I started by sharing the reason behind my recent latency in greeting the members in the chatter, despite of home chores (being a super dad), studies and exhortation preps and church service Ad design,
מוּסִיקָה
Moosiqā (Music) 🎹
אָנִי אוֹבֶד/אובדת עָל מוּסִיקָה
Ani ovēd (masc.)/ovedeth (fem.) āl moosiqā
I'm working on music/ I do music work.
Now, there's a biblical character with a name similar to "ovēd", it lack the letter "ו" Vav, but still sound the same, most probably of the same root..
2 Samuel 6:10-12 (NKJV)
So David would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.
Now it was told King David, saying, "The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness.
שמואל ב 6:10-12 (WLC)
וְלֹא־אָבָה דָוִד לְהָסִיר אֵלָיו אֶת־אֲרֹון יְהוָה עַל־עִיר דָּוִד וַיַּטֵּהוּ דָוִד בֵּית עֹבֵד־אֱדֹום הַגִּתִּי׃
וַיֵּשֶׁב אֲרֹון יְהוָה בֵּית עֹבֵד אֱדֹם הַגִּתִּי שְׁלֹשָׁה חֳדָשִׁים וַיְבָרֶךְ יְהוָה אֶת־ עֹבֵד אֱדֹם וְאֶת־כָּל־בֵּיתֹו׃ וַיֻּגַּד לַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד לֵאמֹר בֵּרַךְ יְהוָה אֶת־בֵּית עֹבֵד אֱדֹם* וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לֹו בַּעֲבוּר אֲרֹון הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֵּלֶךְ דָּוִד וַיַּעַל אֶת־אֲרֹון הָאֱלֹהִים מִבֵּית עֹבֵד אֱדֹם עִיר דָּוִד בְּשִׂמְחָה׃
Someone told me once that if something or someone is mentioned 3 times or more in a row, then the writer probably meant to show us something important.
So, even if we won't be assuming the "mystical" side of it, it's always good to have closer look ..
Ovēd עֹבֵד (meaning "servant") is taken from the root עבד Abād, now again what's amazing of the uniformity of ideas within an ancient, less hybrid language such as Hebrew can be seen here .. the same root עבד would give birth to words like ..
Ovēd עובד (working; v.)
Avodā עבודה (work/job; worship; n.)
L'Āvōd לעבוד (to work; v./pa'al)
Ēdōm אֱדֹם (red, the red one, referred to Esau as in Gen 23:30; 32:3; 36:1, symbolizing worldliness, human effort) shares the same root אדמ with
Ādām אָדָם (Adam, first human, mankind)
Ādom אָדֹם (the color red)
Ādāmāh אָדָמָה (ground, dust of the earth, red soil or clay)
The commentaries (should you're interested to dive deeper, but swimming is also ok 👍😁👍) are found here ..
and here ..
Let's continue..
While scholars assumed that Obēd Ēdōm was "whitewashed" to become a korahite/levite in the books of Samuel & Chronicles (again, circulated studies shows these books are serving as ancient narrative of how Israel came to be as a nation; so, not propaganda free 😁), the deeper meditation of the text would reveal something deeper and spiritually profound.
Obēd Ēdōm ultimately symbolizes us, strangers, gentiles, people (once) outside of Israel's covenant who are once "servant of ourselves" but later visited by God (symbolized as The Ark of The Covenant). This is further clarified by King David's reaction after hearing that God blessed Obēd Ēdōm, meaning he knew that God had shown favour and His grace so much as to bless a gentile and not killing him as He did with Uzzah (v.1-9) in previous part of the story.
This is to me personally is one of those sporadic story of grace, hidden in plain sight, similar to those of Ruth and Rahab (both Gentiles, but "adopted" to the covenant), and later revealed in Jesus Christ.
What gives true blessings to our עבד אדום worldly works is nothing more than God's grace.
The mandatory demand for holiness /righteousness (displayed previously through the death of Uzzah for improperly handling the Ark) is not a way of obtaining either grace or blessings, righteousness is a proper response to God's holiness.
No one can get God to be merciful.. instead He has chosen to be (how wonderful)..
Therefore I believe to be righteous is a one package deal in repentence, our attitude of acknowledging that we're from time to time still doing things (ovēd) in a way that's worldly (Ēdōm), even in service to others or "ministry".
This act of continuous realigning to God's will is what ultimately sanctify us..
But does sanctification relates to blessings? I believe so, however the posture of the heart that desires blessings first and relationship with God second.. this is our constant problem which need repenting.
Different faith traditions have different approaches in expressing repentance, but I believe the same spirit & yearning should belong to us all alike, not so much in the yearning of restored entitlement or belongings, but to the restoration of relationships, us with God, us with others.
The Bible have shown time and again how God is hurt by our doubts. Even Malachi 3:10 was the expression of God being satirical and "forcibly" transactional, responding to Israel's reluctance of giving what's needed for the service in God's temple. This "woe" to the Israelites, we actually share it. Most of us are no better when it comes to expressing love to God in acts of service or giving, worse, as New Testament people, we know from stories I've mentioned before, that He's the kind of God who is so merciful and inclusively embracing as to do this ..
Romans 9:25-26 (NKJV) As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved."
"And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God."
Therefore the main concern in repentence is ..
Luke 12:23 (NKJV) Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
Let's work and serve in the spirit of restored relationship between us and God, made possible through the life, death & resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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From brother Felix's thumb 😅♥️
Greetings beloved readers!
Friends, you are created for God's delight as much as He's delighted to shower you with love, to restore you into His intended fullness of life, to reveal Himself to you through His Son, Jesus Christ, to pour out His heart to you and as much people whose lives you're allowed to touch. This is OUR ministry of peace & reconciliation.
How to support OUR ministry?
This ministry is grounded in the longing to be an authentic integral witness of God's salvation in a way that blesses & empower people to be better in what they're destined & called to do, to be a better professionals, business owners, family member, and member of their communities and even their nation.
Therefore we don't collect financial donations but rather asking you to support causes and ventures we believe could bring increasing opportunity to resonate His messages through what we daily do best as roles mentioned above.
How can I support OUR ministry?
Visit or/and share these following links ..
Someone you know or even yourself might be blessed, inspired, or unnoticeably passing blessings to certain needs..
Blessings
