Reflections
Isaiah 05
Reflections on the writings of Isaiah
Time had moved on since Isaiah first received his ‘vision’. The godly king Jotham, who had reigned for 16 years after his father Uzziah, was now gone, and in his place the wicked king Ahaz now occupied the throne of Judah. At the same time, king Pekah, who was the 18th king of Israel in the North , sat on the throne there. (It is a sad fact that of the 19 kings of Israel, there was not one described as ‘a good king). King Pekah joined forces with the king of Syria and went up to Jerusalem intending to make war with Judah, thinking they might have had influence over king Ahaz. But, the LORD had a hand in this too. He spoke to Isaiah. “Go out now and meet Ahaz .. say to him ‘Take heed and be quiet .. do not fear or be faint hearted for these two for .. within 65 years Ephraim (another name for Israel) will be broken”. History records that the Northern Kingdom was indeed routed in 722 BCE and its citizens removed from the land.
However, the LORD also, surprisingly to me, spoke to the wicked king Ahaz. He entrusted him with a remarkably prophetic word. “Behold, the virgin shall bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Of course, most people reading this ‘reflection’ will know that many centuries later Mattityahu (Matthew) penned those very words in acknowledgement of that prophetic word. Additionally, God spoke to Ahaz in words recorded in verses 18 to 25 of chapter 7 concerning the desolation of the land which occurred after the 135 CE dispersal of the people from the land following the Roman occupation, to which we made reference in the previous ‘reflection’.
Chapter 8 of our reading today contains a long reference to matters concerning the plight of the Northern kingdom of Israel. It appears that the LORD revealed to Isaiah that because of that nations history, from the initial abandonment of God’s command to worship in the Temple in Shiloh and their setting up of the ‘golden calf’ shrines of worship in two different more ‘convenient’ locations. Then by the appointment of 19 successive kings who did not honour the covenant which their forefathers had made. Add to that the contempt of the people of the North in ignoring the heartfelt warnings of at least 5 of God’s trusted prophets, Amos, Hosea .. who was a citizen of the Northern kingdom, Elijah … who warned them regarding their worship of Baal, Elisha … who faithfully continued Elijah’s ministry, and Micah … warning both Israel and Judah of God’s impending judgement. Because the heart of Isaiah’s ‘vision’ and the burden of his overall message that God’s Law be observed, and it is abundantly evident that the kingdom of Israel was quite a way from that observance, and they are not alone in that. I am reminded that Psalm 19:7 makes the huge statement that the “The Law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul”. In previous study of the Scriptures, I discovered 8 places, one of which is in this chapter 8, where that standard of perfection of the Law is magnified.
(For your interest this is what I found about God’s Law. It is JUST .. Nehemiah 9:13. It is GOOD .. Proverbs 4:2. It is LIFE .. Proverbs 6:23. It is TRUTH .. Psalm 119:142. It is LIGHT .. Isaiah 8:20. It is THE WAY .. Malachi 2:8. It is FREEDOM .. Psalm 119:44,45. It is HOLY .. Romans 7:12. And finally, Yeshua commended the people to DO what Moses taught.)
Chapter 9 of our text takes another glimpse into the future, not only for the people of that day, who might have taken hope from his words, but for generations to come (in Isaiah’s day) and for people to come (in our day and beyond). Those prophetic words again “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be on His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” 600 years before that fulfilment. And who knows for how much longer “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgement and justice from that time forward, even forever.” Halleluiah.
There is yet one more interesting prophecy here, written in respect of the downfall of the Northern kingdom and which was fulfilled in Isaiah’s lifetime. It speaks of the people’s arrogant pride, even in the face of disaster, who say “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with hewn stones (stronger); the sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars (better). That arrogant pride was never fulfilled, because the people were taken away as captives, and have never returned.
However, Jonathan Cahn, the American messianic Jewish rabbi and author, in his book “The Harbinger”, finds a remarkable fulfilment of this prophesy in regard to the New York Twin Towers September 11 2001 attack. He relates the arrogant disregard of the multiple warnings directed at the Northern kingdom of Israel, to the similar multiple warnings of modern day prophets regarding the perilous, Godless state of affairs in America. He sees arrogant defiance in rebuilding on the site destroyed. He sees significance in a sycamore tree destroyed at the site being replaced by a cedar tree. An interesting development indeed.
But, the main thrust of this ‘reflection’ is to focus on the message for us as Christian believers. And attention to our own situation is paramount.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Isaiah 04
Reflections on the writings of Isaiah
As chapter 5 opens, Isaiah seems to take a look back to the beginning. (or at least back to Genesis 12 !!) “The Beloved”, a metaphor for YHWH Elohim, created the most beautiful ‘vineyard’. In His wisdom, He carefully cleared the ground, chosen as a prime place for vines to grow, “and planted it with the choicest vine”. But as harvest time approached, disappointment quickly followed. In spite of seemingly meticulous preparation, the grapes which came from that vineyard turned out to be ‘wild grapes’.
