Hungry Hearts Ministries

One of the purposes of Hungry Hearts Ministries is to provide resources for believers to learn more about Jesus (or Yeshua, in Hebrew), and His word, the Bible.

We believe that the Bible is truth and that living according to Torah is the beginning of this truth, which allows us to grow spiritually These resources are designed to facilitate this growth.

Jesus Christ has placed spiritual star power within the heart of every Believer. Learn how to make use of this power from God to overcome sin, live a more fulfilling life and worship Jesus more intensely. Learn how to open up Spiritual power in your life. Learn how to love your trials as they refine your soul. Learn the true heavenly wealth of the treasure you hold within your body of clay.

Pastor Bill Shults has been serving the Lord as a Sabbath-keeper for 34 years. He is the Founder of Hungry Hearts Ministries with three churches statestide and missions in Kenya and India. The ministry hosts a variety of feast celebrations in Tennessee. He is also a gifted author of books, articles, and pamphlets.

In addition to our quarterly Pursuit magazine, we offer:

• Books and CDs available through our website and Amazon

• Free Booklets available through our website in PDF format or in print, by request

• Sabbath Sermons available live on RevMedia every Saturday at 3pm/4pm Central/Eastern and later on Youtube

Today many Christians around the world consider December and early January to be a festive season. This includes the specific celebrations of December 25 and January 1. Did you know that the earliest Christians did not observe these days? In the first several centuries after Christ’s coming, events occurred that changed Christianity. In this book, you will learn the history behind these celebrations and how they were adopted from Roman culture.

Evangelist Kelly McDonald, Jr. currently serves at the President of the Bible Sab bath Association (BSA) in addition to a variety of roles at Hungry Hearts Ministries. He is a prolific author of books, articles, and blogs. He has been preaching for 13 years and is available to speak at your church upon request.

Don’t Trade God’s Treasures, continued gression, he faced warfare the rest of his life.

The same thing happened later in the time of Joash. While he started out on the right track, he eventually turned away from the Lord. In 2 Kings 12:17-18, we learn that he was attacked by a foreign enemy. Instead of repenting and calling on God, he surrendered the Lord’s dedicated things to a Gentile king to prevent further conflict.

Amaziah was the son of Joash; he walked right in the eyes of the Lord, but not as David. He left the high places up and people continued to offer incense and sacrifices there (violating Lev. chapter 17). He hired some of the northern tribes as mercenaries. God was displeased with this and told him to send them home even with their pay. Later, some of those troops pillaged portions of Judah.

In 2 Chron. 25:13-15, Amaziah got bitter about this situation and started worshiping the gods of Edom. Then he decided that he would challenge Jehoash, king of the northern tribes. However, he was badly defeated because pride got in the way. Amaziah wanted to show his strength and not that of God. It was a costly move as Jehoash took gold and silver from the temple of the Lord (2 Kings 14:13-14).

Ahaz was the next king we will discuss. He worshiped other gods and he even sacrificed a son in the fire. He was attacked and sent for the King of Assyria to protect him. “And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria” (2 Kings 16:8). He used the Lord’s dedicated things and his personal treasures to try and buy protection during his time of disobedience. It represented a total disregard for the dedication and obedience of previous generations. These same mistakes happened to other kings like Hezekiah and Jehoiachin.

These examples give us a pattern in the Bible where the Lord’s people gave away His dedicated things to other gods and other people. We see this same pattern as we study the Hanukkah story.

The events leading up to the fulfillment of Hanukkah occur in Daniel chapter 11. Most of this chapter deals with the King of the North and the King of the South. To learn more about this, read the article “What is Hanukkah?” in this edition of Pursuit.

Antiochus III was one King of the North who is discussed in Daniel 11:13-19. He fought an unsuccessful war with the Romans, which caused a large tax to be placed upon him and his successors.

After his death, the kingdom of the north fell to his son Seleucus IV (187-176 BC). Heliodorus was his treasurer, and he was sent out to raise money to help offset the money owed to the Romans. He went so far as to even try and take money from the Temple in Jerusalem, but he was unsuccessful. Seleucus was eventually assassinated by Heliodorus. This was prophesied in Daniel 11:20.

