Shabbat Shalom! |
Adonai is my portion and my cup.
You cast my lot.
My boundary lines fall in pleasant places
—surely my heritage is beautiful.
Psalm 16:5~6
A few bloggers (you all, dear blogfriends!) have shared your word for the year 2023 and encouraged me so I will also share mine!
My word is `heritage/inheritance`.
In Hebrew it is: NACHALAH נַחֲלָה, NACHAL נָחַל
I receive it for this year, 5783/2023, in keeping with the Biblical Calendar which started in the Fall! Remember we also are preparing our hearts to come into the new year starting in the first month of Springtime that was given by God to the Children of Israel! (We have many New Years!)
“This month will mark the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year for you." Exodus 12:2
When I was in NY this Chanukah trip I had several conversations with my Dad, we are always talking, I love my Dad, and it was through one of our conversations that I felt to delve into the word `heritage` and ask the LORD to speak with me about it and it became my word. I am seeing already how it is about restoration, family, my Jewish heritage which I only recently returned to in Messiah, as well as the larger eternal heritage which we are beneficiaries of in Messiah!
Where your heart is there your treasure will also be. Matthew 6:21
In this time of the Restoration of All things I am excited and forever thankful to have come back to covenant with our Covenant keeping God and seek to better understand what is our heritage in Him!
Here are a few examples from the scriptures of aspects of `heritage`and `inheritance` that we find from the beginning and all the way to eternity!! (though Eternity is before the beginning!). Starting with the verse above from Psalm 16, the LORD is our portion! And continuing with these which are just my beginnings of looking into this word!
1. Heritage as it speaks of the Torah
Your testimonies I have as a heritage forever, for they are my heart’s joy. Psalm 119:111
2. Heritage as it speaks of the generations and children:
Behold, children are a heritage of ADONAI ~. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalm 127:3
3. Heritage as it speaks of the Land of Israel
But when you cross over the Jordan and settle in the land that Adonai your God enables you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you, you will dwell in safety. Deuteronomy 12:10
4. Heritage as it speaks of our spiritual heritage in Messiah
I pray that he will give light to the eyes of your hearts, so that you will understand the hope to which he has called you, what rich glories there are in the inheritance he has promised his people, and how surpassingly great is his power working in us who trust him. It works with the same mighty strength he used when he worked in the Messiah to raise him from the dead and seat him at his right hand in heaven, far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion or any other name that can be named either in the ‘olam hazeh or in the ‘olam haba.
Ephesians 3:18~21
5. Heritage as it speaks of Eternal inheritance
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah! In His great mercy He caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua from the dead. An incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance has been reserved in heaven for you. 1Peter 1:3~4
Inheritance in Psalm 37!
I also opened up a psalm this morning when I had been thinking of the word heritage the night before and the bible just `happened to` open up to Psalm 37. I had never realized that `subtitle` on the Psalm, or maybe just hadn`t really connected with it as I did today when seeing it in terms of `my word`! Here are a few of the verses! Please read the whole Psalm as well to see the verses in context and how in many of the verses the Psalmist speaks of the `Inheritance of the Kedoshim` (Kedoshim = holy ones)
Inheritance of the Kedoshim
Psalm 37
3 Trust in Adonai and do good.
Dwell in the land, feed on faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in Adonai,
and He will give you the requests of your heart.
5 Commit your way to Adonai.
Trust in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring out your vindication as light,
and your cause will shine as noonday.
7 Be still before Adonai and wait patiently for Him.
Do not fret over one prospering in his way,
over one carrying out wicked schemes.
8 Put away anger and turn from wrath.
Do not fret—it only leads to doing evil.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
but those who wait for Adonai—
they will inherit the land.
And lastly, notice the word `delight` in verse 4! And verse 11:
But the meek will inherit the land, and delight in abundant shalom.
The reason why I mentioned `delight` in the title is that I was `delighted` to see the word inheritance in so many places together with `delight`.
It also appears in this combination in one of my favorite verses, from Isaiah 58:13 about keeping the Shabbat!
