4th of the 3rd month 2015/2016
Shabbat Shalom all,
Tehillah/Psalm 106:3 “Blessed are those who guard right-ruling, who do righteousness at all times!”
It is a great blessing to guard the right-rulings of Elohim and we do this by ‘DOING’ righteousness at all times!!!
The Hebrew root word for ‘guard’ is שָׁמַר shamar – Strong’s H8104 and carries the meaning, ‘keep watch, observe, perform, protect, pay attention’, and the basic idea of the root of this word is ‘to exercise great care over’.
As we guard His Torah and exercise great care over our need to walk upright, we will be protected against the smooth and flattering words of deceit! Sadly we find so many people today who are unable to discern and recognise the falsehood of many ear tickling preachers, all because they do not guard the Torah. If one does not guard the Torah, then you will not be guarded against the evil woman and adulterous whore that teaches that the Torah is no longer valid!
The Hebrew word used for ‘right-ruling’ is מִשְׁפָּט mishpat – Strong’s H4941 – ‘judgement, ordinance, regulations’ and comes from the word שָׁפַט shaphat – Strong’s H8199 – meaning, ‘to judge, govern, rule, pronounce judgement, give law’.
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 33:22 “for יהוה is our Judge, יהוה is our Lawgiver, יהוה is our Sovereign, He saves us”
There is only One who gives us the Law by which we must live and by which we are governed and these judgements and right-rulings and regulations given by Him, we must DO!!! To scorn or scoff at His right-rulings is to be in agreement with Beliya’al, which means one cannot be in agreement with Messiah and will be thrown out into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth!
In Shemuʼěl Aleph/1 Samuel 2:12 we are told that the sons of Eli were sons of Beliya’al – as they did not know יהוה! They did not know יהוה because they did not guard His commands, and were called sons of Beliya’al!
There are many today who claim to know Elohim yet their continual disregard for His right-rulings and Torah show that they are not known by Elohim and their ability to do righteousness at all times is non-existent, despite the outward show they put on under the delusion of a falsely taught system of lawlessness that is deemed as an acceptable form of worship!
We know that יהוה makes it very clear to us what righteousness is, as we see the clear definition given to us in:
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 6:25 “And it is righteousness for us when we guard to do all this command before יהוה our Elohim, as He has commanded us.”
Guarding to do all the right-rulings and commands of Elohim is righteousness for us, and therefore we recognise that guarding righteousness at all times is an active obedience in all matters, whether in word or deed, doing all in the Name of our Master and Elohim, יהושע Messiah (Qolasim/Colossians 3:17).
We serve a wonderful and awesome Creator and as children of the Most High, we are called to righteous living, and are called to live blameless lives as we are to be continually shining His Truth as a light amidst the darkness of a wicked and depraved world. In a message tonight called, “GUARDING RIGHTEOUSNESS IN AN UNRIGHTEOUS WORLD!”, I want us to be reminded of the importance of guarding our hearts from turning from the truth and be on guard against the real dangers of idols being set up in our hearts, due to compromise and the extreme pressures of a wicked world. To do that I would like us to learn some vital lessons from Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 14. (Read).
In spite of the opposition we may face on a daily basis for guarding righteousness at all times, let me remind you that it is possible for us to do righteousness at all times. In fact we are severely warned against not doing righteousness at all times, and here in this chapter we are able to glean some important lessons against dropping our guard.
We are living in perilous times where many have set up idols in their hearts and despite their false claims of an assumed worship unto Elohim, they are not worshipping Him in Spirit and Truth. Knowing the times that we are in we ought to be sober, watchful and alert as we guard the paths of righteousness and stay in Messiah as we walk in the narrow way of life that is certainly hard pressed by the chaotic lawlessness of a depraved society.
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 2:20-22 “So walk in the way of goodness, and guard the paths of righteousness. 21 For the straight shall dwell in the earth, and the perfect be left in it; 22 but the wrong shall be cut off from the earth, and the treacherous ones plucked out of it.”
As we walk in the good and functional design of our Master, given to us through His Torah, and guard the paths of righteousness, we have the firm assurance of a secured inheritance! Right now we are simply called to be faithful ambassadors of the reign that is coming and shine the light of what it means to guard to do righteousness at all times, which will be very foreign and peculiar to those who do not.
