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Prayer Request (for site updates, see below)
I was laid off from my full-time job several years ago when -- after a lot of prayer, soul searching and discussion with my wife -- we decided to operate the Hebrew for Christians ministry entirely by faith in God's provision through the love and kindness of His people. I am not paid for doing this work, and therefore I ask you to consider supporting us. If you can help, please offer a donation or purchase some of the Hebrew study materials offered here. Encouraging other web sites to link here also helps us become more visible on the web. Above all, agree with us for the Lord's will to be done in our lives. Todah, chaverim.
    
Note: My wife and I have have three young children (Josiah, Judah, and Emanuel David - born Jan. 17, 2016). The LORD has graciously provided for us as Adonai Yireh (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה), "the One who sees [our need]." We are living one day at a time by the grace and mercy of God, and I want to publicly praise Yeshua and acknowledge His faithful love in caring for my family -- despite the trials during this time. The LORD God of Israel is faithful and true! And to those of you who have sent us a word of encouragement or donation during this difficult time, please accept our heartfelt appreciation! Your chesed truly helps sustain us.
יהי שׁם יהוה מברך - "May the Name of the Lord be blessed."
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Jewish Holiday Calendar
Note: For site updates, please scroll past this entry....
The Torah divides the calendar into two symmetrical halves: the Spring and the Fall, indicating the two advents of Messiah. The Biblical year officially begins during the month of the Passover from Egypt (called Rosh Chodashim, see Exod. 12:2), and the spring holidays of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits both recall our deliverance from Egypt and also our greater deliverance given by means of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, the great Passover Lamb of God. The holiday of Shavuot (i.e., "Pentecost") both commemorates the revelation of the Torah at Sinai as well as the revelation of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) at Zion, in fulfillment of the promise given by our Lord....
The intermediate months of summer end with the advent of the sixth month of the calendar, called the month of Elul, which recalls the time Moses interceded on behalf of Israel after the sin of the Golden Calf. To commemorate this time of our history, we likewise focus on teshuvah (repentance) in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah and especially in anticipation of Yom Kippur, the great "Day of Atonement." In Jewish tradition the 30 days of Elul are combined with the first ten days of the seventh month (called the "Days of Awe") to set apart "Forty Days of Teshuvah" leading up to the Day of Forgiveness for Israel. Immediately following Yom Kippur, the mood changes as we begin preparing for a joyous week-long celebration called Sukkot (i.e., "Tabernacles") that concludes with the holiday of Simchat Torah.
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The Summer Holidays:
In the summer there occurs a three week period of mourning that begins with the Fast of Tammuz and ends with Tishah B'Av. The last nine days of this three week period (i.e., from Av 1 until Av 9th) are days of increased mourning. However, after this somber time, the romantic holiday of Tu B'Av, the 15th of Av occurs. The summer season ends after the 30 days of the month of Elul, a yearly season of teshuvah (repentance) that anticipates Rosh Hashanah and the fall holidays. As mentioned above, the 30 days of Elul are combined with the first 10 days of the month of Tishri to create the "Forty Days of Teshuvah" that culminate with Yom Kippur. The summer holidays therefore help us prepare for the second coming of the Messiah.
Note that in accordance with tradition, holiday dates begin at sundown (Gen. 1:5). Moreover, some holidays may be postponed one day if they happen to fall on the weekly Sabbath:
- Month of Tammuz (Tues. June 28th [eve] - Thurs. July 28th [day])
- Month of Av (Thurs. July 28th [eve] - Fri. Aug. 26th [day])
- Month of Elul (Fri. Aug. 26th [eve] - Sun. Sept. 25th [day])
- Month of Tishri (Sun. Sept. 25th [eve] - Mon. Oct. 24th [day]) - Fall holidays begin!
Note: For more about the dates of these holidays see the Calendar pages....
July 2022 Site Updates
God's Providential Care...
07.21.22 (Tammuz 22, 5782) Since our Scriptures affirm that "all things work together for good" (Rom. 8:28), we must trust God for both perceived evil as well as perceived good, since all circumstances of life come from the hand of the LORD our God (see Job 2:10). Despite appearances that sometimes seem to the contrary, we believe that the all-powerful, supreme LORD has not abandoned the world but actively sustains and upholds it with benevolent intent (Heb. 1:3). "We walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). When bad things happen to the righteous, we trust in God's personal care for their ultimate good, despite their present troubles. As the prophet Job said: "Though he slay me, I will trust in Him" (Job 13:15). This is the heart behind the Kaddish, the mourner's prayer, that expresses acceptance of God's world, despite the pain, sorrow, loss, and so on.
The term hashgachah pratit (השׁגחה פרטית) refers to God's personal supervision of our lives (hashgachah means "supervision," and pratit means "individual" or "particular"). Since He is the Master of the Universe, God's supervision reaches to the smallest of details of creation - from subatomic particles to the great motions of the cosmos. God not only calls each star by its own name (Psalm 147:4), but knows each particular lily and sparrow (Matt. 6:28-30, 10:29). Each person created in the likeness of God is therefore under the direct, personal supervision of God Himself -- whether that soul is conscious of that fact or not. As Yeshua said, even the hairs on your head are all numbered (Matt. 10:30). Indeed, the God of Israel is called אלהי הרוּחת לכל־בּשׂר / Elohei ha-ruchot lekhol-basar: "The God of the spirits of all flesh" (Num. 16:22), and that means He is LORD even over those who vainly attempt to suppress His Presence and reality. "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth?" (Jer. 23:24).
The Talmud says that when Moses asked God, "Please show me your glory" (Exod. 33:18), he was asking for God's vindication in the light of the gnawing question: "Why do the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper?" Moses was not given an explicit answer, and some of the sages said he wrote the enigmatic Book of Job to demonstrate that the question can only be reduced to God's inscrutable will: "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?" (Job 38:4). In other words, the question can only be answered by the One who knows the beginning from the end, the Infinite One who sees the implications and concatenation of all things. As finite beings, we see only a fraction of the big picture, and therefore we must yield our trust to the Wisdom and Power of Almighty God (Deut. 32:4).
It is written, "Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb; in your scroll everything was written, my days were ordained before they came into existence" (Psalm 139:16). In light of God's providential ordering of our lives, Blaise Pascal asked, "What is left for us but to unite our will to that of God himself, to will in him, with him, and for him the thing that he has eternally willed in us and for us." The Mishnah says it this way: "Do His will as if it was your will that He may do your will as if it was His will" (Avot 2:4). In other words, what else can we do but learn to trust, accept, and to say "yes" to life -- even if at times we may feel like orphans, lost in a fatherless world... All our days are recorded in God's scroll.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 139:16b reading (click):
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Accepting His Crucified Life...
07.21.22 (Tammuz 22, 5782) Some people seem to think that to be "crucified with Messiah" means that we must totally surrender our lives to God by denying ourselves and mortifying every passion apart from the Spirit of Messiah living within us (Gal. 2:20). However, if we could do this - if we really could crucify ourselves, deny ourselves, and completely yield our hearts to God in absolute surrender, we wouldn't need the miracle of salvation, would we? We'd be back at the religious game, attempting to please God through our own "best efforts," and endeavoring to affect spirituality by means of our own merit. On the contrary, Yeshua said that no one is able to come (οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν) to him for life unless God Himself "drags him" (John 6:44). The flesh is scandalized by this, of course, since the ego plays no part. Eternal life is found in the righteousness of Yeshua, and self-denial means to quit thinking about yourself (from α-, "not," + ῥέω, "to speak") by accepting what he has done for you. We have been (already) crucified with Messiah (the verb συνεσταύρωμαι is a perfect passive form), and just as we are identified with him in his death, so we are identified with him in his resurrected life. This is a matter of faith, trusting that God's love for your soul overcomes the law's powerlessness and your own inability to save yourself...
The first duty of the heart is to believe in the miracle of God's love for your soul. Surrender of the heart is deeper than outward obedience, since it is possible to obey God for the wrong reasons. Our motivation must be grounded in God's love first of all (1 John 4:19). This is what it means to "die to yourself" or to be "crucified" with Messiah: you let go; you relinquish control; you trust God to accept you, sustain you, and bless you -- even in your weakest and worst moments. That is the nature of trusting in God's love for you.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 3:5 reading (click):
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The moral law of God is a perfect mirror, revealing the truth about our inward condition. The reality of our sin leads to brokenness and the confession of our need for God's power to change our hearts. But we can only get to that place by means of the cross: We first die to all hope in ourselves and our religious aspirations, and then God does the miracle. The cross demonstrates that any attempt of the flesh to please God (i.e., "religion") is useless and needs to be laid to rest. True obedience, then, means surrendering to the LORD who heals your heart (forgives your sin) and sets you free to know Him. This is the "end of the law," after all - to walk as God's free child who pleases Him out of a relationship of love, trust, and blessing. We can obey God, in other words, only if we first surrender our hearts to his love.
All who surrender obey, but not all who obey surrender... While we are not saved by obeying rules of conduct but solely by trusting in God's love (Eph. 2:9; 2 Tim. 1:9, Titus 3:5, Rom. 11:6, etc.), we will find ourselves willing to obey God from the heart only if we are really convinced that he loves and accepts us, despite our sins... The love of God is not without discipline, structure, and order, after all. Love is polite; it listens; it seeks to serve and worship with reverence and gratitude. So, after unconditionally surrendering our hearts to God, we will desire to do his will, that is, we will want to know and to do his Torah (Psalm 1:2), and the Holy Spirit will therefore lead us to a place of order, faithfulness, and peace - not to disorder and confusion (1 Cor. 14:33,40). There are disciplines to the life of faith that are instilled within our hearts to help us "work out" the inner transformation of God's love into our daily lives. And that is part of the rationale for liturgy, ritual, observing the moedim (biblical holidays), reading the weekly Torah portions, giving tzedakah, performing acts of chesed, and so on. Ideally such things are meant to provide "form" to the inner content of the heart. May the LORD our God teach us the path of his peace....
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:4 reading (click):
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The Breath of Life...
07.20.22 (Tammuz 21, 5782) A verse from this week's Torah (i.e., parashat Pinchas) reveals yet another great Name of God: Elohei ha'ruchot le'khol basar (אלהי הרוחת לכל־בשׂר), which can be translated "the God of the breath of all flesh" (Num. 27:16). This Name reveals that the LORD is the Source of your breath, the One who exhales to you nishmat ha'chayim (נשימת החיים), the "breath of life" that enables you to live (Job 12:10). The sages use the analogy of a glassblower who creates a glass vessel. Just as the glassblower blows into a tube to form a vessel from molten glass, so the "breath" (i.e., neshamah: נְשָׁמָה) that comes from the LORD functions as spirit (i.e., ruach: רוּחַ) that forms and fills the human soul (i.e., nefesh: נֶפֶשׁ). Note especially that the Name YHVH (יהוה), the LORD, first appears in this connection (Gen. 2:7), a designation that also means "God is Present" (Exod. 3:14) and "God is Mercy" (Exod. 34:6-7). Note also that each letter of the Name YHVH represents a vowel sound (i.e., breath), suggesting that God's Spirit is as close as your very next breath. Like the wind that cannot be seen, so is the spirit the essential part of your identity. Truly in God we "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
Hebrew Lesson:
Num. 27:16 reading (click):
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True and False Zeal...
[ The following entry concerns our Torah reading for this week, parashat Pinchas... ]
07.20.22 (Tammuz 21, 5782) You may be entirely sincere in your convictions, but you may be sincerely wrong... In the time of the Second Temple, for instance, the Zealots despised the rule of Rome. Their political hatred caused them to blindly regard anyone who didn't share their passion as a personal enemy. In one of the great tragedies of Jewish history, these Jewish zealots actually killed more Jews than did the Romans themselves! And how many Christians these days "kill" relationships with other believers because of their particular zeal regarding some doctrinal question? I am not suggesting that doctrine is unimportant, of course, but before you pick up that sword to do the business of Pinchas, you might do well to consider your heart's attitude...
"In this respect fundamentalism has demonic traits. It destroys the humble honesty of the search for truth, it splits the conscience of its thoughtful adherents, and it makes them fanatical because they are forced to suppress elements of truth of which they are dimly aware." - Paul Tillich
We need to be careful with our passions. There is a "false zeal" that leads to estrangement and confusion. Withholding love from others is ultimately grounded in an appeal to God as the administrator of Justice. It is an appeal to God as Elohim (אֱלהִים), not as YHVH (יהוה), the Compassionate Source of Life. If we insist on our rights, we appeal to principles of justice, i.e., to God as the Lawgiver. But if we intend to have God be the Judge of others, we must appeal to Him to be our own Judge as well. If we have an unforgiving spirit toward others, we will not receive our own forgiveness (Matt. 6:15); if we are judgmental toward them, we ourselves will be put on trial; if we are cruel and ungiving toward them, we will experience life as hellish, miserable and mean. This reciprocal principle of Kingdom life appears throughout Yeshua's teaching. According to your faith, be it done unto you (Matt. 9:29).
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 18:26 reading (click):
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Note: For more on this important topic, see "Parashat Pinchas: God's Greater Zeal."
Losing and Finding yourself...
07.20.22 (Tammuz 21, 5782) Shalom chaverim. Many of us deal with inner conflicts, self-reproach, and meagerness of faith... It is reported that on his deathbed Reb Zusya said, "I am not afraid that the Holy One will ask me, 'Zusya, why were you not more like Moses?' Rather, I fear the Holy One will say, 'Zusya, why were you not more like Zusya?'" This Hasidic story is interesting because, on the one hand, how could Zusya be anyone other than he is? and on the other, why is Zusya afraid that he is not who he should be? Zusya's parable reveals that there is an inner conflict in his soul. He senses that has not lived as he ought, that he has failed himself (and God), and that he is lost in the rift between the ideal and the real... His struggle, then, is with himself. Who he is and who he thinks he should be are at odds within his heart.
The question of who we are supposed to be haunts us, and consciousness of the failure to practice our ideals leads to a sense of guilt, anxiety, and shame. For those who believe in Yeshua the question is essential to the question of what it means to be an authentic disciple. How are we to live before God and be accountable for what we do? For instance, we read Yeshua's message in the Sermon on the Mount and we eventually realize - if we are honest with ourselves - that it is not within our nature to be able to do as he teaches, and this leads us to a despair not unlike that which Zusya experienced. A divided house cannot stand....
Reb Zusya's despair can be remedied only by overcoming the inner divide through a personal relationship with Yeshua, for salvation is not simply deliverance from the accusations of conscience (i.e., the verdict of the law) but constitutes the healing grace that delivers us from ourselves. Yeshua did not die on the cross to simply take away our sins, but to create within us indestructible new nature that it no longer enslaved to the power of sin. The message of the gospel is that your heart can be - and ultimately will be - transformed by the miracle of God given in Yeshua.
Salvation is not a matter of "religion" or of man's attempt to justify himself by some kind of reformation of character. Yeshua is not the "second coming of Moses," after all. Try as you might to live a "good life," keep the commandments, and aspire to elevate yourself spiritually, you will eventually come to realize that it is impossible to change yourself. You will then be faced with a decision: either to deceive yourself about who you are, or to be honest and confess your wretched and hopeless condition. This is the "lawful use of the law," that reveals the "ought-to-be" self, so that the gap between the ideal and the real becomes unsurpassable, and we know ourselves as lost sinners who are in peril over ourselves...
In our natural estate we are "fallen," shattered of heart, full of trouble "as the sparks fly upward." As Simone de Beavoir once wrote: "In the very condition of man there enters the possibility of not fulfilling who he is" (Ethics of Ambiguity, 1947). The breach between who we are and what we ought to be creates a sense of alienation from ourselves, a "shadow self" that we deny, suppress, or try to control. In a moment of rare lucidity, the "natural man" cries out to God: "What do you want from me?" This is the moment when truth has its opportunity, when the heart is stirred to confess its need for deliverance and to accept God's love, despite the brokenness and incoherence of life.
When by miracle we escape from the "hard yoke" of our laws, our vain attempts at self-justification, we do not encounter another set of laws, or another heavy yoke, but we take hold of the love of God, a personal love, and we engage in relationship with God as the central (and unifying) reality of our lives. Deliverance from ourselves is not found in religious (or "spiritual") recipes of any kind but in our connection with the truth of who God really is, trusting in his love and healing for all that we are, have been, and ever shall be, amen.
"Salvation is of the LORD," which means that God does the work of righteousness within you. It is God who saves you; it is God who sanctifies you, and ultimately it is God alone who heals you. Whenever you say "I can't," you are either looking at yourself or at God. If you are looking at yourself, "I can't" is better understood as "I won't," and the problem then is a lack of faith. On the other hand, if you are looking at God, "I can't" is followed by "but You can, O Lord" and faith trusts that God will complete the good work that he has begun in you.
It has been said that God sends each soul into the world with a special message to deliver, a revelation that only he or she can disclose... No one else can bring your message to this world - only you can do this. And since God is entirely unique, you are called to be who you were created to be, and not someone else. As George MacDonald once said, "I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of; for to have been thought about, born in God's thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest and most precious thing in all thinking." That's the good news of the gospel, friends: God not only saves us from ourselves, he remakes us to be true bearers of his image and likeness. He works all things together for his glory and our good. Amen, let it be so, O Lord!
Hebrew Lesson
Ezekiel 26:26a reading (click):
Healing the Divided Self...
07.20.22 (Tammuz 21, 5782) Who you are is the most important thing about what you are... Soren Kierkegaard understood the "self" - that is, that which is most essential to who you really are - to be a "dialectical relationship" you have with your own inner life, namely, with your thoughts, your feelings, and so on. He famously said: "The self is a relation which relates to itself, or that in the relation which is its relating to itself. The self is not the relation but the relation's relating to itself" (Sickness unto Death). This might seem like a nonsense statement, but what Kierkegaard meant was that you are always having a conversation with yourself, and there - in that dialog or "dialectic" - you are always deciding what matters most to you, what you really want, what you choose to believe, and so on. As strange as it may sound, "you" are always in relationship with yourself - both as speaker and hearer, and you are also the one who reasons and makes judgments about what to do in the midst of the ongoing conversation... Now what is most significant about this inner discourse, this "court of decision," is both the reasons for or against something, as well as the moral competence and authority of the judge. How could the "divided self" be unified, after all, if it made decisions that were not based on reality and truth?
Of course much of the time we are not conscious of what we are thinking, but we act from impulse acquired through unreflective habit and the passive acquiescence of worldly "assumptions" made about the meaning of things. This is the mode of the "mass mind" that has gone asleep and no longer bothers to ask searching questions about what is real... However, since whatever is thought is indeed based on assumptions, it is important to discern what those assumptions are and to question their veracity.
For example, you might "find yourself" feeling upset over the political affairs of the world, anxious about the future, and so on. "The world is falling apart," you might say, or "everything is coming undone!" It is wise, in this case, to discover the assumptions being employed that give reasons for your fear. What "argument" is being made within yourself that leads you to conclude that fear (or outrage or despair) is the appropriate response? What "axioms" or premises are at work in your thinking? Perhaps you assume that "God takes care of those who take care of themselves" and therefore you must "take control," you must fight against evil, and that you are responsible (somehow) for the state of the world, and so on.
If you take time to honestly examine your reasons for believing that your fear (or anger, or despair) is justified, you will eventually encounter foundational assumptions that are paradoxical and contradictory, such as notions that you are (both) responsible for everything yet nothing is within your control, or that you are (both) "free" yet determined by necessity, that God is (both) distant and yet very near, and so on. And this is where things get interesting and vitally important: in the midst of these tensions, in the midst of the "dialog" you have with such ultimate questions, in the midst of such ambiguity, you (both) must make a practical decision and yet you are unable to do so. Though you "hear" the arguments pro and con within your heart, you are simply unqualified to make a decision about what you should do: you are "double minded, unstable in all your ways."
It is not hopeless, however, because you were never meant to be the judge and moral authority of your life, since that role belongs to God alone who is the Sovereign LORD over all reality, and the only one who truly defines what is "good" and what is "evil." The original sin, after all, was the usurpation of God's authority over our lives. When Adam ate from the Tree of the knowledge of good *and* evil, he sat himself upon the throne of the heart as the god of his own life. The dreadful fall...
Healing comes through teshuvah, or returning to God as the true Authority of our lives. In the midst of the inner dialog of the self, your ego or "false judge" must abdicate the throne before the LORD, sincerely submitting to God's wisdom and truth. Doing so presents another "Voice" to the inner conversation of your self, namely the Voice of God's presence, power, and authority as the true Judge and Lord of our lives. This is the deeper meaning of "Shema," that is, to listen to God, to submit to his terms of reality, and to engage this within the deepest recesses of the self. Doing so yields "shalom" because you rest in God's wisdom and care for your life, instead of anxiously debating about what to do in the midst of the ambiguity and confusion of this world. Let's face it, you make for a poor god...
When you are tempted to despair, friend, when you seek to lose yourself in distractions of rage or fear, turn to God and ground yourself in what is real. Pray. Ask for divine wisdom; ask for truth in the midst of your inner conflict and uncertainty (Heb. 4:16). Then listen. Open your heart and ready yourself to hear the "still small voice" that will guide you. Doing so will purify your heart and transform your mind. "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O LORD, my Strength and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 19:14 Hebrew reading:
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Heart of the Torah...
