Timothy J. Pruitt's Blog, page 171

Tools Of Encouragement

This is the first of a three part series on encouraging others. We hope it encourages you.

Encouragement is always welcome. Unlike advice, opinion, and criticism, encouragement doesn’t require a direct invitation. That doesn’t mean that timing isn’t involved, there is a time and season for all tings. It does mean that a wise encourager can always add value.

I’m talking about encouragement without expectation of anything in return. Great encouragers main focus isn’t networking, or personal benefit. That can be a side effect, but great encouragers are simply attempting to add value to others.

I have seen many encouragers along the way, and I’m attempting to encourage others myself in any way I can. There are some tools of encouragement that I’d like to share with you. Just as great craftsman develop their skills with a saw or chisel, you can use these to become a more effective encourager.

First, actively listen. This will do three important things. It will in itself encourage them that someone cares about them. It will encourage them that what they care about is important to someone else.

It will guide you to areas that need encouragement, allowing you to pour into them properly. Water poured on a counter makes a mess, water poured into a glass quenches a thirst.

Next, practice regular encouragement. Just as plants need regular sunshine, all of us benefit from continuing reinforcement. This may not mean you say something every day, but a weekly text, call, or email might be the only validation they receive that week.

This is the most important, believe in them. Don’t just say you do, or encourage to be a good person. Believe in those you encourage. When you do, it comes from the heart. Heartfelt encouragement is a bond between you and those you pour into. It must be sustained with loyalty and trust.

Finally, be the voice that tells them you can achieve what you’re dreaming of doing. Encouragement for today is vital, lifting towards tomorrow helps them to reach higher. Don’t pick the direction for them, but be the one cheering them towards the finish line.

To use a play on words, to encourage is to pour courage in others. In a very real way, you are gifting them a means to succeeding. Your voice can help them to drown out the voices that are against them.

Some of the greatest moments in my life, we’re not my own accomplishments, but supporting others. You’re encouragement can elevate, rescue, and even prevent defeat for others. It’s harder to give up, when you know someone else truly believes in you.

iPainting Violin Quartet

A violin quartet doesn’t just combine the sounds of instruments. It combines the talent and history of the four musicians, their training, history, and experiences. Each one’s style and subtleties adds to the performance.

The same is true of any collaboration, we are better together than we ever are alone. When you work to compliment each other, you add value to everyone. A cohesive team creates something you could not independently.

Getting to the finish line as a team, is always a symphony. It may take a lot of rehearsal, but it’s worth the investment. A quartet can do so much more than a soloist can.

PruittWrites Latest Book- Israel, Through The Eyes Of Jacob And Moses

I love the history of Israel. God birthed a family, to produce a nation, to give birth to The Savior. Israel’s history began with Abraham and Isaac, yet God used Jacob and Moses to define their future.

God has given me what I consider one of the most important books I’ve written, “Israel, Through The Eyes Of Jacob And Moses”, on the events that brought this about. Each chapter focuses on one of the tribes. We explore Israelites from the obscure to the famous.

Shaul the son of Simeon, Tola the Judge, Anna the Prophetess, each of these people’s story are part of the greater history of Israel. Places like Beth-Biri, Beth-Hoglah, and the stone of Bohan hold vital information on the events of Scripture. It’s my hope this, one of the most important I’ve ever written, will add value to your journey. It’s available in paperback and kindle @ www.amazon.com/author/pruittwrites today.

iPainting Emperor Penguin Antarctica

Emperor Penguins have always fascinated me. Especially the fact that God placed these beautiful animals in Antarctica for people to discover. God always places unexpected blessings in your path to encourage you to go forward.

The Tribe Of Asher

Numbers 2:27

27 And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, the chief of the people of Asher being Pagiel the son of Ochran,

Nothing with God is an accident. That’s not to say that every second of time is micromanaged. Most people misquote  the Scripture, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” All things aren’t good, or even divinely intended, but God melds the events of our days to bring us to that great day that is to come.

Solomon said life and chance happen to us all. David said Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light unto my path. The steps of a good man are ordered of The Lord. The path, the steps, and the direction are planned, but we will face obstacles in the way.

God allows, not causes the obstacles. An whether the stumbling block is a key to a future event, something that life brings, or something that our mistakes have caused, God will use it to help, and not hurt us. Joseph’s brothers were not inspired to throw him into the pit, but God knew it would happen.

What was meant to be an instrument of cruelty and revenge by man, was what God used to save the same men’s lives. What does all this have to do with Numbers 2:27? For one thing, Pagiel’s ancestor, Asher, was one of those who threw Joseph into the pit.