To set the scene for you: Yisra’ĕl was told by Yirmeyahu that they would be in Baḇelonian captivity for 70 years, however false prophets had come along and told the people that it wouldn’t be 70 years as יהוה was going to destroy Baḇelon and set the captives free, within a couple of years and not after 70 years. It was Yeḥezqěl’s task to tell the people that יהוה was going to destroy Yerushalayim and not Baḇelon just yet. Yerushalayim was going to face the severe judgements of יהוה, yet a remnant would be left and by their ways and deeds Yeḥezqěl would be comforted and he would then know that it was not for nought that the judgements of יהוה would be poured out!
So here we pick up the story where some of the elders come to Yeḥezqěl to seek a word. To the elders יהוה had simply become to them just one of many ‘mighty ones’ that were worshipped and of whose prophets they consulted. The false idols and mighty ones that they had worshipped had not come through for them, which is pretty obvious for there is no other mighty ones! As a last resort, in desperation, they came to Yeḥezqěl and sat before him in order to seek some help from יהוה, despite the fact that they had not been worshipping יהוה in complete set-apartness and in spirit and truth. How true that is today with so many! Only when all else fails do people come running to יהוה for an answer!!!
While the wicked elders came and sat before Yeḥezqěl, we are told in verse 2 that the word of יהוה came to Yeḥezqěl.
What is certainly worth taking note of here is that we see this phrase, “the word of יהוה came to me”, used 46 times in Scripture, of which we see it being used 37 times in the Book of Yeḥezqěl! It is used 7 times in Yirmeyahu and twice in Zeḵaryah. This in itself is very encouraging to us, especially when we consider that we see this phrase being used specifically to these 3 great prophets! יִרְמְיָהוּ Yirmeyahu – Strong’s H3414 means, ‘Yahweh has appointed/Yah loosens’,
יְחֶזְקֵאל Yeḥezqěl – Strong’s H3168 means, ‘El strengthens’ and Zeḵaryah – זְכַרְיָה – Strong’s H2148 means, ‘יהוה remembers’. His Word is a firm assurance for us, as we can stand firm and be strengthened in that which He has appointed, with the full knowledge that He remembers us and has loosened us from the bonds of wickedness, in order that we may guard to do righteousness at all times.
A more literal rendering of the phrase “the word of יהוה came to me”, could be rendered as “the word of יהוה happened to me”, as the Hebrew word for ‘came’ is הָיָה hayah – Strong’s H1961 meaning, ‘to be, exist, become, happen’. When we understand the power of the Word ‘happening’ or ‘coming’ to these 3 prophets we are able to be strengthened by the joy of knowing what a blessing and privilege it is for us that the Word of יהוה has ‘happened’ to us. By that I mean that the Word has come to us and causes us to be the called out set-apart ones whom יהוה has appointed and strengthens as He remembers us in His loving-commitment! For many people the Word of יהוה has not truly ‘happened’ to them, so to speak, or else they would be guarding right-ruling and doing righteousness at all times!
We, as called out and set-apart ones, have His Word in our hearts and mouths – to do it!
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 30:14 “For the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart – to do it.”
Our ability to do righteousness at all times has been made possible by the wonderful work of our Master and Saviour who, by His own Blood, has caused us to be grafted into His Covenants of promise which He has remembered by His loving-commitment according to His Appointed Times and strengthens us to walk upright amidst a crooked world! However, in order for us to do this faithfully our hearts must be cleared of any form of idolatry and compromise, so that righteousness can be guarded at all times!
His Word is not far from us, it is in our hearts and mouths to do it – we simply have to be a hearing, guarding and doing people!
As we look at this chapter in Yeḥezqěl, we see these corrupt elders coming to the prophet of Elohim, in order to simply hear what they wanted to hear and not what they needed to hear! A true prophet will tell the people what they need to hear whereas a false prophet will tell the people what they want to hear and tickle their ears. A true prophet points out sin, even hidden sin, and calls sinners to repentance by speaking the Truth of the Word and calling people to turn back to the Torah of Elohim. The Word from יהוה to Yeḥezqěl was very clear – יהוה showed him that these elders had set up idols in their hearts – this was a very sharp Word from יהוה.
