Zion's Voice

The Promised Land “reflections”  23

S a m u e l

1 Samuel 25:1  to  27:12

“Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him in his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran. The well respected Samuel, the last of the Judges of Israel, one who had some influence and an element of control over Saul, no longer there to exercise such influence. Almost in the same sentence, we find David moving out of the ‘strongholds’ of En Gedi, having received a kind of commitment of peace from Saul (which we dealt with last week), back to the wider spaces of Paran.

It may be assumed that David was prepared to take Saul at his word, and although he was cautious, he seemed to be ready to settle and wait to see how Saul would behave. He sought the favour of a wealthy farmer called Nabal, who lived in Maon, but had sheep and goat herds in Carmel, a little further north. (See map for geographical relationship) Nabal (which means ‘foolish’) was “harsh and evil in his doings”, but his wife Abigail was both wise and attractive. David, knowing of Nabal’s wealth, sent ten of his men to Nabal to seek his favour and support by way of food provision. Nabal refused. So David determined to ‘help himself’ to a portion of Nabal’s wealth! He instructed his men to get ready for ‘some action’! In the meantime, Abigail was told about Nabal’s refusal to assist David, and took matters into her own hands by taking supplies of food to David’s camp. The two groups met as they made their respective journeys. Read the dialogue of their encounter (1 Sam 25: 21 - 35). When Abigail returned home and told Nabal what she had done, he had a heart attack and died.

David’s wife, Michal (Saul’s daughter) had been given to another man! So on learning of the death of Nabal, David proposed to Abigail (who consented) and another lady, Ahinoam (not the one who was Saul’s wife), thus David acquired two new wives. Chapter 26 of our text opens with the news that Saul had soon forgotten his promise not to seek David’s life and was again hunting him down with 3,000 select men of his army. Of course, David was soon aware of this and took steps assess the situation with another man called Abishai. They came across Saul’s camp as he slept, entered the camp, and took Saul’s water bottle and spear, then left. Abishai had strongly urged David to let him put an end to this matter by summarily killing Saul in his sleep, but for the second time, David resisted on the grounds that Saul remained God’s anointed king, assuring Abishai that God would deal with Saul in His own good time. What an inspiring lesson that provides.

How many times in our own experience, when things don’t go according to our expectation, do we ‘take matters into our own hands’ to solve the issue? It could be argued that God had created the opportunity for Saul to be killed by David, TWICE,  … but David was wise enough to know that it was not his role to be executioner of a rival who had been appointed by God Himself.

David retreated to some high ground with great distance between himself and Saul’s camp and shouted, waking up the camp and specifically addressed Abner, Saul’s cousin and commander of Saul’s army. David taunted him with being slothful in his duty of protecting the king, asking him to look for the king’s water bottle and spear. The eventual result was a second statement of promise from Saul to desist from pursuing David. Saul’s words are sincere. “I have sinned … for I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly”. And David’s response was memorable. “May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness.” And I believe that to be a reliable statement of God’s intent towards all who are His, and who deal so with others with such grace. “So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.”

Never-the-less David was unconvinced by Saul’s words of remorse and decided to relocate, with this own group of 600 men and their families, to the land occupied by the Philistines. “And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath (again); so he sought him no more.” In time, David asked Achish, king of Gath, to give him a place in which he and his band of followers to settle. “So Achish gave him Ziklag.”  And David lived there for 16 months. During that time, David effectively continued the work that Joshua was given to do several hundred years earlier. He attacked and plundered territory occupied by Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites, the Jerahmeelites and Kenites, all original occupants of the Land of God’s Promise, now known as Judea. David gained significantly in wealth and reputation, through plunder and success in those raids. No-one was left alive to tell the tale, and Achish became convinced that David was attacking Judeans, and so making enemies of Israel, the enemies of the Philistines. Thus David was eyed, by the king of Gath, as an ally of his, and David gained knowledge of the various plans Achish made to war against Israel.

It is a fascinating story to read. It is also quite amazing, because we know the end of the story, to see how God so amazingly put together all the pieces to bring about the result which He had planned for Israel from the very beginning.                        

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  22

S a m u e l

1 Samuel 22:1  to  24:22

David was in big trouble! As he fled from the wrath of king Saul, he went about 15 km West, to Gath, a Philistine stronghold, thinking that Saul would not follow him there. He was right in that assumption. But the servants of Achish, king of Gath, recognised him as an enemy of the Philistines, so he  very effectively feigned madness to avoid arrest, and our text begins today with David moving on again, this time about 15 km South east into the safer territory of Judea to the “Cave of Adullam”, about mid distance between Gath and Hebron. David was joined there by his whole family, and as word spread, our Bible tells us that many others, discontented with king Saul also joined him there. A company of about 400 men and their families. This number would shortly swell to over 600 as more families joined him.

It seems that David was now acutely aware of the dangers he faced from Saul,  and the possibility of that being extended to his immediate family. So he sought safe refuge for them. Presumably drawing on his own Moabite ancestry (Ruth was his great grandmother) and counting on the Moabite mutual animosity towards Saul, David’s family was taken to, and remained in, Moab, until Saul was no longer a threat. What a good example to sons !!

Saul’s home base was Gibeah, a city with a horrible history (Judges 19) north of Jerusalem. Saul was brooding over the fact that David had fled and no-one could, or would, inform him about David’s whereabouts nor Jonathan’s collusion in his departure. Then the devious Doeg, the one who was “detained by the LORD” at Nob as we read about last week, spoke up. He related the events he witnessed in Nob, and that resulted in the priest Ahimelech receiving a visit from Saul at Nob. It is a brutal story resulting in the slaughter, at the hand of Doeg the Edomite, of 85 priests as well as women and children. Even their animals were not spared the rage and blood lust which Saul visited upon them. But one, Abiathar, escaped the carnage and fled to the ‘Forest of Hereth’ where David was camped with his followers.

It was at this point that David began to embrace the call that God had placed on his life. Here is a lesson of great importance. It is amazing to see how the LORD was working out His purposes in all the circumstances of the events which had preceded this. The most unlikely people, like Doeg, had been (unwittingly to them) used by God to bring about the result the LORD had planned for Israel from the beginning. As we continue in our ‘reflection’ we clearly see that the threat to David’s life was undiminished, but David began to rely more and more on the LORD for instruction and for survival. The evidence for this is in the account (1 Sam 23) of the respective roles of both David, in rescuing the city of Keilah from the marauding Philistine army, and Saul in his attempts to besiege David and his followers as they defended Keilah.

Throughout this narrative, there are many instances in which David is both respectful towards Saul, whom he correctly identified as being anointed by God as king, and honourable, as he seeks to know God’s will for the actions he is about to take. Here we find another lesson as we seek to know “God’s plan” in everyday life situations. Earlier we read about Abiathar, a priest who escaped from the carnage at Nob. We are told that he took with him an “Ephod” (The apron like covering over the High Priestly linen garment) which contained the Urim and the Thummim. Our Bible does not describe these items, and so to us they remain mystical elements, which God used to convey His will and purpose to the High Priest in matters of direction and judgement. In our text today, we find that even without the presence of a High Priest, God made the Urim and Thummim available to David for consultation in his wilderness hiding places to keep him safe. I suggest that today, they are replaced by God’s written word and guidance of His Holy Spirit. (Even visions and dreams for some people). The lesson of David’s example is in his reliance on God, not on his own best guess !!

Saul’s pursuit of David seems unrelenting. His army was numerically vastly superior to that of David, but David’s followers were more nimble and kept ‘a step ahead’. At one point, when David was encamped in the “Wilderness of Maon” it seemed like Saul would succeed, but then word came to Saul about an invasion of Israel by the Philistines, so Saul had to ‘break off’ the chase in order to defend the territory from Philistine attack. (Personal note:- On a visit to Israel in 2012, our tour guide took us to the location of the “Wilderness of Maon”. It was searingly hot. He described for us the plight of David and his followers. Unbearably hot. Then suggested that this was where David wrote Psalm 61, in which David pleaded with God to lead him to a rock “that is higher than I”. A place of shelter from the sun, and hiding from his pursuers. Then a prayer for the king’s life. Speaks much about David and his trust in the LORD)

As time went on David moved East and encamped at En Gedi on the shores of the Dead Sea. There he had that famous encounter with Saul in which he removed a corner of Saul’s garment. The result of that was the ultimately disingenuous promise of Saul to cease his pursuit of David, saying “Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.”

Prophetic YES. But it’s a tale of two very different personalities, isn’t it?

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  21

S a m u e l

1 Samuel 19:1  to  21:15

Last week we read about David’s wise behaviour and the esteem which was afforded him by the people as a result. At the same time, king Saul, devoid of the influence of the Spirit of God had become a very troubled, depressed individual, with murderous intent towards David. This was a result of intense jealousy which had turned to hatred. And therein we can find a lesson for ourselves if we are willing to learn it. So our reading this week opens with Saul’s announcement to the royal court, which included his son Jonathan, that David was to be killed off.

But Jonathan had become a close friend to David, so he warned him of the threat and colluded with him to bring about change in Saul’s paranoia. Which he did. Then David was restored to his place as Saul’s comforter, playing soothing music to ease Saul’s depressive moods. But it was a short-lived. Soon there was another war with the Philistines. Once again David distinguished himself in the ensuing battle. The result. Another surge in David’s popularity. Another severe depression for Saul. Another attempt on David’s life and another order from Saul to kill David. This time David’s wife, Michal, who was Saul’s daughter, came to David’s aid. The whole story is well known and loved by most children who ever attended a Sunday School.

Firstly Jonathan, then Michal, Saul’s children, risked, and were prepared to lose, their own lives to save David’s. In my mind I see a fore-runner, an example in type, of sacrificial love which was eventually given for my own salvation. But the LORD had great plans for David, so thus it was that David fled to Ramah, Samuel’s home, where he unburdened himself to the prophet. It seems that Samuel had established a place of learning and worship, called Naioth, a few miles farther north in the mountains of Ephraim. It was to Naioth that Samuel and David went to be safe from Saul. Such was the atmosphere at this place of worship at Naioth that all who came within it’s boundaries were drawn into it’s influence and were overwhelmed by the Spirit of God. Even Saul himself was found in prophetic worship at that place.

David seemed puzzled. He simply could not understand why Saul was so angry with him that he wanted him dead. In his distress he sought Jonathan’s help. Read the account in Chapter 20 of our text. It speaks of the great bond of love and friendship between Jonathan and David, and ends with their parting. Jonathan went back to the city, and David began his new life as a fugitive. Because we are privileged to know the end of the story, it may come as a shock to discover the way the LORD chose to place David in, what can only be described at this point in his life, a somewhat perilous situation. And in that, I find another lesson for those who choose to serve the LORD. The “prosperity” teachers today would have people believe that ‘coming to Jesus’ leads directly into a life in which all of life’s problems, material and financial are instantaneously solved. I can think immediately of two prominent servants of the LORD, David and Paul, who might take issue with that teaching. The LORD had very important work for David to do, and he needed to be trained, by experience, to deal with many adverse circumstances in which he personally, and the nation he was destined to lead, would face as the fullness of God’s plan unfolded.

David was God’s anointed, yes, and chosen for a purpose. Did God choose David because he was ‘perfect’? Did God choose Paul because he was perfect? Did God choose YOU because you are perfect? David was inexperienced and  young. Paul was an enemy of believers. Only you, and God, know about you. And to accomplish the task for which God calls us, we all need to be trained by experience to fulfil God’s expectation.

“Now David came to Nob”. Nob was a dwelling place of priests on high ground about 2 miles north east of Jebus (Jerusalem) beyond the Mt of Olives. David was met by a priest, the great grandson of Eli, Ahimelech (which means “brother of the king) who expressed surprise that David was unaccompanied (even though the text implies that he was not alone). David concocted a story about being on the king’s secret business, and asked for some food for his journey. In the event, David was given some of the ‘showbread’ which had recently been taken (and replaced by new bread) from the altar in the tabernacle. He also was given the sword which was taken from Goliath, and went on his flight from Saul towards Gath, a Philistine city, where David reasoned he would be safe from Saul. In the event, the servants of Achish, king of Gath, recognised David as the slayer of Goliath and numerous other Philistines. So David thought he might have jumped “out of the frying pan into the fire” so to speak. He feigned “madness”, and acted insanely.This caused Achish to dismiss him out of his sight, and thus it was that David escaped the wrath of Achish and continued his flight from Saul.

There is an interesting snippet in the text (1 Sam 21:7). It refers to an Edomite, called Doeg. He is not a very nice man, and we will meet him again next week. As I read this text I note that Doeg, in this special place where the priests dwelt, was “detained before the LORD”! We don’t know the circumstances, but bad as he was, he was part of God’s overall plan. And what do I learn from that? God’s purposes will NOT be hindered by ANYONE. Good bad or indifferent. So it was that this unlikely Edomite was used in the purposes of the Lord, in the rescue and preservation of David, the LORD’s anointed.      

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  20

S a m u e l

1 Samuel 16:1  to  18:30

The faithful Samuel was grieving, not for, but about, king Saul. Such a disappointment because of the way events had unfolded and exposed the frailties of Saul’s character, thereby rendering him unsuitable to lead the people in the ways of righteousness. God had already revealed to Samuel that  the reign of king Saul was at an end, and that He had already chosen a successor!  Our reading today opens with the Lord giving Samuel a ‘prod’ to get on with the job of identifying that successor. It may seem surprising that Samuel was actually fearful of Saul (evidence of Saul’s unsavoury character perhaps), because he was initially reluctant to seek out God’s chosen replacement. So God provided a plausible reason (some might conclude it to be an excuse) for Samuel’s ‘secret’ mission! The predictable Saul may be equated today, in some countries, to ‘godless’ governments, of which believers are   rightly fearful. Could it be that the Lord provides such ‘reasons’ today to faithful believers who work in such countries, where the ‘ekklesia’  are known as ‘underground churches’? One thing of which I am sure is that the work of the Lord may be frustrated by men, but it will not be stopped. (I recall, many years ago, listening to a visiting pastor from a church in Lebanon declaring that he would not want to live in a country where being a christian was “easy”. Why? Because in such a country there was little sense of value and privilege in being a christian. He said “When it is costly to belong, it is greatly valued, and growing in faith is inevitable”)

“So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem”. There he met with Jesse, (grandson of Boaz and Ruth) who had brought his sons with him to the sacrifice which Samuel was to conduct. As soon as Samuel’s eyes looked on the oldest son, Eliab, Samuel was sure that he was the one to replace king Saul. The story is well known. However, “The Lord does not see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”. So it was that Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel before Samuel said “The Lord has not chosen these”. The youngest lad was looking after the sheep. “He was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good looking. And the Lord said ‘ Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” Samuel took a horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers “and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward “. Then Samuel returned to his home in Ramah.  The very next statement in the Scriptures tells us that just as the Spirit of the Lord came upon David, “the Spirit of the Lord departed from (king) Saul” and was replaced by a ‘distressing’ spirit from the LORD which troubled him. Remember the injunction of the LORD to Isaiah many years later? “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways”. (Isaiah 55:8) Whoever could imagine that the LORD would use this ‘distressing’ spirit, not only to introduce Saul to David, but to also have Saul declare favour towards him, and to find in David a source of comfort.

But, it wasn’t long before things began to change! And I commend readers to keep in mind that everything that follows is under the direct control and direction of Almighty God. He was working out His purposes then, and He is working out His purposes today. Here is a modern photograph of the region where these events occurred. It is the same valley along which the Ark of the Covenant was drawn by the cows when it was returned to Israel from it’s Philistine captivity. (1 Samuel 6) In our text today, we have one of the most well known events in biblical history. I was probably less than 5 years old when I first heard it !! “Only a boy named David only a babbling brook, only a boy named David and five little stones he took.”  It is legendary in its detail. A young shepherd boy saves his nation by killing a giant. But he had a lot of help! God was with him, and had great plans for his future, as we discover later in this story. However, David’s life took on new meaning and new challenges from that day forward. As indeed it does for all who earnestly and willingly become part of God’s plan.

The Philistine’s champion had been conquered. The Israelites were full of admiration and joy at the conquest. But Saul was full of jealousy, anger, and distress. So much so that he sought to kill the people’s hero. Three times in chapter 18 of our text, Samuel tells us that David “behaved wisely”. And when (v.15) “Saul saw that David behaved vey wisely, he was afraid of him”. Then it happened that Saul changed tack and sought to make David a son-in-law, offering his daughter to David in marriage. But he set an unusual dowry for the hand of his daughter Michal. A dowry which Saul was sure would result in David’s death! He had to kill 100 Philistines. Surprise! Surprise! David killed 200 and was married to the king’s daughter.

“Thus Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David …. So Saul became David’s enemy continually.” And finally for this ‘reflection’ we have some words which should be an encouragement to every believer. “David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.”  Many times in the Scriptures we are told the “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. The Psalmist (111:10) and the Preacher in Proverbs (9:10) being the most often quoted. We may be sure that the young shepherd boy David certainly “feared the LORD” because he was very wise.                

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  19

S a m u e l

1 Samuel 13:1  to  15:35

The Lord had granted the people their wish to have a king reign over them. Samuel had made it abundantly clear that it was tantamount to a rejection of God Himself, and that they would need to tread very carefully in obeying the commands of the Lord so as not to make matters worse for themselves. It is evident from our reading this week that the first two years of the reign of king Saul were uneventful. We do know that God had given Saul a ‘new heart’. I  speculate here because we are not told, but it may well have been that in the flush of that new experience Saul was indeed treading very carefully, (I have in mind the experience of some in our day, to my certain knowledge, who once came to faith in Yeshua. Starting the life of faith well and enthusiastically, but failing to ‘last the distance’, become distracted, and slip back into former habits, friendships, practices, and lifestyle)  … but I could be wrong in my speculation! In any event, what king Saul did after the first two years drew this reaction from Samuel. “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For (by) now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel for ever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you”. I note carefully the past tense there. “What the Lord shuts .. no one opens!” (Revelation 3:7). But the stubborn king Saul did not appreciate, or even understand, that word.

In order to gain some perspective on the events about to unfold, reference to a good Bible Map would help. The initial action takes place approx. 30 km. north and slightly east of Jerusalem. Samuel had no sooner left the scene, then king Saul’s son Jonathan, engaged in a belligerent act of aggression against the Philistines. The Israelites had for some time been in subjection to the Philistines, who had ensured that the people of Israel did not have any blacksmiths in their company, so had to rely on the Philistines to sharpen and make tools of iron for them. Also the Israelites were thus unable to make their own swords and spears to do battle. Never-the less, Saul’s son, Jonathan decided to engage them in a skirmish, in which he killed about 20 men before the Lord intervened by causing an earthquake. It was at that point that king Saul took his army into battle (without swords) and found the Philistines fighting themselves in the confusion of the earthquake. King Saul had also foolishly put his army under an oath of fasting until the battle was decided. Jonathan had not heard that instruction and ate some honey himself and encouraged  others to eat to sustain themselves. In addition, even though king Saul had built an altar to the Lord (the only one we find account of in the Scriptures) it was evident that he had made decisions about engagement in battle without consultation with the Lord. As a result he had completely lost the attention of the Lord, who then stopped responding to his prayers even when Saul did try to consult with Him. Now that is a brief summary of what happened that day. But the consequence of those events carried on for the rest of king Saul’s life. His relationship with the Lord was broken. His relationship with his son Jonathan was broken, with the people siding with Jonathan over his father king Saul, even though the battle that day established Saul as a warrior king as he surrounded himself with strong fighting men. His relationship with Samuel was broken. And “there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul”. (1 Sam 14:52). But that did not mean that the Lord had abandoned Israel.

It was at this point that the Lord spoke to Samuel, instructing him to direct king Saul to engage in battle with the Amalekites in retribution for their hostility towards the Israelites on their journey to the land of God’s promise. They were to be ‘utterly destroyed’. A well known story. (1 Samuel 15) King Saul certainly engaged and conquered the Amalekites and caused great destruction, “BUT Saul and the people spared Agag (the king) and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed”. Then the Lord spoke to Samuel again. “I greatly regret that I have set Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments”. When Samuel confronted Saul about the mission, Saul claimed to have completed it as instructed, bringing from Samuel that famous retort “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of oxen which I hear?” Reminding me of a famous truism from the Scriptures “Be sure your sin will find you out”. (Numbers 32:23)  (And because of king Saul’s disobedience, we meet  a descendant of Agag again, hundreds of years later, in Esther 3:1 in the person of  ‘the wicked’ Haman).    

For many reasons it is a sad story of a man, God anointed to lead the nation, who failed to appreciate the importance and value God places on obedience to His command. There is surely a lesson in that story for anyone willing to learn it. God is NOT reliant on any ‘person’ to fulfil His agenda. But He is reliant on every ‘person’ He chooses to faithfully walk with Him in accord with His plan and purpose. Samuel asks some pertinent questions. “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king”.  Samuel and Saul did not meet again during their lifetime.                   

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  18

S a m u e l

1 Samuel 8:1  to  12:25

The appointment of the first king over Israel.

The faithful and highly esteemed Samuel appears to have made a mistake! When he was ‘old’ he made his sons, Joel and Abijah, judges over Israel in Beersheva. “But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice”. The elders of Israel took the matter to Samuel, presumably dismayed at the injustices they could see taking place, and sought Samuel’s support in appointing a ‘king’ to assume authority over them instead of ‘judges’. Samuel prayed, and perhaps to his surprise, the LORD told Samuel to “heed the voice of the people”. But, also to  “solemnly forewarn” the people what behaviour they could expect of a king who might rule over them. It was a description of complete selfishness.*(see comments in penultimate paragraph) But the people wanted to be ruled in the manner of other nations around them  …. and God told Samuel to appoint them a king.

Saul, a Benjamite, was head and shoulders taller than his kinsmen, and a very good looking fellow. His father, Kish, had lost some donkeys and sent Saul and a servant out to look for them. They travelled widely around the countryside but could not locate the donkeys. Read the story in chapter 9 of our text. Saul went to the city where Samuel (whom he had heard of as a seer) was attending a festival, to consult with him about the donkeys. As soon as they met, the Lord spoke to Samuel saying “There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people”.

It was an amazing encounter. When they met, Samuel told Saul that they would dine together that evening and meet again the next day, at which time Samuel would tell Saul all that was in his heart. Furthermore, almost as a ‘by the way’, Samuel said “But as for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found”. There was no hint that Saul even mentioned the donkeys! The next morning as Saul and his servant were about to leave, Samuel took Saul aside and anointed his head with oil and kissed him .. a sign of great honour. “Because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance”. Then Samuel told Saul a number of things that would occur as he journeyed back to his home.

First a meeting with two men at the site of the tomb of Rachel just outside Bethlehem, who would announce that the lost donkeys had been found. Next, as they continued their journey they would meet three men in an oak grove, who were on their way to Bethel to worship God. Those men would share their food with Saul and his servant. After that, another encounter with a group of men praising God with singing and musical instruments. Samuel told Saul that he too would join them in praising and worshipping God “and be turned into another man, “And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you”. The Spirit of the Lord would be Saul’s guide as he continued his journey. Finally, Samuel instructed Saul to proceed on down to Gilgal (where the Israelites had camped when first entering the land). There Samuel would join him one week later and let him know what he should do next. “So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day”. There was an evident, immediate, change in Saul’s behaviour such as was noticed by all who knew him. On being questioned, Saul told them about his meeting with Samuel and the donkeys, “but about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell them what Samuel had said”.

Samuel convened another convocation of all the people at Mizpah. He reminded them of all the Lord had done for their forefathers and for them, but did not refrain from also telling them that in asking for a king, they were  effectively rejecting the will of God for them. Never-the less, as the tribes were presented before Samuel, by some process of elimination. Saul, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, was chosen and announced to be their new king. But Saul was evidently a reluctant candidate, and was no-where in sight. Ironically, it was the Lord Himself who told them where he was hiding from them! Samuel said “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no-one like him among all the people”. The tall handsome Saul stood before them. “So all the people shouted and said ‘Long live the king’.” “Then Samuel explained to the people the behaviour of royalty”. How did Samuel know? The Lord had carefully explained these things to Moses, and caused him to write it in a book. Samuel had diligently read that book, and probably committed much of it to memory. It’s NOT a secret. That book is readily available to us today. The relevant section is Deuteronomy 17:14-20. *(It is nothing like the descriptor quoted earlier in this ‘reflection’. In fact it was written specifically to avoid such a person being selfish and detached). But that did not mean that there weren’t those among them who were unsupportive of the new king.

Saul seemed to be somewhat reluctant initially to assume his position as king and that drew a certain boldness among the enemies of Israel, specifically the Ammonites. The consequence was that Saul became emboldened and led the people into a victorious battle against the Ammonites. But throughout all this, Samuel continued, into his old age, acting as a check and a balance on Saul as he began his reign as king, encouraging the people to remain faithful to the Lord. “For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, for it has pleased the LORD to make you His people”.     

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  17

S a m u e l

1 Samuel 4:1  to  7:17

We ended last week with “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel”.

Samuel was appointed God’s prophet. ALL Israel recognised the authority with which Samuel spoke. His word became synonymous with God’s word, the same way that, centuries earlier, Moses’ word was received. BUT, Eli was still alive as ‘judge’ over Israel, albeit almost 100 years old. And his sons Hophni and Phineas, were still acting corruptly as priests. The dark cloud that covered Israel had not yet departed.  In yet another battle with the Philistines, Israel lost another 4000 men. So in a futile attempt to somehow gain favour with the LORD, they went to the tabernacle at Shiloh. The corrupt and self serving Hophni and Phineas, in an act of reckless tokenism, took the Ark of the Covenant into the battlefield against the Philistines. 30,000 more Israelites, including Hophni and Phineas, died there. Furthermore, when news of the death of his sons reached Eli, both he, and his daughter-in-law died. To cap it all off, the Ark was captured by the Philistines. What a disaster for Israel. And as the story unfolds, an even more disastrous outcome for the Philistines!! And the Ark of the Covenant was never returned to the tabernacle at Shiloh! (Such a monumental event that Yeshua made reference to it when He drove the moneychangers out of the Temple in Jerusalem centuries later (Matt 21:13, Mk 11:17) as He recalled the words of Isaiah (Isaiah 56:7 ‘house of prayer’) and Jeremiah (Jer 7:11,12 ‘den of thieves’. And not many years later the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed too.) There is a lesson here in the root cause for this. The casual, or even reckless abandonment or contempt, by those who are called by His name, to observe, with reverential fear, the commandments of God. We live in days in which sincere believers demonstrate similar traits. “The Torah of God is obsolete” we often hear within the ‘believing’ community. Or “Jesus kept the commandments so we do not have to” is another. Hebrews 8:13 (becoming obsolete) is usually quoted in support of this. Or worse, we just trustfully repeat the words of others who conveniently neglect the fact that the text refers to the ‘covenant’ (agreement) NOT to the Torah (instructions). The remedy? Study the Scriptures for yourself.

The Philistines were an immigrant (from Crete) gentile group who had settled in the coastal areas of Canaan. They had embraced “Dagon”, the Syrian and Canaanite god of agriculture, as their god, and set up temples to his worship in Gaza (destroyed by Samson) and Ashdod. It was in the temple at Ashdod that they put the captured Ark of the Covenant. The next morning the people who gathered at that temple were alarmed to see the statue of “Dagon”, with head and arms broken off, prostrate on the ground next to the Ark. At the same time, the people of Ashdod were plagued with ‘tumours’ (thought by some to be haemeroids). The Ark remained in Philistine hands for seven months, being moved from city to city, and wherever it was taken, the people were plagued by the ‘tumours’. And many others who did not suffer the ‘tumours’  died. So it was that the Philistine hierarchy called upon their priests and sages for advice about what they should do. Read the story in chapter 6 of our text. It is a story of miracles. An ox cart, drawn by cows who had left their calves (against all that is natural) and headed directly back to the  Israelites at Beth Shemesh. The curiosity of the men of Beth Shemesh, who could not resist looking inside the Ark, cost 50,070 of them their lives! How many times do we need to be reminded ? “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”. (Hebrews 10:31)

Well, it certainly got the attention of the Israelites on this occasion. The Ark was taken to Kiriath Jearim  (a town founded by Shobal, descendant of Caleb, on the border of Judah and Benjamin north of Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 2:50,53)) where it remained in safety, in the household of a man called Abinadab, for the next 20 years. After the recovery of the Ark of the LORD, Samuel spoke to the people. We could learn a good lesson if we considered these words as spoken to us even today! “If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths (the female goddesses of Cannan, principally the moon goddesses) from among you, and prepare hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines”. The reaction of the people was a measure of the standing of Samuel in the LORD’s eyes. The idols, the gods, the Ashtoreths, were all ‘put away’, and worship was again centred on the LORD. Samuel summoned the people to an assembly at Mizpah (it was here that, in the first century BCE, Judas Maccabees called an assembly before recapturing the Temple from the Romans). There the people repented of past sin and disobedience.

However, the Philistines learned that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah and went to do battle with them there, bringing great fear on the people of God. “Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him”. The LORD’s answer? A thunderstorm which so confused the Philistines that they were completely overcome. The text is not explicit on this, but I speculate that it was a violent thunderstorm that was NOT heard by the Israelites. Such is my consideration of the mighty God we serve! “And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel”. In addition to that, the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to them.

Samuel enjoyed the favour of the Lord all the days of his life. “He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there”.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  16

S a m u e l

1 Samuel 1:1  to  3:21

Eli was the ‘judge’ who followed Samson for the next 40 years. We learned last week that he was also High Priest. That did not stop him from compromising his office by failing to bring his wayward sons Hophni and Phineas, also priests, under correction for their corrupt behaviour. Their damning description? “Now the sons of Eli were corrupt, they did not know the LORD”. Eli should have known how his sons were ‘mocking’ God in respect of the sacrifices the people brought before the LORD. He seemed not to know, and even when he was told, all he did was, proverbially, “slap them on the wrist with a wet lettuce”. God’s view was very different. Speaking to Eli, He said “Why do you kick at My sacrifices and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honour your sons more than Me ?” There is a valuable lesson here. There are obviously two views of this situation. The first is the view of Hophni and Phineas, who treated violation  of God given instructions, in this case of sacrifice, in a casual and self serving manner. Along with that is the reaction of Eli, who did not grasp the gravity of what was taking place before his eyes, and for which he had the ultimate responsibility. The second is the view of God, who issued those instructions. Just read on a few verses in our text! “Therefore the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the LORD says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honour Me I will honour, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed’”. No-where in the Scriptures will you find that God has abrogated ANY of His instructions for righteous living.       

Am I ‘honoured’ or ‘lightly esteemed’ by God?  Selah!

