Faithful Writers

ChatGPT I  was mentally preparing myself upcoming doctor’s appointment for my daughter in the shower. ( Some people sing in the shower; well, I think in the shower.) For reference, our hospital system took a nosedive here a while back, and it’s been a nerve-wracking experience since, especially for anyone who has chronic conditions. Anyway, so there I am in the shower, thinking through the appointment, and I mentally threw two previous doctors under the bus. I thought some really not-so-nice things in my head. I was feeling this subtle, pressurized bitterness and anger inside me that wanted to keep building, so I fed it. I felt justification for the anger that started to seethe inside of me and those not-so-nice thoughts because there had been some horrific instances. Then, in a moment of bitterness and anger, I just became weary of it all. I made a conscious choice and whispered the words “take captive my thoughts.” A millisecond couldn’t have even slipped by before I heard, “Pray for the doctors who failed your daughter; they need it the most.”  My heart lurched, and everything went still for a moment. I felt a deep conviction that pulled me down, and I sat there on the shower floor crying. Without words, I sought His forgiveness for what I had done, then and in the past.  He knows what we’ve been through; He was there right beside us through it all. He acknowledged that yes, she was wronged, and He understood my hesitation and fear of doctors, but I  still need you  to pray for them. In that moment, I learned so many things. It’s easy for us to take something that happened and hold onto those past hurts without contemplating the situation. We then move on, believing we are fine, when in fact we are not. We need to acknowledge when we are hurt. None of what I’m saying means we aren’t allowed to do this or that we don’t experience emotions from whatever may have happened to us. But it is important to take time, think about it, and take it to God. Big or little, just take it to Him. Don’t be like me. Don’t let it all build up like that, after each crappy incident I would go home, be mad and vent but I didn’t really reached out to God about it. I never asked Him to help me with how I was feeling or what I should do with it. That’s why I became weary.  It all finally caught up with me at that moment, and I was so tired of trying to hold onto it all. God hugged me, and I felt that deep within my heart; I also didn’t feel He was angry at me, He just gently chided me and told me it was time that I switch my thinking and pray for them. It was a fresh start to a new way of thinking; a weight was lifted off my shoulders that I never realized was there. Since that day in the shower, I had my own experience where I left my doctor’s office hurt, and it was a justifiable situation with what happened. With this new awareness, though, I was able to be able to vent and talk about what happened, stay positive, thoughtful, and calmer, and actively take it to God. And yes, I prayed for this provider; in fact, I still do when I think about her. It’s been a couple of months now. I feel a calm, a gentleness now in me, and it’s been growing to the point that my fear and hesitation with anything involving a hospital and clinic are starting to get better. My thought of the day: Maybe if we all said a prayer every time we are hurt or we think of an old hurt and choose to start the process of forgiveness, we could change the world a little at a time. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32 © Jane Isley First Published in Frontier Writers (Anya Praise) Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

