Tag Archives: Hebrew studies

EXODUS, Where There is No Man

Let Us Make Man…. 2.0

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“He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” —Daniel 2:22

What else can we learn from this message? The objective is to discover not only, what character and nature of ‘man’ is required when such a situation presents itself, but also, Who is this elect man among men?

Adam…is a Human Being… First

In Part 3 of “When There Is No Man, Be A Man, we saw the term applied first in recognition of ‘man’ as a human being, a messenger of GOD and representative of mankind.

In Gen 5:2, we saw the transition and evolution of the word ‘adam’ as a name. In the diagram to the left, we see that the word adam is created from 3 Hebrew letters; aleph (A) – dalet (D) – closed mem (M).

Gen 2:5b …for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. —there was not a ‘human being’ to till the ground.

CASE IN POINT…

To begin, let us not neglect Genesis 2:5b. Not only is there no man, but there is not a man to till the ground. The word ’till’, is the Hebrew word avad (5647). Traditionally, (in English) this word is translated in multiple ways; labour, to serve, to work. Beyond that surface level of understanding we have the meanings; to obey, perform acts of worship, worship, serve with levitical service, etc.

Now head over to Genesis 2:15…and GOD took the man and put the him in the garden to dress it and to keep it. (KJV). “To dress It”, is avad (5647), and “to keep it” is, shamar (8104).

Notice, the same word (avad) is being used in both places. in Genesis 2:5 we translate avad as to till/cultivate. In Genesis 2:15, we translate it as, “dress”, but which does it mean?

“avad” has nothing to do with working or farming the land. Really, there is nothing to farm, is there? The soil is not fighting against man, yet. There are no thorns and thistles, yet. Everything is well prepared for adam and eve in the Garden. In so many uses of the word avad, we find the application of service/work. The questions we have not been asking are, “Is this strictly limited to physical work/labour? Or, can this apply at times to spiritual labour/work/service to God in prayer and sacrifice?

When GOD first creates the world and takes Adam, the human being and puts him in the garden, it is for the purpose of worship, service to GOD. –NOT physical labor. Adam does not have to work at anything else. He does not have to build any bridges. There’s no need to fight the lions and tigers and bears. Death does not exist in the world, yet. There is nothing to repair, fix, or mend. Adam and eve’s only duty is to study, learn, worship, praise, protect the anointing (shamar), and walk with GOD.
They, Adam and Eve, do not need to prepare a home, they already have one. It’s gahn edahn, the first Temple/House of GOD.

Could it be possible, that GOD is speaking about much more than how we traditionally translate the word? Could this mean something much more than mere physical labor?

In Genesis 2:15, we find the words avad and shamar… based on this analysis, that would translate to; worship (avad) and to guard/protect the anointing (shamar). Avodah (from the root ward, avad) in Hebrew is service to GOD in prayer and worship.

Which is more likely, that GOD placed Adam in the garden for the purpose of praise and worship, to guard and protect the anointing on the earth realm, or to farm the land? In addition, why would the Garden of Eden, need to be plowed, tilled or cultivated? WE turn scripture into a fairy tale whenever we minimize or lower the level of the meaning of His Word. For all intents and purposes, we as Christians cause the world to attribute a fairy tale, bible story-mindset to the things of GOD, when we treat them that way. I want my students to take responsibility for that and fix it.

Since the dawn of mankind, GOD has requested only relationship, not farming. Farming has much respect, by all means. However, our primary aspirations in the Word should be to cultivate a relationship with GOD. Instead, we (most of the body of Christ) put people in bondage by condemning them for working on the sabbath. This is problematic. Especially if we are not even speaking of the right kind of work.

Let me just upset the WHOLE applecart!

The work we should be engaged in – 6 days a week- is service to GOD, devotion of the heart. Avodah and shamar. On the 7th day we are to rest. Rest from all the work that we have done. Now, I ask you, if we have not been engaged in avodah and shamar, what is there to rest from? The labor of your hands? We did not engage in avodah. We do not even understand shamar, i.e., how to protect the anointing. So, what are we resting from? Secular activities? YES! We are resting from secular activities.

The objective of resting on the 7th day, is to rest in GOD. Mentally, some of us might understand that. However, rest should be in virtue of the service to the LORD. So, what if shabbat is about trusting GOD with everything, all your labor (service of the heart) from the previous six days? If that is the case, then GOD is not commanding you to hold the 7th day separate as a commandment to intimidate, scare, cause guilt, or whatever else we might think. GOD is commanding you to separate the day, as a sign that you trust Him with the outcome of all that service of the heart. Just rest in Him. Could GOD be saying, I will take it from here? because you trust in me?

SIDEBAR—-

Could GOD be commanding you to do something in order to bless you? I’m curious. Do parents enforce rules in order to protect and bless their children? Do they have to understand the rule in order to be obedient and receive the blessing? Could I be actually blessing my child with rules they might not like, definitely not want, but that help to preserve their life? Do I have some children that obey because you gave them the instruction and others that refuse instruction and therefore need a commandment? As a parent do you make it a commandment, because they just happen to have the type of nature to oppose their own selves?

Do we forbid our kids from running into the street because we are unreasonable and controlling? Or might that particular commandment be a blessing to them?

To Dress it and to Keep It…

What misleads us is our own translation. We thought we were supposed to dress and keep the garden. How were you supposed to do that anyway, when the garden was already perfect? Fairytale language is deadly.

Consider this: Adam was created outside of the Garden. GOD, took him and put him, in the Garden. Scripture is very clear, that Adam was created outside the Garden (natural realm) and put inside the Garden (spiritual realm) for the purpose of anointing him for mastery in two realms, the spiritual and the natural.

Man needs the ability to operate in both the spiritual and natural realms, with authority, dominion and power.

Prayer began in the Garden of Eden. Had we been taught this scripture in context to heart-felt devotion and service to GOD in prayer and worship, and how to guard and protect the anointing on our lives and the lives of others, I honestly believe that we would be further advanced in our prayer lives, don’t you think?

Prayer and worship is not our forte within the Church. Our focus was placed on tilling the ground, toil, gardening, cultivating wealth, etc…

Eve Was Created In The Garden…

Eve, was created inside the Garden. The Garden is the 1st tabernacle on Earth. It is the abode of God on Earth, the dwelling place and meeting place of GOD and mankind, Adam and Eve. Eve’s being created inside the Garden is equivalent to Adam gaining a double portion anointing in the spiritual realm, in unity.

Eve is taken from out of Adam, who has been created to operate in both realms. Eve, is in her element in the Garden/Tabernacle/Temple/House of GOD. Together, they have the ability to operate in unity and with the power of agreement in both realms, accessing a double portion anointing in the spirit.

I sincerely doubt if women, when they think about this, will disagree. Women know they are stronger in the spirit then most men. (I only say that because women far outnumber men in the church and they prayer more than men- on average). Women of prayer, can pick up their husbands, children, friends and loved ones in the spirit all day, any day. They set the tone for the spiritual atmosphere in their homes. I am utterly convinced that women have dominion in the Garden of GOD, and are in their spiritual element in prayer praise and worship. Do you know why?

Look at any church in America and many other countries for that matter. Women make up at least, 90% of the Church. (I am making an effort to be conservative). There would be no church’s if women did not hold them up, nurture them and stand by the men and women of GOD who Pastor them.

Yes, Indeed. Despite centuries of brandishing women with the fall from grace in Eden, The Tabernacle was, is and remains our spiritual domain. Women, You have everything they need in their spiritual DNA to excel in spiritual matters.

Men, You are formidable in prayer, if you choose to be. You have the ability, the potential to command enormous strength in prayer. That is, if you gave your voice to GOD in prayer, praise and worship, in greater numbers. You were created/formed to have great strength in both the natural and the spiritual realms. But, for the most part, most men do choose to use it for the House of the LORD.

I’m only speaking of the men who do not use their strength and power for the House of the LORD. Unfortunately, the lcak of men in prayer is the rule and not the exception. The majority of men leave their brothers in Christ to do all the work for them. They say that they believe. But, they just don’t serve. Yet, when the men are in unity they make light work of the forces of darkness. They could.

I could be wrong about this. But, until I see men gathered in the church, in greater numbers praying and pulling down Heaven to earth. I’m going to assume I’m right until there’s evidence otherwise. I honestly believe the world would be in better shape if the men called to GOD would operate in their position, place, and calling. I can’t help but believe this because whenever men pray in unity with one another and alongside the women in the House of GOD- situations change. That’s what I have seen. Especially, when they understand the spiritual qualities and substance of avodah and shamar. When they understand the Torah-centric applications of the Word in them.

