A brief look at Ezekiel 37:15-28 and Matt 18:1-19:30

[Jacob Ben Avraham]

EZEKIEL 37:15-28

Here, “Yeches’kel Ha Navi” (Ezekiel the Prophet) sees the joining of Judah and the children of Israel, and Yosef, with his son Efrain” and they are joined together as ONE (Echad) “One in Unity” Once they were separated, Yosef and his sons in Egypt, and Israel, Judah, and his brothers, in Canaan, but NOW, together as ONE FAMILY. As we are also ONE (Echad) in Messiah Yeshua's love. We are “Kehilah Echad” (One congregation united in Yeshua) even though there are thousands of “Kehilot” all over the world, our relationship in Yeshua makes us ONE.

MATT 18:1-19:30


Yeshua says that “unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. A child is “innocent” and has an eager mind to learn. When we are “born again” we start anew, like “little children” and slowly “grow into maturity” yes, we will stumble and fall, get into trouble, and get “spanked” by the Father, but HE will still love us as HIS CHILDREN.

Matt 18:8,9 often causes one to think twice. “If your hand or foot become a snare for you, cut it off and throw it away…If your eye is a snare for you, pluck it out and cast it away..”

Why did Yeshua use this terminology? Certainly, this is not literal. Of course not. If not literal, it has to be moral and spiritual. The end focus is heaven. It is the physical against the spiritual. One way we can look at this is that we do things with our hands and feet. Our hands perform actions and our feet take us to different places. We must be careful that we don’t participate in actions that can hinder our spiritual growth. We must be careful not to go to certain places, or events that are completely worldly and have nothing to do with our relationship with Messiah.

How about what we see. We see with our eyes and we must take care of what we watch. Does what we watch (on TV or on the Net) cause a stumbling block in our spiritual walk. Does it hinder our growth? If it does, better “cast” our eyes elsewhere.

In Hebraic thinking, the eyes are the windows of the soul. You have heard of the expression; "Having a good eye" or an "evil eye" A good eye is when we see the needs of those around us, and we will not hesitate in giving to the poor and needy in their times of distress. But having an "evil eye" or a "bad eye" is seeing the needs of those around us, but ignoring those needs. The person has their "eye on their wallet" and does not give to others, (Sounds like Mr. Scrooge). So, those with a "good eye" are generous, those with a "bad or evil eye" are those who are stingy and selfish.

Our future hope is Heaven, in Yeshua, we are secure, yet what we do here on earth as believers will have either a positive or negative effect in Heaven. A loss or gain of rewards. SO, what we do here will “eternally” affect us! Just think on that! (and I am speaking to myself too, big-time!)

Shavua tov (have a good week) Ben Avraham

 

PIC:  A mid-summer's evening sunset.  We will all have our last "sun set" of our lives here on earth.  Yet we will awake to meet the "Son" in the World to Come.  Will He be your Savior? or judge? 

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Jacob Ben Avraham
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