Rabbi’s Reflections – Saturday, July 15, 2023
Shabbat Shalom,
Day 40: Evening
Revelation That Stirs Us is a Key to Our Sanctification
by David Harwood
Yeshua’s love for God was greater than that of any other person who ever lived. He revealed God more than anybody who ever lived. I don’t believe that is a coincidence. He knew God best, He loved God most, and He showed the true nature of the Father.
Paul wrote: He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15a TLV).
John wrote: No one has ever seen God; but the one and only God, in the Father’s embrace, has made Him known (John 1:18 TLV).
Hebrews 1 reads: This Son is the radiance of His glory and the imprint of His being (Hebrews 1:3a TLV).
Yeshua. He manifested the character qualities Yahweh revealed to Moses. They were developed and maintained by God-as-man through the fulfillment of the foremost command.
Love for God was the foundation of the Messiah’s practical growth in holiness. Growth? Yes. Yeshua matured and brought sanctity to perfection.
And once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. (Hebrews 5:9 TLV)
True sanctity is the result of love. The highest type of human love is love for God. It is the primary goal of life and the greatest commandment. Here’s an open secret: a key to sanctification is that sanctification is not the goal. God, Himself, is the goal. As you pursue illumination from the Lord about what He loves about Himself, you will receive revelation that stirs your heart. That is a key to sanctification.
Paul wrote that his goal was to attain to the resurrection from the dead through being justified by Yeshua and seeking to know the Lord.
I consider all things to be loss in comparison to the surpassing value of the knowledge of Messiah Yeshua my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things; and I consider them garbage in order that I might gain Messiah and be found in Him not having my righteousness derived from Torah, but one that is through trusting in Messiah—the righteousness from God based on trust. My aim is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death— if somehow I might arrive at the resurrection from among the dead. (Philippians 3:8b-11 TLV)
He followed this up with this:
Not that I have already obtained this or been perfected, but I press on if only I might take hold of that for which Messiah Yeshua took hold of me. (Philippians 3:12 TLV)
It reminds me of Hosea’s exhortation to develop a relationship with the Lord.
So let us know, let us strive to know Adonai. Like dawn His going forth is certain. (Hosea 6:3a TLV)
Nobody knew the Father like Yeshua did.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. (Luke 10:22b TLV)
His anointing was released in complete harmony with, and to express, these character qualities. By way of review, the Messianic anointing was revealed in Isaiah.
The Ruach of Adonai will rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and insight, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Adonai. (Isaiah 11:2 TLV)
The character qualities which are expressed through the anointing may be summarized in Exodus.
Adonai, Adonai, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth, showing mercy to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin… (Exodus 34:6b-7a TLV)
The Messiah’s commission was proclaimed by Yeshua.
The Ruach Adonai is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of Adonai’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19 TLV)
God desires to communicate with you about Himself. He desires to communicate Himself to you and through you. Yeshua said:
(The Ruach ha-Kodesh) will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. … the Ruach will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:14, 15b TLV)
God will show you what He values about Himself. Avail yourself of this relational chain of communication. He wants to reveal Himself to you. You will be glad you did.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarsson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat 15 July 2023 26th of Tamuz, 5783 Parashat Matot-Masei
Nu 35:9-36:13 Jer 2:4-28; 3:4 Jas 4:1-12