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 is 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 ultimately truth has the final word.

Read more “The Love of Truth…”

In the Scriptures it is written: “You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way” (Deut. 12:4), which referred to various Canaanite practices of idolatry based on mystery, ignorance and superstition. Unlike religious cults that were based on vain speculations, however, Jews are duty-bound to carry out God’s will as expressed by the truth of divine revelation. Our father Abraham was given revelation of Torah (Gen. 26:5) and at Sinai moral truth was enshrined in the Ten Commandments (Exod. 24:12; Deut. 5:22).

A basic assumption of Torah is that “ought implies can,” or that we are genuinely responsible to know and to do moral truth (Rom. 1:18-20). Unlike the ancient “mystery religions” that abandoned themselves by “celebrating” the lower nature, God insists on overruling our base impulses and finding peace in the midst of the struggle to live in righteousness (Gal. 5:16-17). Therefore we do not understand the Hebrew word “shalom” (שָׁלוֹם), or “peace,” to mean the absence of strife, but rather “wholeness,” “completeness,” and “healing” — the integration of the heart and mind that comes through catharsis and personal struggle (Gen. 32:28). Faith does not mean passivity, but protest — “arguing” for (and sometimes with) heaven, reminding God of his promises, lamenting over the divine absence; finding courage to oppose the status quo, and repeatedly appealing to heaven “be’khol levaveinu” (בְּכָל־לְבָבֵנוּ) — with all our hearts — precisely because we believe that our prayers can affect even the divine decrees… True faith confesses to “move mountains into the sea” (Mark 11:23) and refuses to let go of God until it receives the promised blessing to become “Israel” (Gen. 32:26).

 

 

• Isaiah 32:17 Hebrew page (pdf)

 

Note: As many of you know, “tzedakah” (צדקה) refers to our duty to “do righteousness” (i.e., la’asot tzedakah: לעשות צדקה) which can take the form of good works or deeds (i.e., ma’asei tovim: מעשה טובים), doing acts of kindness (i.e., gemilut chassidim: גמילות חסדים), studying Torah (i.e., talmud Torah: תלמוד תורה), engaging in prayer (i.e., avodat ha’lev: עבודת הלב), and offering charity (i.e., mattan tzedakah: מתן צדקה). Living in accordance with the righteousness of Messiah (צדקת משיח) yields a life of peace, inner quiet, and confidence that comes from the Spirit of God.

 

 

“Unless you turn (shuv) and become like children, you will never (οὐ μὴ) enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3).  Such is the importance of simple trust in God… Indeed Yeshua repeatedly taught us to trust God as “Abba,” our Father (אַבָּא אָבִינוּ). He taught that we are warmly accepted as part of his family; that we are under his constant care; and that we live within his household as beloved children… And even though God is utterly transcendent, the Infinite One (אין סוף) and Creator of all worlds, he humbles himself to feed the birds of the air, to water lilies of the field, and to count the number of hairs on your head (Psalm 113:5-6).  He is as close as your next breath; he leans upon your bosom at the table; he anticipates what you need before you ask him… The “fear of the Lord” is that you might fail knowing his great love for you — that you will forget or lose sight of your true identity in lesser things. Therefore affirm the truth that you are loved with an unending and everlasting love, that you are safe, that you are surely accepted, and that nothing can ever separate you from the power of love. God your Father hears you, he knows you, and he loves you bekhol levavo (בְּכָל־לְבָבוֹ) – “with all his heart.”

May we know God as our beloved Abba. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Messiah – even if we may suffer together with him to the end that we may also be glorified together with him” (Rom. 8:15-17). Amen…

 

 

 

• Psalm 69:32 Hebrew page (pdf)

 

“No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear” (C.S. Lewis). We naturally feel sorrow when we experience loss in our lives, though we may experience a sort of consternation, too, since the very ground beneath our feet may seem to fall away, us leaving us feeling alienated and terribly alone. Over time our grief can make us numb and disconnected. We draw inward, afraid that whatever we love will be taken from us… As someone once confided: “Each loss makes a little hole in you; after awhile, they all add up, and there’s just a gaping hole where your heart used to be.”

