Rabbi’s Reflections – Monday, June 22, 2020 

Shalom,

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly!  We have referenced this verse many times.  So what?  Let’s do it again.  

To have abundant life, we have to have a foundational understanding that we are talking about spiritual life (the only life worth living).  Spiritual life is only sustained (and provided for abundantly) through spiritual nourishment.  And prayer is God’s provision for our spiritual nourishment.  

Jude 1:20 But you, loved ones, continue building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Ruach ha-Kodesh.

The victorious life is promised to those faithful in prayer.  2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who in Messiah always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us reveals everywhere the aroma of the knowledge of Himself.

What follows this verse is a promise that we are the aroma of God.  To those who are perishing, we smell like death.  Ever smelled the stink of rotting meat?  To those who have the life of Yeshua alive in them, we smell sweet.  

Isaiah 58:11 Then Adonai will guide you continually, satisfy your soul in drought and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail.

Week 26
Memory Verse: Daniel 6:27(26) I issue a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom people are to tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. “For He is the living God, enduring forever! His kingdom will never be destroyed, His dominion will never end.  28(27) He delivers and rescues. He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions!”

* 126 6/25   Monday: Daniel 5-6

127 6/26   Tuesday:  Daniel 9-10,12
128 6/27   Wednesday Ezra 1-2

129 6/28   Thursday: Ezra 3-4
130 6/29   Friday: Ezra 5-6

Question of the day:  Is there a more iconic Bible story than Daniel in the lions den?

Answer:  Nope.  

Full answer:  Oh, you were hoping for something a little more spiritual?  Well then, here goes.  Daniel gets into the lions den because certain leaders were jealous of him.  They couldn’t catch him lying or cheating, so they encouraged the king to issue a decree against prayer to any god other than the king, himself.  They knew Daniel was faithful in all his ways.  He would never comply with a decree to worship a false god, and they could trap him in his faithfulness.

As with every spiritual message, we come back to the question, “Why is that important to me?”  Sooner or later (and recent events lead me to believe sooner is more accurate than later), we, ourselves, will be required to make a similar decision.  Will we worship a false god or remain faithful to the one true and living God, creator of heaven and earth?  There will be a price to pay should we decide to remain faithful.

Revelation 13:15 The second beast was permitted to give life to the image of the first beast, so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause all who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He also causes all—the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free and the slave—to receive a mark on their right hand or upon their forehead. 17 And so no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark—either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

These words are written in the symbolic language of the Book of Revelation.  There is no such thing as “symbolic” without reality.  What is the reality of these words?  I’m not sure and I don’t know anyone else who is either.  But I do know this… Matthew 24:21 For then there will be great trouble, such as has not happened since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 And unless those days were cut short, no one would be delivered. But for the sake of the chosen, those days will be cut short.

Some say this was fulfilled in 70AD, and it was; but it is also destined to be repeated, probably soon and in our day.  We have two choices, faith or fear; faith in God or fear in the lies and deception of the enemy.  As the Templar Knight says in last Indiana Jones movie, “The Last Crusade,” “Choose wisely.”

The movie teaches the result of a poor choice is destruction.  Daniel chose wisely and God shut the mouths of the lions.  The king rejoiced that God preserved Daniel’s life.  Then the king ordered the exact fate for those who had accused Daniel.  They were destroyed in the lions den, exactly as they had hoped Daniel would be (same as for Mordecai and Haman).

Let us keep our hearts and minds fixed on God.  Isaiah 26:3 You keep in perfect peace one whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.