August 2025
Va’etchanan
Haftarah reflections 44
Torah portion Deuteronomy 3:23 to 7:11
Haftarah portion Isaiah 40: 1-26
Listen to the Prophets
The Haftarah studies in Isaiah, which commenced last week, continue for the next seven weeks. Chapter and verse additions are a relatively modern convenience, and it has been observed that the 66 chapters of Isaiah appear to mirror the structure of our complete Bible, which has 66 books. The Hebrew Scriptures have 39 books, the Apostolic Scriptures 27, and Isaiah seems to have messages which appear to follow that kind of division. Our parashah today, Isaiah 40, begins a succession of, what are called, ‘comfort’ chapters. It certainly has the Messianic tone with which the Apostolic Scriptures commence..
“’Comfort, yes comfort My people’ says your God.” Many Christian organizations working in Israel today use these words as a command of God to provide material assistance to those in need in the land. A noble work, and certainly well received by the needy there, and a work which has verifying authority in other Scriptures. But that is not the primary message of this exhortation of Isaiah. God has instructed Isaiah to “speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” That is the message of comfort which Israel receives from Isaiah. And it is a message which has its fulfilment in the coming of Messiah.
Prophetic Scripture often has multiple fulfilment, and that is true of our parashah today. Messiah Yeshua came to this earth almost 700 years after this prophecy was given. History records that many tens of thousands of Jews came to faith in the first century c.e. (Acts 21). John the baptizer was that ‘voice crying in the wilderness’ of verse 3, and he was definitely one who said to the cities of Judah “Behold your God!” But this prophecy has elements which have yet to be fulfilled. Isaiah sees the time when “her iniquity is pardoned” completely. That could not be the case, when in the second century, Israel was completely banished from the Land of Israel by the Romans. That could not be the case when history records the pogroms and mistreatment Jews received at the hands of many nations to which they fled. And often, during the period known as ‘the inquisition’ given the option of abandoning their faith or being put to death. Being banished from Britain in 1290 by King Edward 1, a ban which remained until Oliver Cromwell in 1665. Banished from Spain in 1492, one day before ‘tisha b’av’, by Ferdinand and Isabella. Six million Jews put to death in the holocaust. If that does not constitute receiving “double for all her sins”, I am at a loss to explain it.
The prophet continues, “Behold the Lord God shall come with a strong hand”. One of the reasons many Jews could not see Yeshua as Messiah was that they did not see Him as the ‘strong man’ Messiah they expected, and still expect. They were, at that time, looking for a Messiah who would overthrow the tyrannical Roman rule to which they were subject. Isaiah describes such a Messiah in this parashah. All powerful, all mighty, all conquering, all caring, all protecting, all forgiving.
In praise of Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, the prophet writes eloquently “To whom then will you liken God?” Then in comparison to the most skilled artisans they could imagine, he describes, in simple language, the attributes of the One who is their redeemer.
“It is He who sits above the circle of the earth.”
“Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created all these things’”
It is He who created all things, He who put all things in right order, He who has the power of life and death, it is He, and He alone, who has the power to ‘pardon iniquity’.
What greater comfort can anyone receive than to know that one is pardoned of all iniquity? To have the barrier to communion with a Holy God swept away, cast into the depths of the sea, forgotten, as though that iniquity never existed. There is NO greater comfort.
Isaiah is describing the conditions which are the hallmark of “The New Covenant”. He sees the time when men will live righteously before our Holy Creator, and with each other. “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” says Jeremiah 31:34
It is the time when Messiah Yeshua returns to rule and reign in Jerusalem. It is the time, of which, the Apostle Paul declares “All Israel will be saved”. It is the time when Israel will recognize Him, with eyes now opened. And it is a time of joy for all Gentiles who are ‘grafted in’ to that ‘natural Olive Tree’, which is Israel.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Devarim
Haftarah reflections 43
Torah portion Deuteronomy 1:1 to 3:22
Haftarah portion Isaiah 1: 1-27
Listen to the Prophets
Isaiah was from a respected family. He grew up in Jerusalem, and in addition to being well educated, was both familiar and maintained contact with, the royal court.
Isaiah’s prophetic writings extend for about 60 years from 740 b.c.e. He wrote at a time of great testing for his fellow Judeans. And Israel, their ‘cousins’ and Northern neighbours, were in desperate trouble due to idolatry and their wanton disregard of their covenantal responsibilities.
Our parashah opens with a tirade of judgment against Judah. There is not a comforting word on his lips. (well, perhaps one!) His education and his royal contacts ensured that he was well versed in the situation in the broader community in which he lived. He was certainly aware of the calamity about to visit Israel in the form of their Assyrian enemies. He also knew, from God, why these things were happening, and was commissioned by God to bring the warning voice to his own people, Judah.
