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12th of the 3rd month 2021/2022
Shalom family,
All praise and esteem be unto our Mighty and Wonderful Saviour, Redeemer and King, יהושע Messiah!
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 11:16-21 “Therefore say, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “Although I have sent them far off among the nations, and although I have scattered them among the lands, yet I was for them a set-apart place for a little while in the lands to which they came.” ’ 17 “Therefore say, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “And I shall gather you from the peoples, and I shall assemble you from the lands where you have been scattered, and I shall give you the land of Yisra’ĕl.” ’ 18 “And they shall go there, and shall take away all its disgusting matters and all its abominations from there. 19 “And I shall give them one heart, and put a new spirit within you. And I shall take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 so that they walk in My laws, and guard My right-rulings, and shall do them. And they shall be My people and I shall be their Elohim. 21 “But to those whose hearts walk after the heart of their disgusting matters and their abominations, I shall recompense their deeds on their own heads,” declares the Master יהוה.”
These are certainly very encouraging words, for us whom יהוה has gathered from among the peoples; the great assurance of how He is calling a scattered remnant back to Him!
This past 1st day we celebrated Shaḇuoth, and recognise once again how we are betrothed to the Almighty King and that we are to count the cost of daily living in Him as a faithful Bride.
Now, having just come through the counting of the omer to Shaḇuoth and celebrating how we are His and that by His Spirit He has given us His Torah upon our hearts so that we walk in and guard His laws and right rulings, to do them, what we must also ourselves is this – Are we in fact doing just that?
Are we faithfully walking in, guarding and doing, all that He has commanded us?
In a message called, “OK WE’RE MARRIED – NOW WHAT?”, I would like us to once again consider our ways and recognise the need for total surrender and obedience to our Husband and King, יהושע Messiah!
And in order to do that, I want us to look at a well-known passage of Scripture, which is always a sobering reminder for to us to carefully consider, on how we are living the married life as we wait for the soon return of our Bridegroom.
The passage I want to take a closer look at, records the account of Ḥananyah and Shappirah.
Please read Ma’asei/Acts 5:1-11
The reason I wanted to look at this chapter, which many of you have possibly looked at or heard being spoken of so often, is simply due to the timing of these events in relation to the season that we find ourselves in, as we walk according to the perfect timing of our Creator and His Appointed Times.
We understand that in each season we go through, according to His Calendar, there are many lessons to be learnt, on how we are to continually be transformed into being a true set-apart body of believers that are presented before Him as a pleasing aroma in Messiah!
This short account of 11 verses, in Ma’asei/Acts 5, is a very sobering lesson on the price of impurity and I would like us to briefly look a little deeper at these events.
This took place shortly after Shaḇuoth – where the Set-Apart Spirit of יהוה had been poured out on Shaḇuoth and the Torah was now being written upon the believers’ hearts!
There was great unity being forged and with that there were also some great persecutions – yet the body had one mind and one heart; and in this year of the Yoḇel (Jubilee) the true believers were certainly living with a Yoḇel mind-set.
Many new believers were being added to the body every day, despite the threats that were being issued, commanding the believers to not speak or teach in the Name of יהושע, by the religious authorities, who could not keep Kěpha and Yoḥanan imprisoned for healing a man of over 40 years of blindness.
There was some great victory amidst persecution and the body was growing from strength to strength, becoming as one, where no one claimed any of his possession as his own, but all had everything in common, as apostles gave witness of the resurrection with great power and favour was upon them all!
Wow – can you think for a moment what it was like?
We all long to have this same power, of His Spirit working in and through us – and I believe that we will – it is coming!
This early community looked after each other and did whatever it took to make sure that a proper unity of the Spirit was upheld and nurtured, as those who had lands sold them and brought the full price to the emissaries’ feet, who distributed to each as anyone had need!
And so, we see a great witness and testimony of the power of יהוה, causing His body to live according to His Word with great joy; and from verse 12, we read of how many more great signs and wonders were done among the people; and while persecution heated up, the emissaries were imprisoned and then released and praised and rejoiced, because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the Name of יהושע.
This certainly is a great picture and witness to us, of how the mighty power of the Spirit of Elohim can and will empower us to be a united, rejoicing Bride, even in the midst of the most threatening persecutions, trials and circumstances that we may find ourselves in.
