SEASONS - THE KING IS IN THE FIELD

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Oh, how I love the writings of King Solomon in The Song of Songs! In Chapter 6, verse 3, I can read my favorite words from his writings; "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine."  

When written in the original Hebrew language the first letters of each word form an acronym that spell the month of Elul.  This is the Hebrew month that will be coming up in 2016 beginning with the civil calendar date of September 2nd.  

Elul's acronym, "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine", illustrates this concept; its first letter, aleph, stands for "I" (in Hebrew, "ani") – and the second letter, lamed, represents, "my Beloved's" (in Hebrew, "ledodi") - God. The meaning of this verse is that of being “face-to-face” in expressing one's love for another. This is the idea that the heart of the giver is entwined with the heart of the receiver and vice versa. There is a reciprocal relationship of this love. Each one has the other's heart.  One cannot help but think of the soon coming return of Christ and wonder how much longer it will be before He returns for His Bride, the Church.

On this last month of the Hebrew calendar, many of us try to focus on the past year of our lives.  

It is a time to bring before our Beloved our misdeeds, mistakes, and wrong actions so that He can show us how we can make changes for the new year to come.  

I have come to look at this act the same way you would look at preparing for a wedding.   How do these shoes work?  What veil should I wear?  Is my dress ready?  What should I keep?  What should I change?  What about all of this is in keeping with my heart for my beloved?  Have I spoken to the groom about everything?  

 If you are engaged to be married, you need to discuss all the skeletons in your closet before the wedding.  You wouldn’t want your loved one to discover these from someone else, or to be surprised and hurt by them after your marriage.  You need to confess everything that your future spouse might not yet have heard about you, so that you will know for certain that all past mistakes are forgiven and forgotten, and you are safe with the one that you have chosen to live your life with.  You MIGHT just be surprised at what they know that you don't know they know!  You would, of course, promise them never to revisit these things.  With the love between the two of you, it is possible to begin a fresh new page of life.

This is how I have learned to speak to my Beloved, Jesus, during the time of Elul.  He knows I am not perfect.  He loves anyway.   

In The Song of Songs Solomon speaks of the conversation that is held between two lovers.  

They are not afraid of one another.  

They are comfortable enough in their love that they can speak of their faults and mistakes.  

They are humble enough and so much a part of each other that one can come to the other and ask forgiveness for things done wrong because this one knows that anything they have done will have an instant effect on the other.  No sin is a sin all alone.  Every sin we commit hurts our Beloved.  

This is a time for the healing of this pain.  Healing begins with honesty and confession.  

Healing always comes before joy.

Elul is definitely a time to say “I want to change for you and never put you through such pain again.”   The honesty, love, truthfulness of this confession only makes the bond of love stronger.  The stronger the bond between lovers, the less likely it will ever be broken.  

It is a time of the weaker seeking strength from the stronger.  There will be encouragement that comes from the stronger lover that will change the spirit of the weaker lover from sadness to joy, from being ashamed to being confident and sure of their love.  

Together they will be capable of things they could never achieve apart from one another.  

All of the conversations in The Song of Songs seem to be very relational.  This is the state we should be in during Elul, a relational state, totally in tune to the desires of the One we love the most, looking to see what He will show us, listening to hear what He will tell us.  

If we are out of step, He will help us pick back up on the beat of the dance through the rhythms of life.   

It is a time of bearing our soul to the only One who truly understands our souls.  He truly loves us as we are, and accepts us with all our flaws; even enough that he would die for us and all our imperfections;  but He has a loving desire to help us change into the person that He created us to be.  

When we seek His face and ask His forgiveness, He loves us, flaws and all.  He reaches out to us to pull us up and help us to change.  

One secret to knowing how to change is that of dwelling on the words of the scriptures that tell us; "I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.”  If you divide this sentence down into two parts you begin to see they each represent a different aspect of our relationship with God. 

The first part:  “I am my Beloved’s” alludes to our main thoughts during Elul, to cry out to God, to communicate our love and loyalty to Him.    This is our speaking.  

The second part; “and my Beloved is mine,’ hints to God’s activity toward us in this time, in which it is possible for a divine revelation to descend upon us from above.  This is our listening.  Good communications involve both speaking and listening.

We speak joyfully to our Beloved during this month, not simply because we are about to begin a new sacred year, but because God is shining forth his attributes of mercy toward us.  

We know that we need to use this time to atone and work on our selves, and God empowers us to do so when we approach Him seeking forgiveness.  

This is the time of us expressing our desire for complete atonement.  At the end of the time, when we reach Yom Kippur, that is the time He expresses His complete desire to atone us, so much that He died to redeem us.  He inspires us and arouses our spirits to awaken to His desires.

There is a beautiful Jewish parable that speaks of this very act.   It is printed below for your reading and meditation:

THE PARABLE OF THE KING IN THE FIELD

A King returns to his city following a long absence. The city's inhabitants stream out to the countryside to greet him. When the king enters the field a new phenomenon occurs. The field equalizes everyone who is found there. Now, for the first time, virtually everyone is empowered and permitted to greet the king. All partitions which usually separate him from the populace are nullified. The king, in turn, graciously receives each and every one. This phenomenon does not take place outside the field. For, within the capital, and surely within the palace, only select dignitaries can access the king.

Is this parable not a beautiful portrait of how Jesus loves us? 

He went up to Heaven to send His Holy Spirit so that we could communicate better with Him and The Father.  So many times when we pray, we are looking up to heaven, seeing him on a royal throne, knowing His kingly power is at work constantly redeeming us, but often it seems we are at a distance, further away than we want to be from Him. We tend to see Him like a King of a city who went away.  We know He is still in control. 

