The Spirit of God cries out, “choose life that you may live!” (Deut. 30:19), which implies that is our responsibility to believe in the Reality of God, to trust in his providential care, to affirm that “all is well and all manner of thing shall be well,” and to understand that our present struggle is designed by heaven to help us grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth (1 Pet. 3:16).
In this Daily Dvar podcast, I discuss the challenge of faith and how we can draw closer to the Lord despite the ambiguity and challenges we regularly face.
Our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Chukat) begins, zot chukatha-Torah (זאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה), “this is the decree of Torah” (Num. 19:2). The language here is both striking and unique, suggesting that what follows, namely, the ritual of the parah adumah (פרה אדומה) or “red heifer,” is nothing less than “the seminal decree” of the entire Torah… 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 the 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, 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.
This Shavuah Tov broadcast also provides detailed discussion about 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, and how sacrificial love is the idea of the Red Heifer itself.
Ultimately we must make the choice whether we will respect life or not (see Deut. 10:12). In this present world, God “hides” so that people may seek him (Isa. 45:15; Matt. 13:10-15). The voice of conscience may be suppressed and the revelation of nature ignored; moreover, some things are perceived only if they are looked for in the right way, and the Divine Presence is not apprehended apart from humility and reverence. We must “make room” for wonder; we must open the “eye of the heart” to see what is greater than our everyday vision. “It is good to look at the sky often, as this helps develop the awe of God.” Indeed the word for fear, yirah (יִרְאָה), is connected with the word for seeing, ra’ah (רָאָה). When we really see life as it is, we will be filled with wonder over the glory of it all. Every bush will be aflame with the Presence of God and the ground we walk upon shall suddenly be perceived as holy (Exod. 3:2-5). Nothing will seem small, trivial, or insignificant. In this sense, “fear and trembling” (φόβοv καὶ τρόμοv) before the LORD is a description of the inner awareness of the sanctity of life itself (Psalm 2:11, Phil. 2:12).
The fear of God is paradoxical. Some verses emphasize the fear of the Lord (i.e., his power), while others emphasize his great love (i.e., his grace). We are drawn to God in adoration, appreciation, wonder, and love, and yet we are compelled to shrink back because of His overwhelming power, glory, holiness, and radiance. Therefore we see “the disciple whom Jesus loved” both leaning on his chest but also falling on his face in “dreadful adoration” (John 13:23; Rev. 1:17). Only when these heart attitudes are combined is the heart balanced. But the fear of the Lord is primary (see Psalm 110:10; Prov. 1:7, 9:10), and when we walk in it, we are released from the ordinary fears of men by apprehending a far surpassing power that overrules all things. Again, it is a paradox: if we fear lesser things we lose sight of the awe of God; but if we first revere God, we will lose sight of lesser fears.
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matt. 9:12). Even though we are weak, sickly, broken, and sinful people, we must never lose hope and begin to fear that we are worthless in the eyes of heaven… Indeed, our infirmities are often a blessing in disguise, a gift that reveals our need…
If you are sinful and sick, you are invited to come before the Master for life and rescue from the power of sin. Take your place among the lepers, the tax collectors, the outcasts… you will never hear Him criticize you or shame you for sincerely coming to Him for healing of your sinful state… “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
Yeshua is the Good Shepherd (הָרעֶה הַטּוֹב) who leaves his flock of 99 sheep in order to find the one sheep who is lost (Matt. 18:12-14). He is always like that – He is always seeking and saving the lost sinner; He is always offering life and healing to those who have been made sick with the plague of sin. Thank God we have a Savior who seeks us out in our desperate need!
