On the surface The LORD's Prayer appears simple and straight
forward. Yet (as we will discover) Yeshua packed a lot of
information within His teaching about what our perspective
should be as we come before our Abba in prayer.
Let’s delve into the depths of this amazing prayer that He
taught as an outline for all our prayers and find out what He
wants us to understand as we pray.
Introduction
When Yeshua was upon this earth, He made a point of teaching the disciples a number of valuable points. A good majority of them were capsulated within the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6 and 7). As Yeshua progressed through His teaching to the disciples and anyone else in earshot on the mountain, He spoke about the Beatitudes as well as the need to follow the Ten Commandments in both the spiritual and physical sense. Following these topics He spoke about how the disciples should act. “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) One of the aspects of how a disciple should act involves prayer. Yeshua discussed this with the disciples and the people who were listening, that prayer for the purpose of being noticed will result in no reward from our heavenly Father.
Following this warning about what not to do, He provided an outline on how to properly act and pray in our approach to our heavenly Father.
Matthew 6:9-13 (NASB)
‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
‘Give us this day our daily bread.
‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’
This prayer outline is also found in Luke 11:2-4. We will focus on the Matthew 6 outline as it is more detailed.
On the surface this prayer appears simple and straight forward. Yet (as we will discover) Yeshua packed a lot of information within this outline. Let’s delve into the depths of the LORD’s Prayer and find out what He wants us to understand as we pray.
Take a look again at the LORD’s Prayer just above. You will notice it is made up of eight sentence segments. We are going to take each segment and expand on the context of what Yeshua wants us to know and remember. As we progress with each segment, we will discover a most profound revelation that speaks to the purpose of mankind. (Note: this article will use the Hebrew term “Abba” instead of the English term, “Father”)
What is that revelation that we are to look for? It’s about considering the perspective that Yeshua wants us to approach and understand about the LORD’s Prayer. What did He have in mind as He taught the disciples (and subsequently each of us today)? What underlying elements was He alluding to within each segment?
Yeshua wants us to understand that this prayer outline is about the great plan that Elohim has for mankind. Each segment brings us back to that plan which was set up by Elohim before the foundation of the world (before creation). As we speak each segment we are remembering it and how it will be achieved through the points in the prayer.
So let’s now see the great plan of Elohim embedded within this outline prayer.
With these two simple words, Yeshua wants us to understand at least five profound elements within that phrase revolve around a central theme. He wants us to begin our approach to Abba in the right manner.
Firstly, when we begin with “Our Abba”, we are literally proclaiming our fealty to Him and declaring we are committing to Him only. Just as in the days of yore when a knight would come before his king and kneel in front of the throne, he would begin speaking in a manner that shows his loyalty and service for the king and no one else. In movies such as Robin Hood or King Arthur, etc., we hear phrases spoken such as “My lord” or “My liege”. In scripture, we have the example of King David’s mighty men who express this principle with the level of service they provided to David.
By beginning our prayers in this manner and expressing our fealty to Abba with this statement, His face (countenance) becomes lifted up towards us (Aaronic Prayer), this means that our King sees us and we can properly come before Him.
Secondly, let’s focus on the very first English word, “Our”. Why are we instructed to use the plural pronoun instead of the singular pronoun such as “My”? Let’s ask another question (which can help in answering the first); what will we be doing in the future Kingdom? Revelation 1:6 answers that question; “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” WE are to be kings and priests in His kingdom. What are the roles of a king and a priest of God? They serve on behalf of the people through their ability to rule. Kings and priests in Abba’s kingdom work on behalf of the people in the function of a mediator. A mediator is one who connects two parties so they can become unified or in agreement with each other. As a king or priest would go before Abba, they were not doing this in a singular manner for their benefit only. In the role as mediator, they would use the plural pronoun of “Our” to denote the entirety of the people whom they represent as they go before Abba. The same word usage applied when Abba would provide an answer, the king or priest would deliver the message to the people and thus still use the phrase “Our Abba…”.
So when we speak in the plural form, we are expressing our understanding that we are practicing for the day when we do become kings and priests with Yeshua and under Abba serving the people and Abba.
Thirdly, we are declaring our intent to be like-minded in thought and action with Yeshua, Who has taught this prayer to each of us. As He leads us through the prayer, we are actually speaking these words WITH Him and developing His mind in us (Philippians 2:5). We are declaring that we choose to live our lives according to His ways and to serve Abba as He serves Abba. It’s as though we can see ourselves standing beside Yeshua and hearing our voices intertwined with His voice as we face Abba and speak the words “Our Abba”.
Fourthly, the Shema which is the watchword of our faith, ties in with this as well. “Hear oh Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One.” As stated in the three points above, everything revolves around us focusing on Abba only and our service to His people only. Beginning our prayers with “Our Abba.”, reminds us about this watchword and our commitment to Him only, in the singular sense and as the whole plural entity of being Israel.
Fifthly, this one will be quick and clear. We are instructed by Yeshua to apply the title Abba in our prayers to Abba, instead of using Elohim**, or Yahweh/YHVH. We know that Abba is the Hebrew version of the English title of Father. This is a huge hint to the over arching purpose of why we have been created… He wants us to call Him Abba/Father, because we are His children. Our Abba created us to be His children so He can be a Father and have a Family. To say this again, as we are at-one-ment with Abba, WE are that FAMILY and the content of a family is plural, not singular.
