<p>The story of the bronze serpent is one that naturally piques one's interest. There are some striking parallels between this account and the words of Yeshua (Jesus), so we are going to take a closer look at this.</p><p>The people of Israel had just had a military victory over the king of Arad. After this, God leads them the long way around the land of Edom: "Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. The people spoke against God and Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food'" (<b>Numbers 21:4-5</b>). Even though the people had experienced the great deliverance and support of God over and over again, they continued to show that they really did not trust Him. Each time this happened, God would punish the people, and yet they continued in their behavior.</p><p>In response to their rebellion, God allows the people to be punished: "The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died" (<b>Numbers 21:6</b>). The description of these snakes as "fiery" likely refers to the effect which the bites had on their victims, such as a burning sensation. Amidst the great suffering and death brought on by the snakes, the people recognize that they are being punished for their sins in speaking against God and against Moses: "So the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.' And Moses interceded for the people" (<b>Numbers 21:7</b>). </p><p>"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.' And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived" (<b>Numbers 21:8-9</b>). The remedy is a strange one, and yet it is this which God commanded. The bronze serpent would represent the sin of the individual who had been bitten, and when they looked upon it, they would remember their sin and repent in their hearts, believing that God would heal them.</p><p>There is an interesting commentary on this verse in the Jewish work known as the Mishnah: "Similar to this matter, you [can] say concerning the verse; 'Make a [graven] snake and place it on a pole, and everyone bitten who sees it will live' (<b>Numbers 21:8</b>): And is it the snake that kills or [is it] the snake that [revives]? Rather, whenever Israel would look upward and subjugate their hearts to their Father in heaven, they would be healed; and if not, they would be harmed" (Mishnah, <a href=http://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Rosh_Hashanah.3.8?lang=en>Rosh Hashanah 3:8</a>). In other words, what this is saying is that it was not that the snake on the pole had any significance or power of itself, but when the people looked at the snake, it was as if they were raising their heads towards heaven and asking God to forgive them. The people of Israel did not understand this early enough, however, as the bronze snake became an idol which was worshipped (<b>2 Kings 8:14</b>).</p><p>Yeshua alludes to this event in His conversation with Nicodemus recorded in the gospel of John: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life" (<b>John 3:14-15</b>). What is the connection between the bronze serpent and Yeshua being crucified? Aside from any visual connection between the snake on a standard vs. Yeshua on the cross, there is a deeper significance. The bronze snake represented the punishment of snakes that the people had merited because of their disobedience. When they looked upon this snake, believing in their hearts that God would forgive and heal them, they were saved from death. Likewise, the crucifixion of Yeshua calls to mind the fact that we all have sinned and therefore merit eternal death (<b>Romans 6:23</b>). When we look to Him and subjugate our hearts to Him, we are healed and forgiven of our disobedience. </p><p>This would not be the last time the people of Israel disobeyed God and merited punishment in the wilderness. The bronze serpent would not be used again for the healing of their subsequent sins. But for us today, Yeshua's sacrifice remains the only way to be healed and forgiven (<b>John 14:6</b>). Not only this, but God's desire is that we will not only be forgiven of our sins, but that we will walk in obedience to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit: "And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf" (<b>2 Corinthians 5:15</b>). Let us never cease from living our life in the power granted to us through the sacrifice of Yeshua, but always lift our eyes and hearts to heaven so that we may continue to be healed and perfected until the return of our Messiah Yeshua. </p>

