I have been down for months now. I have been sick for three months. It really has been ridiculous. But it has also been much, much more. God really put on my heart that winter was a time of rest. I embraced it. What I didn't know is that the rest would come from being sick for so long. I had a cold three times in a row until that turned into a sinus infection and that turned into bronchitas for three weeks and that turned into pleurisy for what is now going into the fourth week.
My husband has stepped up in so many ways and I have actually spent days in bed. Can you imagine? With three kids and no family here to come and help. He was just amazing. And God used that to show me that I didn't have to do it all, that I could rest, that I could trust him, that I could and needed to step back.
And God has and continues to show me so much more. I remember the days when I spent time blogging about decorating and organizing and stuff like that. I am sorry if you miss those days. As my life continues to transform, so is my blog. It is pretty much focused on what God is doing in my life and sharing it to give Him glory, to encourage and spark interest in others, and to continue to be a missionary tool for me. Now, I may have the occassional post on what I have done new around the house. I still love to "freshen" things! But my time is consumed with being in His word, with Him, learning, studying, and worshipping with others. I am consumed with Him... by Him... and I pray it continues to overflow.
One of the most amazing things to happen to me is to learn who "Israel" is. This happened by watching the podcast at passionfortruth listed on the right side of my blog. As scripture after scripture after scripture was unfolded before me... and as I saw the very thread that runs through the entire Bible... connecting it and far from seperating it... I literally sat with my mouth open for 20 minutes as scriptures I have learned, read, and heard for all the years of my life starting connecting and unfolding inside my head! I was smacked.
Then to see how for God, it was always about Israel AND STILL IS... just blew me away. Israel is not the nation we have today nor is it the Jews. Israel is God's chosen people (and always will be) and includes the 12 tribes of Israel that came from the 12 sons of Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel AFTER wrestling with God!) In that nation... or in those 12 tribes was one tribe of Judah and that is where the Jews come from. All the tribes were sent into captivity because of disobedience. Ten tribes were in one place and 2 tribes (including Judah and who are today called Jews) were in Babylon. Out of the two tribes who were in Babylon, after God freed them from captivity after 70 years... one tribe wanted to stay (they liked the lifestyle of Babylon) and one tribe came back... yes... the tribe of Judah... the Jews.
After the other ten tribes were released from their captivity, God scattered them among the Gentile nations to the ends of the earth. They took on Gentile culture, traditions, lifestyle, and intermarried with them. Yes... their children would then be Gentile through the generations. God said that Israel was as a harlot and He gave her a degree of divorce.
But God loves His chosen people and said He could not be angry with them or seperated from them forever. But His law says there has to be blood shed/sacrifice for their sin... for their "forgetting the law".
So God tells of the Redeemer who will come and redeem His people all throughout the Old Testament... in the Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekial, Jeremiah... it's everywhere. IT'S ALSO ALL SHOWN IN THE FEASTS. Not the "Jewish Feasts"... they are "THE LORD'S Feasts"... for His people... all 12 tribes!
So the New Covenant came... Christ, Jesus, the Messiah, the Servant of David, the Chosen One! And Jesus came to be the perfect, spotless lamb (Passover Feast) and the final sacrifice so that there was bloodshed for Israel's disobedience and SO THEY COULD BE GATHERED BACK TO GOD! All through both Testaments is scripture of God gathering and restoring His people! There is a feast about this too... The gathering/harvest!
God says in MANY PLACES the lost tribes are lost sheep. Jesus says he came to seek and save the lost... the lost sheep... the lost tribes of Israel. Jesus says he is their Shepherd (God said the same thing ) and they will know him by his voice! In Matthew 15: 24 Jesus says, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." WOW. And there is more... much... much... more.
Romans makes sense now. So many Psalms jump off the page now! Revelation... making sense. The last feast is the Feast of Trumpets... that is when Christ returns and will marry His bride. God's law says if she was given a degree of divorce... she can't remarry... UNLESS her first husband dies. YEP! Christ's death also freed Israel from consequence of her divorce and frees her to marry... marry Christ. Scripture says she is getting ready!
I am blown away every day. I can't get out of scripture. My notebook is full and I am going to have to move into a second. It is amazing... beautiful... sovereign... so God!
I have also been shown over and over and over and over where God's law was and is forever and ever and ever... it is everlasting... for all generations. The part that changed (and if any part of a covenant is changed a new one has to be made) is the sacrifice, high priest, and penalty for sin. This was all spoken of in the old Testament. So we don't obey the law out of trying to please God and win favor and salvation... THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. I saw today in Isaiah where God said he saw man was just flesh and could not do it.
So Jesus came and we were given the gift of salvation. Now we obey out of love and overflowing gratitude. It is an obedience that is beautiful and from the heart... from love... not from fear. And that obedience pleases God!
This is the kind of stuff I will be sharing. There are some amazing resources listed on my blog to help you walk through the scriptures. Learning to read the scriptures from the Hebrew language and perspective has changed everything! IT IS SIMPLY AMAZING! I AM SO EXCITED TO SHARE!
Much love,
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts!