"The Anchor Holds In Spite of the Storm"
Pastor: Gaylen Jones
Sunday Service 10:30 A.M.
Wednesday Evening Bible Study and Prayer 7:00 P.M.
PO Box 1926
Clute, Texas 77531
[Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:1-13; Mathew 28:18-20; I Corinthians 10:1-33]
Pastor: Gaylen Jones
Sunday Service 10:30 A.M.
Wednesday Evening Bible Study and Prayer 7:00 P.M.
PO Box 1926
Clute, Texas 77531
[Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:1-13; Mathew 28:18-20; I Corinthians 10:1-33]
An Anchor, when properly placed, holds a marine vessel securely in one location and keeps it from drifting away from the captain’s desired position. Under the teachings of the Holy Spirit of God, what in Hebrew is called the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the Five books of Moses serve us as an Anchor to keep us from drifting away from God's good, acceptable and perfect will for our lives.
(Romans 1:1-17; Romans 5:1-2; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-8; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:1-13
At the Anchor, we have come to the understanding, that the daily study of these books, along with the rest of the Scriptures, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit is the way God promised and systematically does place His Word (the oracles of God – see Romans 3:1) in our minds according to the covenant promise. As we go about practicing what He says for us to do, and not practicing what he says for us not to do, these same words become attached or grafted into our hearts. We discover that as we hear and practice doing what we hear [The shema of God - Mark 28:28:34, James 1:21-25), He becomes more and more pleased with what He does through us. Therefore to Him (יהוה) , LORD, YHVH, Yahveh, Jehovah be all the glory for the things He is doing.) As followers of Jesus the Christ (Hebrew – Yehshua Ha Mashiach), our desire is to regard the Law of God (the Torah) in the same way Jesus (Yeshua) did; when he was here. And learn to teach the same specific instructions that his disciples received from him. To continue to practice the same works that he taught them, until he returns. [I John 2:1-16] His disciples were commanded to go into all nations and make disciples. Jesus/Yeshua did not say go into all the nations and make Christians and build churches. Jesus/Yehshua said; "go and make Disciples, teaching them to do what so ever I have commanded you to do." (Mitzvot = "good works")
(Romans 1:1-17; Romans 5:1-2; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-8; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:1-13
At the Anchor, we have come to the understanding, that the daily study of these books, along with the rest of the Scriptures, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit is the way God promised and systematically does place His Word (the oracles of God – see Romans 3:1) in our minds according to the covenant promise. As we go about practicing what He says for us to do, and not practicing what he says for us not to do, these same words become attached or grafted into our hearts. We discover that as we hear and practice doing what we hear [The shema of God - Mark 28:28:34, James 1:21-25), He becomes more and more pleased with what He does through us. Therefore to Him (יהוה) , LORD, YHVH, Yahveh, Jehovah be all the glory for the things He is doing.) As followers of Jesus the Christ (Hebrew – Yehshua Ha Mashiach), our desire is to regard the Law of God (the Torah) in the same way Jesus (Yeshua) did; when he was here. And learn to teach the same specific instructions that his disciples received from him. To continue to practice the same works that he taught them, until he returns. [I John 2:1-16] His disciples were commanded to go into all nations and make disciples. Jesus/Yeshua did not say go into all the nations and make Christians and build churches. Jesus/Yehshua said; "go and make Disciples, teaching them to do what so ever I have commanded you to do." (Mitzvot = "good works")
|
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) vayelech 32:1-30 |
Meaning
he went |
Day One
28th day of 6th Month 5785 21 August 2025 
|
Haftara
Micah 7:18-20 |
B'rit Hadashah
Matthew 18:21-35 |
1 Our Father, we receive Your Words and hide Your commandments with us; 2 we incline our ear unto wisdom, and apply our hearts to understanding; 3 We cry after knowledge and lift up our voices for understanding; 4 we seek it as silver; and search for it as for hidden treasures; 5 We declare that we shall understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Declaration of Proverbs 2:1-5
Modeh Ani (ּמודה אני)
Pronounced moe-DEH ah-NEE, this Hebrew phrase literally means "I give thanks" and refers to the prayer traditionally recited upon awaking in the morning.
Pronounced moe-DEH ah-NEE, this Hebrew phrase literally means "I give thanks" and refers to the prayer traditionally recited upon awaking in the morning.
Deuteronomy 29(10)*:15 (NASB)1
1 So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, "I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, 'You shall not cross this Jordan.' 3 "It is the LORD your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, just as the LORD has spoken. 4 "The LORD will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. 5 "The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. 6 "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."