<p>There is nothing better in July than the fourth. It is foundational to us. It is our heritage and it deserves nothing less than our gratitude to our forefathers and those who came after who have done all in their power to keep us safe and free. But we seem to forget the most important part to this equation, and that is God. It was our heavenly Father who gave birth to this nation and during its years of infancy, it was God who protected it and watched it grow. It was God who brought this country through every storm and every trial and tribulation. It was God our Father who lovingly blessed us and prospered us. He gently took our servicemen and women into His arms and received them when they fell in battle. He saw, and He who is a mighty warrior Himself rose up and gave us the victory. </p><p>Yes, we forgot the One who birthed us. We removed His name from the public square. We removed His commandments and we turned from His ways and mocked Him in our theater and entertainment. We shook our fists and we said defiantly in His face that WE and not Him will rebuild after 9/11, and not only that, but we said that we would rebuild even higher and better and stronger, never saying, “with God’s help.” And where did we find ourselves? In two wars, and even at that when we pulled out we had to return because we lost what we had gained. Fifteen years of wars and not peace. We had years without prosperity. We had a nation so divided and our streets have become war zones. God’s word tells us in <b>2 Chronicles 7:14, </b>“And if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”</p><p> I want to look at this passage closer, for I say the answer is right here to America’s problems.</p><h3 class=innerTitle>It’s Up to God’s People</h3><p>This passage in Chronicles took place when Solomon dedicated the first Temple. The passage goes on to say in <b>verses 15-16, </b>"Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” So what does this have to do with us? Well, we have our foundational Scriptures to show us exactly how God deals with His people. God tells Israel if they would humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways that He would hear their prayers and forgive them and heal their land. We who have been grafted into Israel (<b>Romans 11:17</b>) through the death and resurrection of Messiah also have this same promise. Our churches represent the place where God resides, the heavenly temple—at least it should, in the respect that it should be holy and sacred. But today our churches show no respect to God. We sit during the worship service and look at our phones. We drink coffee and we do not enter into worship, as if God is so common. <b>Isaiah 6:1-5</b> tells us, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’” </p><p><b>Revelation 4</b> tells us, “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.’ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’”</p><p>This is a picture of the temple in heaven and we must always remember that we also are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we should be holy for He is holy, and to be holy means that we should be keeping God’s commandments. We should be praying and seeking His face. God opposes the proud but He draws close to those who are humble (<b>James 4:6</b>) and contrite of heart (<b>Psalm 51:17</b>). </p><p>So if the people of God, Jew and Gentile alike, would humble themselves and pray and seek God’s face, and if we would turn from our wickedness (YES this is to the people of God), He would hear our prayers and forgive us our sins and heal our country. We too are guilty of being like the world. Today there is no difference between a believer or a Jew and the world, Orthodox exempted. We are to be light to the nations. We are to be sowers of the seed of God’s Word. </p><p>Now you may say that this is all wrong and we are not guilty, and to that I say, then our land would be healed and we would not be so divided and our streets would not be war zones. God’s word is truth and it sheds its light, and we as a body of believers have to come back to living by God’s Word. When we do, we will see a mighty revival in the land and America will be healed. </p><p>Let’s take the advice of <b>Psalm 81:</b></p><p>“Sing for joy to God our strength, shout aloud to the God of Jacob! Begin the music, strike the timbrel, play the melodious harp and lyre. Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival; this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. When God went out against Egypt, He established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard an unknown voice say: ‘I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket. In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Hear me, my people, and I will warn you— if you would only listen to me, Israel! You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.’”</p><p>As we celebrate our independence from England, let’s thank God who blessed this nation with abundance. Can we now turn from His commandments and His ways? Let’s humble ourselves in prayer and seek the God who has given us this great land.</p>

