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There is a beautiful family I have become acquainted with – a mom and a dad and three boys aged 4, 6, 8 years old. These boys are the happiest boys I’ve ever seen. They seem very settled and quite content almost all the time. It is remarkable to witness, as so many boys these boys’ ages are wild and challenging to control.

I have watched their parents parent them – both parents show deep love and physical affection for each boy. They speak in quiet tones when they talk to the boys. What has been interesting to note is that all three boys know the family’s rules for how to behave and they all respect the rules and are really well-behaved. I have also seen what the parents do when there is a need for correction. The consequences for misbehavior are quick, predictable and significant. It seems that the boys have been taught the rules well, and have also been taught the consequences so that they know what will happen if they misbehave. It struck me that the strong boundaries set by these parents, and the strong expectation that the boundaries will be respected, has given these boys a strong sense of security. This in addition to the deep deep love of these parents has led to secure, happy and contented children. It’s quite remarkable.

I have been reflecting on Law of Moses in the Old Testament. Many Christians will make the argument that the OT Law has been fulfilled and has been replaced with the New Covenant, often interpreted as freedom from the Law. I wonder whether we have misunderstood.

What if God the Father Who loves us infinitely designed His Law for the purpose of raising up happy, secure and contented children (just as my friends’ “law” is raising up happy, secure and contented boys)? There is such an inclination to separate the Who of the God of the OT from the Who of God/Jesus of the NT. If He is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8; Malachi 3:6), then the God of the OT and the God of the NT are by His own words the same in character and nature. (“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Hebrews 1:3) There is an inclination to see the God of the OT as wrathful and harsh, and the God of the NT as the God of love. How can that be if they are the same God?

Our God is a good good Father – One Who knows our every thought and action. If He knows everything about us, and His plans for us are for our welfare and not for evil (Jeremiah 29:11), then He knows how we work and the necessary boundaries for us to be happy, secure and contented. It seems to me that the Law of the OT, expanded by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7:23) is for our best good, and it would be wise to follow and obey it. Jesus Himself said: “If you love me you will keep (obey) My commands.” (John 14:15) If Jesus and the Father are One, and what is written in the OT Law is indeed of the One, then it confuses me as to why we no longer need to obey what He (God the Father and Jesus) have told us to obey. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3) “Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s Who sent Me.” (John 14:24)

Daniel 12:11-12

11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

In November, 2021, I was just finishing the Book of Daniel and read Daniel 12:11-12.  As I thought about what I was reading, it seemed really obvious that I was reading a verbal timeline.  Event number one:  the taking away of the daily sacrifice.  Event number two 1290 days (years) later:  the abomination that causes desolation is set up.  Event number three: the blessing of those who are waiting at the end of 1335 days (years).  A picture came to mind of the Dome of the Rock which sits on the sit of the holy Temple of YHWH on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.  The thought I had was: “what could be more abominable to YHWH than a shrine to the god of Islam sitting on His holy mountain?”

   I became curious and wondered when the Dome of the Rock had been completed.  I searched the internet and the date I found was 692 AD.  I subtracted the 1290 years from that date which gave me 598 BC.  I again searched looking for anything of significance that would have happened in Israel at around that time. 

“The Lord said, “I will remove Judah also from My sight, as I have removed Israel. And I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the temple of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.’ ”” (2 Kings 23:27)

“At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it. Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his servants and his captains and his officials. So the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. He carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, just as the Lord had said. Then he led away into exile all Jerusalem and all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land. So he led Jehoiachin away into exile to Babylon; also the king’s mother and the king’s wives and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led away into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. All the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all strong and fit for war, and these the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon.” (2 Kings 24:10–16, 598 BC)

   The temple articles were taken to Babylon.  The daily sacrifice was interrupted.  The criteria for event number one were fulfilled.

   If my reasoning was correct, than we should have much reason to hope that we are indeed in the last of the last days!  692 AD + 1335 years = 2027.  My heart just lit up!  Oh that Yeshua of Nazareth, Messiah and rightful King would return that soon!  What a wonderful answer to our prayer: “thy kingdom come”!

   We are in desperate need of hope in this season of betrayal by our governments.  We are in desperate need of hope as we watch so many suffer from the consequences of this contrived pandemic upon every area of our world – it’s people, young and old who have been hurt and even killed by this disease and the many ways it has been mismanaged.  We are in desperate need of hope as we see our food supply increasingly corrupted by the pesticides and herbicides that are known poisons being sprayed on our crops just prior to harvest.  We are in desperate need of hope as we view the betrayal by those who believe in science as our savior – and who will do whatever science dictates to the detriment of those on whom its inflicted.

