JEWISH VOICE BLOG

October 16, 2019

Remembering God’s Presence Remembering Israel’s wilderness days reminds us of how God’s presence dwelled with them during their decades-long wandering. As they roamed the desert, they did so by the guidance of God’s presence represented to them in a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. After the tabernacle – a tent – was built, God’s glory resided in the innermost room called the Holy of Holies. The booths, or tents, of Sukkot depict God’s desire to live in fellowship with His peo...

October 16, 2019

Remembering God’s Divine Protection The booths that we build today for Sukkot represent the tents that God had the Israelites live in during their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness. Their tents protected them from the elements and serve as reminders of God’s divine protection of us today. In the Scriptures, God is shown to be our protector. He has been faithful to Israel throughout history when time and time again, enemies have attempted to annihilate her. She is still here, regathered int...

October 16, 2019

Remembering God’s Holiness In thinking back to the Israelites in the wilderness, we remember that the first generation’s disobedience cost them the Promised Land. Because of their rebellion and sin, none from the generation that left Egypt was permitted to enter the Land God said He would give to His people, except Joshua and Caleb. The multitudes died in the wilderness, and only their children after them entered. God is holy. He is merciful and kind, but He is also holy. Moses was only pe...

October 15, 2019

Remembering God’s Provision God instructs us at Sukkot to remember that He made the Israelites live in tents in the wilderness. Their wandering experience was more complicated than merely living in temporary housing as they traveled. The barren desert offered no food or water for them. They could not have survived it without God’s supernatural provision. He supplied food out of nowhere with a fresh crop of manna each morning, giving the Children of Israel one day’s nourishment at a time. H...

October 13, 2019

God gave Israel the Feasts to remember historical events, and He explained how to commemorate them before Him. Jewish people say a blessing that honors and thanks God for new things or when they do something for the first time in a new year. They bless God for their waking in the morning and again at night for Him seeing them through the day. And, they have a day set aside to intentionally celebrate God’s Word. Simchat Torah (SIM-khat TOR-ah) means “Joy of the Torah.” Speaking precisely,...

October 13, 2019

Remembering God’s Deliverance The Feast of Sukkot invites us to remember the Israelites journey in the wilderness and what God did for them. Leading to their release from captivity is a trail lined with miracles of deliverance. For instance, the plagues that God brought upon Egypt affected the whole nation except in the area of Goshen, where the Jewish people lived. The final plague – the angel of death – visited all Egypt but passed over every Jewish home with doorframes covered by the blood...

October 13, 2019

Rabbis teach that at Sukkot, we recount four things: that God is a God of remembrance, deliverance, holiness and provision. There are three more that, as Messianic Jewish Believers, we find appropriate to celebrate during the Feast of Sukkot: God’s protection, His presence, and our relationship with Him. Join us each day of Sukkot for another devotion focusing on one of these remembrances. Our God of Remembrance God knows us. He knows how forgetful we are. Thus, He established certain Feas...

October 11, 2019

Have you ever gone camping – the kind where you sleep in a tent and go without electricity and running water? Close quarters, hard ground, no kitchen – the experience makes everyday tasks a little more difficult. Life while camping is a bit less comfortable, but it’s worth it, right? Getting away from our usual routine and customary conveniences can refresh us. The simplified living can help us return to important thoughts that our regular lives tend to crowd out. We engage around the campfi...

October 11, 2019

Israel prepares for war while the U.N. sticks its head in the sand In the midst of the continued political stalemate in Israel, the region is facing the potential for war with Iran. And if the words of the Deputy Commander for Operations of Iranian Revolution Guards, Abbas Nilforoushan, can be believed, the threat is significant. Speaking openly about the conflict between Iran and Israel, Nilforoushan said: “Iran has encircled Israel from all four sides. Israel is not in a position t...

October 04, 2019

Will you pray for us as we go to Inchini, Ethiopia, for the first time? In just a couple weeks, Jewish Voice will be conducting a Medical Outreach there to bless the Gefat Jewish people and their neighbors. “Gefat” means “blowers” and is a reference to the story that centuries ago, when they came to the area, they blew the shofar as they traveled. May the Gefat people hear a sound in the Spirit like a mighty trumpet blast, calling them to come to the Clinic, receive care and life in the name of ...