It’s Pagiel’s name that introduced the topic that I’m getting ready to share, and have alluded to above. Among other meanings, his name is defined as, “Accident Of God.” God is merciful, kind, compassionate, wise, but one thing He is not, is accident prone.

There are no accidents of God, and yet, this is what this young man’s name means. That one definition arrested me. I was reading Numbers 2, the chapter about the standard bearers around the Tabernacle, and I felt that I needed to go back and look up Pagiel.

When I saw the meaning, I wanted to learn everything I could about the young man. He was the Prince of his tribe. His Father’s name is Ochran, meaning muddler or trouble. An the standard he stood by was the olive tree.

Beyond that, we know very little about the man that sparked such an interesting name. So I began to look at his family, and the tribe he was the head of. It was a large tribe, apparently a successful one, but with very few, named, prominent members.

His tribe is described as the happiest of tribes, and yet, it is one of the those that God had placed on Mount Ebal to curse, or warn of what would happen if Israel backslid. We view happiness as a blessing, and it is with a life that is pleasing to God, but without a relationship with God, happiness is only a deception.

Happiness without a relationship with God, is a very dangerous thing. With sorrow, there is longing, a sense that things can be better. Sorrow screams something is missing, happiness whispers everything is fine. Destruction often doesn’t come in a shout, but in a soft, quiet, murmur.

Longing in itself isn’t a sign of righteousness though. Any emotion, any condition, outside of a right relationship with God, has it’s perils. Just as happiness, absent God, is a masking of truth, the lack of happiness can lead you on a road of danger.

Some of the most serious people away from a stage, are comedians. I don’t know if it’s that they get bored with being funny, or if they get tired of it. Perhaps they get bored with laughter. Or they resent that is the only facet of their personality people see, I’m not sure.

What I do know is that they eventually put on a happy face like an actor puts on a mask. It’s not real, if they’re good at what they do, it can seem like it, but it isn’t. Asher may have been known to be the happiest of tribes, but there was trouble lurking somewhere behind the tent door.

Among the tribes bored with the manna, tired of the blessings, was the tribe of Asher. Every thing good that God had given them, and still it was not good enough. When they got to the promised land, they failed to drive out the Phoenicians in the land they inherited.

There were no judges recorded of Asher. No great kings ruled from this tribe. The great prophets, such as Moses, Elijah, and Ezekiel, were not from the tribe of Asher. I did find one important thing that happened with this tribe in the Old Testament.

King Hezekiah sent messengers throughout Israel to keep the Passover. He was asking Israel to turn from their sinful ways, and return to God. Initially there was resistance, but Asher was the first tribe mentioned who humbled themselves, and came back to Jerusalem.

The “happy” tribe realized that what they had, the wealth, the pleasant conditions, everything that they were content with, wasn’t enough. Somewhere in them, there was a desire for something that was more than what they had.

So they made the journey back to God. Maybe your life seems fine. The bills are paid, you have your health. Nothing seems to be wrong. Maybe you’re even a happy person. Let me ask you something, are you complete?

I’ve seen broken men laugh. I’ve heard laughter at the funeral home, but it didn’t change the condition that had brought us there. If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, then something is missing in your life.

Asher realized this, and while we don’t know what all happened, we do know someone passed on what Asher returned too. The last two generations we see in the family of Asher, are a Father and a daughter.

The man’s name is Phanuel, and he has a daughter named Anna. She is a widow, and when we meet her, most likely her father is dead, because she is eighty four years old.

I’m guessing they’re not what you expected. It’s not really a thriving group. The memory of a Dad and a husband, and she only got to be married for seven years. The Bible mentions no children, no relatives, and no legacy.

It would appear to be a sad life, but like I said about happiness, appearances can be deceiving. Her dad, Phanuel, meant The Face Of God, and that is where Anna spent her time, near God, in the Temple.

We only see her for three verses of Scripture, but oh what three verses it is, Luke chapter two. This family of a handmaid, whose namesake was born as a weapon in a feud between two sisters, now saw another child. The woman’s whose Father was named after God’s face, was blessed to see the Face Of God in flesh!

Like the founding namesake of her tribe, this child was also a weapon, but He was not born out of jealousy. The Christ was born to rescue the happy and the sad, those who laughed, and those who cried. The prominent, the forsaken, and the seemingly forgotten, all were rescued by this weapon of hope.

There are no accidents of God. Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, what happens to you, may not be planned, but you were. God may not micromanage the events of time, but He created time to spend it with you and I.

It was no accident that Anna, who had been so faithful, even in the midst of her sorrow, got to see Jesus. Sorrow, like laughter, can be a gift, and they can both be gifts from God. It doesn’t matter what brought you to Jesus, only that you find him. Anna means Grace, and as long as Grace brings you to Jesus, it doesn’t matter how you get there.

