Beginnings

Getting ready to teach the epistle of 1st John in autumn. Early mornings in June are relaxed and inspirational. No stress or deadlines… yet. Today there is time to read, chase words across the whole bible, and listen to the Spirit speak. He does not let me down. A casual word study of “beginning” burst into an unexpected insight that opened doors of understanding. It began in 1 John 1:1

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life–
1 John 1:1 NAS

The Living Bible, with a couple of personal changes, put it this way.
Y’shua was alive when the world began, yet I myself have seen Him with my own eyes…

The first step of a word study is looking at the word in the original language. Here is a summary of that discovery. By the way, the G tells me that the word is from the Greek and the number that follows the G is the Strong’s concordance number. “Zoe” represents Spiros Zodhiates Th.D’s Complete Word Study New Testament.

Beginning: G746 ARCHEE (Thayer’s #3) that by which anything begins to be, the origin, active cause -Rev. 3:14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: (Zoe intro) …Christ is called “the beginning” because He is the efficient cause of the creation; “the head” because He is before all things, and all things were created by Him and for Him.
1 John 1:1, 2:7, 13, 14, 2:24 (x2), 3:8, 11,

You can look up the cross references for beginning in the book of 1st John. They are interesting and give some insight into the word, but hang on, there’s more!

Moving back to the Old Testament, I found two very interesting uses of beginning. Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 10:10. At first read I was not interested in Genesis 10:10, but that quickly changed. Here is what happened.

As I usually do, I looked up the definition of my target word, beginning, in my concordance. You may notice an “H” for Hebrew before the Strong’s number.
Beginning H7225 RE’SHIYTH (ray-sheeth’); the first, in place, time, order or rank (specifically, a firstfruit):

That’s kewl, but most of us know that the first word of Scripture is BaRE’SHIYTH, not RE’SHIYTH. What gives?
I went on to the 2nd use of beginning in Scripture. Genesis 10:10 isn’t even about something God has done, so I quickly skipped over it. After all, there are 51 uses of beginning in the Old Testament to choose from, so I moved on. Fruitless. Just for fun, I looked at the Gospel of John 1:1-3.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:1-3 NAS

If you have been a believer in the Word of God for a while, then you know about those times when God prompts you to pay close attention. I went back to Genesis 1:1. Why BaRE’SHIYTH? What is that BET doing there? (BET is the Hebrew letter we often translate into the English B) I am at a per-school level in Hebrew. I know the main difference between Hebrew letters and most other alphabets of the world is this, English (or Roman) letters represent a sound. B says buh. But in Hebrew, there is a sound, a number, and a pictograph. My brain was just starting to wake up. What is that BET doing there as the very first letter of Scripture? I’ve read that Scripture does not start with the letter ALEPH, the first letter of Hebrew, because it is silent. That sounded a little off to me, but I left it to the experts. This morning the Spirit kept pushing me. Why is there a BET in Genesis 1:1? Why have I always been told that John began his gospel with Genesis 1:1 even though they do not read the same? Some say it is because John, a Hebrew man, used the Greek Septuagint in his Gospel and that was why they read different. But could it be something else?

The pictograph for BET is, house of the Son of God. I thought of that while I was reading John. Then I remembered that Genesis 10:10, which is about the beginning of Nimrod’s kingdom, was different then “In the beginning God…” I have read that BET as a prefix can mean “in.” That makes sense. But what if the pictograph for BET is important here? What if that is why John wrote what he wrote? What if, from the very first statement of Genesis 1:1 we are being told something important about creation that other verses hint at? The beginning of the kingdom of the Son of God. In Genesis 10:10, Nimrod began his kingdom without God or His Son. Babel and the scattering that followed, because of the confusion of language, is what we remember about His kingdom. John tells us that in the beginning all things came into being by Him and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. BaRE’SHIYTH. That is why the 2nd use of beginning, RE’SHIYTH, does not include a BET. Nimrod was not building his kingdom to honor the Son of God. His tower was not a place to worship YHVH but rather, it was a portal to the old gods from before Noah’s flood. The Almighty had recently washed the world clean of their corruption, but here was Nimrod, attempting to bring back a way to communicate with them. It was all starting to come together in my mind

Back to 1st John
1 John 1:1-4 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life– and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us– what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

It all makes sense to me because of the Hebrew letter BET. The first letter of scripture is about Jesus. John, thousands of years later, saw Him, handled Him, heard Him. He is inviting us to join the fellowship of those who know this eternal life, the manifestation of the Son of God who shed his blood for our sin… because a good flood, a baptism, isn’t enough for us to stand before His Father in the eternal Kingdom. Hallelujah!