Remember; as mentioned earlier, these words are statements which become recorded in heaven and in earth as we speak them. Moses makes that affirmation when he admonished the children of Israel to obey the commands, statutes, laws and ordinances which Elohim gave them. He point blank states in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live:” His words are recorded in heaven and earth for a reason, because the nature of what he spoke to the children of Israel was extremely important, for the words are all about life. So too is the statement, “Our Abba,” because of the importance of being like-minded in thought and action with Yeshua and being at-one with Abba is also about having life and having it abundantly.
The bottom line is this; it requires a Family to rule a kingdom and this is what Elohim is establishing as a ‘business’ of sorts for His Family; ruler ship. But not to rule as we understand how man rules, but to rule in the manner of love, compassion and all that defines Elohim. We just understood part of Elohim’s plan for mankind.
**Elohim is plural and refers to both Abba and Yeshua/YHVH.
Did you know this is not just to identify the location of our Abba? Yes, Abba’s location is in heaven, but Yeshua wants us to know far more about our Abba than His location. So what is the depth of this segment of the LORD’s Prayer?
Let’s look at the simple two letter word “is”. Though this little word provides a location finder for Abba, it also gives some idea of what is going on in heaven.
Think of it this way… you’re a little child playing in the yard. The next door neighbour calls over the fence, asking where is your mother. You reply by saying that your mother IS in the house. It’s identifying her location, but underneath that obvious understanding is yet another layer of knowledge. A mother is not just in the house motionless, she is busy with any number of chores that need to be accomplished. So what flashes in the mind of the neighbour is that while she is located in the house, she is busy with household chores.
So it is with our Abba. Yes, He is located in heaven, but now we can understand that He is not motionless. Our Abba is active in the matters that pertain to ruling, and maintaining His creation and the heavens. There is a lot to do. The laws He has established don’t sustain themselves… His will makes them happen (more on this under ‘Your will be done’). This adds plenty to the revelation of the function of mankind, because we are now recognizing some of the functions of the Patriarch of the FAMILY (and not just where He’s located).
The bottom line of grasping the depths of what Yeshua wants us to know in this segment is this; as we come to understand our part in becoming His Family, we are also learning about the One Who is the head of that Family. A family is not a family without someone being the head of that family. A kingdom cannot be a kingdom without a King supreme. We just understood another part of Elohim’s plan for mankind.
These four short words are filled with a lot of information. Yes, this is a proclamation that the name of our Abba is holy, but the depth of this short saying is revealed in the word ‘holy’.
The Strong’s Concordance states that the meaning of ‘holy’ is “to separate from profane things and dedicate to God”.
To understand a tangible definition of this, think about something that is set apart that only you use. For instance, let’s use a toothbrush as our example. Only you use it and no one else can, so it is dedicated to you. If anyone else used it, the toothbrush wouldn’t be separate from profane things (in this case, other people’s germs) and wouldn’t be dedicated to only you anymore. You would have to throw it out because the other person’s germs could be transferred to you. It would be deemed spoiled.
An even more striking example is your name. Only you can use your name because it helps with legal and identity matters in life. Legal matters are one thing, but the identity of a person is a whole other level of understanding. Names mean things, as we discovered with the name change made for Abraham and Sarah and later on for Jacob. Even prophecy is made about the specific name(s) that would be given to Yeshua when He was born upon this earth. The names given for Yeshua help us to understand what His purpose has been here upon the earth. And that same principle applies for us all. When parents look upon their newborn child, they become inspired as to what to name that child. What causes their inspiration? Clearly, our Abba is inspiring parents all over the world to give names to their newborn children in order for these children to grow up and know who they are and what their potential is to be.
Throughout the Tanakh (Old Testament), we are given multiple variations of the names for Abba and for Yeshua, such as YHVH, Elohim, El Shaddai, Yah, I AM, etc. Knowing these names is one thing, but we must be aware of which name refers to Abba and which name refers to Yeshua and which name refers to both of Them. For instance, the name “Elohim” is a plural name, which thus indicates the context of the scripture involves both Abba and Yeshua, whereas the name “I AM” is in the singular form (obviously). If the name in the singular form includes the Hebrew letters ‘Aleph Tav’ in the scripture, this very clearly indicates the singular name refers to Yeshua, for He is the Beginning (Aleph) and the End (Tav). It helps to check the Hebrew names in the Strong’s Concordance to find out the plurality or singularity of each name.
Elohim (the plural form), has revealed to us many names by which we come to know Who Abba and Yeshua are, so we can develop a relationship with Them. Right now, the name we know for the One called Abba is just that… Abba. In English this means Father of a child or children, the head of the household. When Yeshua prayed, it was to His Abba to Whom He prayed, clearly indicating a hierarchy of Father/Son. The beauty of this example is the many other scriptures that reveal we are also considered as children of Abba and co-heirs with Yeshua such as John 1:12; John 11:52; Romans 8:16-17; 1 John 3:1-2 to list just a few.
Two scriptures reveal that we will know the name of Yeshua in even more detail than we do now. In Isaiah 52:6 “Therefore My people shall know My name; Therefore they shall know in that day that I am He who speaks: ‘Behold, it is I.’”. And then again in Revelations 22:3-4 “And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.”