I look forward to walking through Genesis 2 and 3 in detail with you all one day.

Aleph is Silent…

  • ALL the letters in Hebrew are Consonants (with few exceptions of letters that are now used as vowels since the time of the Masoretes).  
  • Aleph is silent in Hebrew.

Also, you may recall from previous teachings, that the Hebrew letters convey concepts, images, ideas, symbols and possess numerical value. There is a lot of valuable data packed into each letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, which translates to a great deal of data in each word, as it is constructed of the letters of the aleph-bet. In short, the Hebrew Letters are treasure houses of information in their own right.

We all love a good secret. So please allow me to share one with you now. Learning the Hebrew Letters, will help you obtain more knowledge and understanding of the sacred text of scripture, it’s content and meaning, but knowledge of the letters themselves will elevate your prayers, and your personal study & devotion time. Every aspect of your ministry will flourish, because you set your mind to learn the Holy language.

After all, one of the most important concepts our torah studies provide to us is, the realization that our words provide us access into the realms and dimensions that would be closed to us in the natural. Words have a very strong impact on all of our interactions. Therefore, we must measure our words carefully for the impact they have on others. Our words allow us to draw forth something supernatural from the natural world. Let’s repeat that: What we need most of all, is for our words to draw forth something supernatural, from the natural world/realm.

The Hebrew Letter Aleph – a

The Hebrew Letter Aleph, is the 1st letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet. The Gematria, i.e., the numerical value of aleph is 1. One is unique and Indivisible. Aleph is formed by the combination of 2 Hebrew letters, the vav (V) and 2 yods, (Y). (the vav is the vertical line which is slanted in the aleph, representing the partition between the upper firmament and the lower firmament. The yod’s are connected on either sides of the stem. One facing up (toward the Heavens), and the other facing down (toward earth). the Gematria of the vav is 6, and each yod has a numerical value of 10, for a total of 26. The aleph is equivalent to the 4 Letter Name of GOD, Y-H-V-H, which also equal 26.

In Paleo Hebrew, – The Ancient Hebrew Script, The letter aleph shaped in the form of an Ox head, representing strength, leadership, power. Aleph is the symbol of God. Aleph represents the Oneness of GOD, and His Sovereignty. Aleph represents Divinity, The Father, The Strong Leader of the House. Aleph represents torah, which is the thought of GOD. All of creation is a product of torah, Genesis 1. Which is why even the letters are called, the raw materials of creation. God spoke His Word into the atmosphere and the Word took physical form. Created in the image and likeness of GOD is ‘adam’, the human being. By what other name, could GOD possibly call His noblest achievement?

The aleph is the symbol of God. Aleph represents the Oneness of GOD, and His Sovereignty. Aleph represents Divinity, The Father, Strength.

Aleph represents torah, which is the thought of GOD. All of creation is a product of torah, Genesis 1. Which is why even the letters are called, the raw materials of creation. God spoke His Word into the atmosphere and the Word took physical form. Created in the image and like of GOD is ‘adam’, the human being. By what other name, could GOD possibly call His noblest achievement?

It is only fitting that human beings are given a name that begins with the the 1st letter of GOD’s Name, Elohim (spelled – aleph (A) – lamed (L) – hei (H) – closed mem (M). Mankind’s name begins, with its origins, image and likeness (reflection) in GOD. The image and likeness of GOD is embedded in the very name He gave for mankind, and it begins with the aleph. Adam is God-like in being and will be GOD’s representative and messenger on earth. God signed off on His Creation by adding His Name to our name. Mankind (adam) was created to be an aleph in the earth. Our name carries our assignment.

The Hebrew Letter Dalet – d

The Dalet, connects us to the four stages of deliverance as outlined by GOD in The Book of Exodus 6:6-7. “I will Bring You Forth, Save You, Redeem You and Take You.” Amen.

The dalet (D) is the 4th letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet and carries a gematria of 4. Dalet is the door and its name carries its designation. The doorpost reaches up and down and the lintel reaches right to left. The 4 directions extend north, south, east, and west. Dalet is the poor (dal) moving toward the tav (Covenant and the Cross).

The root word of Dalet, (dal) alludes to the poor. The gimel – the 3rd letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet pursues the dalet in order to provide care, generosity, and kindness. GOD is the Giver of Kindness, who pursues the poor.

Consider Abram, whose name, by the way, also begins with the aleph – the 1st letter of GOD’s Name. Abram was called the Chariot of GOD, who brought GOD’s character and Nature down to Earth. Because of his pursuit of GOD, the LORD bestowed the letter hei (H) to his name and he became Abraham. As you will recall from class, the letter hei (H) is formed with a yod and a dalet, representing divinity, and humility (yod) combined with the anointing to bring the Presence of GOD into the physical realm; into physical reality. His deeds of righteousness were always carried out expeditiously and his kindness to others is legendary.

The dalet is the symbol of the door, the path, the way. Once we, as those reared up on New Testament teachings, hear these words, we connect the dots and immediately recognize the parallels to Christ, Who is The Way, The Truth and The Life. The dalet symbolizes movement, the pathway, access in and out, because it is the door.

Within the Ancient Paleo Hebrew symbol of the dalet, you can also see the representation of the curtain hanging from the rods in the tabernacle. The veil between the Holy place and the Holy of Holies. The dalet is the door (Christ, who stands between us and The Father). Once again, every New Testament disciple who grasps the image of the dalet, hears the scripture saying, “No one cometh unto the Father, but by me” John 14:6. You have to gain access to the door.

The Hebrew Letter Mem – m

This is the spiritual equation that we have so far…

GOD + access to the pathway + Nations, People, Waters, Living Waters…

Adam, carries a message. Between Elohim and the Nations is a door. The name for mankind (adam), openly conveys a message which is concealed to our intellectual minds (hence, the final mem which means ‘concealed’).

Access to GOD is through the door. Who is the door? Who is the door that provides access to living waters? While some don’t accept that Christ is the Way, aka the door, isn’t it interesting that the crowning name for GOD’s highest creation communicates the message of The Way?

Adam’s name just happens to be Adam, which also happens to communicate his purpose in the earth? If we believe in coincidence, then we don’t believe in faith. Look at the word adam once more.

The dalet (Christ, The Door) and the mem (the Nations) spell blood.

Elohim (aleph) + dahm (blood) = GOD, Elohim and The Blood.

Enough said. Christians get this one automatically.

DAM means BLOOD

As you gain greater understanding of the messages conveyed in the letters, this knowledge will be at the forefront of your thoughts as you pray. Your words become infused with the evidence of things unseen and the substance of things hoped for, the products of another level of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

The Hebrew letters form the words of GOD’s message and they have much to teach us beyond the literal reading of the text. The Hebrew Aleph-Bet is able to transmit spiritual values and priorities. As well as, another vision and level of the Plan of GOD

My Pastor calls the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, the Letters of Fire.

Catch the Fire!

Review this material extensively and repeatedly. Be prepared for the next teaching in this series.

  • Quick Links to Teachings in this Series: The Undiscovered Adam….
  • Part 1 – 8 minutes The Undiscovered Adam and the Unexplained Man

Six Levels of Man

Remember: There are levels of meaning in Hebrew. There is more than one way to say ‘man’ in the Hebrew language and they each contain different degrees and levels of meaning in regard to mankind.