It appears that we're starting out this week on a good note! The list of curses and blessings of obedience was outlined to balance and make well-known the outcomes of the choice Israel could make. If they chose to serve The Father God Creator in love, such positive blessings were innumerable. If they chose not to serve Him in love, then: not. so. much. All we have to do is look at the world the way it is today. We get a good picture of the widespread curses that fall upon men by default when they turn their faces from The Creator. These curses have not fallen only on Israel in time, but all nations taste of this default condition as well. Moses opens up this thirty-first chapter of the last book of the five on a very personal note. He wasn't one to keep his age close to his vest and hidden from others.
1 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. 2 And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. Deuteronomy 31:1-2.
I wonder this morning. Did the multitude know that Moses wasn't going over with them? Moses and certainly Aaron knew about this. There may have been others in their inner circle who knew how it went that day when he had the meltdown and struck the rock twice, and was what we might label as 'verbally abusive' to the crowd. I wonder if this was a total surprise to the mixt multitude. I wonder how they felt about this bit of jolting news. Were there rumors that went through Israel in their day? There had to be! I can't imagine it any differently than our own era. Like us, they might have heard snippets of things. Just like we get from mainstream media and even the better alternative sources. People theorize. They see a situation and run with a story to explain it based on their own rationale. The assassination of Charlie Kirk is like a replay of the murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1963. They're talking “patsy” again. Those of us who have been around long enough will know that. There are so many contradictory statements from so many! The FBI is telling a story that even I wonder. It's full of holes about how the killer dismantled the rifle and then, on the run(?), re-assembling it so that the authorities could find it nearby. There is so much missing from the disasters that are occurring in our own time. We can't possibly know much of the context from the days of Moses. The most encouraging thing we know about Moses and the multitude is what we can glean from The Word, because we're always, as the military states, “on a need-to-know basis”. If we don't NEED to know it, He doesn't tell us! We can trust Him!
Moses ensured that the people he addressed were encouraged that they would have good leadership, even though his tenure was almost done. The changeover between him and Joshua would transfer seamlessly.
3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said. 4 And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed. 5 And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. Deuteronomy 31:3-5.
And don't forget that God is going to open that can of 'whoopin' to the Canaanites just as He did with the Amorite kings. You can do this, Israel, because the God of your fathers is with you! If you get a wee bit nervous, just think of how you overcame the Amorite giant hybrids on your last military sorties. The Israeli troops from defensive positions against the enemy were SO successful. God would go before them. But all of that was going to happen if they centered Yah in their lives and loved Him through obedience! Sadly, we know that it rarely happened. After Moses left the scene, things were never quite the same. Joshua did the best he could. But after Joshua died, things degenerated and unraveled.
AFTER the book of “Words”, Israel failed to trust in so many ways and got caught up in the ways of the world. Moses knew that this would happen based on his experience as their shepherd. Yahweh directed Moses to name his successor as Joshua.
18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; 19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. 20 And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. Numbers 27:18.
One thing that we rarely think about is that Joshua wasn’t always ‘Joshua’. He was a son of Ephraim, of the tribe of Joseph, therefore of mixed heritage. His name was changed by Moses the first time that he sent out the twelve spies to Canaan.
8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun. Numbers 13:8.
16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua. Numbers 13:16.
Alfred Edersheim stated about Joshua that, as he was:
"Born a slave in Egypt, he must have been about forty years old at the time of the Exodus. Attached to the person of Moses, he led Israel in the first decisive battle against Amalek (Ex 17:9,13), while Moses in the prayer of faith held up to heaven the God-given 'rod.' It was no doubt on that occasion that his name was changed from Oshea, 'help,' to Jehoshua, 'Jehovah is help' (Nu 13:16). And this name is the key to his life and work. Alike in bringing the people into Canaan, in his wars, and in the distribution of the land among the tribes, from the miraculous crossing of Jordan and taking of Jericho to his last address, he was the embodiment of his new name, 'Jehovah is help.' To this outward calling his character also corresponded. It is marked by singleness of purpose, directness, and decision...He sets an object before him, and unswervingly follows it" (Bible Hist., iii. 103).
Joshua was a soldier, but first he was a servant and minister to Moses in his capacity to Israel. Moses selected him not only because he was a ‘general’ but because of his spirituality. Joshua had always sought the spiritual things.
11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. Exodus 33:11.
Moses changed his name from Hosea, meaning ‘he saved’, to Joshua, meaning ‘The LORD saves’.