The period of the ‘judges’ of Israel, which had prevailed for the previous few hundred years, draws to an end. Samuel, the last ‘judge’, was also a prophet of God, and Samuel was the one God chose to bring about the transition of leadership of Israel from ‘judges’ to ‘kings’. The Books of Samuel and Kings,  originally each a single book, were both divided into two books at the time the Septuagint, (Hebrew Scriptures written in Greek), also known as LXX. It was written, from about 270 BCE to 150 BCE, essentially describing the next 600 years or so of the political history of the kings of Israel. In the fulness of time, under King David, Israel became a united kingdom. But after the death of King Solomon, Israel was divided again into the two kingdoms of Israel in the north and Judah in the south. The Books of the Chronicles cover the same ground as 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings but from a more spiritual perspective, and we will make appropriate reference to the Chronicles as we proceed in our ‘reflections’ on that history.

The interesting story of Samuel’s birth is told in the opening chapter of our reading. Elkanah had two wives, one of whom, Hannah, was ‘barren’. She  had possibly heard the story of Samson’s miraculous birth, and pleaded with the LORD for a child of her own. She promised that if that child were male, he, like Samson, would be offered in the LORD’s service as a Nazarite for his lifetime. Eli saw Hannah praying, her lips moving but no sound coming from her. Eli comforted Hannah by telling her that her petition would be granted by the LORD. And it was. She named the baby Samuel (which means ‘Asked of God’.) Evidently, Elkanah had joined his wife Hannah in her vow to the LORD  and on his next annual visit to Shiloh offered sacrifice to the LORD, and he confirmed that vow (the LORD also blessed her with 3 more sons and 2 daughters later). In the fulness of time, when Samuel was old enough, he was taken to Shiloh and left with Eli to be taught in the matters of serving the LORD.  His mother made him miniature priestly garments, but as an Ephraimite, he would not be permitted to serve in the tabernacle.

“And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation”. The LORD spoke clearly to Samuel as he prepared to sleep one evening. That was the moment when God appointed the young Samuel as His prophet."So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his (Samuel’s) words fall to the ground, and all Israel from Dan to Beersheva knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD”. That is truly amazing. The seeds of unity of the people around a prophet of the LORD. But what follows provides one of the best lessons any believer could ever learn from this passage of Scripture. Note it carefully. “Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh”. The suggestion here is that the LORD had absented Himself from the people during their time of rebellion against Him. But there is MORE. “For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD”. That verse leaps out of the page for me. I have had a very personal experience of the LORD speaking directly to me through His written word. It is probable that most of us have. That is why this lesson is so vital for us today. God speaks directly through His word. God’s word is trustworthy. Many believers falter in  their faith by neglect of His word. As indeed had the Israelites in our text. There are those in our community today who claim that the LORD has spoken ‘thus and thus’ to them. Well, there is a simple test of the efficacy of that ‘word’. Does that ‘word’ accord with what God has already written? If not, treat that word, and the proclaimer, with extreme caution. Our text continues “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel”. God’s man for God’s time. God speaks to those who speak to Him! And He always speaks to those who diligently seek Him in His word.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  15

J u d g e s

The lessons and summary of the Book of Judges

We cannot leave this book of Judges, with its litany of repeated failures, without wondering why it is included in the cannon of Scripture at all. It is hardly edifying, and to many even downright discouraging. The triumph of  the rescue from the slavery of Egypt, and the long journey to the land God promised to Abram, Isaac, and Jacob, seems to have come crashing down as the people failed to honour the covenant which successive generations of Israelites had confirmed. We haven’t even seen any of those “judges” so stand out, (except for quite short periods of respite), that they motivate and lead the people in completing the task of uniting the  tribes of Israel as examples of harmonious, righteous living to the nations among whom they now lived. BUT, there is a reason, and to discover it we need to delve a bit longer into what follows this Book of Judges. Two things become clear. The author, whoever it was, uses this record of failure to bring about necessary change. Several times (seven to be exact) in the text of ‘Judges’ the author uses the words “in those days”. They indicate that the author is looking back in history at the events being described. Furthermore, that the author yearned to see improvement in the situation.

Although ‘uncertain’, a case is made that Samuel, the last ‘judge’ of Israel, was the author not only of the books that bear his name, but of Judges and Ruth too, even though Samuel did not initially favour the appointment of a democratically appointed king. The precise timing of events is not critical to our understanding of the message. However, Ruth and Boaz lived about the time when Gideon was judge in Israel. Samuel was born while Samson was judge, and Eli was High Priest and became judge over Israel shortly after, or late in the life of, Samson. We will ‘reflect’ much more on the life and influence of Samuel later in this series. But in broad terms, given Samuel’s enormous influence of events which transpire in the life of the Israelites in the promised land, it is possible to see how important it would have been for him to remind the people of their abject failure, recorded sometimes in minute detail, in the Book of Judges.

The story of the gentile Moabite lady, Ruth, adds nothing to the narrative about actual life in the land, EXCEPT as it goes to the very heart of love God demonstrates in His relationship to those who choose to worship Him out of a willing heart. Boaz himself is held up as the “kinsman redeemer”, covering his gentile bride with the attributes of love and sacrifice which are later found in the all embracing love of Yeshua. And that is in sharp contra-distinction to those who belonged to God but wittingly, even wilfully, turned away from Him into idolatry, which quickly morphed into decadence and immorality. Let us remind ourselves of some wise words of counsel which the beloved Rabbi Sha’ul gave to his protege Timothy (2 Timothy 3:16,17) centuries later. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”. For that reason, the hundreds of years of repetitious failure recorded Book of Judges is used by its author to remind future generations of Jews of the traps and pitfalls which are to be avoided. And not the least being the generation amongst whom God miraculously caused him, Samuel, to be born. One of only six men recorded in the Scriptures being born of a formerly ‘barren’ woman. God’s man for God’s time … and ALL time.

The Book of Judges does not deal with the SIXTY year period of ‘judges’  who came after Samson. That is left to the first two “books of the kings” which bear Samuel’s name. We begin our ‘reflections’ on those books next week. We know very little about Eli who succeeded Samson in that role, except that, somewhat surprisingly, he was also High Priest at the same time as he was ‘judge’ and resided in Shiloh, where the tabernacle was set up by Joshua. He was a direct descendant of Aaron’s fourth son Ithamar. We also know that he eventually lost his life as a direct result of an accident which was triggered out of his own moral failure in the matter of the conduct of his own two sons. That is an indication of the continuance of the unsavoury behaviour patterns which beset the Israelites, and which characterises the Book of Judges.

We may conclude that this was the point in history when God said “enough”. In preparation for change, and by miraculous intervention, God placed the righteous Samuel right in the centre of the ‘action’. But before any of that action could commence the Book of Judges had to be written. The failures recorded there provide the background and reasons for the need for change.

Furthermore, as we have already reminded ourselves with Paul’s quotation and counsel to Timothy, there are many lessons to be learned from this ‘book of failure’ for any who have the diligence and willingness to learn them. “Be diligent (study) to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. Another word of counsel from the Apostle Paul (2 Timothy 2:15).

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  14

J u d g e s

Judges 17:1  to  21:25

In the list of judges shown in the table here, we have ‘reflected’ on 13 of them, and the book of Judges does not mention either Eli or Samuel. After the death of Samson and the hierarchy of Philistine leaders, the writer of this book provides more detail of significant moral failure which succeeded that event. It may well be that later Scripture authors were motivated, in part, by these events in making some of their observations. I think of Psalm 1 and Matthew 7 and 12 specifically in reference to the fruit borne by ‘good’ and ‘rotten’ trees. Quite clearly, the ‘tree’  in our Judges ‘reflections’ , Israel, was ‘rotten to the core’. The strong leadership provided by Moses and Joshua, hundreds of years earlier, was a distant memory.

“And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel …”.  Which resulted, as the very last verse of our text today says “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. (Judges 21:25)  The word ‘king’ is often, as in this instance, a word used to describe the civic leader. Since Israel had no such person, it is little wonder that with no-one in charge, there was no direction, and very little, if any, moral compass. Thus opens our reading today. Micah, a man of Ephraim, stole money from his mother. He remorsefully returned it to her. It was money she had planned to use to make a statue which she would worship. Which is exactly what the money was eventually used for. Micah’s home became a shrine of idolatry, with one of his sons consecrated as a priest of that idolatry. Then a Levite (a man dedicated to the priesthood of the Lord), from Bethlehem, turned up at Micah’s home and was persuaded, for an annual stipend, to remain in Micah’s employ as a priest of idolatry. Micah reasoned that if he had a Levite as priest, albeit doing the wrong thing, that would out things right with the LORD! But that is not the end of the story. Read it in Judges 18. The tribe of Dan eventually took possession of those idols and symbols of worship, together with the wayward Levite, and set up an official idolatrous worship centre in their new location of Dan, formerly called Laish, with other pseudo priests from the tribe of Manasseh. What a mess! All this time, for hundreds of years, the House of the LORD still clearly established in Shiloh, where Joshua had set up the tabernacle. The writer of this book is now intent on establishing the depths of disobedience which had gripped Israel.

 The Levites were set apart for the service of the LORD. They were allowed to marry but had constraints on their lifestyle, and the status of the women they could marry, which were significantly more strict than for the ordinary Israelite. (Leviticus 21:14). The Levite in our text (Judges 19:1) had abandoned the conditions of his calling. A strong sign of the moral decay within that society. Perhaps there is a salutary lesson that we may learn from this. Our status as ‘believers’, since we belong to the LORD, requires that we live by standards which are different to those who have made no such commitment. And there are plenty of witnesses to our behaviour. (A personal note:- when as an 18 year old I was conscripted into the Air Force, my old Sunday school teacher counselled me to “nail your colours to the mast”. You won’t need to wonder if you are going ‘off track’ , he said, because you will be surrounded by people who will be only too pleased to tell you. He was speaking from his personal experience as a christian working in the South Wales coal mines). People around us take note of how we live as evidence of our confession of faith. Actions speak louder than words.

The graphic story of that disobedient Levite, and the events which took place as a result are detailed in Judges 19 to 21. In a bizarre and gruesome account of his “wife’s” demise, one thing stands out. “So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan (in the north) to Beersheva (in the south) as well as from  the land of Gilead (in the east), and the congregation gathered together as one man before the LORD at Mizpah”. 400,000 men of military age. They decided to send an army of 40,000 to deal with the matter. They demanded that the Benjamites (who had army of 26,000) deliver up to them the “vile men” who had killed the Levite’s wife, for judgement. They refused. In two days of conflict, Israel lost all of its army, 40,000 men. That brought the Israelites to their knees (literally) before the LORD. Read the account in Judges 20. All but 600 Benjamites lost their lives in the next battle, and their cities were destroyed. It is a sad story of disaster which can only be attributed to the judgement of God on them for their wanton disobedience to the covenants they had made, and reaffirmed, many times. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”. (Hebrews 10:31)  Yes, that is the same God who also said “I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6)      And also YES, He was addressing those who belonged to Him. Selah!

It looked as though the tribe of Benjamin would be wiped out as a result of these disastrous encounters. But in the course of time, there was a reconciliation and the other tribes found a way to keep Benjamin in the “family” of Israel by providing wives for those who survived the conflict. Never-the-less, the book of Judges lives up to the conclusion to which I referred in the first ‘reflection’ on this book, that it might well have been named “The Book of Failures”. And in spite of that, there are many lessons for us to learn about the way God deals with, loves, corrects, and chastises those who are His.                             

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  13

J u d g e s

Judges 13:1  to  16:31

“Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years”.

After this time of travail for the Israelites, the LORD Himself took a hand in their rescue. We do not read that the people cried out to the LORD as in former times. In fact there is evidence in our text today that the people had settled into a life of subservience to the Philistines! (Judges 15:11) So the LORD sent an Angel to the childless (barren) wife of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan, to announce that she would bear a son who would begin to deliver the Israelites out of the hands of the Philistines. This is not the first occasion the LORD had miraculously caused a ‘barren’ woman to bear a son who would have a prominent role in God’s plan for His people.

Think Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, now Samson, soon Samuel, and finally John the Baptiser. Six miraculous occasions in which God provided a timely leader for the benefit of the people called by His name.

Manoah’s wife, on this occasion, was given unique and  vital, instructions regarding the child she was to bear. This boy was to be dedicated, from conception, to the LORD’s service. A Nazarite to the LORD. No alcoholic drink, no unclean foods during the pregnancy. And the boy himself was not to be a Nazarite from conception to death. The conditions under which a Nazarite lived are specified in Numbers 6. Ordinarily, the vow was taken by a man or woman  for a specific period of time (remember Rabbi Sha’ul in Acts 21 demonstrating his own ‘orderly walk’ by assisting 4 men who had taken such a vow). But for this young man it was a lifetime appointment by God Himself. Such was the gravity of the work God had for him to accomplish. Manoah sought a further conversation with the Angel of the LORD to clarify how the lad was to be brought up. The Angel merely confirmed what he had already spoken to his wife, and then supernaturally departed from their presence. “So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him”. That statement covers a period of several years, during which time there came a moment when “the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him”. Now, in order to understand the context of what follows, keep in mind that at this time the Israelites were in subservience to, and cautious of, the Philistines.

However, the young Samson went to a small Philistine town, Timnah, about 5 Km east of Zorah. became attracted to a young Philistine lady, and asked his parents to arrange a marriage between them. At first they were quite reluctant to make that arrangement, (they did not know that this was part of God’s plan) but eventually Samson did marry the young Philistine woman. Read the fascinating story in Judges 14 to see how God used this lady to betray Samson and thus turn him against the Philistines. (“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD” Isaiah 55:8).

There followed a series of conflicts between Samson and the Philistines, on each occasion the conflicts resulted in many Philistines losing their lives as the Spirit of God came upon Samson to gift him with supernatural strength. Of course, we know that it was because the LORD had both chosen and anointed him for the task. We are not given any more detail here of the oppression of the Israelites by the Philistines, but evidently the effects of Samson’s presence caused him to be anointed judge over Israel for the next twenty years. We can safely assume that they were years of relative peace. But that is not the end of the story of Samson. His family lived in the area known as the “Valley of Sorek”. As did the family of a lady called Delilah, for whom Samson had developed a ruinous affection. The Philistine hierarchy bribed Delilah with the promise of 1,100 ‘pieces of silver‘ ($23,000+ in 2023 currency), to entice Samson to reveal the source of his supernatural strength.

Well, the story is very well known by anyone whoever attended a Sunday school, At the first, Samson ‘toyed’ with Delilah by inventing fanciful reasons for his strength, but eventually, in a naively trusting manner, told her the truth. Now here is an important lesson. As children, mostly, we were told what Samson declared to Delilah was the truth. That his strength came from the length of his hair. But the real truth is that the length of his hair was just a symbol of his relationship with God, made in a Nazarite vow even before he was conceived. In every case (Numbers 6) the Nazarite vow voluntarily ended with a sacrifice to God (with whom the vow was made) and shaving the head. Samson we might presume, forfeited his relationship with God, as a Nazarite, for the love of Delilah. No longer could Samson instil fear in the Philistines to the peaceful benefit of the Israelites.

However, the story of Samson, the judge of Israel, has one more surprise. Blinded and tormented by his captors he was brought before the leaders of the Philistine’s as they gathered to make sacrifice to their god, Dagon. The symbol of Samson’s strength had begun to grow again, and Samson cried out to the LORD that his supernatural strength be restored one more time. It was. And the building in which the Philistine sacrifice was to be made came crashing down on all those assembled there. “So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life”. The last word to the LORD!

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  12

J u d g e s

Judges 10:1  to  12:15

 After the death of the wicked Abimelech, there came upon the people “the curse of Jotham” (Judges 9:57). Many commentators have attempted to provide insight into this “curse”, and the general consensus seems to agree that it consists of a spirit of discontent, treachery and revenge. By any measure, such behaviour in a community or group leads to more division, and healing becomes almost impossible.

But “After Abimelech there arose to save Israel ,Tola”. He was of the tribe of Issachar, he lived in the mountains of Ephraim, and apart from knowing the names of his father and grandfather, that completes our knowledge of him. He judged Israel for 23 years and he died!

For the next 22 years Israel was judged by Jair of the tribe of Manasseh, who lived in Gilead. (Numbers 32:41) He had 30 sons, who rode on donkeys and had 30 towns in Gilead, over which they presided. Then Jair died and was buried in the town of Camon. That is the sum total of our knowledge about Jair. During the period of 55 years, while Tola and Jair were in charge of things, not-withstanding the ‘curse of Jotham’, it appeared that the people did not fall into their usual pattern of idol worship. But as soon as Jair died, the pattern resumed. All over the country, the gods of the Canaanites, of Syria, of Sidon, of Moab, of Ammon, and of the Philistines were honoured in worship instead of the God of Israel, YHWH Elohim. “So the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel”. Again. For 18 years the Israelites were harassed and oppressed. On both sides of the Jordan River, the tribes, Rueben, Gad, Manasseh, Benjamin, Judah, Ephraim experienced the harsh oppression of the Ammonites in particular. So once again, the Israelites called out to their God for help. And received a huge shock.

In human terms the word “exasperated” probably best describes the reaction of God to their pleas for His intervention. “Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress”. Now we are not given any sense of a timeline here. So it is impossible to estimate how long it took for the ‘penny to drop’ with them, or how long it was before even the LORD could stand it no more. But what is plainly evident is that the LORD was greatly distressed to see His chosen ones, with whom he had made an everlasting covenant, struggle with their oppression. And that, my dear friends, is a lesson for the whole world to know. The precursor to their salvation? “So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD”. The Scriptures tell us clearly that there is still more oppression ahead for the people called by His Name. But God will keep His covenant with those who are His. “And ALL Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26).

In our text, the ‘saviour’, the next judge over Israel, was again a most unlikely character. Jephthah, a son (by a harlot) of Gilead of the tribe of Manasseh.  Originally rejected by the rest of his step-brothers, he fled to the land of Tob, to the east of the King’s Highway (today a scenic road between Amman and Wadi Musa) in Jordan. There he became something of a bandit, but skilled in the art of warfare, and well known as a result. Thus it was that the elders of Gilead sought him out to lead them against the Ammonite predators. Jephthah was a skilled negotiator too, because he bargained with those elders to become head over them (and thus as their judge) as a condition of his help. He was less successful in his negotiations with the Ammonites (Judges 11:12-28) but,  after seeking the favour of the LORD, he made a fateful vow which eventually cost him the life of his daughter. But God gave them success in the resulting battle with the Ammonites. Yet it did not bring the peace that might have been expected. It would appear that the “curse of Jotham” was still upon them. It manifested itself in a dispute between Jephthah and the Ephraimites, who were ‘miffed’ by the fact that Jephthah had apparently not asked them to be part of the battle with the Ammonites! In the events which followed, a great battle took place between the men of Gilead and the Ephraimites, in which 42,000 Ephraimites lost their lives. Jephthah went on to judge the people for a further six years before he died.

Then followed relatively short periods of succession of the next persons who occupied the position of judges. Firstly, Ibzan, probably of the tribe of Benjamin. He judged Israel for seven years before he died. Then followed Elon of the tribe of Zebulun who occupied the position for the next ten years. After him Abdon of the tribe of Ehpraim, son of Hillel (not the famous Rabbi!) sat in judgement of the people for the next eight years. The only notable thing we are told about him is that he was quite wealthy, evidenced by the number of donkeys in his family.

Then the old patterns of behaviour returned. Idolatrous worship accompanied by unrighteous living became rife among them. So once again, the LORD allowed their enemies, this time at the hand of the Philistines, to sorely treat them. The next forty years they lived under that oppression before the Lord Himself intervened. Which is where we will start next week.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  11

J u d g e s

Judges 6:1  to  9:57

“So the land had rest for forty years. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel”.

Forty years after the death of Deborah and the miraculous delivery out of the hands of the Canaanite king Jabin, the pattern resumed! Idolatry and pagan worship replaced the worship of YHWH Elohim. The result? Fear, shame, impoverishment, subjection to their enemies, reprisals, and revenge. So yet again, in absolute despair, they cried out to the LORD. And in this we find an important lesson. It is easy to take the moral ‘high ground’ and judge these Israelites harshly. They surely deserve that harsh appraisal. But take a moment to compare and evaluate your own position in God’s eyes. Most of us, speaking truthfully, would have to confess our own shortcomings. I, for one, bow my head in shame. The sin might have a different character, but it is still sin, that causes separation from God’s influence. And that is precisely the situation of these ancient people through whom God chooses to reveal His nature of love of those who are His. Our God is a covenant keeping God. He did not, and does not, turn away from those who turn to Him in times of trouble. But I believe He expects that those who so do are sincere, remorseful, and penitent in their approach. Such was the case in our passage of Scripture today.

But first, God sent a prophet to speak to the Israelites. We do not know the prophet’s name, in fact all we do know is that it was one sent by God. The message of prophet was simple. He reminded the people of their history. Of the faithfulness of God. Of the deliverance of their forefathers out of the bondage of Egypt. Of the promises, in covenant, which their predecessors  had made, and the blunt pronouncement that they had failed to keep that covenant. That was followed up by “the Angel of the LORD”, who  came and sat under an oak tree on the property of one called Joash, of the tribe of Manasseh. His son Gideon, was at that time fearfully hiding out of sight of the Midianites in the winepress, threshing wheat. Then “the Angel of the LORD” appeared to Gideon and spoke to him. “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valour!”  It would be a gross understatement to say that Gideon was a reluctant candidate. Probably the last thing he would have described himself as was a "mighty man of valour!”. Here he was hiding out of sight of the Midianites. Yet, he was God’s choice for the situation. God’s instruction? “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” Followed up by “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man”. Try to imagine how you might react to such a commission.   Selah!

Well, the rest of the story is very well known. Gideon, the reluctant hero, was still unsure that he had actually, really, heard the message from God. The lengths he went to to verify that are amazing. “Show me a sign that it is YOU who talk with me. Do not depart from here (the winepress where Gideon was hiding), until I bring out my offering and set it before You”. When he returned with his offering, ‘the Angel of the LORD” spoke again. instructing him to put his offering on a rock there. Then the ‘Angel’ touched the offering with a rod, and immediately fire came out of the rock and consumed the offering. Wow !!! Then, emboldened by what he had witnessed, he was ready for his next assignment. It is a remarkable story. Read it in Chapter 6 of our text. And yet, after that, Gideon still wanted confirmation that God was with him and sought yet another sign with the well known story of the wet and dry fleeces.

Gideon was now ready to engage the Midianites in battle. But God had a few tests of His own for Gideon to pass before that battle took place. Gideon had assembled an army of Israel, from the tribes of Mannaseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to join with him in the fight. So God set about downsizing that army to a mere 300 men to accompany Gideon into battle ! By this means God ensured that the victory would be “not by might. nor by power, but by the Spirit of the LORD”. (Zechariah 4:6)  The story is told in Chapters 7 and 8 of our text.  Thus it was that God chose Gideon, of the tribe of Manasseh, to be judge (and saviour). over Israel. And the Scripture tells us that there was peace in the land for another forty years while Gideon was alive. He died of a ‘good old age’ leaving seventy sons, born to him of several wives, and one son born of his concubine. That son was named Abimelech. 

As soon as Gideon died, the idolatry (Baal worship) recommenced. Abimelech became ‘judge’ over Israel by treacherous default. A real scoundrel. In chapter 9 of our text Gideon is referred to as Jerubbaal (Judges 6:32). 69 of the 70 sons of Gideon by his several wives were slaughtered by Abimelech, and he himself met his own untimely death at the hand of the 70th son. It is a complete tale of vile treachery. Perhaps symptomatic of the debauched way in which these people behaved when there was no God appointed leader to guide them in the ways of righteous living. Just like today.                     

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  10

J u d g e s

Judges 4:1  to  5:31

The events we covered last week span the years when Othniel and the left- handed Ehud were appointed as judges over Israel. It seems as though a pattern developed, wherein the Israelites got themselves into trouble, mostly by their neglect of the covenant they had made with God, by turning to the idolatrous and pagan ways of the various groups they were supposed to have driven off the land. Then in time, they would be so oppressed by their pagan enemies that they would again plead with God, and in His love, mercy and grace towards them, another judge would be appointed to rescue them and bring them back to right living again …. for a time !

The lesson for us who wish to learn it is obvious. Those who belong to God, the Israelites in this story, pay a dreadful price for their disobedience to the covenant willingly entered into with God. By ‘taking His hands off them’, which He clearly warned would be the result of their wanton disregard of those promises, they leave themselves open to the traps of sinfulness with which they were surrounded. That did not mean that they were abandoned by God, but they moved outside of His protection. The Apostolic Scriptures provide a warning for us if we are willing to listen. Look at Jude 21. This exhortation is paraphrased in the Living Bible as “stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and protect you !”  Moving outside those boundaries is fraught with hazardous consequence.

Our ‘reflection’ this week begins with the death of Ehud. The pattern continued and again the people “did evil in the sight of the LORD”.  There was a short period when Shamgar was appointed judge, and he operated in the territory of the Philistines in the Western plains and mountains. He reportedly killed 600 of them single-handedly with an ox goad. It is possible that his appointment coincided with that of Ehud while he was dealing with issues with the Moabites in the Eastern parts of Israel. And then we are introduced to Deborah, probably an Ephraimite, (she lived, near Bethel) who was first a prophetess, and now God’s chosen as judge over Israel. The only female to hold such office. I am intrigued to wonder exactly HOW the Israelites from each of the tribes knew who was appointed judge over them, but it is evident that they did. We are told that “she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came unto her for judgement”. But that was not all. It seems that the LORD also spoke to Deborah in her anointing as a prophet, giving her knowledge of the affairs of the tribes.

At this time, the Israelites were being oppressed by the Canaanite king, Jabin. He lived in Hazor, a large city in the Galilee, conquered by Joshua many years earlier, and in the territory allotted to the tribe of Naphtali. So it was that Deborah sent for Barak, of the tribe of Naphtali, who dutifully appeared before her. It is further evident that the LORD had provided Deborah with the wisdom and understanding of a military commander so that she had the God given plan to deal with the cruel excesses of king Jabin and his army. Deborah instructed Barak to assemble an army of 10,000 from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley. (Some  consider this to be the mountain of Yeshua’s ‘transfiguration’ (Matthew 17)). Mount Tabor is over 550 metres high, providing a very good vantage point over the valley below. Barak agreed to assemble the army as instructed on condition that Deborah herself would accompany them, which she did, at the same time warning Barak that by so doing he would not be credited with the ‘glory’ of the battle victory, which she knew God would provide, because Sisera would be die at the hands of a woman.

Sisera was the commander of king Jabin’s army. God caused Heber, a Kenite from the family of Hobab (described here as Moses’ father-in-law, but in Numbers 10 as his brother-in-law) to inform Sisera that the armies of Naphtali and Zebulun had amassed at Mount Tabor. This is an interesting matter in regard to the purposes of God, as will become evident later in the story when we are introduced to Heber’s wife, Jael. In military terms it was a contest that Sisera could not lose, Although numerically greatly outnumbered, 10,000 Israelites against Canaanites in 900 Iron Chariots (it was the modern equivalent of thousands of foot soldiers against a handful of heavily armoured tanks), But that ignores the fact that God was on Israel’s side. He still is! We learn, from the song of eventual triumph sung by Deborah and Barak that God intervened in that ‘unequal’ contest by sending a great rainstorm which caused the chariots to be stuck in the muddy ground. That neutralised the advantage of Sisera and promptly changed it to Israel who had the vastly superior numbers. Read the story as recorded in Judges 4.

Sisera escaped and fled right into the hands of Jael, Heber’s wife. The lesson we may take from this is a simple “If God be for you, who can be against you?” Read the song of triumph of Barak and Deborah in Judges 5. Up until this time, Deborah had been judge over Israel for twenty years. Our Scripture passage ends with the words “So the land had rest for forty (more) years”.  IF only the lessons had been learned !    

Shabbat

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  09

J u d g e s

Judges 1:1  to  3:31

Joshua was dead. But before he died he had called all tbe tribal elders and officials of Israel to an assembly at which he had carefully reminded them of their history, the exploits of their forefathers, and the faithful guidance and protection of YHWH ELOHIM. For the continuance of that protection, he exhorted them to be diligent (‘very courageous’ is what the translators used) in their observation of the covenant which their forefathers had made with God, and which they had also ratified under Joshua’s leadership.

The early chapters of Judges contains accounts of events which have also been dealt with in the Book of Joshua. Commentators have suggested that these are ‘flashbacks’ which describe the events which had already occurred. It also provides a rather different perspective in that the issues of conquest are also seen as incomplete and compromised. We know that many Canaanites lost their lives, but there were also many survivors, who continued to live amongst the newly arrived Israelite tribes after they had essentially claimed total victory.

There are some good reasons to expect that this “Book of Judges” be filled with accounts of success and harmony for the Israelites. Regrettably, as our ‘reflections’ progress we will see that it is not. Some commentators have observed that it could have been more appropriately called the “Book of Failures”. Lasting less than 400 years (timing discrepancies accounted for by overlapping periods for some judges), it begins with the tribe of Judah, seemingly chosen by God to set an example to the others, doing exactly what the LORD had commanded. With the aid of the Simeonites, who had a land allotment within the boundaries of the Judeans, they set out to occupy the land and to drive out the Canaanites, Perizzites, and Amorites who were then still dwelling in that land. The cities of Jerusalem, Hebron, Debir, Zephath, Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron all fell into the hands of Judah. But the people who dwelt in the lowlands had chariots of iron, and proved to be a different proposition. Also, as noted earlier, there were many that survived. In the process, Caleb, whose inheritance was a city in the mountain region of Hebron, offered his daughter Achsah, in marriage, to the person who took possession of that place. In the event it was his nephew, Othniel, who won the prize! Othniel also later is acknowledged as the first of the Judges of Israel.

Jerusalem (Jebus at that time) was occupied by the Jebusites of course. It seems that they were especially difficult to dislodge. We are told that neither the Judeans (Joshua 15:63) nor the Benjamites (Judges 1:21) were able to drive them out. So even though the city of Jebus was part of the inheritance of Benjamin, Judah as the lead tribe (so to speak), and closely bordering the land given to Benjamin, also attempted to clear that city, but without success. And so it continued that each of the tribes, listed in turn, failed to do what they had been instructed by God to do. Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan certainly took possession of their allotted territory  but did not ‘completely drive out the Canaanites’ but rather made accommodation with them, by “putting them under tribute” as “forced labourers”. Now all this was happening during Joshua’s lifetime, and the LORD called them to account in a place called Bochim (of uncertain location, but thought by some to be another name for Bethel). Bochim is literally ‘a place of weeping’. Because after God had chastised them they wept and made sacrifices to the LORD there. “So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel”.

There is a timely lesson for any willing to learn it, in the narrative which follows. Reminiscent of the situation described in Exodus 1:8, we read “Another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel”. How could that possibly be? Well there is a quite simple explanation, and within it comes the lesson. In simplistic terms, it is by neglect of the instructions God had annunciated as a condition of their prosperity and protection in the land of His promise. But what did they ‘drift’ into? Idolatry. “They forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them up out of the land Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them”. It is relatively easy for us to ‘wag the finger’ at them today. We have the whole account of matters set out in print for us to read. BUT an honest appraisal of the events in our world today indicates that the same things are happening in our society, sadly, even within the community of believers. And God is doing the same today as He did then.

