Secret messages. Clues to decipher. It's a masterpiece.
I started reading the Bible - not occasionally opening the Bible to look something up - but really reading the Bible - in late August of this year. That's pretty bad, considering I came to Christ almost 18 years ago. What can I say? I thought it was boring.
Wrong. Let me give you a little taste of what happens when I read this most excellent book, or rather, compilation of books.
In the first few days of 2018, I was studying the Feasts (or Moadim, Appointed Times) of the Lord, which were given to Israel in the books of the Pentateuch. I won't get into the reason behind my studying in this post, but I can assure you it was for a very compelling reason. You should do the same:
Back to my study session.
I sat for hours compiling a matrix of the Feasts, organizing information into columns titled, Month, Order Given, Scripture References, Purpose, Date Assigned, Gregorian Date, and Correlation (Future, Past, Present). I really love it when my ducks are in row, readers. It was easily 11 p.m. by the time I was ready to call it quits and say my evening prayers. (My evening prayers are a whole other story, but not for this post - sorry.
There was a scripture reference with some wise words by a prophet that I wanted to add, but I just couldn't remember which guy had said it. And there are so many prophets in the Bible. So I searched, and searched. Finally, I went to The Dark Side for help: Google. Still nothing...couldn't find it.
The back of each Bible usually has a Concordance, a comprehensive list of words in scripture, and the book, chapter, and verse in which the word is used. What Google could not, God could, I thought to myself.
Nothing. And now I had a headache. My eyes were red and tired, to boot. So I figured I could get out of it by asking Holy Spirit to take over. I bargained, "Look, if you really want me to find it, you're going to have to show me because I'm tired. I just can't." I mentally whined that last part.
I flipped the Bible on it's edge and looked at my neatly affixed tabs which delineate each book. Prophets names...flip, flip, flip. Amos? Zephaniah? Malachi? The foreword at the beginning of Malachi had a translation of his name into English. It means My Messenger.
Another interesting study led me to translate some other Biblical names. Again, that's a story for a different day. Sorry.
Some of the prophets' names were translated, and some were not. Forgetting headache and tired eyes, I translated those which didn't already have translations. That's when it got crazy.
Here's the translation:
Let me say that again, because it's important.
Strengthened by God, God rules me. Salvation (through) the Lord of God, Burden Bearer, Servant of the Lord, Dove. Yes, folks, these describe Jesus perfectly.
Who is Afraid? The translation said this word is typically used as a rhetorical.
Comfort (to) he that embraces (the) hidden of the Lord (in) My feasts. Yahweh remembers My Messenger. So, receive comfort from the hidden meaning of the Moadim. God remembers Jesus in them.
Hosea is the first of the Books referred to as Minor Prophets. I don't think anything they did was minor, but if you're a purist and want to leave out *Ezekiel and *Daniel as part of this translation, I leave that to you.
I added the prepositions and the definite article to complete the sentences. I know God says don't add to, or subtract from, His Word. But technically, I didn't change the scripture. :-)
So get your Bible out. But don't just sit and read. Instead, start with a prayer that God would reveal to you what He would like you to understand because the Bible isn't a book of stories and rules. It's a sacred conference room in which you meet with God and hear what He has to say to you.
By the way...Jesus is called God's Word. That's not a coincidence.
Enough for today.
I started reading the Bible - not occasionally opening the Bible to look something up - but really reading the Bible - in late August of this year. That's pretty bad, considering I came to Christ almost 18 years ago. What can I say? I thought it was boring.
Wrong. Let me give you a little taste of what happens when I read this most excellent book, or rather, compilation of books.
In the first few days of 2018, I was studying the Feasts (or Moadim, Appointed Times) of the Lord, which were given to Israel in the books of the Pentateuch. I won't get into the reason behind my studying in this post, but I can assure you it was for a very compelling reason. You should do the same:
Colossians 2: 16-17 “16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.”OK, I'll tell you this much. There's a finite end to the condition the world is in. God isn't keeping the end a secret from us, but rather He has given us an amazing number of clues. Just like he has given us free will, He left it up to us whether we would seek those clues out, and pay attention to them.
Back to my study session.
I sat for hours compiling a matrix of the Feasts, organizing information into columns titled, Month, Order Given, Scripture References, Purpose, Date Assigned, Gregorian Date, and Correlation (Future, Past, Present). I really love it when my ducks are in row, readers. It was easily 11 p.m. by the time I was ready to call it quits and say my evening prayers. (My evening prayers are a whole other story, but not for this post - sorry.
The back of each Bible usually has a Concordance, a comprehensive list of words in scripture, and the book, chapter, and verse in which the word is used. What Google could not, God could, I thought to myself.
Nothing. And now I had a headache. My eyes were red and tired, to boot. So I figured I could get out of it by asking Holy Spirit to take over. I bargained, "Look, if you really want me to find it, you're going to have to show me because I'm tired. I just can't." I mentally whined that last part.
I flipped the Bible on it's edge and looked at my neatly affixed tabs which delineate each book. Prophets names...flip, flip, flip. Amos? Zephaniah? Malachi? The foreword at the beginning of Malachi had a translation of his name into English. It means My Messenger.
Another interesting study led me to translate some other Biblical names. Again, that's a story for a different day. Sorry.
Some of the prophets' names were translated, and some were not. Forgetting headache and tired eyes, I translated those which didn't already have translations. That's when it got crazy.
Here's the translation:
*Ezekiel
|
*Daniel
|
Hosea
|
Joel
|
Amos
|
Strengthened
by God,
|
God rules me.
|
Salvation (through)
|
(the) Lord of God,
|
Burden Bearer,
|
Obadiah
|
Jonah
|
Micah
|
Nahum
|
Habakkuk
|
Servant
of the Lord,
|
Dove.
|
Who is afraid?
|
Comfort (to)
|
he that embraces (the)
|
Zephaniah
|
Haggai
|
Zechariah
|
Malachi
|
hidden
of the Lord (in)
|
My feasts.
|
Yahweh remembers
|
My Messenger.
|
Let me say that again, because it's important.
Strengthened by God, God rules me. Salvation (through) the Lord of God, Burden Bearer, Servant of the Lord, Dove. Yes, folks, these describe Jesus perfectly.
Who is Afraid? The translation said this word is typically used as a rhetorical.
Comfort (to) he that embraces (the) hidden of the Lord (in) My feasts. Yahweh remembers My Messenger. So, receive comfort from the hidden meaning of the Moadim. God remembers Jesus in them.
Hosea is the first of the Books referred to as Minor Prophets. I don't think anything they did was minor, but if you're a purist and want to leave out *Ezekiel and *Daniel as part of this translation, I leave that to you.
I added the prepositions and the definite article to complete the sentences. I know God says don't add to, or subtract from, His Word. But technically, I didn't change the scripture. :-)
Don't you think it's astounding that while I was searching for the meaning of the Feasts, that I would be prodded by the Holy Spirit to look more closely at the names of the prophets, and those names - translated - actually worked out to exactly what I had been studying? I do.
So get your Bible out. But don't just sit and read. Instead, start with a prayer that God would reveal to you what He would like you to understand because the Bible isn't a book of stories and rules. It's a sacred conference room in which you meet with God and hear what He has to say to you.
By the way...Jesus is called God's Word. That's not a coincidence.
Enough for today.
Outstanding Julie. If only people would understand that the Lord will give wisdom to those who ask for it. This the reason the Word is not just a book, but a living breathing encounter with the Lord.
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