Freedom!
- Posted on AugamFri, 07 Aug 2015 01:23:09 -05002015-08-07T01:23:09-05:0001 17, 2016
- in Uncategorized
- by Hallelujah Girl
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Throw it away, Forget yesterday
We’ll make the great escape
We won’t hear a word they say
They don’t know us anyway
Watch it burn, Let it die
‘Cause we are finally free tonight.
Tonight will change our lives
It’s so good to be by your side
But we’ll cry, We won’t give up the fight
We’ll scream loud at the top of our lungs
And they’ll think it’s just ’cause we’re young
And we’ll feel so alive
Some time ago, my girls and I would drive around and play this song, “The Great Escape”, by Boys Like Girls. It was “our song” at that time. I dedicate this segment of “The Invitation” to my beautiful girls! I have “grown up” with you. Watching you grow has taught me so much. I love you!
Freedom! Freedom is what the three of us felt as we sang this song at the top of our lungs! We could take on anything that came our way, because we were free! We did endure our share of ups and downs, so whenever we needed a “boost” we’d play the song and dance around. The song would soon lose its vigor and back to everyday life we would go. Beloved, are you free today? I’m not talking about that feeling that slowly fades with time. I’m talking about the true freedom! Are you resting completely in all the blessings of Our Creator? Do you have a faith that makes you feel free just by knowing that The Bridegroom is coming soon? Are you carrying out His Father’s Commandments in Torah?
The portion in Torah we read this week, as we prepare for the Sabbath, is Ekev. It can be found in Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25. These are the words of Moses, quoted by The Messiah Yeshua. The Hebrew word Ekev means “To take by the heel”. The first this word is used is in Genesis 3:15:
15 I will put animosity between you and the woman, and between your descendant and her descendant; he will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
In addition, Jacob, grabbed the heel of his brother, while he was still in the womb:
26 Then his brother emerged, with his hand holding ‘Esav’s heel, so he was called Ya‘akov [he catches by the heel, he supplants]. Genesis 25:26
Jacob was later renamed Israel commemorating his struggle with Adonai! From Genesis 32:
25 (24) and Ya‘akov was left alone. Then some man wrestled with him until daybreak. 26 (25) When he saw that he did not defeat Ya‘akov, he struck Ya‘akov’s hip socket, so that his hip was dislocated while wrestling with him. 27 (26) The man said, “Let me go, because it’s daybreak.” But Ya‘akov replied, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.” 28 (27) The man asked, “What is your name?” and he answered, “Ya‘akov.” 29 (28) Then the man said, “From now on, you will no longer be called Ya‘akov, but Isra’el; because you have shown your strength to both God and men and have prevailed.”
The first line of this weeks portion says, “Because you are listening to these rulings, keeping and obeying them, Adonai your God will keep with you the covenant and mercy that he swore to your ancestors.” There are those words again…listen, keep, and obey. Back it up…what are we to listen, keep, and, obey? The mispitam! The rulings, judgments, ordinances! There are great prizes!! Rewards!! The blessings! Beloved, check out the list of blessings:
He will love you, bless you and increase your numbers; he will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground — your grain, wine, olive oil and the young of your cattle and sheep — in the land he swore to your ancestors that he would give you. You will be blessed more than all other peoples; there will not be a sterile male or female among you, and the same with your livestock. Adonai will remove all illness from you — he will not afflict you with any of Egypt’s dreadful diseases, which you have known; instead, he will lay them on those who hate you. You are to devour all the peoples that Adonai your God hands over to you — show them no pity, and do not serve their gods, because that will become a trap for you. ….the great ordeals which you yourself saw, and the signs, wonders, strong hand and outstretched arm by which Adonai your God brought you out. Adonai will do the same to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. Moreover, Adonai your God will send the hornet among them until those who are left and those who hide themselves perish ahead of you. You are not to be frightened of them, because Adonai your God is there with you, a God great and fearsome. Adonai your God will expel those nations ahead of you little by little; you can’t put an end to them all at once, or the wild animals will become too numerous for you. Nevertheless, Adonai your God will give them over to you, sending one disaster after another upon them until they have been destroyed. He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe out their name from under heaven; none of them will be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. (Deuteronomy 7:13-23)
Are you free? Are you being blessed? Read again the blessings…. These are for you! This is your reward! Listening, guarding/keeping, and obeying His rulings means that Adonai will guard this Covenant and the Love that He gave to Our Fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It’s promises are real! You will struggle with these rulings sometimes, you will be challenged, you might even wrestle yourself with The Holy One. Think about it, Jacob was given the name Israel! Israel is Adonai’s chosen, the Apple of His Eye! This is Freedom!
Happy Day!