Zion's Voice

Torah Portion for 24th January - 30rd January

Torah portion           Exodus 18 : 1  to  20 : 23

Haftarah portion     Isaiah  6 : 1 – 7 : 6 and 9 : 5,6

“Jethro”

Implicit trust

Jethro (also called Reuel in Exodus 2:18), was of the Kenite clan of Midianites, and is described as “the priest of Midian”.  He had seven daughters, one of whom, Zippora, became the wife of Moses, and the mother of Moses children, Gershom and Eliezer.

(Midian was the son of Abraham and Keturah. Midian, with his other brothers was given gifts of money and livestock and sent east by Abraham when he settled his main inheritance on Isaac. Later, it seems that the Midianites became somewhat nomadic, and they certainly caused the Israelites significant problems so that before the Israelites went into the Land under Joshua’s leadership, they sent in an advance party from the twelve tries to “clear” the land of the Midianites. (Numbers 31))

The detail in the parashah today is fascinating. It shows Jethro to be a wise and honourable man. To put it bluntly, he could see that Moses was wearing himself out in his aim to help sort out the problems and issues of this enormous band of Israelites, who, having left everything they knew in Egypt, were coming to grips with a new lifestyle in the desert places of the Sinai peninsular.

Look at Jethro’s words of wisdom in Exodus 18:18 – 20.

“The thing that you do is not good.Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.” 

So we have a lesson to learn right here. How many times do we try to work things out ourselves, get fretful, irritable, frustrated, discouraged and almost ready to ‘burst’.

Jethro’s advice, recorded for our benefit in this parashah, is “bring the difficulties to God.”  The Apostle Peter, picked up on this in his letter to the diaspora Jews, and Peter knew they had plenty of woes.  He said:-

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”1 Peter 5: 6,7

The words are easier to understand than the action is to perform isn’t it? We all have difficulty handing things over, (which is really a lack of trust in God’s ability) and yet it is the best advice we will ever receive.

Moses, however, DID heed the advice of Jethro, and in so doing, released himself to attend to the next phase of his relationship with God. Moses heard the call of God from the mountain (Exodus 19:3-7)   and immediately, in verse 8, we have the ready agreement of the people to accept their calling and God appointed role, as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (verse 5). That agreement is pivotal to everything that follows in the Hebrew Scriptures, which for the next 1,500 years, details the account of God’s dealings with these covenant agreeing Israelites.

The events described in Exodus 19, took place “in the third month after they left Egypt”. Scholars have identified this time, when the Torah of God was given to the people, to be coincident, in timing, with the later described “mo’ed” of the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew), and Pentecost.

That timing element, in itself, speaks of the wonder and perfection of God’s order. We see how His perfect plan for mankind is shaped and foretold in the “times and seasons (appointed times)” of Genesis 1:14. Later, in Leviticus 23 those times are clearly defined, and, for the Jews at least, were commanded to be observed in perpetuity. Gentile inclusion is by our miraculous ’grafting in’ which the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 11. We are so glad that Moses trusted God implicitly.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Portion for 17th January - 23rd January

Torah portion            Exodus 13 : 17  to  17 : 16

Haftarah portion     Judges  4 : 4 – 5 : 31

“After he had let go”

Nothing has changed

I never cease to be amazed at the way God leads His people. With an awesome illustration of might and power, the Lord brought His people out of Egypt. Included in that deliverance was the certainty that the army of Pharaoh who would, a short time later, follow after them, would never bother them again!!!  Nothing is impossible to God, and yet He deigns to take account of, and give consideration to, the feelings and choices of those who are His.

Our parashah opens (verse 17) with such a circumstance. The short route to the Land of Promise involved an encounter with the Philistines. A warlike and contentious people with whom God did not want His “His special treasure” confronted at this early stage of their journey. God needed time with them so that He could show them more of Himself, give them much encouragement and teaching, so that they would become equipped to deal with controversy and conflict with a degree of confidence.

Nothing has changed. In His infinite love, mercy, and grace to those who are His, God cares for those who belong to Him. He provides the means by which we can become equipped to deal with those snares and pitfalls which strew the path we walk with Him.

There are some very interesting Scriptures in the Psalms, which will surprise some. Look at Psalm 138 v 2. King David wrote these words.