<p>Balaam, asked by the king of Moab to curse Israel, finds himself in an interesting predicament. The king of Moab asks him to curse Israel, but Balaam is only able to say what God tells him to. After all is said and done, Balaam was not able to curse Israel and collect the reward for doing so, but this is not the last we hear of him. </p><p>Moab and Midian see that the people of Israel are powerful and that God is with them. Knowing what has happened to Israel's enemies and fearing that they will be next, they hire a man named Balaam, who was apparently some sort of well-known mystic in the area. They offer to reward him richly if he will come and curse the people of Israel so that they will be defeated. The Lord appears to Balaam in a dream, telling him not to go. He then tells the messengers this, who are sent back to Balaam once again with the offer of even more riches. Again God appears to Balaam, and says, "If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do" (<b>Numbers 22:20</b>). Apparently, Balaam's heart is not right in this endeavour, for an angel is sent to destroy him (<b>verse 22</b>). Heeding this warning, Balaam informs the king of Moab that he can only speak what God tells him to.</p><p>Balaam proceeds to utter several prophecies, proclaiming blessings upon Israel. It seems as if Balaam will not receive any reward from Balak in this matter, and he almost seems as if he is not such a bad guy after all. But even though he was not able to curse Israel, and in fact spoke blessings upon them to his own financial disadvantage, Balaam is still depicted as an evil person in Scripture. All references to him in the New Testament are negative, and in Jewish literature he is also portrayed as an enemy. Why is this? </p><p>Directly following the account of Balaam, <b>Numbers 25</b> begins by saying that the children of Israel at that place were enticed by the daughters of Moab and commited acts of idolatry. Many have linked these two passages together, claiming that Balaam, even though he was not able to curse the people himself, was still eager in his heart to get a reward: "Rabbi Jehudah said: 'The counsel of the wicked is far from me' (<b>Job 21:16</b>). This refers to the counsel of Balaam, the wicked, who advised Midian, and there fell of Israel twenty-four thousand men. He said to them: 'You will not be able to prevail against this people, unless they have sinned before their Creator.' They made for themselves booths outside the camp of Israel, and they sold all kinds of merchandise of the market. The young men of Israel went beyond the camp of Israel and they saw the daughters of Midian, who had painted their eyes like harlots, and they took wives of them, and went astray after them, as it is said, 'And the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab' (<b>Numbers 25:1</b>)" (Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer 47: The Zeal of Phineas). In other words, this and other Jewish literature claim that Balaam gave advice to Moab on how to circumvent the blessings he had just uttered by causing the Israelites to fall into sin, thus bringing judgment upon themselves. This is directly confirmed in <b>Numbers 31:16</b> and <b>Revelation 2:14</b>.</p><p>Balaam is used as an example in the New Testament of being eager for dishonest wealth: "But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah" (<b>Jude 1:10-11</b>). In 2 Peter we also see Balaam used as an example of the same thing: "They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet" (<b>2 Peter 2:13-16</b>).</p><p>It is clear that Balaam's life as recorded in Scripture contains lessons for us. As emphasised in the previously quoted New Testament scriptures, he is a warning against the pursuit of wealth. When Balaam initially went out with the messengers, his heart was in the wrong place, and so God had to send an angel to redirect his path. Some have used the verse which says he "arose in the morning and saddled his donkey" to say that he was eager to go and make his wage. We see that even after his prophecies, Balaam enticed the people of Israel into sin. One can appear to be a servant of God, but in practice they are not. Even though Balaam uttered blessings and prophecies, in the end his actions were wicked. Yeshua (Jesus) teaches us this same lesson: "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart you from Me, you who practice lawlessness'" (<b>Matthew 7:22-23</b>).</p><p>Let us be careful that we do not become like Balaam in his desire for wealth, and let us also be careful not to fall into the hands of those who would wish to deceive us for their own dishonest gain or join with them in their sinful practices. "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Yeshua Messiah to eternal life" (<b>Jude 1:20-21</b>).</p>

So often when things happen in our lives, there are those believers who want to say, “Oh! God is punishing them for their sins.” But is this really true? We see this with Job. His friends did not give him any sympathy, only condemned him and judged him. They would say things like, “If you would seek God and implore the compassion of the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, surely now He would rouse Himself for you and restore your righteous estate” (Job 8:5-6). Job, after listening to his friends tell him that he was not righteous in God’s eyes, had this to say: “Sorry comforters are you all!” (Job 16:2b). So we want to take a closer look into this so that the next time someone we know is going through a tough time, we aren't quick to judge that person, but that we help them in their walk with God.

What exactly is punishment? The dictionary tells us punishment is “the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense.” Discipline on the other hand is “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.” Now, you may say it seems like they are the same thing. But notice these two words: retribution and training. These are two different motives, and that makes the difference. The first is the penalty for disobedience which one may have to pay, and the other is for training a person to have a certain code of behavior.

Punishment

We know that Yeshua (Jesus) paid the price, He took the punishment, for our offense or sin, and that penalty for sin is death. One day every person who has not accepted Yeshua’s, death and resurrection, the price He paid for our sins, will suffer the retribution for his offenses. John 3:18 tells us, "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” In John 8:24 Yeshua tells us, "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." Again in Luke 13:3, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” In John 12:4 Yeshua tells us, “And if anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come that I might judge the world, but that I might save the world.” But the day will come when if we do not repent and believe on Yeshua’s work that was done on the cross that we will die in our sins. Again John 12:47-48 tells us, “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.”

So when we see someone going through a tough time, let us not judge, for God has not yet judged that person, but let us pray for them and help them if we can.

Discipline

So let’s look closer at what discipline is. We know that discipline is training a person to behave in a certain manner. Hebrews 12:4-12 tells us, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin (this referring to Yeshua); and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

The book of Proverbs probably tells us the most about raising a child. Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 23:12-14, “Apply your heart to discipline and your ears to words of knowledge. Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol.” Proverbs 13:24, “He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” Proverbs 19:18, “Discipline your son while there is hope, and do not desire his death.”

