Adam has been given his job description and has named the animals.  What happened between Genesis 1:31 when it was ‘very good’ and Genesis 2:18 that it had become ‘not good’? YHVH does not make mistakes, so what is going on here? There are any number of commentaries and speculations as to why this suitable helper had to be brought forth and some make sense while others are, in my opinion, products of fanciful imaginations. In some cases ideas that are generated out of myths and opinions have been forced backward into the narrative to prove specific doctrinal bias. May I propose an idea that is supported by the text but not generally talked about?

 Let me start by addressing the ‘who sinned first’ issue. We are taught (or at least I was) from the time we can think that Eve ate first and therefore she brought the sinful state to mankind and had to be punished - or variations on that theme. Scripture is used, including creation and Genesis 3:16 to ‘prove’ that she is the problem and needs to be controlled. I propose that sin did not enter because of Adam and Chavah’s disobedience. It was already there. The rebellion of the angels had already established sin, which by definition is disobedience to YHVH. Let's look at the phrase in Romans 5:12 - for by one man sin entered. The word in the original Greek for entered is: eisdechomai which means to open to or enter in and does not carry the idea that this is where sin began; that if not for Eve and Adam’s disobedience there would be no sin. Perhaps a better way to say this would be “Adam opened the door to sin, which was already sitting outside and could be just as rightly be stated "for by one man the door was opened to sin,’ which correctly establishes sin as previously existing, as opposed to the biased translation that supports man and by extension, woman as the first sinner. This would be the first time humankind sinned, but according to Scripture's own definition, not how sin entered the world.

 Next, I would like to point out that the Adam (humankind pre separation into man and woman) had been given instructions. One of those instructions was to guard or protect the garden. From what? The animals were content at this time to cohabit with one another. Abba and the Adam were in fellowship together. My question is this: What was Nachash (the shining or luminous one, translated as serpent) doing in the garden?  Had the human already been less than attentive to the guard duties before the separation occurred? Was there a door that had been left unprotected, unguarded? 

To understand this, the phrase- ezer kenegdo - needs to be defined. We will be looking at it from the original language and how Scripture itself uses these words and how they establish a purpose or function that could not be fully realized outside of the separation of the Adam into man and woman.

to be continued . . .

Today I am sharing a posting from a brother whose work I highly respect. It is critical that we discover the difference between looking like something and actually being something, between what we profess with our mouths and what we do with our lives, between what we think is in our heart and what YHVH finds there. Read and consider and do what you must.

Contingent Destiny

Posted on July 6, 2014, updated on July 6, 2014 by Skip Moen

I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds. Jeremiah 17:10 NASB

Results – Frankly, this verse scares me.  There are a few others that give me equal fright, but this one might be at the top of that list.  Jeremiah, speaking for God, tells me that God rewards according to results.  Oh, my!  I so want God to reward on the basis of His benevolence, His mercy and His compassion.  To be rewarded on the basis of my results is terrifying.  I think of all the times when I have not lived up to expectations, when my efforts or lack thereof did not produce the results God wanted.  In fact, I am quite sure my résumé of failures is much more extensive than my résumé of success.  If God rewards “according to the fruit of” my deeds, I am surely lost.  I will arrive in His presence empty-handed at best, but more likely with thorns and thistles rather than olive branches or grapes.

What’s worse is that God searches my heart. It really doesn’t matter if I show well on the outside. Does God care about the size of my bank account, the number of Bibles I have on the shelf, the record of my charitable gifts? If He searches my heart, He may find that those “successes” were motivated by pride or appeasement. Failures! The “fruit” isn’t just the observable result. Paul makes this abundantly clear. Heart and hand must go together if it’s going to be counted by the Lord. Perhaps that’s why this verse does not say, “I search the tax record or the theological statement or even the mind.” (By the way, the word “mind” in this verse is a Greek mistranslation of the Hebrew kilya’ which means “kidneys.” It’s the Hebrew way of saying “the innermost secret parts of a man.” It has nothing to do with cognitive functions.)