Yet, in between the accounts of these great victories, through the empowerment of the Set-Apart Spirit to an obedient and faithful people, we have 11 verses that are strategically placed here for us, as a very important and vital lesson given to us, as a reminder that we are to not be found neglecting our responsibilities as a betrothed people!
Let us now look at this couple that faced the consequences of their selfish actions:
Ḥananyah and Shappirah
As we look at the meaning of the names of this couple, we find it sad that they did not live up to that by which they were called or named:
The name Ḥananyah, which is translated as Ananias in many translations, coming from the Greek word Ἀνανίας Ananias – Strong’s G367, is of Hebrew origin.
In Hebrew, the name חֲנַנְיָה Ḥananyah – Strong’s H2608 means, ‘Yah has favoured, or Yah has been gracious’.
Here was a man who had, by all accounts, been ‘graciously given by Yah’ – in other words he had been freely given by Yah.
By the favour of יהוה, he had possessions that he could sell and we are reminded in The Torah that it is יהוה who gives one the power to get wealth:
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 8:18 “But you shall remember יהוה your Elohim, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, in order to establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is today.”
A man who had been favoured with the ability to get wealth, in order to establish the Covenant which יהוה swore to our fathers, and you would think that with all that was happening in the body at this time, that Ḥananyah would give freely in return!
Sadly, we see that he gave with ulterior motives, revealing the true character of his heart!
The name Shappirah, which in Greek is from the word Σαπφίρη Sapphirē – Strong’s G4551, means ‘sapphire’ and is also of Hebrew origin, coming from the Hebrew word סַפִּיר sappiyr – Strong’s H5601 which is a sapphire gemstone and this word comes from the root verb סָפַר saphar – Strong’s H5608 which means, ‘to score with a mark as a tally or record, to inscribe, to count, declare, number, tell’.
Now, this word should still be fresh in your minds, as we looked last week at the need to be a counting people, when we looked at the command to ‘count’ (סָפַר saphar – Strong’s H5608) to 50, as well as the picture of what this word represents for us, in its ancient pictographic form, as a picture of repentance and true confession in turning back to the Master and ‘counting’ the cost of true discipleship.
So now, we have here a wonderful picture being shown to us, in the example of the wife of Ḥananyah – as she should have been counting – and clearly by her actions, she had not been counting correctly and, as a result, she paid the price!
Shappirah, as I have said, comes from the root word which means to ‘record or inscribe’ – in other words, ‘write’; we also note that from this verb we get the noun סֵפֶר sepher – Strong’s H5612 which means, ‘book, document, certificate, scroll’.
We see both forms of this word being used in
Shemoth/Exodus 24:3 “And Mosheh came and related to the people all the Words of יהוה and all the right-rulings. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the Words which יהוה has spoken we shall do.”
Shemoth/Exodus 24:7 – “And he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that יהוה has spoken we shall do, and obey.”
What we are also able see in Scripture, is that the Throne of יהוה is like a ‘sapphire’:
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 1:26 “And above the expanse over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone. And on the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man high above it.”
Another picture that we can take from Scripture, as we look at this word סַפִּיר sappiyr – Strong’s H5601, is that it was also one of the stones in the Breastplate of The High Priest, being the second stone in the second row.
Now, when one looks at the breastplate, as we have seen through our Torah portions in Shemoth/Exodus, we see that the names of the 12 tribes were put on the two stones of the shoulder garment in order of their birth, according to the engraving of a signet, and so too, do we also see that the names were to be put on these stones according to the engravings of a signet and therefore, I firmly believe that the order on the breastplate would also be as it was on the stones of the shoulder garment, which was in order of their birth.
Having said this, we can conclude that the sapphire stone would have been engraved with the tribe’s name of Dan, which means ‘judge’.
There is a clear picture that we are able to glean from this, when we put all these pieces together, which shows how יהוה truly is a righteous judge who rules according to His Written Word!
You may be thinking at this point, that what has all this got to do with the account in Ma’asei/Acts 5 with Ḥananyah and Shappirah!
I firmly believe that what we see being presented here, is a great lesson on how a couple who were favoured by Yah and who we would have thought that they had received His written Word upon their hearts, did not actually live according to the Word that they should have freely received as many others had!
They had put on a show before others and their compromised hearts were clearly revealed!
