Tag Archives: provider

Who Is Yeshua?

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the eleventh article in the series, Yeshua is “the Prophet”.

Moses continued, “[Yehovah] your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” (Deut 18:15).

Yeshua is the Prophet that Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy 18.  This is confirmed in Peter’s speech on Shavuot (Pentecost): Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Yeshua, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you. Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people (Acts 3:19-23).

Moses prayed on behalf of the Israelites on many occasions throughout Exodus and Deuteronomy. One example is found in Deuteronomy 9:18. Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in Yehovah’s sight and so arousing his anger.  Matthew 4:1-3 tells us that Yeshua was led into the desert for forty days and forty nights and that He fasted and was tempted by hasatan (Satan). Was He also interceding for His people as Moses did? Romans 8:34 says that Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”  In John 17:20-21 Yeshua prayed “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Moses taught the Israelites how to live according to Yehovah’s commands and instructions.   Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you. (Deut 6:1).  Yeshua taught His disciples and large crowds in Israel the same statutes and judgments (Matt 5-7) and even expanded the commandmentsYou have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.  But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell (Matt 5:21-22). Yeshua did not do away with the law of Moses which is actually the law of Yehovah.  Moses was merely the messenger or prophet.  In fact, Yeshua not only upheld His Father’s law, but raised the bar, so to speak. 

Miracles and signs were performed through Moses as endorsement or proof that he had been commissioned and sent by Yehovah.  For example, Aaron’ staff turned into a snake. Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron,“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miraculous sign,’ then you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it in front of Pharaoh.’ It will become a serpent.” Exodus 7:8-9).  There are other examples of signs and miracles throughout the Old Testament of Moses and other prophets performing signs and wonders.  Yeshua also performed many miracles such as changing water into wine (John 2:1-11); healing the sick (Matt 8); raising the dead (John 11:38-44); feeding multitudes with just a few loaves and fish (John 6:1-14).

Moses relayed messages from Yehovah to Pharoah and to the Israelites. Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say” (Ex 4:12). Yeshua relayed messages from Yehovah to the religious and civil authorities and to the people in Israel.  For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. (John 12:49).

Moses as a prophet was a messenger for Yehovah, but Moses did not provide the manna in the desert, nor did he part the Reed Sea, nor did he draw water out of the rock by striking it.  It was Yehovah who protected and provided for the Israelites.  Yehovah is a spirit and it is more difficult for people operating only in the physical realm to related to a spirit.  So, Moses, a human like the rest of the Israelites, was more tangible to them, but he was not Yehovah.  Yeshua is both Yehovah and a human and is therefore the perfect person to be the Prophet.  The Israelites tended to attribute Yehovah’s work to Moses’ credit and there was a tendency to worship Moses rather than Yehovah.   Yeshua, the Prophet, relates the Father’s message to us and does the work of His Father, but Yeshua is also Yehovah.  When we understand who Yeshua is, then we can more easily make the connection to Yehovah.  It is then that we recognize our true Provider and Protector.

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the sixth article in the series, Yeshua is our Provider.

The book of Numbers provides many examples of Yeshua as Yehovah Yireh or Yehovah, our Provider.  In Numbers 9, the Israelites are instructed to observe the second Passover. The lamb they sacrificed represented the true Lamb of Yehovah.  Most likely they wouldn’t have realized this, but were they able to make the connection between the blood of their sacrificed lamb and the lamb that was offered in place of Isaac in Genesis 22? Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Gen 22:8)  Do we recognize and appreciate the wonderful gift that Yeshua has provided for us? 

In Numbers 11, the Israelites complain about lack of meat.  In Exodus 16 that Yehovah had already provided manna from Heaven and quail to sustain them in the wilderness. The problem wasn’t that they desired meat again.  The problem was their attitude and approach.  They simply could have asked Moshe to pray for them, or better still, they could have asked Yehovah to provide meat for them.  Would you rather have someone ask you politely for something or complain that you are a lousy provider?  Were they ever grateful for all that Yehovah provided?  Are we grateful for all that He provides for us?

Yeshua is our Bread from Heaven. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) Do we gratefully partake of what Yeshua has lovingly offered or are we searching for something in the world to satisfy us?

Yehovah offers the Israelites the land He promised to give them.  He had made this promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and again to the Israelites.  The Lord now said to Moses, “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites (Numbers13:1-2).  In the following chapter, we see that the Israelites were afraid and refused to go into the land.  That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt (Num 14:1-4).