07.19.22 (Tammuz 20, 5782) The Hebrew word לב (i.e., lev, "heart") is made up of the first and last letters of the written Torah scroll (i.e., Genesis begins with בּ and Deuteronomy ends with ל), though we can only make this connection after we reach the end of the scroll, that is, after we read back and review what we have learned... If we only read forward and forget to go back, we would end up with the word בּל (i.e., bal, not, negation, denial).
The Baal Turim notes that these two letters, בּ and ל, are the only two in the Hebrew alphabet that can be combined with the letters of the Name of the LORD (יהוה) to form meaningful words (e.g. בּיהוה ,ליהוה, and so on), whereas none of the other letters can do this. He concludes that the heart is the point through which we connect with the LORD.
It is written that the words of Torah "return the soul" (Psalm 19:7) because the Hebrew words and letters themselves contain spiritual power and life (Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:23). Indeed some of the sages note that the first few words of Scriptures point to the Hebrew alphabet: בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלהִים אֵת, "In the beginning God created et (אֵת)," that is, א and ת, or the Hebrew alphabet itself... In this connection note the first letter of the Torah (i.e., בּ in "bereshit") and the last letter of the New Testament (i.e., ן in "amen") combine to form the word בּן (i.e., ben, son), alluding to the all-encompassing wisdom, power, and glory of God the Son, the very revelation of YHVH (יהוה) to mankind.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 19:7 reading (click):
Beloved Shepherds...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Pinchas... ]
07.19.22 (Tammuz 20, 5782) The Hebrew word for "beloved" is yedid (יְדִיד), which comes from the word dod (דּוֹד), as used in the verse ani le'dodi ve'dodi li (אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי), "I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me" (Song 6:3). The name "David" (דָוִד) likewise comes from this root. It is interesting to see that the word yedid is formed by combining or joining the Hebrew word for "hand" (i.e., yad: יָד) together (i.e., יָד+יָד), which pictures two friends walking together while holding hands...
When Moses realized that his son Gershom would not be his successor, he asked God for a shepherd to lead the people, and the LORD told him ve'samakhta et yadkha alav - "put your hand on Joshua" (Num. 27:18). Moses, however, not only placed one hand on Joshua, but both hands (Num. 27:23), which suggests that he was wholehearted for the things of God, and to symbolically regard Joshua as yedid (יְדִיד), that is, "hand-in-hand" with Moses' heart for the welfare people...
Shalom chaverim; stay strong in hope... Do not listen to voices of fear, but hear (shema) the LORD calling out your name to abide in His love and care! Yeshua is our Good Shepherd who always lays down his life for his sheep...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 90:17 Hebrew reading (click):
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Seeking God's Presence...
07.19.22 (Tammuz 20, 5782) The Hebrew word for "world" or "age" is olam (עוֹלָם), which is derived from a root verb (עָלַם) that means "to conceal" or "to hide." God "hides" His face from us so that we will seek Him, and that means pressing through ambiguity of this world to discern and take hold of the truth. Therefore King David said, בַּקְּשׁוּ פָנָיו תָּמִיד/ bakeshu fanav tamid: "Seek His face continually" (Psalm 105:4). Note that the Hebrew gematria (numerical value) for the word "fanav" (i.e., "His face") is the same as that for the word "olam." When we truly seek God's face (i.e., His Presence), that is, "do teshuvah," we are able to discern the underlying purpose for our lives in this age... As it is written in our Scriptures: "Blessed is the one who endures temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life (עֲטֶרֶת הַחַיִּים) that the LORD has promised to those who love him" (James 1:12). The present age, then, constitutes a test that God providentially designs to lead us to the "crown of life," and we are made happy when we go through its fires and are not consumed. Indeed, only those who love the Lord will be able to withstand the fires... The "crown of life" symbolizes that we have truly received the purpose for which we were created and that we are identified with God's own passion and love. The light of the crown represents the Divine Presence within us, the Life that overcomes despair on our behalf.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 105:4 reading (click):
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"It is not the path which is the difficulty; rather, it is the difficulty which is the path." The ancient Greek version of the Torah (i.e., the Septuagint) translates this verse, "Seek the LORD and be strengthened; seek His face through everything (διὰ παντός)." The LORD God gives us "inner strength" (i.e., ἐγκράτεια, from εν-, "in" + κράτος, "strength" or "power") when we yield to "the power of His might" (ἐν τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ) (Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 6:10). Therefore we must remember God's power and glory, for "He is the LORD our God (הוּא יְהוָה אֱלהֵינוּ); His judgments are in all the earth" (Psalm 105:7).
The Shepherd's Call...
07.19.22 (Tammuz 20, 5782) A message of teshuvah from our Lord: "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray" (Matt. 18:12-13). Though it involves sorrow and the pain of being lost, repentance is ultimately about finding joy, and when we return to God, we have reason to rejoice. The Good Shepherd says, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:6-7). The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost: "For thus says the Lord the Eternal: Behold, I, even I, will search for my sheep and I will seek them out. I myself will be the Shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the banished, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the sick..." (Ezek. 34:11,15-16).
Hebrew Lesson
Ezekiel 34:11 reading (click):
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Faith and Loneliness...
07.18.22 (Tammuz 19, 5782) A.W. Tozer once wrote: "The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorptions in the love of Christ; and because with his circle of friends there are few who share his inner experiences, he's forced to walk alone. The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord himself suffered in the same way.
"The man (or woman) who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided, and the gulf between him and society widens. He searches for the friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none, he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart. It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else."
Such was Abraham's test, as he had no way to communicate his burden regarding the sacrifice of his beloved son Isaac. And there is also a loneliness that arises when you must wrestle through disappointment in your walk with God... This is an empty place where you realize that you're request has been denied, and yet you must continue to walk on in trust. That is a hard place, too.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matt. 5:4). Yes, blessed are those who suffer such desperate need, who know inner emptiness, who are not made numb to the ache, and who cry from the heart for deliverance. Blessed are those who are in dread over themselves, who fall as one dead before the Divine Presence, who know they are undone, ruined, and dying for life... The great danger, spiritually speaking, is to become complacent, untouched by poverty of heart, to be lulled asleep, lost within a dream, made comatose, living-yet-dead. The gift of faith first reveals our own lostness and then imparts courage to live with ourselves despite ourselves as we seek God's healing and life...
Hebrew Lesson:
Matt. 5:4 Hebrew reading:
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Our Wounded Shepherd...
[ The following concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Pinchas....
07.18.22 (Tammuz 19, 5782) From our Torah this week (i.e., parashat Pinchas) we read how Moses appealed to God for the one who would serve as his successor: "Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh (אלהֵי הָרוּחת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר), appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd" (Num. 27:16-17). The Koznitzer rebbe commented here that Moses asked God to appoint a leader "for all flesh," le'khol basar (לְכָל־בָּשָׂר). Rearranging the letters of basar (בָּשָׂר), he formed the word shavar (שָׁבָר), which means "to break in pieces," and concluded that a true leader should be one with a broken heart (לב שבור), that is, one who can sympathize and have pity on his people (Heb. 2:8; 4:15; 5:1-ff). God's leader should not be proud or aristocratic, but like a shepherd, a plain and simple person, who patiently guides his people to observe the ways of the LORD. Therefore our beloved Yeshua, the Good Shepherd, is also called a "Man of sorrows acquainted with grief" (Isa. 53:3).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 53:3 reading (click):
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Shavuah Tov Podcast:
Parashat Pinchas...
07.17.22 (Tammuz 18, 5782) The audio podcast for parashat Pinchas provides an overview of the Torah reading as well as a discussion of the meaning of faith, the importance of the gospel message, and how Yeshua is revealed in the life of Pinchas... I also discuss the "Three Weeks of Sorrow" leading up to the somber holiday of Tishah B'Av as well as the significance of the Jewish holidays (mo'edim) in general. I hope you find it helpful.
This week's Torah:
Parashat Pinchas - פינחס
07.17.22 (Tammuz 18, 5782) Last week's Torah portion (i.e., parashat Balak) first introduced us to a man named Phinehas (i.e., "Pinchas"), the son of Eleazar the priest and grandson of Aaron, who, during the tragic rebellion at Baal Peor, zealously removed evil from Israel by driving a spear through a tribal prince who was brazenly cavorting with a Midianite princess in defiance of God's law. On account of Pinchas' zeal for the truth of Torah, God stopped the plague and Israel was delivered from great destruction... This week's Torah portion (i.e., parashat Pinchas) begins with the LORD rewarding Pinchas by granting him a "covenant of peace" (ברית שׁלום) and an everlasting priestly line in Israel (ברית כהנת עולם). As I hope you will see, Pinchas pictures the Messiah Yeshua, and the covenant of priesthood given to him is a picture of the greater priesthood after the order of Malki-Tzedek.
Jewish tradition says that when Aaron and his sons were commissioned as the exclusive priests of Israel (Exod. 40:12-15), the office applied only to themselves and their future descendants. Since Aaron's grandson Pinchas had already been born at the time the promise was given, however, he did not automatically receive this honor, especially since his father Eleazar (the son of Aaron) was married to an "outsider" -- namely, the daughter of Yitro (also called Putiel, Exod. 6:25). This explains Rashi's statement that the other tribes mocked Pinchas. How dare this "son of an outsider" kill a nassi (prince) of Israel (i.e., Zimri), especially since Pinchas' mother was regarded as an idol worshipper! The LORD honored Pinchas' zeal, however, and overruled the tribalism of the Israelites, and he was therefore elevated to be a priest with special honor before the LORD.
God looks at the heart, chaverim, and is able to make those who have zeal for Him true priests of the LORD! You don't have to be born Jewish to impress the LORD God of Israel, since He's "no respecter of persons" (Rom. 2:11). Not only can He create spiritual children of Abraham from the stones of the ground (Matt. 3:9; Luke 3:8), but He can turn someone considered a non-Jew (by the rabbis, anyway) into a highly honored priest of Israel (1 Pet. 2:9-10). Indeed, many descendants of Pinchas later became the most faithful of the High Priests of Israel during the First Temple period.
Note that according to one midrash, when Zimri and Cozbi (the Midianite princess) were cavorting, they actually ran inside the Tabernacle compound itself, directly past Moses and the people who were weeping at its entrance (Num. 25:6)! Pinchas then took a spear from the Tabernacle guards and followed after them. When he caught up with them within the Tent of Meeting itself, he pierced them through (Num. 25:7-8). After this, thousands of men from the tribe of Simeon ran in after him, seeking to kill him. Pinchas was in such a state of terror that "his soul left him" and the souls of Nadav and Abihu (Aaron's deceased sons) entered his body -- and by this means he became a Kohen.
Parashat Pinchas (like parashat Emor in Leviticus) also mentions of all of the (sacrifices of the) mo'edim (holidays) given to the people Israel (Num. 28). These include the daily (tamid), weekly (Shabbat), monthly (Rosh Chodesh) sacrifices, as well as the sacrifices assigned to the special holidays: Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hoshannah (Terumah), Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. The sages said that remembering the joys of the Temple and the special celebrations of the Jewish people promote the call to do teshuvah during the otherwise somber time of the Three Weeks of Sorrow.
Dangers of Fooling Yourself...
07.15.22 (Tammuz 16, 5782) It has been said that there are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is... Hence thinking that you are spiritual when you really are not is to deceive yourself, but so also is thinking you are not spiritual when you really are. In the former case you are a hypocrite, but in the latter case you are a person of little faith... If you are willing to honestly examine the status of your spiritual life, see whether you are trusting in your own will to believe, in your own obedience to the moral law, etc., or whether you are trusting in the Reality and power of the resurrected Savior to give you life from the dead...
We've learned from repeated failures that "the power of sin is in the law" (1 Cor. 15:56), that is, in the unjustified pride of the flesh (ego) that attempts to validate or justify itself. The business of working on yourself, excusing yourself, defending yourself, and so on runs so deeply within that Paul calls it the "law of sin and death" (תּוֹרַת הַחֵטְא וְהַמָּוֶת). Often we have to keep revisiting the same sins over and over until the message sinks in and we begin to "get it." Only God Himself knows how many iterations are needed, but the flesh seems irrepressible in its pride and therefore keeps attempting to operate "under the law." Living under the law, however, means living under the principle of self-justification, which invariably leads to failure, guilt, and the need for further self-justification. "Religion" can serve as a construction of the ego, an acronym that means "easing God out." The solution to this ever-turning "wheel of sorrow," this infinite and self-defeating "loop," is to "die to the law" and its demands and be raised to live in newness of life (Rom. 7:1-6; Gal. 2:19-21).
We read in the Torah: "Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any other person on the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3). Note that the word "humble" (i.e., anav: עָנָו) can be rearranged to spell the word "iniquity" (i.e., avon: עוֹן) by swapping the letter Vav (ו), the symbol for man (i.e., "flesh"), in place of the letter Nun (נ), the symbol for life/Yeshua. This suggests that when we put ourselves as the center, we cease to be humble but instead become perverse; conversely, putting Yeshua in the center of your life instills true humility...
Hebrew Lesson
Prov. 16:25 reading (click):
Faith and Knowledge...
[ This entry is intended for seekers and those who are unsure of the meaning of truth... ]
07.15.22 (Tammuz 16, 5782) All thinking is a form of believing, and therefore there is no truth apart from faith. The scientist who carefully observes phenomena, for instance, is a person of faith who believes that an external world exists, that it is knowable by the human mind, that the future "resembles" the past (i.e., the uniformity of nature), that causal relationships exist, that the scientific method is able to reliably use logical inference to reach tentative conclusions, and so on. Indeed, the entire scientific worldview relies on metaphysical assumptions no less than any other religious view.
On a practical and existential level, then, we note that everyone trusts and makes decisions based on metaphysical presuppositions that they (sub)consciously assume to be trustworthy. Regarding such assumptions, (i.e., axioms of ultimate meaning and "consequential weight"), we are constrained to give account, though we cannot settle the truth of such assumptions using the science or a naturalistic worldview without begging questions...
Some examples of matters of ultimate meaning include: "Why is there something rather than nothing?" "Does God exist?" "Is the universe a finite closed-system of cause and effect or the handiwork of a personal Creator, or neither?" "Is there a purpose to life, and if so, what is it?" "What is the nature of reality? Is everything categorically made up of "matter" (however you define it) or is there a non-material, spiritual dimension to reality as well? On the other hand, could everything be made up of spirit (or mind) and the idea that matter matter "exists" is just a fictive product of the mind?" "Is the universe governed by impersonal forces or does God personally supervise all that happens?" "How do we know things, and indeed, how can we properly define knowledge?" "Do we acquire knowledge exclusively through our senses or may it be attained by reasoning, intuition, or mystical revelation as well?" And so on...
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How we answer these sorts of questions reveals what we trust as ultimately real and worthy of our confidence. In other words, since thinking is necessarily a form of believing, and since believing is necessarily a form of "believing that," or believing in some sort of "object" that answers to the intentionality (or focus) of the mind, then every decision we make regarding the most prosaic of concerns to the most cosmic, presupposes a "deeper narrative" that contextualizes and gives meaning to our lives. This is inescapable to the human condition.
The narratives we believe are not trivial but are "weighty" in their consequence, and the more we trust in the "story" of what is real, the more authority and influence it has over our lives. Practically speaking, you can ask yourself who you would turn to when you are faced with a difficult decision to make. We may not be fully conscious of it, but apart from ourselves, each of us has a list of others whom we regard as worthy of our trust.
We "walk by faith, not by sight," and this is true of every soul, regardless of their educational level, socioeconomic status, gender, and so on. Each of us is a sojourner in this world; each of us is "going someplace" with the faith that animates our steps.
"Knowledge" has been defined as "justified true belief," but since belief is axiomatically assumed, what's left is the verdict we give that regards a particular truth claim to be justified, or warranted. That is how we esteem things to be "facts" or a true matter, after all. It would make no sense for me to say "I know x" when I am unsure if x is true, and what makes me sure that x is true are reasons (or justification) for my faith in the assertion: "I know x." Truth is a form of "correspondence" or "agreement" with language that points to something and affirms its reality (or state of being). Of course we sometimes get it wrong, and our descriptions are not accurate to what is real; our "x" may not be true, and if it were demonstrated that "x" was not the case, we would conclude that we were mistaken, that what we thought we knew was not really so, that we were wrong in our claim, and so on.
I hope you understand that it is a form of the "straw man" fallacy to say that "faith" is a matter of religious conviction, since, as we have seen, everyone has a system of faith and everyone is bound to assumptions they make about what is "true" belief (i.e., knowledge) and what is not. As G.K. Chesterton said: "It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason itself is a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all." The difference in matters of ultimate questions has to do with the "direct object" of your faith. What are you relying on to be the best explanation for the meaning of your life? For atheists and humanists, the object of faith is their own reasoning, not God who created mankind in his "image and likeness." Theirs is a rather dismal myth that the universe "evolved" into being without any discernible reason, that human life is ultimately experienced as inexplicable and vain, and that the "end of the story" is found in the "heat death" of the universe. The best people can do is learn to love the machine in which they are enmeshed and hope for a meager happiness before they die and are extinguished forever.
No matter who you are, then, if you are able to think at all, you are a person of faith, trusting your fallible sense and fragile sense of rationality to justify or make sense of your worldview. This is inescapably certain, for to deny it requires faith in your thinking to the contrary. Despite this, there is no demonstrable certainty for your conclusions - and therefore you are consigned to the way of faith - even if you are a hidebound atheist or other comedian of the mind. It all comes down to who or what you are listening to, and to whom you yield authority. Every person has a "web of belief" that frames the "grammar" of their life, and the deepest question comes down to: "What are you trusting concerning your life?"
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 27:13 reading (click):
The Good Eye Blessing...
07.15.22 (Tammuz 16, 5782) "The one who utters a blessing is blessed; the one who utters a curse is cursed" (Ruth Rabbah). This does not mean that we walk about blessing others in a formulaic (i.e., insincere) way as much as it expresses the great truth that as we are within, so we are without: as we forgive, so we are forgiven; as we give, so we receive... But we can't give to others what we have not received, and that means first of all learning to see how we are loved by God, despite ourselves. We must use ayin tovah, the "good eye" for the sake of our own inner peace. We must extend to ourselves "good will" and compassion before we can offer it to others. If you can't yet love yourself, ask the Lord to help you begin by not hating yourself, by turning away from the fear that hides behind your anger. As Rashi wisely said, "hatred causes a person to forget his identity."
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 22:9 reading (click):
Daily Dvar Podcast:
Matters of Death and Life...
07.15.22 (Tammuz 16, 5782) Shalom chaverim. Today's "Daily Dvar" broadcast discusses matters of death and life in terms of the gospel message of Yeshua our Messiah. I hope you will find it encouraging. You can listen by clicking the link(s) below:
Finding Purity of Heart...
07.15.22 (Tammuz 16, 5782) "Who shall ascend to the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to vanity (לא־נָשָׂא לַשָּׁוְא) and who does not swear deceitfully" (Psalm 24:3-4). Yeshua expounded: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'" (Matt. 5:8). The Greek word translated "pure" is katharos (καθαρός), sometimes used describe the cleansing of a wound (catharsis), or to describe the unalloyed quality of a substance revealed through refining fire (the corresponding Hebrew word for the "pure of heart" (בַּר־לֵבָב), used in Psalm 24:4, comes from a root (בָּרַר) that likewise means to purify by fire). Metaphorically, then, purity of heart refers to separation from the profane - singleness of vision, wholeheartedness, passion, and focused desire for the sacred. As the Beatitudes reveal (Matt. 5:3-8), only those who are impoverished in spirit, who mourn over themselves and hunger for God's mercy, are refined by their struggle to see God (the Greek text implies these will see God now – with inward vision – and in the world to come). Because the pure in heart use ayin tovah, the good eye, they walk "in the light, as He is in the light" (Matt. 6:22). When we are undivided in heart, the Spirit imparts to us a hidden wisdom (1 Cor. 2:6-7) and we are able to discern hidden realities that others do not see (1 Cor. 2:14). As we center our affections on Yeshua, we become unified, made whole, and healed of our inner conflicts. We see the Lord both in this world, through his effects, and then panim el panim (פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים), "face to face," in the world to come. Our hope purifies us for the coming day of full disclosure (1 John 3:2-3; Heb. 12:14).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 86:11 reading (click):
The heart is a miracle, an "engine" that distributes life, and the heartbeat is a great mystery, inexplicably pulsing with energy, contracting the muscles, pumping blood.. The pulse of the heart, then, is the "center of the center" of a person's physical life... If we are impure of heart, we will be inwardly divided, unfocused, fragmented, filled with destabilizing anxiety, envy, anger, and so on. More tragically, because we seek to escape ourselves, we will be devoid of a true center, without a focal point or abiding purpose, and therefore we will be lost to ourselves, wandering and without rest....
Daily Dvar Podcast:
The Fear of the LORD...
