Road of the Pilgrims
Summer 5767 / 2006

Announcement:

On Abib 1, 5767 (03-31-2006)
Mattithyah Coover of Joy In The World & Real Messiah Press and Lindsey Marie Woodcraft had their wedding ceremony. Congratulations to both of you in your new life together! Check out The Weddings Page for photos.



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Table Of Contents

Train Up Your Children
Articles (Preserved Forever)
The Poem Page (Gifts Of The Heart)
Raising Yahweh's Sons to Be Gentlemen
Advertisements (Two New Books By Rivqah)
The PURITY of Little Girls
In The Hebrew Tongue
CHILDREN In The Scriptures
What Is Torah-Observance?
Science & Scripture (A Shepherd Speaks)
The Missionary Column (In Yahshua's Name)
The Prayer Request Corner
A Voice to the Young (The Four Pursuits)

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Scripture: Let Us Study

Train Up Your Children

Genesis 18:19 The purpose of training our children is so that they will guard Yahweh's ways, and do justice and judgment.

Deuteronomy 6 The role of parents is to faithfully obey Yahweh, always remembering Him, and to diligently teach their children the same way, that they may live forever.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21 His Torah is to fill our minds and actions, even when we are disciplining. We are to be pointing our children towards Renewed Jerusalem.

Psalm 127:1 We cannot be building and watching our homes and children on our own: we must have Yahweh's help.

Proverbs 22:6 Train them with the future in view.

Proverbs 22:8 If we are simply acting out of anger, with a poor outlook and frame of reference, we are going to fail miserably.

Sirach 30:1-13 Training our children all starts with love. Do you love your children enough to correct them?

Proverbs 13:24 Do you really love your children?

Proverbs 23:12-19 We must constantly be in the fear of Yahweh, training our children so as to deliver them from hell.

Proverbs 22:15 Correction makes our children wise.

Proverbs 18:19 Love them enough to do what is difficult.

Ephesians 6:4 Do not be provoking, but nurturing. When you do not nurture Yahweh's truth's in the hearts of your children, you are provoking them to sin.

Colossians 3:21 Make sure your training is not constantly discouraging. Discourage when necessary, but provide lavish encouragement as well.

Malachi 4:5-6 A parent's heart must be set lovingly on his / her children, and draw their hearts to willingly bond with their parents'. Be a trainer of blessing, and not of cursing.

1 Timothy 3:4-5,12 Our children are our first and most important mission fields.

Isaiah 8:18 Our children have a purpose in life. Let us nurture that purpose, and culture their hearts accordingly.

3 John 4 There is great joy in training our children in the way of truth.

Isaiah 59:21 Our job is to pass on Yahweh's Spirit and Word to the next generation.
Sirach 7:23-25 Good parents guide, instruct, and guard their children all the way through.

Tobit 4 Let us train our children so that the face of Elohim will be turned towards them, and so that they will have true riches.

Genesis 18:20-33 How sad that Lot did not love his children enough to train them. If he had, there would have been ten righteous: Lot (Gen. 19:1), his two unmarried daughters (19:8), at least two married daughters and two sons-in-law (19:14), most likely then at least two grandchildren, and his wife (19:15).

2 Samuel 7:16 O let our homes be established forever.

Proverbs 27:11 How may we help our sons and daughers be wise?

2 Esdras 2:15 Train with genuine love and gladness. Yahweh has chosen you, as a parent. Parenthood is a noble calling.

2 Esdras 1:5 Warn generations to come of the horror of sin and rebellion.

Psalm 34:11 Lovingly draw your children to learn of Yahweh.

Psalm 78:1-8 Faithfully pass the truth down from generation to generation.

Psalm 22:30-31 Let us declare His righteousness.

Joel 1:3 This is a continuing cycle of training.

Exodus 12:24-27 Yahweh has delivered our houses. Let us keep it that way.

Deuteronomy 4:6-10 Our greatness will vanish if we fail to teach our children. Look at Yisrael's history. Over and over again she has forgotten to impress upon her children the ways of Yahweh's truth, and over and over again she has been plundered and carried away into captivity, as she even is now.

Joshua 4:5-7 Pass on the memorials of Yahweh's greatness.

Isaiah 44:3-4 Let us bless our children, and cause them to spring up as willows.

Joshua 24:15 Our entire families must commit themselves to Yahweh, from their youth.

Psalm 71:16-18 — I will go in the strength of the Sovereign Yahweh; I will make mention of Thy righteousness, of Thine only. O Elohim, Thou hast taught me from my youth, and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works. Now also unto old age and gray hairs, O Elohim, forsake me not, until I have shewed Thine Arm unto this generation, Thy power to every one that is to come.

-Rivqah C.

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Articles

Preserved Forever
C. Nichol

How often have you heard: "For Jehovah loveth justice and forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved forever." Ps. 37:28.

Again and again it has been contended that "[Yahweh] preserveth His saints," hence there is no possibility of one of them being lost; they cannot fall from grace, for they are preserved forever.

It is my wish to consider every man as honest. BUT there are times when my credulity is strained to the breaking point. Read with me the passage from which the foregoing quotation is taken: "DEPART FROM EVIL and do good; And dwell for evermore. For [Yahweh] loveth justice, and forsaketh not His saints; They are preserved forever: BUT the seed of the wicked SHALL BE CUT OFF." Ps. 37:27,28.

Where is the person who does not know that the "SAINTS" are preserved forever? BUT THE QUESTION MAY WELL BE RAISED: CAN ONE CEASE TO BE A SAINT? . . . Do not overlook the exhortation: "Depart from evil." Also - - - "Let INTEGRITY AND UPRIGHTNESS PRESERVE me. (Ps. 25:21), "[Yahweh] preserveth THE FAITHFUL." (Ps. 31:23)...

