Tag Archives: Proper 23 Year B

Mark 10:17-31 – Inheriting eternal life

January 15, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

———————————————————————————————————-

This is the Gospel selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 23. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a priest on Sunday October 14, 2018. It is important because Jesus set the standards high for those who want to enter Heaven. He then specifically told his disciples that worldly wealth, possessions and material things are the greatest distractions that will keep those from the eternal reward of rejoining God.

Mark does not make this clear, and neither does Matthew, but Luke’s version of this story identifies the “man” who “ran up and knelt before [Jesus]” as, “a certain person ruler” (from “tis auton archōn”). Because John named Nicodemus as “a ruler of the Jews” (from “archōn tōn Ioudaiōn – John 3:1), using the Greek word “archón” [which means “A ruler, governor, leader, leading man; with the Jews, an official member (a member of the executive) of the assembly of elders”], one can assume this repetition identifies a known character and not a stranger.

I have a strong feeling that it was this wealthy Pharisee Nicodemus that came and knelt before Jesus. Keep in mind, Jesus had gone beyond the Jordan (Bethany Beyond the Jordan) and had not long before been tested by Pharisees about divorce in that place. This encounter would be after that Sabbath (possibly the next), but it means Nicodemus (as a ruler of the Jews) was apprised as to Jesus’ whereabouts and knew where he could find him, outside of Jerusalem. It means this was not a chance encounter.

It is important to realize that the Jewish rulers had varying views on the afterlife. The Sadducees did not believe there was one. They saw studying the Torah and Scriptures as the purpose of a pious life lived, and then you die. The Pharisees believed in Sheol, such that souls left a dead body and congregated in a netherworld, just hanging out until the Messiah came and freed them. I doubt many Pharisees believed in the Messiah as much as they believed in Sheol.

It was Jesus who spoke publicly about “eternal life.” This is why Nicodemus sought out Jesus to question him about that concept.

Jesus was quoted in John, when Jesus was having a confrontation with the rulers of Jerusalem, because he healed a lame man at the pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath. Jesus said (among other things), ‘“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24) This was then something Nicodemus would have heard, quite some time earlier in Jesus’ ministry. Two years later, it is questionable why he felt the need to quiz Jesus about this topic. Therefore, one can assume Nicodemus was trying to trap Jesus into making a statement of heresy.

One thing that supports my belief that it was Nicodemus (a certain man, not an unknown man) is his address to Jesus was similar to that overheard by John, when Nicodemus visited Jesus after night had come. Nicodemus said then, “Rabbi (from “Rhabbi” – Master), we know that you have come from God, a teacher (from “didaskalos” – teacher).” He then said that the proof for his conclusion was seen in the miraculous “signs” Jesus had done, which could only be done by a man of God. Now, we read this certain person ruler” gets on Jesus’ bad side by calling him “Good Teacher” (from “Didaskale”).

The capitalization of “Good” is an error of translation into English, as the Greek shows the address as “Didaskale agathe,” where “good” is in the lower case. That means there is no importance that is necessary to apply to the word; just the scope of meaning. As such, agathe has two viable uses. One is as a most generic statement of politeness and a the other is intended to be a word that “describes what originates from God and is empowered by Him in [one’s] life, through faith.” That means one word can have very different intentions.

Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good?” because he wanted the ruler of the Jews to explain his meaning behind his word choice. Jesus knew this man was a leader of the Jews, so “good” should be reserved for comparisons to God. However, Jesus also knew the man was a member of a sect that was his enemy.

Jesus immediately ignored the question about eternal life, because this man was recognized. Jesus knew he was one of the ruling Jews who had tried to charge him with working on a Sabbath and had just recently tried to stone him for blasphemy, after Jesus said he was the good shepherd. At that time, Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28)

By asking about eternal life, Jesus knew the disapproval of Nicodemus, as the opinion of Jesus held by the man questioning him was not “good.” Jesus knew “good” was a generic ploy, used to win favor. As such, the question Jesus asked went unanswered, as it was rhetorical, with Jesus immediately knowing Nicodemus was a wolf in sheep’s clothing trying to entrap him.

Jesus then followed his question by answering it, saying, “No one is good but God alone.”

In one sense, Jesus said, “If you think I am good, then you think I am God incarnate as a human being.” Nicodemus had said to Jesus that the rulers of Jerusalem knew only a man such as Jesus could do the signs of understanding, unless he was from God and God was with him. Still, the answer Jesus gave made a powerful statement that one alone (without being from God and with God) cannot be good.

That statement as the answer to Jesus’ question then both slapped Nicodemus in the face by calling him a hypocrite (where the Greek word hupokrités means “actor, pretender”). He was pretending to say Jesus was good, when he thought he was bad; Jesus let Nicodemus know he knew his heart and mind. Then, on the backhand, Jesus slapped him again by telling Nicodemus he was bad, not good, because none of the rulers of Jerusalem were from God or with God.

The truth of this statement goes beyond the rulers of Jerusalem to forever fit those who pretend to be “good,” but stand “alone,” not being married to God, and not being one with His Holy Spirit.

The Greek words that translate perfectly as “God alone” are “heis ho Theos.” The translation demands one omit the article, “ho,” as unnecessary, so the literal becomes “alone God.” However, the same words can clearly state, “one together God,” meaning the only ones who qualify as being “good,” in the religious sense of the word, are those who are like Jesus, having joined as “one with God.”

Think about that when one analyzes Scripture and fails to see the bad guy as oneself. Everyone is like Nicodemus, and not like Jesus, when they pretend to be “good,” as defined by one who goes to church and says, “Jesus is a good teacher.” No one is like Jesus, unless he or she has sacrificed self-ego to make room for God in one’s heart.

When God is in one’s heart, one is then the wife of God (regardless of human gender), which leads to giving birth to Jesus Christ within. Jesus Christ resurrected within one’s being, with the Holy Spirit merged with one’s soul and one’s brain led by the Mind of Christ, makes one “good” in a religious sense. Otherwise, one stands “alone,” not “one with God.” Therefore, Nicodemus was not the only one of his kind.

At this point, Jesus then began to recite the Ten Commandments, which are the most known of the six hundred thirteen commandments listed in the Torah. Jesus began listing them because he recognized Nicodemus as one who taught the law, which meant he had memorized the laws, as a lawyer.

Being a lawyer had made Nicodemus a rich man, while he was still a young man. He was a ruler of the Jews, while much younger than the older scribes and priests of the Temple. Nicodemus was a ‘fast-tracking’ ruler, an up-and-coming go getter, who was fast making a name for himself.

Jesus was young too and Nicodemus saw himself in Jesus. Nicodemus was young enough to appear as still learning, thus he presented himself as ripe for Jesus to fill him in on some things. His wealth, however, was worn on his skin, in his clothing, which was his way of letting everyone know he was an important man of the law, due the respect of those who made him rich. Nicodemus was attempting to lure Jesus with the thought of powerful donations, as a show of how he wanted to follow Jesus secretly through financial contributions. Jesus was young in years, but eternally wise from the Mind God gave him.

When Jesus said, “You know the commandments,” he used the Greek word “odias,” which focused the second person “you” onto a word that means, “be aware, behold, consider, and perceive.” Jesus did not state that Nicodemus knew the meaning of the Law, but instead he implied that he had memorized the letter of the law, by seeing it with his eyes and thinking about it with his brain. By Jesus reciting six laws, Jesus was slapping Nicodemus around some more, like saying, “Yada, yada, yada, this law that law.” (I know, I know, I know, this law that law.) His mentioning those memorized laws was akin to saying, “You perceive the laws like a little child beholds them.”

Jesus then demonstrated he knew the soul of Nicodemus. He told him the laws as children are taught and Nicodemus exclaimed, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” That statement was the truth; such that “ephylaxamēn” meant “I have kept my eye on” what I learned as a child.

Not once, since having learned the laws as a “youth,” did Nicodemus ever progress beyond a child’s understanding of that which he was taught. Think about how well that fits Christians today, who prove their distaste for Bible Study by their staunch resistance to attending and participating in an adult discussion of understanding, trying to grasp what the laws mean.

As a young man, he had gotten rich off his child-like understanding of the laws. It is easy to not break any laws when Jewish customs were designed to lead everyone to legally upstanding lives. Nicodemus had followed all the customary rituals, avoiding overt conflict with the Law. Still, he commonly used deceit (as he was then with Jesus). He committed adultery by loving material objects more than God, while calling himself a teacher of the law. Nicodemus regularly stole from Jews, but he felt exonerated by only taking that which was allowed a lawyer. He also made it a practice to bear false witness on those (like Jesus) who did not think like him. As a teacher, he defrauded the Jews who came to him for learning, because he knew nothing about spiritual matters. Finally, he honored his father and mother with trinkets, instead of love. Jesus then named the laws he knew Nicodemus was obviously guilty of breaking.

Think about how people today are just as blindly justifying their acts against the Law as usual and customary, acceptable because others act in the same ways.

We then read how Jesus responded to the child-like glee of Nicodemus, when he exclaimed how he had kept his brain on the laws since his youth (remember, he was still a young man), by reading, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” This is a good lesson on the meaning of “love.”

The Greek word “emblepsas” says that Jesus “looked into” Nicodemus, which means he went beyond the surface features and peering deep into his soul spirit. That says Jesus knew the truth about Nicodemus. The next statement, separated by comma as a subsequent step from this insight of Nicodemus, says, “Jesus loved” Nicodemus. Knowing Jesus could not have seen a warm, soft heart within Nicodemus, knowing he was trying to set a trap as an enemy, one needs to realize this is a lesson about how one “loves an enemy,” which is different than loving neighbors and loving family.

The word translated in the past tense of “love,” is “ēgapēsen.” As a form of “agapaó,” Jesus then displayed how “love” is to be read in all the Gospels, where Jesus is remembered by child-like brains as a “love” child of God. The implication is how Jesus “loved” an enemy, as Nicodemus was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

One does not “love” an enemy by accepting all that is evil about an enemy as one’s own, offering forgiveness of sin. Jesus “loved” Nicodemus by telling him why he was an enemy, in the eyes of God. He “loved him” by telling him how to change [remembering Nicodemus had asked Jesus how he could be guaranteed eternal life], so God would be pleased with his soul. Therefore, Jesus “loved” by telling the truth, as much or as little as that might hurt, because Nicodemus needed the truth be told to him.

This is an important point that needs to be dwelled upon. Everyone who goes around pretending to be speaking for Jesus by saying, “Jesus said to love everyone,” is speaking from a complete lack of understanding of what “love” means. This example of Jesus showing his “love” for a man who obviously was seeped in the sin of self-worth, as projecting from his self-confidence and his rich dress, was not shown by Jesus saying, “I love your coat! Where did you get it? Can you get me a deal on one just like it?” No. Jesus “loved” Nicodemus by telling him the truth about his going nowhere close to eternal life.

The reading continues by stating Jesus said, “You lack one thing.” Actually, the Greek statement was, “Hen se hysterei,” where the capitalized word [capitalization is an indication of a word of importance] “Hen” says “One.” The capitalization says “One” bears a level of importance that needs to be pondered. When the three words together are known to say, “One you lacking,” this makes “One” refer back to Jesus having said, “one with God.”

This means that Nicodemus “falling short” or “lacking,” in life efforts towards a goal of eternal life, was not because of a thing that was lacking, but a statement that he was not One with God. Jesus so “loved” Nicodemus that he told him in his face, “You are lacking a commitment to God.”

This is not too different from Jesus scolding Nicodemus when they first met, by saying, “You call yourself a teacher of Israel and you do not understand spiritual matters?” Nicodemus was lacking that oneness with God (through marriage of his soul to Holy Spirit) then, and now (about three years later) he still lacked being One with God.

Before anyone today starts whooping and hollering, as if standing behind Jesus, hand on his shoulder, saying, “You go guy! Tell him how it is! I just love how Jesus slapped the Pharisees around!” Think about one’s self. Ask yourself, “Am I One with God?” If one cannot truthfully answer, “Yes,” then one is the common reincarnation of Nicodemus. If so, one needs to listen carefully to what Jesus then said, which is written next.

Jesus said, “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

This is more involved than first appears [as is all Scripture]. The presence of commas means Jesus gave instructions that are sequential steps that must be taken, if one is to transform a life that is lacking into one that is of abundance. That abundance comes from being One with God.

The first step, as it appears in translation is “Go.” The Greek does not capitalize this word, meaning it is not a statement of an important step that means significantly “leave.” As “go” (in the lower case), one gets the wrong impression that Jesus told Nicodemus to leave him. This is not the case, as the Greek word “hypage” means, “depart, begone, and die.” This means the first step is to “die.” This is not a physical death, as Jesus gave instructions for physical acts must follow. Instead, “die” is a statement that one must “die” of self-ego, of which Nicodemus was full of himself.

Once one has released the brain’s control over one’s actions, such that the soul has been commanded to “Get behind me!”, one is then free to choose to “sell what one owns.” The literal Greek here actually states, “hosa echeis pōlēson,” or “as much as you possess exchange.”

While people amass a great many things in a lifetime, with things necessary for life to be maintained, the greatest possession one always has is one’s soul. When one hears talk of “selling one’s soul to the devil,” the meaning implies a barter with Satan for worldly possessions. One then exchanges a spiritual promissory note for materials now.

Jesus was then less concerned with the things Nicodemus had that should be sold, as much as he was instructing Nicodemus to buy back his soul, through breaking his deal with evil. That requires the help of the Father.

When Jesus then said to Nicodemus, “and give to the poor,” the element of giving has absolutely nothing to do with giving things. If it was things that were Nicodemus’ connection to evil, Jesus then could not instruct Nicodemus to give evil to the poor. The cycle of dependency on wealth would just be passed on to others, so the poor become rich by being surrounded by evil things.

The instruction was to share his reclaimed soul’s spiritual wealth with those who were spiritually poor. This is the duty of an Apostle. Jesus was sharing his spirituality with Nicodemus, because, as materially wealthy as he was, Nicodemus was spiritually impoverished. This, again, is how Jesus “loved him.”

When Jesus then said, “and you will have treasure in heaven,” this is the promise of eternal life that Nicodemus first asked about. The promise of a soul going to Heaven is based on first “possessing” (“and you will have”) the “wealth” (“treasure”) that comes from a soul being married to God, through baptism by the Holy Spirit. All of that makes one “a storehouse for precious things” (from “thésauros”), due to the divine (the “heavens” – from “ouranō”) being “in” (from “en”) one’s flesh. This was exactly the same state that was Jesus of Nazareth, being the Son of God. Therefore, Jesus was telling Nicodemus to be like him.

That was the meaning behind the simple statement said in the segment “and come.” After Jesus said to Nicodemus, “go,” he then said, “come,” which means after “dying” of self-ego, then “become” One with God, as was Jesus. It meant to “come forth” with the Christ Mind, which was not limited to only one body of human flesh. While it was limited to ALL who would be just like Jesus the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), Jesus was telling Nicodemus (and ALL who read this Scripture) to “become” him, in duplicate. There is plenty of God to spread around, so ALL can be One with God; but it is up to each individual to choose that arrangement.

This is why Jesus ended his series of instructions with “follow me.” The Greek word “akolouthei” means, “accompany, attend, and follow,” but the English word “follow” is defined as: “To move in the direction of; be guided by,” as well as, “To adhere to; practice” and “To come after in order, time, or position.” [American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition] This means Jesus had no intention of making a disciple out of Nicodemus; but, he encouraged him to become a subsequent Jesus of Nazareth on the face of the earth, as an Apostle of Christ, One with God.

“When [Nicodemus] heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”

The Greek word “stygnasas” is translated as “shocked,” but it also means his face dropped. Nicodemus took on a “gloomy appearance,” “having a somber countenance.” This change of face, from the happy rich, young ruler of the Jews, who called Jesus “good,” was the same change that came over the face of Cain, when the Lord looked with favor on Abel’s offering, not telling Cain, “Oh, and because I love you too Cain, your offering is peachy-keen.”

The truth hurts, so like Cain, who “was very angry, and his face was downcast,” (Genesis 4:5) one can imagine Nicodemus was not simply saddened by the words of Jesus. He was steaming with anger inside. That would be the changed countenance that would go back to Jerusalem and be fully on board with the plotting and planning of Jesus’ murder. The spirit of Cain had been resurrected within him.

With Nicodemus leaving angry, Jesus was left standing with his disciples. They had heard the conversation with a known Pharisee, one who pretended to be a secret admirer of Jesus. Jesus knew their hearts and minds, saying to them, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” However, that “perplexed” them further.

Jesus then said to them, ““Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

This was stating the capitalized spelling of “Tekna,” which meant Jesus knew the brains of his disciples were immature. He also knew they were pure and innocent, as the “Children” of God. They had heard Nicodemus ask the question, “How can I be assured of eternal life,” which was little more than seeming hot air, as words spoken only by Jesus. They too wanted to be assured, but then Jesus was saying eternal life in Heaven (God’s kingdom) was “hard to enter!”

Gulp. Ruh roh.

The reference to “the eye of the needle” was not impossibility, but one that was known to demand hard work. That was the name of a gate into Nazareth, which was too small for a fully laden camel to get through. It was a gate where the camel had to be off-loaded outside the gate, and then the wares would have to be hand-carried inside the gate. The camel could then get inside the gate another way, where it could be reloaded in order to get to the merchants in that area of Nazareth. That would demand a lot of effort. Therefore, the reference meant, “Getting to Heaven requires doing all the necessary work, just like the work required to get a camel through “the eye of the needle” gate.”

