Sabbath Ponderings

Last night and this morning, one of my horses was colicky, so I needed to walk her for quite some time. I was thankful that the weather was mild. The starry sky was beautiful to behold and gave enough light to see where we were walking. Misty enjoyed my singing songs of Shabbos to her, especially this one:

The sun is going down
It’s shining through the trees
Another week’s gone by
Become a memory

So throw away your hammer
There’s nothing left to do
Go on home and find a gift
That’s waiting there for you

Oh....

It’s time to say Good Shabbos
Cuz all your work is done
Gonna spend a day together
With the Holy One

Say a special blessing
On a cup that’s filled with “wine”
Man and his Creator
It’s a very special sign....

...You can spend time with your family
You’ll study and you’ll pray
Why not wait till after Shabbos
Oh, those nails won’t run away...

(Abie Rotenberg, Journeys)

After an hour, I thought she was better. But this morning, after she ate some alfalfa, she was down again with the bad belly-ache. Maybe this green alfalfa was too rich for her. It is hard to believe Misty is 20 years old now. So I got her to her feet, walked her, massaged and curried her, offered her some apple slices, and turned her out in a clean pen with some new grass coming up. ...And I prayed for her. She got better! I was grateful that I found a bale or two of grass hay to give her while her achy intestines are healing of inflammation. I was grateful that the weather was nice and sunny this morning with temperatures in the 40’s. It would have been miserable if this had happened on the cold days.

This has been a very peaceful Sabbath. I am home alone today and it seems that the neighbors are either gone or unusually quiet. I took the two dogs for a walk in the woods, enjoyed my swing, sat out at the picnic table overlooking the scenic Exodus field, and saw a robin, sandhill cranes, five wild turkeys....and buds on the sassafras and lilacs. Spring is coming soon!

In my Bible reading, I am in the Book of Joshua. One of my favorite verses is Joshua 1:8:

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

So this “Book of the Law” was available to the Israelites at this time in their history. It was not compiled centuries later as liberal critics claim. I choose to trust God’s Word, my KJV Bible, over the satanically-inspired skepticism of scholars.

I notice that Rahab was a Canaanite, an ethnicity destined for destruction. Yet her conversion to Israel’s God spared her and her household. I will trust God’s wisdom and justice in deciding who lives and who dies and not charge Him foolishly with genocide. His longsuffering, mercy, and grace is evident throughout Scripture. God is Love....and God is a Consuming Fire! Paradox? So be it. “The power of paradox opens our eyes, and blinds those who say they can see.” (Michael Card, God’s Own Fool lyrics).

Rahab ends up in the genealogy of our Lord and Saviour, Yeshua (Jesus Christ) as well as in the Hall of Faith (Matt. 1:5; Heb. 11:31). By the way, she was not commended for lying, but for protecting God’s people and exhibiting saving faith. Her sin of lying was covered by the “Scarlet thread of Redemption” in the blood of Yeshua. She had not yet been instructed in the ways of the LORD, coming out of a heathen background. Some would say it is okay to prevaricate to protect life. But that would be situational ethics, would it not? Abraham should not have misrepresented Sarah to Abimelech to save his skin (Genesis 20). It may be an understandable weakness to lie in certain circumstances, but it is still sin, which needs to be confessed and forgiven. The Apostle Peter needed to be forgiven for lying about not knowing Jesus. Peter was sorry, and was forgiven and restored. It is noteworthy and encouraging that former sinners such as Rahab, Peter, Paul, etc. became famous for their good deeds, not their earlier mistakes and failings.

I remember hearing a story of a Christian family that protected Jews during Hitler’s pogroms....was it Corrie ten Boom? The Nazis came to their home and demanded to know where the Jews were hiding. Response: “Maybe they are under the table?” The Nazi’s lifted the tablecloth, looked underneath, and saw nothing. They left. Truth was, the Jews WERE under the table...under a trap door covered by a rug. The LORD was able to protect them even though the truth was told!

Time for some Hebrew language study. I am making slow progress. My mind is not as sharp as it used to be, and I tire easily...even reading is difficult sometimes. When that happens, I listen to mp3 teachings on my ipod. Dr. Scott Johnson has been a blessing. Very informative and encouraging. Yesterday I joined his email list for his health and Bible study newsletters. See my sidebar for link to his sermon audios and pdf files.

I am also studying Dan Gregg’s Sabbath Resurrection posts and articles. More on that soon....or go to torahtimes.org. Everyone is welcome at the torahtimes forum. It would be enjoyable to discuss issues there. We need more participation and fellowship. Disagreements are not discouraged. Iron sharpeneth iron. Dan welcomes challenges to his research, and we all can learn from one another.

Shabbat Shalom