  • ++Vocabulary: Elevating our understanding of Gods terminology.
  • Adam ~ The initial/primary meaning of this word in the Hebrew is  human being, the crowning achievement of God; mankind.  We, in our English mindset reduced it to only meaning/representing the man, Adam.  Which means WE are the only ones that can undo this mindset.  We learn Hebrew to grow in the word, not learn a new piece of shiny information, important facts that we never had before, and then revert back to what is comfortable or familiar.  The Adam’s have to retain and apply the information that they have learned.  “He called their name adam.” 
  • Zakar ~ male, man, belonging to and in covenant with the GOD of Heaven; The man who remembers GOD.
  • ish ~ (Make note of the patterns you see in how GOD uses this word in scripture).
  • nephesh ~ (Make note of the patterns you see in how GOD uses this word in scripture)
  • gul-go-leth ~ every man counted in the omer of manna, or for the 1/2 shekel of the sanctuary. The counting of heads for the poll.  Note: It required two shekels to make a whole.  Man is one half of the shekel and GOD is the other half.  Two halves equal a whole.  The Jewish people were one half of the shekel, GOD was/is the other half.  This is why a half shekel was taken for each man.  The shekel represented man’s connection to GOD.  The taking of the half shekel, which was required AFTER the sin of the golden calf, was to be taken as a antidote to distancing yourself from GOD, i.e. breaking the connection.  Becoming one half of what you should / could be.  In addition, consider that it takes two men to equate to a whole shekel.  In brief, this spiritual journey requires unity.  There needs to be unity with GOD and man AND unity between man and man.  It takes two.  The counting of the shekel symbolized that the children of Israel understood what this meant and this understanding was a critical source of their spiritual strength.  They were undefeated when in unity with GOD and man.  “How can two walk together unless they agree?” The shekel served as advance payment on their lives, a ransom so to speak.  Example.  In the Book of Esther when Haman sought to purchase the lives of the Jews to destroy them, although thee children of Israel were steeped in disobedience for not going back to rebuild the House of GOD, it was the shekel that merited their salvation (and many other miracles) because they had already obeyed GOD in regards to this commandment. They had laid up the treasure in heaven that moved the heart of GOD on their behalf, in advance of the crisis.  While Haman was seeking their lives, they were already accounted to GOD as worthy of redemption.  GOD nullified the death decree over their lives.  It pays to be obedient in the little things!  Amen.`
  • ba’al ~ rulers, elders, lords who shall not defile themselves with the dead, other than immediate family.

God Bless You,

  • COPYRIGHT 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog

BANQUET OF PRAYER, Spiritual Maturity, The Journey Back

TalkTorahToMe.CAFE. – Who Shall Retain the Finest Flour?

In Pirkei Avos (Ethics of Our Fathers), we are provided a timeless collection of wisdom teachings and sayings from the Rabbi’s and Sages. Teachings that are rooted in the torah and elevated for the refinement of our spiritual being.

In Chapter 5 of Pirkei Avos there is a brief anecdote that I would like to share, which places students in one of four categories.

Ch 5.18 describes four types of students who sit before the sages: A sponge, a funnel, a strainer and a sieve: a sponge, which absorbs [remembers] everything; a funnel, which lets all the information in and just as soon as it enters, they instantly allow all the information to run out [retaining nothing]; a strainer, which lets the wine flow through retaining the sediment (the minor points) and misses all the major, weightier points of the message or teaching; and a sieve, which allows the flour dust to pass through and retains the fine flour.

The sieve has the ability to filter out the sedimentary parts and bits, retaining only the finest flour.

The sponge soaks up everything and remembers, but is unable to process the finer points and put them into action. The funnel will say, “That was a powerful teaching, get the CD”. While they heard the teaching and were fully engaged, they are unable to transmit what they learned.

The strainer collects what they believe are the weightier parts of the teaching, but in the end, they missed the wine and captured the sediment.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law; judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Matthew 23:23

I am believing that you will be like the sieve, in every facet of your lives. Possessing the ability to recognize the weightier matters in torah, in business, in personal relationships, in every place you need to excel and take dominion (the good kind). I pray that you retain the finer points and replicate and transmit what you have learned to others, for the benefit of man and the Kingdom of Heaven.

In Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Man (Adam) was created from the finest dust particles in the earth… Not the common dust of the ground, but stardust, the stuff of the cosmos–all the elements of creation that exist in the earth and our universe.

May you be always the student, who hails from the lineage of Adam, made of the finest particles of the universe, increase in discernment, spiritual reasoning, insight, knowing what to keep and what to cast off, recognizing and retaining the finest flour of which you yourself were created!

Pirkei Avos by Artscroll is available online via: https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot?lang=bi

But Who Can Resist an Old Fashioned Book in the Hand!

This priceless collection of teachings on honesty, morality, ethical teachings, is quick and easy to read and re-read and refer to as a good companion to Torah Study. There are many treasures to be found, such as it’s focus on character improvement and self-refinement.

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ELUL, The Month of The Search… Praying The Lord’s Prayer IN HEBREW & ENGLISH

Practice reading The Lord’s Prayer in Hebrew (Matthew 6:9-15). Use the transliteration key in BLUE in order to practice reciting the prayer daily. You can incorporate the prayer before, during or after praying the Psalms.

Flow with these prayer strategies during the month of Elul and watch the power of GOD fall on your faithfulness.

The Month of Elul: August 20th – September 18, 2020. -29 Days of Elul

We learned this as children, and it has devolved for some as a “patty cake” type of prayer. It’s been relegated to the place of a nursery rhyme for far too many Christians.

Over the next few months I hope to demonstrate the revelatory power in this sweet, clear, concise, precious message to every believer on how to pray. It’s more than a simplistic pattern of prayer.

Let us press in for a new level through speaking the prayer in the Hebrew tongue and stand the watch.

Note: Click on the Attachment below in order to enlarge the picture. In Hebrew you read from right to left. Begin with… ah-vee-new she-bah-sha-my-eem

For Heather and Renae! Attached is a recording just for you!

If any of you have trouble printing out a copy of the prayer, send me an email to torahbythesea@gmail.com and we will forward you a copy as soon as possible. Thank You.

Recording #1 The Lord’s Prayer read in Hebrew only – very slowly
Recording #2 The Lord’s Prayer read in both Hebrew & English – very slowly –all verses

Over the next 33 days, remain faithful to Praying the Psalms with us and rehearse the Lord’s Prayer in your own ears, over your own spirit. Don’t be critical over your pronunciation, don’t be discouraged. GOD rewards your diligence in pursuit of Him and His Holy language.

Understanding will come. You never had to be perfect, we only need to be faithful in the little things.

During this Elul, we are taking a huge step towards GOD, through increased consecration and dedication, and GOD is Faithful!

May revelation and insight abound in you over the next 33 days, like never before! Amen.

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PART 2 The Spirit of Witchcraft –One of the Works of the Flesh by Rev. Y Malveaux

continued from Part 1 of this message

Rebellion damages a person and it never travels alone. Rebellion travels with jealousy, anger, resentment and a host of bedfellows that creep into the soul and does its worse to its host.

The deception is vengeance, the delusion that your paying someone else back for their actions toward you. But, in reality your are only damaging yourself, hurting your own soul.

Saul’s disobedience and disrespect for GOD’s Word was losing him the kingdom. No amount of pointing the finger and blaming David was going to get him back into position.

He is the anointed of GOD, and yet he turns to the weapons of the world to regain spiritual territory.

I Samuel 15:23

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

From that point on Saul would not listen to the instructions given to him through the authoritative figure the prophet Samuel who had brought the anointing upon King Saul and anointed him. The culture at this time in Israel is dominated by the prophets in the Old Testament. (Hebrew scriptures)

Saul’s refusal and act of rebellion to obey the prophet Samuel was a refusal to the authority that gave the instruction. God Himself gave the orders, and it made Saul open to the spirit of witchcraft. 

Saul had become hardened and took no regard for disobeying the Prophet Samuel.  What he did not realize was, that he wasn’t actually disobeying Samuel… he was disobeying GOD.

We find in 1 Samuel 16:15 following in the context, that after Samuel sights Saul’s sin as the sin of witchcraft in 1 Samuel 15:23.

1 Samuel 16:15 says…

15.  And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. 

The author of the book of 1 Samuel is the Prophet Samuel himself.

2 Samuel is written by Samuel, Gad and Nathan.

In 1 Samuel 16; Samuel the prophet is very careful to articulate to us an evil spirit from God.

Does God send evil spirits?  

No.

Why did God allow the one who is anointed by Him at one point in time; but is no longer His anointed, to be troubled by an evil spirit? 

This verse justifies how the evil power had domination over someone who was once anointed.

I Samuel 28:3-7

Saul visits the witch of Endor.

3. Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

4. And the Philistines gathered themselves together and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. 

5. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. 

6.  And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

Saul and the Medium of Endor

7. Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

It was the spirit of witchcraft that took his life.

Witchcraft cleverly presents itself as a solution…illumination, even wisdom. It is not.

Saul sought out the woman with a familiar spirit. He said, “that I may go to inquire of her.”

That very spirit of witchcraft took his life because within a 24-hour period he was dead after consulting with the witch of Endor.

The Almighty God allowed this incident before his death to manifest. It was a manifestation of a hidden spirit that was dominating his life.

Throughout the whole scripture we find that an evil spirit troubled him, but we do not have the identification of that spirit till just before his death.

Hebrew Word Study:  pah-neem

pah-neem in Hebrew means ‘face’

Because who better than our own maker knows that we have more than one face!  Our faces are multi-faceted, filled with expressions- even expressions that leak out…ones that we try not to project!

pah-neem is a very interesting Word in GOD’s Hebrew Language.