We must recognise here that Yisra’ĕl had been taken captive because of their idolatrous worship, and they still continued in their idolatry, and what was set up in their hearts had become more evident by their idolatrous living! They had been taken from the place where they had sinned, yet their hearts were still filled with idolatry, and this teaches us a clear lesson of how you can remove a person from a sinful environment, yet if the heart desires to keep on sinning then it matters not where the person is taken to! Geographical changes do not always relieve heart problems, for a true heart change is necessary. Idolatry is a heart issue – it is about who or what you give yourself to. It is about what you give your time to. It is about what you give your intellect and your resources to. In other words, to what or whom do you give of yourself to – in other words, what have you set your heart on?
Some of the elders, not all, had come to Yeḥezqěl with the appearance of coming to hear the Truth yet, as I mentioned, they came only to hear what they wanted to hear! Selective hearing – which is still a very big problem today!
יהוה knew their hearts and that they were not devoted to Him, and that they were not sold out for Him. Ya’aqoḇ describes this state of mind and heart as double minded and unstable in all ways!!! What the elders clearly did not realise in their state of delusion was that you cannot have יהוה as a backup plan or as a last resort. יהוה must be the only way!!!
יהוה is our source of Life, for with Him is the fountain of life, and when we do not know what to do or we are unsure of something Ya’aqoḇ tells us that whoever lacks wisdom must ask יהוה and it will be given, and we must not be doubt and be like a double minded and unstable man! What the elders had done here was simply make the very Word of יהוה just one of many options that they could hear and that is, to put it plainly, called compromise!!!
They did believe יהוה to a certain degree, but they also wanted info from other sources, including the enemy in whose territory they were held captive, which actually nullifies their belief for it lacked true works of set-apart obedience.
They had put the stumbling blocks of their crookedness before their own eyes, and this is such a powerful statement that teaches us a great deal, especially as you are reminded of the message I gave two weeks ago called, “LET NOT CROOKEDNESS BE A STUMBLING BLOCK TO YOU!”, as we looked at Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 18. You will remember that we looked at the words for ‘crookedness’ and ‘stumbling block’.
The Hebrew word for ‘stumbling block’ is מִכְשׁוֹל miḵshol – Strong’s H4383 which means, ‘a stumbling, a means or occasion of stumbling, obstacle’, and comes from the root verb כָּשַׁל kashal – Strong’s H3782 meaning, ‘stumble, totter, stagger, bring down, failing, weakening’.
The Hebrew word for ‘crookedness’ is עָוֹן avon – Strong’s H5771 meaning, ‘iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity, blame, perversity, depravity’, which comes from the root verb עָוָה avah – Strong’s H5753 which means, ‘to twist, bend, distort, make crooked, pervert’.
I also showed, through looking at various Hebrew and Greek words, that crookedness is sin and lawlessness and we can therefore see what was being made very clear here to Yeḥezqěl. יהוה was telling him that these elders had put the depravity of lawlessness before their face and were failing in their attempt at approaching יהוה, due to the idols that had been set up in their hearts!
What the elders wanted to do, which you cannot do, was to come and get a sugar-coated message from the very Word of יהוה. The Word of יהוה is sharper than a double edged sword – it shoots straight and cuts very deep! Here יהוה was revealing, by His very Words, what was wrong! Have you ever been there? Have you ever found that when you have been compromising your lifestyle and think that you can come and hear what you want from יהוה in order to get encouraged to continue as you were, yet after hearing the Word you find that His very sharp Word cuts real deep, as it exposes the reality of the stumbling blocks of crookedness that you have put before your face? It takes the Word to clearly reveal whether you are being built up in the Master His Way or whether you have set up your own assumed building blocks of crookedness that simply cause you to stumble in compromising your called for set-apartness! The clear root of stumbling blocks of crookedness is idols in the heart, the very place where the Torah should be, giving no room for any form of idolatry!
The people had idols upon their hearts – the Torah teaches us that we are to have the very Word and Law/Torah of יהוה upon our hearts. What we must realise is that temptation is inevitable – it will come and it comes all the time – but giving it space is not inevitable – we can choose to give it space or not! Inevitable simply means ‘incapable of being avoided or evaded’, and while temptations and trials cannot be avoided, giving in to them can! These guys were putting idols in the place where they could not miss them, as a constant reminder – the very thing we are to do with the Word of יהוה. What do you set your eyes upon? What is the focus of your life? What leads you and guides you? Is it the Word of Elohim, which it should be for a true set-apart believer as the Torah is to be a light for our path and a lamp for our feet, or is it something else that has been set up as an idol in your heart, be it a career, a relationship, a hobby or anything else that sets aside the need for the Torah of Elohim being that which guides and instructs your way!