We know He still exists and is coming back, but then one day He does come back!  He walks through the fields of the city.  These are the fields where the common workers toil and labor every day.  This is where they have broken the ground, planted the seeds provided by Him, watered them, weeded them, watched the crop grow to be ripe and ready for harvesting.  The citizens are so proud of the harvest that is just ripe for the picking!  They can’t wait to tell the Master about how beautiful and bountiful it is; then they look up and see Him actually walking through the fields!  They are overcome with joy!  It is Him, The One they have been laboring for all along!  He had returned!  They run to greet him.


As the everyday ordinary people run to great their King who has come down to walk in the field, they all seem somehow the same.  

Their differences are not showing.  

No one is more important.  

No one voice is heard above the other.  

All are equal in the field.  

It is not formal here, like it might be in the royal palace.  No one is announced, or proclaimed.  They all just come toward Him, one at a time, each one special and unique, yet everyone sharing the same honor of greeting the King and having the King recognize them and speak to them of their own particular tasks.

 Here all feel free and comfortable to discuss the physical aspects of the harvest with the King.  Who would know more about harvesting than a King who is also A Creator?  Who could possibly know more about preparing for a good harvest?  

They drink in His advice.  

They sit at His feet to listen to His instructions.  

They freely admit their mistakes and short-comings to Him because they can look into His eyes and see how much He loves them.  It is not hard.  They are not afraid.  They all feel safe. 

The King looks happier here, in the field among the people of His city, maybe even happier than He ever looks on His Royal Throne.  He is glad to be here.  Is it not what He has purposed to do all along?  He is smiling and gracious and generous.  He uses the ordinary existence in the field to explain to all the important principles of His Kingdom and here in the field the lowest realms of existence are transformed into a dwelling place for a King.  

Everyone is excited to know that The King is in the field! 

It is the strangest thing to think about, but even when the King is walking through the field, the primary mundane matters of life must still be carried out!   

It is a time for pausing, but not stopping.  

It is a time of reflecting while still working.  

In our daily lives we concern ourselves with many activities that are not in and of themselves holy, but these things are performed “for the sake of the King.”  Now when we see the King walking through the field, He may stop and talk to us of our activities.   We find out that “little things” are very important to Him.  

He has noted everything, every action, every task that we have done during the times of the seasons before the harvest.  They HAVE mattered to Him.  

He has not overlooked us, or forgotten us when we could not see Him or reach out and touch Him.  He has noticed every little thing!   Suddenly we recognize that in seeking His will in all things, we have made a part of our world His dwelling place, a place where He may come down and walk with us, even in our imperfections, even into the day-to-day activities of “the field.”

Hence, to continue looking after the field of The King in the best possible manner, during Elul we chose to put special emphasis on study of the Holy Scriptures and prayer, because even while The King is walking through His field, we recognize that it IS His field and we honor Him by continuing on with our work for Him. 

SEASONS: LOVING THE COMING MONTH OF ELUL

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

I follow the Jewish calendar every year, not because I was born Jewish, but because I am a follower of Jesus Christ.  

I want to imitate Him and do the same things that He did when He walked the earth.  

I also believe all Christians are called to keep the calendar that God chose to set in motion from the beginning of time, and I know His chosen people have been diligent to keep these days He has faithfully set aside for generations and generations!  A new season is approaching; one of my favorite times.  It is the Hebraic month of Elul.  What a special time it is!

If God created it, I’m all for it.  No more decisions for me to make here.  This decision was not based on MY intelligence, but the Mind of God, which puts my little feeble brain to shame.  I can rest in the fact that His ways are higher than my ways and His decisions for my life and the seasons of my life are so much better than mine.  I accept what I know is from the mind of God and try to be “mindful” of these things in my daily life, not out of a sense of duty or dread, but out of a sense of love and obedience and honor.  I do not observe for the sake of keep rules; but for the sake of loving God.

I do not judge those who do not believe this.  I hope that they do not judge me. The bible tells us that we must all work out our salvation.  Everyone must answer to God for the truth that He has revealed to them.  

As for me and my house, I love all the things that My Father teaches me throughout the year with His special occasions called feasts and festivals.  Since I've loved keeping these days for many years now, I can’t imagine life otherwise!  There is a richness in following the scriptures through these days; a deep richness that cannot be described in words; something that cannot be found anywhere else in life's journey through the years.

Happily, at the end of August, I will be paying attention to the turning of the pages of the calendar.   I actually went for many years without observing Elul, and I never want to miss another time period.

The month of Elul on the Jewish calendar is at the end of the Jewish year.  It usually falls sometime around America’s August and September months.  This year (2016) Elul starts on  September 4th.    Elul lasts for 40 days.  It has jokingly been called "Jewish Lent" in that many of the customs are similar in nature. 

If you pay attention you quickly note that these are very specials days.  I always try to enjoy a special meditation for each day durin Elul.   This season highlights God's grace so beautifully.   I take comfort and peace in hearing the truth of the ancient teachings in relation to His grace.  The truth comes out and paints such a beautiful canvas of amazing theology during this season.  It is a theology of a loving, merciful and forgiving God. 

  

You can trace Elul all the way back to the time of Moses, to the first year that the Jewish people left Egypt.  It was only seven weeks after they had crossed the Red Sea and made a covenant with God to be His people forever that they violated this covenant, and sinned by worshiping a golden calf in the desert.  Moses saw this terrible sin taking place when he returned with the 10 Commandments that God had personally inscribed on stone with His Own finger.  In frustration Moses smashed these first stone tablets when he saw what was going on in the camp.  After he had corrected the ways of the people, Moses went back up on the Mountain to plead with God and to ask for mercy.  It took another 40 days until He received another set of the commandments.  This time God made Moses write them down.   I always wondered if this was God’s way of making Moses memorize them.  Have you ever had your child write down things on paper that they could not seem to remember?  Well, this time God dictated the law to Moses, and Moses inscribed them himself on the stone.  It must have taken a lot of time and a lot of hard work.  What comes easy to us is sometimes easy to forget.  When we have to work hard for something, we are usually more diligent to maintain what we've worked for.    

