Shalom, everyone.
First, a riddle: What day of the year is a command to go forward?
Second, I’ve had a wake-up call recently - a clarion call, if you will - from the LORD during my Bible reading of Shlomoh’s prayer in the dedication of the Temple - the House of God. Read it here from the Complete Jewish Bible:
1 Kings 8:22-53
22 Then Shlomo stood before the altar of Adonai in the presence of the whole community of Isra’el, spread out his hands toward heaven, 23 and said,
“Adonai, God of Isra’el, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep covenant with your servants and show them grace, provided they live in your presence with all their heart. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father; you spoke with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand; so it is today. 25 Now therefore, Adonai, God of Isra’el, keep what you promised to your servant David, my father, when you said, ‘You will never lack a man in my presence to sit on the throne of Isra’el, if only your children are careful about what they do, so that they live in my presence, just as you have lived in my presence.’ 26 Now therefore, God of Isra’el, please let your word, which you spoke to your servant David, my father, be confirmed.
27 “But can God actually live on the earth? Why, heaven itself, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain you; so how much less this house I have built? 28 Even so, Adonai my God, pay attention to your servant’s prayer and plea, listen to the cry and prayer that your servant is praying before you today, 29 that your eyes will be open TOWARD THIS HOUSE night and day — TOWARD THE PLACE concerning which you said, ‘My name will be there’ — to listen to the prayer your servant will pray TOWARD THIS PLACE. 30 Yes, listen to the plea of your servant, and also that of your people Isra’el when they pray TOWARD THIS PLACE. Hear in heaven where you live; and when you hear, forgive!
31 “If a person sins against a fellow member of the community (Israel), and he is made to swear under oath, and he comes and swears BEFORE YOUR ALTAR IN THIS HOUSE; 32 then hear in heaven, act, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, so that his way of life devolves on his own head, and vindicating the one who is right, giving him what his righteousness deserves.
33 “When your people Isra’el sin against you and in consequence are defeated by an enemy; then if they turn back to you, acknowledge your name, and pray and make their plea to you IN THIS HOUSE; 34 hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Isra’el, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
35 “When they sin against you, and in consequence the sky is shut, so that there is no rain; then, if they pray TOWARD THIS PLACE, acknowledge your name and turn from their sin when you have brought them low; 36 hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Isra’el — since you keep teaching them the good way by which they should live — and send down rain on your land, which you have given your people as their inheritance.
37 “If there is famine in the land, or blight, windstorm, mildew, locusts or shearer-worms; or if their enemy comes to the land and besieges them in any of their cities — no matter what kind of plague or sickness it is; 38 then, regardless of what prayer or plea anyone among all your people Isra’el makes — for each individual will know what is plagueing his own conscience — and the person spreads out his hands TOWARD THIS HOUSE; 39 hear in heaven where you live, and forgive, and act, and, since you know what is in each one’s heart, give each person what his conduct deserves (because you, and only you, know all human hearts), 40 so that they will fear you throughout the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.
41 “Also THE FOREIGNER who does not belong to your people Isra’el — when he comes from a distant country because of your reputation 42 (for they will hear of your great reputation, your mighty hand and your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays TOWARD THIS HOUSE; 43 then hear in heaven where you live, and act in accordance with everything about which the foreigner is calling to you; so that all the peoples of the earth will know your name and fear you, as does your people Isra’el, and so that they will know that this house which I have built bears your name.
44 “If your people go out to fight against their enemy, no matter by which way you send them, and they pray to Adonai TOWARD THE CITY you chose, TOWARD THE HOUSE I built for your name; 45 then, in heaven, hear their prayer and plea, and uphold their cause.