The Temple which Solomon had built was now about 200 years old and was being seriously neglected. It was as though no-one cared. The priests were slack in their responsibilities, both to the people and to their care for the Temple. There was an outward appearance of ‘religiosity’ but inwardly they were self-seeking and neglectful. Then God visited Isaiah with a remarkable vision. He saw it all clearly. The light of God’s Spirit shone in to the dark corners of their life. Everything was exposed. God spoke, and still speaks, powerfully through this faithful man Isaiah.
“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” And more, “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear, your hands are full of blood.”
Such devastating condemnation from the Lord God Himself.
“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away your evil doings from before My eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow”.
Then, for any with a modicum of decency, the words which may bring comfort. These words could be spoken by the Apostle Paul in the course of his evangelical missions to the Gentile nations, three quarters of a century later, but they were penned by Isaiah.
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord, “though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
“But if you refuse and rebel ………”
The message contained in this Scripture for us today?
God was inviting His chosen ones to review their lifestyle. Over many years, they had slipped into bad practices. There was a lackadaisical familiarity to their pretence at worship. O, they turned up alright, they brought the sacrifices, even going through the motions of praying. So what was the problem? They had lost sight of the basics of God’s intent when He gave them those instructions on how to live righteously with each other and before Him. They were selfish and self-centred, even self-seeking. They lacked sincerity in their worship. God saw it as a sham.
Their attitudes had become a barrier to communion with a Holy God. Is it possible that we may be similarly found wanting? The call of God, through the prophet is as relevant today as it was then. “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord, “though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
It is a precious characteristic of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that He does not cast us away. We may choose to leave Him, but He does not leave us. He gives us opportunity, as He did these Israelites in Isaiah’s day, to turn around so as once again to head in the right direction.
Moses said in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life”
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Mattot/Massei
Haftarah Reflections 42
Torah portion Numbers 30 : 1 to 36 : 13
Haftarah portion Jeremiah 2 : 4 – 28 and 3 : 4
(Two Torah portions are read together)
Listen to the Prophets
Last week, we ‘reflected’ on the clear call of God on the youthful Jeremiah. His calling was to be bold and outspoken in the things that God promised to show him. His boldness was born of the faith that God would protect him from those who would come against him.
It is immediately evident from this week’s parashah that Jeremiah had listened intently to the Lord! His message could not be clearer.
Tell them this, says the Lord (my paraphrase) “I remember you when you were a young nation. In your wilderness journey you relied on Me totally, I fed you, gave you water to drink. You were completely set apart (holy) to Me. Anyone who tried to hinder you I visited disaster upon them”.
The pain is palpable in the expression of disappointment as the Lord continues. As I read these words, I cannot avoid putting myself in the position of the hearers, because I too am one of the hearers. God caused Jeremiah to charge them with idolatry. There could be no worse charge. Commandment number one. “You shall have no other gods before Me”.
(I had an extremely personal encounter with God in 1999, when, for about 4 weeks, I was unable to walk and was confined to a hospital bed. It is too long a story to relate here, but I felt a compulsion to read Ezekiel. Eventually I got to Chapter 14. It was then that I had a conversation with God that changed my life. And it was all about idolatry.)
God hates idolatry. It is an abomination to Him. It was an abomination in the days of Jeremiah, and it’s an abomination today. An idol is anything, anyone, any place, any activity that hinders ones relationship with God (or takes time away from that relationship). That which one allows into one’s home, through the medium of television, or the internet, or books and magazines, can be idolatry. The simple test is to consider the time one gives to any of these activities, and compare that to the time that same person gives to communion with God. Because, where your treasure (and time) is, your heart will be also.
I wonder what words Jeremiah might use today, in our world, if God charged him with bringing the same message to us as he took to the Israelites. If one is diligent in the study of this parashah, one might actually find out!!
Try, if you can, to imagine the words of Jeremiah being addressed to us today. Instead of the violations of the idolatry of the Israelites, think of the modern equivalent, whatever that might be (the Lord will show you).
We have been brought into fellowship with Almighty God through faith in Yeshua, who gave His life for us. In so doing, the Lord “has brought us into a bountiful country, to eat its fruit and its goodness”. God surely has every reason to expect that we would then, not only be grateful, but would live our lives in honour of Him, and in accord with His precepts.
The first group of people to come under scrutiny are those who have authority. In our parashah it was the priests, followed closely by those who are teachers. Then rulers and prophets.
I dare to suggest here, that in our society today, the primary priestly responsibility belongs to men. Men who have families. Men are charged by God to lead their families, to set an example for wives and children. To be leaders in their own homes. (It is my observation that this is the pattern which is prevalent in God fearing Jewish families today.)
