It’s go-time. God’s creation is in testing mode. But how do two trees impact the human soul’s condition?

[This series is related to a spiritual call (started in the early 90s) for me to walk a bridge—from the Judaic camp reaching out to the Messianic/Christian camp and then vice versa—crisscrossing it, realizing and later sharing who and what the real bridge is. Walk with me to discover God’s revelations and passionate plan for our souls.]

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com. & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

HIGHLY SUGGEST READING FIRST: God’s Story Threads: Trees, Serpent, Lies [Intro]

READING TIME: 4 MINUTES.

THE TWO-TREE BASICS

Two trees in the midst of the garden. Meticulously placed‚ set apart from the others, yet growing among them. Resounding in their stillness, their purpose, both trees are about to take centerstage in humanity’s impending soul battle.

That’s the soul battle of our earthly story back at the beginning with co-protagonists Adam and Eve . . . and the one going on right now. In you. In me. Around us. The connection is undeniable. It’s embedded in the fiber of every decision, every word, every action we make.

It’s either self-desire or God-driven desire. Surrendering at His altar or bowing to the altar of self.

You can feel it, right? The convergence of the two? The struggle of choice between the holy (God’s thoughts, ways, commands) and the profane/mundane, the world’s mindset.

There are reasons why these two garden trees demand our attention. First, trees apparently mean something to God. He poetically carries the tree-image throughout His storytelling. He uses it in the Garden of Eden (spiritual global impact) but later likens people (Deuteronomy 20:19), Israel, and our soul condition to trees—good and not so good.

QUICK EXAMPLES . . .

1. fig tree, referring to Israel’s spiritual condition (Hosea 9:10 ESV)

2. green olive tree or well-planted tree that bears fruit/never withers, regarding a wise/righteous person who trusts in the Lord (Psalm 52:8 and Psalm 1:1-3 and Jeremiah 17:7-8, all ESV).

3. oak tree of righteousness, strong, enduring, withstanding life’s struggles, and a planting of the Lord for His glory. (Isaiah 61:3 ESV).

4. towering tree, warning Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in a dream about a massive tree (world ruler) who would be cut down, leaves stripped, fruit scattered. Sadly, it was Nebby himself. (Daniel 4 ESV)).

An orthodox Judaic teaching puts it something like this: we’re like trees, rooted in our past/our ancestral history, canopied (like foliage) by our life choices/life story, bearing fruit (children, good works to help others, community) with more seeds going forth to bear new trees.
 

Nicely put, but . . .

There’s another application. Another tree God used.

One returning us to the Garden when the Lord’s promised Millennial Kingdom reigns.

We’ll get to that eternity-shifting tree and how it fits into this Genesis 3 story in the last post of this Trees, Serpent, Lies series.

For now . . .

GARDEN TREES: THE BIGGER PICTURE

Both trees “control the state of the world,” according to Gershom Scholem, who is often regarded as the “most important Jewish historian of the 20th century.” He was a Zionist, a preeminent scholar of Jewish mysticism (i.e., Kabbalism), and a prolific author on Judaic/Israeli political, social, and cultural issues.

Although I’m not a Kabbalist, I have a particular interest in parts of Scholem’s commentary (as noted below with my bold typeface inserted for emphasis)—because they tangentially strike at the core and intent of this post . . . regarding what lies beneath and within the two-trees story and beneath and within our souls.

Scholem made these four observations:
 

(1) “Standing in the center of Paradise and representing higher order of things, the trees control a great deal more than just existence in the Garden of Eden.”

(2) “The Tree of Life represents the pure, unbroken power of the holy.”

(3) “Since the Fall of Adam, the world is no longer ruled by the Tree of Life as it had been in the beginning, but the Tree of Knowledge.”

(4) “Since the Fall of Adam, since the time when the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was eaten, the world is ruled by the mystery of this second tree in which both good and evil have their place. Hence, under the rule of this Tree, the world contains differentiated spheres: the holy and the profane, the pure and the impure, the permitted and the forbidden, the living and the dead, the divine and the demonic.”

Agreed.

Because whatever generation, whatever scenario, whatever temptation, whatever point on God’s prophetic time clock, it always comes down to the same struggle, wrestling with the repercussions of the Tree of Knowledge debacle, causing us to individually face the question, Which tree—the Promise (Tree of Life) and God’s Love Test (Tree of Knowledge) are we eating from, and what “fruit” are we bearing/spreading?

And what does da’at (knowledge) really mean? Let’s explore . . .

READ THIS NEXT. God’s Story Threads: Trees, Serpent, Lies [Part 2b].

RESOURCES

Targum Onkelos commentary (Genesis 2:9) on Sefaria.org
Gershom Scholem commentary from his book, The Messianic Idea in Judaism: And Other Essays on Jewish Spirituality, as listed on Sefaria.org.
Gershom Scholem biography: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and Oxford Bibliographies.
Tree as man: Chabad articles
 

PHOTO CREDITS

Tree near river by Nitish Kadam on Unsplash.com

Robbing innocence and da’at knowledge. Two trees and a serpent. What’s the soul connection to it all?

[This series is related to a spiritual call (started in the early 90s) for me to walk a bridge—from the Judaic camp reaching out to the Messianic/Christian camp and then vice versa—crisscrossing it, realizing and later sharing who and what the real bridge is. Walk with me to discover God’s revelations and passionate plan for our souls.]

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

HIGHLY SUGGEST FIRST READING THE PRIOR POSTS IN THE SERIES. START HERE: God’s Story Threads: Trees, Serpent, Lies [Intro]
 

READING TIME: 5 MINUTES.

Blog Post Outline:

— Tree of Life

— Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

— Da’at (Knowledge): Mulling It Over

— A Visual Of Sorts

FIRST, THE PROMISE:

TREE OF LIFE

Admittedly, it’s usually that other tree that gets much of the press. That’s because our co-protagonists’ fruit-eating episode birthed a chasmic rift in the God-creation continuum, ripping through physical and spiritual realms.

So in our Garden-of-Eden plot line, the Tree of Life may seem to have a minor role. And yet, it is an enduring, indelible, and powerful thread—symbolically and otherwise—throughout God’s story line.
 

It’s unclear what the tree was like and, even more curious, why Adam and Eve didn’t eat from the Tree of Life—there wasn’t a hands-off command for it. But as it turns out, that was a good thing.

Whatever spiritual condition you’re in when you eat from the Tree of Life—you’re eternally locked into that condition. You could say that our co-protagonists dodged a bullet.

It also explains why God kicked humanity out and, from the east of Gan Eden, stationed powerful Cherubim (Keruvim) and the blade of a revolving fiery sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life from any future attempts.

For now, that is.

(1). Tree of Life and the rabbinic correlation. The Torah (first five books of the Bible) is like the Tree of Life because it lays the ground rules of how to grow your roots deep in His stream, how to interact, manage, lead, bless, build, grow, sustain, step back, spiritually walk and be with others (in our own tribes and outside them) and with our holy God.

(2). Tree of Life and spiritual fruit. Both Proverbs 3:18 and Proverbs 11:30 say that the fruit of the righteous is a Tree of Life, bringing happiness to the soul. The Hebrew in Proverbs 3:18 says it like this: עֵץ־חַיִּ֣ים הִ֖יא לַמַּחֲזִיקִ֣ים בָּ֑הּ, Etz chaim he l’machazikim bah—she is a tree of life to those who grasp her.

(3). Tree of Life and God’s desires. Proverbs 13:12 says that when we hope in God again, His righteous desires will spring up within us and become a Tree of Life.

(4). Tree of Life and the future blessed hope. For those on the Judaic side of the bridge, you might not know these scripture references that help tie it all together: Revelation 2:7 and Revelation 22:2.