“I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your loving kindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” 

And in Psalm 119:- “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Too often, Christians today neglect the considerable armament which God has provided for our safety in our spiritual walk, in a world where the enemy is up to ‘every trick in the book’ to bring us down. More than 90% of people who attend churches regularly do not open their Bibles from one Sunday to the next … and less that 2% of Christians ACTUALLY spend time in the study of that word. Dare I suggest that many Christians today may be taking the long route, a route which is more arduous and difficult than it should be, to get to their destination, at God’s direction, because of neglect to take heed to the instructions He has already, for us, clearly laid out in His Word?

But the Israelites, probably more than 2 million of them, and their livestock, as yet did not have that word, so they commenced that journey under the sure direction of a loving God. He provided the ancient equivalent of an accurate GPS device. A bold pillar of cloud to guide them during daylight hours, and a warm pillar of fire to see them through the night hours.

Even in this circumstance there is a modern day lesson for us. In order to survive, they had to steadfastly stay close and follow that cloud and fire (which represented the presence of God) when it moved. Individuals, families, or groups who did not move when the cloud and fire moved, would surely become lost.

Nothing has changed. When we take our eyes off the Lord, by neglect, indifference, or sheer disobedience, then we too put ourselves in a situation where we become lost.

The account of the crossing of the sea is an exciting story, probably the best known story in the Hebrew Scriptures. Read it again, and marvel at the awesome might and power of our God. Then bask in the knowledge that with God nothing has changed. He cares for you just as much as He cared for those Israelites as they began their journey to the Land of Promise.

Then read Exodus 15. Dare I suggest that we follow the example set by Moses and the children of Israel as they came to see the wonder of their God. They sang a song of praise to YHWH Elohim.

"I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!

The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him.

Then exalt His name and praise Him, because with Him nothing has changed.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Portion for 10th January - 16th January

Torah portion                 Exodus 10: 1 to 13:16

Haftarah portion         Jeremiah 46:13-28

“Go”

God’s salvation plan for man

The outstanding message from this week’s Torah reading is the prescription for keeping the “mo’ed” of Passover as a memorial and an EVERLASTING ordinance. It is the celebration of the most momentous event in the life of both Jews and Gentiles. For Jews, the events which took place about 3,500 years ago, and for ALL of us another event which took place about 2,000 years ago.

Our parashah prescribes the preparation of the Lamb to be slain in great detail. The Passover Seder, in observant Jewish homes is full of meaning and emotion. Children especially are reminded of the events we have been looking at last week and this, in our “reflections”.

A careful reading of John 12, taking particular note of the times specified there, will reveal how closely Yeshua’s experience followed that of the Pascal Lamb of Exodus 12. You will see how He was ‘selected’ on the tenth day of Nissan, the day He rode on the colt into Jerusalem to the adulation of the crowds. He was closely 'examined' by the Jewish and Roman authorities for the next four days. The culmination being the record of the gospel writers Luke (twice) and John (three times), that the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate could “find NO fault in this Man”. Just as the lamb was to be "without blemish". Then He was put to death. An EXACT re-enactment of the procedure specified by God for the substitutionary sacrifice in Egypt 1,500 years earlier.

Sadly, the teaching in MOST church congregations is quite neglectful of the richness which comes from a knowledge and understanding of these "appointed times", which are full of prophetic significance, and are commanded by a Holy God. In their place, the “church” has substituted Christian versions of former pagan festivals.

The burning question is, however, What is the Gentile responsibility to remember and observe these “mo’edim”? Dr. John Garr, Founding Director of the Centre for Hebraic Studies, has written some thoughts on this topic, and I conclude my ‘reflection’ this week by quoting Dr. Garr’s insight.

“Should Christians celebrate Passover? This is a legitimate question to which much of the Church and most of Judaism have said “no”. But the answer for believers must be what is given in Holy Scripture.

Should Christians celebrate Passover? When we remain faithful to the Bible, the answer is clear and unequivocal: “Because Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; therefore, let us observe the festival [Passover and Unleavened Bread]…with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7-8). This directive is from the Apostle Paul, who even then was still a Jewish Rabbi, and it was given to Gentiles. What could possibly be more apparent?