While Moses was on the mountain with God during these

40 days, he was allowed to glimpse at God’s back.  God also taught Moses the 13 attributes of mercy while he was there.  It occurs to me that mercy and forgiveness take more effort than simply doing things right in the first place.  God only gave 10 summarized commandments, yet he gave 13 summarized ways to forgive and have mercy.  Interesting set of numbers.  

Moses remained on the Mountain learning from God from the 1^st of Elul until the 10^th of Tishri on the Jewish calendar.  Today we are still benefiting from the blessings that God bestowed on Moses on that mountain!  One of those blessings was that we are now taught to love and forgive one another.  We have the 10 ways to show love written down in writing, and when we mess up and forget them, we have 13 ways to show mercy, compassion and forgiveness.  This not only reconciles us to one another, it also reconciles us to God. 

So it is that the time of Elul has become known for beginning the time of the year for remembering to   meditate on obtaining God’s whole-hearted mercy and forgiveness.  Sometimes this also involves obtaining the whole-hearted mercy and forgiveness of those around us.  Of course, it goes without saying that we should be doing these acts all through the year, not just during the season of Elul.  It is just that if we get too busy and forget, Elul was designed to give us a deliberate focus on the subject, least we forget.  It was and still is a time of people being reconciled with God as well as one another.  

I find it interesting to note that this was put on the Jewish calendar right before their year ended.  It was sort of like saying, “I know you’ve made mistakes this year, so let’s work them out before we close the year.”    How wonderful it is to know that God has set aside a special time for showing divine mercy and forgiveness.  I can see some similarities that tie in with the Catholic Feast of Divine Mercy on this day.  The Roman Catholics however, celebrate this day sometime in April, a totally different season, but a very similar subject.  I prefer ending the year with divine mercy and starting the new year with a clean fresh slate, but in a perfect world we would have need of neither because we would all be mindful of what we do EVERY day, and be constantly seeking God’s mercy immediately after we made mistakes or sinned.  At least this is a reminder for those things that we have forgotten to stop and meditate and pray about all year long. 

It is said that this is a time to pause.  When I put my DVD player on pause, I find myself stopping to think about the part of the movie that just played out.  That is how Elul is, we are pausing to think of the part of the year that has just played out in our lives.  When I hit that button again, the movie moves forward.  When we pause for Elul, we are better able to move forward into the new year before us.  We all need to be forced to pause and reflect often.  Life is too important to be just another random accident in time.  We must value the time we have and treasure the gift of life and not treat it lightly.  

To get the full meaning of the period of time called Elul, you must look at both the beginning and the end of this interesting season and see the whole picture.  As mentioned above, the beginning is symbolic of Moses on the mountain for 40 days receiving God’s forgiveness and mercy for the people’s sins and reconciling the nation back to God.  At the end of the period of time called Elul there are 10 very important days.  The first day of those 10 is called Rosh Hashanah, which lasts for 2 days actually (although counted as one long day.)  Among many other things, Rosh Hashanah is known as a time for renewing, for waking up, for paying attention, for getting prepared and ready for new things.  The next 7 days  after take us past Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, the day that is so symbolic of Jesus’ precious blood bringing atonement for our sins.   The Jewish people know and understand the need for and the significance of atonement.  They spend time at the end of each year praying for mercy and forgiveness during these 10 days leading up to Yom Kippur, also called The Day of Atonement.  The purpose is to be reconciled with God, or At-one-ment, or being at-one with God, joining ourselves to Him through His loving kindness of mercy and forgiveness of our sins.  

What could be more beautiful?  I never want to miss these days.  There are so many lessons to grasp here in this wonderful season.

So please join me in being mindful of the fact that the last days of summer and the first days of fall are taking us into the season of Elul, a time of careful examination, and a time to prepare for the High Holy Day of Yom Kippur, which I do as a Christian keeping the commandments from the Christian Bible and The One Holy God.  There are some wonderful meditations ahead.    I hope you enjoy them this year in the season as we leave summer and journey toward fall together.    

AN APPLE A DAY - THE THIRD HEALTHIEST VEGETABLE ON EARTH

Day 110 OF 365 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE
(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

THE THIRD HEALTHIEST VEGETABLE ON EARTH

Are you enjoying the healthy lifestyle tips we have been discussing on this blog?  I hope these simple little discoveries are as much a blessing to you as they have been to me.  Learning about healthier eating has definitely been something that I’ve needed to do for a long time.  I did not understand, until I dove further into the details, how much I had been missing in the quality of life you experience simply from good nutrition. 

Remember though; it is just as important to maintain balance on health issues, as it is in any other part of your life.  You can take ANYTHING to an extreme level, even health.  That is not our desire here.  Diets need to be well balanced, and lifestyles need to be well balanced.  Do not become so rigid with these dietary changes, or so very legalistic that you don’t remember how to have and enjoy a happy feast day at least once a week.  Do not become so prudish with these great facts about eating healthy that you condemn and judge others because of your new found awareness.   Allow yourself a break every now and then; you have earned the ability to be flexible.  It is okay to not be absolutely perfect in your diet all the time; just try to be adequately aware most of the time.  