They’re from the last book of the Bible and focus on the end of days (aḥarit ha-yamim, אחרית הימים) and speak of the Messiah (God’s Redemptive Plan, His Salvation, Jesus/Yeshua).

“Those walking with God and His Salvation

will eat from the Tree of Life,

which is in the midst of His garden Paradise . . .

and it will bear twelve fruits,

each tree yielding its fruit every month—its leaves, the healing of the nations.

Those obeying the LORD will have the right to the Tree of Life

and may enter the gates of His holy city.”

—Revelation 2:7 and Revelation 22:2

THE LOVE TEST: TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL

It’s the same story then as now. The stuff we can’t (or shouldn’t) have is the stuff that catches the eye, captures the soul, and drives the soul to hunger, fixating on the wrong choice.

The Tree of Knowledge. A test, indeed. Nothing capricious or superficial about it. It’s God striking deep—way down to the truth-core of His free-will creation. Even the angels had to decide: follow the one, true God or hop on the rebellion train and follow the instigator/leader, Lucifer/satan.

God already knew their decisions—the angelic realm’s and humanity’s. He knew, as always, even before He created them what was in their hearts, their souls. The test is so the truth of their inner condition is exposed and the reality from God’s righteous perspective is brought forth, revealing the dichotomy so they would know as well.

Remember, when it came to creating the world, God did it out of His immense love and for the sake of redemption. Redemption to show His mercy and grace. Redemption to show His holiness. Redemption that involves humanity repenting, seeking His face, surrendering to His kingship, appreciating the giver and sustainer of life, God. The LORD MOST HIGH.

The word “knowledge” in the Hebrew is da’at. But what is this knowledge, anyway? Rabbinic thought varies. Some say it’s . . .

— an academic or intellectual understanding

— an experiential understanding of good/evil [per Aleph Beta’s insightful Rabbi David Fohrman]

— a transformational awareness [per Maimonides, the Rambam, famed medieval philosopher/Torah scholar]

— a Tree of Desire [per translations by the Ramban, citing other biblical references—the Ramban (Nachmanides) was a medieval rabbi/scholar]

DA’AT (KNOWLEDGE): MULLING IT OVER

Years ago I heard a Torah teaching on this—possibly Rabbi Schweiger from Pardes Institute in Jerusalem—about how humanity wasn’t ready for the knowledge from that tree. They lacked the maturity to understand what that da’at/knowledge would present to us.

In my mind, that could mean being introduced to a world where the veil was removed. Making the Tree of Knowledge an unmasking, a ripping away of childlike innocence and awakening what’s hidden in the crevices of the human soul or what’s been simmering just under the surface.

In other words, a step into the abyss of self-desire—culminating in millennia of collateral damage to boot. Self-fixation, outright rebellion, desire of every kind and on every level, a betrayal of God’s love and gift of life.

Because that level of desire only produces one thing: death, spiritually and otherwise.

The soul had been moving about on a different level prior. Innocent, seemingly clean, set apart. Neither the tree nor the fruit had mysterious properties. The test—eating/disobeying or withholding/obeying—unlocked what was already within.

Adam and Eve’s unmasking caused them to see and enter another dimension of da’at (knowledge).

A dimension that stripped them from the idyllic, realizing their physical nakedness but not yet comprehending their spiritual nakedness which will hunger for self-desire at the cost of a relationship with the living God—and with anyone and everything else.

A VISUAL OF SORTS

Here’s an admittedly troubling example, but it demonstrates what may have been happening soul-wise to Adam and Eve.

Being robbed of innocence is disquieting on many levels. The serpent—a.k.a. satan—didn’t (doesn’t) care. He had (has) his own agenda. Robbing, stealing, destroying are his everyday strategy tools.

Think for a moment of the chilling news stories you hear. Child abuse, rape, children’s drug use.

In each case, a soul was violated or seduced, the veil of some kind of innocence violently torn away, forcing a new da’at (knowledge) of another, seamier dimension of life that they didn’t ever need to know or experience.

And it was something their souls certainly weren’t capable of understanding—as if anyone could or should. The underbelly of someone else’s self-desire invading, disrupting another soul.

Adam and Eve’s began with grooming—satan’s.

In those prior scenarios, the harmed souls were victims, eclipsed by the profane. And, yes, Adam and Eve had a choice. But their inherent propensity for disobedience—evidenced by fractured humanity even now—had been masked until the test came to expose it.

The results of satan’s cunning seduction of Eve were no different soul-wise than those disturbing abuse examples mentioned above. What Adam and Eve used to see and walk in via their previous level of da’at (knowledge)—their innocent lens—vanished in an instant.

Satan’s suggestive voice resonated with their inner voice, the one that had been under the radar. The one that was subtly stirring deep within.

But as it stirred stronger, they surrendered to it. Self-will. Self-desire. Self-focus.

God and His desire and commands were in their soul’s rearview mirror. Rebellion had raised its ugly head. The bridge broken. The God-humanity relationship tested to near destruction.

You and I would have made the same choice. It’s as if our nature had to eat from that tree. We had to cross the line . . . so we could ultimately embrace with unending gratitude what God has waiting for us—His Redemption Plan, the gift prepared before the world was brought forth because He knew what our struggle would be.

Genesis 3 unfolds more of the story. Part 3 considers the characters and what’s seen, unseen, known, unknown: Naked, Cloaked, or Revealed.

UPCOMING POST: God’s Story Threads: Trees, Serpent, Lies [Part 3]

RESOURCES

 
Targum Onkelos commentary (Genesis 2:9) on Sefaria.org
Gershom Scholem commentary from his book, The Messianic Idea in Judaism: And Other Essays on Jewish Spirituality, as listed on Sefaria.org.
Gershom Scholem biography: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and Oxford Bibliographies.
Tree as man: Chabad articles
 

PHOTO CREDITS

Pomegranate tree by Tal Suraskon Unsplash.com

Expectant hope from waiting on Him, that’s the 2022 image the Lord impressed on me during prayer right after midnight on New Year’s Eve. Let’s unpack the words He set before me—wait, His love raining down, unity, stand firm.

“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what He will say to me.” —Habakkuk 2:1

© desireofmysoul.faith &. SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

READING TIME: 5 MINUTES.

WATCHWORD GIVEN: January 1, 2022, 12:01 am through the third watch.

Wait. That particular word from the Lord (given in addition to three others) is still reverberating in my soul. He later gave me a clearly spiritual dream to underscore the word’s importance. Here’s how it rolled . . .

The quick backstory: For years, I’ve had—and continue to have—a New Year’s Eve midnight-rendezvous with the Lord. It’s become a time when He kindly reveals watchwords and images for the upcoming year and often leads me into some level of intercession.

The midnight hour appears throughout scripture. In Judaic terms, midnight is the convergence of two forces. One force—gevurah, meaning strength, linked to justice—gives way to another force—chesed, lovingkindness that is demonstrated in God’s rock-solid faithfulness, devotion, mercy, and grace, per His rightfully self-proclaimed character traits in Exodus 34:6-7.

God harmonizes gevurah and chesed. The wise psalm-writer Ethan the Ezrahite wrote in Psalm 89:14: Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

And as God would have it: His 2022 watchword “wait” mirrors this midnight push-pull convergence.

WAIT . . . LONG FOR . . . HIM

Here’s the thing: Waiting flows both ways. God’s and ours.

Isaiah reveals that God is waiting with His graciousness, mercies, justice . . . and that we have a need (and a certain way) to wait on Him and spark His action. The red text below gives hints from the Hebrew.