So too our heavenly Father must discipline us to train us, for it says in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Messiah Yeshua.” Now I ask you, when Yeshua comes, would you rather that He had disciplined you now or have to punish you later? Let us rejoice in our trial, for James 1:2-4 tells us, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” When we think of patience, we think of being calm in the midst of a chaotic situation, patiently waiting for the situation to become calm. But patience also means accepting suffering or trouble without becoming angry or bitter. Revelation 20:12-15 says, “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”

This is what we want, to be perfect and complete so that when the day comes for us to be judged Yeshua will say, “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into My kingdom.”

2 Timothy 2:20-21 tells us, “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” We want to take a look at what it takes to be vessels of honor.

The Temple

In the temple the priests used all sorts of vessels in their daily service to God.

Pots, shovels, sprinkling basins, and dishes were all made for the temple. Exodus 27:3 tells us, “You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and firepans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze.” Exodus 40:10 says, “You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy.” Other places also talk about the temple vessels: 1 Kings 7:45, 2 Chronicles 4:11, Jeremiah 52:18 to name a few. Because the temple was a holy place, everything in the temple had to be holy from the smallest vessel to the priestly garments to the priests themselves. Everything had to be washed and sprinkled with the blood of a sacrificed animal, which we see in Hebrews 9:19-22, “For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.’ And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

This scripture tells us why everything had to be sprinkled with blood, for forgiveness, to make everything clean and holy. So you say, “What does this have to do with me?” Let’s continue to look a little closer.

The Making of a Holy Vessel

Romans 9:21 asks the question. “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” God is the Potter and we are the clay in God’s hands to mold and fashion. We whom the potter molds into various vessels are also in His hands to use. Paul tells us in Romans 12:4, “We have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function.” So does this mean that one person is greater than another? 1 Corinthians 12:14-27, “For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Messiah and individually members of it.”

We see here that we are all important and we must give honor to all. So then what’s with these vessels of honor if we are all to give each other honor? This is true, but in this case it is us who are giving honor to other people. We want to be vessels of honor to God, and to do this we must do a few things. So let’s start by looking at the first thing we must to.

The Walk of Honor

Romans 12:1-2 tells us, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” We must start by laying down our lives on the altar. Galatians 5:24 says, “Now those who belong to Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Yeshua Himself tells us in Luke 9:23, “Then He said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” We see that we must die to sin, to ourselves, to the world. We must be a willing sacrifice for God by putting aside our desires, our lives, and be an offering unto the Lord. Yeshua tells us in Matthew 10:39, 16:25, “For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it.”

So we see, if we say, “No, I want to live my own life,” that we will actually lose eternal life. Mark 8:35 tells us this way: “For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for me and for the gospel, you will save it.” James 4:4 tells us, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James tells us that we are adulterous if we are friends of the world. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:16 says, “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

So we as believers should be separated from the world. Yes, we live in the world but we can not be part of it, its worldview, its ways, its words. We must be holy because God is holy. We must be light, for He is light. 1 John 1:5-9 tells us, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

So if we want to be vessels of honor then we must put God first, but this means that we have a heart for God. The Jewish prayer called the Shema, which means “hear” in Hebrew (and not just hear like listen, which is part of it, but hear as in do what you hear), says this:

“Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” [The first commandments says, “You shall not have any other gods before Me.”]

“Blessed be He whose glorious kingdom is eternal.” [In Luke 1:33, the angel tells Mary, “And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”]

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your life and with all your strength.” [Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29-30, Yeshua tells the people that this is the greatest of all the commandments.]

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” [This is a reference to the ten commandments given on Mount Sinai. The psalmist writes in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word I have hidden in my heart so I may not sin against thee.”]

“Impress them on your children.” [Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it. Genesis 18:19 speaks of Abraham, “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."]

“Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” [Psalm 19:14 tells us, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” Colossian 3:17 says, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”]

"Tie them as reminders on your hand and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” [Proverbs 6:22 says, “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8, I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”]

So we see that to be a vessels of honor, we must have not only a life for God, but that we must have a godly household, raising up our children to be godly by not only teaching but by being an example. Paul tells the Corinthians, “Follow my example as I follow Messiah.”

One last thing in this walk, and it is probably the first and foremost, and that is to have a fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Psalm 128:1-4 says, “How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table.”

Let us draw close to God, giving ourselves over to Him, and let us determine in our hearts today that we want to be a vessel in the hand of God; and not just any vessel, but a vessel of honor by renewing our minds and becoming living sacrifices. 1 Peter 2:4-5 tells us, “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,

you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Colossians 2:6-7 says, “Therefore as you have received Messiah, so walk in him having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

Paul reminds the Corinthians that we are the temple of the Lord. If so, then we want to be a holy vessel of honor in the hand of our Great High Priest Yeshua.