Just always remember the basics of a balanced and godly life; and you can’t go wrong.  That thought always brings me back to the words Jesus uttered to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23:  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faithfulness.  These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”  There will be times in life when, for one reason or another, you can't be so picky; you will simply need to be grateful for whatever God has placed before you and enjoy your meal.  

These are the words of Jesus!  Pay attention that you do not get off balance and become a food Pharisee always keeping your rigid rules and looking down your nose at others.  Just be careful not to make food your idol so that it causes you to become so wrapped up in it and so consumed that you are totally obsessed with it and nothing else in life!  Don’t let the food thoughts and the constant focus on health bog you down into so many foggy details that you forget your time alone with God, and your quality time with your family members and loved ones.  If they are enjoying this journey with you, by all means use it as a way to love and serve them too.  Prepare special meals and set aside special times to feast with them!  That is a wonderful thing when kept in the proper balance of your days.

If all of the preparation and shopping and studying the ins and outs of nutrition are keeping you from doing what it takes to stay faithful, to be thinking of others, and to carry on your daily work routines; then it might be time to cut down on some of the extremes and only do a little at a time until it slowly becomes as natural a routine as brushing your teeth.  Rome wasn’t built in a day; so don’t overdo the food part of life.  Let it be natural.  Let it all sink in slowly.  Share what you have with others and let the abundance God has brought to your table be of benefit to others living in the kingdom too.  

Always remember justice, mercy and faithfulness above all other things in life.  They are more important than the food you eat; and they are of vital importance to the whole, overall health of our planet!  These three elements as daily life priorities are as much a key to good health as the foods we consume.  

Stay focused on the big things and let the food thoughts, planning and preparation be one of the smaller, more routine things.   Keep Philippians 4:6-7 ever in the front of your mind as you go along through your day.  Use these words to keep any stress in this matter of buying, preparing and serving healthy foods in balance;  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 In other words; do not stress over food!  Approach the matter with calm peace and gentle patience as you learn each new recipe and food task and then put it into common practice in your home.  Share and invite others to help, include the other members of your house in the educational experience, the preparation and the shopping.  Please do not make meal preparation an unbearable dreadful chore.  The family that cooks together; stays together! 

Eat to live; do not live to eat!  Keep things as simple and uncomplicated as possible.  Food is a necessity; not an idol.  Remember to serve it with love and to thank God for every bite!

 

Now that we have cleared that matter up; just keep adding a few new thoughts here and there until it all flows together in a more natural way and in complete balance and a peaceful, healthy, harmony.  Reading these articles should help.  It will save time on doing the homework because I’ve done it all for you!  Hopefully these short articles will give you small easy steps to implement those little things which will create big changes in the end, without a lot of extra fuss, effort or work.

Today we will be considering the third most healthy vegetable you can put into your body;  and that vegetable would be …….CHARD!

Are you familiar with chard? 

Maybe you have used it for years at your table, but just like all of the other nutritious things we have discussed so far; I did not even have chard on my grocery list!  I’m also ashamed to say I did not even know what to do with this pretty and interesting looking vegetable! 

I wondered what made chard the third healthiest vegetable I could eat; so I researched and found the following facts:

1)  Chard contains a high amount of phytonutrients which provide antioxidents that fight inflammation and help to regulate blood sugar problems. 

2)  One of chards flavonoids is syringic acid which helps to inhibit an enzyme which breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugars.  This helps to stabilize blood sugar levels in the body.

3)  Chard is a great source of fiber.

4)  Chard is a great source of protein.  Protein helps to regulate the speed of digestion.

5)  Chard has been recognized as having the ability to help pancreatic cells to regenerate.  This is helpful to the body in creating insulin and it is also helpful in protecting the liver from damage.

6)  Chard is full of healthy vitamins including C,E,A and K.

7) Chard contains the minerals of manganese, zinc, calcium, iron and magnesium.  These minerals help to fight obesity, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis.  The calcium and magnesium help to support strong healthy bones.  The iron gives your body more energy.

8)  Chard contains potassium which is good for the health of your heart.

If you are very conscious of the fact that everything you put into your body is going into your own private temple where God’s Holy Spirit dwells; you can feel very safe in consuming chard.  It is very healthy and amazing in every way.  It is a good food source for your body.

August is a good month to introduce yourself to chard; because it is freshly harvested from June to August every year.  You may find it displayed in the produce aisles of grocery stores under the labels of “Swiss chard,” “white beet,” “strawberry spinach,” “seakale beet,” "leaf beet," "Sicilian beet," "spinach beet," "Chillian beet, "Roman kale," and "silverbeet."  Don't let the word "Swiss" throw you off; it is actually a vegetable that is native to the Mediterranian regions of the world.  The Greeks and Romans first made chard famous by using it for medicine way before we ever had any big pharmaceutical companies to tell us what medications to use.  

So when you are browsing through the supermarket looking for chard, search for a green leafy vegetable with reddish purple stalks.  A few varieties of chard also have yellow or white stalks.   It should be kept chilled and not be in an unchilled part of the store.  This chilling makes the taste of the chard stay sweeter and crunchier.   Make sure all the leaves are a bright healthy green color with no brown or yellow.  Make sure the stalks of the chard are crisp and unblimished.  

Once purchased, place your unwashed chard in an airtight plastic wraper and keep refrigerated until time for cooking.  Wash the chard just before using; as water tends to add to a wilting effect, and wilting makes the already bitter taste even more bitter.  

Chard can be stored in the refrigerator for about five days.  Unlike a lot of other vegetables, the stems of chard are actually NOT good for eating.  Just tear the stems off the leaves right before washing when you are preparing to cook.  

