Cheshvan 23
Favor
“And
יהושע
increased in wisdom and stature, and in FAVOUR with Elohim and men.” (Luke 2:52 ISR, emphasis mine)
Most of us have been
taught that friendship with the world means being in opposition, and an enemy,
to our Creator (see Jam 4:4), and to some extent, this is correct. However, ‘favor’ is something completely
different from friendship. The Hebrew
word that has been translated as ‘grace’, or ‘favor’, is the word chên (Strong’s H2580), and can mean
acceptance, and approval. Jeff Benner,
in his Ancient Hebrew Dictionary, defines chên
as “The qualities in a
person or thing that give pleasure to the senses. Someone or something that is
desired, approved, favored or in agreement by another”[1]. Noah Webster also defines favor as: “to
regard with kindness; to support; to aid or have the disposition to aid; to
wish success to; to befriend; to encourage; to be merciful to”[2].
Favor
with Abba Father is evident every time a prayer or petition is answered, when a
need is met, and a care is dealt with.
Favor with our Elohim is His acceptance and approval of us, something
that is dependent on our actions, as
we see from the quoted verse in Proverbs.
Favor
with man is found when doors have
been opened that no man could possibly have opened. When trust is established where there has
never been trust before, and the Word of Elohim is received where it has always
been previously rejected – this is walking in the favor of man. Favor does not mean that everyone will like us; Messiah Yeshua had favor, and
the Word says that “He was despised and rejected by men” (Isa 53:3). When we walk
with the favor (approval) and integrity of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
He will see to it that we walk with the
favor (approval) and integrity of men.
Do
we need this favor to fulfill our Elohim’s work here on earth? If our Messiah Yeshua walked with favor,
should we not do so also? But what are
the conditions we need to meet to
walk in the favor of YHWH? To those of us who profess to be born-again
of the Ruach, of the Holy Breath of
YHWH, it is really very simple:
“My son, DO NOT forget my Torah, And let your heart WATCH OVER my commands; For length of days and long life And peace
they add to you. LET NOT kindness and
truth forsake you – Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of
your heart, Thus finding favour and good insight In the eyes of Elohim and
man.” (Pro 3:1-4 ISR, emphasis mine)
©2018
[1] Ancient Hebrew Dictionary, ©2007, Jeff Benner
[2]American Dictionary of the English
Language, Noah Webster, 1828
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