Encouragement for 2024

Abraham the Hebrew was one who crossed over, and Israel has continued to cross over. As believers in Yeshua, we have crossed over from death to life, from cursing to blessing, and from sadness to joy.

Genesis 12:1-7 ESV “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.”

God told Abraham to leave where he was and go to the place he would be shown. He was promised land would be given to his descendants and that all people would be blessed through him. Abraham’s promised son, Isaac, had to be separated from Ishmael, and Isaac’s son, Jacob, was to be favored over Esau. Throughout Genesis, we saw the testing of the Patriarchs and their wives and the willingness they had to follow and obey God.

We begin our journey into the Book of Exodus as we enter 2024. Exodus is filled with God’s faithfulness and power and sets forth the beginning narrative of the pattern for the worship of God and our obedience to God.

When God took Israel out of bondage, they had to go through the Red Sea, and when they entered the promise, they had to cross over the Jordan. Life is a series of cross-overs. At salvation, we cross over from death to life; in temptation, we cross over into victory when we resist; and if we give in to temptation, we repent and cross over into forgiveness.

We began the new Hebrew year a few months ago, but we can still use January first as a point of reflection and a new start if need be. Pick out some good Puritan Paperbacks to read through the year to help you grow in your sanctification. If you’re not currently doing a daily Bible reading plan, start one.

This isn’t about making a resolution per se; each of us needs to put effort into our spiritual growth; that doesn’t mean making huge changes, but little changes that lead to big ones in the long run. Find some good preaching and teaching podcasts that feed your soul. Many find themselves spiritually malnourished because the teaching they listen to is nothing more than motivational speaking with Bible verses thrown in.

In 2024, let’s get serious about our spiritual growth. The deep things of God are not found in meetings with hours of worship and little instruction. We will see in Exodus and through the rest of our Torah study the centrality of the Word of God in Israel’s life. Interestingly, while worship with music played a significant role in Israel, we see preaching and celebration of the Feasts every time they go far from God and return. The Word of God must be central to our time with God.

David, the man after God’s heart, who played the instrument and the tormenting spirit left the King; David, the one who said he would be more undignified than this, wrote the longest Psalm all about the Word of God. Read Psalm 119 today, and make those 176 verses your cornerstone for the year.