At that time He chose NOT to intervene. “These are the nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel by them. … the Philistines, Canaanites, Sidoneans, Hivites , and Baalites … to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses”.

Chapter 3 of our text provides a record of the testing of the LORD. He raised up “Judges” to point the way. Time and again the people failed the test. God has raised up prophets in our time to faithfully remind us of His word and expectations as to how He wants us to live. This record of the Book of Judges provides timely reminders for us today. It requires a personal response from each of us.             

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  08

J O S H U A

Joshua 22:1  to  24:33

Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, Moses had consented to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and one half of the tribe of Manasseh, settling in Gilead, on land east of the Jordan. But Joshua, as he prepared to enter the land, knew that there would be battles to be won in order to drive out the Canaanite inhabitants. For that reason he required that those tribes which were to settle in the east, could not be excused from such engagement, and ordered that the men of “arms bearing” age, cross the Jordan with the main congregation of people to assist them conquer the land. Which they did. Our reading today starts at the point where the nine and one half tribes were in their allotted territory, and settlement was underway. So Joshua gathered the people at Shiloh and spoke to them (the tribes that had left families to assist in conquering the land). “You have not left your brethren (the tribes in the promised land) these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brethren (job done), as He promised them; now therefore return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan”. Then he cautioned them to be sure to keep the commandments of the LORD and to “serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul”.

As they journeyed to their home in Gilead, they came to the Jordan River. There they constructed a “great, impressive altar”, similar to the altar which was in the tabernacle at Shiloh. When the Israelites learned of this, they thought that it was an act of rebellion against God, setting up an alternative  to the worship centre in Shiloh, and decided to ‘sort it out’ with them. It was the first sign of dissent among the “brethren” tribes. But it was not an act of rebellion, but an act of ‘remembrance and witness’ to all who would see it in the future, that even though the tribes would be divided by the River Jordan, the ‘altar of witness’ which they had erected would serve as a reminder of the solidarity between the tribes on each side of the River. “For it is a witness between us that the LORD is God”. So the dispute was settled and harmony was restored between all the tribes of Israel.

Then came the time, about 30 years after Joshua had led the children of Israel across the Jordan River, when he was 110 years of age, that the Israelites had to live a life of ‘normality’ in their own land. The structural framework of the nation had been put in place. The tabernacle was functioning in Shiloh. The Levites were living in 48 cities which were dispersed throughout the territory, and the 6 cities of refuge were established. So Joshua called together the elders, the leaders, and the judges and officials of the tribes, to a meeting so that he could give them a final address as a group. “I am old, advanced in age. You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has fought for you”. He said. Then he re-stated the promise of God to continue to support and favour them in the sight of their enemies. But Joshua knew very well the frailties of the people, so he took opportunity to reinforce the source and foundation of the protection that they would need to survive in their new land. He continued “Therefore be very courageous (not the courage needed to win a battle with an enemy, but) to keep and do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or the left”.

The Hebrew word used for “courageous” in that exhortation to these people is “chazaq”. It means to “hold fast, to be obstinate in, strengthen”. And the preposition “very” in Hebrew is “m’od”, which means “vehemently, wholly”. So the exhortation of Joshua, might provide a lesson for those of us today who wish to know the favour of the LORD as we go about our daily tasks. Could it be that the very source of their strength and protection, and the courage needed to pursue it, is the same for those who today seek the protection and ‘success’ in life that Joshua prescribed for these people? After all, we have been reminded in these ‘reflections’ many times of the word of the LORD in Malachi 3:6, “I am the LORD, I do not change”.      Selah.

So we come to the end of the beginning of the Israelites sojourn in the land God promised to them. The first thirty years included the time of entering, subduing, conquering, dividing, and settling. And in God’s purposes, just as Moses time had come to an end with the land in sight, so now, Joshua’s task had been completed with the land in Israel’s possession. “Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel:’ …..””.  Joshua then recalled for them the history of their forefathers from the calling of Abram to their present position in the land. Then he put things ‘right on the line’. Read it for yourselves in Joshua 24. “So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day … wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God … and he took a large stone and set it up (for all to see as a memorial) under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD”.

Then Joshua died and was buried within the border of the land that he had inherited from the LORD. “Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel”.  Off to a good start in the land. Next week we begin to ‘reflect’ on the days which follow.    

Shabbat Shalom

RS

The Promised Land “reflections”  07

J O S H U A

Joshua 20:1  to  21:45

The land had been allotted to each tribe so that settlement of the land could be completed in an orderly and timely manner. The instruction of the LORD was that the Canaanites be driven off the land, and certainly that there should be no compromise in accommodating the pagan rites, rituals, and practises which were part and parcel of their lifestyle. The ‘new order’ was to be strictly Torah based living. And it had been made abundantly clear that observance of Torah was vital to their ‘success’, through God’s continuing aid and protection, in settlement. The extent to which this command was observed, or not, will become clear as we progress through these ‘reflections’.

BUT, God had not finished with the instructions of preparations for life in the new land yet! “Speak to the children of Israel saying ‘ Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge’”. In that statement, God clearly illustrated His intent that life in the promised land for the people He called “His special treasure”, was to be very different from “the ways of the world”. When Moses was still alive (Numbers 35:6-34), God had given him instructions about these cities. The map here shows the location of them. SIX in all. They were spaced around the community in such a manner that no-one had more than about 30 miles to travel from anywhere in the land to arrive in the one closest to them. God wanted them to live together in the land in an orderly and safe manner, but recognised that there were occasions when someone might accidentally cause the death of another. In those days, and in some societies, even today, custom has it that the family of the deceased seeks to extract a ‘blood price’, in the form of ‘revenge’  killing, of the person who caused that death. It is worthy of note that the Hebrew expression is “ga’al haddam”, which properly translates as “blood redeemer”. That has more a connotation of ‘making right’. But it makes no allowance for accidental death (Deuteronomy 19:4-7), so in the promised land, if that person could get into one of these cities of refuge, his/her life would be safe from such ‘revenge’. Upon arrival at one of these cities the person seeking refuge would declare the circumstance to the elders of the city of refuge, and would be given lodging and safety for a period of time. Either until that person was given the opportunity to stand in impartial trial before the congregation in judgment of the case, or until the death of the one occupying the position of High Priest in that day. Why? The best explanation I was able to discover was because of the High Priestly, God ordained, authority in his sacrificial, atonement, duties on Yom Kippur each year. An authority which is deemed to remain for the next twelve months, or until his death before that time expired. It is also symbolic of the sacrificial death, and the redemptive features, of our Saviour Yeshua’s death.

(As the high priest, by reason of the anointing with the holy oil, became qualified to act as the representative of the nation, and in that capacity acted as their mediator for the great day of atonement, so the death of the high priest assumed a symbolic or representative character, and became a type of that great High Priest who, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God, and who by His death made a propitiation for the sins of the world. Thus, as by the death of the Jewish high priest a typical atonement was made for the sin of the Israelite manslayer, and he was restored thereupon to "the land of his possession" amongst his brethren, so by the death of our High Priest they who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before them, are restored to the inheritance which had been forfeited by sin, and made joint heirs with Christ of those mansions which He has gone before to prepare for those who love Him.)

Our ‘reflection’ this week, also covers one more Godly provision in the land settlement. It concerns the Levites who were not apportioned a territorial land allotment. Shiloh was the gathering place of the people because the tabernacle was there, and that was the place where the Levites had duties to perform. Eleazar, Aaron’s son, was High Priest at that time, so the heads of the families of the Levites came before him and Joshua at Shiloh. They proclaimed “The LORD commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their common lands for our livestock” And so it was. “So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their common lands:” The rest of our reading contains the detail of the cities which were given, by lot, to the families of the three sons of Levi, Gershon,  Kehath, and Merari. A total of 48 cities with their surrounding common lands. The cities of refuge, discussed earlier in this ‘reflection’ were included in this total of 48 cities.

The main lesson to come from this distribution of land is the fairness and care which God took to avoid any possibility of dispute among His chosen ones. Caleb and Joshua were given special privilege, to which no-one had objection. The Levites were given places to live distributed widely through the land to be accessible to everyone as their priestly need arose. The unintentional sins of causing death by accident were treated with sensible precautionary refuge. And each tribe was involved in the land survey so that when Joshua cast lots in the distribution, there was no dispute. “So the LORD gave to Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it”.             

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Image Reference: 

Source:

IMAGE 1 - Grace and Truth Ministries - cgtruth.org 

IMAGE 2 - https://messianic-revolution.com/

The Promised Land “reflections”  06

J O S H U A

Joshua 16:1  to  19:51

The land of God’s promise to Abraham had been relatively quickly subdued. The important Cannanite kings, their cities and villages had been conquered by Joshua, and many thousands of the Cannaites had lost their lives … but not ALL of them. We are at a point, some seven years after that initial flurry of success, where seven of the tribes had not had their land allotment specified. So, whilst generally allotted, much of it still not settled by them. As you read the Scripture passage this week, the map will provide a glimpse of the territory in the south. Land which was eventually allotted to Ephraim, Dan, Benjamin, Judah and Simeon. Then, to the north of this were Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, Asher, and half the tribe of Manasseh. Further, to the East on the other side of the Jordan River, the other half tribe of Manasseh, Gad, and Reuben had a land allotment when Moses was still alive. The tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, with specific ministry duties were allotted cities within the land, their sustenance provided  by the LORD, from the sacrificial and gift offerings brought by the people.

Now, within the specific land allotment, it was left for the elders of each tribe to designate the precise parcel of land assigned to each “family” within that tribe. And each of those “families” was headed by a son of one of the elders. The daughters were assumed to be cared for as they got married and shared  their husband’s home and land. However, Zelophehad, one of Manasseh’s descendants, had died on the wilderness journey without having sons of his own, but he had five daughters. They had foreseen that they would be disinherited in the promised land as a result (Numbers 27:1-11) and took the matter to Moses. He interceded before the LORD and thus the laws of inheritance were changed to accomodate the situation. That had significant implications on the land apportionment which resulted in the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh being allotted additional land in the mountainous regions of what became known as Samaria (the northern kingdom) when Israel was divided after the death of King Solomon centuries later.

Much is made of the Brook Kanah (Kanaan), which forms the boundary between Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. (Certainly by the people of Yaqir, a settlement a few miles from Ariel, which sits right on that very border, at Brook Kanaan today) They were charged by Joshua to take possession of the mountainous country as well as the fertile land they were allotted, in order accommodate their “families’. Joshua reminded them of God’s promises, and challenged them with the words “IF you are a great people etc etc, go and take the land and clear it for your families to settle” But, the Bible tells us that, instead of driving the Canaanites off the land, they chose instead to enslave them with “forced labour”.  One may only speculate today what are the ramifications which follow that decision.

During this “settlement” period, Joshua had set up the tabernacle, which they had carried with them throughout their wilderness journey. Shiloh (about 30 km north of Jerusalem), being very roughly central to the land being settled, was chosen as its location. It seems a little confusing,  but seven of the tribes still had not had their land inheritance spelled out in detail. So, when the whole congregation was meeting at Shiloh, Joshua commissioned the Israelites to choose three men from each tribe and charged them to “Go, walk through the land, survey it, and come back to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh”. Thus it was that the remaining ‘unsettled’ land was surveyed in detail. There was no partiality, hence no dispute, and was THEN apportioned, by lot, among those seven tribes.

The territorial boundaries, having been surveyed carefully, one presumes to include a liveable area of land, then became the duty of each nominee tribe to settle and divide among that tribe’s families. In order of allocation, the seven lots fell to Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. The details of the boundaries are recorded in Chapter 18 of our text. However, that is not the end of the story, as we will discover when we come to the Book of the Judges. Dan in particular, seemingly had great difficulty in dislodging the Canaanites from their coastal land, where Tel Aviv lies today, and were confined to the mountainous regions of their land allocation in the east of their allotment. One assumes, for this reason, that the Danites, moved further north, even above the land where Naphtali  was allotted,  and settled there.

Finally, the Israelites decided that Joshua, their esteemed leader, deserved an inheritance of his own. And just as Joshua had assigned the city of Hebron to his friend and colleague Caleb, so the Israelites gave Joshua “according to the word of the LORD”  the city of Timnath Serah, “which he had asked for” in the mountains of Ephraim. Not too far from Shiloh.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Image Reference: 

Source:

https://www.preceptaustin.org/biblical_maps

The Promised Land “reflections”  05

J O S H U A

Joshua 13:1  to  15:63

Last week, we noted that the ‘subduing’ of the land had only taken about one year from the time of the crossing of the Jordan River. But a further five years or so would pass before the Israelites properly “settled’ in the land. Joshua is reminded by God, that he was now ‘advanced in years” (so nicely put) and there was still much to be accomplished before the congregation of Israel could properly “possess” the land.. Notwithstanding the enormity of the victorious land and city gains we ‘reflected’ on last week, ’possession’ of the land meant living in the land in a lifestyle of some normality. Furthermore, there were still some areas of land, specifically that occupied by the Philistines on the coast, and by a group called Gebalites in the North, as well as the Geshurites who occupied land also in the North but East of the Jordan River, which had not already been taken by Moses, which he had promised to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh (Deuteronomy 29:8). We note that the land area described in this passage of Scripture vastly exceeds that which we know as Israel today. However, we also take note, that (we might assume for compassionate reasons) “Nevertheless the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites, or the Maacathites, but the Geshurites and the Maacathites dwell among the Israelites until this day”. And we (I confess to speculation here) are left to wonder whether or not this (disobedience) is a major reason for the ongoing land disputes which are part and parcel of everyday life for Israel, even today.

We also note that specific mention is made of Baalam, who was ‘killed by the sword’. He was the prophet, described here as a soothsayer, paid by Balak the Moabite king, to place a curse on the children of Israel during their wilderness journey (Numbers 22). I am reminded here (Genesis 12:3) of the promise God made to Abram in regard to a persons ‘attitude’ towards Israel. We are left with the supposition that those who lost their lives in the various battles as Joshua swept through the land, was the judgment which God, for reasons we may not understand, visited upon those people.

The remainder of our reading today deals with the actual apportionment of land, with specific geographical boundaries, among the tribes of Israel. The apportionment was not by equal land area, but “according to their families”. That speaks of an apportionment according to need, because the tribes were of varying numerical size. It would be incumbent on each family to engage in farming their land apportionment to sustain that family. It is also important to remember that the Israel many of us might visit today in tour groups, is vastly different (after about 1,800 years of drought which did not end until approx. 130 years ago) in its fertility, than it was in the days of Joshua. At that time, the consensus of the 12 spies sent to check out the land was “It truly flows with milk and honey , and this is (a sample of) its fruit” (Numbers 13:27).

The nine and a half tribes who were to be accommodated in this land apportionment did not include the Levites. They had been chosen by God for “special duties” (Exodus 32:29) as priests at the time of the ‘golden calf’ incident. Also, there is NO tribe of Joseph. His place in the tribal history of Jacob is taken by Joseph’s TWO sons, born to him in Egypt, Ephraim and Manasseh. Now Moses had already apportioned land (in present day Jordan and Syria) which he had acquired in encounters with the Ammonites and Moabites, to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh (half tribe). Many Bibles conveniently publish maps at the end of the book, one of which is usually entitled  “The Twelve Tribes”. If you have such, look it up and take note of the variation in land size each tribe occupied. (The tribe of Dan later re-located themselves to the Northern border above Naphtali. Dan was numerically the second largest tribe, but was apportioned one of the the smallest, albeit very fertile, land mass! More about Dan as we proceed through our ‘reflections’).

Our Bible tells us that Joshua was instructed by Moses, at the LORD’s command, to apportion the land “by lot”. (If we were doing that today we would probably put all the names in a hat and draw them out one at a time). But during this process, Caleb, a Judean, who, like Joshua, had been faithful in his report and recommendation after the spying mission 45 years earlier, reminded Joshua that God had promised him that, for his faithfulness, (Numbers 14:24) he would have an inheritance in the land. So Caleb made a request for a specific place. As a result the Judeans inherited the high country where Jerusalem now stands, and specifically for Caleb, the area of Hebron, a few miles just south of there. However, in the process of “settlement”, the Judeans were not able to drive the Jebusites out of the city of Jerusalem. This would have an impact on events some hundreds of years later, because David, as king, was obliged to purchase the “threshing floor” of Araunah for fifty shekels of silver. That has significance even today, because there are THREE places mentioned in our Bibles where the Israelites PURCHASED land, as opposed to just taking it over in the settlement. The tomb in which the bones of Joseph were placed (Joshua 24:32), and the burial plot in Hebron, (Genesis 23:15-18) bought by Abraham are the other two.

So it was that the Israelites began to possess the land of God’s promise to them.                       

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Image Reference: 

Source:

www.bible.ca/maps - Steve Rudd - (2019)

The Promised Land “reflections”  04

J O S H U A

Joshua 9:1  to  12:24

It is worthy of note that the events we have ‘reflected’ upon so far, and those which we ‘reflect’ on now, all occurred within the first year after the Israelites entered the land. There could not have been anyone living in that land who was not aware of the Israelites rapid conquering progress. When the kings of the people (Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite) learned about the capture of Jericho and Ai, they were scared out of their minds. So they concocted a plan to combine their armies to fight together against the Israelites. However, the Gibeonites, centred a little to the north of Jerusalem,“worked craftily” my Bible says! They pretended, “because of the name of the LORD your God” to have come from a very far country to make a peace treaty with the Israelites. They dressed in old clothes and carried mouldy food and worn out wineskins as a sign of the length of their journey. Naively, the Israelites accepted the story and made a treaty which guaranteed that the imposters and their clan would not suffer the same treatment as the inhabitants of Jericho and Ai. Three days later the truth was revealed. The imposters were not from a ‘very far country’, but a short couple of days journey away. Chapter 9 of our text has the full story. The result was that Joshua placed upon them the curse of lifelong servitude, doing menial but worthwhile tasks of cutting wood and drawing water. (A glance at the inset map  will show the amount of territory the Israelites had covered in just a few days, with much more to quickly follow, even though the main congregation of the Israelite tribes remained camped at Gilgal near Jericho).

Gibeon, a city much larger than Ai, was a short distance north of Jerusalem. And with Gibeon now having a treaty with the Israelites, the Amorite king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, with the cooperation of other Amorite kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, decided to attack Gibeon. Chapter 10 of our text fills in the details. The Gibeonites turned to Joshua for help. It is quite a remarkable story. The result was a resounding victory for Joshua, and a devastating defeat for the Amorite kings. The consequence, of course, was that huge tracts of land and more cities came under Joshua’s control. The promise of God, “to be with Joshua” was amply demonstrated by two miraculous events. First, the Bible tells us that more Amorites died that day in a hailstorm, than were killed by Joshua’s army. But it is the second phenomenon which had not happened before or since (NASA scientists were reported to have discovered a ‘missing day’ in history while charting spacecraft trajectory paths in 1999), and is a matter of endless dispute. The day of that battle, when Joshua chased the invading armies as they were put to flight, was long and arduous. As light began to fade, with a prospect of the fleeing armies escaping in the darkness, Joshua spoke to the LORD, requesting that the light not fade. “So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day”. The five kings were found hiding in a cave, and were summarily dealt with later. In short order, the surrounding cities of Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron, the mountain country and the lowlands to the South from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, all fell into the hands of Joshua. The scale of that victory is incredible. And it all came about, at God’s hands, because Joshua had made a ‘treaty of peace’ with the Gibeonites because of their blatant deception! I wonder if the writer to the Hebrews might have considered this event when he wrote “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”. (Hebrews 10:31) Furthermore, I also take note that the way in which the land was won, and  the hostile nations defeated, was due, largely, by those nations waging war in attack against the children of Israel, not the other way around! Does that speak to you, as it does to me, of a future event, prophesied in Joel 3:2. “I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land.”

So it was that most of the southern part of the Canaanite land was under Joshua’s control. The main encampment of the children of Israel remained on the plains at Gilgal. Then Jabin, who was king of Hazor, a large Canaanite city about 10 Km north of the sea of Galilee, persuaded a number of kings of the north of the nation (Joshua 11:1-5) to join with him in a mighty battle against Joshua’s armies. The battle ground was north of the sea of Galilee, near Hazor. “But the LORD said to Joshua,’ Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel”.

Then, perhaps the best lesson any of us could learn from this whole event. “As the LORD commanded Moses His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses. Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain - the mountains of Israel and its lowlands”. Mission accomplished. All within one year of crossing the Jordan River to enter the land. And in addition to that, there was the land that Moses had taken on the East side of the River. Areas we know today as the Golan and West Jordan (what was Bashan). The remainder of our text specifies the thirty one kings whose land had been taken. It now remained for stewardship of that land to be properly, and fairly, allocated among the tribes who had been part of Joshua’s victorious army.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Image Reference: 

Source:

https://emp.byui.edu/SATTERFIELDB/Ancient%20Israel/Gibeon.htm

The Promised Land “reflections”  03

J O S H U A

Joshua 5:1  to  8:35

“So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea (Mediterranean), heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel”. Exactly what Rahab had told the spies.

They had arrived in the land, but the LORD was not ready for them to begin the occupation of the land yet. We note that the Israelites had left Egypt on the night of the tenth plague with which God demonstrated His great power to the Egyptian Pharaoh 40 years earlier. At that time, all the Israelite males bore in their body the (Genesis 17:9-14) Abrahamic covenant sign of circumcision. But during their wilderness journey, that practise had not been kept, so males under 40 years of age, who had been born during their journey were not “kosher”….. Yet! That matter was corrected before the land occupation commenced. Furthermore, in God’s perfect timing, it just ‘happened’ to be just before the “mo’ed” (appointed time) of Passover. Isn’t it interesting how God arranged the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea (on dry land). just after the very first Passover, and now the people had miraculously crossed the Jordan (on dry land), just before it was time to celebrate the first Passover in their new land. Albeit not before all the males bore in their body that Abrahamic covenant sign of circumcision.

But there’s more! We tend to forget that right up to that very time, God was still providing “manna” each day, and a double portion on a Sabbath. The very next day after the Passover was the “mo’ed” of Unleavened bread. On that day, and for the next seven days, they ate unleavened bread which they made from grain which they collected from the plains of Jordan in which they now camped. From that day forward, God’s provision of the daily “manna” ceased. Then the challenge of occupying the land began. It really became a survival issue for the people as God’s provision of daily food had ceased.

Before them was the city of Jericho. What was Joshua to do? Their squabbles on the journey over the previous 40 years had for the most part been among themselves. Yes! They had prevailed over various marauding people as they drew near the promised land. Amorites, Amalekites, Midianites, Balaamites and the like as the LORD led them under Moses command. But Jericho was a walled fortified city. A decidedly different proposition. Then Joshua saw him. A man with a drawn sword. “The Commander of the army of the LORD!” no less. His presence was immensely reassuring to Joshua. The actual fall and conquer of Jericho is one of the most well known stories in our Bible. No-one who ever attended a Sunday school could fail to recite the main elements of the story. Read it again, with awe, in Chapter 6 of our text. It ends with Joshua pronouncing a curse on anyone who rebuilds the city in the future. Evidently, in time it was reoccupied, because King David caused his men to reside there while their beards regrew after their humiliation at the hands of the Ammonite king, Hanun (2 Samuel 10:5). And later still, in Elijah’s days, the Israelite king Ahab allowed Hiel to rebuild Jericho, losing his oldest and youngest sons in the process (1 Kings 16:34).

During the conquest of Jericho, God had declared that the vessels of gold, silver, bronze, and iron were to be consecrated to the LORD’s treasury. Everything else was “accursed”, and was to be destroyed. Well, Achan of the tribe of Judah, thought no-one would know if he helped himself to a few bits and pieces which he found attractive. Am I the only one who can see a very human lesson here? There are numerous examples which could be cited here from society today (cheating on pensions, expenses, GST payments and many more) which constitute God’s list of “accursed things”. What Achan thought was ‘in secret’ (as it may well have been to those around him) was ‘in plain sight’ to God, Who sees what man hides in his heart.

The city of AI, where Abram had built an altar centuries earlier (Genesis 12:8), was the next place to be taken. Joshua again sent spies to survey the scene and to determine a strategy to conquer it. The spies reported AI to be an easy target and not to expend too many resources in the attack. However, God wanted to show Joshua that He was angry at the wanton disobedience of Achan at Jericho. The conversation Joshua had with the LORD, recorded in Chapter 7 of our text is worth reading aloud. It speaks of the manner in which the LORD expects those who make covenant with Him to order their lives, in secret and in public. (Yeshua, in His “sermon on the Mount” address, makes reference to this, albeit speaking about private prayer in particular, in Matthew 6:6).

But having the matter dealt with so publicly, try to imagine the effect on the rest of the Israelites as they continued in their task of securing the land? And so it was that the LORD gave instructions to Joshua to take ALL the men who bore arms into battle against a revitalised king of AI. After the conquest, Joshua built another memorial altar to the LORD. Then before the nearby mountains of Ebal and Gerazim, Joshua assembled the whole congregation of the Israelites and read to them EVERY word of the Torah which God had given to Moses as the “instruction for living righteously”, together and before others.  It hasn’t changed, even to this day!                    

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Image Reference: 

Source:

http://godswarplan.com/battle-of-ai-joshua-8-achan-sin-stealing-the-plun...

The Promised Land  “reflections” 02

J O S H U A

Joshua 1:1  to  4:24

“After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD”. Do you wonder what the people might be thinking at this point in their journey? All those under 40 years of age, and many of the others, had never known another leader. In fact there hadn’t been a national leader before Moses. Now he was dead. They didn’t even know what happened to his body. Across the valley they could see the land of God’s promise. What sort of leader would Joshua be? Would he be trusted, respected, obeyed, as Moses was? And what about Joshua himself? As assistant to Moses, he had known him very well. He knew the source of Moses’ strength and courage. He must have wondered how he would manage in Moses’ absence. Then “it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua, the son on Nun, Moses assistant, saying  ….”. Please read it yourself in the first 9 verses of chapter 1 of our text. They are mighty words of great encouragement for the man chosen by God to lead the people into the land He had promised to Abram centuries earlier. They are words often appropriated by believers today for themselves. “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you I will not leave you nor forsake you”.

There appears to be no condition on those words spoken to Joshua. Moses had walked, faithfully and fearfully, before the Lord for the last 40 years. It was not that he had a trouble free life. Far from it. He had many trials to overcome. So what was it that kept him going? Just like the disciples of Yeshua centuries later, who had a personal encounter with the risen Messiah, so Moses had, not one, but many personal encounters with YHWH Elohim. Unambiguous, specific, and thoroughly clear words of direction and counsel. Moses KNEW his God through personal encounter with Him. Joshua would come to KNOW his God in the trials and experiences of his life which still  lay before him. Just as we can KNOW our God as we journey through our life on this earth. That’s the God who says to those who truly KNOW Him “I will never leave you nor forsake you”.

Joshua then had his first conversation with the LORD as leader of the nation. “Arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them”. But there is more. “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do all the Torah which Moses my servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go”. Ah! So there IS a condition to success. “This Book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success”. Note that God is absolutely upfront with Joshua, and by extension with the people who had made covenant with Him. My reading of this account, which believers appropriate to themselves, taken in the context of God’s statement ‘not to leave you nor forsake you’, is rock solid truth. BUT, just like the Israelites in our text, what about the situation where the people themselves choose the ‘leaving and forsaking’ path ?    Selah!

Joshua proved himself to be a good leader. In the face of trusting God to “give them the land He had promised”, he knew from experience that it would not be taken without a fight. Showing his leadership qualities, he sent two spies to survey the opposition. It seems incongruous that the spies lodged in the house of Rahab, a harlot. Yet others see unsuspicious motivation. Its location, its frequentation by motley types of people, its ‘good cover’ as a hideout. Very few would see the motive of God. Rahab was a seemingly unlikely woman of faith. She knew the history of the Israelites from their escape from Egypt to their present location just a few miles away waiting to cross the Jordan. (possibly gleaned in conversations with travellers who might also have ‘lodged’ with her over the years) “I know that the LORD has given you the land “ she said. “For the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath”. By such faith, Rahab, gained a place in the genealogy of Messiah Yeshua (Matthew 1:5). Faith which God counted as righteousness, as he had with Abram centuries earlier.

Eventually, the spies returned to report their findings to Joshua. Quoting words Rahab had told them, “the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you”, as she tried to extract a guarantee of safety for her family from those spies. And in the goodness of God, she and her family’s lives were spared the judgement at the destruction of Jericho (Joshua 6:25). When Joshua received the report of the spies, the battle plan was finalised. The people moved from the hills to the plains adjacent to the river, and waited there three days. In plain sight of the Canaanites, no doubt increasing the levels of fear in them, Joshua explained the plan to the people. Read it with awe in chapters 3 and 4 of our text.

God exalted Joshua in the eyes of the whole congregation of Israelites as they too saw a miraculous event take place before them. God Himself, represented in the Ark of the Covenant, stood in the midst of the river which was ‘in flood’ at that time, as the waters temporarily dried up, so that the priests bearing the ark stood on dry ground. The people, almost 1 kilometre away, to the north, as instructed, followed. What a spectacle. Then at God’s command, one person from each tribe took a large stone from the riverbed and built a monument, at ancient Gilgal east of Jericho, as a memorial for future generations. And so it was that the Israelites arrived in the land of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.       

Shabbat Shalom

RS 

The Promised Land  “reflections” 01

Life in the promised land

Introduction

God made a land promise to Abram (Genesis 15:15-21). That land  was, at that time, mostly occupied by Canaanites. The specific boundaries of the land (Numbers 34:1-12) were detailed more precisely later. The land promise was also confirmed to the direct descendants of Abram. His son Isaac, and one of Isaac’s sons, Jacob, to be a perpetual beneficial inheritance to his descendants. It is land occupation which God promised, not land ownership.  The land is not theirs to sell. Land ownership is His alone. Generational occupation of the land is by a specific conditional covenant.

One will search the Scriptures in vain to discover why God made such special promises to this particular people group, except that for His own purposes, He did. But, the promise of blessing is made available to ALL, subject specifically to the relationship ‘non family’ members have with those descendants of Abram (Genesis 12:3). The wise among us will note the conditions! God’s appreciation of Abram’s trust (Genesis 15:6), was counted to him as righteousness. All the Scriptures after Genesis 11 show that God has used this people, and His relationship with them (as He continues to so do) as the example of His expectation of the relationship He desires with mankind which He created. That relationship is built uniquely on faith, trust, obedience, correction, and direction. It is a relationship in which an individual may either willingly participate, under God’s conditions, or not. God has plainly, and lovingly, laid out the ‘blessings’, or the contingent ‘curses’, which accrue according to the choice made. There is nothing hidden.

It is also noteworthy that God arranged a pathway to nationhood for His chosen ones by most unusual means. Tragedy, great blessing and protection, demonstrations of mighty power, and finally discomfort through a rigorous period of many years of slavery and hardship. All this time, by shared experience, building a strong  and unassimilated (to the community in which they lived) tribal people with committed allegiances to each other. They were “Stateless”, having no creed or constitution by absorption or citizenship. So God had brought His chosen people to a situation where they were ready to accept the opportunity of escape, under the leadership of Moses, into the ‘unknown’ future.