“His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.”

In 175 BC, Antiochus IV became King of the North. He was a shrewd man who was bent on doing whatever he could for power and prestige. At this time, the rightful high priest of the Jewish people was Onias III. In 173, he was deposed from the priesthood by a proGreek party called the Tobiads. Jason, who bribed Antiochus, was given the position. Two years later, Jason was overthrown by Menelaus, who paid even more to receive the position of high priest. He also took sacred vessels from the Temple of God and give them to Syrian nobles in return for their support.

About this same time, Antiochus invaded Egypt, but failed to completely conquer it. Rumors spread that he had been killed in battle and the Jewish people kicked Menelaus out of office. During his journey from Egypt, Antiochus stopped at Jerusalem to reinstate Menelaus.

Antiochus entered the Temple precincts, plundered the treasures of the Lord’s dedicated things and carried away some of the holy temple furniture, including the golden table of showbread. After defiling the temple, Antiochus returned to his capital, Antioch. This was prophesied by God in Daniel 11:22, 28:

“22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. ….28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.”

In 168, Antiochus had a second failed invasion of Egypt. Angered by this disappointment, he went to Jerusalem a second time and betrayed the Jewish people. Among his heinous acts were the abomination that makes des- olate. He set up a statue of Zeus in the Temple of God and then had his face carved on the image. He sacrificed a pig on the altar and spread its blood in the Temple. He also declared himself ‘god manifest’.

His generals offered gold, silver, other treasures, and positions of leadership to any Jewish people who compromised their religion (I Macc. 2:15-21). What were they really asking him to do? They were asking him to compromise their spiritual treasures to have security in this world (in the eyes of man).

The Jewish people rebelled against the rule of Antiochus. They fought back and won! Three years after the initial defilement, the people reconquered the Temple area. Among their first actions was to cleanse the Holy area, reinstitute worship of God and refurbish it with treasures (I Maccabees 4:36-59).

But there is a deeper meaning to all the knowledge and understanding we have gained thus far. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are the Temple of God because His Spirit dwells within us (I Cor. 3:15-16). We accumulate spiritual treasures as we overcome sin, have precious moments of comfort from Him, persevere through trials by His assistance, make the right decisions through His leading and power, and serve the King with spiritual gifts from Him. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7, we have this treasure in earthen vessels; our spiritual treasures originate from the Holy Spirit within us.

Like the kings of old and the Maccabees, we must guard our Temple and the treasure within it. When the warfare from satan or our own sinful desires comes – do we escape into something? Social Media? Pornography? Politics? Conspiracies? Sinful habits? Breaking commandments and mistreating others?

Do we give up the treasures of the Lord for something else? The kings of Judah left the high places intact rather than destroying them; these were places where people worshiped other gods. Do you have a high place – an attitude, lust, wound, greed, or covetousness – you visit to escape from the reality of God’s purpose for your life? We cannot have victory in Christ until we have disposed of our high places. They betray His precious treasure.

Rehoboam had treasures TAKEN from the Temple because he sinned! He lowered the standard! When we lower the standard for whatever justification may exist, then we are giving away precious treasures and memories that we had with the Lord. Do we live like a Christian when we are in private, or do we have pet sins that we want to keep hidden from others? Do the Ten Commandments mean anything to you, or do you cherry pick them so that you only do that which is con- venient? Is your focus on loving God and other people?

Asa voluntarily took the Lord’s devoted things and even his own personal treasures and gave them to a Gentile king to attack his brothers. Are you living in spite, envy, jealousy, bitterness, or hatred towards your brother or sister in Christ? If so, then you are giving away the treasures of the Lord to the enemy.

Fear or laziness motivated some kings to give away the dedicated things. Instead of repenting and calling upon the Lord, they just gave up the Lord’s treasures. Are you afraid to lose things like friends, jobs, possessions for the sake of Christ? Jesus taught us to be willing to forsake all to follow Him (Matthew 10:37-39, Matthew 19:29). Are we afraid to lose our ‘kingdom’ rather than seek His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33)? This leads to compromise and/or appeasement.