Therefore, the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the LORD is a God of JUSTICE;
blessed are all those who WAIT
[piercing through the wait with longing]
for him.
—Isaiah 30:18

GOD IS WAITING FOR YOU TO WAIT ON HIM. AND TO WAIT IN A WAY THAT MATURES YOUR SOUL.

Hang on to that—we’ll come back around to it in a sec.

So on that 2021-2022 New Year’s Eve, I had asked God, “But what about 2022?”

He said, “WAIT.”

The word stood clear before me . . . and then I saw an eagle—more specifically, it was the eagle’s wings that drew my attention. I sensed myself riding on them, but whoosh! I had wings like the eagle, rising upward, flying in loops, having fun.

Immediately following that, I sensed Him counseling me, depositing a scripture within my soul in a new—and exhilarating—way . . . a scripture you may very well be familiar with.

But they who wait
[faithfully, obediently, doggedly,
diligently, with expectant hope]
for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
—Isaiah 40:31

He impressed on me this view of what waiting is and what it does . . .

Waiting is totally resting in Him, soaking in His presence.

Waiting is surrendering to His timing, His kingship.

Waiting is faithfully staying in His Word, drenched by it.

Waiting is going the distance, not fainting, not impatiently.

Waiting is a strengthening process that renews, restores, refreshes, redirects the soul.

Waiting is a tool to help the soul soar higher, go farther.

Waiting is longingly waiting for Him . . . which moves His love even more.

Waiting is when His desires become yours—and shalom floods your soul, healing and answers arrive with joy.

These lyrics—from the song “Nothing Else” by Cody Carnes, Hank Bentley, and Jessie Early—capture the longing outcome of the waiting process.

And I love, love, love Rick Pino’s version . . . his Davidic-worshipful heart embodies the soul’s cry for more of our King.

I’m caught up in Your presence
I just want to sit here at Your feet
I’m caught up in this holy moment
I never want to leave
Oh, I’m not here for blessings
Jesus, You don’t owe me anything
More than anything that You can do
I just want You . . . Nothing else

YOUR STORY

We’ve all been shaken in one way or another—2020 and 2021 brought an avalanche of shifts. Many levels, many ways. But despite what you’re going through, 2022’s word shows the hope stirring within God, ready to be poured out on us and through us.

Maybe your personal world has been interrupted. The loss of something, anything—health, job/finances, relationships, loyalty, fidelity, faith, etc.—crashed into your life space and “normal” is fading in the rearview mirror.

You’re overwhelmed, no longer in control. No vision before you, no clue of anything around you. Your faith, foggy . . . you’re walking on jello, consumed with your situation. Your soul aches.

You feel like you’re in mourning. And you are—but not just for the specific loss you experienced. You’re mourning the loss of what you thought your life was going to be. What you had imagined, planned, desired, expected God (or others) to do.

And now: shock, pain/guilt, anger, depression (self-hate/anger turned inward) and loneliness, the stages of the mourning process have stepped in.

But with God, so has the rising-up stage when your soul is being refined, strengthened, refocused in His holy waiting room to walk in a new version of your life, faithfully held in His hands.

That’s why it’s critical in 2022 for you, me, and all believers to wait . . . to man the post He’s assigned us individually for service and follow His lead.

No leaning on our own understanding of how long “wait” is or should be. No taking things upon ourselves, even for a short bit, or doing something else to fill in the wait gap.

The Lord gave me a dream to underscore that. The gist of it is at the end of this post.

HIS LOVE RAINING DOWN

The Lord showed me the word LOVE, large and with a sense of it raining down . . .
 

casting out fear

demolishing the enemy’s lies

strengthening faith

soaking our souls with His Love

teaching, instructing, guiding us

MARCHING IN UNITY & STANDING FIRM

Two other words were put before me on New Year’s eve—and they both play into the “wait” watchword.
 

UNITY. An army of believers in Messiah working and marching globally as one, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder. In step, in faith, in love for Him and one another.
 

I prayed: Lord, the enemy is revving up. The battle is raging and darkness is growing, spreading out deep and wide to every sector, every nation.

What do we do, Lord?

I saw this . . .

STAND FIRM.

Then, Lord, give us your heart on the matter . . . your words coming ALIVE within our souls . . . emanating out to those around us . . . let us not be business as usual again.

The LORD . . . He is God.

No other. Ever.

There is nothing apart from God.

THE DREAM

The gist of it is this: In the dream, I’m “preparing food” for visitors (representing actual people I’ve been ministering the Gospel to). But the main course was missing, and I was waiting for someone (a person from my life representing heaven/God’s direction) to bring the item.

My visitors were fine with waiting. In time, I wasn’t. I couldn’t believe I was this unprepared. I mean having people over and not having the main course food even in your kitchen—let alone not cooked, ready to serve—was crazy.

So we waited some more . . . and when I offered the appetizer and salad that was ready, they pleasantly said they’d wait.
 

Well, I waited with them, chatted, but inside I was getting even more antsy. Where was my person with the main food so I could finish it and serve these guests? Turns out, the person finally returned—but without my entrée item.

Perfect. And so we waited and waited while the heavenly-messenger person left on the shopping mission—again.

You have to know this is coming: I couldn’t wait anymore and left my guests to see what the holdup was and to get the food item myself, if needed.
 

Problem: When I returned, the guests were gone, the kitchen/dining area cleaned up, everything put away. I was bewildered—both in the dream and afterward when I woke up.
 

After seeking the Lord, I realized the dream underscores the WAIT 2022 message.

TAKEAWAY: As long as I was waiting on the Lord, my guests (to whom I was to minister to) were happily willing to wait. But when I left my post—even for a short time to see why it was taking so long and if I could handle it myself or some other way—the guests left.

Obediently waiting at my post is critical to my place in God’s army, my relationship with Him. Probably like you, my soul longs to be part of His eternal work down here . . . and to finish well.

Lord, help our souls to hear, love, obey you the way your majesty deserves to be loved and honored.

Photo Credit: Lighthouse by Michael Krahn on Unsplash.com

Photo Credit: Eagle waiting by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash.com

Photo Credit: Heart-like Parachute by Nick Fewings on Unsplash.com

Photo Credit: Empty plate by Debby Hudson-Pomy on Unsplash.com

Genesis 1. God, the master storyteller of truth that your soul needs. From a beginning of beginnings of beginnings to a particular love-fueled purpose behind His creation story: redemption.

This series is related to a spiritual call (started in the early 90s) for me to walk a bridge—from the Judaic camp reaching out to the Messianic/Christian camp and then vice versa—crisscrossing it, realizing and later sharing who and what the real bridge is. Walk with me to discover God’s revelations and passionate plan for our souls.

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

READING TIME: 3 MINUTES.

INTRODUCTION TO SERIES

Like any good story, it’s best to start at the beginning. The beginning moment that will lead to or expose a protagonist’s unmet desire. But with God’s masterful nonfiction storytelling, it’s not always that simple.

The sheer epic size and generational expanse of His story (the Bible) may appear to be a maximal approach. But in reality, it’s minimalistic, razor-focused on a single, eternally driven thread.

We read about what was, what is, and what is to come. But the exactness of time remains hidden. He talks of times yet defies time, because He created time and exists beyond this physical dimension . . . despite intersecting and embodying it.

Through it all, He is the ever-present, omniscient “character” in His unfolding story. An indestructible story revealing His purpose behind His creation.

As we take our first steps along God’s story arc . . .

1. Part 1: We’ll explore the intent behind God’s creation process, particularly the “for the sake of” link that leads us to even more.

2. Part 2: We’ll peer into God’s intro line using a more wide-angled lens, like when a film moves in for an intimate closeup. And there’s an optional sidebar post to pause and consider His many unfolding “beginnings” examples.