“Grace is not looking for good men whom it may approve, for it is not grace but mere justice to approve goodness. [Rather] it is looking for condemned, guilty, speechless and helpless men whom it may save, sanctify and glorify.” – C. I. Scofield
King David wrote, “You have given those who fear you a banner (נֵּס לְהִתְנוֹסֵס) for the sake of the truth” (Psalm 60:4), which Rashi interprets as, “You have given hardships and suffering to those who fear you to elevate them in the way.” Indeed the word nes (נֵּס) can mean “banner” (as on the mast of a ship), a “sign” (or miracle), or a “test” (nisayon). God tests those who fear Him in order to help them become a miraculous sign to the world at large. Ultimately, the sign or miracle is the gift of Messiah’s suffering on our behalf and His resurrection for our justification (Isa. 11:10). Even in the face of our enemies who have breached the land, we have the promise of victory in Adonai Nissi (יְהוָה נִסִּי), God my Miracle.
May you, broken and contrite one, hear the word of His hope calling out for your soul… He is your Shepherd, your Healer, and your Miracle. May you come beneath His banner of truth and love to find eternal refuge…. Amen.
The Scriptures foretell that the time before the prophesied End of Days would be “perilous” (χαλεπός) and full of moral depravity: “Understand this, that in the last days perilous times (καιροὶ χαλεποί) shall come” (2 Tim. 3:1). In the entire New Testament, the only other place we find this word translated “perilous” (i.e., χαλεπός) is in Matthew 8:28, where it describes savage demonic activity. Indeed, the word likely comes from a Greek verb (χαλάω) that means “to let down from a higher place to a lower,” thereby creating a sort of spiritual “chasm” or rift, which again suggests that Satan’s activity will be unleashed upon the earth. In the “End of Days,” then, a wave of fierce demonic activity will appear upon the earth that will menace and terrorize others. If you can stomach reading the daily news, you will see that this peril is a regular feature of our world today.
Are we then to be in dread of these things? No. “There is no fear in God’s love” (φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ). God gives truth and grace to help us navigate our difficult situation; he understands the character of the times in which we live… Notice that the Greek word translated “times” in the phrase “perilous times” (καιροὶ χαλεποί) is also translated “appointed times” (מוֹעֲדִים) throughout the Scriptures. In other words, God has appointed this time to be one of judgment upon the world system, and we are here forewarned so that we can speak the truth and offer healing to others who seek deliverance… The Lord will never leave us nor forsake us; He will shelter us in Goshen (גּשֶׁן, lit. “drawing near”) before the hour of his wrath; He will walk with us through the waters, and through the fires (Isa. 43:2). Our Lord knows how to calm the storms around us…
The Apostle Paul said we were to both “test ourselves” with regard to the intellectual content of our faith and also to “prove ourselves” with regard to the veracity of our spiritual life: “Put yourselves to the test (ἑαυτοὺς πειράζετε) to see if you are in the faith; prove yourselves (ἑαυτοὺς δοκιμάζετε) to see whether Yeshua the Messiah lives within you – lest you fail the test and be disapproved (ἀδόκιμος)” (1 Cor. 13:5). Notice that the verb “to prove” (i.e., dokimadzo: δοκιμάζω) means to test something by fire (like a precious metal) to discover its quality and purity. The analogy here is straightforward. The quality of our faith will be revealed during times of testing and hard circumstance. Do we walk in love, joy, and peace – despite the testing of this life? If our faith regularly fails in the crucible of testing, we may need to reexamine its authenticity (Prov. 24:10).
A proven faith is one that evidences the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, though other characteristics include an abhorrence for personal sin and the desire to obtain God’s forgiveness; a hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness to be manifest; a sincere willingness to obey the LORD and keep His commandments, and a heartfelt love for God and others. These characteristics mark genuine teshuvah (“repentance”), that is, a turning away from inner darkness to the light of the Divine Presence. Teshuvah is a miracle that transforms the person so that the inner life is restructured and made into a new creation by means of God’s grace (2 Cor. 5:17). Spiritual rebirth implies a new heart with a new set of affections: “I am crucified with Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but Messiah who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
Ultimately we are living in the midst of a great spiritual war — the war for truth. This has been the battle from the beginning. The very first recorded words of Satan (הַנָּחָשׁ) questioned God’s truth: “Did God really say…?” (Gen. 3:1). 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).
