RR Doubting Favor by David Harwood
Shabbat Shalom,
We come into this world with favor upon our lives. We exist, and He sustains us. We’re created to be God’s image, and He loves us. This is divine favor. However, we tend toward insecurity, anxiety, the fear of death, selfishness, anger, resentment, hatred, envy (etc.), and a mistrust of our Creator. These are the consequences of humanity’s fall.
This natural alienation is exacerbated by our personal and familial histories, the cultures in which we’re raised, and “the worldly forces of this darkness, ... the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12b).” Our tendency toward sin opens the door to their authority.
These wicked powers hate God, and they seek to create and reinforce a cultural environment that is as hostile to God as they are. Do you think these powers want you and me to realize that God is favorably disposed towards us? I don’t.
The cosmos lies in the hand of the evil one (1 John 5:19) and we need to conquer him. The conquest of the accuser of the brethren is completed at the end of the age. (Revelation 12:10–11) We will vanquish our accuser. Meanwhile, the devil, the slanderer, is not only our accuser, he accuses God, Himself. The slanderer is “the god of this world (who) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Messiah, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Consider the effectiveness of the slanderer’s insinuations and outright accusations. The Ruach of God is convicting the world. (John 16:8) The Word of God is active through the believing community. God’s goodness is manifest in creation. Redemption’s foundation is complete; Yeshua is risen and glorified. In spite of this, Satan blinds the minds of the unbelieving.
The god of this cosmos seeks to steal the word of God’s favor/grace which is able to build us up (Matthew 13:19; Acts 20:32). We would be helpless and hopeless apart from God’s intervention, and God has “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13–14)
Why did He deliver us? Favor.
He rescued me, because He delighted in me. (Psalm 18:19b)
Although we have been rescued, it is still necessary to ask God to deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13). The devil wants to twist and destroy our relationship with the One from whom favor comes.
According to the lexicon, Louw-Nida, the Greek word “deliver” (rhyomai) has these connotations, “to rescue from danger, with the implication that the danger in question is severe and acute.” Perhaps it would be wise to consider that the spiritual danger we’re in “is severe and acute.” That would certainly help us sincerely intercede, “deliver us from the evil one.”
Immediately, and ultimately, Father has delivered us and we get to stand in that victory. To do so we need to be equipped with God’s armor and encourage one another in the edifying word of His favor (Ephesians 6:13-18; Acts 20:32). The fiery darts of the evil one seek to undermine faith in God’s favor. Let us strengthen one another’s shield of faith against these flaming arrows through the message of God’s grace.
From the beginning these wicked, powers have sought to smear God’s character (Genesis 3:1). They have not stopped. We live in a spiritually defiled cosmos. As a result of the fall and living in this spiritually perverse world, we tend to mistrust our Father’s goodness.
Closely connected to mistrusting His goodness is our difficulty in relying upon Father’s favor. We tend to doubt His charis. However, we have been saved out of the domain of darkness and have God’s Spirit working in us. Believing in God’s favor takes Spirit empowered revelation and Yeshua wants us to receive this illumination.
It is written:
May the charis (grace/favor) of the Lord Yeshua be with all! (Revelation 22:21)
Bless and encourage one another with those words. Stand against the prevailing spiritual order and develop a counter-culture of charis. Help one another overcome the darkness that wants us to miss the ongoing favor of the Lord in our lives.
You do it.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat24-Jan-20266th of Sh'vat, 5786 Parashat Bo
Ex 13:1-16Jer 46:13-28Mt 26:17-29
We come into this world with favor upon our lives. We exist, and He sustains us. We’re created to be God’s image, and He loves us. This is divine favor. However, we tend toward insecurity, anxiety, the fear of death, selfishness, anger, resentment, hatred, envy (etc.), and a mistrust of our Creator. These are the consequences of humanity’s fall.
This natural alienation is exacerbated by our personal and familial histories, the cultures in which we’re raised, and “the worldly forces of this darkness, ... the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12b).” Our tendency toward sin opens the door to their authority.
These wicked powers hate God, and they seek to create and reinforce a cultural environment that is as hostile to God as they are. Do you think these powers want you and me to realize that God is favorably disposed towards us? I don’t.
The cosmos lies in the hand of the evil one (1 John 5:19) and we need to conquer him. The conquest of the accuser of the brethren is completed at the end of the age. (Revelation 12:10–11) We will vanquish our accuser. Meanwhile, the devil, the slanderer, is not only our accuser, he accuses God, Himself. The slanderer is “the god of this world (who) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Messiah, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Consider the effectiveness of the slanderer’s insinuations and outright accusations. The Ruach of God is convicting the world. (John 16:8) The Word of God is active through the believing community. God’s goodness is manifest in creation. Redemption’s foundation is complete; Yeshua is risen and glorified. In spite of this, Satan blinds the minds of the unbelieving.
The god of this cosmos seeks to steal the word of God’s favor/grace which is able to build us up (Matthew 13:19; Acts 20:32). We would be helpless and hopeless apart from God’s intervention, and God has “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13–14)
Why did He deliver us? Favor.
