TESHUVAH OF THE HEART

Song of Solomon chapter 6










Today we are walking in: Teshuvah of the Heart













Deuteronomy 6:5




And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, H3824 and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

















Today we look to the word- HEART- H3824 lebab--inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding










The Torah Testifies.............................








Exodus 14:5




And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart H3824 of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?




Leviticus 19:17




Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: H3824 thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.







Deuteronomy 11:16




Take heed to yourselves, that your heart H3824 be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;







The prophets proclaim..................








1Samuel 6:6




Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, H3824 as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?




1Samuel 7:3




And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, H3824 then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts H3824 unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.



Isaiah 10:7




Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart H3824 think so; but it is in his heart H3824 to destroy and cut off nations not a few.







The writings bear witness.............








Joshua 2:11




And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts H3824 did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.







Job 22:22




Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart . H3824







Job 34:10




Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: H3824 far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.












Teshuvah of the Heart




Returning to your First Love




The following entry discusses the nature of repentance. It's my hope that this will encourage you to "return to the LORD and listen to His Voice" (Deut. 30:2).











The month of Elul (אֱלוּל) is sometimes called "the month of love and compassion" (based on the acronym formed from אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי / "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine," Song 6:3). This poignant verse alludes to the mystery that God is our Heavenly Groom and we are His betrothed. Yah is the great Lover of our souls, and the greatest mitzvah of all is to keep faith in His covenant promise of love (Rom. 8:24). Our Beloved is Coming YAHUSHA will soon be here, chaverim. Don't miss the Bridegroom's call! Return to the passion of your first love (Rev. 2:4).















YAHUSHA illustrated the idea of teshuvah (i.e., תְּשׁוּבָה, "returning to Yah") by telling the story of the "prodigal son" (Luke 15:11-32). After squandering his father's inheritance, a wayward son decided to return home, full of shame and self-reproach. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." The father then ordered a celebratory meal in honor of his lost son's homecoming. When his older brother objected, the father said, "We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."









This parable reveals that teshuvah ultimately means returning (shuv) to the compassionate arms of your Heavenly Father... Yah sees you while you are still "a long way off" (Rom. 5:8). He runs to you with affection when you first begin to turn your heart toward Him. Indeed, Yah’s compassion is so great that He willingly embraces the shame of your sins and then adorns you with "a fine robe, a ring, and sandals." Your Heavenly Father even slaughters the "fattened calf" (Yeshua) so that a meal that celebrates your life may be served....




Why did YAHUSHA come? He was like the father in the parable who was actively looking for his lost son... He came to "seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10). Yeshua likened Himself to a shepherd who left his flock to search for one lost sheep, and after finding it, laid the sheep on his shoulders rejoicing (Luke 15:3-7). He also likened Himself to a woman who lost a coin but diligently searched for it. After she found it, she called together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the lost coin!' (Luke 15:8-10).












Another image of how Yah "seeks and saves the lost" is revealed in the metaphor the strong man who rescues hostages. We were held captive by the power of the evil one, but Yah willingly left the glories of heaven to ransom us from captivity. "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him" (Isa. 59:16). God then sent His Son to save the world from satan's power (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8). This is the good news of Yah’s salvation: "The Spirit of the Lord Yah (רוּחַ אֲדנָי יהוה) is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me (מָשַׁח יהוה) to bring news for the poor (לְבַשֵּׂר עֲנָוִים); he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted (נִשְׁבְּרֵי־לֵב), to proclaim to the captives, liberty (לִשְׁבוּיִם דְּרוֹר), and to the bound ones, release from their chains; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor" (Isa. 61:1-2; Luke 4:18).




The Strong Man rescued us using a power that evil one could never comprehend, namely, the power of sacrificial love. YAHUSHA plundered the "strong man's house" through the greater strength of Yah (Matt. 12:29). This is a power that evil cannot overcome. YAHUSHA emptied Himself (κενόω) by being clothed in human flesh to die for our sins on a cross (Isa. 53:2-5; Phil. 2:7). In a sense God's "teshuvah" is the Life of His Son, since He turned to us, "looked upon our lowly estate," and saved us from the hand of the oppressor of our souls... In all things LET DO REAL TESHUVAH RETURN!! ALL PRAISES TO THE MOST HIGH YAH!!