If you turn back your foot from Shabbat, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call Shabbat a delight, the holy day of Adonai honorable, If you honor it, not going your own ways, not seeking your own pleasure, nor speaking your usual speech,
then You will delight yourself in Adonai, and I will let you ride over the heights of the earth, I will feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of Adonai has spoken.
Isaiah 58:13~14
Last but not least!
I also love to connect everything to what we are reading in the weekly Torah portion, as the cycle is so prophetic. So it
is not coincidence that we are entering into the book of Exodus with
the `names` of the twelve tribes. In Hebrew, the book of Exodus is actually called Shemot, which means
`Names`!! In Ezekiel 47:14, the land of Israel is divided equally as an inheritance and given to the twelve tribes of Israel. And on the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem are inscribed the names of the 12 tribes!!
My Dad said something about not being so concerned about our heritage in terms of the Torah and that made me want to take hold of our heritage ever more. See already we are learning so much!
Please share your insights from your word if you have one, and hope you might have been inspired or learned something new from my reflections of looking at `Heritage/inheritance`. May we delight in the LORD through His word and His everlasting Love.
All love and blessings.❤️
Shabbat Shalom!
Love,
Shayndel
Song, `My Portion` to enjoy , from Psalm 16 ❤️
Beautiful post! 'Heritage' is a great, meaningful word on all levels! I've never had a word for a specific year. I would chose 'cycle' for 2023. Everything comes and goes in cycles of life whether we like it or not.
ReplyDeleteHi Duta,
DeleteThank you!!
I receive your kind words of encouragement!
Thank you for sharing the word you would choose, cycle! I like to find what it is in the Bible, and was led to this verse, for you!
For everything there is a season
and a time for every activity under heaven: Ecclisiaistes 3:1
The word there in Hebrew is `Zeman`. I love that word, and remember it from `Zeman Simchateinu`, that is said at Sukkot!. I pray that this would be a year and a season of your joy even now as the blossoms are ready to bud and sprout and bear fruit!!
I don’t know if its exactly `cycle` but it seems to have some similarity as you shared it. Do you think so? I couldn’t find a literal word `cycle`, and wanted to give a word in season for you!!
Interestingly the word `zeman` is seen only 4 times in the Tanakh. Two are in the book of Esther, where she proclaimed the days of Purim to be an appointed day each year!! Reminds me we are coming up to Purim.
Blessings and Love! ❤️
PS I am also reminded of a song, a beautiful song on Ecclesiastes 3:1, A Time for Everything, by a beautiful worship singer, Misha Goetz. I will share it here in the comments if you or any one else would like to enjoy it here:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTqs7ZCp5Tc
ReplyDelete"My boundary lines fall in pleasant places
—surely my heritage is beautiful."
💙
Amen!
DeleteThank you Sandi. May it be for us all!! 💙
Hello, Shayndel, my word for 2023 is "FORGIVEN" Also its allied words. I am finding it in my reading and find myself asking God's forgiveness at the beginning of my prayer time. I also have noticed when I say something I shouldn't, the first words out of my mouth are "Please forgive me, Lord." Peace and blessings to you and yours,
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHello Cecelia,
Thank you for reading and for sharing your word, Forgiven. Such a beautiful and `freeing` word. We are set free when we forgive and are forgiven in Christ!! You encourage us with your humility and reminder to say `Please forgive me LORD` after saying anything we shouldn’t.
It is such a prominent word as Yeshua teaches us to pray daily to forgive others and to ask forgiveness.
Thank you for the blessings, I pray the same to you!!
Peace and blessings to you and yours! ❤️
Thank you so much. It is good word! Your One Word. I love it.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to you writing about this word from time to time ❤️ Is your father Jewish?
My father also liked to talk with me about God and about his own journey through life. Every year I miss him more. But one day I will see him again
Thank you Aritha for such a great encouragement. Yes, my father is Jewish, all the way back to our forefathers as far as I know! My mother too, blessed be her memory. That`s beautiful to hear your sharing about your father, I am sure you miss him very much. It is such a blessed assurance that you will see him again. Much love and blessings❤️
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