WARNING of the Shema:
And to Babylon
[video link to this word and lesson: https://youtu.be/2F_C8lYg6XI ]
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This morning when I was waking, in between the full sleep state and fully awake— in the arousal stage— I heard myself saying…
“We will all be in unity when we shema/shama.”
Now, I don’t usually speak Hebrew in my dreams, or in my waking hours— in prayer I sometimes do (in tongues), so it makes sense if I was just in the spirit with the Lord, that I would.
I am going to search out this word now, as it pertains to the unity of the body of Christ, and, if you will— a method of achieving the unity in his body— a game plan, or a homework assignment.
Someone said to me recently— “May I call you COACH? Because you have fired me up in the Lord— like my coaches in sports used to do.”
I was speaking with others about the difference between a cheerleader and a coach: a cheerleader hypes the crowd, a coach— encourages the team, and gives them strategy; that is what the Lord does for us, and that is what I hope to do and be as well, with him.
As a side note— I also remember dreaming, right before I awoke saying that phrase above, that I said to another Christian woman…
“If we were going to be invaded by foreign troops, and the Lord would grant you something for this trial— what would you ask the Lord for?”
And she named some kind of carnal weapon, and I said…
“I would ask for the language of tongues, so that I could speak to anyone, anywhere, and they would understand me— and I would be very useful in that time.”
Seems strange, out of all things that could be asked for— but what I really was saying is— that it’s imperative to be able to communicate— to give and to receive, and that is useful in all situations: it fits with waking upon hearing that the unity of the body of Christ will come together, when we all shema/shama the Lord God properly: which means— hear, heed, and obey his headship, and move together under it, as one cohesive unit.
To hear and understand is critically important, and very useful to our commission here in this realm— to the saving of souls: it’s the only way we can do the will of our Father, and manifest his glory to the lost and dying, oppressed, blind and deaf (spiritually speaking).
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Shama— to hear, to listen
It means— to hear, to listen, to give attention, to understand, to submit to, and to obey. There is only one word in Hebrew for obedience, and it is this word-– shama. This Hebrew word is also generally translated as “hear”.
H8085 – Hear
Hebrew: שׁמע
Transliteration: shâma‛
Pronunciation: shaw-mah'
Definition: A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of {attention} {obedience}; causatively to tell): attentively call— gather together, carefully and certainly, with consent, to consider, declare, diligently discern, give ear, cause to let/make to hear(ken), listen, be obedient/obey, perceive, make a proclamation, publish, regard, report, show forth, make a sound, surely tell and understand: witness.
Shema— to hear
Shema, in the simplest terms, means— 'to hear'. The Hebrew word pronunciation sounds more like “sh'-mah”. But it also means to obey and take action.
So— to hear God is to obey God —and— to obey God is to hear God.
H8088 – Shema
Hebrew: שׁמע
Transliteration: shêma‛
Pronunciation: shay'-mah
Definition: From H8085; something heard— that is— a sound, announcement; abstractly— give an audience: fame in hearing, loud, report, speech and tidings.
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Meaning of the Shema Prayer…
Here, the word shema means— to allow the words to sink in, provide understanding, and generate a response—it's about action.
In Hebrew— hearing and doing are the same thing.
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<Quoted article taken from blueproject . com>
The Shema prayer is one of the most famous prayers in the Bible. It was a daily prayer for ancient Israelites and is still recited by Jewish people today. We first find this prayer in the book of Deuteronomy.
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Deuteronomy 6
“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you— that you might do them in the land whither you go to possess it: That you might fear the Lord your God— to keep all his statutes and his commandments— which I command you… you, and your son, and your son's son— all the days of your life; and that your days may be prolonged.
Hear [shama] therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you— in the land that flows with milk and honey.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
{shema/shama prayer portion}
And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart: And you shalt teach them diligently unto your children, and shalt talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of your house, and on your gates.
And it shall be— when the Lord your God shall have brought you into the land which he sware unto your fathers— to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not— and houses full of all good things, which you filled not— and wells digged, which you digged not— vineyards and olive trees, which you planted not; when you shall have eaten and been full; Then beware— lest you forget the Lord, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt— from the house of bondage.
You shall fear the Lord your God— and serve him— and shall swear by his name.
You shall not go after other gods— the gods of the people who are round about you; (For the Lord your God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and destroy you from off the face of the earth.
You shall not tempt the Lord your God— as you tempted him in Massah [a place in the desert]. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.
And you shall do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.
To cast out all your enemies from before you— as the Lord has spoken.
And when your son asks you in time to come, saying— What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God has commanded you?
Then you shall say unto your son— We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: and the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: and he brought us out from thence— that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.
And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes— to fear (respect, revere, hear and obey) the Lord our God— for our good, always— that he might preserve us alive, as it is to this day.
And it shall be (accounted to us) our righteousness— if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.”