Those teaching that a child of [Yahweh] cannot be lost quote the following in an effort to prove THEIR doctrine: "When [Messiah] who is our life shall be manifested then shall ye also with Him be manifested in [splendor]." Col. 3:4.

It is insisted that. . . as certain as [Messiah] is manifested. . . that we also will be manifested with Him. BUT it is too bad that some people are so blinded by a false theory that they seek to find SOMETHING. . . to confirm THEIR ADOPTED views. But the statement quoted from Colossians 3 was proceeded by the following:

"And you, being in time PAST alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death to present you [set-apart] and without blemish and unreprovable before Him; IF SO BE THAT YOU CONTINUE in the faith, GROUNDED AND STEADFAST, and NOT MOVED AWAY from the hope of the [glad news]." Col. 1:21-23. They are to be presented "without blemish and unreprovable": if, "IF" what? "IF so be that ye CONTINUE in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and NOT moved away from the hope of the [glad news]." To "continue in the faith" is THE OPPOSITE of "departing from the faith." SO IT IS POSSIBLE TO DEPART FROM THE FAITH!

. . . Read again the admonition: "TAKE HEED, BRETHREN, lest there be in any one OF YOU an evil heart of unbelief in DEPARTING FROM the living [Elohim]." Heb. 3:12. WHY the admonition IF it is impossible for one to fall and be lost?

. . . Another argument is based on the human relationship; it being argued: "If there is born to Mr. and Mrs. John Doe, a child, it matters not how deep in sin that child may go; how great may be his disgrace, nor how he may reflect on his parents and the other members of the family, he will continue to be the child of Mr. and Mrs. John Doe."

Those who rely upon such an argument do NOT think CLEARLY, NOR are they WILLING that an analogy BE APPLIED in ALL details. One becomes a child of [Yahweh] HIMSELF, complying with certain conditions; WHILE a child of Mr. and Mrs. John Doe did NOT HIMSELF have to comply with any conditions!

FURTHER, it must not be overlooked, in the effort to make a valid argument, that Mr. and Mrs. John Doe have the right to (and sometimes do) DISinherit their child. Yet the advocates of the doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy declare that [Yahweh] cannot disinherit one who becomes His child. Israel was at the border of the land of Palestine, when the spies returned and made their report. The vast majority of those Israelites, children of [Yahweh], rebelled against Jehovah. To Moses [YAHWEH] SAID, "I will smite them with the pestilence, and DISINHERIT them. . ." Num. 14:12. Had they not been HEIRS of [Yahweh], they could not have been DISINHERITED!

ARGUMENT: "The man in sin belongs to Jehovah. Though he may follow Satan the fact remains: ‘all souls are mine.' (Ezek. 18:4) He belongs to [Yahweh]."

ANSWER: But by his own choice a man can become a follower of Satan. "Know ye not, that to whom YE present YOURSELVES as servants unto obedience, his servants YE are WHOM YE OBEY?" Romans 6:16

SO LIVE, brother, THAT YOU WILL NOT BE "disinherited"!


This article was sent to me by a dear friend, L. Bartch. Following are her thoughts on the subject:

"This all reminds me of a tale I read in THE GRAVEDIGGER FILE by Os Guinness – about Nasreddin Hodja, the celebrated Turkish holy man: He once borrowed a large cauldron from his neighbor. When some time had passed, he placed a small metal coffee can in it and took it back to its owner. ‘What is that?' said the latter, pointing to the small can. ‘Oh,' said the Hodja, ‘Your cauldron gave birth to that while it was in my possession. The neighbor was delighted. . . Later, the Hodja borrowed the cauldron again. When the neighbor needed his own cauldron he went to the Hodja to get it. But this time the Hodja told him that, ‘Your cauldron has died.' Then the neighbor cried, ‘How can a cauldron die?' The Hodja replied: ‘Where is the difficulty? You were GLAD TO BELIEVE it could give birth, WHY WILL YOU NOT BELIEVE IT CAN DIE?' So it IS with the people who are GLAD to believe we CAN be BORN AGAIN, but they are SAD and refuse TO BELIEVE one can just AS WELL DIE SPIRITUALLY (FALL AWAY from [Yahweh])!

-L. Bartch

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The Poem Page


Gifts of the Heart
Dean Walley

Gold and silver are gifts that are treasured by many. . .
But the gifts of the heart cost not a penny.
A smile is a gift you can give every day.
A letter's a gift to a friend who's away.
Laughter's a gift that holds happiness in it.
Time is a gift to enjoy every minute.
Some people like the gift of advice.
It's a gift just to say "I like you! You're nice!"
A quarrel patched up is a special gift. . .
And so is giving someone a lift.
A task is a gift that can even be fun. . .
And praise is a gift for a task well done.
"Thank you's" and "Pleases" and "Yes'es" are gifts,
But seldom give "Oh no's" or "Maybe's" or "If's".
We sometimes find gifts in the strangest of places,
Like old trunks... and old trees... and very shy faces.
The world is a gift, for [Yah], in His love,
Gives us green meadows and blue skies above.
Giving's receiving, receiving is giving!
That's really the secret that lies behind living.
So give something each day and you'll find that it's true. . .
All the gifts of the heart will be given to you.

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The Guardian


Raising Yahweh's Sons to be GENTLEMEN

Dear fathers, what we would like to touch on is something which is very much on our hearts, and that is the importance of raising up gentlemen for the generations to come. It starts when men are just little boys. It starts in their play, and becomes a part of their manners, until the sons who are their daddy's pride and joy have a whole mind set of being a gentle man.