Then came the task of teaching the people the constitutional and social behaviours which were necessary for the new nation they were to be, so as to function harmoniously in their new land. It is a most fascinating story, which we have covered in other studies. But this shows how God had spent centuries bringing this protected and conditioned people to the time when He knew they would be receptive to learning. What they did not know, of course, was that the ‘teaching’ would take another 40 years of being out of touch with the influence of other nations. Furthermore, only the relatively young would survive that period of intense teaching. Apart from their leaders, Joshua and Caleb, they were to enter their new land as a nation with everyone under 60 years of age. A majority of them of an age to “bear arms” in conflict.

On their journey, under the inspired leadership of Moses and Aaron, God revealed to them His Torah (teaching in righteous living). They learned by practical experience, the joys and blessings of obedience to the teaching, and the devastating penalty which followed disobedience. This must be viewed in the light of the fact that when Moses explained this Torah to them, they all readily proclaimed their willing acceptance of the conditions. “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient” they said (Exodus 24:7). That  was the moment when they confirmed the covenant they made with God, the covenant which we know as the “Mosaic Covenant”. It has never been rescinded, but it has been broken many times by the people. And that is why, one future day, God has promised to make a “New Covenant” with the House of Israel and the House of Judah (Jeremiah 31:31).

The account of the Israelite occupation of the land of God’s promise, is recorded for us in the Books of Joshua, Judges, the four books of the Kings, Ezra and Nehemiah. These Books are the subject of our study in this series, and cover a time frame of approximately 900 years. In Christian theology, the whole period from the exodus out of Egypt up until the entry into the land of promise is analogous to “the salvation process” wrought by faith in Yeshua. Egypt represents the ‘old life’, and the Promised land represents the ‘new life’. If that is a true analogy, (which is a very long standing one), we will seek to understand the relationship (if there is one) of the relevance of the Israelite experience in the land, to the expectation God places on behavioural practice, for continued land occupation. Simply put, does God consider obedience to His commands a natural sequel to salvation.

In the evolution  of ‘church based’ christianity, from the time of the Council of Nicaea in 324 C.E., the overwhelming view is that salvation is ‘by faith alone, through Christ alone’. An undoubted truism. By definition, the Israelites who entered the land of promise were a ‘saved people’. So the question is “Does the lifestyle of a redeemed people matter to God?”  Does redemption equate to change in lifestyle?

Next week we begin our study of the time from entry to the land to the time when God finally expelled them from it!

Shabbat Shalom

RS

A “REFLECTION” TO END THE READING CYCLE

A “reflection” to end the reading cycle         

 Joshua 1:1 -18

This week sees the end of the annual reading cycle. The final parashah for the year. Moses had just died. The faithful Joshua, son of Nun, colleague of Caleb, is appointed by God to lead the new nation of Israel into the land of Promise. God had appeared to Abraham at Elon Moreh on his journey south. There, from that mountain location, Abraham was able to see the extent of the land. It was much larger than the nation we know as Israel today. To my mind it seems symbolic. Abraham shown the extent, but not the detail, of what God had promised him. And as we begin our journey into Torah again next week, a new year of readings, and a new year of discovery of what God has in store for us. It looks like a huge undertaking. But as we look, week by week, at the detail God had in store for them, and for us, we will be blessed.

God showed immense faith in Joshua. The promises of God, given at this inauguration were unequivocal, unconditional, and plain. “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you (not will give you, but have given you) as I said to Moses.” It was a done deal. ‘From the Euphrates River, all the land of the Hittites, to the Mediterranean.’ The Hittites were descendants of Heth, they were an important Canaanite group, and their land was extensive. It was a Hittite, Ephron, who sold the ‘cave at Machpelah’ to Abraham as a burial place!

Now it is interesting that the Land of Promise is specified in a number of places in Scripture, (students among us, look at Genesis 15, Exodus 23, Numbers 34, Deuteronomy 11 and Ezekiel 47), so here in Joshua 1 it seems that the Lord instructed Joshua that in order to possess the land all he had to do is to set foot in it. He cannot, (i.e. will not be able to), take more than is promised. I am reminded of that injunction in the Living Bible paraphrase of Jude 20 “Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and protect you”.

However, from other Scriptures we know that the Canaanites would not simply walk off the land, they would have to be driven out, sometimes with  significant  loss of life. But God had not finished with His proclamation to Joshua. He went on to bolster him with many encouraging statements. They are words which are often appropriated to ourselves as a timely encouragement for the fulfilment of some perceived God given task. Perhaps we should take careful note of the relationship God had with Joshua before making overly presumptive claims for ourselves! But they are very encouraging words anyway. Just look at them. “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life” “As I was with Moses, so shall I be to you” “I will not leave you nor forsake you”

These are immensely reassuring words from Almighty God. They are words, which, to a lesser person, might engender pride and even arrogance. But not to Joshua. Because there is an over-riding clause in this encouragement. When we presumptuously appropriate these promises to ourselves, we should, but often do not, look at the condition God made for the success which Joshua was to enjoy.

“Be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do all the Torah which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go”. And if that was not enough, the Lord continued “This Book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.”

Dear friends, God is not encouraging Joshua to fight battles, to do exploits, to clear the Land of the Canaanites, to lead a great army in warfare, or even to stand before the people in judgement. This is an encouragement to Joshua to be strong and faithful to God’s Word. To have the courage to stand up to the dissenters in his midst. To put scoffers in their place, so to speak. To be strong in upholding the Torah of Moses before the people. Inevitably, that would require Joshua to be an example. Unwavering. Steadfast. Consistent. When we see such a record of God’s promises to His servants, like Joshua, are we ready to also take on board the conditions under which such promises are given?

If you doubt God’s righteous judgement in His promises, move on a few chapters and read how and why God chastised the people by defeat in the battle for Ai.

As we enter a new year of study in God’s Word, let us covenant with Him to learn the lessons which are contained therein. Let us ask God to prompt us by His Holy Spirit, to be the kind of believers, doers of His Word, that He has called us to be.

Shabbat Shalom 

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 53

J o e l

Joel 2:12  to  3:21

“Now therefore”. Thus begins this final ‘reflection’ on the fourteen writing prophets we have been considering this year. Those words are indicative of things which have gone before. Things which needed to be evaluated and dealt with. Last week we looked at the devastation caused by a locust plague. The prophet compared that with events which are to take place ‘in the last days’, when God will draw a mighty army of invasion against Israel. In the battle which ensues, those armies meet their own catastrophic judgment. But the “now therefore" which the prophets speaks here relates to the action the people of the land should consider for their own safety and wellbeing.

“Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning”. The implication? God is eagerly awaiting that outpouring of penitence with His own longing, ready to uphold the covenant of love He had made with them and their forefathers many years earlier. He goes on “So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm”. This is an amazing statement. So much of it we take for granted and glory in these attributes of God, from which we all benefit. But to get those innermost feelings expressed in terms of ‘repentance’, a deep feeling of sadness on God’s part for the actions taken in correction of the people, just speaks of the boundless love of God for those who are His. Praise His name. We know that the people were slow to respond as God wished, but it did not prevent Him from making major prophetic promises to that generation, in respect of the ultimate salvation of Israel as a nation.

In the manner of a final plea, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and the nursing babes; ….. Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar.” A direct urging from God to the people for repentance. Then comes a complete change of emphasis between verses 17 and 18 of our text. The promise of His complete forgiveness. “Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, and will pity (spare) His people. The LORD will answer and say to His people, ‘behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations’.” Please try to understand the circumstances of the nation at the time the LORD sent his servant Joel to speak to them. It was a time of complete devastation as a result of the locust invasion. All vegetation stripped bare. And here is the word of God promising complete restoration of their land and their livelihood. An offer too good to reject one would think. And, dear friend, before we harshly judge these people with our perfect 20/20 hindsight, remember they were in the midst of desperate circumstances. Try to imagine this word being spoken in one of Hitler’s concentration camps in 1942 when thousands were being slaughtered every day. It is easier to trust in God for others than it is to trust for oneself!! BUT that does not diminish God’s promise one bit. Neither does it diminish His power to perform His promises. It speaks more of the frailty of human faith, faced with the immediate evidence of one’s eyes, and satan’s power to sow doubt (a strong weapon of his against believers). I am always challenged by God when I ‘reflect’ on these historical events. “How do you think you would have responded in such circumstances?” Is the question God invariably poses to me. 

But to finalise this ‘reflection’ we need to look at exactly what God has said He will do. Because some of this prophetic word is still unfulfilled."I will restore to you the years the swarming locust has eaten … you shall eat in  plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God … Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame”. That seems to me to be a complete statement of God’s embrace of His people. But there is more blessing to come as the promise continued. “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh”. And wonder of wonders, “and it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls”. I carefully note here that God is NOT an enforcer. It is always the fact that God expects that those who would to be saved need to “call on the name of the LORD”. 

Joel chapter 3 has to be read carefully to absorb the totality, and finality, of God’s judgement on the nations of this earth. There is a most interesting parody there. Isaiah envisaged the end of days in terms of peace and harmony among the nations. A time when Messiah will reign. “Beat your swords into plowshares and your spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4) But before this comes about, Joel speaks of God drawing the nations into judgment. Encouraging them to “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears” (Joel 3:10)

The very last word the LORD gave to Joel to speak in this farsighted prophecy ends our “reflection”. “But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I have not acquitted: For the LORD dwells in Zion”.  Count on it.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 52

J o e l

Joel 1:1  to  2:11

This prophecy of Joel may be ‘technically’ out of place here. Scholars are divided about the timing of this message, but there is circumstantial and textual evidence that Joel was probably an early prophet, (a contemporary of Jeremiah) functioning during the reign of the child king Joash, who was the last of the eight ‘good’ kings of Judah. Others date this prophecy as very late (which would justify its inclusion right here in this order). BUT, the timing of the prophetic message has little impact on the message itself. There had recently been a most disastrous plague of locusts in Judah. Whilst Joel has plenty to say about that, the main message is in the comparison of that disaster with the judgements of the LORD during the last days. The time still future to us. If an ‘early date’ prophecy is correct, however, then the life of Joel preceded both the capture of the northern kingdom of Israel (722 BCE) and the exile of the southern kingdom of Judah (586 BCE). That makes this prophetic message all the more remarkable. In any event I have chosen to ‘reflect’ on the prophecy of Joel here, at the end of our study of the “Minor Prophets”.

“Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?”  Joel said it was a story that would be told for generations to come. It is still being told today! The ‘chewing’ locust, the ‘swarming’ locust, the ‘crawling’ locust, the ‘consuming’ locust. I didn’t know there were so many kinds of locust. But they turned up in great numbers and devastated the land. Not as bad as the plague of locusts in Moses’ day (Exodus 8:14) when God was intent on rescuing His people out of Egypt, but that was many centuries earlier. In Joel’s day, there was economic disaster on a national scale. Wine drinkers were mentioned because they would wail about the absence of grapes to produce wine. Vines and fig trees stripped bare. It was compared to the ‘raping’ of the land by a mighty enemy army, likened to the ‘teeth of a lion’. Or a young woman widowed by the loss of her husband in battle. A priest who mourns because his source of sustenance (food in the form of sacrifices and offerings) is removed. And so the prophet seeks to institute correct order into the situation.

“Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD”. There are recollections here of the instructions God gave to Moses when He wanted to communicate with the people (Numbers 10:3). It was important that the people understood that their only hope was to trust in God for direction and counsel. A good lesson for us to learn right there. But rather than be an action of ‘last resort’ it should be ‘continuous dialogue’, which is exactly what God had expected of the people in the first place. (A personal recollection from my childhood. I was brought up in a small Welsh mining village. A tight knit community, where it was often the case that the villagers would congregate in the local chapel to pray for some one, or some matter of need, in the community. Even as a  young child I was always struck by the ease with which such gatherings were arranged, and disappointed by the absence of any follow up to give thanks when the need was satisfied!!) God always seems so gracious and caring in His response to the heart cry from those who are His. It would not be an exaggeration to note that ‘He longs to hear our heart cry out to him’. 

And then we get to the heart of the ‘burden’ of Joel for his people. “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand:” It is at this point that the comparisons are made between that which they had seen with their eyes, the devastation of the locust invasion, and the events which will unfold when that final ‘trumpet of alarm’ is sounded. It will be “a day of darkness and gloominess”, reminiscent of the blotting out of the light of the sun as those locusts swarmed in their multitudes. But this will be different! Not locusts, but “a people, great and strong”. Before them a land ‘like the Garden of Eden’. A land of abundance. Behind them, ‘a desolate wilderness’. Even as I ‘reflect’ on this scene, the closest I can actually imagine comes from pictures of devastation following air raids on cities in Europe during the last great war, but worse. Referring to that invading force the prophet says “The like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them”. And so it goes on, devastatingly descriptive.

We are not able to see it as the people of Joel’s day saw it. They were living in the aftermath of the devastation caused by the invasion of the locusts. It was real. They lived it. What to us is an imaginary situation, was very much an everyday scene as the whole country struggled to recover from the carnage. For the farmer, the widow, the priest, and the ordinary citizen referred to earlier, this was their life. Try now to imagine, if you and I had lived through that experience, would we say ‘ho hum’ and act as nothing had happened? Or would we be desperate to avoid such a situation ever happening again. The answer is obvious. BUT, that does not avoid the inevitability of the coming “day of the LORD” does it? That day which the prophet Malachi described as “the great and dreadful day of the LORD”. (Malachi 4:5)

So what should WE do? Firstly, we heed the word of the prophet and “cry out to the LORD”. Look to Him for guidance and counsel, which comes by studying His word and engaging Him in dialogue (prayer). Look for the signs which He has clearly laid out for our understanding. Signs which have already begun to be evident (like the return of His people to the land), and then TRUST HIM.                         

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 51 

M a l a c h i 

Malachi 3:1 to 4:6 

“Behold I will send My messenger; and he will prepare the way before Me. And the LORD whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold He is coming”. Last week we saw that Malachi was given a message of great challenge to the people, and maybe especially to those who were leaders. Certainly, with some significant exceptions, it is difficult to think that they actually ‘delighted’ in the covenant, or its messenger. And there did not seem to be any apparent ‘delight’ in the message of any of the previous prophets God had sent to them. In the historical accounts of time subsequent to this prophetic word, we can identify the occasion of at least one prominent messenger (John the baptizer) openly declaring his mission of preparation. But this word appears to belong to a still future date. Adding to that possibility is the fact that the word makes reference to the “refiners fire” and the “launderers’ soap”. Is it too much to think that once the “refiners fire” has done its work, that which is “refined” remains “refined”. And that which is laundered remains clean.

The word is clear. “Who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?” Well, those ‘refined and laundered’. And the LORD will ensure that those who are teachers will be ones so dealt with. We must honestly ask ourselves the question ‘Do we see that in our time?’ My answer is .. not yet, or at best, only partially. Furthermore, the list of those to be dealt with, in verse 5, is probably incomplete, but made complete by the all embracing characteristic “because they do not fear Me”. So, we might consider that those who will “endure the day of His coming” are those who have learned to “fear the LORD”. And that, my friends, Solomon told us, is the beginning of wisdom.

Regular readers of these ‘reflections’ will know that I have many times quoted Malachi 3:6. It is very important to our understanding of our Creator. “I am the LORD, I do not change.” It is a standalone statement which speaks into many situations. In the context of this word however, it takes on its protective face. In paraphrase, God is saying to these people “for the way you have behaved you should be utterly consumed. You have neglected, violated, and downright ignored, the covenant you made with Me. You ‘don’t have a leg to stand on’. But I also made another covenant, not with you but with your father Abraham. It is because of that covenant that you are not being dealt with as you deserve. ‘Return to Me and I will return to you’.” Do you get the sense of God’s frustration with these people? (I can’t help wondering how frustrated He must be with me at times too.) And then the rhetorical questions come again. “In what way have we robbed you?” This statement has become the source of the most blatantly, and deliberately, dishonest application of Scripture in our modern day churches. It is actually a reprimand against the people’s neglect of specific Torah commands regarding the care of the poor and needy in the community. It is dishonestly used in attempts to embarrass people into financial support for all manner of purposes, rarely, if ever, for its original purpose. And there is a day of reckoning coming .. which is where Malachi now turns.

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming will burn them up”. How can ANYONE read that and not immediately fall down before God and seek forgiveness? Selah !

“But to you who fear My name the Sun (the Hebrew word here is ‘shemesh’ which means ‘brilliant’ as in shining, and is universally taken to refer to Yeshua) of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this ‘says the LORD of hosts’.”

It is quite clear that this refers to a future time, because if it had already happened we would read it in our history books. So with that fact firmly in our minds, it would seem sensible to also read what follows as applicable to that future time.

Malachi continues “Remember the Torah of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgements. Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

We have almost finished our series of ‘reflections’ in the minor prophets of God. The constant theme of these messages has been to provide warning and encouragement to a people who, for a variety of reasons, had been found in neglect of the covenant to which they had agreed. The message of the prophet has been consistent. God is longing for a restoration of relationship with His chosen people. They are special to Him. BUT, we also know, from the gifted teachers who were raised up after our Saviour ascended into heaven to be with the Father, that there is place for gentiles too. Paul used the words “grafted in”. That means, in very simple terms, “joined into and become part of”. That is how we non Jews might participate in the blessing God has prepared for His own people. Ask HIM what that means for you. 

Shabbat Shalom 

RS 

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 50

M a l a c h i

Malachi 1:1  to  2:17

An understanding of the timing of a particular prophecy allows one to discern a reason why God considered  that message important and necessary. It might also give some pointers regarding the relevance of that prophetic message to our present generation, if similar social, religious and relational conditions can be identified. History records that this prophecy of Malachi would be God’s last prophetic word to them for about 400 years until He would speak again through His servant John the Baptizer. (Compare Yeshua’s parable of the absentee landlord in Matthew 21) There has been similar silence, other than that already given, as we discover, in the study of these ancient prophets, during the time since Yeshua left this earth. And that is why our discernment of a  possible word for today is so important.

Malachi, Haggai and Zechariah prophesied during the days of Nehemiah. He had returned from Babylon to Judah, with about 50,000 others, in order to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore the temple. About 50 years had passed since Zerubbabel and Ezra had arrived to commence that work. So  the temple was functioning. The sacrificial system was operating. But there was such corruption and slackness, clearly evident to the people who took that as an example, in the priesthood. This was having a disastrous effect in their community. Specifically, Torah observance (or lack of it), was again a major issue for which they had already been exiled from the land 100 years earlier.

Malachi was shown a long series of rhetorical questions with which to challenge the people. God Himself providing both question and answer. The very love of God for His people is brought into focus, by comparing the families of Jacob (themselves) with Esua (their traditional enemy). Jacob was exiled for disobedience. Esau (Edom) seemingly untouched by God. What is not stated of course is that God has not, even today, finished with Edom, which is one of two places destined to become perpetually desolate and uninhabitable (Babylon is the other). Further, that God does not have a covenant with Esua such as He has with Jacob.

Another question to the priests who ‘despise’ My name. “A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honour? And if I am the Master, where is My reverence? The indignant rhetorical response from the priests. “In what way have we despised Your name?” I comment in paraphrase of the words which follow. It had, seemingly, become their abhorrent practise of treating sacrifices to God as inconsequential. Torah required that sacrifices to God would only be taken from unblemished animals. Perfect to the human eye. The very best that was available. It was one of the conditions which God had made in order that they would receive His ongoing bountiful provision of ‘blessing’. It was a command of Torah. Evidently they had been presenting lame and blind animals, even ones which they had stolen from someone else, to the priests for sacrifice … and the priests themselves turned the ‘proverbial’ blind eye. Totally unacceptable. That is treating God with utter contempt. It is like stealing money from others to put in the offering plate at your church !! The way in which this might be brought into focus is the suggestion that they offer to their governor such imperfect and inadequate payment for their obligatory taxes or dues. Then see what he makes of it.

But the real issue was with the priests. The leaders of that community. Those who are required, or expected, in any society, to have exemplary behaviour. Now doesn’t that ring a loud BELL today. God caused Malachi to remind the people of the covenant He had made with the house of Levi. It was a covenant of ‘life and peace’. A covenant which in former times was honoured and respected. “The Torah of truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, and turned many away from iniquity”.  What a wonderful testimony of honour and uprightness  in a leader of the people. “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the Torah from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts”. Is there a lesson for today in this passage of Scripture? Is God pleased with what He sees in our communities of believers today? This is what He said about the community in Malachi’s day. “But you have departed from the way; you have caused many to stumble at the Torah  …. Therefore I have also made you contemptible and base before all the people, because you have not kept My ways but have shown partiality in the Torah”. Can we see respect, honour, and wisdom seeking from the community in our ‘spiritual’ leaders today? Or are they treated with contempt. So is this word of God from Malachi relevant to our society as it was for Judah in his day?

I commend to you a careful reading of this whole prophetic message. The Scriptures warn of a great ‘falling away’ before that ‘great and terrible day of the LORD”. Malachi gets to that in our reading next week! But many of the teachers, especially those who inhabit our TV screens, preach great revival! With the accompanying appeal for funds to facilitate it! What Malachi taught and was quickened by God to prophesy, was the need for repentant hearts and minds. A return to God’s ways of obedience to His commandments. A people who would know their obligations to the God with whom they had made covenant. That is the kind of people God was seeking, and He sent many faithful prophets, like Malachi, to proclaim it.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 49

Z e c h a r I a h

Zechariah 13:1  to  14:21

“In that day” our reading this week begins. Which day? The day in which “I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zech 12:9). In that same day, as we read last week, there will be much grief, mourning, and ‘soul searching’ by the inhabitants of that city. So, “a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness”. That represents a kind of communal ‘mikvah’, a bath or body of water connected to ‘running’ water, well understood in Jewish society, often in homes, as the means of becoming ‘ritually clean’. (The christian equivalent is water baptism). We commented last week that this ‘day’ is also the day mentioned by Paul in Romans 11 as the day when “all Israel shall be saved”. IF that is the case, then possibly, it may also be the day, spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah, when the LORD will make His new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

To add some credence to that possibility, we note that immediately following this mass ‘cleansing’ of the whole population (the house of David), and still ‘in that day’, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no more be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land”.  There are two ways this proclamation may be interpreted. Many commentators consider this to refer to ‘false prophets’. And certainly there will be no place in a ‘new covenant’ community for false prophets. But neither will there be any need for the kind of prophets which are the subject of this series of ‘reflections’ either. The role of such prophets has been to provide warning and counsel regarding the manner in which people had forsaken the ‘Mosaic’ covenant they had willingly made with God. A careful reading of the conditions of the coming “new” covenant, reveal that “the Torah will be written on the heart and put in the mind of everyone”. It will be unteachable, because everyone with know it, and be observant, “from the greatest to the least”. That being the case, ‘prophecy’ (speaking words given by God) will no longer be part of God’s way of communication. Therefore anyone who engages in such will, by definition, be ‘a false prophet’.

The prophecy “that in all the land … two thirds of it shall be cut off and die, but one third shall be left in it: I will bring the one third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say ‘This is My people’;  and each one will say ‘the LORD is my God’” has caused great controversy in the community of believers, even today. (By way of illustration, the late, and gifted, bible teacher David Pawson had been a regular speaker at the I.C.E.J. Feast of Tabernacles annual gathering since its inception in 1980. About six years ago I was present when he spoke on this subject. It was his LAST invitation to speak at that gathering!) What we, as individuals believe, bears no influence on the outcomes God has determined. I refer you to the wisdom of Solomon. Proverbs 17:14 “The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts”. But we must not be delinquent in our responsibility to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). And doing that, I perceive that this testing  by fire comes immediately before the “day of the LORD” arrives, when He “will go forth and fight against those nations (who have come to do battle against Jerusalem).

To conclude this ‘reflection’ on the prophecy of Zechariah, we look to the time immediately following that great battle. On one of my early visits to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, I recall looking from my hotel directly across the   Kiddron Valley towards the Mount of Olives and trying to imagine the scene which Zechariah now describes.

The map (1985) here shows that there is an earthquake fault line which passes between the temple mount area and the Himmon Valley to the south of the City of David, very close to the Gihon Spring. Zechariah tells us that when the feet of Messiah Yeshua stand on the Mount of Olives, it will split into two from east to west (exactly as the fault line indicates). The mountain itself will move, half northward and half southward. “And in that day it shall be that living water shall flow from Jerusalem (compare Ezekiel 47 about fish in the Dead Sea and water flowing from the temple yet to be built), half of them toward the eastern (Dead) sea and half of them toward the western (Mediterranean) sea; in both summer and winter it shall occur”.

“In that day it shall be - “The LORD is one, and His name is one” (Deut 6:4).  And that my dear friends will be the colloquial ‘game, set, and match’!!  The whole purpose of God, in His dealings with His ancient people, and those of us who have willing joined them in faith, worshipping God in that special place which he chose at the time of King David to be the place of His dwelling on earth. It is a Kingdom set to reign for 1,000 years with Yeshua as King. But there are still some things left for Zechariah to tell us.

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, one them there will be no rain”. Please take time to read the whole chapter. You may be surprised to discover that part of the worship of the LORD involves presenting sacrifices to Him! At least, that’s what Zechariah says.            

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Image Reference: © 2003-2022 - JewishRoots.Net - All Rights Reserved.

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 48

Z e c h a r I a h

Zechariah 11:1  to  12:14

The language of the prophet is colourful and poetic. Taken in isolation, the reading this week is challenging to understand. However, in the context of the entire prophetic message of Zechariah, it fits into a period of the future of Israel (but in the past for our generation today). The promised Messiah and King, which we triumphantly ‘reflected’ upon last week, is subsequently rejected by the generation to whom He came. Isaiah used the words “despised and rejected” (Isaiah 53:3). The Apostle John used the words “He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Zechariah describes the aftermath of that rejection and its effect on the whole nation from top (Lebanon), through its centre (Bashan), to its southern regions (Jordan). It is a devastatingly bleak  word of prophecy, indicating the frustration of God with His chosen people, with whom He has made a uniquely unconditional covenant of love and commitment (The Abrahamic Covenant). But, we should also carefully note that God made a specific conditional covenant (The Mosaic Covenant), with the same people. It was this Mosaic Covenant (which does not provide license to abandon all lifestyle responsibilities which are an integral part of that covenant), which caused God to act in the corrective action of dispelling (albeit temporarily) the people from the land. And it is the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant which causes Him, in love and commitment, and in His perfect timing, to restore them to the land.

The picture of the two staffs is a likely reference to the practise of shepherds who normally carried such. A ‘rod’ which was used as a weapon with which to ward off predators of the flock, and a ‘staff’’ which was used as a means of rest  for himself, and guidance to the flock. Breaking those ‘staffs’ implied that the flock would be abandoned (by the shepherd) to care for itself. It would be at peril by losing the protection of the shepherd. God uses the words “that I might break the covenant which I made with all the peoples”. Sounds ominous. But I believe that to be consistent with the proclamations of God in Deuteronomy 28/29 (the blessings and the curses chapters), see specifically Deuteronomy 28:13 “And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them”. So my understanding is that God considered that to be a ‘covenant with all the peoples’ that they would always be the ‘tail’. Clearly, the Israelites had not kept and observed the commandments of the LORD, so they would no longer ‘always be the head’. We do not require great insight to see that this situation prevails up to the present day. However, the LORD is gathering His people back into the land in our generation, and that is a sign (to me at least) that we are moving forward to the next phase of God’s plan for Israel, which is where the prophecy of Zechariah takes us next.

The introduction to this chapter of prophecy is interesting. “Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him”. It is that spirit which facilitates communication with God, and allows the exercise of free choice regarding our relationship with God. It is abundantly evident in our reading this week that  our choices determine God’s responses to us in that relationship. However, as we have commented earlier, God is also bound in covenant with Israel, and that determines His ultimate action in relationship to them. So it is that Zechariah gives us a glimpse into the future which God has planned for Israel. “Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all the nations of the earth are gathered against it”. An unimaginable result of a battle, so one-sided in concept, so unequal a contest. Big World v Little Israel. Except that that is a misunderstanding of the contestants. It should be written “The World v The God of Israel”. Also a one-sided and unequal contest! And we today, have a choice to make. Which side do I decide to be on?

That is not the end however. In other Scriptures there are accounts of the fierceness of the battle and the carnage which will take place. But Zechariah here gives us a picture of the distress, YES, the distress of those who are the victors in this battle. “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem”.  Now I need to be careful in my ‘reflection’ on this outpouring of grief. This great battle is associated with the end of this age and the promised return of Yeshua to rule and reign in Jerusalem. For that reason, commentators have associated the grief of “the house of David” with their recognition of their Messiah, who was thoroughly rejected by them when He first came to them. It is the time which Paul alludes to in Romans 11 when “all Israel will be saved”. But the literal reading of the Hebrew text is less explicit in its identity of Messiah. It more points to the fact that so many people, avowed enemies of Israel, have been slaughtered in battle, that the “house of David” is consumed by compassionate grief on behalf of those who so needlessly lost their lives in that battle.

Whatever the situation will be at that time, it certainly will be a time when the might of God is visible to all.         

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 47

Z e c h a r I a h

Zechariah 9:1  to  10:12

We closed our ‘reflection’ last week on a high note of encouragement for the Israelites as Zechariah spoke prophetic words about the end of this age and the coming salvation of the Jews. Reminding ourselves that the Scriptures did not originally have chapters and verses, the switch to a burdensome oracle about nations and people groups close to Israel is a bit of a surprise. But there is a ‘sting in the tail’ . This prophecy is really about God’s judgement of those nations and people groups. We do not know the location of Hadrach, except that it was in Assyria, ancient enemies of Israel. Damascus and Hamath also in Assyria were conquered by Alexander the Great. This justifies the descriptor that “The eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel are on the LORD” as they witnessed the judgment of the LORD on those people. Tyre (at that time a small island about 1/2 mile off shore) and Sidon (in today’s Lebanon) are described as “very wise” because they built watch towers and fortifications against attack. Ezekiel mentions this wisdom (Ezekiel 28:12), but also talks of the satanic influences which caused them to falter (Ezekiel 28: 18,19). These cities were situated in land allotted to Asher when the Israelites occupied the land, but the Asherites found the resistance too great and gave up on attempts to occupy them (Joshua 19:24).

