judgements: DECISIONS or SENTENCES

Righteous/ness: JUSTICE or RIGHT

Sukkot: The Feast of Tabernacles

 “‘But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to observe the festival of Adonai seven days; the first day is to be a complete rest and the eighth day is to be a complete rest^. On the first day you are to take choice fruit, palm fronds, thick branches and river-willows, and celebrate in the presence of Adonai your God for seven days.  You are to observe it as a feast to Adonai seven days in the year; it is a permanent regulation, generation after generation; keep it in the seventh month.  You are to live in sukkot [booths] for seven days; every citizen of Isra’el is to live in a sukkah [booth] so that generation after generation of you will know that I made the people of Isra’el live in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God.’”

Leviticus 23:39-43 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

In the fall of the year, on the full moon of the month, just a few days following Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), the feast of tabernacles (Chag Sukkot in Hebrew) is observed. This was one of the 3 feasts in which God commanded the sons of Israel to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate. This feast was celebrated in a less structured way even by the patriarchs and other Oriental peoples. It was a harvest feast, or the Feast of Ingathering, when the farmers and vinedressers all gathered to celebrate the bringing in of the last crop of the year. 

The word: Sukkot is a plural Hebrew word which means Tabernacles or booths. The singular form of this word is Sukkah.  The first mention of this word is found in Genesis 33:17: And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths (SUKKOT) for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. The next time this is mentioned is after the children of Israel have left Egypt:  And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth...Exodus 12:37

This celebration is to be one filled with joy and rejoicing.  In Deuteronomy 16:14, God commanded that you are to REJOICE in the feast: And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.

The Feast of Tabernacles will be celebrated in the new heavens and new earth. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. Zechariah 14:16

David referred to God's sukkah in a number of Psalms:

He made darkness His secret place; His sukkah round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.Psalm 18: 11

For in the time of trouble, He shall hide me in His sukkah, in the secret of His tent shall He hide me.  Psalm 27:5

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy presence from the pride of men: Thou shalt keep them secretly in a sukkah from the strife of tongues. Psalm 31:20

And then we find when the Jewish people were restored back to the land of Israel after their dispersion to Babylon, that they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, as commanded by Moses: 

On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law.

  They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.

 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.  Nehemiah 8:13-17 NIV

In John, the seventh chapter, we find that Yeshua's (Jesus) family was going from the Galilee down to Jerusalem for the Feast and invited Him to go. This was the Feast of Tabernacles. However, He instructed them to go on without Him, but He came along later. Halfway through the seven day celebration, Yeshua went into the Temple and began teaching the people. The people were amazed that He taught with such wisdom, even though He didn't have formal learning, as did their religious leaders. And finally, on the last day of the Feast, we find that the Jewish people were celebrating a ceremony called Hoshana Rabba. According to Chabad.org (an Orthodox Jewish Website), "The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshana Rabbah, and is considered the final day of the divine “judgment” in which the fate of the new year is determined. It is the day when the verdict that was issued on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is finalized."

According to MyJewishLearning.org, "Every day of the year, after the sacrifice was burned, an offering of wine was poured on the altar. During Sukkot, there was also a water libation (nisukh hamayim). Some have suggested that it was a folk rite, an inducement for rain made by pouring out water at the season’s onset, transformed by the rabbis into a symbolic Temple ritual. Each morning of Sukkot, the priests went to the pool of Siloah (Silwan) near Jerusalem to fill a golden flask. Shofar blasts greeted their arrival at the Temple’s Water Gate. They then ascended and poured the water so that it flowed over the altar simultaneously with wine from another bowl. When the priest was about to pour the water, the people shouted “Raise your hand!” because of an incident that occurred in a previous year: The high priest Alexander Jannaeus (103‑76 B.C.E.) showed contempt for the rite by spilling the water at his feet, a transgression for which worshippers threw their citrons at him."