3. Part 3a and Part 3b: We’ll continue the story dig and consider some compelling connections bridging Genesis 1 in the Tanakh (Jewish Bible/”Old Testament”) and the New Testament.

GENESIS 1:1 INTENT

It’s God’s opening line that gets us, capturing, enticing, pulling us. Those famous first words beg to be unraveled.

We sense that they’re the gateway to something immeasurably higher, deeper, beyond ourselves.

Rashi, the famed biblical and Talmudic commentator from the Middle Ages, said that those initial [Hebrew] words of Genesis scream for explanation. (Okay, my word choice, but he did say it “calls aloud” for explanation.)

Homiletically—per commentary notes in the Stone Edition of The Chumash (an orthodox commentary on the first five books of the Bible)—the first word of this creation process b’reshit can be stated as . . .

“The world was created for the sake of [for the things that are called] beginnings.”

Stone’s commentary equates that to “God brought the world into being for the sake of things that are of such basic importance that the Torah calls them reishit (ראשית), meaning first or beginning.”

That is, the world was created for the sake of bringing forth Torah (the Law).

But that for-the-sake-of-the-Law beginning unleashes two other critical “beginnings”:

(1) The Law reveals the basics, the reflections, of what is good in God’s eyes while exposing the beginnings of humanity’s self-desired nature .

A desire that from the get-go will fall short of His righteousness, His holiness—and launch a devastating spiritual rift, a broken bridge, between God and humanity. Because nothing is the same after the Garden of Eden rebellion.

(2) But even before the creation process, the impending God-humanity chasm would ache for restoration and grace .

So in those beginnings within beginnings, God brings forth another for-the-sake-of layer that trumps all others.

An indescribable love-move created for the sake of something eternally driven.

The world was created for REDEMPTION—hands down, God’s foundational story thread throughout the Bible. The undeniable link between His two intrinsic story lines, the Judaic and the Messianic/Christian.
 
Genesis and Revelation. The first and the last books of the Bible. Everything happening in between echoes their prime story line. But Revelation isn’t the end of God’s story . . . it actually lifts the veil on yet another of God’s future beginnings.

HIS WORD BREAKS FORTH

God created (ex nihilo) this dimension—this beginning of beginnings—with a WORD. Per rabbinical teaching, the WORD God spoke in the creative process performed the creation.

It begins with God’s unrivaled, unimaginable might and presence hovering over the “astonishingly empty with darkness.”

The initial focus is an earth that is “desolate and void” (Hebrew tohu va-vohu, תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ) with darkness on the “face of the murmuring deep,” a “wonder and astonishment”—that would leave us aghast at the sheer emptiness (bohu) of it , per author Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg (The Murmuring Deep, quoting Rashi and author Stephen Frosh).

GOD’S BOUNDLESS POWER—reflected in the peals of thunder, lightning flashes, and deep rumblings around His throne (“the life source of the universe” as Dr. Ed Hindson once called it)—and the immeasurable weight of His glory move over the chaotic, the tehom, Hebrew for depths, subterranean waters, and even suggesting a deep soul-to-soul groaning.

It possibly is what Zornberg’s book suggests: God is cutting through the chaotic, the deep murmuring—the “primal noise“—to form a “creative silence,” a clearing for His creation WORD to come forth.

We witness a similar process when all of creation groans under the chaotic darkness birthed from sin.

At the appointed time, God again arises, His presence again hovering but now over the soul’s darkness, its chaos, its captivity, breaking through with redemption—His Word—silencing our noisy, subterranean murmuring, our aching soul—deep calling unto deep—tehom to tehom, תְּהֽוֹם־אֶל־תְּה֣וֹם ק֖וֹרֵא (Psalm 42).

But what or who is that WORD?

Explore more in this Beginnings series, delving beneath Genesis 1:1 and the what/who WORD question.

READ THIS NEXT: Beginnings within Beginnings [Part 2]

RESOURCES

(1) The Stone Edition Chumash, the ArtScroll, Series, published by Messiah Publications, ltd, September 2005 edition, Parashas Bereishis/Genesis, p 3

(2) Sefaria.org

(3) The Murmuring Deep, Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. Schocken Books, New York, 2009.

(4) Moshe Weinfeld quote: TheTorah.com

PHOTO CREDITS for this three-part Beginnings series:

Clouds/Light by Marcus Dall Col on Unsplash.com

Steam Punk Minister w/Bible by Nathan Bingle on Unsplash.com

Steps with child by Jukan Tateisi on Unsplash.com

Follow the Line on asphalt photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash.com

Woman in jeans with Bible by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.com

God’s unfolding story thread. Genesis 1:1 is usually translated “In the beginning, God created.” But is it saying something more? Walk this way . . .

This series is related to a spiritual call (started in the early 90s) for me to walk a bridge—from the Judaic camp reaching out to the Messianic/Christian camp and then vice versa—crisscrossing it, realizing and later sharing who and what the real bridge is. Walk with me to discover God’s revelations and passionate plan for our souls.

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

HIGHLY SUGGEST FIRST READING: Beginnings within Beginnings [Part 1]

READING TIME: 3 MINUTES.

Discussions—heated or otherwise—span the ages regarding the Genesis 1:1 wording, which is often translated “In the beginning, God created.” But considering a point of Hebraic grammar, is that what it’s really saying—and how does any of that fit into God’s redemption-focused story thread?

Some scholars and/or grammarians say those first words aren’t exactly as traditionally translated. There’s no “the” in the Hebrew text. So they translate with a one-word shift: “In a beginning.”

A stirring literal translation on a gazillion levels. And how that ups the game on God’s story line. This in-a-beginning view has been discussed many times over the years at Torah study tables—and always sets my mind spinning in a thrilling, isn’t-God-amazing way.

Three other views help us branch that concept even further . . .

THE BEGINNINGS STORY THREAD: A FEW STEPS MORE

Stephen Rayburn points out in his 2009 “D’var Torah: Bereshit” article, that Rashi (esteemed medieval rabbi/Talmudic commentator) regarded the word b’reshit as a statement not about “the absolute beginning of everything” but when “God turned His attention to our own world.”

Now add a point of biblical consistency—discussed in this two-minute Genesis 1:1 Hebrew grammar note—the construct in Genesis 1:1 (needing a noun) would be translated . . .

“In the (or a) beginning of God’s creating.”

And lastly, factor in this intriguing view from Rabbi Jeffrey W. Goldwasser . . .

Back in October 2011, Reb Jeff wrote in his blog post (“Bereshit: In the Beginning of What?”) a more illustrative translation based on the grammatical analysis and infusing spiritual innuendos of timelessness.

He says the “world never stopped being created” since it “has a beginning, but it is a beginning that has never ceased.”

Goldwasser’s Genesis 1:1 translation goes like this:

“In the beginning of the beginning that is always beginning, G-d created the creation that is still [beginning and creating].”

The Creator is always creating. He “rested” from His earth project but never really stopped creating—everything He creates is in a forward, unfolding, beginning-within-a-beginning motion. Contracting, reaching down, extending out . . . beginning anew.

God IS the beginning.
 

The One who has NO beginning.

Yet WITHIN HIM is the beginning within a beginning within a beginning that is unfolding and still beginning and creating.

Simply complex, right? In light of creation alone, we’re talking about the mind-bending, humanly incomprehensible dunamis power of our holy God.

QUESTION FOR YOU

What was going on with these beginnings within beginnings . . . when there was absolutely no beginning because God has no beginning and no end?

We know He birthed creation with a WORD. Scripture confirms it. Even rabbinic teaching says that the WORD God spoke in the creative process did the creation.

