The events of judgement day will surprise many because the modern Christian church does not teach the whole truth. Some denominational doctrine suggests that if your name is found in the book of the lamb you are safe regardless of what you do. Revelation 20:12, “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.” It’s not about what we say, it’s about what we do.

BIBLE STUDY -- AHAB’S DEATH

THE DEATH OF KING AHAB

From 1 Kings 22:1 -40; 2 Chronicles 18

King Jehoshaphat of Judah was very rich and popular. He and King Ahab of Israel made an alliance and Ahab’s daughter was married to Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram. A few years later Jehoshaphat went to visit Ahab at Samaria. There Ahab gave him and his attendants a big feast, with numerous sheep and oxen. “It has been three years since we were at war with the Syrians,” Ahab told his officials, “And there they are, occupying Ramoth-Gilead, while we do nothing about it.” Then Ahab asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you join forces with me to capture Ramoth-Gilead?” “Certainly!” Jehoshaphat replied. “My people are your people, and my horses are your horses, so I am with you. But first, let us ask Adonai so that we are sure what He wants us to do.” King Ahab called for his four hundred false prophets. “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-Gilead?” he asked them. “Yes, YHVH will give you a great victory there,” they answered. Jehoshaphat recognized that these were not true prophets. “Is there a true prophet of Adonai here so we may ask him?” he said to Ahab. “There is another prophet named Micaiah the son of Imlah,” said King Ahab. “But he never prophesies any good about me, only evil, so I hate him.” “Well, let’s not think that way,” said Jehoshaphat. So, Ahab called for one of his officers and had him summon Micaiah. “Bring him here quickly!” the king ordered. While the officer went after Micaiah, the four hundred false prophets kept saying good things to King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat. The two kings were dressed in their royal robes, sitting on their thrones which had been brought to the threshing floor near the city gate. One prophet, named Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah, made horns of iron. “Adonai says you will push the Syrians with these until they are destroyed,” he said. The other prophets agreed. “Go to Ramoth-Gilead and have great victory,” they said. “Adonai will give the city into your hands.” The messenger who went for Micaiah found him and said, “The prophets who are before the kings all say good things,” he advised him. “That’s what you should do, too.” “I will say only what Adonai tells me,” Micaiah answered. When Micaiah arrived before the two kings, Ahab asked, “shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to fight or shall we stay home?” Micaiah answered sarcastically, “Go and have a great victory there! Adonai will do that for you, won’t He?” “How often must I tell you to tell me only what Adonai says,” King Ahab replied. Then Micaiah answered, “I saw the people of Israel scattered upon the mountains as sheep without a shepherd. Adonai said, ‘Let each go home in peace, for their king is dead.’” “See, didn’t I tell you that he would say nothing but evil about me?” said Ahab to Jehoshaphat. But Micaiah was not finished. “I have further word from Adonai,” he said. “I saw Adonai sitting upon His throne, with the host of heaven around Him. Adonai asked who would entice Ahab to his defeat at Ramoth-Gilead. Each had a suggestion until one spirit came forward and said that he would do it. ‘How?’ Adonai asked. ‘By placing a lying spirit in the mouths of his prophets,’ the spirit answered. ‘Then go do it,’ Adonai answered. ‘You will surely succeed.’ So now Adonai has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets. But He has done it to bring judgment on you.” One of the false prophets, Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah, came to Micaiah and slapped him on the cheek. “How did the Spirit of Adonai leave me to speak to you?” he demanded. “You will answer your own question on that day when you try to hide in an inner room,” said Micaiah. “Arrest Micaiah!” King Ahab ordered. “Take him back to Amon the governor and Joash the king’s son. Tell them to feed him only enough bread and water to keep him alive until I return in peace.” “If you return in peace, you will know that Adonai has not spoken through me,” Micaiah told the king. Then he spoke to all those standing nearby. “Remember what I say!” he told them. Ignoring what the prophet Micaiah had said, Ahab and Jehoshaphat took their armies to Ramoth-Gilead. “I will disguise myself and go into battle,” Ahab told Jehoshaphat. “But you may wear your robes and stay aside.” Jehoshaphat did as Ahab suggest, staying aside in his robes while Ahab went into battle in disguise. The king of Syria however, had ordered his thirty-two chariot captains, “Do not attack any person, great or small, except the king of Israel.” When the chariot captains saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes they said, “this must surely be the king of Israel.” They attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out to let them know who he was. When the captains realized that he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. During the fighting, one Syrian soldier shot an arrow, not realizing that it was headed for King Ahab. The arrow struck Ahab between the scale armour and the breastplate, inflicting mortal wound. “Get me out of the battle,” Ahab told his chariot driver. “I’m badly wounded.” The battle grew fiercer and Ahab returned in his chariot, propped up, facing the Syrian army. The blood from his wound flowed to the bottom of the chariot. Toward evening King Ahab died. Then, about sunset, a cry went through the troops of Israel, “The king is dead! The battle is lost! Every man home to his own city!” The dead king was brought back to Samaria, where he was buried. His chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria where the harlots usually bathed. There also dogs licked up his blood, just as Adonai had said would happen. The other things that Ahab did are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. These include an account of Ahab’s ivory palace and the cities he built. After Ahab was buried with his ancestors, his son Ahaziah ruled in his place as king of Israel.