Deb in Montana
June 4, 2026

Excited to start teaching 1 John
September 2026!

By The Will of God

What strikes me about the opening statements of the book of Ephesians is the phrase, “by the will of God,” a phrase Paul used to to answer any “why” questions about his being an apostle. Even in the outpost church of Ephesus, they had probably heard of who he was before Christ. A murder of those who turned their back on traditional Judaism to worship Y’shua haMashiach, Jesus the Christ.

A morning without electricity but full of the power of God’s Spirit.
Debs in Montana, January 7, 2026

http://www.streamsindesert.com/detail/0107 Streams in the Desert for January 7th.

What did Paul teach for the two and a half to three years that he spent in Ephesus? Luke, in the book of Acts, does not really tell us “what,” only that have no proof, but I think one subject Paul spoke on is “The Will of God.” He mentions “The Will of God,” seven times just in the book of Ephesians. What would be the churches background and understanding of this subject if they had not already learned something about it during Paul’s three years in the city?

This morning (early Wednesday, January 7th) I am preparing to put a lesson on The Will of God to paper. I have been studying “The Will, for a couple of weeks now. This lesson is probably three weeks overdue, and I am praying for my beautiful Ruthanne who edits and prints these lessons for our class. I tried to have it ready earlier, but these teachings only come when the Spirit of God gives them to me. As hard as I try, as often as I try to just put something on paper for her, they only happen in God’s good time, by HIS will and HIS spirit. Sometimes it makes me anxious but they are never late.

So this morning, sitting down to my computer to put the lesson together, I paused to read today’s essay in Streams in the Desert. It isn’t directly about God’s will but it does address how anxious I can feel when the lesson does not come early enough for me.
. By the way, there were other assignments God had for me while I was tapping my foot, waiting for Lesson 3 of Ephesians. Christmas in Spokane, caring for Ray and his (not broken) ankle and picking up the big pile of work he faithfully does around the camp (our home is The Ten-Mile Camp). It is taking both Chris and I to accomplish the work that he does daily.
… Here are highlights from today’s passage.

…I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
Philippians 4:11 NAS
. and from Mrs. Cowman…
…People who are God’s without reservation “have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” His
Will becomes their will, and they desire to do for Him whatever He desires them to do. They strip themselves of everything, and in their nakedness find everything restored a hundredfold.
. By the way, the Passion Translation Bible has a note on this verse, it say’s “to give up everything I have.”
. The link next to the picture is a link to January 7 Streams passage.

Prayer of Faith

Prayer that works. So many thoughts fill my mind when I think of, prayer that works. We say, “if it be Thy will,” or, “sometimes God says no.” How do I live in simple faith with these thoughts playing in my mind? Who really is whispering them to me?
For 2026 I am reading “Streams in the Desert” in the morning. Today January 4, is an essay on praying in faith. I’ve included a link to the reading at the bottom of the page. However, if you have an old copy of Streams, dust it off, brew a hot cuppa, and meditate your way through the passage. God Speaks. The verses Mrs. Cowman used in this essay are powerful by themselves. I’ve included them here to get your juices flowing.

Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he started off. John 4:50

“Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you. Mark 11:24

For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, “As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,” although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4:3

“Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God, that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. Acts 27:25 NAS

From “Streams in the Desert” 366 daily devotional Readings January 4

Debs in Montana, January 4, 2026
That is Ray’s foot in the picture. It was so unbearably painful that we went to the hospital for an x-ray. It isn’t broken, it isn’t gout (the Doctor’s back-up reason for the pain and swelling). Ray believes it is a deep, deep bruise to the joint. He knows that horrible pain, he has had it before. When it was in his shoulder, after putting fence posts into our rocky yard, Chris and I thought he was having a heart attack. He already feels stronger with the boot and crutches for support. The prayer today is for the money to pay for the emergency room visit. To God be the glory!