The reading then continues, stating, “[The disciples] were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?”’ This says that they were unfamiliar with “the eye of the needle” gate, as they were not suppliers of merchants that used camels. They simply knew camels were large animals and needles had very small eyes. They heard what Jesus said as a completely impossible task (much like children would).

In the Greek, which is translated as “Jesus looked at them,” the capitalized “Emblepsas” is found, which was the same word we heard read about Jesus “looking at” Nicodemus. This is, again, not with physical eyes, but with the All-Seeing Eye of God, as the importance of capitalization would imply. It says that the disciples whispered quietly, so as to not be overheard by Jesus, because asking, “Who can be saved” was a question akin to, “Why are we here?”

They were doing the grunt work for Jesus, thinking that would get them into Heaven. They believed he was a Prophet, greater than John the Baptist. Peter had even spoken in tongues, saying, “You are the Messiah,” but after all their time spent with Jesus there was only hiss word as a promise. Considering all the work they had already done, getting a camel through a needle’s eye was reason to quit and go home.

Because Jesus knew his disciples were talking doubtful language among themselves, he said to them, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” This translation only hints at the importance of Jesus’ words.

The Greek states, “Para anthrōpois adynaton.” The capitalized first word is then important to realize as “Alongside” or “By the side of.” That is an important statement of one not being One with God, even though a “man” or “human being” stands close to God, as did the rulers of the Jews. Close was not the same as united as One.

Simply by being important “men” that said they were “by the side of” God, the Pharisees and other rulers of the Jews were not capable of entering Heaven. Heaven only was an opening for those who were not excess baggage, like a camel carrying a load on its sides that has to be removed to get inside. The ones doing the work of the righteous are those who are granted entry into Heaven.

That made “men” like Nicodemus be symbolic of the bundles of wares “alongside” a camel, too much width to get through a tiny opening. While they would not understand these words until the disciples had become Apostles, the Greek here says, “Alongside Jesus of Nazareth (a man),” – not one reborn as Jesus Christ in one’s being – entrance into God’s kingdom was “impossible.” No mere “man” is “incapable” of that “power” alone.

This means that when Jesus added, “But not for God; for God all things are possible,” the point was that those who were One with God, entry into God’s kingdom was not only possible, but assured in advance. While the disciples had not yet matured as those who were One with God, they were the Children of God, with Jesus raising them to fulfill that expectation (with the exception being Judas Iscariot). Jesus, thus, stated that exception to his disciples, because the rulers of the Jews were “Alongside men”; the Children were “subservient boys” in the Eye of God.

We then see how Peter again rose up and spoke for the group: “Peter began to say to [Jesus], “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”

A wife’s argument is, “I left everything for you.”

He said this because none of the disciples were getting rich from doing the chores that allowed Jesus to travel in ministry, safely and securely. Peter spoke as an intern at a law firm, where it was understood that grunt work now would pay off later. While none of the disciples ever expected to be rich and powerful like the rulers of Jerusalem, there was some glimpse of possibility that they would be given the talents to do the miracles of Jesus. That ability alone would ensure some ability to gain donations and a reputation of having graduated from the Jesus of Nazareth School of Law.

This is worthy of self-comparison also, as Peter speaking is no different than Nicodemus speaking. Peter spoke for the disciples then, just as he speaks for all Christians that do all the donations of time and money, while serving some capacity in a church organization, and allowing conscience to keep them from turning away from temptations to sin, for the most part. Those times they do backslide and sin, it is usually less than a big law broken and they feel guilt, so they confess their sins to Jesus and ask for forgiveness.

In this way, does a Christian today not ask, “I have given up more than most to serve you Jesus, so why is that not enough to assure myself of getting into Heaven?”

This means Jesus told Peter, the other disciples, and you the reader and listener: “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.”

Jesus knew who had sacrificed things, as that which is external to oneself – houses, family, property – which would be repaid “a hundredfold” forevermore. The sacrifice of people, places, and things was the destruction of all that built up external support for a self-ego, such that when those things were gone, the will to resist God’s Will would fall down. Submission to God would mean sacrifice now, for reward to come both “in this age and the age to come.” The reference to ages is then summarized as “eternal life.”

That reference then returns the focus to the question by Nicodemus, where the assurance of eternal life was repeated. Sacrifice of self for God brings that assurance. One has to lose the ego to become One with God. Sacrifice means taking a lowered position, in subservience and subjection to a higher power. The disciples had done that. The Pharisees of Jerusalem had not. Thus, Jesus ended the reading by saying, “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

The point of his words was the sacrifice of things now meant being last. One in that position could be seen as materially poor. However, those who elevated their souls Spiritually would become first in the Eye of God, while those who claimed to have the most worldly wealth and power would be passed over as last in the entrance into Heaven line.

Nicodemus could not make the sacrifice, but the disciples of Jesus could (except Judas).

As the Gospel selection for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – one has been assured eternal life through willing sacrifice of the self-ego – the message here is to realize one cannot be Christian wares slung over the back of a camel and expect to get through the demanding requirement of God’s kingdom. One has to see the camel as the church (both as Christian organizations and the physical buildings those organizations own), with the church only having the ability to get one to the doorway, but not inside. Getting inside means hard work.

It is vital to understand this reading. The season called “Ordinary Time,” which amounts to half of every year, from Pentecost Sunday to Christ the King Sunday, is when the sacrifice of self means doing the work of the Lord.

It is when one stops celebrating a “house” of worship and becomes a house of worship. More than dwelling in the dogma of a house of religion, God dwells within one’s being.

Rather than letting blood be thicker than water, so “brothers” are flesh kin that need to be supported, regardless of their sins, one should become filled with the living water of the Holy Spirit, related to all of the same Blood of Christ, as “brothers” reborn as Jesus.

Rather than seeing a “sister” as a wife of Jesus Christ, a nun in some order of women, women must become females who have also been reborn as Jesus Christ (a masculine Spirit). All Christians must become the “mother” of Jesus Christ, as the wives of God. All Christians must become the home of the Father, who teaches the children of God to make the same sacrifices born of love.

Rather than seeing the land as a possession and a symbol of earthly wealth, one needs to see oneself as the fruit of the vine that grows in the fields. One becomes a puller of weeds and a planter of good seed. One works to bring in the harvest of plenty, as fishers of men’s souls.

So many Christians are just like the Pharisee who pretended to speak of Jesus as “good,” when that was nothing more than lip-service. To paraphrase Forrest Gump’s momma, “Good is as good does.”

It is a lie to say one believes in a man who died nearly two thousand years ago, whom one has never seen, simply because one thinks believing in Jesus will bring one great rewards. One can only have faith in Jesus Christ, by being the resurrection of Jesus Christ. True faith can only come from personally experiencing God, knowing His presence within one’s being, not alongside as a side show.

Without that faith, one acts as a spokesman for Christians who only have a child’s understanding of Jesus. That raises questions of doubt, when one tries to walk on water, led only by belief, and one sinks like a stone. Belief has to motivate one to do the necessary work that brings about faith. One has to see the truth of Scripture come alive, as if one was there in the words, seeing the truth unfold, rather than a story in a picture book.

One has to stop trying to be the young, rich ruler and drop down on one’s knees, prostrate before the LORD. One has to have a burning desire to be a servant of God, cherishing the opportunity that comes from being last; knowing an eternity with God is worth a lifetime of hard work.

If you do not desire that end, you will not obtain that goal. One becomes like Nicodemus, with all eggs and baskets checked at the door to Heaven. The heart is the seat of desire and you reap what the heart sows.

Hebrews, Language, Teaching

Hebrews 4:12-16 – Uncovered and laid bare for reckoning

January 15, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

———————————————————————————————————-

This is the Epistle selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 23. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday October 14, 2018. It is important because Paul named Jesus as the high priest sent by God to govern His people spiritually. Becoming Jesus reborn means passing the tests this reading points out.

This is a relatively short selection of Paul’s writings to the Hebrew-speaking (Jews) of Rome. That does not mean this has a short interpretation. Indeed, it turned out to be rather long; but it is an important little reading.

As is my custom, I have broken this down into the segments of words that are marked by points of punctuation (written or implied). The translations are literal English, based on the Greek that appears on the Bible Hub Interlinear presentation of Hebrews 4, with some adjustments. Because capitalization is an indicator of importance applied to a word (such as “Son” bears a higher meaning that “son”), I have not shown the capitalization cases that English blanketly applies to the first word of a sentence (while Bible Hub does). Instead, I show the case as it appears in the Greek text. Some translations are based on the acceptable alternative intent of words (such that “ho” or “tou” are shown as non-translated articles, when they can be alternative pronouns or adjectives).

I will present the literal translation as stated, and afterwards I will add comments of interpretation, based on the language written.

12. Living for the word the [one] of God ,

and active ,

and sharper than any sword two-edged ,

even penetrating as far as division soul and spirit ,

joints both and marrows ,

and able to judge thoughts and intentions of the heart .

13. and not there is creature hidden before him ;

all things however are uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of him to whom our people reckoning .

14. Having therefore a high priest great ,

having passed through the heavens ,

Jesus ,

the Son the [one] of God ,

we should hold firmly this confession .

15. not for we have a high priest not being able to sympathize with the weaknesses of us ;

having been tempted however in all things by the same ways ,

without sin .

16. we should come therefore with boldness to the throne this of grace ,

so that we may receive mercy and grace may find for in time of need help .

The first word of verse twelve is capitalized – “Zōn” – showing the importance of “Living.” The root word (“zaó”) means, “I am alive; I live; I have life.” It should be grasped that the lower case, “alive,” would reflect a natural childbirth, where the soul is received into the flesh at first breath. The soul is sent by God, as an extension of God, as the spirit of “life.”

By understanding birth is “living,” the capitalized spelling, as “Living,” is then rebirth, which comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit merging with one’s soul. Paul was then purposefully (as the voice of God working through Paul) referencing the state of being that all Apostles know, “having come alive” by service to God. “Living” is the promise of eternal life, as opposed to mortals being born to die [of death].

The word that certainly translates as “for” (“gar”) can equally act as a preposition that says “through.” This shows the direction one’s “Life” has taken, as not only is it “for the word the [one] of God,” but “Living” has been made possible “through the word” (“logos”).

Living through modern science is not the same as Living through the word of God.

While “word” is not capitalized, it has its importance reflected on it by it linking to the capitalized “Theou.” By the “word” being that “of God,” it becomes more than a simple definition of “word.” This means the language of Scripture has had an enhanced meaning in those “Living” with the Holy Spirit, more than simply “words” recognized as “of God,” written by holy people. Still, those who have become Apostles are proved to others by “the word of God” that flows through them. Therefore, the “word” is representative of “Living water” that Jesus spoke of, such that the “word” has a reflection on the surface that does not show that which lies underneath.

The second segment then states “active” (from “energēs”). This says that “Living through the word of God” is shared, through the “works” of faith. It means that God “acts” through His Apostles.

When Paul then adds to this “activity” that is “of God,” by stating “sharper than any double-edged sword,” this is metaphor for the quickness that an Apostle will be able to “act” as an agent of the Lord. The “word of God” acts like a knife or sacrificial dagger, which metaphorically cuts to the hearts of other, coming from the lips of Apostles. This imagery can then be seen in John’s Book of Revelations, where Jesus was seen descending, saying, “and out of the mouth of him goes forth a sword sharp.” (Revelations 19:15a)

Relative to that metaphor stated in The Revelations, John also wrote, “and is called the name of him, the Word of God.” (Revelations 19:13b) This means that the first three segments of Hebrews 4:12 can help one grasp the meaning of John’s Apocalypse, while also seeing these words of Paul are placing the same sharp sword of justice in the mouths of Apostles who have been reborn as Jesus Christ.

To support that conclusion, I draw again from The Revelations of John, where he envisioned: “At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” (Revelations 19:10)

Paul then said of the activity of this sword of God, “even penetrating as far as division soul and spirit” (read aloud, “piercing until it divides soul from spirit”). The word translated as “penetrating” or “piercing” is influenced by one seeing a physical sword, rather than a metaphorical one. The Greek word “diiknoumenos” also means, “passing through (to), coming through (to), and going through (to),” which is summed up in one word as “penetrating” or “piercing.” However, when this figurative sword is Spiritual, “of God,” the use of “through” matches the acceptable translation of “gar” as “Living through the word,” meaning the “word” is what “divides the soul and the spirit” by “coming through” one.

This is important to realize, as the soul is the life breath from God, which is separate from the Holy Spirit. It is the Living word that actively cuts deep into an Apostle’s being, so he or she can realize a soul is easily influenced by external, worldly distractions. It is the Holy Spirit’s presence that makes those distractions cease to matter. The “word of God” makes it clear a soul is separate from the Holy Spirit.

Again, thinking in physical terms, seeing a double-edged sword slicing through one’s being, cutting in half the soul and the spirit, one immediately visualizes how there are many “joints” in a physical body. While the Greek word “harmōn” does mean “joints of a body,” one has to grasp that “joints” are called “joints” because they “join” parts of a body together. The same Greek word can also mean that, as “a joining.”

This is then not a sword piercing joints, but the realization that having one’s soul separate from God’s Holy Spirit cannot continue. One realizes a need for the two to be “joined together,” so “both” are united as one. This is the marriage to God that one’s soul needs, which is called baptism by the Holy Spirit (not water).

Following the realization that “harmōn te” means “joining ones both,” not “joints and,” one sees how “kai myelōn” does not mean “and marrows” (the central material in bones, which come together at joints), but “through marrows.” Knowing that Paul is painting a symbolic picture, it becomes eye-opening to see how the Greek word “muelos” is rooted in “myelós,” which means “enclosed within,” from “múō,” meaning “to close, or to shut.” Thus, “marrows” is the “joining” of “both soul and spirit,” like a bone surrounds the central material that makes it grow, with the “joined ones” connected to God.

Mortal, can these dried bones be rejoined?

Through this marriage of two in one, God is infused with the Apostle’s human body. This makes the Apostle “able to judge,” as the servant of God. This is the Mind of Christ that supersedes the human brain, with lightening quick impulses of knowledge allowed by God, so the Apostle can discern the truth. This insight comes from “thoughts,” where the Greek word “enthymēseōn” implies, “inward thoughts, and reflections.” HELPS Word-studies says that this Greek word means, “literally, inner-passion, the emotional force driving meditation and reflection.” This is an ability given an Apostle (a talent) by God.

The word translated as “intentions” is “ennoiōn.” That word is clearer when understood to indicate: “thinking, thoughtfulness, moral understanding, consideration, purpose, and design.” When this is then said to be “of the heart,” this becomes the emotional center of one’s being, where God sits on His throne in His kingdom that sets the sovereign rule as one’s “intentions.” The Greek word “kardias” also means “mind, character, inner self, will, intention, and center,” and is recognized as ‘“the affective center of our being’ and the capacity of moral preference.” [HELPS Word-studies]

From verse twelve developing the makings of an Apostle, which Paul knew and the recipients of his epistle would easily recognize, verse thirteen begins with the conjunction “and” (“kai”), which introduces additional information. As the lead word in a segment of words in a new verse, it has the implied importance of introducing a new direction to take. That direction, on the whole, states, “not there is creature hidden before him (read aloud, “before him no creature is hidden”).

In the Bible Hub Interlinear translation, they capitalize “him,” although the Greek word “autou” is not capitalized. The reason “him” should not be read as meaning only God, is verse twelve introduced the joining of God and man as One, as the “marrows” of “soul enclosed in spirit.” Thus, “him” is “both” God and the Apostle, meaning verse thirteen speaks for the Apostle as One with God.

The word translated as “creature” is “ktisis,” which actually means living beings that breathe air, with all living beings a part of God’s Creation. This means the Apostle is a “creature,” in whom God dwells. There is nothing “hidden, invisible” or “unseen” about that “creature” created by the infusion of God’s Holy Spirit with a soul, throughout a Living body of flesh. There are no secrets kept from God; but there is nothing hidden from God’s Eye, whether God is within one or not. Therefore, “not there is creature hidden before the Apostle,” so that no one will be an unrecognized threat to the Apostle; meaning the inner voice of God not only gives insight of spiritual matters, but alerts as to all external dangers.

The deeper meaning of this segment comes from realizing “before him,” which in Greek is “enōpion.” That word actually means, “before the face of, in the presence of, in the eyes of, and/or in sight of,” such that “before” implies standing where one can be seen. This then relates to the word “aphanēs,” which means “unseen, invisible, or hidden (from view).” The deeper meaning is relating an Apostles adherence to the First Commandment, which is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

I have written of this at other times, but it stands to be repeated now. The literal Hebrew of the First Commandment states, “No shall have you gods other before face.” That is a statement that sets the rule for being in the presence of Yahweh. As such, one cannot wear the face of any other gods before Yahweh. The face human beings wear that keeps them from experiencing God is the face of self-ego. Only from sacrificing that image of self – a little-g god (one of the elohim) – can one become an Apostle. Once that sacrifice is complete, one wears the face of God, as did Moses and Jesus.

When God said, “No one can see my face and live” (meaning death is the only time God can be seen), the face of God is the glow on Moses’ face (needing to be shielded by a cloth) or the halo depicted in art. One wears the face of God as a Saint, which is invisible. Still, there can be no hidden ego left in anyone who truly serves the Lord. Once God resides in one’s heart and one’s intentions are known, one stops looking in the mirror and starts looking for souls who are lost and seeking help.