Let's start with the topic of play. What kinds of things are Yahweh's little boys playing with? Are they playing with things that cultivate gentleness, consideration, manly virtue, etc.? Or do their toys inspire roughness, pride, and even violence? Some examples of recreation that would inspire true manliness would be things like "fixing things"with their tool kits, working alongside Daddy, helping Mother with household tasks, playing gently with younger siblings, reading character-building books, playing with animals and farm sets, etc. But it is very very important that Yahweh's little boys not be allowed to play anything that would encourage harming another. A gentleman is trained to be gentle in everything he does; and thus the gentlemen of tomorrow must not play things that encourage something elsewise, for what these little boys play is largely what they will be. Culture responsible play that teaches manly skills, manly virtue, and manly gentleness.

Let's go on to the topic of gentle manners. Very little boys can be taught such things as "Hold the door for someone who has their hands full"; "Don't slam doors"; "Treat women (e.g. mother; sisters) and smaller people (e.g. younger siblings) as the weaker ones"; "Be helpful"; etc. Speech is also a part of gentle manners. May Yahweh's little boys be trained to speak kindly, politely, and humbly. Let not arrogance, disrespect, or roughness be found on their tongues. In all ways these little men should be taught to be mannerly, helpful, polite, and respectful.

As was said before, a gentleman has a whole mind set of gentleness. It is a heart thing. Cultivate in your sons a gentle heart. A very important tool in teaching this is your own example. Be a model of gentleness. Show the little men entrusted to you what it is to be truly gentle. Also point Yahweh's little boys to the Scriptures, and to noble examples of gentle men. One such example is Moses, who helped Reuel's daughters fetch their water. Exodus 2:16-19 ~ "Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, ‘How is it that ye are come so soon today?' And they said, ‘An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.' " Another example is "the servant of Yahweh", about whom Paul wrote to Timothy. 2 Timothy 2:24 ~ "And the servant of Yahweh must not strive, but be gentle unto all, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves...." Instill in these little ones, hearts of humility. How can one be proud and yet be gentle? It is a very unlikely scenario. In order to be truly gentle, Yahweh's little boys ought be trained to think of themselves as less than others, and to prefer others with honor (Romans 12:10). Philippians 2:3 ~ "Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." Romans 12:10 ~ "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another." They must be taught to be humble servants, for this is the way of gentleness.

Truly, in gentleness is manly strength. Yahweh delights not in the strength that oppresses, but rather in the strength that throws all its energies into respecting, serving, and blessing others.

Yahweh be with you.

-The Coover Family

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The Keeper At Home


The PURITY of Little Girls

Dear mothers, please read this story and take it to heart. It contains a very important message.

Annie was helping Mrs. Burnett with the children's spring and summer clothes. Mrs. Burnett had engaged her for spring sewing. Annie (with her baby) was an inmate of the Crittenton Home; and, because she was a quiet well-behaved girl, was allowed to work out for a week or two now and then to make a little extra money for herself and her precious child. Mrs. Burnett had grown very fond of Annie. The girl, she could see, was refined, well-educated, and had been reared in a decent home.

One day, as they sat in the sewing room, putting the finishing touches on the little girls' gingham dresses, Mrs. Burnett, glancing out the window, said delightfully, "Look, Annie, there is Nina Wilson! Isn't she the loveliest thing? Nina makes me think of a dainty rose-bud, unfolding before my eyes. She is the daughter of Judge Wilson who lives on Avenue B. She is the only child, and her parents value her as if she were made of gold.

"A pure lovely girl is worth more than her weight in any earthly treasure," said Annie quietly.

"That is what Mrs. Wilson thinks; and she is the loveliest mother: my ideal of what the mother of a sweet young girl ought to be. She is interested in everything which touches Nina's life, and yet is scrupulously careful as to what those things shall be. Now one bit of loose or careless behavior is allowed. There are no auto rides at night, and no gatherings of any kind without the presence of some grown person."

"How old is she?" asked Annie.

"She is sixteen. . . and unfolding so beautifully into womanhood. And yet, it is perhaps the most critical period in her life, too, when more than any other time, she needs the tender, watchful care of a wise mother."

There was a little pause, then Annie looked at Mrs. Burnett and said, "Why wait until they are budding into lovely young womanhood to bestow all that watchful care upon them, Mrs. Burnett? Why not give it to them now?"

"Why, they are nothing but children," exclaimed Mrs. Burnett in surprise. "They do not need it now; that is, not in just the same way."

"I know that is how most mothers look at it, but I also know that it is a very grave mistake," said Annie sadly. "We have a habit of looking at childhood as a time of carefree, happy innocence and forget that the devil is just as busy putting temptations into the depths of children as of grown people."

"Oh, I know children are tempted to tell stories and deceive their parents, and even to take things which do not belong to them; but surely, Annie, you don't think that the question of their virtue touches a little girl's life as it does an older one," said Mrs. Burnett. "Perhaps not, yet I mean that the question of a little girl's purity is often at stake," said Annie. "I believe that many a girl who falls when she is sixteen or eighteen of twenty, in spite of the tender, watchful care of her mother, would have been saved that terrible step if her mother had given her the same protecting care when she was six, or eight, or ten years of age."

Mrs. Burnett looked at the young woman in silence, too much surprised to speak.

"Listen, Mrs. Burnett," said Annie, "you know that I have a little fatherless child at the Home. But you don't know any of the particulars of my story. Painful as it is, I am going to tell you that story, hoping that it will put you on your guard about your own little girls. My mother was a good woman, but she did not see that from the time a girl begins to play with other children, every year of her life is a critical one. No, like you, she thought that the very innocence of childhood would see me safely through those early years, and then, with the dawning of young womanhood, she became very tenderly solicitous and on her guard. But it was too late. I had started wrong when I was eight years old."