In Hebrew, the word translated “results” is peri. You might recall this word from the blessing of the wine during the Shabbat meal. It is the word for “fruit,” not “results.” The “fruit of his deeds” is the produce of his practice. Notice it is singular. Just like Paul’s comment on the fruit (singular) of the Spirit. It isn’t the deeds that are measured. It is what the deeds produce. We scramble around trying to do all the deeds perfectly, but that isn’t what God is counting. It is the fruit of those deeds that matters. In other words, it’s not the practice of Shabbat. It is the fruit that the practice produces. If you do everything properly during Shabbat but the fruit is dissension in the household, anxiety over responsibility, concern about social expectations or legalistic separation from others, then the fruit is a failure. The actual practice may be in accordance with the traditions of Shabbat, but the net result is ungodly.

If you attend services, say the prayers, study the Scriptures, follow Torah as best you can, but the produce from your labors drives others away from the Lord, causes family members to dread your theology, disrupts your compassion toward strangers or creates animosity, then the fruit is sour no matter how sweetly planted the vine.

Oh, and by the way, you are not the measure of the quality of your fruit. Only the fruit tasters, the ones who are supposed to benefit from your produce, are the rightful judges of your labor.

So I suppose I should take a confidential survey. I should be asking, “Have my efforts had a positive impact on you?” After everyone has answered I might feel a bit better but I will still need to ask the same question to God. Then I will know what I probably can already guess.

It’s still scary.

Find more @ http://skipmoen.com/

A while back, the under shepherd of our little congregation used this picture to emphasize a point he was making. I have been thinking about it ever since. Look at it carefully. It is a picture of a bridge and river. It is real and has not been photoshopped. 

 In 1998 Hurricane Mitch ravaged Central America. 5,600 people died in the storm and more than 12,300 were injured. Over 150 bridges in Honduras were destroyed but the Choluteca Bridge was engineered and constructed so well it survived intact. The Japanese company that built the Choluteca Bridge was so proud of their workmanship they put a photo of the bridge on their company brochure. The storm was so severe it actually shifted the river, which now flows around the bridge instead of under it. It is a very sturdy bridge to nowhere, without any useful function. A ton of applications could be made, but I will go the way I am led. 

 For years, I have studied to determine my purpose and function as a woman of YHVH according to Scripture. It is not meant to be disrespectful, although to some it seems that way. I am not trying to be a feminist, although I am often labeled so. It is not my intent to argue or convince anyone. I just want to know the truth. Am I, as a woman of Yah, bound to interpretation of Scripture that cannot sustain itself? Is the call on my life any less important than that of a man? And yet . . . I have often been confined to certain spheres of influence. I don’t mind these at all, but to say that because I am a woman I cannot exercise my influence beyond a specific point is unscriptural, unsupported from Jewish history, and doesn’t fit with Yeshua’s ministry. Contradictions within the very passages used to support this doctrine abound and must be reconciled for YHVH is not the author of confusion.

All ancient literature is read with an understanding of its original context, language, and type. The Scriptures must be read this way as well, if we are to get any kind of understanding of what it is trying to tell us. Lifting sentences or passages out of their defining context to support what it does not say is to violate the intent of the author - in this case - YHVH. Scripture must be read with an understanding of when it was written and what it was addressing for that time if we are to correctly apply it to our lives today. 

This is an ongoing issue for me. I will continue to elaborate as I am led and hopefully bring some light into a situation that causes frustration for not only women, but men as well. Will we be the unmoving bridge of doctrine and tenets of faith with limited function as proscribed by tradition OR will we be the River of Life that flows unimpeded according to the will of the Father as He established in His word?

What is this holy fire of passion?  Where does it come from?  How can we keep it burning?

       

Anger                   Anticipation               luxurious                 desperation                lips       

Sighing                 marriage                    kisses                      bosom                         fire

Desire                   secret                         trust                          Devour                        Consume    

Spurned                hatred                        whisper                   Pleasure                     burning

Flattery                  deception                  attention                  crushed                      jealousy

Heart                     beauty                        Delight                      tears                          Joy  

distress                 bed                              heart throb               anguish                    Abandonment 

    

 All these terms or ideas are from the Psalms. They all pertain to intimate relationships and convey physical and emotional aspects of what we call love.