Starting from Genesis 9:18, Noah and his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth emerge from the ark marking the beginning of a new era in human history. Unfortunately, in short order, we will soon see that man remains just as susceptible to falling into trouble and committing evil as he was before the flood. We’re told that Noah planted a vineyard, made some wine, and then drunk himself into a serious stupor. He then made his way back to his tent where he fell asleep sprawled out completely naked. Next, the Scriptures tell us that “ Ham the father of Canaan saw Noah’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside ." In response, the two brothers took a cloak, walked backward into the tent so that they wouldn’t see their father’s nakedness, and then covered him up. When Noah awoke, he realized what Ham had done to him and pronounced the following curse: “Cursed be Canaan, the lowliest slave shall he be to his brothers!” The first question that arises is what in the world did Ham do to his father Noah? Well, I can do know better than to quote the great Jewish Bible scholar Robert Alter . Here is his take on the matter: “No one has ever figured out what exactly what it is that Ham does to Noah.” There you go. Nobody knows. Nevertheless, theories abound. Some suggest that Ham possibly castrated Noah. Others suggest that he “penetrated” him sexually and so on. I think it’s important to remind ourselves that the Bible is a record of God’s interactions with a certain portion and culture of the human race at a particular point of time in history. When we superimpose our modern day thoughts onto the Scriptures which took place in a culture completely foreign to our own, it’s inevitable that misinterpretations are going to arise. In this case, we’re dealing with an ancient Middle Eastern culture. In such a culture, it’s entirely possible that the mere viewing of a father’s nakedness was a horrific taboo. Ham’s failure to turn his eyes away from his father’s nakedness in and of itself could have earned him the curse that was pronounced upon him. First, why didn’t Ham cover up his father’s nakedness himself? Why did he go “tattle on him?" I wonder what exactly he said to his brothers? Maybe something like this: “ Hey guys! You won’t believe what I saw! Pop is drunk out of his mind, sprawled out butt naked in his tent. ” Talking about your father’s nakedness to others is just downright disrespectful. Ham seems to have been guilty of two sins. One, he did not honor his father. Two, he committed what in Hebrew is know as LASHON HARA which means to speak evil or gossip about someone. The second question that confronts us is why Ham’s son Canaan was cursed instead of Ham himself. Again, I think we are dealing with an ancient middle eastern mindset whereby not just that person but also his ancestors are viewed as a collective whole. Biblically speaking, having a curse placed on just one individual would not be particularly efficacious as it would end at the death of that person. The Bible says that a curse was placed on all of Ham’s descendants. However, the reason that Canaan was targeted is because more than any other descendant of Ham, it will be Canaan who will be most directly involved with Israel. So Noah’s two other sons did the proper thing in averting their eyes from their father’s nakedness. They treated Noah with the proper respect and as a result earned his blessings, the contents of which we will examine carefully in a future post. © Richoka

So we are continuing on the heels of the last post. Sarai, who is barren, summons her slave girl Hagar to sleep with Abram. And just as planned, Hagar gives birth to a child. However, Sarai is just downright insecure about the whole situation. She feels like Hagar is parading a sense of superiority around her and that compounded by her insecurities has made the situation unbearable. She begins to harass Hagar. We are not told specifically what type of abuse was leveled at Hagar but it must have been pretty bad because it caused Hagar to run away. It is at this point in the Torah that we are introduced for the the first time to an entity that many English Bibles translate as the “Angel of the Lord." ( The Complete Jewish Bible says the “Angel of Adonai” ) As a result of allegory, hyperbole, fantasy, and all kinds of unkosher hog-wild mistaken interpretations, the actual meaning of this term has been misunderstood, especially by Christians, for so long. So the best way to solve the problem is to just go to the original Hebrew. The original Hebrew is MALACH YAHWEH. So obviously YAHWEH is referring to God. However, let’s focus on the term MALACH. Although many English Bibles translate this sole word as “angel," that is NOT what it means. MALACH just means “messenger." Nothing supernatural, MALACH means just means a deliverer of a message. And, in the Bible, that is how it is often used. However, whenever the term “ MALACH YAHWEH ” appears, we are dealing with something different. By attaching YHVH to the word messenger ( MALACH ), this is when the meaning transforms from just a plain messenger to to a divine manifestation of God Himself. So based on the original Hebrew, here is the basic rule you can follow: If the word MALACH is used alone… It can be either a regular man delivering a message… Or an angel depending on the context. Depending on the context, if you add the word YHVH to it, it becomes a manifestation of God the Father Himself. Most Bible translators have mistakenly taken every instance of MALACH to be an angel… © Richoka

