There are no self made men or women, though pride encourages that deception.

Likewise, when it comes to Kingdom “success”, no one “arrives” through their own efforts.

Those who are amazed at the zeal and knowledge of the Apostle Paul and the powerful impact that he made on his generation, and all subsequent generations, might be surprised to learn that he had “backing”!

We read in Romans 16:7:   “Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Messiah before I was.”

So, there were relatives who were believers before Paul.

What do you think they were doing while their relative, Saul of Tarsus (Paul), was busy persecuting fellow Jews who simply believed Yeshua was the Messiah?

I suspect they were fasting and praying on behalf of their relative Paul; and asking the Living God, the God of Israel who alone works wonders (Psalm 73), to miraculously redirect Paul’s energy away from persecuting Yeshua (Acts 9:4-5; 22:7-8; 26:14-15), persecuting and destroying the church (Acts 26:11; Gal. 1:13; Phil. 3:6), and even blaspheming God (1 Tim. 1:13), towards building up and furthering the Kingdom of God (Gal. 1:23)  Perhaps they even shared with him their faith and belief that Yeshua was the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures.

They haven’t received much press.  This little verse acknowledges them.  We who have read and been edified by these books:

Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Titus, Ephesians, Philippians, Galatians, Colossians, Philemon,  and 1 & 2 Timothy

have those obscure people to thank.  It has been said that the LORD does nothing without someone praying.  For some reason, in the divine economy, intercessory prayer is the catalyst for the “chemical reaction” which synthesizes God’s sovereign power and unfailing love with our needs, be they spiritual, physical or emotional, into His  marvelous works!

What if you have never had exposure to the Bible, and frankly couldn’t care less about this guy Paul and his relatives?

Well, you’ve heard, as Paul quoted Yeshua in Acts 20:35: ” ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

You’ve heard, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” — again, Paul.  (1 Cor. 13:13)

Western culture and governments were strongly influenced at certain points in history by the Bible, including Paul’s writings.  Various social institutions were conceived:  Hospitals, hospices, orphanages, food banks.  His legal mind, as revealed in the Book of Romans, is an early example of Judeo-Christian ethics influencing judicial thought.

Paul’s writings are brilliant and extensive.   I encourage you to examine the following list of topics which he covered in his letters that were canonized as Scripture, to see which ones are relevant to your life:

How to find peace with God; the ‘why’ of evil in the world; the wisdom of man vs. the wisdom of God; making relationships work; marriage & family matters; love, money, philosophy, prayer and spiritual gifts; Israel and the Jewish people in God’s plan; the relationship between the Church and Israel; how to be free from sin; how to relate to government, to the poor, to the rich; how to resolve conflicts and deal with enemies; how to find freedom from fear & bondage to self and others; lawsuits; sexual boundaries; relating to food; Satan and the spirit realm; resurrection and the afterlife; dealing with emotional and life pressures; future judgment and accountability; giving to others; putting sorrow in perspective; predestination; Torah; purpose & destiny; the unfathomable riches that belong to every believer; how to find joy and victory; connecting to community; walking wisely in a crazy world; how young men are to relate to young women; description of the end times and remedy for related fears; requirements for leadership; how to not be deceived; and of course, the magnificence of the Messiah.

Andronicus and Junias, Jews who believed in Yeshua during frightful times under Roman occupation, probably had no idea how mightily their lives and prayers would impact humanity over twenty centuries.

What can we learn from them?

Do not underestimate the power of praying for others that you know and love.  This includes those who are hostile to you and your beliefs.

Think big.  Pray big prayers. Pray for those who despise the things of God.  They could be Pauls for this distressed generation.

Yeshua (Jesus) read Biblical Hebrew.

“And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
And the book (scroll; written in Biblical Hebrew) of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him.  And He opened the book (scroll) and found the place where it was written,

“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”   (Luke 4:16-21)

Yeshua of Nazareth had been reading from Isaiah chapter 61, a Messianic passage.

The Hebrew word for “Nazareth” is nitzehret, and it is not surprising that the modern Hebrew word for “Christians“–followers of Yeshua of Nazareth, is ‘notzrim’. (These words have the same Hebrew root consonants: nun, tsadke and resh–sounds like ‘n’, ‘tz’ and ‘r’.)

Did you know that ‘notzrim’, the modern Hebrew word for “Christian”, is found in the very powerful prophetic chapter, Jeremiah 31?