COMMENTARY --- IVORY IN BIBLE TIMES

Bible-time people created many uses for ivory. Early Egyptian hunters carried ivory tipped arrows and spears and threw boomerangs engraved with figures of fantastic animals. But ivory is too soft to work well in practical tools and utensils and during later periods it is found primarily in decorative objects. It was expensive and only the wealthy owned objects fashioned or decorated with ivory. Ivory was especially popular for small objects like jewellery and toilet articles. Egyptian women used hairpins carved in the shape of coiled serpents, jackal heads and hawks. Canaanite women had combs engraved with hunting scenes. Egyptian mirror handles were carved to look like lotuses and those of the Aegean were covered with scenes of combat between men and animals. Unguent spoons, perfume bottles and ointment jars in Egypt displayed plants and animals of the Nile Valley. Canaanite cosmetic containers were equally elaborate; one famous unguent jar is carved in the shape of a swimming woman with a swan in her hands. Bracelets, pins, incense burners, knife and razor handles, dice and board games were among other ivory items commonly found in wealthy ancient homes. But by far the largest use of ivory was in furniture panels and inlay. Such panels were either engraved or cut in open relief. They adorned chair legs, couches, bedsteads and cabinets. The personal items of royalty were usually elaborately decorated in that way. Some rulers, among them Solomon, sat on thrones of ivory covered with gold. Pharaohs of ancient Egypt slept in beds with footboards entirely carved from ivory; they were buried in mummy cases richly inlaid with the substance. King Ahab’s “ivory house” was called that because of the ivory furniture and the ivory-inlaid borders of the cedar walls. Figures of the gods, of fighting animals and men, plants and mythological creatures were common on the panels. Egyptian elements; lotuses and sphinxes; appeared on panels throughout the Middle East, the influence a result of the trade between countries of the time. The ancient peoples often decorated the ivory itself. Phoenicians overlaid it with gold leaf. Early Egyptian artisans stained ivory green and red, using a technique now unknown. Coloured glass and stones, lapis lazuli and strips of dark ebony were also used to add colour and design to the off-white shades of ivory.

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."

Re 3

Thought for Today: Shabbat September 20

It is easy to forget that Yeshua was human as well as Divine… If the chisel slip and cut His finger, His blood was red and warm like ours. He knew what it meant to work long hours, to come in at night tired and weary. That is one of the reasons Yeshua could say with such appeal, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). But the greatest work Yeshua did was what He accomplished through the Cross and Resurrection. And that is why we can come by faith to Him, and He will give us rest.

From this week’s Torah portion – Nitzavym

From this week’s Torah portion – Nitzavym

From this week’s Torah portion – Nitzavym

9/20/2025

THE SELICHOTH PRAYERS

The Selichoth Prayers – Standard Edition, can be found at:

https://sabbathkeepersfellowsh....ip.org/articles-book

SHABBATH – SEVENTH DAY OF THE WEEK

“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Blessed be He who spoke and the world was; Blessed be He – and blessed be His Name.

(On Shabbath , no selichoth are said. Read the following only.)