"How terrible!" cried the woman.

"It is not necessary to conclude that I was an unusually depraved child. I wasn't, but I did have the intense curiosity about life's mysteries, that other children have; and, since I was allowed to play freely and for long hours at a time with little neighbor boys and girls, in the orchard, the woodlot, and the large barn on my father's place, we children had ample opportunity to say and do a great many things our parents never dreamed of. And yet, " said the girl, with a bitter smile, "I have heard the mothers in our neighborhood congratulate themselves that we children had such a safe place to play as father's big old barn, with its many stalls and loft full of sweet clean hay.

"Of course, we knew we were being very bad children, but the devil whispered that it didn't make much difference what children did when they were so young: that we would not even think of such naughty things when we were older, but would be sweet and pretty and good like the grown young ladies we knew. This went on, now and then, for several years. By the time I was twelve years old, I began to realize it wasn't so easy to be a sweet, pure young girl, as I had thought. I truly wanted to be, but the memory of things back there beat me down. I felt that I could never be like girls whose childhood had no black spots because they had been cared for. ‘What's the use of trying to be sweet and pure now?' I asked myself. ‘I am different, and nothing can alter the fact.' I grew reckless, and you know the rest of the story."

The girl was weeping by this time, and as she wiped the tears from her eyes, she cried out, "Oh, that mothers would realize how priceless is the modesty and purity of little girlhood! If they did, they wouldn't be so careless of it, or take so much for granted. They seem to think that the child's chastity is a question of the future. But it isn't true; it is a question of now. And because parents do not see this, children are left together in the most unguarded way, and sin is much more common among them than you have any idea of. I want to say another thing, Mrs. Burnett, which may cost me your friendship; and that is that the dresses you have made for Dorothy and May are not modest. Oh, I know they are the style, but I believe with all my heart that the devil gets up the styles for the little girls these days. I am not surprised that the worldly people should be governed by such fashions, but the thing I cannot understand is that you good [Scripture-believing] mothers will fall right into line, and send your little daughters out half naked because it is the style. There is May, twelve years old, and large for her age. It is very natural that she should still be just a child in your eyes, but she doesn't look that way to other people. She is developing rapidly, and will soon pass from childhood into young womanhood. Yet between her socks and the short dresses we have just finished for her there is a big stretch of bare legs reaching halfway to her waist. Dorothy's are even worse. Neither of them have sleeves in their little frocks, and the necks are cut very low. Of course, Dorothy is only six years old; but, Mrs. Burnett, how can you expect her to grow into a modest young girl, when all her life she has been used to exposing the largest part of her body to the gaze of the public? People have lots to say about the immodest dress of women and young girls, but I think the most indecently clad creature among us is the average little American girl, whether she is six or twelve," cried Annie, her eyes bright with intense feeling. "I have heard but one minister speak on this subject — the others are busy crying out against the insufficient dress of older girls and women. But this man said the trouble with the grown ones began back in childhood: that he didn't see how it is possible to produce a generation of modest young women from a crowd of half-clad little girls; and that when a mother thoughtlessly followed the styles of today, in dressing her little daughter, she was making her exposed body a target for forced prostitution by the time she was six years old."
A silence fell between the two women. Mrs. Burnett was grave and thoughtful, and the excitement had died out of Annie's face. At last she said quietly, "The time will come, I suppose, when my little girl will learn from someone that her mother hasn't always been a good woman. But, by the [favor of Yahweh], she shall never be able to say that I was a careless mother; for I shall guard her purity as the most priceless thing on earth, not only the purity of her young womanhood, but of her childhood as well. And because I want her to be modest, as well as a virtuous child, I shall not put dresses on her which only half cover her little body."

"I believe that you are going to be a wise and good mother, Annie," said Mrs. Burnett, "And there is no reason why I shouldn't be, also. I am going out for a few minutes to see what the children are doing." She paused at the door and looked back. "And while I am gone, you may begin to rip the hems out of those dresses. We will let them down so they will cover the little girl's knees," she added.

-Gospel Herald

"That women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array." 1 Timothy 2:9

"Keep thyself pure." 1 Timothy 5:22

Pilgrim Tract Society, Inc., PO Box 126, Randleman NC 27317 USA. Write to receive free sample tracts and the "Messenger."

Many thanks to my elderly friend, L. Bartch, who kindly sent me this wonderful story. This story can be ordered in tract form from Pilgrim Tract Society. (See above.)

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In The Hebrew Tongue

SET APART PEOPLE OF RENEWED COVENANT ISRAEL
larcy tyrb cdh \u cwdq
Qadosh Am Chadasha Brit Yisrael

As Yahweh's people, grafted in His Israelite family tree, hopefully His age-old covenant has been renewed in each one of our hearts.

Thank-you, Mattithyah, for this addition to Road Of The Pilgrims.

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The Children's Page


CHILDREN in the Scriptures

Get your Scriptures and fill in the blanks in the verses below. When you are finished you will have the names of twelve children in the Scriptures.

Genesis 21:2-3
"For Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son.... And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, _______________."

Exodus 2:10
"And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharoah's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name, _____________: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water."

Genesis 30:21
"And afterwards Leah bare a daughter, and called her name _____________."

Ruth 4:13,17
"So Boaz married Ruth, and she was his wife... and she bare a son. .... and they called his name __________."

1 Timothy 1:2
"Unto _______________, my own son in the faith: favor, mercy, and peace from Elohim our Father and Yahshua Messiyah our Master."

1 Samuel 3:1
"And the child ______________ ministered unto Yahweh before Eli."

Numbers 26:33
"And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were _____________, and ___________, and _______________, _______________, and ______________."

Matthew 1:21
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His Name ____________________: for He shall save His people from their sins."