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{Janet here (coming out of the quoted article for a moment)... Now we are to observe the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, in Romans 8, not the letter of the Law of Moses; I say that for 2 reasons, as I interject here: 1— because many will think that they should try to put themselves under it again (to do it— which cannot be done without infractioning it, hence the need for Messiah to do it) —to do all the old commandments; and YahShua has told me…
“Simply learn from them, why I put them into play, I have reasons for them all— but do not put yourself under the letter of the old law, for the letter kills.”
And the second reason, 2— is that Christ is under the Father, we are in Christ, and we are to obey Christ— what he commands us to do, and in that— we— are under the law of the Spirit of Life, in Christ Jesus: which means— we do what he tells us to do, we shema/shama— we hear, heed, and obey the holy Spirit of God, under the headship of Christ Jesus; and HE— will always keep us in the perfect will of God.}
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The Shema gets its name from the first Hebrew word of the prayer—”hear” or “listen”, a translation of the Hebrew word shema. Ancient Jewish people combined lines from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 with other passages from the Torah— Deuteronomy 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37–41.
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Deuteronomy 11:13-21
“And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken [shama] diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day— to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season— the first rain and the latter rain— that you may gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil.
And I will send grass in your fields for your cattle— that you may eat and be full.
Take heed to yourselves— that your heart be not deceived, and you turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you— and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest you perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord gives you.
Therefore shall you lay up these— my words— in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way— when you lie down, and when you rise up.
And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house, and upon your gates: That your days may be multiplied— and the days of your children— in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them— as the days of heaven upon the earth.”
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{Janet here again, do we understand what this is saying? When God desires to cross over a people, into the promises of abundance that he desires to give to his people— they will be required to uphold the ways that got them to that point to begin with— which was hearing, heeding and obeying the Lord and his ways.
When a people become indulged of the Lord, and lackadaisical in their hearing, heeding and obeying the Lord and his narrow ways of conduct, the ways of righteousness— we end up in the ‘lest you,’ category. And here— the ‘lest you’ category is about everything he promised to his people— GOING INTO RUIN.
It shall come to pass, the word says— IF YOU SHALL HEARKEN (shama) DILIGENTLY TO THE COMMAND: to love the Lord our God (that’s obey), to serve him (that’s his will, under obedience) with ALL our heart (that’s soul: thoughts/minding, emotions/worship him— not fear, doubt, unbelief, etc— ALL OUR SOUL); THEN— he will give us the rain in due season.
Due season means— when it’s appropriate; and here, in these terms, spiritually speaking— it is when the hearing, heeding and obeying has taken place— THEN, the rain will come— that we may gather the PRODUCT of such a union (the produce of the corn [bread], wine [blood and intimacy] and oil [intimacy and union anointing]): the rain is provision and blessing of the Lord, for the people provided blessing the Lord himself.
Everything will be plentiful to the house of God— if the parameters of this type of loyal relationship— man to God, and God to man— is upheld: we may eat and be full.
BUT— should his people get lazy, lackadaisical and follow ‘other ways, other customs, and serve other gods (idols),’ OVER HEARING, HEEDING, and OBEYING THE LORD GOD, and his NARROW WAYS OF CONDUCTING US, INSIDE, and IN OUR ACTIONS…
We will become deceived, deceiving ourselves in error and self idolatry— hearing, heeding and obeying self leadership (“oh, this is okay, God understands”) —and in this— WE TURN ASIDE, and SERVE (that’s hear, heed and obey) OTHER GODS (ourselves and the demons leading us) —AND WORSHIP THEM (hear, heed and obey them, reverently and with delight).
And in that— THE LORD’S WRATH IS KINDLED: what do we think is happening behind the spiritual scene right now, with the house of God— who has gone a whoring? Where in such conduct— the Lord will shut up the heavens, give no provision, the land will not yield her fruit for them— and many will perish quickly off the ‘good land;’ the land that was given to sustain us— will be taken from the wicked household— in that the land will fail to bring forth abundance.
“Therefore you shall lay up these— my words— in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
(That means— keeping them always at the forefront of your mind, to mind these words— and do not forget them, push them back, or off in priority.)
And you shall teach them to your children (are we raising our kids right?), speaking of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way— when you lie down, and when you rise up.
And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house (now, our hearts, minds and mouths/speaking them to all), and upon your gates (mouths, eyes, ear gates— to take in, and to give out to all): That your days may be multiplied— and the days of your children— in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them— as the days of heaven upon the earth.”
Do we desire to have OUR CHILDREN’S LIVES BLESSED, and FULLY PROVIDED FOR BY OUR GOD?
Well— we had better be reverently hearing, heeding, obeying/serving our Lord then— and worshiping him in Spirit and truth— for that’s what it just said here: That the ‘parents’ need to be keeping God’s words, ways, and command— in their souls, and at the forefront of their minds/minding, gates of the eyes, hears and mouth, speaking them when we rise and when we lay down (that’s all the time proclaiming the word of the Lord) —teaching the children, so they will not depart from them when they are old…. And in this…. THEIR LIVES, and OUR LIVES— will be in days multiplied.