We have to stand for the truth, because the truth is what sets us free (John 8:32). As Yeshua said, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world — to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37). We must turn away from the lie to embrace the truth. One day all that is hidden will become manifest. “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; His throne was ablaze with fire and its wheels were all aflame. A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened….” (Dan. 7:8-9).
If the devil can’t kill you, he will try to make you insane… He will lie to you about who you really are… He he will attempt harass you and vex your soul. He will whisper fearful things in your ear… He will make what is small seem big and what is big seem small. He will raise dark suspicion within your soul, causing you to walk in mistrust. He will remind you of your sins to make you feel ashamed and dirty. He will hiss that you are unlovable and unworthy. He will argue on behalf of your flesh that you deserve better than this… He will tempt you to seek relief in cisterns of emptiness and futility. Most of all, he will try to cast a spell to make you forget that you are truly a prince or princess of God Almighty… The devil seeks to drive you into the exile of loneliness and despair. Resist him in the Name of the LORD!
Fret not, therefore, because of evil doers, for they shall soon wither away (Psalm 37). The Great Accounting is coming: “For there is nothing created that is hidden – אין יצור נסתר – but all things are naked and open to the eyes of the One to whom we must render an account” (Heb. 4:13). Every thoughtless word shall be accounted for in the Day of Judgment to come (see Matt. 12:35-37). Recompense is indeed coming, though it is reserved for the LORD God alone, who is ha’shofet ha’tzaddik (השופט הצדיק) – the Righteous Judge (Psalm 7:11). “According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; to the coastlands He will repay recompense” (Isa. 59:18).
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 in 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 within you” (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 understands 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).
“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 of this world. Amen.
The Scriptures are filled with desperate cries from the wounded of heart… “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?” (Psalm 13:1-2). “Make haste to help me, O LORD, my salvation!” (Psalm 38:22). “My soul melts away from grief; strengthen me according to your word” (Psalm 119:28). “Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit” (Psalm 143:7). God know that “hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov. 13:12), so there can be no turning to God, no teshuvah, apart from the presence of real hope (תִּקְוָה). Indeed, as the Apostle Paul wrote: “We are saved by hope” (Rom. 8:24).
The apostle Peter wrote, “for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Pet. 1:6), which indicates that sorrow and grief are part of the walk of faith. Troubles, oppression, heartache, loneliness, loss, and so on, can grieve and seriously depress us. Lev yodea marat nafsho, “the heart knows its own bitterness” (Prov. 14:10). The cry of the heart is directed heavenward: “I am suffering terribly; O LORD, revive me according to your word” (Psalm 119:25); “for I am on the verge of collapse; my pain is always with me” (Psalm 38:17). We must be careful not to judge those who are hurting by regarding them as weak in faith or perhaps even deserving of their sorrows. On the contrary, the Lord sometimes allows the soul to be grieved by various trials; the heart is broken, the light of the eye grows dim… and there is no ready answer….
The walk of faith involves “kavanah” (כַּוָנָה), or focus; we are to “press on” (διώκω) to hear the upward call of God (Phil. 3:14). The problem for many of us is that we are distracted by other things, rendered indecisive, and therefore we hesitate to draw near to the Lord… A divided heart is at war within itself, “two-souled” (δίψυχος) and unstable in all its ways (James 1:8).
If “purity of heart is to will one thing,” then impurity of heart is the result of simultaneously willing two things… It is therefore a state of inner contradiction, of having two separate “minds” or “wills” that hold contrary thoughts or desires. Yeshua said that “a divided house cannot stand.” May it please God to heal us of such ambivalence by making our hearts whole, resolute, steadfast, full of conviction, and entirely awake to the glory of His Presence at our right hand (Psalm 16:8).
The LORD is always near; he is not far from each one of us. “Draw near to God (ἐγγίσατε τῷ Θεῷ) and he will draw near to you; purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). As it is written: “The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18). May we be set free from lesser fears that divide the heart and rob the soul of shalom shelemah, God’s perfect peace… Amen.