The oracle continued with the mention of cities in the south of the land. Gaza, (well known today as home to over 2 million muslims), Ashkelon (just north of Gaza) and Ashdod* “a mixed race shall settle in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines …. But he who remains , even he shall be for our God, and shall be like a leader in Judah” *(a modern port city today with a large Moroccan Jewish population) and Ekron (a Philistine stronghold in those days), all came under the scrutiny of the LORD because of their opposition to Israel. And then comes the “sting in the tail”. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your King is coming to you: He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, a foal of a donkey” (See Matthew 21:2) .This prophecy in Zechariah, which speaks of a day over 500 years later, was given to the people who had just returned to the land after 70 years of captivity in Babylon. They had been expelled from the land of Israel for disobedience and idolatry. Is it possible to imagine a more encouraging word for them? Down for the count … and now raised from the proverbial ‘canvas’ to be victors. We have the advantage, which they did not, of knowing that prophecy was fulfilled in Yeshua when He came to this earth 2,000 years ago. To them however, it was expectantly very close. No human timeframe accompanied that prophetic word. An herein is another important lesson. Each generation after receiving that prophecy had that to look forward to. Their promised King was coming. And again, because we have the advantage of hindsight, we know that the intervening period was not easy. They were overcome, successively, by Greek and Roman conquerors. We might say they were justified in growing weary of ever seeing their King taking His place and ruling over them. And when He did come to them, He did not fulfil their expectations. They expected a battle hardened warrior, maybe riding on a red horse, who would rid them of their conquerors, the Romans at that time. They got a baby boy, born in Bethlehem. A short time later, taken by His parents to Egypt to avoid being killed by Herod. They did not connect Him with the words given, by the LORD, to Zerubbabel. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit”. And had they forgotten that their King would come “lowly, and riding on a donkey”? So the lesson?  God’s timing is His alone. What He expects of us is what He expected of them, trust in Him. For that lack of trust, we know they were once more, but this time for the last time, expelled from the land. But now they are returning in droves. We cannot leave this without remembering the prophetic words STILL to be fulfilled. Let us not repeat the mistake of those Jewish people of 2,000 years ago. God said it and it WILL happen. Our Messiah IS coming back to Jerusalem to reign and rule with a rod of iron.

Now notice the repetition of these promises as we continue in our ‘reflection’. In God’s word, repetition means emphasis. “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, because I have mercy on them, they shall be as though I had not cast them aside; for I am the LORD their God, and I will hear them”. It is true that God did bring them back from Babylon. It had already begun. That in itself is a fulfillment of prophecy which was observed by the people of that day. But there are some words a little later in our text which speak of a future time. I believe that time to be with us now. “I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them; and they shall increase as they once increased (Genesis 15:5) I will sow them among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in far countries; they shall live, together with their children, and they shall return”. There is no suggestion that such a situation prevailed when they came back from Babylon was there? We are seeing that great surge of immigration to the land in our generation.

Zechariah’s prophetic words changed from being an encourager, urging the people to continue the building of the walls of Jerusalem and the temple courts. He now is given a much greater vision and message about the drawing to a close of the days of this age and preparation for the age to come. In our world of today, we are beset by systemic anti semitism. God’s people throughout the ages have paid a heavy price for their faithful adherence to Torah observance, the most obvious outward sign of their allegiance. Do you think God expects believers to offer them support?      

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 46

Z e c h a r i a h

Zechariah 7:1  to  8:23

Just two years after Zechariah first heard the LORD’s prophetic message, He spoke to Zechariah again. The restoration of the temple was well advanced, but the reconstruction of the walls was still only making slow progress. It seems that since the fall of Judea, 70 years earlier, national remembrances of mourning and fasting had been instituted in the fifth and the seventh month of the calendar. Now that the work was proceeding, a delegation from Bethel came to Jerusalem to enquire of the priests and prophets whether or not those fasts should continue. Thus Zechariah heard from the LORD. And His message was unflattering! I am reminded, as I write, of the response the LORD gave to Samuel (1 Sam 16:7) in relation to the choice of David as king. “For the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart”.  In similar manner the LORD questioned the motivation of the people in that act of national mourning. In paraphrase “Are you sure you did that for ME? When you eat and drink do you not do that for yourselves? I would have been more impressed if you had taken heed to the words of the many prophets I sent to counsel you to change your lifestyle in conformity to the covenant you made with Me”.

Then He gave Zechariah some specific, and very direct, words to convey to the delegation from Bethel. “Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow and the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother”. I am sure that if we stopped to think carefully about those words (which are all words directly quoted from the Torah of God), we would readily find parallels which apply just as much today as they did in the circumstances of the people in Zechariah’s day. Then comes the shock. For many today, regardless of the circumstance, the reaction of the people is identical. “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law (Torah) and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts”.  Now my dear friends, we need to ask ourselves an important question. How relevant to us are the prophetic words of God conveyed through His esteemed prophets? And IF they are not for us, why are they so prominently recorded in the Scriptures? Remember yet again, these are words from our Creator, who said of Himself “I am the LORD, I do not change (Malachi 3:6). Any who conclude that these words are not for today (and there are many believers in that category), according to this word from Zechariah, it will bring “great wrath from the LORD of hosts”.

As chapter 7 closes, Zechariah moves from a word for the generation of his day to a prophetic word for generations which are both past for us, and still future for us. The scattering of the people among the nations, and the great desolation of the land, which took place during the years of terrible drought in the land, from about 137 CE  up until the very late 1,800’s, is prophesied. But then we have a resounding word of immense encouragement. “I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; with great fervour I am zealous for her”. Take a moment to let that sink in. The word ‘zealous’ is an adjective describing a person’s attitude. It means to be “ardently active in support of”. And “Zion” is  broadly a descriptor of Israel, but specifically the place where the temple stood in Jerusalem. So as we read the words which follow that statement of ‘zeal’, we may be sure that they are sincere and heartfelt words of the LORD. “I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth, the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain”. I note that the temple which was in the process of restoration did not have “the Ark of the Covenant” in the Most Holy place. Or at least it is not mentioned. And the prophet Jeremiah, writing about 100 years earlier told us that “It will come to pass … that they will say no more ‘the ark of the covenant of the LORD’ it shall not come to mind nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made ever more” (Jeremiah 3:16). My conclusion is that this promise of God to return to Zion refers to the time when He, in the person of Messiah Yeshua, will reign from Jerusalem.

Adding to this amazing prophetic word, Zechariah is told “Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east (which is where Babylon was situated) and from the land of the west (just look at any map of the world); I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, they shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness”. It is worthy of our careful consideration that the population growth of the land of Israel in the last 70 years, from about 800,000 in 1948 to 9,500,000 today (2022), leads to a conclusion that only now, in our generation, are we seeing clear evidence of the fulfilment of this prophetic word of Zechariah. ALL believers should view this situation with excitement and zeal. The truth is different. But there is still more to come according to this prophetic word. There is a day coming when “In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’. I make NO claims of prophetic insight such as God gave to Zechariah, but I do not think we have to wait for that day. God speaks to us now, through this prophecy of Zechariah. We are free to join with His beloved people now, sharing the blessings of truth which God so zealously seeks people who are His to embrace.

Shabbat Shalom   

RS 

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 45

Z e c h a r I a h

Zechariah 5:1  to  6:15

The sixth vision given to Zechariah is that of a flying scroll. He was even able to quote the exact dimension of that scroll. Surprise surprise! It just happens to be the same size as the Holy Place in the Tabernacle of God. Because we are told it represents curses applicable to “thieves and perjurers” we conclude that it is representative of a “Godly standard”. Bringing judgment on those guilty of violation of that standard. It represents the divine standard by which men are measured. Now it would be comforting if this applied only to the ones to whom Zechariah was sent. But it goes further. “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth … it shall enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house and consume it, with its timber and stones”. No-one is exempt from this judgement, not then, not now. This IS the word of the LORD. “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

Then a seventh vision. A woman sitting in a basket. Zechariah was told that the woman represented “wickedness”. This is seen as a sign that some of the darker elements of the life the people had lived while in exile in Babylon had been brought back to the land with them on their return. Evidently that wickedness needed to be dealt with decisively. So in the vision two more women, likened to having wings like a stork, an unclean bird (Deut 14:18), so representing an evil force, carry the basket away. And where do they take it? Back to Babylon, (the ‘Babel’ of Genesis 10:10) in the land of Shinar. Why? “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar, when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base”. And if only Zechariah had been privy to the Revelation of Yeshua given to John, (Rev 18)  he would have known that there will be great rejoicing in heaven (Rev 19) when Babylon is finally dealt with.

Finally an eighth vision about chariots and horses coming from between two mountains. We are not told where or what these mountains represent. Some commentators have speculated that they could possibly be Mt Zion and the Mount of Olives, because that is where Yeshua is destined to return to rule and reign for 1,000 years. Babylon would have been been defeated, and the battle for Jerusalem won. Beyond speculation is that these chariots represent “Four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth”. It is presumed that this charge will be given to angelic bodies to accomplish. It will be their responsibility to execute judgement on behalf of the King. Two of the chariots will head towards the north and two towards the south. We may be certain that no place will be hidden from them. It will be the time of separation for the “sheep nations and the goat nations’ (Matt 25). There are a number of places in the Scriptures which allude to and describe the severity of God’s judgement. But ‘severity’ does not imply unfairness. And here is a timely lesson for us today. God sent prophets to utter warnings and to counsel change in people’s relationship to Himself. This whole series of ‘reflections’ has dealt with them. Later He sent His Son Yeshua, and followed that up with Apostles and teachers. He has given many signs of the end of days, some of which we see happening in our lifetime. And this is a lesson from Zechariah. There will be a day of reckoning. God’s judgment will be fair … but exactly as He has said.

As we come to the end of our ‘reflection’ on this passage of Scripture, we come to a prophecy which goes well into the future, some of which we have seen, but those in Zechariah’s day did not! “Behold, the Man whose name is the Branch! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the LORD”. The Hebrew word (‘tsemach’) translated ‘branch’ here, is literally and figuratively “a sprout”, something which starts small and grows. It is mostly associated with Messiah Yeshua, as in this translation. That is amplified by reference to the temple and the description of priestly activity which follows. But it also has the meaning of a growing relationship. It is a relationship which began when Yeshua first came to this earth and called people to Himself in worship. Moving from what had become a strict religious  code, identified by Yeshua as the ‘traditions of men’ in Pharasaic Judaism. In contrast, the focus on true Torah observance and worship, centred on the teaching of Yeshua in Matthew 5 to 7, known as ‘the sermon on the mount’. It  is the way of discipleship which is sometimes referred to as Messianic Judaism. And the final words of our passage today seem to encapsulate a test of how we might know exactly where we stand on this matter.

“Now the elaborate crown (which was placed on the head of Joshua the High Priest in Zechariah’s day, but will one day in the future be placed on the head of King and High Priest Yeshua)  shall be for a memorial in the temple of the LORD  (which they were restoring at that time ,but which was subsequently burned down again in 70 CE)  … Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the LORD. Then you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God”. It is a sad fact that many believers today do not consider that there will even be another temple built. The prophecy of Zechariah challenges us in a personal way. We need to consider who are “those from afar”, who are prophesied to ‘come and build that temple’?  Or do we reject the prophecy out of hand?

I am always challenged by the way in which God speaks through His anointed prophets. And seemingly to every generation!         

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 44

Z e c h a r I a h

Zechariah 3:1  to  4:14

Zechariah is given vision of a dispute in heaven. It is like a courtroom scene in which opposing parties argue a legal case before a judge. Joshua, the High Priest who accompanied Zerubbabel on his return from Babylon, is on trial. He is clothed in “filthy garments”. His advocate,“the Angel of the LORD”. The prosecutor, and accuser, Satan (formerly also an angel with ambition above his station!). The Judge, the LORD God Almighty. The charge, against Joshua seems to be that his accuser thought him unworthy of the office of High Priest, representative of the ‘people of God’. Why? Along with the people of Judea, Joshua had already been condemned, by God, and exiled to Babylon for his part in the failure of the people to keep their covenant and practise idolatry. The evidence, for all to see, being his “filthy garments”. Satan was delighted at God’s judgment of Judea in exiling them to Babylon. God’s chosen thrown out of the Land. God’s plan for His people at an end. Game, set, and match, to Satan.

Now there is an important lesson for believers today in what follows. Jude in his short letter (Jude 1:9) has a report of another heavenly dispute. The subject is different, but the advocates and the Judge are the same. And this is the lesson. In both cases it is the LORD who rebukes Satan. Even the ‘chief of Angels’ does not confront Satan directly. If Michael the archangel, does not rebuke Satan directly, it seems unwise for me, a mere mortal to do so. And yet I have many times heard enthusiastic believers throw themselves into such a conflict with a loud “I rebuke you Satan”.  Learn from Michael! I do not glorify Satan by reminding myself that he is a powerful enemy. Not to be tangled with, but dealt with by Almighty God (Revelation 20: 2 and 10).

And so it was that Satan was given the message. “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who chose Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not a brand plucked from the fire?” What Satan considered to be ‘game. set, and match’ was just a corrective measure by the LORD to bring His people back to Himself. “The brand plucked from the fire”. To make the point more graphically, the LORD continued “Take away the filthy garments from him”. Then addressing Joshua “See I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes”. And herein lies another lesson. Only the LORD our God has power to accomplish that. By the breath of His mouth He can make the vilest person clean. He did, and He does. But there is much more to be learned here. Immediately following this transformation, ‘the Angel of the LORD’ spoke again in admonishment of Joshua. It is a conditional message. “If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My command, then you shall also judge My house, and likewise have charge of My courts”. It is very comforting to accept the blessing of God. Less comforting to even acknowledge that there might be some admonishing conditions attached to such blessing, let alone accept them. Friends, there are plenty of “IF’s” in the Scriptures. Too many of us have acquired the skill of myopically removing them from the text!!

Then, in a most enlightening way, for us living today, Zechariah joins Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jeremiah, and the Psalmist (118) in being shown the advent of the Messiah of God. It is referred to as “a wondrous sign”, and so it is. “My servant, the BRANCH, the Stone”. All descriptors of Messiah Yeshua. We are blessed to be able to see that in history. Zechariah’s audience had faith alone as their assurance of God’s wondrous sign. And yet still future for us to receive by faith alone “And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day says the LORD of hosts, everyone will invite his neighbour under his vine and under his fig tree”.  Our God is a trustworthy, covenant keeping, God. And there is more. Zechariah is shown a golden seven branched lamp stand and two olive trees constantly feeding the lamps. That speaks of the temple which at that time had not been repaired. God had called both Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people to get on with the task of mending of the walls and restoring the temple. They were quite discouraged and severely hampered in that work. How could they possibly get that done with such obstacles in their way? So the word the LORD gave Zechariah for Zerubbabel, the man chosen to lead the Judeans back to the land from Babylon. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts”. It sounds rather too easy doesn’t it? But it was not. The obstacles and the challenges remained. But the will and determination of the people doing the work was uplifted by the knowledge that they were about the LORD’s business. How do we know that? Because the word of the LORD to Zechariah said so, and he passed that word faithfully to the people. “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of the temple, his hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you”.

Then Zecharaiah wondered about the two mysterious olive trees which continuously fed the lamps of the golden lamp stand. The LORD told him they represented the two “anointed ones, who stand beside the LORD of the whole earth”. Well, the two most prominent people there at the time were Zerubbabel, who led the people back from Babylon, and Joshua, the High Priest who stood in the court with this ‘filthy garments’ at the beginning of our text. Commentators point out that Zerubbabel was a direct descendant of David, and Joshua, the High Priest, was a direct descendant of Eleazar, who succeeded his father Aaron as High Priest when he died.

Now isn’t that an interesting point at which to end our ‘reflection’ this week?

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 43

Z E C H A R I A H

Zechariah 1:1  to  2:13

Just two months after the LORD spoke to Haggai, He spoke to Zechariah on the very same matter. It must have been very important to the LORD. The simplistic thrust of the message given to Haggai to proclaim was “get on with the task the LORD has given you to do”. Zechariah, a name which means ‘YHWH remembers’, had a very similar, but more extensive, insight into the prophetic future of the Israelites. So it was that Zechariah was first told “The LORD has been very angry with your fathers”. God remembered the covenant they had made, and broken. The word continued “Return to Me, and I will return to you …. Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds”. Did it ever occur to you that God sees the breaking of the covenant as “evil”?  Evil is a very strong word isn’t it? The Hebrew word also could be translated “calamitous”!

Three months later, Zechariah, a priest (Nehemiah 12:16), son of the prophet Iddo,  ‘saw by night’, presumably  in a dream. a man  (identified as the “Angel of the LORD”) riding a red horse, standing in the myrtle trees. Behind him were others riding red, speckled, and white horses. They were “ones sent by God”, commissioned to “walk to and fro throughout the earth”. They reported that “the earth was resting quietly”. This would contrast sharply with the plight of the returned exiles, harassed and disrupted every day. They had been given the task of re-building the walls, but had made slow progress because of that disruption. We saw in our ‘reflection’ in Haggai that they were dispirited and had lost motivation to continue. It was the role of Zechariah to encourage the people in that task by reminding them of the importance of rebuilding the temple, which had been destroyed by fire at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar some 70 years earlier.  The temple was the centre of worship and sacrifice for the people. It represented the very presence of God in their midst. It was the place where, by their presentation of sacrifices, they could “draw near” to God in worship of Him. A holy place.

So the angel who spoke to Zechariah in that vision (or dream) told him. To proclaim the word of the LORD thus :- “I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. I am very angry with the nations at ease; for I was a little angry, and they helped - but with evil intent”.  There are a number of lessons for us today in that statement of the LORD. We have ‘reflected’ many times on the fact that “the LORD does not change” (Malachi 3:6). He was zealous for Jerusalem then, and He is still zealous for Jerusalem now. Appreciating that is crucial to a believers’ understanding of  the Scriptures. He was ‘very angry with nations at ease’ then, and He is very angry with those nations now. In those days, He had used the nations to bring judgment on His people because of idolatry and their neglect of Torah. Even though He was at that time “a little angry” with those nations. That “little anger” turned to “exceeding anger” when those nations exceeded, and even revelled, in their role as God’s agents of judgment. God will always honour His covenant with His people. He did then, by restoring them to their land. And He is now, by restoring them in huge numbers to their land today. I invite you to consider the actions of the United Nations towards Israel today. It is that which causes me to conclude, in ‘reflection’, what God thinks of nations (at ease) today. I believe He is “exceedingly angry”, just as He was in the days of Zechariah. He says “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it … My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem”. It was God’s message to nations then, and it’s God’s message to nations (and especially to believers in those nations) today.

It does not take long for Zechariah to be shown a much longer view of God’s prophetic message to the people. The man with a measuring line in his hand.  The population of Jerusalem in Zechariah’s day is variously estimated (by archaeologists)  at between 8,000 and 20,000. In 1948 it was about 160,000. Today it is about 940,000. That fulfils the prophecy about “the multitude of men and livestock in it” (Zech 2:4). Clearly, the days of the LORD being “a wall of fire all around her (Jerusalem) and I will be the glory in her midst”, are days still future to us today. And if anyone has doubt about the LORD’s love of His people, Israel, just look at chapter 2, verse 8, of our text. “He who touches you touches the apple of His (God’s) eye”. In paraphrase we might say that treating Israel with contempt or worse, is like ‘poking God in the eye’. Sadly, to our great shame, that is exactly how Israel has been dealt with by the christian church over past centuries, and continues today in many believers.

But there is also a great message of hope in this prophecy. Speaking of a day still future, the LORD continues. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst … many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation”. I respectfully suggest that those words of the LORD, given to Zechariah for the people of his day, were also given for the day in which we are now living. Who is the “ME” who is to be sent? “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). If that were the end it would be very sad. But there is a day coming when “HE will take possession of Judah as His inheritance”.  Glorious days ahead.                    

Shabbat Shalom 

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 42

H A G G A I

Haggai 1:1  to  2:23

We do not know much about Haggai, who wrote this prophetic message. Only Obadiah wrote a shorter one! But that does not diminish its importance. It contains a timely call for action, with a valuable lesson for all of us to learn. In short, “do not neglect the work God has called you to do”. So, a brief recall of history to set the scene. Around 538 BCE Zerubbabel and Ezra, together with up to 50,000 others were permitted by king Cyrus of Persia to return to Israel to re-build the walls of Jerusalem. The work commenced 2 years later. As a result of harassment, opposition from neighbours, and indifference by the Jews, that work remained incomplete. About 16 years later, the LORD stirred up both Haggai and Zechariah for two principal reasons. First to encourage the people to finish the work of building the temple. Second to re-order their spiritual priorities (see Ezra 5 and 6). In the event, the work of construction was completed about 4 years later, in 516 BCE (Ezra 6:15). So let us now ‘reflect’ on the message.

The LORD spoke to Haggai in reference to that unfinished work. “Is it time for you yourselves to live in panelled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” And followed that up with the challenging words “Consider your ways”. And herein lies the first lesson for any who seek to learn. God knows the heart and actions of each one of us. He charged these people with earning wages and putting what they earned into a ‘bag with holes’. At the very least that is wasteful, and at its worst it speaks of self indulgence. The contrast is made between the “panelled house” and the “ruined temple”. Quite a graphic depiction of priorities. So the LORD requires us to “Consider your ways”. For those Jews at that time, He provided instructions. “Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I might take pleasure in it and be glorified'. We should perhaps be asking the LORD what He requires of us.

Haggai reminded them of the prospect of debilitating drought and failure of crops. How did he know? Well of course, God told him. BUT, that was clearly spelled out in the Torah account in the “blessings and curses” chapters of Deuteronomy 28,29. That was well known to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and Joshua, the son of the high priest. And they “obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him; and the people feared the presence of the LORD”. And here lies a second lesson. I do not ever recall any teaching, or experience, of “people fearing the presence of the LORD”. Certainly there is respect and worship of God in many places. But all too often, there is a familiarity with God which diminishes the recognition and appreciation of His awesome might and power. The same power which Paul refers to as “the exceeding greatness of His power … which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places”. (Ephesians 1:19,20) That is the power over life and death.     Selah!

Haggai spoke again, as directed by the LORD, to Zerubbabel and Joshua. “Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?” I can only imagine the shame which those men might have felt to be so addressed by the prophet. And had it been left at that, quite devastating. But there was more. The LORD said “Be strong, all you people of the land, and work; for I am with you  … the silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, … The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, … and in this place I will give peace”. And as we mentioned at the beginning of this ‘reflection’, we know that the work was completed four years later, to the glory of God. However, the reference to the ‘peace’ which is to come is actually yet another indicator of a still future period, which was dealt with in our recent ‘reflections’ in Ezekiel’s prophecy. It will come after ‘the war to end all wars’ when the temple, yet to be built, will function under the reign, in the land, of our Messiah, King Yeshua. But, in Haggai’s time, there still remained one more task to be completed.

When the people returned to the land from Babylon, there was, at best, a quite dysfunctional priesthood. So Haggai questioned them about the Torah duties and operations of the priesthood. They responded correctly. They knew the theory, but were short on the practical. Then Haggai was able to compare that to the people, who evidently had not been taught correct practice by the priests. They were therefore ritually ‘unclean’, so not able to worship in the newly re-constructed temple. That was a practical issue for the people of that day, and Zerubbabel was charged with the responsibility of ensuring that things would change. He did.

And then the prophetic discourse changed to embrace a much further view of the future. The LORD said “I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of the kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of Gentile kingdoms.  I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them; the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword of his brother”. That is another picture of the ‘war to end all wars’. But the final prophecy, in great compliment to Zerubbabel, God said “and I will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you”. A ‘signet ring’ is a lasting object of memorial significance. The disobedience of the people in not carrying out their allotted tasks had caused God to withhold blessing. Their turn around, to be obedient to His command causes a release of God’s abundant blessing. And that is the final lesson to be learned from this ‘reflection’.     

Shabbat Shalom 

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 42

O B A D I A H

Obadiah 1:1  to  1:21

We do not have much detail about Obadiah the man, or the actual date of this prophecy. It is thought to have been written about the time of the fall of Jerusalem under the siege of Nebuchadnezzar around 586 BCE, but it could have been much earlier, during the reign of king Jehoram (852 - 841 BCE). It does not alter the substance of the prophetic vision God gave to him. Nor the message which this prophecy has for us today.

This is a relatively brief prophecy, (one chapter in our Bible) concerned largely with just one nation, Edom. That is the one nation most singled out in the Scriptures to receive the full force of the wrath of God. Psalmists 83 and 137, Isaiah 11, 34, and 63, Jeremiah 49, Lamentations 4, Ezekiel 25 and 35, Joel 3, Amos 1 and 9, and Malachi 1, all make mention of the judgment of God on Edom. And it all goes back to the time when Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, and the bitter hatred which flowed from that incident. Edom is where Esau settled. Centuries later, his descendants refused to let the sons of Jacob pass through their territory as they journeyed to the land of God’s promise. God was displeased too when these same Edomites rejoiced over the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE.  Edom is situated just south of the dead sea in today’s Jordan, and includes the famous tourist area of Petra (constructed by the Nabateans). It is one of two places which, after the war to end all wars, will be totally desolate. (Babylon is the other).

The description of the Edomites living in elevated caves in rocky country can be readily identified with the area where Petra is today. At least the geography fits. Proud, not least because of their elevated position, the Edomites seemed to consider themselves impregnable. Safe from all attack. It was one source of  their great pride. Earlier, Solomon had written “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”. (Proverbs 16:18) Obadiah said “The pride of your heart has deceived you well”. We have mentioned a number of times that what God says, God will do. And the prophet was sent with a simple enough message from God. Your end has been determined by your present. A good enough lesson for everyone to learn. It is not what you say. Words are cheap. It is what you are, what you do, on which God makes judgement (Revelation 20:12). But in His love and mercy, His judgement is not without warning. “For violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off for ever”. For the Edomites of course the deed had already been committed. But for anyone who is able to see a lesson here, God has referred these people, Israelites, known globally today as “Jews”, as His ‘special treasure’, and ‘the apple of My eye’. He told Abraham that He would bless those who blessed him (and his descendants), but He would ‘bitterly curse’ those who treated them ‘with contempt’.

Obadiah had the task of letting the Edomites know what was ahead of them, and why. He could not have known that his message was timeless. It is the wonder of the Scriptures that God is able to convey, through His dealings with His own people, and by extension through the actions of those they came into contact with, how He exercises judgement. The ‘christian church’ has a record of appalling behaviour towards the Jews down through the ages. We should pray that God would enlighten us, in this generation, to avoid the mistakes of those who preceded us. It is evident from our text that the Edomites had metaphorically ‘danced on the grave’ of the Israelites in their days of distress. “You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity. Indeed you should not have gazed on their affliction … nor laid hands on their substance (looting). Nor should you have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped; nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained”. There was no more to be said to Edom.

But there was a word of warning left for the other nations too. As I write these words, a vivid, horrible, picture comes to my mind. Millions of Jews, men, women, children, old, young, middle aged, no discrimination, who were murdered in the holocaust of the early 1940’s. And the countless millions who died during the period we know as “the inquisition”. Pogroms of Britain in 1290, (they did not officially return until 1655) Spain in 1492. Of Russia, of Algeria. It is endless. Hatred of those who are “called by My name” says the LORD.

In his vision, God told Obadiah to continue “For the day of the LORD upon all nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head. For as you drank on My holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually;  …. And they shall be as though they had never been.”  No-one cares think that God’s judgment might be turned on them. But God is just. He deals with everyone with equanimity. No special deals.  But now Obadiah sees some light at the end of the tunnel. “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions”. There was a day ahead when Israel would once again take their rightful place, as God intended, in their own land. That has already happened, temporarily, since the return from Babylonian exile. In our generation, we are witnessing a return from “all the nations to which they were scattered”. But even this is not the end. But it is “the beginning of the end.” Look forward to the day when Messiah Yeshua returns to reign on His throne. Wouldn’t Obadiah be pleased?    

Shabbat Shalom  

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 41

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 44:1  to  48:35

The final “reflection” on the prophetic declarations of Ezekiel. Last week the focus was on the Temple yet to be constructed in Jerusalem, and the re-institution of the sacrificial system of worship in that Temple. I note a major difference between previous Temples and this third Temple. There is NO Court of Gentiles, with its accompanying “wall of partition”. The LORD says “No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel”. (Ezekiel 44:9) However, gentiles will be allowed to take up residence in the land, sharing that experience within one of the Tribes of Israel, living in peace and harmony with that Tribe (Ezekiel 47: 21-23). It is worthy of note that the sign of the covenant God made with Abraham was “circumcision of the flesh”.

In a previous “reflection” we dealt with the re-gathering of the Jews from “all the places where they had been scattered”. And now we consider the physical elements of settlement in the land for the Millennial kingdom of Messiah Yeshua.

That ALL the tribes of Israel will be represented is beyond dispute because they are named. Among those will be the 144,000 young virginal men, who were “sealed” for special service of the LORD. From other Scriptures, we also know that those martyred during the period of tribulation leading up to “the war to end all wars” will be in positions of leadership, but not necessarily in Israel. (the world is a big place!!) The division of the land is much more ‘orderly’ than in the original settlement, (see illustration) and each tribe, except Levi, has a land allotment. Judah and Benjamin are immediately north and south of the central “Holy Zone”. That zone to be occupied by the Levites and the priests of Zadok, and adjacent land both east and west of the “Holy Zone” is allotted to “the Prince”. The Levites will be permitted to slaughter the sacrificial animals, but only the priests of Zadok will be allowed to enter the Holy Place where those sacrifices are presented to the LORD, for which duty they will be required to wear special linen garments to avoid the presence of any unclean bodily fluids such as sweat. And there will be strict rules of conduct, such as entry and exit procedures, for anyone attending the Temple courts. Having read the declarations of God given to Ezekiel, I have come to the view that the Millenial reign of Yeshua, ruling with a rod of iron (Rev 12:5 and 19:15) will be markedly different from the seeming chaotic mixture of activities we see in our present day world cities.

There will be other differences too. The Eastern Gate of the Temple, in present times is walled up and “guarded” by a very large cemetery all the way down into the Kidron Valley. In “Ezekiel’s Temple” that gate will be the way of entry of the LORD Himself. For that reason, no-one else is allowed to use it, and it will be closed for six days of the week. On Sabbaths, New Moons and other “mo’edim’ it will be opened. Only “the Prince” will be allowed to worship in the vestibule of this gate, and other people only at the entrance to that gateway, but not enter the vestibule.

Regarding the “mo’edim” of the LORD, there will also be changes to the present remembrances. Shavuot, Yom Teruah, and Yom Kippur will no longer be observed. Life will be under the New Covenant. Yeshua will have made His reappearance on this earth and the Day of Atonement will no longer be necessary. However, it is evident that as an everlasting memorial to Yeshua’s atoning death, and the miraculous birth of Israel as a nation before God, the celebration of Passover and Unleavened bread will continue. The joyous celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (Ingathering), a remembrance of the marriage supper of the Lamb, will be an obligatory festival for ALL nations. This is clear from the word given to the prophet Zechariah, and nations unrepresented at that festival denied rainfall the following year.

The final observation to be made is the amazing revelation which God showed Ezekiel regarding the continuous flow of living water out of the new Temple. I confess that I find it impossible to imagine that scene. Truly a miracle of God. It will be a “river of life”. Ezekiel says “This water flows toward the eastern region (i.e, inland) goes down the valley, and enters the sea (the dead sea). When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there: for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; there will be places for spreading their nets. This fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea (Mediterranean), exceedingly many”.

This is just part of the wonderful provision of God for those who, by faith and by action, are promised life with and in the Millennial reign of our Saviour.  Blessed be His Name.

