perjantai 9. toukokuuta 2025

Reflections on Shabat, May 9, 2025



  Every human being has a built-in sense of justice. If someone sins against him and he notices it, he seeks to obtain justice for himself for the injustice he has suffered. The Law covenant required and even demanded that evil be repaid with evil. Its motto was: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

  However, Yehowah himself was merciful from the beginning towards fallen and wicked people, as is clearly evident from the verse Ps. 78:38 >>But He being merciful atoned for iniquity and did not destroy; and He added to turn away His anger, and did not stir up all his wrath.<< 

  The New Covenant also differs completely from the Mosaic Law in this respect. The guarantor of the New Covenant, Yeshua Mashiach, allowed the wickedness and desire for revenge of people to confront him without any resistance. He showed with his life and death how important it is to stop the evil cycle of revenge and forgive.


Why is forgiveness one of the conditions for salvation?

  This is because an unforgiving heart holds grudges and hatred towards the person who has wronged him. Adonai Yeshua teaches in the Sermon on the Mount that if someone hates his brother, he is a murderer. Acc. to the New Testament, a murderer*) will not inherit eternal life. The only way to get rid of that feeling of grudge and hatred is to forgive all unconditionally.

*) Unless he/she repents and asks forgiveness for his/hers actions from the relatives of the murdered and from YHWH.

  There can be great differences in the impact and duration of experiencing injustice. Someones may suffer physical injuries for the rest of their life after being subjected to violence. Someone may be subjected to constant injustice and ridicule at home, school, or at work. They may suffer mental injuries from it. Physical and psychological violence affect them in different ways.

  Many types of fraud and scams have become more common in recent years as a result of digitalization. Bank accounts can be emptied due to careless disclosure of account information, and people's identities can be stolen and large loans can be taken from banks in their name. That is why using a good antivirus program is essential these days!

  Injustice related to gender, race, religion, ideology and age also manifests itself in many different ways. In all the major countries of the world, minorities are oppressed. In some, even very cruelly, especially if the country has a dictatorship and an extremist religious leadership, because some religions teach to treat non-believers in a degrading way and to kill them or keep as slaves.


More about forgiving for others

  Many people are troubled by the question: Do I really have to forgive someone who has sinned against me? According to the NT, you have to if you intend to receive forgiveness from our heavenly Father! Forgiveness is not just a duty, but a Christians' and all believers' honor matter!

Prov. 19:11
>>Understanding makes a person long-suffering, and his honor is to forgive a transgression.<<

  Adonai Yeshua showed this well in his story about the unworthy servant who was forgiven 10,000 talents, but then he demanded that his debtor immediately give him 100 denarii, which was a pittance compared to 10,000 talents! (A talent was one year's income, a denarius a day's wage)

Matt. 18:23-35
>>23 For this reason the kingdom of Heaven has been compared to a man, a king, who decided to take account with his slaves. 24 And when he began to reckon, one debtor of ten thousand talents was brought near to him. 25 But he not having any to pay, the lord commanded him to be sold, also his wife and children, and all things, as much as he had, even to pay back.

26 Then falling down, the slave bowed the knee to him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay all to you. 27 And being filled with pity, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the loan. 28 But going out, that slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii. And seizing him, he choked him, saying, Pay me whatever you owe.

29 Then falling down at his feet, his fellow slave begged him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay all to you. 30 But he would not, but going away he threw him into prison until he pay back the amount owing. 31 But his fellow slaves, seeing the things happening, they were greatly grieved. And coming they reported to their lord all the things happening.

32 Then calling him near, his lord said to him, Wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt, since you begged me. 33 Ought you not also to favor your fellow slave, as I also favored you? 34 And being angry, his lord delivered him up to the tormentors until he pay back all that debt to him.

35 So also My heavenly Father will do to you unless each of you from your hearts forgive his brother their trespasses.<<

  Each of us is like that unworthy servant before our heavenly Father, for we have all been forgiven so much and everything. Therefore, the debts of those who have sinned against us are as nothing in comparison!

  We have all sinned against our neighbors and have forgotten many of our transgressions over time. Once my little sister reminded me of the wrong I had done to her a long time ago. At that time, I had completely forgotten it and could not bring it back to my memory. I still asked her for forgiveness and she agreed.

PS. If someone does not forgive us, even we did ask for forgiveness and have already made up for the damage we have caused him/her to the best of our ability, let us pray for him/her. Then we may fully believe that our heavenly Father has already forgiven us everything!


Genuine forgiveness requires spiritual strength!

  If the injustice we have experienced is great and long-lasting, then we are not able to forgive it from our hearts with the power of our own spirit. Adonai Yeshua helps us with the help of His Holy Spirit, if we only turn to Him and pray to Him for help and the ability to forgive all the injustice we have experienced and also to consciously forget it.

  I have been helped decisively by the awareness that every person who has done me harm has been under the power of the spirit of Darkness, even if they have not understood it. They have been slaves of Satan and are on their way to perdition! That is why Adonai Yeshua commands us in his Sermon on the Mount to love our neighbor as ourselves.

  Genuine and selfless love, which only the Holy Spirit works in us, gives us the power to forgive even the great injustices we have experienced without any demands for compensation or conditions. As a result, we ourselves are freed from the feeling of resentment and anger when we begin to bless such people and pray for their salvation.