   Father YHWH, only You know the day and time of Your Savior’s return.  You did promise in Your word that You would cut the time short (that if you did not, none would survive).  Please Father, hear the cries of Your people all over this hurting, broken and corrupted world.  Just as You looked out over the multitude and saw the sick and hurting and healed them all, look out over this multitude of Your children who are sick and hurting and heal us ALL!.

An open letter to people and pastors everywhere…

Dear __,
In the writing of a pastor who serves a large following, the word “pagan” was defined as anything other than the God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The pastor also made an excellent point that without defining terms, communication is hindered. I strongly disagree with the definition that was provided.

Historically, Ishmael, son of Abraham by Hagar, may have worshiped YHWH. When Muhammad (descendant of Ishmael) encountered the angel in the cave where he was given the Koran, the name and the attributes of the god of Islam that Muhammad was given are completely different than the attributes of YHWH, the God of our Bible.
To say that the god of Islam and YHWH, the God of Christians and Jews, are the same would be like me saying that you and me are the same people. The attributes and characteristics that make you uniquely you are very different than my attributes and characteristics that make me uniquely me. Not only are our names different, but the “who” that we are is completely different, too.

2 Corinthians 11:14 “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (ESV)

The Story of How the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad
Muhammad grew up in Makkah. The people of Makkah worshipped idols, but Muhammad was different: he believed in only one God, Allah. Muhammad was unhappy in Makkah and he often used to leave the busy city and go off up into the hills to be by himself to think and to pray. When it was the month of Ramadan, Muhammad decided to go and spend the whole month in the hills. He went to Mount Hira and lived in a cave, spending his time there praying and fasting. At this time, he was about 40 years old.
While Muhammad was in the cave, the angel of Jibril appeared to him and said to him: “Read!”
“I cannot read!” said the prophet for, like many people of the time, Muhammad could not read or write. Again the angel commanded “Read!”, and again Muhammad replied, “I cannot!”. For a third time, the angel commanded Muhammad to read, and spoke these words:
“Read: in the name of your Lord, who created all humanity from an original droplet, speak these words out loud! Your Lord is the Most Generous One – He who has taught the Pen, and taught humans what they did not know.” (Surah 96:1 – 5)
Muhammad repeated these words until he knew them by heart. He knew that he would never forget them. However, he was very frightened. What was it that had happened? Was the cave haunted? He rushed out of the cave and towards the city. Then the voice came again. This time it boomed out: “Oh Muhammad, you are the Messenger of Allah, and I am Jibril”.
Muhammad looked up and there, in front of him, he saw the angel towering above him in the sky. Muhammad ran home and, trembling all over, told his wife Khadijah what had happened. Khadijah believed all that Muhammad had told her. She went and told her cousin Waraqa, who was a wise and clever Christian. He told Khadijah that Muhammad had been chosen by Allah to be His messenger, and a prophet to the people. Waraqa warned Khadijah that Muhammad would have a great message for the world, but he had to be patient because not many people would listen to him.
The angel Jibril often came to Muhammad after that day, to teach Muhammad Allah’s message for the world. In fact, it took 23 years for the angel to give Muhammad the whole message. Later Muhammad dictated the message to some of his followers, who wrote it down in Arabic in the order that Allah wanted.
From Islam (Nelson) Frances Le Pla INSP/MS/04/SKR

Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
This is a different creation story than the one articulated above. The god of Islam claims to have created man out of a droplet.

Daniel 11:30-39
(30) For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage.
“So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. (31) And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (The Dome of the Rock – completed in 692 AD) (32) Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. (33) And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. (34) Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. (35) And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.
(36) “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. (37) He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. (38) But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. (39) Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.

1 John 2:18, 22-23 “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.”
“Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

Please read the following excerpts from the inscription around the circumference of the Dome of the Rock (the shrine to the god of Islam, on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem):
(inner octagonal arcade): “O people of the book! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning god save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of god and his word which he conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from him.
So believe in god and his messengers, and say not ‘three’ – cease! (it is) better for you! God is only one god. Far be it removed from his transcendent majesty that he should have a son….”
“It befitteth not the majesty of god that he should take unto himself a son. Glory be to him!
Lo! Religion with god is Islam.
(outer octagonal arcade): “There is no god but god. He is one. He has no associate… He begetteth not nor was begotten.”
(the following phrase is repeated four times in this inscription): Mohammad is the messenger of god”
“Praise be to god who hath not taken unto himself a son, and who hath no partner in the sovereignty….” “There is no god but god. He has no associate.”
Plaque at eastern entrance of the Dome of the Rock, shrine to the god of Islam: “…. He begotteth not…”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

The god of Islam exalts himself above YHWH, the God of Christianity – and in the inscription, there is blatant denial that Jesus is the Son of God. Reread the passages from 1 John 2:18-25 and remark the hallmarks of the antichrist/s.
Also, the god of Islam IS the god which Muhammad’s fathers did not know. (Daniel 11:38) Ishmael, raised by Abraham, certainly would have known about YHWH. But Muhammad, his descendant, clearly did not.