We were created for fellowship, that is: companionship; intimacy; familiarity. There is something about the words of David and later, John, that reflect a level of intimacy with YHVH that we don’t see anywhere else in Scripture.  A personal understanding of the very heart and emotions of the Living God.  

Were they the only ones to experience this?  Is it only for a select few?  Does YHVH want this for me?

1 Samuel 13:14  tells us that David was  a man after YHVH’s own heart, in Hebrew - lev - the seat of awareness and understanding, tenderness. He desires us to enter into and identify with Him on this level.

What made David different? Examine the following insights into David's heart and desire.

Psalm 63 >  O, God, You are my God;  I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.  When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.  My soul clings to You.  

Psalm 16 >  I have set YHVH continually before me, therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices.  In Your presence is fullness of joy and in Your right hand are pleasures forever.

Psalm 36> I drink my fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give me to drink of the river of Your delights.

Psalm 27>  One thing I have desired – to behold the beauty of YHVH.  In the secret place of His tent, He will hide me

Psalm 42. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You O YHVH , My soul thirsts for You

David’s emotions are laid bare in these passages. He is not embarrassed because  He is acquainted with YHVH’s emotions and His love and compassion.   YHVH was able to share with David His very heart – to trust him with his heart.  I want that in my life.

 David exercises opportunities to be serious, to vent, share his excitement, and has personal discussions and conversations with his God. This secret place of intimacy provides supernatural release of his own passions and desires as well as YHVH’s power in his life. It is a revelation of a God who takes pleasure in and delights in His people, even in weakness and immaturity.

David was a student of YHVH’s emotions. He sought to know what was burning in YVHV’s heart. He wanted to know his God.

Ez. 11:39 tells us we all receive new, soft heart when we say “yes” to Yeshua. 

A hard soul/heart is full of anger, rejection, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, results of events/circumstances/perceptions. It creates a barrier preventing the new soft heart from being displayed or revealed. The barrier must be torn down to actualize total intimacy  and transparency – soul healing brings a level of maturity and agreement between soul and Spirit. It is sanctification which opens us up to connect with our Creator naked and unashamed

One thing associated with David was his obedience – obedience without corresponding revelation of YHVH’s heart brings frustration and shame when we fall.  David had personal knowledge of this – he failed on a number of occasions, but never lost his connection with his God.  He never doubted YHVH’s passion and delight in him – regardless of his failures and weaknesses.  

Often we assume YHVH is angry with failure and weakness because we don’t or can’t see the truth about how He feels about us.  Scripture tells us it is not failure and weakness but rebellion that stirs YHVH’s anger.  It is his kindness that leads us to repentance.  When there is a “yes” to Him in our spirits it makes Him glad.  If we do not get this, then we will run from Him when we fail or stumble instead of to Him as David did.

 Why can’t I seem to keep the fire going?  New believers have zeal and passion which flares up and eventually fizzles out. Most of us enter into another phase of our relationship with YHVH which includes sanctification, healing, learning obedience and this is a fire of a different kind and lasts longer than the first, but still ultimately loses its intensity. 

Fascination with Yeshua/the Word/Spirit is the only fire that can replenish and sustain us for the long haul.  We were created to be fascinated with Him – to drink from His rivers of pleasure.  Only when we know what YHVH’s heart looks like can we know what we look like to Him.  Only then are we able to stop being self-consious, and focus wholly and completely on Him.

Yhvh is anxiously waiting and beckoning to all who would enter this place of reckless abandonment and fearless devotion to Him.  David is a picture of what Yeshua wants in His bride.  Lovesick, giddy, passionate and totally enthralled.  This is true worship. 

This poem was written ten years after the initial poems in this exchange. A long time, or so it used to seem. I did a study once on time and tried to understand the unusual concept that YHVH does not operate within the time/space continuum. A day is as a thousand years to Him, a thousand years as a day - at any rate put that way so we get, to some small degree, the differences between Him and us.  As I understand it, YHVH doesn’t measure time, He measures progress, direction, obedience. We are the ones who make time limits - perhaps because we are so limited. 

 You will see that what began ten years before is still in progress. What has changed? I have moved from recognizing there is a problem, to identifying the problem, to applying truth to the problem, and now (2007) to a new paradigm of operating within my Father’s boundaries. 