Think about the wonderful things that some of these children did. You may be young, but you can still serve Yahweh. Moses grew up and delivered His people from slavery. Samuel served Yahweh, along with Eli, when he was a child. Timothy was a missionary, with Paul. Yahweh wants to use you too. After all, He sent His Son Yahshua to save you. Isn't that wonderful?

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Thoughts to Ponder


What Is Torah-observance?

I have sadly noted that many believers think that Torah observance is simply keeping the Sabbath, festivals, and food laws. I must say, if that is all there is to the Law, then we are missing out on an awful lot. Let's look at what the Torah really says:

1. Love Yahweh above all else (Deut. 6:5).
2. Father is the head of the home (Gen. 3:16).
3. Men are the providers for the family (Gen. 3:17-19).
4. Women/children submit to husband/father (Numb. 30:3-8, 13-16).
5. Women are to be keepers at home (Prov. 31:10-31... This passage backs up Gen. 3:17-19.)
6. Be not friends of evildoers (Deut. 7:1-2). Pick your friends carefully.
7. Do not intermarry with unbelievers (Deut. 7:3-4).
8. Be set-apart unto Yahweh (Deut. 7:6).
9. Esteem marriage as a covenant set-apart and not to be broken (Exo. 20:14; Mal. 2:14-16).
10. Homeschool your children, keeping in mind the most important lesson of life (Deut. 6:6-7, 20-25; Gen. 18:19).
11. Set your heart on Elohim (Deut. 5:29).
12. Follow fully after Yahweh (Numb. 14:22-24).
13. Children, honor your parents (Exo. 20:12; Lev. 19:3).
14. Be faithful to Yahweh (Numb. 12:7).
15. Deal justly and honestly (Lev. 19:13).
16. Be considerate of those less fortunate than yourself (Lev. 19:14).
17. Judge righteous judgment (Lev. 19:15).
18. Refrain from gossip (Lev. 19:16).
19. Admonish and exhort one another (Lev. 19:17).
20. Do not take vengeance into your own hands, neither hold grudges (Lev. 19:18; Deut. 32:35; Sirach 28:1-8).
21. Be respectful to the elderly (Lev. 19:32).
22. Love others as yourself (Lev. 19:18).

Deuteronomy 5:29 – O that there were such an heart in them that they would fear Me and keep My commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children forever. Leviticus 18:5 – Ye shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them; I am Yahweh.

-Rivqah C.

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Science and the Scriptures


A Shepherd Speaks to His Apprentice:

"In all the world only one creature doesn't easily recognize [Elohim] in creation: man. Our eyes turn inward to our own thoughts, backwards to a word, an insult, a gesture from another, until we can't see the now. [You can] see it on [people's] faces. They're taking on burdens not their own, like a servant stuffing his marketing bag with stones. They turn their minds toward objects and away from the [Elohim] who made them. That's what was meant when [Yahweh] commanded that we have no other gods before him. Business. Family squabbles. Gossip. Disapproval. The next big deal. Men arrange. Their plans go wrong. They rearrange. It's seldom what they hoped it would be. They are disappointed. Or they're satisfied with mediocrity when there is much more joy to be grasped by simply looking around and remembering to praise [Elohim]!

"Look at it (the stars). And yet for most of mankind not one single hour of one day is spent in the pure wonder and praise of being alive. Humans who dwell in towers of stone are fleeting shadows against the walls. They pass through corridors of power and vanish. Names and achievements are forgotten after one generation. Only the stones remain where they used to be. A house. A room. Someone else living there. They who live a life without praising [Elohim] for constellations and sunsets live without living! They miss the joy of standing in awe beneath the stars [Elohim] made for their pleasure because they are thinking of yesterday and worrying about tomorrow. They can't see what is beyond themselves. . . to now! .........

"Now there is beauty shimmering in the night sky! It costs nothing. It cannot be bought or sold, and yet it is [splendor] beyond measure! All around! Hear it as we shepherds have always heard it! How the air hums with the slow breathing of the sleeping flock. Remember! You're sheep in his pasture. He cares for y', child! Trust [Elohim] for now. This moment, and this moment! One moment at a time. And that'll get y' through anything.

"That's the blessing of a shepherd's life. Now the meteor streaks through the sky, and we alone in all the universe are privileged to see its passage. Now is all we're promised. The past can't be changed; the future may not exist for us. And yet most of mankind dwells in one or the other. And so our Father in heaven whispers on the wind to us, both the shepherds and the flock, 'Be still and know that I am [Elohim]!' "

"Jerusalem's Hope", by Bodie and Brock Thoene, excerpts from pgs. 156-158

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The Missionary Column


The following story illustrates the fact that if one wants to have a ministry of winning men's souls he must care about the souls of men.

In Yahshua's Name

There was once a man who was greatly hardened by sin. He had had good parents, but when he was five, his mother had died. His father really did want his son to take an interest in religion, but he was much taken up with work and business, and was constrained to leave his son with other caretakers much of the time. When he was not busy working he was tired, and neglected to train his son in the precepts of the faith, hoping that once-a-week assembling would stir an interest in the boy's heart. He did not know it, but young Darrel, as the boy's name was, grew up thinking that his father could care less about his son's soul. This grieved him sometimes, but he thought that the best thing to do would be to go on and make the most of his youth. Thus, when he was seventeen, he ran away from his home, seeking a life that would perhaps afford him more pleasure.

For many years this wandering son had been a sort of traveler. He took on odd jobs here and there to support himself, but he spent much of his time at sea, and he was one of those rough sea men which the more refined try to stay away from. With the passage of time, his heart grew very hard. He knew not what had become of his father, but nor did he worry about it. As he said to himself, "He didn't care about me, so why should I care about him?" He was a bitter and rough man of foul language and crude manners. No one would have guessed that his parents had been the religious sort.