The Hebrew root of the new name means ‘a cry for help, deliverance’ or simply, ‘salvation’. Joshua would be their human general, but it would be Yahweh Who would deliver Israel from her enemies. SIDEBAR: I don't ever remember that this name Joshua was recognized as also being the Hebrew name of Messiah as Yeshua because, in those days, we always knew Him as Jesus. If it was mentioned in the Protestant path, it was fleeting and therefore had little consequence. I complimented a clergy one Sunday morning, thanking him for mentioning that he had talked about Jesus as being Jewish. He leaned over in a conspiratorial manner and looked one way and then the other, checking for others of the congregation that might be in hearing. He then told me in hushed tones that “There are a lot of people that don't like to hear that.” I recognized, in that moment, that I was in the wrong camp. END OF SIDEBAR.
First Fruits of Zion points out that language changes. In the book of Nehemiah, we find another reference to the name Joshua (or Yehoshua) that, under the Aramaic influence, is now Jeshua (Nehemiah 8:7), or Yeshua (No ‘j’ in Hebrew).
7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. Nehemiah 8:7.
In verse 17, reference is made to “Jeshua the son of Nun”.
17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. Nehemiah 8:17.
In the Septuagint (LXX), this form is rendered the same as the English ‘Jesus’ from the Greek. Having said this, I could be tackled by the Sacred Name crowd who state categorically that ‘Jesus’ is a pagan name. I leave it to the Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit to help you decide individually what name you are led to use consistently. For believers to point the finger at other believers within the ‘body of believers’ seems to me to be an act of the enemy to maintain division. God’s own Holy Spirit shall decide this issue once and for all for every believer individually. The issues of salvation and spiritual warfare in this day and age are paramount, in my opinion. We need to remember that the enemy is all about causing division among us, and he'll muddy the waters as much as he can, in order to cause confusion and/or argument. But I digress. Here we are in the last ‘words’ of the covenant, and Moses is pleading with them to keep that covenant! He is working very hard at encouraging them away from one of the biggest problems they had—that of keeping faith in Yahweh, no matter what was staring them in the face in the natural.
6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31:6.
There is just SO MUCH we can learn from the history of Biblical Israel! The Word is dynamic! It sends new messages and revelations each time that we’ve gone through it, don’t you think? Be strong in the coming week, Dear Readers, and let us learn our lessons well!
1 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. 2 And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. Deuteronomy 31:1-2.
I wonder this morning. Did the multitude know that Moses wasn't going over with them? Moses and certainly Aaron knew about this. There may have been others in their inner circle who knew how it went that day when he had the meltdown and struck the rock twice, and was what we might label as 'verbally abusive' to the crowd. I wonder if this was a total surprise to the mixt multitude. I wonder how they felt about this bit of jolting news. Were there rumors that went through Israel in their day? There had to be! I can't imagine it any differently than our own era. Like us, they might have heard snippets of things. Just like we get from mainstream media and even the better alternative sources. People theorize. They see a situation and run with a story to explain it based on their own rationale. The assassination of Charlie Kirk is like a replay of the murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1963. They're talking “patsy” again. Those of us who have been around long enough will know that. There are so many contradictory statements from so many! The FBI is telling a story that even I wonder. It's full of holes about how the killer dismantled the rifle and then, on the run(?), re-assembling it so that the authorities could find it nearby. There is so much missing from the disasters that are occurring in our own time. We can't possibly know much of the context from the days of Moses. The most encouraging thing we know about Moses and the multitude is what we can glean from The Word, because we're always, as the military states, “on a need-to-know basis”. If we don't NEED to know it, He doesn't tell us! We can trust Him!
Moses ensured that the people he addressed were encouraged that they would have good leadership, even though his tenure was almost done. The changeover between him and Joshua would transfer seamlessly.
3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said. 4 And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed. 5 And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. Deuteronomy 31:3-5.
And don't forget that God is going to open that can of 'whoopin' to the Canaanites just as He did with the Amorite kings. You can do this, Israel, because the God of your fathers is with you! If you get a wee bit nervous, just think of how you overcame the Amorite giant hybrids on your last military sorties. The Israeli troops from defensive positions against the enemy were SO successful. God would go before them. But all of that was going to happen if they centered Yah in their lives and loved Him through obedience! Sadly, we know that it rarely happened. After Moses left the scene, things were never quite the same. Joshua did the best he could. But after Joshua died, things degenerated and unraveled.
AFTER the book of “Words”, Israel failed to trust in so many ways and got caught up in the ways of the world. Moses knew that this would happen based on his experience as their shepherd. Yahweh directed Moses to name his successor as Joshua.
18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; 19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. 20 And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. Numbers 27:18.