What we hear Yeshua saying in the Temple,  Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking!  Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being!^" (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who trusted in him were to receive later — the Spirit had not yet been given, because Yeshua had not yet been glorified.) John 7:37-39 CJB

The pictures here are of my sukkot (booths) that I have constructed over the years.

From the Nations

I Bless Your Name/I Am So Blessed

Follow Me

 "And Jesus, walking be the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And He saith unto them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.'" Matthew 4:18-19

"And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, "Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Mark 8:34

I find it so interesting that when Jesus called His disciples, His commandment to them was to "Follow Me." 

A few months back, I was worshiping the Lord in the Spirit, during my devotions when the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and revealed to me, "The highest form of worship is to follow Me." What a revelation! Praying is a wonderful connection with the Lord. Singing praises and worship to the Lord is great fellowship with Him. Going to church to worship with the congregation is admirable, and all these things are part of worshiping God, but they are only a part of following the Great Shepherd. Following Him is the highest form of worship.

Oscar Wilde once said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"  During the time of Jesus, when Rabbinic Judaism was taking shape, a rabbi would lead his disciples in a similar way the shepherd led his sheep.  The rabbi's training wasn't just the words that he taught, but it was the example of his life. It was in the way he said things, or even the movements and gestures he used while teaching. To "follow the rabbi" didn't just mean just to walk with him or behind him, but to imitate him. If the rabbi moved his hand in a certain manner, that was the way the students moved their hand. If the rabbi enunciated his words in a certain tone, the disciples enunciated their words that way, too. This is still the way of life for Chasidic Jewish people. Their way of dress and customs reflect their rabbis' customs. The way the rabbi moves during his prayers is the way the followers move.

Now, we have a Rabbi whom we are called to emulate. For even hereunto were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. I Peter 4:6  But you might say,"How can we imitate Him since He is no longer here with us in a physical form, as He was with the disciples?"  He sent us the greatest Teacher. He sent His own Spirit into our hearts to teach us and show us the way. "I have many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come." John 16:13.

Paul, in writing to the Roman church, said, "For as many as are LED by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Roms.8:14  And to the church in Galatians, he wrote: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Gal. 5:25 It is the Holy Spirit that dwelt inside of Jesus that we must follow. Not men's traditions or customs - not even our own perception of Jesus. But the very life of Christ is revealed to us, day to day, as we follow in His steps by the leadership of the Holy Ghost.  Paul also wrote to the Galatians and said he wasn't taught the things of the Spirit by man, "For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." Gal. 1:12  I love what the Apostle John wrote, concerning the teachings of the Holy Spirit: But the Anointing which you have received of Him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same Anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him. I John 2:27

Dust

Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me? Remember, I beseech Thee, that Thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it. Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled: Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare Thy truth? For in death there is no rememberance of Thee: in the grave who shall give Thee thanks? His breath goeth forth, returneth to his earth; in that very day his thought perish. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Hallelujah!

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another.

But perhaps someone will ask, “How is the resurrection achieved? With what sort of body do the dead arrive?” Now that is talking without using your minds! In your own experience you know that a seed does not germinate without itself “dying”. When you sow a seed you do not sow the “body” that will eventually be produced, but bare grain, of wheat, for example, or one of the other seeds. God gives the seed a “body” according to his laws—a different “body” to each kind of seed. Then again, even in this world, all flesh is not identical. There is a difference in the flesh of human beings, animals, fish and birds. There are bodies which exist in this world, and bodies which exist in heaven. These bodies are not, as it were, in competition; the splendour of an earthly body is quite a different thing from the splendour of a heavenly body. The sun, the moon and the stars all have their own particular splendour, while among the stars themselves there are different kinds of splendour. These are illustrations here of the raising of the dead. The body is “sown” in corruption; it is raised beyond the reach of corruption. It is “sown” in dishonour; it is raised in splendour. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. As there is a natural body so will there be a spiritual body. It is written, moreover, that: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’. So the last Adam is a life-giving Spirit. But we should notice that the order is “natural” first and then “spiritual”. The first man came out of the earth, a material creature. The second man came from Heaven and was the Lord himself. For the life of this world men are made like the material man; but for the life that is to come they are made like the one from Heaven. So that just as we have been made like the material pattern, so we shall be made like the Heavenly pattern. For I assure you, my brothers, it is utterly impossible for flesh and blood to possess the kingdom of God. The transitory could never possess the everlasting.

