“Deborah’s Drash”
“Sitting at the feet of
Yeshua”
Today’s Date:
March 12
A Study in
Messianic Jews/Hebrews 11 –The Faith Chapter
Click
below for Blank Devotional Journal to use with your Studies
Click
Here For Current Torah Reading Schedule
Additional Readings:
Pekudei “Accounts”
Torahs
Reading Parasha 23:
Exodus/Sh’mot 38:21-40:38
Haftarah 1 Kings 7:51-8:21
Br’it
Hadasha Revelation
14:5-8
Daily Bible Reading
Schedule:
Tenach/Old Testament
Reading:
Tehillim/Psalms
Reading:
Mishlei/Proverbs
Reading:
Brit Hadasha/New
Covenant:
Hebrew Daily
Word/Phrases:
Yatziv Patgam ‘True is The
Word”
Meditation
Verse
1 Peter
1:3-5 Amplified Translation
3 Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have
been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead,
4 [Born anew] into an inheritance which is
beyond the reach of change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and
unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
5
Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith
[till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for
you] in the last time.[2]
Quote Of The Day:
Avi Ben
Mordachi “Messiah Understanding His Life and Teachings in Hebraic Context”
“Today, “faith
in Jesus” is understood as an expression of spiritual zeal-and affected or
exaggerated earnestness to trust that G-d will do something that either you
want Him to do or He said He will do.
Although this kind of trust plays an important role in our lives, what
is lacking in Christian teaching is also the deeper truth behind the Hebraic
concept of faith: FAITHFULNESS in keeping the commandments of G-d.”
Deborah’s Drash Commentary:
Faith in Hebraic Context as taught by Yeshua
(Mat 6:30 KJV) Wherefore,
if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast
into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
How much more. This phrase signals a form of argument
known in rabbinic literature as kal v<chomer (“light and heavy”),
corresponding to what philosophers call a fortiori reasoning: If A is
true, then, a fortiori (Latin, “with [even] greater strength”), B must
also be true. The English phrase, “how much more,” equivalent to Hebrew kol
sh<khen, expresses this sense and force. Explicit kal v<chomer
arguments appear in the New Testament twenty-one times, the others being at
7:11, 10:25, 12:12; Lk 11:13; 12:24, 28; Ro 5:9, 10, 15, 17; 11:12, 24; 1C
12:22; 2C 3:9, 11; Pp 2:12; Pm 16; MJ 9:14, 10:29, 12:25. [3]
(Mat 8:10 KJV) When Jesus
heard it, he marveled, and said to them
that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not
in Israel.
The point of this story is not exclusion
but inclusion: here Yeshua states clearly that Gentiles from all over (from
the east and from the west), even an army officer of the hated Roman
conquerors, can, by virtue of trusting in God (v. 10), join (not replace) God’s
people Israel and take their places at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven
with Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya‘akov (v. 11). [4]
(Mat 8:26 KJV) And he
saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and
rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Yeshua expects our Faith/Trust to be big enough that even when the
storms come, we need not fear for He greater than any storm we can ever come up
against. We are to trust in His
faithfulness to protect us in the storms of life.
(Mat 9:2 KJV) And,
behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus
seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy
sins be forgiven thee.
Yeshua saw their faith? How do you see faith? By actions, their actions showed Yeshua that
they believed He could heal and deliver their friend.
(Mat 9:22 KJV) But Jesus
turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort;
thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
This faithful daughter of Zion put her faith into action by taking hold of the
Hem of His Garment, she took hold of her healing and received according to her
faith.
(Mat 9:29 KJV) Then
touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
Nothing is impossible – it is according
to our faith that we get results and our faithfulness to His Torah/Word.
(Mat 14:31 KJV) And
immediately Jesus stretched forth his
hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore
didst thou doubt?
Peter was walking on the water until he
took His eyes off the Word on onto the circumstances around him. We are not to look at the winds blowing
about us, or the waves coming upon us, we are to look to the one who commands
the winds and calms the seas and says Shalom/Peace be still!
(Mat 15:28 KJV) Then Jesus
answered and said unto her, O woman, great is
thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole
from that very hour.
