introduction

Jeremiah the prophet is probably what we are calling today between the Devil and the deep blue sea. Though that The Lord has chosen him before he was even born to be a prophet, Jeremiah was a prophet from the village (Anatot), not from the mainstream; his prophecies was in most of the time evil things that supposed to come to the people of Israel-a divine punishment from the almighty. Therefore, Jeremiah is called by a lot of commentators the prophet of the confrontation .Today we are going to speak about the beginning of his journey as a prophet, approximately in 627 B.C.E.

Jeremiah

The revelation of The Lord to Jeremiah

As we mentioned before, Jeremiah was chosen to be a prophet before he was born , as written in the scriptures (Jeremiah 1:5)

“בְּטֶרֶם אֶצָּרְךָ בַבֶּטֶן יְדַעְתִּיךָ, וּבְטֶרֶם תֵּצֵא מֵרֶחֶם הִקְדַּשְׁתִּיךָ:  נָבִיא לַגּוֹיִם, נְתַתִּיךָ”

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations”

After Jeremiah hesitated and said that he is only a child that can’t speak and he should not be a prophet, The Lord touched his mouth in his hand and gave him the power to speak and be a prophet as written:

“וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוָה אֶת-יָדוֹ, וַיַּגַּע עַל-פִּי; וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי, הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי דְבָרַי בְּפִיךָ”

“Then the LORD put forth His hand, and touched my mouth; and the LORD said unto me: Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth”

The first sight and the importance of Hebrew

When Jeremiah accepted The Lord missions, The Almighty showed him a tree, and the miracle is that Jeremiah figured out that this is a rod of an almond tree. Then The Lord said to him that he saw the sight and then explained that he is going to see what The Lord Is going to The People of Israel. The amazing thing that happened in the Hebrew words disappeared in the English translation.

Let us see the Hebrew words for this sight as written in the scriptures:

“ וַיְהִי דְבַר-יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר, מָה-אַתָּה רֹאֶה יִרְמְיָהוּ; וָאֹמַר, מַקֵּל שָׁקֵד אֲנִי רֹאֶה.

    וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי, הֵיטַבְתָּ לִרְאוֹת:  כִּי-שֹׁקֵד אֲנִי עַל-דְּבָרִי, לַעֲשֹׂתוֹ” 

” Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: ‘Jeremiah, what seest thou?’ And I said: ‘I see a rod of an almond-tree.’ Then said the LORD unto me: ‘Thou hast well seen; for I watch over My word to perform it.”

almond tree

The English reader can not see the relationship between the almond tree (šāqēd) to the performance of The Lord (šoqēd). This is not just a relationship between the sounds or what we are calling alliteration – this is one more reason to learn the biblical Hebrew and understand precisely the words of The Lord to us, his believers!!!

main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

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Who was Azazel?

According to the scriptures, Azazel was the evil spirit in the wilderness to whom a scapegoat was sent on the Day of Atonement. The ceremony commenced when the high priest cast lots over two goats: one was designated to the Lord and offered as a sin offering, while the other was for Azazel and outcast in the desert as part of Yom Kippur

the two goats for the ceremony

The high priest symbolically placed the iniquities and transgressions on the head of this goat which was banished into the wilderness, thereby removing the sins to a distant desolate place. Leviticus 16:8-10

“וְנָתַן אַהֲרֹן עַל-שְׁנֵי הַשְּׂעִירִם, גֹּרָלוֹת–גּוֹרָל אֶחָד לַיהוָה, וְגוֹרָל אֶחָד לַעֲזָאזֵל. וְהִקְרִיב אַהֲרֹן אֶת-הַשָּׂעִיר, אֲשֶׁר עָלָה עָלָיו הַגּוֹרָל לַיהוָה; וְעָשָׂהוּ, חַטָּאת. וְהַשָּׂעִיר, אֲשֶׁר עָלָה עָלָיו הַגּוֹרָל לַעֲזָאזֵל, יָעֳמַד-חַי לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, לְכַפֵּר עָלָיו–לְשַׁלַּח אֹתוֹ לַעֲזָאזֵל, הַמִּדְבָּרָה.”

“And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats: one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for Azazel . And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for the LORD, and offer him for a sin-offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before the LORD, to make atonement over him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.”