In the heavenly places… study of Ephesians

For the winter semester of 2026, the Almighty is preparing me to teach the book of Ephesians. I am sitting at my desk, reviewing a book that I thought I knew fairly well. Praying, “open the eyes of my heart Ab’ba.” A favorite prayer from this very book. He never lets me down!

This unusual wet, windy morning in Montana, unlike every other December morning I’ve experienced since settling here, long before sunrise, I am reading through the whole book of Ephesians, looking for the phrase, “in the heavenly places.” I’ve found it five times. This phrase points to a world my physical eyes cannot see. There is a lot going on just beyond the biological realm. How did Paul know? Here they are…

1. Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
2. Ephesians 1:20 which He brought about in Christ (power to resurrect from the dead), when He raised Him (Christ) from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
3. Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,
4. Ephesians 3:10 in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
5. Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

An entire story of life beyond the biological realm is told in these five verses. In 1:3 the first thing we learn about the heavenly places is that “in Christ” we who believe have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. My first shock came after looking up the Greek for “blessing.” It is a word that is only applied to God (Robertson’s New Testament Word Pictures). But look what Paul is saying. We who are “in Christ” HAVE been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing “in the heavenly places.” In the spirit realm or heaven, what God has, we have as a gift from HIM “in Christ.” I’ve been a believer for 40+ years, I’ve been a student of HIS Word for nearly as long and have never seen this before. Mind blown!

Ephesians 1:20 speaks of the enormous power of the Almighty, one of the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. In 1:18 Paul says that he is praying for you and me to understand God’s power. Power that is received by faith, and works through us… because the Holy Spirit is in us. This power raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at HIS right-hand (the place of mercy) “in the heavenly places”. Is that important? YES because it took the death of Christ to pay for my sin. Scripture testifies that we were DEAD in our sin, without hope in this world. Jesus died for us. But, just as God alone had the power to raise Him from the dead, so HE is the only hope for us to be raised from the dead. It requires the same power for me to be born again as it took to resurrect Christ from the dead.

Ephesians 2:6 tells the rest of the story. The simple statement that God is rich in mercy, Ephesians 2:4, declares that HE is so wealthy with mercy and love that HE can be extravagant with it when it comes to us. How extravagant is HE? …even when I was dead in my sin, HE loved me and lavished me with mercy.

Ephesians 3:10 and 6:12 show another side of “in the heavenly places”.
The prince of the power of the air, the Serpent of the garden and of the Revelation is there. I think that ‘the powers’ are the invisible fallen angels who are tasked with enforcing the will of the serpent. Remember that Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” I also think that ‘the world forces of wickedness’ are the regional powers of darkness. They are like 70 (or 72) magistrates over different areas of this world. They are meant to teach the love of God but since the flood, they enforce the will of the Serpent. And finally, ‘the spiritual forces of wickedness’, to me, are the demonic spirits for whom the world was flooded in Noah’s era.
BEWARE! This is my conclusion. I do not really know. You must check it out for yourself, not just taking my word for it. If I find out different, I will change it.
That said… the two things said about the spirits of darkness are that they cannot know the wisdom of God except through the church (3:10) AND they are so wicked that we must put on the full armor of God in order to stand against them (6:12 etc). Eve couldn’t do it. David, when he saw Bathsheba, couldn’t do it, Judas couldn’t do it either. Do not think that you will be able to stand against the darkness without the anointing of the blood of Christ, the full armor of God. BUT, don’t forget, God has blessed you with EVERYTHING in the heavenly places. Stand firm Beloved!

May your days be merry and bright!
Debs in Troy, MT December 17, 2025

What is the helmet of Salvation?