One thing you need to know about names in the Bible is that they are much more than simple labels of identification. In Bible times, one’s name reflected a person’s reputation, nature, and character. Let’s take a look at the actual meanings of the names of Noah’s sons and in general who each one’s respective ancestors turned out to be. Shem : Glory, Name (in the sense of making a name for oneself, becoming a respected person of authority). The descendants of Shem are the Hebrews, the Arabs, and most of the Asian races. The Messiah and Savior of the world will come from this line. Ham: Hot, warm, burning heat. The descendants are primarily the dark-skinned races that came to populate Africa. Egypt and the Philistines also stem from this line. Japheth: to enlarge, to become fruitful. The descendants are the Romans, the Greeks, and most of the European nations. Now all we have to do is take an objective look at how history has unfolded since ancient times and we realize that the blessings and curses that Noah proclaimed was nothing less than a powerful prophetic pronouncement. Israel, from the line of Shem, introduced not only monotheism to the world but also brought the messiah into the world. Indeed history itself is measured by the birth and death of Yeshua (BC and AD) . In this spiritual sense, Israel has conquered the world. Now the Japhetic nations of Europe and her distant cousin the United States have indeed been fruitful (wealthy) and expanded their influence over the whole globe but have always been subservient to the spiritual authority of Shem. A fact that rankles white supremacists to no end. It is the spiritual authority of Shem represented by the Jewish people that Adolph Hitler attempted to defy. But he failed. He should have known that no man can subvert God’s established prophecy. Finally, when we look at the history of the Hamitic nations of Africa, in general we can see that these nations have for the most part been plagued by poverty, slavery and a child-like dependency on the other nations of the world for their survival. To me, this is as powerful evidence as any that God’s Word is true and cannot be broken. © Richoka

Let’s talk a little bit about Ishmael, the name of the child born to Hagar. First, Ishmael means “God pays attention," or “God has given heed." God tells Hagar that she will have a male child who will eventually become the father of a large number of descendants. While Ishmael is the patriarch of several races, he is primarily remembered for being the ancestor of the Arabs. Let us not forget Abram is the true father of both the Arabs and the Israelites. The two are literally blood brothers. Both the Arabs and Israelites are from the line of Shem. The simple truth is that the people the evening TV news typically labels as Arabs usually aren’t. They are usually Egyptians, Persians, and other races that come from the line of Ham. Interestingly, we are told that Ishmael is going to be “a wild donkey of a man, with his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, living his life at odds with all his kinsmen.” Finally, we have these verses in the last paragraph of this chapter. “And she called the name of the Lord who addresses her El Roi, for she said, ‘Did I not go on seeing here after He saw me?.' Therefore, is the well called Beer-Lahai-Roi which is between Kadesh and Bered.” What a cryptic set of verses?! To explain, the best I can do is share the general scholarly interpretation. The general belief system at that time held that one could not see God and live. So apparently Hagar was expressing gratitude for being given the privilege of interacting with the Angel of the Lord (obviously a supernatural being) and not dying. © Richoka

Have you ever felt down in the dumps because the predominant gene pool of you and your family stems from the line of Ham in the Bible? Maybe you feel inferior to other races or people groups. Or when something bad happens to you, maybe you feel like it’s because you’re cursed or something. Well, none of that is true. Read this and feel better. First , given all of the race mixing (I am half-Japanese and half-French) and intermarriage that has occurred over the centuries… The simple truth of the matter is that if it were possible to conduct a DNA test that would be able to tell us down to the very molecule what races of blood are flowing through our veins back to Biblical times… I think the results would show that all of us are most likely a mixture of all of Noah’s three sons. Second , 10 of the tribes of Israel were actually dispersed throughout all the Gentile nations. So regardless of what color your skin is, it is possible that you could have some Israelite blood in you. Third, the Scriptures make it clear that regardless of what line you were born into physically… You can make a spiritual choice to be grafted into God’s holy line! And of course, the opposite is also true. Many Arabs have forsaken their Godly Shem heritage for the cursed line of Ham by choosing to identify with the ancient Philistines ( for those who weren’t aware,” Palestine” is just the Greek word for “Philistine.” ) And many Jews, people originally chosen by God, have chosen to switch their allegiance from the God of Israel to a God their ancestors did not know. The below video is a sad example that this sometimes happens. The gentleman being profiled is a Jewish person whose original name was Joseph Cohen but for whatever reason decided to convert to Islam. On a more positive note, the following is a video of an Arab Christian who is serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (sorry, this video is Hebrew only). The most important decision you will ever make and the ultimate determinant of your identity is NOT your earthly bloodlines… But which God you decide to entrust your life to! Choose wisely because you will have to live with this decision for all eternity. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female; for in union with the Messiah Yeshua, you are all one. -Galatians 3:28 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands) — remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Messiah . -Ephesians 2:11–14 © Richoka