In preparing chard to eat; it is better to boil the chard in an uncovered pot of water in order to release the acids into the boiling water.  This will help the chard to taste sweeter.  When you have boiled the chard for about three minutes, remove it from the water and press out any extra liquid with a fork.  Discard the water and do not use it as stock.  Place the cooked chard into a bowl and toss with some minced garlic, some lemon juice, some extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Chopped Kalamata olives are good to add to this mix along with some crumbled feta cheese and one teaspoon of soy sauce.  Easy, simple, and actually quite delicious!  

I will probably be sharing more chard recipes in this blog as I test and add to my collection.

Chard has a slightly bitter taste on it's own and it also taste slightly salty.  Combined with the simple ingredients listed above and cooked appropriately, it can be a delicious side dish for any meal.   

If you have any good spinach recipes, you can substitute chard instead of spinach and have a refreshing change of pace.  Chard and spinach seem to be very interchangable in most recipes.

You can toss cooked chard with pasta, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic for a great pasta salad combination.  Chard also taste good in an omlet, and I've enjoyed it with vegetarian lasagna recipes too.

There is only one precaution with regard to chard.  Do not eat if you are prone to kidney stones.  The acid in the chard seems to aid in producing the calcium that builds up to make kidney stones.   Otherwise; it is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet and it will give you lots of iron and over 300 percent of the normal vitamins you need for a day.

  

        

COME AS A CHILD - LESSON 131 - HOW THE BITTER BECOMES SWEET

^{WALKING THROUGH EXODUS - HOW THE BITTER BECOMES SWEET
(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)}

^{While studying the Exodus it has become very clear that the Wilderness of Shur is a most important location for determining the exodus route.  The scriptures in Exodus tell us; “after crossing the Red Sea Moses led the people to the Desert of Shur.”} 

<sup>That one simple little statement has stood the world’s scholars and translators on their heads.  It has caused great confusion among the wise and educated masses.  It has turned over some apple carts and made some people rethink the whole original route of the Exodus as it is traditionally told.  Some have determined a new location for Mt. Sinai because of this.   So many scholars have  endlessly debated this subject, yet if you look at the scriptures recorded you will probably conclude along with everyone else that it all comes down to starting out by knowing precisely where the Wilderness of Shur is located.  This location is one of only a few KNOWN places on the list of 50 Exodus stops mentioned in the scriptures.  The places named that we can KNOW are Goshen/Ramses, Wilderness of Shur, Ezion Geber and Mt. Nemo.

Shur is the location mentioned several times in past studies of this blog; such as when we studied the flight of Hagar from Sarai where the Angel of The LORD found her by the fountain in the desert.  If you want to go back to review that lesson here is the link: http://dancinginseason.blogspot.com/2015_02_10_archive.html.</sup>

In years after our current story took place, the location of Shur is also mentioned as the place where Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah.  

^{Marah is located in the "Wilderness of Shur."}

 Looking back into the pages of history before the crossing of The Red Sea, it seems that the Wilderness of Shur was the place where Ishmael had settled in the transjordan and modern Saudi Arabia.  

Shur which was known as Ishmael's home turf, was near Midian of old, which is also in modern day Saudi Arabia.

I’m not ready to go into the debate about whether the old traditional locations are correct or the new supposed locations are more accurate.  I’ll let you do your own research and study on that subject; though I do have many of my own thoughts and opinions. 

<sup>We are only here to unfold the story, where ever it happened; so excuse me if anything seems slightly not accurate with geography in any of these lessons, because it all depends on who you listen to and follow and what they think is accurate.   

For the purpose of this study, I am simply recording the events that happened from the scriptures I have read in Exodus, and stating what I think it all means to us today.  It is not my intention to do any archaeological discovery.  I will use what seems most accurate to me, but I encourage you to do your homework too.   For the moment, it is my simple intention to stay with the scriptures whenever I can and not move apart from them.</sup>   

^{Just keep in mind that The Children of Israel traveled through the desert of Shur for three days and three nights.  Does anything about that time frame sound familiar?  That was exactly how long it took for Jesus Christ to resurrect from the grave.  It really puts your mind to thinking about how the people of God were being resurrected into a new life.  Right before they walked to Shur they had been singing a victory song and dancing in celebration of the physical freedom that they had received.} 

<sup>They were physically free, yet; were they spiritually free?  

How long can a person who still has the mentality of a slave in their heart enjoy their freedom?

God still had some work to do with these people as He was forming them into a nation.  He had some spiritual work to do now that the physical work had been accomplished.  They had moved into freedom with their bodies; but could they make the journey with their minds and hearts?

We can build huge buildings and go to them and sit in praise and worship.  We have the freedom to do this, and our bodies are able to be there; but are we always present with our minds, our hearts and our souls?  Are we looking for God or just wanting something "different" to do?  God inhabits the praises of His people.  When you go to a place of public worship; do not go just to see what is there.  Do not go just to be with your friends and neighbors or to meet new people.  It is not a social function; it is a time of worship.   Do not go to hear what a man will tell you.  Men will always disappoint you.  Go simply to listen to what GOD has to say.   Do not go to be entertained.  Go to worship God with your whole heart.  That is the only true worship.  Whether you are in a public place that is considered sacred by many, or in your own closet with the door closed inside your own home; worship can only happen when you truly want to approach God with your whole heart.   That is healthy, healed worship.  The people of Israel needed for their worship to be healthy and to be healed.  They were sick and needy in spirit.  Jesus called this "poor in spirit."   They no longer knew how to approach God.  What a sad state for the ancestors of Abraham.</sup>

^{At the end of the three days they came to Marah and they were very thirsty and they were hoping to find fresh water there.}  

<sup>Here again is some sketchy geography. The exact location of Marah is not certain.   The places they traveled after Marah, Etham, Shur and Elim are not certain either.  Where these places are located is heavily dependent on the correct location of Mount Sinai, and there are two, if not more, suggestions as to where that location exists.  

