What can it mean, that G'D KNEW the end at the beginning? Is it possible that G'D knew what I am going to decide before HE started the World? Is there any chance that G'D will not follow through with the curses and the trouble leading up to the END of DAYS?
Numbers 23:19) God is not man to be capricious, or mortal to change His mind. Would He speak and not act, promise and not fulfill?
Isaiah 45:18) For thus saith the Lord, The Creator of Heaven who alone is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who alone established it– He did not create it a waste, But formed it for habitation: I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isaiah 45:19) I did not speak in secret, at a site in the land of darkness; I did not say to the stock of Jacob, “Seek Me out in a wasteland”– I the Lord, who foretell reliably, Who announce what is true.
Isaiah 46:9) Bear in mind what happened of old; For I am God, and there is none like Me. I am divine, and there is none else.
Isaiah 46:10) I foretell the end from the beginning, And from the start, things that had not occurred. I say: My plan shall be fulfilled; I will do all I have purposed.
These are only a couple of instances where God makes these statements. A couple of years ago while reading Isaiah, I was struck by the message in 46:10) I foretell the end from the beginning.... I started looking at the Tanach differently. I started seeing the hand of G’D in events in the Bible and Today. Prophecies become more alive when you can see that the text is not haphazard in nature. For example Genesis 1:28 “....Be fruitful and increase, fill the earth and master it;” in the JPS 1999 translation this is listed as a blessing. I now see it in context with Is. 46:10 where “...My plan shall be fulfilled;....”
How has this change my thinking? I see the story of the ARK and Noah as a lesson about faith, obedience and how One Righteous Person can save much. I don’t see that G’D wants to wipe out the earth, but wants to teach us many lessons. Mostly it identifies problems with human perception and understanding. We have a short term point of view, at best a few years, but the Lord’s plans are Thousands of Years. The Lord’s knowledge of us and our decisions must be just as vast and detailed. Truely, no thing is hidden from G’D, but each of us must still make our choices, for even deciding not to make a choice is a choice.
May the Lord Bless you with Hears that hear(Perceive) and Eyes that see(Understand) and may it be today.
Shalom,
James
Love G_D, Seek Truth, Act Justly, then can we hope to find understanding, peace and life.
3 comments:
FYI
Hi James and Hayah!
The quote from Numbers 23:19 is said by Bil'am, who is described as a false prophet, a prophet who is specialized to curse and was forced to bless. A prophet that Moses had to kill, due to the havoc he brought on the people of Israel with the Midianites and the pagan cult of Ba'al Pe'or, a prophet was was described of being evil and wicked (Bil'am Harasha').
Regards,
Shalom Onn met at Izzy
Very well done Izzy,
How ever during the incident question he was only allowed to speak the words that Hashem gave him to speak. The test is Numbers 22:38) ...."I can utter only the words that God puts in my mouth".
This statement is repeated many times, the main result is that, God can use any one or anything as a spokes man. Even a donkey,an angel or one known for cursing. God's word is God's word as long as it does not conflict with the writings of Moses(Five books of the Torah), see the tests of a prophet in Deuteronomy.
Any other comments?
Shalom,
James
Upon further consideration, I would like to point out that, having spoken for the GOD of Jacob, and acknowledging that the Children of Jacob where protected by GOD, it did not stop Balaam from going back to his old business with the exception of sending others to perform terrorist acts upon the Children of Jacob. For he heard the WORD of GOD and turned away. Yaakov
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