In Hebrew, words ending with “eem” are in plural form.  To say face in Hebrew, GOD set the word for face in plural form, not singular.  Why?

We are creatures of many dimensions and levels.  We have the face we show our families and the face we show our enemies.  The face of kindness, love and respect and the face of contempt, unhappiness and apprehension. We have the face for all occasions, the one that masks our true face underneath.

Saul wore the face of a King. The face of an obedient servant of GOD. The face of disobedience, jealousy, friendship and deceit. (among others).

Our faces are pah-neem, because we are not one-dimensional beings, and sooner our later, our true face reveals itself for who we really are in our hearts.

And just before his death, Saul’s true face manifest. 

How does it manifest?

Through his desire to consult with the witch at Endor.

So, this spirit was hidden even though it was upon him. 

His true identity, that the spirit of witchcraft was hidden within him. Perhaps, even unbeknownst to Saul was his hunger to maintain power and control. Coming face to face with what he was willing to do to maintain that control. His level of desperation.

The spirit of witchcraft does not make itself obvious.  The spirit of witchcraft is very clever, very patient, subtle and subdued in our life, until we are crushed by it and suddenly destroyed.

If we do not recognize it, the spirit of witchcraft begins to creep in and take up a seat. It presents itself as control, manipulation, jealousy, rebellion, stubbornness, baseless hatred, anger, vengeance, etc.  

When this spirit is upon a person, they will not fully follow the instructions of God the way He has given them.  Yet, time and time again, they will redress and justify their actions, blame and point the finger, and rearrange their words as if they have done exactly what GOD has instructed. 

Saul operated in all these wicked character traits that eventually lead to his destruction, before going to the witch at Endor.  He became Jealous of David, after David’s fight with Goliath.

1 Samuel 18:1-30 —The Roots of Saul’s Jealousy

1And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.

3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.

7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand.

11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.

13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.

14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him.

15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.

16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

17 And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord’s battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.

18 And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

19 But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.

20 And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.

21 And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain.

22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law.

23 And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?

24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.

25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son in law: and the days were not expired.

27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.

28 And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him.

29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually.

30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

In 1 Samuel 28:8b

Saul disguised himself and put on other raiment.

This is a prophetic insight into what is happening here.

Because often, a spirit of witchcraft does not look like a spirit of witchcraft because it is hidden and disguised as something else. (masking itself behind another face).

This is why Saul was so susceptible to this spirit of witchcraft that took his life.  He opened himself up to it through jealousy and rebellion.

But we see here what the motive is for consulting the witch at Endor. King Saul was not satisfied with the answer he was getting from God. –so he became determined to go around GOD!

The answer God gave King Saul was silence, and there is a reason for that silence. Silence meant God’s spirit departed from him.

That silence meant you are not going to hear from me until you repent.

But Saul, like so many of us have experienced a moment when God is silent. 

We should never attempt to create (or obtain) the Word of the Lord on our own when we do not like the answer (or the silence) that we get from God.   Even when God may tell us things that are hard to accept or when His silence is difficult to understand. 

We do not reinvent the will (The Instructions) of GOD.

When Saul did not get the answer that he wanted from God, this was the very springboard to Saul consulting the witch at Endor.

(Saul wanted an answer from GOD. God gave his answer through total silence. God answered with silence in order to instigate repentance.)

In Part 3, we will take a look at how Saul responded to silence...

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Elul, Anointed to Handle the Things of GOD… Part 1

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“Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” 1Kings 3:9

The first sense that a baby develops in just 3 weeks after conception, is the sense of touch.

In fact, it is the pressure placed in the hands from touching the inside of the womb, that creates the tiny ridges that now appear on our fingers and toes.

Your fingerprints were formed from pressing against the inside of your mother’s womb.

You Really Are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

Our fingers captured a permanent memory of our life which began in the womb…

…and we carry the very connection to our mothers in our hands!

HOW PRECIOUS IS THAT!

I find that very beautiful. Our beginnings inside our mother’s womb, is recorded upon our bodies, from our fingers to our toes!

By the 17th week of pregnancy, our fingerprints become permanent.

Remember: Every jot and tittle of the Word is important in Hebrew. So, we can not overlook that our fingerprints becoming permanent in the 17th week, is significant of the importance that the numbers seven and ten hold in all of scripture.

On Yom Kippur, (the tenth day of the seventh month), I will tell you more about the supernatural significance of the numbers seven and ten in the Bible.

For now, just consider that your fingerprints are stamped with the numerical symbols of atonement; the seventh month and the tenth day. You have Hands to War and Fingers to Fight with (Psalm 18:34, 144:1), marked with the sign and symbol of atonement from the time you were in the womb.

Repentance places us back into right standing before GOD and we can return and stand before Him spiritually, with power in our hands to fight the battles of the LORD!

We don’t just have the ability to operate in the power of GOD because we know the verse of scripture.

We can operate in His Power, because we are sons and daughters of the Most High, consecrated and separated to Him, because we voluntarily set ourselves under the authority of His Word and seek to obey it. Not legalistically, but spiritually with love and heartfelt devotion.

That means we repent, because we do not want to grieve the Spirit of GOD.

(When the scripture speaks of repentance out of fear of the LORD, that is not meant in the scary sense. Even at the time, the translators translated the scripture that way, they had at their disposal a better way to communicate ‘fear’. They simply could have said, ‘reverence, or awe. They just did not choose to for political reasons, I am sure).

Nevertheless, we still know the truth.

So, it is not just head knowledge of the Word that allows you to move in the power of GOD. As my Pastor says, “It’s not because you can speak in tongues and say shonda!“

What activates your spiritual authority in the WORD, is repentance, love, humility, obedience, consecration, dedication, faithfulness, compassion…

That sounds like a lot, I know. But, if we have the humility and wisdom to repent before GOD and operate in Love, the rest will follow.

I suspect, our first sense to develop in the womb is the sense of touch, because of the connection and significance of how we have to learn how to use our hands in the Kingdom. We have to learn how to “handle” the things of GOD.

This is a huge topic and an entire lesson in protocol.

But it you look back at the previous lessons I have posted, all of them contain lessons and instruction on how we should handle the things of GOD.

“Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm”.

“If a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcass of an unclean beast” Lev. 5:2,3

  • Don’t go around touching every unclean thing in the world, and then take those same hands and think you can use them in the tabernacle of GOD, or lay them upon GOD’s people! -The people are Holy unto Him!
    • The Hebrew Scriptures, (Old Testament) contains practical and literal examples of what Jesus and the disciples were teaching in the New Testament.
    • What GOD says in the New Testament is enumerated in detail in the Hebrew Scriptures. The “New” Testament does an excellent job of summing up what was taught in the Hebrew Scriptures. We can refer to the “Old” Testament to ensure our understanding and reinforce our context.

“And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Matt 8:3

“And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.” Matt 8:15

“Then touched he their eyes, saying, according to your faith, be it unto you.” Matt 9:29

  • The unclean cannot lay hands on the unclean and make them clean. Jesus, was showing us that only the clean could lay hands on the unclean and they would be healed.

The Shift from The Physical to The Spiritual

As we mature and develop, touching the things of GOD involves are hands and our mouths.

Babies do not begin touching, feeling, and trying to put everything in their hands into their mouths, after they arrive here. They begin doing this in the womb.

Even though we have grown physically, we are like babes, in that we continue to put everything that we handle with our hands, into our mouths…

These habits that we have learned in the physical, can plagued us in the spirit and stunt our spiritual growth if we are not paying attention. For this reason, we have to pay attention.

How do we handle the things of GOD?

What do we touch of GOD’s and then put in our mouths? i.e., “putting in our mouths” refers to, what we say about the Work of GOD or the people of GOD.

When a baby puts something in their mouths, it can be cute (safe) or dangerous. I venture to say, that when we do it, it can still be either safe, or dangerous.

Is there anything that belongs to GOD, that we are touching with our mouths?

Loshon Hara, speaking evil, gossiping, back biting are three of the easiest sins to fall into. Usually, it can begin as simple as talking too much.

There are those who work in the ministry and just will not resist the temptation to gossip. They nurture an impulse to repeat everything they hear. Particulary, what is said in confidence.

The torah teaches us that loshon hara damages, (defiles) 3 people.

  • The one who shared the gossip or spoke the evil
  • The one who listened to the gossip or spoke the evil
  • The one who was spoken evil of, or gossiped about.

