by his Presence.

"ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other.  has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of?  has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?  has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the L-RD your God did for you in egypt before your very eyes? 

you were shown these things so that you might know that the L-RD is God; besides him there is no other. 

from heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you.  on earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of that fire.  because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of egypt by his Presence and his great strength, to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. 

acknowledge and take to heart this day that the L-RD is God in heaven above and on the earth below.  there is no other."

-deuteronomy 4.

-----

oh L-RD, 

through the powerful name of our mighty liberator, Jesus, may we begin to learn how to take this passage to heart, that we may acknowledge You with power and in truth. 

amen.

in every detail, worthy.

the geneology and the virgin birth show that the King is legally qualified to reign. at the baptism Jesus received divine approval. now the King is proven as to His moral character through the temptations.

matthew has carefully presented the legal geneology of the King, His supernatural birth in fulfillment of prophecy, His confirmation of prophecy by His childhood, His forerunner, His baptism, and His temptation.

in every detail the King is qualified - legally, scripturally, and morally.

all is now in readiness for the presentation of the Messiah to israel.

-stanley toussaint.

new dimensions.

"a purely ethical monotheism in which God, the guardian of moral order, keeps the world subject to the law, would restrict the scope of God's knowledge and concern to what is of ethical signifigance. God's relation to man would, in general, run along the lines of a universal principle. the divine pathos alone is able to break through this rigidity and create new dimensions for the unique, the specific, and the particular.

it is not law and order itself, but the living God who created the universe and established its law and order, that stands supreme in Biblical thought.

before the Torah, the covenant was.

prophecy is a reminder that what obtains between God and man is not a contract but a covenant. anterior to the covenant is love, the love of the fathers, and what obtains between God and israel must be understood, not as legal, but as a personal relationship, as participation, involvement, tension. God's life interacts with the life of the people. to live in the covenant is to partake of the fellowship of God and His people. Biblical religion is not what man does with his solitariness, but rather what man does with God's concern for all men.

the gulf that separates man from God is transcended by His pathos."

-abraham joshua heschel, excerpts.

this moment.

"it was the eve of the Sabbath when they left the cave, and as they came out they saw an old man carrying two bundles of myrtle in his hand, a sweet-smelling herb having the perfume of paradise.
-what are these for, they asked him.
-they are in honor of the Sabbath, the old man replied.
said Rabbi Shimeon to his son:
-behold and see how dear God's commands are to Israel...

at that moment they both found tranquility of soul."

-abraham joshua heschel.

city.

kotel. jerusalem.

a prayer for peace.

In the midst of our current times, with all the tensions and fractures intensifying in Israel, the words of this prayer seem very fitting, and daily move my heart.

may we all pray for israel. may we all pray for God's people. may we all pray for peace.

section 19 of the amidah prayer, a prayer for peace:

"Grant peace, welfare, blessing, grace, loving kindness and mercy to us and to all Israel your people. Bless us, Oh our Father, one and all, with the light of your countenance; for by the light of your countenance you have given us, Oh L-rd our G-d, a Torah of life, loving kindness and salvation, blessing, mercy, life and peace. May it please you to bless your people Israel at all times and in every hour with your peace. Blessed are you, Oh L-rd, who blesses his people Israel with peace."

amen.

He Himself.

"Assuredly, thus said the Lord: I graciously return to Jerusalem.

For the Lord will again comfort Zion; He will choose Jerusalem again.

Jerusalem shall be peopled as a city without walls, so many shall be the men and cattle it contains. And I Myself - declares the Lord - will be a wall of fire all around it, and I will be a glory inside it.

Shout for joy, Fair Zion! For lo, I come; and I will dwell in your midst - declares the Lord.

-excerpts, zechariah 1, 2.

House of God.

"i am ever taunted with, 'where is your God?'

when i think of this, i pour out my soul:
how i walked with the crowd, moved with
them,
the festive throng, to the House of God
with joyous shouts of praise."

