Month: April 2021

Daily Bread

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn InspirationLeave a comment

The Lord commanded each tribe of Israel to bring one loaf of bread to be set before Him in the Tabernacle.

God didn’t need it; but He asked us to bring before Him, a portion of His supply to remind us of His daily provision. Showbread, לֶחֶם פָּנִים, literally “bread of the faces,” was this reminder.

Why “bread of the faces”? Each tribe was represented by a loaf of bread, and a tribe is formed by people. Every Israelite was to see themselves set before the Lord, in His presence, in the bread, as a reminder of the life, the care, and provision He has supplied … personally.

Then, something amazing happened, the Lord set living bread before us to remind us of His presence. Not bread behind a curtain, where only anointed priests may enter, but living bread. as Yeshua/Jesus said,

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (Jn. 6:51).

The Living Bread taught us to pray, “give us this day our daily bread,” reimagining the supply of manna, and the remembrance of Showbread, setting words of remembrance before us of His faithfulness, and His enduring presence wrapped up in something as common as bread, to show just how personal He is, and how He is the bread, and supplier, of eternal life.

So as you eat bread today, or it’s equivalent for you, remember Him, because He never forgets you.

Be well. Shalom.

How are you?

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn InspirationLeave a comment

שלום/Shalom is a simple word with a great depth of meaning. It means peace, hello, goodbye, and even carries a connotation of justice in modern Israel.

שלום/Shalom is not simply an absence of strife or conflict; you may picture it as the prosperity, or blessing, in time that allows for a vineyard to grow, mature, and bring forth fruit. Captured in this picture is also your well-being; as you need good health to tend the vineyard.

In modern Hebrew, when greeting someone, asking them “How are you?” the question goes far deeper than these three words convey in English.

To Men: מה שלומך/ma shlomcha?

To Women: מה שלומך/ma shlomech?

Translated as “How are you?” the question is far more interesting, and much more loving. How so?

Literally, you are asking, “What is your peace?,” or “What is your well-being?” It is like asking, “How is your vineyard? Are you well enough to tend to it? Do you have water? Time? Help? What is the lack disturbing your peace? What is the condition of your life? How is your peace?

While Western sensibilities often restrain us from answering with our list of problems or concerns, this simple Hebrew question, in its meaning, wants to know. It is a question of deep, loving concern, as it speaks not only to their labor, but their harvest. What is your peace?

It is a question of community, responsibility, and faith.

The question wants to know, in order to join in the supply that will help bring your crop to harvest, “And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Messiah Yeshua” (Phil. 4:6; cf. Phil. 4:19).

Be well. Shalom.