Celebrate the Ten Commandments

The Feast of Shavuot is celebrated after eagerly counting 49 days from the second day of Passover. So, it has been seven weeks since Passover, and we commemorate the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai beginning the 50th day. Remember 50th day.

“On the 6th Sivan of the year 2448 from creation (1313 BCE), seven weeks after the Exodus, G-d revealed Himself on Mount Sinai. The entire people of Israel (600,000 heads of households and their families), as well as the souls of all future generations of Jews, heard G-d declare the first two of the Ten Commandmentsand witnessed G-d’s communication of the other eight through Moses. Following the revelation, Moses ascended the mountain for 40 days, to receive the remainder of the Torah from G-d.” —Chabad.org (click here)

And God spoke all these words, saying,
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“You shall not steal.
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
—Exodus 20:1-11

The Christian Church celebrates this Feast as Pentecost, and marks its dates beginning with its Easter celebration counting forward fifty days.

“Pentecost, i. e., “fiftieth”, found only in the New Testament (Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Cor. 16:8). The festival so named is first spoken of in Ex. 23:16 as “the feast of harvest,” and again in Ex. 34:22 as “the day of the firstfruits” (Num. 28:26). From the sixteenth of the month of Nisan (the second day of the Passover), seven complete weeks, i. e., forty- nine days, were to be reckoned, and this feast was held on the fiftieth day. The manner in which it was to be kept is described in Lev. 23:15- 19; Num. 28:27- 29. Besides the sacrifices prescribed for the occasion, every one was to bring to the Lord his “tribute of a free- will offering” (Deut. 16:9- 11). The purpose of this feast was to commemorate the completion of the grain harvest. Its distinguishing feature was the offering of “two leavened loaves” made from the new corn of the completed harvest, which, with two lambs, were waved before the Lord as a thank offering.

“The day of Pentecost is noted in the Christian Church as the day on which the Spirit descended upon the apostles, and on which, under Peter’s preaching, so many thousands were converted in Jerusalem (Acts 2).” — Easton’s Bible Dictionary.

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. — Acts 2:1-4

The Feast of Shavuot and Pentecost are one in the same. When G-d gave the Torah to His people on Mount Sinai, it foreshadowed the Giving of His Spirit in the Upper Room in Jerusalem about 1330 years later. On Mount Sinai, the Law was given to G-d’s Chosen. In Jerusalem, the Law was placed within G-d’s chosen. It has often struck me that we can cry out to our Father in Heaven, saying something like “Just tell me what You want me to do!” and walk away unable to do it. We need more. G-d knew it from the beginning, but He, in His wisdom, allowed us to discover our need. So now, G-d invests Himself in us, that we may live out His commandment, His Laws. G-d writes His Torah on our hearts.

Purim

Here’s some history on the celebration of Purim, which is today.

The Persian empire of the 4th century BCE extended over 127 lands, and all the Jews were its subjects. When King Ahasuerushad his wife, Queen Vashti, executed for failing to follow his orders, he orchestrated a beauty pageant to find a new queen. A Jewish girl, Esther, found favor in his eyes and became the new queen—though she refused to divulge the identity of her nationality.

Meanwhile, the antisemitic Haman was appointed prime minister of the empire. Mordechai, the leader of the Jews (and Esther’s cousin), defied the king’s orders and refused to bow to Haman. Haman was incensed, and convinced the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews on the 13th of Adar—a date chosen by a lottery Haman made (hence the name Purim, “lots”).

Mordechai galvanized all the Jews, convincing them to repent, fast and pray to G‑d. Meanwhile, Esther asked the king and Haman to join her for a feast. At the feast, Esther revealed to the king her Jewish identity. Haman was hanged, Mordechai was appointed prime minister in his stead, and a new decree was issued granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemies.

On the 13th of Adar the Jews mobilized and killed many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar they rested and celebrated.

(from Chabad.org

Train ’til its right. . .

I’ve heard it said that some train until they get it right, while others train until they get it wrong. What’s that mean? Well. . .

