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Friday 10-27-23 6th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Cheshvan 11 5784, 35th. Fall Day
Psalm 66
Remember What God Has Done
1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
CURRENT PORTION
27 OCT 2023
Dusty plains during a severe drought (Image: © Bigstock)
To make matters worse, a drought brought on a severe famine.
Abraham had no choice but to pack up his wife, his servants, his flocks, and his herds and travel to Egypt, where the Nile's abundant waters irrigated the crops even in drought years. He would find food in Egypt.
Maimonides refers to the famine in Canaan as the second great test of Abraham's faith. Suppose you had sacrificed everything, leaving your job, your family, and your home in order to take an offer for a high-paying executive position with a firm halfway around the world.
When you arrived you discovered that the position was not yet open, and you had to take a temporary job in the mailroom. As if that was not bad enough, a financial slump forced the company to lay off several mailroom employees, including you. You would probably be feeling pretty bitter toward the company that offered you the position.
Abraham did not give in to bitterness and resentment. He did not give up on God. When a person holds on to faith and hope despite bad circumstances, it is called perseverance.
So, if life is just as tough for believer and unbeliever alike, what's the advantage of believing? The advantage is hope. As a believer, you have God on your team, and you never know what He has up His sleeve.
Love, Walter And Debbie
Psalm 66
Remember What God Has Done
1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
Weekly Torah Portion
TEACHINGS ON THE TORAH, THE PROPHETS, AND THE GOSPELSBut He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
CURRENT PORTION
27 OCT 2023
Lech-Lecha
| TORAH | GENESIS 12:1-17:27 |
| PROPHETS | ISAIAH 40:27-41:16 |
| GOSPEL | JOHN 8:51-58 |
Lech Lecha
Go Out
לֶךְ־לְךָ
Portion Summary
The third reading from the book of Genesis is named Lech Lecha. It means "go forth." The first verse says, "Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go forth (lech lecha, לֶךְ־לְךָ) from your country.'" Lech Lecha introduces Abraham and tells the story of his pilgrimage in pursuit of God.The Famine
If life is just as tough for believers as unbelievers, what's the advantage of belief?Dusty plains during a severe drought (Image: © Bigstock)
Not long after his arrival in Canaan, Abraham's newfound faith was sorely tested. Though God had promised to give the land to Abraham's children, that seemed like a remote possibility. Abraham had no children, and the land was already occupied by the Canaanite nations.
To make matters worse, a drought brought on a severe famine.
Abraham had no choice but to pack up his wife, his servants, his flocks, and his herds and travel to Egypt, where the Nile's abundant waters irrigated the crops even in drought years. He would find food in Egypt.
Maimonides refers to the famine in Canaan as the second great test of Abraham's faith. Suppose you had sacrificed everything, leaving your job, your family, and your home in order to take an offer for a high-paying executive position with a firm halfway around the world.
When you arrived you discovered that the position was not yet open, and you had to take a temporary job in the mailroom. As if that was not bad enough, a financial slump forced the company to lay off several mailroom employees, including you. You would probably be feeling pretty bitter toward the company that offered you the position.
Abraham did not give in to bitterness and resentment. He did not give up on God. When a person holds on to faith and hope despite bad circumstances, it is called perseverance.
The need to persevere is a normal part of being a believer. The joy of a convert's newfound faith is routinely tempered by life's difficult realities. Faith offers no quick fixes or easy solutions to problems. Sometimes being a believer makes life a lot harder.
So, if life is just as tough for believer and unbeliever alike, what's the advantage of believing? The advantage is hope. As a believer, you have God on your team, and you never know what He has up His sleeve.
Love, Walter And Debbie
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