People in ancient times were accustomed to worshipping objects of stone and wood etc. and each idol was linked to a particular purpose which matched the desire of the human heart. Ba’al Peor for example was worshipped so that one could have more authority in the underworld after death. Ashĕrah was worshipped for the sake of fertility etc. The images were but just symbols, but in making them, the worshipper felt they were more in control of the demon behind them.
Today we may not necessarily bow down to carvings, although many still do, but many still worship their desires by putting them first. יהוה tells us in Tehillah/Psalm 103 that He satisfies our desires with good things. An idol can be anything you set your heart on and even be something as simple as your right to your own opinion!!! Career, sport, hobbies and relationships can all become idols we put before our eyes if we are not guarding righteousness at all times and putting יהוה first in all we do!
Many today are running after various idols that have been set up in their hearts, yet when they find themselves in a tight spot they quickly want to run to יהוה and get Him to do what they ask! When some, who claim to be believers, cannot get what they desire, what do they typically do? They come to יהוה, even though they are in essence still wearing the lipstick and perfume of their compromise and illicit behaviour with other idols and expect יהוה to do something for them!
This kind of compromised approach to Elohim, who is only sought after when selfish needs are not met, is simply a form of mixed worship, which is actually not worship in יהוה’s eyes. Come to יהוה with ‘mixed worship’ and like these elders whose hearts were already set on believing a lie, יהוה will answer according to the idols that are in the heart, as judgement upon those who have mixed/vain worship and have not received the love of the truth to guard righteousness:
Tas’loniqim Bět/2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 “And for this reason Elohim sends them a working of delusion, for them to believe the falsehood, 12 in order that all should be judged who did not believe the truth, but have delighted in the unrighteousness.”
When you go with a heart filled with idolatry to inquire of יהוה, He will answer you according to your idolatry!! This is a very sobering reality indeed!
Here there was a call for repentance, a call to turn away from anything that had taken up residence in their hearts which had no place in worship to יהוה. יהוה was saying that anyone who comes to inquire of the prophet concerning Him and has idols in His heart, יהוה will answer them Himself!!! When living for יהוה there can be no room for another. Once one knows the truth, tolerance or acceptance of anything else is a fault!!!
יהוה had told the prophet not to answer them and so if any prophet spoke to those filled with idolatry, it would be for blinding those whose minds were made up anyway, and so the prophet would be giving a false message and be just as guilty!
These hypocritical elders came to the True Living Elohim, while they were whoring after other idols in their hearts. יהוה asks Yeḥezqěl, “Should I let them inquire of ME?”
יהוה was not obliged to answer when they refused to acknowledge His sovereignty. So instead of giving them what they desired, He gave them what they needed –and that is יהוה’s attitude toward idolatry. When you come to יהוה will idolatry in your heart, He will deal with that idolatry, in order to recapture your heart for Him!
This passage is a clear call to righteous living and a life of uncompromised worship unto יהוה. Here in this chapter יהוה speaks of His judgment that was to come on the land through the famine, beast, sword and plague and declares that only the righteous remnant would survive.
This is important for us to understand today as we see in Ḥazon/Revelation these same four judgements that are coming upon the earth during the Great Tribulation:
Ḥazon/Revelation 6:8 “And I looked and saw a pale horse. And he who sat on it had the name Death, and the grave followed with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”
Guarding righteousness is what will preserve our lives in the Master; and in guarding righteousness there can be no idolatrous ways in us. There can be no compromise at all!!!
This Chapter describes 3 key men in Scripture – Noaḥ, Dani’ěl and Iyoḇ – three men who lived righteously, from which we can certainly learn a great deal and be encouraged by, as we live righteously and sojourn as foreigners in an unrighteous world.
NOAḤ –
Noaḥ lived righteously in the midst of a vile culture. So what was the culture like in Noaḥ’s day?
Berěshith/Genesis 6:5 “And יהוה saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
We dealt with this last week when looking at the clear warning against grieving the Set-Apart Spirit!
