July 4 – Independence Day
Shalom!
Well, the 4th of July (Independence Day) has come and gone. I rather enjoyed it. My family had been invited to a client’s home where he fed us, took us out on his boat, and introduced us to several of his friends.
It was fun speaking with them because it was such a diverse setting. On my dad’s side, I have German ancestry. There was a gentleman there that was from Germany and had been living in the U.S. for a few years. I enjoyed talking with him.
There was also a family that is from Hong King, China. Some of their English wasn’t perfect, but through an app on our phones, we were able to communicate well enough. I really enjoyed listening to some of their stories and the benefits of ancient Chinese medicine rather than, as they put it, “American medications”. I could go on, but I want to talk about the fireworks.
Why the fireworks? Well, I’ve come to realize that almost everything these days makes me think of the Bible. As I sat on the dock, the area I was in hosted a fireworks show. It was storming in various places, and we got a little rain where we were, too. So the view I had was fireworks, heat-lightning to the right (which has an amber color), and storm-lightning on the left (which has a white/blue appearance). Then, of course, there was the lake everything was reflected in along with several boats with their night-lights on and the neighbors that were also shooting off their fireworks. There were just lights of various kinds all around.
The booming and the spectacle of the fireworks reminded me of Sinai where Yah first gave the Hebrews the Torah. Scripture describes that there was thunder, lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, a shofar blast, the people were trembling… and Yah descended on it like fire. It was a spectacular sight to behold. The people were so afraid, they pleaded with Moshe/Moses to speak with Yah and whatever he said to do, they would do. Scripture also describes the voice of God as thunder, so the booms of the fireworks and the occasional thunder just made me think of this account and many others throughout the Tanakh.
The water and the boats reminded me of when Yeshua walked on the water towards the boat the disciples were in, too.
Though, in spite of all the flashing lights and booming sounds, I felt very happy and peaceful. It was just a wonderful experience. Even the rain made me think of the Covenant that rain would fall as a blessing for those that remained obedient.
I rather enjoy being reminded by so many things about Scripture and His promises.
“Yehovah is my shepherd; I lack nothing. He has me lie down in grassy pastures, he leads me by quiet water, he restores my inner person.”
Psalm 23
I hope you all had a wonderful time, yourselves!
-Michael
Don’t forget to check out our Scripture Studies and the new story about The Man in Robes and Tassels.