One of the places in the tribal territory of Asher was the town of Beth-emek, meaning House Of The Valley. There are times when we inherit a house in the valley, or a depressed state. Sometimes it’s by chance, other times it’s through our own mistakes, or at times, it just happens.

Regardless, you find yourself in a house in a valley. You inherit it in the midst of others whose circumstances are different. Don’t make the mistake that there borders are better for you than your own. They are different, but God did not place you where they are, or them where you are.

Each tribe was placed in the location that was best for them. Asher was meant to bring laughter to the House Of The Valley. Some people are called to sorrow, not for themselves, but for those who would come after them. The House Of The Valley is not a closed house, nor did God place you in an isolated place. He placed you a secure location, in a place that desperately needs some true joy.

Beth-emek was surrounded by places like Jiphthah–el, meaning God will open, the place right before Beth-emek. After it, is Neiel, or Moved Of God, which is followed by Cabul, or sterile and limitation. When God places you in a trial, one that lasts so long, you feel it’s become your address, don’t forget that He never sits you where He’s not standing beside you.

Beth-emek was in the center of all these places. It was the gateway that bridged what is open, into where God is moving, to those areas where limitation and barrenness seem so common. Asher was meant to connect the sorrowful with a joy that’s doesn’t numb the pain, but turns it into a testimony.

The last individual from the tribe of Asher, that we know by name is Anna. This woman, a Prophetess, had experienced her own valley. Instead of sadness, she shared the source of her joy throughout Jerusalem. She shared the love for God she had, in spite of a long, lonely trial, with everyone. Anna knew, Jesus is here to rescue the isolated, the limited, and the hopeless.

This seemingly insignificant tribe, which entered the world laughing, now exits it rejoicing, heralding the birth of The Savior. We met Pagiel beside his standard, the Olive Tree, among the thousands of Israel, surrounding the Tabernacle.

The last place we see the tribe of Asher, is in Revelation chapter seven. Standing, sealed with the seal of God, among the tribes of Israel, worshipping The Lamb. Jacob said Asher’s bread would be fat or rich, and he would yield royal delicacies. Moses said he would dip his feet in oil, and that he would be acceptable to his brothers.

In other words, Asher eventually testified of God’s Grace, as well as His birth, sharing real joy with the world. No matter the trouble the family faced, no matter how many accidents seemed to befall them, no matter what struggles they inherited, Asher kept going. In the end, he stood with his brothers, and his children, rejoicing at the Throne Of God.

The Tribe Of Levi

The following is the last chapter in our Bible study on Israel, Through The Eyes Of Jacob And Moses. This is also the title of the upcoming book on this study. We hope you enjoy this chapter on the Levi’s of The Word Of God.

There were two of them. One sat in a custom house, collecting taxes. The other, with his brothers, avenged his sister’s honor. These are not what you would think when I say Apostle, and tribal founder, but both of them were Levi.

Levi, the son of Jacob in Genesis, and Matthew called Levi in the beginning of The New Testament. At the beginning of both Testaments, there is a Levi. The son of Jacob, connects his father Jacob and his descendent Moses.

Levi’s name means joined, its only fitting, you could describe him as a coupling of people. He is the last tribe in our list, but his chapter ties these men, and all of Israel together. John The Baptist, the Forerunner of Christ, was a Levite, just as the Levitical Priesthood would point to another High Priest, The Christ.

Another son of Levi, arguably the most famous, Moses, was five generations after Israel. Jacob’s son Levi, had a son named Kohath, who had a son named Amram, who had two sons and a daughter. One of them was named Moses.

Had his children been born in a hospital, Jacob may have had a favorite chair. After all, he had been here at least thirteen times. Twelve sons, and one daughter. He impacted each child, and each child left their mark on Jacob, especially Levi.

This entire book has focused on the final words of Jacob and Moses to the people of Israel. Jacob, the Patriarch, also known as Israel. Moses, the Prophet, leader of Israel, or Jeshurun as he referred to them in his final address. He would be the first to use that phrase. Their final words to Israel navigated the course of the nation’s history, and the world’s.

Before we go to the words these men spoke to Levi, I would like to compare and contrast Jacob and Moses. I must confess, until writing this book, I had considered them to be quite different. As it so often happens, I was wrong.

Moses could be called the face of The Old Testament. If you grew up watching television, you think fo Carlton Heston with a beard. If you have a Jewish heritage, you think of the Lawgiver.

What fascinates me, is something that I haven’t heard many talk about. He was named, not by the Mother who birthed him, not by the Momma who hid him, but by an Egyptian. Moses was called Moses, not because of the woman who put him in the basket, but the one who took him out, Pharoah’s daughter.