Now at this point, I see an important lesson. What God did in His creative power, (In the beginning), was to produce mankind, intended to enjoy sweet fellowship with Himself. We all know the story. But in His wisdom, He also gave mankind the gift of ‘freewill’. Nobody is forced into compliance. Each one of us makes a freewill choice regarding our relationship with Him. As we return to the narrative, the question arises .. what sort of ‘grape’ does God see when He looks at us ?
As our dismayed God saw the harvest of the vineyard, He shared with Isaiah His decision about what He was now going to do with this vineyard. The prophetic significance of His action has multiple fulfilments, both in past history, and future prospect. “I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down …. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it”.
It is now just history for us living today. About 140 years after this prophecy, Jerusalem was trampled down and the 1st Temple burned by the forces of king Nebuchadnezzer. Move on another 600 years, and in the year 70 CE the Emperor Titus of Rome burned down the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem, and dispersed many of the Jews there at the time. Further, in the year 135 CE Emperor Hadrian of Rome, at the conclusion of the Bar Kokhba revolt against oppression, barred all Jews from Jerusalem, and renamed the city “Aelia Capitolina”. The majority of the Jews scattered to other countries. But that’s not the end of it. History shows that after that dispersal of the people, Israel endured approximately 1,800 years of drought !! No meaningful rain in the land until the mid 1880’s.
(Mark Twain, in his best selling travel book “Innocents Abroad” wrote about his visit to Israel in 1867, describing it as ‘desolate, barren, and utterly devastated’. He also depicted the country as a ‘ hopelessly, dreary, heart-broken land’ that ‘sits in sackcloth and ashes’.)
Some might think that God had executed vengeance upon His chosen. But that was not His intent or desire, quite the opposite. He is a loving and faithful promise keeper. Certainly, God has shown His displeasure by allowing Israel to ‘fend for itself’. And the decisions they had made, despite His several messages through faithful prophets, was deeply offensive to Him. The choice was, and always remains, a personal one for individuals. The Apostle Peter puts it well (2 Peter 3:9). The LORD “is not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance”. It is well that we, in our turn, learn lessons from the Scriptures else we might fall into similar mistakes.
The words of Isaiah are both encouraging, and chastising. A quick reading of these early chapters seemed a bit daunting, but the message in the vision of Isaiah is designed to ‘raise us up’ to a place where we see clearly that God is on our side. There are mountains to climb and valleys to cross. But He is faithful, and is clear regarding His expectation of what He expects from those who have reached out to Him in faith. “He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, and whistle to them from the ends of the earth”
As chapter 6 opens, Isaiah recalls the precise time, and provides us significantly more detail about his remarkable ‘vision’. The Seraphim (high ranking celestial beings) were mouthing praise to YHWH Elohim. Isaiah was alarmed at the vision before him. (Woe is me, for I am undone! … for my eyes have (mistakenly) seen the King, the LORD of hosts). One of the Seraphim flew to him and touched his mouth with a live coal saying “This has touched your lips … your sin is purged”. Then he heard the voice of the LORD, and received from Him the commission to give the people the message which we are ‘reflecting’ on today.
Isaiah asked the LORD “for how long ?” (will I have to give this message).
(Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant. The houses are without a man, the land is utterly desolate.)
My conclusion? This message of Isaiah is as relevant to us today as it was for the people who first heard it. Our God is on our side. His concern is for all people for all time. He wants the best that is possible for us. And He wants the best that is possible FROM us.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Isaiah 03
Reflections on the writings of Isaiah
“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem”
A key item from last week’s passage of Scripture was the invitation of the Lord to “come now, let us reason together”. Isaiah begins the portion today by offering a glimpse of what is ahead. The LORD’s house will be established. It will be “high and lifted up … and all Nations shall flow to it … He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” Now we might imagine that those words were for that time when Isaiah was focussed on the plight of those with whom he lived. And he did. But there are TWO other times, both future for Isaiah, when such prophecy was relevant to the vision the LORD gave to Isaiah. For we who are alive today, ONE of those times is also behind us. And the second is still ahead. I refer, of course, to the times when God Himself, in human form of Yeshua, our Saviour, inhabits this earth.
When Yeshua came to this earth, about 600 years after Isaiah had left it, He spent much of His three year teaching ministry, drawing countless numbers of disciples to salvation. He also found significant opposition, primarily from the ‘religious’ authorities, set in their ways, unbending, stubborn, vindictive even. The focus of those leaders teaching was what Yeshua described as “the traditions of men” (Matt 15:3-9. Mark 7:8). Rules of behaviour designed to ‘protect’ the Torah from the minutia of inobservance, and losing the purpose of observance as a result. Note carefully Isaiah’s words in our reading today. “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem”.
It was that “law”, the Torah, given to Moses on the mountain, which people of that day were neglecting, which the vision of Isaiah was focussed upon. That was what the invitation to “come now let us reason together” was all about. Isaiah wrote “For Jerusalem stumbled, and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD …. They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves.”
