Faithful Writers

“I will give you and your descendants after you the land in which you are now foreigners, all the land of Canaan, as a permanent possession ; and I will be their God.” -Genesis 17:8 One important lesson we can learn from Abraham’s life is the importance of adopting a heavenly perspective versus an earthly perspective. The earthly perspective is always focusing on our immediate and physical circumstances. “What happens if I lose my job?!!” “How the hell am I gonna pay off my student loan debt?!!” “My girlfriend just broke up with me!” When we focus on external circumstances instead of God, our actions end up “ birthing an Ishmael ” as one Arab Christian Pastor I sometimes listen to put it. Look what Abraham did when the grievous famine came. Against God’s will he went down south into Egypt. And it cost him. And not only did it cost him, it cost us too. Because the Egyptian bondwoman he brought back was Hagar, who eventually ended up “birthing an Ishmael." And now we have to deal with idiotic groups like ISIS. Instead of trusting in the God who called him, Abraham ended up letting external circumstances guide his decisions. This same idea can be applied to the Jewish people’s relationship with the land of Israel. Notice how verse 8 says that “ I will give this land to your descendants forever ." Now some people will say this verse cannot possibly be true because it is obvious that throughout their history Israel has not always resided in the land since they first entered it during the time of Joshua. Their argument is focused on the external circumstances and ignoring God’s eternal promise to Abraham. There is a big difference between ownership of the land and possession of it. One can own something and not physically possess it. For example, if I have a building that I am renting out, I own it but it is my tenants that are physically in possession of it. The very instant that God made the covenant with Abraham, the land belonged to the Hebrews, even if according to God’s timetable, the time still wasn’t ripe for them to possess it. Even during their 400-year period of slavery in Egypt, the land belonged to Israel. People tend to say that Israel lost their ownership of the land when they were forced to relocate to Babylon or when they lost the land during the Roman takeover in 70 A.D. WRONG! Israel has never lost nor will it ever lose their rights to the land. It is an eternal possession from God. Don’t be fooled by the “external circumstances” argument. Stand on the promises of YEHOVEH! © Richoka

In order to properly understand many key passages of Scripture… It is essential you fully grasp the concept of the firstborn blessing. The Hebrew firstborn blessing is akin to the formalized reading of the family will just prior to the passing away of the father. It was customary for the firstborn to receive both of the following: 1) A double portion of the father’s wealth And… 2) The authority to rule over the family. A double portion meant the firstborn son received at least double the amount given to any other son. In addition, the firstborn was never a female. A married couple could have 10 daughters and then one son born after all of those daughters… And that one son would still be considered the firstborn… And receive a double portion of the family’s inheritance and the ruling authority over that family. What’s interesting is that in Noah’s pronouncement of the curses and blessings… We have a precursory firstborn blessing being proclaimed prior to it eventually becoming a formalized biblical concept in the Bible. However, what is unique in this case is that the firstborn blessing was split between Shem and Japheth . “May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, -Genesis 9:27 From the above verse, we can see that Shem received the ruling authority… And Japheth received the equivalent of a double portion of the wealth (of the world so to speak) . Note that Japheth’s blessing is dependent on Shem. In other words, Japheth’s descendants would only prosper when their relationship with Shem was in a harmonious state. Again, Japheth is the ancestor of most of the European peoples including the Romans and the Greeks. Shem would become the Hebrews (as well as the Arabs, and most of the Asian races). Historically, speaking we can see a direct correlation between the prosperity of the Japhethic nations and how they treated Israe l (a Shemitic nation). Trust me, America’s prosperity has all to do with the blessing upon Japheth. Finally, we will see this splitting up of the firstborn blessing occur again later in Genesis when Jacob blesses his 12 sons who will eventually grow to become the 12 tribes of Israel. © Richoka