He rescued me, because He delighted in me. (Psalm 18:19b)
Although we have been rescued, it is still necessary to ask God to deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13). The devil wants to twist and destroy our relationship with the One from whom favor comes.
According to the lexicon, Louw-Nida, the Greek word “deliver” (rhyomai) has these connotations, “to rescue from danger, with the implication that the danger in question is severe and acute.” Perhaps it would be wise to consider that the spiritual danger we’re in “is severe and acute.” That would certainly help us sincerely intercede, “deliver us from the evil one.”
Immediately, and ultimately, Father has delivered us and we get to stand in that victory. To do so we need to be equipped with God’s armor and encourage one another in the edifying word of His favor (Ephesians 6:13-18; Acts 20:32). The fiery darts of the evil one seek to undermine faith in God’s favor. Let us strengthen one another’s shield of faith against these flaming arrows through the message of God’s grace.
From the beginning these wicked, powers have sought to smear God’s character (Genesis 3:1). They have not stopped. We live in a spiritually defiled cosmos. As a result of the fall and living in this spiritually perverse world, we tend to mistrust our Father’s goodness.
Closely connected to mistrusting His goodness is our difficulty in relying upon Father’s favor. We tend to doubt His charis. However, we have been saved out of the domain of darkness and have God’s Spirit working in us. Believing in God’s favor takes Spirit empowered revelation and Yeshua wants us to receive this illumination.
It is written:
May the charis (grace/favor) of the Lord Yeshua be with all! (Revelation 22:21)
Bless and encourage one another with those words. Stand against the prevailing spiritual order and develop a counter-culture of charis. Help one another overcome the darkness that wants us to miss the ongoing favor of the Lord in our lives.
You do it.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat24-Jan-20266th of Sh'vat, 5786 Parashat Bo
Ex 13:1-16Jer 46:13-28Mt 26:17-29
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RR Psalm 28:5 Part 5RR Psalm 28:6 Part 6RR Psalm 28:7a Part 7RR Psalm 28:7b Part 8RR Psalm 28:7c Part 9RR Psalm 28:7d Part 10RR Psalm 28:8 Part 11Rabbi’s Reflections - Saturday, May 10, 2025 by David HarwoodRR Psalm 28:9 Part 12RR Psalm 28:9 Part 13RR Psalm 28:9 Part 14RR Psalm 28:9 Part 15RR Psalm 29:1 Part 1RR Psalm 29:2 Part 2Favor From a Fooled Philistine By David HarwoodRR Psalm 29:3 Part 3RR Psalm 29:4 Part 4RR Psalm 29:5 Part 5RR Psalm 29:6 Part 6RR Psalm 29:7 Part 7RR Psalm 29:7 Part 7Favor/Grace in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings By David HarwoodRR Psalm 29:8 Part 8RR Psalm 29:10 Part 10RR Psalm 29:9 Part 9RR Psalm 29:11 Paert 11RR Psalm 30:1,2 Part 1RR Psalms 30:3 Part 2RR Psalm 30:4 Part 3Favor (Chen/Charis) in the Psalms By David HarwoodRR Psalm 30:5 Part 4
June
RR Psalm 30:6 Part 5RR Psalm 30:7 Part 6RR Psalm 30:8 Part 7RR - Psalm 30:9-11 Part 8RR Psalm 30:12,13 Part 9RR Favor (Chen/Charis) in Proverbs By David HarwoodRR Psalm 31:1,2 Part 1RR Psalm 31:3 Part 2RR Psalm 31:4 Part 3RR Psalm 31:5 Part 4RR Psalm 31:6 Part 5RR Psalm 31:7 Part 6RR Kohelet By David HarwoodRR “Taking Our Thoughts Captive – Part 2” By Jerry MillerRR Psalm 31:8 Part 7RR Psalm 31:8 Part 8RR Psalm 31:9 Part 9RR - Psalm 31:10 Part 10RR Psalm 31:11 Part 11Zechariah and Favor By David HarwoodRR - Psalm 31:12-14 Part 12RR Shalom SpecialRR Psalm 31:15 Part 13RR Psalm 31:16,17 Part 14RR Psalm 31:18 Part 15RR Psalm 31:19,20 Part 16RR Adonai-Tzva’ot and End-Time Favor By David HarwoodRR Psalm 31:21 Part 17RR Psalm 31:22 Part 18RR Psalm 31:23 Part 19
July
RR Psalm 31:24 Part 20RR Psalm 31:25 Part 21RR Psalm 32:1 Part 1Rabbi’s Reflections - Favor and Luke By David HarwoodRR Taking Thoughts Captive Part 3 by Jerry MillerRR Psalm 32:2 Part 2RR Psalm 32:3,4 Part 3RR Psalm 32:5 Part 4RR Psalm 32:5 Part 5Some Nuances of Charis By David HarwoodRR Psalm 32:6 Part 6RR Psalm 32:7 Part 7RR Psalm 32:8 Part 8RR Psalm 32:8 Part 9