Traditionally Sinai was equated with one of the mountains at the south of the Sinai Peninsula which would lead you to conclude that Marah was at Ain Hawarah (where it is thought that Hagar stopped in her flight from Sarai</sup>   http://dancinginseason.blogspot.com/2014/12/come-as-child-lesson-46-who-can-know.html)   at a salty spring about 47 miles southeast of Suez.  

^{However; as I mentioned earlier, this place can be debated.  It seems a majority of scholars and religious leaders believe that the traditional location of Sinai is inaccurate.  They suggest an alternative with Sinai being in the north and center of the Sinai Peninsula in the Hejaz, in north eastern Arabah.  This would make the location of Marah far to the southeast of Suez, and that would be a substantial detour from the route the Israelites had taken so far.  This fact has led some scholars to propose Ain Naba as Marah, which is a brackish fountain located 10 miles southeast of Suez.} 

Others have proposed that Marah is located at a place called The Small Bitter Lake, about 20 miles north of Suez.  

^{Whatever the location; we ARE sure about the name of the place!}.  ^{Marah earned its name from its reputation.  Marah means “bitter.”  The water of Marah was so bitter the thirsty people could not drink it.} 

^{They had been in the desert for a long time, traveling in the hot sun.  They desperately needed water to survive.  They finally came to some water (they must have been worried they would not find water in time before their death) and when they did find it; the water taste so bad that they could not drink it!} 

^{Some people think the water of Marah contained salt.  Salt would only make very thirsty people more thirsty!  The people were very thirsty by now and so they grumbled against Moses. They kept asking “What are we to drink?”}

^{I can’t help but feel sorry for Moses in these circumstances.   He must have felt like a glorified babysitter!   By following God’s orders, he had led them out of slavery!  He led them through the Red Sea under a miracle from God!  He had conveniently placed them under the cloud and the pillar of fire by asking the LORD to go with them so that they would always know where God wanted them to be; but every time some little thing went wrong; instead of being thankful for Moses and his excellent leadership; they complained!  Now they are complaining about not being able to drink the water at Marah because it was bitter and it taste bad to them.  These people were physically liberated; but they had a long way to go spiritually!}

<sup>Moses seemed to be spiritually in tune to God however, so Moses cries out to God and God shows him a piece of wood.  Again, I am reminded of the cross and Jesus saying "I Thirst!"  He was given vinegar to drink, there was no sweet water at the cross either.  God never asks more of us than He has done Himself.

  

Before I thought about this incident of the cross, this piece of wood laying beside the water  (or possibly even a tree growing within the water) struck me as an odd thing for Moses to be needing.    

How on earth could Moses use a simple piece of wood? 

 Well, it was just the same as the time when he used that wooden staff that he held in his hands to bring the plagues of Egypt and also when he stretched  that staff of wood across the sea and it opened up and provided a way where there was no way.  Each time something made of wood containing the power of God paved the way to freedom and provided the needs of the people.  Of course, it was only because God put the power in the wood.    It was just the same with Noah's ark.  It was just the same with The Ark of The Covenant.  It was just the same with a wooden cross on the hills of Calvary.  God was and still is the power!

Moses knew the wood for either purpose was nothing but wood unless God was the power behind the wood!  God had shown and supplied Moses with the wood.  Moses mustered up all the faith he had and took that piece of wood provided by God and used it to obtain water when it seemed that there was no water. 

This word "wood" as it is translated in many passages is called "a tree."  Moses threw the "tree" into the water and it became sweet instead of bitter.  Many believe that tree might have been a mangrove tree.  The mangrove tree has the capacity to extract salt from sea water.  Even if this were true though, the process of extraction usually takes days or at least hours.  It seems that the water was instantly changed.  God provided the change; even if the tree had the capacity to do so in the long run.  God interjected Himself into the power of the tree, and the water was turned from bitter to sweet.  It was said that the adding in of the mangrove tree healed the waters at Marah.  This healing perfectly mirrored God's words of healing  to the people as they stood by the water at Marah; God said to them:  "I AM the LORD who heals you."</sup>  

<sup>So how did God make the bitter water become sweet? 

 It matters here that we remember the fact that God used a tree.  The scriptures do not elaborate on this point.  A lot is left to your imagination.  God often does that to us.  He wants to see if we will pursue the things which He has done.  When we do; we are deeply rewarded; we find great hidden treasures!  

When you look at the Hebraic translations of the scriptures, and when you read the verses given in Exodus 15; you are simply told that God showed Moses a tree.  

A tree!  

The only other thing we can notice about the tree, was that it provided healing.   

What does this mean?</sup> 

^{Many others, like me, have instantly thought of the cross that was formed from a tree, and that IS the final symbolic tree that resulted at the end of the story.  It is true and a very worthy thing to conclude; but first we must go back to the beginning of the story and think of Torah, because the scriptures as well as the One that gave his life on that very tree, say; that Torah is The Tree of Life.}

<sup>It was as if God was shouting out "THROW IN THE TORAH MOSES!"

The Torah was the tree that brought healing to the people!  

By looking at how the tree healed the waters at Marah, the people were getting their first glimpse at Torah.  

Most of you already know that the Torah is the record of the words of the law written down in the first five books of the bible that were dictated by God to Moses at Mount Sinai.  

Few actually think about the fact that other men had been given pieces of this message in the past too.  That is often forgotten and overlooked.  Noah, for example; knew God's laws.  Abraham knew God's laws.  Isaac knew God's laws.  Joseph knew God's laws.  They had all kept them and honored them in their lives; because in their childhood they had memorized the words of the unwritten Torah.   