Almost, in evidence of this comes a candid assessment of what I suspect to be both the observance, as well as the ‘vision’, of Isaiah as he walked the streets of Jerusalem. The scene presented is one of inappropriate conduct. Noteworthy is the fact that the Torah has little to say about dress standards, other than cross dressing (Deut 22:5), but later the Rabbi’s drew up rules for both men and women regarding head covering in public and in prayer.
Nevertheless, if there is a lesson here for us today, it surely is that the eye of the world is on us, and people make judgement on what they see. There is a certain expectation about what is acceptable, and what is not. It may also be true that when we make a profession of faith, the standard is markedly higher. Regardless of that, our world is quite judgemental whether we like it or not,
There are a number of references to “In that day”, referencing changes which will occur. These seem to me to be changes which will be a standard when there is a new King ruling from Jerusalem. “In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped (the judgement of the LORD). We know that the “Branch” is a reference in our Scriptures to Yeshua. Such reference revealed to Isaiah in this ‘vision’ 600 years before He appeared on this earth.
It refers also to a time “when the LORD has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning”. A future time, of which we learn more as we continue to ‘reflect’ in future chapters of this remarkable ‘vision’ the LORD gave to Isaiah.
These are lessons of warning, even for us today, as they were for people of Isaiah’s day because of their neglect in observance of the Torah of God given to Moses. Today many of us have been taught in our churches that God’s ‘instructions for living righteously’ are obsolete, no longer applicable. “Jesus fulfilled the ‘law’ so we do not have to” is the message we are given.
But I cannot find that in my Bible. (reference ‘reflection’ on Matthew 5 in the series on” Hebraic understanding of the Gospels and Acts”)
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Isaiah 02
Reflections on the writings of Isaiah
“The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”
There is no prequel to this statement. We do not know if this was the first, or one of many such visions Isaiah had experienced. However, what we do know is that the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28) had foreseen the days about 200 years earlier, when the Spirit of God would be poured out on men to see dreams and have visions. Furthermore, from that quotation we might deduce that Isaiah was a ‘young man’ ! About 20 years old probably. Also, Ezekiel (Ezekiel 39:29) was able to look back at Isaiah’s prophecy.
Isaiah saw the anguish and disappointment of a Father who had brought up children who were His “special treasure” (Exodus 19:5 Deut 7:6) and “the apple of My eye” (Zechariah 2:8), only to find that they had, in large measure ‘rebelled’ against His authority and abandoned promises sincerely made much earlier. In order to get the full measure of such feeling of ingratitude, it needs to be applied personally by each one of us if such experience is to be fully understood.
The text before us is compelling. Read it slowly. Sense the pain. All the hopes and ambition of a Father for His children vanished. “My people do not consider” quite thoughtless.
Such a monumental lesson for each one of us who lay claim to the salvation of our God. At this point, it is relatively easy to see this in the ‘third person’ isn’t it? What a disgraceful situation these Israelis have put God in. How could they do such a thing? They deserve all they are going to get. And on and on our righteous indignation takes us. Until we ask the obvious right question. This inspired Word of God is in our Bible for a reason. The people in our text failed a test of loyalty and obedience to their commitment. They were not living the way a Holy God requires of them.
The people were told by God (Numbers 15:37-41) to put “tzitzit” (tassels) on the corner of their garment’. Sounds odd doesn’t it? But it was specifically to act as a reminder of the promises and commandments about lifestyle into which they had voluntarily entered. A very personal note here. I have put “tassels” in my life (not “tzitzit”) to remind me of promises which I have made regarding how God requires me to order those elements of my life about which He has had cause to challenge me. For that reason, because it has been a worthwhile experience for myself, I recommend others to consider ways in which to remain constant and effective in compliance with what you know God expects your conduct to be.
Isaiah continues his searing chastisement of the insincere conduct of the people who were evidently acting hypocritically in their ‘religious’ observances. This might be another timely lesson for some believers today. Ask Him. Ask yourself. You WILL get an answer.
Then the text moves to more favourable comment. Isaiah, in his vision, sees Almighty God looking favourably on His children again. “Wash yourselves, make yourself clean;… Cease to do evil, learn to do good”. Please take careful note here that this is an invitation to personal action. This is not anything God does. Its what each individual person has to choose to do. Then follow words that most people would think come from the Apostolic Scriptures. “Come now, and let us reason together”. What a mighty, gracious, loving, thoughtful, caring, God we serve. But it is not an invitation to continue in the lifestyle which caused the problem. It is a Father, reaching out in love. All is not lost … yet. Reconciliation is still an available option. “If you are willing and obedient, you shall (still) eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and (continue to) rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.”
The chapter concludes with some inevitable situations, which the wise would do well to heed and participate in, and others which should be avoided. God’s plan for Jerusalem will not be changed. Yes, some will oppose the plan. They will be swept away. Zion, God told Isaiah, “Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness”. That’s the good part. But this is His promise too. “And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.” Aha, I hear, what about John 6:37? No one will be cast out. But, the free will God has provided does allow us to walk away. And that is exactly what the folk in Isaiah’s day were doing.