Shabbat Shalom  

RS

Image Reference: 

Source:

John W. Schmitt, Messianic Temple Ministries, 1633 SE 38th Portland, OR 97233

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 40

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 40:1  to  43:27

The first Temple, built by Solomon, was destroyed by the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. It was partially restored by Ezra and Nehemiah, and a new (second) Temple, built by Herod the great, took more than 50 years to construct, and was destroyed in 70 CE by Titus, son of Roman Emperor Vespasian. Following the prophecy about the return of the exiled Jews back to the land, and the “war to end all wars” which would bring nations into judgment with the LORD, Ezekiel is given a vision of another (third) Temple which is yet to be built in Jerusalem. As this present age draws to a close, the Scriptures tell us of the rise of “a man of peace” (identified as Anti-Christ). During his seven years of global influence he will demand to be worshipped in the Temple in Jerusalem. It does not yet exist! The dimensions of this visionary Temple occupy about 10 acres of land. The Temple Mount, is about 37 acres in area, and of trapezoid shape. Presently the site of TWO mosques. The Dome of the Rock (a memorial site to the prophet Mohammad), and the regularly used Al Aqsa mosque. The whole site presently under Jordanian administrators. Jews are not permitted to enter the site, but gentile visitors may get permission as tourists. (I have often wondered how a seven year peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians might be forged by anyone. And then, in my imagination I see how the construction of a new Temple on the Temple Mount would be such an attractive proposition for Jews that such a peace treaty is quite possible)

God took Ezekiel, in a vision, to a very high place, causing him to look to the south so that he could see clearly a structure ‘like a city’. There was a man in the gateway of that place, with a measuring line in his hand. The man spoke to Ezekiel. “Look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you . Declare to the house of Israel everything you see”. (That reminds me of the kind of instruction John was given as he was taken on his visionary tour of Heaven which is recorded in Revelation). In the first three chapters of our ‘reflection’ we find a detailed description of the Temple with many precise measurements of rooms, spaces, courtyards and steps. The descriptions of the Temple furniture and decorative features are also precisely specified. It appears as nothing was left to chance. It’s God’s way isn’t it? It is a most remarkable characteristic of our Bible. Sometimes a good search may be required, but God is fulfilling all His purposes just as He has declared in His Word. Trustworthy. And after the descriptions, Ezekiel was introduced to the purpose. The man spoke to Ezekiel again “Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory”. (Look again at Revelation 1:15) “And the glory of the LORD came into the Temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east”. Then the man who had been speaking to Ezekiel became silent and LORD Himself spoke again. “This is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever”. (Can you hear that voice like many waters?)

Now this is the challenge for believers today. Because of the anti Jewish bias of centuries of “church teaching”, there are many who cannot come to terms with the concept of another Temple being built. Especially a fully functioning Temple as was described in minute detail to Ezekiel. But there is MORE. Read for yourself Ezekiel 43:18-27. The last words read “When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you says the Lord God”. What Ezekiel is describing is a return to the sacrificial system of “drawing near to God” just as God had described to Moses on the mountain. For almost two thousand years, Jews have bemoaned the fact that they have no Temple in which to worship God. Unable to perform the daily rituals of sacrifice which Torah specifies. And here Ezekiel is describing the return of Burnt offerings, Sin offerings, Peace offerings. The only offerings not mentioned specifically are the Grain Offerings and the Trespass Offerings. It is demonstrably evident that God is fulfilling the prophetic return of Jews to Israel just as Ezekiel wrote. Did Ezekiel get it right in the first 39 chapters,  and then get it wrong from chapter 40 to 48? I think not.

The Temple specified here will remain throughout the Millennial reign of Yeshua. A fully functioning Temple of worship, praise, adoration, and  sacrifice to the Lord our God. Why? Because God has declared it.  Now we need to also remember that life in that time will be different to the life we  experience today. It will be life living in the New Covenant. The Torah of God will be put in the minds, and written on the hearts of men. No-one can be taught that, because everyone, from the greatest to the least will know it. Am I too bold to suggest we could start by observing it today?    

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Image Reference: 

Source:

Hubbard, Shiloh, Elliot Ritzema, Corbin Watkins, and Lazarus Wentz with Logos Bible Software and KarBel Media. Faithlife Study Bible Infographics. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012.

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 39

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 38:1  to  39:29

Very serious message to ‘reflect’ on this week. The war to end all wars, a future event. Ezekiel is instructed to prophesy against more enemies of Israel. The first mention of the name “Gog” appears in 1 Chronicles 5:4, the genealogy of Reuben. However, there are many who still argue about the identity and origins of the “Gog” (be it man or nationality), who (or which) is the main subject of this week’s ‘reflection’. What is abundantly clear is that Almighty God is against Gog! Identified as an enemy whom God will encourage to enter into battle with Israel, and then be defeated. The prophecy remains unfulfilled. Many believers look for the signs of that fulfilment because, importantly, it heralds the beginning of the end of this age, immediately preceding the return of Messiah Yeshua to rule and reign in Jerusalem for 1,000 years. And that is what the Scriptures are all about.

(Reference is made to Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. It is of little consequence to the events of this ‘reflection’, but “rosh” is a Hebrew adjective mentioned over 600 times in the Scriptures and always interpreted “chief”. It is not a description of territory, as Meshech and Tubal are identified as regional areas of present day Turkey. So, Gog is the ‘chief prince of Magog’. It is a matter of further interest that Gog and Magog rate an important mention again AFTER the millennial reign of Yeshua in Revelation 20, when Satan is released from the “prison” in which he will be chained. Gog and Magog are identified as ‘the four corners of the earth’. In that final battle, God uses fire to consume His enemies).

Then Ezekiel turned his attention to the battle plan God has devised. “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you: and be a guard for them. After many days you will be visited (one might assume this to be by provocation of the Spirit of God). In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from the many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; (remember the 1,800 years of drought which caused that desolation which we mentioned last week) they were brought out of the nations and now dwell safely.” To gain the timing perspective I carefully note that for at least 200 years Israel was occupied by the Greek and Roman invaders before Yeshua came to this earth. Then only in 1948 was Israel established again as a sovereign nation, and just in the last 70 years have we observed the enormous rates of immigration by Jews back to the land. So the invaders, when they appear as a great army of many nations, thinking it to be an easy task, complacent, ill prepared, contemplating a quick end to the battle, are in for a mighty shock. God said “Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel ….. and all the men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD."  As this present age draws to a close, God is intent on revealing Himself to the world in a manner that leaves no doubt about Who He is. The days of optional opinions of Him will be behind us. His mighty arm exposed and demonstrated for all to see. No longer will “faith” be required to trust Him. Because they will ALL know Him, from the greatest to the least. This is the time generally known by believers as “the Ezekiel 38/39 war”. This is also consistent with the account of the breaking of the sixth seal described in Revelation 6:12-16.

Our “reflection" continues as Ezekiel speaks in prophecy to that great army. “You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the people who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured”.  The description of the carnage which  this battle produces is unprecedented. Read the description in Chapter 39 of our text. The invading armies are reduced, in death, to become a gigantic food lot for birds and wild animals. Horrific. “So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name any more. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One of Israel”.  Then in emphatic terms He continued “Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the Lord God, “This is the day of which I have spoken”. Now, as I write this “reflection”, I perceive that there are only TWO groups of people alive in this world today. There are those of us who trust and believe God, and there are others who do not. There is NO fence to sit on. But what I believe, and others may not, has NO bearing on the veracity of God’s plan. It is set out in plain and simple language. Make a choice. The future of every person is decided by the choice made.

The prophecy of Ezekiel declares that such will be the scale of the slaughter that it will take seven months for the whole land to be cleared of the remains of the dead, so that the land will be cleansed. A time which I presume will be part of the first year of the millennial reign of Yeshua, which immediately follows this “war to end all wars”. It is the time when the Apostle Paul declares that “All Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26). What God says is  “When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies lands, and am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who sent the into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer. And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel, says the Lord God”.

There could not possibly be a more clear declaration of the love of God for those who are preciously ‘called by His name’. 

Shabbat Shalom   

RS                                                                                                                                                                   

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 38

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 34:1  to  37:28

The nature of the prophetic message given to Ezekiel changes dramatically. We ended last week with exile from the land imminent, and future desolation prophesied. And so it was. In the event, approximately 1,800 years of debilitating drought, causing catastrophic desolation. And there remain serious issues with the “shepherds of Israel”. Those who should have been leading the people into safety, feeding them properly, spiritually, with the teachings given to Moses on the mountain centuries earlier. “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds (of Israel), and I will require MY flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them’.” Blunt, direct, unambiguous, final. Those appointed by God to be teachers and leaders are subject to a stricter judgment than those who are not (James 3:1). It was true in Ezekiel’s day, and it is true today. The penalty for leading people falsely, or selfishly, by seeking gain for oneself at the expense of the ‘flock’, is frightening. Yet, even today, hierarchical church structures, operating on the classic modern business model, are rife with it. In His letters to the “ekklesia” in Revelation, Yeshua described it as the “doctrine of the Nicolaitans”, which He hates.

The people had been scattered as a result of the neglect (for which God blamed the shepherds) of their covenant responsibilities. Firstly, they were exiled to Babylon, and from there, many returned about 70 years later. But this prophetic announcement of Ezekiel goes way beyond that exile. “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out … and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day … and will bring them to their own land”. And that prophecy, my dear friends, we see being fulfilled before our own eyes in this generation. Consider this. No country can prosper without rain, and God controls the weather. After the exile by the Romans, Israel did not begin to have any meaningful rain again until about 1878. (In 1867, Mark Twain, in his book “Innocents Abroad” had described the country as “desolate and uninhabitable”). Then in 1897, Theodore Hertzl, at the age of 37 years, organised the first Zionist Council in Basel Switzerland. He died 7 years later, but the return of Jews to the Land had now began. In 1947, the United Nations agreed to grant Israel rights to the Land again. That very year, rainfall reached a new level. Another peak in 1967, when Jerusalem was restored to Israel. In 1973, when Israel successfully fought off the challenge of the “Yom Kippur” war, another rainfall peak occurred. In 2020, the ‘Sea of Galilee’ was a mere 21 cm below its ‘dangerous’ red line level, causing the authorities to contemplate opening the dam to release water from it!! AND, Jews “making Alyia” (going up) to Israel continued unabated. This friends, is what the LORD showed Ezekiel in our prophetic reading today. What a mighty God we serve. “I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them - My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd”. Now clearly, king David had died about 400 years earlier. But his dynasty was established ‘for ever’ (2 Samuel 7: 12 -16). An unmistakable reference to Messiah Yeshua, and an event still future to us today. But there is MORE. “I will make a covenant of peace with them”. This is the NEW COVENANT, sealed with the ‘Blood of the Lamb’ which Jeremiah detailed, and which is to be made with ‘the house of Israel and the house of Judah’. (Jeremiah 31: 31-34) Gentiles may be included in that covenant by “grafting in” as Paul described in Romans 11. And that my dear friends, has privileges and responsibilities!! “Thus they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people”. It seems that God is focussed on ensuring that both by His own people, and by the world, that HE alone is known as God, and there is no other.

This whole theme of restoration of the scattered people of Israel to the land of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and His reason for so doing, is continued in Chapter 36. “Thus says the Lord GOD; ‘I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went …. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD … when I am hallowed in you before their eyes’.” It is a work in progress. A population of about 800,000 in 1948 has  become 9,250,000 in 2020. Can anyone deny that God is fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel? ALL of it in my lifetime. And it is not finished. There are still about 6 million Jews not living in Israel. And a very small proportion of Jews have faith in Yeshua as Messiah. And so we come to the amazing prophetic message of Ezekiel 37. DRY BONES. “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered “O Lord GOD, You know”. Please read the prophetic words of Chapter 37 again, understanding that the process has already begun.

The nations of Israel and Judah, separate at the time when Ezekiel lived, are to “become one stick” again (v 19), as they were under the rule of king David. They will be ONE nation again, never to be divided (v 22). They will be ruled by the dynasty of David (Messiah Yeshua) (v 24). They will be united in Torah observance (v 24). And they will have a “New Covenant”. “The nations will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuaries in their midst forevermore”. 

The question that remains in my mind is .. why are believers in Yeshua today so ignorant of God’s eternal plan for His people, Israel? It is unfolding before our eyes.                  

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 37

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 29:1  to  33:33

The prophecy against Egypt (587 BCE by the date given to us by Ezekiel). Ezekiel had been taken captive into Babylon about 15 years earlier. Nebuchadnezzar’s army was just beginning their siege of Jerusalem. Egypt had been a world power for centuries and had prospered under the stewardship of Joseph when he was Prime Minister. Several years later, following his death, the prosperity continued for Egypt with the availability of an abundance of Israelite ‘slave labour’. Now Ezekiel was shown events which would soon follow for Egypt, and God would use first the Greeks (570 BCE), and then the same armies which were besieging Jerusalem (567 BCE) to bring judgement on the Egyptians. The Pharaoh was described as a ‘crocodile’, a mean cruel monster, which was once revered by Egyptians, but living in the rivers where Egyptians fished for food. Additionally, Israel had unwisely relied on Egypt in a military alliance, and been let down. “Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed (very weak) to the house of Israel (Isaiah 36:6). When they took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders (turned on them), when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their backs quiver”. For that, God said He would make Egypt “desolate and waste”. And He did. But as a God of mercy and compassion, that was not the end for the people. “At the end of forty years .. I will bring back the captives of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of their origin, and there they shall be the lowliest of kingdoms .. so they will not rule over the nations anymore”. And they never have. The lesson for us? What God says, God will do!

In a very interesting twist, it seems to me, God had determined to reward the army of Nebuchadnezzar, for their help in bringing judgement upon Judah!! They had toiled for about 13 years in siege of Tyre as their reward, but were unsuccessful. The people of Tyre escaped to an Island and survived. “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour, because he worked for Me.’ Says the Lord GOD”. God is no-one’s debtor.

The prophecy against Egypt continued, and as our reading progresses we see that other nations are drawn into the net of God’s wrath. Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, Chub. Nations who supported, and had citizens working with, Egypt are all drawn into the net. “Those who uphold Egypt shall fall”, we are told. And here is perhaps another lesson for us today. We need to take great care  to whom, and what, we support and provide aid. Because when God looks upon those who are His, He expects that we will not give our support to those who oppose Him. Certainly not those who are false teachers. Our God is a jealous God. Double standards will not be tolerated in any circumstance. One cannot support what God condemns. To do so is to be subject to the same condemnation. Then Ezekiel is told the reason for all this wrath AGAIN. “That they shall know that I am the LORD”. It is a recurring theme of God. When He instructed Moses to proclaim the curses which befell the Pharaoh of Egypt in his day, it was so that “they shall know that I am the LORD”. And because we are  already blessed with the knowledge of Him. We are without excuse.

In Chapter 33 of our text, God returns to the message He first gave Ezekiel in Chapter 3. It is a message we should all learn. It is the role of “watchman”. It doesn’t sound too arduous, but it is viewed with great importance by God. In Chapter 3, God appointed Ezekiel as “watchman” for the house of Israel. Here in Chapter 33, God instructed Ezekiel to appoint other “watchmen”, with identical responsibility and consequence. It is a simple task. When danger appears, blow the trumpet to warn the people. It is what Ezekiel is doing in writing this prophetic book. Those who heed the warning will be saved from the danger. They take action themselves to be protected. But if the warning is deliberately ignored, then they take the consequential responsibility themselves. However, if the “watchman” does NOT sound the warning, he bears the consequential responsibility for his lack of action. I note that there is NO middle ground.  It is concisely set out for us as God told Ezekiel  “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?”     Good question eh?           Selah!

Our ‘reflection’ ends this week with a sad reminder that the Israelites did not heed the warning of the “watchmen”, and were taken, as a nation, into captivity in Babylon. But we know they were restored, in part, about 70 years later, when first Ezra, then Nehemiah, returned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. So it comes as a surprise to see the prophecy in Ezekiel 33: 28 about the “desolation of the land”. This is a reference to another exile which took place when the Romans, in 135 CE expelled the Jews after the Bar Kochba uprising, and the siege at Masada. It is noteworthy that the land of Israel endured about 1,800 years of drought after that event. In 1867, the American author, Mark Twain, in his book “Innocents Abroad” wrote that the land, then known as Palestine, was a land “desolate and uninhabitable”.  There was no meaningful rain there until about 1880! And today, Israel has an annual rainfall of approx. 600 mm.  As we anticipate our “reflection” of next week, we will see how that is so important in God’s plan for those who are called by His name.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 36

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 23:1  to  28:26

In a graphical, picturesque way, God spoke to Ezekiel about the abominations with which the Israelites had defiled themselves. Going back to their time in Egypt, as slaves, God identified the roots of their defilement. He used the example of two sisters to describe the downfall of both Israel and Judah (for which He uses the name of their capital city, Jerusalem). He might have expected that the sister “Oholibah” (Jerusalem) would have learned from the calamity which befell “Oholah” (Samaria). But the malady was deep seated, and had to be removed. Chapter 23 is quite descriptive, and requires no further comment to gain the impression of the disgust with which God viewed their behaviour, and for which He could no longer withhold judgment.

Ezekiel is specific about dating his revelations from the LORD. The dates commence (Ezekiel 1:2) from the reign of Judah’s king Jehoiachin. So the Ezekiel 24 encounter is set in 588 BCE, when the 18 month siege of Jerusalem began. The parable of the boiling pot is another graphic picture of a time of misery for the Judeans as they suffer the siege of Nebuchadnezzar. After the people are dealt with, the “pot” (Jerusalem) itself, is ruined in the fire. “It shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not hold back, nor will I spare, nor will I relent; and according to your deeds they will judge you”. God told Ezekiel that he was not to mourn or weep over His judgement. Then in an almost unbelievable manner, Ezekiel says he told the people the message of God in the morning, and that very evening his own wife died! Did the LORD take away his natural sorrow supernaturally? We will never know. But what we do know is that Ezekiel was faithful to his allotted task, and became an example to the people. “Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord GOD”.

The “lamentations” continue. Ezekiel 25 records the words of the LORD against those who dealt spitefully with Israel. Turn your mind back to the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3. “I will (bitterly) curse (Heb. a’rar) those who (treat with contempt) curse (Heb. qalal) you”. So it is that we find Ezekiel instructed to prophesy the events which are to be visited on the Ammonites, and the inhabitants of Moab and Seir. They would scoff and ridicule the Judeans. Edom is mentioned again. The Philistines and the Cherethites, Tyre, Sidon. All the nations and groups who ‘treated Israel with contempt’ come under the judgement of the LORD for their actions.  Because God described the Israelites as “My special treasure”, and “the apple of My eye”, those who ignore that relationship do so at their peril. And Ezekiel is chosen by God to reinforce that message. “Hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you said “Aha!’ Against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when it went into captivity, indeed therefore I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the East etc. etc”. The Philistines too because “they dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred”. And don’t we see that in evidence today in many nations of the world. Curiously, to me, whereas God was bringing judgement on the Israelites because of their neglect of Torah, in many places, especially among some Christians, the ‘hatred’ seems to be because the Jews overtly uphold the Torah!! Work that out if you can.

We sometimes forget that whilst God is certainly concerned with the land of Israel because of His special relationship to the Jews, He actually commands the destiny of ALL nations. “For all the earth is Mine” (Exodus 19:5). It was His then, and it is His now, albeit temporarily the disobedient are under the influence of the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).  But that does not provide an acceptable excuse, before God, for behaviours which are detrimental to His beloved nation. Ezekiel is given a list of the detractors. Babylon heads the list, Ammonites, cities of Moab and Seir, Edom, the Philistines, citizens of Tyre, Sidon, Persia, Lydia, Libya, Syria all get a mention. And dear friends, I suspect that if Ezekiel were delivering that prophetic message today, there would be many more. To our great shame, well known names of countries and people groups joining that list. The word of the LORD still applies. “Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god, behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, the most terrible of nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and defile your splendour. They shall throw you down into the Pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the midst of the seas”.  I speculate here as I see in my mind, the cruel destructive hand of Islam as a possible agent of the LORD is bringing judgement on nations which have been, for many centuries, enemies and detractors of the dispersed of Israel!

Well the last word, as always, must go to the LORD Himself. “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgements on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God”.

That re-gathering is taking place in our generation. It is a sign that we are at the beginning of the end. I pray that those who claim to be “on the LORD’s side”, will join Him in being on Israel’s side too.    

Shabbat Shalom 

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 35

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 19:1  to  22:31

A ‘lament’ is a verbal expression of grief. God required Ezekiel to pronounce such a deep regret. It is historical. It’s about the past. But as is often the case, the past determines the future. So it was for the southern kingdom of Judah, The ‘mother’ refers to the nation, Judah. The ‘lions’ refer to her recent kings.  All of them “bad” kings. Specifically, Jehoahaz, who only reigned for 3 months in 609 BCE, overthrown by Egypt’s Pharaoh Necho. Then Jehoiachin, unjust and cruel, who also only had a 3 month reign before being carried off to Babylon in a cage (2 Kings 24:6-15) in 597 BCE. He was held captive for 37 years. And finally, Zedekiah, bringing about the collapse of the Davidic dynasty in 586 BCE. By his treachery, he was responsible for the burning down of Jerusalem. But as to the future, the Davidic dynasty will be restored when Messiah Yeshua returns to sit on that throne.

In Ezekiel 14 we pondered the question “Should I let Myself be enquired of at all by them?” Which the LORD put to Ezekiel (a question which brought enormous challenge to my life, see “reflection” 33). Now the LORD is quite specific when some of the elders came to enquire of Him. “I will not be inquired of by you”. But He told Ezekiel to “Judge them, and make known to them the abominations of their fathers”. Abominations which evidently were continued by them. Hence the judgment. So it was that again God spoke to Ezekiel about the blessings He had promised to the Israelites. Bringing them out of slavery in Egypt. Giving them their own land which He described as “a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey’, the glory of all lands”. Not any land. The best that existed. And as He continued, we find an expression which provides a salutary lesson for each of us. “Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them”. Remember Malachi 3:6. “I am the LORD, I do not change”. So here is the lesson. There are NOT some rules for one, and  different rules for others. For the Israelites, Deuteronomy 28,29 spelled out the blessings (for the obedient) and the ‘curses’ (for others). Those curses are activated by mans own choices. They are stated clearly upfront. No ambiguity. What Ezekiel was being told to say was already known by the Israelites. It was not a mystery. But that did not make any more palatable either. As we said earlier in this ‘reflection’ “the past (or even for us the present) determines our future”. That is an unambiguous fact of Scripture, proclaimed here by the prophet Ezekiel. “I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgements, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God”.        Selah!

It must have been heartrending for Ezekiel to bring the words of the LORD to the people. He was one of them. He was captive in Babylon at the time. He is told to tell the people that a sword is already prepared, sharpened, polished, waiting to bring destruction to Jerusalem. Dreams turned into nightmares. As  Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon prepared to go to battle, it seemed that he had two places to invade. Ezekiel is shown the alternatives. Rabbah of the Ammonites and Judah, where Jerusalem was fortified. At the junction of the two ways, a decision had to be made. Nebuchadnezzar turned to ‘divination’ for direction. But, Ezekiel knew that God Almighty was in control, because He told him so. The Judeans thought it was a false divination. That it would not happen. Speaking of Zedekiah, God said “Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end, thus says the LORD ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown; nothing shall remain the same”. God’s judgment cannot be stayed. It is as inevitable as night follows day. The Judeans did not believe it. And my dear friends, many, even those who claim allegiance to our God, do not believe it. (Matthew 7:21) It would be good to read again, from Ezekiel 3 and 33, the role we have as watchmen. It is an onerous duty to be called as a modern day Ezekiel.

As we near the end of this ‘reflection’, God, repetitiously, calls Ezekiel to be a judge. Pointing out over and again the abominations which caused Him to act against the people called by His name. Why? Why now? As I pondered this thought, it came to me that the abominable actions of people called by God’s own name, could not continue because of the damage being done to His NAME. God was effectively being mocked. He had intended the Israelites to be an example for good in the world. As He does US. Instead God’s very name was brought into disrepute. Pray that we are not guilty of the same offence, not by what we say, but by the way we live our lives before men. That was the ultimate sin of the Israelites. They belonged to the LORD, but acted as though they did not. The result for them? “I will scatter you among there nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the LORD”.

The people were about to experience the fire of the LORD. “I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no-one”. How sad. God looks, in every generation, for those who will ‘stand in the gap’ before Him. In our generation we have been called for that purpose. God grant that we diligently seek His face to understand the role He has allotted us to accomplish in His Name, by living righteously before men. May you find blessing in so doing.                         

Shabbat Shalom 

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 34

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 15:1  to  18:32

The tone of God’s judgement against Judah appears to change. It was lack of attention to the covenant, to which they had agreed, which had been the focus of complaint against them. The idolatry, the rebellion, the defiance, and the attitude, which caused the anger of the LORD to be directed against them. The metaphor of the wood of the vine, useful for the purpose of bearing fruit, and for no other practical purpose, is graphic. When its fruit bearing is finished it is burned in the fire. Judah, indeed the whole of Israel, is likened to the wood of the vine. God chose them, nurtured them, raised them, for that very purpose. The ‘reflection’ Scriptures this week start with a bit of a history lesson for them. The first 7 verses of chapter 16 contain a survey of the time from Abraham to their departure from Egypt. The time when God was preparing them to be the “special treasure”, He had promised Abraham they were to be. The manifestation of that role was to come when they entered the land God had promised them. The language in our text is graphically descriptive. From an unattractive ‘waif’ to a ‘beautiful queen’.  And now, some 800 years later, Judah, the southern kingdom, was about to feel the hot breath of God’s chastisement for their misdemeanours. Just as Israel, in the north, had done 120 years earlier. Humiliating exile from the land. A quite sad commentary. From “queen” to “waif” again. Is there a lesson for us in that? Am I the man God expected me to be when He called me into His service?     Selah!

What had happened to these ‘chosen people’? Ezekiel continued the narrative.  God blessed them abundantly. They began to understand and appreciate that there were safe arms of love and protection around them. Their enemies seemed to be powerless against them. Yes, they suffered some defeats, but were not overwhelmed. Until now. What had changed? Put as simplistically as it possibly can be, they took God’s protection for granted. In so doing, they forgot the most solemn promises of God (Deuteronomy 28,29) which required that they had an important role to fulfil, in order to enjoy the continuation of God’s unfailing blessing. There is a parallel we might make here. Their salvation, like ours, was freely provided for by our God. When they painted the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of their houses, their salvation was assured. When we put our faith and trust in the finished work of Messiah Yeshua, our salvation is assured. We enter into covenant with God. The Apostle John quoted Yeshua Himself when referring to the way we would be identified as His disciples. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”. That’s right, it’s that clear. That’s the same Yeshua who was “In the beginning”. (John 1:1) Taking Him for granted leads to a perilous outcome. Take time to read Matthew 7 : 20-23. ‘Lawlessness’ is a Greek translation of“Torahlessness”.

Ezekiel does not mince words. Chapter 16 describes the spiritual immorality of Judah. Comparisons are made with Samaria (the northern kingdom), with Sodom (completely removed from sight). Even the women of the Philistines were abhorred by their behaviour. “Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: Because your filthiness was poured ourt and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them, surely therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all this you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness”.  Devastating humiliation before all those to whom God expected they would be an good example.

It sounds as though God was finished with them for ever doesn’t it? He had every right to be angry, and we have good reason to expect that they would experience the curses which follow disobedience to their covenant. Otherwise how can we have trust in His promises to us? But God had not finished what He wanted to tell them. “For thus says the Lord GOD: I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Never- the- less I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. … Then you shall know that I am the LORD”. That covenant, when it is made, will be unbreakable. “Not according to the covenant I made with their fathers”. (Jeremiah 31:31) And it will have the same Torah as the one they broke!

God then told a ‘parable’ for the people to consider. The parable of the two eagles. The first referred to the king of Babylon, who prevailed against Judah. The second eagle refers to Judah’s last king, Zedekiah, who turned to Egypt for help against the invasion of the Babylonians. That plan turned against them, and they ended up with two enemies! Two eagles instead of just one.

Our reading comes to an end on a note of great comfort. There is redemption for anyone who acts in accordance with the covenant they make. “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the fathers well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die. But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right; … If he has walked in My statutes and kept My judgements fait“hfully - he is just; he shall surely live! Says the Lord GOD”.

Our God is a covenant keeping God. Righteous. Upright. Just.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 33

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 11:1  to  14:23

The LORD had shown Ezekiel, in visions, the wickedness and rebellion of the people. It continued further by revelation of 25 people, leaders no less, who were stirring the people up to fight against the insurmountable might of the armies of Babylon. They described the people as “meat in a cauldron”, from which there was no escape. By engaging in battle, many would unnecessarily lose their lives. In contrast, the prophet Jeremiah, also a priest, had counselled the people to go quietly, to avoid losing their lives in battle, and trust the LORD to bring them back (Jer 27:9-17). Ezekiel cried out to the LORD. “Ah, LORD God! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?” The LORD replied with words which are of immense comfort. They form part of a major theme of the prophetic message of Ezekiel, which is the faithfulness of God in keeping covenant with His people. That does not in any way diminish His anger at their disobedience, or reflect change in His attitude to their idolatry. “Although I have cast them far off among the gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone”.

The hostility was from Babylon, and that is where the vast majority were exiled. But it would appear that many others did not wait for that invasion, but took opportunity to escape to other neighbouring lands, even some very  far away. The promise of the LORD to “be a little sanctuary” speaks of those who remain faithful in their observances and remembrances of the love, grace, and mercy of Him throughout their generations, even in foreign places. (It is notable that, with no temple available to them, the ‘synagogue’ as a place of worship and praise arose from that exile in Babylon. It is a characteristic of Jewish people to this very day. Readily identified in any community.) And in unambiguous language, the LORD continued “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel”. The covenant promise of the land, previously made with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is hereby verified yet again, to the people who are about to be exiled from the land. That’s the good news. But the LORD also said “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done”.

There is damning evidence of the deception which some “prophets” in the community had sought to elevate themselves in the eyes of the people. Claiming to speak in the name of the LORD. “You say, ‘The LORD says,’ but I have not spoken”. There is a huge lesson for us today right here. When anyone uses the words “The LORD told me” or similar, it is almost invariably used as a conversation stopper. The exact opposite is a better response. “How did the LORD speak to you?” would be better. As believers we have a responsibility to ‘test the spirits’. Do not be deceived, as were these people of Judah, by words spoken in the name of the LORD, when He has not spoken such words. The test? God will not speak anything which is contrary to His written word. “My hand will be against the prophets who vision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD God”. God used the example of a wall plastered with untempered mortar. When the rains came, the facade was washed away and the foundations exposed. Falsity. Ambitions of the fakes. Exposed for all to see.

