Z is for Zacchaeus...

Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.  He climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see...

Zacchaeus was a Jewish tax collector who collected taxes for the Romans at Jerricho.  He accrued great wealth from his custom enterprise.  Jericho, was a significant center of commerce and sat along a major trade route connecting Jerusalem with the lands east of the Jordan.

In his Gospel, Luke records Zacchaeus' encounter with Jesus.  Because he was so small he climbed up in the tree to get a better view of Jesus. Jesus stopped under the tree and called him down, then invited himself to go home with the publican for the night.  Zacchaeus repented and followed Jesus, promising to return to those he cheated and took from fourfold, along with giving to the poor. Later on he became the bishop of Caesarea.

From Zacchaeus' life we can learn:

-No matter how small we are Jesus knows where we are and sees us.

-Jesus will forgive us of our sins if we repent and turn our lives around.

Zacchaeus story can be found in Luke chapter 19.

'And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.'  Luke 19:2

until next time...nel

Y is for Yahweh...

Yahweh

A name of the Hebrew God.  In the oldest biblical literature (12th–11th centuries BC), Yahweh is a typical ancient Near Eastern "divine warrior" who leads the heavenly army against Israel's enemies; he and Israel are bound by a covenant under which Yahweh will protect Israel and, in turn, Israel will not worship other gods.

By early post-biblical times, the name of Yahweh had virtually ceased to be pronounced. In modern Judaism, it is replaced in reading with the word Adonai, meaning Lord, and is understood to be God's proper name and to denote his mercy.  Many Christian Bibles follow the Jewish custom and replace it with "the LORD".  Yahweh is not found in the King James Bible.

The KJV uses "LORD" to translate the divine name in most instances. The KJV translators used the name "Jehovah" whenever the name Yahweh was found under one of the following three conditions:

1. When YHWH is used as God’s personal name.

2. When God’s name is repeated as "Jah Jehovah."

3. When God’s personal name is part of a place name.

'Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.'  Isaiah 12:2

until next time...nel

X is for Xerxes...

Xerxes

There is not a lot of information available on Xerxes.

He was a Persian king, also know as Ahasuerus and possibly Artaxerxes.  He was the son of Darius the Great, and successor to his throne.  He married Esther.

The name Xerxes does not appear in the King James Bible or the New Revised Standard Version.  It appears 31 times in the New International Version.

until next time...nel