However, he knew it, and once in a while a phrase of Scripture would come unbidden to his mind. But he always tried to shake it off quickly. "It was Father's religion," he said to himself. "He didn't think enough of it to make any efforts to pass it on to me. Why should I bother with it now? He didn't care.... why should I?" Sometimes, though, in the night, as the waves tossed the ship here and there making it hard to sleep, he would remember the face of his mother, looking sweetly at him from off of the piece of paper which he had discarded when he was twenty-six years old. Try as he might, he could not forget that photograph even now, fifteen years after he had thrown it away. Words of Scripture that he had heard on Sabbath Day always accompanied that face too. He wasn't sure, but he thought that maybe, just maybe, his mother really had cared. But, he reasoned, no one else did, and so he doubted that Providence cared either. Once in a while, in the darkest and loneliest of nights, his heart, usually so hard and bitter, would be filled with a heavy weight, a deep sorrow, at the thought that no one cared.

One day, Darrel arrived at a sea port and was trading some merchandise with the dwellers of that town. After the business of the day was finished, he made his way to an inn where he hoped to find a bed for the night. When he checked in, the man at the desk suspiciously at him. He was not fond of rough and rude sailors, and something about this one looked even worse than most of them to him. He checked him in though, and gave him a room, though not one of the best ones to be sure. After returning to his office, he thought, "My, that guy does need something to help him improve his life. I guess I might as well do my duty and gain myself merit with the Almighty." So he took a small tract down to Darrel's room and knocked. When Darrel answered, the inn keeper shoved the piece of paper in his hand and said hastily, "There's something you might want." Not waiting for Darrel to reply, he hurried away, feeling that he had done a very good deed.
Darrel, however, was of a different opinion. When he took a look at the tract and saw what its subject was, he growled, "Why should I be any more interested in religion than I've ever been? This guy doesn't care, and that's obvious." Swearing under his breath, he tore the paper in shreds and threw it on the floor.

Several years passed, and Darrel nearly forgot about the incident in the motel. One day however, as he was walking down the streets of a well-kept town, a man dressed in a suit and tie seized him by the arm. His face was shaven well, his hands looked as though they had never attempted work, and he smelled of cologne. "Sir, do you know the Lord?" he asked boldly.

Darrel tried to continue on his way, but the man followed along, saying in a business-like manner, "There's a fine church up the way that I pastor and I'd strongly advise you to come. If you don't mend your ways, your going to hell. But if you want to come and associate with decent men, then you'll be more than welcome." Then he puffed out his chest and walked away.

Now Darrel had never experienced being a pastor, but he could read men pretty well. "That guy doesn't care a thing about religion," he thought disdainfully. "All he cares about is fine clothes and a following. He wants me at his church just so he can have one more name on the list. It's evident from his manner that he thinks he something pretty high up there."

Once again, Darrel continued with his life as before, ever growing more appalled by faith and more firmly set against it. Many years slipped away. Darrel was now an old man. He grew too old for life at sea, and purchased a small house in one of the seaports he had often stopped at. Here he could see old acquaintances often and go down to the tavern whenever he wanted a good game of cards or some gossip. One Summer day he was doing just that. As he walked along, his clothes ragged and smelly as always, his face hard and rough, he spied a young lady walking on the other side of the street. She was the only other person out besides him. Probably the sweltering heat had kept most everybody else home. She looked sweet and refined, and reminded him of his mother. "Oh blast it," he groaned inwardly. "Don't let me think about her again." But he couldn't keep his eyes off of the girl, and not watching where he was going, he tripped over a cement block that had carelessly been left in the middle of the sidewalk. He went plunging to the ground. His arm struck a metal post. His head landed with great force on the hard sidewalk. He let out an oath and then everything went black for a moment.

Darrel opened his eyes a few moments later, and there, kneeling beside him was the sweet-faced girl. In her hand she held a cup of water. Lifting his head a slight bit with her other hand, she said kindly, "Take it in Yahshua's Name. It will help you." Gratefully he drank the water. Then she stood. "I'm going to try to get help," she said, and hurried away. Soon she entered the door of the nearest building, the tavern. "She's going in there.... for me?" Darrel wondered amazed.

Soon a wagon was brought, and Darrel, his head reeling with pain, was taken to his home, as he had insisted that he didn't need a doctor. The young lady, who had ridden along, made up his bed with the greatest of care, fluffed his pillow, and put a drink where he could easily reach it. The men from the tavern lowered him carefully into the bed. "You need anything else?" one of them asked. "Sure you don't need a doctor?"

"No, I'm fine," Darrel responded weakly. Then they left, and the girl also disappeared, parting company with the men and walking back to her home. As Darrel lay in his bed with an aching head and body, he kept remembering those soft sweet words. "Take it in Yahshua's Name." Who is Yahshua, he wondered.

Over the next few days, the girl and her father came often to the house. She always came in and checked on him, brought him enough food for several days, straightened up anything that he had scuffed up in getting out of bed for short intervals, and asked if there was anything else he needed. He never said much while she was there, but one day he did ask, "What makes you come here?" She turned, and with a smile playing on her lips she replied, "I do it for Yahshua's sake."

So the question persisted: "Who IS Yahshua?" One day he voiced his puzzlement. "Who is Yahshua?" he asked in his rough way. And so, with her father looking on, the girl told him who Yahshua was and what He had done. For a long time she spoke. Something had been stirred in his hardened heart, and he listened attentively to everything she said as she told him about how much Yahshua cared. Suddenly, the floods of waters broke forth, and burying his face in his hands, he sobbed and sobbed. "Somebody cares," he moaned. "Somebody cares." This tender bloom of womanhood had been a manifestation to him of how much Providence really did care, and because he had seen this care really exemplified by one claiming His Name, he could finally believe that the Almighty cared about his soul.