Preparing to teach the Epistle of Ephesians, I have one question. What is the armor of God? Here is what I know. The divine weapons believers are given for this spiritual war we fight are not like the weapons of the flesh. The weapon and the armor of God are not at all like a Roman armor. Read that again.
They are…

1. divinely powerful — to destroy fortresses
2. divinely powerful — to destroy speculations (arguments)
3. divinely powerful — to destroy every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God
4. divinely powerful — for taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ

This description of the weapons of our warfare come from 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. Another thing I know is that the Armor of God gives us the ability to stand firm against the schemes of the devil because our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers (probably singular, the ruler, the devil himself?), the powers (these would be the enforcers of the ruler’s will), the world forces of this darkness (those who have authority over the different areas of the world, the original 72 after the flood of Noah), against the spiritual wickedness (the Greek word is PONERIA that we get the word pornography from. It means iniquity, malice, wickedness) in the heavenly places. What good would steel, iron and kevlar be against those enemies?

So, back to the original question. What is the helmet of Salvation?
Before I tell you what I have learned, I need to let you know what happened (God is SO awesome!) I thought I’d get the juices flowing with one of my devotionals. I’ve used the same three for 40 years yet I keep finding something new. I was reaching for Amy Carmichael when I had just a moment, a quick impression, that I should look at Sarah Hornsby’s “At the Name of Jesus,” Shockingly, the passage for December 15 (today) had never been read in all the time I have had this treasure. Sarah wrote something about the helmet of salvation that made everything suddenly click into place. She wrote…

“…receive and wear the costly gift of (Jesus) blood as an anointing for your head, a piece of protective armor from the thoughts which would confuse and distract you. I (Jesus) enable you to tear down fears and vain imaginations and renew your mind daily as you focus on Me.”
Sarah included 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10, the only time “helmet” is used outside of of Ephesians.

and now you know
Debs in Troy, MT 12/15/25
Now, back to advent.

Advent day 12, Luke 1:76-78

Luke 1:76-79 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into The Way of peace. ” NAS

O come let us adore Him!
Debs in Montana 12/12/25

Zechariah’s Prophecy Zechariah had an unexpected son in his old age, with his wife Elizabeth, who was well past the age of having children. Though Rome controlled what man filled the position of High Priest, Zechariah was still the legitimate high priest by birth. Now, his son, through a miraculous birth, would be the last High Priest according to the order of Levi. John would be the one who ordained Jesus into the Order of Melchizedek (the book of Hebrews but that is for another time). Zechariah, after being told by an angel about John, didn’t believe it. Maybe hope was lost during all the years He and Elizabeth had prayed for a child while she was still young enough to have one, maybe for another reason, whatever it was, Zechariah did not believe and famously became mute (unable to talk) until after John was born and he confirmed that the baby’s name would not be Zechariah Jr, but John. This portion of Luke are the first words from Zechariah’s mouth after months of silence because of his disbelief.

…you shall go before the Lord… What does this mean? It could be that in sequence in time, John would be born first, before Jesus, but I think there is more to it than that. Genesis 17:1 was the call to Abraham by God to “walk before Me meaning Abraham was to be constantly aware of God’s presence and therefore live a life of integrity and obedience to God. 1 Kings 9:4 was a similar call, this time to King Solomon, to go before God and live a life of integrity and uprightness of heart as his father David did.
. I believe that Zechariah was foretelling the kind of life devoted to God that his son John would live, a life of prayer and obedience to the Word of God.

…to prepare His Ways… If you have been in Sunday School for a while and have learned about John the Baptist, than you have probably learned that John was like a road crew making a good road for the king to travel on. But what does that mean for John? Zechariah tells us in this prophecy.

1. to give knowledge… specifically of Y’shua, or what we call Salvation. Did John do that? The short answer is “YES.”
2. By the forgiveness of their sins. John’s ministry of baptism was all about remission of sin.
3. The tender mercy of our God. In Zechariah’s day, when the high priest was a political office and the Pharisees kept a tradition of placing the so called “oral law” above the Word of God, it seamed that mercy was not a well known attribute of the Almighty. Demon possession was common and it’s victims were helpless. Those who were Pharisees were in a kind of competition with each other, to know who could be the most strict, the rest of the Jews were seen as below them. Mercy was unknown. Witness the man born blind in John chapter 8 or the woman caught in the act of adultery (where was the person who was caught with her?). Or how about the man with the withered hand, healed on the Sabbath? Jesus came right out and said, they had hard hearts who would put their Sabbath traditions above the healing of this man