When God was preparing the people to bring them into the land which He had promised to give them, He warned the people that in order to inhabit the land, they would need to obey God and keep His commandments. If they disobeyed, God would bring curses upon the people, and if they continued in their sins through all of these curses, they would be exiled among the nations. While the literal interpretation of the effects of the peoples' sin is only relevant to the physical inhabitation of the land of Israel, the underlying truth remains the same for every believer in Yeshua who has been grafted in.

Moses begins by telling the people, "Be silent and listen, O Israel! This day you have become a people for the Lord your God. You shall therefore obey the Lord your God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I command you today" (Deuteronomy 27:9-10). By putting His name upon the people of Israel, God chose them to be a special nation of His own possession. Because of this, they needed to obey Him and do His will in order to continue to be blessed according to His will.

We see that if they do not obey God and keep His commandments, then the people will be cursed: "'Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen'" (Deuteronomy 27:26). If by transgressing the Torah the people would be cursed and eventually exiled from the land, were the people of Israel doomed from the start? We know that it is not possible to never sin. Was God simply setting the people of Israel up to fail? "But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you" (Deuteronomy 28:15). Was God sitting in heaven waiting for them to make a mistake so that He could punish them?

No, for we also know that God is merciful and He blesses those who obey Him to the best of their ability while not trusting in their own actions to gain any merit in the sight of God. We see through Scripture that in the times when Israel has a leader who removes the idols from the land and trusts in God, the land and the people are blessed. "All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 28:2). This doesn't mean that during these times nobody in the nation of Israel committed any sin at all, but it means that as for the most part the people were making a genuine effort to put their trust in God and obey Him.

While in some Christian circles we tend to shy away from the thought of meriting any type of reward or punishment based on our obedience to God, we see that this theme is carried over into the New Testament. Yeshua (Jesus) tells us near the end of Revelation, "Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy. Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done" (Revelation 22:12). Here we see that the way one has behaved and the deeds he has done play a large role in how one is determined as righteous or unrighteous, and the measure of a person's deeds will be returned to him in some way.

This is not in conflict with the concept of salvation as a free gift to those who believe. The same mouth that said, "The Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done," also said, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." The belief seen throughout the Scriptures is never a belief which is merely an assent to the existence of God and the sacrifice of His Son. It is a living and active belief which results in obedience. As James tells us, "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds" (James 2:18).

We as believers in Yeshua have become joined to Israel in being a people for the Lord our God. As such, we are called and expected to behave in accordance with God's will for us. This doesn't mean that we resort to a legalistic view, where salvation is only attainable by meeting a certain standard of obedience. But God has told us that we will be rewarded if we continue to obey Him in love, not because we are relying on our deeds to gain us a reward, but because it is through our actions that we reveal what is within our hearts. May God bless us all as we seek to know Him and His Son through every part of our lives.

Many Christians believe that physical circumcision has been replaced by a spiritual circumcision of the heart. It is evident from the New Testament that for Gentiles who believe in Yeshua (Jesus), circumcision and conversion to Judaism are not necessary for salvation, and in fact these things are discouraged. But what about Jewish believers? And what does it mean that a person's heart is circumcised?

The first mention of physical circumcision in the Bible is God instructing Abraham that he and his descendants are to circumcise their sons as a lasting sign of the covenant between them: "And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations" (Genesis 17:10-11). This passage doesn't say anything about circumcision of the heart, but is very specific in stating that it is circumcision of the flesh, and that it is to continue throughout the generations of Abraham's descendants, even going so far as to call it an "everlasting covenant" (verse 13). Circumcision was a visible sign of Abraham's obedience, which as Paul tells us stemmed from his faith in God (Romans 4:11).

The first time circumcision is related to anything non-physical is found in Leviticus 26, which predicts a future day when, after Israel has strayed from the covenant and recognizes their sin, they will be restored: "If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me... or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham" (Leviticus 26:40-42). Here, the people are referred to as having "uncircumcised hearts." If circumcision was instituted with Abraham as a sign of faithfulness, then the uncircumcision of their hearts indicates their rebellion and refusal to obey God. This is also alluded to in Jeremiah 4:1-4.

