There is a gap between the “real” and the “ideal,” between our present sense of exile and our hope that one day we will be in our heavenly home; there is an inherent and ongoing dualism we experience as we sojourn through our days. On the one hand, if we make time to reflect on what is “real,” we will eventually encounter the “Parmenidean” realm of “being,” that is, the totality of sheer existence, the inescapable presence that surrounds and pervades any “thing” whatsoever: the “ground” of existence; the timeless sense of unity, perfection, and so on. The heart’s response to this awareness is humble acceptance – to surrender to all that is — in wonder over the miracle of consciousness and the sheer gift of life itself. The “real” is what “is” and that is a monolithic mystery…

On the other hand we encounter the everyday “Heraclitean” flux of life, the experience that all things flow (πάντα ῥεῖ ), and that we are all part of the endless river. The only “universal” is change itself, or the inscrutable process of becoming. The heart’s response is to engage life, to learn to swim, and to go with the flow, however, since everything is in process, fighting injustice and seeking good outcomes are essential, and therefore there is a duty to refuse to passively be carried away in the drift, indifferent to the suffering and needs of others. We seek stability within the ongoing flux by identifying “universals” or principles, and it becomes our responsibility to improve the world, to lessen suffering, and to hold to whatever ultimately “is” — the substance (or substratum) of everything, is good and worthy of our struggle…

Read more “Paradox and Suffering…”

From our Torah reading this week (i.e., Va’era) we read how Moses objected to serve as God’s emissary to the Pharaoh: “Behold, the children of Israel have not listened to me, so how will Pharaoh listen to me? And I have sealed lips!” (Exod. 6:12). Moses’ argument is that if his own people would not listen to him, for all the more reason the Pharaoh would not listen…. His statement “I have sealed lips” (אֲנִי עֲרַל שְׂפָתָיִם) may be interpreted to mean that he would be regarded as without persuasive speech before Pharaoh, as an “uncircumcised” or unrefined person, or, more likely, that his lifelong speech impediment would be regarded as an offence before the niceties of Pharaoh’s audience.

In this connection the sages have commented regarding Moses’ great humility, saying that it was greater than even that of Abraham, for Abraham regarded himself as “dust and ashes” (עָפָר וָאֵפֶר) before the Lord (Gen. 18:27), whereas Moses regarded himself as “nothing at all” (i.e., ke’lum: כְּלוּם) – less than dust itself. When the Israelites later demanded bread from Moses and Aaron in the desert, Moses rhetorically asked “what are we?”, indicating that he regarded himself as utterly powerless apart from the will and agency of God.

Yet it is precisely this “nothingness” that made Moses a fit vessel to witness and declare the greatness of the Lord. William James wrote about “Zerrissenheit,” or the idea of being inwardly shattered within your heart. Moses understood his bankruptcy as a “failed Messiah” in Egypt as a young man; he walked as the living dead for 40 years in the desiccation of Midian before God raised him up in newness of life. And Moses continually experienced his own powerlessness and nothingness as he led the Israelites out of the death throes of Egypt.

Of Yeshua, who was with Israel in the desert (1 Cor. 10:4), it is said that “He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25), and that includes intercession for those regarded as dead on account of their own infirmities and sins, for those for whom all hope is lost, for those in extremis and who understand from the depths of depths that there is no life in them apart from the miracle of God who gives life to the dead. “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Gal. 6:3); but if someone confesses truth and looks to God, new life can arise. The “uttermost,” the farthest extent, from the deepest pitch, in the vast expanse of stars that sweep across the cosmos, the furthest star, barely perceptible, is sustained by the mighty hand and outstretched arm of the Lord, our great deliverer. This is not a star consigned to outer darkness because of its lost estate or cast off because of proud defiance, no, this is a star that barely flickers in its self-effacement, as vulnerable as an unsteady flame ready to be extinguished.

Of our compassionate Savior it is written: “A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench” (Isa. 42:3). People conscious of their frailty and who have been crushed because of it are likened to “bruised reeds” of whom the loving Messiah shall attend. As it is written, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Indeed, He binds up the broken of heart and gives liberty to those in bondage (Isa. 61:1). “A smoking flax shall he not quench” likewise means that our Lord will not snuff out an unsteady flame ready to expire, but will tend to it with special oil to cause it to burn more brightly.

The Spirit of the LORD is always saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). God doesn’t need our religious acts of service, our worship, our prayers, or our approval; on the contrary, we desperately need Him… Prayer is a mirror of the heart, and we either come to God in our emptiness, our brokenness, and in real humility, or we are just playing religious games. Those who truly call upon the LORD understand their radical need for deliverance, inwardly confessing, “Woe is me, for I am ruined…” (Isa. 6:5).

The Savior seeks the “trampled and bruised,” the poor in spirit, and those crushed by the blows of this fallen world and offers them healing. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), and therefore He is found in the midst of the leper colonies of the hurting, the forgotten, and the rejected. As a “man of sorrows” he understands the language of our pain (Isa. 53:3). He is the healer of the broken heart and the Savior of those who are crushed in spirit. Blessed be His Name forever… Amen.