We must go through the desert before we can live the promise. Since experiencing loss is part of life in a fallen world, we must first acknowledge our troubles and sorrows. “Don’t call me Naomi (“my delight”) but Mara (“bitterness”), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me (כִּי־הֵמַר שַׁדַּי לִי מְאֹד). I went out full, but the LORD hath brought me home empty” (Ruth 1:20-21). Once we give voice to our pain (and that might have to be done over and again) the heart can reopen to hope once again. We then can turn to God and learn to live in the moment, trusting him to help us through the troubles of the day (Matt. 6:34).

Read more “Torah of Comfort…”

We are living in dark times, perilous days (2 Tim. 3:1-5; 2 Pet. 3:3). The world has become more and more lawless, corrupt, irrational, and violent. Many live in dread, sensing that days of difficulty are ahead. Indeed, with the advent of the “Covid” pandemic 18 months ago, it is evident that things are likely never to return to “normal” as the world economy and the global political situation are restructured… God has sent strong delusion “so that those who do not love the truth should believe a lie” (2 Thess. 2:10-11). These are truly unprecedented times, and the hour draws near, friends….

Though we might not understand why God allows these things to happen, we nevertheless hold fast to our conviction that the Lord is our Good Shepherd who is restoring our souls. He speaks to us in the midst of uncertainty: “Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his Servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the Name of the LORD and lean upon on his God” (Isa. 50:10).

Friend, the Lord allows the dark cloud of unknowing for his own sovereign purposes, perhaps as a means to teach us to abandon ourselves to his care. Surely God understands our powerlessness; “he remembers our frame, that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14); surely He knows that we cannot see and therefore he calls us to “lean upon Him” for guidance. As we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we find that he is with us, and therefore we must choose to fear no evil.

Trusting in God (i.e., bittachon – בִּטָּחוֹן) does not mean that we are obligated to affirm that this is “the best of all possible worlds,” though it does mean we believe that eventually God will wipe away every tear and make all things right. Bittachon is a word for this world, which says, “Though he slay me, I will trust in him…” We do not need to trust for what is seen in this world but for an unseen good (Rom. 8:24). Those who call upon the LORD can trust not only in concealed good behind ambiguous appearances (“all things work together for good”) but also in a future, real, substantive good that will one day be clearly manifest for us all… We fight the “good fight” of faith, which is a worthy struggle that eventually is realized for blessing. We die daily; we mortify ourselves and surrender to God’s will. Meanwhile, we ask the Lord to be kept from such depth of sorrow that leads to self-destruction and despair….

We must press on without fear, trusting that our faithful LORD will strengthen us for “such a time as this.” We must be brave, equipped for battle, and full of conviction that the message of the gospel is the only hope for this moribund and decadent world. We must be on guard lest we fear, for fear is the greatest tool of the enemy of our souls, and therefore we must resist him steadfast and full of divine assurance. “The Lord is faithful: He will establish you and guard you against the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:3). The Spirit says, “Fear not, for I am with you always.” The Lord “will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the Day of our Yeshua the Messiah” (1 Cor. 1:8). He who calls you is forever faithful; He will surely do it (1 Thess. 5:24).

If you ask for bread, your heavenly Father will not give you a stone… Only God can deliver us from our “disordered loves” to take hold of what is truly essential. All we can do is ask, and keep on asking – even as we struggle on, despite ourselves, despite our losses… And we often revisit our sins over and over until we become “sick of our sickness,” that is, until we begin to understand what our heart really needs. It’s as if we are constantly being asked, “Is this what you want?” and our choices confess the truth… Only God does the miracle of real change within the human heart – only God can give life from the dead!