Today we begin Genesis Chapter 17. For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here. For the King James version, click here . A full 13 years have passed since Genesis Chapter 16. Outside of knowing that Hagar’s son Ishmael is now about 13 years old, we have no record of what transpired in that 13-year period. However, we know certain things have NOT changed. Sarai still hasn’t given birth to any children… Everybody is still living in Canaan. Then, seemingly out of the blue… God appears to Abram… He repeats the original promise that Abram will produce much fertile offspring… Then He tells Abram the following: “And you shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of nations .”- Genesis 17:5 Abram is about to undergo an identity transformation. Abram means “ Exalted Father ." Abraham means “ Father of Multitudes ." In the Bible, a name was not just a means of identification… It expresses one’s true nature and their role in life. Let’s take a close look at the word “ nations ." The Hebrew for the word “ nations ” in the above verse is GOYIM . The modern-day meaning of this word is the “ Gentile nations ” or “ Gentile people ." However, that wasn’t its original meaning. Since the Hebrews were not yet in existence and Abraham himself was still just in the process of becoming a Hebrew, at this time the word goyim meant any old nation just like how we use the word today. It should also be noted that when it says that Abraham will be a father of a multitude of nations, his fatherhood will not be restricted to just Israel. He will also be the father of several Gentile groups. As we move along in the Torah, you will see how this happens. © Richoka

This is a good time to introduce an important principle you should understand when studying your Bible. I am referring to the Principle of Reoccurring Patterns. In other words, an event that occurs in the earlier pages of the Bible establishes itself as a pattern that will repeat itself again and again throughout the Scriptures. Let me give you some examples of how this works between the first pre-flood man, Adam, and the first post-flood man, Noah . -As Adam was given authority over all creation in the Garden, Noah was given authority over the new world. -As Adam was instructed to “be fruitful and multiply” , so was Noah. -Adam was the world’s first farmer as he was responsible for caring for the Garden. Noah also was the new world’s first farmer as the first thing he did was plant a vineyard. -Adam’s downfall came about as a result of partaking of the fruit of the garden he tilled. Likewise, Noah’s downfall came about as a result of partaking of the fruit (the wine) of the vineyard he tilled. - Adam had his nakedness shamefully revealed as a result of his transgression. The same thing happened to Noah. - As a result of Adam’s sin, mankind was placed under a curse for all generations. Likewise, as a result of Noah’s sin, Noah’s grandson Canaan had a curse placed on him and his descendants for all generations. -Out of Adam’s three sons first mentioned in the Scriptures, Seth and his progeny would be considered the Godly line. Similarly, out of Noah’s three sons, Shem and his progeny would be considered the Godly line. The Messiah Himself would be born from Shem’s line. Isn’t this amazing? There are many more patterns and we will see them repeat constantly throughout Scripture. I will be pointing them out as we move along. Contrary to the teachings of evolution, history is cyclical, NOT linear. © Richoka