Quite a while ago, while bumming around India, I was blessed to contract a persistent stomach bacteria, which came and went in varying degrees of severity for a number of months. I was just a day ahead of the monsoon rains, which made my travels especially hot and humid, with little relief. Despite this I was given the grace to take it all in stride.

On one particular adventure/trial, I travelled in last class on a train with two Brits and two Sweds. We ran into each other while trying to find a few feet of space in a crowded train car. One of them gained access to the overhead baggage shelf that was empty, and we all clamored up to join him. There we rode for twenty-three hours and twenty-three minutes. At the time, I hadn’t known where I was to go, only that I was to be on that train. I’m not sure which pair of guys, the Brits or the Sweds, was headed to Kashmir, but we all thought that a good place to visit. We deboarded the train and hopped a bus north into the mountains of Kashmiri. As the bus arrived, local rental agents boarded suggesting houseboats to stay on. I, along with the Brits and Sweds and a Jordanian man, teamed up to rent a houseboat from one of the rental agents. We deboarded the bus and were led across a path to the lake and a large houseboat.

"Dal LakeVR2" by Basharat Shah - Flickr: Dal Lake. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dal_LakeVR2.jpg#/media/File:Dal_LakeVR2.jpg — “Dal Lake” by Basharat Shah

Everything was perfect. Well, sort of. The picture-perfect houseboat turned out to be moored by a sewerage outlet from the town. But it only stunk during the day. While the rental included three meals a day, my stomach issues returned with a vengeance, and I could barely eat. But atop the houseboat in the cool of the evenings we all sat around and talked. Despite everything, I was apparently successful at displaying my faith in Messiah Y’shuaJesus, and they saw and leaned something that was meant for them. At the end of our weeks aboard the houseboat, we all went different ways. I hopped the bus south, connecting to a train bound for New Delhi. As always, the train was packed. I found a foot of space in which to place my backpack and kneeled over it and slept all the way to Delhi. The training of these trials was going well. I seemed to be getting it right this time. That seemed to be the point of the trails, to get through them all and to do so while getting it right.

As the train pulled into the station in New Delhi, my stomach was acting up again, and I need to find a loo, as the Brits call it. I managed to stand up. But try as I might I just couldn’t make any headway to the door, as crowds of people tried to push their way into the already packed train car. Al of a sudden I stood to my full six-feet-five-inches and roared. I must have looked to the Indians as a giant bear about to attack. They pulled themselves out of my way. And. . . I’ll not soon forget the old man that was just steeping up onto the car as I barreled through the doorway. His hat fell from his head onto the step. I nearly ran him down. I nearly crushed his hat beneath my feet. I don’t know, but think I did at least retrieve his hat for him. As I walked down the platform, I felt horrible. I’d been doing so well. I’d been getting it so right. My trials took me to that point of success and beyond, until I broke. I found myself realizing exactly what I was capable of. I had it in me to be the worst of the worst. I was overwhelmed. At the same time, I realized that I liked myself. I Liked Myself. I’d trained to get it right, but went beyond and got it wrong. To The Point That I Broke Me. Now I could see myself as G-d sees me, saved through the salvation of Messiah Y’shuaJesus. He and only He experienced a life on Earth getting it totally right, without sin. He died that I might live. I’d known that. But as I walked the platform in search for a loo, I Knew It. And I knew it in a much more pure way.

Train beyond getting it right; train until we get it wrong. Then understand our condition on Earth and the Salvation from G-d.

Christmas Eve in Georgia. . .

. . . crashing on the couch, listening to music, candles flicker on the mantle. And I’m thinking how just two weeks ago it was cold enough to light a fire to keep the chill off. But this evening it’s sultry, warm, sticky. It’s more like middle Florida.

It’s Christmas Eve. It’s time to think of family. It’s time to think of friends. It’s time to thank the L-rd for the Birth of Messiah Lord Y’shuaJesus.

It’s time to light my lantern, too. It’s a tradition. It began with my grandfather’s miner’s lantern, which my Mother brought with her from Wales. My parents bought their sons lanterns like her father’s, and we all light our lanterns on Christmas Eve. We are connected in this way. Tradition!

