ECCE

      As we view the current events in the world today, honoring fathers - fathers who raise us, spiritual fathers and God as our Father - is essential for our growth and wellbeing. The precept was so foundationally important that the LORD made it part of The Ten Commandments and also attached special blessings to the observance of this commandment: "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which thy LORD thy God giveth thee." (Ex. 20:12). The commandment is repeated with another blessing attached in Deuteronomy 5:16: "Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged , and that it may go well with thee , in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Not only does honoring this commandment come with the promise of long life, but it is also accompanied with the promise that it may go well with us in the land which we have been given.      Jesus gave a scathing commen...

       We are praying that this is a precious Father's Day for all. It is my belief that, in view of the events in the Middle East and the signs of the end times around us, all prayer in the Body of Christ is essential. The importance of a father's prayers is presented in scripture.      There was a king named Abimelech (meaning "My father is king") who took Sarah, thinking that Sarah was Abraham's sister rather than his wife. Abraham's name means "Father of a multitude." The LORD came to King Abimelech in a dream, saying: "Behold, thou art a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife...Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her." (Gen. 20:1-6, excerpt).      The LORD prevented the king from touching Sarah, and warned him that he must return Sarah to Abraham: "Now therefore, restore the man h...

      My father used to say, "Do as I say, not as I do."  I ended up following this advice as I grew older. We can find this idea in scripture also as we will see.       The Ten Commandments address a principle of parenthood: "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." (EX. 20:12, see also Deut. 5:16 ). This commandment and fatherhood come with a blessing connected to them. Jesus assured His listeners that He came to fulfill the law and the prophets and promised that all would be fulfilled. He also warned: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat; All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not . For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." (Mt. 5:17-18, Mt. 23:1-4). Jesus explained that ...

There are billboards along the roads with the word, " Dad ication" on them. Their message is that fathers are essential to the American family. We have seen that everything around us is tryin g to destroy the concept of the nuclear family. This goes back to the idea that God, Who is our Father, is an absent, or distant, uninvolved Being. However, God has always wanted a daily fellowship and a relationship with us as He had with Adam in the Garden. There is a oneness to God, and a oneness that God desires in His relationship with us. This oneness as expressed in Hebrew is echad . It signifies a unity, but that unity includes plural parts. This is mentioned in Gen. 2:23-24, when Adam said of Eve, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his ( aleph-tav ) father and mother, and they shall be one ( echad ) flesh." The LORD describes Himself with that same echad o...