With that understood, Paul then wrote, “all things however are uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of him to whom our people reckoning” (read aloud, “all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account”). Keeping in mind how verse thirteen is from the perspective of an Apostle, who is One with God, wearing the face of God and having the Mind of Christ, we can see that the Apostle’s insight keeps him or her safe from threats, from listening to the inner whispers of God. Therefore, (just as Jesus always knew the Pharisees had hidden tricks up their sleeves, so he could be steps ahead of them) there is no lesser god (a creature before God’s face) that cannot be known – seen as one unworthy of treading on holy ground. All attempts to persecute an Apostle will be reckoned, good for the Apostle, bad for the creature trying to hide evil doings.

Here is where I would like to bring out my work interpreting the writings of Nostradamus. My ability to interpret Holy Scripture is based on having been shown how to read the writings of that sixteenth century Saint, which is written in a manner that makes Paul seem like a Saint who got right to the point and said what he meant. I tried to make the meaning of Nostradamus’ work, The Prophecies, publicly known. While doing that, I became acquainted with the weekly lectionary readings of the Episcopal Church, which were speaking to me in the same way as The Prophecies – as having deeper than surface meaning.

I found Christians largely reject the notion of Nostradamus being an Apostle of God, reborn as Jesus Christ. For that reason of rejection, few people know Nostradamus wrote two accompanying letters to his nebulous poems (quatrains), which preface them and explain them. Fewer people still know that in those letters (epistles) Nostradamus quoted Holy Scripture, writing Biblical quotes in Latin, mixed in with his normal (Old) French. He quoted in his preface Hebrews 4:13.

The rejection of Nostradamus has meant an inability for others to discern any true meaning from the verses, while ignoring that Nostradamus wrote about that expected difficulty. He knew no one would understand the meaning for a long time. To me, Nostradamus was a Saint that had the same natural given talent that Paul had been given, by God; so Nostradamus understood Paul’s letter to the Hebrews. Nostradamus wrote a true Prophecy that would not be found realized before many centuries beyond his death had passed. That meant his words could have only come from God, as a true Prophet, one who would be persecuted for writing predictions that no one understood.

In the preface to his book of prophecies, he explained that his words were from a “faculty divine.” He then clarified that statement by stating that eternity consisted, to human brains, three times: present, past, and future. In that sense of time, history would seem to repeat, such that his predictions would seem to fit parts of the past, when viewed in the present. However, true Prophecy is not hindsighted.

The Prophecies were told by God to Nostradamus, for him to write of an unknown future. Those prophecies would always be little more than projections of an unknown future, until “all are naked and laid bare,” meaning the truth of The Prophecies would be foreseeable and predictable. They would be understandable as extremely possible in the present, unless belief came forth and changes delayed that future coming.

Nostradamus then wrote, “c.,” which was an abbreviation meaning “et cetera” [Latin, meaning “and other things similar”], such that the remained of the verse also applies to that future exposure. By adding, “to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account,” allowing the future to unfold will bring all involved to a point of soul reckoning. This means the future told by Nostradamus could be averted by the religious of the world heeding God’s warning; but for all who would reject one of God’s true Prophets, bringing about a horrid future to “the eyes” of those in its presence [the future cycling to the present], that would be “him” who would have to “reckon” with God, when souls would be endangered by reincarnation into a toxic world.

This means the way to avert a terrible future (which the language of Nostradamus’ poems makes vividly clear) is for one to turn to God. One must receive the Spirit of servitude and have one’s soul married to God. This will then expose all the evil happenings in a world that has cycles of destruction that cannot be stopped.

The guarantee of eternal life in Heaven is available to all, but it comes at a price that means sacrifice now for that higher goal later. Being able to see the truth made bare before one’s eyes gives one the motivation to resist evil temptation, with the help of God’s Holy Spirit within one’s soul.

Verse fourteen then makes the statement, “Having therefore a high priest great.” The Greek word “Echontes” is capitalized, meaning this is an important statement of “Having.” The root word means, “to have, to hold, to possess, and to keep.” It is not a coincidence that one’s marriage vows have a priest ask both who will become joined to promise, “In the name of God, I, (name), take you, (name), to be my [spouse], to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.” [Episcopal wedding language]

In horror movies, such as in The Exorcist, one recognizes demonic possession as a common scare theme; but one overlooks the need for divine possession, where one is “Having” the Holy Spirit take control of one’s life direction. Whereas the Roman Catholic Church supposedly trains priests in the systematic removal of demon spirit that possess Catholics, they do very little “preventive maintenance,” which would be training priests how to be Apostles. If priests were capable of “Having” the Holy Spirit possess them, then they could go evangelize and pass that “Possessing” Spirit onto other Catholics. But, alas, that Church has been largely void of Saints for many centuries.

The “high priest” that is “great” is then the state of being that comes over and “Holds” dear an Apostle. This is what makes one become a Saint, where Holiness comes from on “high,” not from a school or seminary.

It is most important to realize that Moses took the children of God away from the din and distraction of common, ordinary life, so they could embark on a forty-year training program, where their normal way of life would become that of “priests” to Yahweh. While those children of Israel largely failed to transform into “high priests” (Greek “archiereus”), the lineage flame was kept alit by the Prophets, leading to God sending the Messiah, Jesus.

When one is “Having” or “Possessing” or “Holding” this “high priest” within one’s being, one has become an Apostle. All Christians are called to become “high priests,” because of the “great” name that becomes theirs – Jesus Christ.

Before Paul actually named “Jesus,” he wrote, “having passed through the heavens” (read aloud “who has passed through the heavens”). Here is repeated the word “having,” through the past historic form of “dierchomai,” as “having passed through.” Here, again, is a reference to “through,” where the sword had pierced “through” one’s “soul and spirit.” The Greek word “ouranous” should then not be seen as the physicality of outer space, but the “spiritual heaven” that is the presence of God within one’s being. This divine state “having passed through” one’s being has then brought about “heaven” on earth. This “heavenly” state” then makes it possible for one to be reborn as “Jesus.”

When the state of “Jesus” has been duplicated by the power of God, one has then been inherited as a child of God. Regardless of one’s human gender, one who is filled with God’s heavenly presence is made the “Son of God.” This, therefore, is why Paul and the other Apostles addressed one another as “brothers.” Even women who are saints are brothers in having been reborn as Jesus Christ.

When Paul then wrote, “we should hold firmly this confession” (read aloud “let us hold fast to our confession”), the plural “we” is applied to the Greek root word “krateó,” meaning all Apostles “should hold firmly” to this divine state of being, where each has become a “great high priest” of Yahweh. Keep in mind that this verse began with the capitalized “Holding,” and now Paul is stating this “Possessing” by God demands those being “Held” by the Holy Spirit should [a conditional intent, by one’s choice] in return “hold fast” to the name of Christ that each has taken on.

The word translated as “confession” is “homologias,” which is less a statement about being open about how one feels and truthful about what one has done, but is a word used to state one’s “affirmed profession.” This is not the business of religion, but the proclamation of the Good News of the kingdom of God coming near. This means one who is an Apostle should maintain “our confession” by bringing others who seek salvation to the same identification, as one in the name of Jesus, Anointed by Yahweh. One then confesses this “Possession” by “Jesus,” by calling the whole group “Christian.” Their confession was each being resurrections of Jesus making one’s flesh be Anointed by the Holy Spirit within.

Paul then wrote in verse fifteen, “not for we have a high priest not being able to sympathize with the weaknesses of us” (read aloud “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses”). This segment of words translates “not” two ways, “where “ou” means, “no, not,” and “mē” is designed to follow the word “not,” adding “lest.” While the statement can be read as, “we have not a high priest lest being able (or “being unable”) to sympathize with our weaknesses,” it should be seen as two statements in the same breath.

The first statement says, “not we have a high priest,” where once again the word “echó” is written, stating “possession” and “holding,” now in the plural number. This says one should not become confused and think one has God under his or her control, such that the gift of Apostles is to have God in one’s possession, like having a genie in a bottle. Jesus is not within one’s personality to do as one’s ego demands. Thus, the reverse of this [removing the negative] says, “a high priest has us.”

With that realized, one can then read, “not is able [the high priest, Jesus Christ] to sympathize with our weaknesses.” The weaknesses of human beings are their sins. This then says that one cannot be reborn as the great high priest Jesus Christ, if one wants to pander one’s inability to cease sinning as reason for forgiveness … and, “By the way, could you make my wish come true?”

An Apostle comes from a history of failure, through sins. He or she has sincerely asked to be forgiven and promises to do good works. God sees the efforts and sends angelic help to remove blockages that would cause one to trip and fall. Once the Holy Spirit is sent to marry with the soul, all sin ceases – FOREVERMORE. Jesus Christ cannot be reborn into a fleshy form that sins. While an Apostle retains memories of past weaknesses and can sympathize, Jesus will not condone sin. God gives human beings the complete freedom to destroy their eternal souls; but He sent His Son for those who would rather not burn in hell for eternity.

For all “progressive” wolves in sheep’s clothing who stand at lecterns on altars and preach, “Jesus loves us all, even the ones who do abominable things in the eyes of the Lord, so it is okay to do abominable things and still go to heaven,” they have misunderstood this message from God, through Paul.

Apostles [the only ones who should be preaching on altars at lecterns] know we do not possess the high priest, so we cannot put words in the mouth of Jesus. Apostles know Jesus Christ will not abide the weaknesses of human beings. The weaknesses must be set aside, with one’s ego, for it to be possible to take on the name of Jesus Christ.

As a separate statement that follows this line of thought, Paul was then led to write, “having been tempted however in all things by the same ways.” This repeats the past historic, where the root word “peirazó” says, “having been tried,” “having been tested,” or “having been tempted.” The read aloud, “we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are,” misses the intent of one’s personal transformation from weak sinner to strong Apostle. It is wrong to imply that Jesus of Nazareth was ever a common sinner, who had the same weaknesses to temptations as all human beings do. Jesus was divine from the beginning and never once was swayed by the temptations and tests of Satan. That is because Jesus was born in the name of Jesus Christ.

The translation of “de kata panta” as “however in all things” is misleading. The word “de” is indicating a transition from “having been tested,” such that it says better, “next,” “now,” or “on top of this.” The word “kata” means “in” in the sense that the implication is “throughout” and “according to” the results of “having been tested.” Finally, the word “panta” simply means “all” (from “pas”) where seeing a collection of Apostles as “things” is inaccurate. It is better to see “all” as reflecting “all men [and women]” that “have been tested,” so passing that test has brought about a strength that ignores “weaknesses in us,” “having been tested” for weaknesses to sin in “all now according to” Jesus Christ. This is due to “all” having adopted the “likeness” of him, where “in the same way” (from “homoiotēta”) means “likeness” and “manner.” This is being reborn as Jesus Christ, so all weaknesses become the ways of the past.

The last segment is obvious. An Apostle is “without sin,” just as was Jesus Christ. This is not by wanting to be like Jesus, but because one has become the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As he was ‘without sin,” so too will all who are reborn as him, via the Holy Spirit of God.

Verse sixteen then begins by stating, “We should come therefore with boldness to the throne the [one] of grace.” Again, the conditional form of “coming, approaching, or drawing near,” in the plural number, is an indication that all people who say they believe in Jesus Christ “should come boldly” in the same manner as Jesus, shown in the Apostles.

The words translated as “with boldness” (“meta parrēsias”) instead state what follows, should one come. The words imply, “after freedom,” where there is then a sense of “openness” and “confidence” that has come within one. This is then easily projected to others through speech. This means “boldness” is stating the ministry of Apostles, where their use of the “word of God” beacons that others “should come” and follow in the ways of Jesus Christ.

Rather than one being called to bow down before the throne [remembering the imagery of John’s Apocalypse, when he was told to “get up!”], one is called to be “people seated as those being gifted with the name of Jesus Christ.” This is a viable translation of “tō thronō tēs charitos.” The heart is prepared to be the throne of God, so one becomes a “suitable throne” within “those of favor [or thanks and kindness].”

To end this reading, Paul concluded verse sixteen by writing, “so that we may receive mercy and grace may find for in time of need help.” Again, the conditional in the plural number is used in “lambanó,” which offers all the choice to “receive, get, take, or lay hold of” this “mercy” that is the “compassion” of God for His children. One has to make the choice to sacrifice for God, in order to be given the blessing of being an Apostle.

When Paul wrote of the possibility of when this commitment to change “may” occur, it is when one finds oneself “in time of need,” as a personal crisis. One has to feel the need to reach out to God for help. It is at those times of deepest despair that one is most willing to offer oneself up in sacrifice to a higher spirit. Those seeking Heaven will chose to give a soul in marriage to God. Those seeking worldly riches will be more apt to sell a soul to Satan, allowing possession by a demon spirit. The choice is ours to make.

Many feel compelled to choose politicians to run their lives, but would never vote for God to rule over them. Democracy hates kings.

As the Epistle selection for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry for the LORD should be underway [notice the conditional use of “should”] – one has made one’s soul naked and exposed before the eyes of God – the message here is to hear Paul speaking to all who beat their chests like the publican [tax collector], proclaiming, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13c) All have the choice to surrender to the Will of God and gain eternal salvation; but one has to understand that the price is total submission to God.

It is most important to realize that God knows the weaknesses of human beings. All human beings are the creatures that stand before God with their egos written all over their faces. It is their weaknesses that forbid them from choosing to wear the face of God, allowing themselves to be reborn as Jesus, the Son of God. It is human weakness that keeps them from obeying the First Commandment; but God gave humanity the freedom to choose how they will live, as a soul let loose in a world of physical delights. Choosing to serve God over self is an impossibility by a weak soul alone.

God sent Jesus to help the weak stand and praise the Lord. God had His Son killed so his spirit would be released to serve God in countless other human beings, called Apostles and Saints. They are those who come to help those who are weak, as they too were weak once, knowing how hard it is to choose right from wrong, good from evil. God holds fast to their weak souls, so Apostles can demonstrate it can be done. They are Jesus Christ reborn because of that inner strength.

As easy as it is to say the words, few have the strength to take one step towards accepting God’s proposal for marriage. Human weakness is seen in the preponderance of addictions: opioids, heroin, alcohol, sex, wealth, power, electronic gadgetry, gambling, playing games, etc. Those addictions are like warm blankets of escapism from reality, where what seems to be reality (in the material world) is only a short-lived illusion … like a vacation to Disney World. Life on earth is the temporary fantasy realm that is bound to end; and then the reality of an eternal soul makes one open one’s eyes and see the truth.

Those who have had near death experiences (NDEs) see “the light at the end of the tunnel.” They experience death and come back. Some change with a new commitment to serve a life of good. Some change by not caring what happens in life in the flesh, because they know that is only an illusion. They abuse their bodies because they know there is no pain in death. There is only pain in trying to not die. In a way, for them, everything has become apparent and exposed, naked and bare. The truth is known, even if no one believes them.

We all have to experience that moment of truth. We each have to realize that the truth of the Word of God has been staring us in the face for decades, but we have refused to open our eyes and see the truth. We need to fear God, because God is not going to bend the rules to let sinners come home to where they first were born.

Saul fell to the ground when a flash of light came from heaven. He had a “come to Jesus” meeting. He was made blind to the world for three days. An Apostle named Ananias was sent in the name of Jesus Christ to return Saul’s eyesight and give him the Holy Spirit. Saul became Paul, a changed man. That story is not for us to marvel at what happened to Paul, but to see how we are Saul, in need of an epiphany that moves us, by fear, to change.

If we do not fear the Lord in the flesh our souls now wear, we will fear the Lord when that flesh is removed by death, and we become naked and bare before the eyes of judgment.

Job, Language, Teaching

Job 23:1-9, 16-17 – With soft hearts and glowing faces

January 15, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

Job said:

“Today also my complaint is bitter;

his hand is heavy despite my groaning.

Oh, that I knew where I might find him,

that I might come even to his dwelling!

I would lay my case before him,

and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would learn what he would answer me,

and understand what he would say to me.

Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?

No; but he would give heed to me.

There an upright person could reason with him,

and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.

“If I go forward, he is not there;

or backward, I cannot perceive him;

on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;

I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.

God has made my heart faint;

the Almighty has terrified me;

If only I could vanish in darkness,

and thick darkness would cover my face!”

———————————————————————————————————-

This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 23. If chosen, it will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday October 14, 2018. It is important because Job speaks as an upright man who longs for God’s presence, but is unable to hear his voice. The voice of Job is how all Christians must prove their faith in God, without signs that go the way we want them to go.

It helps to know that these verses are part of Job’s response to one of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, who visited him, urging Job to stop trying to make contact with God. The name Eliphaz (while questioned) is believed to mean God Is Agility or God Is Skill (from El – paz), implying Eliphaz believed in a god that blessed humans at birth with innate talents; not a god that helped one realize those talents or guide them to new ones. (Job 22)

Hermes [or Mercury] was the god of agility. The Hebrew word “*paz*” means “golden,” as “gilded.” Some believe Eliphaz means “God Is Agile”. That could say he worshipped a god such as Hermes. As such, Eliphaz might have been a doctor friend of Job.

Eliphaz’ philosophy was that God was too great to benefit from any association with human beings, regardless of how wise they were or how righteous they lived their lives. In regard to that religious belief held by a friend of Job’s, one must recognize that Job lived in Uz, when there were multiple gods commonly worshipped. Job, like all lines in the Old Testament, was a believer in the One God of all gods, who cared for His subjects.