We are told in verse 2 that Ḥananyah – a man favoured by Yah – kept back from the price!
The Greek word that is translated as ‘kept back’ is νοσφίζω nosphizō – Strong’s G3557 which can also be translated as, ‘to sequestrate oneself, embezzle, misappropriate, steal, deprive by fraud, pilfering, taking what is not yours to take’ and can also mean, ‘withdraw covertly and appropriate to one’s own use’.
This is a picture of withdrawing covertly and appropriating that which has favourably been given to you by Yah, to one’s own use!!!
We see a lot of that happening today, as many people are unwilling to give wholeheartedly of themselves to the building up of The Body of Messiah, as they are simply looking out for themselves, with little concern or care for others!
This was Ḥananyah – looking out for #1 and this is nothing more than selfishness, in its fullness, as selfishness only leads to doing whatever it takes to look out only for #1 (that is self) and perhaps one’s spouse – even if it means having to lie to Elohim!
Selfish people will lie, cheat and manipulate others and will easily try to distort the truth in order to get their own way, and this only leads to hypocrisy, which is a deliberate deception that tries to make others think that they are more spiritual than what they actually are.
And in an attempt to keep the cover of deception up, they will do their utmost to put on a show before others, while not realising that they are unable to deceive the Almighty יהוה!
Shappirah knew about this and she did not own up, even though she had an opportunity to repent – and this is what selfishness will do: it will cause one to hold on to the lie, even in the face of death!
We are reminded very clearly that the way of lawlessness and pride leads only to destruction:
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 1:19 “Such are the ways of everyone greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its owners.”
Selfishness that is not repented of, will only result in the taking away of the life of its owner.
We belong to יהוה, who bought us at a price – the full price that is and so, we must not, in any way, be selfish or else the life (His Breath/Spirit) will be in danger of being taken away from us!
We also see an example of this selfishness and the result thereof being given to us in:
Yehoshua/Joshua 7:11-12 “Yisra’ĕl has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of that which is under the ban, and have both stolen and deceived, and also put it among their own goods. 12 “And the sons of Yisra’ĕl shall not be able to stand before their enemies. They are going to turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I am not with you any more, unless you destroy that which is under the ban from your midst.”
A favoured people had sinned and taken what was not theirs to take!
Mal’aḵi/Malachi 1:14 “But cursed be the deceiver who has a male in his flock, and makes a vow, but is slaughtering to יהוה what is blemished. For I am a great Sovereign,” said יהוה of hosts, “and My Name is feared among nations.”
We must realise that we cannot bring to יהוה a slaughter offering of our lives, with blemished motives!
Ḥananyah and Shappirah were, in effect, ‘robbing Elohim’ with their offerings, in compromising their ability to give their all, and their love for self and the wealth of this world caused them to stray from the belief; and what we can learn from this account too, is that compromise, no matter in what shape, size or form, only ends up bringing devastating results. For when you compromise, you bring yourself down to a low state where you open yourself up for Satan to have the opportunity of taking advantage of you into believing falsehood and lies!
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 23:21 “When you make a vow to יהוה your Elohim, do not delay to pay it, for יהוה your Elohim is certainly requiring it of you, and it shall be sin in you.”
You got to ask yourself what were they thinking? And by all accounts, they were clearly not thinking straight at all!
Were they trying to secure their own position in the world, at the expense of the community that was now being greatly empowered by the Spirit of Elohim?
These are the kinds of actions that begin to separate the sheep from the goats!
Were they trying to create some kind of ‘safety net’ or ‘nest egg’, in case this new community way of total surrendered living to יהוה, that they were experiencing, would not succeed or survive?
We could make many assumptions as to what they were thinking, but what we can clearly see, is that their actions made a clear statement that declared that they were not wholeheartedly given to the building of community.
And it is the same today, as we see the actions of many believers saying a whole lot more, by their actions or lack thereof, than any words that they may or may not say, in making it clear that they are not really interested in being a part of the body of Messiah, and will only do as much as is required to suite self!
What we see here with, Ḥananyah and Shappirah, is the result of this kind of selfish heart; as his heart only resulted in trying to make a show before men, in order to give the seeming appearance of righteousness, while their hearts were certainly not!
