Rabbi’s Reflections – Saturday, October 2, 2021
Shabbat Shalom,
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat 2 Oct 2021 26th of Tishrei, 5782 Shabbat Bereshit
Ge 3:22-6:8 Isa 42:5-43:10 Ro 1:18-32
Hope 18 – Our Hope Within the Veil by David Harwood
We’ve been examining aspects of our ultimate hopes. We can expect that our Father shall progressively reveal His kindness to us throughout the coming ages. I believe we shall be changed from glory to glory. That’s His nature.
Through embracing these hopes we persevere in this life. This abounding, Ruach empowered, anticipation shaped the culture of the earliest Messianic communities. This life transforming hope continued amongst the believers throughout this age. The eschatological expectations of Yeshua followers motivated godly lives and triumphant deaths. Covenant loyalty towards Adonai and one another, perseverance in trial, faithfulness in persecution, bringing into the present the powers of the age to come, walking in faith, hope, and love – all this is connected to the ultimate hopes we share with every disciple in every era.
To overcome in this life we are exhorted to keep the eyes of our hearts focused on Yeshua. The beginning of discipleship is heeding the call to behold Yeshua, Abba’s means of atoning for our sins.
Rabbi’s note: The names of the 12 tribes tell the story of every Believer. It is not an accident that the first son is Reuben, which means “behold the Son.” Our new life begins when we behold the Son. Benjamin means “son of the right hand.” Our journey ends when we are seated with Yeshua at the right hand of the Father. End RN.
The next day, John sees Yeshua coming to him and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29 TLV)
This “beholding” does not stop. It is through faith that we fix the eyes of our soul on the Lamb of God. The Scriptures reveal that Yeshua, Himself, had a vision for His future. By faith He beheld “the joy set before Him”. By faith we behold Him.
Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also get rid of every weight and entangling sin. Let us run with endurance the race set before us, 2 focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame; and He has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2 TLV)
We are to seek the things which are above where our Messiah is sitting at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1). Believe this: in heaven right now, Yeshua is in the midst of the Father’s throne.
For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne (Revelation 7:17a TLV)
Yeshua is not only enthroned in heaven, the Son of Man is also enthroned in our lives. In fact, the center of every disciples’ hope is the Messiah.
Messiah Yeshua, our hope. (1 Timothy 1:1b TLV)
We have a living hope through Yeshua’s resurrection.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah! In His great mercy He caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3 TLV)
There is also a cherished expectation called the “blessed hope”. Those who know how wonderful His return will be look forward to His appearing. Consider these words:
We wait for the blessed hope and appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua. (Titus 2:13 TLV)
This specific Greek word for blessed (μακάριος makarios) conveys happiness. Its nuance is that those who are blessed along these lines (makarios) are in an enviable circumstance. The blessed hope is our happy expectation. Why is this our blessed hope? Because when the Lord Yeshua, Israel’s Messiah, returns it will be the beginning of the furthering of the realization of all of Abba’s good plans.
When He returns it will be the epiphany of which all lesser revelations of visible splendor hint. It will be the appearance of our great God and Savior, Yeshua’s, glory. His return is our hope. Our hope-anticipation in this age is centered in the salvation that will be ours at the return of the Son of Man.
So also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. (Hebrews 9:28 TLV)
This anticipation of ultimate salvation is encouraged by God’s promises. These promises are mediated, accessed, and guaranteed through the one by whom we say Amen to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 1:20; Revelation 3:14). His return is our hope and He is the source of our living hope within the veil.
(God) guaranteed it with an oath so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. 20 Yeshua has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner (Hebrews 6:17b–20a TLV)
We need to take hold of the hope of our salvation, relying upon the Messiah: the reason for our hope. Through God’s guaranteed promises we receive stability and the power to persevere in this age. We really need hope, the steadfast anchor of our souls.
It is easy to repress this reality: The world-system is under judgment. Wrath is coming. We may have been delivered from the authority of this system, but we simultaneously live within its jurisdiction.
The influence of the cosmos’ corrupt culture can be compared to a strong current seeking to throw a boat off course. We have something in common with such a boat. However, God has provided us with an anchor that provides stability. That anchor is our hope. Ultimately, hope is a person. Let’s quickly review 1 Timothy 1:1b.
Messiah Yeshua, our hope. (1 Timothy 1:1b TLV)
It is not overly stretching the text to identify our hope-anchor with both the assurances of God and the Person who made the promises. Our anchor is a person who has given Himself to us and has become our security. We are to seize the saving promises of God. We are to thoroughly and boldly trust Yeshua.
An anchor holds a ship in place. It stops a vessel from drifting away. An anchor is necessary to withstand winds and currents which might move a ship off course. There are winds and currents in life that militate against the believer’s spiritual stability. This tendency to drift is addressed in Hebrews.
For this reason it is necessary for us to pay especially close attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (Hebrews 2:1 TLV)
Anchors stop the drift. Hope is an anchor that helps us conquer both the wind and waves of this world.
We trust in God. Therefore we have hope. We face difficulties courageously because we have hope. We persevere because we have hope.
24 For in hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, then we eagerly wait for it with perseverance (Romans 8:24–25 TVL)
We persevere in eagerly awaiting for our hope to be seen, and through our hope we persevere. It is through the expectation of being glorified together with Him that we overcome the challenges of this life.
The Ruach Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. 17 And if children, also heirs—heirs of God and joint-heirs with Messiah—if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:16–17 TLV)
Tell me, what can get in our way? Nothing. Nothing can stop us from knowing God’s love Nothing can stop us from loving God. Nothing can prevent our reaching the finish line and receiving the crown reserved for those who love Him.
We have hope within the veil. That hope is an anchor for our soul. Yeshua is the guarantee of that hope. Through hope we press on. Through hope we overcome.
The one who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son (Revelation 21:7 TLV)
Hold on to hope.
Faithful is the One who calls you—and He will make it happen! (1 Thessalonians 5:24 TLV)