Daily Bible Portion (Thursday)
Daily Bible Portion - 5 of 7
"YOM TERUAH - DAY OF TRUMPETS"
(Weekly Reading>>Genesis 21:1-34, Numbers 29:1-6, 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10, 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, Revelation 11:15-19:10)
Golden Gifts
An ancient custom of Israel required the groom to give a mattan (Hebrew for ‘gift’) to his bride at the betrothal. These voluntary gifts are an expression of his love for his bride and vary greatly depending on the prosperity of the groom. A biblical example of this practice is Eliezer giving articles of silver, two gold bracelets, and garments to Rebekah (Genesis 24:22).
Our bridegroom, Yeshua, also offers mattan to His bride. Some of the gifts He gives us are eternal life and peace. Other gifts are in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4. Yeshua offers anything we ask in His name (John 14:13). These gifts are given to make ourselves ready for His return and to be used for Yahweh’s glory!
With This Ring
Like the dipping of a signet ring in wax, Yahweh bears His impression upon us by the Holy Spirit, Yahweh’s Spirit, sealing His promise to return for His Bride. The ‘ring’ for the bride is called the ‘Sabbath. The Sabbath serves as a reminder of Yahweh’s unbroken and never-ending covenant. Yahweh created the Sabbath for man (Mark 2:27). It is our sign and commitment to be faithful to him “In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions” (Exodus 16:4). An unfaithful bride takes off her wedding ring.
Saying “I Do”
“Will you go with this man?” they asked Rebekah in Genesis 24:58 after Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, proposed marriage on his master’s behalf. Never having set eyes on Isaac, Rebekah gave her consent and said, “I will go.” With blind faith and complete abandonment, she said, I do. Her faith was much like ours today – we have never seen our Bridegroom, yet we abandon all to be with Him.
Just as a bride has to be in agreement with the marriage she enters, so it is with the Bride of Yeshua. The root meaning of the Hebrew word ‘bracelet’ means to bind, or join. By accepting the bracelets, Rebekah willingly became bound, or joined, to Isaac. As believers, we too become bound to Him. Yahweh never forces us to say I do. It is by our own free will that we enter into a relationship with our Bridegroom, Yeshua, our Messiah. With our lips we confess I do by believing in our hearts that Yahweh raised Yeshua from the dead, and we declare it with our mouths that He is Lord. Salvation is for today. Say, I will go.
The Bride of Yeshua: The Fragrance of the Bride
Spikenard comes from a very rare plant that is usually blended with olive oil for anointing in acts of consecration, dedication and worship. The root word for spikenard in Greek means genuine or pure.
In John 12:3 and Mark 14:3, the Bible tells how spikenard was used to anoint Yeshua, the pure and spotless Lamb, just days before His death and burial. As we desire to become the spotless bride of Messiah, we must walk in holiness and love, burying our sins at the cross. With His life broken, He doesn’t leave us alone to ‘waste away.’ Instead, the oil, symbolic of the inner working of the Holy Spirit, has been poured out for us, so we can live a life that is rich with a sweet, heavenly fragrance.
Beauty of Holiness
A common practice in the Middle East was the ritual of baths, followed by the anointing with oil in preparation for a future wedding (Esther 2:12). As a remnant of Yeshua’s body, we are to be made ready with the burial of our sins at the altar. We must die to the old life, as death is the first step in preparation for those who will become the Bride of Yeshua. This process doesn’t happen all at once but takes time when obedience is learned and our own selfish desires are conformed into His image.
The second part of the virgin’s preparation involved beauty treatments, pampering her with massages and using oil perfumes. Yahweh Himself, in Ezekiel, tells how He bathes and anoints His bride Israel with oil. (Ezekiel 16:9) The application of the word in our life produces the oil. Our beauty treatments, however, will not be complete until we meet our Bridegroom face to face.
Crowning Headpiece
As His bride, we are holy and have been set apart as His own. His love draws us away from the things of the world - the bustle and busyness of life - to a place where we can thrive and grow in Him. The unpleasant thorns – those things under the curse such as vanity, envy, pride, bitterness and evil speaking - keep us from entering into the blessed fellowship with our Beloved. Respond to the love of His heart by turning away from those things that hinder our spiritual growth. Yahweh loves Israel and describes our beauty as:
Yahweh will bestow upon each of us a golden crown as His eternal bride. And, because of His shining greatness, honor, and power, we will, as Revelation 4:10 tell us, lay our crowns before Him and worship the Creator of all things. Worship Him now.
continues tomorrow...