Some people want to avoid conflict with the enemy (satan) or their sinful nature. Sometimes people compromise or appease the enemy or their flesh to avoid confronting their own sin. “I don’t feel like fighting”; “I don’t want to deal with this any more”; or “its easier to stay where I’m at.”

Some of the kings of Judah we looked at in this article struggled with pride. They tried to show off and be great in the eyes of other people. This happened with Amaziah. Menelaus went as far as to give the vessels used to worship God to the enemy to gain position. The devil will honor you in the flesh if it gets you to give up the Lord’s treasures.

For you and your life – is it all about what you are on earth? How you look to others? How many facebook friends you can get? How many likes you can get? How invested are you in this world? How invested are you in the age to come?

If you have turned away, then just remember that you can repent. Through God, we have spiritual weapons to destroy strongholds within us (2 Cor. 10:3-5). You can go back and start storing up treasures in His Temple just like the days of old. Let’s dedicate the Temple of God and protect the precious treasures of the Lord. If we will dedicate ourselves to Him in this life, there will be laid up for us great treasure for all eternity.

“…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…” (Matthew 6:20-21)

By: Deaconess Sarah Raynor

Hanukkah has many meanings. We celebrate it specifically to commemorate a surprising victory of the Maccabees over 2,000 years ago. We celebrate it more generally to remind us that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5).

On the first day of creation, God created light (Genesis 1:3). That light was the first thing that God called “good” (Genesis 1:4). Then, God separated the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:4), and He has been separating things for us ever since—good from evil, righteousness from sin, and holiness from uncleanness.

The Hebrew word for light is “or,” and it is spelled with three Hebrew letters, aleph, vav, resh (Strong). Each Hebrew letter started as a pictograph, and those pictures help us understand the meaning of the word. An aleph is an ox head and represents God. The vav is a nail, securing or establishing something. The resh is a head, referring to the top or the beginning. Therefore, we can conclude from the Hebrew that light, indeed, was established in the beginning by God.

One English word that comes from the Hebrew word or is aura, which is the light or quality that both surrounds and is generated by people. Or is also the source of the English word orientation. Another Hebrew word uses the same root as or is ro-eh. It means to see and translates into seer or prophet (Hebrew).

The connection between light and seeing is not limited to Hebrew. We also see this in science. A simple definition of light is that it is a form of radiation that can be seen by the human eye and carries energy. Light has two basic functions. First, it is the only way food is generated for almost all life on Earth. Second, light is also what lets us see around us, and light is what allows us to see in color (Light).

Both the Hebrew and our understanding of science allow us to see a connection between the natural and the supernatural. Light gives us direction based on an orientation. Light allows us to see and understand. And we must have light to live and grow. There is a connec- tion between God and man, and that is literally brought to life by the Holy Spirit breathed into us.

The orientation that the light provides is found in our Bibles. There are so many verses that reveal this simple truth: “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path” (Psalms 119:105). We are taught to “walk in the light of The LORD” (Isaiah 2:5). We find more clarity about this in Proverbs. “For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light” (Proverbs 6:23).

It is Jesus’ Law that gives us our orientation. The light of His law governs us just as His lights governs the day and night (Genesis 1:16; Exodus 13:21; Nehemiah 9:12; Psalm 78:14, 105:39, 136:7-9).

Jesus’ Law can most easily be summarized by the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). It is a basic list of what we should do, and how we can live our life to honor Jesus. In Hebrew, there are no number characters. Instead, each letter of the alphabet has a numerical value. As I discussed earlier, the Hebrew letters started out as pictographs, and those pictures give us insight into each commandment.

One is represented by the Hebrew letter aleph—it looks like an ox head, and it represents God. God is one, and first is God. Hence, we have the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

The number two is the Hebrew letter bet, and it is represented by a house. If we want our house to serve God, then we will not make any idols nor any images of anything in heaven or earth (Exodus 20:4-6).