We can not lay hands on others and speak evil at the same time, and expect miraculous results in the spirit realm. That is double-mindedness and there is no anointing on the double-minded.

We make our own hands and our own prayers powerless, through evil speaking. Not the enemy. We do it to ourselves.

The power in our hands began in the womb. We arrived with clean hands and a pure heart. I am a huge believer in saying that, “If all else fails, get a child to pray and lay hands on you.” Because there is no guile in them.

David was anointed to handle the things of GOD because he was quick to repent when he was in error. He knew what things he could handle for GOD and what he could not (building the tabernacle). He was mindful of his position and walked in his anointing.

David resisted the temptation to snip the garments of his adversaries (Saul in particular). He would not risk, grieving the spirit of GOD and losing his anointing. He was a man, who died to self in the areas of ambition.

He remained humble, teachable and submitted to GOD. David showed us that GOD ccan do miracles with a teachable spirit!

Never Forget: We restore the cleanness of our hands and the purity of our hearts, through the Power of Repentance. Do Not allow the Season of Elul to pass you by.

Amen.

Note to Self: “Suffer the little children to come unto Him.”

Posts Included in This Series on Prayer for Elul:

Scripture in the Public Domain provided by Biblegateway.com KJV

Cover Photo by: Rev. S. Madison

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog All Rights Reserved.

Disclosure: I am of the belief that any and all teachings on scripture, especially those on prayer should receive prayer before passing them along to others. For this reason, I encourage everyone who reviews these teachings to saturate each one in prayer before sharing, distributing or reproducing them in any fashion.

Anything that we hope to learn and accomplish through the Word of GOD must be born out of a spirit of prayer.

Prayer is the root of all our spiritual training. Study without prayer is futile. GOD ask that we meditate on His Word day and night, because without a dedicated personal prayer life, we can do very little for GOD and Man.

May GOD always send you a confirming word so that you will know that these words are true.

GOD Bless You Always,

Students/Subscribers have permission to print and share this information provided you do not use any of the teachings for profit or monetary gain of any kind. Please do not alter the material in any way. These conditions are subject to the additional term of giving full credit to torahisteaching.blog or Rev. S. Madison. Just send me an email to advise of your use of this material: torahbythesea@gmail.com Thank You.

Sound waves must be converted into waves in the fluid

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Elul, The Time to Return to GOD…

teshuvah (repentance) is a VERY BIG word in the Hebrew Language of GOD.

(H7725) shuv (shuve); to turn back or return. teshuv; you shall turn back, you shall return

  • shuv (shuve) in Hebrew means to turn back/return. teshuvah is to return to GOD. teshuvah is a return to your original state of being.

(H8666) teshuvah; a return, an answer

Teshuvah is Transformation.

The Hebrew Letter Hei (H) added to a word takes it to a higher level…

teshuv + the letter hei (H) at the end of the word teshuv; is a return to the revelation of GOD, which is what the letter hei represents (revelation).

Repentance is Returning to the Word of GOD.

By adding our understanding of the meaning of the Hebrew Letters to the words themselves, we can see that the concept of teshuvah can be understood at an even deeper level than ‘repentance‘ alone. Repentance (teshuvah), is returning to GOD’s Word.

We can ask for forgiveness, but without returning to the covenant, i.e., returning to GOD’s Word, without the desire to change, our repentance is incomplete.

Repentance then, is also about self improvement.

I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine…

Elul is spelled aleph (A) lamed (L) vav (V) lamed (L). The aleph is pronounced with an ‘eh’ sound.

The letters “aleph- lamed- vav- lamed” also form the acronym for Ani l‘dodi v‘l’dodi li, (ah-knee luh’doe-dee vuh’luh’doe-dee).  Hebrew for, “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.” Song of Songs 6:3

Solomon is writing on many levels. On one hand, he captures the very essence of the relationship we desire with GOD – unity. One the other he reminds us of how opposite we are from GOD.

Opposites Do Attract!

We are like that couple, that people point to and shake their head and ask, “How on earth did those two get together?” God is eternal, we’re not. God is love, we can be sometimes. GOD is All-Knowing, we’re not, GOD is All-Powerful, we wish we were! GOD loves the humble, we lean towards pride…

GOD sees past who we are today… and looks toward who we have the power to become!

Solomon reveals the very fabric of relationship with GOD is love and devotion, which is to be a reflection of who we are. Being with your bershart (your soulmate), should be like looking into a mirror, we should see a reflection of who we are in their eyes, in their soul.

When you look into the eyes of your beloved, what do you see?

Prayer is like looking into the eyes of GOD and seeing who you are.

Don’t look away.

Teshuvah Repairs The Father Fracture…

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, The LORD our GOD is one”. Deut 6:4

Sin breaks (fractures) our connection with GOD and creates distance that damages our relationship. Repentance restores our spiritual state and connection, making us one with GOD once more.

Repentance Can Not Be Accomplished Without Love.

If repentance is hard for you to do, or for anyone that you are ministering to, remind them that Moses’ prayers for the children of Israel came out of a place of love and compassion. He wanted to see their destiny fulfilled with his whole heart, his whole soul.

What are you prepared to do for your own soul?

Making Eye Contact With GOD.

People have a hard time looking each other in the eyes these days. We look at each other superficially, but we don’t actually see each other. Most often, we avoid the eyes altogether or take micro-glimpses at each other in passing.

In class, I give a very special homework assignment. I have assigned my students the task of looking into the eyes of their wife or husband, fiancé, special someone etc, even their children, to see just how long they can look into each other’s eyes, without looking away.

When is the last time you saw yourself in someone else eyes?

We have even performed this exercise with classmates. This part of the exercise results in students losing focus, laughing or breaking the connection abruptly. It’s a difficult process.

When Was the Last Time You Saw Your Reflection in Your Lover’s Eyes?

Lovers should be able to look into each other’s eyes and see their own reflection.

Mothers and Fathers should be able to look into their children’s eyes and see their own reflection, and their child should see theirs.

According to my students, this experiment is far more successful, parent to child.

You Can Not Wear a Mask Before GOD in Prayer…

When you love someone, you should be able to see into the window of their soul, nothing hidden, no cheating, no looking away.

Consider the low level of eye contact we actually share with one another in the natural.

I believe this difficulty carries over into the spirit/supernatural because many Christians have a very hard time spending time alone with GOD in prayer or meditation. Prayer is seeking the Face of GOD.

To Look Another Person In Their Eyes, is to Take A Look Into Their Spirit and that places us in a vulnerable position. Very few will be afforded this level of intimacy.

Raising the Level of Intimacy with GOD.

Spiritually speaking, what would the LORD see, if you allowed Him to look deeply into your eyes? Consider what that would feel like. If you allow Him to look, what would He see inside of your soul? What would you see?

Would He find His own reflection within you? His image and likeness?

Setting ourselves before GOD in prayer is allowing Him to look into the window of our soul. It’s giving Him total access to our character, our nature, our very being.

Prayer before GOD requires that we take off our masks, revealing our true self. It’s an act of self discovery and self disclosure. This is why, the type of prayer I am advocating can be so hard to press into.

It’s difficult but not impossible.

The reward? Is that you can honestly say to GOD, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” GOD becomes Elul.

GOD Does Not Pry.

Technically we know as Christians, that GOD has no problem looking into our soul. But don’t forget, GOD is a Gentleman. He is not going to get us in a headlock and force anything on us, He is not going to snoop on us, or ever force us into relationship.

Just because you give me access to your house and leave me there by myself, I assure you, I will not snoop through your closet, or search through all of your belongings, or read all of your mail, just because I have access and I could if I wanted to.

“Therefore if you, being evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those asking Him!” Luke 11:13

If I, being a sinner, know how to treat you right and respect you (give you good gifts), in front of you and behind your back, how much more will Our Father in Heaven?…

It’s a character issue.

When we were growing up, wasn’t it always better that we told on ourselves, than have our parents tell us what we did?

It’s not that they didn’t know (most of the time). They just wanted to see if we would come forth on our own. It’s a character issue.

Prayer is like a free will offering, an offering made out of love and heart felt devotion.

GOD is waiting on us to Communicate in Prayer.

Posts Included in This Series on Prayer:

Since the beginning of these posts for the month of Elul, I have spoken about prayer extensively, because prayer is the source of your strength. It is the secret of your strength. Even as I write these post, I am praying for you and everyone you transmit this teaching to, to understand that if we take this opportunity during the month of Elul to build or rebuild our relationship with GOD, these 30 days can/will set the tone for the next 11 months.