One thing that we rarely think about is that Joshua wasn’t always ‘Joshua’. He was a son of Ephraim, of the tribe of Joseph, therefore of mixed heritage. His name was changed by Moses the first time that he sent out the twelve spies to Canaan.
8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun. Numbers 13:8.
16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua. Numbers 13:16.
Alfred Edersheim stated about Joshua that, as he was:
"Born a slave in Egypt, he must have been about forty years old at the time of the Exodus. Attached to the person of Moses, he led Israel in the first decisive battle against Amalek (Ex 17:9,13), while Moses in the prayer of faith held up to heaven the God-given 'rod.' It was no doubt on that occasion that his name was changed from Oshea, 'help,' to Jehoshua, 'Jehovah is help' (Nu 13:16). And this name is the key to his life and work. Alike in bringing the people into Canaan, in his wars, and in the distribution of the land among the tribes, from the miraculous crossing of Jordan and taking of Jericho to his last address, he was the embodiment of his new name, 'Jehovah is help.' To this outward calling his character also corresponded. It is marked by singleness of purpose, directness, and decision...He sets an object before him, and unswervingly follows it" (Bible Hist., iii. 103).
Joshua was a soldier, but first he was a servant and minister to Moses in his capacity to Israel. Moses selected him not only because he was a ‘general’ but because of his spirituality. Joshua had always sought the spiritual things.
11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. Exodus 33:11.
Moses changed his name from Hosea, meaning ‘he saved’, to Joshua, meaning ‘The LORD saves’.
The Hebrew root of the new name means ‘a cry for help, deliverance’ or simply, ‘salvation’. Joshua would be their human general, but it would be Yahweh Who would deliver Israel from her enemies. SIDEBAR: I don't ever remember that this name Joshua was recognized as also being the Hebrew name of Messiah as Yeshua because, in those days, we always knew Him as Jesus. If it was mentioned in the Protestant path, it was fleeting and therefore had little consequence. I complimented a clergy one Sunday morning, thanking him for mentioning that he had talked about Jesus as being Jewish. He leaned over in a conspiratorial manner and looked one way and then the other, checking for others of the congregation that might be in hearing. He then told me in hushed tones that “There are a lot of people that don't like to hear that.” I recognized, in that moment, that I was in the wrong camp. END OF SIDEBAR.
First Fruits of Zion points out that language changes. In the book of Nehemiah, we find another reference to the name Joshua (or Yehoshua) that, under the Aramaic influence, is now Jeshua (Nehemiah 8:7), or Yeshua (No ‘j’ in Hebrew).
7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. Nehemiah 8:7.
In verse 17, reference is made to “Jeshua the son of Nun”.
17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. Nehemiah 8:17.
In the Septuagint (LXX), this form is rendered the same as the English ‘Jesus’ from the Greek. Having said this, I could be tackled by the Sacred Name crowd who state categorically that ‘Jesus’ is a pagan name. I leave it to the Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit to help you decide individually what name you are led to use consistently. For believers to point the finger at other believers within the ‘body of believers’ seems to me to be an act of the enemy to maintain division. God’s own Holy Spirit shall decide this issue once and for all for every believer individually. The issues of salvation and spiritual warfare in this day and age are paramount, in my opinion. We need to remember that the enemy is all about causing division among us, and he'll muddy the waters as much as he can, in order to cause confusion and/or argument. But I digress. Here we are in the last ‘words’ of the covenant, and Moses is pleading with them to keep that covenant! He is working very hard at encouraging them away from one of the biggest problems they had—that of keeping faith in Yahweh, no matter what was staring them in the face in the natural.
6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31:6.
There is just SO MUCH we can learn from the history of Biblical Israel! The Word is dynamic! It sends new messages and revelations each time that we’ve gone through it, don’t you think? Be strong in the coming week, Dear Readers, and let us learn our lessons well!
1 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. 2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. 4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. Hosea 14:2-10 (1-10)*
1 NASB www.lockman.org for daily reading and KJV in commentary unless otherwise stated.
* The Torah and Haftarah chapter/verse numberings are taken from the Hebrew Bible (Christian-published chapter/verse numberings are indicated within parentheses).
* The Torah and Haftarah chapter/verse numberings are taken from the Hebrew Bible (Christian-published chapter/verse numberings are indicated within parentheses).
Daily Torah Bites ©
anne@anchorchurchsurfside.com
“Vehalachta Bidrachav—you shall walk in His ways!”
Ten Commandments
1
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
6
13 Thou shalt not kill.
7
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8
15 Thou shalt not steal.
9
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10
16 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.