There is a written form of Torah, and an oral form of Torah.  Long before Moses came to live in this world, the important mysteries contained in the Torah had been memorized by God's people and the ancestors of Abraham.  Remember Isaac being sent to school at Mt. Moriah?  This was the school formed by Seth (Son of Noah) who taught the mysteries of God.  These words were much LATER written down by Moses into the five books that we now call Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Mostly they contain the laws of God given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  This is part of the story which we have yet to study; but Moses wrote what God instructed, and what God instructed had already been studied and passed down through generations before the people went into slavery.</sup>       

<sup>Why is it that God shows them this now?  Moses hasn’t yet climbed up to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah from God; but perhaps here at Marah, Moses and the people begin to get a glimpse of it!

Do you remember another person who got a very good glimpse?  I must refer you back to another lesson in an earlier blog:    Remember how Jacob limped out of Peniel?  It was because he had seen the face of God and lived!  Jacob got a glimpse!  http://dancinginseason.blogspot.com/2015_09_03_archive.html</sup>  

^{Why would this be happening here and now in this scene at Marah?}   Why would this moment at Marah become the first glimpse that the people have of the Torah, and just how is the Torah known as The Tree of Life anyway?

<sup>We must stop a moment and look back.  

Remember how Joseph was sold into slavery to the descendents of Ishmael?  Remember that is how he came to be Potipher’s slave and how he eventually became powerful as a leader in Egypt?  Remember that is how the ancestors of Abraham, Jacob/Israel and all of his sons came to live in Egypt?  They were following Joseph.   For so long the ancestors of Abraham had been blessed because God had protected Joseph, and through him God had helped all of them to thrive.  400 years had passed since that time; and these things had been forgotten!  They had become slaves in a foreign land who worshiped foreign and false gods.  The teachings of the God of Abraham had been pushed aside, except by a few who had memorized the old ways and passed them on, but had no opportunity to actually live them out, since they were bound in slavery.   Even these few had no power or way of carrying out the things of God in a pagan land.  

The ancestors of Abraham had been overcome by others who did not know or care for their God. Long after the death of Joseph, the ways of God handed down from Noah had become less and less significant in the lives of these Israelites as they lived out their hard-working,tortured lives, serving day-in and day-out, a pagan culture of totally different people who did not believe in their God.  

Most of these Hebraic people still had the concept of The God of Abraham; but they had lost the teachings to another culture's teachings.  Their day-to-day lives had been rearranged and planned out for them by others for so long that they did not  know where or how to start to honor God in their freedom.</sup> 

^{Way back in history, God had warned them to always guard and keep His words and His ways.  They had not done this.  Even though faithful Abraham had been so careful to do this, and to teach his sons to do this; by now enough generations had passed and enough pressure from a pagan culture has happened; that they had forgotten a lot of the basics.  God had to teach them all over again!}

 

<sup>Many think God started this teaching of the people again at Sinai; but actually, He started at Marah.   The ways of God are layered and cumulative.  The basic concepts of living a Godly life are built up one step at a time. It is a long process.  A simple man’s heart cannot absorb the concepts of a godly life all at once; no matter how much he intends to do so.  It is a long, often slow process; a time period of transformation that is always going forward.   

God created us in this way so that we can learn through our experiences.  He shows us only what we can handle and only when He knows we can absorb it.  He lets that sink into our hearts, our minds and souls; then He shows us a little more of the whole picture until we begin to get it all.  Even then; we can’t get it all!  

We will never know all of the mysteries and marvelous things of God until we see Him face-to-face in eternity.  It is too much!  God is too big!  He is way beyond our human understanding!  Yet  He loves us and tries to make us a very important part of His world.  He desires that we keep and guard what we CAN learn now.  It is very important to God that we learn and know His ways so that we may one day dwell face-to-face with Him.  He started teaching us about the same time that He started teaching those Israelites way back at Marah!  He teaches through a constant process of life.  He used others to teach them!   He has used these ancient Israelites over and over to teach us how to live.  We learn how to live by the way He was re-teaching them how to live.</sup>

^{Right there at Marah God began to give His people a glimpse of all the things He would show them later (in more and greater detail) at Sinai.} 

<sup>God started this lesson by telling Moses to throw the wood into the water.  When Moses was obedient to God; when he threw in the wood (symbolically The Torah) the water became fit to drink.  It was yet another miracle!  Unfortunately, it often takes a miracle to get people’s attention.  

This is yet another time when God took what was bitter and made it sweet!  The people suddenly quit murmuring and began to pay closer attention to their blessed state.   God had their full focus now.   It wasn’t just what was happening with the water folks!  God was actually doing something spiritual with the people.  He was going to change them from their bitter pagan ways to the sweet ways of The Kingdom of God. Sometimes it takes a little bitterness in the wilderness to help us get to the spiritual healing and the sweet of God’s Presence in our days.   Sometimes you have to throw in a little wood (Torah) in order for this to happen!  The people need instruction!  Torah is perfect instruction.  Just like a tree, Torah is layered in its being.  We must learn precept upon precept in order to fully understand Torah.  At Morah God was placing the very first layer back in place of an old, old tree that needed healing.</sup>

^{At Sinai, God would heal more layers.  He would keep on healing until a nation of healed people came forth!}

We can always count on God to take a very bad situation and to use it for good.  He is just that kind of God!  This trait is one of His holy attributes; He is always transforming and changing things from what they were to the better thing that they can become.   He does this by adding Torah (His Holy Word) into our living.  

It is Torah, God's written word, that heals us and changes our lives from bitter to sweet.   We stand before Him in dirty earthen rags; but He only sees the blood of Christ that covers us.  God never sees us for who we have made ourselves to be.  He is always looking to see the person that He created us to be.  