The next question is, How should Christians observe the Passover? Again, the Bible gives a clear answer. What better example could we have than that of our Lord Jesus Himself? According to the Gospels, He celebrated the Passover with His Disciples in the traditional Seder that the sages had prescribed for His time. The core of the modern Seder predates the time of Yeshua and was the order which He employed in the Last Supper. Christians are free to imitate Jesus’ way of life at any time; however, they are bound to no specific ritual for their salvation. Freedom in the Messiah permits great flexibility of practice.

Should any remain confused, Paul gives the liturgical order for recognizing Yeshua’s sacrificial death in the Passover celebration: "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is given to; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes." (1 Cor. 11:23-26)

Dr. Garr, on the clear authority of the Scriptures, has shown that at the annual celebration of Passover, believers in Messiah Yeshua are to remember His sacrificial death by partaking of symbols of His sinless life (unleavened bread) and shed blood (the cup of redemption).

It is my personal conviction that this was intended to be an ANNUAL remembrance for believers, just as Passover, with its specific recollections of redemption from Egyptian slavery, is an ANNUAL remembrance for Jews. The church however, has adopted a variety of ‘communion’ frequencies for this remembrance based on a misunderstanding of the words “as often as” in the text, which I believe, because of context, to be a clear reference to the annual festival.

After all, it celebrates God’s salvation plan for man. Doesn’t it?

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Portion for 3rd January - 9th January

Torah portion                     Exodus 6:2 to 9:35

Haftarah portion              Ezekiel 37:15 - 28

“I appeared”

Yahweh Elohim, mighty to save

What an interesting start to our Torah parashah this week.

“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty*, but by My name LORD** I was not known to them”. (NKJV)

(*God Almighty ... El Shaddai .. God All Sufficient                           )

(**LORD ... Yahweh Elohim .. God, Creator, Strong, Deliverer)

It comes as a revelation to understand that our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob may be viewed in such different ways. He is given a number of different characteristic descriptive titles in the Scriptures.

As El Shaddai, He had shown the patriarchs how He was able to care for them, prosper them and protect them. But the covenants that had been made, relating to the Land and the Father of a great Nation were as yet unfulfilled. These promises were about to be fulfilled in this diverse group of slaves working at the behest of their Egyptian taskmasters. And it was as Yahweh Elohim that He would make that happen.

Look closely at Exodus 6:9. It shows just how despondent these people were. They saw their plight as hopeless. Furthermore, they were blaming Moses for making things worse for them (see Exodus 5:23). The time had come for God to act in deliverance of these people. That deliverance would demonstrate the awesome mighty power of Yahweh Elohim, and the world would know that He is the LORD. And we do.

The task He had given to Moses was to go before the Pharaoh of Egypt and proclaim the unique nature of Yahweh Elohim in word and deed. It is interesting that in order to achieve this task, God Himself hardened the Pharaoh’s heart that he would resist, until the full measure of the awesome might of Yahweh Elohim was fully demonstrated.  Significantly, that demonstration was as much for the Israelites benefit as it was for the Pharaoh’s. It confirmed in the minds of Israelites the relationship between Yahweh Elohim and Moses. A relationship which would become more and more obvious as they eventually journeyed to their Promised Land.

There are lessons in the order and scope of the ten plagues which were visited upon the Egyptian people. Not the least of which was the fact that for most of them the Israelites who resided in the Goshen area of the land were exempt from the fury of the plagues. Except the last one.

The last plague which the Lord brought upon Egypt, was the death of the firstborn. After Pharaoh lost his own child, he finally relented and let the Israelites go (Exodus 12:29-31) When this plague came upon the land, the firstborn among Israel were spared only because of the blood of the sacrificial lamb which was placed on the doorposts and lintels of their homes (Exodus 12:21-23). This event, in which death “passed over” Israel, would be memorialized yearly as one of the most important holy days of the Jewish Calendar – Pesach (Passover).

Israelites were treated the same as Egyptians in this plague. Any family that chose NOT to sprinkle the blood on the doorposts and the lintels of their homes experienced death of the firstborn in their homes. It became a clear expression of their faith and trust in Yahweh Elohim. We note that the “firstborn” of both humans and animals thereafter, for all time, became possessions of Yahweh Elohim. (see Exodus 13:2). In Judaism to this very day they practise the “redemption of the firstborn”.