יהושע tells us that the scribes and Pharisees loved to make an outward show, while their hearts were dirty, and we are also instructed by Messiah, that we are not to make a show of our deeds before men, in seeking praise, but rather we are not to let our left hand know what our right hand is doing, for our reward is from the Father and not from men.
Those who seek the praise of men have received their reward already!
Pilipiyim/Philippians 2:3 “doing none at all through selfishness or self-conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
Selfishness will only result in keeping back from the price!
We have been paid for in full, therefore we have no right to keep back from giving our all!
Are you, in any way, ‘keeping back’ from the price?
Your full redemption has been paid by the Blood of יהושע and He has proclaimed the release – have you, in any way, been keeping back from the price of total surrender, as you have not been able to count as you should?
Holding/keeping back, only opens the door for Satan to fill your heart, where the Torah of יהוה should be!
If your heart is not filled with the Torah and continually being filled each day, then what is filling it?
Leave no room for place for the devil in any way!
As we see from Ḥananyah and Shappirah, compromise may be able to be hidden from others in the body and you may even be able to sustain an appearance of uprightness before others – but this is not so before the eyes of יהוה!
Only a foolish one would think so:
Tehillah/Psalm 94:7-9 “Yet they say, “Yah does not see, and the Elohim of Ya’aqoḇ pays no heed.” 8 Take heed, you senseless among the people; and you fools, when would you become wise?”
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 29:15 “Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from יהוה, and their works are in the dark; they say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us?”
Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Set-Apart Spirit?
This was the question that Kěpha asked Ḥananyah, in verse 3 and so, we can see that while Ḥananyah tried to make an appearance of obedience in order to look to others as though he was so special for selling a land and giving to יהוה, his heart was clearly being exposed by the Set-Apart Spirit!
The Greek word that is translated as ‘lie’ is ψεύδομαι pseudomai – Strong’s G5574 which means, ‘to lie, speak deliberate falsehoods’.
Ḥananyah had lied and the deceit of his heart had been exposed!
Look at the warning that is given for practising deceit and speaking lies:
Tehillah/Psalm 101:7 “He who practises deceit does not dwell in my house; he who speaks lies does not stand in my presence.”
The Hebrew word that is translated here for ‘deceit’ is רְמִיָּה remiyyah – Strong’s H7423 which means, ‘deceit, treachery, slothful, slack, idle’, which comes from the root verb רָמָה ramah – Strong’s H7411 which means, ‘to beguile, betray, deal treacherously with’.
Practising deceit and speaking lies and falsehood will keep you out of the House of Elohim!!!
Qolasim/Colossians 3:9 “Do not lie to each other, since you have put off the old man with his practices”
Kěpha had made it clear that he had not lied to men but to Elohim!
Kěpha was not saying that Ḥananyah had not lied to men, but rather, that while Ḥananyah and his wife knew that they had kept back from the price and assumed that they would be lie to man, and be fine with Elohim, his deceit and lies was done so to Elohim!
To lie, deceive or steal are all variations of the same thing, as deceit can also be a form of stealing, just as lying can, and to be found doing any of these reveals a lack of the character of Messiah being shaped and fashioned in one’s life and as we see from the above verses, those who practice such, risk being expelled from the Kingdom, which the account of Ḥananyah and Shappirah is a very clear witness off, as they were cut off from standing in the House!
In verse 4, we can see that sin is conceived in the heart and what we must also realise here, is that it was not sin, in itself, to not give all the money from the sale of their possession, as no one had said to them that they had to give anything at all. But, having seen that many had been selling their possessions and giving the proceeds of the sale to the emissaries, they thought that they could get away with looking like the others who had done so in the correct manner, which was to not lie about what they were doing!
Their motive for doing this deceitful act of lying, was to receive the praise of men for their ‘deeds’, while those who they were expecting their praise from, did not know that they were not actually doing what was in their heart!
The standard had already been set – and that was – GIVE YOUR ALL!
What we recognise here, is that if your walk of belief in Messiah, is not done with a wholehearted and sold-out approach of giving your all to the body of Elohim, then half-hearted efforts are not accepted before Him; for יהושע makes it clear that He will vomit out the lukewarm!
It is a heart thing!
They clearly revealed that they did not love יהוה with all their heart as their heart had not been filled with the Torah of Elohim, but had been filled by Satan, the father of lies.