Noaḥ lived in an extremely evil age – so much so that Berěshith goes on to tell us that יהוה was sorry he made man and was grieved in His heart!!! Man was filled with wickedness. The faithful had intermingled with the wicked and had become absorbed into the evil world culture. All mankind had corrupted itself. All but Noaḥ, as he had remained righteous in the face of all this and by his faith became the heir of righteousness that comes by belief (Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 11:7).
יהושע tells us that the coming of the Son of Aḏam will be like the days of Noaḥ. We are certainly living in wicked times.
Timotiyos Bět/2 Timothy 3:1-5 “But know this, that in the last days hard times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, thankless, wrong-doers, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, haters of good, 4 betrayers, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of Elohim, 5 having a form of reverence but denying its power. And turn away from these!”
We are living in perilous times and we must guard the righteous deposit in us and walk according to the Spirit and not the flesh. When living in a world where everyone limps, a person who walks normal is sadly considered abnormal! May we walk upright in a crooked generation; for it is possible to remain faithful in a sinful world – we are in the world but not of this world – Noaḥ walked in righteousness and so too can we, empowered by the Spirit of Elohim who has put His Covenant on our hearts and whose Word is in our hearts and mouths to do it!!!
Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor that which is in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 Because all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but the one doing the desire of Elohim remains forever.”
Titos/Titus 2:11-14 “For the saving Gift of Elohim has appeared to all men, 12 instructing us to renounce wickedness and worldly lusts, and to live sensibly, righteously, and reverently in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed expectation and esteemed appearance of the great Elohim and our Saviour יהושע Messiah, 14 who gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people, His own possession, ardent for good works.”
DANI’ĚL
Dani’ěl lived righteously and undefiled under a repressive and wicked government. We can certainly be encouraged by Dani’ěl’s faithful endurance to not compromise worship unto יהוה, despite the laws of the land in which he had been taken captive. Dani’ěl purposed in his heart not to defile his worship – his heart was free from idolatry, equipping him to live righteously before יהוה and therefore he walked in the provision, favour and grace of יהוה.
IYOḆ
Iyoḇ lived righteously, even under the greatest of personal trials. He had an overly critical wife who told him to renounce יהוה.
His wife was killed as well as his children, he lost his wealth (bearing in mind he was the wealthiest in the east!) and lost his health to severe sicknesses, such that no one had ever endured. And all that was happening to Iyoḇ led others to believe that there must have been some secret sin in his life. They intimated that if he was righteous he wouldn’t be suffering like he was. Iyoḇ remained faithful in honouring יהוה even under the severest moments in his life.
Discouragement can often overwhelm those who are undergoing long trials – be encouraged by the example of Iyoḇ and Dani’ěl and Noaḥ for the best thing to do is to come before יהוה in prayer. As you study the life of Iyoḇ you find that יהוה vindicates Iyoḇ and restores all that he had lost by giving him back double honour and he shook up Iyoḇ’s critics by ordering them to go to Iyoḇ for prayer, for Iyoḇ’s prayer was acceptable before יהוה:
Iyoḇ/Job 42:8 “And now, take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Iyoḇ, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And let My servant Iyoḇ pray for you – for I accept him – lest I punish you; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as did My servant Iyoḇ.”
We must continue to remain true to worship unto יהוה no matter where we live, the times we live in or the circumstances we find ourselves in – we must hold on to the hope we have in Messiah.
Kěpha Aleph/1 Peter 1:3-9 “Blessed be the Elohim and Father of our Master יהושע Messiah, who according to His great compassion has caused us to be born again to a living expectation through the resurrection of יהושע Messiah from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, having been kept in the heavens for you, 5 who are protected by the power of Elohim through belief, for a deliverance ready to be revealed in the last time, 6 in which you exult, even though for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by manifold trials, 7 in order that the proving of your belief – much more precious than gold that perishes, and proven by fire – might be found to result in praise and respect and esteem at the revelation of יהושע Messiah, 8 whom having not seen, you love; in whom you exult with unspeakable and esteemed joy, yet not seeing, but believing, 9 obtaining the goal of your belief: a deliverance of lives.”
We are to live upright, set-apart lives – guarding righteousness in an unrighteous world! And there are certainly benefits and promises for us who live right in Messiah. By faith we have become the righteousness of Elohim in Messiah. That means that we, by faith, appropriate what Messiah has done for us and now live in Him and walk as He walked – living righteously, being led by the very indwelling Spirit. And having the Torah in our hearts and mouths to do it, we are to have hearts that are not defiled by idolatry, but filled with His Word, aměn!