I want Yeshua to say those words to me
also “Daughter great is thy faithfulness” when I stand before Him and bow and
worship at His feet. Our walk is to be
a walk of Faithfulness to His Torah/Word on a daily basis, this is the kind of faith that brings
wholeness and deliverance in our lives.
(Mat 16:8 KJV) Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O
ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no
bread?
Reasoning is the enemy of faith. Reasoning says “What are we going to
do?” Faith says, “God will provide”
(Mat 17:20 KJV) And Jesus
said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have
faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence
to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
It only takes a Mustard Seed of Faith to
move a mountain. Just as a tiny Mustard Seed grows into a great tree,
so does your faith, it may start out small but it will become great and mighty
the more hear the word and do the word
(Mat 21:21 KJV) Jesus
answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt
not, ye shall not only do this which is done
to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed,
and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Yeshua says Have Faith and doubt not
– Faith in His Word- Not Doubt- Faith
causes you to Walk, Doubt paralyses your walk.
(Mar
11:22 KJV) And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. .
23 “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken
up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that
what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.
24 “Therefore I say
to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received
them, and they will be granted you.[5]
Even out of season a fig tree in
leaf—it must have been in leaf to be seen in the distance (v.
12)—holds forth the promise of fruit. The normal early season for figs in
Israel is June, but the early unripe fruit (Song of Songs 2:13) begins to show
itself even before the spring leaves appear on the branches, often before
Passover.
We know that Yeshua expects God’s
people to put forth the fruit of righteousness, and that unproductive branches
are thrown in the fire (Mt 7:16–20; 12:33; 13:4–9, 18–23; Yn 15:1–8). Thus the
drying-up of the fig tree is an acted-out warning. In keeping with Proverbs
27:18 (“He who tends a fig tree will eat his fruit, and he who serves his
master will be honored”) Yeshua here is teaching his followers what it means to
serve their master, God: it means simply to have the kind of trust that
comes from God (v. 22), and that they will wither away if they don’t.
Yeshua neither acts from pique nor performs arbitrary miracles like a magician;
every one of his supernatural acts has spiritual significance. [6]
We are to “Have Faith/Trust in G-d” that says it ALL
From Messiah Vol 1, p 100[7]
In Jewish biblical and rabbinic
literature, the concept behind faith is always action; it never stands on its
own as a mental exercise. Faith comes
from the Hebrew term “emunah” which means, firmness, fidelity and
steadiness. In Hebraic thinking, the
very heart of faith is faithfulness which is linked to the Hebrew root “emet”
meaning truth. Faith and truth are two
halves of a whole concept. Faith is best
described as trusting faithfulness in G-d which in turn leads to practicing the
truth of the Torah. Scripturally, if we
have faith in G-d then we will also
have trusting faithfulness in Him and live faithfully by His truth-the
Torah. Here is a sampling of passages
from our Tanakh dictionary on the Hebrew word emunah which means trust,
faithfulness, faith and trusting faithfulness:
Deuteronomy 32:20
20“Then
He said, ‘I will hide My face from them,
I will
see what their end shall be;
For
they are a perverse generation,
Sons
in whom is no faithfulness.[8]
Proverbs/Mishle 20:6
30
Many a
man proclaims his own loyalty,
But who can find a trustworthy man?[9]
Jeremiah/Uirmeyahu 7:25-28
30
“Since the
day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent
you all My servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them.
30
“Yet
they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck; they
did more evil than their fathers.
30
“You
shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; and you
shall call to them, but they will not answer you.
30
“You
shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept correction;
truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.[10]
2 Chronicles 20:20
0
They
rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when
they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and
inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the Lord
your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and
succeed.”[11]
Isaiah 7:9
…. If you will not believe,(Hebrew;
have faith) you surely shall not last.” ’ ”[12]
G-d defines “faith” in the context of
faithfulness, but again faithfulness to what?
In the passages quoted above, it starts with trust in G-d and ends in
keeping His commandments (mitzvoth); the context in each verse bears this out
as we learn from David in;
Mizmor/Psalms 119:29-30:
30
Remove
the false way from me,
And
graciously grant me Your law.