So it was that Darrel came to believe on the Father and Son and to live the remaining days of His life in service to Elohim. Two and a half years after his conversion he fell asleep in Messiah, a smile on His face, knowing that somebody cared, and that he would live with that somebody for all eternity.

This story was written by Rivqah on 01/16/5767 (04/15/2006).

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The Prayer Request Corner

Please pray for Al (Yahchanan) and Yahrusha Gagne as they serve Yahweh in Maine. These brethren are faithful servants of the Most High, devoting their time to ministering to the poor (both spiritually and physically), providing Scriptural materials, and encouraging the brethren. May Messiyah be with them in all of their endeavors.

Please pray for NiYah, my 22-month-old brother whom we had hoped to be able to legally adopt. A little over a month ago, he was taken from this home to live with his "birth mother" whom he did not know at all. This has been very traumatic for him, we know, as he was never away from us once, since we brought him home from the hospital at birth. Our hearts are grieving deeply for him. PLEASE pray that Yahweh would bring him home to love, peace, and faith in His time.

Also please pray for my other little brother (almost four years old), that we would be able to legally adopt him soon, as he has also been adopted into our hearts and home, and is as much a part of our family as if he were biologically so.

With sincere thanks from Rivqah (06-25-2006)

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A Voice to the Young


This story illustrates the real motivation for marriage. If one is marrying simply for physical benefits, he or she might as well remain single. However, if true love founded on the Word of Yahweh is the inspiration of the relationship, then may those engaged in this beautiful pursuit be richly blessed.

The Four Pursuits
(Agatha's Choice)
Rivqah (Rebekah) Coover

In a faraway land long ago there lived four bachelor brothers. Burke was the oldest. He owned a fine estate and had a dozen servants to cook and clean for him and keep the grounds up. Having inherited his father's fortune, he lived a life of ease and pleasure. The next oldest son was Woodrow. He had completed a good share of education, and was quite a learned fellow. He was fluent in Spanish, German, Latin, and Russian, besides his native tongue. Then too, he was a skilled mathematician, and knew a good deal about science and philosophy besides. Vance was the next to youngest. He was a well-known doctor, was the owner of several clinics, and made good wages. He was proud of his profession, and took joy in what he did. Last of all there was Anatole. Unlike his brothers, he had nothing admirable to attach to his name. He had not made out so well in the world as his brothers had. He lived a humble life in a small cottage, laboring day to day for minimal wages. But he was a quiet and meditative fellow, never complaining, and seeming rather content with his lot in life. The older brothers rather regarded Anatole with scorn, and did not care to have to much to do with him. Whereas they visited each other regularly and had many merry times together, they let Anatole out of things, and so he was a loner.

Now Anatole had always been different from his brothers, ever since they were very young. There had been quite a few times that he had gently reproved them for certain pleasures with which they occupied themselves, stating that such things were not profitable or honorable. This was one reason why they disliked him, for he had always made them feel guilty for their careless and worldly ways. He spent much time reading a worn copy of the Scriptures which had belonged to his great-grandmother, but no one else in the family cared for the Book. In the same city that the brothers occupied, there was a fine castle in which lived a wealthy man, and his wife and daughter. All of the older brothers agreed that the maiden was the fairest they had ever seen, and the loveliest in manner as well. But they knew little about her, and didn't suppose that Anatole did either.

One evening, they were all gathered in Burke's livingroom, sipping wine and talking.

"Do you think that we'll ever marry and give up our bachelor-ship?" questioned Vance.

"I shouldn't know," drawled Woodrow. "But if I ever did, I know who I would marry."

Burke spoke up quickly now. "I know who you're thinking of, but who's to say she'd want to marry you? You know, she is used to living in wealth, and who would better suit that than myself?"

"Well, so my brothers are entertaining the thoughts of marriage," Vance smiled. "Yes, Burke is right. He has all the finery and riches that a girl such as Agatha would want."

"Agatha? You know her name now?" Woodrow asked, surprised. "I verily say there might be a bit of competition going on here. But say, don't you think education would mean anything to such an accomplished young lady?"

"Accomplished? How do you know she's accomplished?" Burke wondered.

"Well, she is educated," Woodrow told him. I heard her speaking to a Mexican woman one time when I was in town, and she pronounced her Spanish perfectly and effortlessly. Then I got wind that her father does some business overseas with certain Russians, and she translates everything for him."

"Where have you been picking up this knowledge?" Vance asked a bit jealously.

"Just through the grapevine," Woodrow replied casually.

Vance spoke again. "I do happen to know that she has a number of health problems, and has to see a doctor often. So, though I may not provide her with all the gold to pay one, she'd never have to worry just so long as I was by her side. And perhaps I could build her health up some too."

"As I said, she is used to riches," Burke stated. "And you don't need a translator, Woodrow. You're already one yourself. As for a doctor, there would never be a fear that I could not pay one. But.... as we've been bachelors so long, and as we all three seem to be fighting over this girl, it seems best to me that we just put the thoughts aside, and remain friends."

To this proposal Vance agreed, saying that he had only brought up the topic of marriage to see whether his brothers had ever thought about it. Woodrow, too, chuckled and said, "I'm already married, and my lover is the fact that I am a bachelor. It's rather an easy life when you don't have to worry about a wife and children."