07.15.22 (Tammuz 16, 5782) "The fear of the LORD is the first principle of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and correction" (Prov. 1:7). In this "Daily Dvar" broadcast (see link below) I discuss how reverence or respect is axiomatic for a genuinely good life. Fearing God expresses the confidence that life is a sacred trust and that each soul is answerable to the Creator. Such godly reverence infers that nothing is trivial or inconsequential, and that all things will be accounted before the bar of divine truth. I hope you will find it helpful, friends.
Relying on God Alone...
07.14.22 (Tammuz 15, 5782) "We we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself, yes, we felt that we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead" (2 Cor 1:8-9). This marks the end of carnal hope, when we realize we are but "dead men walking," and from this extremity of inner desperation and clarity we learn to rely solely on God for what we need. Here we abandon ourselves to God's care, despite the despair, darkness, and fear. We rely on "God who raises the dead," because all other remedies have been vanquished. It is a great gift to be so afflicted, for these "troubles of love" teach us to trust God alone for all we need. The only way out is through. We don't seek an easy way of life, but only that the LORD our God be with us throughout our troubles. "My portion is of the Lord," says my soul, "therefore will I hope for him" (Lam. 3:24).
Hebrew Lesson
Lamentations 3:24 reading (click):
Note: I need your prayers, friends... I have not been feeling well the last few days, and I have been tempted to discouragement because, after over 20 years of doing online ministry, it has never been more difficult because of various forms of censorship, shadow-banning, and other issues. Sometimes I grow weary, though God is faithful. Thank you for praying. - John
Torah of Adversity...
07.13.22 (Tammuz 14, 5782) How we deal with trouble and suffering (i.e., tzuris) makes all the difference. We may be tempted to bitterness over our lives, but then what? To paraphrase Soren Kierkegaard, the way of life is how more than it is what. You may be powerless to control reality, but you are nevertheless responsible for how you respond to it. Check your attitude. Do you chose to live in lament over a healing that has not yet happened, or perhaps regard yourself as a hapless victim? Or will you attempt to justify your suffering as a means of personal atonement, accepting it passively as a "good child" or martyr? Does your suffering stretch your heart, or does it cause you to shrink back in fear or self-pity?
In this connection, recall that when the Jews came to Marah, they "could not drink the water because it was bitter" (Exod. 15:23). The Hebrew, however, could be read, "they could not drink the water because they (i.e., the people) were bitter (כִּי מָרִים הֵם). The problem is often not "out there" but within the heart (Matt. 15:19-20). How we choose to see, in other words, says more about us than it does the external world. If you make the mistake of reading the daily news and taking it seriously, you will see only ugliness, and you run the risk of becoming hardhearted. Worldly despair eclipses apprehension of the Presence of God....
We have to use ayin tovah, "a good eye," whenever we encounter the inevitable (and ubiquitous) adversities of life. Instead of seeing ourselves as victims of undeserved trouble, and instead of harboring resentment over the past and entertaining fear of the future, we must learn to see adversity in the light of faith that teaches lessons about finding resilience and hope. Faith affirms that adversity has an end that is ultimately good. Faith will not bow the knee to dark visions and live in dread of worldly fate.
It's been said, "hurt people hurt people," which means that if healing is not found for our woundedness, our pain will likely "leak out" as depression and hostility toward others... Finding inner peace is therefore crucial lest we become poisoned through a "root of bitterness" that defiles many (Heb. 12:15). The worst sort of prison is the one we make for ourselves, by choosing to be taken captive by fear and anger. May the Lord show us mercy and help us grow in grace and in the knowledge of his heart in all things. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:75 reading (click):
The Call to Pray...
07.13.22 (Tammuz 14, 5782) The Scriptures admonish us to pray for all who are in authority so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1 Tim. 2:2). Unlike the world that uses violence to express its will, the weapons of our warfare are not "carnal" (i.e., based on human agency) but are "mighty through God" through the pulling down of strongholds of evil that seek to enslave people in darkness and fear (2 Cor. 10:5). Above all this is a spiritual battle, friends - a fight for the heart and soul of humanity. Ask the Lord to intervene and thwart the schemes of the wicked who collude among themselves to "deconstruct" (i.e., deny) their responsibility to live and love the truth. The hour is now, and it is on our watch that the battle lines have come.
Ruth Graham was reported to have said that if God did not judge America, he would have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. Pray for our country, that the Lord will have mercy upon this land. However the time of tribulation indeed draws near, friends, and the hour of testing for God's people may be approaching. Regardless of the insanity of our age, we serve the LORD our God who is our King forever. We trust that he will providentially guide all things for the ultimate good of those whom he has chosen to be heirs of salvation. So pray with all your heart, and with all your heart let go and trust God for the outcome. Faith, not fear. Our God reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 46:1-2 reading (click):
Heaven's Last Laugh...
07.13.22 (Tammuz 14, 5782) "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh" (Luke 6:21). Despite the heartache of our present life and the grief we now bear, sorrow will not be given the last word, but rather laughter and joy... And even now, in the midst of our afflictions, we can laugh at the prospect of the coming great Day when all things shall be completely healed, the untrue will be made true, the crooked made straight, and our hearts deepest dream for love will be fulfilled...
Nonetheless we still weep because we see the world as painful, tragic, and filled with so much sadness; we cry out for deliverance; we mourn over our lives and for the lives of others we love... If you have a heart that still can feel, you know the crushing weight of sin, you share the agony of others who struggle with their sufferings; and you may feel nearly suffocated by the darkness, pain, and inconsolable despair. Indeed only those who are heartless can laugh at the troubles of this world, unmoved and untouched by the sorrows of others, perhaps because they are insulated in their moneyed indifference or else because they scorn life as "hard" and unforgiving, yet in either case we hear Yeshua add, "Woe to you who laugh now" (either in levity or in bitterness), "for you shall mourn and weep" (Luke 6:25). So you see how it is: God's people will always be "out of step" with this world and its godlessness and idolatry. Genuine faith is a form of protest against any interpretation of reality that denies or minimizes the truth of the Divine Presence and therefore it suffers as the world exchanges truth for the lie.
Indeed God's people are "strangers" in this world; they are estranged and live as "resident aliens" -- here, yet not here.... Those who 'settle' here, who lay claim to life in this world, therefore make God their stranger. Thus King David said to the LORD: "We are strangers with You (כִּי־גֵרִים אֲנַחְנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ) and sojourners like our fathers; our days on earth are like a shadow (כַּצֵּל יָמֵינוּ) without abiding (1 Chron. 29:15). Faith in Yeshua affirms that underlying the surface appearance of life is a deeper reality that is ultimately real and abiding. It "sees what is invisible" (2 Cor. 4:18) and understands (i.e., accepts) that the "present form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31). The mode of faith therefore calls us to live as toshavim - sojourners - who are at an infinite "distance" from the world of appearances and who seek the Eternal. We are "just passing through" this world, as we look forward to our promised home in heaven (Heb. 11:9-10). Then the days of our mourning shall be turned to dancing and God himself shall wipe away all tears from our eyes (Rev. 7:17; Isa. 55:11).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 97:11 reading (click):
Divine Transposition...
07.12.22 (Tammuz 13, 5782) There is a "transposition" of values, a "holy irony," in the realm of the Spirit. From God's perspective that which considered great in the eyes of men is considered of little account, and that which is considered insignificant in the eyes of men is considered of great importance (Luke 9:48). The wisdom of this world (i.e., pragmatic, self-promoting egotism, etc.) is regarded as folly before God (1 Cor. 1:20, 3:19). Therefore Yeshua "made himself nothing" and disguised himself in the form of a lowly servant (ἀλλὰ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών). Unlike various systems of religion that attach merit and status to those who have attained "respectable levels" of personal sanctity, those who are called "great" in the Kingdom of Heaven will be identified as the servants of all (Mark 9:35; 10:44). Like the hidden light of the menorah within the inner chamber of the Tabernacle, the deeds of the humble are beheld inwardly, where the Heavenly Father "sees in secret" (Matt. 6:4). As Yeshua Himself said, כִּי מַלְכוּת הָאֱלהִים בְּקִרְבְּכֶם / "The Kingdom of God is a matter of your inmost heart" (Luke 17:21).
Spiritual pride is inherently self-flattering, self-exalting, and therefore antithetical to spiritual life. Indeed, the term itself is an oxymoron (e.g., like "bittersweet"), since genuine spirituality is always rooted in humility (i.e., anavah: עֲנָוָה). The humble soul understands its finitude and radical contingency -- and therefore recognizes its absolute need for God's help. Spiritual pride is really a disguised mode of intolerance, a cocksure smugness regarding matters of infinite significance, and therefore represents a state of negation toward others... It is impatient to listen, spurns self-questioning, and refuses to accept uncertainty about some of life's deepest questions. Such pride often pretends to "have the answers" regarding all the riddles and mysteries of life. Humility, on the other hand, confesses that it does not always know and is not always so sure. It is a state of openness, of listening, of being teachable. It is aware of our insufficiency, our frailties, and our limitations...
"You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors" (C.S. Lewis: The Weight of Glory). Regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election, understand that the LORD is upon the throne forever, and it is God who sets up and dethrones powers and authorities according to His good pleasure (see Psalm 75:6-7; Prov. 16:33; Job 42:2; Lam. 3:37-39; Sam. 2:7; Rom. 9:17, Col. 1:16-17, etc). "All the nations are as nothing before Him; he regards them as nothingness and unreality" (Isa. 40:17).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 40:17 reading with comments (click):
"Blessed are those who weep while the world goes on laughing, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; blessed are the meek, for they shall overcome; blessed are those who realize they know little, for they shall find treasure; blessed are those who realize they are unrighteous, for they shall find healing; blessed are the misfits who are disowned by the world as fools, for they shall find mansions in heaven; blessed are the weak, for they shall be made strong; blessed are those who weep, for they shall obtain eternal consolation; blessed are those who refuse to assimilate into this world and its idols, for they shall be called victors in the world to come..."
God turns everything "upside down," for what is esteemed in this world is regarded as vanity in the world to come, and vice-versa. The Scriptures teach, "Light is sown for the righteous (tzaddikim), and joy for the upright (yashar) in heart" (Psalm 97:11). May it please the LORD God to renew our courage to live wholeheartedly according to His truth, and to resist the pressure to conform to the idolatry (i.e., fear, rage, and desires) of this world. Amen.
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The Mystery of Spirit...
07.12.22 (Tammuz 13, 5782) The word "spirit" points to wonder, to something extraordinary and beyond our expectation, that is, to the mysterious Divine Presence that pervades all things yet rises above all things. Yeshua likened the Ruach (רוּחַ) with the inscrutable motions of the wind: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). We see the effect of the wind, but not the wind itself, which illustrates that the wind is ultimately beyond our grasp and control. To be "born of the Spirit" is therefore a mysterious intervention from heaven (John 1:13), just as being "led by the Spirit" implies seeing differently, that is, apprehending the Divine Presence in the mysterious motions of life.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:7 reading (click):
Soren Kierkegaard connects the movement of the Spirit with a deep sense of longing: "The wind blows where it will; you are aware of its soughing, but no one knows whence it comes or whither it goes. So also with longing, the longing for God and the eternal, the longing for our Savior and Redeemer. Comprehend it you cannot, nor should you; indeed, you dare not even want to attempt - but you are to use the longing. Would the merchant be responsible if he does not use the opportune moment; would the sailor be responsible if he does not use the favorable winds - how much more, then, is the one who does not use the occasion of longing when it is offered" (Kierkegaard: Discourses).
The Torah of Balaam...
07.12.22 (Tammuz 13, 5782) In our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Balak), we read how Balaam intended to curse the Israelites, but God "took hold of his tongue" and made him bless the people instead... It is encouraging to realize that despite the repeated failures of the Israelites in the desert, the LORD never let go of his people... Indeed, as the story of Balaam reveals, if a spiritual enemy should secretly arise to curse Israel, God would take the sorcerer "by the tongue" to evoke God's blessing instead (Deut. 23:4-5). As Balaam himself later confessed: "there is no sorcery (i.e., nachash: נחש) against Jacob; there is no divination (i.e, kesem: קסם) against Israel" (Num. 23:23).
Unlike scheming Balaam, who was willing to say whatever people wanted to gain temporal reward, God is "not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind" (Num. 23:19, 1 Sam. 15:29). Whatever the LORD has promised he will invincibly perform: His word is full of integrity and truth: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever" (Isa. 40:8). Amen. The God of Israel is forever faithful in his love, and no one can overrule his desire (Num. 23:20; Rom. 11:29; Isa. 40:13).
You can trust in your promised future, friend. As it is written: "No weapon fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD (זאת נחלת עבדי יהוה) and their vindication from me, declares the LORD" (Isa. 54:17).
Hebrew Lesson
Numers 23:23a reading (click):
Fast of the Fourth Month...
[ This year the Fast of Tammuz begins at dawn Sunday, July 17th and lasts until sunset...]
07.12.22 (Tammuz 13, 5782) According to Jewish tradition Moses shattered the tablets on the 17th day of the 4th month, after he came down from Sinai and found the people worshipping the golden calf. Today, this tragic date is commemorated as a fast day (i.e., the "Fast of Tammuz"), which marks the beginning of a Three Week season of mourning that culminates on Tishah B'Av (i.e., the date when the people tragically believed the evil report of the spies and were sent into exile).
During this Three Week season of national lamentation, the weekly readings from the prophets are all "Haftarahs of Rebuke" that warn the people about imminent judgment from heaven, and therefore the theme of most Jewish religious services is teshuvah (repentance). In addition, weddings or other joyous events are usually not held during this time of year. Indeed, among the very Orthodox, the last nine days of the three weeks are the most rigorous and solemn. Beginning on the first day of the month of Av, traditional mourning customs are practiced in anticipation of the most solemn fast day of Tishah B'Av, when the Book of Lamentations (Megillat Eichah) is plaintively recited during the evening service.
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This year the Fast of Tammuz begins at dawn Sunday, July 17th and lasts until sunset. Tishah B'Av begins sundown Saturday, August 6th and ends at sunset the following day. Note that both dates are postponed one day to offset the weekly Sabbath this year....
Hebrew Lesson
Lamentations 5:21 reading (click):
The Enigma of Balaam...
07.11.22 (Tammuz 12, 5782) In our Torah reading for this week (i.e., parashat Balak), we are introduced to a strange character named "Balaam" (בִּלְעָם), who was famously rebuked by a talking donkey, though in light of his supposed ability as a seer with the ability to prophesy in the Name of the LORD (יהוה), we may wonder what to make of this man. Was Balaam, who was a Midianite, a true prophet or a mere puppet in the hands of God?
Jewish scholar Nehama Leibowitz (1906-1997) notes two essential differences between Balaam (who was a Gentile) and the Hebrew prophets of Israel. First, Balaam sought "special visitations and visions," building altars and performing rituals to "force" the prophetic spirit. The Hebrew prophets, on the other hand, never engaged in these sorts of activities to hear from the LORD, and many were reluctant messengers, convinced of their own unworthiness and nothingness. Second, the Hebrew prophets cautiously spoke in the name of the LORD ("thus saith the LORD...") to authenticate their message, but Balaam took credit for his visions, flamboyantly describing himself as a great "seer" with special powers. Based on Joshua 13:22 (which describes him as a sorcerer), it is likely that Balaam was given a temporary gift of prophecy, perhaps like the "witch of Endor" was allowed to temporarily communicate with the dead (1 Sam. 28:7-20). In other words, God raised up Balaam to demonstrate his authority over the powers of darkness and to reassure Israel of God's ongoing protection of his people.... Ein od milvado.
In the New Testament, Balaam is regarded as one who sought to corrupt others for his own personal gain. The Apostle Peter does not call him the "son of Beor" but "son of Bosor" (τοῦ Βοσόρ), apparently a play on the Hebrew word basar (בָּשָׂר), meaning "flesh," implying that he was a "son of carnality" who enticed of Israel to sin at Baal Pe'or (see 2 Pet. 2:15; Num. 31:16). Peter further described him as a spiritual hireling who loved the "wages of unrighteousness" (μισθὸν ἀδικίας ἠγάπησεν), and who (like the Sophists of ancient Greece) was willing to sell his spiritual "services" without regard for the truth (Num. 22:7, Deut. 23:4-5). Balaam so loved the prospect of reward and the flattery of men that he justified his venture into darkness. "An evil eye, a haughty spirit, and a lusting soul - these are signs of disciples of the wicked Balaam" (Avot 5:22).
The Hebrew word melekh (מֶלֶךְ) means "king" and shares the same letter value as the word lemech (לֶמֶךְ), a name that means "powerful," but can also mean "fool." The sages reasoned that since the letter Mem represents the brain (מוֹחַ) or thought (מַחֲשָׁבָה), and the letters Lamed-Kaf refers to the kidneys (כליות), a king is one who uses right thinking to rule the heart (מ-לך), but a fool reverses the order and makes thinking a servant of the passions and the lower nature... Therefore Balaam was properly regarded as a fool (Josh. 13:22).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:10 reading (click):
Note: For more on this topic, see the article: "The Way of Balaam."
The Hidden Kingdom...
07.11.22 (Tammuz 12, 5782) When the disciples asked Yeshua how they should pray, he began with the words: "Our Heavenly Father, sacred is your name; may your kingdom come, may your will be done..." (Matt. 6:9-10). You might overlook it, but these words imply that God's kingdom is not naturally within us, and indeed, as Yeshua taught elsewhere, what is "naturally" within the heart is just the opposite: "For from within, out of the heart of a person, come evil reasonings (οἱ διαλογισμοὶ οἱ κακοι), adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a person" (Mark 7:21-23). So when Yeshua told the Pharisees that the kingdom of God is "within you," he meant that the kingdom is a matter of a heart that has been reborn by the Spirit - not that people are naturally endowed with a divine "spark" (ניצוץ) within them. No, the default condition of the unregenerated heart is one of selfish autonomy that refuses to submit to God's right to reign. Its creed is: "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul" (Henley). The natural man is a rebel against God; a usurper of the prerogatives of God, and therefore he "eats from the apple" to define "good" and "evil" in his own self-serving terms....
The "default" condition of the soul is one of "spiritual death," an appearance of life that is actually "cut off" or alienated from the truth of God, and is therefore devoid of eternal life. As Yeshua told Nicodemus, "unless a person is born again (i.e., γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, "born from above"), they cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). The spiritual seed of the kingdom must be planted within the heart by the Spirit of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:6-8).
The miracle of new life comes through a supernatural conception, "from above" (ἄνωθεν), which means that we are entirely powerless in our natural state to impart life to ourselves. And that, of course, is the essential problem of human nature -- that despite our natural desire to be "godlike," we are monstrous in our estate, and therefore what we most need is "deliverance from ourselves," that is, salvation from the horrors of selfish existence.
The Scriptures declare that all our supposed acts of righteousness are "as filthy rags" before the LORD God (Isa. 64:6), so again, we need divine intervention, an "external healing" that comes from Yeshua alone, an entirely new existence that does not derive from "blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man" (John 1:13). Only those who are reborn by God's Spirit are given "power to become the children of God" (John 1:12). Interestingly the Greek word translated "power" is eksousia (ἐξουσία), a compound word formed from the preposition ek- (ἐκ), meaning "out of," and the noun ousia (ουσία), meaning "being," thereby suggesting something ontologically different than "natural" reality. Indeed, the word points to the indestructible life of the resurrection of the Lord himself.
From our point of view, the agency of experiencing newness of life is a matter of the "mustard seed" of faith, a humble image that from something seemingly insignificant will come forth blessing and abundant life. This is how the kingdom of God grows - from the "bottom up," or from our brokenness and humility. Recall that when King David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart O God," he did not use the word "yatzar" (יָצַר), meaning to "form" or "shape" something into being, but he instead used the word "bara" (בָּרָא), the same word used to describe God's sovereign creation of the universe (Gen. 1:1; Psalm 51:10).
We may affirm "I can do all things through God who strengthens me," but we must understand what "all things" means... We can love the unlovely; we can bless those who curse us; we can suffer more than we know; we can endure in our desperation; we can thank God in our afflictions, and we can do all these things because we have been crucified with Messiah, and that the life we now live is grounded in our relationship with the indwelling Spirit of God. Paradoxically, the Christian life is a dying life, and our union with the death of Yeshua is also the gateway to the power of the resurrection life. We gain ourselves when we lose ourselves: "Not I, but Christ lives in me." By faith we are "incorporated" into Messiah: the 'old man' (i.e., unregenrated nature) has been crucified with him, and the 'new man' (i.e., regenerated nature) is created to know him as the central reason and dialog of life.
The kingdom of God is "within you" when God the true King lives within your heart, though this is hidden from the "eyes of the flesh," that is, from the pretenses of the natural man (1 Cor. 2:14). Consider the focus of our Lord. Yeshua did not esteem the things man regards as important; he was detached from the dramas and affairs of the political world. He pointed to flowers, birds, seeds, yeast in dough, fish, and other simple matters to illustrate the principles of the kingdom of God. Moreover his disciples were "nobodies" in the world; the people he healed were outcasts, strangers, unknown... And even our Lord himself was disguised in poverty and insignificance: "He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should desire him" (Isa. 53:2). God Almighty emptied himself of heavenly glory to become "baby Jesus" for us; he was born in a manger, in poverty and obscurity.
