Rabbi’s Reflections – Saturday, September 7, 2024
Shabbat Shalom *|FNAME|*,
Love of Spirit – Part 3
By David Harwood
The abiding presence of the Ruach ha-Kodesh is a sign of God’s love. Allow me to roughly paraphrase some of what Yeshua said recorded in John 14:16-21.
The Ruach of God is going to come to you.
He who loves Me will be loved by My Father.
I too will love Him and will show Myself to him.
The abiding presence of God in a believer’s life is a demonstration of love. His Spirit’s presence deals with our sense of being bereft orphans. We are aware that the Ruach of God is with us because of the Son’s self-revelation to us. We are conscious of the presence of the Father and the Son within us because of the self-revelation of God.
Nobody can climb up and find God. God must reveal Himself.
Why would God choose to reveal Himself? Yeshua said it is because He loves us. Consider John 14:21. The Messiah said:
I will love him and reveal Myself to him. I will disclose Myself, I will make Myself known to him.
The self-disclosure of His presence is motivated by love for us. It is active love. It is a river, not a puddle. It is a vibrant, living, love that impels God to reveal Himself to us by His Spirit. The Lord said:
If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (John 14:23)
The presence of the Ruach ha-Kodesh in believers is a manifestation of God’s love.
When we examine Yeshua’s immersion we find that the Son received Father’s approval and the presence of the Spirit.
After being immersed, Yeshua rose up out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Ruach Elohim descending like a dove and coming upon Him. And behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased!” (Matthew 3:16–17)
The essence of God descended upon Yeshua. The words of blessing immediately followed, or were spoken as the Ruach anointed the Messiah. These words revealed an emotion that motivated the anointing. God said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased!” When I teach about God’s love I mention that the Greek translated “well pleased” may be better rendered, “delighted.”
Our lives follow the same pattern, and we need to interpret our experience with the Ruach ha-Kodesh in that way. God’s approval was first manifested to Yeshua by the Ruach ha-Kodesh’s presence and that experience was interpreted by Father’s words. The presence of the Spirit is with you because you are approved.
The Father’s Ruach has the same evaluation as Father. His Ruach is as pleased with you as the Father is and is the impartation of God’s personal approval.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13–14)
Now He who establishes us with you in Messiah and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. (2 Corinthians 1:21–22)
We are sealed with the Ruach. It’s like we are stamped, “Approved.”
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
4 Elul Shabbat 7-Sep-24
Parashat Shoftim Deuteronomy 20:10-21:9 Isaiah 51:12-52:12