In Job’s response, we see the translation shows bitterness. This is somewhat misleading, as the Hebrew word “meri” means “rebellion,” although “bitter” is more found in “marah.” Job is rebellious, which means he was seeking selfish concerns that rebel against the notion that God has brought on his suffering. Job would have been bitter to that conclusion, but not bitter towards God.

When we read the word translated as “complaint,” we find that the Hebrew word “siach” means “talk.” The presentation of Job is as a poem, or a song, so it was a communication between Job and God, being done through “meditation” and “prayer” (acceptable translations here). Rather than voicing his complaints, Job was praying aloud.

The use of “yadi” is clearly reference to a “hand,” but as “his hand” (God’s) this ignores Job being a “hand of God’s.” Rather than Job complaining about God’s weight being pressing hard against him, Job was saying he physically was finding it difficult to serve God, as “his hand,” in his present condition. Rather than feeling the weight of God’s punishment, Job is “listless.” His groaning from his pains makes it difficult to tell others to believe in his God, and have them believe his devotion.

Because Job cries, “Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling,” this says he wants to be closer to God. The Hebrew word translated as “dwelling” is “tekunah,” which implies a “fixed place,” but also a “seat.” Job thought he was close to God, but his life has become so changed he wanted to tell God how much he still loved him. He wanted to bow down before the throne of God. There, Job would be the greatest defense he could have. He would tell God that his state of being was not because he had turned away from God.

The “arguments” Job would present would actually be “corrections” that Job would promise. The “case” that Job would “lay before” God would be repentance, asking God to forgive whatever he did that brought on his appearance of sinfulness. Job would offer to do more – anything God asked of him – and Job would listen and understand anything God would tell him, especially if Job had done something wrong. Job sought to please God, not challenge him with argument.

The Pharisees loved arguing law, just like they argued their case against the man born blind getting his eyesight back on the Sabbath. That’s not right!

When Job asked rhetorically, “Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?” the word “contend” means God would be too high to quarrel with Job, who (like Eliphaz’ god) was too great to be understood by mere human beings. Job was not seeking to argue his case before the Lord. Therefore, he answered his own question, saying, “No;” but unlike the god of Eliphaz, the God of Job would listen to what Job (as small and insignificant as he was) had to say, as God’s servant.

When Job then offered the aspect of “reason with him,” that was not about Job using his brain in an attempt to logically point out how God must have missed something about how Job was an “upright man.” Instead, Job was saying that “an upright man” is “upright” (one who does what is right and proper) because the self-ego has been sacrificed, so ALL reason with him was the willingness to follow the insights of the Mind of God. Thus, he was found saying, “I should be acquitted forever by my judge,” as a statement of the promise of eternal life in Heaven he had been given, after death, for having sacrificed to God as one of His Apostles / Saints.

Job then went on to say:

“”If I go forward, he is not there;

or backward, I cannot perceive him;

on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;

I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.”

That does not mean that God has forsaken Job. Instead, it says that an upright man, one who follows the reason of God as one’s directions in life, does not act because one sees God before him, or beside him, telling him, “Go this way or that.” One who is upright by the reason of the Lord simply acts. One is the hand of God by letting His hand move one where He wants, unbeknownst to His servant beforehand. A servant simply obeys, without question. This is then Job stating his trust that God will not mislead Job in anything he does.

The reading then skips forward to verses sixteen and seventeen. We read, “God has made my heart faint.” This translates the Hebrew word “rakak” as “faint.” The word is better translated as “weak,” but best translated as “soft.” This is then Job alluding to his love of God and his “tender” feelings that have allowed God into Job’s heart. This is then the marriage of Job with God’s Holy Spirit.

When the verse continues [without the interruption of punctuation] with Job saying, “the Almighty has terrified me.” This means the fear of the Lord – the only fear one may be allowed, when filled with the Holy Spirit – was the commitment Job had to God, in that marriage. Job’s heart “trembled” at the thought of losing God. This is then a statement of absolute love in Job’s heart for God.

The final verse appears dark and dreary, as we read, “If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick darkness would cover my face!” The literal translation from the Hebrew first says, “Because not I was cut off from the presence of darkness.” If those words were spoken in a vacuum, perhaps they could project as a wish of vanishing. However, “Because” (from “ki”) is reference to the “terror” at the thought of losing God’s love.

That “fear” has meant that “not was I cut off from the presence of” God. The thought of losing God’s love would mean being “cut off from the presence,” and put into abject “darkness.” It was the fear of God that kept God from allowing darkness to become a source of fear. Symbolically, darkness (as the absence of light) is representative of death, while light is life. Job had been cut off from darkness, by the promise of eternal life.

Then, the literal Hebrew says following that: “and from my face he did hide darkness.” Here, it is important to realize that the First Commandment says (paraphrasing), “You shall wear no other god’s face [on your face] before my face.” In Exodus 20:3 the Hebrew word “panim” is written (as “panaya“), which means “face or faces.” The same root word is written in Job 23:16 (as “ūmipānay“), which links the two verses in intent. While Job existed well before God gave Moses the Commandments, to give to the Israelites as their bond of holy agreement, he knew that sacrifice of self-ego meant “hiding the darkness that comes from one’s face.”

That means wearing the face of God, just as Moses’ face shone brightly after talking with God. A brightly shining face is the opposite of a face hidden in darkness. Therefore, it was the love of God in Job’s heart that kept him from being cut off from God (being in a dark place) and kept him from wearing the face of Job, which would only project the darkness of his bodily plight and the pain of the boils.

As an optional Old Testament reading for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – one should be acting as God’s servant with complete faith of His presence – the message here is to be upright in the face of all darkness that can surround one’s body. The patience of Job is a virtue that all Apostles and Saints understand.

This reading from Job gives the impression that Job seemed desperate to plead his innocence before God, and get God to see how Job was unjustly being punished. We get that impression by beginning the reading with Job saying, “My complaint is bitter.” God knows all and Job knew that; so bitterness was not towards God.

Job was praying to God in the presence of his friend Eliphaz, speaking the truth of his faith, despite the groans of pain his body caused him. Eliphaz heard complaints and bitterness. Job meant devotion and faith. This dual meaning is intended, because we are all symbolized by how we react to Job. The way we respond to influences of others – the call to give up on God, because He does not serve us as we would wish to be served – is then how one lacking faith would act, if our lives were as painful as Job’s.

It is one thing to think one knows what it means to be an upright human being. It is another thing, indeed, to be upright. When Job was praying, “If I go forward or backward, to the left or to the right,” it is easy to perceive of ourselves trying to plot our courses, assuming our beliefs in God will catch us if we make a mistake and reward us when we go the right way.

It is more difficult to see how a Saint will be led by God to go against the norm, often finding him or herself standing alone, with those who serve other gods saying, “My god tells me not to sacrifice so much.” This is why being a Saint and Apostle of Christ is difficult. It demands the show of faith through sacrifice.

I am reminded of Saint Stephen, who was not one of the disciples of Jesus. He was a deacon of the early Christian assemblies in Jerusalem. Stephen probably was not his actual name, as the Greek word stéphanos means “wreath” or “crown.” That title then became synonymous with the depiction of halos over the heads of Saints.

Saint Stephen had become upright through the Holy Spirit, and, like Job and his covering of boils, Stephen withstood the bashing of stones against his head because his mind’s eye was fixed on Jesus at the right hand of God (“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. – Acts 7:55”). Stephen said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60b)

One has to understand this reading of Job with the same sense of righteousness applied to Job. One has to have a similar affiliation with the Holy Spirit to see that. Eliphaz had the eyes of a believer, much like many Christians have today. He probably heard Job’s prayer and mistook it as the pleas of a man who’s God had forsaken him.

Saul stood by and watched Stephen be stoned to death. (Acts 7:58b) Saul did not think twice about that, having no clue that an upright man had just been murdered by persecution … while he held the coats of murderers. Christians who see Job as a bellyacher are just as complicit with his persecution. Still, when Stephen was arrested, the Sanhedrin was amazed by his face.

We are told, “All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” (Acts 6:15)

That was the look that was on Job’s face when he made his prayer. One has to read this prayer of Job from that perspective.

That has to be the look on the face of all Saints and Apostles. All who truly serve the Lord wear His face, having given theirs up for the grace of eternal life in Heaven.

Amos, Language, Teaching

Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 – The prudent will keep silent

January 15, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

Seek the Lord and live,

or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,

and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.

Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,

and bring righteousness to the ground!

They hate the one who reproves in the gate,

and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.

Therefore, because you trample on the poor

and take from them levies of grain,

you have built houses of hewn stone,

but you shall not live in them;

you have planted pleasant vineyards,

but you shall not drink their wine.

For I know how many are your transgressions,

and how great are your sins—

you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,

and push aside the needy in the gate.

Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;

for it is an evil time.

Seek good and not evil,

that you may live;

and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,

just as you have said.

Hate evil and love good,

and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,

will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

———————————————————————————————————-

This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 23. If chosen, it will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday October 14, 2018. It is important because it tells of the downfall of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) due to the people preferring sin over sacrifice.

The beginning of this song should be heard with full understanding. When the Lord flowed through His servant Amos, saying, “Seek the Lord and live,” this says eternal life is only possible through “Yahweh.”

The Hebrew root word used to say, “and live” is “chayah.” One must understand that to be able to read a verse of Scripture, or to hear one read to one, one has to be alive and alert. That means, obviously, this usage has nothing to do with the present incarnation of one’s being, or the near future ideas and concepts of “living it up” in the same body. The word implies, “continue in life, sustain life, preserve life and restore to life.” Living is the opposite of dying, which is the bane of mortals.

This, as the Word of God being spoken, is not a reference in cheating death, but the realization that the soul is eternal and for it “to live” it must be trapped within a body of flesh or freed forever to dwell in Heaven, in the presence of God. The fact that one’s soul is presently in a human body says, “You have been given another chance to get it right.” You have been reborn as a mortal that is assured of death; but the advice here is “Seek the Lord and live eternally,” flesh-free.

Under the philosophy “As above, so below,” the punishment that Amos was called to prophesy was coming, would be realized in the deaths of the soldiers of Israel and the banishment into slavery of those whose lives continues, but greatly changed for the worse. Their defeat by the Assyrians scattered the blood of Israel to the winds of the earth, with none remaining identifiable as Israelites. Israel ceased to be; the lives of those still living became a veritable hell on earth. However, that is the “below” view.

That microcosm of trauma and a lesser quality of life must be seen as applicable in the macrocosm as a soul “burning in Hell,” if one loses the comforts of God’s gift – a place to stay and call home. Beyond the clear and present danger of Assyrian annihilation, God (whose Eye sees well into the future) was not just using Amos to deliver “today’s news,” but a consistent theme that should be grasped. To gain eternal life with God, one must first “seek the Lord.”

The aspect of reincarnation is real. An eternal soul that has not lived a righteous life on earth cannot be granted entrance into Heaven (for longer than spent receiving the Judgment of a soul). The accompanying Gospel reading from Mark points out the difficulty the rich have in gaining entrance into heaven. (Mark 10:25) If one cannot get into heaven when their soul leaves their body after one life, the soul is not sent to Hell or Purgatory, any more than a first grader who fails to earn second grade status is kicked out of elementary school. A soul repeats life in a fleshy body, just like little Johnny or Sally repeats the first grade.

As above, so below. Macrocosm, microcosm.

The problem with this system is then said as “the end of the age” or when the end times come. If the worldly plane that is Earth became a place more like Venus or Mars, it would be most difficult to be reincarnated into a body that demanded oxygen [the breath of life] to live. The “end of the age” becomes symbolic of great changes in humanity.

An “age” is roughly 2,200 years, when the first day of spring occurs and a new zodiac constellation has precessed into position, so it is then behind the Sun when it rises at the equator. Precession is the movement of the earth’s wobble, which makes the backdrop of stars slowly appear changed. We now live at the end of the The “age” of Jesus [Pisces], but the earth will mosey on to having Aquarius in that position – the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.

The Fish is the symbol of the sign Pisces. It is a highly spiritual sign.

We are close to that “age” now, which means it is important for human beings to realize what Amos was saying, about the nearing collapse and destruction of the Israelite world. That foreseen destructive change is then relative to the collapse and destruction of our world as we know it. Just as the Northern Kingdom was never regained (although a nation named Israel was artificially reinstated into the world in 1948), once Christianity comes to an end, there will be no going back.

As above, so below. Macrocosm, microcosm. Aquarius is a sign that loves knowledge, with few feelings for faith-based ideas.

In the movies and television shows over the past fifty years, the fiction of zombies has been made popular. In the movie Night of the Living Dead (1968), inspired by the novel I Am Legend (1954) the concept of the “undead” gained cult status. Ghouls (spirits of Muslim folklore) are demon spirits that feed on the flesh of corpses. They act as the Universal Mind projecting a ‘what if’ into the future, as God using fiction to show what reincarnation into an unlivable planet would be like.

Like vampires (who live off the blood of living human beings), zombies are trapped in dead bodies, with souls that cannot be released from the worldly plane. Ordinary death is not part of their futures. Eternal life for such demonic souls is denied by God, making their hell be on earth. They live mindlessly, afraid of the sun, until a stake was driven through their hearts or their brains were blown out by survivors that are mortals attempting to never die. Presumably that end would be when a lost soul finally is released to the fires of Hell, because Heaven is not an option.

This concept of evil souls returning to the earth was probably the result of fears over the threat of a nuclear holocaust. Splitting atoms and warfare inventions are the result of an “Aquarian” brain, tinkering with things best left alone. A planet earth no longer suitable for ordinary life would become the punishment of souls reincarnated, over and over again, because the “age” of religious redemption was no longer possible. This should be read into the words of Amos.

Seeing that meaning, one can then read, “[God] will break out against the house of Joseph like fire.”

Here, the verb translated as “break out” is “tsalach,” which means “to rush,” implying “advance” or “prosper.” This “rush” “of fire” has to be recognized as a sudden conflagration, which was the Assyrians burning villages and towns. However, on a greater scale, this fits the onset of a global nuclear warfare scenario.

As to the “house of Joseph,” where Joseph was given the holy name Israel by God’s angel, the implication that flows into the “end of the age” (our time) is of those who maintain the holy lineage as Christians (and Jews who believe in Jesus as the Christ). Those who will attack the West and its allies, and the retaliation released in return will then cause a burning hell on earth.

When God spoke through Amos, saying “It will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it,” one must realize there is no fire still burning in Bethel, Israel. This makes Bethel mean more than a fixed place on earth, which means the name is important.

“Bethel” means “House of God,” meaning the fire will eat away the foundations of Christianity and Judaism, until neither religion will “quench” the emotional thirst of the faithful. The “fire” will be impossible to “extinguish,” once it has started. Unquenched fire will mean the the House of God [Christianity] will be devoured – destroyed, consumed, wasted.

The song then continues by singing, “Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground!”

The Hebrew word “laanah” is translated as “wormwood.” There are eight references to “wormwood” in the Old Testament (two by Amos), but only one in the New Testament. That NT reference comes in The Apocalypse of John. As such, John wrote:

“The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water — the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.” (Revelations 8:10-11)

Comet? Asteroid? Meteorite? Or, perhaps, an ICBM?

When “wormwood” is realized to be a “bitter substance,” rather than rotted wood eaten by worms. It is the plant also known as absinthe. As such, God spoke through Amos, saying (paraphrasing) “Justice is a bitter pill to swallow.” When the House of God has been destroyed, justice is no longer associated with divine judgment. Law is based on might, not right.

The translation that says, “bring righteousness to the ground” is incorrect. It is literally written as, “justice and righteousness in the earth , lay to rest .” Each segment must be grasped individually for the impact of the words, before they are meshed together.

The Hebrew word “yanach” means “cast down, left alone, and pacified.” This then says that “justice and righteousness” will have become lowered, no longer upright. This is a picture of the cross Jesus spoke of (the stake that grapevines run along), which must be raised to ensure good fruit on the vine. It has fallen down. It falls with the destruction of Beth-el – the Church of God. Therefore, the bitterness of a fire that cannot be quenched is then the death of all who represent “justice and righteousness,” which is the foundation of societal laws on God’s Law through Moses.

All the statues of the Ten Commandments will have been removed from courtyard squares and houses of justice. As above, so below. Macrocosm, Microcosm.

Then, the song skips forward to verse ten.

There, Amos wrote in his song, while in an ecstatic trance, the verse that sings, “They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.” This relates to the keepers of the gates of heaven and hell. Neither will allow entrance into a spiritual realm once the final annihilation of a livable earth has begun.

Everyone will be alone with their souls in their deteriorating flesh, filled with “hate” towards God and Jesus Christ. They are those who “decide” the fate of lost souls. Jesus of Nazareth, the prototype of all Apostles and Saints, is known for having said, “Truly I say to you.” However, the truth always hurts when it comes in the words, “I told you so!”

This is a lack of belief. It is looking at the past and envisioning the future will remain the same.

Still, this was a prophecy of Amos being shown Jesus the Messiah, who as a body of flesh, born of a woman, would say, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9) This means Amos foresaw the time when there were no longer any Apostles or Saints, when no souls worthy of entrance into the sheepfold guarded by Jesus Christ.

Heaven is his sheepfold, and Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) One has to be reborn as Jesus Christ, in order to be resurrected as the gate in oneself. Without that name received, one will be reproved Heaven [rejected].

Amos then sang about the separation between the haves and the have nots, where he wrote:

“Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain,

you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them;

you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.”