Proverbs 10:12
>>Hatred stirs up fights, but love covers all transgressions.<<

- - -

Insert about Israel

  Israel is an exception among the nations in that YHWH chose them as his chosen people based on the faithful obedience of their ancestors, promising them the most beautiful land on earth forever. The choice was conditional and required Israel to obey the commandments of the Torah. Otherwise, YHWH threatened to expel them from there.

  From the Bible we learn that Israel did not want to obey YHWH’s decrees and therefore was repeatedly attacked by surrounding pagan nations and even exiled. From Jeremiah’s Lamentations we see how much hardship and persecution Israel was subjected to: captivity in Babylon for 70 years several hundred years BC.

  For the second time, Israel was subjected to a long-term, even 1900-year exile in 70 AD. The only justified reason for this is that they rejected their promised Messiah: Yeshua the Mashiach. They crucified Him by the hands of the Romans, even though Pontius Pilate wanted to release Him. The Jews would not agree.

  When millions of Jews from the Diaspora have been allowed to immigrate to Israel since 1948, they should have been grateful to YHWH and strived to abandon their pagan lifestyle. Unfortunately, they have allowed their minority to organize Pride parades and gay festivals in Tel Aviv, Eilat and the Holy City, Jerusalem!

  It should not be thought that YHWH has changed and would allow actions contrary to the teachings of the Torah to take place before His eyes without punishment! He did not give the most beautiful land in the world to a party people who do not follow the sexual morality according to the teachings of the Torah. Abortions are also an abomination to YHWH! Muslims oppose Pride and abortions.

  It seems clear when following the current situation in Israel that YHWH is raising up Muslims to chastise Israel for its wickedness. There is a reference to this in the prophet Zechariah chapters 12-14. After a severe chastisement, YHWH will have mercy on the less than 1/3 of the Israelites who survive and He will finally give them the land of Eretz Israel as an inheritance.

  Chastisement has already taken place over the decades and the last severe chastisement was on October 7, 2023. The worst is yet to come, because acc. to the prophecy of Zechariah, YHWH will gather all the pagan nations in addition to the Muslim nations to attack Jerusalem and bring destruction to Israel: half of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be taken into exile.

  I think Israel should do better than it is now to avoid devastating attacks on civilians in Gaza and move them from there to temporary camps. That way they could control the remaining terrorists and separate them from the rest of the Arab population. I avoid using the word 'Palestinians' for them, because there is no such people! They are remnants of many nations.

  All Gentiles who have come to faith and put their hope for salvation in Adonai Yeshua should remember the people of Israel with prayers and deeds of love! Especially now, when the hatred of the Gentile nations against Israel is deepening, because Israel is accused of genocide. Israel has sought to eliminate only terrorists in order to protect its civilians!

- - -

Forgiveness between nations and tribes

  There have been wars in the world because of people's greed, selfishness and discriminatory attitudes towards others. Many wars are started when a large country notices that a neighboring country that is smaller than it is flourishing much better than it is, because it has worked hard and built its social well-being in a long-term and determined manner.

  Envy influences the dictatorial leadership of larger countries to want to attack a neighboring country and seize its territories and natural resources. A good example of this is Finland, which Russia and the Soviet Union attacked several times and used their superior power to seize our best parts of land, even though it had more land than it self needed.

  The same rogue country, Russia, has done the same to several other of its border neighbors. Most recently, to Ukraine, against which it has waged a war for more than 3 years without any reason, killing thousands of civilians and looting Ukrainians' property and occupying large areas of land without the UN or the countries of the world taking timely and serious steps to help Ukraine.

  The decades-long war between Israel and the fanatical Muslims living in the Middle East is a religious war in nature. It consists of hatred towards the Israelis, who are hardworking and successful in agriculture, fruit tree cultivation, livestock raising and several other areas of economic life. Israel made its land flourish with help of YHWH!

  Before the Israelites returned to the land of their ancestors, that land was desolate, and its inhabitants did not practice rational agriculture or livestock raising. Israel drained the marshy area of ​​the Hule Valley, from which mosquitoes spread malaria to the surrounding inhabitants. Israel also built a good irrigation system, targeted irrigation, and made fruit trees grow.

  History has shown that there will be no lasting peace between Israel and the Muslims or the Muslim states surrounding Israel until the Prince of Peace, Sar-Shalom, Yeshua Mashiach himself brings peace when he comes. He proclaims peace to all nations. That is why we have a living hope and can trust the holy promises of the Bible even in this warlike time!

Nahum 2:1 
>>Behold! The feet of Him bearing good news is on the mountains, making heard, Peace! O Judah, celebrate your feasts; fulfill your vows; for the worthless will not continue to pass through among you; he is completely cut off.<<

Zech. 14:3-6
>>3 And Yehowah shall go out and fight against those nations, like the day He fought in the day of battle. 4 And His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall divide from its middle, from the east even to the west, a very great valley. And half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

5 And you shall flee to the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. And Yehowah my Elohim shall come, and all the saints with You. 6 And it will be in that day, there shall not be light; the glorious ones will shrink.<<

Isaiah 2:4
>>And He shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more.<<

Songs suitable for the topic


Please, note: Our Savior's original name in Hebrew is Yeshua HaMashiach HaNotzri


P.S. You can check out the interesting stages of my life from the link below. My life has been a great adventure. There have been successes and setbacks. Adonai Yeshua has always helped me!


klo
Tunnisteet:
Sijainti: Turku, Suomi

Ei kommentteja:

Lähetä kommentti

Tilaa: Lähetä kommentteja (Atom)

Reflections on shabat, November 21, 2025

  Let us review those verses as an introduction: " Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. He t...