Please consider these verses and so many others throughout our Bible describing the Father, His Son, and His Spirit. YHWH’s attributes are nothing like those of the god of Islam, and the Koran’s teachings, if you were to read it for yourself. According to what I have read, the Koran’s writings celebrate violence against infidels, rape of women, thievery….. If you would like to learn about the whole counsel of the Koran, I would recommend the book “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus” by Nabeel Qureshi. It is Nabeel’s life testimony of being a child in a devout Muslim home, growing up as a Muslim amongst the culture of the Islamic people here in the U.S., of him seeking desperately to find the truth as to which god is the true God. I listened to the book on Audible – it was excellent! Nabeel himself is the reader – it is powerful and revelatory. And the God Nabeel found was YHWH, the God of the Bible, and His Son, Yeshua, Jesus Christ.

I have been so blessed by you and your ministry. My heart has been very very troubled since you inferred in your definition of pagan that the god of Islam and YHWH, God of Judaism and Christianity, were the same. My hope is that you will consider what I have written. You, as a teacher and leader in the faith of our God, YHWH, are held to a very high standard. I come to you as a fellow lover of the LORD, YHWH and Yeshua Messiah, Jesus Christ – and as one who wants the absolute best for you and the people you reach through your ministry. Please consider these things and consider redefining pagan for your audience in a way that truly brings honor and glory to our King.

    Our home was so lifeless after our beloved dog, Champion, died. We decided that we wanted another pup right away and found one in Arkansas.  The breeder said that she would organize a ground transport for us that would have him arriving on Wednesday, November 11.  We waited impatiently for the call from the transport people, but when we did not hear from them, we called the breeder. 

   “Where is our puppy?” Ben asked.  Sheepishly, she said that he was still there in Arkansas.  The ground transport had fallen through.  Ben and I scrambled that Wednesday and were able to get me a flight to Bentonville, Arkansas for the next day.  I arrived in Bentonville Thursday evening with plans to pick up a rental car early Friday, and meet the breeder with the puppy at the hotel before 9 am.

   I left Bentonville with puppy in tow at around 9:30. It had been mild in Arkansas, but as I headed north, the temperatures dropped and there were flurries of snow and severe side winds that buffeted my car as I drove.

   If you have ever had a puppy, you know they need bathroom breaks frequently!  Shep, our new pup, was true to form.  We stopped every 2-2 1/2 hours, got out and ran around.  It was crazy cold, and the windchill was pretty bad.  I’d bought a couple of containers of nuts and a gallon of water, so the only stops were gas and potty stops – for Shep, and for me.  Over the course of the day on Friday, we got gas 3 times.  It was getting late when I noticed that my gas gauge was at around 30 miles left until empty.  There was a road sign that indicated gas at the next exit, so I exited down the ramp expecting to see a station at the bottom of the ramp.  Nope.  The sign said gas 1 mile to the left down a dark two-lane road.  I really had no choice.

   I pulled into the ramshackle convenience store/gas station and reached into my purse for my wallet…. No wallet.  Uh oh.  I was in the middle of rural Iowa – a very long way from anywhere… and a longer way from home!  Frantic, I searched my car.  Nothing.

   A man – a bit rough around the edges – asked me if everything was o.k.  “I’ve lost my wallet!  And I only have 30 miles of gas left!”  He talked me “off the ledge”, and then suggested we go inside the store where it was warm to see if we could retrace my steps.  My last stop was a full tank behind me – several hundred miles of travel.  We called one of the gas stations, but my wallet was not there.  We called Ben and he called ahead to Sioux City, Iowa to get me accommodations for the night – without I.d. required.  The man – an angel in disguise for sure – put $20 of gas in my tank and I again headed north.

   Ben was teaching on Saturday morning, so we agreed that I would be at Western Union in Sioux City when they opened at 8.  After an hour with the woman at the counter, we had made no headway – without I.D., she simply could not give me any money.  I went out to the car to sit while Ben got ready for his day.  Ben called corporate Western Union and they told him that he could go to the office in Kalispell where he could show his ID, tell them a secret question, and, if I could answer it, I could get a maximum of $300. 