Ezekiel then related an incident which the LORD used to speak directly into my heart several years ago. I was lying in a hospital bed at the time, immobilised. Trust me when I say that I was praying long and often for the LORD to heal me. It is quite personal to me, and it changed my life. YES, I am SURE it was the LORD who spoke. Some elders of Israel had come to enquire, to seek some counsel, from Ezekiel the priest. Read the story very carefully yourself (Ezekiel 14). The LORD revealed to Ezekiel that these ‘elders’ had “set up idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity”. Then the body blow. “Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?” Was the LORD saying that there are some (me specifically) that He was questioning if their requests should be heard? That my prayers were blocked from Him? That He was not even willing to hear about my pain? My inability to move? The good news for me was that God used that to change me, and to bring about my recovery. But MORE than that, I learned that God speaks through His word TODAY. All it takes is a desire to listen. “For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to enquire of him concerning Me, I the LORD will answer him by Myself”. Everyone of us is answerable directly to the LORD. Selah!

Finally, for this ‘reflection’, Ezekiel was told “When a land sins against me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it”. Nations are to receive the judgment of the LORD according to their faithfulness to the LORD whose land it is. All the world is His. But there is hope for individuals living in such faithless lands. “Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it (Jeremiah adds Moses and Samuel to that short list (Jer 15:1)) they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness”.

There is always a remnant. People who remain faithful. God grant that we may be numbered among them.      

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 32

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 5:1  to  10:22

Our ‘reflection’ last week ended with God giving Ezekiel an unusual picture of the discomfort He wanted Ezekiel to know. Symbolic of the discomfort which would be Israel’s experience. Painful. It continued in our reading this week. Shaving the head. Symbolic of shame and humiliation to which Israel would be subjected. The hair, divided into portions, symbolic of the manner in which Israel would be treated. Some (vv 4 and 12) to die by ‘fire’ (pestilence and famine), by the ‘sword’ (dispersed and killed). Some (v 3) to remain as a remnant but subject to further calamity. “This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. (As an example and a witness for My holy name’s sake) She has rebelled against My judgements by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes …. therefore …  Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations” (As an example and a witness for My holy name’s sake). Expressed in human terms, the disappointment of the LORD, evident in these words of His, by the extent of the failure of His own to keep the covenant to which they had agreed, is palpable. What a lesson that should provide for everyone who enters into covenant with Him.

It need not have been so. We are not reading the account of one suddenly and maliciously confronted, without warning, by an angry parent. The nation of Israel had received countless warnings. All unheeded. Defiantly ignored. For us it provides yet another opportunity to take stock. What can we learn from this message of Ezekiel’s?  “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). The record of God’s dealings with His own are there so that we may know Him. That we may understand what He requires of us. Only the foolhardy, the stubborn, the rebellious, ignore such a clear message.

In chapter 6 of our text, Ezekiel is shown how displeased the LORD was with the desecration of the land. Worship of idols had been instituted. The ‘high places’ which had been established would be completely erased from the landscape. The bones of those who would lose their lives, scattered around those desecrated sites. And yet, in the midst of all this carnage, for His own purposes, a remnant would be left. “Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all there abominations. And they shall know that I am the LORD”.  Then the LORD laments over the land itself. The entire land seems ripe for judgment. Is it the land which has swallowed up the people and caused them to stray? Or is it the people who have faltered, and in familiarity taken so much for granted, taking the land down with them? “Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land; the time has come, a day of trouble is near, and not of rejoicing in the mountains. Now upon you I will soon pour out My fury …. I will repay you according to your ways”.  Such a sad end to the promise of freedom in their own land, to which their forefathers had looked forward, after centuries of slavery in Egypt.

One year and two months (about 592 BCE) after the first vision, Ezekiel, the priest, was sitting at home with the elders of Judah when the LORD “fell upon him'. In visions, he was lifted up above the earth where he could see Jerusalem (Reminder:- he was in Babylon at this time, but the main populace was still residing in the land, which was not yet conquered, nor the temple destroyed, until 6 years later). The LORD showed him the abominations which were being committed by the elders, and others, who were saying “The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land”. What a mistake. But there was even worse. “Women were there weeping for Tammuz” (The Babylonian worship of Tammuz is connected with the basest of immoralities). Further, he was shown a picture of 25 men, facing towards the east, engaged in worship of the sun. In that vision, Ezekiel was shown why God was so angry with the people. “Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to to provoke Me to anger”. The LORD then commanded that a mark be put on the foreheads of “those who sigh and cry over all the abominations that had been done within the city”. Yes, even in the midst of these abominations, there are righteous people who will not suffer the judgement of those who are guilty. Another lesson. We observe events, attitudes, actions and even laws passed, today which are offensive, and at great variance with our faith. The God we worship is openly mocked. God is neither blind nor deaf. He sees and He hears all that is going on. But importantly for us who belong to Him, is that He also sees how we react, and how we behave, in the face of such “abominations”. When judgment comes, will He see His mark on me?

The final vision confirms the observation made in our previous ‘reflection’ about the identity of the “four beasts” and the chariots of judgement. For Ezekiel it was a confirmatory vision that he was still hearing from God. His mission unfinished. Much more to accomplish. The glory and majesty of God was lifted above the chaos and abomination of situation. But His judgment will still be proclaimed .

God grant that we understand the commitment we made when we chose to follow Him.     

Shabbat Shalom

RS 

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 31

E Z E K I E L

Ezekiel 1:1  to  4:17

A “minor” prophet Ezekiel is not. God entrusted this man with prophetic messages of great significance. Some we are privileged to see unfolding before our own eyes this very day. Much of it (chapters 40 - 48)  is still future to us. Both Ezekiel and Daniel are included in this series of ‘reflections’ even though they properly fit in with Isaiah and Jeremiah, and called “major” prophets. That terminology has nothing to do with the prophetic importance of their message, but relates to the length (number of words) of their contribution.

Ezekiel was a priest. A contemporary of both Jeremiah, also a priest who was about 20 years older, and Daniel, who was about the same age as Ezekiel. He is precise in his dating of his call to prophecy. He was among 10,000 who were taken captive to Babylon in 597 BCE (2 Kings 24). He then resided at Tel Abib, by the River Chebar, in his captivity. It was there that he had “visions of God” and the “word of the LORD came expressly to him”. Now what he saw is not easy to interpret. It has similarities to the scenes shown to John in Revelation. The description of the “four living creatures” is detailed, unlike anything seen by man on this earth. Able to move in any direction. The “wheels” are descriptive of a kind of chariot which moved effortlessly along with these “creatures”. It is emblematic of God’s omnipresence in judgement, here there and everywhere. Inescapable. In appearance like a man. But God is Spirit. We may conclude that this speaks of the One we identify as God the Son. Ezekiel was overwhelmed and fell on his face. “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD” he said. Then he heard the voice.

“I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day”. In preparation for his task, Ezekiel was given the vision of a “scroll of a book written on both sides”. A scroll is normally only written on one side. The vision is that the message was doubly full of “the lamentations and mourning and woe” that God wished to convey to the Israelites. But first Ezekiel was to “eat the book”. It is a good lesson. Before one can teach the word of God, one has to internalise its content. Be familiar with the promises, the judgements, commandments, statutes, precepts, and expectations written in that word. As God continued to give Ezekiel details of his assignment, it seems as though he was on mission impossible. “But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted”. But what I see is that God was intent on giving everyone the opportunity to get right with Himself. Every nation is made up of individual citizens. And whilst it is true that God deals with nations, He also deals with individuals. Ezekiel’s mission was not futile. God does not deal in futility.

In his many conversations with the LORD, Ezekiel is invariably referred to as “son of man”. It has no relevance to the message. “I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel”. That has great relevance. We are all “sons of men”. It is the message which has relevance. It did for Ezekiel, it does for us all. “Therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me”. This, my dear friends, is a universal message from the LORD. Ezekiel, (and by extension each of us), is charged with the role of messenger of the LORD. “When I say to the wicked, ‘you shall surely die’, and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I shall require at you hand. Yet if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.”  The message of God is abundantly clear. His concern for Israel is a concern for each individual within that nation. Ezekiel’s charge, to “eat the book”, to go to the people, to provide warning out of his intimate knowledge of God and His word, is to ensure that no-one will be able to say “I didn’t know”. And IF such a person is able to say “I had a friend who was a believer but he never warned me”, God says the blood of that person will be required of the one who did not provide the warning. As I ‘reflect’ on this Scripture, the main message for me is my appointment as a “watchman for the LORD”.

Ezekiel, in his vision saw other unusual instructions. Confinement in his own house, bound with ropes, unable to speak. “But when I speak with  you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them ‘Thus says the LORD’.” It appears to me like the old adage of parents to children “speak when you are spoken to”. Regardless of his knowledge and understanding of God, Ezekiel is told to speak only when God directs him. Today we might say that we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in our utterances. As God directs. It’s like an arrow, not a scattergun.

The LORD wanted Ezekiel to feel the intensity of the sin of Israel and for Judah. The manner in which this was conveyed was by him making a clay portrait of the city. To metaphorically lay siege to the city. For Israel to feel the pain of lying on his side, without moving, for 390 days. Then for Judah, to lie on his other side for a further 40 days. His food was to be cooked over a fire made of human waste. Utterly defiled. It was a picture of what would happen to the Israelites in their exile from the land. Obliged to eat what the gentiles ate. Cut off from that which they were used to in the land of God’s promise. Free to live as God intended. Undefiled by pagan influence. They were to pay an enormous price for their disobedience to the covenant they had sworn to keep. The message of Ezekiel was for them. The application is for us.                    

Shabbat Shalom        

RS

Torah Reflections   “Pesach 2”

Torah portion           Exodus 13 : 17  - 15 : 26

Haftarah portion     Numbers  28 : 16 – 25

The Torah of YHWH given to Moses

We come to the last day of the celebration and remembrance of “Pesach”.

The parashah narrative begins with the statement of fact that the Pharoah had finally agreed to “let the people go”. It continues with the story of the journey of escape from Egypt, and the drowning of the pursuing Egyptian army, and it ends with the provision of “sweet water” to drink out of the bitter waters of Marah.  A fascinating story.

These events are well known. Even non-Christian sceptics are familiar with the story, so we do not need to re-visit the detail. But we need to find the lessons for ourselves as the story unfolds.

Last week we focussed on the prophetic significance of the whole season of the three Pesach festivals. This week we learn of the detail of the way the event unfolded for them in practical terms. In fact, as we arrive at the very end of the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” in our study this week, we see the hand of Almighty God, and a picture of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach in this parashah.

We could look at the provision of food, which rained down from Heaven each night, sufficient to satisfy each family for the whole day ahead. And that which was not eaten that day rotted before the next day! It was to be gathered and eaten FRESH each day (Miraculously, the same food lasted TWO days when the weekly Shabbat came around).

The Apostle John, in Chapter 6 from verse 32, records the words of Yeshua when He described Himself as “the Bread of Life”. He goes further by relating the “bread from Heaven” in Moses time with Himself.

“Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

It is not going too far to equate the Israelites need for a daily gathering of that bread, with our need today for a ‘daily gathering’ of the bread which Yeshua is. He taught us to pray ‘give us this day our daily bread’. I believe that this phrase has both a literal and a spiritual meaning. We need to gather our ‘bread’ DAILY, just as those Israelites did in our parashah.

We could look at the provision of water. Moses was told to strike the rock, out of which poured an abundance of clean fresh, life-giving water. Our beloved Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Corinth used a most interesting description of this water.

“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food,  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” 1 Corinthians 10 : 1- 4.

Paul is suggesting here that the miracle of the provision of water from the Rock extended to that Rock actually following them around!!  The plain sense of this is that it was Yeshua Himself, there with the Israelites on their journeying’s in the wilderness who sustained them with life giving water. On another occasion, when Yeshua was attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, at the time of the water libation Ceremony in the Temple He said:-

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."”  John 7 : 37,38

So then, as the “mo’ed” of Pesach concludes for another year, we remind ourselves that the Passover Seder which starts the celebration of this season always ends with the participants saying “Next Year in Jerusalem”. An anticipatory statement about the coming of Messiah.

So we who are believers in Yeshua, can see the way in which this “appointed time” of Pesach not only speaks of Yeshua perfectly fulfilling His role as the ‘Lamb that was slain’, but also throughout the whole parashah we have reminders of His role in our lives as the sustainer of our life.

For the believer, without Him there is no hope of life. With Him we have abundant life …. IF we choose to access it.  Praise be to Him.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 30

D A N I E L

Daniel 10:1  to  12:13

The revelation given to Daniel, of times still future to us, is quite amazing. Could there be anything more to tell? Daniel was so disturbed by what had been revealed that he had “mourned” for three weeks and hadn’t eaten all that well either. A few days later he was with friends, on the banks of the River Tigris, when he had another visionary experience. It seems that when Gabriel explained the events leading to what we know as “Daniel’s 70th week”, he hadn’t explained events closer in time. So he returned to fill in those details. Daniel’s friends, although not seeing Gabriel, were filled with terror, and fled! Daniel collapsed, but clearly heard the words spoken by Gabriel. “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you … for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come because of your words”. He then went on to explain that for three weeks (coinciding with Daniel’s ‘mourning’) there had been a “battle in the heavenlies” with satan’s emissary, called ‘the prince of the kingdom of Persia’ (see Revelation 16:14). We are given a small glimpse here of the battles which take place in the heavenlies, because Gabriel was left alone, but received help from Michael (Revelation 12:7). It seems fair to conclude from this that both satan and Almighty God, have angels responsible for the affairs of nations of the earth doesn’t it? That shows how important then it is for us to pray for our nation.

Now back to the vision of Daniel. What follows is a pre-event view of the future kingdoms which accord with the visionary statue of Nebuchadnezzar. The Medo-Persian empire, led by the powerful king Cyrus. Four kings who are prophesied to succeed Cyrus (now according to known history) brings us to Xerxes (In the book of Esther he is known as Ahaseurus). He had a disastrous military campaign against Greece in about 480BCE, and this began the substantial weakening of the Persian empire which eventually fell to Greece in 330BCE under the command of Alexander then Great. A good ancient history book can fill in the minutia.

In the complicated account related in Daniel 11:5-20, a period which covers about 200 years is prophesied. It relates to wars, disputes, alliances and changes which occur to bring about the replacement of the Greek empire with that of Rome. The ‘vile person’ referred to in verse 21 is none other than the Syrian persecutor of Israel called Antiochus IV Epiphanes. It was a period of great distress and bloodshed. A period prophesied in Scripture, but with no Biblical canon recording those events. Secular history does. It was a time when there does not appear to have been much ‘honour’ displayed. It was a time of ‘survival of the fittest’, or more appropriately perhaps, the one with the strongest army or the most devious methodology. The ‘defilement’ of the temple (v 31) is prophesied. It was actually a time of great stress for Israel. There was much division, largely between “Hellenised Jews” and “Pharasaic  Jews” which is again prophesied (v 32). “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits”. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, in his book “Antiquities of the Jews”, credits the person called Judas Maccabeus with the overthrow of those who defiled the temple, around 165 BCE. The temple was re-dedicated and that event is now celebrated universally by Jews in the joyful annual festival called Hanukkah (Festival of Lights).

(In the interests of literary honesty, it is noted that Jewish scholars, using Jewish calendar historical dates to interpret Daniel 9 specifically, identify the destruction of the temple in 69 CE as the end of “Daniel’s 70th week”. The horrors of the FOURTH beast seem to be discounted to a degree. And life goes on as normal after that.)

As this prophetic book comes to a close, Gabriel returns to the matter of that “70th week”. Michael again has a role. On this occasion (of gentile invasion) to help, watch over, and support Israel. “And at that time your (Daniel’s) people shall, be delivered”. Or as Paul puts it “All Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26). It foresees a time of resurrection “Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt”. It is a description of Daniel 9 and Revelation 20. In my writing of these ‘reflections’ over a number of years, I have come to appreciate that it is often difficult to separate ‘the God view’ of time, from man’s view of time. In that inability, we can be easily be confused by events which we might see as sequential, but which may  overlap or be separated by many years. I came to that appreciation especially in attempting to unravel the events of Revelation. So it is with Daniel too. “But you Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase”. I think that is an invitation to watch, to pray, to study, to seek wisdom, so that our understanding is enhanced. But our understanding, or lack of it, has  no impact on God’s plan.

Daniel asked how long shall the fulfilment of these wonders be. He was shown “the man clothed in linen who held up his hands to heaven, who swore by Him who lives forever, and said ‘for time, and times, and half a time”. 3 1/2 years. Then what will happen? asked Daniel. “Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand”.

“Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the 1335 days”. That is just 45 days after the end. The time for transition, from this age to the next!!

May God grant us wisdom to understand, and be saved.     

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflections    “Pesach 1”

Torah portion           Exodus 12 : 21  - 51  Numbers 28 : 16-25

Haftarah portion     Joshua  5 : 2  to  6 : 1

The Torah of YHWH given to Moses

The regular sequence of Torah readings is interrupted this week because of the “mo’ed” of Pesach.

Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.

Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.

When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.

This festival, known as “Pesach” (Passover), embraces THREE festivals in a period of eight days. The first of these remembers the actual day in history (the 14th day of the first month, Nisan) when the Israelites experienced the ‘salvation’ of the firstborn in their families by placing the blood of the Pesach Lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their houses in Egypt. The Lord ‘passed over’ their houses when He saw the blood.

It also is the exact Hebrew calendar date of the crucifixion of Yeshua. The Christian celebration of Easter (replacing Passover) was formalized at the Council of Nicea in the days of the Emperor Constantine of Rome. It signalled the official separation of the “church” from its Hebrew roots. (In my view one of Satan’s major victories over mankind).

The second remembrance is known as the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” which occurs on the very next day, Nisan 15. (It is a High Sabbath), and it lasts seven days, and begins and ends with a special Sabbath,  Note that there are always three Sabbaths during this Pesach festival.  The “High Sabbath” which marks the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, (and the Sabbath which marks the end of the festival, PLUS the normal weekly Sabbath). It is this “High Sabbath” which is the Sabbath mentioned in John 19:31 before which the Jews were anxious to confine Yeshua’s body to the grave. Then the ‘normal’ weekly Sabbath occurred immediately prior to the resurrection of Yeshua. This confirms the statement of Yeshua in Luke 11:29 (as well as in Matthew and Mark) when asked for a sign. Read it. The complete lack of understanding of this fact has caused conventional church teaching to major on an incorrect “Good Friday” crucifixion story !

Unleavened Bread is eaten during the whole eight day period of the Pesach remembrance. To Jews it is a remembrance of the fact that they ate unleavened bread,(as commanded in Exodus 12:18) as they fled from Egypt on the night of Passover. Leaven is a symbol of SIN, so to believers, the Unleavened Bread also represents the sinless body of the Messiah which was buried in the grave for three days and three nights.

The third festival in this Pesach season is the “Feast of Firstfruits”. It occurs on the day AFTER the weekly Sabbath in Pesach week. (Always a SUNDAY). It signified the beginning of the Barley Harvest and was celebrated by a priest waving an ‘omer’ (a measure) of Barley in the temple in Yeshua’s day. But it was also the day on which Yeshua was resurrected from the grave. Believers refer to it as Resurrection Sunday. (but in association with Easter rather than Passover!) It signifies that Yeshua became the “Firstfruits from the dead”.  (see 1 Corinthians15:23).

We should be grateful that churches worldwide (all varieties) remember the death and resurrection of Yeshua.  And that they do so sincerely. But more and more, many people are realizing that our roots are inextricably founded in Judaism and the Lord’s “mo’edim” (appointed times). Those that do then focus more on Passover than Easter.

In addition to your own church fellowship, this year, take the trouble to find a fellowship of believers who celebrate Passover and join them in that celebration. You will be enlightened, blessed and immeasurably enriched as you do.

Chag Sameach   (Happy Holiday)

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 29

D A N I E L

Daniel 9:1  to  9:27

Daniel was a Bible student! He had read that the Babylonian captivity (as it became known) would last for 70 years (Jeremiah 25: 11.12). After which, the Babylonians would themselves feel the heat of God’s wrath. It seems that the faithful Daniel was keeping track of the years. Darius, the Mede, was ‘made king’, presumably by Cyrus, when the Babylonians were overthrown by the Persian Empire. Daniel judged that the “captivity” of the Judeans, was about to come to an end. So what did he do? “Then I set my face toward the LORD  God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.”  “Fasting” is familiar to us, even today, but “sackcloth and ashes” is not. It is a sign, to others, of deep mourning, sorrow, and even repentance. That is what Daniel felt as he approached the LORD. He was acutely aware of the righteous judgment of the LORD in expelling the people of Judah from the land. He took nothing for granted. He did not think “ho-hum”, we’ve done the time, now let’s get back to normal. Daniel had acquired a deep sense of  awesome reverence towards His God. If we learn nothing else from this prophetic book, we will have done well to learn that. And practise it.

The prayer of Daniel recorded here is worth reading … many times. It begins with ‘confession’ of known sin. It does not appear to be his ‘personal sin’ but ‘national sin’ that is confessed. There is enough in the text that has gone before to suggest that Daniel himself was pious in his own observances and attitudes towards God. He was not a self righteous man. Another lesson. “O LORD, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those whom love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgements.” It is unusual to hear such prayer today. Most of us have little or no concept of obedience to the precepts and judgments of God. It is somehow taken for granted that “going to church” is suffice. It is man that looks at appearance. God sees the heart. As Daniel continued, he considered their neglect of the warnings of the prophets who spoke in the name of the LORD. He saw that it was to their shame that God, in righteousness, had driven them out of the land, because of their unfaithfulness. They had not walked in conformity and obedience to the Torah of God, given to Moses. The curses contained within that Torah had been justly visited on the people as a result. But Daniel also knew the heart of God. “O LORD hear! O LORD forgive! O LORD listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name”.  A heartfelt plea for compassion.

The response from God did not take long. At the time of the evening offering (of prayer and thanksgiving) that same day, the man Daniel identified as Gabriel, who was sent by God Himself arrived again. “O Daniel, I have now come forth to to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision”. That vision is the one recorded for us and which begins in Daniel 7:13. 

I am very conscious that a number of learned people have written books about this. It has caused division in some circles, and profound joy in others. I have no wish to participate in controversy, but I share what God has shown me as I ‘reflect’ on these matters. It is also difficult to not be influenced by the various interpretations which have been offered by others.

There is general agreement that the word “weeks” is not literal to our understanding of a week of seven days. It is derived from the Hebrew word “shab’ua” which has a meaning of “sevens”. But the word “seventy” is literal. So it has been regarded that the text refers to “seventy sevens”. The text also clearly refers to the appearance of Messiah Yeshua on earth. This is mentioned by Gabriel in his explanation to Daniel. We KNOW exactly when that occurred in relation to the time of Daniel’s life, so it is a small jump, with a bit of arithmetic, to deduce that the “seventy sevens” refers to “sevens of years”, which is 490 years. The commencing point is “from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem”. Then, until Messiah comes, “there shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks”. So that means 49 years, plus 434 years. A total of 483 years from the command to restore Jerusalem until the “Messiah is cut off (from the earth “but not for Himself”)”. Please excuse the fact that I am not going into dates here for convenience sake (my own!). Those calculations have been verified many times. In very broad terms there is universal agreement of dates. Starting when Nehemiah received Artaxerxes authority to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, to the crucifixion of Yeshau. 483 years exactly. So we are left with another seven years. Those seven years are always referred to as “Daniel’s 70th week”. 

Now there is another ‘prince’ mentioned. One who will destroy the city again. “He shall confirm a covenant for one week (Daniel’s 70th week); but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.”  This is the prophecy about the arrival of “the man of peace”. He is the one who will demand worship of himself. He is the one who will be “different to all the beasts that went before it”. This is the FOURTH beast of Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7).

For those living at the time of his appearance, it will be the ultimate test of faith. A test that has been foreshadowed in the life of the faithful Daniel, from whom we have much to learn.   

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 28

D A N I E L

Daniel 6:1  to  8:26

Continuation of ‘reflection’  (27 A) on the FOURTH beast of Daniel’s vision.

It is appropriate to consider the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in conjunction with this ‘vision’ of Daniel’s which we are seeking to understand. We recall that the great statue consisted of different substances (gold, silver, bronze, iron, and a mixture of iron and clay) for parts of the body as they went from head to foot. It is generally understood that the kingdoms, which started with Babylonia at the head, were successively replaced by the empires of Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. FOUR distinct periods of time. Four empires led by ambitious, fearsome, and often very cruel people seeking some advantage to extend their influence in the world as they saw it. The Roman Empire was, and is, quite diverse in its structure, and in one or more of its forms its global influence still exists today. Consider the far-reaching arms of the Roman Catholic Church. It still extends to the far corners of this earth. Consider also the Byzantine empire of Islam, which has flourished in conjunction with Rome, both within and beyond the boundaries of this Roman empire. The line between the Roman and Byzantine empires is somewhat blurred. It certainly IS different, and has superseded the first 3 mentioned kings above. For a time, Rome represented in the statue as IRON. But morphing into feet made of IRON and CLAY. A mixture. It is out of this final scene, the feet, that the fearsome FOURTH beast is expected to come. Is it from the Roman side? or from the Islamic side? Speculation is interesting, but futile. That is another “secret thing that belongs to the LORD”, for now.

Look again at Daniel’s description of the vision that he was shown. “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke into pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows”. To the avarice and greed of the kings that had gone before, this king added a menace which is terrifying. This beast “was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them”. It is worth noting here that many sections of the ‘church’ today preach a doctrine of “rapture of the saints”. It is not in the Bible in the form it is taught. (Read 1 Thessalonians 4:16 with Daniel 11 and Revelation 20:5) But it is a comforting doctrine, readily accepted because it conveniently declares ‘the church’ to have left this earth before this beast appears. The Scriptures noted above do not support this doctrine. A simple question comes to mind. Where do the “faithful martyrs” of the ‘tribulation’ come from? You know, the ones who reign with Messiah Yeshua in the Millenial Kingdom. It matters little what you or I think. This prophecy of Daniel is given to us, as with all the Scriptures, so that we may prepare ourselves for that which God says will happen.

Daniel had yet another vision. It seems to complement the first. But deals with the process of the overthrow of kingdoms. Babylonia was already replaced by Medo-Persia, which was the empire in which Daniel now lived. It is represented by the ram with two horns. One higher than the other. The lower horn of the Medes and the higher representing the Persians. The male goat with the “notable horn between the eyes” represents Greece, which was to supersede the Medo-Persian empire, which it did. That ‘male goat’, Greece, grew very great. Then its ‘large horn’ broke and was replaced by 4 other ‘notable ones’. Out of one of them came a ‘little horn’ of great influence. By this time, the Helenistic empire had been succeeded by the Roman empire. This “little horn” is considered to be Antiochus Epiphanes, (about 400 years later) who ruled the Syrian division with much influence over Israel. (More detail appears later when we ‘reflect’ on Daniel 11.)  It was Antiochus Epiphanes who desecrated the temple. His overthrow is celebrated today in the festival known as Hannukah. He is seen as a ‘type’ of ‘anti-christ’ due to that desecration, which lasted precisely as the Scriptures prophesied, 2,300 days. Then ‘cleansed’ again for worship of Almighty God.

But there is much more to this. What happened towards the end of the Greek empire and the rise of the Roman Empire is a picture of another event which is still future to us today. As at this time, it is not possible for the temple to be desecrated because it no longer stands. It was destroyed about 70 CE, by the Roman General, Titus (later to become Emperor). So a new temple will be built. The Angel Gabriel, who appeared to Daniel as a man, was instructed to ‘Make this man understand the vision”. So Gabriel confronted Daniel whilst he was in a deep sleep with his face to the ground. Stood him upright, and said “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be”. (the word ‘indignation’ (‘Heb, za’am’) is curious. It relates to a time of God’s anger at sin. Hence ‘indignation’). So, as in many cases of prophetic utterance, God has given us, through Daniel, and by definable history, a picture of the events of the future. There is much more to be revealed, and we will ‘reflect’ on those events in coming weeks.

Much of our Scripture writings deal with the prophecy of Messiah Yeshua coming to this earth, bringing salvation and hope to the faithful. Daniel was given a vision beyond that. To the final “Yom Teruah”. The sound of the trumpet which will herald His triumphant return.       

Shabbat Shalom 

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 27

D A N I E L

Daniel 6:1  to  8:26

The prophecy which Daniel proclaimed, about 50 years earlier, when he interpreted the first dream of Nebuchadnezzar had begun to be fulfilled. Babylonia was now replaced by the Medo-Persian empire. Darius, the Mede,  divided the kingdom of Babylonia, which he had conquered, into 120 regions. Daniel was made governor of one third of them. He was so successful in his management, that Darius considered putting him in charge of the whole realm! “So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no fault or charge, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.” But that was not enough.  Jealousy caused them to plot against Daniel, in order to bring him into conflict with Darius. The law of the Medes and Persians was unique in that once established, it was not possible to be changed. By anyone.

“We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God” they said. That is where the bait might be found. Now to set the trap. The king was persuaded to sign the irrevocable law which required that no-one be allowed to petition any god or man, except the king himself, for the following 30 days. Violation of that law was punishable by being cast into the den of lions. When Daniel was told about the decree he went to his home “and in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God as was his custom since early days”. There was no attempt on his part to hide away secretly. It was confirmation by Daniel that his trust was in Almighty God to protect him in all circumstances. Perfect trust. The conspirators soon acquainted the king with the facts, and the king then realised that he had erred in signing that decree. Try as he might, with good intent, the king was unable to circumvent the law he had signed. So it was, with a heavy heart, the king commanded that Daniel be cast, as the law required, into the den of lions. The king spoke to Daniel. “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you”. Then he retired to his palace and spent the night fasting. He did not sleep. Early the next morning the king went to the den of lions and was overjoyed to find Daniel very much alive. “O, king, live for ever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions mouths, so they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also O king, I have done no wrong before you” said Daniel. Then the king exacted a fearful punishment on those who conspired against Daniel. He also wrote another decree. “I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall endure to the end.”

So Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, the Mede, and Cyrus, the Persian. By now Daniel was in his early 80’s. Previously he had various “revelations” in which he was involved in interpretation of dreams. As Daniel 7 opens he described another of his encounters with the LORD. Visions in the night hours. The Great Sea stirred by the four winds. Four beasts rising up from the sea. A lion, with wings like an eagle. Lifted up to stand on two feet like a man. A ravenous bear devouring much flesh. A four headed, winged leopard. Finally a fearsome unimaginable creature with ten horns. A ‘little’ horn came and plucked three of those ten horns out by the roots. That ‘little’ horn had eyes like a man, and spoke pompous words.

Then the scene changed completely. A room, like a court room, with thrones and a Judge, the “Ancient of Days” seated. Millions of worshippers stood before the Judge. “And the books were opened”. Judgement time.

The pompous, challenging, words continued from the beast. Of no avail. The beast was slain. Its body destroyed and given to a burning flame. Finished. The other beasts had their power removed from them, but their lives were “prolonged for a season and a time”.

The scene changed again. “One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the “Ancient of Days”  .. then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed”.

Daniel was greatly troubled at what he envisioned. What did it all mean? So he asked one of those “who stood by” (the Throne). The four beasts are four kings which arise out of the earth. Daniel was satisfied with that. BUT what about this FOURTH beast. Ah! “The fourth beast  .. shall be different from all the other kingdoms”. Powerful, destructive, speaking pompously against “The Most High”. “He shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and the law(s); Then the saints shall be given into his hands ‘for a time and times and half a time’.”

