Brady Stephenson
| April 2017
The Thirteen Midot
Only Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) can resolve the apparent dissonance created by the thirteen midot (attributes) of G-d revealed in Exodus chapter 34.
Only Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) can resolve the apparent dissonance created by the thirteen midot (attributes) of G-d revealed in Exodus chapter 34.
Many believers in Messiah have this “cargo cult” mentality: They see the blessing that G-d has poured out on His chosen people, Israel, and think, “If I do what the Jews are doing then I will also receive the blessing which they are receiving!”
ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition series was a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families, hosted by Ty Pennington. On the series, people who are unable to help themselves are given help by others to demolish their existing home and replace it with one that is far superior to the original in every respect: size, features, amenities, and furnishings.
The show was highly popular because of its themes regarding redemption, mercy, and community. There is a similar story told in Scripture. You might call it Extreme Makeover: Fallen Creation Edition. This story also tells about redemption, mercy, and community. G-d’s redemption and mercy upon His community of believers.
The story of the Exodus from Egypt is found (not surprisingly) in the book of Exodus. The story of Saul, the King of Israel, is found in 1 Samuel. The story of Purim is found in the book of Esther. These three stories are inextricably entwined in ways that may not be readily evident. Let’s examine Scripture and see what we can find.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day was circumlocution-the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea. There are some situations, however, where using more words is helpful...or even holy.
Last month, we pondered life and death from a Biblical perspective… but there were some lingering questions about the "neshamah" G-d breathed into Adam. The Hebrew language has two words (neshamah and nephesh) that are translated as "soul" in English and both of these are distinct from "spirit" (ruach).
What is life? What is death? We should have a Biblically-based understanding of these things.
This past weekend the movie "War Room" was released and I greatly enjoyed watching it with my bride. However, just because a movie is "faith-friendly" doesn't mean it is 100% Biblically accurate.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love G-d, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) What is the "good" promised here?
My daughter's cry pierced the darkened hallway. "Daddy, don't leave!"