2.28.25 ~ Taking Inventory
Good morning!
I've shared with you on hundreds of occasions, if you never learn anything from these studies, never forget where you've been, always take inventory where you're at and never forget where you're going (Deut. 6:23-25).
Let's step back and readdress our past and inventory our present...After the spiritual and physical crossing of the Reed Sea/Yom Suf, receiving the prophetic revelation as a nation and singing in unison the Song of Moses (Ex. 15:19; Rev. 15:3), one would think that the spiritual high would last more than just a few days. However, new and never before experienced challenges often take our mind away from the One Who is our great deliverer.
With the water crisis after the next three days, God's firstborn children were beginning to murmur to Moses. They didn't need a drop for their tongue, they needed cool, refreshing, pure water to quench their thirst. Unfortunately, God led them to a place that we have deemed the bitter waters of Marah or was it that we were bitter at the waters, hence it was called Marah/bitter (Ex. 15:22-26)?
From the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation water was meant to be contained for life giving processes or judgment. Faithful Jews know this to be true as they end their morning prayer with the joyful song of Moses; because daily life is always about leaving behind the enemies of our past through the waters of deliverance.
When Israel arrived at Marah, they didn't find water with a life force. They found a bitter test waiting for them.
After a physical and spiritual high of personal deliverance (Ex. 14), something got lost when the thirst arrived. The spiritual high was forgotten and the murmuring low was inserted.
As we have seen in previous studies, water is an illusion to Torah and its ability to refresh and restore (Psa. 19:7). They got disconnected. Was it a ho-hum attitude where God's going to do everything for us? Spiritual apathy? Expecting to stay on the mountain top for ever? They were moving forward, but their heart was still back in Egypt (Isa. 5:13)?? Intellectually, they knew what had happened with all the plagues in Egypt and their salvation at the sea (Ex. 14:12-31). Their salvation/Yeshua experience gave them adrenaline pumping vigor and courage. But, now, the joy has left and they feel like dead men walking. Same information, but a different feeling deep inside, which led them to bitterness.
I'm sure we can all identify with this feeling! One minute on the mountain top, the next in the valley. We're never guaranteed the 'high' will last. What we should remember is how to enjoy the moment to the fullest; like the 'thanksgiving offering' that needs to be eaten all the same day (Lev. 7:13-15)...Passover is coming!
Complacency, entitlement and doubt are major villains in our spiritual journey from Egypt to Canaan. The bread placed on the table of shewbread, found in this week's Torah portion of Terumah, gave us a great example on how to stay focused. Every week the bread was placed on the table and on the next Sabbath it was enjoyed fully. Historical readings say that the bread was still hot and fresh as though it was freshly baked. It never got dry, boring or moldy.
In tonight's zoom call at 8:00 p.m. EST 699 858 9149 we will focus on this bread of faces. Nothing like a face to face encounter. Is the bread you're eating dry and moldy or fresh and hot? It's time for a face off!
God's instructions to Moses help us learn how to take a bitter situation and make it sweet.
Moses began by crying out to the Lord. God heard his cry, along with the people's murmuring, and he taught/yara him about the tree/etz that he could throw into the water to make the bitter water sweet.
According to the sages, the tree was either the bitter olive tree or the very bitter oleander tree. Huh? God wanted Moses to throw a 'bitter' tree into 'bitter' water to make it 'sweet'? Double huh??
If we look deep into our 'bitterness' we will recognize that everything comes from God Himself and is designed for our lives to conform us to the image of His dear Son (Rom. 8:28,29). Bitterness is self-generated, defeating and it's here that we are tested. We need to recognize the root. Every tree grows by God's soil, water and light. And, because we are likened to trees (olive, fig, vine, oak, palm, thorns and thistles, etc), remember that God is in control of our direction for life. That thinking will keep us from experiencing the bi-polar spiritual mindset that Israel did at Marah.
Look where everything comes from! It's at this point that individual and global changes will occur. Don't look somewhere else. Everytime we feel low, inadequate, that's an indicator that something's missing in our thinking.
Within our 'Marah' experience God teaches us to take the tree/etz and cast it in the water. That's an ironic statement because the word for tree is the root word for counsel/etzah. What God wants to teach us in our bitter experiences is to look deep inside the situation to find the root and inoculate us from the sickening side effects of bitterness like a vaccine designed to strengthen our immune system, not kill us.
