thereasonedfaith

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- Am hoping to make a Christian education portal

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I especially like, "A Tale of Two Rabbis,"

https://www.moriel.org/teaching/sermons-in-english/jesus-in-the-talmud-2.html

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Tripart Humanity

We have a mind or soul because God does:

1 Corinthians 2:16a, "For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?"

We have a body because God does:

Hebrews 10:5b, "But a body You have prepared for Me"

We have a spirit because God does:

1 Corinthians 2:12, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God,"

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What Is, "Faith?"

Word: Faith

Latin: Fides

Synonym: Fidelity

Definition: Trust or reliance "I have faith in my spouse." "I have faith in God."

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Repentence

μετάνοια metanoia

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

שׁוּב šûḇ

Teshuvah (תשובה) is a Hebrew word that translates to "repentance"

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'

 Change your mind.  Change your actions.  Change your heart.

Teshuvah means turn. Metanoia means be transformed.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

πίστις pistis - faith Is pursuasion. The grace of God pursudes us to be transformed, to change our behavior. The faith causes repentence.

Psalm 77:8

Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore?

Isaiah 30:18

Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Romans 2:4

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

1 Timothy 2:4

who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

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Hanukkah

Transliteration: chanukkah

bible hub

dedication, consecration

חֲנֻכָּה

חֲנֻכָּה‎ or חֲנוּכָּה‎

Numbers 7:10 Now the leaders offered the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed; so the leaders offered their offering before the altar.

Ḥănukkā

Meaning: Dedication or rededication

Uses a special menora: instead of the seven candle lamp stand this one uses nine. The central most light is called the Shamash or the attendent.

שַׁמָּשׁ

It gives light to the others.

The holiday commemorates the recapture of jerusalem in 164 BC.

There is a legend that there was a miraculous consumption of oil (the claim is there was only one day of oil, but the oil burned for the full eight to dedicate a new alter). This miracle is has no additional sources, maybe it happened, maybe it didn't. The real miracle is a rag tag gollia army of hebrews retook the temple from the greeks in the first place.

The burning of the lamps for eight days is a commemoration of the eight days of dedication to set up a new alter.

In Jesus' day, Hanukka was an unofficial fourth holiday of mandatory gathering. The Law did not mention this day at all. But I still think it is significant.

If one could find long term lodging through winter in or near Jerusalem—they would. This is why Jesus would be walking in solomon's porch in John 10:23

John 10:23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.

John 10:22-30 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."

Then it is said

John 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

What were these stones?

It is written in the history (not biblical history) that when the temple was recaptured in 164 BC there was a problem:

The alter had been dedicated to God thus it would be a sin to throw it away. The alter had also been used to sacrifice an unclean animal (a pig to honor the greek king Antichous). It was no longer clean to offer to God. They couldn't use it. They couldn't throw it away.

Tradition says the Hasmonians disassembled the defiled alter and stacked the stones in solomon's porch. Tradition also says the Hasmonians said, "when Missah comes, He will tell us what to do with these stones."

Solomon's Porch would have been kept very clean. There was nothing there that shouldn't be there.

If the tradition is true the only stones that would be in Solomon's Porch would be the stones that the Hasmonians taught Messiah would tell them what to do with.

On Hannuka in Jesus' day they tried to stone Him.

I think Hanukka is a Christian holiday:

The attendent that lights the other candles is like Christ who gives us light.

It is in the middle:

Revelation 1:13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.

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Sin

Below are different words for sin

Chatta'ah - Commonly Translated As Sin

חַטָּאָה ḥaṭâ’â

Missing the mark

Whether you knew it or not you surpassed the speed limit.

Pesha - Commonly Translated As Transgression

פֶּשַׁע p̱eša

Willful violation of law

You knew the speed limit and surpassed it anyway.

