Recently, a young man told me he was sure he honored his parents. I asked what he meant by “honor”. He did some rabbinic reasoning and answered my question with a question!

“What do you think that means?”

I was surprised by what came out of my mouth. I knew the biblical Hebrew word for ‘honor’ was ‘kavod’. It means “to be heavy, weighty”. I replied, “Since it means ‘heavy’, or ‘weight’, it follows that it means to give weight to their opinions.”

I continued, “In this way it will go well with you, as this commandment says, ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you.’” (Deut. 5:16)

He was stunned and had no reply! He is part of a generation that devalues the opinion of parents.

Leviticus 19:1-4 gives us an important progression:

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
‘Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them,’
You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
‘Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father,
and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am the LORD your God.

Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the LORD your God.”

1. Be holy (set apart) as the LORD is holy.
2. Reverence mother and father. The Biblical Hebrew word for ‘reverence’ is very strong. It is ‘yaray’, which means “to fear, be afraid, stand in awe, revere”. Also, notice the order: The LORD put mothers first in this passage!! And, it doesn’t say reverence your mother or father if they are scholars, successful, wealthy, ‘cool’, savvy… There is neither prerequisite nor exception to the command to reverence mother and father! However, obviously if a parent is encouraging wrongdoing, or something that violates God’s Word, then it is clear that that is not wise counsel (to say the least) and does not have to be heeded.
3. Keep the LORD’s sabbaths.
4. Don’t turn to idols.

Clearly, in the past two generations, the irreverence toward God, parents and the ‘weight’ of their opinions, and the virtual disappearance of honoring the Sabbath/Lord’s Day, has opened the door to widespread and multiple forms of idolatry…

Idols are weights choking our souls.
In fact, idolatry and disobedience to parents are two behaviors Scripture declares will be characteristic of the “difficult times in the last days”:

“For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. ” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB)

There has never been a more critical time for each of us to cut ties to the ‘weights’ in our lives that harm us and others, and honor the LORD and His word by “giving weight” to our parents’ thoughts.

It’s practical. It’s doable.
God promises that it will go well with us.
That’s heavy!

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!

One of the greatest crises in America is fatherlessness.  Millions of children are born out of wedlock, or raised without a dad, due to divorce, illness, or death.  The scars ingrained on the child’s psyche, and negative impact on society, are incalculable.  Even if there are great moms, grandmothers, aunts, friends, coaches etc., a child’s soul knows something, or rather, someone, is missing.

Loneliness stalks the soul of such children.  This profound emotional pain can carry over into adulthood.  I know from personal experience.

But the LORD is acutely aware of the agony of loneliness in fatherless children.  How do I know this?

The LORD, who is full of compassion, reveals a clue in the Biblical Hebrew word for “fatherless”. Let’s take a look:

The word “orphan” in Biblical Hebrew is ‘yatom’.  It actually means ‘fatherless’.  So, even if a child had a mother, he was considered an orphan if there was no father present.  I was amazed to discover that the root verb, from which the word ‘yatom’ is derived, means “to be lonely”!

Loneliness goes with the territory of being fatherless.  They are an inseparable tandem.  You can be lonely without being fatherless, but you cannot be fatherless without being lonely, according to Biblical truth.

The LORD also gave serious instruction in His word, regarding the treatment of those children who are fatherless:

1. He commands that the fatherless not be afflicted. (Exodus 22:22)
2. He expects justice to be executed on behalf of the fatherless. (Deuteronomy 10:18)
3. He promised blessing on the work of those hands (the context was agricultural) who left the corner of their fields for the fatherless and widows to glean. (Deuteronomy  24:19, 20, 21)  In another instance, prosperity in life (not necessarily financially) is promised if the cause of the fatherless is pleaded. (Jeremiah 5:28)
4. The fatherless were to be included in the celebration of the Jewish Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)!  This feast commemorates the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai.  In the New Covenant,  the Holy Spirit was given to the (Jewish) believers that had gathered for prayer and fasting.  Implied here is that fatherless children should not be neglected spiritually! They must be taught the Scriptures and become part of the Body of believers–all of whom share in the Holy Spirit.  This is a very specific command!
5. The fatherless were to be included in the distribution of the tithe. (Deuteronomy 26:12)  Based on this principle, does your congregation give a portion of the tithe to help the fatherless member in its midst, local fatherless boys and girls, or an orphanage elsewhere?  Job stated that he shared his food with orphans.  (Job 31:17)  Can we find a struggling family where there is no dad, and give food, clothing, a toy, tutoring, or some other kind of assistance to help the fatherless?
6. Cursed is the one who distorts justice due the fatherless.  (Deuteronomy 27:19)   He sees everything that goes on.  People sometimes take advantage of fatherless children because there is no strong dad there to defend them.  Be careful if you are in a decision making position, say as a sports coach, and give preference to those whose dad is there fighting for them.  The Lord is watching!  Twice He states through Isaiah the Prophet that the orphan must be vindicated.  (Isaiah 1:17, 23)
7. In ancient Israel, if the fatherless (and widows and aliens) were mistreated or had violence done to them (and innocent blood was shed), desolation would come to the house of the one sitting on David’s throne–the king of Judah.  Leadership is held accountable for caring for widows and orphans.  (Jeremiah 22:1-7)

We want the LORD to hear us in our prayers.  The Prophet Zechariah declared:

⁹ “Thus has the LORD of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother;

¹⁰ and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’

¹¹ But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing.

¹² They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.

¹³ And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts;…  (Zechariah 7:9-13)

As is very clear from the above passage, there are consequences to ignoring the needs of the fatherless.