You are to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin;This will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. -Genesis 17:11 Today, I want to discuss the covenant of circumcision. In Hebrew, it is called Brit Milah. In the first covenant God made with Abraham, Abraham didn’t have to do anything to partake of the benefits. It was all on God. However, the same thing does NOT apply to Abraham’s offspring. In order to partake of the covenant promises God made to Abraham, they would HAVE TO BE circumcised. Do you see the difference? In other words, Abraham didn’t have to become circumcised to partake of the benefits of the covenants. But his offspring would have to. IT IS AN OBLIGATION for all of Abraham’s offspring. Participation was required! The Scripture is very clear that the punishment for refusing circumcision was being cut off from your people, both physically and spiritually. If a parent declined to have their male child circumcised, not only were they not part of the clan but they were spiritually separated from God. They were no longer Israelites. The Zohar notes: “As long as Israel observes the custom of circumcision, heaven and earth will go on their appointed courses, but if Israel neglects the covenant, heaven and earth are disturbed. ” Throughout Jewish history, circumcision has been a sign of the Jewish will to survive while its discontinuance has been a sign of assimilation. During the reign of Antiochus IV (165BC) circumcision was prohibited by royal decree. Regardless, Jews observed the rite even at the risk of death. Some 100 years later political conditions changed and many upper class Jews desirous of assimilation to the dominant Greco-Roman way of life began to neglect Brit Milah. 200 years later, during the Hadrianic persecution, the practice was again prohibited-as well as the study of the Torah in general. But many Jews still chose to ignore these ungodly decrees. During the Nazi reign in Germany, in order to identify those Jews who were trying to pass themselves off as Christians or Gentiles, an inspection was conducted to see if the suspected individual had been circumcised or not. Later in the New Testament, Paul will go on to explain that what God really wanted was circumcised hearts, not circumcised flesh. By accepting Yeshua as our savior, we have our hearts circumcised. The same proposition faces us that faced Abraham’s offspring. If we submit to having our hearts circumcised by accepting the New Covenant, which is the blood of Yeshua, we become part of the chosen of God. If we reject it, we are separated from God’s people and God Himself. Notice that Genesis 17:12 says that even the foreign member of a household is to be circumcised. This verse explodes another stereotype that before the advent of Yeshua, it was only Jews who were eligible for salvation. The truth is any foreigner who was willing to submit him or herself to circumcision and pledge 100% allegiance to the God of Israel was given full citizenship and had all the covenantal rights of any natural born Hebrew. This is the exact same pattern that Gentiles today rely on. Via a circumcision of his or her heart , a Gentile is grafted into the covenants of Israel given through Abraham, Moses, and Yeshua. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT Indeed, the man who is physically uncircumcised but obeys the Torah will stand as a judgment on you who have had a b’rit-milah and have Torah written out but violate it! For the real Jew is not merely Jewish outwardly: true circumcision is not only external and physical. On the contrary, the real Jew is one inwardly; and true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal; so that his praise comes not from other people but from God.- Romans 2:27–29 © Richoka

“Abraham said to God, “If only Ishma‘el could live in your presence!” - Genesis 17:18 Let’s talk a little bit about Abraham pleading with God to let Ishmael be his heir. I think many of us tend to adopt a very condescending attitude towards Ishmael, if not outright demonize him because in our minds we associate him with the Arabs, whom we in turn associate with the religion of Islam. I think this negativity is quite misplaced. Abraham loved Ishmael greatly. In his mind, Ishmael was his firstborn son. He never thought of him as anything but his lawful, beloved, inheritor. He so desperately wanted Ishmael to inherit the promise. I have the greatest of respect for the Arab peoples. I think they are very intelligent and are among the richest people on the planet. Remember, out of Noah’s three sons, they also come from the blessed line of Shem. Nevertheless, God will not budge and insists that a child will be born from Sarai’s womb. God tells Abraham that he is to call this child Isaac and that it is with him and his offspring that an everlasting covenant will be established. Right here in these verses, we have the origin of the current Mideast crisis that is going to soon explode into a conflict involving practically every nation in the world. Muslims today claim that this portion of Scripture has been tampered with to falsely show that Isaac is to be the favored one. However, the religion of Islam didn’t even come into being until about 600 years after Yeshua’s death and resurrection . Nevertheless, Muslims call both Ishmael and Abraham the father of Islam. This is not true. The Jewish Scriptures were canonized way before Mohammed had his vision in the desert. The conclusion is very clear. God rejected Ishmael as the one who would carry on the line of the covenant promise that God had made with Abraham. It would be Isaac. © Richoka