May G-d Bless your Christmas celebration.

Another View of Jesus

In his blog In a Mirror Dimly: An Imperfect, Sarcastic Perspective on Following Jesus, Ed Cyzewski began a post saying: “With all of our talk about gender roles and the place of men in society and the church, I think we tend to overlook Jesus.” He suggests some areas we overlook when considering Y’shuaJesus: “Jesus Was Homeless; Jesus did not provide financially; Jesus was single; Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.” Take a look at what he says about each area here.

Mr. Cyzewski goes on to ask, “Should we imitate Jesus’ version of manhood?” He says “the complexity of the biblical story that presents us with a series of paintings that illustrate what it looks like to be followers of God in a particular time and place rather than nailing down a specific way to meet with God at all times and all places.” So perhaps you and I can follow Y’shuaJesus while having a house, a job, a wife, a few kids, and not have to wash the feet of those that enter our houses. Mr. Cyzewski does point out, however, that “in our rush to fit in with our Christian and Western culture, it’s easy to lose sight of how counter cultural and even revolutionary Jesus was in his own time and would be in our time. His ministry would not be the kind hailed at conferences and his manhood the model we’d think of imitating.”

What I really like about this particular blog by Mr. Ed Cyzewski is his closing paragraph: “There is no blueprint for a “godly” home, ministry, or man. There is God’s calling on our lives, and obedience to that calling is what Jesus modeled for us and expects us to imitate. The details are incidental—home or no home, job or ministry support checks. When Jesus says, “Follow me!” We obey because there is no other source of hope or life.

Mr. Cyzewski is an echo of a distant voice:

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God. John 6:68,69

Model Prayer

Father in heaven,
Your name be honored as holy.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13. (HCSB version)

The other day I began to pray The Prayer, and stopped after the first two words: “Our Father.” The LORD is the Master of the Universe. The LORD is G-d. The LORD is One. And The LORD is Father to His chosen. How awesome is this knowledge. How incredible to be a child of the Most High King. Wow! Echoing King David, this knowledge is too wonderful for me. This awesome moment still lingers, warming my heart.

Yet I’ve considered before the concept of G-d as our Father. In the early 1980s I was blessed to attend Calvary Chapel Irvine, then pastored by Chuck Smith. I was in Irvine for a two-week electronics course, and able to attend during the week as well as on Sunday. Pastor Smith spoke on various aspects of The Lord’s Prayer. I don’t recall all that he taught.

And there are books on this subject, too, I discovered. I perused one written by a Rabbi. He wrote about אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ (Avinu Malkeinu), which is translated Our Father, Our King. It is a prayer recited on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur during services. It is said to be the oldest and most moving of the prayers. It is taken from Isaiah 63:16, Our Father, and Isaiah 33:22, Our King.

Speaking of Rosh Hashanah, it begins tomorrow (Sunday Sep. 13, 2015) at sundown. It begins ten days of repentance that concludes with Yom Kippur. The traditional blessing for this period of time is: “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”

Lord Bless y’all. May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

A Song of Ascent

Psalm 127 is one of the Psalms that are called “A Song of Ascent.” There are fifteen of these Psalms, corresponding to the fifteen steps that the Levi ascended to the Temple. One Psalm, tradition states, is said on each step in the processional up to the Temple.

Unless the Lord builds a house,
its builders labor over it in vain;
unless the Lord watches over a city,
the watchman stays alert in vain.
In vain you get up early and stay up late,
working hard to have enough food —
yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves.
Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
children, a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons born in one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them.
Such men will never be put to shame
when they speak with their enemies at the city gate.

“A number of commentators explain this Psalm as a poem David composed upon being informed that his son Shelomo, rather than he, would be given the privilege of building the Bet Ha’mikdash. In the first two verses, David declares that it is God, not man, who determines when a building will arise. Regardless of how hard the laborers toil or how carefully the watchmen guard the building site, the project will materialize only with the direct assistance and support of the Almighty. David here accepts God’s decree forbidding him from building the Mikdash, recognizing that if God does not wish for him to build it then even if he would try the endeavor would assuredly fail.