I pray we understand what the Lord is attempting to show to us in all of this.}
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Numbers 15:37-41
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying— Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations— and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: and it shall be unto you for a fringe— that you may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord— and do them ; and that you seek not after your own heart and your own eyes— after which you use to go a whoring: That you may remember, and do all my commandments— and be holy unto your God.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt— to be your God: I am the Lord your God.”
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<continuing from blueproject . com>
They prayed these words every morning and every evening. The Shema prayer has been one of the most influential traditions in Jewish history, functioning both as the Jewish pledge of allegiance and a hymn of praise.
In the opening section of Deuteronomy where this famous prayer first appears, Moses is addressing the new generation of Israel as they prepare to enter the promised land. He is urging them to not repeat the mistakes of their parents’ generation— wanting them to experience the full blessing of the promised land. But to do so— the people must learn to listen to and love God fully, above all else. Let’s look closer at the powerful words of the Shema to understand why it was so important for Jewish people, and how modern Christians can also find wisdom in this ancient prayer.
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Meaning of the Shema Prayer
The opening line, “Hear, O Israel,” does not simply mean to let sound waves enter your ears. Here, the word shema means— to allow the words to sink in, provide understanding, and generate a response— it’s about action.
In Hebrew— hearing and doing —are the same thing.
The next instruction in the prayer is to love the Lord your God. What we translate into English as “love” here is the Hebrew word— ahavah. Ahavah is not about the warm, fuzzy, emotional energy we feel when we like someone. Much like listening— biblical love is about action. You ahavah someone —when you act in loyalty and faithfulness. For Israel— loving means— faithful obedience to the terms of their covenant relationship with Yahweh. Those terms are the laws and commands that will make up the body of the book (Deut. 12-26).
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Laws of the Sanctuary
Deuteronomy 12-26
“These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.
You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.
You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God. But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come.
There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. There also you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.
You shall not do at all what we are doing here today— every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the Lord your God is given you.
When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit— and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security— then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell— there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice vow offerings which you will vow to the Lord. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God— you and your sons and daughters— your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.
Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place you see (unclean place) —but in the place which the Lord chooses in one of your tribes— there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.
However, you may kill and eat flesh within any of your gates, whatever you desire— according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and the deer. Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water. You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your vow offerings which you vow, or your freewill offerings, or the contribution of your hand.
But you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God will choose— you and your son and daughter— and your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all your undertakings.
Be careful that you do not forsake the Levites as long as you live in your land.
When the Lord your God extends your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire. If the place which the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter of your herd and flock which the Lord has given you— as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates whatever you desire. Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten— so you will eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of it. Only be sure not to eat the blood— for the blood is the life— and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. You shall not eat it— so that it may be well with you and your sons after you, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord.
Only your holy things which you may have and your vow offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, and you shall eat the flesh.
Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you— so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever— for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land— beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you— and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’
You shall not behave thus toward the Lord your God— for every abominable act which the Lord hates— they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
Whatever I command you— you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.”
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{Janet here again— do we understand what God was doing in all of this? Not only was he setting parameters to keep them safe in all he commanded— but…
HE WAS TEACHING THEM TO OBEY WHAT HE SAID TO OBEY, and to SHUN WHAT HE SAID TO SHUN— away from them: it was the walk of becoming obedient under the authority of the Lord God over them, as they heard, heeded and obeyed him.
He’s attempting to bring a shadow and type in for us to learn from, in the old law; and that is— OBEY THE LORD THY GOD, for this is the will of God, and the way to love him back: for all he does, as he leads us— IS FOR OUR GOOD, he said so, above— in scripture: he is for us, not against us.
Are we for him, and not against him? Do we obey him and walk as he walks?}
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Shun Idolatry
Deuteronomy 13
“If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, who gives you a sign or a wonder— and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto you, saying— Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them; You shall not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proves you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
{Did we catch that— the Lord will TEST YOU— to see if you will follow him, or the signs and wonders that come true, themselves: you see— he will allow false leaders to have signs, wonders and dreams come true— but they are not of God— will we follow them? For when they have the dreams that come true, many will fall away from carnal fancy— when the next thing out of their mouths will be a COMPROMISE TO THE WORDS OF GOD: ‘let us go after gods which we have not known, and let us serve them.’
That is a TEST of our loyalty to God, the truth, and HIS COMMAND— not signs and wonders ALONE: for even Pharaoh's magicians can bring forth signs and wonders— through fallen entities.}
You shall walk after the Lord your God— and fear him— and keep his commandments— and obey his voice— and you shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams— shall be put to death; because he has spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God —which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage— to thrust you out of the way which the Lord your God commanded you to walk in.
So you shall put the evil away from the midst of you.