The lesson for us is enlightening. Yahweh Elohim demonstrated His willingness to accept a substitute for the firstborn .. a lamb to be slain. In Judaism today it is represented by an amount of money equivalent to five silver shekels. (see Numbers 3:47, 48). But there is a greater significance. When God spared the firstborn at the first Passover in Egypt, He indicated His favour to those who had a covering of blood on the doorposts and lintels of their homes by sparing the lives of the firstborn in those homes. Yeshua, was slain, shed His blood, at the “mo’ed” of Passover. An appointed time when God would meet with those willingly attending each year. It is Yeshua Ha’Maschiach who was chosen by Yahweh Elohim, to be the substitute, acceptable to Him, by which we too can receive life .. new life.

As always, there is so much more upon which to ‘reflect’ in this parashah. Be blessed as you study God’s living word. Yahweh Elohim, mighty to save.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Portion for 27th December - 2nd January

Torah portion                     Exodus 1:1 to 6:1

Haftarah portion              Isaiah 27:6 to 28:13 and 29:22,23

“Names”

God’s ways are not our ways

We ended last week’s ‘parashah’ with the death of Joseph. This week we start with the names of Joseph’s 11 brothers who took their families into Egypt to escape the debilitating drought in Canaan, 66 people plus Joseph’s own family. (Some have noted an apparent discrepancy in these numbers by quoting Stephen’s speech in Acts 7, wherein he quotes the number as 75. This is accounted for by reference to the Septuagint, an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures which gives the number as 75. However, the actual number has no bearing on the thrust of the teaching we receive from the study of these Scriptures).

Verse 8 is a key verse in the Scriptures. “There arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph” How could anyone in Egypt not know Joseph? He was the Chief of State. Here we have an indication of the value of “studying” the Bible, as well as reading it. It is not immediately obvious, but there is a period of some 200 years between verses 7 and 8 in our text!! In addition to that, Egypt was invaded by a people known as the HYSKOS during this time frame and they ruled for approximately 150 years. It is most likely that this “new king” was in fact a foreigner to Egypt, which explains why he did not know anything about Joseph.

Although all Joseph’s brothers had died in Egypt, their descendants were numerous. And whilst they had started life in Egypt being favoured by Pharaoh (for Joseph’s sake), during the following 200 years they were increasingly relegated to a position of bondage, servitude, and even slavery. Probably under the reign of the Hyskos invaders.

Now here is the significance. We are told in Isaiah 55 that God’s ways are not our ways. The young Joseph was sold into slavery. Joseph ascended to high office in Egypt. A debilitating drought in Canaan. All of Jacob’s family move to Egypt, where they are favoured by Joseph’s high office. So far everything in the garden seems lovely. BUT, God had a plan of making this people “His special treasure”, and to establish them in their own land. If these Israelites had assimilated into the community, if they had enjoyed a comfortable way of life etc. etc., then it is unlikely that they would ever be persuaded to leave.

They had become almost like a blank page on which God could write His agenda. They had descended from being a nomadic people in Canaan with no links to that culture. Then spent over 400 years in Egypt, a culture into which they did not assimilate, and whose customs they did not embrace. A country which provided them survival from drought, but which later turned into a place with extremely harsh living conditions. Then Almighty God, in His immaculate timing, when things seemed all black and gloomy, arranged the events which made it, not only possible, but highly desirable for them to leave Egypt. God’s ways are not our ways.

Today, God is calling those who are “His special treasure” back to the Land of Promise. Many of them are reluctant to move away from their comfortable, assimilated, lifestyles in the various countries to which they have been scattered. But God is working out His purposes in ways we may not understand, and in ways we would never plan ourselves. God’s ways are not our ways.

Please take special not of Ezekiel 34 and 36. It is not for their sakes that God is calling His people back to their land in our time, “but for My Holy Name’s sake, that the world may know that I am the LORD”.

Can you see, as I can, some parallels between the way God prepared His people at that time to leave Egypt so as to become established in their own land, as in our parashah this week, and the way events are unfolding before our eyes today as God is restoring His people to that land.

In our story this week, about 75 years after “this new king arose in Egypt” Moses was born. Now that is a story in itself, and time does not permit a full ‘reflection’ on those events.  Please read this parashah for yourself. As God reveals truths from His Word to you, share those insights with people you love and care for. You will be blessed.

The outstanding lesson for me this week has been to ponder the amazing way God works. The human mind is surely incapable of preparing such a plan. And of course, that is all because God’s ways are not our ways.

What a blessing that is!

Shabbat Shalom

RS