The "mustard seed" of faith... the hidden miracle of life that grows by God's power into a place of refuge and grace. It may seem like a slow or even tedious process, but the fruit of the Spirit is produced according to his will: "like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season" (Psalm 1:3). The process of spiritual growth is ultimately mysterious and divine: "The Kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground. He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. By itself (αὐτομάτη, "automatically") the soil produces a crop, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. And when the grain is ripe, he comes in with his sickle because the harvest has come" (Mark 4:26-29).
In light of all of this, be patient and continue to trust that the Lord to do the impossible within your heart (Matt. 19:26). "For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Yeshua the Messiah" (Phil. 1:6). "He will strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on that day" (1 Cor. 1:8). "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever" (Jude 1:24-25). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 51:10 reading (click):
Parashat Balak:
Overruling the Wicked
07.10.22 (Tammuz 11, 5782) Our Torah reading for this week is named after an ancient Moabite king named "Balak" (i.e., בָּלָק, "the destroyer") who sought to curse Israel by hiring the services of a flamboyant Midianite conjurer named "Balaam" (i.e., בִּלְעָם, "one set above the people"). It begins this way: "And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to Amalek (e.g., אֱמרִי) and grew fearful. King Balak's plan was to employ Balaam's sorcery (i.e., kashafut: כַּשָׁפוּת) against the Israelites to prevent them from entering the Promised Land. Similar to the delicious irony that befell the villain Haman in the Book of Esther, however, King Balak's scheme was upended, and the curse he sought to put on the Jewish people was repeatedly pronounced as a blessing by Balaam instead. After several foiled attempts, Balak fretfully dismissed the prophet, but before departing from the dejected king, Balaam ironically prophesied the destruction of the Moabites and the victorious establishment of Israel. Some peoples lives, it seems, are meant to serve as warning of the dangers of self-destruction.... The shameful story of Balaam reveals that "there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel" (Num. 23:23). Ein od milvado (אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּו) - no weapon or scheme devised against God will ever prosper (Isa. 54:15-17).
But who was this mysterious prophet named Balaam? According to Jewish tradition, Jacob's wicked uncle Laban had a son named Beor (בְּעוֹר), who became the father of Balaam. In other words, the "cursing prophet" Balaam was none other than the grandson of Laban:
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Note that the name "Beor" first appears in connection with a king of Edom (Gen. 36:32), which suggests that Balaam might have once been a king of the Edomites (i.e., the descendants of Esau). Further note the phonetic similarity to Peor. If Beor and Peor are the same, then Balaam was actually a prophet of Baal Peor, a local Semitic god.
Balaam was regarded as a great seer, magician and an adept in the occult. He had an "evil eye" and drew the spirit of demons to anything he gazed upon (Avot 5:22). His notoriety made him famous, and powerful people asked him to invoke curses on their enemies. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 106a) states that Balaam became so famous as a magician that he later became a chief advisor to Pharaoh. It was Balaam who advised the new Pharaoh to enslave the Israelites and to afflict them with brutal taskmasters (Exod. 1:8-11). For more information about the identity of Balaam, see the entry entitled, "The Curses of Balaam."
Cleansing from Death...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Chukat, though the mysterious themes of purity and impurity are first described in parashat Tzav... ]
07.08.22 (Tammuz 9, 5782) Contact with the dead causes spiritual impurity (i.e., tumah) because death, as the separation from life, is the ultimate expression and consequence of sin. People routinely deny the meaning of death, explaining it away as the result of some cause from which one might escape ("he worked too hard," "she got sick," "it was an accident," etc.). People rationalize death because they refuse to see it as the effect of sin, the consequence of the original transgression of Adam and Eve that humanity as a whole has "inherited" (Gen. 2:17; 3:19; Rom. 5:12). Therefore the Torah states that the birth of a child results in impurity (Lev. 12:2,7). Full atonement comes from "digging up the root of sin" by being purified from its source, namely, the metaphysical curse of death itself. The Red Heifer alludes to the sin of the Golden Calf, which finds its source in the original idolatry of Adam and Eve. Even the blood of the sacrifice was burned to ash "outside the camp," putting a complete end to the "life of death" and its power to corrupt. The Red Heifer is therefore a special sort of "sin offering" (chatat) that cleanses from contact with death itself (Num. 19:9).
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Note: The "fall" of man implies that we have contact with death - both inwardly and outwardly. The sacrifice of Yeshua as our "Red Heifer" cleanses us from all tumah and lovingly makes us clean (tahor) before the Father. The "water and the blood" is part of the "olah sacrifice" of Yeshua for our redemption and purification before God offered at Calvary (John 19:34, 1 John 5:6). The water and blood flowing from His wounds are the means by which we are purified from sin and death... All this comes from the love (chesed) of God given in our Messiah and Savior. Just as the sacrifice of the Red Heifer cleansed from the effects of physical death, so the sacrifice of Yeshua cleanses us from the effects of spiritual death. For more on this subject, see the "Gospel of the Red Cow." Shabbat shalom and love to you, chaverim.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 51:2 reading (click):
A Divine Discontent...
07.08.22 (Tammuz 9, 5782) In the busyness of the day, in anxious murmurings of the heart, Lord, I have missed you... in my haste, I have lost sight of you; I have heeded voices of fear; I have sought after my own way... Dear LORD God, leave me not, neither forsake me - despite my wandering, despite the ambivalence of my soul, for "whom have I in heaven but you," and to whom shall I turn for life in this world? I have no good apart from You... Help me escape the vanity and deceit of my own heart; help me to focus on what is real. Let not this day be lost to triviality; let it not be marked by unuttered prayer or lost passion for heaven. "As a deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. I thirst for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" (Psalm 42:1-2). Grant me this blessed hunger and thirst for you; impart holy desperation and longing for you alone; turn my heart to seek you bekhol levavkha, with all my heart...
As I've said before, God's people are always "strangers" in this world; they are literally "e-stranged" -- living here, yet not here. We are outsiders and pilgrims, not at home in this world, and our faith therefore is both a type of "protest" against any interpretation of reality that excludes, suppresses, denies, or minimizes the Divine Presence as well as a longing for the place where we truly belong.... If you feel crazy in an insane situation, then you are really quite sane... The world will feel oppressive and strange once you have been awakened from its madness and refuse to be moved by the delusions of the crowd... Life in olam hazeh (this world) is a place of poignant passing that leads to the world to come. Our faith affirms that underlying the surface appearance of life is a deeper reality that is ultimately real and abiding. It "sees what is invisible" (2 Cor. 4:18) and understands (i.e., accepts) that the "present form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31).
"Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, who never leaves nor forsakes us, and who draws us close through hunger and thirst." We are truly blessed when we ache with heartfelt longing for the Divine Presence... Feeling content, cocksure, satisfied, numb, etc., is a sign of a dreadful condition of heart. "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water" (Psalm 63:1).
"Now to the One who is able to keep you from falling, and to cause you to stand, rejoicing, without blemish before His glorious presence, to the only God our Savior through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord and great Lamb of God, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen." Shabbat Shalom and may you be filled with all the fullness of God's love in our beloved Savior and LORD.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 42:2 reading (click):
Blessed Hunger and Thirst...
07.08.22 (Tammuz 9, 5782) Our Lord said: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..." (Matt. 5:6). Yes, blessed are those who suffer such desperate need, who know inner emptiness, who are not made numb to the ache, and who cry from the heart for deliverance. Blessed are those who are in dread over themselves, who fall as one dead before the Divine Presence, who know they are undone, ruined, and dying for life... The great danger, spiritually speaking, is to become complacent, untouched by poverty of heart, to be lulled asleep, lost within a dream, made comatose, living-yet-dead. The gift of faith first reveals our own lostness and then imparts courage to live with ourselves despite ourselves as we seek God's healing and life... Let us press on, dear friends.
Hebrew Lesson:
Matthew 5:6 reading (click):
Paradox and Faith...
07.08.22 (Tammuz 9, 5782) Our Torah portion this week (i.e., Chukat) describes the sacrifice of parah adumah (פרה אדומה), or the "Red Heifer" (see Num. 19:1-10). The Red Heifer is considered paradoxical to most Jewish thinkers, since the one who offers this sacrifice becomes ritually impure, while the sprinkling of the ashes from it makes people clean... The ritual is considered chok (חק) within Jewish tradition, meaning that it makes no rational sense. The Talmud states that of all the 613 commandments given in the Torah, even King Solomon with all his wisdom could not fathom this decree. However, the sacrifice of Yeshua the Messiah can be understood as the fulfillment of the symbolism of the Red Heifer: Both were entirely rare and without defect (sin); both were sacrificed "outside the camp"; both made the one who offered the sacrifice unclean but made the one who was sprinkled by it clean; and finally, both sacrifices cleanse people for priestly service.
The Red Heifer had to be a perfect specimen (temimah) that was completely red, "without blemish, in which there is no defect (mum)." The rabbis interpreted "without blemish" as referring to the color, that is, without having so much as a single white or black hair. This is the only sacrifice in the Torah where the color of the animal is explicitly required. Moreover, the Red Heifer was never to have had a yoke upon it, meaning that it must never have been used for any profane purposes.
Unlike all other sacrifices offered at the altar, the red heifer was taken outside the camp and there slaughtered before the priest, who then took some of its blood and sprinkled it seven times before the Mishkan (thereby designating it as a purification offering). [During the Second Temple period, the High Priest performed this ceremony facing the Temple while atop the Mount of Olives.] Then the red heifer would be burned in its entirety: its hide, flesh, blood, and even dung were to be burned (unlike other Levitical korbanot). Do not miss this: unlike all other animal sacrifices, all the blood of the offering was to be burned in the fire.
Hyssop, scarlet yarn, and a cedar stick would then be thrown upon the burning Red Heifer (these same items were used to cleanse from tzara'at, skin disease). In other words, the blood was assimilated into the ashes of the sacrifice, which were then gathered and mixed with water to create the "water of separation" (mei niddah) for the Israelite community. Note that the word "separation" (niddah) refers to menstrual impurity and hearkens to Zech. 13:1: "On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and from niddah."
Anyone (or anything) that came into contact with a corpse (the embodiment of sin and death) was required to be purified from tumah by means of the mei niddah. The purification procedure took seven days, using stalks of hyssop dipped into the water and shaken over the ritually defiled person on the third day and then again on the seventh day. After the second sprinkling, the person undergoing the purification process would be immersed in a mikvah (pool of running water) and then be unclean until the following evening.
According to Jewish tradition, the red heifer sacrifice was to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf, though the Torah itself does not make this association. The LORD Yeshua, our High Priest of the New Covenant, is the perfect fulfillment of the Red Heifer, since he was completely without sin or defect (2 Cor 5:21; John 8:46); he was sacrificed outside the camp (Heb 13:13); he made himself sin for us (2 Cor 5:21); his sprinkling makes us clean (1 Pet 1:2; Heb 12:24; Rev 1:5); and the "water of separation" that his sacrifice created is the means by which we are made clean from the impurity of sin (Eph 5:25-6; Heb 10:22).
As mentioned above, Torah commandments (mitzvot) that defy reason are called "chok" (חק). The Jewish sages tend to focus on the Red Heifer as the "mother of all mystery mitzvas," but surely we must go back to the Akedah - that is, to the sacrifice of Isaac at the hand of his father Abraham - as the greatest of God's decrees that defy human reason. The willingness of both Abraham and Isaac to obey - despite their inability to understand - was a direct result of their unwavering faith in God's love and promises. Likewise the heart of our faith says simply: "Jesus saves." His sacrifice saves us from sin and death, yet this also is "chok" - a matter of faith... We may seek logical reasons or explanations, but ultimately it is a matter of divine mystery, just as the darkness covered the earth while the Savior suffered for us on the cross at Calvary (Mark 15:22). "Jesus saves" is the mystery of our confession (Rom. 10:9-10). We are cleansed by our contact with sin and death through him, just as he bears our sin and defilement on our behalf. as it is written: "God made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21).
"But when Messiah appeared as a High Priest (כּהֵן גָּדוֹל) of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he alone entered once for all into the Holy Places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption (גְּאוּלַּת עוֹלָם). For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer (אֵפֶר הַפָּרָה), sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Messiah (דַּם הַמָּשִׁיחַ), who through the eternal Spirit (בְּרוּחַ עוֹלָם) offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God (אֱלהִים חַיִּים)?" – Heb. 9:11-14
The Torah of the new covenant is inner, deeper, and eternal, whereas the Torah of the older covenant is outer, limited, and subject to obsolescence (Heb. 7:12; 8:13). The older covenant foretold of the coming Substance by means of the "ashes that purify the impure yet make the pure, impure." Only after we have been "sprinkled with the ashes" are we made clean from death; only when we make contact with the "ashes of Yeshua" offered on our behalf are we cleansed from sin and death (1 Pet. 1:2; Heb. 10:22).
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Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 51:7 reading (click):
The Sin of Moses...
07.08.22 (Tammuz 9, 5782) Our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Chukat) includes the account of the sin of the great lawgiver of Israel: And God said, "Speak to the rock..." but Moses struck the rock twice with his staff" (Num. 20:8,11). This was Moses' transgression for which his punishment was exile from the Promised Land. The punishment might seem severe, but God intended Moses' actions to be prophetic. When the people first demanded water at Rephidim, Moses was told to strike the rock with his staff (Exod. 17:6). The Hebrew word used to describe how Moses "struck" the rock is the same used to describe how Yeshua was "smitten by God" (Isa. 53:4). The Rock symbolized the Messiah, the One stricken for His people to give them waters of life (Isa 55:1; 1 Cor. 10:4). Moses' act of disobedience implied that rock needed to be stricken again to give life, instead of speaking to it as the "Living Rock." In his frustration, Moses lost sight of the LORD by suggesting that he and Aaron were responsible for the miracle of the water ("listen, you rebels, shall we bring forth water for you?"[Num. 20:10]), and God could not leave those words unanswered before the people. That is why God told Moses that his exile from the land was the result of his sin not sanctifying (i.e., honoring) the LORD before the people of Israel (Num. 20:12).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 78:15 reading (click):
Note: The sages sometimes expressed dismay that Moses was bereft of seeing his dream come true by entering the Promised Land, but we know that there is a happy ending regarding that point (see Matt. 17:3).
Seeing beyond the Seen...
07.08.22 (Tammuz 9, 5782) Yeshua told us: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Despite the struggle of this life - our sorrows, pains, and even death itself - we believe in God's love and promise for us, even if we do not presently see the fulfillment of our hope, just as Abraham believed the promise that he would be the father of an innumerable multitude long before he saw any sign of its fulfillment. Abraham "believed the impossible" and "hoped against hope" (παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι), meaning that hope kindled within him even though there was nothing to see in the realm of the natural -- he believed in an unseen good; he trusted in the One who gives life to the dead and who "calls into existence the things that do not exist" (Rom. 4:17). The Scripture comments: "He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not stumble over the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith, and gave glory to God, fully persuaded that God was able to do what he had promised, and that is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness" (Rom. 4:19-22).
Likewise we are called to believe in an unseen good, an unimaginably wonderful destiny for our lives, as it says, "Things no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9). Faith does not use natural reason or the evidence of the senses to see the unseen, but it "believes to see" through "eyes of the heart" to know the hope of God's calling and to attain the blessing (Eph. 1:18). Faith in God's love comes from a different source and has a different means of apprehension than human wisdom, so that no matter how things might appear in this fallen world, the LORD God may be known and trusted to work all things for our ultimate good. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Amen.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 27:14 Hebrew Reading:
Finding Inner Peace...
07.07.22 (Tammuz 9, 5782) An ultimate question is whether you feel "safe" with the truth of who you really are... When you are all alone, in a moment of still silence, when the entire world is asleep and suspended, what is the message of your heart's cry? Are you okay? Do you trust who you are or what is happening to you, or do you experience anxiety, a sense of lostness, inner pain? Comfort is found in God's grace. His promise is given to the sick at heart, to those who understand their need for a physician (Matt. 9:12). Since there is nothing about you to commend before God, you are made free to abandon yourself to the divine love. This is the "Name of the LORD," after all, and your heart's cry for love is a "prayer" uttered in that Name. Your heavenly Father sees in secret (Matt. 6:6). Consider the birds of the air; they are unreflective, alive in the atmosphere of God's care.
What a great blessing to let go of your fear; what sweet relief! Surrender to the truth of your helplessness; rejoice that you are "poor in spirit," and discover that yours is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5:3). So don't give up your faith, my friend. God promises to be with you to the end, leading you to the place where your heart will forever be satisfied in his love.
Hebrew Lesson:
Isa. 30:15b Hebrew Reading:
No Good without God...
07.07.22 (Tammuz 8, 5782) As believers in the LORD we must learn to see beyond the temporal to behold the eternal; we must look past the shadows to see the Substance. In a sense we have to close our eyes and walk in the darkness of faith to see the supernal light which transcends the atmosphere of this world (2 Cor. 5:7). Faith separates us from the visible and temporal realm (i.e., chayei sha'ah: חיי שעה) before the invisible and eternal realm (i.e., chayei olam: חיי עולם); it hears (shema) the "yes" of the LORD in the midst of worldly dissipation and despair. Faith is the heartache, the groaning, and the yearning for undying love. "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may be consumed, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:25-26). This world appears to the eye of faith a strange place, and here we are no more than sojourners as we look for our heavenly habitation whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:10; John 14:1-3). Our hearts yearn for the unseen good, healing beyond death to life, the realm of promise and blessing and unending grace... (selah!)
The Torah begins: "In the beginning (בראשׁית) God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was "tohu va'vohu v'choshekh" (תהו ובהו וחשׁך) - confusion and emptiness and darkness - which the sages interpret to mean that when we truly understand that God created the heavens and the earth, we will realize our earthy desires to be barren, empty and unreal. In their despair, Plato and the early Greek philosophers sought "timeless universals" which they believed disclosed the reality of an "upper world," a heavenly realm of unchanging goodness, beauty, and truth. The world we experience with our senses is a shadowy place of change and decay; but the real world, discerned by clear thinking, is a place of permanence, goodness and illumination. Likewise the righteous soul trusts that despite this fleeting world that turns to dust, there is an eternal realm, a place of abiding love, and a heavenly home. "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" (Heb. 13:14). Therefore "we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient (πρόσκαιρος), but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Cor. 4:18-5:1). In this world we suffer exile, groaning to be with our Savior, the Source of all blessing: "I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you" (Psalm 16:2).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 16:2 reading (click):
Faith (i.e., emunah) is a "double movement" of the heart. It both "sees what is invisible" (2 Cor. 4:18) and understands (i.e., accepts) that the "present form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31). Faith rests in God's providential hand over the chaos and flux of creation. The eye of faith beholds the Presence of God and His reign over all the mundane affairs of this world. Indeed, it is only by fixing our hope upon the eternal that we are enabled to rightly apprehend the nature of the temporal world itself. In fact, the word emunah (אמונה) shares the same root as the Hebrew word for truth (אמת). In that sense, "seeing what is invisible" (τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα) is a more fundamental type of "seeing," since the truth of hope ultimately interprets all other ways of seeing...
Sowing and Reaping...
[ We are always "sowing" into our hearts and "reaping" its consequences in our lives... ]
07.07.22 (Tammuz 8, 5782) "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. The one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life" (Gal. 6:7-8). Here we see the importance of feeding the divine nature given to us in Messiah - to "sow" or "plant" truth within our hearts so that we will yield the "fruit of righteousness." However, feeding the lower nature, gratifying the desires of the flesh, disregarding the truth of eternity for the sake of temporal pleasure, and so on, leads to corruption and to death. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Rom. 8:6).
Spirituality (רוּחניוּת), then, is of utmost importance to us, as we learn to "renew our minds" and yield ourselves to the truth of God (Gal. 5:16). We are engaged in the battle daily - an internal struggle to direct our hearts and to make the decision to be awake to the Lord's Presence or to surrender to our fallenness, fear, and despair (Rom. 8:13). The Lord has promised us his very strength for the battle, but we must choose to believe in order to receive the blessing. Since God will help us as we seek to honor and do His will (see 1 John 5:14), we can be confident of blessing as we draw near to the Throne of Grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of our need (Heb. 4:16). God is forever faithful and makes the way of escape for those who trust in him (1 Cor. 10:13). The LORD God Almighty says to your heart: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God: I will strengthen you, yea, I will help you, yea, I will uphold you the right hand of my righteousness (Isa. 41:10).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 41:10 reading (click):
Beauty for Ashes....