(psalm 42)

-----

Abba.
let me go back.
please.

a heart of flesh.

concerning the future return of the exiles of Israel from Babylon, the Lord God says;

"I will give them one heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove the heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh." -ezekiel 11.

-----

always a remnant. always a promise. always a future.

with this God,

there is always hope.

© RomKri

everyday jerusalem.

(via igoogledisrael.com)

-----

this absolutely warms my heart.

i miss this place.

older brother.

“I’ve been reminded lately of how easy it is to get caught up in circumstance and forget God’s presence.

Jacob: stole his brother’s birthright, on the run for his life, messed up, alone, sleeping outside with a rock for a pillow. THERE, in all that, in his sin, in his escape, in his solitude…there God shows up.

God reminds Jacob of His promise. Reminds Jacob that He will bring him back. Reminds Jacob that He will never leave him.

And in reverent awe, all is put into perspective and Jacob confesses: LORD, you are here. and I did not know.

God is near.

His promises are big.

In our sin we’ve not had to steal the birthright from our older brother – our older brother has handed it over, so that we could have what was promised.

the LAND.

RESTORATION with the Father.

…

God is NEAR.”

(a recent letter from my very wise friend anna. so good).

genesis 28.

the House of the Lord.

All the people raised a great shout extolling the Lord because the foundation of the House of the Lord had been laid. Many of the priests and Levites and the chiefs of the clans, the old men who had seen the first house, wept loudly at the sight of the founding fo this house. Many others shouted joyously at the top of their voices. The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the people's weeping, for the people raised a great shout, the sound of which could be heard from afar.

-ezra 3.

-----

such zeal for Your house in the hearts of these people!

Oh Lord, may it consume our hearts as well.

Amidah: the God of nature.

(for first amidah post, click here).

Amidah: 2.

The God of Nature.

You, oh Lord, are mighty forever. You revive the dead, you have the power to save. You sustain the living with loving-kindnesses, You revive the dead with great mercy. You support the falling, heal the sick, set free the bound and keep faith with those who sleep in the dust. Who is like you, O doer of mighty acts? Who resembles you, a king who puts to death and restores to life, and causes salvation to flourish? And you are certain to revive the dead. Blessed are you, O Lord, who revives the dead.

city of david.

jerusalem at dusk, as seen from the tower of david.

(via natgeotraveler.com)

I will.

I cried out to God for help;

I cried out to God to hear me.

When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;

at night I stretched out untiring hands

and my soul refused to comforted.

.

I remembered you, Oh God, and I

groaned;

I mused, and my spirit

grew faint.

You kept my eyes from closing;

I was too troubled to speak.

I thought about the former days,

the years of long ago;

I remembered my song in the night.

My heart mused and my

spirit inquired.

.

Will the Lord reject forever?

Will he never show his favor again?

Has his unfailing love vanished forever?

Has his promise failed for all time?

Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has he in anger withheld his compassion?

.

Then I thought, "To this

I will appeal:

the years of the right hand

of the Most High.

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your

miracles of long ago.

I will meditate on all your works

and consider all your mighty deeds.

.

(creation out of chaos. noah and a new beginning. abraham and a call, a promise, a covenant. moses and freedom. the parting of the waters. the saving of the oppressed. your mighty hand. manna. the WORD, being passed down, not forgotten. the tabernacle. the leading of your shekinah. walls coming down. a prophet, a king, and an anointed. fire from heaven, defeat of idols. a still small voice. jerusalem. a mighty promise, a shoot, a messiah to come. wisdom. more prophets. captivity, but freedom once again. jerusalem, oh jerusalem. rebuilding of walls. regathering of a people. renewing of your word, read aloud. a community. your love for a people. your returning despite rebellion. always a remnant. the Word, written down, remembered. the warning of prophets. and silence. more silence. and silence even more. And then. AND. THEN. a promise born. God Himself, with us. word become flesh. A shoot, A shepherd, A rabbi, A King. the very One. Son of the Most High. Messiah. life, death, and more life. abundant life. JESUS).

.

Your ways, Oh God, are holy.

.

What God is so great as our God?

(psalm 77).