“In the Psalm’s final verses (3-5), David turns his attention to the great blessing of children, whom he compares to “arrows in the hands of the mighty warrior” (verse 4). A warrior’s most valuable asset is effective weaponry; for a religiously conscientious Jew, the greatest commodity and blessing is children who follow the Torah traditions that he received from his parents. David thus expresses his gratitude for the fact that his son would perpetuate his legacy and heritage. Although he desired to personally oversee the building of the Mikdash, he found solace in the fact that he leaves behind a son faithful to his teachings, and who will fulfill Am Yisrael’s collective dream of having in their midst an abode for the Shechina (Divine Presence).” —Daily Tehillim

Matthew Henry comments: “Let us always look to God’s providence. In all the affairs and business of a family we must depend upon his blessing.
1. For raising a family. If God be not acknowledged, we have no reason to expect his blessing; and the best- laid plans fail, unless he crowns them with success.
2. For the safety of a family or a city. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen, though they neither slumber nor sleep, wake but in vain; mischief may break out, which even early discoveries may not be able to prevent.
3. For enriching a family. Some are so eager upon the world, that they are continually full of care, which makes their comforts bitter, and their lives a burden. All this is to get money; but all in vain, except God prosper them:while those who love the Lord, using due diligence in their lawful callings, and casting all their care upon him, have needful success, without uneasiness or vexation. Our care must be to keep ourselves in the love of God; then we may be easy, whether we have little or much of this world. But we must use the proper means very diligently.

“Children are God’s gifts, a heritage, and a reward; and are to be accounted blessings, and not burdens:he who sends mouths, will send meat, if we trust in him. They are a great support and defense to a family. Children who are young, may be directed aright to the mark, God’s glory, and the service of their generation; but when they are gone into the world, they are arrows out of the hand, it is too late to direct them then. But these arrows in the hand too often prove arrows in the heart, a grief to godly parents. Yet, if trained according to God’s word, they generally prove the best defense in declining years, remembering their obligations to their parents, and taking care of them in old age. All earthly comforts are uncertain, but the Lord will assuredly comfort and bless those who serve him; and those who seek the conversion of sinners, will find that their spiritual children are their joy and crown in the day of Jesus Christ.”

While there is some overlap in the thinking behind the commentaries, I also see a perspective that differs substantially. It illustrates my own thinking that Christianity has diverged from Judaism, going its own way, leaving behind a wealth of tradition AND a wealth of accompanied understanding. Judaism, on the other had, is stuck with tradition and its understanding. Without the Christian perspective of Y’shuaJesus as the Messiah, Judaism of today is doomed to simply wait. Judaism waits until G-d enables their minds to understand the Messiah Who came, Who is spoken of in Isaiah 53, is the suffering Messiah, is the same Messiah Christians have come to accept, and Who shall come again as the Conquering Messiah.

One Messiah. Two perspectives. Each perspective lacks something, however. Slowly this is changing for some people. Unfortunately it seems the “church” as a whole pulls away from Y’shuaJeus and His truth. As Psalm 127 points out, a building can not be built without G-d. And certainly the “church” tries in vain to build itself. Preachers gather pupils who listen to every word, but miss The Word, because the preachers so often preach from their own agenda, their own “gospel.”

Gentiles were allowed to have a taste of the Shechina, the Divine Presence, of G-d. But the Time of the Gentiles are coming to and end. The “church” has melted its gold and is forming a golden calve to worship. Soon, I believe, All the Shechina of our Lord with come to bear upon the Jewish people, and their eyes shall be opened that they might know Y’shuaJesus as Lord, as Messiah.

Is G-d with Us?

Attending Sunday School as a child, I must have been taught a lot of Bible stories. I’m sure they were taught simply, that as a child I could begin to understand some simple Biblical principles. No doubt the important stories were connected the the Church year; that’s the holidays and celebrations that the Church celebrates during the year. Certainly I learned of Y’shuaJesus’s birth during the time of year most call Christmas, December 25th. Likewise, as Easter approached I must have been taught Y’shuaJesus’s death and resurrection.