The overall impression for me is clear. God is so concerned for those who are His that He goes to significant lengths to retain them in His care. BUT, as we all know, some get slack and inconsiderate in their attitude to commitments once sincerely made. The message here from the faithful Isaiah, is that God too has limits to His patience.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Isaiah 01
‘Reflections’ on the writings of Isaiah
An introduction
There will always be questions of accuracy of dates regarding many events recorded in our Bible. For that reason, I have chosen to avoid controversy by utilising the word “about” in reference to times. But what we do know, because he told us, is that Isaiah was active in his prophetic ministry for about 56 years, beginning in “the year that king Uzziah died”, around 742 BCE, and Isaiah himself died in about 686 BCE.
Isaiah was evidently a close, fervent, reliable, trustworthy confidant of YHWH Elohim. The vast gap between the two ‘groups’ of the tribes of Hebrews was quite marked. The ten tribes of the Northern kingdom had moved far from the dictates of the covenant their forefathers had made and were worshipping a ‘golden calf’. The two tribes in the Southern kingdom, Judea and Benjamin, were apparently at a point of mainly mere ‘lip service’. Isaiah was concerned for both groups.
There might be little doubt that Isaiah was, a short time later, a witness to the events which took place in the Northern kingdom, Israel, in 722 BCE, when God caused the removal of those ten tribes residing there, from the land at the hands of Shalamanezer the Assyrian. (2 Kings 18 :9,10) That being the case, it accounts for the increasing fervour of Isaiah in his warning message to the Judeans.
Our Bible neatly divides the prophecy of Isaiah into 66 chapters, and they in turn are readily identified in two groups. The first, being 39 chapters, and the second of 27 chapters. Each group has a distinctively different emphasis. Because our Bible is made up of 66 books, of which the Hebrew Scriptures contains 39 books, and the Apostolic Scriptures has 27 books, some commentators see the prophecy of Isaiah as reflective, in miniature, of our whole Bible.
It is certainly true that the first 39 chapters of Isaiah contain a severe rebuke of the people. He has many warnings and protestations against them about their slackness and wanton disregard for the covenant promises made by their forefathers regarding the way they should live. But it is also worthy of note that of the four kings (see 2 Chronicles 26 to 32) who reigned during the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, three of them are described as “good kings”, meaning that they “did right in the sight of God”. The final 27 chapters contain a message of encouragement, comfort, and hope for the restoration of the nation, as well as the comforting message regarding to promise of the One who would be Saviour and everlasting King.
However, we know that the ‘Dead Sea Scrolls”, discovered in the caves at Qumran by a shepherd boy in 1947 and subsequently by others in early 50’s, are not divided by chapters and verses!! The chapters were provided by the Roman Catholic Cardinal, Stephen Langton, in about 1227 CE. The verse division came in 1448 CE when the Jewish Rabbi ‘Nathan’ applied them to the Hebrew Scriptures. Then in 1555 CE the French printer Robert Estienne provided them for the Apostolic Scriptures. (for your reference, that is around the time that Martin Luther was actively challenging the ecclesiastic authority of the Roman Catholic church) Nevertheless, we might perhaps consider that those chapter and verse divisions, which are extremely convenient for study and memory purposes, were also God inspired for our better understanding of the Scriptures !
Prophetic words of Isaiah are quoted liberally in the Apostolic Scriptures. (At least 80 times I believe.) But we should not consider this exceptional, because ALL the early believers had ONLY the Hebrew Scriptures for reference to what God required of them. As we proceed through our ‘reflection’ of Isaiah’s prophecy, where it is relevant to so do, we will draw attention to some of those instances of quotation.
For the sake of completion, I am aware that some scholars have deduced, from what they describe as ‘the writing style’, that the divisions referred to above about the first 39 chapters and the last 27 chapters, were written by different authors. The whole Book is under Isaiah’s name, and that satisfies me.
So with that brief introduction we will begin another “reflection” of discovery next week. The nature of Isaiah’s prophecy is such that we may well have different lengths of reading (number of chapters) each week.
The ‘reflections’ of what God gives me are not exclusive to me. I invite you to read the Scriptures in advance in order that you might see what gems God has in store for you as you give precious time to reading His inspiring Word.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Reflections 51
Brit Hadashah
Torah portion
Haftarah portion
Brit Hadashah Acts 26 : 1 - 28 : 31
Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua
Our final ‘reflection’ in Acts sees Paul begin his arduous and eventful journey to Rome. His audience with King Agrippa had ended on an interesting note, with Agrippa declaring Paul’s complete innocence of the charges brought against him by the Sanhedrin. This is yet another example of the way God works to bring about His purposes. He had prophesied that Paul would go to Rome (to Kings) to witness for Him. And now it is about to be fulfilled. But not without God demonstrating yet again, to Paul and his travelling companions, His awesome might and power during the hazardous voyage.