If your brother— the son of your mother— or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend— who is as your own soul— entice you secretly, saying— Let us go and serve other gods (like horoscopes, psychics, addictions, compromised living standards set forth by God, etc), which you have not known, neither you, nor your fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you— nigh unto you, or far off from you— from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; You shall not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall your eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him: But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
And you shall stone him with stones, that he die; because he has sought to thrust you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
{His point here is that he SAVED YOU— and now you’re going to go back to all that idolatry, sin/transgression and separation from God— into bondage of fallen beings, led of their ways again?! God forbid walking in iniquity and claiming his holy name: not to mention— taking for granted what he actually saved us from. And that the whole point of idolatry (the demons behind it all) IS TO KILL YOU, and DESTROY YOU— and so, here— the point was, take these AWAY FROM YOU ENTIRELY— who will show you fancy signs and wonders, dreams coming true, even— but who DO NOT ABIDE WITH GOD HOLY, NOR HEARKEN UNTO HIM OR HIS WAYS OF HOLINESS: these will lead the silly away with signs and wonders, and dreams coming true— who do not HEAR the Lord (shema/shama) and OBEY HIM and HIS WAYS.}
And all Israel shall hear— and fear— and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.
If you shall hear —say in one of your cities, which the Lord your God has given you to dwell there, saying— Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying— Let us go and serve other gods, which you have not known; Then shall you enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold— if it be truth, and the thing be certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; You shall surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword— destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
And you shall gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit— for the Lord your God: and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
{Do we understand he wants us to have NOTHING to do with ‘other gods,’ nor other ways than his? And that he expects us to spiritually— DO AWAY WITH— anything that comes to separate us from him and his holy ways?
And that any nation or people that does not uphold him and his holy ways— he will UTTERLY DESTROY WITH FIRE?
I think we should remember this— when his judgments unroll.}
And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing— to your hand: that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show you mercy— and have compassion upon you— and multiply you, as he has sworn unto your fathers; When you shall hearken to the voice of the Lord your God— to keep all his commandments which I command you this day— to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.”
{And that’s the point, isn’t it? To do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord, not our eyes or excusing.
It is when we will do away with idolatry, and the worshiping of ourselves and wicked ways of demons— that other cultures operate in— that we will receive the blessing of the Lord, and all provisions of him.
But— when we do not, and we assimilate into the culture of the land, as like that of Egypt of Babylon— then God will come with fire and destroy that land and people— for to save a remnant of people out of them, who will HEARKEN and OBEY HIS VOICE.
Cultured means— characterized by refined tastes, manners and education— maintain in a condition; root definition— Middle English denoting a cultivated piece of land: the noun from French culture or directly from Latin cultura ‘growing, cultivation’; the verb from obsolete French culturer or medieval Latin culturare, both based on Latin colere ‘tend, cultivate’ (see cultivate). In late Middle English the sense was ‘cultivation of the soil’ and from this (early 16th century), arose ‘cultivation of the mind, faculties, or manners’.
We cannot take upon us, the character, tastes, manners and education of the heathen people (not our nation's ways), and maintain a condition opposite what God holy set about for us: nor grow our gardens (heart soils), cultivating them, tending them— the soil of the heart— the mind, faculties and manners— AFTER THE OTHER REPROBATE PEOPLE.
Mercy only comes— if the inhabitants of his people, SEPARATE THEMSELVES, in their inner man and actions, what principles they adhere to and honor— FROM THOSE OF THE REPROBATE PEOPLE.
I see an issue with this right now, and I see the hand of the Lord’s judgment HEAVY over a reprobate house— who refuses to separate from the prideful land, people and ways: it is not ‘make this land great again,’ it is— MAKE THE LORD THY GOD MOST HIGHLY REGARDED AGAIN, and HIS WAYS!}
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<continuing with blueproject . com>
Clean and Unclean Animals— were discussed in Deuteronomy 14, and obedience to these laws is not about legalism or trying to earn God’s favor—it’s about love and active listening. If an Israelite loves God— they can more easily listen and respond to his teachings and guidance. This is why the words “listen” and “love” are so tightly connected and repeated through these opening speeches of Deuteronomy.
This prayer is about listening to and loving God. But the prayer continues, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
In other words, the people are to love God with all of their being— Their knowledge, their existence, everything that they are is to love God with action, obedience, and covenant faithfulness.
It’s a beautiful prayer, but why did it become so important for the ancient Israelites and Jewish people? The words of this prayer take on an even deeper meaning when we look at the context of the ancient Israelites and see how countercultural it was for them to serve one God above all else.
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Translating the Shema
Bible nerds, you will find this part really interesting. There is an ancient debate on how exactly to translate and interpret the Shema prayer. The problem arises because the Hebrew scrolls contain two back-to-back sentences that lack the word “is.” There is no present-tense verb equivalent to the English verb “is” in ancient Hebrew. There is a word for “was” (Heb. hayah) and “will be” (Heb. yihyeh), but “is” doesn’t exist. Rather, two words are put next to each other, and the word “is” —is inferred.
For example, in English, we would write a sentence as “The car is red.” That same sentence in ancient Hebrew would be written as “The car —red.”
Ancient Israelites obviously had a concept of the verb “is,” they just didn’t use a word to express it in their language. Instead, they simply placed two words together (Hebrew grammar nerds call these nominal clauses).
So in Hebrew, the Shema prayer consists of four nouns in a row.
Hebrew Transliteration: YHWH ‘elohenu YHWH ekhad.
English: Lord our God, Lord one.
As you can see, we’ve got four words. Depending on where you place the word “is,” you can end up with different sentences.
