Devotions from Israel – Matthew 5

by | Jul 1, 2021 | Context and Culture of the Bible, Devotionals from Israel, Historical Geography, Israel Tour, Life of Jesus | 0 comments

An encouraging word from Matthew 5

 

Biblical Israel Ministries & Tours (BIMT) is all about teaching the Bible in the context of the land of Israel and other biblical countries (Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy). We teach the historical geography of the Bible as well as archaeology, customs and culture of the land. We aim to make connections between  the Bible and the land in all that we do.

This is another session in the new series of teaching videos called “Devotions from Israel.” This brief five-minute devotional comes from Matthew 5. This story from the Bible takes us to the western – northwestern side of the Sea of Galilee.

 

About the Devotional

 
 
Matthew’s Gospel was all about recording the words of Jesus. There are five primary messages preserved in this book, the first of which appears in Matthew 5-7. While Jesus attracted people from the Galilee and other regions because of His miracles, His message about the malchut shamyim (“kingdom of heaven”) gained the curiosity of many as well.
 
Somewhere on the west-northwest side of the Sea of Galilee was the location where Jesus shared what we call the “Sermon on the Mount” (although Luke records Jesus’ teaching, on another occasion, taking place on the “plain”). Today, a traditional hillside has been identified as the “Mt. of Beatitudes” although this event could also have happened on the slopes of Mt. Arbel or on the hills north of Capernaum. We just don’t know.

“We cannot live out Jesus’ kingdom principles in our own strength. Rather, the Holy Spirit enables us to be faithful citizens of God’s kingdom. May the ‘reign and rule’ of God be what characterizes our lives for Him!”

Sea of Galilee
Yet one thing we can be sure of is this: In this message Jesus clearly shared practical principles of how to live out the kingdom of God. In a rabbinical sense, the kingdom of God was all about the “reign and rule” of God in one’s life. This was certainly Jesus’ focus. In fact once He was asked, “If you are the Messiah, where then is the kingdom (Luke 17)? Jesus responded essentially to say the kingdom resides within you!
 
May we find encouragement today as Jesus calls us to be “citizens of the kingdom.” He also gives us the means of being able to live out these kingdom principles in our life. God has given us the Holy Spirit. When we allow the Spirit to “reign and rule” within us, then we can live out these principles in a God-glorifying way!
 
I hope you enjoy this video below. These five minute devotionals will be produced on a regular basis. We will try to share two devotionals per week this summer. As you are encouraged by the video, please consider sharing this post with others for their encouragement as well.

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