Worthy Brief - 9/3/2021
Friend, faces reflect; reflect on faces, and behold His beauty!
Psalm 27:4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.
The Hebrew word for "face" is "panim", (the Hebrew letters, peh-nun-yud-mem), literally "faces", a plural word. Normally, when we think about God, we focus only upon one of His "faces” at a time. God is "love" – or He is "holy"-- or He is "just"--- or He's a God of "wrath". Yet, of course, ALL these "faces" are His at once; and so the word "panim" accurately reflects the truth of God's multifaceted being. As we get to know Him better we begin to appreciate the complexity of His nature and the fact that our focus on one "face" is a very limited view, since there's so much more going on in His amazing "Personality".
Now the same four Hebrew letters which form the word "face", (peh-nun-yud-mem), also form the Hebrew word for "inside" or "interior". * This would seem to contradict the first meaning, "face", since "face" is the external part of a person or thing, not the inside. Yet here, as with many Hebrew words and concepts lies a deep truth, a paradox which expresses two sides of reality. The "face" is intimately connected with the "interior", and may accurately reveal the true "interior" of someone. There's even a science (or perhaps you might call it an art) of reading peoples' true attitudes and character by looking carefully at their facial expressions. So while we don't "judge a book by it's cover", we may begin to know a person better by carefully looking at her face...because it is true that the face often says something real about the inside of a person. Yeshua (Jesus) said, "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light." Inside and out, we're connected.
And this is something God wants us to do with Him; to meditate, or gaze upon His "panim", His "faces", and so to receive from His interior depths. Someday, we will see Him "face to face", and begin to know Him in ways which are unimaginable. Yet it is possible, by His Spirit within us, to begin now.
Friend, God desires us to look deeper into who He is, even as we only look or meditate on one of His "faces". King David expressed his own unique desire in these words: "One thing I have asked from YHVH, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of YHVH all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the YHVH and to meditate in His temple." God's faces and His "interior" are one continuous eternal wonder. Let us spend time this weekend simply beholding Him! Shabbat Shalom!
* In Israel, the Ministry of the "Interior" is the first "face" you meet when interacting with the State on visa issues which determine your internal status in the Land. In Hebrew it's called the "Misrad HaPanim" (Office of the INTERIOR), literally, "Office of the Faces"!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Baltimore, Maryland
Editor's Note: Our preferred social media platform is Telegram [ Follow us on Telegram ]. However, we've also set up a unique Facebook page for Worthy News. [ Follow us on Facebook ].
Afghanistan’s Taliban To Work With China As ‘Main Partner’
Shortly after declaring victory against the United States, Afghanistan’s new Islamist Taliban rulers reached out to China, which wants to cooperate with them.
Italy may eventually make COVID vaccine shots compulsory for all, Draghi says
Italy may eventually make COVID-19 inoculations compulsory for everyone of eligible age, and plans to start administering booster vaccine shots later this month to vulnerable people, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Thursday.
U.S. troops not abandoning its bases inside Syria, Pentagon says
The Pentagon is denying reports by Iranian state media that U.S. military forces abandoned three bases inside Syria used in the fight against the Islamic State.
Mu COVID Variant, Which Scientists Fear is Resistant to Vaccines, Detected in 39 Countries
A new coronavirus strain has been declared a variant of interest by the World Health Organization (WHO) with mutations that may be resistant to vaccines.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israeli strikes said to target Syria, blasts heard near Tel Aviv
Israeli planes carried out an airstrikes near Damascus early Friday, Syrian state media claimed, and sounds of explosions were heard in central Israel shortly after.
Thousands riot on Gaza border; Palestinian killed by IDF fire
A 26-year-old Palestinian has been killed by IDF fire during the protest along the Gaza border on Thursday night, claim the Hamas-operated health ministry in Gaza.
Jerusalem: Archaeologists find “cheat weight” from First Temple era
Archaeologists excavating in Jerusalem’s Old City have unearthed a weight that was likely used to cheat traders some 2,700 years ago in the First Temple period, the Jerusalem Post (JP) reports.
Israel opens China-operated Haifa port to boost regional trade links (Video)
Israel has opened a new shipping port along its Mediterranean coast that will bring much-needed competition to a sector plagued by delays and boost the country's standing as a regional trade hub.
Inside the United States
Ida’s aftermath: Swollen rivers threaten new flooding in parts of Northeast as storms kill dozens (Video)
As the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the Northeast, killing more than 50 people, other areas are bracing for the storm’s impact as swollen rivers are threatening additional flooding.
DIA leads on lab leak theory
The 17 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community remain divided on how the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic originated, but the Defense Intelligence Agency is the most forward-leaning among the spy services in asserting that the virus most likely began inside a Chinese laboratory, according to U.S. intelligence sources.
Jan. 6 committee Dems push telecoms to secretly turn over phone records of GOP colleagues
The Democrat-led House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol breach has requested that a number of telecommunications companies preserve the phone records of a group of GOP lawmakers and former President Donald Trump.
Manchin Jolts Democrats by Urging ‘Pause’ on $3.5 Trillion Bill
Senator Joe Manchin is demanding a “strategic pause” in action on President Joe Biden’s economic agenda, potentially imperiling the $3.5 trillion tax and spending package that Democratic leaders plan to push through Congress this fall.
Florida: ‘$5,000 Fines For Demanding COVID Jabs’
The U.S. State of Florida confirmed Thursday it would impose $5,000 fines on businesses, schools, and government agencies that demand people to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination.
Supreme Court divides 5-4, leaves Texas six-week abortion ban in place
The Supreme Court divided 5-4 on Wednesday, leaving a Texas ban on abortion after six weeks in place while litigation challenging the law continues in the lower courts.
Majority of companies plan to issue COVID vaccine mandate for employees
A new survey by advisory firm Willis Towers Watson shows that more than half of US companies are planning some kind of COVID-19 vaccine mandate for their employees by the end of the year, ABC News reports. The survey was carried out last month, amid the surge of the more contagious delta variant.
20 states sue Biden administration over gender identity-sexual orientation rules
Twenty states have filed suit against the Biden administration to block what they say are unconstitutional new laws on sex and gender discrimination in schools, Just the News (JN) reports. In January this year, President Biden issued an executive order to “prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.”
Christian News
Diverse faith groups rally to help Afghan refugees
Diverse American faith groups, including Protestant and Catholic churches, Islamic organizations and Jewish agencies are helping Afghan refugees who were evacuated to the US after the Taliban took over Afghanistan last month, Just the News (JN) reports.
Nigeria Christians Mourn Scores Killed As Kidnappings Continue
Christians in central and northern Nigeria say they are mourning scores of fellow-believers killed in recent weeks by Islamic militants. They also remain concerned about ongoing kidnappings of Christian students, including in the nation’s troubled northeast, Worthy News learned.
Worthy Watch
Former Special Forces Personnel Stay Behind Enemy Lines, Keep Evacuation Mission Going in Afghanistan
Floods Continue for a 2nd Day in Spain
Resistance Attacks Against the Taliban
Hundreds of Greek Health Care Workers Protest in Athens
State of Emergency in New York City, Subway Closed
State of Emergency in New Jersey as Tornadoes and Floods Hit