First, please note that this chapter in Jeremiah declares:

1. There will be a New Covenant made with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. (vs. 31-34)  This promise is repeated in the New Testament Book of Hebrews chapter 8!
2. The LORD’s everlasting love for Israel. (v. 3)
3. There will be a worldwide regathering of the Jewish people back to their land. (vs. 8-14)
4. The guarantee of Israel’s preservation as a nation. (vs. 35-37)

Sandwiched between these awesome promises,
we find the word “Notzrim” in verse 6:

כִּי יֶשׁ־יֹום קָרְאוּ נֹצְרִים בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם קוּמוּ וְנַעֲלֶה צִיֹּון אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃ פ

I’ll transliterate the verse:  “Key yesh yom karoo notzrim b’har Ephraim koomoo vehnaahleh Zion el Adonai eloheinu.”

“For there shall be a day,
that the watchmen shall call upon the mount Ephraim:
‘Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion,
unto the LORD our God’.” (Jer 31:6 Jewish Publication Society translation [JPS])

There are three Biblical Hebrew (root) words for “watchman”:

natsar נצר; tsaphah צפה; shamar  שמר

The more common Biblical Hebrew (root) words for ‘watchman‘ are:

1. ‘tsaphah’ (Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary [SHD], entry 6822)–to look out, spy;
2. ’shamar’ (SHD, entry 8104) –to keep, watch, preserve.  By the way, the word used for God as the “Keeper of Israel” is shomer, which comes from shamar.

But, the word used in Jeremiah 31 for ‘watchmen’ is notzrim. As just stated, the modern Hebrew word for ‘Christians’ is notzrim. I asked an Israeli friend of mine about this and he was baffled.  I showed him the passage.  He did a double-take.  He said he would speak to someone he knew, who had been in the Ministry of Education in Israel, to see if it could be explained.  I have not received an answer.

So, the third (and less common) Biblical Hebrew (root) verb from which we get ‘watchmen’ is ‘natsar’ (SHD entry 5341) — which has a primary root meaning “to watch, guard, keep”; and out of which comes the word, notzrim.

(Not to bore some of you, but here’s a quick Hebrew lesson:  Hebrew verbs are based on a root system, where generally three consonants comprise the root of a particular verb.  When certain vowel points or a prefix and suffix are added, the verb becomes a noun.  For instance, the verb,’to guard’, and the noun,’watchman’, share the same root.)

“Notzrim” appears three times in the Hebrew text.  It’s found in Job 27:18, describing the temporary nature of the house of the wicked as being like “a hut which the watchman has made.”    It’s found in a negative context in Jeremiah 4:16 where “watchers (notzrim) come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.”

And, it is found in the Jeremiah 31:6 passage we have been discussing.

Another Biblical Hebrew word which is derived from ‘natsar’ (from which we get the word ‘notzrim‘) is ‘netser’ (SHD entry 5342).
It means “sprout” or “shoot”, literally “branch”.

So what’s the connection between “branch, sprout, or shoot” and ‘watchman’?  What does this mean to people of faith?

The prophetic Messianic passage in Isaiah 11: 1-6 (JPS Translation) declares:

“And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse (King David’s father),
And a twig (branch) (netsar, entry 5342) shall grow forth out of his roots.
And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and might,
The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD;
And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes,
Neither decide after the hearing of his ears;
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor…”

Netsar is only used two other times in the Hebrew Scriptures:

The first is in Isaiah 14:19, speaking of the demise of one fallen from heaven who had said in his heart that he would raise his throne above the stars of God and make himself like the Most High.  Most biblical scholars conclude that this is speaking of satan (Hebrew ’satan’–deceiver, adversary).

“But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch (netsar) …” (King James Version)

The other time we find netsar is in Isaiah chapter 60.  The context is Israel’s condition when Messiah returns:

“Thy people also shall be all righteous,
They shall inherit the land for ever;
The branch (netsar) of My planting,
The work of My hands,
Wherein I glory.
The smallest shall become a thousand,
And the least a mighty nation;
I the LORD will hasten it in its time.” (Isa. 60:21-22 JPS)

Immediately after this Isaiah 60 passage, we obviously come to Isaiah 61– the same section wherein Yeshua read in the synagogue in Nazareth (nitzehret)!

So, this unusual root Hebrew word (nun, tsadke, resh) is spoken of in the context of Messiah, Israel, satan, enemies of Judah,  and in modern Hebrew:  Christians!

Therefore, who are the watchmen -notzrim- mentioned in Jeremiah 31:6, who say: “Arise, and let us go up to Zion, unto Yahweh our God?”

Notwithstanding that in the Isaiah 62 passage,  “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem…” — the word for “watchmen” is from the root shamar; could the watchmen mentioned in Jeremiah 31 verse 6 prophetically be today’s Christians, who intercede day and night for the LORD to watch over Israel and make Jerusalem a praise on the earth?

Please note: This verse about watchmen (notzrim) saying “Arise, let us go up to Zion, unto the LORD our God”, is followed by a command to “sing with gladness for Jacob, and to announce ye, praise ye, and say, “O LORD, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel.“” (Jeremiah 31:7)

Is this remnant, which is described as weeping as it returns to the Land of Israel, the Holocaust survivors?