   It dawned on me that when my friends are in crisis, I frequently reach out to friends I know who pray, to pray for the issue at hand.  I was most definitely in crisis!  No ID, no cash, no credit cards, in a city where I knew no one, a long way from any kind of help.  I texted quite a few friends and asked for their prayers. 

   About 10 minutes later, as Ben drove down our driveway, he was impressed by the LORD to call me and ask me to search my car one more time.  As he spoke, I felt the LORD say, “Look in your glove compartment.”  I reached forward and opened it up.  There it was!  (The strange thing is that I had not been in my glove compartment – and I always return my wallet to my purse after using it.)

   I had held it together – no tears!  When I saw my wallet, I burst out crying.  Such relief!  Such joy!  Such an answer to the prayers of my friends!

   As you might imagine, the rest of the day was spent praising the God I love – He Who hears our cries, and answers our desperate pleas for help.  He is the Finder of the lost, and an ever-present Help.  What a remarkable blessing.  What a joy!

References:
“What’s Making Our Children Sick?” by Dr. Michelle Perro, Vincanne Adams
“Is Roundup safe for dogs?”
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/is-roundup-safe-for-dogs/

Champion died on October 29 at 3 pm. He was four years old.

We laughingly referred to our beloved pup, Champion, as our lemon (if he’d been a used car, we would have returned him for our money back!). Lemon that he was, we loved him to pieces and the loss of him has been huge.
When Champion was a pup, he had a kind of “failure to thrive” syndrome. He was slow to gain weight, and he had frequent stomach ailments. After a particularly disastrous encounter following eating the drippings of a roasted chicken, we took Champ to the vet where it was suggested that he might be allergic to chicken and that we change to salmon/sweet potato chow. He started eating that chow when he was one, and seemed to be much, much better.
At the end of this September (2021), Champ developed what seemed to be a bladder infection which was intractable to antibiotics. On the Saturday two days after starting a second course of a second antibiotic, Champ began vomiting and subsequently refused all food. On the following Wednesday, I had gone down to the orchard to work. Champ normally went everywhere with me, but he did not come. As I walked back up towards the house, I found Champ laying flat on his side. He did not move when I sat down on the grass beside him. I put my hand on his heart – it was like a wild caged bird trying desperately to escape. There was no steady beat at all.

Ben and I took Champ to the vet. He was in heart failure, and the vet told us that there was no hope – dogs in heart failure like this simply did not recover. She told us about research she had read last summer about young dogs dying of heart failure when they were fed grain-free food. She said that many of the grain substitutes in dog foods were of crops treated with Roundup just prior to harvest. Sweet potatoes were one of the crops mentioned as such a crop.
We took Champ home. We talked about putting him down, but a dear friend texted me with such good counsel – God alone has the number of the days of his creatures – and on thinking on that, we decided to let him die whenever it was his time. I sat vigil with him – just loving on him and talking to him and praying over him and singing. It was dreadfully sad, but such a blessing to get to spend those last two days with him. He died on Friday afternoon – truly a remarkable death at the touch of an angel.

We looked for the research by the FDA mentioned by the vet in which there was shown to be a strong association between dogfood which included crops typically sprayed with Roundup, and it was nowhere to be found. The only articles we could find were pretty innocuous, and were nothing like the article the vet had described. The article cited above was sent to us by a friend and was particularly helpful (and troubling).
It is troubling to realize that Monsanto, and those in agribusiness know full well the dangers of Roundup and the GMO seeds on which Monsanto holds patents – and that they seem very cavalier about their use. It has been known for a long time that there is a strong association between exposure to Roundup and cancer. It seems that there are other health implications when this poison is ingested through foods sprayed with it prior to harvest.
I have been aware of the dangers of various pesticides and have chosen for years to generally eat organic produce. Somehow though, I hadn’t made the association between the need for seeds to be GMO and the use of Roundup. GMO seeds turn into plants that will tolerate Roundup which leads to more and more frequent use of Roundup by those who are growing our foods. Here in Montana, I have seen the planes spraying the canola fields – they spray the fields a couple of days prior to harvest with Roundup as it causes the entire crop to be ready for harvest at the same time. Makes for a super-efficient harvest process – which makes for a more profitable crop.

The Sunday after Champion died, both Ben and I were a mess. The house felt so dead without him. I decided to look for a new puppy and found one in Arkansas. On the drive back to Montana, I listened to one of the books our daughter, Celeste, had recommended a while ago (cited above). I did not realize that this book was written to expose the impacts and effects Roundup and other pesticides are having on the health of our children. The author also brought attention to the increasingly frequent use of Roundup and other pesticides on our food crops. Monsanto has been busy developing more and more seed strains of various different crops that are genetically modified to tolerate Roundup. Monsanto has patented all of these seeds – and these seeds typically have to rebought each season – definitely a cash crop for Monsanto!