(For interest and information, scholars have determined that Paul’s encounter with the risen Yeshua was probably in the year 37 C.E. and now, at this point in his life, Paul had already written epistles to the “ekklesia” in Thessalonica (twice) 52 C.E., Corinth (twice) 57 C.E., Galatia 57 C.E. and Rome 58 C.E.. His journey to Rome occurred during the period from 60-61 C.E. and he died there about 67 C.E.)
The eventful journey is described in some detail, but consequent upon Paul’s strength and faith in Almighty God resulted in all 276 persons on the ship arriving safely in Malta. There God miraculously used Paul to His own glory by the survival of Paul from a deadly serpent’s bite, and in the healing miracle wrought in the life of the father of Plubius, a leading citizen of Malta. Thus, although Paul was never one to seek glory for himself, it never-the-less resulted in significant benefit to Paul and his companions. (Those who visit Malta today will observe an overwhelming Christian influence, which is thought to be a result of Paul’s visit 2000 years ago). One is tempted to observe that God always looks after His own, and Paul was definitely one of His own! Does anyone else remember the refrain from the old hymn? :-
God is still on the throne,
And He will remember His own;
Tho’ trials may press us and burdens distress us,
He never will leave us alone;
God is still on the throne,
He never forsaketh His own;
His promise is true, He will not forget you,
God is still on the throne.
After resting in Malta for about three months they continued on to Rome. Upon arrival, Paul was allowed to live freely in the community, albeit under the watchful eye of one of the soldiers. There was no “jetlag” in Paul’s day! So after three days Paul set about his task of teaching, firstly the Jewish population, about Yeshua. At last they were able put a ‘face’ to the ‘letter writer’.
(Let us note here that Paul had written to the Roman “ekklesia” from Corinth a couple of years earlier in an attempt to mend breaches in the relationship between the Jewish and Gentile believers, which had been occasioned following the expulsion of the Jews from Rome by Emperor Claudius in 54 C.E. then, just three years later invited back by Emperor Nero … but that is another story!!).
In establishing his credentials to the Jewish leaders, and to counter any misinformation which might have preceded him from Jerusalem he quickly stated, as he had done to the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, that he had done NOTHING against the laws and customs of Judaism. But they had heard nothing contrary about him from Jerusalem, or from anyone else. However, they were aware that “The Way” was spoken of with contempt by many other orthodox Jewish communities. They were anxious to get the story ‘at first hand’ so to speak. So on an appointed day they met again at Paul’s lodging where he “solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Yeshua from both the Torah of Moses and the prophets, from morning till evening”. The record shows that some were convinced and others were not. It has always been the same. But in their case, Paul rebuked them with words from the Prophet Isaiah and declared that the salvation in Yeshua which was (and is) freely available to them would be offered, just as freely, to the Gentiles, and they would hear it!! The rest, as they say, is history.
There are many lessons to be learned from our readings in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. From Yeshua’s ascent into heaven and His promised return in like manner. The gift of the fullness of God’s Holy Spirit to empower trusting men. And the exploits of the Apostle to the Gentiles, our beloved Paul (Rabbi Sha’ul). We have learned that Paul’s own testimony, from his own lips, was that he was remarkably changed, by Yeshua, from blindness to Him in Pharisaic Judaism, to worship of Him in Messianic Judaism. We are the beneficiaries.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Reflections 50
Brit Hadashah
Torah portion
Haftarah portion
Brit Hadashah Acts 24 : 1 - 25 : 27
Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua
Paul was held for 5 days in the Roman Praetorium in Ceasarea awaiting the arrival of his accusers from Jerusalem. Ananias, the High Priest, with elders of the Sanhedrin, who brought with them Tertullus, a man gifted in public speaking to present their case before Felix, the Roman Governor. The exchange of testimony before Felix is interesting, but it has to be viewed through the lens of God’s direction. He had determined that Paul would appear before the authorities in Rome. So the events which took place in Caesarea are just a prelude to the ‘main event” so to speak.
However, there is much for us to learn about the faith of the Apostle Paul from this encounter, especially when correctly viewed from a “Hebraic” mindset rather than the ‘traditional’ Gentile one. Firstly, Tertullus makes his statement, which is a faithful repeat of charges made in Jerusalem. Paul is described by them as a “ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (not to be confused with ‘Nazarites’). It was the “Nazarenes” (equally properly called “Messianic Jews”), who were the irritant to these ‘orthodox’ accusers. Paul does not dispute their description of him, but he flatly denies the charge of incitement of the crowd in any location.