Ya’aqoḇ/James 3:13-17 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good behaviour his works in meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast against and lie against the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom coming down from above, but it is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and self-seeking are, there is confusion and every foul deed. 17 But the wisdom from above is first clean, then peaceable, gentle, ready to obey, filled with compassion and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
Ḥananyah and Shappirah had self-seeking in their hearts and as a result they had lied against the truth, revealing that they were fools without the Spirit and while they may have thought to have been wise in their own eyes, they were revealed as being foolish and their assumed wisdom was earthly, unspiritual and demonic.
These events, contrasted against these words that we have just read in Ya’aqoḇ/James 3, remind us that where there is self-seeking and lies, there is confusion and wickedness!
The Greek word that is translated as ‘confusion’ in Ya’aqoḇ/James 3:16 is ἀκαταστασία akatastasia – Strong’s G181 which means, ‘instability, disorder, confusion, disturbances, tumults’ and comes from the word ἀκατάστατος akatastatos – Strong’s G182 which means, ‘unstable, restless, confusion’ and this is the construct of the two root words:
1) α alpha – Strong’s G1 used as a negative prefix, and
2) καθίστημι kathistēmi – Strong’s G2525 which means, ‘to set in order, appoint, put …in charge, appoint one to administer an office’.
The construct of these 2 words, gives US a clear meaning of:
NO ORDER!
The reason for me expanding on these root words for ‘confusion’, is to highlight the clear reality of what is being said here, for where there is self-seeking, there is NO ORDER!
Those who refuse to give ear to the Torah and guard to do that which is to be upon our heart and in our mouths, will have their hearts filled with demonic confusion that does not submit to the clear order of Elohim, as they do whatever is right in their own eyes!
The Greek word καθίστημι kathistēmi – Strong’s G2525 is used in:
Mattithyahu/Matthew 24:45-47 “Who then is a trustworthy and wise servant, whom his master set over his household, to give them food in season? 46 “Blessed is that servant whom his master, having come, shall find so doing. 47 “Truly, I say to you that he shall set him over all his possessions.”
יהושע made it very clear to His taught ones, that we are to be trustworthy servants, here and now, as we have been ‘set over’ His House/Body, with the duties of diligently guarding His commands and keeping His House/Body clean; which can only be done, when the correct right-rulings and procedures of His Torah are followed and obeyed!
Those who are trustworthy in the guarding of the commands now, our Master will set over all His possessions, when He comes again, as it is the trustworthy servants that shall rule and reign with Him and be appointed to execute proper judgements and right-rulings according to His Torah, which will be the rule of the earth, in His Everlasting Reign!
Ḥananyah and Shappirah are examples of those who are not found to be worthy of being set over the possessions of Elohim, as they had clearly not managed that which YHWH had given into their hands, as they held back from doing what was right in the yes of YHWH and tried to fool others with their self-seeking foolishness and were struck down before the face of יהוה, showing us a clear lesson on the ‘apostate bride’ being struck down and destroyed.
As we consider these events, we need to realise that just because we are married, which we are, does not give us the licence to slack off – on the contrary, we are now expected to give our all in all, revealing that our hearts are filled with His Spirit and not with Satan!
When we hold back from doing what is right in the eyes of יהוה, we open the door for Satan to come and fill our hearts with consuming deceit and lies and those who do not guard a true love for the Truth, will be handed over to the deceitful delusion in order to believe the lies!!! And this we are to be on guard against at all times!!!
Sin is conceived in the heart when the soil of our hearts is not being properly maintained and in the parable of the wheat and the darnel, our Master tells us that the darnel was sown by the evil one while men slept!
The night is far advanced and we are to be awake and watchful, giving no room for Satan to sow his confusion and lies, lest we find that our hearts are not truly in it and grieve the Set-Apart Spirit!
When we acknowledge and receive the free gift of life and have the abundant favour of יהוה extended toward us in Messiah and accept our bridal call for set-apart living, then we must take care to NOT go back on our marriage vows with our King!
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 20:25 “It is a snare for a man to say rashly, “It is set-apart,” And only later to reconsider his vows.”
Yes, we are now married – do not be found saying ‘Now what?’ For you know what!
It is time for the True Set-Apart Bride to keep order and have hearts filled with the love of Elohim, revealing that the Truth has been clearly writing on the tablets of our hearts and is being guarded through an ordered obedience to the Word of our Husband, Redeemer and King!