Number three is the Hebrew letter gimmel. It is a picture of something lifted up, as in self-will or pride. Isn’t it a prideful action to misuse the name of God? Of course, taking the name of God in vain is the third commandment (Exodus 20:7).

Dalet is the Hebrew letter for four, and it is symbolized by a door. God provides a door for us to access Him each Sabbath, so we can rest from our work and rest in Him. So, the fourth commandment is about remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy (Exodus 20:8-11).

The number five is the Hebrew letter hey, and it means to show or reveal. The relationship between our parents and us parallels the relationship between God and man. It makes sense then, that the fifth commandment is to honor our father and mother (Exodus 20:12).

Vav is the Hebrew letter for six, and is a nail, where something becomes bound. All humans are made in God’s image, so humans have special value. Because of this, we are not to murder (Exodus 20:13).

The number for seven is the Hebrew letter zayin. It is represented by a weapon that cuts or pierces. It is not difficult to understand that unfaithfulness in marriage is an act that cuts trust and pierces the heart of your spouse. That is why the seventh commandment warns us to not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14).

The Hebrew letter chet is the number eight. It is an inner room meaning to protect. It is appropriate to protect ourselves, our family, and our possessions, and respect boundaries of others. Therefore, the eighth commandment instructs us to not steal (Exodus 20:15).

Tet is the Hebrew letter for nine. It is a snake, and the pictograph shows the snake twisting. Lies and false testimony twist the truth, and the ninth commandment teaches us to not give false testimony against our neighbor (Exodus 20:16).

Finally, the Hebrew letter for ten is yod. Yod is a hand, and represents a deed done. Every day, we have a choice as to what to do with our hands—the deeds and works of our hands can be productive, and for the good, or they can do evil. This is why the tenth commandment reminds us to not covet anything belonging to our neighbor (Exodus 20:17).

By following these ten rules, we can stay on the narrow path and keep our orientation. All we have to do is keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus is also the source of our spiritual food. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).

Jesus fed Adam and Eve in the beginning in the Garden of Eden. The trees were both pleasing to the eye and good for food (Genesis 2:8-9)—another connection between seeing and food.

With a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, Jesus led the Israelites out of Egypt and fed them manna in the desert (Exodus 16:4-36). The Israelites saw His light and ate His food until they could reach the promise land. When Jesus first mentions the promise land, He describes it is a “good and large land”—something that could be seen—as well as “a land flowing with milk and honey” — referencing the provision of food (Exodus 3:8).

When Jesus taught His disciples about communion at Passover, He was instructing them about this spiritual food (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:1920; John 6:53-58; Acts 2:42-46; 1 Corinthians 10:1617, 11:23-32).

Jesus will also feed us again in the age to come by feeding us from the tree of life and hidden manna (Revelation 2:7, 17).

Once we have fed on the spiritual truths in the Bible, then we can fulfill the idiom, “you are what you eat”. Spiritual food is what allows us to have the fuel to do what Jesus commanded: “Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

As you celebrate Hanukkah this year, and reflect on the light that Jesus brings, I hope you chose to fan His light into a burning flame.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and The LORD’s glory has risen on you. For, behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but The LORD will arise on you and His glory shall be seen on you” (Isaiah 60:1-2).

All Bible verses are from Kingdom Life Version: Old and New Testaments with Text Notes and Words of Jesus in Red Letters, 1st Edition, Public Domain. Chaim & Laura. “Word Study—Light—Noohra (Aramaic) ‘Or (Hebrew). Chaim BenTorah: Biblical Hebrew Studies. www.chaimbentorah.com. 18 July 2021.

“Hebrew Word of the Day: Light.” https://hebrew.jerusalemprayerteam.org. 18 July 2021.

“Light (Or), the Ancient Hebrew Meaning.” https://kaylended.wordpress.com. 18 July 2021. “Light Energy.” https://byjus.com. 18 July 2021.

Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. Hendrickson Publishers, 2009.

By: Elder Joe Perry