One of the authors of “What’s making our children sick?” is a medical doctor who has seen many children with intractable illnesses of various types – from rashes all over the body, to digestive troubles, to radical behavioral issues. Dr. Perro had developed a dietary and supplement protocol that seemed to work really well in helping kids for whom prescription drugs and other interventions had been unsuccessful. The most effective part of the protocol is to switch the child to eating a diet of only organically produced food, and to supplement with pre and probiotics.

Roundup was designated an antibiotic in 2000 – and just like other antibiotics, it kills off the normal bacteria that facilitate digestion and absorption of nutrients. Many of the children described in this book were having trouble with elimination. Many were malnourished as far as trace minerals and nutrients for which a healthy microbiome of the gut is necessary for absorption and utilization.

The dietary changes recommended by Dr. Perro brought about significant changes in the lives of the children, and in the lives of their parents.
Champion’s death, and all I have learned since, have brought home to me the degree to which our food production is messed up. While I cannot cite double-blind, placebo studies as to how Roundup and GMO seeds effect a population, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that would indicate that there is trouble at hand in the way our food crops are being produced. The profit motive seems to be the driving force behind the use of Roundup and GMO seeds. Has love of money so blinded agribusiness that they have ceased to see using a known poison on crops intended for human and animal consumption as wrong?

A person asked this week if we as Christians are only expected to obey the 10 Commandments or whether we are to be obedient to all of the commands in the Books of Moses, the Torah (which translates as “the instruction”).

In my study of the Book of Matthew this week, I read the following passage:
Matthew 14:34-36
34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

I also found a similar healing in Matthew 9:20-22
20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

Why did Jesus wear the tassels/fringe on his garment?
Deuteronomy 22:12 “You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.”
Numbers 15:37-41
37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow[a] after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. 40 So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. 41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God.”

Jesus is our Perfect Sacrifice – the Perfect Lamb for the atonement of our sins. Only if He kept ALL of the commands of God could He be perfect and able to sacrifice Himself to bring us forgiveness of our sins.
Wearing the fringe was a command of YHWH, the LORD as seen in the Scriptures above. Therefore, in perfect obedience to the Torah, Jesus wore the fringes as God had commanded.

John 13:13-16
13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant[a] is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”
1 Corinthians 11:1 (Paul writes)
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
1 John 2:6
6 “whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.”

Jesus is our example – as such should we not strive to do as He did? He obeyed the Torah perfectly. Obviously, we as humans fall very short of anything perfect, but wouldn’t it be a good idea to try?
While salvation is by grace alone, Deuteronomy 28 talks extensively about the blessings that come upon God’s people for obedience to the Torah – and the dreadful cursings that come upon them for disobedience. As believers, we claim to be of the family of God, ingrafted into His people. Would it not be wise to follow His instructions for how to live and receive His blessings and commendation?

The story of Saul and David prefigures in many ways the story of the conflict between Lucifer and Jesus, our Messiah.

Saul was chosen by God and was anointed by Samuel as king (1 Samuel 9:16,-17; 10:1). He was a beautiful man – more attractive and taller than any other man at the time (1 Samuel 9:2). He sinned against God (1 Samuel 13:8-14; 15:1-31), and God told Samuel to anoint David as king (1 Samuel 16:13). Even as God’s chosen and anointed king, David spent years in the wilderness being hunted and persecuted by Saul. Saul and his sons were finally killed in battle (! Samuel 31:1-6). David ascended the throne as king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4), and then of all of Israel (2 Samuel 5:1-3).

Lucifer was the most beautiful of the angels. He was highly intelligent and powerful until he sinned against God and was thrown out of heaven (Revelation 12:9). Like David in the story of the kings of Israel, Jesus has been anointed the true King of the world, but His people have been “in the wilderness” being hunted and persecuted by the Adversary/satan for a long time (Revelation 21: 12, 17). Jesus will return, and He will wage war against the devil and his minions (Revelation 19:11-20:3), and He will be installed as the true King of this world (Revelation:19:15). God will have the mighty angel bind the devil (Revelation 20:1-3), and God will ultimately destroy the enemy, Satan, Himself in the eternal fire (Revelation 20:10).

Our Father is so faithful to reveal the nature of His plan for this world and for humanity in His Word, the Bible. He often uses the stories and people of the Old Testament to give His people a glimmer/foretaste of what He has planned. Saul/David and Lucifer/Jesus Messiah are an example of His goodness in revealing Himself and His plans to us.