Recently, I began to re-read some of my older Christian books on the shelf. For January, I selected The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith. In the third chapter, I read Hannah's description of the average Christian, which I have paraphrased below...
"Most Christians are like a man who was walking along the road, bending over under the weight of a heavy backpack. When a wagon came along and saw him, the driver stopped and kindly offered to help him along his journey. The traveler joyfully accepted the offer of help. Once seated in the wagon, he continued to be bent forward beneath the weight of the pack, which was still upon his shoulders. The driver asked, "Why do you not lay your burden down in the wagon?" The traveler replied, "Oh, I feel that it is too much to ask of you sir, to carry both me and my burden too."
Hannah was very astute to see this HUGE problem in the Church. We are so excited for Jesus to save us, but we don't fully grasp the fullness of the salvation He offers. Jesus said, "Come to me all who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 Yet, too many Christians continue under heavy burdens, growing more tired each day. Much of our happiness is drained by these troubles. Our burdens are the fears, anxieties, addictions, worries, anger, unforgiveness, guilt, physical ailments, money, and other emotional baggage.
We need to realize we were never meant to carry these burdens. Jesus created you. He understands exactly how you are wired; what's happened to you; and your amazing destiny. He is far more equipped to deal with your struggles than you are. As your Lord, it is His desire and responsibility to care for you and all your needs. The difficulty often lies with us. It seems silly that we are able to trust God for our eternal salvation but able to not trust Him to deal with our finances or battle the hidden things in our heart that cause us fear or worry. On a daily basis, we allow these burdens to consume our thoughts and actions in the mistaken belief we can control or fix them. Most times, we cannot. Our focusing on troubles only leads to disappointment, discouragement, and disillusionment. But God has freedom for us, if we will dare to lay our burdens in His care. I realize it's a hard thing to lay down your burdens in the daily care of the Lord. Sometimes, it requires you to continually put them back into His hands once you realize that you've taken them back and are ruminating on them again. When you realize how much He loves you, it makes it easier to trust Him to handle your burdens. If you feel you can't turn everything over to God right now, than try trusting God with just one thing today. Give God one aspect of your life you can't handle or don't want to bother you any more. Then if any thoughts surrounding that issue come back into your mind, go back in prayer to God and apologize. Ask God again to take this issue and give it to Him. Thank Him for carrying not only the burden but for working it out in your favor. Then know God is working on your issue, even if you don't see any immediate resolution. As you learn to trust God in one area, your faith will grow and you will be able to give Him more and more areas and burdens. Ultimately, every burden should be placed in God's hands. He is strong enough to care for you and carry every trouble that would plague you. God is willing and able to save you to the utmost. Take His yoke, it is light and easy.
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Every Christian has probably heard Jesus is our Redeemer. Many are familiar with the allegory of Boaz in the story of Ruth as kinsman redeemer painting a beautiful illustration of Jesus and the Church. But did you know Redeemer is one of the names God declares Himself to have in Isaiah 44:6? And did you know that “Redeemer” like “Counselor” is can be a verb ? Here are some AMAZING details about God’s name as Redeemer that you’ve probably never known. The word translated Redeemer comes from the Hebrew word “Ga’al” which means literally ‘to redeem,’ ‘to act as kinsman.’ Ga'al is a femine verb/noun in Hebrew. Redeemer is the word in the Aramaic Gospel of John chapter 14 used to describe the masculine word translated in Greek as "Comforter." Ga’al is made up of three letters which when combined create an extraordinary image of Christ. Gamel – camel, walking, movement, lifted up Alef – ox (sacrificial animal), yoke, tame, strength, leader what is first Lamedh – staff, cattle goad, authority, to learn, to study, to teach God has a deeper revelation behind the Hebrew letter ‘lamed’ than just these basic interpretations. Lamed is unique in the Hebrew alphabet being the tallest letter, towering over all the other letters from its central position in the alphabet. It is said Lamed represents melekh hamelakhim (the King of Kings). The concept of Lamed having this kingly representation is supported by the preceding letter standing for kisei hakavod, "the throne of Glory," and the following letter standing for malkhut, "kingdom." Thus being in the middle, Lamed would represent One who sits on the Throne in the Kingdom of God's Glory. Jewish scholars also acknowledge the three central letters of the alphabet spell the word "melekh," meaning "King." While Lamed is pictured as a shepherd’s staff of old, used to incite or prick the cattle into action, the staff also represents authority. Lamed represents a Shepherd King, out of the lineage of David. Interesting, the gematria (numerical value) of Lamed represents the number 30, which is the same numerical value as the word “Judah.” This again emphasises the Shepher King lineage of David who comes from the tribe of Judah. Lamed is created by two other letters which combine to make the Lamed. Vav and Kaf blend to create Lamed. Together these smaller parts equal the number 26; the same numerical value as the word “YHVH” Yaweh, the name of God. Thus, the word “Redeemer” (Ga’al) is a picture of “the sacrifice of Judah, who is Yaweh, lifted up" or "lifts up" for your redemption. How AMAZING is that! The Hebrew word “Redeemer” itself as a noun reveals exactly what it means to be a kinsman redeemer. God as man in Christ Jesus from the tribe of Judah will lift you up. As a verb, Redeemer represents God who is actively in the process of redeeming people. Hallelujah! Ga’al unveils a deeper meaning of Jesus’ words to the Pharisees in John 5:39, when He said, "the scriptures testify of Me." Indeed they do! Every verse, every word, and every letter glorifies Jesus! El Gibbor is the name of God from Isaiah 9:6. The word "El" is a common name of God in the Old Testament, a shortened form of Elohiym and refers to Almighty God. The two letters that make up the word El in Hebrew are Alef and Lamed. These two amazing letters are created using other characters in the alphabet. Alef is made up of three parts which combined have a numeric value of 26, the same numeric value as Yaweh, the name given by God to Moses. The primary value of Alef as it's own unique identifier is #1 indicating there is only 1 God, Master of the Universe. Alef begins the words Abba (Father) and Adonai (Lord). Interestingly, Alef has 3 parts but equals 1... anyone else see the concept of the trinity contained here? Lamed is made of two parts (Vav and Kaf), which combined have a numeric value of 26, again Yaweh's number. Lamed is symbolic of the King of Kings. Jesus was both God and Man, two parts in one person, just like the letter Lamed. Vav symbolizes a nail or tent stake and Kaf is the symbol for the palm of the hand. Thus, Lamed's 2 parts depict the image of a nail in the palm of the hand as the symbol for the King of Kings. Gibbor is a unique word, being able to be used both as a noun and as an adjective. In Hebrew, Gibbor means "champion, strong, valiant man, or warrior." Combined the words El and Gibbor together and you get, "Warrior God," "God our Champion," or perhaps "Strong God." With the additional understanding behind the letters creating the word "El," we know it is the King of Kings, who is our champion. Jesus is the Warrior God defeating the enemies of sin and death on behalf of man. He alone is strong to prevail. Jesus is God our Champion; a Strong God delivering His children from the hand of the enemy. We continue to examine the names for God from Isaiah 9:6. Today we look at "Avi 'Ad," translated as Everlasting Father. As I've been uncovering over the past week, sometimes in bible translations designed for today's modern English, we lose a deeper aspect of God's word by missing the intent behind the Hebrew words. This often happens when one language is translated into another. Even the King James Version of the Bible fails to accurately portray Avi 'Ad, because it only capitalizes the word "Father." As a result, many people tend to read the word "Everlasting" as only an adjective describing the noun "father." However, Everlasting and Father should both be capitalized. They are both nouns for the name of God. The phrase Avi 'Ad is a double noun to reinforce the concept of His name. 