26 Kislev — Should We or Shouldn’t We?
Today let’s address the issue of whether or not believers in Messiah should keep Hanukkah. Some would say that we shouldn’t because, it’s a Jewish holiday and is not biblically mandated. It is true that is not a holiday that is commanded in Scripture but was...
Daily Bread — Friday, December 27, 2024
Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. (Psalm 22:11-13) The area known as Bashan, located in the...
25 Kislev — Rededicating the Temple
Today is the 25th day of Kislev, the first day of Hanukkah, and it was on this day according to tradition, that construction of the Tabernacle of Moses was completed. It is also believed that on this day the first pagan sacrifice was offered on the altar of Zeus in...
Daily Bread — Thursday, December 26, 2024
But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. (Psalm 22:9-10) Many rabbinical commentators interpret these verses to speak primarily of Israel as...
24 Kislev — Yet Once More
It was on this day in the year 520 B. C. that the foundation of the Second Temple was laid (Haggai 2:18). It was on that very same day that the Prophet Haggai declared the downfall of gentile nations and consequently, the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. This is...
Daily Bread — Wednesday, December 25, 2024
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” (Psalm...
23 Kislev — Focusing On What We Fear
As we approach the time of Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, let’s look at how the story took shape. In its essence, the story of Hanukkah is about how different people responded to the edicts of a tyrant, Antiochus IV, also called Epiphanies, a title that mean,...
Daily Bread — Tuesday, December 24, 2024
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” (Psalm...
22 Kislev — Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem
It was on this day in 1949 that the Israeli Knesset (Parliament), voted to transfer Israel’s seat of government from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This was logical seeing that Jerusalem had always been the eternal capital of the Israeli people. However, there have been very...
Daily Bread — Monday, December 23, 2024
But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed. (Psalm 22:3-5) This statement -- “But You are holy” -- coming on...
21 Kislev — A Broken and Contrite Heart
There’s an old Jewish adage that says something like this: “The truly penitent come nearer unto God than even those who have never stumbled or fallen into sin.” That’s a profound statement when you consider what it's saying. And while it’s true that we don’t find this...
Daily Bread — Sunday, December 22, 2024
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent. (Psalm 22:1-2) In the previous devotion we mentioned that...