Yet, this prayer is about Abba and His holy name. For us as His children, Abba’s holy name is set apart from us. We cannot know it right now, because we are filled with ‘germs’ and not in a state of holiness – yet. Eventually, according to Their plan, we will be cleansed and made holy. When will we be privileged to know His holy name? When New Jerusalem is brought down from heaven and the Tree of Life is open for us to eat from. After experiencing life through the millennial reign with Yeshua, we will finally be spiritually mature enough to know our Abba’s name. Take the example of the physical father/child relationship. A child does not know the name of his or her father until he/she is significantly old enough to understand that the one whom he/she has been calling ‘Dad’ actually has a more direct and personal name. Maturity brings about the ability to know such matters and this will apply to us as we grow spiritually through the millennium.
When the time does come for us to know His Holy name, it still will remain holy since only Abba will be using that name. When we do know His name, it means we will be in a state of holiness as well. As Revelation 22:4 says, ‘we will see His face’, that’s how holy we will become. Since names reveal destinies, we will also know the destiny of Abba’s Family, which will fill us with strength and surety about our tasks within this most profound and holy Family. And we will trust Abba with all matters (see “Our Daily Bread” below). We just understood another part of Elohim’s plan for mankind.
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Oh what a joy! To finally be living in the kingdom we have been hoping for, for so long. When we say these three words (actually when we speak anything), we are making a declaration that is being recorded in heaven and earth as a witness of our yearning for His way of life.
When we take the time to think about the ramifications of what we are saying when we speak this part of the LORD’s Prayer, we begin to comprehend the depth of this powerful statement. We most certainly won’t be living as we currently do, governed by either a democracy or monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, or any other type of kingdom. We won’t be influenced with the frequencies and the kingdom of hasatan permeating our very being.
We will be governed by a Theocracy with Abba as the ultimate King or Suzerain. Webster’s Dictionary defines the title Suzerain as “a dominant state [leader] controlling the foreign relations of a vassal state but allowing it sovereign authority in its internal affairs”.
This title accurately describes that hierarchy within His kingdom. Abba will be the Suzerain while Yeshua will be the Vassal King having sovereignty over this earth for the millennial reign that is described in Revelation 20:4 and again in verse 6.
A quick side note regarding Yeshua’s reign as Vassal King upon the earth; He will also be a Suzerain in His own right. How can that be if Abba is the Suzerain? It’s all about perspective. In Revelation 1:6 and again in Revelation 5:10 we are given an exacting description of what we will be doing as His Family in the millennial reign of Yeshua. We will be kings and priests with Him. This means there is another third level of kingly hierarchy happening. Beginning with Abba as King/Suzerain followed by Yeshua as King/Vassal (to Abba) the third level is us ruling as kings/vassals (to Abba/Yeshua). When we look at the hierarchy from our position upward to Yeshua, we are His vassals and He is our Suzerain. Yet He remains as Vassal to Abba.
However, this segment is about declaring that Abba’s ‘kingdom come’. What does that mean? We know Yeshua is coming and He will rule on this earth for one thousand years with us as His vassal kings. But this is a declaration directed toward Abba.
Yeshua does all things by and for Abba, so yes, the kingdom that He will rule for the one thousand years will be very much Abba’s kingdom, but this is also a declaration about the kingdom to come AFTER the one thousand year reign of Yeshua and His kings has been completed. New Jerusalem will come to earth, the river of living waters will flow with the Tree of Life in its midst bearing twelve types of fruit. We will be abiding within the walls of this gleaming city without tears or the need for sunlight because of the brilliance of Elohim in the midst. We only have the last two chapters of Revelation describing what will take place after the one thousand year reign of Yeshua, but the clear indication is that of a kingdom.
The manifestation of the millennial kingdom with Yeshua AND the kingdom afterwards with New Jerusalem are what we are declaring with the three short words, ‘Your kingdom come’. How do we know that His kingdom will come? By the words that follow; “and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This will be discussed and answered in the next segment.
Another aspect of this powerful statement of “Your kingdom come” is that we are declaring we don’t want to live in a world governed by hasatan (satan) and that we choose to live with Abba. We are declaring that we see the contrast of the ugliness and evil of hasatan’s way and desire the beauty and holiness of Abba’s way. We have been promised by Abba that life in His kingdom means no more tears, or death, or sorrow or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). Instead a crown of beauty, the oil of gladness upon our heads and a garment of praise will be ours and we will be oaks of righteousness (Isaiah 61:3).
The bottom line for this segment is that this declaration and the part that follows is the crux of the prayer. We are to constantly keep this desire in our thoughts, our hearts and our souls. This is the goal of mankind, to live life in Elohim’s kingdom with Yeshua. And it will be a blessed life. We just understood another part of Elohim’s plan for mankind.
We begin this segment by answering the question posed in the previous segment about how we can know that the declaration of ‘Your kingdom come’ refers to Abba’s post one thousand year kingdom.
Yeshua purposely formulated these words so we can begin to connect the pieces and understand the perspective. Within this part of the declaration are three other words that give us the insight that this phrase is also about the kingdom to come after the one thousand year reign. Those other three words are ‘done on earth’. Abba’s will shall be done on the earth, which clearly means that the entirety of the earth will be receiving His will. As described in Revelation 21 and 22, this is the only period where hasatan is no longer moving to and fro or bound upon the earth. He and his demons have been exiled into the lake of fire for all eternity (Revelation 20:10). Only at this time is Abba’s will done upon the earth in its entirety. This is the focus which Yeshua was teaching the disciples with this prayer… the ultimate goal for mankind, which is also the ultimate goal of the plan of Elohim for mankind.