I couldn’t agree more.

In fact, it’s the apex—the critical story thread—linking God’s beginnings within beginnings and the reveal of the redemptive gift to humanity.

So let’s climb that summit to discover what has been waiting there for us all along.

READ THIS NEXT: Beginnings within Beginnings [Part 3].

GOT TWO MINUTES?

Read quick examples of God’s many beginnings, those in the past, those in the works now, and those on the horizon.

Side Bar [Many Beginnings]

PHOTO CREDITS for this Beginnings series:

Cloud/Light by Marcus Dall Col on Unsplash.com

Steam Punk Minister w/Bible by Nathan Bingle on Unsplash.com

Steps with child by Jukan Tateisi on Unsplash.com

Follow the Line on asphalt photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash.com

Woman in jeans with Bible by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.com

Continuing the story dig. After reading Parts 1 and 2 of this “beginning within a beginning” blog series, jump into this Part 3—walking the bridge from Genesis 1:1 to its (perhaps) surprising messianic connection.

This series is related to a spiritual call (started in the early 90s) for me to walk a bridge—from the Judaic camp reaching out to the Messianic/Christian camp and then vice versa—crisscrossing it, realizing and later sharing who and what the real bridge is. Walk with me to discover God’s revelations and passionate plan for our souls.

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

SUGGEST READING THIS FIRST: Beginnings within Beginnings [Part 1] and Beginnings within Beginnings [Part 2]

READING TIME: 4 MINUTES

From page one of the Bible, God is on the move. His love revealed. He speaks forth creation for the sake of His redemption story . . . for a humanity yet to be created.

A humanity who will rebel against His ways, refuse to surrender to Him, and recant their promises to Him.

And yet, His mercies endure forever. His righteous, holy love, the motivating factor in all that He does.

With a WORD, God created His story, this dimension, space, order, time, this beginning within a beginning. This beginning that is unfolding, contracting, stretching out and beginning again.

Rabbinic teaching says that the WORD God spoke did the actual creation. That same Jewish sentiment echoes throughout the pages of the New Testament where His story is further revealed.

We’ll flesh that out more, later in this post.

Because this WORD CAME FORTH, CAME UP FROM WITHIN ADONAI—manifested, begotten per the Hebrew in Psalm 2:7.

Meaning uniquely one with Adonai’s character, uniquely one one with His nature, uniquely one one with His being, uniquely one one with Him, performing both the creative process and the world’s REDEMPTIVE process.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;

he puts the deeps in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

—Psalm 33:6-9

By faith we understand that the universe was created

by the word of God,

so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

—Hebrews 11:3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him [the Word], and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.

—John 1:1-3

So who or what is this WORD that “came up from the Father”? And since creation is part and parcel of God’s redemption story, what part does this WORD play?

Let’s continue strolling both sides of the bridge to discover God’s mystery and riches in the WORD, in the one whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.

WALK WITH ME: AND HE SPOKE

Just so we’re clear. We’re not talking about some mere vocabulary word used in the creation process—or even some everyday Joe who was a decent guy who God used down here to do the redemption part of the work.

Uh-uh. We’re talking about God Himself bringing forth from within Himself—the essence of Himself manifested in the WORD.

Therefore, the WORD is and was and always will be one with the Father.

So much so, that when the WORD would later come forth from the Father and manifest down here in the flesh for the sake of humanity’s redemption, he’d be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9).

BACK IN THE LATE 90s/EARLY 2000s . . . I was still struggling at times to better understand the Father and Messiah (Jesus) relationship. Uniquely One, but yet . . .

So one day, I’d asked my friend’s Greek husband to give me the 4-1-1 on John 8:42—translating the scripture from the Greek since the original language of the New Testament was written in Koine Greek.

He said it read that Jesus “came up out of the Father” . . . and that it was similarly written in John 16.

Ah! The fog was clearing for me. That image changed so much for me.

It took time, but it began to unravel some of the mystery hidden within the WORD, the Messiah—one that interestingly mirrored rabbinic thinking about the WORD doing the creation.

It also furthered the understanding of God creating the world for the sake of redemption.

The Hebrew in Psalm 2 and in numerous Judaic messianic-related passages underscored the New Testament’s factual accounts of the WORD that dwelt among us.

The Messiah was with and in God eternally—had come up out of Him—was one with the Father yet distinct in person, and was brought forth by the Father from within God Himself for the sake of the world, for the sake of God’s redemption story.

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father,

you would love me,

for I came out from God and I am here.

I came not of my own accord, but he [God] sent me.”

—John 8:42

[Jesus said]: “For the Father Himself loves you,

because you have loved me

and have believed that I came out from God

and have come into the world,

and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

—John 16:27

Not only is Jesus the WORD that came out of the Father and was with Him in creation . . . but God’s glory was fully on the Messiah—before, then, and now.

IMPACT: HIS COMING FORTH

The dots are connecting. What was written came forth, evidenced in the Messiah, the one who is also called . . .

a great light—no end to his kingdom (Isaiah 9)

the son given—the Son of God (Isaiah 9, Psalm 2)

having righteousness as the belt of his waist—and faithfulness the belt of his loins (Isaiah 11)

the healer of the blind, the mute, the lame—and the one cleansing lepers, raising the dead, and preaching the good news of heaven (Isaiah 35, Isaiah 61:1-2, Matthew 11, Luke 4:16-19, Luke 7:20-23)

the promised King, Messiah—bringing salvation, righteousness, humbly riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9)

the reflection of the Father—the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:1-3, John 14:9)

the Word that became flesh—and dwelt among us (John 1)

Faithful and True, The Word of God, and be clothed in a robe dipped in blood symbolic of the redemption completed (Revelation 19:11b, 13)
 

I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you [brought forth, per Hebrew]*

—Psalm 2:7

*Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon’s meaning for “begotten”
 

Long ago, at many times and in many ways,

God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,

but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,

whom he appointed the heir of all things,

through whom also he created the world.

He is the radiance of the glory of God

and the exact imprint of his nature,

and he upholds the universe

by the WORD of his power.

—Hebrews 1:1-3

We’ll explore this more and other God-nuggets throughout this unfolding bridge series and witness how the narrative, promises, and fulfillment of both the Judaic and Messianic/Christian sides are mirrored. A wondrous plan of God.

READ THIS NEXT: God’s Story Threads: Trees, Serpent, Lies.

RESOURCES:

Sefaria.org
 

PHOTO CREDITS for this Beginnings series:

Clouds light by Marco Dallco on Unsplash.com

Steam Punk Minister with Bible by Nathan Bingle on Unsplash.com

Steps with child by Jukan Tateisi on Unsplash.com

Follow the Line on asphalt photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash.com

Woman in jeans with Bible by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.com

A quick Hebrew grammar note on Genesis 1:1, regarding Part 2’s Beginnings post.

The God’s Bridge series is related to a spiritual call (started in the early 90s) for me to walk a bridge—from the Judaic camp reaching out to the Messianic/Christian camp and then vice versa—crisscrossing it, realizing and later sharing who and what the real bridge is. Walk with me to discover God’s revelations and passionate plan for our souls.

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

READING TIME: 2 MINUTES.

In Part 2 of the Beginning Within Beginnings series, there’s a mention of Hebrew grammar related to Genesis 1:1. Here’s a quick 4-1-1 on that.

First: two brief, need-to-know points.

#1. The Tanakh—”Old Testament”—is written in Hebrew, a consonantal language, read right to left. Meaning that it’s written without vowels. Spoken with vowels, yes, of course. And initially learned using a vowelized version.

