Read the Holy Bible for the Truth It Contains - Do Not Chase the Mirages of False Scholarship That Ends in Disbelief

Submitted by M. Tovey (United States), May 23, 2008 at 18:14

Typically, Scripture for this reader is not a matter for debate, nor for discussions of whether or not there is truth in the Hebrew Holy Scriptures. That having been said, and if there is error to be pointed out, it is in leaving out the ‘rest of the story' (to take a phrase of a famous American radio personality). But we shall begin with the Person of HaMashiach, and the truth of Who He is.

In the beginning, Elohim, declares in the plural form of the WORD, the true multifaceted Being begins His Story, that being the narrative He is revealing to those chosen to write His words. Later it is written, ‘let Us (emphasis mine) make man in our image' again intimating the same complex Being in the act of creation. This complex Being is revealed to have three distinct parts, each composing an equal share in existence, just as a man (or woman) is composed of mind, heart(soul) and body (hence the imagery). The Jewish elders of the time were completely aware of that imagery when Yeshua made that statement, and was the basis for their desire to stone Him, because they, in the context of their time, knew that was exactly what He meant, even though they did not believe Jesus was that Person! At the very minimum, they should have recognized the miracles in order to understand Him for Who He is, but they chose not to.

Now, to the reference of the Son of man, you have given the very reference this reader would have chosen (though there are others) to help elucidate the Person of Jesus Christ, for read "that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, Matthew 9:6 ; who has that power to forgive sins, none but Almighty God, shown here in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: and no one else can be called LORD except the LORD Matthew 12:8: and finally using the same term ‘son of man' in its prophetic implication is demonstrated in His power to be covered by the earth in the last moment of His former state of assuming our humanity, eventually to rise again from the dead to ascend to His glory with the Father in heaven. Thank you for looking those up.

Approach now to the circumstances of the man called the father of faith to the entire Christian believing community. As to Abraham and his walk with the LORD, this reader pondered these things decades ago in a more personal way while growing up in the faith. Abraham was shown to be as human as any of us when he took his wife's suggestion to father a child by her Egyptian handmaid, her bond servant. Thus was Ishmael's estate. Yet the LORD still made of Ishmael a great nation, a people half Egyptian and half Chaldean (Abram's earlier lineage, of the land of Ur-Iraq).

In this presentation, you have cut the story short, conveniently leaving out the Word of the LORD to Abraham to take Isaac to Mount Moriah to sacrifice the boy-manchild there. Key into the significant part of the situation, that at the last moment the LORD provided a ram in substitution for the boy for the sacrifice, doing so in forecasting the substitution of Jesus Christ for our sins in His greater sacrifice. Isaac was the son chosen by the LORD for the sacrifice, not Ishmael, leaving Ishmael to become the people the LORD uses to chastise His people for unbelief today. Isaac, the son of Abraham's old age, is the son of the promise, through whom is the promise to the people of Israel.

Lastly, Beersheba as a label refers to the same location Beersheba was then as it is now, just as virtually every major location found in the Holy Bible called out then is still in the same place today. There may be linguistic challenges to how a place is called in the vernacular of the time, but there is no mistaking Hagar and the boy (16 is still a child by the reckoning of many societies) were still north of the Arabah when approached by the Lord to receive His help. Having Hagar lift Ishmael up and holding him up was in order to receive the pronouncement of the Lord.

Now, in order to spare an endless trading of belief versus faith, let us cut to the chase and spare the tit for tat. One will not be able to use the Holy Bible to challenge true faith the WORD of LORD, for if the Hebrew Holy Scriptures were to be read with a truly open heart like this reader has heard here so many times, then a truly different result would occur. On a personal heartfelt level, if you want to understand why the Holy Bible holds so much truth for the believer in its grip, then the next time you read it, ask the LORD to open your heart to what is being written there. The Gospel of John (Yeshua HaMashiach in His Deity) was suggested before, instead the Gospel of Matthew (as the King of kings over Israel) was demonstrated. Either way, until faith is employed, only an endless chase results in trying to find useless misunderstandings, instead of reading the Holy Bible to have its truth transform the believing life.

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