Perhaps it’s because we are adopted parents, but I’m amazed that, the only name he’s given, is by her. When he came of age, by faith, by faith The Bible says, he refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter. He chose the people of God, and their afflictions, but he kept the name.

Exodus 3:4 (ESV)

4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

God never changed His name. In fact, in Exodus 3, when God sees him watching the Burning Bush, he uses the name twice. “Moses, Moses!” God had no problem with where he got his name, or who had named him. God had a purpose for both the man, and his name.

A lot can be speculated about his name. Yes, it means drawn out of the water. The Hebrew and Egyptian for this name seem to be similar, but Gill indicates that though it was an Egyptian who named him, she used a Hebrew name. He supposes she knew the language, and talked to Moses’ Mother and nurse, Jochebed, in Hebrew.

What I do know is this, both women loved him. I also note, it mentions Moses adopted Mother, his birth parents, but it never mentions a husband for Pharoah’s daughter. I don’t know her story, but it is quite possible Moses was the only source of joy in her life.

I wonder if she had an idea that Moses’ nurse was his Momma? If that’s so, she wasn’t just protecting her adopted son, in a way she was adopting a family. In the process she transferred her identity. Up until Moses, she was known as Pharaoh’s daughter, but Scripture records her as the woman who rescued Moses.

If the enemy tries to bind you up into who you were before you came to the water, remember, that’s not the case. Just as this encounter changed Pharoah’s daughter to Moses’ adopted Mother, and just as the woman at the well left the water pot behind, leave your past at the water. God will never look at you the way you were before you met Him.

God changes our identity in the water. To me this is a perfect type and shadow of baptism. She is in the water to wash, she meets someone in the water from a totally different world than her own. A name is spoken in the water, and she leaves forever changed. Sound familiar?

It reminds me of the second chapter of Acts, as well as the tenth chapter, when Simon Peter baptized Jew and Gentile in The Name of Jesus. Later, the Apostle Paul would do the exact same thing in Acts nineteen.

Acts 19:5 (KJV)

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

As Moses was a type of Christ, and both Peter and Paul baptized in The Name of Jesus, I believe this was no accident. I would encourage you to ask yourself, if Peter and Paul baptized in Jesus’ name, how should we be baptizing? If the type and shadow in Exodus, and The Fulfillment in Acts both used a specific name in the water, shouldn’t we continue in that way?

Both women loved their baby boy. Moses grew up being loved deeply. Educated with the finest education available in his day. He also grew up being taught that he was different.

Perhaps Jochebed, his Mother said, “You may live in the Egyptian palace Moses. You may be dressed like you belong here, but you are called to a higher calling, and to something beyond the palace of Pharoah.”

Our focus is not the extraordinary life of the man Moses, but the final address he gives to the nation he led out of tyranny, and into freedom. Moses reminds me of Israel’s George Washington.

Deuteronomy 33:5 (ESV)

5 Thus the LORD became king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.

God selected Moses especially to lead, speak, and guide His people. The Ten Commandments that He gave to Moses, are the pattern for most legal systems in our world, in some form or fashion. Like Washington before he left office, and Jacob before he died, Moses gave a farewell address, in Deuteronomy 33.

Moses began this farewell by reminding Israel, that God was king in Jeshurun. He was saying as God led me, that’s how I led Israel. In other words, I led you as God directed me. Moses wanted them to know that meant, God would lead them on after him.

Jacob and Moses’ blessings are the only two like them I find in Scripture. Abraham blessed his family, but without such detail. David addressed Israel, but not this way. Even the Prophet Isaiah, didn’t take each tribe and address them as these two men did.

What connection did Jacob and Moses share, that sparked two of the most unique chapters in the Scriptures? They had each been shepherds. Both men watched their Father In Law’s Sheep. They were familiar with every aspect, from the mundane to the life and death moments. Jacob and Moses had each, most likely helped birth sheep, sheared them, and sheltered them from danger.

They had both met God in a strange country. Each married women in the land they ran too. The land of Laban may have been the native land of Abraham, but it was not that of Jacob. The place his Grandfather had been called to leave, was where he was sent too. Partially because of a bride, but also to escape the hand of his brother Esau.

Esau and Aaron. Jacob and Moses each had older brothers. For a period, each man had been separated from their siblings. Each had a reunion. Both men would be in a position higher than their brothers. One ran from his brother, the other in running, was separated from his brother.

Both Moses and Jacob had an experience with God in the place of escape. That’s where we all find God, in a place of escape from our sin, our guilt, and our shame. Jacob went to sleep and had a dream. Moses saw the fire.

