Floods in the Desert - pt1

In the Middle East, especially in the area around Israel, one of the greatest dangers in the desert is flooding. That sounds strange, doesn't it? But the hills and mountains around the Negev and Judean Wilderness receive quite a lot of rain on a yearly basis, while the desert itself receives almost none. To further complicate things, the soil on the mountains cannot absorb the rain it gets. The result is flash flooding - not unlike what we get in the American west.

Wadis are formed. These are dry riverbeds in the wilderness. Sometimes they are just small canyons carved out by torrents of water. These often offer shade and pools of water in the brutal 120+ degree desert. The problem comes when the rains fall - miles away. On a cloudless day the floods come without warning, washing everything away that isn't firmly rooted.

It's ironic that the wadi offers refuge from the harsh reality of life. Shade. The sun is relentless in the desert. Without shade, death is quite a possibility.

Water. Pools have formed and they do look inviting! The sheep can drink and canteens can be refilled. But this isn't the still water of Psalm 23. This is flood water.

Who knows the difference? Certainly not the sheep. The sheep are content to drink. What they don't know is the flood is coming.

As Christians, do we dabble in sin? Do we attempt 'sin management'? I have been guilty of this. I already know it doesn't work. I know that if I walk in this way... it's only a matter of time before the flood hits. It will be a cloudless day. It will be the VERY SAME as yesterday - when I got by with it. But today... my thirst for immediate gratification might just cost me everything.

Letting Yourself Go

So you finally meet the girl of your dreams. (I'm a guy, this will be from my perspective.) She is gorgeous. Perfect features, great smile, charming, witty, good natured, and just dumb enough to fall for you. Life is great! Then something happens. She shaves her head, stops brushing her teeth, stops eating veggies and adopts cake, and you discover the charm and wit have been replaced with a vile attitude. Apparently, she used all of these things to get to a place of comfort - her goal all along - and then just let it all go.
That strikes a scary chord with many Christians and their 'faith'. They've found faith useful for getting into the family of God and checking salvation off of their list of life's to-do's. The scripture does speak of this.
1Co 3:12-15
(12) And if anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw,
(13) the work of each will be revealed; for the Day will make it known, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire will prove the work of each, what sort it is.
(14) If the work of anyone which he built remains, he will receive a reward.
(15) If the work of anyone shall be consumed, he shall suffer loss; but he will be saved, but so as through fire.

I dare say that this is good enough for many. They want to secure their spot in eternity but would rather live like the world until then. What a sad and dangerous place to be. Faith is the key to eternal life, yes, but it is also the water our physical boat floats on. We are to live by faith. It is impossible to please God without faith. Why do we spend so much time and energy trying to take the 'risk' of faith out of our daily lives? The answer is not polite.

Salvation In Esther

The ladies of the church are studying Esther. As a result, I've done a little delving into the book, myself. Esther's name given to her by her parents was Hadassah. The name given to her by the Gentiles when she became queen was Esther. The Gentiles called her some form of 'Ishtar' or 'Astarte', but in Hebrew and Aramaic it came out as Ester. (In English, for some reason, it is spelled Esther.)

The Talmud finds Esther's name alluded to in the Tanach (Jewish Bible) in the verse "astir panai," which means, "I will hide My face...." (Deuteronomy 31:18). So many would say her name means 'hide' or 'hidden' as opposed to 'star'.

Hadassah, on the other hand, means 'myrtle', which is a rather plain-looking plant, but when its leaves are bruised and crushed they give forth a very sweet fragrance. Can you see where this is headed?

Very often, Salvation lies hidden. Seek, and you shall find it. With Esther, Hadassah was 'hidden'. As we study Esther, we realize that she hid her identity in order to allow God's 'salvation' to come to the Jews.

Our Savior, Yeshua, was bruised and crushed for our sake so that we, too, could find the sweet and savory - Salvation.