Today we begin Genesis Chapter 18. For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here . For the King James Bible, click here . And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre -Genesis 18:1 We are going to come head-to-head with the most controversial issue right from verse one. Verse one says, “ The Lord appeared to Abraham ." Now in most Jewish Bibles, you will see the word Adonai there. Adonai is Hebrew, and yes, if we were to translate it into English, the word Lord or Master would be appropriate. However, there is one problem. If you were to take a look at the original Hebrew manuscripts, you would notice a different word other than Adonai there. That word would be YEHOVEH, spelled with the Hebrew letters Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh. English speakers tend to say Yahweh or Jehovah. So the interesting question that confronts us is why is it translated as Adonai even in Jewish Bibles, when the original word is Yud-heh-van-heh? The answer is because it is a Jewish tradition not to say the name of God. Super religious Jews will not even use the word “God” or spell it out. Despite this position, there is not one commandment in all of Scripture that says you cannot say God’s name out loud. The only exception is that you are not to take God’s name in vain. However, religious Jews claim that even the mere utterance of God’s name is taking it in vain. I have trouble accepting this argument. We have been given God’s name. If he didn’t want us to say it, why give His name to us? If it is such a terrible sin to say it out, why is there no direct prohibition against it in Scripture? We are commanded to “call” upon the name of the Lord. When I get down on my knees in prayer, I verbally say “YEHOVEH” out loud in my prayers, not some generic God word. Having said that, I would recommend being sensitive to those things that offend others. When in the company of religious Jews… I would urge you to use the term HASHEM… This literally means “The Name.” © Richoka

“And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him : and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground. " - Genesis 18:2 So, who were the three men who visited Abraham? The first simple fact that cannot be ignored is that in the original Hebrew, one of the men is called “Yahweh." “Yahweh” is God’s personal name. However, we are also told that no man can look upon God and remain alive. So this had to be some manifestation of Yahweh. However, Christians will say that this was Jesus. I don’t buy that. Jesus is never referred to by the Father’s personal name Yahweh. There is a lot more going on here than meets the eye, and it’s about to get even more complicated. Let’s take a look at verse 3. “He (Abraham) said, ‘My lords, if it please you, do not go on past your servant.’” The word for Adonai here is plural. Adon is singular. Adonai can have two meanings. It can refer to God (plural of majesty) or be used as an honorific title of respect to address a couple of gentlemen. So, which one is it in this case? Since the context clearly shows Abraham speaking to the three men, I would say this is a form of honorific usage. What makes things even more interesting is that in verse 2, where it says that Abraham “saw three men," the Hebrew word for men is “enosh." Enosh is a word that only refers to men, NEVER to spiritual beings. The Rabbis seem to be fairly split on the identities of these men. There is of course no doubt that one of the men is a manifestation of God since He is indeed called YHWH. However, with regard to the other two men, some of the sages say they were just regular men. Others say they were spirit beings, maybe angels. What complicates the situation even more is that the men were eating food Sarah prepared. Can you imagine Yahweh, the Father Almighty, and spiritual beings like angels eating food? Sources such as Josephus, the Targum Jonathan, and the Talmud couldn’t handle this idea. So their interpretation was that the three men only seemed to be eating but really weren’t. Maybe Abraham’s super subservient behavior hints at the supernatural nature of these three visitors? No such thing. The high degree of hospitality that he extends towards them was common protocol in the Middle East. Nevertheless, this is a twilight zone happening. One of the men is called Yahweh, and the three men had supernatural foreknowledge of things that were to occur. I believe scenes like this show how the Christian teaching of the Trinity is fallacious. I don’t think every manifestation of God in the Scriptures has to be one the trinitarian members of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All kinds of physical God manifestations don’t fit the trinity model. How about the burning bush that appeared to Moses? Or the cloud that led Israel in the desert? What about the spiritual being that wrestled with Jacob? An infinite God cannot be boxed into some limited trinity concept. Ya feel me? © Richoka

He said, “I will certainly return to you around this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” - Genesis 18:10 So one of the three mysterious visitors informs Abraham that he is coming back in a year, and that Sarah will have given birth to a son when he returns. There is an interesting logical progression in how God is bringing about his promises to Abraham that I want you to notice. FIRST PROMISE (Genesis 12:2) God informs Abraham that he will make him into a great nation. SECOND PROMISE (Genesis 15:4) Abraham is promised an heir. THIRD PROMISE (Genesis 18:10) God assures Abraham that this son will come from the womb of his wife, Sarah. See how all three of these promises are interconnected. Notice how they build upon each other. A later promise doesn’t cancel out an earlier promise. A later promise builds upon an earlier promise. This is a solid God -principle you can take to the bank, folks. This is precisely how covenants work. The new covenant based on Yeshua’s blood does NOT cancel out the covenants that came before. They are all interconnected. The New Covenant does NOT stand alone. It is dependent on everything that came before. This is also a great way to drive home the point to a Christian that Yeshua did NOT do away with the law. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT “Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah — not until everything that must happen has happened.”- Matthew 5:17 © Richoka