Listen, and I will tell you a secret. We shall not all die, but suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, every one of us will be changed as the trumpet sounds! The trumpet will sound and the dead shall be raised beyond the reach of corruption, and we who are still alive shall suddenly be utterly changed. For this perishable nature of ours must be wrapped in imperishability, these bodies which are mortal must be wrapped in immortality. So when the perishable is lost in the imperishable, the mortal lost in the immortal, this saying will come true: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’ ‘O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ It is sin which gives death its power, and it is the Law which gives sin its strength. All thanks to God, then, who gives us the victory over these things through our Lord Jesus Christ! And so brothers of mine, stand firm! Let nothing move you as you busy yourselves in the Lord’s work. Be sure that nothing you do for him is ever lost or ever wasted.

Gen. 18:27; Ps. 103:14; Job 10:8-9; Ecc. 3:20, 12:7; Ps. 104:29, 30:9, 6:5, 146:4, 150:6.

Job 19:25-29

1 Corinthians 15:35-58 Phillips Translation

The Love of God

For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that every one who believes in Him shall not be lost, but should have eternal life. If God loved us as much as that, surely we, in our turn, should love each other! (John 3:16; 1 John 4:11 Phillips)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind. (II Timothy 1:7 KJV)  God is love, and the man whose life is lived in love does, in fact, live in God, and God does, in fact, live in him. So our love for Him grows more and more, filling us with complete confidence for the day when He shall judge all men—for we realize that our life in this world is actually His life lived in us. [I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal. 2:20 NIV] Love contains no fear—indeed fully-developed love expels every particle of fear, for fear always contains some of the torture of feeling guilty. This means that the man who lives in fear has not yet had his love perfected. (1 John 4:16-18 Phillips) [Whatsover is not of faith is sin. Romans 14:23 KJV]

Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, pain or persecution? Can lack of clothes and food, danger to life and limb, the threat of force of arms? Indeed some of us know the truth of the ancient text: ‘For your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter’(Ps. 44:22)

No, in all these things we win an overwhelming victory through Him who has proved his love for us.

I have become absolutely convinced that neither death nor life, neither messenger of Heaven nor monarch of earth, neither what happens today nor what may happen tomorrow, neither a power from on high nor a power from below, nor anything else in God’s whole world has any power to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 8:35-39 Phillips)

This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience—it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance.

Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails.

Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 Phillips)

Prayer for America

Recently, my sister asked me to join her and my other sister in praying for our nation, each day at 12:30. I readily agreed, as Jesus told us, " Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." (Matt 18:19).  I have shared in a number of older posts that I use the Lord's prayer as guideline or prayer directive. Yesterday, as I was praying, the Holy Spirit came and showed me how to pray for our nation using the Lord's Prayer as an outline:

 

Our Father in Heaven - Who brought our nation into being and kept our forefathers on this continent.

Hallowed be Thy Name - You provided us with our freedoms: religion, speech, press, etc. 

Thy Kingdom come - Your salvation and peace come to every citizen of this nation. 

Thy will be done on earth as in Heaven - You know what is needed and Your judgements are right 

Give us this day our daily bread - You have blessed this nation with so many natural resources, thank You and help continue to bless others, both materially and Spiritually

Forgive us our sins - our greed, prejudice, lack of morality, rioting, drunkenness, etc. As we forgive those who sin against us - those who have wronged us, taken advantage of us, etc 

Lead us not into temptation - pray for our leadership: President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, senators, house representatives, governors, legislators, judges, mayors, etc. 

Deliver us from evil - protect those who protect us - police, sheriffs, soldiers, secret service agents, those in the Pentagon, etc. also firemen, first responders, doctors/nurses.