…the sunrise… or day-spring. What does that mean? Lucky for me, I can look in my “Commentary on The New Testament From The Talmud and Hebraica” and see that these words are translated from Greek, but the wording translated from Hebrew would be “bud of a branch”. Zechariah was prophesying the coming of the “Netzer” (the Nazarene), the branch from the stump of Jessie (see Advent day 8). the sunrise-day spring, or bud of the branch was coming to bring the light of God to His people. The light of life as John said in John 1:4 “in Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” This is also found in the Psalms, Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

How about you? Can you walk before the Lord? It is a matter of prayer and a mind determined to do what HE tells you, the same as Daniel did. But believer in God, do you know that we have more help to live like this then Daniel or John the Baptist did? We have the indwelling Holy Spirit, known as the helper, John 14:16, 26 and 15:26. God is that close to you, if you ask Him into your heart.

Advent day 11, Matthew 1:18-23

Matthew 1:18-23 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” NAS

…and heaven and nature sing!
Debs in Montana 12/11/25

Happy Expectations The birth of Jesus Christ… what happened?
Joseph, a righteous man, had carefully chosen a righteous woman to marry.

Some of their testimony is left to their own private conversation. Mary had to come to Joseph, her betrothed, to tell him about the events of Luke 1:26-35. Her life was at risk!

According to the Torah they both lived by…
Deuteronomy 22:23-24 “If there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city and you shall stone them to death; the girl, because she did not cry out in the city, and the man, because he has violated his neighbor’s wife. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.

It was not just Mary’s life that was at risk, it was her honor and her reputation. Tongues would waggle.
. Reading between the lines, Mary must have come to Joseph and given him her testimony. Joseph the righteous man would live his life by Torah (the Law), the Word of God. He also must have known the prophesy as well as Mary’s character. He could not marry her, but he could not publicly proclaim her a whore and have her stoned to death. Mary’s testimony gave him a long, sleepless night. He went to sleep believing that the righteous thing to do was to dissolve the betrothal secretly, to protect her life and still be free from the marriage. So, what happened?

The angel of the Lord came to Joseph. He confirmed the prophecy and Mary’s testimony. In the morning, instead of a secret divorce, Mary had her wedding but though married, they lived as a betrothed couple until after the birth of Jesus…. Y’shua, meaning Salvation.

Hallelujah!
Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

Advent day 10, Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.” NAS

…above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by…
Debs in Troy, MT 12/10/25

Remember the wise men from the east who came to search for the child? Why didn’t they know to go to Bethlehem? Why did they go to Jerusalem?
.. It seems that they only knew the teachings and prophecies of Daniel. Isolated in Babylon, they were faithful to Daniel’s teachings, including the divine calendar and the safety of Daniel’s treasure.
.. Daniel himself was from Jerusalem. That is where the wise-men thought to go to find the King of kings. But He was not there.

The wise-men did not have the prophecy of Micah. Micah foretold that Messiah would be born in the little town of Bethlehem, a fact that even the jaded, money loving, politicians around Herod knew. They were able to fill in Daniels prophecy with the Bethlehem prophecy of Micah. Something the men of Jerusalem did not know was Daniel’s calendar. When the two came together, the wise-men found their King. A small fact that was key to finishing their quest to find the child and deliver the treasure of Daniel to the new born King.

Do you feel as if your small part is insignificant to everyone else? Do not forget Micah. What you see as your small part might be the key to solving a divine mystery to another.
Be faithful!