Having established the focus of this declaration, we can now learn a bit more about what is His will.
This question tends to bring many abstract answers, even those referenced from scripture. Yet, it is not Abba’s will for us to be confused about what He wants us to do. Remember the scripture of James 1:22 which says we are to be “doer’s of His word and not hearers only”? How can we do His word and His will if we don’t properly know what it is? He is not the author of confusion as proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 14:33. Therefore, we can have faith that He has actually taught us what His will is and we can be doers of it.
We can begin in 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5. These two chapters speak about His will.
In chapter 4:1-3(a) Paul is setting up for his outline about what is the will of God. He is urging and exhorting the brethren to do the following because as verse 3(a) states, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification:” Notice the colon (:) for this denotes that all the information given after that colon is to be included as part of the urging and exhorting to do the will of God.
In verses 3(b)-8 we are to abstain from sexual immorality and to make sure our ‘vessels’ are kept in a state of holiness. Paul adds a powerful component to this particular set of verses by stating that anyone who rejects the need to keep our ‘vessels’ in a state of holiness is actually rejecting God.
Verses 9-10 are about brotherly love and the need to increase that love.
Verses 11-12 speak about leading a quiet life, minding our own business and working with our hands, so we can walk properly (be an example to others through our actions) and by this we lack nothing.
Verses 13-18 are about how we can each comfort one another (v18) during the time when a loved one dies and how the matter of separation from the loved one is temporary as noted by the well known verses about Yeshua’s return at the last trump when the dead in Messiah are raised first and those who are alive will be caught up in the clouds to meet Him (first resurrection). Plus there is the account of the second resurrection of the rest of the dead in Revelation chapter 20. Let’s continue with 1 Thessalonians chapter 5.
Chapter 5:1-10 is about being vigilant and not sleeping concerning the times and the seasons pertaining to the day of the Lord.
Verse 11 is about comforting and edifying each other.
Verse 12-13 calls upon us to recognize those who labour among us and over us in the Lord and for us to be at peace among ourselves.
Verse 14 gives us multiple pieces of information; to warn the unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak and to be patient with everyone.
Verse 15 we are taught to pursue what is good for ourselves and for all.
Verse 16 is easily understood – rejoice and to do the rejoicing always.
Verse 17 tells us to pray without ceasing.
Verse 18(a) teaches us to give thanks in everything that happens to us.
You will note that in the second part of verse 18, after we are told to give thanks there is a semicolon (;). As what happened in chapter 4:3 with the colon, the translators used the semicolon here to express Paul’s intent. They harkened back to the beginning of this dialogue in chapter 4:3 when Paul made the statement “for this is the will of God, your sanctification:”. The translators knew this was the beginning of a list which would outline God’s will so they inserted the English form of punctuation to establish that. In this case it is the colon (:). The end of that list is in chapter 5:18 with the use of the semicolon (;) and the statement is made again that this (all that was listed from the colon to the semicolon) is the will of God.
There are a number of other verses as well, such as 1 Peter 2:15 “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.” Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Each one of these verses has a corresponding teaching that expounds on the will of God. For example, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (as mentioned above) is about praying without ceasing. Corresponding scriptures would be James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person avails much.” The point of this scripture is about promoting unity among the brethren and love one for another as also mentioned above in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10.
The bottom line for this segment is that God’s will is about all that is good. Turn from evil, do what is good, seek peace pursue it earnestly (Psalms 34:14). Without knowing the will of our Abba and following that will, we cannot function as a proper Family or a proper kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Now, we just understood another part of Elohim’s plan for mankind.
From this point onward, there is a shift in the prayer. Up until now, the focus has been about Abba and His omnipotence. From this point onward, the words we speak in this prayer reflects our attitude towards Him, specifically we are acknowledging our total reliance on Him alone and we are expressing our willingness to be His subjects. Yeshua wants us to understand this point.
And Yeshua wants us to understand another point: from this point onward in the prayer, the words bring into remembrance four specific Set Apart Times. Let’s precede through the next prayer segments to find out which Times.
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We need to be fed by Abba’s word in order to understand how to live as His earthly examples right now and for the future in His coming kingdom. This is what gives us the ability to know what His will is what “shall be done on this earth as it is in heaven”.
Daily bread enables life to continue. Spiritually speaking, Yeshua is the bread of life. He point blank said this in John 6:35 and 48 and went on from there with more in-depth teaching (John 6:48-51) saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” Yeshua is stating here that His bread is more about the spiritual aspect that leads to eternal life compared to the physical temporal life which was the example of the fathers eating the manna in the wilderness. Yet, Elohim provided both for His people.
When we ask Abba to give us our daily bread, we are acknowledging that He is the only source of nourishment both physically and spiritually.
As well, when we ask for Abba to give us daily bread, we are also asking to be at His table. When we speak this phrase, our minds eye should develop a picture of Abba presenting us with our daily bread while we sit across the table from Him.
In most cases, the mental picture people tend to have is one of a benevolent God-like figure handing out a chunk of bread to the needy which we grab and scurry off somewhere else. Yes, Abba is benevolent and loves to give daily bread to us for we truly are needy. However, He also wants us to sit with Him and interact with Him. How else can we learn how to live in His kingdom? We must interact and come to know Him and His way. We do this by sitting and having a meal with Him.
