Saturday, June 27, 2015
A Different Kind Of Day
For a Sabbath, today started very differently. We awoke to one crisis after another. It was challenging indeed. But we got past them and made it to fellowship to study and discuss scriptures. One thing we discussed was the question posed to Nicodemus by Yeshua (Jesus).
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Yeshua’s (Jesus”) response was interesting. He expected a leader of the Jewish people to understand the idea of new birth. We had a great discussion about this point. From the Old Testament scriptures we should be able to present the need for the new birth. Without going into great detail, we talked about the promise in Jeremiah of the new covenant.
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
But in the Hebrew there are buried many places where the Father (Yahuah) and the Son (Yeshua) are foretold to be united and to be one. Since Yeshua (Jesus) was speaking to Jewish people, they would have known these scriptures. Here are a few where I have replaced the name of God, “Yahuah”, in place of the English mistranslated “LORD” and have replaced “Yeshua” for the English translated “salvation.”
Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Yah (LORD) Yahuah (JEHOVAH) is my strength and my song; he also is become my Yeshua (salvation).
Jeremiah 3:23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Yahuah (LORD) our God is the Yeshua (salvation) of Israel.
Psalms 118:14 Yah (The LORD) is my strength and song, and is become my Yeshua (salvation).
There are many more. Nicodemus should have known about the new covenant. Religious tradition blinded him from deeing His Messiah, standing right in front of him.
Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be called King. We praise and worship You. We bless the name Yahuah (Lord). We need You and we need Your kingdom. Please send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive our sins. Heal us and deliver us from the evil that lies in wait to steal from us. We ask these things in Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.