Next are the teachers. In our “modern day church age” that onus of responsibility has largely been abdicated by “the home priests” in favour of the professional pastor. It is a regrettable fact that many church pastors are inadequately versed in the fundamentals of God’s Torah.(teaching) And very few even realize it. Consequently, they can only teach what they themselves have been taught, and we, the laity, are given an extremely narrow version of the truth of God’s word. The word written about the teachers is “those that handle the law did not know Me”. That, my dear friends, is a heavy charge.
But there is even more.
It is imperative, if you are to get all that God intends for you out of this parashah, that you read it completely for yourself. But be warned, it contains words of strong rebuke for those of us who, having been given the privilege of entering this walk of faith with the Lord, have allowed “idols” to get in the way of our fellowship with Him.
Our parashah ends with a plea from God Himself.
“Will you not from this time cry to Me, ‘My Father, You are the guide of my youth’?”
Enjoy the fellowship with Him that began when you were first called into His family.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Pinchas
Haftarah Reflections 41
Torah portion Numbers 25 : 10 to 29 : 40
Haftarah portion Jeremiah 1 : 1 to 2 : 3
Listen to the Prophets
The timeframe of the prophecies of Jeremiah are precisely noted in the life of the Israelites. It was a most turbulent time for them, spanning a period of about forty years up to the actual conquest of Jerusalem by king Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah spoke prophetic warnings against Judah for about twenty years before the Lord instructed him to write on a scroll the words which He had given Jeremiah, so that they could be read out to the people in the Temple on a special day of fasting that had been set aside for the people. It is an interesting story, and you can read about it in Jeremiah 36. The end result of this was that king Jehoiakim burned the scroll which Jeremiah had written! (actually he dictated it to Baruch, his scribe) So God had Jeremiah write another scroll, to which he added some similar words of condemnation.
If you wonder, as I do, why Jeremiah was so bold in his behaviour to the king of the Land, the answer is to be found in our parashah today.
Jeremiah was a quite young man when God called him to his prophetic ministry. So young in fact, that Jeremiah at first objected on the grounds that he didn’t have enough experience to do the job God wanted done. But God knew His man. He spoke clearly to Jeremiah in assurance of support.
“Do not say ‘I am a youth’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you”, says the Lord.
Then we are told that the Lord put forth His hand and touched Jeremiah’s mouth, and said further, in part:-“See I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms”. And that is why Jeremiah was able to carry out his almost thankless task of bearing many dire warning messages to his fellow Judeans, including the king.
But the Lord wanted to show Jeremiah some detail of events about to unfold, in order to cement the picture in his mind, as he set about his appointed task. So Jeremiah was given two visions. The first that of an almond tree, and the second that of a ‘boiling’ pot. The almond tree is the first to blossom in the spring in Israel, so this vision spoke of a time very close at hand. The second, the boiling pot, spoke of confusion and turmoil, and it was noteworthy that in the vision this pot was facing ‘away from the north’. That is, that it was trying to get away from the source of the turmoil, which would come from the north.
There is no question that this vision was for the time in which Jeremiah lived, (the siege, and capture, of Jerusalem by the Babylonians is the event foretold) but it also has an application, borne out by other scriptures, of a time still future to us.
In our parashah today, Jeremiah was being prepared to speak to his fellow Judeans about impending calamity, as a direct result of their forsaking the covenant which had been made by their fathers, and verified many times in their history whenever they had called on God to get them out of a scrape with their neighbours. The main failing seemed to be their descent into idolatrous worship.
Now here is a valuable lesson for us today.
God had already promised Jeremiah that He would be with him in all his encounters with the people. But now God goes a step further, and tells Jeremiah that when he takes the message of warning to the people, not only will they not listen to him, but they will ‘fight against him’.
One would have to be VERY sure of one’s relationship with the Lord to proceed with such a message wouldn’t one? Evidently, Jeremiah was super confident in his calling.
God assured Jeremiah that he would be absolutely “fireproof” in the face of the people. Look at the words God uses to describe the absolute imperviousness of Jeremiah to the attacks of those who come against him and why he should go with great confidence.
“Do not be dismayed before their faces (be bold and resolute) … For behold I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land- against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land”.
When we are called upon to speak in God’s Name, to ‘give a reason for the hope that is within us’, we should take example from the words God used to Jeremiah. We should speak boldly and with resolution, being assured that we are messengers of the King. In the face of concerted attacks on our heritage and lifestyle, our message in today’s world is both timely and necessary.
Most importantly, we should all be asking God, through the agency of His precious Holy Spirit, to guard us, keep us, fill us, and use us, according to His perfect will and purpose.
Shabbat Shalom
RS