This should evoke imagery of the rich who abuse the poor. They buy island paradise homes and build palatial estates that cost millions of dollars, all taken from the poor. They own vast acres of land, on which they plant trees that require much water to grow. They not only steal the waters of the people’s aquifers, lakes, streams and rivers, but they transform the water they stole into fruits and liquids that are sold at a premium price. However, when the end of the age comes, the rich will no longer be able to enjoy the fruits of their labors, which are selfish and without redeeming credits.

These examples of injustice and evil then led God to have Amos sing, “For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate.”

The sins of the wicked are too numerous for the poor to keep track of, but God keeps the details on his scales of justice. There are many sins that greatly affect the lives of the masses (such as those which put wicked rulers over nations). This in turn makes it most difficult to live a righteous life, as religions of all kinds are persecuted; the most prominent of which being Christianity.

Those of Christian values will be bought, such that John wrote: “Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” (Revelations 6:6)

Those Christians with money will pay the price to save themselves, but those without will be left to suffer. The entrance to the gate will be found in those pushed aside; but many Christians (like the Israelites of Amos’ day) will sacrifice the lives of others to save themselves, the opposite of what being Christian means.

Amos then wrote, “Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time.” Those who do not capitulate to evil are then said to be careful and exercising common sense, which is expressed quietly.

The Hebrew word “yiddum” means both “keep silent” and “not keep silent,” from the root word “damam,” meaning “to be still.” This means that “the prudent” will not be caught up in the hysteria that will be pervasive in “an evil time.” Instead, their hearts and minds will remain calm as turmoil breaks out all around them. The “prudent” are then Christians led by the insight of the Mind of Christ, while Big Brains demand acts of revenge.

At this point, Amos repeated a variation of his first verse, saying: “Seek good and not evil, that you may live.” Here, “good” (from “towb”) means to seek those others who have God present in them. This is a return to the true Church, where the gathering of others of the same mind – Apostles in the name of Jesus Christ – becomes the reinforcement for focus on God. When insanity will rule the day, true Christians must come together in support of one another. Remaining true to one’s rebirth as Jesus Christ will keep one’s soul promise of service to the Lord, in reward for eternal life.

This commitment to one’s marriage to God makes the words of Amos ring true to the faithful. The reading ends his song selection today, by singing:

“so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said.

Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

It is important to see how God has commanded His children to “hate evil.” This has been changed in today’s world, where the wolves in sheep’s clothing have infiltrated the pulpits to preach falsely, “Love your neighbor is what Jesus said. You cannot hate another who says he or she is Christian, even when they openly admit to actively practicing evil deeds that are called abominations in the sight of the Lord.” The words of Jesus have been so misconstrued to those in Christian denomination congregations that no one is able to hate any evil, simply from doubts that have been purposefully built.

Hate is a natural emotion in human beings. It is that which makes enemies. To love an enemy means to allow an enemy to hate you by afar. Otherwise, if constantly in the face of an enemy, mutual hatred will be the prevalent expression. Love is possible from turning away from evil. However, when evil refuses to leave one alone, hatred will raise conflict, and conflict comes from the love of good meeting the love of evil.

Returning to The Apocalypse of John, when Jesus Christ told John to write letters to the seven churches, we today represent all of those churches. In the letter written to the church of Laodicea this was transcribed:

“These are the words of the Amen [the Truth], the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelations 3:14-16)

Uuugh

The “lukewarm” taste of Western Christianity means being “tepid,” which means, “Lacking in emotional warmth or enthusiasm; halfhearted.” [American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition] One can only be “halfhearted when half of one’s heart loves self and the other half loves God.

This leads to doubts and hesitations stem from being halfhearted, exactly like those seen in Peter, causing Jesus to say, “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31b) A halfhearted Christian is lacking the faith to hate evil, by striking out against evil. It means one is too timid to overturn a money-changer’s table in the House of God. It means one is too accepting of trees that bear no fruit. It means one is too afraid to tell Satan, “Get out of my face!” much less walk on the waters of one’s faith without drowning.

Only if one lives a good life, where one has “established justice in the gate,” by being reborn as the gate – in the name of Jesus Christ – then one hates evil by not bowing down to it. One establishes the justice of God by demanding that evil gets out of one’s face and serves mankind, not abuse it. As a resurrected Jesus Christ, one allows the God of hosts to Lord over one’s body, merged with one’s soul. One is adopted as a “remnant of Joseph,” as a child of God, His Son.

As an optional Old Testament reading selection for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – one has no place in one’s life for evil – the message here is to see the threat of Amos’ Israel is current and present today. The sins that brought one nation’s downfall are the same throughout all times.

In my analysis of the accompanying Epistle to this optional reading, I mentioned how the prophet Nostradamus quoted Paul’s letter to the Hebrew-speaking Jews of Rome, saying “all things will be made naked and bare.” The “end times” theme of Nostradamus can be seen here in this reading selection from the prophet Amos. The mood of Christians (that I have experienced for seventeen years now, relative to Nostradamus and Scripture) is, “I do not believe.”

They don’t believe in Nostradamus being a prophet of Jesus Christ. They don’t believe in the End Times. They don’t believe in sacrifice of self. They don’t believe there can be more than one Jesus. They think that Jesus sits on a little throne next to God’s big throne, in Heaven, some day planning a return, when evil will be punished. They don’t believe they are the ones Jesus will come for, wielding the sword of justice. They don’t believe God talks to Christians. They don’t believe there are Saints (for the most part). Therefore, in general, Christians reject the Lord and live for today, not for a restricted Heaven in the future.

Ms. Cleo sent this back from the other side: “I do believe in zombies. Please help me!” From the ghoul formerly known as Einstein.

I have had so much revealed to me over the years, since two towers collapsed from fire in New York City, that I have sought to tell as many people as would listen. The revelations I have been shown can only come from God, because I certainly am not bright enough to know what I know otherwise. I try to share with others, but few demonstrate that they have received the same spirit that I have received.

Meanwhile, the news shown on televisions and I-phones is so filled with hatred and incendiary opinions that the cameras show the hatred everywhere. This is not hatred of evil, as much as it is evil hatred. We are our worst enemy. We hate ourselves because we have allowed evil to rule our hearts!

Our leaders spew hatred. Our children spew hatred. Our allies spew hatred. Our enemies spew hatred. Our television shows spew hatred. Politicians spew hatred towards other politicians and the citizens in between are caught in that crossfire.

I feel the time shortly coming when I must become prudent and be silent.

I have repeated in my articles posted about how “one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway.” The symbolism of a season of the year being devoted to the time following Pentecost (the Fiftieth Day) and the time beginning with Advent and Christmas [rebirth from year to year] is when Apostles should be praising God and welcoming a gathering of Saints. Christian means a ministry of works, based on true faith. However, I feel little in return that says the Holy Spirit is growing in the world.

Hatred is killing those who call themselves Christians.

As an optional Old Testament reading selection, one which has a dark theme – darker than Job’s seeming lament – I doubt this will be preached this coming Sunday. It may never be preached. The theme of the end times has become too dark to preach about.

Christianity has become lukewarm.

The time for inward inspiration has come. Few are the priests who teach people how not to hate, where hating evil means the love of separation. We have been reborn as the Northern Kingdom that sits on the eve of doom.

Job, Language, Teaching

Job 23:1-9, 16-17 – Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?

January 2, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

[1] Job said:

[2] “Today also my complaint is bitter;

his hand is heavy despite my groaning.

[3] Oh, that I knew where I might find him,

that I might come even to his dwelling!

[4] I would lay my case before him,

and fill my mouth with arguments.

[5] I would learn what he would answer me,

and understand what he would say to me.

[6] Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?

No; but he would give heed to me.

[7] There an upright person could reason with him,

and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.

[8] “If I go forward, he is not there;

or backward, I cannot perceive him;

[9] on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;

I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.

[16] we-el has made my heart faint;

the Almighty has terrified me;

[17] If only I could vanish in darkness,

and thick darkness would cover my face!”

——————–

This is the Track 1 Old Testament reading choice to be read aloud on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 23], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If a church is on the Track 1 path in Year B, it will be companioned with fifteen verses from Psalm 22, one of which sings, “He trusted in Yahweh; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, if he delights in him.” That pair of readings will precede one from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” All will accompany the Gospel selection from Mark, where we read, “A man ran up and knelt before [Jesus], and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.”

You will note that I have numbered the verses, which I see as important, simply because there is a skip between verse nine and verse sixteen. There are thirty verses in Job’s twenty-third chapter; so, this reading does not attempt to address everything said by Job, in his response to a visitor [Eliphaz]. Also, in verse sixteen is the one reference to “God,” according to the NRSV translation. I have restored the Hebrew text to ”we-el,” which translates as “for god,” in the lower case. I will explain more about that later.

I wrote my observations about this selected reading the last time it came up in the lectionary cycle (2018). I published those views on my website at that time. That commentary is available now on this website, which can be read by searching this site. I did a good job dealing with the background materials and the translations of the Hebrew, relative to the response made by Job. I stand behind what I wrote then; so, I will not attempt to restate that already said. I welcome all readers to read that article and then compare those findings to what I will soon add here now. I have recently had new insight about Job, which I stated in my analysis of the past Sunday’s optional reading from Job 1 & 2, which I will address in this much later chapter’s soliloquy. I will also add insight that connects this reading to the other readings for this Sunday.

Based on what was read last week, where Satan appeared before Yahweh (as one of the “sons the elohim”), that had to be prior to the war of the angels and Satan [call him Lucifer or Azazel]. When the association of Job is made to Adam, such that “adam” is Hebrew for “man” and Job is believed to mean “Returning,” neither are proper names. In that regard, “satan” in Hebrew means “adversary” or “accuser, withstand,” meaning “satan” is not truly a proper name, in the same sense that neither is “adam.” Still, based on Yahweh saying, “he is in your power; only spare his life” [literally, “he is in your hand; but soul is preserved”] says Satan was not only responsible for causing Job to have sores all over his skin. Satan had everything except death at his disposal, to use against Job.

In 2014 I published about Genesis 4, entitled The Cain & Abel Story.” I saw the Hebrew listing of names that descended from Cain as an unseen story that told of the creation of all religions that pretended to serve gods, of all kinds, giving the impression that there was One God in common with all others. I surmised that Cain and his sons [the sons of Cain, being all his descendants listed] beget all the false religions in the world. As such, the ‘friends’ who came to visit Job to offer him advice were demonically possessed by elohim, which Yahweh said Job feared and turned away from. This now is seen to be where Elipaz has come from; as Satan not only caused Job’s skin to bring pain and suffering, he also came like human ‘serpents,’ whispering ideas designed to defeat Job’s “integrity.”

In chapter 22, which the NRSV entitles “Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great,” Eliphaz made five Hebrew references that state “god” in the singular, but none worthy of capitalization. Had he said, “Yahweh,” that would be worthy of capitalization. By his making references to an “el” [as “hal-el, ‘el, and elowah” – all in the singular], this is Eliphaz attempting to have Job be influenced to reduce himself from a “Yahweh elohim,” by shunning Yahweh. Satan appeared in the form of Eliphaz, which was a deception designed to trick Job.

In this regard, when one finds Job responding to “we-el,” he is not blaming Yahweh, but the “elohim” that had brought the skin disease upon him. By saying, “for god made weak my inner man, and the almighty terrifies me,” this attests to Yahweh telling Satan that Job “fears elohim and turns away from evil.” The “heart” or “inner man” [also “mind,” from “leb”] of Job was a Yahweh elohim, which meant he feared losing the presence of Yahweh from his being. Already being an “el” of Yahweh, Job was saying he knows his complaints and questions were being influenced by an “el” like Satan, who possesses the almighty strength to penetrate Yahweh’s protective Spirit.

In David’s Psalm 22, which is the companion song for this reading from Job, verse one sings classically, “My God, My God, why have your forsaken me!” Jesus cried that as he died on the cross, with Matthew not stating those words in Greek, but Aramaic. Matthew wrote that Jesus said, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” The Hebrew of David is [transliterated], “’ê·lî ’ê·lî lā·māh ‘ă·zaḇ·tā·nî,” from the roots “el, mah, and azab.” In the same way that Job did not blame Yahweh [he would have named Him specifically if he were doing so], Jesus was not blaming Yahweh, who was his Father. Jesus was quoting David, who also was not blaming Yahweh for pains and suffering, but his own inner man [“leb” or “heart”] that was an “elohim” of self-protection, which was not doing a whole lot of protecting when times are difficult. That verse speaks of the meaning of “el” used by Job.

The alternate Old Testament reading from Amos goes to the last days of the two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, when those leaders had been misled by those who serve evil elohim. Thus, his writing, “you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground!” was Yahweh speaking through him [as a Yahweh elohim] telling them they worshipped false gods [elohim]. Yahweh spoke through Amos, telling the King of Israel, “For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins—you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate.” That says the “affliction of the righteous” is what evil elohim did to Job; so, that waywardness was nothing new to Yahweh.

In verse fifteen, Amos wrote of “Yahweh elohe-ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ,” which told of “Yahweh’s host of gods,” which can be seen both as “angels” and “Yahweh elohim” in the flesh [like Amos, Job, Jesus, David, et al]. That says Yahweh has an “army” of divine creatures at His command; and, they can all turn bad times around, simply by killing their self-egos and submitting to His Spirit in marriage. Amos delivered that element of redemption, in order for Salvation to come; but he found no takers. Job would not be buying into the influence of evil elohim, those sent by Satan to change him, leading his soul in the opposite way as Amos tried.

In the reading from Hebrews, Paul wrote, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” Certainly, his words were referring to Jesus of Nazareth; but they likewise fit the end of Job’s story. When Paul says “we have a high priest,” he was not talking about someone dressed in fine robes and wearing fancy hats. The outerwear does not define a Saint. It is the “inner man” – the soul-heart – that is where Yahweh lives in His prophets that are “high” because they are Yahweh elohim. For Job to be a “blameless and upright man,” his soul was married to Yahweh, making him also be a high priest of Yahweh.

In the Gospel reading, when the rich, young ruler [a Pharisee, probably Nicodemus] came to Jesus and asked about the kingdom of God, Jesus told him, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” That implication says a man of many material means is more distracted by the worldly elohim that turn one’s eyes away from Yahweh, than to stay focused on the goal of Salvation. Job had plenty of things [land, animals, family], prior to Yahweh allowing Satan to play games with him. Job lost everything. When his wife said to curse the elohim and die, Job told her, “Yahweh gives and Yahweh takes away. Can we accept only the good and not also the bad?” That says people will sell their souls for the illusion of wealth, which is why Jesus said it was harder to get a camel through the eye of the needle than to get a rich man into the kingdom of Yahweh. The “eye of the needle” was a very small gate into Jerusalem, which a fully loaded camel could never get through. It would have to be off-loaded and then re-loaded once through the gate, which means there would be a lot of work involved, with desire for getting on the other side of the gate necessary. For a rich man to do that, it would mean losing all the distractions of wealth first. The story of Job tells of his having lost everything because of Satan’s first attack; but then, he got more back, after proving his faith.

As an optional reading choice to be read aloud on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is to look within when one’s life has become miserable. Things like deaths often affect one’s faith, where the blame is placed on Yahweh [God above], rather than seeing how Yahweh always tests His faithful. Most fail that test miserably. We are called to be like Job and ask why one’s own inner servant to Yahweh has failed – one’s own “el” in the harem of Yahweh’s wives that are His elohim. Before one can serve Yahweh by ministering to others’ needs, one has to prove one’s worth to Him. That proving is a test of fire that makes one hard and strong, while also pure and refined.

Amos, Language, Teaching

Amos 5:6-7,10-15 – Life is much ado about nothing, without Yahweh

January 2, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

[6] Seek Yahweh and live,

or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,

and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.

[7] Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,

and bring righteousness to the ground!

[10] They hate the one who reproves in the gate,

and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.

[11] Therefore, because you trample on the poor

and take from them levies of grain,

you have built houses of hewn stone,

but you shall not live in them;

you have planted pleasant vineyards,

but you shall not drink their wine.

[12] For I know how many are your transgressions,

and how great are your sins—

you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,

and push aside the needy in the gate.

[13] Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;

for it is an evil time.

[14] Seek good and not evil,

that you may live;

and so Yahweh elohe- of hosts, will be with you,

just as you have said.

[15] Hate evil and love good,

and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that Yahweh elohe- of hosts,

will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

——————–

This is the Track 2 Old Testament selection that will be read aloud on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 23], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If a church is on the Track 2 path during Year B, then this will be paired with a singing of verses from Psalm 90, one of which says, “Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us and the years in which we suffered adversity.” That pair will precede the Epistle reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” All will accompany a Gospel reading from Mark, where it is written: “Peter began to say to [Jesus], “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

I wrote about this reading and posted my opinions on my website back in 2018, the last time it came up in the lectionary cycle. That commentary can be read by searching this site. At that time, I placed focus on the message of Amos being a prophecy of bad times coming, such that I leaned heavily into the political signs of the times (2018), as if Amos were here today warning Americans where they were headed. While I do not disagree with my opinions then, I feel this song of doom and gloom needs to be seen from the whole view of the setting that is Proper 23 and the accompanying readings. I welcome all readers to view my prior article and then compare what I wrote then to what I now add. As always, I welcome comments, questions, suggestions and corrections via email.