But early biblical writings had no vowels—and no word or paragraph spacings. So it’s ironic that the spiritual clues to this universe’s beginnings in Genesis 1 lie in the vowel usage.

Here’s how Genesis 1:1 looks without vowels:
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ

Here’s how Genesis 1:1 looks with vowels:
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ

#2. The Masoretes—scribes and scholars in the 7th century CE/AD—created a vowel marking system and a grammatical guide (with word/paragraph spacing and punctuation) using an oral tradition from a millennium earlier.

Their work culminated in what’s known as the Masoretic Text, which preserved the Hebrew Bible and became the authoritative text for rabbinic Judaism.

EXPLORING THE TRANSLATION

Discussions—heated or otherwise—span the ages regarding the Genesis 1:1 wording, which is often translated “In the beginning, God created.”

Is that correct—given the Hebraic grammar?

Depends who you ask. Some scholars and/or grammarians say no. Their translation: “In a beginning.”

That always wows me. On like a gazillion or so levels.

And as I mention in Beginnings Part 2 of the God’s Bridge series, it’s a view that’s been discussed many times over the years at Torah study tables.

But let’s look at the vowel in question—a sh’va, two vertical dots under the first letter, which is a bet.

Simply put, that vowel gives us the word b’reishit in a grammatical construct state. In other words, a construction that’s lacking something: a noun.

There are four other biblical occurrences of this voweled wording (b’reishit) that are in the same construction as Genesis 1:1—and all are translated with a preposition:

Genesis 10:10.The beginning of his kingdom

Proverbs 8:22.The beginning of His way

Jeremiah 2:3.The beginning of His increase

Jeremiah 26:1. In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim

And this . . . Deuteronomy 18:4. In the first fruit/beginning of your corn

In other words, the translation “In the beginning of” or “In a beginning of”demands a noun to follow—but in the conventional translation, we only have a verb (created). “In the beginning, God created.”

Based on biblical consistency (shown in the first four scriptures above), the construct in Genesis 1:1 would be translated with a preposition and a gerund (verb+ing, forming a noun) . . .

“In the beginning of God’s creating.”

Hop back to the God’s Story Threads series [Part 2] to see how all that just might create a stairway to some intriguing connections to your redemption.

RESOURCES:
Sefaria.org
 

PHOTO CREDITS for this grammar note:

team Punk Minister w/Bible by Nathan Bingle on Unsplash.com

God unfolds many beginnings with humanity since Genesis 1:1. And He’s not finished.

This side bar is related to the God’s Story Threads: Beginnings series

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

HIGHLY SUGGEST FIRST READING: Beginnings within Beginnings [Part 1] and its Part 2 followup.

READING TIME: 2 MINUTES.

Beginnings don’t necessarily mean an ending is around the corner. At least with God. He’s the true Creative who sets in motion a perpetual stream of beginnings.

Since God’s Genesis 1:1 opening that underscores His unfolding redemptive creation story, He’s been birthing new things all the time—and will continue beyond our era, beyond our world, per His sovereign desire.

Here are just a few of His “new beginnings” examples that birthed even more beginnings . . .

GOD CALLS FORTH ABRAM

He makes a covenant with him, changes Abram’s name to Abraham,

forms a people for Himself to carry His truth to the world. —Genesis 17

HE GIVES THE LAW

And He gave to Moses . . . two tablets of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. —Exodus 31:18

MUCH LATER, A FUTURE PROMISE

He’ll write the Law on our circumcised hearts. —Jeremiah 31:33/32

Says, “I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King . . . behold I’m doing a new thing.” —Isaiah 43:19

AND A MESSIANIC PROMISE

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD,

when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch

and he shall reign as king and deal wisely

and shall execute judgment and justice in the land.

In his days, Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely,

and this is his name that he shall be called,
The LORD is our righteousness. —Jeremiah 23:5

ANOTHER MESSIANIC PROMISE

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation,

humbled and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey. —Zechariah 9:9

FUTURE RESTORATION

I will give her vineyards

and make the Valley of Achor (trouble) a door of hope . . .

And in that day, declares the Lord,

you will call me ‘My Husband,’

and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal’ (owner/master) . . .

And I will betroth you to me forever.

I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice,

in steadfast love and in mercy.

I will betroth you to me in faithfulness.

And you shall know the Lord.

—Hosea 2:15-16, 19-20

THE RESURRECTION PROMISE

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth [the dead]

shall awake—some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting reproach and contempt.—Daniel 12:2

(Have you read John 5:28-29? The same promise is given.)

THE “END” OF THIS AGE—NEW BEGINNING, AGAIN

After the 1,000-year Messianic Age, God’s love story is far from over. He’ll create and unfold new things—birthing the coming new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem.

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth,

and the former things shall not be remembered

or come into mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever

in that which I create;

for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,

and her people to be a gladness.

—Isaiah 65:17-18
 

(Have you read Revelation 21? The same promise is given.)

Like a turnstile, 2021 marks a year of turning. That was the image the Lord impressed on me right after midnight on New Year’s Eve. Here are watchwords and scriptures for us to consider so we’re prepared and in sync with Him as this season, this hour, these last-day moments unfold.

“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what He will say to me.” —Habakkuk 2:1

© desireofmysoul.faith & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

READING WATCHWORD TIME: 2 MINUTES.

READING TIME FOR WATCHWORD’S SCRIPTURES: 4 MINUTES.

WATCHWORD GIVEN: January 1, 2021, 12:01 am through 2:59 am.

Pivotal. That was the key word God showed me—which came with an image shared in this post—when I went to prayer during my regularly scheduled New Year’s Eve midnight-rendezvous with Him. To hear what my Father in heaven and my Messiah Jesus (Yeshua, His Hebrew name) had to say about the coming year.

Judaically speaking, midnight is said to have a duality at play, a push-pull of one force (gevurah) with another force (chesed). Gevurah means strength—interestingly, the watchword God had given me for 2020. The word gevurah is often aligned with “justice,” another watchword He’d given me last year, three times on Rosh Hashanah 5781 (morning of September 19, 2020).

On the other hand, chesed is unmeasurable/abundant lovingkindness, referring to God’s unflinching faithfulness/devotion, as in His character traits listed in Exodus 34:6-7.

So midnight is the convergence of both forces, yet with one giving way to the other—chesed leading to the light of day where God’s mercies are fresh every morning. More on that intriguing gevurah-chesed subplot in a future post.

GRACE & ACCESS

As the gates opened in prayer, repentance and the hour we stand in weighed on my thoughts and soul. Then the year’s numbers—2021—loomed large (larger than my height) and moved toward me, nearly embracing me.

This year will be big, meaning in importance. In fact, He drove home that point by showing me the word IMPORTANT three times during that first hour of prayer.

Along with that, I saw the word FAITH with the word TRUST coming out of the word faith, yet hinged within it.

Then a windowed turnstile appeared, similar to a department store or library doorway.

The word PIVOTAL was large before me.

I understood pivotal to be critical.

A pivotal—important, critical—year.

I asked, “But pivoting to what, Lord?”

And He said, “To Me.”

My prayer is that believers won’t become complacent or swept into whatever delusions—slick, confusing, strong, or otherwise—that are coming, but that they will turn, pivot, toward the Lord. And may we co-labor with Him, doing the work in the harvest fields so others may turn, pivot, to Him and be saved.

WATCHWORD SCRIPTURE

I sensed Isaiah 26 being impressed on me and that I was to write it down. Below are excerpts, verses (Judaic numbering) that pricked my soul as I copied them into my journal.

I’ve also included an insightful quote from the preacher of preachers Charles Spurgeon about vs. 20. Plus other scripture given to me in prep for that midnight rendezvous are mentioned below—they underscore the hour we are in and how we are to move from here.