I don’t remember. I don’t remember the specific lessons, though some how I know that I learned some of the Bible stories. And I do remember that at some point in my earliest years I learned “Thou Shalt Not.” I learned a lot about what I was not suppose to do; sadly, I don’t remember learning just what I was suppose to do.

Also, there were no alter calls, like some churches; the closest thing in my church was being called to come forward for communion. My church didn’t do the “born again” thing. I think it was just assumed that because as babies we were baptized we were right with G-d. I attended classes during my sixth-grade years that prepared me for “confirmation;” my baptism was confirmed to have taken, I guess. Someone said that confirmation was the church’s way of baptizing in the Spirit.

It wasn’t until eighth grade that I learned about alter calls. I was a cadet at Brown Military Academy, Glendora, California. That was one of the best years of my youth. I remember Mr. Kitchen and Mr. “C.” The school wasn’t a Christian school, as such, but we had a few hours of religion each week as part of our studies. It was very different from Sunday School. We studied from the Gospels and from the writings of Paul. We actually read and discussed the Bible.

One weekend, I, along with most of my class, went with Mr. Kitchen to a “youth retreat.” I remember volunteering for latrine duty for the weekend: I, along with a couple others, cleaned the bathrooms. We had several lively praise and worship sessions, classes, and did some fun outdoor activities. Late Sunday morning, during the last church service of the weekend came the alter call. I can see in my mind’s eye the church and the other kids. At the alter the pastor asked us to bow our heads in prayer. He prayed. He spoke to us about accepting Jesus into our lives. He asked for a show of hands of those who would like to give their lives to Jesus. I remember peaking out to my left at hands going up. Then he asked that we all stand. He asked for those who’d raised their hands to come forward. At the alter camp staff had gathered. Boys began to move forward to the alter.

Did I raise my hand? I don’t know. Did I walk forward to the alter? No, I did not. I remember how I felt within. I remember the desires—to raise my hand, to go forward to the alter. I remember the struggle, too, within. And I think I was still thinking about to go forward when church was dismissed; my opportunity now gone. Hesitation. Unable to decide. Hallmarks of a life to come.

This one event, this one experience, I’ve made into a pivotal life-changer. Many times, usually as a result of my own hesitation, my own inability to do what I feel within to do, my abandonment of my will to that of others, I think back and say to myself, “If I’d just gone forward, maybe things would be different.” If I’d had the courage, then, to stand up, to run, not walk, to that alter, it may have set a precedent in my life of living for G-d, and His promptings within me, rather than just living, going along.

As I look back at that failure at camp, and the many failures in the fifty-four years since—despite everything—I see evidence of G-d’s presence in my life, His protective hand and His merciful ways.

All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? Exodus 17:1-2

“They began to question whether God was with them or not,” wrote Matthew Henry in his commentary. “This is called their ‘tempting God,’ which signifies distrust of him after they had received such proofs of his power and goodness.”

I still have the Bible given to me at Brown Military Academy. In the front of the Bible I’d written Romans 8:36-38. In the midst of my poor choices over that last half decade, the disasters, struggles, trials, I didn’t know that the LORD was with me. He was present. He is present. We hear a lot that Y’shuaJesus experienced in his sojourn upon Earth all that we experience so that He can “understand” us. Y’shuaJesus continues to experience everything we experience, for He is with us. His Spirit has been in the world and His Spirit has acted in the world for centuries. As His Spirit begins to recede from the Earth, His presence will be only in us, His Chosen, His People. We will shine like flames in darkness, for the world will fall into spiritual darkness.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39

I noted the passage from Romans as a reminder, one that I failed to remember. But I’m not sure I really understood it anyway. The next time the world feels as though it is collapsing around me, will I remember G-d is with me? I pray so. I pray you, too, despite all to the contrary, you remember G-d is with us.

Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.*”

Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods. Daniel 3:8-25 (*emphasis added)

G-d is with us. G-d can save us. And here is a beautiful faith: “But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Ebola. . . A Bowl of What?