This is how a parent trains up a child in the way that he or she should go and he or she will not depart from it. It is well documented that when a family sits and eats meals together DAILY, there is a strong bond developed which results in the children learning how to behave and think and which they will not depart from. For this reason, hasatan attacks this ability for families to eat together.
However, we must keep something in mind as we progress through this prayer outline; even though the focus changes to us and our reliance on Abba, the prior statement of ‘His kingdom coming and His will being done on earth as it is in heaven’ sets the theme for the rest of the statements and how they are to be perceived. It is from His kingdom and the store houses of our King, that we will be nourished with daily bread, both physically and spiritually. The example of Joseph as the viceroy of Egypt teaches us this principle. Joseph is a fore-type of Yeshua and it was Joseph who had the store houses filled with grain to feed the people of Egypt and other nations. In the future, Yeshua will be the viceroy/vassal king of Abba's Kingdom and will be giving us daily bread.
Yet, there are two little words that we can use to understand that this bread can be given to us before His kingdom is set up. It’s the two little English words; “this day”. What’s fascinating is that the Greek word for ‘this’ is the same as the Greek word for ‘day’. We know from Biblical study that when a significant word is repeated more than once in the same phrase, it elevates the meaning. Thus, we can deduce that the giving of daily bread which will happen in His kingdom, is something He is also making available “this day” – literally right now in our current lives, for those who acknowledge Him as the source of nourishment and life.
All this is underscored by one more important element; this interaction we have with Abba helps us to really trust and believe Him for everything. Since we are the end time generation we have to learn that it is Abba Who will be keeping us through the end time events. He will enable us to keep on walking through the valley of the shadow of death. His rod and His staff comfort us, which is to believe His word and trust He will act upon His word. These two elements together are known as faith. Our interaction with Abba right now will help us develop the faith we need to endure to the end and the same shall be saved.
The other aspect which Yeshua wants us to understand is the remembrance of a specific Set Apart Time. Which Time is reflected in this segment about our daily bread? Passover. Yeshua explains His purpose for being upon this earth in physical form when He spoke in John 6:48-51 (quoted above). Twice He refers to Himself as the bread and more specifically He is the “Bread of Life”. At the end of verse 51 Yeshua speaks of the Bread of Life and connects this to the Passover by stating “…and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” Yeshua wants us to remember His death, burial, resurrection and ascension as we say these simple words. Saying these words propels us into remembering that He did this most extraordinary service for us which now opens the door for us to have eternal life and salvation in His Family. This is reflected in His words of the first part of verse 51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever…”
The bottom line for this segment is this; Yeshua wants us to have faith (trust and believe) in Abba, the head of the Family for provisions of life, both physically and spiritually. This segment teaches us that we have eternal life through His Bread of Life and we will live forever in His Family and His kingdom. The phrase "bread of life" also harkens to the last chapter in the book of Revelation about the Tree of Life spanning both sides of the river, offering it’s fruit for nourishment and its leaves for healing (Revelation 22:2). When we ask for our daily bread, we are acknowledging our faith in Him and that He is the Source of everything – even our eternal life. We just understood another part of Elohim’s plan for mankind.
There is something interesting with this phrase; “And forgive us our debts…”, the focus is NOT about forgiving THE PERSON/PEOPLE performing the act of debts; instead the focus is the action of forgiving the debts. The usage of the possessive word ‘our’ explains whose debts are to be forgiven. Forgiveness is the action that will resolve debts perpetrated by a person/people.
Debt is when one person owes something to another but has not yet produced the payment to cover and end the debt.
Elohim** created us and it is because of Them that we have life and are able to function as we do. We owe Them everything, and we are truly in debt to Them.
Can we pay it back? Clearly, as this segment of the LORD’s Prayer indicates, the answer would be ‘no’. In no way will we ever be able to repay Elohim and remove the level of debt we have with Them from the balance sheet of life. In this world, people work to pay off a debt, but with Elohim, nothing we can do or say will make that happen.
Romans 4:1-25 gives us insight into this point as well. Paul wrote in this chapter and throughout this whole letter to the congregation in Rome about how to approach this subject of the debt we are under to our Creators, the Elohim Who are in heaven. In verses 4 and 5 he states; “Now to the one who works, HIS WAGE IS NOT CREDITED AS A FAVOR, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believed in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”
Did you notice that? When one works, his wage is not credited as a favor. Favor is another word for ‘grace’, ‘good-will’, ‘gift’ according to Strong’s G5485. So, if we perform works in the name of Elohim, we will be given a wage for those works, which is why Moses admonished the children of Israel to obey the commandments, statutes, laws and ordinances so they can receive a wage. What is the wage? Moses mentions it multiple times (the scriptures are part of the name of this blog site). The children of Israel will be able to go well and be well and live well. But these works do not merit the receiving of grace (or forgiveness). So anything we do or say enables us to receive a wage of blessing or curse from Elohim but it does not involve forgiveness.
Forgiveness is an act of grace as described in Psalm 85:1-2 “O LORD, You showed favor to Your land; You restored the captivity of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah.” In Psalm 32, King David wrote a maskil dedicated to the ever present willingness of Elohim to forgive. In verse 5 he wrote; “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”, And You forgave the guilt (punishment/debt) of my sin. Selah.”