Discovering my intended function and purpose as a woman has been a difficult and sometimes terrifying task. Breaking out of the small, confining, and destructive image created in the minds of males (and sadly at times, other females) is no small feat. I heard at every turn that I was rebelling against God by refusing to accept that I was less than, second class, deficient somehow, the cause and continuation of the world’s ills, all because I was woman. 

 I am ezer kenegdo! I am eshet chayil! As a very special new friend confirmed recently - I am awake - not perfect - but definitely awake! I am in process, moving forward, and not looking back. I am becoming what my Creator intended. And I am in excellent company! Praise YHVH for sisters and brothers who are willing to recognize there is a problem, to identify the problem, to apply TRUTH to the problem, and accept a new paradigm of operating within the Father’s boundaries.



BECOMING                     by Sherri Rogers, 2007

 Dissolving in my tears that flow unimpeded
            from somewhere so deep I’ve never been,
                    The pain is excruciating.
                                I cry out in anguish as the chasm deepens
 And the trickle becomes a raging torrent
             Gushing from places I didn’t know existed,
                      Carrying with it flux and debris long entrenched
                                 Like huge boulders mostly buried in mountain rivers.

 Massive ideas and perceptions, abuses, 
              That shaped my soul into what I thought was me.
 O, gentle eroding water-Word
               O, insistent, persistent Spirit-wind
                          How frustrating, how uncomfortable,
                                    how thorough, how welcome.

 And I wonder how much my impatience increases my pain.
             My inability to wait quietly
                        Accepting the process
                                  Allowing it to do the work, and yet . . .
 I have been told to seek, to push, to come up higher, to delve deeper.

 Teach me O, Breath of God, Spirit that is my life
             what is my work and what is Yours and
                       Who I am and what I am to become.

The poem I share today came out of the realization that most of us don't have a clue. Our relationships have no depth -even married people. Things, how we look, who we know, what we know, where we go, the make of our car, the neighborhood we live in, whether you have seen the latest movie, who won the super bowl, how many 'friends' you have on facebook - these dominate our conversation. I use the word conversation to define not only how we talk but in the biblical sense of how we live. 


Our Torah study group has been in the chapters of Genesis that give the account of Sodom and Gomorrah. A couple of weeks ago, the facilitator brought up the curious case of Ethan Couch, the 16 year old Texas boy who got ten years of probation for driving drunk and killing four people. Affluence and lack of proper parental guidance was the defense. Ezekiel 16:49 tells us that this was a key element that brought down the horrific judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim. 


Mercy always precedes judgement. The root or base sins of pride and selfishness were at the core of the depravity that became a way of life for the cities of the plain. Clearly Lot made some bad choices, but his "conversation", his concern for the well-being of strangers was a thorn in the sides of the affluent and spoiled I-will-do-what-I-want citizens of this beautiful place. Was the visitation of the angels and Lot's response to the situation in essence one last opportunity for the people of Sodom to do the right thing? Think of Ninevah. 


There is a lot of discussion about the judge's ruling in the case mentioned above. Is it really about our opinion of what should have happened, or are we being shown something? Are we being granted mercy in the form of a judgement pronounced on a sixteen year old that we all need to study and learn from?


We are being challenged to take an inventory. We do not study for the sake of study. We study to LEARN - to put into practice what we have studied. How does my life need to change to reflect Torah, the will of my heavenly Father, instead of the world and my superficial worldly connections?


OUT OF TOUCH    by Sherri Rogers   (1998) 


The rooms of the houses are full to overflowing
but they are empty and cold
void of that which money cannot buy.

They sit in their rooms full of things,
accumulations of security
that do not love or touch or cry.

Basking in the glow of artificial light
and superficial friendships
that pass like ships in the night

Feeling manufactured love that doesn’t warm
and is slipped on and off
like a jacket for a storm.

The heart is so hard, the walls are so high
the bondage to things so difficult to be broken
The mind of reason must give way
to the Spirit of God through the word He has spoken

A heart of flesh for a heart of stone
transformed by the blood of the Lamb
The idols smashed, the alters torn down
cleansed and perfected by the Great I Am.