We see this symbolism again in this week's portion where Moses is speaking to the children of Israel about the same future day of exile and restoration. He uses similar language to refer to the disobedience of the Israelites, but he includes a prophecy about how God will remedy the situation: "Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live... And you shall again obey the Lord, and observe all His commandments which I command you today" (Deuteronomy 30:6, 8). Here we find another clue that circumcision of the heart has to do with obedience and faithfulness. In this time of restoration, everyone whose heart is circumcised by God will be able to obey God faithfully and keep all of His commandments.

There is another allusion to this in the words of the prophet Ezekiel: "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances" (Ezekiel 36:25-27). Again we see that the circumcision or restoration of the heart is related to obedience and following God's commandments.

Paul echoes these words regarding being circumcised in the flesh without being circumcised in the heart. He tells his Jewish readers, "For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Torah; but if you are a transgressor of the Torah, your circumcision has become uncircumcision" (Romans 2:25). Although the outward circumcision is a sign of faithfulness, if it is not accompanied by a faithfulness and obedience from the heart, then it is not the circumcision which God desires. Paul continues, "So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Torah, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?" (verse 26). If a Gentile believer, who is not required to be circumcised, lives his life in obedience to God and His commandments as they apply to him, then he will show that his heart is circumcised, which means that he is obedient to God.

The chapter concludes with Paul saying, "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God" (Romans 2:28-29). Inward circumcision does not invalidate outward circumcision, but outward circumcision is supposed to be a sign and a reminder of the covenant which God made with Abraham because of his inward circumcision. Paul is not saying that Gentile believers become or replace Jews, but he is saying that not everyone who claims to be a Jew is truly acting in a Jewish way (meaning obeying God and keeping His commandments through the power of the Spirit).

Therefore, let us make sure we have allowed God to circumcise our hearts as we seek to know Him and imitate His obedience to the Father, for "in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Messiah" (Colossians 2:11).

God instructs Moses to read the people of Israel a song about their past and their future. In it he describes God's love and care for the people and how after they enter the land and become comfortable, they will turn their back on God and worship idols. Let's look closer at the mistake they made so that we will be sure not to follow their example.

The song of Moses describes, in poetic language, God's election of Israel to be His special possession. It tells of the future, when the people would enter the land just as God has promised them. When they entered the land, God would fulfill His promises to bless and prosper His people, and Israel would enjoy the blessings which God allowed them to experience: "He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he ate the produce of the field; and He made him suck honey from the rock, and oil from the flinty rock, curds of cows, and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, and rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat—and of the blood of grapes you drank wine" (Deuteronomy 32:13-14).

But because of their comfort and their decadence, they would forget about God and turn to the idols which their neighbors worshiped. Because of the ease and comfort in which they were living, they would forget the times when they relied on God for their every need: "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—you are grown fat, thick, and sleek—then he forsook God who made him, and scorned the Rock of his salvation... You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth" (Deuteronomy 32:15, 18). The name Jeshurun means "upright one," and it is a name God calls Israel in several Scriptures, three of which take place here in the last few chapters of Deuteronomy. In this verse, we see the name "upright one" contrasted against the actions of rebellion which they have turned to.

God had brought the people of Israel into the land, and He was pleased to bless them with the abundance that lay within its borders. But Israel forgot about God and grew proud in their hearts. They believed that somehow they had merited God's favor, or perhaps they thought that the blessings would always continue as they were now, regardless of the peoples' behavior. God had previously instructed them that feeling comfortable was the first step toward this wickedness: "Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land... and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Deuteronomy 6:10-12).

While the song of Moses is directed toward, and prophetic of, the downfall of Israel when they entered the promised land, we must learn about this so we are careful not to follow in their example. We must guard ourselves so that we do not grow comfortable in our luxury. While many of us wouldn't consider ourselves as living luxurious lives, for the most part we do not have to worry about food, water, and shelter. Our basic physical needs are provided for and so we turn to other more artificial needs to pursue with our excess funds and time. But Yeshua warns against this behavior, telling us of a rich man who harvests many crops and only thinks of himself: "Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:18-21).

James also gives a fiery warning to those who use their money only to provide comfortable lives for themselves: "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! ... You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter" (James 5:1-3, 5).

The song of Moses provides us with an example of what happens when we grow comfortable and self-indulgent. This is true with physical wealth, and it is also true in our spiritual walk. We must never believe that we are owed anything or that we deserve any type of blessing, and we must not assume that God will bless our path if it is not the path He wants us to be on. Let us give thanks to God, for He is the one who desires for us to enjoy the gifts which He has given us, both physical and spiritual, not by using these gifts lavishly upon ourselves, but by sharing joyfully with our brothers, sisters, and neighbors.