Our life on this earth is a journey through time from the point of our birth to the point of our eternity.   Our life on earth is much like this three day walk to Shur that was taken first by Hagar, then by Isreal.  We humans get thirsty and we look within ourselves to solve the problem, and we begin to feel hopeless.  Then God shows up!  He shows us how to drink good, clean water.  He throws in the wood of Torah, and we find His word sweet and easy to drink.  Suddenly everything is changed!  His presence among us changes and transforms us from bitter to sweet, just like the water at Marah.    

<sup>All through this journey of the Israelites, when they were still slaves, during the time they were being set free, and all the way into the wilderness; God has been showing the people who He really is.  He is showing them that He is powerful.  He is showing them that he is trustworthy.  

Sometimes, just like what happened at Marah; we too encounter situations and circumstances that are unbearable and we don’t know what to do.  We feel frustrated like those Israelites who traveled three days into the hot desert until they knew they were about to die of thirst.  Then after they found water their relief turns to grief and disappointment when the water is too biter to drink. We, very similar to them, find ourselves in dire circumstances from time to time and we feel hopeless and alone and think there is no solution to our problems.  But God can step into a situation and change it in an instant.  What seems unbearable will become easier.  He will make the bitter water of life taste sweeter, if you simply remember to call on him in your distress.  The words of Torah are a tree of life for those seeking the help of God.</sup>

<sup>Remember to seek God for all spiritual healing.  Moses had already done that!  Moses was on a whole different spiritual level than the people.  Moses actually trusted God and cried out to Him.  The people were like the water; they had become bitter with anger against Moses.  They could have cried out to God too; but instead they complained against Moses.  It seemed the people needed deliverance from more than just Pharaoh and his army.  They needed deliverance from themselves!  Their hearts were bitter and not fit for use.  God was the only One who could change this.  They did not have it within them to change on their own.

Because of Moses and his heart toward God; God looked down on them and had mercy.  It is the same with us; only it is the heart of Jesus toward God that saves us.  We cannot take any of the credit; we can only reach up our hands and plead for mercy; and like the water that lost it’s bitterness; God changes our hearts too.  Because One heart was pure; God brought redemption to many hearts.</sup> 

So Moses throws the tree into the water and things begin to change!

So;exactly why do I think God was giving the Israelites a preview of part of the Torah at Marah?  

Why would He let them have a partial glimpse before He gave it all to them on Sinai? 

Exodus 15:25 – 26 says:  Then Moses cried out to the LORD and the LORD showed him a piece of wood.  He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.  There the LORD issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.  He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all of his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.

The Israelites needed spiritual healing!  They needed it right away!  The ripples in the water needed to begin!

They had been living too long without knowing God’s way of life.  God began very slowly and patiently instructing them right there at Marah.  As he healed the water, He healed them.  He also began to test their faithfulness.  Moses had passed the test of faithfulness by remembering to call on God in his hour of distress.  He had done this in Egypt, at the Red Sea and now at Marah; but the people needed more instruction and more testing. They were far behind Moses in making progress toward a godly life.

It is interesting to note that the very first thing God said was “If you listen carefully to me……and if you do what is right in my eyes….”  The first step in healing is to listen to and follow God’s instructions.   God's instructions are given in Torah.   Next God said; “if you pay attention to my commands and follow my drecrees….”  There are a lot of “ifs” in those statements.  

God knew how the people could be stubborn and selfish and how they often forgot to listen and remember His ways.  He began to re-teach them just the same.  That is just how much God loves those that He has called.  He loves them enough to wait 400 years.  He loves them enough to defeat strong nations before them.  He loves them enough to look the other way and be patient until they get it right.  He loves them enough to be merciful and forgiving even when they are stubborn and headstrong.  God IS love.

Right now in America, we are like these Israelites who have picked up pagan ways.  We have let our culture influence us to the point that we need to be hit by that tree called Torah.  We need to refresh our minds and hearts and souls with the goodness of the ways of God.  He makes us the same promise; the one filled with Ifs; IF you do what is right in MY eyes; IF you listen carefully to ME.....When will we heed this warning?  It could be the very thing that turns the bitter mess of our country's state right now into the sweetness that we desire; what some of us still remember from a land filled with milk and honey.  We are right now standing by the waters of Marah; will we throw in the tree?  Will we turn back to the ways and instructions of Torah?  We need to go sit under God's Tree of Life for a very, very long time and re-evaluate our lives.  Like those Israelites of the Exodus; we need to learn to follow God again.

Because the Egyptians were rebellious and would not believe or follow The One True God; God removed His protection from their land.  He let them suffer from diseases and they reaped the miserable consequences of the seeds they had sown.   Here at Marah God promises His people, (those who have been faithful to Him) that He will protect them and deliver them from all of these diseases that fell on the Egyptians; if they simply listen and obey His word and keep His ways.  

It sounds like a good deal to me!  

God certainly had the attention of the Israelites at Marah, and I think it was there that many of the ones who were the most faithful and true decided to turn and change and re-learn the instructions of God, which meant giving up the pagan ways of Egypt and beginning to live life based upon God's commands.   

When people decide to be faithful and they turn and repent and trust God for everything; even though there are severe consequences sometimes when they find themselves right in the middle of life's journeies; wonderful things result in the end.  The passage of scripture that speaks of the people after the visit to Marah tells us that the Children of Israel went on traveling to a very interesting and exciting new place.  It was called Elim.  

Elim consisted of a lush lands with twelve springs and 70 palm trees!  

Can you imagine what a change it was from Shur?  There was ample fresh water and wonderful cool shade in Elim; so they camped there near the water.