 

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Hebrew Lesson:

 

• Isaiah 50:10 Hebrew Card (pdf)

 

“We are in God and God whom we do not see is in us” (Julian of Norwich). This follows from the meaning of the Name of God itself which is Eternal Life. YHVH (יהוה) means that God was (i.e., hayah: היה), God is (i.e., hoveh: הוֶה), and God always will be (i.e., yihyeh: יהיה) the Source, the Heart, and the End of our lives. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36). We may think of the LORD as being “out there” someplace apart from us, but that is untrue, for he constantly upholds all things by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3) and by Him all things “consist” or “hold together” (Col. 1:17). His will is the gravity that directs all of reality. We may sometimes feel like God is distant from us, but understand that feeling to be an invitation to wake up, come alive, and to live before his Presence. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Him….

God’s Name means “I-AM-with-you-always,” imanu-El (עִמָּנוּ אֵל) – always in the midst of you, in your heart, at the center of who you really are (Matt. 28:20; Isa. 41:10, Psalm 23:4, etc). The LORD is so named because he is never without his own, and we are who we are in relation to his presence in our lives. Yeshua is not simply the Lord of the past or the Lord of the future, but the Lord of this moment, this “here” and this “now.” He is the same yesterday, today, and forever – the breath of life, our sustaining hope, the Shepherd of our souls… Whatever else may come of this day, this is the day that the LORD has made, and we find peace in God’s Presence… Let us look to Him in this hour! Amen.

 

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Hebrew Lesson:

 

• Isaiah 6:3b Hebrew Card (pdf)

 

 

“Be still and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10). This is something you must do; you must quiet your heart to know the Divine Presence. Therefore “set the Lord always before you” (Psalm 16:8) and refuse anxious thoughts that weigh in upon you, creating pressure and “dis-ease.” Quieting your heart allows you to hear the holy whisper: “It is I; do not be afraid…” Once the storm of fear dissipates, you can access the truth of God.  As the Spirit says, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength” (Isa. 30:15).

Worry is a place of exile and pain. Since God’s Name (יהוה) means “Presence” and “Love,” being anxious is to practice the absence of God’s presence instead of practicing his presence… A divided house cannot stand. Where it is written, “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7), the word translated “anxiety” comes from a verb that means to divide into pieces. Bring your brokenness to God – including those distractions that make you ambivalent and afraid – to receive God’s healing for your divided heart.

“Be still…” Note that the verb translated “be still” (i.e., rapha: רפה) means to “let go,” to stop striving, and to surrender everything to the care of God (Rom. 8:28). “Being still” means letting go of your “need” to control the world. Relax your hold and rely on God’s care for your life instead, without “taking thought” for tomorrow and its concerns (Matt. 6:34). The past is gone, after all, and the future is God’s business: all you have is the present moment to call upon our Lord. Be faithful in the present hour, then, asking God for the grace and strength you need to endure yourself and engage the task at hand. In this way you will experience the peace of God “which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7).

Walking with God isn’t just a matter of “head education,” but also of “heart education,” and these two must always go together as Spirit and Truth (John 4:23). Head education seeks knowledge primarily as a means of defining what you believe (emunah); heart education, on the other hand, centers on fear, or rather, on overcoming your fear by trusting in God’s love and healing grace (bittachon). When you accept that you are accepted despite yourself, you are delivered from the need to defend yourself. You can let go, quit denying who you are, and accept God’s unconditional care for your life – regardless of the state of the world. When your heart learns to “be still,” you can know that the Lord your God reigns over all things!

“Be still and know that I am…” Prayer is a type of listening (shema), a turning back to know the message of God’s love and hope in Messiah. The word “teshuvah” (תְּשׁוּבָה) means an answer or response to a question. God’s love is the question, and the heart’s response is the answer. Some of us may find it difficult to trust, to open our heart to receive grace and kindness. For those wounded by abandonment, it can be a great struggle to hear the voice of God calling you “beloved,” “worthy,” “valued,” and “accepted.” When you find faith to receive God’s word of love, however, your heart comes alive and you begin to heal… Yeshua speaks words of comfort: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet still believe.”

 

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Hebrew Lesson:

 

• Psalm 46:10 Hebrew Page (pdf)