'Ad is the Hebrew word meaning eternal, everlasting, continual, and infinity." God is eternal, with no beginning and no end. Time is part of His creation. As 'Everlasting,' God declares by His name He possess a unique characteristic. He alone has the trait of being everlasting, without beginning or end. In Isaiah 9:6, we see a proclamation of God's characteristic of eternity linked with His other exclusive attribute, Father. God reveals from the name, 'Everlasting Father,' that He from eternity is the only person responsible for creation. Interestingly in the Hebrew language, the word for Father is "Av," pronounced "Ab," from where we get the word Hebrew word "Abba," meaning "daddy." However, in Isaiah 9, the word "Av" has an additional letter. The addition of the letter 'i' transforms Av into 'Avi.' This single letter alters the word 'Father' to become a personal possessive noun. Avi literally means 'My Father.' Using the word Avi, God clarifies He has a personal relationship to us. He is our father. The name "Everlasting Father" is often understood to be solely the position of God the Father (Yahweh). Rarely is the concept of Father associated equally with the Son, Jesus. However, Isaiah 9:6 makes it extremely clear that the Son who has been given as a child to mankind is indeed the Everlasting Father. There can be no separation between these two identities of God. They are one in the same person. The Eternal Father declared in Isaiah He was stepping into time, taking human form. This is a wonder, an unexplainable miracle. This is why humanity can stand in awe of the great mystery of the child who was born, the son who was given, whose name is the Everlasting Father. The Everlasting Father was the Son born in Bethlehem. "Counselor" is a word used in Isaiah 9:6 that many Christians believe is the noun being described by the word "Wonderful." However, as I discussed earlier, Wonderful was not an adjective, It was a noun. Today we explore the word Counselor, which is used as a verb in Isaiah 9:6, not a noun. Nouns tend to passively describe a person, place or thing; while verbs are usually dynamic voices of action. In Hebrew, the word 'Counselor' is spelled "yo'ats." Yo'ats consists of four letters: yod, vav, 'ayin, and tsadhe. Each Hebrew letter has an image associated with it. The first two letters in the word Counselor are also the first two letters in the name Yaweh. Let's look at the word picture for the verb Counselor below: Yod - Hand, arm, to work Vav - Nail, hook, connecting together 'Ayiin - Eye, fountain, to see, to understand, to experience Tsadhe - Fish hook, to pull forward, something inescapable, desire As you might notice the first two letters are a hand with a nail. This is the picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose hands were pierced on the cross. The third letter gives us the concept of knowing or understanding (sees your need). The fourth letter in Counselor gives the concept of a hook and pulling forward. Thus, the word picture for "Counselor" in Hebrew is of Jesus knowing what motivates or hooks us and draws us forward. Remember counselor is used as a verb in Isaiah. Thus, in describing God, He is always actively drawing you forward. What a great Counselor we have! Yahweh is not a passive psychotherapist to who waits for us to come to Him before He helps us with our troubles. He is an active Savior who knows our needs and is continually seeking us out and drawing us to Himself! Counselor as a verb combined with the noun "Wonderful," creates the imagery of a Awesome God who is constantly working for us to draw near to Him. The portrait of a Wonderful Counselor (Noun, Verb) reminded me of the bible verse "how can two walk together unless they be in agreement," Amos 3:3. Christians walk together with Christ not by their own strength or power, but because Jesus draws them continually. He truly is the Fisher of Men, drawing mankind by a hook unto Himself to save them from their sins. "Wonderful" is the name of God. Sadly so many newer, considered "more relevant" translations of the Bible undervalue much of the depth of God's word, including today's name of God as "Wonderful." Many of bibles do not have "Wonderful" as a noun for the name of God in Isaiah 9:6. Instead, they use the word Wonderful as an adjective supporting the noun "Counselor." But this is not the intention of this verse written by God in the Hebrew language. Yahweh used "Wonderful" as a noun to describe Himself. Perhaps people don't appreciate the intricate difference between a noun and an adjective today, but there is one major difference we need to know. Nouns are persons, places, or things; while adjectives simply describe a noun. While God is wonderful as an adjective, it is as a noun Wonderful makes its biggest impression in our understanding of who Yahweh is. "Wonderful" declares