The Lord our God is one Lord.
The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.
The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
The meaning between these options isn’t drastically different, but each one has a different emphasis. Is the point that the Lord God is one and not many (like in options 1 and 3)? Or is the emphasis on the fact that only the Lord is our God (option 2)? Does the Shema claim that Israel’s God is one being, or is it highlighting that the Lord alone is Israel’s God and not any other god?
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Polytheistic Threat
All of this makes perfect sense as you read further in Deuteronomy. The Israelites have been steeped in polytheistic cultures for generations. From their roots in Canaan, to the long years in Egypt, to their traveling through Canaanite territory in the wilderness, they have been surrounded by people worshiping many different gods.
Moses believes that loyalty, obedience, and love for their one true God is the only way to life— and that one of the greatest threats to Israel’s future was dividing their allegiance between many gods. So the Shema was prayed daily to remind the people that Yahweh alone was their God.
The prayer goes on from here to show the value of passing this conviction on to later generations to spare them the tragic results of idolatry to other gods.
Deuteronomy 6:7
“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
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The Shema Prayer in the New Testament
The Shema was widely practiced in the Second Temple period. So this prayer was formative for Jesus— and he drew upon it in his teachings. When he was asked which command in the Torah was the greatest, Jesus answered—
“The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)
In the book of Revelation, John references the Shema as well. But before we look at John’s reference— let’s take a closer look at a verse that follows the Shema prayer in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 6:8
“You shall bind these words as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets (symbols) between your eyes.”
What does this mean? We use our eyes to see and our hands to do almost everything. So this language symbolically represents how the words of the Shema prayer were meant to guide the vision and action of every moment of life for the people. This explains why John the visionary says that in the new creation, when God’s people live in intimate proximity to God and the risen Jesus, “they will see God’s face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” (Rev. 22:4)
This way of life is in contrast to people who reject Jesus. They have given their allegiance to other powers, bent on destroying them (depicted as beasts in Revelation 13). John the visionary also drew upon the Shema— to depict a human life on the path of destruction.
Revelation 13:16
“The Beast also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads.”
For John, the choice is a stark one— You either give your allegiance to Jesus and allow it to influence how you see and act— or your allegiance will belong to destructive powers that will also govern how you see and what you do in life. One path leads to life— and the other to death. These ideas and images from John’s vision come from Moses’ words in Deuteronomy, specifically from the Shema prayer.
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The Shema Prayer for Christians
The Shema is a beautiful prayer. There’s a reason why God’s people have been praying these words for millennia. They are simple words with the capacity to reshape the course of an entire people. Praying the Shema can keep God’s love and loyalty in the forefront of our minds and drive us toward obedience—not out of obligation or duty —but out of love. Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John echo the Shema.
John 14:21
“The one who has my commands and keeps them— that’s the one who loves me. And he who loves me— will be loved by my Father, and I will love him— and I will reveal myself to him.”
Following Jesus is about love. And as we receive Jesus’ love— we respond with gratitude, humility, and a commitment to honor and love in return. Love generates more love— which results in faithfulness and obedience. These are truths that can transform us from the inside out.
Can you imagine a better way to keep these truths at the forefront of our minds than praying the Shema daily just as the ancient Israelites did? Maybe we should start today.
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The Shema is the centerpiece of the daily morning and evening prayer services and is considered by some the most essential prayer in all of Judaism. An affirmation of God’s singularity and kingship— its daily recitation is regarded by traditionally observant Jews as a biblical commandment.
As Christians— ought we not be understanding the importance of hearing God, heeding God in obedience— and thereby LOVING HIM, as he asked us to love him? He did not ask us to be sentimental toward him— that’s earthly, or carnal love— he asked us TO OBEY HIM, and to UPHOLD HIM, and to HONOR HIM: this is the love he asks his people for. It truly means— we MAKE HIM OUR GOD.
He comes with fire to destroy that in which is not him; and if we find ourselves not loving God (the way he asked us to: hear, heed, obey his command and ways) with ALL our hearts, ALL our souls, ALL our minds/minding, and with ALL our strength (that’s full effort, all we got in us) —then we are not in the category of REVERENCE TOWARD GOD, and we should not expect the abundance of provision that comes with being obedient, reverent and disciplined UNDER HIM.
And if we are not doing the summation of the Law in point number 1 (the above command), then we are COMPLETELY UNABLE to fulfill command summation of the Law, number 2— LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
You see— if we will not hearken unto God and live his way, we are loving ourselves selfishly, and not loving God— we have become an idol (a little god) standing in the way between reverencing God Almighty as MOST HIGH: and so— if we love our neighbor as we love ourselves in this way— we will be self serving toward our neighbor…
“Gotta take care of us, first— then, if we can, we will help you. I mean, God understands that we need to do what’s best for ourselves.”
And in this— we are self gods, self directed, doing what is right in our own eyes, not loving God as he asked us to, nor our neighbor— which is to lay our lives down for them, and if we have what they ask for, he said— give it: we have then become, altogether— self serving, and the result of that is— WE DO NOT SERVE GOD, NOR OUR NEIGHBOR: and ‘that’ is not of God holy.