Once God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and shortly afterward commanded the rite of circumcision… From that instant, Abraham became a Hebrew. However, there is a debate as to when the word “Hebrew” came into use. Scholarly consensus is that it means “ the one who crossed over ." However, I tend to side with the more common opinion among Bible anthropologists and archaeologists. They say the word Hebrew didn’t come into use until much later and that it comes from the oriental word “ ipuru ." Ipuru was used in Canaan and surrounding areas as a term that simply meant foreigners or wanderers who had no specific nation they could call their own. This makes much more sense, given that at this point, Abraham had been away from his home for such a long time. God had promised Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan but they had yet to possess it. So at this stage, from an earthly perspective, Abraham didn’t have a nation he could point to as his own. To the inhabitants in the surrounding areas, Abraham and his motley crew would indeed appear to be a bunch of nationless wanderers. However, this was only from an earthly perspective. From a heavenly perspective outside of physical limitations and time, it was already a done deal. Abraham was a Hebrew, he was going to inherit the land, and he was going to be the father of multitudes. © Richoka

The other day, a fellow messianic believer who I met on Facebook shared some very interesting information that I think goes a long way towards explaining why it was Ham’s son Canaan and not Ham himself who was cursed. And since she also provided solid references, I decided this couldn’t be ignored and so chose to do a post on it. Let’s take a look at Genesis 9:20–25. Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan , saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked. When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” Now many commentaries assume that the “youngest son” is referring to “ Noah’s son Ham ” However, other scholars assert that the language in Genesis 9:24 points to Canaan being the one who had committed some “wicked act” against Noah and NOT Ham. In other words, “youngest son” refers to “ Ham’s youngest son ” and NOT “ Noah’s youngest son ." So the difficulty we face is one of grammar. From this perspective, Genesis 9:21–25 should read as follows: Then he [Noah] drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his [Ham’s] younger son [or, more properly, youngest son] had done to him. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan . . .” Before we do a situational breakdown of what actually transpired, we need to take a closer look at the phrase “ became uncovered ." Let’s let Scripture define Scripture by having a look at Leviticus 18:6–7. ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness ; I am the Lord. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness . -Leviticus 18:6–7 There is no doubt that in this context, the phrase “ uncover nakedness ” refers to a sexual violation. So if we take this as the meaning of “ became uncovered ”, this would mean that after Noah got drunk, it wasn’t just a matter of his blanket falling off of him and leaving him lying there naked. He was sexually violated!!! So the following is a step-by-step analysis of what may have occurred. ( I’m not going to be dogmatic about this. ) (1) Noah gets drunk and is sexually violated by Ham’s youngest son Canaan. (2) Ham is first on the scene after his son’s perverse act. (3) Ham is in shock (maybe somehow knowing that it was his son Canaan who had just perpetrated this vile deed ) and reports what he witnessed to his brothers. (4) Ham’s two brothers with their backs turned respectfully cover Noah up. (5) Noah awakens and is aware that Canaan had defiled him, and thus curses him for it. One question that arises is, was Canaan the youngest son of Ham? For the answer to that, take a look at Genesis 10:6. “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan. ” In the birth order, Canaan is listed last. So Canaan was the youngest son of Ham. In conclusion, if this interpretation is true, this means that Canaan was NOT punished for something Ham did ( which come to think of it doesn’t make any sense ), but was punished for his own sin. This explanation would also explain why the fact that Ham is Canaan’s father is emphasized twice in this account (verses 22 and 24). Of course, there are many unanswered questions. What in the world possessed Canaan to engage in a sexually deviant act with his grandfather Noah? How did Ham know for sure that Canaan had engaged in a sexually repulsive act with Noah? Did he witness Canaan in the act? I’m not going to be dogmatic and say this is the only way to interpret these passages, but it makes pretty good sense to me and if true, it also I feel would explain why God would eventually want to have the Canaanites wiped out. For those interested, the references asserting that “youngest son” in Genesis 9:24 refers to Canaan are as follows. The Soncino Chumash,” edited by A. Cohen, London, 1956, p. 47.The Pentateuch & Haftorahs, by JH Hertz, London, 1972, p. 34Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible Translation by Joseph Rotherham © Richoka