[ The following is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Chukat... ]
07.06.22 (Tammuz 7, 5782) The ashes of the red heifer represented the death and sacrifice of something extremely rare, valuable, and precious. The ashes were mixed with "living water" (מַיִם חַיִּים) to reveal the truth that though the end of all flesh is but dust and ashes, the Spirit gives cleansing and life. Indeed the word ashes (אֵפֶר) may be rearranged to spell both cure (רַפֵא) and beauty (פְאֵר). The author of the book of Hebrews argues from the lesser to the greater: If the sprinkling of water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer purify the flesh from contamination with physical death, how much more does the blood of Messiah purify the soul from the deeds that cause spiritual death? (Heb. 9:13-14). Indeed, because of Yeshua's sacrifice we are given "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness," that we may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified (Isa. 61:3).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 30:11 reading (click):
Keep the Faith (לִשְׁמוֹר אֱמוּנִים)
[ "Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer ]
07.06.22 (Tammuz 7, 5782) When Israel believed the report of the faithless spies, Moses commented: "You were not willing to ascend (וְלא אֲבִיתֶם לַעֲלת), but became embittered (מָרָה) against the Word of the LORD your God" (Deut. 1:26). Moses' rebuke was not that the people were afraid to conquer the land as much as that they had lost heart and no longer desired to take hold of God's promise. The people gave up their dream; they forsook their hope; and they had lost the "devotion of their youth, their love as a bride, how they followed the LORD in the desert, into a land not sown" (Jer. 2:2). The people's failure was on two levels: First they lapsed in faith by abdicating trust in God's word, and second, they had lost the passion of their first love. In light of this, the sages say that the greater problem was that of losing heart, since the heart directs the will to believe in the miracle of God, or not...
Moses' rebuke of the people's heart condition recalls the sober warning Yeshua gave to the Ephesian believers: "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place, unless you repent" (Rev. 2:2-5). Likewise the author of the Book of Hebrews commented: "And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief" (Heb. 3:17-19). The question of our faith is essential: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:10 Hebrew reading:
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Testing and Offense...
07.06.22 (Tammuz 7, 5782) People today are quick to take offense, made prisoners of their own insecurities... Ironically, the more you seek your own honor, the less you'll find. Turn yourself around; get out of yourself: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." "If anyone would be first, he must be servant of all" (Mark 9:35). "And blessed is the man who is not offended" (וְאַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לא־יִכָּשֵׁל).
The devil (and his political advocates in this world) seeks to "divide and conquer" people by emphasizing what makes them different. The evil one creates fear to manipulate and terrify others: he seeks to sow seeds of mistrust, suspicion, and hatred based on fear and ignorance. We must fight the power of the lie by means of the truth of the LORD God Almighty. All people are created be'tzelem Elohim (בְּצֶלֶם אֱלהִים), intended to be image-bearers of the Divine, and each soul will give account for its life – for every careless thought, word, and deed (Matt. 12:36-37). As it is written, "No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Heb. 4:13). Refuse, therefore, to take offense over anything - over perceived insults, over attacks on your character, and especially over the "news" (i.e., rumors and propaganda) of this evil world, friends. All things come from the hand of God to test you; to refine what is in your heart (even those who sow division: ). Give up your personal "rights" and surrender yourself to the providential care of your Heavenly Father. But regarding the affairs of this world, understand that the nations are tohu (תהוּ), "confusion and unreality" (Isa. 40:17), and the schemes of worldly men are ultimately doomed (Psalm 1:6). Ein od milvado: Understand that the LORD God Almighty is the great King over all the earth (Psalm 47:7).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 47:7 reading with commentary (click):
Sanctifying the Truth...
07.06.22 (Tammuz 7, 5782) How do we share the message of God with others? How do we reveal the truth of Messiah in this world? In other words, how may the Spirit of God be manifest within us? The Scriptures say first to "sanctify the Messiah" within our hearts and then we will be ready to give a reason for our hope -- though we must do so in humility and reverence before heaven" (1 Pet. 3:15). We sanctify the Lord by choosing to make sacred place for him within our consciousness; we enshrine him and esteem him beautiful within our affections and actions (Exod. 15:2). When God said to his people, "Let them make for me a sacred place (i.e., mikdash: מִקְדָּשׁ) that I may dwell in their midst," then, he was inviting them to make room within their hearts (בְּתוֹכָם) for His Presence to be revealed (Exod. 25:8). As Yeshua taught us: "The Kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21).
King David understood this principle: "I have set the LORD always before me..." (Psalm 16:8). In other words we must open our eyes to see; we must humble ourselves to believe; and we must open our hearts before the greatness of God. This is the first step, as Yeshua taught us: Avinu shebashamayim, yitkadesh shemekha - "Our Father in heaven, let your Name be sanctified" (Matt. 6:9). As we sanctify the Lord we bear witness of the truth of Reality, and the Spirit of God will empower us to living signs of the Divine Presence. "But the fruit of the Spirit (פְּרִי הָרוּחַ) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness... (Gal. 5:22-23).
"Know therefore this day and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other" (Deut. 4:39). Note that the phrase "lay it to your heart" in this verse may better be rendered as "return to your heart" (וַהֲשֵׁבתָ אֶל־לְבָבֶךָ), suggesting that the truth of the LORD is found there – within the heart that truly seeks him (Jer. 29:13). Hashivenu! In other words, the truth is found in the heart's seeking for the LORD and His love. Know this truth today... "The most important part of teaching is to teach what it is to know," that is, to know "in your heart."
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 16:8 reading (click):
The Foundation of Torah...
[ The following concerns the foundations of the Torah (yesodei haTorah) and parashat Chukat... ]
07.05.22 (Tammuz 6, 5782) The commandments of God are usually divided between the rational laws (i.e., mishpatim) and the divine decrees (i.e., chukkim), though this distinction is somewhat artificial, since all of the commandments of Torah (and that includes the Torah of the New Covenant) are grounded in the mystery of God's will, which is to say that we are to obey them simply because they derive from the Divine Authority itself... When the people gathered before Moses to receive the covenant at Mount Sinai, they said: "All the LORD has spoken we will do and we will hear" (na'aseh ve'nishmah: נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע). Note the order: first comes faith in God expressed in the decision to act (na'aseh), and then comes understanding (ve'nishmah). As Yeshua said, "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will understand" (John 7:17). The heart of faith is willing to do what God asks before hearing (or understanding) what is required. Many people operate the other way round, sitting in judgment of God's word, demanding to understand why they should obey. You cannot understand apart from faith, however, and that is categorically true of all forms of knowledge, which is usually defined as "justified true belief." We are to be "doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves" (James 1:22). The Greek verb used in this verse is emphatic: "Be doers!" (γίνεσθε) means "be born!" "Come alive!" "Do, live, and exist before God!" This is a call to creative action, to newness of life...
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 24:7b reading (click):
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The Scriptures state that "if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like" (James 1:23-24). If we just hear the truth but do not act upon it, we are comically likened to someone who looks his face over in a mirror but then promptly forgets what he looks like after he steps away... Likewise those who only hear the word but do not "bring it to life" in their deeds forget who they are and why they were created (Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:14; Col. 1:10). When we look into the mirror of truth we see our need for teshuvah and turn to God for the healing miracle he provides (Heb. 4:12). It's not about doing but being, though being is revealed in doing... If your actions do not align with your values, then back up and recover who you really are in Messiah, understand what your new nature truly is. That is what it means to "take up the yoke" of Messiah, for his yoke is easy (kal) and burden is light, and the task is to repeatedly practice allowing Him to carry your pain, shame, and sin far, far away from your heart.
There is a deeper law, however, a "mirror" that reveals something beyond our passing image. When we look intently into the "perfect law of liberty" (תּוֹרַת הַחֵרוּת וּמַחֲזִיק) - the law of faith, hope, and love for our Savior - we find blessing in our deeds (James 1:25). Note that the verb translated "look into" the law of liberty is the same used when John stooped down to "look inside" the empty tomb of Yeshua (John 20:5). The deeper law reveals the resurrection power of God's invincible love. The Torah of the New Covenant also has many mitzvot, though these are based on the love God gives to us in Yeshua: "This is my Torah: that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34).
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Being Born Again...
07.05.22 (Tammuz 6, 5782) Yeshua taught that we discover the truth about spiritual reality by way of revelation from heaven, not by way of human reasoning. He said that we can come to know God only through Him: "No one has ever seen God; the only God (μονογενὴς θεὸς), who is at the Father's side, he has made him known" (John 1:18).
For example, when a religious leader named Nicodemus visited Yeshua to inquire who he was, Yeshua redirected the inquiry by asking what sort of man he was instead (John 3). Nicodemus was impressed with the reports of miracles ascribed to Yeshua and supposed that he was some sort of teacher sent from God. Yeshua, however, abruptly told him that unless he was "born from above" he would be unable to see the truth of the kingdom (John 3:3). He explained that no one can see the hidden kingdom of God apart from a spiritual "rebirth," that is, a new mode of being that enables the person to enter another realm of existence altogether. Such transformation comes by means of the agency of God's Spirit, that is, by an encounter with God that imparts heavenly life (רוח) to the soul.... Once that happens, the person is able to receive the truth of heavenly things.
Nicodemus objected to the idea of being "born again." "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time, can he?" Perhaps he was suggesting that spiritual rebirth would be as impossible as physical rebirth. People are just too set in their ways to change... Yeshua reminded him of the distinction between the realm of the natural ("born of water") and the realm of the spirit ("born of the Spirit"): "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind (ruach) blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." When Nicodemus still expressed uncertainty about all this by asking "How can these things be?" Yeshua chided him for his shortsightedness: "If you don't believe when I explain in earthly terms, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?" As a respected teacher of Torah, Nicodemus should have known the prophetic teaching of "rebirth" from the Scriptures, such as Ezekiel 36:25-28, Jeremiah 31:33; and indeed he had a responsibility to know this truth. Moreover the general theme of Scripture concerned the coming of Messiah, the Son of Man, who would undo the curse that befell humanity through Adam's transgression, and this meant a new beginning...
To help Nicodemus see, Yeshua reminded him of the episode recorded in the Torah when the people became discouraged about the journey in the desert. At one stop they could not find water and they began to say that the LORD had abandoned them to die there (see Num. 21:4-9). God then sent "fiery serpents" (הַנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים) that bit the people and many began dying. When the people cried out in distress, God instructed Moses to make a semblance of a fiery serpent and to lift it up on a stake, so that everyone who was bitten could look upon it and live. Yeshua then made the connection for Nicodemus: "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up: so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:14-15).
The episode in the desert provides a vivid picture of deliverance for all who have likewise come under divine judgment. The lifted up serpent was an sign of righteous judgment; the people were entirely unable to rescue themselves, and the venom was lethal and without antidote. Only God could save them, and God's way of healing was to have the people look at the impaled serpent to receive life. Only God's power could kill the power of death's hold over them... When Yeshua told Nicodemus that he likewise would be "lifted up," he used the same word used elsewhere to refer to crucifixion (ὑψόω). "Looking at" God's provision for deliverance at the cross is the means of salvation -- that is, the greatest blessing of all: healing from our separation from God, deliverance from the judgment for sin, and the promise of eternal life. Again, all this comes by faith: "looking at" God's remedy means accepting it as being offered for your sake. You are set free from condemnation, you receive newness of life, and you are able to live before God in honesty and confidence of his love for you...
"Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God." You are blind until God opens your eyes. When Yeshua gave sight to a man born blind, the Pharisees concluded that he could not be a true prophet of God because he healed someone on the Sabbath day (John 9). In response Yeshua said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who 'see' may become blind." When the Pharisees heard this they asked, "Are we blind then?" and Yeshua replied: "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains." Likewise the Apostle Paul was made blind in order to see; he had to lose the blindness of his seeing in order to behold the truth of God's kingdom (Acts 9). As long as Paul thought he could see he remained blind, but as soon as he realized he was blind, he began to be able to see...
The difference between believers and unbelievers does not turn on the problem of sin and the condition of spiritual death - for both are in the same helpless state before God - but rather with the different responses they have toward "the light," that is, the revelation of God manifest in Yeshua. Those who love evil hate the light and turn away from its disclosure, whereas those who "do truth" love the light so that their deeds are revealed as God's power at work within their hearts (John 3:19-21; Eph. 5:13). There is an "exclusive disjunction" in the realm of the spirit: either you will love what is evil and hate the light, or you will love the light and hate what is evil. "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other" (Matt. 6:24).
In the end there will be found two types of people: those who love the truth and those who love the lie. These are the children of light (בְּנֵי הָאוֹר) and the children of darkness (בְּנֵי הַחשֶׁךְ), respectively. Followers of Yeshua the Messiah are told to "walk as children of light" / ὡς τέκνα φωτὸς περιπατεῖτε (Eph. 5:8). The children of light are called to be am kadosh - a holy people - separate from the evil engendered by the fallen world and its forces, just as the very first creative expression of God was the separation of light from darkness (Gen. 1:3-4). The children of light "hate evil and love the good," and conversely, the children of darkness "hate the good and love evil" (Psalm 34:21, Prov. 8:13, Amos 5:15, John 3:20-21). Regarding the heavenly Zion to come, it is written: "nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood (lit. "makes a lie"), but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Rev. 21:27).
The essential question is whether you are willing to believe in the light of God's love, or not... What sort of person are you, after all? Yeshua is the light of the world, and those who follow him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). So, do you have ohr ha-chayim (אוֹר הַחַיִּים), "the light of Life," shining within your heart? The light beckons: "wake up, open your eyes, and believe" the good news: darkness and despair will not prevail; your mourning will find comfort, your grief its solace. Your heart's deepest longing shines brightly, even now, if you will but believe... Now may you find courage and remember what is written: "The LORD is my light and my salvation (i.e., my Yeshua); whom shall I fear? The LORD is the refuge of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 27:1 reading (click):
Saved from Death's Sting...
[ The following concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Chukat... ]
07.05.22 (Tammuz 6, 5782) Where it says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16), we note that the Scriptures referred to are the words of Torah, since the New Testament had not yet been compiled when Paul had written these words. Paul further said: "These things (i.e., the stories recounted in the Torah) happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age" (1 Cor. 10:11). "The deeds of the fathers are signs for the children," meaning that the narratives of the Bible serve as parables or allegories for us.
From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Chukat) we read how the people became discouraged along the way and complained against God and Moses, saying: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread (i.e., לֶּחֶם הַקְּלֹקֵל, lit. "cursed bread," referring to the manna). So the LORD sent venomous serpents (i.e., ha'nechashim ha'seraphim: הַנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים, i.e., bronze colored snakes that gave a burning bite) among the people, and they bit the people and many of the people of Israel died. Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD that He take away the serpent (הַנָּחָשׁ) from us." So Moses prayed for the people and the LORD then said to him, "Make a fiery serpent (שָׂרָף), and set it on a pole (נֵס); and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, and who looks upon it (i.e., the serpent), shall live" (Num. 21:4-8).
The "fiery serpent" – the venomous sting of which brings death – is what must be looked upon, confronted, and confessed. We must look at that which kills us, and by seeing it, we can then see God's miracle (נֵּס) that delivers us... Therefore we look to the cross – the place where Yeshua clothed himself with our sickness and sin – to realize God's remedy for our eternal healing. As Yeshua explained to Nicodemus, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14-15). Humanity as a whole has been "bitten by the snake" and needs to be delivered from its lethal venom. Just as the image made in the likeness of the destroying snake was lifted up for Israel's healing, so the One made in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3) was to be lifted up as the Healer of the world. In Yeshua the miraculous exchange takes place: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21). Bless His holy name!
Hebrew Lesson
Numbers 21:8b reading (click):
The serpent on the pole is the image of the serpent on the Tree of Life in the garden that was tempting Eve. It is fascinating that it was the same image nailed to the stake that represents the death of Messiah for our sins...
Celebrating True Freedom...
07.04.22 (Tammuz 5, 5782) Far from being "set free" by throwing off the "shackles" of the law, people are debased and brought into deeper darkness (Rom. 1:26-28; 2 Pet. 2:12). True freedom is not the power to do whatever you want but the power to choose what is right. "Right" and "wrong" are not subjective preferences but objective spiritual judgments indicated both by human conscience but more importantly though revelation of the Torah. Despite claims by foolish thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche, moral truth is not malleable and subject to change. Just as human beings are subject to various physical laws to exist, so they are subject to moral laws. A person can no more murder another and escape the consequences than he can step off the ledge of a skyscraper and not fall to the earth.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 34:14 reading (click):
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Alexis de Tocqueville once observed: "Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: 'equality.' But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude."
The decree of Torah:
Parashat Chukat (חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה)...
07.03.22 (Tammuz 4, 5782) Shalom chaverim! Our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Chukat) begins with the words: "zot chukat ha-Torah" (זאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה), "this is the decree of Torah" (Num. 19:2), referring to the sacrifice a specially chosen red cow (פרה אדומה) that would be used to cleanse the people from death. The language of the Torah here is both striking and unique, suggesting that this ritual is the "seminal decree" of the entire Torah...
The sages have said that this is a commandment that transcends human reason, and therefore we are to simply accept it by faith. If we think about the meaning of the mysterious decree of the red heifer, however, we will realize that its ashes were used to create the "waters of separation" (i.e., mei niddah: מֵי נִדָּה) to cleanse people from contact with death (i.e., separation). To fulfill God's vital decree, however, required sacrificial love, since the priest who offered this service would become defiled (separated) for the sake of healing of others.
The Hebrew word for love is ahavah (אַהֲבָה), from a root verb (יָהַב) that means "to give." Love means giving of yourself to benefit another person (John 15:13). The central decree of Torah, then, which is beyond our ability to rationally understand, is that God's love is so great that it is willing to become "dust and ashes" on our behalf so that we might find blessing and life.
Abraham Twerski comments: "The mitzvah of parah adamah (i.e., the red heifer) represents the suspension of logic in deference to the Divine Will. This attitude is not restricted to this mitzvah. Scripture introduces the mitzvah of the parah adamah with the words "this is the law of the Torah." Surrendering one's own reasoning and accepting the superior reasoning of Hashem is the law of the entire Torah... To the extent that we let go of our own will, we can understand the Divine will. Our ancestors at Sinai understood this ideal when they proclaimed, "we will do and then we will understand." Torah is not beyond our understanding, but we must be willing to make the sacrifices that true Torah understanding demands."
Yeshua willingly became unclean on our behalf - through contact with our sin and death - so that we could become clean (see Isa. 53:4, 2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 3:3, Eph. 5:2, Titus 2:14). The pure became impure through His sacrificial offering. Because of Him, we have been cleansed from our sins (and the separation of death) "by a better sprinkling" than that which the Tabernacle of Moses could afford (Matt. 26:28, Heb. 9:14, 12:24, Eph. 1:7, 1 Pet. 1:2,18-19, Rom. 5:9; Col. 1:14, 1 John 1:7, etc.).
Shavuah Tov Audio Broadcasts
In the "Shavuah Tov" audio broadcast for this week I discuss the content of the Torah portion (i.e., Chukat), and particularly consider: 1) the significance of the mysterious Red Heifer (פרה אדומה) sacrifice, 2) the gospel message of the nachash nachoshet (the "bronze serpent"), and 3) the sin of Moses... In the first podcast I go into some discussion regarding the meaning of the mitzvot (commandments) of the written Torah, including the subcategories of chukkim (decrees), mishpatim (rules or judgments), eidot (testimonials, holidays) with a discussion of the oral tradition's corresponding categories of halakhah (oral law) and its subcategories of gezeirot ("fences"), takkanot (case laws), and minhagim (customs). Throughout special attention is given to how Yeshua the Messiah is the Substance and Inner Meaning of all true Torah. It is best to listen to these broadcasts in order:
In connection with our Torah reading for this week, note that the Hebrew word "chok" (חוֹק) means a "divine decree," related to a verb meaning "to engrave" (חָקַק). The sages say that the word is directed to a desire to do God's will that is "engraved" upon the heart rather than simply understood with the intellect (2 Cor. 3:3). Indeed the very first time "chok" (חוֹק) appears in the Torah concerns Abraham's obedience of faith as demonstrated by the sacrifice of his beloved son (Gen. 26:5), and the second time concerns the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb of God: "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as an eternal decree (חֻקַּת עוֹלָם), you shall keep it as a feast (Exod. 12:12-13). Because both the Akedah and the sacrifice of the Passover lamb reveal God's yeshuah, his salvation, we are to engrave the significance of our deliverance by the Lamb of God within our hearts forever... Amen, just as God Himself has so engraved us upon his own heart, it is written, "behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" (הֵן עַל־כַּפַּיִם חַקּתִיךְ; Isa. 49:16). Shavuah Tov chaverim!
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The Father of Lights...
07.01.22 (Tammuz 2, 5782) It is written in our Scriptures: "God is light and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Our Savior is "the Light of the world," the overarching Reality that gives light to every soul who is born (John 1:9). As the Source of all light, his power is irrepressible, invincible, and overcomes every shade of darkness. Yeshua is the Logos (Λόγος), the underlying "logic" of all of creation. Unlike the transient radiance of the heavenly bodies, the Divine Light remains constant and supreme over all of creation, without any diminution or variation: God is the "Father of Lights" (James 1:17). And just as we know that the sun still shines even on the most overcast of days, so we understand that the Divine Presence is always there -- always giving, always shining, always loving us... We can trust in the power of our God to help us, since His radiance and truth pervade the darkness to enlighten our way (Psalm 112:4). As Yeshua said of his mission, "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness" (John 12:46). O precious LORD our God, let your light shine upon us...