TEHILLAH 103

Bless YHWH, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His set-apart name. Bless YHWH, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with mercy and compassion; Who satisfies your years with excellent things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. YHWH performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moshe, His acts to the sons of Yisrael. YHWH is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so YHWH has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer. But the mercy of YHWH is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep His covenant and remember His precepts to do them. YHWH has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all. Bless YHWH, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word! Bless YHWH, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will. Bless YHWH, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion; Bless YHWH, O my soul!

TEHILLAH 104

Bless YHWH, O my soul! YHWH my Elohym, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers. He established the earth upon its foundations, so that it will not totter forever and ever. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters were standing above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled, at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. The mountains rose; the valleys sank down to the place which You established for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass over, so that they will not return to cover the earth. He sends forth springs in the valleys; they flow between the mountains; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they lift up their voices among the branches. He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the labor of man, so that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine which makes man’s heart glad, so that he may make his face glisten with oil, and food which sustains man’s heart. The trees of YHWH drink their fill, the cedars of Lebanon which He planted, where the birds build their nests, and the stork, whose home is the fir trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers. He made the moon for the seasons; the sun knows the place of its setting. You appoint darkness and it becomes night, in which all the beasts of the forest prowl about. The young lions roar after their prey and seek their food from Elohym. When the sun rises they withdraw and lie down in their dens. Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until evening. YHWH, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions. There is the sea, great and broad, in which are swarms without number, animals both small and great. There the ships move along, and Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it. They all wait for You to give them their food in due season. You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with excellence. You hide Your face, they are dismayed; You take away their spirit, they expire and return to their dust. You send forth Your Ruach, they are created; and You renew the face of the ground. Let the esteem of YHWH endure forever; Let YHWH be glad in His works; He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to YHWH as long as I live; I will sing praise to my Elohym while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; as for me, I shall be glad in YHWH. Let sinners be consumed from the earth and let the wicked be no more. Bless YHWH, O my soul. Halaluyah!

TEHILLAH 27

YHWH is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? YHWH is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident. One thing I have asked from YHWH, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of YHWH all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of YHWH, and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to YHWH. Hear, YHWH, when I cry with my voice, and be gracious to me and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, YHWH, I shall seek.” Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not abandon me nor forsake me, O Elohym of my salvation! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but YHWH will take me up. Teach me Your way, YHWH, and lead me in a level path because of my foes. Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the excellence of YHWH in the land of the living. Wait for YHWH; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for YHWH.

AVINU PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, sanctified be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from all evil. Amein.

Avinu sh’bashamayim, yitqadesh shimka, veyitbarech malkutka, retsonka yih’yay asuee b’shamayim uva’aretz, vetiten lachmaynu temidit, umechol lanu chatotaynu ka’asher anachnu mochalim lachotim lanu, v’al teviaynu liday nissayon, v’shomraynu mikol rah. Amein.

QADDISH TITKABBAL

Exalted and sanctified be His great Name in the world that He created according to His will. May His kingdom reign, and may He cause His redemption to sprout, and may He hasten the coming of His Mashiach in your lifetime and in your days and in the lifetime of the entire house of Yisrael, speedily and very soon; and let us say: Amein!

May His great Name be blessed forever and to all eternity.

Blessed, lauded, esteemed, exalted, extolled, honored, upraised, and praised be the Name of the set-apart One; Blessed be He; above all the blessings, songs, praises and words of consolation that may be uttered in the world; and let us say: Amein!

May you be answered, and may your prayers be accepted with compassion from the heavens; may your cry be

accepted. May your prayer be heard with grace, and may it be answered – the voice of your supplication, and may He fulfill in you the verse that is written: YHWH, Elohym of your forefathers – may He increase your likes a thousand-fold, and may He bless you as He has spoken concerning you. So may it be His will; and let us say: Amein!

May your prayers and pleas be accepted together with the prayers and pleas of the entire house of Yisrael before our Father in heaven and earth, in the name of Yehoshua HaMashiach; and let us say: Amein!

May there be abundant shalom from heaven, life, contentment, salvation, consolation, deliverance, healing, redemption, pardon, atonement, comfort and relief for us and for His entire nation Yisrael; and let us say: Amein!

He who makes shalom in His high places, may He, in His compassion, make shalom for us and for His entire nation Yisrael; and let us say: Amein!