I discovered some history, its impact, and a serious lack of critical thinking. © Jane Isley I got curious about the phrase “ right hand of God ” for two reasons. It came up one night in a Bible study, and my dad is left-handed and has alluded to a few things in his past. So, my curiosity led me down a few late-night rabbit holes, and boy, was I not disappointed in my quest for information. I knew some historical information on the matter, but admittedly not as much as I know now. This goes further back than I realized, to pre-Christian civilizations. My first thought when reading through everything was that being right-handed is simply more common than being left-handed. (The online consensus is 90%-ish of the population) This originates ultimately as a “people problem” right from the start. Ok, I can get my head around that. Simply put, people can be downright judgmental, biased, and critical in general to anyone “different” and cause problems where there were none to begin with. But that shouldn’t be a shocker for anyone reading this article. What does the Bible say about the “right hand?” There are countless references to the “right hand.” To me, this makes sense, it’s symbolism and one we would and should have understood because there was already that established cultural meaning and deference to the right hand. Symbolically , being on the right hand of God means being in His favor, it’s where Jesus sits beside God in equal power; it means authority, a place of honor, and strength. Then, of course, things were taken way too literally and abused. I won’t make this article heavy on theology or break down verses by translation, we all know being left-handed by now is not a sin. We have multiple factors that led to left-handed people getting a bad rap and going through abuse for it. There was a combination of cultures already being biased, superstitions, a serious lack of critical thinking, misreading of Scripture, and abuse of Scripture to perpetuate these injustices. This is an excellent example of bad theology that we should learn from. This horrible history in Christianity is an example of bad theology and people taking things too far simply because they thought they had an authoritative right to do so. I decided it was time to talk to my dad, I knew a little history just from an occasional comment here or there. What he told me surprised me; in 2nd and 3rd grade, he went through hell for being left-handed. No one stopped him or tried to retrain him, but he got picked on so badly by his teacher that he ended up despising school. He never went to college and still cringes at the thought of school. He told me the teacher was a “staunch Lutheran” and back then and in his area the Lutheran church saw being left-handed as being “retarded and mentally ill.” I don’t like that first word at all and debated using it, but ultimately, it’s the truth. That and more was what was taught by a Christian church in his area. I have no idea if this article is about what my dad went through, a history lesson, or an article demonstrating the severity of what happens when people refuse to read all of the Bible and only use certain verses as an excuse to abuse and persecute. Maybe it’s simply an article about all three things. Before I leave you with this odd article, I want to share two things. God created us in His image, and Jesus was born with a left hand and a right hand, hence why this is a symbolic reference, not a literal one. I think Jesus would have been born with two right hands if this was indeed an actual concern God had. This is what was conveniently ignored in the Bible. “in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;” 2 Corinthians 6:7 “Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.” Judges 20:16 “Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly.” Judges 3: 21 “they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin):” 1 Chronicles 12:2 © Jane Isley First Published in Never Stop Writing on Medium. 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.