אֱלהִים יְחָנֵּנוּ וִיבָרְכֵנוּ
יָאֵר פָּנָיו אִתָּנוּ סֶלָה
e·lo·heem · ye·chon·nei'·noo · vee·va·re·khei'·noo
ya·eir · pa·nav · ee·ta'·noo · se'·lah
"May God be gracious to us and bless us;
may he cause his face to shine upon us, selah."
(Psalm 67:1)
God's blessing flows, but you must allow the light of God's love to shine in you brightly. As Yeshua our Savior said, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, such is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). Note that the Greek word for "manifest" means to "shine inside" (i.e., ἐμφανίζω, from ἐν, "in" and φαίνω, "shine"), indicating that the revelation would be inward light of the Divine Presence. Indeed, the Hebrew word for "praise" (i.e., tehillah: תְּהִלָּה) comes from a verb that means "to shine" (i.e., halal: הָלַל), from which we derive the word "halo." Similarly, the word "aura" comes from the Hebrew word "ohr" (אוֹר), meaning "light." Let your inner light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give honor to your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
Shabbat shalom chaverim. And thank you for praying for this ministry.... - John
The Message of Jude...
[ The following is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Korach.... ]
07.01.22 (Tammuz 2, 5782) Our Torah portion this week (i.e., Korach) centers on the rebellion of Korah, a man who questioned God's authority and arrogantly sought to "intrude" into the office of the priesthood. It is noteworthy that his rebellion is explicitly mentioned only once in the New Testament - in the Book of Jude - as an example of the fate that awaits those false teachers who likewise despise God's moral law. Unfortunately, Jude's warning is often neglected today, probably because people feel uncomfortable over the prospect of God's judgment. After all, in our "politically correct" age, people have been indoctrinated to regard "tolerance" as the greatest of virtues and "intolerance" (especially of moral evil) as the greatest of vices.... Most unbelievers don't mind hearing the "good news" of God's love, but they take exception when they are confronted with their personal duty to live according to the moral truth revealed in the Torah. Everyone wants to go to heaven though they don't want to find a Holy LORD when they get there... False teachers within the church are dangerous because they feed on this sense of discomfort and attempt to rationalize or compromise it away. Jude identifies them as spiritual impostors who "work from the inside" to confound or obscure the truth of God. Such a charlatan may appear to be a genuine believer, but their hidden agenda is to sow confusion and sin among God's children. They are proverbial "wolves in sheep's clothing" (Matt. 7:15). Jude's warning is especially important for us to heed in this present hour, because in the time immediately preceding the coming of the Messiah, spiritual deception and unbridled godlessness will greatly increase (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
It is important to see that the primary characteristic of a false teacher is that they "deny our only Master and LORD, Yeshua the Messiah" -- that is, they deny His moral authority and identity as the LORD God (Jude 1:4). Since Jude is writing to those who are "beloved by God," that is, to sincere Jewish believers, he is careful to remind us that it was Yeshua Himself who saved the people from Egypt -- but afterward destroyed those who did not believe (Jude 1:5). In other words, Jude wanted to ensure that we fully understand that it was Yeshua who was the thunderous "Voice of the Living God speaking from the midst of the fire" at Sinai (Deut. 5:26), and therefore to regard Him as none other than the great Lawgiver Himself (Matt. 5:17-7:29). That is why he is called "our only Master and LORD," and to esteem him as anything less is to deny the reality and truth of God.
Many churches today teach that we can (and should) disregard the moral law of God. They may give lip service to the "old testament," and they may claim it is still of historical interest that provides some interesting stories, but they arrogantly discount its essential message of holiness as being inapplicable to our daily lives. Often they are antinomian, teaching that we are no longer "under the law" and therefore are free to live in sin. Because they disregard (or "reinterpret") the clear moral teaching of the Torah (and the New Testament), they wink at fornication, support alternative "marriages," endorse gay clergy, and clamor for abortion rights. Many of the institutionalized churches promote syncretistic "replacement theology" that invent rituals, holidays, and symbols that are alien to the truth revealed in the Jewish Scriptures. These churches are often tolerant of "universalism," new age mysticism, and regard postmodern skepticism as "trendy." They may claim they are "seeker sensitive" but this is often "code" that they disregard the moral duty believers have to walk in personal righteousness. And because of their willful ignorance, some of these churches unthinkingly accept anti-Jewish propaganda - despite the irrevocable promises God has made to the Jewish people. Jude likens advocates of such doctrines to be "inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah" who will likewise be judged by God with eternal fire...
In this connection let me remind you of a verse from the New Testament: "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [Yeshua's return] will not come until the apostasy (ἀποστασία) comes...." (2 Thess. 2:3). The word "apostasy" literally means "standing away" (ἀπό + ἵστημι) from the truth while making a pretense of abiding within it. In Hebrew, the word is meshuvah (מְשׁוּבָה), one who "turns away" from God. It is not a word that describes an unbeliever as much as it describes a traitor.... Some people think there will be a great time of revival just before Yeshua returns, but unfortunately that is not true. Indeed, Yeshua asked if he would find anyone who had faith at that time (Luke 18:8). At any rate, Jude states that those who "creep into" congregations to teach truth contrary to the revealed will of God are apostates, and the judgment they face is terrible to consider.
We can guard against false teachers by using discernment to "test their spirits" (1 John 4:1), but we can only be equipped to do so if we "build ourselves up in the most holy faith" (Jude 1:20). We build ourselves up by carefully studying the word of God - especially the Torah, since it is the foundation of all that follows. In this way we will be able to accurately wield the Sword of the Spirit (2 Tim. 2:15-16, 2 Pet. 1:19-20). In order to grow, we must have "good soil" for the seed of the word to take root. We "get rooted by knowing the roots" of our faith! Studying the Scriptures and praying in the Holy Spirit keeps us in the love of God as we wait for the mercy of Yeshua who gives us eternal life (Jude 1:21). This will equip us to show mercy to those who have honest doubts and to save those who are defiled by sin (Jude 1:22-23).
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For more on this subject, please see:
The Gift of the Sabbath...
07.01.22 (Tammuz 2, 5782) "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it sacred" (Exod. 20:8). The Sabbath is a gift from God, a day of "double portion" of manna, and a time to let go of our daily concerns and surrender to God's care for us.... If the Almighty, blessed be He, rested on the seventh day, how much more should we rest and find comfort from our weariness? Yeshua, who is "the Lord of the Sabbath" (אדון השׁבת) invites you to enter into his secret place and find strength: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:28-29). Yeshua stands at the door and knocks. Repeat this inwardly until it comes to life within your heart: "Come unto me, and I will give you rest... learn from me and I will give you my peace."
Sabbath is a set apart time to reconnect with what really matters... and therefore it is a form of worship. "Sabbath peace" (שלום שבת) is wholeness, healing, and a pleasure - a step out of the profane world into the sacred. We enjoy the Sabbath - we call it a "delight" (ענג) - by choosing to make a place for the holy in our lives (see Isa. 58:13). We reflect on the gift of Torah, the blessing of Messiah, and engage in life-giving activities (Mark 2:27). We avoid bringing up topics that sadden or "draw tears" - we flee from fret, regret, and anger...
The Sabbath teaches us the blessedness of "being" apart from "doing"; it reconnects us with the inherent sanctity of life itself... It was after God created the world and all that was in it that he sanctified time (Gen. 2:3). God himself "created the world to do" (ברא אלהים לעשׂות) but made time to celebrate his work. The Sabbath gives us a transcendental perspective - seeing time as a blessing in and of itself - apart from the "doing" of things in our lives.
Ultimately Sabbath is a matter of the heart - resting in the work of God given on our behalf - both by honoring the blessing of our existence itself and also our deliverance from slavery to sin (Exod. 20:11; Deut. 5:15). Knowing who we are is the crux of the matter. The particular "rules" of the Sabbath day, however, for instance, what we can or can't do, must serve that greater end: "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). That was the great error of the Pharisees of Yeshua's day -- "fencing off" the Sabbath make it a prison rather than a palace. No, we celebrate the Sabbath and call it a delight; we reconnect with our inner heart and seek deeper communion with God. Because of Yeshua, "there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (Heb. 4:9). Amen, and Shabbat Shalom!
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 20:8 reading and commentary (click):
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Note: Some people worry about what day should be set apart as the Sabbath. Of course every day is a "Sabbath" for those trusting in Yeshua, and we have a certain liberty under the guidance of the LORD of the Sabbath as well as the counsel of the Apostle Paul (Rom. 14:5-8). Moreover, Yeshua told those who criticized him for "working" on the Sabbath that the Torah justified the work of the priests in their service: "have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?" (Matt. 12:5). As priests of the new covenant given in Messiah (Rev. 1:6; 1 Pet. 2:5, 2:9; Deut. 7:6) we also can work on the Sabbath if it is necessary for the preservation of life or for promoting healing and blessing to others. The important point is to understand that the Sabbath is a God-given invitation to set apart some time each week (or each day!) to reconnect with what is real...
A special word of thanks to all friends of Hebrew for Christians. We pray for you regularly and are grateful to the Lord for your connection with us. Shalom and love and good and blessing and peace and healing and life and joy be yours always in our beloved Messiah!
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The Judgment of Korah...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Korach... ]
07.01.22 (Tammuz 2, 5782) "And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed Korach up..." The dreadful example Korah is a warning for us not to transgress what God has ordained lest we likewise incur severe judgment... In this connection let me remind you that the terms of the New Covenant (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה) are non-negotiable, and those who attempt to come to God apart from the cross - that is, apart from the shed blood of Messiah for atonement - likewise encroach upon the Divine Presence. Indeed, in the Book of Galatians, Paul invoked a divine curse on anyone who denied that the work of Yeshua is entirely sufficient for the trusting sinner to be justified and declared righteous by God (Gal. 1:8-9). Those who therefore claim that "something more" is needed than the finished work of Messiah (e.g., circumcision, law-keeping, religious observances, mystical experiences, etc.) remain under the curse (חֵרֶם) demanded by the law (Gal. 3:10; John 3:36). This is not a mere difference of opinion regarding how people are "justified" before God, since Paul goes on to make the case that those who teach otherwise are not truly saved -- even if they should profess that Yeshua is the true Messiah and Savior of Israel! Therefore Messianic teachers who falsely claim that Christians must "follow the law" to be made right with God are liable to the curse of the law. These people are not simply misinformed; according to Paul and the witness of the Holy Spirit, they are actually lost souls. "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees," chaverim...
It's been wisely said that we must "unlearn" a lot during the days of our sojourn in this world, and that is especially true for people who still assume that they know something about life. "If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he needs to know" (1 Cor. 8:2). And it is also true, I'm afraid, for religious people, that is, for those who regard spirituality as a litany of "do's and don'ts" or a recipe of rituals rather than as receiving the miracle of new life given to us by the miracle of God.
"Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses (תּוֹרַת משֶׁה) dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant (דַּם הַבְּרִית) by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?" - Heb. 10:28-29
Life Worth Living...
07.01.22 (Tammuz 2, 5782) It is common to encounter people today who refuse to believe that God exists, not because there are compelling reasons to do so, but simply because they do not want God to exist, and therefore they willfully suppress the intuitions of logic, the apprehension of value, the awareness of glory in creation, and the sentiments of conscience, since all these experiences point to the realm of moral and spiritual reality. As it is stated in our Scriptures: "For that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has revealed it to them. For the invisible attributes of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and divinity; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:19-20). Indeed, atheists and agnostics dogmatically affirm that there is no transcendental "moral law" or Moral Lawgiver before whom all moral agents will give account, again, not because reason indicates that this is so, but on the contrary, merely because they wish to be "free" to do whatever they want and to pursue their own selfish desires. In this regard the atheist merely chooses to close his mind because he does not want to see (for an example of this type of madness, read Nietzsche). As Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (בש"ט) once said, "The world is full of wonders and miracles but man takes his little hand and covers his eyes and sees nothing." Indeed the deification of the self makes the soul a stranger to God and blind to moral and spiritual reality. The modern man will split hairs and fastidiously object to questions of truth and meaning -- all for the sake of living life as he pleases, on his own terms, without recognizing any moral authority beyond himself....
Everyone has a faith system by which they interpret and make sense of what they believe (or trust) is real... Socrates famously said that "the unexamined life is not worth living," which of course implies that a life worth living is discovered by asking questions, searching for meaning, pursuing truth, celebrating wonder, and living with integrity. "Seek the LORD while He may be found" (Isa. 55:6). Contrary to the ideals of worldly culture, the meaning of life is not found in the pursuit of personal happiness (or pleasure) but rather in the pursuit of truth and meaning. Apathy about such matters is a symptom of lifelessness: it is to be spiritually dead while seemingly "alive." Indifferent people are likened to those who go through the outward motions of life without ever making inner traction with it... The righteous, even in death, are called "living"; the wicked, even while alive, are called "dead" (Berachot 18a).
"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless
we love the truth, we cannot know it." - Blaise Pascal
A radical "metaphysical" question is "Why is there something rather than nothing at all?" Such a fundamental question strikes at the heart of our assumptions and habitual ways of thinking, jolting us from our sleepy "cave-like" consciousness to face the glaring light of the sun... The natural instinct is to turn away, to pull the covers over our head, and try to go back to sleep. However if pressed, the simple question "why" irresistibly leads to a series or "concatenation" of explanations and a regress of ostensible causes that quickly points to metaphysical properties and realities. For instance, if a child asks her parent, "Why do people die?" the parent might answer, "Because people get sick or injured or they might grow very old." "But why do people have to grow old?" the child continues. "Because they are born, live for awhile, and eventually pass away... All things change, and that means they come into being, exist for a while, and then pass away. Look around you; everything you see – the people, the animals, the plants, rocks, mountains and seas, the earth and sky, the stars and galaxies, and indeed the whole universe – is constantly changing, coming into being, existing for awhile, and then passing away..." "But why does everything have to pass away?" the child persists... In this imaginary dialog we see how quickly "why questions" begin pointing to deep metaphysical mysteries such as the nature of being, the phenomenon of time, the ubiquity of change and its existential relationship to human consciousness. The dialectic of asking and answering questions helps us detect the assumptions that underlie our everyday thinking, often revealing wonders that pervade our lives. The failure to seriously ask the "big questions" of life, for instance, "What am I?" "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" "Where am I going?" and "What does it all mean?" is to abandon what makes life itself worth living... It is to give up the quest to find meaning, purpose, hope, and a sense of destiny. It is to die inside.
Everyone has a faith system by which they exercise trust is in what is real... The existential question, then, is not whether someone has faith, but what they are trusting about the ultimate concerns, questions of life and death, and so on...
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 6:3 reading (click):
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June 2022 Site Updates
Days of Noah Revisted...
[ A word for such a time as this, friends... ]
06.30.22 (Tammuz 1, 5782) Our Lord told us: "For as were the Days of Noah (ימֵי נחַ), so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away (οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ἕως ἦλθεν ὁ κατακλυσμὸς καὶ ἦρεν ἅπαντας). Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot - they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all - so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed" (Matt. 24:38-9; Luke 17:28-30).
So what were these "Days of Noah" like? What can we say about the "Generation of the Flood"? Yeshua explained that the "days of Noah" were marked by people who were asleep, blind, and unaware (ἔγνωσαν, "agnostic"). They went about their business willfully ignorant of the spiritual reality around them. For ten consecutive generations -- from the creation of Adam until the generation of Noah -- people progressively became more and more ignorant of spiritual reality and truth. Eating and drinking, romantic intrigue and marriage, buying and selling, and other worldly affairs were the preoccupations of the day. In short, people lived their lives oblivious to the spiritual reality all around them. They "forgot" who God was, who they were, why they existed, and where they were going. In short, they were "unaware."
The deadening effects of sin leads to moral and spiritual blindness that leads to corruption and unthinking brutality and violence. Of Noah's generation it was written "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart... the whole earth was corrupt before God, and filled with violence" (Gen. 6:5-6, 11). Rashi understood the word "corruption" (shachat) to primarily refer to sexual immorality (i.e., idolatry) and "violence" (chamas) to primarily refer to theft and robbery. In general, however, the sages regarded the word chamas to refer to lawlessness, that is the denial of Torah, and consequently the benighted condition of living without yirat ha-shamayim (the fear of heaven). When people are spiritually dead, they are unconscious of the wonder of God; oblivious to what is real; and they are consequently debased into animals... We see that in our world today.
Far from being "set free" by throwing off the "shackles" of the law, people are debased and brought into deeper darkness (Rom. 1:26-28; 2 Pet. 2:12). True freedom is not the power to do whatever you want but the power to choose what is right. "Right" and "wrong" are not subjective preferences but objective spiritual judgments indicated both by human conscience but more importantly though revelation of the Torah. Despite claims by foolish thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche, moral truth is not malleable and subject to change. Just as human beings are subject to various physical laws to exist, so they are subject to moral laws. A person can no more murder another and escape the consequences than he can step off the ledge of a skyscraper and not fall to the earth.
The chaos we see in the world today is the result of years of social engineering and propaganda. From their youngest age children have been indoctrinated to believe that there is no God, that there is no transcendental moral authority, and that there is no objective truth about anything. Everything is relative and perspectival, and it is impossible to judge one subjective perspective to be better or worse than another... As a result we are "reaping the whirlwind" and the impulse to destroy is the final expression of this solipsistic and nihilistic ideology. Of course this destruction will be quickly followed by a "new regime" that eventually will enslave all of humanity under the reign of the anti-Christ.
The late Rabbi Levovitz, leader of the Mir Yeshiva, was in Poland before World War II and he saw the German preparations for the concentration camps. Regarding this he said, "The Jews stopped believing in Gehinnom (hell) so Hashem decided to bring Gehinnom into the world. Not the whole Gehinnom, but a little bit of it, a foretaste, a little bit of Gehinnom" (Purim derasha, 1981: Avi Miller). The moral chaos and anarchy we see today is likewise a foretaste of Gehinnom - the reign of terror to come otherwise known as the Great Tribulation....
There is hope, of course. We can and we should pray for the lost to turn to God and be delivered from their demonic fears and rage. And there is a new world coming! Not the "new world order" being prepared by techno-fascist globalists for the anti-Christ, but a truly new world. The chaotic violent and sick world we live in today will be dissolved when our King comes to rule the earth (Psalm 2). Our Lord can come in a blink of an eye. We are now in a state of preparation to herald our king, and that means keeping our hearts directed to his reality and truth. We must not shrink back now - we must affirm the truth and be bold in our witness. Time is short, chaverim.
Hebrew Lesson:
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The War for Our Souls...
06.30.22 (Tammuz 1, 5782) There is a great war going on, though it's not a war waged with conventional weapons. Nor is it a war that the princes of this world devise to attain their devious political ends. No, this is the war for the souls of human beings, and every person alive is currently engaged in it... There is no place of neutrality in this war, and you cannot escape from the conflict. Passivity or indifference is not an option, and therefore each of us must choose sides. We are either going forward or going backward; we are either drawing near or pulling away (Rev. 3:16). מי ליהוה אלי - mi Adonai aylai? "Who is on the Lord's side?"
The apostle Paul wrote about this great war when he said: "For though we walk in the flesh (i.e., as mortal men), we are not waging war according to the flesh (i.e., in human terms). For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to demolish strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the truth of Messiah" (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
Successful spiritual warfare is waged in the spirit realm, not relying on physical means at all, but trusts in the power of God and the weapons he provides to demolish "strongholds" where evil is deeply rooted (the word "stronghold" is better translated as "fortress," a metaphor for militant prejudice that attempts to justify godlessness). In the profane world, these strongholds are expressed in the reasoning (i.e., λογισμός, "logic") and "arrogant opinions" (i.e., ὕψωμα, pretenses) of the godless heart that are distilled into a dark vanity called "the wisdom of this world" (1 Cor. 3:19). The phrase "every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God" refers to the various devices of the heart and mind that erect obstacles to the knowledge of the truth revealed in the Messiah. Such obstacles are affirmed daily in the treacherous news of this world that reinforce godless assumptions and outright deception. We must use active discernment to identify the fallacies and misleading schemes promulgated by the world system by "taking every thought captive" to the glorious truth of the Messiah.
This is the good fight of faith (1 Tim 6:12). The fight is "good" because it turns on the victory and glory of the Lord who shares his overcoming life with us. The battle belongs to the Lord; the victory has been secured (Psalm 84:11; Rom. 8:37-39). Always remember that we never fight for, but always from, the place of His victory, standing our ground in the sufficiency of God's power given to us (Luke 10:19). We must be sober and vigilant (1 Pet. 5:8-9); we must stay focused and persevere in the truth (2 Tim. 2:4). God gives us the "armor of light" that blinds the eyes of powers of darkness. We must not be afraid but stand firm in the strength given to us by the Spirit of God (Zech 4:6; Eph. 6:11-18). The Lord will help us in the battle (2 Thess. 3:3; Deut. 3:22). "No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD" (Isa. 54:17).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 144:1 reading (click):
Endurance to Hope...