Yeshua offers us the Kingdom of Heaven.  And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2:44).  Do we seek His kingdom above all else or will we refuse His offer just as the Israelites did?

In Numbers 19, a perfect red heifer was to be slaughtered and completely burned outside the camp.  The priest was to throw some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool onto the heifer as it was burning.  The ashes would then be mixed with water to purify those who had become unclean through contact or proximity to a dead body.  This is a picture of Yeshua’s death on the cross (represented by the cedar wood).  Our Perfect Lamb was covered by our scarlet sins (Isaiah 1:18) and would also be covered in His own blood.  His sacrifice would be as hyssop, cleansing us from the death of sin. 

In Numbers 20 the Israelites were again complaining about lack of water.  Their complaining upset Moses so much that did not speak to the rock as commanded, but rather struck it instead.  Even so, water gushed out of the rock.  Yeshua was struck on our behalf and out of Him flows living water.  On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’ ”… (John 7:37-38).

In Numbers 21, we encounter another picture of Yeshua providing for us.  [The Israelites] traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So, Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived (Numbers 21:4-9)   The bronze snake on the pole is a shadow picture of Yeshua on the cross.  As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life (John 3:14-15). Those who forsake their sins and believe in Him will never die the second death, but will live forever.

Later in chapter 21, we see a picture of Yehovah providing protection against enemies. Then [the Israelites] turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei. The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.” So, they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land (Num 21:33-35).

Yeshua will return as our conquering King and will destroy our enemies. I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory (Rev 6:2). In the midst of ever-increasing darkness, in the midst of our own troubles and trials, do we feel alone and isolated, or do we eagerly wait for our conquering King?

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living. 

Invisible Treasure

keep pursuing the goalAs discussed in previous article, Yeshua paid a heavy price for His treasure. We are His pearls of great value. Yeshua is our Pearl of great value, a value far beyond what we can comprehend. Yeshua was once on this earth, but we can no longer see Him. However, He is real and still very much alive, even though to us He is invisible right now.

Let us examine Scripture to learn some of the aspects of Yeshua’s value. The following list is but a fragment of all that describes Messiah Yeshua, but it is plenty for us to contemplate. Yeshua is fully human, but He is also fully God (Matt 16:16; 1 Tim 3:16)). Our treasure is God Himself! Our Father refers to Yeshua as “My Beloved Son. (Matt 17:5).” In western thinking, we tend to view Yeshua as somewhat inferior to Father, but in Hebrew thinking the firstborn son is equal to his father. Colossians 1:15 refers to Yeshua as the first-born of every creature. Yeshua came to restore all creation.

 Our Redeemer is the Creator and Upholder of all things. (Col. 1:16; Heb.1:3). Yeshua refers to Himself as the Alef and the Tav (in Greek, the Alpha and Omega) (Rev. 1:8, 22:3). In ancient Hebrew, each letter was a picture. The alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and was a picture of a strong bull designating both a leader and a protector. The tav, which is the last letter of the alphabet, was a picture of a cross being carried. Yeshua, Who is first and strongest, made Himself to be last and weakest for our sake (John 1:29).

 Yeshua is eternal life (1 John 1:2; John 11:25). We all face death in our mortal bodies, but we have hope of eternal life in and through Yeshua. In our present life, we may have many trials and tribulations, but we can look forward with hope to a joyous and triumphant life in Messiah Yeshua for eternity.

 Everything we will ever need or desire is in Yeshua. He is our Shepherd (John 10:16). He is the true Vine and we, the branches, receive power and abundant life through Him (John 10:10; John 15:5). It is only with His lifeblood flowing through us that we are able to be fruitful in the Kingdom of God.

 Yeshua is our Provider (John 6:35) and with Him we will want for nothing. We need never fear for Yeshua is also our Rock (Ps. 19:14; 1 Cor 10:4); and our Refuge in all the storms that threaten us (Isa 25:4). Yeshua is our wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption (1 Cor 1:30).

 Many people mistakenly believe that there are many ways to God. Yeshua has revealed to us that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Even if it were possible to find another way to the Father, why would we desire anyone or anything else? Yeshua is everything to us (Col 3:11). Therefore, it is our joy and privilege to die to ourselves, so that we may have life in Him. If we are willing to give up all that we have, we will be abundantly compensated (Mark 10:29-30). Our Pearl is priceless indeed!