In this presentation above, you will note that I have added the verse numbers, which the Episcopal Church erased, for some reason. Because there is a gap that excludes verses eight and nine, I see it as a nicety to let the readers know where something has been jumped over. Also, in three places Amos wrote “Yahweh,” which typical translations into English change to “Lord.” Because Israel fell into ruin for having way too many “lords” to whom their leaders had sold their souls, it is important that Yahweh’s name be respected and given His full due in presentation. Also, in the last two presentations of “Yahweh,” that word is attached to the Hebrew words (joined together): “’ĕ·lō·hê-ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ” (from the roots “elohim tsaba”), where “elohim” is used.

The typical English translations show those words as “God of host,” when “elohim” clearly says “gods” (plural number, unworthy of capitalization). The word “tsaba” means “army, war, warfare” (Strong’s) Merriam-Webster says “host” means “multitude,” such that an “army” would then be a “multitude of soldiers.” When the key term is seen to be “Yahweh,” then the “host elohim” would be all His “angels,” which also includes all His Saints [Yahweh elohim]. Because that needs to have a chance of being seen, I have restored the Hebrew text “elohe-.”

In the first verse of Amos, in this parsed selection, we read how Yahweh led him to say, “Seek Yahweh and live.” In that, “seek Yahweh” says the leaders of Israel were “seeking elohim,” who were the vast number of “lords” that ruled over them. The Israelites had welcomed in the “gods” of other nations and built altars to them, importing priests who tended to the sacrificial needs of those false “gods” [“elohim”]. This is what goes on today, and for all times, because anything in the world can become one’s “lord.” Sports (watched and played) can be a “god” one bows down before, leading one to wear t-shirts and hats that reflect one’s ‘religion.’ Faith in government, where political parties become the “gods” to whom one sells a soul. Drugs can easily become one’s “Lord,” causing one to lie, cheat, steal, prostitute oneself and even kill (including oneself) for another temporary ‘high.’ This means to “seek Yahweh” specifically means to do everything possible to bring Yahweh into one’s life [married to one’s soul], showing Him one’s desire to marry Him and become His wife, totally in submission to His Will.

The aspect of living means having gained the promise of eternal life, beyond the time a soul spend in a body of flesh, which is always nothing more than animated dead matter. Because everything in the physical realm is dead, it will always return to death. A soul can only remain in a body of death until that body of death dies and returns to the ground from which it came. To see life in the flesh as “life” is the illusion that turns souls away from Yahweh. Satan is then the influence of a soul to seek worldly things, ensuring that the soul will always return to the realm of death, for Satan to start all over again, tempting souls to turn away from Yahweh. It is the realization that true life lies in Salvation, which demands Redemption before marriage of a soul to divine Spirit can take place. That is the meaning of “seek Yahweh.”

When verse fourteen says, “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so Yahweh elohe– of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said,” one needs to see how Jesus responded to the address, “Good Teacher,” by saying, “No one is good but God alone.” When that truth is applied to the words of Amos, that has Amos saying, “Seek Yahweh” again … the same as found in verse six. That means for Amos to then add “not evil,” the implication is the “elohim” that Job “feared,” making it so he “turned away from evil.” By saying, “do not seek evil,” Amos is saying there are evil elohim, those who will marry the souls of the ignorant and lead them to ruin. The ruin of Israel was because its leaders had become demonically possessed [or were led by unclean spirit] and were turned away from Yahweh.

It is from that recommendation of Amos that he then said, “that you may live; and so Yahweh elohe– of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said.” This is vital for Christians today to grasp, as modern Christians have fallen into a dangerous state of religious being, because (like the ancient Israelites) they seek evil, not good. Change is necessary for eternal life. When Job then explained seeking good would then mean being one added to the multitude of “Yahweh elohime,” this was how the Israelites thought they were already. That is how modern Christians also think. Everyone always thinks “I am saved! I love God! I love Jesus!” when those words are empty, based on the reality of one’s actions. It is then how one seeks in one’s way of living in the flesh that determines if one is truly seeking good (to be a Yahweh elohim) or seeking evil (to be demonically possessed and thinking, “He, I’m rich! God must love me!).

Just in case some thick-skulled Israelites (and Christians today) missed the point of verse fourteen, Job then said in verse fifteen, “Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that Yahweh elohe– of hosts.” Here, in repeating “Yahweh elohe-sabout” (host of elohim), the issue of one’s heart was brought up. To say “hate evil” is to say the opposite of “love good.” When “love” (from “aheb”) is stated, this becomes relative to that which brings about a marriage of one’s soul to Yahweh. In order to “love Yahweh,” one must “hate evil” elohim. Being one of the “host of elohim” that are married to Yahweh means not being one of the greater “host” that are all the demonically possessed souls that walk around the earth, in their daily existence. Those are the truth of ‘walking dead,’ therefore I ventured into that in my 2018 article.

When one reads “hate evil,” one must come to grips with that being a statement (made by Yahweh through one of His elohim prophets) that says, “hate yourself.” In today’s reduced to nothing state of Christianity, all the fancy pants in high hats love to preach, “Jesus said love everybody.” That implies that any form of “hate” is to be rejected as evil. They are only spouting their sold souls when they preach that self-serving message. To “hate” is to have an enemy. Jesus said it was taught to “hate your enemy.” What Jesus said by telling them, “I say love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you,” means “love” comes from not seeing an enemy as someone to confront. It recognizes the truth that an enemy exists; and, wherever an enemy lives, so too does hate. Confrontation only causes hate to arise (in an enemy and oneself); so, to “love your enemy” means to let the enemy hate you alone, while one spends time praying to one’s lover – Yahweh. Then, one only loves good and stays away from evil.

In Yahweh telling Satan that Job was one who “feared elohim and turned away from evil,” that is a statement that says, “Job loved Yahweh and prayed that those evil elohim that surely exist in the world would find Yahweh and love Him.” There is nothing said that evil should be loved. Amos is speaking for Yahweh when he said, “hate evil. Therefore, “hate” is a divine way of seeing demons of evil, so one must hate to even look at them. One turns away from evil out of love for Yahweh, with fear of elohim being from hatred of an enemy. To love good means to turn away from evil, because seeing evil only elicits hatred in one’s heart.

It is important to see this Track 2 reading as firmly being in alignment with the Epistle reading from Hebrews. When Paul wrote of Jesus as the “high priest” as one “who has passed through the heavens,” the “heavens” are the place where true “life” exists. A soul is a tiny piece of “the heavens,” but it is only on loan for as long as a tiny piece of dead matter can envelop a soul, before becoming unusable. Thus, Paul said, “Jesus [is] the Son of God,” which means the soul-Spirit of Jesus [a name that says “Yah[weh] Will Save”] enters into one’s soul, as a divine possession [a Yahweh elohim]. That union and that resurrection becomes the marriage that “loves good and hates evil.” That “hate of evil” leads oneself to “confession” of one’s evil deeds, which is a truthful assessment of hating what one had become, worshiping evil demons. To marry Yahweh (and become one of the host of His elohim) means the resurrection of Jesus within says, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.”

As a Track 2 reading to be read aloud on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is to hear Amos as Yahweh’s prophet sent to you, telling you that now is the time to turn away from evil and find love in your heart for Yahweh. The message is life only comes from a divine marriage, between one’s soul and Yahweh’s Spirit. Anything else means reincarnation or worse [eternal damnation of a soul]. To understand one needs to “seek Yahweh and live,” one will then find that one soul living is not why Yahweh takes on wives (souls). Those wives will give rebirth to His Son Jesus, so people like Amos will go into the world (where persecution readily awaits) and project the truth of Yahweh onto other souls. To reach that point of commitment, one must see one’s own soul as some king of a failing kingdom. Otherwise, one will hate the messenger and also hate Yahweh. The message is to hate yourself and repent. If you have not reached that point of true confession, it will be impossible for you to lead anyone else to do that.

Hebrews, Language, Teaching

Hebrews 4:12-16 – Souls cut in two and laid bare

January 2, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

——————–

This is the Epistle selection to be read aloud on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 23], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow one of two possible pairings of Old Testament and Psalm readings, depending on what Track the church is following during Year B. The Track 1 offering presents Job’s response to the claims of wickedness having befallen Job, by Eliphaz. Psalm 22 will offer David singing, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? and are so far from my cry and from the words of my distress?” The Track 2 offering will present a reading from the prophet Amos, who told the King of Israel, “Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.” Psalm 90 has David sing, “So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark, where Jesus said to Peter, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

I wrote about this reading and went into some depth of interpretation, explaining the way all Epistles should be read. I published my commentary on my website the last time this reading came up in the lectionary cycle [Proper 23], which was in 2018. I will not be repeating that depth here at this time; but I stand behind my views at that time, as they are still valid today. I welcome everyone to read those views by searching this site. As always, I invite comments and questions, suggestions and corrections. However, now I will address how Paul’s letter to the Hebrew-speaking Christians of Rome fits into the whole of the Proper 23 readings.

One thing that I did not address in my 2018 analysis is the use of the Greek word “kai” in New Testament Scripture. The word translates as “and,” which is a simple little word of conjunction, which rolls off the tongue as easily as does “um” and “you know” in conversational English. When seen in this manner, the word “kai” becomes unimportant; and, there is nothing unimportant in New Testament Scripture, because all comes from the Christ Mind, onto paper by a prophet [a Yahweh elohim].

The word “kai” should not even be translated, but instead read as a mark of language. When one sees a comma mark or a semi-colon, one does not read (silently or aloud) the name of the mark read. Marks are symbols of direction in reading, as vital parts of language. The fact that punctuation was inconsistent and a refining element of the cavemen Europeans before the eighteenth century [A. D.] means nothing; as Yahweh knows all rules of language and the original parchments implied pauses and ends, separations and when to denote asides and examples about to be given. While marks can be argued, the word “kai” is written. The way to read it is as a direction that the ignorant masses miss, being those who cannot see the truth that is right before their eyes. To read “kai” as “and” means to be separated from the ones led by Yahweh to understanding. Paul understood divinely; and, he wrote divinely to those who would understand divinely, meaning they would know how to read “kai” (among other hints and signs).

The word “kai” is a marker word that always denotes importance to follow. To be read as a simple conjunction might be a way to see additional truth, but not the whole truth. One must always see “kai” as one sees a comma mark. It is a sign that says, “Look for importance now coming.” In verses twelve through fourteen in this reading there are nine uses of “kai.” In all, there are a total of ten in four verses, meaning the two verses to follow only have one use of “kai,” whereas the first two verses have many uses of “kai.” Four uses follow comma marks [“, kai“] – which is an English no-no, because a comma is a symbol for “and” – and one follows a period mark, so those three announce importance to be found in new segments or statements. Then, there are five uses that are found internally in a segment of words. Those appear to be connecting the word before and the word after. In those internal uses, the word before should be seen as importantly restated in the word that follows.

Now, I have administered this lesson in ‘New Testament Scripture reading’ because the first internal use of “kai” has been translated by the NRSV as this: “it divides soul from spirit.” They take a word Strong’s says means “and, even, also” and translate it as “from.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the NASB Translations find no places where “from” is acceptable. That is not what was written; and, it is not what is said by Paul. Paul wrote (literally translated): “the division of soul kai spirit.” In that, a “soul” [“psuché”] is the same thing as is spirit [“pneuma”], especially when “pneuma” is not capitalized [capitalization denotes a divine level of meaning]. Both words mean “breath,” which is the “breath” of life given by Yahweh at birth. That life is a “soul.” The importance of “spirit” is then shown to be that to which Yahweh will merge; but it can also be where demons can merge.

[In the Gospel story of Jesus encountering the man possessed by the demon spirit called “Legion,” that was an example of gross multiple personality disorder, or an ancient event of Sybil or The Three Faces of Eve.” In The Exorcist – a movie where a Roman Catholic priest was called to address a demonic possession – there was an additional “spirit” that had become attached to the native “soul.” This is how one should see the depth of meaning that comes from Paul’s words. He is saying the only way to achieve Salvation of a “soul” is through the divine addition of Yahweh’s “Spirit.”]

Seeing that importance of “spirit” then says a “soul” can be divided by the “sword two-edged” [“machairan distomon”], where a “spirit” can be added to the “soul,” which is a possession by a “spirit.” Paul was rejoicing how he was given true “Life” [a capitalized “Zōn”] by “God” [“Theon”], which was importantly “kai penetrating as far as dividing of soul kai spirit.” That must be seen as Paul saying his soul was saved by it being married to Yahweh’s Spirit. However, the “sword two-edged” means a soul can also be divided, where the possession is by a demon “spirit,” and that is important to realize also.

[In last Sunday’s Gospel reading, when Jesus quoted Adam, from Genesis 2, the element of “what God has joined together” should here be seen as a soul being like a genetic code or DNA strand. Yahweh is the master DNA code, which is the code for entrance into heaven. In the entrance of a sperm into an egg, the DNA of both father and mother are split into two half-strands and one half of each is rejoined to make the one master cell of a fetus. One needs to see this divine process – the truth of marriage – as being symbolic of the way that a soul is merged with the Spirit of Yahweh. It is a forever merger, which cannot be torn apart.]

In verses fifteen and sixteen, where the uses of “kai” have been greatly reduced, the focus is not on the receipt of the Spirit of Yahweh and all the wonders that brings one [the purpose of life, the strength of resistance to weaknesses, and the purity of Yahweh’s presence]. Instead, Paul then spoke of the resurrection within one’s divinely purified soul-flesh of Jesus. This is stated as a divine possession, by verse fifteen beginning with the capitalized word “Echontos,” which means “Possessing” or “Having.” Paul wrote, “Possessing then a high priest great.” It is the soul of Jesus, as the “Son of God,” that “has passed through the heavens.” The “heavens” [“ouranous”] are the coupling of a soul-spirit and the Spirit of Yahweh, such that everything spiritual is “the heavens.”

These four verses can be honed down to the bare bones or the nuts and bolt that say, “Marriage to Yahweh brings about His most divine Spirit, which purifies one’s soul, so it can be reborn as Jesus Christ, making one another Son of man in the flesh.” That then means one can resist all temptations the world can offer, including all demonic spirits (elohim), and be capable of entering ministry for Yahweh as His Son reborn. This fits snugly into the theme of Job resisting the suggestion of Eliphaz. It fits snugly into the message taken by Amon to the leaders of Israel, telling them to “seek Yahweh and live,” because everything they were doing was for naught. It also fits snugly into the Gospel reading where a rich man was seen as so married spiritually to wealth that it was extremely hard for a soul of a rich man to enter heaven.

When Paul ended his chapter saying, “that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” the time of need is prior to death. It is for all readers to hear Paul’s words in the same way they are to hear all the words of the other readings. Every reader is influenced to reject Yahweh, by Satan disguised as someone helpful. Every reader is a leader of a nation headed for ruin. Every reader is a rich man who refuses to marry one’s soul to Yahweh and do as Jesus said, becoming him reborn. Until a reader sees himself or herself in all these readings, then they will never marry Yahweh. They will never become the high priest Jesus, as the Son of God; and, they will never enter heaven. The time of need is now, before death comes; otherwise, it will be too late.

As a reading that will be read aloud on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson is to learn to read divine Scripture divinely. In Paul’s thirteenth verse, the NRSV translates it to say, “And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.” That sounds like a fine thing to memorize and say to people, making oneself seem knowledgeable of Scripture. That translation is weak and serves no purpose; so, memorizing it says the one memorizing it, likewise, serves no purpose.

The Greek word translated as “creatures” is “ktisis.” That word means, “creation (the act or the product)” (Strong’s Definition), but implies “an institution, ordinance.” When this is seen, Paul said, “with God’s divine presence in marriage, no ordinance is hidden.” The “ordinance” is Scripture, of all kinds, Old and New Testaments. That “hidden” is reading “kai” as “and” and getting no depth from that written. All that will be “naked and laid bare to the eyes” is the truth of the Word. The “one to whom we must render an account” is Yahweh. We must “Live” the Word, or we fail Yahweh. Therefore, “Life” means being reborn as Jesus and knowing how one’s life must be led. That leads to true ministry, so others can also be led to marry Yahweh.

If one is playing priest or pastor, when one cannot read the truth of Scripture, that says one is a free-swinging single, whose soul is one’s ticket to wealth, with no plans to ever marry Yahweh and have His truth laid bare before one’s eyes. These four verses of Paul should be read and re-read. They should cause your soul to feel the penetrating cut of the sword that slices deep to the core of one’s being. You either understand you are failing God and need to repent now, or you thank God for having found Him already, as you preach His truth for others to hear.

Language, Mark, Teaching

Mark 10:17-31 – Go, sell everything you have

January 2, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

——————–

This is the Gospel selection to be read aloud by a priest on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 23], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. This will follow either a pair of Old Testament and Psalm readings designated as Track 1 or Track 2, depending on the course set for an individual church during Year B. The Track 1 course offers a reading from Job 23, where Job responded to Eliphaz, saying, “If I go forward, he is not there; or backward, I cannot perceive him; on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him; I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.” That will go with Psalm 22, where David sang, “All who see me laugh me to scorn; they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying, “He trusted in Yahweh; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, if he delights in him.” The Track 2 offering comes from Amos, where he said, “Seek good and not evil, that you may live.” That is paired with Psalm 90, where David sang, “Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us and the years in which we suffered adversity.” One of those sets will precede the Epistle reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

I wrote about this reading selection the last time it came up in the lectionary cycle (2018) and posted my views on my website at that time. I went into great depth explaining what needs to be seen in this important reading. I will not repeat that now. Instead, I have made that commentary available by searching this site. I stand behind my views stated then, as they still are valid today. I welcome all to read what I wrote then and compare those observations to those about to be added. As always, I welcome comments and questions, suggestions and correction, via email. Feel free to sign up and post directly to the articles. Now, I will place more focus on how this reading fits in with the other readings that accompany it on this Proper 23 Sunday.