06.30.22 (Tammuz 1, 5782) Though we are assuredly optimistic about the purpose and end of reality, and though we believe that God "works all things together for good" (Rom. 8:28), we are not therefore monistic idealists, that is, those who falsely say that evil is not real or who claim that it is "part of God." We are given "exceedingly great and precious promises," yet in this world we suffer and experience real pain, heartache, and troubles. Yeshua said "in this world you will have tribulation," though that is not the end of the story, of course, for there is the cheer of God's' victory, even if we must repeatedly ask God for grace to endure our troubles without murmuring (John 16:33; Heb. 4:16). I realize that is often difficult, and some of you might be within the fiery furnace even now. You might be asking, "Where are you, Lord, in all of this? Why don't you bring me out of these troubles?" In such testing you need endurance (ὑπομονή) to hold on to hope, believing that God uses affliction to refine you for good. As Paul said, "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces refined character, and refined character produces hope" (Rom. 5:3-4). Each of us is still upon the "Potter's wheel," and God's hand continues to shape us into vessels that one day will reveal his glory and honor. "The LORD will give strength to his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace" (Psalm 29:11).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 29:11 reading (click):
So keep holding on, friends.... Though these are indeed perilous times, the Lord our God is faithful and true. He will never leave nor forsake us, whatever may come. The Lord acharit ve'tikvah (אַחֲרִית וְתִקְוָה), "a future and a hope" (Jer. 29:11).
The Light of Faith...
06.29.22 (Sivan 30, 5782) Instead of regarding the Bible as a "Book of Answers" for our questions, it is worthwhile to think of it as a "Book of Questions" for our answers. As we listen, God questions us so that we can know him by means of the dialog within our hearts. As any good teacher knows, when a student earnestly wrestles with a question he learns more than if he were given a straightforward answer. Similarly, the Lord gives us permission to be without answers so that we will be free to seek, to struggle, and to "own" what we come to understand through our relationship with him... That way our learning will be real, substantive, and born from the urgency our own inner need. Indeed, God's very first question to man is always, ayekah: "Where are you?" (Gen. 3:9), which appeals for us to acknowledge how we hide from the truth. "Where are you?" is the poignant call of the Seeking Father for his lost child, and the question only becomes "our own" when we are willing to look at how we've come to be at this place in our lives. God's question to our heart is meant to lead us out of hiding to respond to his loving call...
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Soren Kierkegaard once lamented there are many people who arrive at conclusions in much the way schoolboys do: "they cheat their teachers by copying the answer book without having worked the problem out themselves." This is part of the mob mentality within Christendom. We can parrot creedal formulas or recite catechisms, yet in the end it is our own responsibility to make an authentic faith commitment. Thomas Aquinas' most significant work was his Summa theologiae or 'Summary of Theology,' a massive book that attempted to systematize all of Christian theology. He worked on it from 1266 through 1273, but when he was nearly finished, he underwent an experience so intense that, as he himself explained, everything he had written "seemed like straw." He thereafter gave up writing about theology after he encountered the Reality itself.
Everything is inherently mysterious, since everything ultimately expresses the inscrutable will and decrees of God.... Ask yourself with earnestness of heart: Where do I come from? Who am I? Where am I going? For what reason was I created? The first step is to wonder, to ask the searching questions, and to seek God's wisdom... The LORD is faithful and will reveal truth to the heart that seeks.. It is too easy to be preoccupied with everyday concerns and to miss the marvel and sheer wonder of existence itself. If you will approach these questions with humility and reverence, you will be filled with wonder, your heart will be filled with greater fervor, and you will hunger more than ever for God's Presence.
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Finding Inner Peace...
06.29.22 (Sivan 30, 5782) The Hebrew word for peace is shalom (שׁלוֹם), a word that means "wholeness," "completeness," "well-being," and "healing" -- not merely the absence of strife. People often fight with others because they are not made whole within themselves. Just as we cannot really love others until we first learn to love ourselves, so we cannot have peace with others until we first find our own inner healing and peace. Often this means learning to forgive both ourselves and others (including God) so that we can let go of whatever troubles our heart. As we accept ourselves and let go of our fear, we learn to accept others and give up the need to defend ourselves. As Yeshua said, "Blessed (happy) are those who love peace - for they shall be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9).
אַשְׁרֵי עשֵׂי שָׁלוֹם
כִּי בְּנֵי־אֱלהִים יִקָּרְאוּ
ash·rei · o·sei · sha·lom
kee · be·nei · E·lo·heem · yeek·ka·re·oo
"Blessed are those who make peace,
for they shall be called the children of God."
(Matt. 5:9)
Hebrew Lesson
Matthew 5:9 reading (click):
In most English translations we read, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." Note, however, that the Greek word translated as "peacemakers" (εἰρηνοποιοί) can also mean "those who love peace," that is, those who long for peace and pursue it (see Psalm 34:14). In Jewish ethical teaching, seeking peace is called redifat shalom (רְדִיפַת שָׁלוֹם) and is considered a primary heart quality. Rabbi Hillel is attributed as saying, "Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace" (Pirke Avot 1:2). Before we can hope to make peace among others, however, we must first know inner peace. If we threaten this peace, we rise up against God, and thereby undermine his will in our lives. Those who love peace will be called the children of God.
Peace is the foundation of God's great work of deliverance in our lives. Yeshua is called Sar Shalom (שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם), the "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6), since salvation brings reconciliation (i.e., peace) between God and man (Rom. 5:1) and sets us free from the fear of condemnation. When we walk in the peace of God (שְׁלוֹם הָאֱלהִים) that "surpasses all our understanding," we are empowered to be a blessing to others in your life. "The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (James 3:18).
We understand the Torah commandment, "Thou shalt not steal" (לא תִּגְנב) to imply more than being forbidden to steal from others, but also to include the prohibition against stealing from ourselves by failing to practice inner honesty. When we lie to ourselves, we "steal" from the truth, we rationalize what is unjust, and we thereby rob from ourselves the great blessing of inner peace. Indeed, the traditional sages say that every sin essentially constitutes theft from God. For instance, in his discussion of teshuvah (repentance), Maimonides notes that confession of sin is connected with theft (Num. 5:7). Rabbi Yitzchak of Gur asks, "Inasmuch as there are 365 prohibitions in Torah, why does Torah choose to specify the need to confess sin in regard to theft?" He goes on to answer by explaining that if someone borrows something for a specific use, he is not permitted to use it for any other purpose other than that specified, lest he abuse the privilege and "steal the use" of the item. Likewise, God lends the soul the ability to speak, hear, see, and so on, for the sake of living a godly life. If we abuse these things, for example, by using our lips and tongue to speak evil about another, we are using our faculties for a purpose other than God intended, and that constitutes theft. Therefore every sin is a form of theft, an act of "breaking faith with the LORD," and that is why Torah mentions confession of sin in connection with it.
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The Projection of Korah...
06.29.22 (Sivan 30, 5782) In our Torah reading this week (i.e., parashat Korach), Moses' cousin Korah audaciously accused Moses of self-aggrandizement and superiority by saying, "Why do you exalt yourself above the assembly of the LORD? ... Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, that you also make yourself a prince over us?" (Num. 16:3,13). The Talmud comments: "One who seeks to disqualify another projects his own defects upon him." Korah's own self-exaltation and vanity led him to suppose that Moses was likewise proud and vain. His envy so twisted his perspective that he saw good as bad and bad as good. For him Egypt was the land "flowing with milk and honey" and Moses - not Pharaoh - was the real tyrant! In this connection the sages have said that other people serve as mirrors, and the defects we see in them reflect our own. Korah needed to see that his envy of Moses was rooted in fear, and that healing would come if he would let go and trust that God was in control of his life.
We can learn from the self-deception of Korah -- as well as his terrible end... "As you judge another you condemn yourself, for you that judge do the same things" (Rom. 2:1). How you react to another person reveals what is within your own heart, and this provides the opportunity to find healing by doing teshuvah and extending compassion to yourself. When you condemn another you are hurting yourself, after all. It is not a matter of factual truth as much as it is of the truth of hope and love. As we forgive others, so we find our own forgiveness (Luke 6:37), but if we insist on our rights, we find ourselves in hell... Fire offered falsely will be answered by the fire of God's judgment.
Hebrew Lesson
Provers 12:15 reading (click):
Freedom of Humility...
06.29.22 (Sivan 30, 5782) Those conscious of their inner poverty, those who mourn over their sinful condition and are afflicted with themselves, can let go of the need to "manage appearances," to be in control, or to seek validation from others, and therefore they are set free to surrender their lives to God's care. They "flow" with the Father's will as a "gentle breeze," no longer resisting or striving, but simply trusting in God's care. When they are wronged, they seek neither revenge nor vindication, but only restoration (1 Pet. 2:23). Paradoxically, it takes strength to be genuinely "lowly of heart," but such is found in the Spirit of God (Zech. 4:6). Indeed, the Spirit leads us to our inheritance: "the humble shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace" (Psalm 37:11).
וענוים יירשׁו־ארץ
והתענגו על־רב שׁלום
va·a·nah·veem · yeer·shoo-ah'·retz
ve·heet·a'·ne·goo · al-rohv · shah·lohm
"But the humble shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace."
(Psalm 37:11)
Yeshua quoted this verse when he said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5). The Koine Greek word translated "meek" is πραεις (or πραος), better rendered as humble or lowly. In the Hebrew text of Psalm 37, the word is anaveem (עֲנָוִים), usually translated as "lowly ones" (anavah is the Hebrew word for humility). This word does not suggest weakness, but rather the recognition of one's proper place in the universe before God. It is not self-effacing but rather reality-focused. The humble inherit the promised land because they are grounded in the truth of reality...
God "opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). The LORD our God dwells with those "of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite" (Isa. 57:15). True greatness is found in outside of the self, beyond the instincts of the carnal ego. Those who seek to exalt themselves and to "gain the world" do not understand that the very reason for their life is to be sacrificed for the sake of love. Obeying God's call to love is not a burden, but rather sets the heart free. As Yeshua said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30).
In the Jewish tradition, humility is among the greatest of the virtues, as its opposite, pride (i.e., ga'avah: גַּאֲוָה), is among the worst of the vices. God hates the proud of countenance (Prov. 6:16-17). Therefore Moses is described as the most humble of men: "Now the man Moses was very humble, above all the men that were on the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3), and likewise the great patriarch Abraham confessed to God: "Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes (עָפָר וָאֵפֶר)" (Gen. 18:27).
"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Our aim should not be personal greatness, but humility. Love personal obscurity; rejoice that you are unnoticed by the world and that you are "poor in spirit." Be happy that you are a stranger and sojourner in this world. How blessed are you when God alone is your chief concern!
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Believing God's Heart...
06.28.22 (Sivan 29, 5782) When he was asked what was the most important commandment of all, or, what does God really ask of us, Yeshua quoted the "Shema" passage from the Torah: "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone, and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' He then said: "This is the first commandment" (Mark 12:29-30, quoting Deut. 6:4-5).
The Hebrew word shema (שׁמע) means "listen," so the most important commandment is to hear the truth that the Lord is our God, the Lord alone... Other things may compete for your attention, but what is essential is for you to believe and to know that the Lord is your God, which, incidentally, is the very first of the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:2).
The Shema is the call to intellectually and emotionally connect with God as the most important and precious person in your life. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart" is the invitation to relate to God on the basis of his great love for you, and faith is your heart's response that receives that love with all of your being. That is the goal of teshuvah, or "repentance," after all: turning to God to find life in his love. Knowing God's heart is your very reason for being; it is the most sacred concern of your life.
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Generally speaking, we must quiet our heart to "make room" to listen, and that implies a measure of self-forgetfulness. To truly listen we must relinquish our need to be in control and then open our heart to receive what is said in humility. Listening to God honors his presence, trusts his authority, and surrenders to his care. Even in our troubles and our anguish (and especially in those times) our first duty is to quiet our hearts and listen, as it says: "He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity" (Job 36:15).
It is written: "Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger" (James 1:19), yet we are often just the opposite: slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to wrath. However, in the midst of our struggles we must be careful to heed the questions the Spirit speaks from out of the whirlwind, as righteous Job did: "Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Where is the path to the source of light? Where is the home of the east wind?" "Do you know the laws of the heavens, or can you set up their rule over the earth?" (Job 38). Job was astonishingly humbled by hearing such words, so much so that he finally exclaimed: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I -- and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me... I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance" (Job 42:2-6).
Job's friends, however, had not believed as Job had - that is, they had not seriously listened to God's voice nor faithfully searched for him in the midst of their anguish. Theirs was a "second hand" suffering. Perhaps they had never tasted the dregs of the cup of tribulation as did Job but they still wished to hold to a form of godliness. Their grave error, however, was that they presumed to know the truth when in fact they were impostors, "theological quacks" who were too busy rationalizing their own preconceptions to offer any genuine remedy or true comfort to their suffering friend. The Lord listened to Job in his plight and took him seriously, however, because Job was a man of real faith, and he respected the ambivalence that Job felt within his heart, namely that God loved him dearly and yet allowed inexplicable evil to besiege him - for that was the essence of his struggle, after all, a struggle not to let go of his love for God but to cling to it despite the harrowing loss and destruction of his world (Job 2:10).
Even though he never got an explanation for his suffering, Job received something far better, namely the direct revelation of the One who made all things by the hand of his glory. And that is the hope we likewise hold, to one day see our Lord face to face, to behold Him in his beauty and glory forever and ever. We do not need explanations for why we are sometimes vexed with suffering as much as we need the will to endure and to keep believing. And may it please our Lord to help us persevere and remain faithful when we are tested. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Job 13:15 reading (click):
Faithful Afflictions...
06.28.22 (Sivan 29, 5782) When we suffer in this life - and all of us will - we should never despair and conclude that life is no use living anymore. Perhaps more than anything else suffering raises the question of our faith. Do you really believe that God is working all things for your good? Is your mind settled to trust in God's plan for your life - even if that is presently incomprehensible to you?
We are being educated for eternity, and one of the chief lessons concerns the breaking of our arrogance (ga'avah). When we surrender our lives to God's care, trusting in Him alone for everything we need, we forsake our demand to understand -- i.e., our pride. This is a great blessing, of course, since the Lord resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (Prov. 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:2). Humility draws us near to God. Sometimes, however, this lesson is learned when facing life-threatening illness and death. A sage was once told by a doctor, "There is really nothing else we can do." Upon hearing this, the sage smiled and said, "This is what I was preparing for my whole life." Amen. Rightly understood, theology is the practice of death, since it prepares the heart for what is eternally abiding and everlastingly real.
God allows sickness into our lives to teach us to trust in him. Afflictions are "yissurim b'ahavah" - troubles ordained by love. Sickness humbles us and reveals our need for healing -- not just physical healing but healing from the spiritual sickness of our pride...
Where it says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul," that includes when he takes your soul. That's the meaning of the Kaddish, after all - thanking God for all things, including our own mortification. Followers of Yeshua affirm that physical death is a transition from the temporal to the realm of eternity. As Yeshua promised us: "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11:25-26).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:75 reading (click):
Matters of Ultimate Concern...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Korach... ]
06.27.22 (Sivan 28, 5782) We read in our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Korach) the terrible fate of Korah and his co-conspirators: "And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up" (Num. 16:32), which the sages say metaphorically refers to being consumed by this world and its desires. Life is a serious business, an irrepeatable opportunity. Many trifle their way to the grave, fully unprepared for the shock of the world to come... How few make it the great business of life to prepare themselves "until their change comes" (Job 14:14); how few consciously number their days to obtain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12)? We mustn't fool ourselves by thinking we have a long road ahead before we face who we are at the time of our death (Luke 12:19-21). "No one knows the day or hour," yet it is certain to come, and wisdom bids us be prepared. All must die; there is no escape (Heb. 9:27). "No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from this war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given over to it" (Eccl. 8:8).
In light of this somber truth, do you reflect on its significance? Have you taken time to reflect on how it will be for you at your death? Allow such thoughts to awaken you from your careless and unwatchful state. Lay up treasure in heaven (Matt. 6:20). Considering the vastness of eternity, human life is likened to a mere vapor that quickly passes away (Psalm 103:15-16). It is madness to put off that which is of ultimate concern until the last moment. Therefore "repent one day before you die." But who knows the day of one's death in advance? Therefore live each day as if it were to be your last, and may God help you make the decision to "seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6). Amen, And may the LORD quicken these matters to our hearts...
כי־ידעתי מות תשׁיבני
ובית מועד לכל־חי
kee-yah·da'·tee · mah'·vet · te·shee·vei'·nee
oo·veit · moh·eid · le·khol-chai
"For I know that you will bring me to death,
and to the meeting place for all the living."
(Job 30:23)
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Of course dying in the LORD assumes you are really "in Him," that is, that you are a person whose heart is known by Him (1 Cor. 8:3). You can't die in him if you have never lived in him. In this world we learn to die, and as we die in Him, so we will live in him. Resolve this within your heart: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord" (Rev. 14:15).
Concerning the prospect of death we are full of confidence, of course, since Yeshua has overcome death for us and secured our place in heaven (John 11:25; Heb. 2:9-10). "We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast" (2 Sam. 14:14). Though physical life inevitably returns us to dust (Heb. 9:27), death does not have the final word, since God wonderfully "devises the means by which the banished are brought back home." If you belong to the Lord, your death is the day of precious homecoming to be with your beloved Savior: "For me to live is Messiah, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21). As it is written, "just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven" (1 Cor. 15:49).
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Echoes from the Future...
06.27.22 (Sivan 28, 5782) Yeshua forewarned of the alienation and moral sickness that would pervade mankind just before the time of his return: "Because lawlessness (i.e., ἀνομία, from -α ('not') + νομος, 'torah') will be increased," he said, "the love of many will grow cold (i.e., ψύχομαι, 'be extinguished')" (Matt. 24:12). Note the link between Torah and love: true love requires respect for God's authority, for without that the divine image is disfigured and desecrated. Likewise the Apostle Paul foresaw that the "End of Days" (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים) would be a time of peril (καιροὶ χαλεποί) because people would become increasingly narcissistic, self-absorbed, infatuated with their own sense of self-importance, abusive toward others, disrespectful to elders, ungrateful, heartless, unforgiving, without self-control, brutal, treacherous, and so on (2 Tim. 3:1-4). Therefore, in light of the spiritual war that rages all around us, it is vital that we remain firmly rooted in what is real by taking hold of our identity and provision as children of God. "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power (גְּבוּרָה / δύναμις) and of love (ἀγάπη), and of a "sound mind" (σωφρονισμός), i.e., a "delivered" mind -- centered and "healed" from inner chaos (2 Tim. 1:7). The name of the LORD (יהוה) means "Presence," and in Him "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). He is as close as our heart and our very breath (Rom. 10:8). We are not to be troubled like the world that lives in terror of man, nor are we to crave security from the vain devices of mere men. No - we must look to God Almighty, the Master of the Universe. He alone is our Refuge and Defense, the One who gives us steadfast love in the midst of these storms. "Let not your heart be troubled" - God is in control of the whirlwind, friends...
According to orthodox Jewish eschatological tradition, the period of time immediately before the Messiah's arrival is sometimes called ikvot meshicha (עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחַ), the time when the "footsteps of the Messiah" can be heard. Some of the "signs" of this period include the rise of various false prophets, numerous wars and "rumors of wars" (including the rise of Magog: Iran), famines, earthquakes, worldwide apostasy from the faith, persecution, and a globalized sort of godlessness that is revealed in unbridled selfishness, greed, chutzpah (audacity), shamelessness, and a general lack of hakarat ha-tov (gratitude). The greatest sign, however, will be that Israel will exist once again as a sovereign nation, despite the prophesied exile among the nations (Deut. 4:27-31; Jer. 30:1-3).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 143:11 reading (click):
For more on this fascinating subect, see the article "Birthpangs of Messiah."
Audio Podcast:
The Warning of Korach...
06.27.22 (Sivan 28, 5782) Our Torah portion this week (Korach) centers on the rebellion of Korah, a man who questioned God's authority and who arrogantly sought to "intrude" into the office of the priesthood. It is noteworthy that his rebellion is explicitly mentioned only once in the New Testament - in the Book of Jude - as an example of the fate that awaits those false teachers who likewise spurn God's law. False teachers within the church are likewise dangerous because they deny the truth of Torah and redefine our duties before God. Jude identifies them as spiritual impostors who "work from the inside" to confound or obscure the truth of what salvation means. Such a charlatan may appear to be a genuine believer, but he or she aims to sow confusion and sin among God's children; they are the proverbial "wolves in sheep's clothing" (Matt. 7:15). Jude's warning is especially important for us in this present hour because it is foretold that in the time immediately preceding the coming of the Messiah spiritual deception and unbridled godlessness would greatly increase (2 Tim. 3:1-5). At any rate, test the spirits and seek God's face always, dear friends. I sincerely hope this audio broadcast encourages you... Please click the link(s) below to listen or download:
Marks of False Teachers...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Korach. Please read the Torah portion to "find your place" here. ]
06.27.22 (Sivan 28, 5782) False teachers (מורי שקר) tend to be "people pleasers." They desire the esteem of the crowd, the praises of men, and therefore appeal to the murmurings of the unregenerate heart: "Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits" (Isa. 30:10). They flatter people by "tickling their ears"; they offer either platitudes or "new revelation" based on their own imagination. Consequently, they tend to be grandiose and quick to disparage God's faithful servants. Thus Korah accused Moses of wanting to exalt himself, when this only disclosed the evil lurking within his own heart (Num. 16:3). False teachers speak in their own name and presume to be something when they are nothing (Gal. 6:3). "The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not... they are prophesying to you a lying vision, the deceit of their own minds" (Jer. 14:14). They secretly deny that Yeshua is LORD (יהוה), though they may offer "lip service" about his importance (2 Pet. 2:1). Instead of focusing on the message of the gospel and the greatness of salvation found in Messiah, they "major in minors," passing over the weightier matters for the sake of various divisive doctrines (Matt. 23:23). They desire to be teachers of the law, but they have no idea what they are talking about (1 Tim. 1:7). Often such deceivers have natural charisma, charm, "good hair," and an ability to bewitch people through buttery oratory or clever presentation (Col. 2:4,8). Often they focus on the truth of the head rather than the truth of the heart; they are more concerned with being vindicated than healing broken hearts. Finally, they tend to exploit people to promote their own self-serving agenda (1 Pet. 2:1-3). They make "merchandise" out of the gullible, regarding them as the means to support their "ministry" rather than as precious souls in need of God's love and care...