Pray for the fatherless around you.  They are there.  You have seen them.  They could be playing at the basketball court, in the street, at the mall, at your place of worship.  Can you sense their loneliness?  Could speaking a kind, encouraging word, showing some attention, imparting some much needed wisdom, sharing some quality time, like in a pick-up game, or bestowing some other blessing be the way that the Holy Spirit has prompted you to interact with a fatherless child?  Please do not resist Him and allow your heart to be made like flint, so yourefuse to pay attention, and turn your shoulder and let your ears be stopped from hearing; and thus tragically forsake the opportunity to help lift the heavy burden of loneliness from a young, fatherless person and fail to give him or her the courage to go on another day.

This is serious business.  The LORD stated repeatedly that He is their defender.  Let’s get on His side in practical ways.  Let’s help lighten a portion of the affliction of loneliness carried by these brokenhearted children.

And, what if you are fatherless?  How do you find healing from this grievous wound?

As with any other problem or emotional pain, run to the Lord in His Word.  He is so concerned about you, and unlike others, is intimately familiar with your agony.  He has made several promises concerning you:

Psalm 68:5 states, “A Father of the fatherless, is God in His holy habitation.”

Hosea 14:3 says, “In Thee, the fatherless find mercy.”

Psalm 10:14 reminds us, “You have been a helper of the fatherless.”

Acknowledge the Creator God as your Heavenly Father — Out Loud.  Remind Him of His promises to be a father to you…and watch Him respond.  Claim Him as your source of mercy.  Remind Him that He stated in His word, at least twenty times, that he is concerned that justice be given to the fatherless.  Ask Him to send you sensitive, loving people that will be His surrogate in earthly situations.

Also, please do not be shocked or offended if “religious” people aren’t particularly sensitive to you.  For as James aptly states, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  (James 1:27)  The book of James is considered the most “Jewish” book of the New Testament.  James surely meant “fatherless” when he wrote “orphans”, since he himself was an observant Jewish man, and was very familiar with the Torah and Prophets.

May each of us become a blessing to a fatherless individual.  This is a true reflection of The Father’s heart!

The Biblical Hebrew word for “idol” or “image” (“Ahtzav”), means to “carve, fabricate, fashion”.  What is striking, however, is the fact that it also means “to worry; pain or anger; to grieve, hurt, vex.”.  (See entries 6087 through 6094 in the Hebrew dictionary in Strong’s concordance.)

Could it be that much of what you and I worry about, and get emotionally distraught about, are actually idols/gods in our lives?  No, not works of ceramic or stone, but perhaps our goals, which become the central focus of our being. We need emotional and financial security.  However, if we are laboring for these apart from trusting the love and care Yahveh* has for us, we might be making them into idols.  The Scripture says, “We know and believe the love God has for us.” (1 John chapter 4 verse 16)  Do you believe He really loves you?  Interestingly, the Apostle John ends this same letter with the admonition:  “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”  (1 John chapter 5 verse 21)

At times, we fret over what other people think of us, and order our lives to please them.  Or we envy and covet what others are or have.  This is stressful, adds to worry and sometimes, anger.  We are actually accountable for these inner motivations and actions. This is a clear violation of the first Commandment, “I am Yahveh*, you shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20: 2-3)  Thou shalt not covet is the 10th commandment.

Are you rushing about trying to fulfill what you think is your destiny…worried and anxious about so many things?  Here’s a timeless word from Scripture:  Isaiah 28:16 (ASV translation) says that “…he that believeth (believes in the precious cornerstone which Yahveh has laid in Zion. i.e. the Messiah) shall not be in haste.” (literally, not be in a hurry!)

In contrast, the Scripture exhorts us to rest in Messiah and “find out what is pleasing to the LORD (not men).” (Ephesians chapter 5 verse 10)  Messiah Yeshua said, “I always do the things that are pleasing to Him (The Father).” (John chapter 8 verse 29)  This is the key to peace, in contrast to worry and vexation:  To do the things that are pleasing to Yahveh (The Heavenly Father).  We have no record in Scripture of Messiah being anxious and fretting.  He manifested peace at all times.

Do you know the verse that precedes the amazing command and promise in Philippians chapter 4 verses 6 & 7:  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.“?  It’s the foundational truth that “The LORD is near. “ (verse 5)

The truth is “…He is not far from each one of us;…” (Acts chapter 17 verse 27), believer and non-believer, alike!

Today, draw near to Him…utter even the shortest prayer or cry. “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted…” (Psalm 34 Verse 18)  “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalm 145 verse 18)  And, He welcomes us with this wonderful invitation:  “You will seek Me and find (Me) when you search for Me with all your heart.  ‘I will be found by you,’ declares Yahveh…” (Jeremiah 29 verse 13, 14)  He actually lets us find Him!

Seek the ‘Wonderful Counselor’ (Isaiah 9 verse 6) today.  Let the ’spirit of wisdom’ (Isaiah 11 verse 2) search your heart to reveal any idols of worry and angst.  Ask Yahveh to remove these intruders. They intrude on our peace of mind and can actually impede constructive, creative thinking regarding the things about which we worry!  These intruders can adversely affect our health. As wise King Solomon said: ”A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”  (Proverbs 14 verse 30, NIV translation)  (Note: The Scriptures address psychosomatic illness three thousand years before modern medical science!)

Please write and let us know if any of your “worrying and hurrying” has been replaced by quietness and confidence as a result of acting upon something you’ve read in today’s post.

Shalom!

Please note that all Scripture quotes are taken from the New American Standard version, except where indicated.

*In seeking to place the Scripture quotes in their original Jewish context, we frequently use the Memorial Name (Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey; Yahveh) in place of the English ‘LORD’) and the Hebrew name ‘Yeshua’ in place of the Anglicized ‘Jesus’.