"YOM TERUAH - DAY OF TRUMPETS"
(Weekly Reading>>Genesis 21:1-34, Numbers 29:1-6, 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10, 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, Revelation 11:15-19:10)
Golden Gifts
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11).
An ancient custom of Israel required the groom to give a mattan (Hebrew for ‘gift’) to his bride at the betrothal. These voluntary gifts are an expression of his love for his bride and vary greatly depending on the prosperity of the groom. A biblical example of this practice is Eliezer giving articles of silver, two gold bracelets, and garments to Rebekah (Genesis 24:22).
Our bridegroom, Yeshua, also offers mattan to His bride. Some of the gifts He gives us are eternal life and peace. Other gifts are in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4. Yeshua offers anything we ask in His name (John 14:13). These gifts are given to make ourselves ready for His return and to be used for Yahweh’s glory!
With This Ring
“And you also were included in Yeshua when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance…” (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Like the dipping of a signet ring in wax, Yahweh bears His impression upon us by the Holy Spirit, Yahweh’s Spirit, sealing His promise to return for His Bride. The ‘ring’ for the bride is called the ‘Sabbath. The Sabbath serves as a reminder of Yahweh’s unbroken and never-ending covenant. Yahweh created the Sabbath for man (Mark 2:27). It is our sign and commitment to be faithful to him “In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions” (Exodus 16:4). An unfaithful bride takes off her wedding ring.
“For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as Yahweh shall call” (Acts 2:39).
Saying “I Do”
“Will you go with this man?” they asked Rebekah in Genesis 24:58 after Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, proposed marriage on his master’s behalf. Never having set eyes on Isaac, Rebekah gave her consent and said, “I will go.” With blind faith and complete abandonment, she said, I do. Her faith was much like ours today – we have never seen our Bridegroom, yet we abandon all to be with Him.
Just as a bride has to be in agreement with the marriage she enters, so it is with the Bride of Yeshua. The root meaning of the Hebrew word ‘bracelet’ means to bind, or join. By accepting the bracelets, Rebekah willingly became bound, or joined, to Isaac. As believers, we too become bound to Him. Yahweh never forces us to say I do. It is by our own free will that we enter into a relationship with our Bridegroom, Yeshua, our Messiah. With our lips we confess I do by believing in our hearts that Yahweh raised Yeshua from the dead, and we declare it with our mouths that He is Lord. Salvation is for today. Say, I will go.
The Bride of Yeshua: The Fragrance of the Bride
Spikenard comes from a very rare plant that is usually blended with olive oil for anointing in acts of consecration, dedication and worship. The root word for spikenard in Greek means genuine or pure.
In John 12:3 and Mark 14:3, the Bible tells how spikenard was used to anoint Yeshua, the pure and spotless Lamb, just days before His death and burial. As we desire to become the spotless bride of Messiah, we must walk in holiness and love, burying our sins at the cross. With His life broken, He doesn’t leave us alone to ‘waste away.’ Instead, the oil, symbolic of the inner working of the Holy Spirit, has been poured out for us, so we can live a life that is rich with a sweet, heavenly fragrance.
Beauty of Holiness
A common practice in the Middle East was the ritual of baths, followed by the anointing with oil in preparation for a future wedding (Esther 2:12). As a remnant of Yeshua’s body, we are to be made ready with the burial of our sins at the altar. We must die to the old life, as death is the first step in preparation for those who will become the Bride of Yeshua. This process doesn’t happen all at once but takes time when obedience is learned and our own selfish desires are conformed into His image.
The second part of the virgin’s preparation involved beauty treatments, pampering her with massages and using oil perfumes. Yahweh Himself, in Ezekiel, tells how He bathes and anoints His bride Israel with oil. (Ezekiel 16:9) The application of the word in our life produces the oil. Our beauty treatments, however, will not be complete until we meet our Bridegroom face to face.
Crowning Headpiece
As His bride, we are holy and have been set apart as His own. His love draws us away from the things of the world - the bustle and busyness of life - to a place where we can thrive and grow in Him. The unpleasant thorns – those things under the curse such as vanity, envy, pride, bitterness and evil speaking - keep us from entering into the blessed fellowship with our Beloved. Respond to the love of His heart by turning away from those things that hinder our spiritual growth. Yahweh loves Israel and describes our beauty as:
“Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters” (Song of Solomon 2:2).
Yahweh will bestow upon each of us a golden crown as His eternal bride. And, because of His shining greatness, honor, and power, we will, as Revelation 4:10 tell us, lay our crowns before Him and worship the Creator of all things. Worship Him now.
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which Yahweh, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8).
continues tomorrow...
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