Paul then, referring to these “Messianic Jews” as a sect of Judaism known as “The Way”, readily confesses to being one of them. Then he elaborates on the doctrinal belief of this sect. Like them, he declared, “I worship the God of my fathers, believing ALL things which are written in the Law (Torah) and the Prophets”. I cannot find any place in Scripture where Paul ever amended this statement of the relevance of this doctrine in regard to his personal faith. It is the misunderstanding of this which has caused error to be taught about him by some Christian leaders in modern days, particularly in relation to many of the statements contained in his pastoral teaching letters. His burden in those letters was to assert and confirm that there was no compulsion on Gentiles to convert to Judaism in order to become a member of their community of faith. (as the orthodox Judaizers were proclaiming). However, it is noteworthy that invariably, the Gentiles joined the Jewish believers in worship. And that usually as part of the “ekklesia” which met in Synagogues. Compare that to today. Selah.
Felix, who had a Jewish wife, understood the doctrines of “the Way”, so having heard the accusations against Paul, and his response, decided to defer his judgement. He had hoped, and even expected, Paul to offer him a bribe to let him go. Instead Paul preached to him about ‘the fruit of the spirit’ and the judgment to come! Felix continued to hold Paul in a kind of open captivity in Caesarea for another two years until his time in office came to a close. He was superseded by Porcius Festus, who shortly after his arrival in Caesarea took a trip to Jerusalem. There he was confronted by the members of the Sanhedrin about “Paul’s case”. They connived to have Paul brought back to Jerusalem, planning to assassinate him on the journey back from Caesarea. Festus would have none of it, and ten days later went back to Caesarea.
Another trial, more false accusations, another defence by Paul who again affirmed his position that “Neither against the law (Torah) of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I offended in anything at all.” He also claimed his Roman citizenship rights to be judged before a Roman court. Thus it was that Festus, being satisfied of Paul’s innocence of the charges laid against him by the Jews, decided that Paul would be sent to Rome to be judged by Caesar Augustus. But still, Festus had no charges against Paul which warranted such a course of action!
Then Festus received Royal visitors. King Agrippa and his wife Bernice. This Agrippa was a great grand-son of Herod the Great. He was ‘puppet’ king of that region but was held in esteem by the Roman governors. So it was that Festus acquainted him with “Paul’s case”. Agrippa was intrigued by Festus’ explanation and decided that he would like to hear Paul for himself. (Now this is a further fulfilment of the prophetic announcement which God made to Ananias in Acts 9:15 wherein God said Paul would testify of Himself “before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel”). This Royal audience also gave Festus something to write to Augustus about to warrant his decision to send Paul to Rome.
The two main lessons illustrated in this portion of Scripture, for me, are that God is faithful to every prophetic pronouncement He makes, and He has His own way of arranging the outcome. Also, the clear evidence from Paul’s own testimony (as distinct from what others teach about him) is that he remained a faithful, Torah observant Jew, right up to this time when he was about to depart for Rome.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Reflections 49
Brit Hadashah
Torah portion
Haftarah portion
Brit Hadashah Acts 22 : 1 - 23 : 35
Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua
Paul had been falsely accused of taking a Gentile into the Temple courts. For that, he was beaten by the mob, then rescued and arrested (as was prophesied by Agabus in Acts 13) by the Roman militia. As he was being led away he asked that he be allowed to address the crowd. Permission granted. Thus began a series of trials and defences to which Paul was subjected. So fulfilling the prophecy the Lord spoke in Acts 9:15,16 when He sent Ananias to minister to Paul on the road to Damascus.
The mob were silent as Paul began to address them in Hebrew. He briefly outlined his background as a rabbinic student under Gamaliel, stressing his strict orthodox Jewish upbringing and practice, even to the point of severe persecution of the followers of Yeshua (just as they were themselves). He told them the story of his encounter with Yeshua on that Damascus Road and as he did, he provided information about the above mentioned Ananias which is most enlightening. Paul said “Ananias, a devout man according to the Torah, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there.” That was the description of the lifestyle of a devout believer in Yeshua. Ananias was a man zealous for the Torah. A man having a good testimony with ALL the Jews living there. It was the hallmark of their life of faith. This is certainly not the description of one who considered Torah obsolete, which is what many of us have been taught to be a characteristic of those Jewish believers today, is it?
Now Paul was doing pretty well with his audience until he declared that God had called him to go to preach the word to the Gentiles. The crowd turned on him immediately, so for his own safety the Roman militia again bound him, intending to interrogate him whilst giving him a good beating at the same time. “I am an uncondemned Roman citizen” Paul said. Then under direct questioning he confirmed it again in Acts 22 verses 27,28. (It is thought that citizens of Tarsus, the Capital city of the Roman province of Cilicia, were granted special status by the Romans). So Paul’s Roman citizen claim did two things. It saved him from a severe beating, and it put him into another round of questioning in front of the governing Jewish Sanhedrin, with the Roman authorities as observers to the proceedings.