In this reading (as I stated in my 2018 commentary), I believe Nicodemus is the man who “ran up and knelt before” Jesus. In John’s Gospel, after Jesus’ body had been taken down from the cross, Nicodemus carried a large supply of expensive perfumes (“a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds” – John 19:39b), along with Joseph of Arimathea, as they planed to prepare the body for temporary burial. One reason for so much perfume would be from knowing the tomb was only temporary, as the body would be removed later; so, masking the stench of death would have been necessary. However, a second reason would be in case Jesus did indeed rise from death (or someone stole the body to make it appear that happened), then a strong presence of perfumes would make for a strong trail of odors to follow.

In a completely sideline piece of evidence, Edgar Cayce (in a trance) was asked about the “Last Supper,” at which time he gave an account of the scene in the upper room. One thing he said was Jesus wore a fine linen tallit that was very expensive, which was given to him by Nicodemus. If that is true, then Jesus wore that on the night of his arrest and it would have been the fine garment the soldiers did not want to tear, so they drew lots to see who would get it. Edgar Cayce was not a highly educated man, so it is doubtful he studied to determine such as he said about the last Seder meal of Jesus. Still, if true, it says Nicodemus gave an expensive gift to Jesus and Jesus accepted it out of love; but Jesus’ garments worn were not a reflection of his seeking gifts through ministry, to either support it or to make it appear he could be trusted because he wore fine clothes.

It should be known that both Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were “secret disciples of Jesus, for fear of the Jewish leaders” (John 19:38b); but I believe Nicodemus was a ‘double agent’ and the one who motivated Judas Iscariot to turn Jesus in. Therefore, this seeming random event (which Luke offers more details to), which follows the story of Pharisees asking Jesus about the legality of divorce, says the same man was part of that questioning. So, the question about “inheriting eternal life” was most likely another attempt to trick Jesus and get evidence against him.

Relative to this opinion of mine, verse seventeen begins with a capitalized “Kai,” which is a word that denotes importance to follow. With the capitalization of the word here (not because it begins a new sentence), that should be seen as denoting divine importance to follow. The first segment of words in verse seventeen (in Greek) states, “Kai ekporeuomenou autou eis hodon”, which appears to simply say, “And going forth here into path.” When the “Kai” is seen as a signal word that marks much importance, the question that should arise is, “Who is this talking about? Who is going forth here into path?”

Because the second segment of words immediately says (literally in English, from the Greek), “having run up one kai having knelt before him,” the statement of “one” (from “heis”), rather than “man” [NRSV translation], implies the one running was “one” known to be sympathetic to Jesus. To then (importantly, from “kai”) add, “having knelt before” Jesus, that says “one” is also a follower, if not a disciple. The elevated meaning of the capitalized “Kai” is then saying the “one” crossing Jesus’ “path” had not been a part of the entourage of disciples accompanying Jesus to the region beyond the Jordan, but “one” who had “gone forth” from Jerusalem, for the purpose of going to where Jesus was known to be (“autou” translated as “here, there”). The divine level of meaning says Jesus knew of this coming encounter, so the “one” who had “knelt before him” as a disciple would be identified as a traitor or conspirator, sent by the Temple elite.

In the question posed to Jesus, which was initially ignored, due to the return question about “good” being a statement that Jesus knew the person and his greeting stank of subversive tactics, the literal translation says, “what shall I do , that life eternal I might inherit ?” This question does not ask about entering the “kingdom of God.” Instead, the use of “klēronomēsō” is rooted in the meaning “to inherit,” implying “I inherit, obtain (possess) by inheritance, acquire.”

That says he asked a question about lineage to God. As a prominent Jew, who was one of the ruling elite (as a young man), the question was leading Jesus to say Jews have nothing guaranteed them by Yahweh. Thus, as an inheritance – something received simply by being one of God’s chosen children (unlike Gentiles) – that asked if eternal life was only available to the living, not the dead. As for “life eternal” (from “zōēn aiōnion”), for a Pharisee (who believed in Sheol as an area to wait until the delivery of the Messiah) the words spoken meant, “I am here alive now, and the Jews are always God’s children.”

Jesus heard that question exactly as it was meant to be asked, which is why he said what he said, “No one good , if not one same God .” That was less a retort of Jesus hearing a trick question, which buttered him us as a “Teacher good” [with “Didaskale” capitalized, making “Teacher” be one of divine insights]. By responding the way he did, Jesus said the only “Teacher” who is “good” is Yahweh, who speaks through “one” that is married to Him [“one same God”]. By saying “no one is good,” Jesus saw the “one” who crossed his “path” [known as he was] as not being “one” whose soul was married to Yahweh. Thus, the foregone conclusion was, “Not you, Nicodemus. As it stands now, you have no inheritance to look forward to.”

By Jesus then saying what he said about the Law and Nicodemus saying he had done all that since a child, what Jesus said about “no one good , if not one same God” is missed. So, when Jesus said, “One to you is lacking,” where the capitalization of “Hen” [“One”] places divine meaning on “One,” he was repeating, “you are not one good” enough to inherit eternal life. Jesus said he “lacked Yahweh” with his being.

When Jesus then said, “go,” that is what Nicodemus lacked. The word written in Greek is “hypage,” which means “depart, go away,” but also means “die.” In that sense, Jesus said for him to “die” of self and “lead away under” a new soul possession, one that has Yahweh married to it. Because Jesus placed importance on “One,” that is all he said to do. “Die of self,” and then it will be possible for you to earn such an inheritance, as a Son of man.

For Jesus to then add other instructions, which are selling everything, giving to the poor, and following him, that all adds up to more than “One.” Thus, the “One” thing – the dying of self – meant all those following things would then naturally take place afterwards. All would be part of his soul earning eternal life, which his [Nicodemus’] was not able to earn at that point in time.

After Nicodemus walked away sad, not about to sell anything he owned and not about to do anything for the poor, we find the disciples as perplexed as they were when Jesus had said divorce was a sign of adultery in one’s heart. The disciples all knew the world revolved around having money and possessing things; so, they could not see how poverty was the way to the kingdom of God. To make sure they were completely confused, Jesus told them it was easier to get a camel through the eye of the needle, than to get a rich man into heaven.

That was when Peter stood (once again) to speak for all the disciples, saying how much all Jesus’ followers had sacrificed, in order to follow Jesus. Here, Jesus did not rebuke Peter, as Peter and the others were recognized for their sacrifices. To that regard, Jesus said everyone who sacrifices will receive one hundred times back what they give up. That was what Jesus had just told Nicodemus, without being so specific with numbers. The aspect of “life eternal” should be seen as the epitome of “a hundredfold” (from “hekatontaplasiona”), but to get that R.O.I. [return on investment], one has to first invest. That first ante is everything you possess. You do that so things no longer possess you.

The story of the “eye of the needle” is this: That was the name of the smallest gate into Jerusalem. It was a gate that was large enough for a camel to walk through, but not with a rider and not with a load of wares. If one’s destination was on the other side of that particular gate, then a merchant would have to offload everything from his camel, lead the camel through the gate, and then carry all the offloaded wares through the gate and put them back on the camel. In other words, to get a camel through the eye of the needle meant more work than most people were willing to do. It was worth it to a merchant, because everything he had would be sold inside that gate, netting him a hundredfold what everything cost him. One has to be prepared to do what it takes to earn (not inherit) such a reward. Simply because one is a merchant does not mean being a merchant makes one deserve to be rich. Therefore, the Jews were not promised physical land and the riches of the material world; they were promised heaven for maintaining the agreements of their marriage vows to Yahweh [the Covenant].

When the ‘moral of this story’ is: “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first,” that says what Jesus had told his disciples prior, when he said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) The way human beings measure “first and last” is by determining how many ‘things’ one possesses. To be last in possessions does not mean having zero possessions. It means having only what one needs. That which is a necessity will be provided by Yahweh, when one’s soul is married to His Spirit. Being ‘rich in Spirit’ does not mean being ‘poor of things.’ Job was given great wealth after he passed his test by Satan.

Being ‘rich in Spirit’ means Yahweh is the focus of all one’s love, so worldly things are just environmental surroundings, meant to be openly shared. The more one shares, while in total love with Yahweh, the more one receives to share. Sharing this wealth of Spirit is foremost, as that wealth never gets depleted. One’s focus is then pleasing Yahweh and nothing else – maintaining the Law as a natural extension of His Will. Even then, if one becomes rich with ‘things,’ one’s focus is not on how many one has. It means ‘things’ no longer possess one’s soul, because one’s soul has been divinely possessed by Yahweh; so, one’s soul has given rebirth to His Son.

In the story of Job, one needs to see how he was “good,” because he was “not alone,” instead “one with God.” In Job 1 is told how Job lost all his possessions, due to the influence of Satan (in his first attack on Job). The suffering of Job was withstood, as every verse in the reading from Job 23 can be seen as his total commitment to Yahweh through the pains, not seeking anything other than His presence and an ability to talk with Yahweh again. In the end of the Job story, he was rewarded with many more ‘things’ than he had before his faith was tested.

In the reading from Amos, he told the leaders of Israel: “You trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.” All of that states how wasteful they were in putting themselves first, while making Yahweh the least of their concerns. They measured their success in what they had, not willing to give any of it up for eternal life. In the same way that Nicodemus walked away sad, so too would the leaders of Israel, after the Assyrians had overrun their precious kingdom and laid them all to waste.

In the Hebrews reading, Paul wrote (although this is a poor translation), “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit.” The truth of those words written tells of a soul that divides and becomes possessed. A soul can become possessed divinely, like Job was, or a soul can become possessed by unclean spirits, like the leaders who led Israel to ruin were and like Nicodemus secretly was. They were all possessed by the idea of riches – the god Mammon, a son of Ba’al. Their souls were sold into slavery to Satan, who lured them with wealth and pretty ‘things,’ in order to merge his spirit to their souls. When Jesus told Nicodemus to “die,” that meant to be possessed divinely by Yahweh, and die as one possessed by Satan.

The importance of this reading is always great. In the times when Nicodemus led Jerusalem with other Pharisees, he firmly believed he had a birthright to inherit eternal life, as the good life [wealth and status]. He thought his memorization of Mosaic Law made him be blessed by God, so God allowed him to become wildly rich, at the expense of the poor and lesser ranked Jews. Nicodemus should be seen as every well-intentioned Christian today, all of whom believe God is letting them sell their souls, day-by-day, a little bit here and a little bit there, rather than go all-in for Yahweh. The vast majority of Christians today are just like the disciples who were perplexed by Jesus telling the rich man, “go, sell everything you have, give to the poor, then come, follow me.” Nobody sees the “One to you that is lacking” statement. No one is told to give their souls fully to Yahweh and stop worrying about, “How am I going to pay the bills?” That worry is a complete lack of faith.

As the world slowly dissolves away into ruin, America stands today just as did the nation of Israel [the Northern Kingdom], headed to governmental ruin and the total destruction of its peoples’ status as the world’s elite. Amos is coming today to tell our leaders [all parties, all functions of government and all religions that call themselves “Christian”], “Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground!” We all need to hear that warning loudly, because the news is all about “justice to wormwood.”

America is said to be the rich man of the world, who loves to act like he gives to the poor. America has become rich from its worship of Satan, so it indeed is the Great Satan. It is called that by the Satan worshipers, who are the Eliphazes of the world [modeled after the ‘friend’ of Job, who advised him to admit his wickedness and curse god]. America is like Job, covered in the sores from head to toe that are the ruined souls of its leaders. The world sees us by our outer history, which shows us all to be wicked. We scrape that evidence off with potsherds and burn the oozing flesh with hot ash; but then there is always another Joe Biden that will come back and be another boil and sore to scrape off again. He is just one skin cell of the flesh of America that is rooted in the curse of Satan that is political. The leaders of the religions are just as sinful. Only the core soul of America is crying out, “Why doesn’t God answer me.” It is a test; but, unlike Job, America is failing that test!

The lesson of this reading from Mark, which is read on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, is to be last, rather than first. This country must be seen as unworthy of allowing anyone believe it should come here, thinking America is where getting rich is a way of life. The lesson is to stop being a Great Satan and start being one individual soul that releases all ties to ‘things’ and goes to work serving Yahweh as His Son reborn. That does not mean doing anything outside the realm of one’s home and family. Serve them until they too marry Yahweh and become inheritors of eternal life. It is time to see the poverty of one’s own soul be a disgrace; and, it is time to stop trying to change anyone other than oneself. America needs to do as Jesus said and “die,” because the way it is now headed is to eternal damnation. It needs to die and be reborn in the name of Jesus Christ; but there can be no ‘things’ left to possess one’s life.

Language, Psalms, Teaching

Psalm 22:1-15 – Oh how my soul has forsaken my flesh

January 2, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

1 eli, eli, why have you forsaken me? *

and are so far from my cry

and from the words of my distress?

2 elohay, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *

by night as well, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are the Holy One, *

enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

4 Our forefathers put their trust in you; *

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5 They cried out to you and were delivered; *

they trusted in you and were not put to shame.

6 But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *

scorned by all and despised by the people.

7 All who see me laugh me to scorn; *

they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,

8 “He trusted in Yahweh; let him deliver him; *

let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”

9 Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *

and kept me safe upon my mother’s breast.

10 I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *

you were eli when I was still in my mother’s womb.

11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *

and there is none to help.

12 Many young bulls encircle me; *

strong bulls of Bashan surround me.

13 They open wide their jaws at me, *

like a ravening and a roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water;

all my bones are out of joint; *

my heart within my breast is melting wax.

15 My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;

my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *

and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.

——————–

This is the accompanying Psalm for the Track 1 Old Testament reading from Job 23. It will be read aloud in unison or sung by a cantor on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 23], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow Job saying, “Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; but he would give heed to me.” This pai will precede a reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark, where Jesus said, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”

This Psalm was begun by Jesus as he died on the cross, according to Matthew 27:46. Matthew recorded that Jesus sang out the Hebrew that begins verse one, not writing in Greek what Jesus cried out. It is a known Psalm to Jews, so they would have recognized those words as Psalm 22; and, they would not have heard them as Jesus blaming Yahweh. In Matthew 27:47, he wrote, “When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

In the Abarim Publications Biblical Dictionary they write this:

“In names אל (‘el) usually refers to אלהים (‘elohim), that is Elohim, or God, also known as אלה (‘eloah). In English, the words ‘God’ and ‘god’ exclusively refer to the deity but in Hebrew the words אל (‘l) and אלה (‘lh) are far more common and may express approach and negation, acts of wailing and pointing, and may even mean oak or terebinth.”

That explanation is found on their page that states the meaning of the name “Elijah.” That meaning is said to be “Yah[weh] Is God.” Thus, those near the cross as Jesus was about to die heard him begin a known Psalm, where David’s use of “eli” was not clearly known, as to what “eli” meant; but after Elijah had come and ascended, he was expected to come back. The verse told in Matthew’s Gospel tell of them holding up a sponge soaked in vinegar to Jesus’ lips, saying, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” By saying Jews heard “eli” and did not know what that meant, means Christians and Jews now read that word and (like Abarim Publications said: “In English, the words ‘God’ and ‘god’ exclusively refer to the deity” – wrongly) have no clue as to what it truly means.

In these fifteen verses of Psalm 22, you will note where I returned the English mistranslations from “my God” to the Hebrew written: eli, eli, elohay, and eli. None of these words should bring about a capitalized word that would indicate “Yahweh.” David knew Yahweh as his One God, and the true God of Israel; and, he wrote the name Yahweh in verse eight. A focus on a complaint against Yahweh is not what David wrote here in his song; and, that must be seen as why these verses from Psalm 22 are the companion reading to Job 23, where Job likewise made pleas about forsakenness.

When Abarim Publications states, “In names אל (‘el) usually refers to אלהים (‘elohim),” the truth in that says “el” is a singular “god” [or “angel, spirit”], from the “elohim” or many “gods” [or “angels, spirits”]. When one realizes the eternal qualities of an “el,” they are no different than those of a “soul.” This means a “soul” is the “god” of one’s body of flesh. A “soul” is “ruach” from Yahweh, as the “breath, life, spirit” that animates dead matter, which is given by Yahweh at birth and returned to Yahweh at death. For a “soul” to remain with Yahweh after death, it has to have married Him prior; and, such a divine marriage means a life of service in the flesh, prior to death. Without that divine marriage, a human being is no different than the animals of the world, who live, die, and repeat, using the same souls reincarnated. Because Jesus cried out the beginning verse to Psalm 22, he knew death was near.

When one realizes that “eli” is a modification of the word “el,” so it states the possessive [in Greek it would be the genitive case], the word states, “my god.” It is vital to realize that one (a human being’s soul) cannot possess Yahweh. Only Yahweh can possess a soul. In all such cases, the name of Yahweh would be stated, as “Yahweh elohim.” The possessive is then a statement of one’s own soul, as saying, “god of me.” Thus, David began Psalm 22 with the cries about his own soul having misled him away from Yahweh, causing himself to be forsaken. David was possibly channeling the soul of Job, who cried out in Job 23 about his own soul having done something that caused Yahweh to forsake him. Jesus sang that verse because, like Job, Jesus’ time of death was a test of the truth of his divine soul.