Advent day 9, Luke 1:26-33

Luke 1:26-33 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end.” NAS

… you have found favor with God
Debs in Troy, MT 12/9/25

“Hail, favored one!…” Two things about this simple greeting. First, it was brought by the Angel Gabriel. Who was Gabriel? He was the very angel who brought the calendar of Messiah to the Prophet Daniel. Daniel 9:21-saying to him, “…for you are highly esteemed…”
. Here was Mary, a virgin of Israel, highly esteemed. And here is Daniel, captive of Babylon, snatched from his family, possibly orphaned, in the heart of enemy territory, probably made a eunuch, who was also greeted by the angel Gabriel and told, “you are highly esteemed.” Gabriel told Daniel exactly when Mary’s child would come. Then, when the time was perfect, Gabriel came to Mary with the impossible news that a virgin would be with child. Who would believe such a message except those who know the truth and the prophecies.
. The other thing about the greeting is something we take for granted in this era. Why was Mary troubled at Gabriel’s greeting? According to A commentary on the New Testament From the Talmud and Hebraica volume 2 (Thanks Ray for gifting all 4 volumes to me so long ago) It was very rare and unusual for men to salute any women. It seems to have been nearly immoral to even speak to a woman. What an amazing and loving God we serve!

But wait, there’s more! Her child would be called, ‘the Son of the most High,’ Who is the Son of the Most High? The Messiah! The very One they had been waiting for since the events of Genesis chapter 3, “He shall crush your head.” (God to the serpent)

His kingdom will have no end. My hope is the King of kings. He already defeated the serpent on the cross. He made a public display of the defeated serpent.

Colossians 2:14-15 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

Hail favored one!
That is how the Holy Spirit comes to you in your lowest, darkest moment. You may not hear it with your physical ears, but God who loves you when you think all hope is lost, comes to you with love. Hail favored one! You are the reason Mary nearly became an unwed mother. We know she married Joseph because God sent Gabriel to speak to Joseph, who knew it was not his child she carried. Mary’s child was the Son of God. He is who carried your sin…. YOURS, to a cross. He bled for YOU. He suffered for YOU. He paid a price for YOU because you had no way to buy your way out of YOUR slavery to sin. He did it to spend all eternity with YOU though you should have been tossed on the burning trash heap we English speakers call hell. Why would He do that?

Hail favored one!
All you have to do is answer with your confession, I am a sinner and ask your forgiveness.
Save me Lord!

Hail favored one!

Advent day 8, Isaiah 11:1-11

Isa 11:1-11 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,
. The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
. The spirit of counsel and strength,
. The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And faithfulness the belt about His waist.
And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the kid,
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
Also the cow and the bear will graze;Their young will lie down together;
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea.
Then it will come about in that day That the nations will resort to the root of Jesse,
Who will stand as a signal for the peoples;
And His resting place will be glorious.
Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover the second time with His hand
The remnant of His people, who will remain,
From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath,And from the islands of the sea. NAS

What child is this…
Debs in Troy, MT 12/8/25

Isaiah chapter 11 is jaw-dropping amazing, worthy of the time it takes to read the entire chapter, but I had to stop somewhere. The chapter opens with talk of a shoot and of a branch.

Why a shoot? In Isaiah chapter 10, the Almighty spoke of the evil Assyrians in terms of a forest. They were a rod (spanking stick) in the Almighty’s hand. But they were useful for only a moment. YHVH would cut them down. In contrast, a twig comes from Jesse, the father of David. The twig chosen by YHVH is greater then the mighty forest of Assyria.

A branch from his roots (the twig) shall bear fruit. The branch is NAY-TSAR in Hebrew. In Matthew 2:23 Joseph took Mary and her child to Nazareth, so that He would be called a Nazarene, the NAY-TSAR, the branch of the twig that represented David! Mary’s Son is the fulfillment of Isaiah 11:1b!

We could stop right here. But there is so much more. You remember that when John the baptizer immersed Jesus? When Jesus came up out of the water, The Spirit of God came and rested upon Him. Look at Isaiah 11:2, what do you see but a description of the Spirit’s ministry. Verses 3-5 describe what is probably his 2nd coming, as a judge. The belt of verse 5 is the same belt that Paul instructs us to “put on” in Ephesians 6:14. His judgement will give Israel, and perhaps all the earth a home as described in verses 6-9.

In that day… the twig of Jesse will have developed a deep root described in Romans 11:16-24. Both the nations (gentiles) and the remnant of HIS people Israel (Jews), from all the wicked places they have settled, will be rescued.

Did you know what a gift you received in Mary’s boy child? This is why we celebrate!