46 “If they sin against you — for there is no one who doesn’t sin — and you are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy, so that they carry them off captive to the land of their enemy, whether far away or nearby; 47 then, if they come to their senses in the land where they have been carried away captive, turn back and make their plea to you in the land of those who carried them off captive, saying, ‘We sinned, we acted wrongly, we behaved wickedly,’ 48 if, in the land of their enemies who carried them off captive, they return to you with all their heart and being and pray to you TOWARD THEIR OWN LAND, which you gave to their ancestors, TOWARD THE CITY you chose and TOWARD THE HOUSE I have built for your name; 49 then, in heaven where you live, hear their prayer and plea, uphold their cause, 50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you — forgive their transgressions which they have committed against you, and give them compassion in the sight of their captors, so that they will show compassion toward them; 51 for they are your people, your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of the flames of the iron furnace.
52 “May your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Isra’el, so that you will hear them whenever they cry out to you. 53 For you made a distinction between them and all the peoples of the earth by making them your inheritance, as you said through Moshe your servant when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, Adonai Elohim.”
CJB
There seems to be a theme here, doesn’t there? Whether one believes he or she is part of Israel or not, God will hear your prayers for the children of Israel because THEY ARE HIS INHERITANCE! Either you count yourselves among the “foreigners” who have been impressed by the God of Israel and have become His children, or you count yourselves as “adopted sons and daughters” of the tribe of Y'hudah (Judah) through Yeshua` haMashiach (Jesus the Messiah or Jesus the Christ).
It’s time now to take this prayer to God’s people throughout the world. I’ll do my limited part in spreading this necessity. With the spread of ISIS and the decline of the USA, we must pray while we can, while we still may. Prophecy is often a glimpse into the future because Adonai YHWH our God sees all of time at once and the future, the present, and the past are all the same to Him. However, for us human beings, prophecy can be viewed as “pie in the sky by and by.” It is often seen as adults see children's fairy tales; they will happen “SOMEDAY,” but never today!
We need to understand that prophecies spoken by YHWH God SHALL be fulfilled in YHWH’S time, not before and not after. But, whenever He chooses, THEY SHALL BE FULFILLED IN REALITY! We always seem to expect the prophecy to be fulfilled in the future, but we seldom realize that the future could be NOW!
Finally, the answer to the initial riddle is “March 4th” (“March forth!”), of course.
First, a riddle: What day of the year is a command to go forward?
Second, I’ve had a wake-up call recently - a clarion call, if you will - from the LORD during my Bible reading of Shlomoh’s prayer in the dedication of the Temple - the House of God. Read it here from the Complete Jewish Bible:
1 Kings 8:22-53
22 Then Shlomo stood before the altar of Adonai in the presence of the whole community of Isra’el, spread out his hands toward heaven, 23 and said,
“Adonai, God of Isra’el, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep covenant with your servants and show them grace, provided they live in your presence with all their heart. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father; you spoke with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand; so it is today. 25 Now therefore, Adonai, God of Isra’el, keep what you promised to your servant David, my father, when you said, ‘You will never lack a man in my presence to sit on the throne of Isra’el, if only your children are careful about what they do, so that they live in my presence, just as you have lived in my presence.’ 26 Now therefore, God of Isra’el, please let your word, which you spoke to your servant David, my father, be confirmed.
27 “But can God actually live on the earth? Why, heaven itself, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain you; so how much less this house I have built? 28 Even so, Adonai my God, pay attention to your servant’s prayer and plea, listen to the cry and prayer that your servant is praying before you today, 29 that your eyes will be open TOWARD THIS HOUSE night and day — TOWARD THE PLACE concerning which you said, ‘My name will be there’ — to listen to the prayer your servant will pray TOWARD THIS PLACE. 30 Yes, listen to the plea of your servant, and also that of your people Isra’el when they pray TOWARD THIS PLACE. Hear in heaven where you live; and when you hear, forgive!
31 “If a person sins against a fellow member of the community (Israel), and he is made to swear under oath, and he comes and swears BEFORE YOUR ALTAR IN THIS HOUSE; 32 then hear in heaven, act, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, so that his way of life devolves on his own head, and vindicating the one who is right, giving him what his righteousness deserves.