You will take wisdom into 2020 (The 1st of Tishrei) like you have never seen before. These post are like a map of sorts on how to get there. This wisdom and spiritual insight that will be downloaded to you, will come directly from the Heavens. My job is to show you how to access it. The rest is up to you.

Many, many, many years ago, I came across an anecdote that went something like this… It was about a man who had a leak in his basement. He did everything he could to find and stop the leak but it was pointless. Finally, in desperation he called a plumber.

The plumber arrived, went down into the basement, took a hammer and tapped on an overhead pipe. He found the hole and plugged it and presented his bill for $2,000.

The home owner was slightly irritated. “All you did was tap on a pipe and plug a hole and you are charging me $2K. You weren’t even here 5 minutes!”

The plumber said, “I only charged you $5.00 for plugging the leak. It cost $1,995.00 to know where to tap.”

I’m showing you where to tap.

Amen

Cover Photo by: Rev. S. Madison

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog All Rights Reserved.

Disclosure: I am of the belief that any and all teachings on scripture, especially those on prayer should receive prayer before passing them along to others. For this reason, I encourage everyone who reviews these teachings to saturate each one in prayer before sharing, distributing or reproducing them in any fashion.

Anything that we hope to learn and accomplish through the Word of GOD must be born out of a spirit of prayer.

Prayer is the root of all our spiritual training. Study without prayer is futile. GOD ask that we meditate on His Word day and night, because without a dedicated personal prayer life, we can do very little for GOD and Man.

May GOD always send you a confirming word so that you will know that these words are true.

GOD Bless You Always,

Students/Subscribers have permission to print and share this information provided you do not use any of the teachings for profit or monetary gain of any kind. Please do not alter the material in any way. These conditions are subject to the additional term of giving full credit to torahisteaching.blog or Rev. S. Madison. Just send me an email to advise of your use of this material: torahbythesea@gmail.com Thank You.

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Adam’s Prayer Life…Lost in Translation

Removing the Tradition of Mythology from Our Translations in the Book of Genesis… Part 2 of Adam was not in Agriculture…

In the last post, we saw that every indication of Adam having a relationship with GOD in prayer was translated out of the scriptures. Whether accidentally or intentionally, we may never know. However, the fact remains we just won’t see it with a literal reading of the text of scripture.

The message that I hope came across in these past teachings the most Is, that as a student of scripture we can not afford to trust /assume that we have all the information that we need in front of us via a literal meaning of the text. We have to dig out the details.

Another hurdle (i.e., habit) I hope that I am helping my students and readers to overcome, is one of taking the literal translations provided in our English Bible and Concordances completely at face value. We need to investigate further.

These are our necessary starting places, but they alone are not where we finish.

Virtually all bibles are based on the English version of the bible, so technically, we are all in the same boat.

Hopefully, I have demonstrated to each of you through the previous 30 teachings, that this type of blanket acceptance can be, not only superficial and misleading, it impairs our spiritual understanding and stunts our spiritual growth.

Consider and Evaluate the Specific Word Choices Being Made in Scripture:

Biblehub.com is a good internet source that is available to all 17 nations that view this blog to date.

As you can see from previous teachings and the attached link, translators have provided a myriad of words that are used to translate the Hebrew. The list of translations for the Hebrew word ‘ah-vode’ in Genesis 2:5, is reprinted below as an example, for your review.

become slaves (1), been slaves (1), bondage (2), burdened (2), cultivate (7), cultivated (2), cultivates (1), do (6), do the work (1), enslaved (3), given (1), holding in bondage (1), imposed (1), keep (2), labor (3), laborers* (2), make servant (1), make slaves (2), manufacturers (1), observe (1), perform (9), performed (2), plowed (1), rendered (1), serve (141), served (52), serves (2), serving (5), slave (1), slaves (1), subject (1), till (1), tiller (1), tiller* (1), tills (2), use as slaves (1), used (1), uses services (1), work (7), worked (2), workers (2), working (1), worship (7), worshipers (6).

25-44 variations of ‘ah-vode’ are presented in most concordances. So, the information you see above, is not unusual. Even if we were to accept all of these “definitions” for ah-vode at face value, without an understanding of the original Hebrew meaning behind the word, we would continue to miss the essence of the message.

Another example from scripture appears in the use of the word, ‘ah-vode’ that is translated as ‘dress’, meaning to cultivate or till’ . Deut. 28:38-41 is a good example to use because the word ‘dress’ is selected once more as a translation for the Hebrew, ‘ah-vode’.

  • 38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
  • 39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
  • 40 Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
  • 41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.

Deut. 28:1-14 outlines the blessings to be received for obedience to the commandments of GOD. Beginning with Deut 28:15, all of the curses are enumerated for disobedience to the commandments.

Abeying for now, any disputes of whether believers are under any curses since Jesus, our objective is to stay focused on the use of the word avode and its translation.

The overall context is found in the penalty for disobedience. Deut. 28:38-41 is conveying to us that none of the work that we put our hands to will prosper, when operating in disobedience.

There is no such thing as heart felt devotion without obedience.

39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them…

The use of avode (dress) in this context reveals that while we may delude ourselves into thinking we are walking with the spirit of GOD and service to our utmost for His Highest, the Spirit has departed from us.

The flesh wants to continue, “business as usual” confessing our love of GOD, yet the entire time we are knee deep in disobedience. GOD is not amused.

We can continue with the pretense, but the blessing will not be attached to our labors.

Genesis 28:39 is telling us that we will cultivate the vineyards to no avail.

Disobedience Frustrates the Power of Prayer

In Genesis 4:12, when GOD pronounced punishment on Adam for his disobedience, the KJV reads, “When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength…”

i.e., When you pray, the ground shall not add its strength to yours…

Once again in Gen 4:12, ah-vode is translated as “till”. And once again, GOD could have chosen another word to convey, ‘working in the field’. Instead He uses avode.

In Genesis 2:5, man’s prayer and worship will complete creation, bring down the rain, the trees and plants and herbs will spring forth and the earth will come alive and bear fruit.

In Genesis 4:12, because of disobedience, the earth will no longer add (yasaph) her strength and abilities (koach) to mankind.

The earth has new instructions.

The harmony between mankind and earth is now strained.

Disobedience has blocked the blessing and in prayer and worship, man must now contend with resistance.

Disobedience frustrates the Power of Prayer. Everybody in the Church has dealt with this truth firsthand.

As you just observed the terminology, ‘dress’, although flowery and poetic, does not fully communicate the truth and essence of the kind of work that the Word of GOD is talking about.

  • Adam had a prayer life. We need one too.
  • Before Adam (man) was created, GOD had the purpose of prayer in mind.
  • Before Adam (man) was created, GOD had the purpose of partnership in mind.
  • Before GOD’s creative plan could be considered complete, man had to o be present in prayer, praise and worship.
  • Rain was prevented from falling to the ground, as GOD awaited hearing mans voice call back to Him in prayer.
  • Prayer is our methodology given to partnership with GOD in creation.
  • Disobedience blocks are Blessings.
  • Effective with Genesis 4:12, Prayer and worship must combat and contend with resistance due to the sin of disobedience.
  • Consider This: If we would at the very least, treat prayer as a tithe, we would commit to prayer 16.8 hours per week.

If you learned a new thing from this post or simply enjoyed the presentation of this message, don’t forget to like, follow, share and/or comment!

May GOD send new instructions into the earth, into the atmosphere, and into the heavens to add their strength in response to your prayers!

This teaching is dedicated to my students. May your spiritual power in prayer multiply ten fold as your prayer life multiplies and grows. May GOD select you for every prayer request of Heaven, every burden of His Heart. May you always awake with prayer on your lips, whenever you ask God to allow your spirit to pray unceasingly while your body rest. May all your prayers be in sync with the Spirit of GOD. Amen.

Posts Included in This Series on Prayer:

Cover Photo by: Meric Dagli, Unsplash.com

  • Man on his knees, photo by: Ben White, Unsplash.com
  • Woman in Thought, photo by: Sean Kong, Unsplash.com

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog All Rights Reserved.

NEW Disclosure Added: I am of the belief that any and all teachings on scripture, especially those on prayer should receive prayer before passing them along to others. For this reason, I encourage everyone who reviews these teachings to saturate each one in prayer before sharing, distributing or reproducing them in any fashion.

Anything that we hope to learn and accomplish through the Word of GOD must be born out of a spirit of prayer. Prayer is the root of all our spiritual training. Study without prayer is futile. Without prayer, we learn nothing and we accomplish nothing.