30
I have
chosen the faithful way;
I have placed Your ordinances before
me[13]
So Faith is “Hearing The Word” and
“Doing the Word” – Faith takes Action.
This concept of “Hearing and Doing” is
Jewish to the core. It is called the
shema (she’ma), meaning in Hebrew “hear” with your heart, and is based on
D’varim/Deuteronomy 6:1-10.
When Yeshua speaks of faith He is
speaking of faithfulness to the Torah/Word of G-d which is followed by action
as the verses show above.
We are called to a lifestyle of
continued faithfulness to G-d and His Torah/Word.
In context Hebrews 11 as a whole deals
with the faithful actions of men and woman throughout Jewish History as they
looked forward to the coming of Messiah.
We know this from Hebrews 11:1,13 and 39-40. These men and woman of “faith” oftentimes clashed with the people
of their own generations. These heroes
desire to trust G-d resulted in a desire to obey His commandments, decrees and
promises, with the knowledge that they would receive their reward for
faithfulness in the future.
Habakuk 2:4
Behold, as for the proud one, his soul
is not right within him, but the righteous will live by his faith
(faithfulness).
According to Habakuk, the righteous
will live not only by faith or trust in G-d, but also by faithfulness.
Ya’acov/James 1:22-25
22 But be doers of the Word [obey the message],
and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning
contrary to the Truth].
23 For if anyone only listens to the Word
without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks
carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror;
24 For he thoughtfully observes himself, and
then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like.
25
But he
who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is
faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless
listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his
doing (his life of obedience).[14]
Faith is connected to DOING and DOING is linked to the Shma which means LISTEN and thus OBEY
Bonus: Prayers of The Bible – Prayers From The Life
of Yeshua
Torah Nuggets:[i]
Click
link for
Torah Portion Teaching:
Messianic
Israel Ministries Torah Study
Halacha – The Way One Walks or Goes- Derived from
the Hebrew word “Halakh” which means “To Walk”. The Way to follow the Torah/Word of God.
In this weeks Torah Portion, what is God
saying to me today about my walk with Him?
How can I apply this Torah Portion with
my walk with Yeshua this week?
Bible Study Nuggets From Daily Bible Reading:
Golden Nuggets From Gods Word: (Write
the Revelations and Insights you have received from Him today)
Word from the Lord (Write out verse,
quote or anything that was spoken to you by the Ruach HaKodesh/The Holy Spirit.
Today I will….
(write down how you will apply what the Lord has spoken to your heart through
His Holy Word to your daily walk with Him in your Journal.)
Worship Time - Psalm
100:4 “I will adore you Adonai” Put in your favorite Worship CD or Tape and Praise
Adonai-See Amidah #1-4 Below and Shema
Waiting Time - Psalm
62:5 – I will wait in Your presence and surrender my thoughts to you! Clear
your mind of the clutter and focus on Ha Shem.
See below for Personal Word Confessions to build up your Faith and Spirit
and to plant the Word in Your Heart
Intercession Time –Ezekial
22:30-31 I will stand in the Gap for
the world and for others as Yeshua is doing for us as our High Priest at the
right hand of The Father
31 Day Cycle of Prayer for the World…(Use a
World Atlas to help you pray for the World)
Today’s Countries to Pray for are:
Click Here For Map of World and Countries
*Daily Prayer Reminders: See
Amidah #11-12, 14-17 Below
1 Timothy 2:1 1 First
of all, then, I counsel that petitions, prayers, intercessions and
thanksgivings be made for all human beings, 2 Including kings and all
in positions of prominence; so that we may lead quiet and peaceful lives, being
godly and upright in everything. 3 This is what God, our deliverer,
regards as good; this is what meets his approval.[15]
President,
Government Leaders, Family, Friends, Church, Ministers, Spouse, Children,
Ministries, Schools, Salvation, Missions, World Revival – See 40 Day Prayer
Focus Below
Petition Time – My Abba
Father hears me when I pray and answers when I pray in faith/trust and
according to His Word. Write down personal petitions for today. See Amidah #7-8 Below
Watching
Time – Colossians 4:2a – I will
keep watch in the spirit and be alert to what & who I need to pray
for. See
Amdiah #13
Prayer Alert: Today Adonai
has specifically laid these people upon my heart to pray for: Write it down in
your Prayer Journal
Listening Time: Psalm
85:8 Write down what Ruach HaKodesh/The Holy Spirit has revealed to you today
in Prayer.