Now, when the element of being an “elohim” is seen as a higher level of possession, by Yahweh (or a demon), to cry out “my god, my god, why have you forsaken me?” is not an expectation that a soul has turned away from serving its flesh – it cannot do that. A spiritual possessor is then who the cry is made to. In the story of Job, he was a “blameless and upright man,” not because he was a ‘righteous dude’ [a Ferris Buehler’s Day Off line], but because Yahweh had married his soul and made him become one of Yahweh’s elohim – an angel in the flesh. During his time of pain and agony, when Satan attacked his commitment to Yahweh, Yahweh had become a silent presence within Job’s soul-flesh being. As a truly righteous man, Job counted on that inner link, which was how he communicated to Yahweh directly. While Satan had the power to test Job, Job’s “el” had indeed forsaken him. David sang about that testing in song, divinely led to feel the pain and agony of being lost, while knowing one is married to Yahweh and totally committed to that marriage and its vows. Jesus, likewise, knew he could not count on any divine assistance as he died, as death was his test, while Yahweh had forbid Satan from killing Job and releasing his soul.

In David’s song writing experiences, it is vital to see that he was not writing his ideas from the top of his head. He was divinely inspired to write meaningful and lasting songs, which were his legacy, more than his role as the King of Israel. In Psalm 22, it can be seen that David was divinely led to see the distant past and the distant future, knowing the truth of emotions felt by both Job and Jesus. As such, this should not be seen as a life story of David, as that would be too narrow-minded and specific to be why Yahweh would inspire David to write these words. One can assume, because Jesus had yet to be born and the Book of Job was known by David, that David was prophetically writing while seeing a past event he knew of. David would have fully understood the pains of both Job and Jesus, as he was likewise a Yahweh elohim, who knew the fear of losing the presence of Yahweh within. As such, all readers of this Psalm forever should feel the pain and agony of losing touch with Yahweh, knowing life is worthless without His presence and His comforting Word.

When this is seen, the verses of Psalm 22 are rather clear in their statements about oneself [a “self” equals a “soul”] not being able to communicate with Yahweh like before. This is a song that can only be understood by a wife of Yahweh, as a soul that has known the power and comfort from His presence within one’s being; but now that presence seems to have left. That sensation is a test of one’s faith.

Verse one then asks oneself what happened to the inner voice that answered prayers and provided guidance.

Verse two uses “elohay,” which takes the plural “elohim” and uses it “with first-person singular personal pronoun as possessor.” This is again a statement of “my god,” which repeats “eli” as the inner guide. Here, the timing of day and night means the inner whispers of silent prayers and the expectation of divinely inspired dreams have stopped.

Verse three sings of the “elohim” that possess all in Israel – those who retain Yahweh as an el – which is the only reason the people can consider themselves “holy” [from “qadosh”], thereby saints.

Verse four sings of the “trust” [from “batach”] that has been throughout the history of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Such “trust” can only come from maintenance of the marriage vows, which are those of the Covenant stated by Yahweh.

Verse five then sings of the wives of Yahweh crying out [from “zaaq”] for help and being “delivered” [from “malat”], which means the cries came from times of sin, when souls realized they had turned away from Yahweh. To cry out was then an act of repentance.

Verse six then speaks of the root of evil, which turns a soul away from Yahweh. This form of “elohim” is a “worm,” which finds a way into the inner reaches of one’s soul, influencing it to sin. This is the ‘reproach” [from “cherpah”] that the people “despise” [from “bazah”].

Verse seven then sings of the visible evidence of sin, as an outer manifestation of an inner spirit. The sores that covered the body of Job was seen in that way; and, this speaks of why the Jews would likewise reject lepers, the lame, the mute, the blind, and those of all imperfections of body.

In verse eight, David uses the name “Yahweh,” saying Job was “committed” [from “galal”] in marriage to Yahweh. In this verse comes the reason some Jews said to let Elijah come save Jesus. This verse is sung in ridicule for those who as perceived to be sinners, because of their outer appearances.

Verse nine then sings metaphorically of the ways that material things become the surrogate “elohim” that act as signs that Yahweh is caring for His children. In this, the promise of a land of milk and honey can be seen as the “sugar teat” that the land became, after the child was deliver from the womb of the wilderness. Still, the land is not the truth of Yahweh, as the truth of Yahweh is Spiritual.

Verse ten then sings of the “god” [from “eli”] that is the inner soul having been reborn, as a possession of the divine Spirit. It says the soul has become the “mother” [from “em”] of an “el” within, which makes Yahweh the Father of that inner “god.”

Verse eleven then sings of the dependence on that inner “el,” which is the “god of me” [from “eli”]. It is the inner voice that answers prayers when troubles arise and comforts one with an inner strength. It is the voice that leads one to a life of righteousness.

Verse twelve then sings of the influences of outer els or the pagan “gods” that were depicted as “bulls” [from “par”]. These are those who pray to the false gods of Ba’al.

Verse thirteen then sings of the inner “god” becoming as fearsome as a “lion” [from “ari”], when it meets pagans and false idols. This brings out condemnations, which erupt as “raging roars” [from “taraph shaag”].

Verse fourteen then sings of the fluidity of one’s being, when one’s emotions erupt uncontrollably. They flood outward. This then causes the body to tremble and the heart (the center of courage) to melt. To react to outer influences is to distract one’s soul from the inner truth that is a soul married to Yahweh.

Verse fifteen then sings of the strength that comes from being stable, rather than emotional. Rather than flowing freely like water, one becomes like a dry river bed. The voice becomes mute, as the “tongue clings to the jaw.” This means oneself has to cease trying to project onto others, what only Yahweh can brings within their souls. This verse then sings of the death of the self-ego, so the soul no longer tries to command its own being.

As the companion reading for the Job offering, to be sung aloud on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson is to realize the “god” of one’s flesh is one’s soul. That soul can just as easily (if not easier) marry a demon spirit and become led by the lures of things in the material realm. When one has surrounded oneself with worldly powers, then one will find how quickly they fail one in times of trouble. The lesson is to find the sacrifice of one’s soul to Yahweh, which demands much word maintaining the vows of the Law. That is merely the first step, as one must die of self-ego and submit one’s soul fully to Yahweh. One must become one of His wives, as the “god of me” will be an inner voice that leads one to righteousness. The lesson is to be prepared to be tested in this commitment to Him.

Language, Psalms, Teaching

Psalm 90:12-17 – When in doubt, make things up and pretend that helps

January 2, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

2 So teach us to number our days *

that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.

13 Return, Yahweh; how long will you tarry? *

be gracious to your servants.

14 Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; *

so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.

15 Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us *

and the years in which we suffered adversity.

16 Show your servants your works *

and your splendor to their children.

17 May the graciousness of adonay elohenu be upon us; *

prosper the work of our hands;

prosper our handiwork.

——————–

This is the accompanying Psalm to the Track 2 Old Testament reading selection from Amos. If a church is one this track, then this will be read aloud in unison or sung by a cantor on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 23], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. The Amos reading says, “For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins — you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate.” That pair will precede a reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “Before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark, where it is written: “Jesus, looking at [the young, rich man], loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”

In the above selected verses (the last six of this Psalm), you will note where I restored the written text of David. In verse thirteen the English translation said “the Lord,” when in reality David named “Yahweh” specifically, not some generic god. Also, in verse seventeen, the English translation says, “the Lord our God,” when the reality is David wrote “adonay elohim.” Now, ask yourself, “How is it possible for “Yahweh” to be transformed into “the Lord,” when “adonay” is shown exactly the same?” It is wrong. So, I have restored the Hebrew written in that verse as well.

The title of Psalm 90, as given by translation services, often takes what David wrote in verse one, which is not read as part of the song. Examples of this would be instructions to the “chief musician,” or a statement about the psalm being dedicated to the “sons of Korah.” This particular Psalm has punctuation that is ignored in how the NRSV states: “God’s Eternity and Human Frailty; A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.” In that, the title is a creation of the NRSV, based on the verbiage in the song. When they place in the ‘title,’ “A Prayer of Moses, the man of God,” this comes from what David wrote in verse one. However, that is not all that David wrote for that title.

In verse one, prior to what is considered to be the song lyrics of verse one, is this [in transliterated Hebrew]: “tə·p̄il·lāh lə·mō·šeh ’îš- hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm ’ă·ḏō·nāy ,” which translates literally into English saying, “a prayer of Moses man haelohim adonay”. The Hebrew words “haelohim adonay” are the reverse of that written in verse seventeen: “adonay elohenu.” What the NRSV has done is ignore the fact that there is no comma mark at the end of “haelohim,” choosing to make believe one should be there, because they do not understand how David could write, “A Prayer of Moses man of elohim adonay.” They should translate that (according to the cheat sheet about how to translate “elohim” and “adonay” in the singular, rather than the plural) as “A Prayer of Moses man of God Lord.” Because that sounds funny, they take “adonay” and pretend it is the first word of verse one, translating that as saying, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” None of that is said by David.

The reality of what David wrote as the precursor to verse one is this [my capitalizations, as Hebrew has no capital letters]: “A Prayer of Moses man of saints lords.” This takes the word “elohim” and recognizes that as a statement of a divinely possessed person. Moses was not just some really cool guy who did some stuff, like calling him a “man of God” would imply. A “man of God” could be a title given to any priest or “man of the cloth,” including all the pedophile priest of the Roman Catholic Church, before they have been outed as such. Anyone who claims to be a ‘believer of God’ can also take on the title “man of God.” It is meaningless. To then add “lords” to that [the confusion the translators into English face, which forces them to ignore marks of direction and make things up] means one needs to understand “lords” is a statement that all “elohim” serve Yahweh as His wives [souls married to His Spirit], but all wives of Yahweh [“elohim”] are then sent out into ministry to lead others to also be Yahweh’s wives [souls married to His Spirit]. As such, those “elohim” will become the teachers of others, as divine “lords.” In all cases, Yahweh is the Lord who rules over each individual wife [body of flesh animated by a soul], so both “elohim” and “adonay” imply those of divine possession. However, both “elohim” and “adonay” can be demonically possessed; so, the naming of Yahweh must be indicated as who Lords over one’s soul. [“Yahweh” is found written by David in verse thirteen.]

In the Ordinary time after Pentecost, Year A, the first verse of Psalm 90 is read on two occasions [Proper 25 and Proper 28]. On both those occasions the title is not mentioned, with verse one beginning with the word “Lord.” This, as I have proved, is not written and makes it appear that Moses [who was told the name of Yahweh by Yahweh] would offer a prayer to a generic “Lord.” In reality, verse one states [literally translated into English from the Hebrew text], “dwelling place you have been ours , dwelling and dwelling .”

Here, the Hebrew word “maon” is used to denote “dwelling place,” which can also say “habitation, dwelling.” Then, after the comma mark, the word “dor” is repeated [as “bedor” and “wador”], where the meaning each time is “dwelling, period, generation.” This says David began this song by saying Moses took the children of Jacob and transformed them [those who entered the Promised Land] all into “elohim adonay” as the priests of Yahweh whose souls “dwelled in Yahweh, from generation to generation … always.” The only truth of an “Israelite” is one “Who Retains God,” as an “elohim adonay.”

When one understand that theme statement, which states the basic premise of this Psalm 90, one can then leap-frog over the first eleven verses and jump right into verse twelve, knowing this is a song that acts as “a prayer of Moses, who was the main “god of Yahweh” over a band of “gods of Yahweh,” who would become the “lords” teaching how to be “gods of Yahweh” in the world. With that understood, here is a verse-by-verse breakdown of the rest of Psalm 90.

Verse twelve says, “to appoint our days set upright aware ; that we may gain a mind of wisdom .” As “a prayer of Moses,” which David wrote through divine insight, connecting to the same source of “wisdom” as was both his and Moses’ to know, this prays that all the “days” of one’s life that “count” are those when one is learning how to live righteously from Yahweh; and, in turn, one is “teaching” others how to live likewise. This is the life of an “elohim,” and the teacher that makes one an “adonay.” Everything comes from the “Mind of Yahweh,” which is only accessible by His wives [souls married to His Spirit].

Verse thirteen then literally sings, “return Yahweh until when ; and be sorry , upon you slaves .” As a soul in a body of flesh in the earthly realm, a soul being eternal means it will “return” to be one with “Yahweh” at death, when the soul is released. That is a time of Judgment, when how a soul lived during its time on earth will determine how the future will be ruled to be. Only when a soul “returns to Yahweh” while in the flesh, “until when” death will come, can it be freed from a sentence [self-imposed] that says, “Return to earth and try again.” Thus, to be married to Yahweh means to repent and “be sorry” for one’s past sins. Then one accepts that an “elohim adonay” is a willing “slave” to the Will of Yahweh, for the Promise of Salvation [the true Promised Land].

Verse fourteen then literally sings in English, “us to be satisfied with the dawning of goodness ; that we may joyfully sing and be glad , all our days .” This says that the promise of Salvation brings about the energy of first light in the “morning,” when the sleep of death is shaken off. The light of truth is rising above one’s head, to light one’s path of righteousness. The light of “day” is the truth of heaven, so a soul still in the flesh wants to always sing songs of praise to Yahweh, knowing His presence within. One realizes heaven is wherever Yahweh is; so, heaven is being an “elohim” of His. This is not temporary, as is a “day” in the physical realm, where the revolutions of the earth cause day to turn to night. Instead, the presence of Yahweh within makes it “always day” to the wives of Yahweh.

Verse fifteen then literally sings in English, “make us glad for the days you have afflicted us ; the years , we have seen evil .” This sings that true praise, coming from knowing Salvation, can only come from a personal perspective of having lived a life of sin and then know those sins have been erased through divine marriage. This says the “years” of one’s history with sin are no longer the misery of daily regrets. By having personally “seen evil,” one knows how close one’s soul had come to eternal damnation. Yahweh lets one see the errors of one’s ways, so true repentance is the first step towards Redemption. The promise of Salvation makes one sing with gladness, in all one’s remaining “years” in the flesh.

Verse sixteen then literally sings in English, “let see in your servants your work ; and your honor , upon the children .” This sings of the ministry for Yahweh that all His “elohim” have sworn [the vows of the Covenant] to maintain. The Mind of Yahweh leads one to see the path of righteousness, which becomes the “work of servitude.” All of that “work” is done in “honor” of Yahweh. When “the children” are seen as the “work” done, the reality is the “sons” created through ministry, with all of them being new souls married to Yahweh. Each of the “elohim” will give birth to a possessing soul [in the name of Yahweh – “Jesus” – “Yah[weh] Will Save”]. That is the “Son” of Yahweh resurrected in all His children.

Verse seventeen then literally sings in English, “and become the pleasantness of lords of us gods of you , and upon us the work of our hands set above ; and the work of our hands , to be certain .” From having ended verse sixteen with the element of “children” being those to whom Yahweh is “upon,” this is now stated in the final verse of this “prayer of Moses” as a state of being that will “become the pleasantness [or beauty] of “adonay elohenu,” which is the multiplicity of “lords of us gods,” who are all the servants of Yahweh. It is this servitude that is twice stated, as “upon the work of our hands.” In that, “our hands” can be stated as “the hands of us,” which is a reflection of the plurality of “adonay elohenu,” who are “lords of our self-souls married to Yahweh.” Again, the word “adonay” means “lords,” which is the work assigned to “elohim,” which is ministry – “the work of our hands.” That ministry is directed by Yahweh and manifests exactly as it did in Moses, who was the prototypical “man of elohim adonay.”

As the accompanying Psalm to the reading from Amos, who was another example of “a man elohim adonay,” one who spoke the Word of Yahweh to the leaders that called themselves Israelites. They saw themselves as sons of a God none of them knew personally; and, that is the reason Amos did the “work” of Yahweh, as one of His “hands” on earth. Everything David sang about, as “a prayer of Moses,” the prayers of an “elohim adonay,” Amos did. All the Saints of Jesus were “elohim adonay,” who taught us children the lessons of faith and commitment. Because we are blinded by English translations that keep our leaders from knowing an “elohim adonay” when one comes up and says, “You have it all wrong,” people calling themselves holy still kill the messengers, just as they did in ancient Israel. That is always a sign that a society is headed for ruin. The reason is nobody will be transforming into “the pleasantness of the adonay elohenu,” for which David prayed, in the name of Moses.

When this song of praise is read loudly on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson is to take the time to look at what it is you say you believe, when your eyes have been purposefully blinded from birth, by those who pretend to lead you to heaven. One needs to see these are the “years” of one’s life when one is “seeing evil” and doing nothing to remove the regrets of sins. The lesson is to [once again, as evermore in Scripture] to marry one’s soul to Yahweh and become His “elohim,” with the intent on being one who “lords” others to the same state of commitment. [Be a good shepherd.] To marry Yahweh, one first needs to love Him, and true love means doing everything that attracts Yahweh to your soul. That means looking at what He said through all his “elohim adonay.” That would be a wonderful first step towards true love.

Explaining the Readings

Tag Archives: Proper 23 Year B

Mark 10:17-31 – Inheriting eternal life

Hebrews 4:12-16 – Uncovered and laid bare for reckoning

Job 23:1-9, 16-17 – With soft hearts and glowing faces

Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 – The prudent will keep silent

Job 23:1-9, 16-17 – Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?

Amos 5:6-7,10-15 – Life is much ado about nothing, without Yahweh

Hebrews 4:12-16 – Souls cut in two and laid bare

Mark 10:17-31 – Go, sell everything you have

Psalm 22:1-15 – Oh how my soul has forsaken my flesh

Psalm 90:12-17 – When in doubt, make things up and pretend that helps

The Episcopal Lectionary Discerned