We must become his disciples— his disciplined ones; we must understand that ALL ALONG— he’s been attempting to teach us to FOLLOW HIS COMMAND, his WORD, his LEAD: are we following him, do we hear him, can we understand that the old law was to teach us to OBEY HIM?
“And why?” He just said to me…
Because DISOBEDIENCE —is the result of the garden fall; and unless we give him back our full obedience— we are still walking in the fall, not the reconciliation— which is the salvation.
He said— workout your salvation with fear (reverence) and trembling (because he is holy and most high): all knees will bow, eventually— and all tongues WILL confess he is God, Lord, and most high: his people ought to come into this knowledge, NOW.
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Word from the Lord
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“Janet, the whole point of the Shema prayer (Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13–21, and Numbers 15:37–41) — is to remember your God, make him most highly regarded one in each person, as a people— hear me, heed me, love me, obey me and reverence me in your souls: teach them to your children, recite the word upon rising and going down for the night— write them upon the heart, gain the provision of God— for the reverence of the Lord in your lives, and to his holy Word (who is a person, and the truth).
But if not— the Lord’s wrath will be kindled against you— and you perish quickly from off the land— the blue fringes on the priestly garments are to remind you of this, of me. And why would the wrath of God come about? Because I do battle with my enemies— so don’t fall into that category— as my enemy is the carnal nature, the demons that enforce that and encourage that, and idolatry— which is your heart worship given to them: do not do what is right in your own eyes, do that which is right in GOD’S EYES.
THIS— is the Shema/shama prayer, and the reason for it: I pray that my people will understand that UNITY in the body of Christ cannot come about— until my people begin to LISTEN/HEAR/HEED and OBEY me and my headship over them, once again: and I must come and clean house firstly— which means— I must show those who are not upholding shema, who are not upholding my ways, my lead, in obedience to me and my conduct— that I have both said and demonstrated abroad to my people— so that they can learn which side of obedience and reverence they truly stand upon.
You understand that’s what the fence is, the indelible line, yes? It is a line of whether or not the people are really walking with me in my ways— which means, they are truly LISTENING, hearing, heeding and OBEYING my leadership in their lives— hence, my HEADSHIP: when this is truly not happening— my judgment comes in, to lay out in no uncertain ways— which side of the obedience, reverence and discipleship line— one stands on: and in this is my mercy.
For if I do not show them— they will perish, without the opportunity to repent for real, turn around completely, and uphold me, my truth and my ways of holiness: and they will never unite with the body who is in unity and reverence to my leadership in their lives— which was where all this started, when I said to you:
We will all come into unity— when we shema/shama: when we all hear, heed, and obey the Lord God— in disciplined reverence of my leadership (my commandments) toward you all: for I have nothing but good for you, but do you have obedient love and reverence for me? If not— mustn’t we learn of this, in judgements— in order that some should be saved in repentance (a complete turn around)?
I will be bringing this in now, as my people have strayed far from the fear of the Lord: they have forgotten who I am, and that I am most high, and I am HOLY, and I am TRUE— are you?
Loyalty matters, and loyalty is the Shema/Shama: it is reverent love, through listening to God, hearing what he is spiritually saying to you, and obeying those commands or orders— as to how to live and abide together— and that is for your good.
I wish for all to be blessed, but I also wish for all to love, honor, obey and serve me: if they are not— they need to see and know this, before it’s too late. And if they are— then remember— I am coming, and with me— is my reward.
And as like the statement in the dream— that you would ask to be understood by all, in asking for tongues, or languages to reach the people…
I too ask for understanding in all of this, I speak plainly with you all— provision, protection, abundance and blessing of the Lord— comes through listening, hearkening, heeding, obeying and loving God as I’ve asked you too: obedience and reverence to the fear of the Lord God.
Have I not said this, and have I not been clear? Have I not spoken clearly to all from the beginning?
Then do not think it a strange thing— when these fiery trials come upon you— For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begins at us— what shall the end be of them who obey not the gospel of God be?
(1 Peter 4)
I am calling all to repentance, to Shema/Shama with me— to regard the holy living God once again, in loving me how I asked you to— for it is what is best for you, and it proves your loyalty to me, your fear of me— from your fall in the garden, into truly reconciling with me, again.
I am coming— and I am coming with judgment: which side of the obedience and reverence fence you stand on— will determine your outcome in this gavel decree sent forth over the earth: choose this day in whom you will serve— but I pray it will be me.
You are either self-serving in justifications— or you are serving the holy living God without compromise: which is it?
For I come— and with me is the reward thereof.”
—The Lord your God
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The Shema— the listening, the hearing what he is saying, the revenant obedience to what he is saying, how he is leading, and what he expects— IS— how he’s asked us to love him: if you love me, obey my command.
REVENANT means— one coming back, denoting “one that returns after death or a long absence;” revenant is a borrowing from French that was originally formed from the present participle of the verb revenir —"to return." It literally means “one coming back,” either from another place, or from the dead. And dead— means estranged from God and his ways: no unity.
