Vayikra (Leviticus) 1:1-6:7, Haftara Isa. 43:21-44:23 Brit Chadashah 1 Cor.5:6-8

(Please take the time to read the portion completely as this "reflection" is designed to be a practical life application of some selected parts of the Torah portion, Haftara and Brit Chadashah and is not an in depth commentary, but rather a way to see ourselves in the text.)

Shalom Friends,

Isa 44:6 "Thus says YHVH, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, YHVH of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.

There are many "gods" in the world. There are many of us who worship those gods. Yes I said "us!" As we have learned (see last year's commentary) Sacrifice, or more to the point, offering was to bring us closer to our God. The sacrifices are a form of offering. Everyone today makes sacrifices. Ok maybe not blood sacrifices, but we give up something for a higher or more important cause. I propose that to what ever you give your THOUGHTS and FOCUS, is your god.

Ok, so things are bad, real bad. There is sickness or unemployment in your life. Your children, who grew up in a godly home and with what seemed like a relationship with Messiah, have lost there minds and run after the world. Drugs, promiscuity and the love of material things are rampant in the modern world. There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. What else can you do but focus on your circumstances and work like a dog to force a better outcome? I will submit that being mindful of your circumstances is not wrong. Living every moment thinking, feeling and being driven by those events transpiring in your life is placing an idol between you and your Creator.

Abba knows what is going on! He knows your pain and your anguish over your TEMPORARY circumstances. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is in some sort of pickle. So focus on the sacrifices. Focus on drawing near to the One who can fix everything.

Isa 44:8 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'"

Rock! Firm, unmovable, secure and trustworthy. Yes, that is our God! He has announced these things before hand so we will not be shaken.

Exo 14:13-14 But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of YHVH which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. "YHVH will fight for you while you keep silent."

Did the Children of Israel have to flee Pharaoh? Yes! Did they have some real concerns about getting their lives cut short by the Egyptian army? You got it! Did they have to walk all the way to the other side of the Red Sea? You bet'cha! Well they had to do some stuff right? Yes they did. But the clear focus is on what YHVH was doing with His pillar of fire and cloud and His hand parting the seas. No amount of focus or work could have accomplished the goal of safety apart from the divine actions of THE God. Let me ask you do you have a real army that is about to lop off your head? I don't think so. Your situation is not near as desperate as that of Israel at the Red Sea. But still our loving Father has words of comfort for us.

Luk 12:6-9 "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. "And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

He knows you by name and by situation. To confess Him is to be in covenant with Him, to deny Him is to disavow, or rather, replace Him with something else. Let's do the former and examine ourselves to see if we may have done the later.

As for trouble, that is just part and parcel of this fallen creation, this corrupt world.

Joh 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

I am not suggesting that we be like an ostrich and bury our head in the sand and not seek to better our circumstances, I am proposing that as we seek to better them, we focus on the One who really has all the answers. He will part the sea for us because He loves us. We need to be ready to walk through it.

Shalom B'Shem Yeshua
Bill

Vayikra - 2009