Prayerlessness makes a pretense of piety.

May GOD always send you a confirming word.

GOD Bless You,

Students/Subscribers have permission to print and share this information provided you do not use any of the teachings for profit or monetary gain of any kind. Please do not alter the material in any way. These conditions are subject to the additional term of giving full credit to torahisteaching.blog or Rev. S. Madison. Just send me an email to advise of your use of this material: torahbythesea@gmail.com Thank You.

Uncategorized

Adam was not in Agriculture…

Removing the Tradition of Mythology from Our Translations in the Book of Genesis…

The Book of Genesis sets the tone for understanding all of scripture.

Answers exists in scripture that provide deeper understanding to our questions and resolve unanswered ambiguities that have existed for generations.

Understanding the Book of Genesis, the beginning of GODs sacred text, can promote biblical accuracy, restore spiritual insight and eliminate confusion as we study each and every book of scripture.

Case in Point: Adam was NOT a Farmer.

Despite the fact that this has been taught for generations, because of poor translations at our disposal, should we continue to misunderstand the original message? Is it possible that a blessing exists in the accuracy of a translation?

Is there something more important than ‘farming’ that I could learn and spiritually benefit from, that would cause me to advance spiritually in prayer, understanding, and my calling?

How much can one point of scripture make?

Let’s investigate Genesis 2:4-5

“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.”

REFRESHER From Previous Teachings:

At the outset of our journey together one of the most important concepts I communicated, is that Biblical Hebrew is a very meticulous language.

SECOND: The knowledge that GOD placed His Word above His Own Name is paramount in all your study of scripture. Psalm 138:2, Jeremiah 1:12, Mark 16:20, Rev 19:13.

Character is Key. Do we place our word above our own name? Can a person trust our word?

David taught us just how important it was to GOD that His people be able to trust His Word when he said… “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness (chessed) and for thy truth (emet): for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”

GOD’s Word is His Bond.

  • Studying the Word is more important than Reading the Word.
    • The study of scripture is a sacred duty of everyone who loves the LORD.
    • Each student of scripture must possess and practice patience in order to study scripture.
    • We don’t treat scripture like a fairy tale, a bible story, an ordinary book, or a common piece of literature.
    • We (servants of GOD) honor scripture with our time, our presence, our interest, our patience, our dedication.
    • By placing the study of scripture above our own time, and interest, etc., We are placing His Word above our own name, i.e., above our own self–interest.
  • GOD is careful and deliberate in the selection and use of each Word He uses to communicate with us.
  • Biblical Hebrew is a Rich and Meticulous Language. Levels of meaning exist.
  • In English, words also have levels of meaning. Each level of meaning in a word is revealed in context to the overall message or statement.
  • In Hebrew, context is consistent with and compliments the Word choice.
    • In Hebrew, Key Words in the verse have to be researched and studied.
    • Don’t take for granted that the given English translation of the word accurately conveys the original message of GOD in all cases.
  • The English meanings of words have transitioned through time. In most cases, the meanings that we apply today, have no connection to the original meaning of the word.
    • We will continue to revisit this point as often as it applies.

ADAM the Agrarian?

“… and there was not a man to till the ground.” Till is from a Hebrew word usually translated, “to work or service”.

  • Remember, GOD has more than one way to say anything. His Word choices are meticulous.
  • In the Language of GOD, there are 14+ ways to say, work or service.
  • This means, GOD is not limited in forms of expression, He can be very specific, very precise in communicating what He wants to say to us.
  • In English, it is common to lump our terms together. In the Biblical Language of Hebrew, GOD does not lump terms together.

GOD uses a specific word to express “occupational” forms of work (melakah, H4399), deeds of work (mah-a-say, H4639), providential work (4652, miph-la-ah), beam work (meh-qa-rey H4746), cunning or ingeniuos work (khe-shev, H2805), or work that produces an item or thing (mih-fal, H4659) etc, etc.

None of the above were chosen to express the type of Work GOD was looking for to take place in the earth. None of the above are connected with rain.

GOD is quite capable of producing rain in the earth. He does not need man in order to make it rain. The production of rain in the earth is a gift, a part of the creation process that man is given by GOD to participate in partnership.

Man’s partnership with GOD in the creation process, requires a form of ‘work or service’ that is expressed completely different than any of the above examples. Which leads us to two additional words we need to look at.

These two Hebrew words also appear in Genesis 2:5, teh-rem (before, H2962) and yitz-mah (grew, H6779) so that we can increase our understanding of the message.

teh-rem means, not yet, or before. yitz-mah means to sprout or spring up.

“And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.”

i.e., the plants and shrubs and herbs had not yet sprouted in the earth.

Scripture already told us that GOD had spoken the plants, herbs, seeds, etc. into existence (Genesis 1:11-13), but they had not yet sprouted in the earth (Gen 2:5). Let’s go back and review Genesis 1:11-13 again…

  • 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
  • 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Gen 1:12 teaches us that herb yielding seed and the tree yielding fruit after its kind is present in the earth, and Genesis 2:5 further instructs us, that neither had sprouted, or grown up out of the ground quite yet, because… there was not a man to ’till’ the ground.

Everything is prepared, in place, but man has not yet ‘tilled’ the ground.

The command has been spoken into the earth, and the earth is awaiting the presence of man.

Now, here is the customary place where we get into our traditional mode of thinking as we were taught about scripture because we have learned that man needed to ‘cultivate’ the land.

We were not taught that man needed to till the land in order for it to rain. We are taught that man needed to till the ground in order to produce food.

But why would man need to produce his own food? Genesis 2:8-9 GOD planted a garden (eden) and He gave man what he needed for food.

…and there was not a man to till the ground.”

Why does man need to till/cultivate the ground?

lah’ ah-vode (to till, cultivate) et ha’ah’dah’mah (the ground)

Our translation, “to till or cultivate” is taken from the Hebrew word, avod (ah-vode, H5647).

avod appears 289 times in the torah.

Our leading definition in the Strong’s Concordance and the one we traditionally follow is a translation of; to work, to serve.

avod is also translated; to be slaves, held in bondage, to become slaves, laborers, or servants, to keep in bondage or compel.

It is not until we come to the end of our alphabetized list of potential translations, that we find the words; to worship (used 7x), or worshippers (used 6x).

Only 13 of 289 times, has it ever been translated meaning to worship, or be worshippers.

Exodus 10:26, the 3rd time la’ah-vode appears in scripture, the children of Israel are concerned that they take all necessary preparations, including the cattle, to serve the Lord. .

The 4th time we see the word la’avod in scripture, Numbers 3:7 it is when GOD tells Moses to bring the tribe of Levi before the tabernacle of the congregation ‘to do the service’ of the tabernacle.

and we have 27 more…Many Infallible Proofs – that ah’vode means worship.

This pattern continues in Numbers 3:8, 4:23, 4:24, 4:30, 4:47, 7:5, 8:11, 8:15, 8:19, 8:22, 16:9, 18:6, etc. etc. etc. (a total of 27 times conjugated la’avode).

In every case except the 1st two times we see la’avode in scripture (Gen 2:5, 3:23) we have taught and translated it in such a way, as to communicate to the world over, that ‘adam’ (man) was needed in order to till the ground, as if he was created to be a farmer of some sort.

That is not what this means…

aleph (A) veit (V) dalet (D) is the root of the Hebrew word, avodah (ahv-vode-dah, H5656) which appears 145 times in scripture. avodah means worship, service of the heart.

Our Strong’s translation says, avodah means labor, or service. This is marginally correct. It’s just not completely accurate.

Avodah is service of the heart, our labor of love toward GOD. To serve GOD with avodah is a spiritual labor of love. Service of the heart has nothing to do with manual labor. in a field. To translate these words in such a way is to make the meaning of our service and labor to GOD common. Plus, we miss the point.

Worse of all, we have taught the known world to read Genesis 2:5 to mean that man’s purpose was to work the land, plow the fields, harvest the crops. Noble secular work indeed. However, GOD had and has something more in mind for mankind.

Avodah is the ‘work’ of clinging to GOD through prayer and worship. Avodah is the hard work we do in service to GOD.

Our Work IS to Worship and to Pray…

Again, the narrow translation of both ‘avode and avodah’ misses the mark, which skews our understanding far too much from the actual truth.

Actually, if prayer was not such ‘work’, perhaps it would be far easier for us to comply. But the fact is, spiritual work is takes as much or more effort than physical work.