Who is commanded to rejoice with Jacob (Israel; the Jewish people) in verse 7?

How could it be Jacob that rejoices with a broken Jacob that is described in verse 9 as returning to the Land (v.8) with weeping?

That does not make sense.

I offer that it was Gentile believers in Yeshua, true Christians, who knew the Holy Scriptures and the promise of restoration for the Jews.  These are the modern day watchmen for Israel:  The ‘Notzrim’!

History notes that this modern regathering, which began in the late 1800’s, was preceded by Christian Zionists who spoke out, even before Theodore Herzl, about God’s promises to restore Zion!

We welcome your thoughts on the matter!

When I was a child and had been through some substantial suffering, I thought God owed me something.  This was reinforced every Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), when I would fast and my mother’s friend would say, “You don’t have to fast, you’ve suffered enough.”

In other words, I found a way to compromise in obedience to what was my conception of Torah, since I thought God was my debtor.

Years later, after having been a believer in Messiah for about fifteen years, I evidently had still been carrying this spiritual chip on my shoulder!  Clearly a root of bitterness had been growing even during the time I was reading the Scriptures, praying, and telling others about His love.

I was very upset one day and I admitted to a friend that I had a root of bitterness.  She said, “No you don’t, you have an OAK TREE of bitterness.”

I had no response; she was right.

So how could I uproot this oak tree of bitterness from my heart?

I searched the Scripture and came to Job chapter 41.  Job, as most know, suffered immeasurable pain.  He had lost his health, his children, his wealth, his friends and his position of esteem.

In this chapter, the Lord was revealing His greatness to Job, while dealing with his attitudes.  He describes Leviathan, the great sea creature, to get his point across.  I was actually rebuked by what I read. Please take a moment to read from the text:

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?
“Can you put a rope in his nose
Or pierce his jaw with a hook?…

“Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle; you will not do it again!…

“No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him;
Who then is he that can stand before Me?” (Job 41:1-2,8,10)

In a moment I knew that my sin of bitterness was a Leviathan in my life.

Even as Leviathan could not be pulled in with a simple fish hook, this sin of bitterness could not be removed by human means.

But, God gave me a “two for one”… The very next verse is:

“Who has given to Me that I should repay him?
Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.” (Job 41:11)

The Lord, in His rebuke to Job, stated emphatically:  “I AM NOT YOUR DEBTOR!”

This verse is so important that the Apostle Paul quotes it in Romans chapter 11:35!

The context of this passage (verses 11-27) has to do with the cycle of mercy:  That Jewish unbelief about the Messiahship of Yeshua opened the way for the Gentiles to receive mercy.  Now Gentiles have opportunity to come into the Kingdom of God.  Paul then exhorts the Gentiles to show mercy to the Jewish people, who have experienced a partial hardening until the full number of Gentiles come in (to the Kingdom).

Ultimately, the Holy One of Israel will again deal with the Jewish people as a nation in bringing them to Messiah.  He has always preserved a remnant of Jewish people who believed in Messiah Yeshua through the centuries, as promised in Romans 11:5 and Romans 9:27.

Paul continues to exalt the LORD’s greatness in verses 32 through 35:

“For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.”

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? (Paul quotes Isaiah 40)

Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?” (Paul refers to Job 41!)

Believer or nonbeliever, Jew or Gentile — The LORD, the Master of the Universe, owes us nothing.

Everything we are, everything we have or ever hope to be, is from His gracious hand.

So, if you are blocking your own blessing, as I had, through bitterness and thinking God is your debtor, please consider these clear truths of Scripture.  Whatever your “Leviathan” is, you can’t lasso it in.

Whatever expectation you have of God because of your suffering, or your good works, God owes you nothing.

But, God is full of grace and mercy.  Agree with Him that you are a debtor to Him (and not the other way around). In fact, you do owe Him — because if you have been living for yourself, you have been sinning against the One who made you for His glory and purposes, not your own.

Then find His heart of mercy and love by calling on the Name of Yeshua (Jesus), our intermediary.

“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Messiah Yeshua.” (1 Tim. 2:5)

(To my fellow Jewish readers who may think we have a ‘direct dial’ to the LORD: Moses served as an intermediary, and interceded for the people of Israel when the Holy One of Israel wanted to destroy them for their sin.)

For a more detailed understanding of how to come into a relationship with the Living God, who loves you, please consult these previous posts:  “How A Chinese Waiter Found True Fortune“, “He Has Set Eternity In Your Heart” and “No Passover Seder, But The Passover Lamb“.

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

There’s no need to rehearse the fact that foundations are being shaken in this country and around the world.