33 “When your people Isra’el sin against you and in consequence are defeated by an enemy; then if they turn back to you, acknowledge your name, and pray and make their plea to you IN THIS HOUSE; 34 hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Isra’el, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
35 “When they sin against you, and in consequence the sky is shut, so that there is no rain; then, if they pray TOWARD THIS PLACE, acknowledge your name and turn from their sin when you have brought them low; 36 hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Isra’el — since you keep teaching them the good way by which they should live — and send down rain on your land, which you have given your people as their inheritance.
37 “If there is famine in the land, or blight, windstorm, mildew, locusts or shearer-worms; or if their enemy comes to the land and besieges them in any of their cities — no matter what kind of plague or sickness it is; 38 then, regardless of what prayer or plea anyone among all your people Isra’el makes — for each individual will know what is plagueing his own conscience — and the person spreads out his hands TOWARD THIS HOUSE; 39 hear in heaven where you live, and forgive, and act, and, since you know what is in each one’s heart, give each person what his conduct deserves (because you, and only you, know all human hearts), 40 so that they will fear you throughout the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.
41 “Also THE FOREIGNER who does not belong to your people Isra’el — when he comes from a distant country because of your reputation 42 (for they will hear of your great reputation, your mighty hand and your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays TOWARD THIS HOUSE; 43 then hear in heaven where you live, and act in accordance with everything about which the foreigner is calling to you; so that all the peoples of the earth will know your name and fear you, as does your people Isra’el, and so that they will know that this house which I have built bears your name.
44 “If your people go out to fight against their enemy, no matter by which way you send them, and they pray to Adonai TOWARD THE CITY you chose, TOWARD THE HOUSE I built for your name; 45 then, in heaven, hear their prayer and plea, and uphold their cause.
46 “If they sin against you — for there is no one who doesn’t sin — and you are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy, so that they carry them off captive to the land of their enemy, whether far away or nearby; 47 then, if they come to their senses in the land where they have been carried away captive, turn back and make their plea to you in the land of those who carried them off captive, saying, ‘We sinned, we acted wrongly, we behaved wickedly,’ 48 if, in the land of their enemies who carried them off captive, they return to you with all their heart and being and pray to you TOWARD THEIR OWN LAND, which you gave to their ancestors, TOWARD THE CITY you chose and TOWARD THE HOUSE I have built for your name; 49 then, in heaven where you live, hear their prayer and plea, uphold their cause, 50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you — forgive their transgressions which they have committed against you, and give them compassion in the sight of their captors, so that they will show compassion toward them; 51 for they are your people, your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of the flames of the iron furnace.
52 “May your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Isra’el, so that you will hear them whenever they cry out to you. 53 For you made a distinction between them and all the peoples of the earth by making them your inheritance, as you said through Moshe your servant when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, Adonai Elohim.”
CJB
There seems to be a theme here, doesn’t there? Whether one believes he or she is part of Israel or not, God will hear your prayers for the children of Israel because THEY ARE HIS INHERITANCE! Either you count yourselves among the “foreigners” who have been impressed by the God of Israel and have become His children, or you count yourselves as “adopted sons and daughters” of the tribe of Y'hudah (Judah) through Yeshua` haMashiach (Jesus the Messiah or Jesus the Christ).
It’s time now to take this prayer to God’s people throughout the world. I’ll do my limited part in spreading this necessity. With the spread of ISIS and the decline of the USA, we must pray while we can, while we still may. Prophecy is often a glimpse into the future because Adonai YHWH our God sees all of time at once and the future, the present, and the past are all the same to Him. However, for us human beings, prophecy can be viewed as “pie in the sky by and by.” It is often seen as adults see children's fairy tales; they will happen “SOMEDAY,” but never today!
We need to understand that prophecies spoken by YHWH God SHALL be fulfilled in YHWH’S time, not before and not after. But, whenever He chooses, THEY SHALL BE FULFILLED IN REALITY! We always seem to expect the prophecy to be fulfilled in the future, but we seldom realize that the future could be NOW!
Finally, the answer to the initial riddle is “March 4th” (“March forth!”), of course.