So when we ask our Abba to forgive us our debts, we are asking Him to make a decision to wipe out or cover the cost of the debt we owe Him. We are asking Him to smile upon us and be gracious to us as said in the Aaronic blessing. We are also asking Him to remember the sacrifice Yeshua made for us.
Remember what Paul wrote in Romans 4:4 about the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor (grace), but as what is due? He adds to that in Romans 6:23; “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of Elohim is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.” This identifies that sin is classified by Elohim as work and that we will be paid with death for the sins we perform. However, Paul provides some much needed hope and comfort when he continues this statement that Elohim provides the free gift of eternal life in Messiah Yeshua. It’s not a wage; instead He will give eternal life to us – freely!!
Quite literally, when we speak the words of this segment, we are acknowledging to Him that receiving forgiveness is a divine gift that Abba gives and it is by His will that this gift is provided. Can we know His will and thus know His intentions about giving us this free gift of eternal life? Yes we can, by simply obeying His commands, statutes, laws and ordinances (as Moses admonished), for this is the avenue that enables us to know His way and His thoughts. We get to know Abba by living accordingly. Yeshua expressed this concept to us in the last words of this segment ‘…as we forgive those who are indebted to us’ He is telling us to do as Abba does so we learn why He forgives and adopt that way within ourselves.
One other point: when we forgive others of their debts to us, Abba is seeing that we have learned and understood a very important lesson. We are to act as He does. When we do that which is like what our Abba and Yeshua do, this promotes graciousness from Abba, but once again that graciousness and forgiveness is at His discretion.
But we can draw encouragement about how Abba forgives because of the principle of life and healing that is taught in James 5:16 “16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
When we confess and pray one for another, the one doing the confessing and prayer is the one who may be healed. The point of this lesson is about each of us learning to have compassion one for another as does our Elohim. When Moses ascended Mt. Sinai with the second set of stone tablets to receive the 10 Commandments, he found favour with Elohim, Who then showed His back to Moses and described Elohim. In Exodus 34:5-7 ”5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. 6 Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
The first description Elohim gives is that They are compassionate and gracious. When we pray one for another, we are exhibiting compassion and being like Elohim.
And, from this we can know with whole-heartedness that forgiveness of our debts is being granted to us.
Also, Yeshua wants us to remember the Set Apart Times while speaking this type of prayer. For this segment of the LORD’s Prayer, the focus is upon Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). As we learn the depths of what this segment means, it enables us to learn how to fulfill the purpose of the Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur when we become ‘at-one’ with Elohim. Yeshua spoke these words to have us focus on Yom Kippur, when Abba forgives us of our sins, specifically on that Day when Yeshua has finally arrived and the 7th angel has sounded the 7th trumpet. It is on this Day when we ascend into the clouds as our bodies are changed in the twinkling of an eye into an incorruptible state, our debts are forgiven and we experience salvation.
And this ties in with the earlier segment “Your kingdom to come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is an even more resounding statement that Abba’s will, shall be done and it will happen upon the earth. The act of forgiveness is part of His will and as declared with this segment, it is something we must also learn now so it becomes natural for us to forgive others when His kingdom is upon this earth. Abba forgives our debts to Him, thus it is highly important that we follow suit and forgive others who are indebted to us.
Yeshua is telling us something very interesting with this two-part statement. Scholars all over the world have struggled with this statement because of the seemingly contradictory nature of it. Even the various Biblical versions do not deviate from this sentence structure which tends to underscore the very struggle that scholars have.
The first part of this segment is; “And lead us not into temptation”. The English language wording seems to imply that Abba has been leading us into temptation and we are pleading with Him not to do this.
The second part “but deliver us from evil.” seems to suggest that we are asking Abba to do something else instead of leading us into temptation. That small little word ‘but’ is considered as a contrast word and has been the cause of scholarly struggle to understand what Yeshua was conveying here. On one hand are we pleading with Abba to not lead us into temptation BUT (on the other hand) asking Him to deliver us from evil? In truth, the purpose for making a statement like this is quite different than what is believed today.
Or has the translation simply not included punctuation, which changes the dynamics of this statement? Should the English translation more precisely read “And lead us, (coma/pause) not into temptation…” meaning that we acknowledge we are being lead by Abba and that we desire a day to come when we no longer need to be lead into temptation?
The change is subtle but it’s there. Instead of the understanding that we don’t want to be lead into temptation, this suggests that we understand there will come a day when we will have grown up (so-so-speak) to the point that Abba will not need to teach us with trials anymore. This is harkening to the wondrous future we know Abba has in mind of us.
Temptation in the Hebrew language is translated as ‘massa’ (H4531), meaning trial, test, despair, proving. In the Greek it is translated similarly as ‘peirasmos’ (G3986) with much the same meaning as the Hebrew; an experiment, attempt, trial, proving.
