Goel: Kinsman, Redeemer, and Avenger

In the book of Ruth, Jesus is our Goel. Goel means “to redeem or ransom” and is rendered “kinsman” in , , , “redeemer” in ,  and “avenger” in and . The picture of Jesus here as Goel is both that of redeemer and avenger. Consider , Jesus not only died as a ransom for us, but he also avenges us against all enemies. Notice the correlation between redeemer and avenger: God redeemed Israel with the Passover lamb, but poured out vengeance on the gods of Egypt (). God redeems us as believers through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (), Read More

Praise and Faith: Secrets to Answered Prayer

Praise, thanksgiving, and faith are keys to answered prayer. If you want to receive answers to your prayers be sure to: 1. Praise Him and Thank Him. As we read the Lord’s Prayer we observe Jesus teaching the disciples to begin their prayer with PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING. Psalm 100:4 states, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.” Begin by praising and thanking Him for being your provider (Jehovah Jireh); your peace (Jehovah Shalom); your healer (Jehovah Rophe); your shepherd (Jehovah Rohi); and your righteousness (Jehovah Tsidkenu). Praise creates an Read More

The Scarlet Thread: A Picture of Redemption

The scarlet thread is a central theme in the book of Joshua and throughout the Bible. We are continuing the series on ‘Jesus Who?‘ This week we are studying the book of Joshua. Joshua, from the Hebrew name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshu’a) means “YAHWEH is salvation”. Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim and was a companion of Moses. He went up Mount Sinai with Moses when he received the Ten Commandments from God and he was one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan and was one of the two spies (Caleb being the other) who came back from spying out the Read More

Laws of Obedience: Jesus Who?

We see Jesus represented as the Laws of Obedience in Deuteronomy. Matthew 5:17  tells us, Jesus came to fulfill the law. The two Hebrew names for Deuteronomy are ve’eleh hadevarim, “‘These are the words,’” taken from the first words in the book and Mishneh Torah, “Repetition of the Torah” or ‘Second Law’, (). Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy more than any other  Old Testament book. For example: – But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ – Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ – Get Read More

God Hates Some Things: Not You!

God hates you. Have you heard that nonsense?  There are six, no seven things God hates and you are not one of them (Proverbs 6:16-19). It’s like God starts every day with an agenda to make you as miserable as possible. No, God would not do that. He absolutely loves you (1 John 3:1). But what about all the things going wrong in your life? Not God. What about your lack of a job or money? Once again, not God. I like milk. Really, I like milk, but unfortunately, milk does not like me. If I drink milk, it is Read More

Divine Order: Jesus Who?

As I read through the book of Numbers the main theme for me is ‘Order‘. The book of Numbers gets its name from the 2 numberings (census) of the wandering Israelites (Numbers 1: 1-3; Numbers 26:1-4).  Numbers in Hebrew (בְּמִדְבַּר‎, Bəmiḏbar) means ‘in the wilderness’. How many of you when reading the book of Numbers first thought about it being a book about murmuring?  Upon first impression it appears to be a book of warnings, ‘DO NOT MURMUR AGAINST GOD’ or ‘CALL GOD A LIAR’. Why not you may ask? Because there will be consequences; like wandering around for 40 years. I have Read More