The reward and assurance for righteous living in an unrighteous world is:
1 – Deliverance: Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel
2 – To be prosperous and successful – Dani’ěl/Daniel
The word used here for ‘prospered’ is צְלַח tselaḥ – Strong’s H6744 which means, ‘to prosper, enjoy success’ and is of Aramaic origin and corresponds to the Hebrew word צָלַח tsalaḥ – Strong’s H6743 meaning, ‘to advance, prosper, successful, victorious, press through and succeed’, which is translated as ‘prosperous’ in:
Yehoshua/Joshua 1:8 “Do not let this Book of the Torah depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you guard to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and act wisely.”
The Wicked may rule and reign on the earth now in its depraved sate but יהוה will cause the righteous, who guard to do His commands, to prosper, aměn!
3 – Restoration – Iyoḇ/Job 42:12-13 “And יהוה blessed the latter days of Iyoḇ more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 And he had seven sons and three daughters.”
Iyoḇ’s life was restored and he received a double fold restoration! Has the enemy stolen from you? Hold on and persevere in righteous living for your restoration is at hand.
4 – Redemption – Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 11:7 “By belief, Noaḥ, having been warned of what was yet unseen, having feared, prepared an ark to save his house, through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to belief.”
May we be strengthened to live righteous in an unrighteous world, and not be found coming to ‘demand’ stuff from יהוה, especially when we know that our lives have been full of compromise! Get rid of all compromise and live by His Word given to us as a gift. Live as a faithful remnant Bride remaining true to the Marriage Covenant with our coming Husband and King. יהושע told us that we will have trouble in this world, but we are to take heart for He has overcome the world, therefore as we walk in Him we too are overcomers, aměn!
Righteousness is imputed to individuals by faith, not based on your family history, denomination, nationality or heritage – it is by faith and no one else can believe for you – we will all give an account of ourselves before יהוה (Romiyim/Romans 14:12). This righteousness we are to guard in an unrighteous world!
Each person alone chooses to accept יהושע and thereby choose to obey and follow and live for our Messiah.
You alone have the choice to live righteous in an unrighteous world. Do not compromise your worship unto יהוה and approach Him with ulterior motives in your heart, seeking only what you want to hear, but come to Him with an open heart that is ready to be filled with His love – with His Word. Let us be encouraged to live right and not wrong, no double minded living but rather with wholehearted devotion to יהוה.
Let us not be like those elders that came to Yeḥezqěl, and like the false prophets of the day who were comfortable in their ways instead of being faithful to יהוה, who lived ‘fast’ and ‘loose’ lives in refusing to hear יהוה calling them to repentance but rather accepted falsehood as opposed to Truth, as the false prophets were declaring a message that was contrary to the very Word of יהוה – they did not want to change their behaviour so they changed their message!!! We see that happening big time today. Let us not fall into that same trap of deception and delusion. To understand יהוה’s truth you must be obedient to יהוה’s will – and that is to obey Him!
May we live pure, set-apart and upright lives, living free of all compromise. After all, it is the condition of our heart that determines our response to יהוה’s tests!
Is there anything hidden in your life today, perhaps the message of the prophet Yeḥezqěl has pointed out the reality that there may be hidden areas that need to be changed? Is there any evidence of any idols that have been set up in your heart and have caused the stumbling block of your crookedness to come before your face, when looking intently into the light of the mirror of the Word?
Can you honestly say that your life lines up with יהוה’s Word in your relationship with Him? If yes, good… keep on going, praising Him all the way. If not, then hear this call and turn from whatever has taken you away from Him and cling to Him and walk in Him afresh today and keep your feet on His path as you guard the path of righteousness!
This is a call for GUARDING RIGHTEOUSNESS IN AN UNRIGHTEOUS WORLD! Don’t drop your guard and don’t lose heart!
May each of our lives be an encouragement to one another as we guard righteousness in all we do, as we strive to be the true remnant faithful bride that is able to comfort others by our ways and deeds of righteousness, and hear the words of our Master and Elohim:
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 56:1 “Thus said יהוה, “Guard right-ruling, and do righteousness, for near is My deliverance to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.”
יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show you favour; יהוה lift up His face to you and give you Shalom!