Each man’s experience with God, foreshadowed their future ministry. God would again appear to Jacob through a dream, telling him to go to Egypt. The Fire Moses witnessed in the burning bush, was in a pillar in the sky, on his way out of Egypt.

While Jacob entered, and Moses was famous for leaving, they had both been called to Egypt. They were both told that Israel would not remain there permanently. Each man spoke to Pharoah. Both men were fathers of sons. Finally, each man blessed Israel before they said goodbye.

While both had similarities, including both giving a blessing at the end, it’s in these addresses I see great differences. Please note, I am in no way saying one was more accurate, or better than the other. I believe each address was anointed, and each served a great purpose.

It must be remembered, Jacob blessed sons, and Moses blessed tribes. Jacob was speaking concerning the future of his sons, pointing to the nation they would become. Moses was speaking to the nation they were becoming, reminding them they were family.

Both were about the future, both were about love, most importantly, both were about Unity! The same message. Different circumstances, different approaches, but the same message.

Each was about unity and expansion, from different perspectives. Jacob looked at Levi, and saw a son he loved, but probably like his Dad, he saw a flawed man. Levi had a temper, so did Jacob. Moses looked at the tribe of Levi, and saw not only one of the tribes of Israel, he saw his family.

One was the Father of Levi, the other became a Father to the tribe of Levi, and to all of Israel. They each had a special relationship with the tribe of the priesthood. What did each say to him?

First, it must be stated, who Levi was. It is ironic that in Genesis 29, Leah the Mother of Levi, said Jacob will love me because I’ve born him now three sons. Levi was the third son in the verse that names him. He is always mentioned, in conjunction with someone else.

Even here, he is one of three that are the focus of this chapter. This chapter really is about Jacob, Moses, and Levi. To understand this tribe, you have to realize, they were never meant to stand alone, none of us were.

Genesis 29:34 (ESV)

34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.

Levi, meaning attached, was called to tie things together. In different lives, he is the thread that connects people. Generations are connected in Levi.

Families found meaning tied to each other in Levi. Covenants were birthed in connection with Levi. In the garments worn by the High Priest, Levi’s descendent, threads would be used to illustrate the pattern given from God to Moses to hold Israel together.

Exodus 28:24 (ESV)

24 And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece.

These golden cords, were attached to the breastplate of the High Priest. The word cord used here in the Ephod, while a different word than Levi, means intertwined. These garments not only point to who Levi was, but where God was calling him too.

Levi’s descendants in the Priesthood, would literally wear what his name meant. As family was the cord that ran from Jacob to Moses. Unity and Anointing connected the Ephod of the High Priest to the breastplate. This cord held the breastplate, which held the names of the sons of Israel that Aaron would carry into The Holiest Of Holies.

Jacob, in Genesis 49, went in birth order. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and then Judah. Simeon and Judah book end Levi, Simeon meaning hearing, Judah meaning praise. The Ministry is always connected to hearing and worship. Is it any wonder that God sent John The Baptist, a Levite, to help Israel to hear The Son Of David of Judah?

In Deuteronomy, Judah is mentioned, then Levi, and Benjamin. Benjamin means Son of The Right Hand. Ministry is referred to in Revelation as being in the right Hand of God. Jacob and Moses were seeing much farther prophetically, than a few generations ahead.

Levi and Judah were not only brothers, their families were not strangers from each other. Aaron, the beginning of the Levitical Priesthood, married a woman from the tribe of Judah. Elisheba, which is the Hebrew for the Greek name Elizabeth, was the sister to Nahshon, Prince Of Judah.

I’ve mentioned John The Baptist a few times. It is evident that Our Lord sprang from Judah, but his cousin, John was a Levite, who’s Momma was named Elizabeth. These are not coincidences, what occurs in The Old, is a type and shadow of the new.

John The Baptist referred to himself as the friend of the Bridegroom. Levi and Judah have always been connected. Worship and Ministry are never separated from each other, they are birthed from the same place, the heart and mind of God.

Jacob and Moses both prophesied of The Messiah. Jacob referred to Him as Shiloh, stating that He would one day arrive. Similarly, according to the KJV, Moses said “…bring Him to His people.” One said until He comes, the other said bring Him to His people.

I’m reminded of the book of Revelation. Jesus said, The Lion Of Judah, “Behold I Come Quickly”, Another John, The Revelator and friend of God said, “Even come quickly Lord Jesus.” Moses, also a friend of God, longed to see Him for Himself. He had asked once to see God’s face in fact, when God and he were on the mountain.

Why did Moses want to see Him? Wouldn’t you want to see the face of The One Who transformed your life? Taking you as a fugitive, a murderer, an outcast, and a reject, and making you Prime Minister of Israel?