Not long ago, here in American, there was a lot of talk in the news about Ebola. Not a little fear spread around. A number of countries barred their borders to persons traveling from West Africa. While the U.S. President did not, responding to public pressure, some American States’ Governors did. Some news outlets, at least that’s what they call themselves, tried unsuccessfully to bring the pot of fear to full-boil panic. That’s all changed. While certainly other newsworthy events have pushed to the media’s “front page,” a Presidential appointee, Ron Klain, Vice President Joe Biden’s former chief-of staff, was appointed to coordinate the Ebola response. Perhaps through his doing, mention of Ebola is nearly wiped from the media’s collective attention. This is certainly keeping panic down. The epidemic, however, was far from over. America fell into the “Hear no Evil” mode. The World Health Organization released newly consolidated data early last December, saying that 16,169 cases of Ebola had been reported, with almost 7,000 people dying. The three countries most affected by the outbreak are Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. While certainly that’s tragic, it hasn’t made it to the quarter million as some sources predicted. Within a month, another four thousand cases of Ebola had been officially reported, bringing the total to over twenty thousand. And still we Americans went merrily along not knowing the true nature of this epidemic.

“For more than a year, Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone have been experiencing the largest and most complex outbreak of Ebola in history. Cases continue to be reported in Guinea and Sierra Leone. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia on May 9, 2015, meaning that 42 days (two incubation periods) had passed since the last Ebola patient was buried. The health system in Liberia continues to monitor for new cases and to take precautions to prevent transmission in the country. CDC is also closely monitoring the situation and will update information and advice for travelers as needed.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported.

So Guinea and Sierra Leone continue with the outbreak. American public health personnel continue to travel for short tours of duty to Sierra Leone. And Americans continue business as usual. Well, not quite. There’s something new on the horizon that is a continuation of the racial divide in Ferguson, MO. The news focus is about bad police officers (white police officers) and their racism and violence toward black people. Racial tension seems higher now that it was fifty years ago. More things for which we are to be fearful. Fear is a useful tool.

Crisis breeds fear; unchecked fear leads to panic, which results in lawlessness. But crisis makes for news. So it seems that we move from one story to another, one fear to another, and remain just fearful enough but never so much as to panic. Why would anyone want to incite fear? I don’t seriously think the media in general wants to incite fear; it is simply a byproduct of crisis, which sells papers, attracts viewers. Perhaps there are others, however, that find a crisis, and resulting fear, useful. American politician Rahm Emanuel is reported to have said: “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”(1)

While the reporting of police violence is a central component of the news cycle, it seems clear that the one of the greatest crisis in America during this century is the act of war against America by Islamic forces. These forces destroyed the Twin Towers in New York, part of the Pentagon, and four passenger airplanes. One might argue that this act sparked the beginning of WWIII. Out of that crisis was born the Homeland Security Agency. This was a response to what was perceived as a lack of coordination between various law enforcement agencies in the United States, and the lack of a national command structure to oversee both domestic and international interventions. Another response to the attack was the PATRIOT act. “the PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The title of the act is a ten-letter ackronym (USA PATRIOT) that stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. On May 26, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011, a four-year extension of three key provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act: roving wiretaps, searches of business records (the “library records provision”), and conducting surveillance of “lone wolves”—individuals suspected of terrorist-related activities not linked to terrorist groups.” (2) The argument has been made that the PATRIOT Act allows the government to set aside the American Constitution in order to fight an undeclared war, a war on terrorism committed by groups and individuals rather than nations. Fear of terror, additional acts of terror, enable implementation of PATRIOT Act activities on broad scales within America, and are used to forge America’s international response to perceived threats around the world.

For the PATRIOT act, and its sweeping away of Constitutional protections, America must constantly face new and ever-greater threats to its national security. Its a vicious cycle fed by fear. We fear an enemy, whether a nation, a group, or one person acting alone, or a disease. Our fear paralyses us. We accept measures that will make us feel safe, not considering the effects. Appeasement. We are willing do give up our own personal liberty to feel safe from a perceived threat.

And all the while, we are being led to believe we can no longer trust our police officers. The underlying message brought to us is that They are not serving and protecting us. Some “conspiracy” theories say that Americans are being led toward a massive federal take over of law enforcement duties. Some “conspiracy” theories say we are being led toward a massive civil war.