Also in Leviticus 16:26:

“וְהַמְשַׁלֵּחַ אֶת-הַשָּׂעִיר, לַעֲזָאזֵל–יְכַבֵּס בְּגָדָיו, וְרָחַץ אֶת-בְּשָׂרוֹ בַּמָּיִם; וְאַחֲרֵי-כֵן, יָבוֹא אֶל-הַמַּחֲנֶה.”

“And he that letteth go the goat for Azazel shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.”

What does “Azazel” meanas?

Azazel is an enigmatic name from the Hebrew Scriptures and Apocrypha The name Azazel is a combination of the words Azaz (”rugged”) and El (”God”).

azazel

Jewish rabbis, interpreting “Azazel” as Azaz and el, refer it to the rugged and rough mountain cliff from which the scapegoat was cast down on Yom Kippur when the Jewish Temples in Jerusalem stood. A few modern commentators have suggested that Azazel was the name of a desert demon.

In the kabbalistic and midrashic literature, Azazel is considered to be a composite name for two fallen angels, Uza and Azael, who had come down to earth at the time of Tubal Cain and had become corrupted in their ways.

In Modern Hebrew slang “go to Azazel” means “go to hell.I wish you all to go to heaven!!!

main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

Eli@eteachergroup.com

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introduction

In the scriptures we cam find 2 main ways to serve the lord: firstly, by giving The Lord the sacrifices in every time when you see him in the temple, let us call this the instrument way; secondly, by feeling him in the heart, which was the place of thinking according to the time the scriptures have been written. Certainly, that we can find believers then and today that served The Lord in both of the ways.

i don'w want the sacrifices , i want you to love the good!

Amos way

In the book of Amos we can find the second way as the star the shining, and the first as the fallen star. Amos, who lived in the 8^th century B.C.E , and predicted by his prophecies the fall of the northern kingdom, saying in all of his book consistently : do justice, look after the poor people, do not abuse the widow, and when he has to speak about the correct way to serve The Lord he sais to us in chapter 5:15

    שִׂנְאוּ-רָע וְאֶהֱבוּ טוֹב, וְהַצִּיגוּ בַשַּׁעַר מִשְׁפָּט

“Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate” (King James Version)

the blindness of the judges or an idael world( JUSTICE FOR ALL)?

Is it possible?

From my point of you, the first two words of Amos are possible but optional, because we can choose that we will focus on the second two words, we can focus in loving, in doing good, and in loving the good and the goodness that The Lord gave us. We will help the widows, we will donate for the poor people, we will not make the trials unjustice- this is the way, my friends, this is the way…

main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

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Introduction

When the bible wants to speak about the just person, the person who do good things to the environment, he gives us a metaphor, that’s related to one of the most important subjects today, ecology. The metaphor is a plant that has roots and fruits, a plant that has a lot of water around him, a plant that does not have any gender nor nation.

The plant

The best way to describe this plant is to look at the words of psalms 1 and to see how the plant give us the hope, that we just need the water in order to maintain and achieve the justice in the world.

the plant that gives the fruit of justice

Let us see some words of the psalms (1:1-4)

“אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ  אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ, בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים;וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים, לֹא עָמָד, וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים, לֹא יָשָׁב.

 כִּי אִם בְּתוֹרַת יְהוָה, חֶפְצוֹ;    וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ יֶהְגֶּה, יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה.  וְהָיָה  כְּעֵץ, שָׁתוּל עַל-פַּלְגֵי-מָיִם:

אֲשֶׁר פִּרְיוֹ, יִתֵּן בְּעִתּוֹ–וְעָלֵהוּ לֹא-יִבּוֹל;    וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר-יַעֲשֶׂה יַצְלִיחַ.

  לֹא-כֵן הָרְשָׁעִים:    כִּי אִם-כַּמֹּץ, אֲשֶׁר-תִּדְּפֶנּוּ רוּחַ““

“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away”

The function of the wind

We can see that the psalmist wanted to show us what is right to do and how to behave and serve the lord, but he didn’t just write about the just. He also wrote about the unjust, the man who’s making the sins, and the function of the wind is to get rid of the unjust people, in order to make our plants with the best fruit they can get.

the wind the removed the sinners

When god gave us the people of the world the instructions how to live he gave us the water to make the plants bloom – we should try harder to follow this, and then we can go back to the garden of eden, the best place to be with the best plants ……

main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

Eli@eteachergroup.com

learn biblical hebrew