So— coming back into unity, as we exited him to come here, all together— we will come back too— when the house of God is REVENANT, returning from our death state of being enemy strangers, to united (as one in spirit), and we return to him with our obedience; we come full circle, all the way back around— we come back, and we make him MOST HIGH in our lives: Shema/Shama.
When I started this lesson this morning with the Lord, I did not know what I would find— but I continue to find obedience, discipleship (being disciplined under him, and in accordance with his ways) has been emphasized over and over again from the Lord— to bring forth to his household. And it doesn’t shock me that once again we would see this with the Shema warning.
The Shema— is a warning, and the warning is that the people of God must actually LISTEN TO GOD, as in— OBEY HIM; without this— the people go back under oppression, bondage, separation from God, upholding idolatry and demon ways and the carnal flesh nature, which is at enmity with God (his enemy) —and the wrath of God comes upon his enemies.
Many are calling forth of a restoration to the land and people— but that will come through judgment, and the restoration will not be— lest the people remember the Shema/Shama: the reverent obedience of the Lord, and loving him by his definition of love— which is to obey his leadership (his commands): without the unified headship of God upon us, our house is divided and we fall.
And so— shall we see a house fall to disarray— it will be because it was divided, and our Lord will not let a full fall to his house happen; he will instead— PURGE IT OUT— and he will remove the dross, the compromised, the wicked, the disobedient, the irreverent and the idolatrous— TO SAVE A REMNANT OF HIS HOUSEHOLD: and those saved— will cross over into the promises, provisions, protections and blessing of the Lord; but the others— will not make it out of the wilderness.
He’s not coming to save the whole world— but the lost house of Israel; he’s coming to do war against the world, the spirit of the world, and those who uphold the spirit of the world— LEST THEY REPENT: shema/shama will lead them into repentance: listening, heeding, reverencing, obeying and loving God how he said to— obeying his leadership (commands) in our lives.
He’s not mincing anything, he never has— but the flimsy, wishy-washy, catering to man’s lusts, doctrine of devils and teaching (precepts) of men— has led us to a reprobate household: but the love of God will come with his sword of truth, and divide out the rebels from his household, that will take the entire establishment down with them— if he does not.
This is what is coming in now, not make America, or any other nation ‘great again,’ in their whoredoms and idolatry— but to MAKE GOD GREAT IN THE SOULS OF MEN AGAIN, and with FIERCE DEMONSTRATION OF WHY HE IS CALLED: THE ALMIGHTY!
Babylon does not get preserved in the end— she comes to complete destruction— and only a people are saved ‘out of her,’ those who WOULD COME OUT OF HER: she, Babylon— is a type of people who sell themselves, give themselves over to idolatry, wicked ways, and self service; they serve not the most high God, nor his holy ways; and anyone found in affiliation with her— the great whore— will partake in her plagues, he said so, as he revealed to John.
He has told me…
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Word from the Lord
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“Janet, a series of events will lead up to the total destruction of Babylon, for she merchandised her whoredoms abroad, and that place— will stand as an example to all other nations: she will go down in one hour.
The series of events will show what I said— it will show divide, so think— civil unrest, civil war, divided states, a dissolution of anything ‘united;’ for united they stood, but divided— they will fall.
A complete downfall economically, a complete downfall in the land being unable to produce (I said that in scripture), much death— both human, animal and plant life. Calamity to the geographical land itself (think earthquakes/volcanoes, floods/drought/storms, etc). Sickness abroad, again, and worse— because of her reprobate ways and leadership representation of.
The nation of Babylon will undergo one domino effect toppling after another— until foreign troops take her down for the final blow: there will be invasion of troops, pressed on all sides (eventually), and people will literally be taken into captivity (slave market) once again— and shipped all over the world.
A remnant of my people, though— before the total destruction of her— will go about doing great exploits with my Spirit in them, as the Father will do his works in the earth: and we will harvest the lost during this time: safe havens, and underground railroads (so to speak) will be erected again, and my church will go underground.
I must now bring these warnings abroad: destruction does come, and a complete destruction comes— but not before I work my works through my people.
And I am fully aware that many are preaching a resolution, a restoration to America— and as you have said— I have never said this to you, nor shown you this— just that I will save people from ‘out of her,’ and you are correct.
Many big names— have fallen to the deception of the soul, in that they desire that this land be saved, so they can stay comfortable in it; and I have said, I have spoken it already— that Babylon will be destroyed, and only those who will come out of her— will be saved.
Many of them will repent for all the nay-saying they did against what they call, The doom and gloom prophets— for they will see, as it always has been— that it was ME they were nay-saying to, and about: for what they will see is that, what they said against the least of my prophets— they did to/against me.
I come to save some OUT OF Babylon, I come not to save Babylon itself: and my prophets are tired— but steadfast, loyal— but persecuted, as I am: and many will come to see that I do not compromise, and my word never comes back void: that word— is not what man says— but what I have said in my scripture.