You’ve clocked in for work, now what? Imagine that the kingdom of Jesus is like a corporation. And you were hired to help the company be efficient and profitable. It is a massive multinational initiative with branch locations all over the world. Is it profitable? You bet! Is there a dark competitor always trying to steal your fellow employees to deconstruct and come work for them? Absolutely. Jesus is the CEO. There is never any doubt who runs things. He heads all programs, hiring, growth, and employee personal development. His name is on everything. It is a well-recognized brand that is timeless and strong. His logo speaks of power, success, and victory. It’s Monday. Where do you go? You woke up, showered, ate a hearty breakfast, and arrived at work ready to give your best to the company. You clock in. What’s next? Do you head to a small cubicle to faithfully perform your duties? Or do you stop by the CEO’s open office door, knock, stick your head in, and say, “Good morning, boss?” Do you give him a quick update on your life and ask what’s happening with him? Or immediately bury your head in your work? Do you let him know what you need to be successful that day? Or assume he knows, and HR will provide it when they are ready? Jesus loves the assembly line workers and the remote salespeople who only check in occasionally via Zoom . But he delights in the worker who knocks in person. Imagine his smile when you put a couple of donuts on his desk. That’s the difference between a friend and an employee. They both produce impressive results for the company. But you are due for a promotion. And Jesus might be asking you to be his friend today. Here’s what he told his twelve coworkers: “I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.” John 15:15 MSG The cultural context of that time hasn’t changed from what we understand today. A servant obeyed commands without necessarily understanding the master’s intentions. Jesus elevated His disciples from mere servants to a more intimate relationship. This shift signifies a deeper level of trust and intimacy. In the Hebrew scriptures, figures like Moses and David were called servants of God, highlighting their roles in God’s plan, but Jesus offers something greater. God spoke to Moses face to face. Moses climbed Mount Sinai several times, knocked on God’s office door, laid donuts on His desk, and had meetings that changed the world. Abraham is the VP of Faith and Obedience. His division has millions of employees, yet the CEO called Abraham his friend (Isaiah 41:8) . He was more than an acquaintance of God and more than a companion. He was a friend of God. Jesus had many followers. But how many of them did this: “Lying back on Jesus’ chest was one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.” John 13:23 NASB How many employees lie their head on the chest of Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk during an executive meeting? Could you imagine sitting on the corner of Mark Zuckerberg’s or Tim Cook’s desk, telling them about your life? Would they even want to listen? I had to learn this lesson the hard way. I have only heard Jesus’s voice a couple of times. He said that His sheep hear His voice, right? (John 10:27) The first time was embarrassing, but a life-changing encounter. I was sitting in a men’s retreat when He visited me. I knew He was standing beside me, even though I couldn’t see Him with my physical eyes. Trust me: you just know. He told me clearly that He was proud of my service to the kingdom and then said something so startling I was stunned: “Now I’m asking you to be my friend.” My response brought out a darkness lying hidden and dormant within me. I said, “Jesus, if you really knew me, you wouldn’t ask me to become your friend.” Suddenly, He was gone. Poof! I don’t know if you have ever been in the presence of the Lord of Lords, and then suddenly not. But it is a sick feeling that cannot be put into words. I wish I could run Him down and apologize. But he seemed to be a million miles away. Ugh! I was a cubicle man. I clocked in and did my work to the best of my ability. But I saw myself as a broken man who had sinned so much that I could never have access to the top floor of the building, much less knock on the CEO’s door. Jesus saw me differently and knew what I could become if given the chance. I saw my rebellious past as a reason to stay distant. I didn’t want to get any of my dirt on his impeccable suit. He was watching me work with pure, heavenly eyes. He couldn’t even see my past. It had been removed as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) . He wanted to promote me, but I didn’t feel worthy. And I wasn’t…I never will be. But he made me worthy. (I’m tearing up as I write this.) You came across this article for a reason. You’re being promoted. You now have access to the executive floor. You will be friends with the CEO of a company that will never go out of business. He has always come down to your floor and knocked on the entrance to your cubicle. Now it is your turn to go up to the top floor and knock at the CEO’s door. He wants you to come in and sit down for a few minutes. Lay your donuts on his desk. He loves them. He’ll smile. Don’t forget to lay your head on his chest. And ask, “What do you have on the agenda for today, Boss?” You’ll strategize together. He loves your input. The same way God loved it when Adam named all the animals. (Gen 2:20) It is a team effort. Then it is time to leave and seize the day. The weekend is coming when we all get to rest and enjoy the company picnic. But for today, let’s go. You got this. God believes in you more than you believe in yourself. © I.M. Koen Thank you for reading this far. You might also like these articles: Jesus Wants to Make You Breakfast. Have You Looked at Your “Hineni” in the Mirror Lately? How Bright Are You? God loves you! -Issachar

This is more on the personal side, coming from experience with a type of behavior I have encountered over the years. On the surface, it appears noble and Christian-like, but in reality, it can be very harmful.  Have you had a family member or friend go through a really rough season? Have you sat there and listened to what they needed to say, held them, cried with them, let them get out what’s stuck in their head? Or…. Do you ask them how things are going, and then when they start to talk to you, do you say things like “ Lift it up to God, He’s got this. ”, or “ Just keep praying, ” or “ Pray and give it to God. ” or “ It’ll be ok, God’s taking care of it. ”? I would assume most have said something along these lines before. Now, I want to shift your perspective and have you consider it from that person’s point of view. Imagine, every time you tried to talk to someone, that’s all you heard? Weekly, daily, sometimes multiple times a day.  Sit with that thought for a couple of minutes. Imagine needing to talk, only to receive the same pre-scripted phrases repeatedly. Eventually, you stop sharing and keep it all inside because you know what response is coming. You will feel as if you are not Christian enough or strong enough, or that you suddenly need advice on your relationship with God. It starts to sting. No one is perfect, and sometimes we may not know what to say. But in situations like this, focus on what the person needs in that moment, not what you think they need. And if you’re on the other spectrum and think you need to constantly say these things, zip it and reevaluate.  Repeated comments like these can and will shut a person down.  Intentional or not, they can make someone question their faith, wonder if something is wrong with them, feel like they have no right to be a human with feelings, and feel that struggling is unacceptable.  God made us to want companionship with one another; this is a part of that. Just take a little time and reflect on how you respond to a person in need is all I ask. © Jane Isley