­

Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 34:18 reading (click):

­

Psalm 34:18 Hebrew page (pdf)

­

The Book of Exodus begins, ve’eileh shemot (וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת), “and these are the names” (of the sons of Israel). God call each person by name to make the journey… Indeed, God calls each star by its own name (Gen. 22:17, Psalm 147:4) and yet He also knows each lily of the field and sparrow that flutters its wings (Matt. 6:28-30, 10:29). As Yeshua said, even the hairs on your head are all numbered (Matt. 10:30). In Jewish theology, the term hashgachah pratit (הַשְׁגָּחָה פְּרָטִית) refers to God’s personal supervision of our lives (hashgachah means “supervision,” and pratit means “individual” or “particular”). Since God is the Master of the Universe, His supervision and providence reaches to the smallest of details of creation – from subatomic particles to the great motions of the cosmos. Of particular interest, however, are those whom He created be’tzelem Elohim: in His image and likeness. The LORD is called אלהֵי הָרוּחת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר / Elohei ha-ruchot lekhol-basar: “The God of the spirits of all flesh” (Num. 16:22), and that means that every spirit ultimately answers to Him.

Read more “God Knows your Name…”

Simply knowing about God is insufficient for a transformed life; something more is needed, namely, receptivity of the heart – a sense of concern, a hunger and a thirst for life, and the willingness to believe in the truth of love.  Yeshua taught that the condition of our heart is revealed by how we hear. Without charity and a deep sense of concern, loss will inevitably occur: “Take heed therefore how you hear: for whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him” (Luke 8:18).  Just as the “good eye” (העין הטובה) that searches for what is good, so the “good ear” listens to the word of hope; and just asthe evil eye (העין הרעה) searches for what is evil, so the “evil ear” attends to the message of loss and despair.  As we inwardly receive the truth of Yeshua, more truth is revealed; but if we resist, untruth will take root and grow….

Yeshua often employed parables (משׁלים), or analogical stories, in his teaching because they simultaneously conceal and reveal spiritual truth.  A parable obscures the truth to those who don’t really want it, so that “seeing they may not see, and hearing they might not understand” (Luke 8:9-10; Isa. 6:9-10), and yet it reveals truth to the humble of heart.  Since Yeshua’s whole life was a parable of sorts – a “disguise” that led to the victory of our deliverance (Phil. 2:7) – it is not surprising that he regularly used “figures of speech” to provoke people to examine their own heart condition and the quality of their faith… In this connection note that Yeshua never explained the “mysteries of the kingdom of God” directly to the crowds, nor did He ever pander to the crowd’s clamor or interests. God’s word is freely “sown” to all, but it is received only by those who are willing to hear.  The message is always directed to the individual willing to follow Him — to the one who has “ears to hear.”

For example, the famous “Parable of the Sower” (Luke 8:4-8) teaches us that God is like a farmer who sows seed upon the “soil” of the human heart, the quality of which may be hard, shallow, choked, or good:
­

• A “hard heart” (לב קשה) is likened to impenetrable soil that repels the “seed” of the promise of God (ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ, Luke 8:11). Because of bitterness, a person can become indifferent and numb inside, and this heart condition enables the devil to snatch the seed of hope from the heart like a ravenous bird (Luke 8:12).
  ­.
  .

• A “shallow heart” (לב רדוד) is likened to topsoil that overlays bedrock. At first the soil receives the seed and quickly begins to grow, but since there is no depth of soil, the growth fails to take root and the growth withers for lack of nutrients and moisture. When tested, the shallow heart reveals its lack of commitment and does not persevere (Luke 8:13).­­
  .
  .
  ­
• A “choked heart” (נחנק לב) is likened to weedy soil that hides other roots that exhibit “thorns,” namely worldly fears, the desire for riches, and the pursuit of comfort or pleasures. Such people are double-minded and their spiritual life becomes obstructed, throttled by busyness, distracted by desires for comfort, security, and worldly vanities. They are full of inner conflict and despair and consequently become stunted in their growth (Luke 8:14).
  .
  .­­
• Finally, a “good heart” (לב טוב) is likened to tilled and receptive soil that receives the seed to yield an abundant harvest: “yielding thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.”  Because the righteous honor the seed and nurture its presence, the hidden power of the Life is powerfully released (Luke 8:15). They are also likened to a tree planted by rivers of living water that bring forth fruit in their season (Psalm 1:3). In this connection it is helpful to remember that fruit does not immediately crop up but requires time and its own season… 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). With God all things are possible, and the life of God is a miracle that comes from God’s own source of Life. It is the fruit of the Spirit, after all, and not the result of human effort or moral reformation…
  .
  ­

So the “parable of the sower” teaches us that how we hear will determine the quality of the ground of our spiritual life.  If we are honest with ourselves, we will see our own hardness, shallowness, and selfishness in contrast to the fruitfulness marked by the good heart, and this should provoke us to seek God for help… Again, only a new heart (לב חדש) created by power of God’s Spirit can possibly yield the fruit of the Spirit (פרי הרוח). “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away” (Luke 8:18).

­

­

• Psalm 92:12 Hebrew page (pdf)

­