Praise, Waiting, Confession, Singing,
Watching, Intercession, Petition, Thanksgiving, Devotions, Meditation,
Listening and Praise
Suggested Prayer
Books: Prayer’s That Avail Much Volumes
1,2 and 3 by Germain Copeland[ii] and The Artscroll Seder Series[iii].
Click on
the Links for Daily Prayer and Bible Study helps
Torah/Bible
Study Helps
Lots and Lots of Study Helps, Concordances,
Commentaries, Various Translations Etc.
First
Century Judaism/Christianity
Eddie Chumney’s Hebrew Roots Website
The Sabbath and
Biblical Festivals
Learn about the Sabbath and Feasts of YHWH
Eddie Chumney’s Hebrew Roots Website
Learn about the Tabernacle
Eddie Chumney’s Hebrew Roots Website
Recommended Reading For Further Study
Messiah Volume 1, 2 and 3 Avi Ben Mordachi
http://www.millennium7000.com/
Restoring the Two Houses of Israel- Eddie Chumney
The Feasts of Messiah – Eddie Chumney
Who is The Bride of Christ-Eddie Chumney
Who is Israel – Angus and Batya Wooten
Restoring Israels Kingdom – Angus and Batya Wooten
First Fruits of Zion – Torah Club Volume 1,2,3, 4
and 5
Prayer Helps
Shemoneh
Esreh-Amidah and Ha Adonai Tefillah/The Lords Prayer
Traditional
Jewish Prayers and Blessings
(Jewish
Website by D’vorah, Click here for more insights into Jewish Prayer)
(Daily
Petitions to Yahweh)
(to
build up your faith)
Who I am In Messiah
Scriptures
(What
Yeshua did for you)
Click Here
to Return to Index Page
Lots more to See and Read !
Baruch HaShem Adonai –
Shalom B’Shem Yeshua Ha Mashiach
Deborah
All Rights Reserved ã2003-2004/5764-5765 Deborah’s Messianic
Ministries/Debra E. Brandt
[1] An excellent Torah Devotional is the Walk Series, Walk Genesis, Walk Exodus, Walk Leviticus, Walk Number, Walk Deuteronomy , by Jeffery Enoch Feinberg, PHD by Lederer Books, a division of Messianic Jewish Publishers. Easy to read, with Hebrew nuggets, and illustrations. Also FFOZ Torah Club is a more detailed study, and worth enrolling for.
[2]The Amplified New Testament, (La Habra CA: The Lockman
Foundation) 1999.
[3]The Jewish New Testament
Commentary,
(Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications) 1996.
[4]The Jewish New Testament
Commentary,
(Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications) 1996.
[5]The New American Standard
Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
[6]The Jewish New Testament
Commentary,
(Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications) 1996.
[7] Messiah”Understanding His Life and Teachings in Hebraic Context Avi Ben Mordachi
[8]The New American Standard
Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
[9]The New American Standard
Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
[10]The New American Standard
Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
[11]The New American Standard
Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
[12]The New American Standard
Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
[13]The New American Standard
Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
[14]The Amplified New Testament, (La Habra CA: The Lockman
Foundation) 1999.
[15]The Jewish New Testament, (Clarksville, MD: Jewish
New Testament Publications) 1996.
[i] An excellent Messianic Jewish Devotional called The Walk Series, Walk Genesis, Walk Exodus, Walk Leviticus, Walk Numbers and Walk Deuteronomy by Jeffery Enoch Feinburg, PhD. Published by Lederer Books Messianic Jewish Publishers is a wonderful Daily Devotional to use for studying Torah, along with FFOZ Torah Club which is more detailed. Both will give you additional insights into Torah.
[ii] This book is filled with Scripture Prayers to help you pray the Word – Harrison House Publishers, Germaine Copeland –Available in any Christian Book Store
[iii] You can order The Art Scroll Seder Series through Amazon. Com or First Fruits of Zion