In fact, Genesis 2:15 “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” KJV.

To dress is translated from the Hebrew Word, avodah (5647). To keep, is from the Hebrew Word shamar (8104) meaning to guard and protect.

Adam (man) was charged with the responsibility to worship, pray and protect (guard) the anointing, not cultivate a field.

Man’s First Work is to Pray

The need for prayer, praise and worship did not just mysteriously appear in the “New Testament.”

GOD established the need for prayer and worship in the beginning, as early as Genesis 2:5. But we did not see it or recognize because of our translations…

Living Bible Translation: “…or the Lord God hadn’t sent any rain; nor was there anyone to farm the soil.”

Good News Translation: “…because he had not sent any rain, and there was no one to cultivate the land.”

The Voice: “…because the Eternal God had not sent the rains to nourish the soil or anyone to tend it.”

Common English Bible: “…before any wild plants appeared on the earth, and before any field crops grew, because the Lord God hadn’t yet sent rain on the earth and there was still no human being to farm the fertile land.”

The Amplified Bible: “…no shrub or plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground,”

The only way to compensate for a poor translation is study of the original Hebrew Wording.

Scripture was given to strengthen us spiritually.

We always talk about GOD desiring relationship, yet we teach that the first man was put here with farming in mind.

The 1st two times avode appears in scripture, we translate it as ‘cultivate/till’ and the next 25 times we translate it in context to what GOD is actually communicating about prayer and worship, the service of the heart.

If cultivating the land, was the primary objective, don’t you think that scripture would say more about our role as farmers, cultivators, tillers?

Instead, the entire work of scripture has always been and is, to build us up spiritually.

Instead, the entire work of scripture has always been and is, to build us up spiritually. Not to teach us how to “till” the literal soil.

Because of our neglectful translation, the majority of the world has the wrong concept embedded in their minds.

Rather than provide us with a spiritually mature teaching and translation, we have a prelude to a “bible story” which set us up for ‘lack of knowledge’.

Avode is not a common/secular form of work.

Our Work, Our Service is about Prayer and Worship. It was always about our spiritual work.

“…there was no man to worship in the earth.”

“…there was no one here to serve in prayer”

The translator’s forgot GOD was talking about the rain…

for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.”

Adam did not just decree and declare the name of all the animals, identifying the essence of each creature by name. Adam understood the essence of his own nature and his role to partner with GOD in creation, fulfilling his call to nourish the earth through prayer.

“But if it seems wrong in your opinion to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Choose the gods whom your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But my family and I will serve the Lord.” –Joshua 24:15

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him: This is what the Lord says: Let my people go so that they can worship me.” –Exodus 8:1

Our work is prayer.

Although it will take some time to untangle this in the minds of the world, because we learned it wrong to begin with. But the rewards are well worth it.

My concern today is to untangle it for my students in this supplement to your teaching.

There are 13+ ways to say, ‘work’ in the Greek.

There are 17+ ways to say, ‘work’ in the Hebrew. They all do not mean, Worship”

The 1st Man (adam) understood his assignment to pray.

In like manner, prayer is our first responsibility. GOD spoke 10 utterances into the earth, created man in His image and likeness and waited for man to speak back to Him.

We are His only creation with the gift of speech and prayer is our instrument of communication with GOD.

Aren’t there some cases when avode (work/service) can be understood as just plain work or service?

NO. The type of “work/service” conveyed in the Hebrew word ‘avode’ is spiritual work. Ah-vode is prayer.

13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: 14 and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. –Exodus 1:13-14

Rigour in Hebrew is from the word perek. Which is telling us the the Egyptians were intentionally applying pressures onto the children of Israel in an attempt to break them into pieces. A diabolical form of breaking,

13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: –Exodus 1:13

The world wants you to serve them like you are supposed to serve GOD. Although we are faithful to do all as unto the LORD… we know the difference.

Adam’s first prayer was for rain…

You can make it rain through the power of your prayers too!

At first the world is dark and empty of GOD’s light, but every believer occupies their share of the world right now, which they have to improve and illuminate.

The way to brighten your share of the world is through learning from GOD’s example “and G‑d said” — speaking into the earth, fulfilling the word of GOD by studying torah and keeping His Commandments. By doing this, we each accomplish our purpose in and bring light into the world— the world becomes illuminated with the light of GOD’s Word.

The entrance of thy Word bringeth light!

  • How Can This Teaching HELP Your Understanding?
    • Through the power of prayer, adam became a partner in the creation process.
    • The Earth and all that is in it, was created to respond to prayer.
    • The earth had to loose its seed, fruit, plants and hidden riches, when adam (man) prayed and called forth rain.
  • Adam did more than name the animals and give Eve her name, Adam his true essence as a man of GOD. He understood that his first assignment was prayer.
  • Adam returned the spoken Word back to GOD.
  • You now know the first prayer of Adam.
  • You now know that initially, rain was a product of prayer and still can be a product of prayer (depending upon what you believe possible in prayer).
  • Man must assist the world in it’s survival through the power of prayer.

Worship Released the Rain…

for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.”

There was not a man to worship in the earth… GOD awaits our partnership. Prayer, praise and worship releases the rain over all our situations, be it droughts in marriage, relationships, our communities, etc.

Rain is the sign of blessing.

The scriptures are replete with signs of blessing when the prophets called for rain.

Oftentimes we rebuke the rain. But, rain is the sign of blessing. Why rebuke the sign of blessing?

We often don’t see it, because it’s not taught, but rain was the initial sign of partnership between GOD and main. GOD gave adam (man) power over the elements, to cause it to rain.

GOD prepared the entire earth to receive the prayers of man and to respond with a living sign… to bring forth life, to grow, sprout and flourish. Don’t we want this?

I believe that we can still pray for rain, cause the earth to sprout, to grow and to flourish. I believe that we can still speak an end to drought and famine, in everything that concerns us, our bodies, our minds, our loved ones, our enemies…

Who can you nourish in the earth through prayer?

If you learned a new thing from this post or simply enjoyed the presentation of this message, don’t forget to like, follow, share and/or comment!

I hope you pray for rain,

This teaching is dedicated to Everyone facing a famine or drought in their lives. To everyone who needs the earth to bring forth blessings, to everyone that has seed buried in the earth and needs it to come forth and bear fruit, every promise near the surface that has not yet materialized, may the LORD GOD of Heaven come for my words in prayer and send you rain… Amen.

Posts Included in This Series on Prayer:

From Modern English to Biblical Hebrew: The Transition Phase

Keep All of the information/study techniques above in mind as you study and validate the information presented in this lesson (including past teachings).

GOD’s Biblical Language utilizes specific Word choices that differentiate the terms in such a precise manner as to be in agreement with the overall context of the verse. We do not need to infer meaning, because His Word choice is dynamic and specific and clear.

When information is translated into English we automatically apply our definitions. Which of course is a natural reaction. Without a concerted effort, we can get locked into a form of comfort and familiarity, a single-mindedness in our terms, because in this case, English is our first language.

The problem is, terms do not translate well in all cases, in any language. In Biblical Hebrew, we have to cross time, distance, grammatical, lexical and cultural, historical and social barriers between modern English and Biblical languages. Always keep this in mind.

Our challenge today and every day is to overcome these obstacles when applying ourselves to the study of scripture.

Cover Photo by: Pavel barysevich, Unsplash.com

  • Cultivated Soil, photo by: Zbysiu Rodak, Unsplash.com
  • Garden of trees photo by: Madison Nickel, Unsplash.com
  • Cherry Blossom tree photo by: Hunt Han, Unsplash.com

Copyright 2019, Rev. S. Madison, torahisteaching.blog All Rights Reserved.

NEW Disclosure Added: I am of the belief that any and all teachings on scripture, especially those on prayer should receive prayer before passing them along to others. For this reason, I encourage everyone who reviews these teachings to saturate each one in prayer before sharing, distributing or reproducing them in any fashion.

Anything that we hope to learn and accomplish through the Word of GOD must be born out of a spirit of prayer. Prayer is the root of all our spiritual training. Study without prayer is futile. Without prayer, we learn nothing and we accomplish nothing.

May GOD always send you a confirming word.

GOD Bless You,

Students/Subscribers have permission to print and share this information provided you do not use any of the teachings for profit or monetary gain of any kind. Please do not alter the material in any way. These conditions are subject to the additional term of giving full credit to torahisteaching.blog or Rev. S. Madison. Just send me an email to advise of your use of this material: torahbythesea@gmail.com Thank You.