Now what all of the brothers did not know, was that each one was just trying to put the others off, so that he alone could pursue Agatha. That night, Woodrow wrote a letter which mingled English, Russian, and Spanish together beautifully, and expressed to her his desire to court her. As for Vance, the next day he ordered a florist to send Agatha a lovely bouquet of roses from "Doctor Vance Shirling". And Burke purchased a necklace of fine silver and gold, and sent it to her with a card saying that he wished to be her lover. All of the brothers kept very quiet about their affairs, and so none of them imagined what an odd situation was unfolding. Each one, however, was very confident that Agatha would return his attentions.

So it happened that two days after Burke had sent the necklace, he passed Anatole in town. With a pleased expression on his face, he announced that he would be getting married soon. "Oh really?" Anatole asked, feeling hurt that he had just now learned the news. "Who's the bride? And how long have you been engaged?"

Burke did not find it necessary to let on that he was not yet engaged, but coolly replied, "It is Agatha Talri. You know who...."

He suddenly stopped at the shocked and horrified expression on Anatole's face. "Why, Anatole, whatever is the matter?"

"Something is extremely wrong!" Anatole exclaimed, and hurried away.

"He always was odd," Burke said in an undertone, and then proceeded about his business. But all day he was puzzled over Anatole's strange reaction.

That evening, Woodrow stepped out of a tavern, not all together with it, and who should be passing but Anatole. "Good evening," he greeted his brother in an unsteady voice. Then, laughing loudly he said, "I am to be married.

"You too?" Anatole did not speak in the same quiet manner that was so characteristic of him, but Woodrow was not with it enough to notice. He laughed again, and continued. "The girl's name is Agatha.... Agatha Talri."

"What?" Anatole shouted. "What is going on here? Is this a joke?" He did not stay around to hear the answer to his question, but stormed down the street.

"Such a hurry you're in." A familiar voice caused Anatole to stop. Turning, he saw Vance coming from the health clinic. "Go ahead. Go ahead. I have no need to talk to you," the doctor said carelessly.

"What is going on with Burke and Woodrow?" Anatole demanded.

"Going on with them? I have no idea. I do know that I will soon have a bride to go home to."

Here, Anatole exploded. "You fellows are crazy!"

"What's wrong with you, Anatole?" Vance was clearly confused. "You always were strange, but now..."

Anatole interrupted him. "What's the girl's name?"

"Agatha."

"I am not going to rest until I get this figured out," Anatole vowed hotly.

"Alright, suit yourself." So saying, Woodrow turned for home.

But not Anatole. He headed straight for the Talri castle. Upon arriving, he pounded upon the door. But Agatha did not answer. Rather, Mr. Talri made his appearance. He seemed troubled as he invited the young man in. Even after he had seated him in the parlor, he did not call his daughter, but sat down beside Anatole and began to speak. "Anatole, do you happen to be related to a Burke?"

"Yes, sir, and that is exactly why I came here tonight. All three of my brothers are telling me that they are about to be married to your daughter. What is going on? What has she told them? She is my betrothed, and my beloved alone!"

"Very well. You know nothing else of the matter?" Mr. Talri asked.

"No. But does Agatha?"

"You're brothers are rather jumping ahead of things," Mr. Talri told him. "Agatha just received mail from each one of them, in which they expressed their desires to woo her, and she is very upset. She has never said a word to any of them, nor they to her."

"Please may I see her?" begged Anatole. "It would just make me feel better."

Mr. Talri hesitated. "I suppose you may," he agreed reluctantly. "But she is not very happy right now."

"I will put her at ease," Anatole promised.

So Mr. Talri went to retrieve his daughter. At length she entered the room. Her eyes were red, and Anatole could easily see that she had been crying.

"Agatha, don't let it trouble you," he said gently. "Pardon me for not speaking very respectfully of my older brothers, but they are utter fools. They have all three announced to me that they are about to be married, and when I heard your name I could hardly believe it. It made no sense at all."

"Anatole, you are the only one I love, and I never ever gave them any reason to think that I would marry them. They have all sent things directly to me, without even bothering to go through my father as you did. But it is so ridiculous. They obviously have not talked about it together, and none of your brothers know what the other is doing. But how did all of their proposals arrive the same day?" Agatha questioned.

"I do not know, Agatha. But as I said, they are fools. They have enraged me. Do assure me with all of your heart that you never...."

"Anatole, I never did any such thing!" Agatha cried. "I never even spoke to any one of them."

"Do you mind my asking what they sent you?"

"Well, I gather that Burke is very rich, for he sent me an expensive necklace of pure silver and gold. So I am suspecting that he is seeking to lure me by his wealth. Then Woodrow sent a letter written in three languages, so I guess he is trying to impress me with his knowledge. And Vance sent flowers from Doctor Vance. Does he know that I must often see the doctors? Is he trying to win my heart by letting me know that he is a doctor?"

Anatole replied, "It does sound as if they are all trying very hard to impress you."

"But do you know what, Anatole?" Agatha asked.

"What?"

"Not one of them impressed me in the least bit. When we get married, I will not be able to afford gold and silk and finery, but I will be married to the richest man in the world, for you have treasures laid up in heaven. And I will not be able to converse back and forth with you in several different languages, but I will be able to help you if you ever make acquaintance with Spanish or Russian speaking people. And moreover, I will be married to the wisest man in the world, for you have given yourself to the wisdom that comes from above. And I will have to go see a doctor somewhere else when necessary, but I will always have you by my side, in sickness and in health, and your love will be sweet medicine to my soul."

"Thank-you, Agatha." There were tears in Anatole's eyes. "I am no longer troubled. You have put me at rest."

"Good. For I do not marry a man for his riches, or his accomplishments, or his profession. I marry a man for his love."

This story was written by Rebekah Coover, age 16, on 10-15-2005.

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Road Of The Pilgrims
Post Office Box 7
Shippensburg, PA 17257
USA


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