So, we can enhance our understanding of the first part by saying it this way, “And lead us not into trials…” This begs the question, when has Abba or Elohim led us into trials? And WHY LEAD US INTO TRIALS? Do we need to be proven? Where is it recorded that Elohim guided someone or a group into a trial? We cannot include Adam with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because he was lead to his choice by hasatan not Elohim. Could it be the examples of Noah, or Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or Joseph? With quick examination, the patriarchs did experience many trials throughout their lives, and we can take lessons from them about how to react to trials that come our way. And yes, they were lead into these trials, through commands by Elohim to leave their homes and either build a massive ark (Noah) or make the trip to a new land which they then walked the length and breadth of it (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). Along their journeys they encountered locals who were not so accommodating, yet they prevailed and became great in the land and well respected. In Joseph’s case, it was through dreams that Elohim ‘lead’ him through the myriad of trials he dealt with. We have the luxury of knowing the end result of his actions during these trials. His steadfastness resulted in great blessing for the people of the known world at that time. Literally, all the patriarchs stood firm and followed through with the commands they were given which became their proving ground to Abba (and themselves) that they believed Him and His word.
The one full-on example of being lead into temptation/trial is the account of the children of Israel being lead into the wilderness. They endured forty years wandering in the wilderness being nourished but tempted. The wilderness was more than a time of punishment for the children of Israel; it tested and proved them to finally be worthy to enter into the Promised Land (Exodus 15:25)
After they crossed the Red Sea and the waters swallowed up the Egyptian army, and after they had camped at Mount Sinai and received the commandments, statutes, laws and ordinances from Elohim, and after the camp was cleansed of the evil ones within, the children of Israel finally set out to actually enter the Promised Land. With the time allotted for the twelve spies to search the land and report back, the children of Israel were on track to enter the Promised Land within three and a half years after leaving Egypt .
(Sound familiar to the end time events of the three and one half years of tribulation?)
However, the children of Israel were dismayed at the report from ten of the Hebrew spies and would not listen to the advice from Joshua and Caleb or even the words of Moses. They grumbled and complained and exhibited fear of the giants in The Land, which was proving to Elohim they did not trust His promise that the land was theirs for the taking because He would be their vanguard.
Thus Elohim decreed they would need to wander the wilderness for a total of thirty-seven more years (a total of 40 years) so the grumblers would die and the children and youth twenty years of age and under would be the ones to enter into the land. These children were tested and tried (proven) so as to teach them to trust Elohim and not complain. In the end, the whole nation of Israel did enter the Promised Land – not after three and a half years from leaving Egypt as they were supposed to do, but after thirty seven more years of wandering in the wilderness (for a total of 40 years).
It is the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night that symbolizes this leadership by Abba. In the Torah accounts, we read about Israel being lead by this pillar as they wandered for years in the wilderness, experiencing trials to bring them to that ultimate point of being ready to enter into the Promised Land.
Thus when we speak those words “And lead us not into temptation…” we are really saying to Abba that we remember when He led the children of Israel in the wilderness and we remember why they ended up wandering for forty years. We are expressing our understanding and acknowledgement of the error the children of Israel committed and our commitment not to do that. The point of the forty years of wandering was to teach the children of Israel to trust in Elohim and to know His promises are real.
We are saying we are learning from our ancestors and that we must trust Elohim and His promises. This is what the patriarchs did and we know from their accounts that they prevailed.
What happens when we are tempted?
Being tempted is a time of making a choice. How we choose depends on a number of factors, such as the strength of our relationship with our Abba and the level of understanding we have of His plan. As well, our choice is made with the added elements of how much we believe Him and His plan and are involved with it.
The account of Job is a priceless example which can help explain this segment of the LORD’s Prayer. As we know from the first two chapters of Job, Elohim allowed hasatan to attack Job with the destruction of his family and property plus with painful boils all over his body. What was Job’s temptation? Job’s wife is the one who brought up the temptation for Job. In Job 2:9 it says, “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse Elohim and die!” Jobs temptation was to stop suffering and the only avenue that seemed to be available to stop the suffering was to curse Elohim and die. Job’s response to his wife was very telling as is revealed in verse 10, “But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from Elohim and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”
Job understood something. He had a relationship with Elohim that was intimate enough for him to know that whatever he experienced in his life was part of the overall plan of Elohim, thus it was good. That’s why he says in verse 10 about accepting good from Elohim and that adversity should also be accepted because it too is from Elohim as a test. Yes, Job had free will, as does everyone, but Elohim makes provisions for each of our choices so that we work towards the outcome He desires for each of us. In the end, Job had grown in his awareness of Elohim and was restored with greater abundance than before.
The ability to make choices – specifically right choices – was powerfully taught to the children of Israel and us today with the Torah account of half the nation positioned on Mt. Ebal while the other half was positioned on Mt. Gerizim. Mt. Ebal represented a lifestyle of curse while Mt. Gerizim represented a lifestyle of blessing. Moses repeated the phrase “choose blessing” multiple times in the book of Deuteronomy. Job clearly got that message and he remained steadfast to not curse Elohim for his predicament.
“But deliver us from evil.” This next segment takes on a new definition now that we see the depths of meaning in the first part. We have just said we have learned from our ancestors and now make it our purpose to choose blessing and as we consistently prove this, we are no longer lead into temptation but desire the next level of deliverance from all the evil we are unhappily immersed in.
These words about being delivered from evil, indicates that we have learned enough of His plan and His way to know that through His grace we will be delivered from evil. But more importantly, we are expressing to Abba that we deeply desire His divine intervention because we want to live His way and forsake all other ways. With this attitude, there is a sense of empowerment about the outcomes in our lives for we are with Elohim and it is Elohim Who prevails.