“I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day” Paul started. “Smack him in the mouth” ordered the High Priest. Wow!! A bitter exchange followed, for which Paul graciously apologised when he discovered that it was indeed the High Priest with whom he was having the stoush. But Paul had made his point! In the same way that Yeshua had charged the ruling Jewish authorities of being all show and no substance (whitewashed walls) so Paul too had accused them. But knowing that there were both Sadducees and Pharisees on the Council Paul then provoked division between them knowing that they held opposite views about the resurrection of the dead, and that he himself was a born a Pharisee (albeit now converted to Messianic Judaism). The dissention in the Council became heated! The Pharisees found no fault in Paul and wanted him released. The Sadducees wanted him executed. So much so that a group of over forty of them bound themselves in an oath to not eat anything until they had put an end to Paul’s life, (they might have starved to death) and then set about plotting how to arrange it.
But God had more work for Paul to do. And that work was in Rome!! The Lord spoke to Paul whilst he was incarcerated in the Roman barracks. “Be of good cheer Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” What an amazing assignment! But in that assignment, Paul had the assurance then that he would not be put to death at the hands of the Jews. Furthermore, God confirmed again the prophetic announcement He had made to Ananias about Paul in Acts 9:15. That Paul would “bear My name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel”. The Romans were rulers in Israel, but the seat of their power was in Rome.
Paul’s nephew became aware of the Jews assasination plot and told the commander of the Roman militia, who promptly arranged for Paul to be taken, under substantial armed escort, to Caesarea, to be judged by Felix the Roman Governor. But when Felix discovered that Paul, even though he was a Roman citizen was born in Tarsus of Cilicia, he decided that he would not hear the case until Paul’s Jewish accusers were also present. So Paul was held in custody within the Governor’s residence in Caesarea for the next several days.
And so it was, that God continued to work out His purposes in His chosen ‘vessels’, just as He does today.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Vezot ha’Bracha
Brit Hadashah Reflections 48
Torah portion Deuteronomy 33 : 1 – 34 : 12
Haftarah portion Joshua 1 : 1 – 18
Brit Hadashah Acts 19 : 1 - 21 : 40
Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua
What an interesting and challenging encounter Paul experienced when he got to Ephesus, once an important sea port. Today, some kilometres from the present-day coastline, it is one of the best preserved and restored of all the Biblical sites in Turkey and it is possible to walk the streets and imagine things about which we read in the Scriptures.
Paul found about twelve ‘disciples’ there who had established a Synagogue. But these men were ‘disciples’ of John the Baptizer, and had probably left Israel before Yeshua began His earthly ministry. In any event they were unfamiliar with the Holy Spirit. Paul laid hands on them and they “spoke with tongues and prophesied”. The Scripture is clear on this point. (Many churches today teach that the “tongues” of Acts 2 were foreign languages. And certainly foreigners understood the message in their own tongue. But here there is no suggestion of other languages here is there? Just “tongues”. Selah) Paul remained with them, teaching in their Synagogue for a further three months. But some of these men became ‘hardened’ and spoke evil of the “ekklesia”. So Paul withdrew from meeting with them and arranged for his small “ekklesia” to meet separately in another place. He continued to teach there for another two years and God worked many “unusual miracles” amongst them during this time. Even healing people and casting out demons using aprons and handkerchiefs which had been touched by Paul.
Then came the counterfeits! There are always ‘counterfeits’ aren’t there? But God exposed the counterfeit and brought great blessing to the “ekklesia" and “the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed”. In fact, so mightily that the peddlers of artefacts relating to the many breasted goddess Artemis (also called Diana) saw significant threat to their business. A lesson for us here. There will ALWAYS be conflict between idolatry and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Count on it. Eventually, Paul wanted to preach in that temple, but after much dispute as the idolaters tried to have Paul and the other disciples charged with offenses against their ‘godess’, the city clerk intervened and restored some order. So Paul moved on again. Chapter 20 gives the account of various places visited before Paul, after celebrating Passover in Philippi met up with the others in Troas, where they stayed another seven days.
A “Hebraic” understanding of the well-known, but often misunderstood, events in Troas is worth explaining. Our Bible tells us “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread”. This was NOT a Sunday morning communion service as is often supposed. To ‘break bread’ was to share a meal together. This was the first meal after Shabbat, eaten after sundown (the beginning of the first day of the week) on Saturday evening. It was then, and still is, known by Jews as Havdalah (a Hebrew word meaning ‘separation’). It is a time of fellowship when in those days people met together to share a meal and to rekindle their lamps (hence the presence of many lamps in the room) and to celebrate the end of the “holy” (Shabbat) and the commencement of the “secular” (the regular days). On this occasion Paul spoke for a long time (until midnight) and one of them, Eutychus, fell asleep. Please note again in verse 11 the reference to ‘breaking bread’ being a phrase denoting eating food.
Eventually, Paul made his way back to Jerusalem, but not before again encountering the prophet Agabus, whom Paul had first met at Antioch at the beginning of his ministry. Agabus warned Paul that he would be taken captive at the hands of Gentiles if he returned to Jerusalem. But Paul went anyway.