God is a Wonder. He is an astonishing phenomenon beyond our human understanding. God is full of wonder! The word picture created in the Hebrew language for pele' translated as "Wonderful" reveals the depth of the noun. Pele' consists of 3 Hebrew letters: peh, lamedh, and 'alef. Peh - mouth, to open Lamedh - cattle goad, rod, staff, to learn, to study 'Alef - ox, yoke, tame Wonderful's word picture in Hebrew declares, "God is what stops the mouth because of His greatness." It is literally a picture of man in silent awe before the LORD. What a fabulous connection of God's name as "Wonderful" to Ecclesiastes 5:2. Be in awe before your God. He is a Wonder above the earth. Be not quick with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and you upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2 Yahshua is Jesus' name in the original Hebrew. Yahshua is also sometimes spelled Yeshua. It literally means, "Yahweh Saves" or "Yahweh is Salvation." Yahweh doesn't just save. He IS salvation. Within the very name of Jesus' original Hebrew Yahshua is the name of Yahweh. It is on Yahweh whom men must call to be saved. It is no wonder that Yahshua is the name above all names and at His name every knee will bow (Philippians 2:9-10). His name is synonymous with His Father's name. In John 17:6, Jesus proclaimed He had manifested the Father's name unto men. In Yahshua, we behold the Father's name Yahweh is Salvation and wonder at the miracle of Yahweh in human flesh saving the world. Yahshua is often translated into English as Joshua in the Old Testament. How then did we get the name of Jesus instead of Joshua in the New Testament of the Bible you may wonder? Well, the answer is both simple and complex. In simple terms, the word Joshua is used for Jesus' name in a few places of the New Testament, but the name Jesus is more frequently used. If you examine the Strong's Greek numbers for either Joshua or Jesus, both names have the exact same Greek word identified. The Greek translation of the Hebrew word had four major problems of consonant and vowel sounds that couldn't smoothly transition between the languages. Yod is the first letter in the name Yahshua, and has the sound of "y" as in "yell." Sadly, in translating Yahshua to the Greek, the name lost most of of its sound and meaning. Therefore, Yahshua was known as "ee-ay-soos" to the Greek speaking world for nearly 400 years. Later when Latin became the dominant language in Christendom, Yahshua's mistranslated name in Greek was further mistranslated in Latin as "Iesou," or "Iesus." Masculine names in Greek often end with a consonant Sigma, an "S" sound. In the case of "Iesus," the Greeks added the "S" sound at the end of the name of Yahshua which was carried into the Latin translation. The Greek language also added the "S" sound to the names of Nicodemus, Judas, Lazarus, and many others. As centuries passed, the English language developed the letter "J" around the 12th Century. The letter "J" became more popular over the letter "I" as a constant, eventually replacing "I" with "J" in the Latin name "IESUS." Thus, Jesus became the English translation printed for the first time in the Bible in 1526. There is no "J" sound (as in the word "jam") in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek or Latin. William Tyndale was the first person to use the letter "J" instead of "I" in the first printed Bible of 1526. The original Bible readers would have pronounced the Lord's name as "Jee-zuz." In fact, every name beginning with the "J" sound in the Bible has come from the faulty transliterations of Hebrew to Greek to Latin and finally English. Judah, Jerusalem, John, Jew, and Judas never originally had a "J" sound. Instead these names had a "Y" sound, as in "Yahweh." When Yahshua walked the earth, the world never heard of the name "Jesus" or sound of "J". The name, Yahshua, is used repeatedly in both the Old Testament and New Testament scriptures. It is used to denote several different people, including Christ. In fact, the name Yahshua or Yeshua was a very common name during the first century, where one out of ten boys were named Yahshua. It is no wonder the nation of Israel had such a common name during the time of Christ. They were crying out for God's salvation, and He came to His own. Today, every Christian needs to know and understand the meaning behind the name of Jesus. For the English name "Jesus" has no meaning apart from Yahweh's name. We must know on whom we have believed for salvation. It is Yahweh who saves. In Yahshua, He has come to save His people. |
Sharon Aubrey
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