So, back to ebola. It’s still going on. It’s not dead yet. All that needs to happen is to announce a new case in the United States, brought back by health workers, perhaps. The news establishment doesn’t need to start a new crisis to get attention—just recycle an old one. Doing so helps cool the on-going crisis, distracting the public. Distracting us? Yes, distracting us from another, eminent crisis. But wait. What else is going on in the news at the moment? How about hackers? We seem to be having a lot of breaches of information that is contained on computer servers, both commercial as well as government.

It’s a bit like a magic show. The magician distracts our attention to the left while he does something on his left, and then to the right as he does something on his right. Eventually, when all is set up, the magician springs the trap. So, what’s the finale? I suppose it will be a financial crisis. Perhaps hackers cause the banks to close up shop. Perhaps “Wall Street” will ring the bell early one day. People have spoken about the potential of a financial-system collapse looming over us.

But enough gloom and doom. Let us rise above the fear. Let us not look for solutions here or there or in any human form or agency. And whatever you do, don’t sign a loyalty oath. Be loyal to our Father in Heaven and His Son our only Savior. Let us remember the words G-d breathed to His servants long ago:

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. (Hebrews 1:1,2)

(1) Brainyquotes
(2) Wikipedia

Psalm 64 and Daniel and the Lion

Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers. . . Psalm 64:2

This I found very interesting. It is a commentary on Psalm 64 from Daily Tehillim.

“In this prayer David petitions God to protect him “from the secret of evildoers” (verse 3), the devious plots and schemes of his adversaries. He compares his ruthless conspirators to an archer who hides at a distance and then catches his unsuspecting victim by surprise. David’s enemies, too, hide behind a veneer of innocence and shoot “arrows” in the form of false allegations and slanderous rumors. David prays that God should respond by sending His own “arrows” to destroy them and ensure that the very falsehoods they speak should bring about their own downfall.

“Several commentators cite a Midrashic tradition that interprets this chapter as a prophetic reference to the story of Daniel, who, as Rashi notes, was a descendant of David. (In the Book of Yeshayahu 39:7 the prophet makes reference to descendants of King Hizkiyahu who would serve as officers in the Babylonian government, and the Sages teach that Daniel was among these descendants. Hizkiyahu was a king from the Davidic royal dynasty, and thus Daniel was a descendant of King David.) The Book of Daniel (chapter 6) tells of Daniel’s rise to prominence in the government of the Persian emperor Darius, and Darius’ particular admiration for him. His stature aroused the jealousy of the other officials who sought to discredit him in the king’s eyes. Unable to find any flaws in Daniel’s conduct or indications of disloyalty, the officials deviously persuaded the emperor to enact a decree outlawing prayer to any person or deity other than the emperor for a period of thirty days. Violators of this edict, they recommended, should be cast into a lions’ den. The officials claimed that this provision would help solidify the new emperor’s authority and stature among the people, but in truth, this was a plan designed to kill Daniel, who prayed to God three times each day. Daniel paid no attention to the decree and continued his prayer routine, and the officials reported him to the emperor. Despite his affection for Daniel, Darius had no choice but to obey his own edict and have him cast into the lion’s den; of course, God performed a miracle and Daniel emerged from the den unscathed. The emperor then cast Daniel’s conspirators into the lions’ den, and they were immediately devoured.

“The Sages thus explain that when David speaks here of schemers and conspirators who cast false allegations, he refers to the Persian officers who conspired against Daniel and brought false accusations against him to the emperor – all out of sheer envy and selfish greed.

“Towards the end of this Psalm (verse 10), David prays that after God’s deliverance everybody will fear Him and speak of His praises. Indeed, the Book of Daniel tells (6:27-28) that after Daniel’s miraculous emergence from the lions’ den, Darius decreed that all his subjects must worship the God of Daniel. The miracle of Daniel demonstrated to one and all the Almighty’s unlimited ability to bring deliverance in even the most dire and otherwise helpless situations, and that ultimately justice prevails and retribution is visited upon the wicked.”