I commend everyone reading this ‘reflection’ to spend time reading Acts Chapter 21 carefully. You will find out more about Paul, and early Jewish believers than you imagine. Paul presented himself to the Jerusalem Council, headed by James, who told Paul that many ‘miriads’ (means tens of thousands) of Jews had come to faith in Yeshua and that “they are ALL zealous for the Torah”. BUT that they had been misinformed that Paul was teaching the Gentiles to “forsake Moses”. Then James told Paul that in order to correct this misinformation he should demonstrate “that you yourself ALSO walk orderly and keep the Torah”. Which he did.
But that did not end Paul’s woes because then he was accused of taking a Gentile in to a part of the Temple which was exclusively for Jews. That earned him another beating, but he was arrested by the Roman soldiers which saved him from the beating, but also fulfilled the prophecy of Agabus referred to above.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Ha’azinu
Brit Hadashah Reflections 47
Torah portion Deuteronomy 32 : 1 - 52
Haftarah portion Hosea 14 : 2 – 10, Micah 7 : 18 – 20
Brit Hadashah Acts 16 : 1 - 18 : 28
Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua
Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement about taking John Mark with them on, what turned out to be, Paul’s second missionary journey. So, Paul chose Silas as his companion and Barnabas took John Mark with him. Paul’s intent was to re-visit the places in Galatia where he and Barnabas had brought many to faith in Yeshua, in order to encourage them, and to continue teaching there. Passing through Derbe, they arrived in Lystra, where they met Timothy, a young man who was brought up as a Gentile even though his mother was Jewish. Now here is a revelation for those who do not have a “Hebraic” understanding of Paul. Read verse 3 carefully. “Paul took him (Timothy) and circumcised him”. IF Paul had been ‘converted’ from Judaism (as we are often taught) why on earth would he circumcise Timothy? Selah. (ponder)
Well, of course, the answer is that Paul intended to have Timothy accompany him into the Synagogues and to partake in the teaching. No Gentile would be allowed to do that. (some time later, Paul actually left Timothy behind in Ephesus to pastor the “ekklesia” there) However, as we read about the detail of Paul’s teaching on this trip we find that his main goal, apart from bringing new people to faith in Yeshua, was to emphasize the teaching of the “letter to the Gentiles” which had been written by the Jerusalem Council. We are told that there was a daily increase in their numbers as they taught the people, both from the Scriptures and by making known the contents of the letter from the Jerusalem Council. What a blessing!
For reasons which we do not know, the Holy Spirit forbade Paul and Silas to teach in some of the places along their journey. Eventually, Paul, Silas, Timothy and possibly Luke came to Phillipi, a Roman city in Macedonia, north eastern Greece. It is likely that there were no Jews there, and certainly no Synagogue. Paul stayed there many days and established an “ekklesia” there of some ladies who met for prayer on the Sabbath Day near a river. Here we are introduced to Lydia, a seller of ‘purple’, and to a slave girl who had a ‘spirit of divination’, from which her masters made a lot of money! Paul cast the “spirit” out of the girl, and for his trouble received a severe beating and was put into prison. The Lord miraculously saved them from custody, caused the jailer and his household to come to faith in Yeshua, arranged a pardon and apology from the magistrates, and shared fellowship and hospitality at the home of Lydia. Then they moved on again.
Next stop was Thessalonica, where there was a Synagogue of the Jews. For three Sabbaths Paul reasoned with them about Yeshua from the Scriptures (we must not forget that the only Scriptures then were the Hebrew Scriptures of course) Some Jews and many Greeks joined the “ekklesia” in Thessalonica. Other Jews remained unconvinced, and out of jealousy stirred up a mob against them and eventually the “ekklesia” arranged for Paul and Silas to leave by night to go to Berea, a town about 70 Km away, still in Northern Greece. Of the Bereans, the Bible tells us that “they were more fair-minded than the Thessalonians because they searched the Scriptures daily” to check what Paul was teaching!!
That is possibly the best lesson to be gained from this ‘reflection’. To be a “Berean”. They were cautious, they were sceptical, they were suspicious, and they were FAIR. They actually searched the scriptures to verify for themselves what they were being told. (It is a lesson I learned some years ago. I put everything I had been taught in Sunday School and Church on the ‘metaphorical’ shelf. Then I took off that shelf those things which I personally verified from the Scriptures. There are still many things on that shelf!). I recommend it to you.
Paul left Berea alone. Silas and Timothy remained there until Paul sent for them. Athens first, with Paul’s famous sermon on Mars Hill. “to the unkown God”. Then Corinth, where he met up with Aquila and Priscilla who had recently been expelled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius .It was here in Corinth, having preached in the Synagogue for several weeks and gained many more adherents to the “ekklesia”, that Paul grew weary of the continuous opposition of the orthodox Jews. The last straw came when they blasphemed against Yeshua. Paul retorted “Your blood be on your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles”.
Paul remained there for another 18 months before moving on to Ephesus. The travelogue is exciting as Paul consistently preached salvation through the Sonship of Yeshua. Be a Berean, check it out.
Shabbat Shalom
RS