GOD’S LIGHT THROUGH US

 Avraham got up, bowed before the people of the land, the sons of Het, and spoke with them. “If it is your desire to help me bury my dead, then listen to me: ask ‘Efron the son of Tzochar to give me the cave of Makhpelah, which he owns, the one at the end of his field. He should sell it to me in your presence at its full value; then I will have a burial site of my own.”. (Genesis 23:7-9)

 

Avraham was a ‘man of God’. He followed Yahveh’s precepts and commands and, at all times, attempted to be a light to the world. The passage above demonstrates just how he accomplished this. Notice his request: He should sell it to me in your presence at its full value; then I will have a burial site of my own. If you follow the Scripture, you will notice the negotiations which flow on.

How did Avraham allow Yahveh’s light to flow through him? Let’s read just a little more:

Avraham got the point of what ‘Efron had said, so he weighed out for ‘Efron the amount of money he had specified in the presence of the sons of Het, 400 silver shekels of the weight accepted among merchants. (Genesis 23:16)

In case you did not know, 400 shekels was an exorbitant sum for what was being offered. Notice, in his opening remarks, Avraham did say he would pay ‘full value’ for the cave and the land it was on. Is there a distinction between full value and full worth? Of course there is. Avraham chose his words carefully; he knew what he was saying. And he followed through.

 How many of us today choose our words carefully, say what we mean and mean what we say, that is, walk the talk. In our society today, I see this less and less. Some say what they think we want to hear. Others speak through false bravado, hoping to either influence or coerce through intimidation. The ones I notice speaking truth are the ones with whom I wish to associate.

 We are all encouraged to speak Yahveh’s Truth, no matter where we are or what is happening around or to us. This certainly is not easy. If we allow excitement or anticipation to crowd our thinking, we may say something or do something we, or someone else, may later regret. If we allow fear to cloud our judgment, impulsive reaction may lead us to dangerous grounds. What do we do?

 In Ephesians 4:2,3, Rav Sha’ul, the Apostle Paul, teaches us:

Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom.

This short statement paves the way for his major message, found in verse 15:

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah.

 When we speak through Yahveh’s Love, we are speaking the Truth; we are shining His light into the world; we are growing closer into Him, who is the Head – Our Messiah, Adonai Yeshua, the Lord Jesus. So let me ask the most important question – Are we allowing God’s Light to shine through us?

 CONSIDER: Are we allowing God’s Light to shine through us? Are we speaking the Truth, all the time? Are we growing closer to our God, Yahveh, and His son, Adonai Yeshua, the Lord Jesus?

ACT: It is understood that it will be impossible for any of us to be righteous all the time and to not place ourselves in difficult situations through wrong behaviours. However, when we find ourselves in these situations, we must get on our knees before the Throne of Yahveh and ask authentically for forgiveness. We know we will be forgiven, for that is the promise given to us by Adonai Yeshua. I pray our pride will not prevent us from approaching our Master. PRAY: Abba, Beloved Yahveh. We know you have the desire for each of us to walk correctly on Your path, the Path of Righteousness. We also know you understand the impact our human nature has on our desires – we do sometimes stray off the Path and into the ditch. I pray, Abba, for your Guidance and Leadership, which will help us to remember to come forward and ask for forgiveness, when this happens. In Your Beloved Name we pray.

May you be truly and richly blessed, with God’s Love

 

To Read a Preview of “A Journey Through Torah: An Introduction to God’s Life Instructions for His Children, Volume One: Genesis, please click on the link, below, or add it to your browser: https://journeythroughtorah.net/book-preview To Read a Preview of “A Journey Through Torah: An Introduction to God’s Life Instructions for His Children, Volume Two: Exodus, please click on the link, below, or add it to your browser: https://journeythroughtorah.net/preview-a-journey-through-torah-an introduction-to-god’s-life-instructions-for-his-children-volume-two-exodus/