Happy Preparation Day and Shabbat shalom!
Let's step back and readdress our past and inventory our present...After the spiritual and physical crossing of the Reed Sea/Yom Suf, receiving the prophetic revelation as a nation and singing in unison the Song of Moses (Ex. 15:19; Rev. 15:3), one would think that the spiritual high would last more than just a few days. However, new and never before experienced challenges often take our mind away from the One Who is our great deliverer.
With the water crisis after the next three days, God's firstborn children were beginning to murmur to Moses. They didn't need a drop for their tongue, they needed cool, refreshing, pure water to quench their thirst. Unfortunately, God led them to a place that we have deemed the bitter waters of Marah or was it that we were bitter at the waters, hence it was called Marah/bitter (Ex. 15:22-26)?
From the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation water was meant to be contained for life giving processes or judgment. Faithful Jews know this to be true as they end their morning prayer with the joyful song of Moses; because daily life is always about leaving behind the enemies of our past through the waters of deliverance.
When Israel arrived at Marah, they didn't find water with a life force. They found a bitter test waiting for them.
After a physical and spiritual high of personal deliverance (Ex. 14), something got lost when the thirst arrived. The spiritual high was forgotten and the murmuring low was inserted.
As we have seen in previous studies, water is an illusion to Torah and its ability to refresh and restore (Psa. 19:7). They got disconnected. Was it a ho-hum attitude where God's going to do everything for us? Spiritual apathy? Expecting to stay on the mountain top for ever? They were moving forward, but their heart was still back in Egypt (Isa. 5:13)?? Intellectually, they knew what had happened with all the plagues in Egypt and their salvation at the sea (Ex. 14:12-31). Their salvation/Yeshua experience gave them adrenaline pumping vigor and courage. But, now, the joy has left and they feel like dead men walking. Same information, but a different feeling deep inside, which led them to bitterness.
I'm sure we can all identify with this feeling! One minute on the mountain top, the next in the valley. We're never guaranteed the 'high' will last. What we should remember is how to enjoy the moment to the fullest; like the 'thanksgiving offering' that needs to be eaten all the same day (Lev. 7:13-15)...Passover is coming!
Complacency, entitlement and doubt are major villains in our spiritual journey from Egypt to Canaan. The bread placed on the table of shewbread, found in this week's Torah portion of Terumah, gave us a great example on how to stay focused. Every week the bread was placed on the table and on the next Sabbath it was enjoyed fully. Historical readings say that the bread was still hot and fresh as though it was freshly baked. It never got dry, boring or moldy.
In tonight's zoom call at 8:00 p.m. EST 699 858 9149 we will focus on this bread of faces. Nothing like a face to face encounter. Is the bread you're eating dry and moldy or fresh and hot? It's time for a face off!
God's instructions to Moses help us learn how to take a bitter situation and make it sweet.
Moses began by crying out to the Lord. God heard his cry, along with the people's murmuring, and he taught/yara him about the tree/etz that he could throw into the water to make the bitter water sweet.
According to the sages, the tree was either the bitter olive tree or the very bitter oleander tree. Huh? God wanted Moses to throw a 'bitter' tree into 'bitter' water to make it 'sweet'? Double huh??
If we look deep into our 'bitterness' we will recognize that everything comes from God Himself and is designed for our lives to conform us to the image of His dear Son (Rom. 8:28,29). Bitterness is self-generated, defeating and it's here that we are tested. We need to recognize the root. Every tree grows by God's soil, water and light. And, because we are likened to trees (olive, fig, vine, oak, palm, thorns and thistles, etc), remember that God is in control of our direction for life. That thinking will keep us from experiencing the bi-polar spiritual mindset that Israel did at Marah.
Look where everything comes from! It's at this point that individual and global changes will occur. Don't look somewhere else. Everytime we feel low, inadequate, that's an indicator that something's missing in our thinking.
Within our 'Marah' experience God teaches us to take the tree/etz and cast it in the water. That's an ironic statement because the word for tree is the root word for counsel/etzah. What God wants to teach us in our bitter experiences is to look deep inside the situation to find the root and inoculate us from the sickening side effects of bitterness like a vaccine designed to strengthen our immune system, not kill us.
Happy Preparation Day and Shabbat shalom!
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