Avon - Commonly Translated As Iniquity

עָוֹן ‘âôn

Deliberate twisting of the law to your own ends

That speed limit only exists because of some dumb politician

Psalms 51: 1-2 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

my transgressions. פְשָׁעָֽי׃ (p̄ə·šā·‘āy)

Genesis 31:36

מֵעֲוֺנִ֑י (mê·‘ă·wō·nî)

Genesis 4:13 KJV: unto the LORD, My punishment [is] greater

וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י (ū·mê·ḥaṭ·ṭā·ṯî)

Genesis 4:7 KJV: and if thou doest not well, sin lieth

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Introduction

Jonah starts in the book of 2nd kings:

2 Kings 14:25 He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.

Jona (יוֹנָה) means dove, so he might have been mentioned by Hosea since they were Contemporary

Hosea 11:11 They shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt, Like a dove from the land of Assyria. And I will let them dwell in their houses," Says the LORD.

Nineveh was the capitol city of Assyria. As such, it was used often as a stand in for all of Assyria. In the same way Washington (DC) is used in historical documents to represent the politics of the USA or Moscow the USSR.

So the book of Nahum begins with, "The burden against Nineveh," but can be an endemic against the entire Assyrian empire.

Because Jonah was from the northern kingdom and was a prophet to Jeroboam II, and we have a brief history that he made prophetic statements in 2nd Kings, we can surmise he was a prophet during the great affluence and spirtual decline of the north.

Though the short book of the prophet focuses us on his call, rejection, and reluctant ministry in Nineveh, he had a long and storied ministry outside his book. It is very probable he argued dydactively against the northern Kingdom's actions. We are told in 2 Kings 14:24 that Jeroboam did evil in the sight of the Lord.

Gath or winepress was probly in or near Galilee. Thus Jonah and Jesus were from the Galilee area.

John 7:52 They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

The Pharisees forgot about Jonah.

Mathew 12, Jesus points to Jonah as a sign

There is a strong connection with Doves and water.

Sameria was destroyed by the Assirans around this time

Gentiles believed when the Hebrews would not

Jonah is asleep in the boat during a storm, Jesus is asleep in the boat during a storm

The History shows the Assyrians of this era became monotheistic.

Context

The Assyrian empire had a reputation of being not nice. They invented an early form of crusefixtion. It was the last place a Jewish prophet wanted to go—it was likely a death sentence.

At the time the Assyrians of Nineveh worshiped Dagon, a fish god. Thus when Jonah was vomited up by a fish the Dagon worshipers would have seen that as a sign that this was a man from their god.

If God said get up and go to Hamas, or Hesbolah, or the CCP would you go?

If Jonah went one of two things would happen: either he'd be killed by the assyrians in a brutal and public way or God would have mercy on them. Jonah was watching his own countrymen turn from God, there was a reason to want to stay and preach where he was. Jonah wanted to preach repentence where he was at. Not in some foreign land. Certainly not in Assyria.

Jonah 1

Jonah is called, and rejects the call.

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. 4 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” 7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)

Jonah's words cuased these pagans to turn to the one true God.

11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. 17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2

Jonah prays from the belly of the fish.

Was it a fish or a whale?דָּאג ḏâg̱was probably a fish the word is not לִוְיָתָן liwyâṯân the sea serpant called leviathan.

The people who favor the whale interpretation think Jonah survived for three days and three nights in the stomach of the beast, those who prefer the fish interpretation say Jonah died and was resurrected.

Whithin the belly Jonah prays:

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” 10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land

Jonah 3

Jonah is called again, and answers the call.

The preaching of predictive prophesy usually comes also with the idea that שׁוּב šûḇ — repentance (teshuvah) can delay or forstall judgement.

So the message, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown," carries the implication that God will relent if the people repent. Jonah—knowing this—did not want Nineveh to hear the message. This is why certain Calvary teachers have said Jonah had murderous intent.

1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Jonah 4

Jonah argues with God.

1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” 10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

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TRF - The Reasoned Faith

This repository is intended to catelogue why I'm not an Atheist, why I believe what I do, and resouces I've come acrossed over the last 10 years.

The Goal of The Reason Faith is to answer to four big questions

Who am I?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

What is the meaning of life?