Should men uphold idolatrous ways, and and not my ways, nor my person— but demonic fallen nature ways, becoming self-serving gods— my judgment comes: and Babylon IS AS SODOM and GOMORRAH, and worse: take heed to the words I am saying, and come out of her— lest you partake in all I am bringing to the great whore: the nation who has made the church into a whore, and wears the garments of.
Shema/Shama is serious: am I the most high in your lives, do you recall I am holy, do you hold reverence to me and my ways— or do you acknowledge them in scripture only, in your intellect only— or in YOUR WHOLE SOULS?
Because when I drop a MASSIVE judgment upon this land, and all who partake in her delicacies— you will remember the Lord your God: and then— you will humble yourselves before me, seek my face once again, repent from your wicked ways— and then— I will hear from heaven and forgive your sin, and heal your land.
If that does not take place, and instead— a great falling away in the land occurs…
Then note that the land will be utterly destroyed, and only a remnant saved out of her: this is the word of the Lord, and this is a warning to the inhabitants of Babylon: I am coming, and with me— is my reward.
Remember the Lord your God, and seek to serve and honor him— and I’ve told you from the beginning how to do that.
My judgment will be a swift and powerful judgment— and will be sufficient; but before the fulness of it, the land and people will ‘see the signs,’ for an adulterous people seek a sign, so I will give them.
There will be one degradation of this country after another, one domino tipping to the next— and the fall of this nation will be a warning abroad: seek ye the Lord God, and worship him in spirit and truth.
I tell you this now, as I hear your heart speaking— But what about the complete opposite being preached by the prosperity preachers and prophets— who prophesy a lie in this land, and according to their own lusts?
I tell you this— TIME WILL VINDICATE MY PEOPLE, and MY WORD: in time, all will see the word of the Lord, and that hand of the Lord God: and in that— we will know who are my servants, the priestly prophets.
Tell them, Janet, tell them I am coming; warn them one more time to repent, and to get serious with me and my ways, and my leadership of them; because time is running out before the dominos tip. And once they do— there is no stopping what I have begun— it will play out unto its completion— and to my will.
REPENT, REPENT— for the Kingdom of God is nigh, and the inhabitants of the land are warned: come out of Babylon (in your hearts/souls and affiliations) before her plagues drop.
When you see the signs— my people who are right with me— know your redemption draweth nigh; but to the people called by my name, who walk reprobate to me— know that your judgment comes in, and in it— your opportunity to turn to me again, for real.
Religion is going down, children— and true relationship, reverent and holy— will be all that remains: I will do as I said, and I said— A remnant I will save unto myself.
Warn them, and let the chips fall where they may: for each man will give an account to me for what he has done in his body, and with the time he was given in this realm. We cannot make them reverent or obedient, or love me as I’ve asked— but we can WARN THEM: and warn them, we do.”
—Yahshua Ha Mashiach,
Lord of lords and King of kings
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May we all remember the REVERENCE of the Lord God, the FEAR OF THE LORD— for it has been lost in the land, for sure; but it has also been lost in the household of the Lord; and he’s coming to stand sure with whom is speaking for him, with his Spirit leading them, and who is not.
He has said that he is giving many dreams— but people are misinterpreting them, with the soul’s desires read into them; and I’ve watched people bring forth their dreams— and they mean differently than what they profess. And then, there is the issue of the unchanged/unsanctified soul— bringing forth desires of it’s own— false dreams of grandeur: a soul that is not given over to the Lord God, to do his will, and according to the truth— will soak in what it desires, and dream thereof, as well.
But do not fret— for we will ALL know the truth, in time; it will play out before our eyes, and we will know— what the Lord God really means: and when he says there will be a great falling away— why do we think that will happen, truly?
It will be because people misinterpreted what God was saying, showing and doing— and they will harden their hearts toward God, and toward all those who led them to believe they had nothing but blessing, provision, and wealth coming their way; when the truth is— if we do not live right, and according to WHAT IS RIGHT IN GOD’S EYES, not our own, and not according to lusts in this lifetime, tied to worldly pursuits and status…
WE WILL GO BACK INTO BONDAGE, OPPRESSION, and RUIN: and that is what the people called by his name have been living like for some time: all because the Shema/Shama was not heeded, nor obeyed.
Reverence, listening/hearing, heeding, obeying and loving God the way HE SAID to, not our own ways, right in our own eyes, in some sort of affection toward him, based in what we do down here toward one another: love— is defined as obedience and reverence, preferring another, unto the saving of a soul— coming back under God and godliness.
And THAT— is not what the reprobate house of God has been living in, for quite some time: but fret not— we will have tribulation that will help the remnant of people come back to God— albeit, through grossly dark times and dilemmas: and it will be the priestly, the obedient, the sanctified and reverent of God— who he will use to do his works through— who will show them the way, in great calamity.
He is the Lord God— and greatly to be praised, revered, feared and obeyed: best we recall that now, and find ourselves on the right side of that indelible line that has been drawn: the line of reverence and obedience toward God holy and his ways.
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Jeremiah 20:11
“The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return— until he has done it,
and until he has performed the intents of his heart:
in the latter days you shall consider it.”
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