The old song, “O I want to see Him, look upon His face. There to sing forever of His saving grace.” You see these two men, Jacob and Moses, knew what redemption felt like. Jacob had been a liar, a thief, and ran for his life from his brother. He went over the brook a refuge, and returned with two bands of people under him.

As I said, to write about Levi, is to write about Jacob and Moses. Moses was present in the lives of every Israelite, especially in the family of Aaron. To the boys, he was more than Uncle Moses, he was the Leader of God’s People. He was the Prophet That God spoke to face to face.

So it makes sense to talk of both Moses and Jacob, but why did I mention Matthew called Levi? Apart from his name, it’s that they are both present, in a group of twelve. Each one’s Father is mentioned as well, Jacob and Alphaeus.

Jacob became Israel, Alphaeus means change, or exchange. The events of both books would change, not only these two Levi’s, but everyone they would connect with.

Levi’s other famous descendent, Aaron, Moses brother, and first High Priest, had a son, who had a son. Eleazar, Aaron’s son had a son called Phinehas. While I’ve written about him before, I will briefly mention him again here. When sin invaded the camp, he acted to stop it and the plague, from destroying all of Israel.

Phinehas has always fascinated me because of what his name means. It means mouth of a serpent. There has been all kinds of speculation as to what this means, or how it can be translated. One commentator has said he was named for something from Egypt.

Either way, his name meant what it meant. Yet this man was a great Man Of God, in spite of what you might say was a bad name. I wonder if he was self conscious about his name at any stage in his life? I don’t know, but I mention it for more than interest.

Another group of Levites, who’s Father had not allowed Moses to influence his life the way he should, were the sons of Korah. Korah had rebelled against God, and Moses. God punished him, and it cost him his life. Somehow his children were smart enough to distance themselves from his actions. As a result they lived, and Phinehas was appointed over them.

Why mention Phinehas, and the sons of Korah, the same reason I mention Matthew called Levi. His name wasn’t good either, not because of the meaning of his given name, but what he had became. He was a publican, a tax collector.

Jews hated him, they considered them thieves and traitors. Jesus loved him, and used him to write the first book in the New Testament. Commentators speculate that Matthew’s relationship with his family was strained because of his choices. Sounds a lot like Jacob’s Levi.

Genesis 49:5-7 (ESV Strong’s)

5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.

6 Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

Jacob had not approved with the way Simeon and Levi took matters in their own hands to defend their sister. He never forgot it. On his death bed, he addresses them both.

He attacks their anger, and mentions scattering them in Israel. While this did occur, as the tribe of Levi was positioned throughout the tribes of Israel, with the cities of refuge, it was not a punishment. It turned out to be a blessing.

Deuteronomy 33:9-11 (ESV)

9 who said of his father and mother, ‘I regard them not’; he disowned his brothers and ignored his children. For they observed your word and kept your covenant.

10 They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law; they shall put incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

11 Bless, O LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries, of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”

In three verses in Genesis, Levi was judged, in three verses in Deuteronomy Levi was rewarded. The difference, clinging to The Word and not the sword. Just as three days would change Matthew called Levi’s future, and all of our own, the future of the family of Levi had changed.

Between the blood shed by Simeon and Levi in Shechem, and the blood of the sacrifices they offered to God in the temple, was the Passover. The Passover was a type and shadow of the very sacrifice of Christ Himself. The crucifixion that would change Matthew and the Disciples life. This like all other connections in Scripture, is intentional.

The book of Matthew is described as being written to the Jews. Just as Moses the Levite Lawgiver declared to Israel God’s pattern, Matthew called Levi revealed God’s fulfillment. There is always a Levi, someone to connect the lost and the hurting to The Savior and Healer.

I’m so thankful that there are men like these two Levi’s in The Bible. It reminds me that God calls us, imperfect men, to be Kings and Priests. Sinners made new by the blood of His cross, just as the two Levi’s were changed, we are called to share with others the good news of His covenant.

Our priesthood is not to offer physical sacrifices, but to praise and declare The God who sacrificed Himself for us. We are to connect with His promises, and to reach out, connecting others to Him through our testimony. Everything is designed by God to share His message of love with the world.

Like Levi, we must bear this Message on our heart, not allowing the cares and distractions of life to sideline us from our purpose. Like the Priests, we spend time in God’s Presence, then we go out and minister among the people.

Jacob prophesied of his son’s future, in the midst of his hurt at them, he said they would be scattered through all of Israel. Yet The Lord knew, this would be God’s blessing, not Jacob’s judgement. For God would place them throughout the nation to teach the people God’s Law.