ISAIAH 26

[excerpts given, so please read/study the Isaiah chapter on your own]

(vs.1) We have a strong city—with walls and ramparts set by God for salvation, security. Open the gates so the righteous may enter, the one who remains faithful.

(vs. 3) The mind stayed on You, You’ll keep in perfect peace . . . peace, because he trusts in You.

(vs. 4) Trust in the Lord forever for the Lord is God, an everlasting Rock.

(vs. 5) He brought down those who dwell on high—the lofty city [the proud]—laying it low, even to the ground, even to the dust.

(vs. 7) The way of the just is straight, righteous, make plain the path of the just.

(vs. 8) In the way of Your judgments, Lord, we waited for You, for Your Name, even Your memory, is the desire of our soul.

(vs.9) With my soul have I desired You in the night—my spirit has sought You earnestly, for when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

(vs.10) The wicked person is shown compassion, but he doesn’t learn righteousness—he deals unjustly in the land of the upright and doesn’t perceive the majesty of the Lord.

(vs.13) O Lord, our God, other lords have ruled over us, but by You alone will we mention Your Name.

(vs.16-17) Adonai, in trouble, they’ve visited You; they poured out a prayer [when] Your chastening was upon them. Like a woman with child who draws near her delivery time and is in pain cries out in her pangs, so we have been in Your sight, O Adonai.

(vs.20-21) Come, my people, enter into your chambers, and shut your doors—hide for a little moment until the indignation crosses over [runs its course, passes], for behold, Adonai is about to come out of His place . . . to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.

COMMENTARY: CHARLES SPURGEON, vs. 20

The highly-regarded pastor-teacher from the 1800s said:
“Enter into the secret chambers of communion with your Lord
where you’ll be shut out from the world.
Enter the chambers of defense where God will guard you.
Enter the chambers of devotion where God shall meet you.”

WATCHWORD SCRIPTURES: PREP FOR MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS

[excerpts given, so please read these chapters/verses on your own: Joshua 1:7-8. Matthew chapters 6-10. Proverbs 18:10. Psalm 143:5-8, 10-12.]

JOSHUA 1:7-8

Be strong, very courageous . . . do and observe all the Torah that Moses my servant has commanded you. Don’t stray from right or left so that you succeed wherever you go.

MATTHEW 6-10

[key takeaway points listed, not the five chapters]

(a) when you pray—ask but spend time listening too . . . no need to babble on because your Father knows what you need before you ask. Glorify Him, humble yourself: “When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:6) and pray to Him “Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
 
(b) don’t worry or focus on stuff . . . let Him consume your soul so everything else is eclipsed—”Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided to you” (Matthew 6:33).
 
(c) watch how you treat others—“The way you judge, you will be judged and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2).
 
(d) as believers, we’re sheep among wolves—so so be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent (harmless) as doves (Matthew 10:16)—and trust that God will guide you—”don’t worry about what to say or how to say it; at that time, you will be given what to say . . . the Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you” (Matthew: 10-19=20).
 
(e) preach that the Word for the Lord is at hand—and confess Him among others: “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light and what you hear in the ear, proclaim on the housetops” (Matthew 10:27).
 
(f) we’ll be hated because of His Name—but we need to “endure until the end” (Matthew 10:22).

PROVERBS 18:10

The Name of the Lord is a strong tower—the righteous quickly runs into it and is safe [per the Hebrew, to be inaccessibly high, too high to be captured].

PSALM 143: 5-6, 7-8, 10-12

I remember the days of old,
reflecting on all your deeds,
thinking about the work of your hands.
I spread out my hands to you,
I long for you like a thirsty land. (Selah)

Answer me quickly, Adonai,
because my spirit is fainting.
Don’t hide your face from me,
or I’ll be like those who drop down into a pit.

Make me hear of your love in the morning,
because I rely on you.
Make me know the way I should walk,
because I entrust myself to you.

Teach me to do your will,
because you are my God;
Let your good Spirit guide me
on ground that is level.

For your name’s sake,, Adonai, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of distress.
In your grace, cut off my enemies;
destroy all those harassing me;
because I am your servant.

CREDITS: Lighthouse photo by Michael Krahn on Unsplash.com.

CREDITS: Turnstile photo by McGill Library on Unsplash.com.

A divine spark. A flash image. A scripture suspended before me. Impressed on me for this season, hour, moment that we’re in.

But this time it was a sound . . . my ears dialing into what was around me. Rousing me. Pricking my attention. Causing me to climb out of a sleepy, internal-driven existence—even for a few moments.

“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what He will say to me.” —Habakkuk 2:1

© desireofmysoul.faith & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

READING TIME: 3 MINUTES.

WATCHWORD GIVEN: DECEMBER 6, 2020

Listening. That was the point of the walk I took around my housing community. I didn’t know that when I headed out. It started out like any other walk. A break in my day. A short time to shake off things . . . but too often these days, to walk around in my thoughts.

And then at some point, a sound happened. It was . . .

Like when you’re on a walk alone, lost in thought,
then hear a tinkling something.
A hint of a noise that softly awakens.
A cool breeze that you hadn’t noticed before encircles you, sweeping by,
closer, then upward to a neighbor’s balcony
where it gently nudges an unobtrusive wind chime.
It rings, bashfully.
Airy, shiny, merry like silvery tinsel dangling on the limb of a holiday tree.
Then you stop and look and listen.
Aware for the first time—probably in a long time—of the sounds around you.
The swish of a bird’s feathers.
A car door subtly closing.
Hurried footsteps across the street.
Murmuring voices drifting from a backyard.
Your soul smiles, quiets, and releases.

THE STILLED—YET ENGAGED—SOUL

So just how much have I been missing, despite my seeking Him, keeping in His Word, and listening to biblical teaching? The LORD is recalibrating my hearing. Fine-tuning the frequency. Rousing me from a sleep-awake dimension. What about you?

There are levels of awareness. In the natural world and the spiritual. Too often we may think we’re aware when really we’re not fully aware (hearing, engaged) at all.

Think of how little aware you probably are when doing the rote things of life—making the bed, getting a shower, turning off the lights before heading out the door. How many times have you later wondered if you really did unplug that hair dryer before you left the house or closed the garage door?

Stopping . . . waiting . . . stilling our souls. That’s what’s needed. Even for a moment to realign, regroup, hear what might have otherwise been missed.

Just like that tinkling wind chime that alerted me to other sounds and woke me from my daily drudge thinking. The sound was in the natural—but with a spiritual lesson . . .

We can distance our souls from the outer chaos and demands and be quieted within while striving through the natural in Him.

Awake in Him.

Awake in His Word.

Awake in His Holy Spirit.

Awake in our Messiah, Jesus (Yeshua, His Hebrew name).

THE STORM MAY BE AROUND US, BUT HE IS IN US, WITH US.

The issue then is spiritual—especially in this hour that we’re in.
It’s critical that we stay aware and alert in the spirit.
Tune into God, take every thought captive. Keep awake in Him.
So our ears aren’t dulled even in the mundane moments of life.

Consider these scriptures . . .
 

Matthew 13:16, Jesus says . . .

But blessed are your eyes,

because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

Matthew 7:24, Jesus says . . .

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine

and puts them into practice

is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

James 1:19 says . . .

This you know, my beloved brethren.

But everyone must be quick to hear,

slow to speak and slow to anger.

Isaiah 28:23 says . . .

Give ear and hear my voice,

Listen and hear my words.

May the Lord anoint your soul’s ears, fine-tuning them to His frequency so that you’re not caught unaware or distracted or derailed in this hour.