In the “easier” days, many Americans had the emotional energy to be focused on personal improvement.  Now, increasingly, the concern is shifting to having basic needs met. Many are now weighed down by the false shame of need.

In one of my journals from the 1990’s, I found an entry I had written about a businessman who sat with my husband and me for one hour, wisdom pouring from his lips.  We had never met this man before that day.

He said many profound things.  One is relevant to this post, “Don’t be embarrassed by need.  Need is what God supplies. Fall in love with need, because this is where you will see God at work…giving to you lovingly out of His resources.”

But what about feeling ashamed because we are in need?  Psalm 25:3 tells us the only reason for feeling shame:  Willful sin.

Being in need may have come from poor planning, circumstances beyond our control, greed or coveting.  So, make practical changes in lifestyle.  Revise plans.  And, where repentance is due, let’s do it.  Then we must get “unstuck” and turn afresh to a powerful, loving, Heavenly Father, who is merciful to those who call upon Him.

The Psalmist gives this hope:  “Passing through the valley of Baca (Hebrew for ‘weeping’) they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings.  They go from strength to strength…” (Psalm 84:6-7a)

Notice, too, that the passage says, “they”. Others also are weeping from the strain of life.

Therefore, this is a key time to function as community…and certainly a vital time for individuals in the Body of believers to not harden their hearts, but to heed what is written in 1 John 3:16-18:

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

The term “knowing the LORD” is often used casually. This knowledge of God is often confined to the realm of personal devotion and knowledge of Scripture.

However, Jeremiah 22:16 clearly states the LORD’s gauge for measuring if we truly know Him, while speaking of the righteous:

“He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” declares the LORD.” It’s clear: How we care for the needy and afflicted that either cross our paths, or whom we seek out, is a litmus test of our knowledge of God.

“So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”  (Gal. 6:10)

To those in need: Perhaps your need is what the LORD will use to reveal His personal love for you.

You may ask, “Am I supposed to believe God loves me when I have these stressful and difficult circumstances?…and besides, He feels a million miles away.”

Thirty years ago I read a powerful book,  The Silence of God, by German theologian, Helmut Thielicke.  Thielicke lived during the Nazi regime.  The last part of the following paragraph has stayed with me.

“But now hear the great mystery of this silence.  The very hour when God answered not a word or syllable was the hour of the great turning point when the veil of the temple was rent and God’s heart was laid bare with all its wounds. … Even when we thought He did not care, or was dead, He knew all about us and behind the dark wings He did His work of love…Truly the silence of God is different from that of men…The silence of God and of Jesus (Yeshua) is not of indifference.  It is the silence of higher thoughts.  It does not imply a silent destiny.” (pgs. 14, 15)

The LORD is not indifferent.  He allows us to be in need because the needs we face cause us to give pause to consider our lives, the meaning to life, and the very real limit of our ability to solve our problems.

He wants to show us that He is the Source of life, the One “in whom we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

I still remember the comfort I received as a child when I heard the words from the song,  I Believe–  “I believe above the storm the smallest prayer can still be heard.  I believe that Someone in the great somewhere hears every word.”

That Someone has a name… In fact, He has many names that describe His person, magnificence and character: His name is Yehovah (Hebrew for ‘Jehovah’) or Yahweh (YHVH), which means “covenant keeping God”.

He is Yehovah our righteousness; Yehovah our redeemer; Yehovah our provider; Yehovah our rock, refuge, deliverer, sanctifier; Yehovah our healer, defense, banner, shepherd, etc.

By searching Topical Bibles online for the names of the LORD found in their Scriptural context, we can see clearly that the One upon whom we are calling for help is more powerful, more knowledgeable, more loving, and more personal than we can imagine.

The problem is we have often created God in our image (!) and relied on our thoughts about Him, rather than what His Word has revealed about Him.  Then we go about worrying and fretting, forgetting that He upholds the universe by His mighty Word of power! (Hebrews 1:3)

Sounds like who He IS answers to anything that could trouble our lives.

Listen, He knows you’re in need.  Nothing takes Him by surprise. You’ve got to pray–to entreat Him to lead you out of the dark forest of fear, despair and lack.  Humble prayer is the catalyst that activates divine activity.  Confessing unbelief in Him, and His ability and desire to act, will also remove static from your prayers.

Now, after sincere and humble crying out to Him, expect your path to cross someone or something that can help you, since He generally works through people (i.e. dollars and job listings don’t fall from heaven).

Perhaps you know the old story of the man who is drowning and the LORD sends a dinghy, a boat, and then a ship to save him.  He refuses to use them because he wants the LORD to act directly on his behalf, and he drowns.  Don’t resist receiving help from others, though this may be uncomfortable.  Our hyper-independent society has conditioned us to view dependency on others as almost a foreign concept.

I think those days are coming to a close.