One day, Jesus would ask Matthew called Levi, to leave all and follow Him. He would spend his life traveling, and teaching. The Lord Jesus said The Son Of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Matthew would travel with Him, and after the Resurrection, spend his life preaching the Gospel.

In Jacob, Levi was judged, in Moses, Levi was redeemed. This was a type and shadow of what would happen in the New Testament. Jesus took our judgement, and called us to tell everyone about Him, so they could be free as well.

Now, I do not believe that Matthew was a Levite. He was a Galilean, probably either from Judah or Benjamin. However, when all of this started, the first Levi wasn’t a priest either, it would take five generations to arrive at the priesthood. Both the family of Levi, and Matthew called Levi, became Ministers of God.

Men who proclaimed His goodness, and carried His message. Jesus looked at Matthew and said, “Follow Me”. I believe He saw grace in God’s eyes when He looked at Him. Also, in the same chapter, before calling Matthew, Jesus heals the leper. Perhaps Matthew saw it, and thought, if He can cleanse the leper, He can change me.

The family of Levi would go from rebuke to blessing. Moses would speak hope into the family’s life. Levi went from being scattered in Israel, to his family leading all of Israel.

He and his brothers had problems. They weren’t exactly the perfect family. These twelve men, didn’t always like or trust each other. They didn’t get along with everyone around them. Does that sound like twelve who followed Jesus? It definitely sounds like you and I.

Had it not been for God, all of us would have been forgotten history. Yet God took them, and us, and impacted our lives. Just as He had their Father Jacob, He made Israel more than they could ever have imagined. He produced into their families men like Moses, Samuel, and David.

When the New Covenant came, He didn’t discard them. Jesus came through the line of David, calling John the Baptist, a Levite, a Priest’s son to go before Him. He called twelve men to spread The Gospel with the world. Paul, a Benjamite, wrote most of the New Testament. This same Apostle would explain to the Gentiles, God didn’t come to leave them, or to leave you, but to make us all a family.

He came to adopt us all, that’s why The Word says that The Spirit Of Adoption, The Holy Ghost cries in our hearts Abba, Father. Jew and Gentile alike, Jesus redeemed to Himself. To make one family, one people, diverse in background, united by His blood.

That is what Israel is, and should be, the family of God. It doesn’t mean there won’t be problems, even when trying to minister to others. Where ever you are today reading this, let me encourage you.

People are hurting today, sinner and saint alike. Some have forgotten that our history is not one of smooth lines, and pleasant places. There have been some of that, but there’s also been heart ache, mistakes, and redemption.

Don’t judge where you are spiritually by what is happening to you. Circumstances rarely reflect our spiritual condition, or our destiny. Life sometimes takes us through Egypt, to get us to Bethlehem.

Jesus said the worst pain I’ll ever face will be at Jerusalem, but He was determined to go there. You are called to something greater than the battle you are facing. Where you are, can look like the back side of the desert, but there is a fire in your future. There has to be, you’re part of Israel!

When God called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He promised them great blessings. They knew that, to do anything great, there would be sacrifice, battle, and victories. The history of Israel, whether you’re referring to the sons of Jacob, or the tribes of the nation, has included great adversities, and great deliverance. The Priesthood God has called us into is no different.

However, I can promise you this, though the sacrifices are challenging, the results are worth more than can be imagined. There will be times you may feel as if your life has been scattered by circumstance, Jacob said that about Levi. I would encourage you that seed is scattered, not from judgment, but for sowing.

What Jacob scattered in Levi, Moses watered, and God multiplied. The tribe of Levi became a type and shadow for the Church that would follow. Now, we are called to Minister to the world, but my words are not where I’d like to end this. I’d like to leave you with the words of one more Israelite, the Preacher of Pentecost himself, Simon Peter. No one could say it better.

1 Peter 2:10 (KJV)

10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Sketch Happy Birthday Cary

Happy Birthday to Cary Grant with this little sketch.

Dr King – Hope

As a young man, I read a biography of Dr King’s Father. What amazed me was, not only the story of those who helped form Dr King, but the story of the family itself. Their story showed great faith, battles, and triumph. It continues today, as does Dr King’s legacy.

Today we honor Dr King, the victories he saw, and the hope he saw ahead. May we all continue to keep the hope that kept him going, in front of us.

The Suit – A Cloth Of Our Times

We hope you enjoy this encouraging little story, a reflection of the days we live in.

“Today, thanks to Grandpa, I bought a suit.” Johnny Powalcyk said on his first video blog. “It was different. I didn’t buy off the rack, we can’t do that anymore. Of course the ironic part is it’ll fit better than any I’ve ever owned, but I’ll be only able to wear it around the house.”

He signed off after that short video, and uploaded it to the web. His Grandpa had sent him the money for the suit for his birthday. Which coincided with the first week of quarantine. 