CREDITS: Lighthouse with lightning photo by Michael Krahn on Unsplash.com

A divine spark. A flash image. A scripture suspended before me. This series shares soul-to-soul watchwords that I believe the Lord has impressed on me for this season, hour, moment that we’re in.

This time He marked the season with a scripture (several subsequently) . . . it’s a definite wake-up call.

“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what He will say to me.” —Habakkuk 2:1
 

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

READING TIME: 3 to 4 MINUTES.

WATCHWORD GIVEN: NOVEMBER 10, 2020

T his time the watchword was 2 Timothy 3. It hung, suspended in the air over my prayer chair when I awoke that morning. It loomed large.

We’re aware of the times—particularly that scripture—but when God does a mini billboard in your room, it’s a heads-up. It cements things. We. Are. In. Those. Days. It’s not a matter of “application” . . . it’s real and it’s now..

Prior to this, I’d been reading Isaiah, followed by Jeremiah, some Ezekiel, Hosea, then Ezekiel again. After revisiting 2 Timothy 3, I felt prompted to go back over Hosea for a comparison of the two.

But unintentionally I had started to read Titus 3 and found that it plays into the Hosea/2 Timothy 3 comparison as well. And with that, I soon realized that Ezekiel 22 and Jeremiah 22 also mirrored the “reminding” wording of Titus 3.

So let’s do some unpacking to hear from the Lord.

First, keep in mind that Hosea’s audience was the Northern Kingdom prior to its Assyrian captivity. His prophecies were fulfilled within 30 years of their delivery. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah warned the Southern Kingdom (Judah) before their descent into Babylonian captivity.

Paul’s letter to Timothy refers to the days—the season—that would unfold immediately before the return of Jesus and the consummation of all things. Eerily, the three prophets of Israel/Judah along with Paul’s clarion call were voices crying out to a people whose sins and soul condition mirrored today’s world.

HOSEA & 2 TIMOTHY 3 & EZEKIEL 22

Critical words/images from Hosea (chapters 1-12) that relate to our times, to the current soul condition of humanity:

1. walking in spiritual adultery
2. having a faithlessness—a spirit of prostitution leads Israel away
3. demonstrating no love or acknowledgment of God—only cursing
4. lying, committing murder, stealing, adultery
5. breaking all bounds
6. spilling bloodshed that follows bloodshed—and stumbling day and night
7. ignoring the Law of God—exchanging their glory for something disgraceful
8. having an arrogance testifies against them
9. their sins are exposed, crimes revealed—deceit, thievery, robbery
10. acting senseless
11. speaking lies against God
12. following their deceitful hearts

 
The call: return to God, maintain love and His justice.

2 Timothy 3—its key descriptions of the last days’ mentality. They’ll sound quite familiar, in line with Hosea’s calling-out:

1. lovers of self
2. loving money
3. boastful, proud, abusive
4. disobedient and ungrateful
5. unholy, without love, unforgiving
6. slanderous
7. no self-control
8. brutal
9. not lovers of God
10. having a form of godliness but denying its power

 
The call: continue in what you’ve learned about God, love, patience, perseverance, and the sacred writings because “all Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.”

Ezekiel 22 echoes both Hosea and 2 Timothy 3 loud and clear:

 
1. shedding blood
2. idolatry
3. oppressing strangers, orphans, widows
4. despising God’s holy things, profaning Shabbat (His Law)
5. slanderers
6. sexual uncleanness
7. steeped in bribery, taking interest
8. conspiracy among prophets, tearing prey
9. making no distinction between the holy and the common
10. oppressed the stranger without justice
 
The call: Hear, pay attention, for the time is coming when the Lord will deal with these indignations.

GOD WANTS: TITUS 3 & JEREMIAH 22

Titus 3 says to remember this:

1. be obedient—ready to do what’s good
2. slander no one
3. be peaceable, considerate
4. show true humility toward all humanity

Jeremiah 22 shows us what it means to know God:

1. do justice and righteousness
2. save those robbed by their oppressor
3. don’t mistreat others or do violence to the stranger, orphan, widow
4. don’t shed innocent blood

BROKEN SOULS: WALK THE RESTORATION

Humanity is fractured. You. Me. And everyone else. God made a way to repair that broken relationship with Him and with one another.

Here’s the 4-1-1 series on how your soul can be restored: God’s Roadmap to Heaven:The Broken Bridge, followed by the Roadmap to Heaven: The ABCS of Salvation Also, the third part of that short series is a Grow in the Lord resource, recommendations for solid biblical teaching/radio, etc.

CREDITS: Lighthouse with lightning photo by Michael Krahn on Unsplash.com

A divine spark. A flash image. A scripture suspended before me. This series shares soul-to-soul watchwords that I believe the Lord has impressed on me for this season, hour, moment that we’re in.
 

When chaos rises like a whirlwind . . . God’s Word reminds us where to stand and who we are: His living stones, voices crying in a spiritual wilderness.

“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what He will say to me.” —Habakkuk 2:1

© desireofmysoul.faith & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

READING TIME: 3 MINUTES.

WATCHWORD GIVEN: JULY 2020, THEN AGAIN LATTER PART OF OCTOBER 2020

Living stones. That’s who we are in God’s hands. Alive in Him, called to speak His words, walk in His ways, for His glory.

It’s not easy in a world at odds with Him. And as these end times accelerate, there are spiritual minefields everywhere. I believe that’s why the LORD gave me this scripture back in July 2020 . . .

Truth is nowhere to be found. Whoever turns from evil becomes a target (prey). The LORD looked and saw no justice and was displeased. —Isaiah 59:15

If we stand in and with God, there will be repercussions from the world around us.

That reminded me of a scripture (Isaiah passage below) He’d given me early last year (2019) or before, when I was tweaking Combat Zone: Rules of Engagement.

Don’t fear (be shaken, swept into conspiracies) what people fear (call conspiracies)
nor give strength to it
or be awed (shaken terribly, oppressed) by what awes them.
Let G-d be the object of your awe (trembling holy fear) . . .
consecrate Him.
He alone is to be your sanctuary.
—Isaiah 8:12-14

What does that look like in 2021—and how does that dovetail into being His living stones? It goes like this . . .

Remember that the LORD is the stability of our times (Isaiah 33:5-6). Not the world or mainstream media or your checkbook. G-d and Him alone is your rock-solid foundation.

Therefore, per I Samuel 12: 7, 16 & 21 . . . hold still, stand and see what He will do, don’t turn aside.

Pause in the stillness of His presence, humbled.

When it’s time to move, move in His stillness—not the world’s energy, chaos, freneticism, reckless meandering, cacophony.

Don’t turn from His ways, voice, leading

LIVE THIS SCRIPTURE: 1 PETER 2:1-5

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, of all deceit, hypocrisy and envy,
and of all the ways there are of speaking against people;
and be like newborn babies, thirsty for the pure milk of the Word;
so that by it, you may grow up into deliverance.
For you have tasted that Adonai is good.
As you come to him, the living stone,
rejected by people but chosen by God and precious to him,
you yourselves, as living stones,
are being built into a spiritual house to be high priests set apart for God
to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to him through Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah.

OUR DESIRE, OUR PRAYER

Make us a voice crying out in the wilderness, to those surrounding us, those lost in the enemy’s darkness.

Make us carriers of Your presence, ignited with the flame of your heart.

Your Name is our Strength. Your Name is the very breath of our souls.

Help us stand in You and become a unified army, marching shoulder-to-shoulder, focused on You, working as one, followers of our Messiah, Jesus (Yeshua) to the glory of G-d the Father.

CREDITS: Lighthouse with lightning photo by Michael Krahn on Unsplash.com