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Yisra’ěl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוהis one! 5 “And you shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your might. 6 “And these Words which I am commanding you today shall be in your heart”
I think that it is fitting that I remind you of the Hebrew root word that is used for heart.
The Hebrew word for ‘heart’ is לֵב leḇ – Strong’s H3820 which means, ‘inner man, mind, will thought’, or is often also written as לֵבָב leḇaḇ – Strong’s H3824 which means, ‘inner man, heart, mind, understanding’; and what is interesting to take note of here is that these two letters for ‘heart’ in the ancient Hebrew pictographic Script make it clear that the rule and authority of Elohim is to be upon our hearts!
In the ancient pictographic script, the Hebrew word לֵב leḇ – Strong’s H3820 looks like this:
Lamed – לֵ:
The ancient script has this letter as 
, and is pictured as a ‘shepherd’s staff’, can give the meaning of ‘to or toward’ and can represent that which pushes or pulls a flock in a direction, and can speak of authority or a yoke that is used to lead and guide, as well as the ability to bring back by Authority.
Bet – ב:
The ancient script has this letter as 
, which pictures a tent floor plan and means, ‘house’ or ‘tent’. It represents family and the importance of those who are inside the tent as opposed to the tent structure itself.
In terms of these two pictures, representing the ‘heart’ or the inner man and the will and thoughts of man, we are able to see that a pure heart is one that submits to the authority of the Good Shepherd, having been grafted into His Body, that is the Tabernacle of Elohim, which in Messiah we now are.
It can clearly be expressed as:
THE RULES OF THE HOUSE
In recognising this, we see that we, as legitimate sons and daughter of the Most-High, that have been grafted in by the Blood of Messiah, have upon our hearts His Torah, under which we submit to walking in – for His Torah are the rules of His House, which He has written on the fleshly tablets of our hearts!
Even with the word for heart, being expressed as לֵבָב leḇaḇ, we are able to see in the ancient text a second ‘bet’ (house), showing us the clear picture of the True authority for both Houses of Yisra’ĕl and Yehuḏah, that collectively make up the entire body of Messiah, or Tabernacle of Elohim, which we now are!
To love Elohim with all your heart implies that His commands are written upon your heart, for true love for Elohim is to guard His commands; and if one does not think upon or meditate upon His Torah in order to walk in it, then it shall be very clear that the Truth is not in them!
יהוה knows what is in our hearts, while we may not; and He tests our hearts in order to see if we will obey Him or not:
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 8:2 “And you shall remember that יהוה your Elohim led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, prove you, to know what is in your heart, whether you guard His commands or not.”
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “And now, Yisra’ĕl, what is יהוה your Elohim asking of you, but to fear יהוה your Elohim, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being, 13 to guard the commands of יהוה and His laws which I command you today for your good?”
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 11:18 “And you shall lay up these Words of Mine in your heart and in your being, and shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 30:14 “For the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart – to do it.”
The reason that I am quoting all these verses, is to show that ‘it is a heart thing’ and the Word of Elohim must be in our hearts and mouths, and not just be an empty and confused rendering of a corrupted lips service, that has no heart or follow through with complete obedience and submission, to doing the commands with joy!
Guarding the good treasure and deposit of the Truth in our hearts, will keep us from sinning and being lawless, and will keep us from being and adulterer and thief!
Tehillah/Psalm 119:11 “I have treasured up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
He who has ears let Him hear what the Spirit is saying to the assembly; and do not try the Spirit of יהוה; but rather, as a set-apart Bride, fear Him and guard His commands!
Have you been holding back in any way?
Then take heed to this sobering account of these 2 who held back, and recognise the true delight and joy it is, to give your all – for He promises to us in:
Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 32:38-41 “And they shall be My people, and I shall be their Elohim. 39 ‘And I shall give them one heart and one way, to fear Me all the days, for the good of them and of their children after them. 40 ‘And I shall make an everlasting covenant with them, that I do not turn back from doing good to them. And I shall put My fear in their hearts so as not to turn aside from Me. 41 ‘And I shall rejoice over them to do good to them, and shall plant them in this land in truth, with all My heart and with all My being.’”
OK – WE’RE MARRIED – SO NOW LETS LIVE LIKE IT!!!
יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show favour to you; יהוה lift up His face upon you and give you shalom!