False teachers inevitably "twist the Scriptures" by offering unsound interpretations contrary to the ruach, or spirit of the Hebrew prophets, and by evading the commandment to "rightly divide" the word of Truth according to basic logic and clear thinking (2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; 3:16). In Christian circles, they often come in the name of the law (legalism) or in the name of grace (licentiousness), but rarely do they take the trouble to carefully (and equitably) work through the paradoxical tensions. False teachers are uncomfortable humbly confessing they don't know something, and therefore they are quick to style themselves as an infallible prophet or source of authoritative wisdom...
There is no substitute for taking the time and energy to humbly study Torah, friends, and we should be suspicious of those who claim special insight when it is evident that they have not really labored working through the Scriptures... All disciples of Yeshua are called "students," or talmidim (תַּלְמִידִים), a word that comes from lamad (לָמַד) meaning "to learn" (the study of Scripture is called talmud Torah (תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה) from the same root). Among other things, then, following Yeshua means becoming a student of the Jewish Scriptures that he both loved and perfectly fulfilled (Matt. 5:17-18; Luke 24:44-45). Only after learning the truth of the Scriptures will you be equipped to "go to all the nations and teach" others (Matt. 28:19). This is accomplished not merely by explaining (propositional) doctrine but by kiddush HaShem -- sanctifying the LORD in our lives (1 Pet. 1:15-16). "You shall know them by their fruits..."
Yeshua brings the kingdom of God "at hand," that is, into the realm of this fallen world. False teachers are emissaries of evil, commissioned by the devil to seduce, deceive, and ensnare souls; they disguise themselves as an "angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14). God allows false teachers to justify the desires of the unregenerated heart, for such teachers find their audience among those who want to be deceived (Matt. 13:24-30; 15:14). In other words, there can be no false teachers apart from false believers who go along with the ruse. In light of this possibility, we should be careful to honestly examine our hearts. What are your motives for faith? What draws you to Yeshua? Do you accept the message of the gospel or are you trusting in something else? Are you really one of his "sheep"? Do you hear his voice, or are you heeding something contrary to the truth of the Holy Spirit?
Just as the easiest way to spot a counterfeit dollar bill is to know the various details of the original, so our best defence against false teaching is to know the details of doctrine and to use discernment as the LORD helps us "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1). This implies that we "build ourselves up in the most holy faith" by carefully (i.e., humbly) studying the word of God - especially the Torah, since the Torah is the foundation of all that follows (Jude 1:20). In this way we will be able to accurately wield the Sword of the Spirit (2 Tim. 2:15-16, 2 Pet. 1:19-20). In order to grow, we must have "good soil" for the seed of the word to take root. We "get rooted by knowing the roots" of our faith! Studying the Scriptures and praying in the Spirit of Truth keeps us securely in the love of God as we wait for the mercy of Yeshua who gives us eternal life (Jude 1:21).
Hebrew Lesson
Provwebs 14:15 reading (click):
All in the family:
The Rebellion of Korah (פרשת קורח)
06.26.22 (Sivan 27, 5782) Shalom chaverim! Welcome to another week to study Torah and to learn more about Yeshua, our beloved Savior. I earnestly pray that we will all draw closer to the Living God and honor him in our "avodat ha'lev," our worship of the heart.
Last week's Torah portion (Shelach Lekha) told the tragic story about the "sin of the spies" (חטא המרגלים) and the divine decree that the generation rescued from Egypt was sentenced to die in the exile of the desert. In this week's portion (parashat Korach), the hard truth of their condition began to sink in, and the people bemoaned their fate and rebelled further by attempting to overthrow God's designated leadership and return to Egypt. This rebellion was instigated and organized by Moses' cousin Korach, who – along with a band of co-conspirators – was swiftly judged and put to death, thereby vindicating the Aaronic priesthood and Moses' leadership of Israel.
Korach was the cousin of Moses and a well-respected Kohathite who was honored to be one of the carriers of the Holy Ark (ארון הברית). He was a wealthy man of influence - a nassi (prince) of the people. Despite all this privilege, however, Korach rationalized that he should be the head of the Kohathite clan (instead of his cousin Elzaphan), since he was the firstborn of Kohath's second son, whereas Elzaphan was not even a firstborn son. Indeed, because he felt slighted by Moses' choice, Korach went even further and brazenly questioned whether the office of the High Priest should not have been given to him – rather than to Aaron.
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Korach's co-conspirators were two brothers named Dathan and Abiram from the tribe of Reuben, Israel's firstborn son. Together, they put together a force of 250 men to confront Moses and to challenge his exclusive claim to leadership: "You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" (Num. 16:3).
In response to their challenge, Moses proposed that Korach and his followers bring firepans to offer incense at the Tabernacle to determine whether they were indeed chosen to serve as priests. The following morning, when Korach and his 250 followers assembled at the gate of the Tabernacle to offer incense, God threatened to destroy them all instantly. Moses begged God not to destroy all the people, but only the rebels. He then warned the congregation to stand clear of the dwellings of Korach, Dathan, and Abiram. The earth then opened up and swallowed them alive, and a fire consumed the 250 men who illegitimately offered the incense...
Korach's rebellion introduced outright mutiny and chaos within the leadership of the camp that brought swift and terrible rebuke from the LORD. Nevertheless, the very next day the entire congregation of Israel audaciously began to accuse Moses and Aaron, saying: "You have killed the people of the Lord." When the people looked toward the Tabernacle, however, the Glory of the LORD appeared, where God descended to tell Moses and Aaron that he was going to destroy the Israelites for their treason. Despite Moses and Aaron's fervent intercession, however, a deadly plague broke out among the people. Moses then instructed Aaron to take his firepan with incense and to bring it in the midst of the congregation to make atonement for them. Aaron did so, "and he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed." The Torah tells us that 14,700 Israelites died because of the plague, not including the deaths of those involved in the rebellion of Korach.
As a final test to vindicate Aaron as God's chosen priest, each of the twelve tribal heads of Israel, as well as Aaron himself, were instructed to bring their staffs to Moses. Moses then inscribed their names on each staff and brought them into the sanctuary before the ark of the testimony. "And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you." The following day Moses went into the Tabernacle and "behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds." He then brought out all the staffs and gave them back to each of the tribal leaders. God then told Moses to return Aaron's staff to the Tabernacle as a testimony for generations to come.
Faith's Deeper Seeing...
06.24.22 (Sivan 25, 5782) Our Torah portion for this Shabbat (i.e., Shelach) begins: "The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Send for yourself (שְׁלַח־לְךָ) men to spy out the land...'" (Num. 13:1-2). Finally, after all that the LORD had done for his people -- redeeming them from slavery, providing them miracles of manna and living water, and making covenant with them to be his set apart people -- the Israelites were given the opportunity to enter the promised land! The vision of Zion was about to be fulfilled! And yet the people faltered; the reports of the spies discouraged and blinded them... In this connection, the sages taught that the Book of Ezekiel begins: "The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God," the first letters of which may be arranged to spell the Hebrew word for "faith" (אמונהֹ). Faith is a deeper type of seeing by which we are enabled to apprehend truth about reality...
Hebrew Lesson:
Ezekiel 1:1b reading (click):
Words of the Heart...
06.24.22 (Sivan 25, 5782) Our hearts speak the language of "poetry," using poetic expressions of truth, since declarative words are never enough to convey the heart of the matter. When God created the heavens and the earth, he "sang" them into being - the words he used composed a song - and its melody resounds with the emotional weight of his grace and his glory. Therefore we can speak of the "poetry of creation" - its meaning, form, sound, rhythm - expressing the artistry of God as the Creator (Psalm 19:1-4). The various psalms of the Bible are also musical and lyric (i.e., to be accompanied with a lyre), because prayer, meditation, and worship are expressed in the hue and color of emotional feelings, or the language of the heart... These include expressions of praise, cries of lament, sighs for deliverance, and so on. In fact, poetic language is found throughout the Scriptures. Consider the various metaphors, similes, hyperboles, symbols, allusions, equivocations, parables, allegories, prophetic signs and visions - all formed from words of the heart.
The Hebrew prophets often used poetic expression in their messages: "Let judgment run down as the waters / and righteousness as a mighty stream!" (Amos 5:24). Moreover dirges (kinnot) and lamentations are expressed poetically in the Scriptures. For example, the Book of Lamentations is an acrostic poem chanted using a rhythmic formula of a long line followed by a shorter line to evoke feelings of sorrow and woe.
We sometimes want to talk about God "theologically," using language of fact or "objectivity," though it's important to remember that God is a Person, a Subject, and the Bible often uses anthropomorphic language to help us connect with him. The sages said "Torah is written in the language of men." The words of God are often emotional, passionate, and vibrate with meaning and feeling - words of the divine pathos for us. The message of the gospel, the "story" of God's astounding love for us, is a message from his heart to ours... It is the greatest story ever told, full of mystery, suspense, romance, heroism, sacrificial love, the very depths of sorrow, the ecstasies of joy, and so on.
Shabbat shalom, chaverim. May your heart pulse and yearn for the beauty of the Lord; may you cry out for his presence in your life; may you find your utmost good and blessing in him. May you cry out with all of your heart to the LORD your beloved Redeemer: "Whom have I in heaven buy You? and there is nothing on earth I desire beside you" (Psalm 73:25).
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Near to the Brokenhearted...
06.24.22 (Sivan 25, 5782) "My eye grows dim through sorrow; every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you... Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to your love" (Psalm 88:9; 109:26). Such words pierce through the clichés and chatter about religion, theology, and so on, voicing the lament of a soul in trouble, desperately crying out to God for help... The language of prayer is often quickened by affliction and trouble, for the heart senses it must find God or die. "The troubles of my heart are enlarged..." (Psalm 25:17). "Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed..." for if you will not help, O Lord, then I will perish; I will be consumed in my grief, I will waste away in the void of darkness... "Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail?" (Jer. 15:18). O Lord, "I am poor and needy; my heart is pierced within me" (Psalm 109:22). During hours of pain or mental anguish prayer becomes spontaneous, raw, unscripted and devoid of empty words. Anguish moves us right to the point, bypassing other concerns, distilling the heart's cry for God's help.
If you feel overwhelmed, pour out your heart in prayer... It is not the words of the prayer that matter as much as it is the fervor, the intensity of the heart, and the passion that yields itself before God. "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matt. 5:4). "The LORD is near to the broken of heart and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
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Comfort from the Shepherd...
06.24.22 (Sivan 25, 5782) The Spirit of the Lord comforts and reassures those who trust in Him: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם), and they will never perish - no, never! - and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28). Note that the Greek grammar in this verse uses a "double negation," which is the strongest way to deny something. In other words, if the question were asked, "Will one of these sheep perish?" the answer is emphatic: "No, no, it will never happen! It is unthinkable!" Indeed all those who belong to Messiah "shall never, ever perish - not into eternity (εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα)." It is an eternal certainty that you who are trusting in Yeshua will never perish, and no power in heaven or earth will be able to take you out of God's hand... "Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue you all the days of your life, and you shall dwell in the Presence of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).
Regarding the certainty of salvation Yeshua said: "I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes in the One who sent me has (i.e., ἔχει, present active indicative) eternal life and will not be condemned, but has passed over (i.e., μετά + βαίνω, lit., "crossed over" [עָבַר]) from death to life" (John 5:24). Note that the verb translated "has passed over" (μεταβέβηκεν) is a perfect active that expresses completed action: "this one has already passed over from death to life." In other words, it is an accomplished spiritual reality though it is only experienced as we surrender to the love and grace of God. As the apostle Paul later summarized: "For it is by grace you have been saved (i.e., σεσῳσμένοι, a perfect passive participle that denotes completed action done on your behalf with effects that continue to the present) through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph. 2:9-10). Ultimately, salvation is a question about who you really are, not about what you do....
God does not want us uncertain or unsure of His great love for us. A fearful believer explained that he was anxious about his acceptance before heaven. When he was asked to define "salvation," he answered, "freedom, deliverance, rest, peace." So you think fear will help you do away with your fear? You are fearful of the idea of freedom from fear?
"Be strong and of good courage" - chazak ve'ematz (חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ). The LORD God promises "never to leave you nor forsake you," and to be with you wherever you go (Josh. 1:5,9; Heb. 13:15, Psalm 139; Matt. 28:20). In the Greek New Testament the wording of Hebrews 13:15 is highly emphatic: "Not ever will I give up on you (οὐ μή σε ἀνῶ); no, not ever will I leave you behind (οὐδ᾽ οὐ μή σε ἐγκαταλίπω)." May you hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling you, and may He forever keep you under His watchful care. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 23:6 reading (click):
Visions of the Far Country...
06.24.22 (Sivan 25, 5782) When he was asked when the kingdom of God would come, Yeshua answered: "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). The Pharisees were looking for an earthly kingdom, something political, something of this world, but Yeshua taught that the kingdom of God was a matter of the heart - an inner reverence, a spiritual awakening, a rapturous mystery, a supernatural peace.... "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." The righteousness of God given in Messiah reveals the kingdom of God to the seeking heart, but those who do not esteem the King will be unable to discern the secret grace of his kingdom. The question is not about an outside dominion but whether the divine life and Spirit reign within you.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 33:17 reading (click):
Source of our Strength...
06.23.22 (Sivan 24, 5782) It is not my faith that moves mountains, but the One who has the power to do so that matters... The "mustard seed" of faith is the witness of God's miracle. Likewise it is not the strength of my grip that keeps me holding on, but the strength of His, as it says, "The Lord is the strength of my life" (Psalm 27:1).
Hebrew Lesson
Jeremiah 17:7 reading (click):
Rejoicing in the Truth...
06.23.22 (Sivan 24, 5782) If God is as we believe -- our Almighty Creator, our Righteous King, our Merciful Redeemer, and our Compassionate Savior -- the sacred Beginning and End of our existence, the Holy Center of our life, our great Heavenly Father who emptied himself of all divine prerogative and gave up everything to seek and to save us from death, the one who has delivered us from the terrors of hell by absorbing our shame and setting us free; the one who now reigns in everlasting glory and overmastering power as our Healer, and who providentially ordains our way to ensure that we shall never be apart from his love, so that we shall be with him forever in heaven, and that "all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well".... If, I ask, our Lord is as we believe, then surely we must celebrate the gift of the life that he has given to us. Everything must be grounded in joy, even our brokenness and sorrows (Phil. 4:4). In all things give thanks, for this is God's will concerning you.
Despair, on the other hand, is the denial of reality, that is the denial that God has indeed redeemed us, called us by name, and regards us as his beloved. Note that despair in this sense does not necessarily mean having feelings of hopelessness or depression (though it might), because the happiest of people are in despair if they are blind to the truth about ultimate reality. In other words, despair is an "ontological condition" of the soul, and those who are in despair are lost to reality regardless of whatever their present emotional state.
For the believer in the love and reality of God as revealed in the life and message of Yeshua the Messiah, however, we must be careful to resist the temptation to harden our hearts through unbelief (Heb. 3:12). Of course we all experience times of testing; times of struggle; various sorrows, harrowing grief, and poignant heartache, and I am not suggesting that we should be in an "up" mood at all times. We are "sorrowful yet ever rejoicing," and that means we are able to sound the depths of our troubles and discern the "Everlasting Arms" that uphold our way... Nevertheless we should carefully guard our inner life and tend to our hope. We should run from the darkness of doubt as we would run from death itself...
In light of these things, please take a moment to inwardly reaffirm your faith in God and to rehearse your trust in his promises. Tell the Lord how much you need him and how much he means to you. Let him know how thankful you are that he has personally redeemed you and called you by name so that you now belong to him forever....
Hebrew Lesson
Isa. 43:1b Hebrew reading (click):
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The Love of Truth...
06.22.22 (Sivan 23, 5782) Christian (and Jewish) theology insists that truth matters, and knowing the truth about God is absolutely essential for life itself. Nothing is more important; nothing more vital. "This is eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם), that they may know you, the only true God (אֶל־אֱמֶת), and Yeshua the Messiah (יֵשׁוּעַ הַמָּשִׁיחַ) whom you have sent (John 17:3). The truth sets us free; it is the unbreakable seal that bears witness of reality. In the Gospel of John it is recorded that Yeshua said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (i.e., ᾽Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή). The Greek word translated "truth" in this verse is aletheia (ἀλήθεια), a compound word formed from an alpha prefix (α-) meaning "not," and lethei (λήθη), meaning "forgetfulness." (In Greek mythology, the "waters of Lethe" induced a state of oblivion or forgetfulness.) Truth is therefore a kind of "remembering" something forgotten, or a recollecting of what is essentially real. Etymologically, the word aletheia suggests that truth is also "unforgettable" (i.e., not lethei), that is, it has its own inherent and irresistible "witness" to reality. In that sense light is a metaphor for truth: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5). There can be no truth apart from moral reality. People may lie to themselves, but truth has the final word.
Greek scholars further note that the word lethei itself is derived from the verb lanthano (λανθάνω), which means "to be hidden," so the general idea is that a-letheia (i.e., truth) is non-concealment, non-hiddenness, or (put positively) revelation or disclosure. Thus the word of Yeshua - His message, logos (λόγος), revelation, and presence - is both "unforgettable" and irrepressible. Yeshua is the Unforgettable One that has been manifest as the express Word of God (דְּבַר הָאֱלהִים). Yeshua is the Light of the world (אוֹר הָעוֹלָם) and the one who gives us the "light of life" (John 8:12). Though God's message can be suppressed by evil and darkened thinking, the truth is self-evident and intuitively certain (see Rom. 1:18-21).
We have a moral imperative, given by God Himself, to receive the truth and to live according to the nature of spiritual reality. Those who reject or suppress the truth, however, are responsible for their actions, as it is written, "No one who practices deceit shall dwell in My house; no one who utters lies shall stand before my eyes" (Psalm 101:7).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 101:7 Hebrew reading (click):
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The Torah of Job...
06.22.22 (Sivan 23, 5782) The Book of Job (ספר איוב) teaches us that in the midst of trouble we should not focus on the devil but on God who alone can deliver the soul from evil. In his great struggle not once did Job blame the devil (or other people, or bad luck, etc.) for his woes but he constantly appealed to God for help. Job understood that all that happened to him - the good as well as the bad - came from God, and therefore to God alone he made appeal for solace and deliverance.
Hebrew Lesson
Job 2:10b Hebrew reading (click):
God may not be the "efficient cause" of evil in the world, though he obviously "permits" it and ultimately overrules it for his own purposes. Job understood this, and throughout his agonizing ordeal he never once blamed others, including Satan, but wrestled with God alone for vindication. Job was "perfect" and "blameless" before the LORD, and in the end, he was indeed vindicated, despite questioning God in the midst of his suffering.
The Rise of Global Fascism...
06.22.22 (Sivan 23, 5782) In light of the ever-creeping techno-fascism of this evil generation, we wonder how long before politically motivated "censorship" will cross boundaries from various social media platforms to any "offensive content" on any publicly accessible website whatsoever... Indeed this is already happening as we see search engine services delivering filtered results (i.e., "shadow-banning"), Internet browsers tagging web sites as "unsafe," and so on. Moreover, the prevailing characteristic of our age is one of moral and intellectual stupor, and indeed we are now living in what may be called the "Age of Stupidity," a prophesied time wherein God gives worldly culture over to strong delusion - and people are deranged and unfeeling for lack of the truth. It's a perilous time, and for all the more reason should we pray with fervor for the lost to saved before time runs out...
"The Messiah will only come when he is no longer needed" (Franz Kafka), which is to say the Messiah will come when humanity has collectively decided that they no longer want Him. As it was in the days of Noah... as it was in days of Lot (Luke 17:26-30). "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8).
Regarding the princes of this world and their various machinations of evil, there is a Scriptural prayer to the LORD God of all power (יהוה אלהים צבאות) that may be offered in times of oppression and persecution by our enemies: "O our God, will you not execute judgment? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (2 Chron. 20:12).
Hebrew Lesson
2 Chron. 20:12b Hebrew reading (click):
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