Johnny had only really posted the video as a thank you. He was astonished to see it had garnered four thousand views by the next day. Why had something so simple resonated with so many?

The 24 year old didn’t have time to spend on it.     He had work to do. Johnny was a programmer, who wrote databases for insurance tables, and other things. As you can imagine, even before the pandemic, he didn’t get out much.

Grandpa Allen called three days later. “Johnny, you’re up to 20,000 views! Are you going to do another one?”

“Grandpa, what would I say? The suit isn’t even here yet. Unless you want to be on and talk about the suit?”

His Grandpa laughed. “No, but this will be good for you Johnny. Go on and do a countdown to the suit. Tell people all the wonderful places you can’t go in the suit.”

They both had a good laugh, and signed off. Johnny would have passed on it, had the day bored him to tears. “Grandpa said to do a post about the countdown for the suit. Which seems silly, until you know why a suit was important to our family.”

He began to tell the story of how his Grandpa had a choice when he graduated high school. Pay rent, or buy a suit. “For him, a suit was more than just a roof over his head for a few months. It was a ticket to a career.”

“So Grandpa bought a suit from Adolfo’s and went to his job interview. He was the only 18 year old dressed impeccably. They gave him the job.”

Over the next few posts, Johnny shared how he stayed on his cousin’s couch while working for the architectural firm. “He worked himself up to an assistant. Grandpa hoped one day to pay for night school.”

“After two years, he was no closer to making a dent than the day he started. Or so he thought. An accident ruined his suit, but it opened a door at the same time.”

“The guy he worked for had a drinking problem. He had too much at lunch. That afternoon, he got mad that his drawings weren’t working. Ben Nettles threw a jar of ink, and it hit Grandpa, soaking his coat.”

“The guy wasn’t a bad guy. When he sobered up, Ben bought a suit off the rack to replace it. When he showed up at the little apartment, an upgrade from the couch, he felt bad.”

“Kid, what are you doing? You’re working for a two bit firm, they hired me. You’re going no where.”

“Grandpa simply looked at him. ‘A month ago I was on a couch. I’m going somewhere, and so are you. I’m heading up, what direction are you heading?”

Johnny explained in the next video that Ben threw the new suit at him and left. He couldn’t get what Grandpa had said out of his head. Ben apologized, and got help. 

“While recovering he apologized to Grandpa, and offered to help him pay for night school. Reluctantly Grandpa agreed, provided he allowed him to pay him back. They really helped each other.”

“In the process, Ben reconnected with his estranged daughter, Alice. Alice ended up marrying a man named Allen, my Grandpa. Great Grandpa Ben insisted on buying Grandpa a suit for the wedding.”

“So you see, suits are pretty important in our family. I was going to use mine for some work stuff, and to ask a friend out. I thought the suit may give me the nerve, considering I’ve been too scared to for months now.”

“I don’t know if my suit will take me all of the places that Grandpa’s did. I do know one thing Grandpa taught me. It’s not the suit that makes the man, it’s the person in it, but nice wrapping paper does adds value.”

“It’s sort of like that with this we’re all going through. The people who are going through it are precious, and we can do easily value the wrong things, because they add some value. However, it’s like something else Grandpa says.”

“Allen, there’s nothing more valuable than faith, family, and friends. Go through things as best you can, enjoy what you can, but hold on to what’s important with everything in you. For it can hold on to you when you feel like you’re falling.”

With that, he signed off again, and went to work. A few hours later he needed some data from Wanda. He video called her, and they talked about work for a few minutes, then she asked if his suit was there yet.

He said it had been delayed, and she mentioned his video blogs. “I knew you were close to your Grandparents, but you never mentioned how they met before. I loved listening to it. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

The boy was shy, but he wasn’t stupid. It clicked that, she had been watching his video blogs, including the last one. Allen hoped that her question wasn’t just about is Grandparent’s story.

“It just never came up, honestly when I’m around you I don’t always think straight. This is awkward, and if you don’t want to it’s ok, not that we can anytime soon anyway.” He sighed then blurted out quickly. “Do you want to go out when this is all over?”

She laughed. “I’ve been waiting for you to get up the nerve for six months, and when you do, we can’t go anywhere, but yes. How about we both order take out, and talk?” 

They did this anyway, but now it was official, they were dating. Over the course of the quarantine, they fell in love. When their state started opening back up they got to go out. The two got engaged, and six months in they got married.

Like most the video wedding was weird, but their family all watched from their screens. The Minister, Wanda in her beautiful white dress, Allen, and the new suit that finally showed up. It fit perfectly. 

iPainting Central Park Winter 2021