If the children of Israel had trusted Elohim and gone into the Promised Land – even though it was full of giants - they would have been delivered from them (the evil). Literally, this phrase when put together and spoken by us means that we learned the lesson of our ancestors, the children of Israel and are declaring we will not make this same error. We are declaring that we believe and know that Elohim is the only source of deliverance because He point blank made the promise of salvation.
In the end time, we will experience our own three and a half years during the tribulation, but we will remember the consequences of our ancestors when they feared the giants more than Elohim, we will gladly obey and walk into Yeshua’s kingdom without fear.
And consider this additional perspective; when we say “and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” we are remembering what Elohim is doing for us. Elohim caused the people of Israel (the ‘us’ in this segment of the prayer) to be led into captivity and scattered into the four corners of the world. Elohim then promises to gather us again into our own land.
• Ezekiel 39:28 “Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be lead into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.”
See the correlation? ‘And lead us not into temptation’ is also referring to our being scattered into the world while the second part, ‘but deliver us from evil’ is about Elohim gathering us again back into The Land that is holy. When we speak this portion of the prayer, we are asking Elohim to restore us to The Land which They have given to us as an inheritance. When will that happen? We will be gathered there when Yeshua returns as King of kings and Lord of lords.
The Set Apart Times does have a correlation with this segment of the LORD’s Prayer too. Yeshua is teaching us that as we say this segment we are to remember it is about His return and our entry into His kingdom. That happens at Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). No longer will we be scattered among the heathen, but we will be delivered from evil by being gathered together IN OUR OWN LAND – Yeshua’s kingdom. Interestingly, our ancestors entered the Promised Land during the Spring Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread (an 8 day period). Whereas in contrast, we enter Yeshua’s kingdom it will be during the Fall Festival of Sukkot (an 8 day period). Seeing this pattern, we understand how this ties the Spring and Fall Festivals together to reveal one whole and complete plan developed and operational by our Elohim.
Some versions of the scriptures end the LORD’s Prayer at ‘deliver us from evil’, while others include this further segment; “For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Catholic Bibles, even before the Protestant Reformation do not include this segment. Apparently it was during the Elizabethan era that the newly founded Church of England, wanted to express its difference from the Catholic Church by including these words in their newly minted Bibles. It appears to be a politically motivated act of protest between the two religious entities of Catholic and Protestant.
So we must ask the question; did Yeshua actually say these words? The difficulty for this segment is that the history surrounding the manuscripts for the LORD’s Prayer are clouded and uncertain. Yet, scholars feel relatively certain that these words were NOT included in the earliest of manuscripts of Matthew 6, meaning they were added later. But they caution all who study into this that they do not have conclusive information to state that outright.
What should we do about this dilemma? Should we speak this segment or omit it? This can only be answered by Abba. It is part of the relationship building that is ongoing between each of us and Him. Should we be adding words to what Yeshua said? We know that adding or taking away of any of the words of scripture is considered treason to Abba. Yet, we know He is also full of compassion (Exodus 34:6) and understands our dilemma about not truly knowing the actual details surrounding this segment. We can only do the best we can with what we have been given. Therefore, ask Abba if these words should be spoken or not. He will let you know.
The LORD’s prayer continues into verses 14 and 15 with these words;
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
As Yeshua wraps up His teaching about how to pray to Abba, He ends by emphasizing again that forgiving is a high priority for us to do. But you notice that the sentence structure of verse 14-15 is different than verse 12.
The difference is the focus about what is to be forgiven. Remember, verse 12 was about the debts being forgiven, it was not about forgiving the person. Verses 14-15 are about trespasses, which are interpersonal events and are a different matter than debts.
We know what is meant by debts as described in the earlier segment, but what does ‘trespasses’ mean? In many ways, it has similar meaning to ‘debts’ but with a twist. Debts deals with something owed while trespasses deals with an offense or a falling away – which is an action taken against someone or against Elohim. Should we make a wrong choice, Elohim considers that as an offence or trespass (anything we do that is not according to His way is considered as a trespass for it is a clear falling away). It can also be considered an offence against another person if the choice made involves someone else (such as robbery, adultery, swindle, curse, unkindness, rape, abortion, murder, envy, etc.). And it can be considered an offence against one’s own self to make a wrong choice (drunkenness, drugs, pornography, glutton, overly focused on personal shape and appearance).
However, Yeshua wants us to know that it is best to make the right choices. That is why these two verses which are after the LORD’s Prayer have a different sentence structure; Yeshua is giving details about what to do and how to do the right thing. And with the next verse He warns us about what will happen should we not do the right thing. These two verses place the emphasis on the person and the actions of the person. Now that the debts have been cleared away and the person has the freedom to make choices (free will), Yeshua is teaching that it is imperative to make the right choices and to live righteously.
What could be considered as a trespass? Trespasses would be someone doing something that harms us, whether physically, mentally, financially, emotionally, spiritually, etc. For instance, if someone bears false witness against any one of us, we are to forgive them. Yeshua did that just before He died when He said “Abba, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). It is a very tall order, but we are to “have this mind in you that is in Messiah Yeshua”.
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Near the start of this article, it was mentioned that Yeshua wants us to understand that this prayer outline is about the great plan that Elohim has for mankind. Each segment we speak brings us back to that plan which was set up by Elohim before the foundation of the world (before creation). As we speak each segment we are remembering it and how it will be achieved through the points in the prayer.