Many people have debated and ‘reflected’ on the detail of what Daniel’s vision means. Some parts are easier to understand than others. We will continue this ‘reflection’ further since there is much more to be considered. That it deals with issues still future to us is undeniable. There are very important  issues to concern all who are disciples of Yeshua. The FOURTH beast is “anti Christ”. He is our enemy. Daniel has shown us his mettle in his faithfulness to his God. He was prepared to die for his faith. Many more will have to make such a choice before this “fourth beast” is dealt with.  

Shabbat  Shalom  

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 26

D A N I E L

Daniel 5:1  to  5:31

Nebuchadnezzar died about 562 BCE. Daniel was taken captive into Babylon when he was 16 years old in about 602 BCE. Belshazzar only reigned* over Babylon until about 538 BCE. So Daniel was probably in his mid 70’s when “Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords .. and commanded that the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem”. There was much merrymaking as they defiled those vessels, holy to the LORD, by drinking out of them at their feast. Try to imagine the shock and horror that struck them all as, opposite the lampstand, in full view, the finger of a mans hand appeared and wrote on the wall. The words were written in a language no-one could read. It was a conversation stopper for sure. Belshazzar shook with fear.

The ‘experts’ were called in. The magicians, the soothsayers, the astrologers, those who were deemed to have special powers. Great reward was offered to anyone who could read and interpret the words on that wall. No-one claimed the reward. Then the queen spoke to the king. “There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God  … now let Daniel be called, and he will give you the interpretation”. What a reputation! To be known as a man in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. What an example! What a lesson. So it was that Daniel appeared before the king and was offered the same reward that was put before the others. “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another”. Daniel was about the LORD’s business here. He had a message for the king and he did not need to be paid for delivering it. I find myself wondering if Daniel had read the words of Solomon (Proverbs 23:23) about not selling truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding. The love, mercy and grace of the LORD is free. A lesson for many today who are intent on making a living out of so doing. Freely we have received, and freely we should give, as He did. But for the recipient, it comes at a cost!!  Selah!

First, Daniel reminded the king about the life of his father Nebuchadnezzar.  He had built a large and feared kingdom. “But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne.” Daniel did not hold back from describing the indignity which followed that deposition. The LORD had business to conduct with Belshazzar and He had chosen Daniel to convey the details. He did not shrink from the task. “But you his son*, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the LORD of heaven.”  As I write, I can feel the horror and hurt that must have filled Daniel as he saw that the holy vessels of the temple had been so defiled. And in such a contemptuous manner. Gloating and challenging God to act against them. “Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.” Can you visualise Daniel pointing to the wall as he spoke? (On a very personal note. It was this writing on that wall which my Saviour used to draw me to Himself. Many years ago in a small market town in Wales.)

MENE: God has numbered you kingdom, and finished it.

MENE: God has numbered you kingdom, and finished it.

The repetition of a word, in Scripture, is a sign of great emphasis. Belshazzar was being told that he had gone too far. For him it was all over. Finished. There would no longer be a kingdom for him to rule.

TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting.

Did you know that God had a ‘balance’ in which people are weighed? We know about the “Books”. The ‘balances’ are something else. Most of us weigh our actions, our thoughts, our relationships in a way favourable to ourselves. God has a ‘balance’ which is accurately set, to His standards. Unwavering. Constant. True. (And as a young Billy Graham pointed out to me in that Welsh market town years ago, I was ‘found wanting’. How about you?  The ‘balance’ is struck with God when we have our Saviour Yeshua step into the ‘balance’ on our side. Only then does the ‘balance’ show the correct weight.) Belshazzar was ‘found wanting’ that night.

UPHARSIN: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Game, set and match against Belshazzar. “That very night Belshazzar was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom”.

* (For completeness of detail here. It is claimed by some that this is inaccurate because of ‘factual’ errors regarding Belshazzar’s role. Historical records indicate that Belshazzar was the son of king Nebonidus who succeeded Nebuchdnezzar. Belshazzar was crown prince, and was given great authority by Nebonidus. An inscription found in the city of Ur in 1853 says “May it be that I, Nabonidus, king of Babylon, never fail you. And may my firstborn, Belshazzar, worship you with all his heart.” Another inscription there declares that Nebonidus  entrusted the royal throne to Belshazzar.)

What is beyond all dispute is the role of Daniel, and that is the focus of this ‘reflection’. We are now finding out about a young man, just about 16 years old who displayed great faith and allegiance to the God of his fathers. God prospered him for his faithfulness, gave him great authority in a foreign land (much like He had done with Moses) and placed him in a position of some influence. As our ‘reflection’ this week ends, Daniel is a man of great wisdom, in his mid 70’s and about to enter the service of the LORD under a different ruler of another nation. God is working out His purposes.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 25

D A N I E L

Daniel 3:1  to  4:37

We ended our ‘reflection’ last week with Daniel recounting the dream of king Nebuchadnezzar, and providing him with the interpretation of that dream. For the sake of evidential clarity, we identified the prophetic accuracy of that dream by naming the regimes which did in fact successively replace the kingdom of the Chaldeans, right up to the present time. That’s history. It happened. It is prophecy fulfilled. But none of the regimes were named in the prophetic dream before the event. We note that there is part of that prophetic dream still unfulfilled. Many brave (or might it be foolhardy) people, have SPECULATED about the origin and identity of the final kingdom which precedes the Kingdom of Messiah Yeshua. There are no prizes for being the first to identify that kingdom. All attempts at so doing are purely SPECULATIVE. It is one of those mysteries which are “secret things” of the LORD (Deuteronomy 29:29) and speculation is unhelpful. It is a surety that when these things come about, we WILL KNOW, because God has provided us with the evidential signs of that kingdom. Specifically, a revelation of the “man of peace”. The deceiver. The Beast.

So Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue of the image he saw in his dream. It was HUGE . Almost 30 metres high and 3 metres wide, he set it up in the plain of Dura, Babylon. All the prominent dignitaries of the kingdom turned out for its inauguration. The king was very proud of it, so much so that he demanded that at the sound of “the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music” everyone had to bow down in worship of that statue. For Daniel and his friends it was blasphemous idolatry, of which they would have no part. It did not take long before their refusal to comply with the king’s order was brought to his attention. And that spelled big trouble for Daniel and his friends. The penalty for not doing as the king commanded was to be cast into a “burning fiery furnace”. The story is well known. What remains a mystery is why Daniel was not with his friends who were cast into the furnace. We will never know. Do not speculate. What we do know is a lesson for us all. “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up”.   Selah!

Nebuchadnezzar’s response was swift and unequivocal. Shadrah, Meshach and Abed-Nego were promoted to high office. And fierce retribution would be meted out to anyone who would speak “anything amiss” of Almighty God, who had delivered the young men from the furnace, because “there is no other God who can deliver like this”.

Nebuchadnezzar continued to dream! This time it was about an [Image] extremely large tree which provided food and shelter for all. But then “a holy one from heaven”, a watcher, came and gave instructions, among other things, to cut the tree down! But to leave the stump and the roots in the ground. Once again, the king invited the “wise men” to interpret the dream. And again they were unable to provide any answer. So Daniel was called to consider the matter, “for the Spirit of the holy God is in you”. As the interpretation was revealed to Daniel, he became fearful. It didn’t look too good for the king, because the tree was a representation of himself. High, lofty, proud, having the capacity to give life, and to take it away. As the king of a feared and fearsome nation, he was held in some awe. Not to be trifled with. BUT, he was being ‘watched’ .. by God, whose might and power he had seen at first hand. And what God saw, He chose to bring down, just like the tree in the dream. But still there was hope. I paraphrase part of what Daniel said. “The tree is to be cut down, but the stump and roots are left, protected by an iron band, it can be restored to you ‘but only after you come to know that heaven rules’.” Then Daniel offered some sound advice. “Break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

The time scale is not specified here, so we do not know how long the events took to unfold. What we do know is that twelve months later he was still boasting about his achievements when he received another visit from the LORD. Not in a dream this time, but in a “voice from heaven”. The voice of the One who opens and no-one shuts, and shuts and no-one opens. He heard it and he understood it. “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!” The prophetic words which Daniel spoke in the interpretation of the dream, suddenly became a reality. The king was humiliated in that he lived as an animal for an unspecified period of time. Then “at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honoured Him who lives for ever”.

It was a mighty fall from power. Not many experience such things in that same degree, but the principles remain, and the final word must go to Nebuchadnezzar. “I praise and extol and honour the King of Heaven, all of these works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.”        

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Image Reference: Copyright 

Illumination from Beatus of Liebana’s 

Commentary on the Apocalypse (M.644, fol. 252v)

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 24

D A N I E L

Daniel 1:1  to  2:49

Not strictly a “Minor” prophet in the way such prophetic books are described. But certainly one of the truly heroic faith accounts in the Scriptures. A young man, taken into captivity, offered significant benefits to comply with the aims and objectives of his captors. Rejecting such incentives to remain faithful to the God he was brought up to believe and trust in. Prepared to die for his faith. Used by God to bring enormously important prophetic insight to the faithful down through the ages. Much of that prophecy already fulfilled, some still awaiting the LORD’s timing. Amazing. Be encouraged by Daniel’s faith.

The time of the LORD’s judgement on Judah had arrived. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with his army, was outside Jerusalem and besieging the city. It was “all over bar the shouting”. Priceless articles of worship were taken from the temple and carted off to Shinar (Babylon), and put in the treasure house of their god. Nebuchadnezzar was pretty smart. He instructed that some of the brightest children of Judah should be educated in the ways of his own people so that they could eventually serve him in his relationship with the Judeans. FOUR young men were chosen for a three year training course.  They were very early deportees, being captured and taken to Babylon (very early 600’s BCE) about 20 years BEFORE the main group of exiles.  One of them was Daniel. He was about sixteen years old. Very bright and a good looking lad. He was re-named “Belteshazzar”. Part of the ‘privilege’ these boys  had was to eat and drink the same food as the king himself. Immediately, Daniel set himself apart by refusing to ‘defile’ himself with such a diet. Evidently non-kosher (not proper) to him. A very important distinction. I often wonder if I would have had the moral fortitude, in those circumstances, to set myself apart in that way. Would you?  The word of the LORD is very clear. Read Deuteronomy 14 to check out the diet the LORD prescribed for His own. His overseer was concerned that his appearance would deteriorate if he did not eat the king’s food, and that he, the overseer, would get into trouble as a result. In the event, Daniel negotiated a test with his overseer, the chief eunuch, allowing him to eat vegetables and drink water for 10 days, after which his appearance would be judged. Surprise surprise, his complexion was improved!! Not only that, but God blessed them in their studies so that all four of these young men ‘topped the class’ at the end of their training. The word records that they were considered TEN times better than all the ‘wise men’ of the kingdom. Good start eh! “Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus”. This means until Babylonia was itself overthrown by the Persian Empire, of which Cyrus was king at that time.

Now back to the time soon after Daniel was taken captive. Nebuchadnezzar had some troubling dreams. He became an insomniac! Couldn’t sleep. One dream was so troubling his spirit, that he couldn’t even remember what the dream was!! But he was sorely troubled by it. He wanted someone to not only [Image] tell him what the dream meant, but also what it was he actually dreamt! His magicians were put under threat of death if they could not come up with the answer. Of course, they couldn’t. So a decree was made by the king that all the “wise men” should be put to death. Daniel and his friends were also sought out as being part of that group. When the chief executioner arrived Daniel asked what was the hurry? So it was that Daniel and his friends were given time to provide the answer to the king’s request. They had a prayer meeting. God blessed Daniel, also in a dream, with both the same vision as the king and what it meant. “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever, for wisdom and might are His”. A mighty lesson Daniel learned that night, and one which upheld him and his friends for the rest of their lives. So Daniel was taken before the king to interpret the dream that had troubled him. BUT, Daniel was careful not to “big note” himself, or to claim any credit for what he was about to reveal. Another major lesson for us all to learn. He told the king that there was no-one in all the king’s court who could fulfil the kings request, BUT, “There is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days”. Then Daniel displayed great wisdom as he continued. “But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart”.  And so it was that Daniel explained to the king what that dream was.

The interpretation of that dream was another matter. Worthy of a ‘reflection’ of its own. May I encourage all who read this to make such ‘reflection’ for yourself. The dream revealed a succession of ‘kingdoms’, starting from the time that the vision was given, when Babylonia reigned supreme. Overthrown by the Medo-Persian regime (less than 100 years later). Then would come the Hellenistic period, followed by that of Rome. The Byzantine empire which lasted until a mere 100 years ago followed. That is what Daniel saw. We are now living in the part of that vision which precedes “Daniel’s 70th week”. The END Times. The time which will include the return of Messiah to reign on this earth for 1,000 years. The Millenial Kingdom of Yeshua.

All this was revealed to the youthful young man who was prepared to die for his faith. But there is a lot more to follow.    

Shabbat Shalom  

RS

Image Reference: Copyright © 2012 by The Family International.  All Rights Reserved.

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 23

H A B A K K U K

Habakkuk 3:1  to  3:19

Habbakkuk appears to have had a bit of a change. In last week’s ‘reflection’ he was in some kind of dialogue with the LORD as he came to grips with the enormity of what God had planned by way of judgement. Both for his own people, Judah, because of their unfaithfulness, and for the terrifying invasion forces of Babylon. In this last part of his ‘burden’, he turned to prayer before the LORD. He had been asking the LORD to intervene in the transgressions of Judah. Now the message is one of pleading for the mercy of God, accepting that judgment was coming. He is no less distressed. The ‘burden’ remained. He opened with a confession of his own. “O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of years! In the midst of years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.” The LORD’s words were not un-noticed. He, at least, had clearly understood the gravity of the LORD’s displeasure. He also had knowledge of the mercy of God. So then he thought of Teman (an Edomite city named after a grandson of Esau) and Mount Paran, places where on their journey from Egypt, the Israelites had witnessed the LORD work with great might and power to their advantage. Both Amos and Obadiah had also used this as an example of God’s mercy to the Israelites. It was obviously an important milestone to them. In my imagination, I see that Habakkuk was wondering what he could possibly do or say to avert the calamity which was about to fall on Judah.

Habakkuk described what we would call “The Shekinah Glory” of the LORD. That is, the manifestation, on earth, of the glory of God. (Note that the word “shekinah” itself does not appear in our Bible) He describes it in terms of light and brightness and power. It was the manifest love, goodness, caring, mercy and protection of God among them. Unseen but present, experienced, and appreciated. The radiance of God’s presence, Habakkuk discerned, was about to depart from them. “In wrath, remember mercy”, was his plea. This was not an argument against God’s judgement. Habakkuk knew that God was right, and just. It was a ‘give us another chance’ moment. But it was too late.

There follows a recall of the might and power of the LORD in creation. All things covered in the glory of God. “And the earth was full of His praise”. The mountains, the hills, the rivers, the sea. Habakkuk poses the rhetorical question “O LORD, were You displeased with the rivers, was Your anger against the rivers, was Your wrath against the sea, that you rode Your horses, Your chariots of salvation?”  This all symbolic of the might and power of the LORD to defeat His enemies, which Habakkuk raises again just a few verses later. “You went forth for the salvation of Your people, for salvation with Your anointed”. Here a reference to the great salvation of the LORD in bringing His people out of Egypt, with Moses being “His anointed” on that occasion. Habakkuk knew that with God nothing is impossible. What God had accomplished in the defeat and humiliation of Egypt’s Pharaoh, He could do again with the king of the Chaldeans.

This is all framed as a song before the LORD. That is evident from the final words of Habakkuk’s pleading. It is sung with his ‘stringed instruments’. It may be that he remembered the song Moses had sung, after the LORD had miraculously accomplished their salvation in the parting of the Red Sea. “I will sing unto the LORD for He has triumphed gloriously” (pure speculation on my part). In any event, it is obvious that the ‘escape’ from Egypt was very much in his thoughts. And it seemed that he was looking for such a miracle again. “When I heard, (of the crossing of the Red Sea) my body trembled; my lips quivered at the voice; decay entered my bones; and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble.”  Well, the day of trouble was close at hand, again! Can you picture, as I can, the Israelites seeing the water of the Red Sea ahead of them, and the army of the Pharaoh behind them. Impossible situation. Then the LORD intervened. That is what Habakkuk could see. And he composed, and sang, his own song to the LORD.

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls”. Just read that list carefully. Habakkuk described a scene of utter hopelessness. The blossom of the fig tree is the fruit itself, but lack of water will inhibit that growth, or even prevent that growth altogether. No grapes means no wine, No olives mean no oil for light, for seasoning, for cooking. No crops means no bread, no vegetables, nothing to eat. The flock outside the fold is vulnerable to predators. No herd in the stall means no milk. It is a description of great hardship, hunger, famine. A dire situation, hopelessness, which Habakkuk is comparing to the situation the people of Judah were now facing. And in this perilous situation he proclaims “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”

So the ‘burden’ which the LORD showed Habakkuk is lifted. As we look around our world, our country, our town, our church, our family, what do we see? Certainly there is much to be concerned about. It can be overwhelming. So God has provided this example of the faithful Habakkuk. Thankyou LORD. He has shown us that there is only One in whom we may be assured of safety in a world of woes. That being our trust in Him. He who has called us to Himself is trustworthy. And there is no other.

Shabbat Shalom   

RS             

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 22

H A B A K K U K

Habakkuk 1:1  to  2:20

The very first impression of this prophetic book is that it might well have been written for today! And one is tempted to feel quite sorry for Habakkuk. The very opening words convey that. “The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw”. This was not a visionary experience alone. Habakkuk actually described the situation in which he lived in Judah. “Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble?” Is the question Habakkuk asked of the LORD. But before we get to the answer he received from the LORD, Habakkuk had much more to tell us about the condition of that nation of Judah and its people. In the prophetic books on which we have ‘reflected’ in the past weeks, we noted that God had given Judah many warnings about His displeasure at the way of life they had adopted, or perhaps more accurately, ‘slid into’. In terms of history, the northern kingdom of Israel had been judged by God, and taken into captivity by the Assyrians over 120 years earlier. The prophet Nahum was sent by God to pronounce God’s judgement on the Assyrians. Just a few years before this prophecy of Habakkuk, those Assyrians had been routed by the Babylonians. Now those same Babylonians were harassing Judah, and poor Habakkuk was living there to witness it. And it was ‘burdensome’ to him. He could not be silent, and he called out to the LORD.

Habakkuk lamented that the Torah, such an important part of the life of the people of God, seemed no longer to have any influence among them. “For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgement proceeds”. Of course, we know that this was precisely why God was so angry with them. Torah observance was part and parcel of the covenant the LORD had made with them and their forefathers. And as Habakkuk communed with God, he heard the LORD say to him “Look among the nations and watch - be utterly astounded! (as He knew Habakkuk would be) For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans (Babylonians), a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful”. These invaders were fresh from their conquest of Assyria. But they were not finished. God was using them as His agent of discipline. The rest of the first chapter of our text has more commentary on the worst aspects of the character of these Babylonians. And Habakkuk could see that there was little or no hope left for the people of Judah. He seemed to sum up the situation as he decided to ‘watch and pray’. In the manner of the ‘watchman’ described by the prophet Ezekiel (Ch,3 and 33) he said “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected”.

And so it is that we come to the answer God gave to the question Habakkuk posed earlier. HE said “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” But there was much more to it, and this situation has many lessons for all who read it today. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry”. It is not unlike the prophetic word given to Daniel (Dan 12) in which the LORD told him to ‘seal it up until the time of the end’ (which will happen when God’s appointed time comes). This is worthy of our close attention. There is a time of reckoning for everyone. For the people of Judah, it was close at hand. But as we read on we see that the Babylonian invaders have an appointment with the LORD as well! There are 5 ‘woes’ mentioned here which are charged against the Babylonians. The wise among us will be doing a personal check to discover if there is some mending to be done in our “own house”. There is judgment ahead.

“Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by faith”.  Remember the words of the Apostle Paul? “In lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself.” (Philippians 2:3) The neglect of this is perhaps the beginning of many injustices. So much intolerance of others can be found right here. But the LORD has  some more charges to lay.

“Woe to him who increases what’s not his  ….  And to him who loads himself up with many pledges”.

“Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high”.

“Woe to him who builds his house on bloodshed, who establishes a city by iniquity”.

“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbour; .. even to make him drunk that you may look on his nakedness!’

“”Woe to him who says to wood ‘Awake’! To silent stone ‘Arise! It shall teach”.

All of this speaks of the depravity of the people. And each of these ‘woes’ are in our society today, albeit in various modern guises. And the final word here belongs to Habakkuk. He stood, and watched. He looked at the behaviour of his fellow Judeans. He saw the activity of the invading Chaldeans. He heard the voice of the LORD. He saw the might and majesty of God. He remembered what the LORD had accomplished in bringing His people to the land. And he spoke.

“But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him”.  May that be our experience as we ponder the coming judgement of God. It is, after all “an appointed time” ahead for everyone.           

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 21

Z E P H A N I A H

Zephaniah 3:1  to  3:20

The prophecy of Zephaniah continues where it left off last week with the list of complaints mounting up. “Woe to her (the nation) who is rebellious and polluted …. etc.”.  Disobedience to the voice of God, lack of trust in His words conveyed through Moses, and then agreed by their forefathers. Their leaders, judges, prophets, priests and their kings, had all failed to live up to the promises made in covenant with God, in regard to the righteous living which that covenant required. Even worse, perhaps, they had succumbed to idol worship of the Canaanite gods they had been told to destroy. Then another reminder, driving home the differences between the parties to the covenant. “The LORD is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, but the unjust know no shame”. The case against the people of Judah was building up. The warnings cannot continue for ever. We know the history. God would not wait much longer, just a few decades, before His judgment visited them in the form of captivity at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, followed by their removal from the land and taken to Babylon.

As Zephaniah continued, the scope of the prophecy expanded to situations way beyond the immediate plight of the Judeans of that day. “‘Therefore wait for Me’ says the LORD, ‘until the day I rise up for plunder’, My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger; all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy”.

In Deuteronomy 28, 29 God had told the people the blessings which would be theirs when they lived as He commanded them. They were not ‘suggestions’. He also told them what would happen if they chose not to live that way. One of the major consequences of such disobedience … expulsion from the land.  Now a question for our consideration. God does not change. He is consistent in nature and character, and not a ‘respecter of persons’. Does God have any such requirement of those who are His today, as He obviously did for those who were His in the days of Zephaniah? It certainly does not involve gentile expulsion from the land. But obedience to Him is evidently key to relationship with Him. Whatever the LORD says to an individual in regard to His requirement, the wise among us will DO! The reference to His gathering of nations, “My assembly of kingdoms” is quite clear. It is an event still future to us today. And it will be inescapable for those living in that day, as was God’s judgement on the people of Zephaniah’s day. But God’s “fierce anger” of that coming day will herald the beginning of a quite different day.

“For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one accord”. Commentators are divided on what this “pure language” might mean. Some suggest a return to the language prior to the “confusion of language” at the time of the tower of Babel. Others think it may be a new language altogether. There are no clues in the text other than the word “restore”. I offer what the LORD has shown me. I see it as the language of the New Covenant. It will be pure in that everyone will understand it and will be able to call on the LORD in unity of heart and mind. It will be a time when the Torah of God will be put in the mind, and written on the heart of man. No-one will be able to teach it, because “it will be known by everyone, from the least to the greatest”. A time when everyone will serve the LORD with ONE accord. That must surely be the millennial kingdom in which Yeshua will rule and reign from Jerusalem. “Sing O daughter of Zion! Shout O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your judgements, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel is in your midst; you shall see disaster no more”. That cannot refer to the first coming of Messiah, because Israel certainly has seen disaster since that time. Regrettably, the christian church, down through the ages since then, has been quite prominent in bringing such disaster on the “people of the Book” for centuries.

But there is so much more. “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak, the LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing”. Has there ever been uttered such an expression of God’s love for His people Israel. We do well to remember that these words were spoken at a time when God was greatly angered by their behaviour, by their wanton disregard for the covenant which God had made with their forefathers. He made a covenant with Abram, with Isaac, and with Jacob. He is a covenant keeping God. What He says He will DO! Nations of this earth seem blithely unaware of God’s heart for Israel. Many of our churches, and those who lead them, seem ignorant of the relationship which God forged with Israel centuries ago. And it is ALL written in our Bible. Every believer SHOULD be aware of it.

Finally, a promise which as nations, and as individuals, we ignore at our peril. “I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly (note here that during their captivity, the Israelites were unable to attend the Temple for these ‘mo’edim’ of the LORD) Who (note the capital indicating God’s presence on those occasions) to whom its reproach is a burden. Behold at that time I will deal with all who afflict you”.  Selah!           

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 20

Z E P H A N I A H

Zephaniah 1:1  to  2:15

Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah. “The word of the LORD came to Zephaniah … in the days of Josiah, king of Judah”. His lineage through Cushi, Gedaliah and Amariah, tells us that he was a descendant of king Hezekiah. Interestingly, Hezekiah was the last “good king” (three kings earlier) to sit on the throne of Judah, before king Josiah, (the final ‘good king’ of this southern kingdom). He sat on the throne at the time of Zephaniah’s prophecy. Josiah broke down the altars of worship to Baal in about 628 BCE., and it was about 6 years later that the Book of the Law (Torah) was found during the repair of the Temple (2 Chronicles 34:14). When that book was read to him by Shaphan the scribe, Josiah’s reaction was immediate. “Go inquire of the LORD for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do all that is written in this book”.  And we know that it was this failure of the forefathers which, out of concern for them, caused God to send these prophets to speak, in His name, to the people of Israel and Judah.

“I will utterly consume everything from the face of the land.” Says the LORD. Zephaniah brought a prophecy of profound proportion. It is evident that no longer is the LORD talking only of the people of that time, for which this prophecy would have a degree of immediacy, and be of relative temporary duration. The prophet is talking about events which are even future to us living today. It is both future in regard to the time of Messiah’s return (bear in mind He had not at that stage visited the earth in person the first time), but further still beyond the timing of Messiah’s reign on this earth during His Millennial Kingdom. Much of this destruction is referred to in the vision given to the Apostle John in Revelation. In regard to the immediacy, the prophet writes “I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem”. This is much closer to home for them.

For their idolatrous worship of Baal (the Canaanite god of fertility), the northern kingdom, Israel, had already been judged, and taken captive by the Assyrians about 100 years earlier. Now this southern kingdom was tainted by the same idolatry. God is promising that He will “cut off every trace of Baal from this place”. In effect, God is saying to them, (and it is hard to consider those words not also being directed at all who are His), in my paraphrase, ‘I have given you plenty of warning that I will not be worshipped by those who worship Baal (or any other idol). Either you cut it out yourself, or I will do it for you.’  In His words, “Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD; For the day of the LORD is at hand, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests”. Speaking directly to the Judeans here, He says ‘don’t try to justify yourselves’. It is now My turn to act. The sacrifice which has been prepared is that of these rebellious people themselves. The guests invited are the Babylonians who will act like ‘priests’ in killing that sacrifice. Because we are privileged to know the whole story, we know that not many years later, king Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and started to carry people into captivity in Babylon.

The words of this prophecy are clear and direct. Complacency has become entrenched in their minds. “I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘the LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil. Therefore ….”. Do you sense, as I do, that such a situation seems to be present in our churches today? We appear to have lost the sense of the might and awesome power of our God. It is called ‘complacency’. It is complacency which deludes one into thinking all is well when it is not. Complacency causes one to miss clear signs of trouble. The prophet continues “The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. That is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers”. It seems as though the prophet could not find enough words to describe the horror.

But there remains hope for the people of the southern kingdom. In His grace and love for these people, the LORD tells Zephaniah to deliver a kind of final warning. In the midst of this outcry against their rebellious behaviour he says “Gather yourselves together, yes gather together, O undesirable nation, before the decree is issued, or the day passes like chaff, before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you” (it’s like asking them to call a meeting to discuss the issues). It reminds me of another warning brought by Isaiah. “Come let his reason together, says the LORD”. The wise among us see this as a message for today. As God also told Isaiah that “His word would not return to Him void but would accomplish the purpose for which it was sent”.

The focus of Zephaniah turns onto the surrounding territories of the enemies of Israel. They have modern names now, but the geography and hostility remains. Gaza, Moab, Ammon, Ethiopia, Assyria, all get a dishonourable mention. Read the account of their future in Chapter 2 of our text. Nations that arrogantly “said in her heart, ‘I am it, and there is none besides me’”. To “become desolate”so that those who pass by will “hiss and shake his fist”. God will not be mocked. He cares about those who are His. But He warns again and again against complacency.           

Shabbat Shalom   

RS                                                

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 19

N A H U M

Nahum 2:1  to  3:19

The prophecy against Nineveh continued. The events described are worded in the present tense, but we need to keep in mind that they are future to the time of this proclamation, as one might expect of a prophetic message! “He who scatters has come before your face” describes a pattern of behaviour the Assyrians regularly adopted in their many conflicts. Destroying and scattering the vanquished. But the prophecy is that they themselves will suffer the same fate at the hands of their own conquerors. This was fulfilled in 612 BCE when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated them. Furthermore, what follows about “the LORD restoring the excellency of Jacob like the excellency of Israel” is a historical reference to the time when Jacob found blessing as he wrestled with the angel at Peniel. His name was changed as a result. This is prophetic of a renewal for the house of Judah. It is prophetic of the restoration of Israel as a single nation, remembering that at the time of this prophecy, the northern kingdom had been taken captive at the hand of the Assyrians over 100 years earlier. It speaks of the uniqueness of the relationship God had, and still has, with His covenant people. Such relationship does not exist with any other nation. A relationship “min olam v’ad olam” (for ever and ever). Chastised, expelled from the land, corrected? YES. But never abandoned. But for the Assyrians, the “emptiers have emptied them out and ruined their vine branches.” is another reference to the destructiveness of the Assyrian method of cruelty in victory over others. A fate which will shortly be their own.

The language is descriptive. Every verse of our text references some aspect of the way in which the downfall of Nineveh will impact that nation. Confusion as they seek to defend themselves from the invader (v.4). The defence preparations of military leaders (v.5). Situated on the east bank of the River Tigris, (where modern day Mosul is today) floods will enter the city gates and bring down the palaces (v.6). The goddess of Nineveh (possibly the fertility goddess Ishtar) taken away by the captors in demonstration of the superiority of their own gods. The ‘maidservants’ (temple prostitutes) mourning their loss of income (v.7). And the total destruction likened to the way a lioness tears its prey apart to feed the cubs (vv. 11-13). On and on it goes. And the final condemnation “‘Behold, I am against you’ says the LORD of hosts”. There can be no greater condemnation. From this comes the knowledge of the utter hopelessness of their situation. A situation brought about by their total abandonment of the salvation offered to them when the LORD sent Jonah on his mission to preach to them more than 100 years earlier. There are lessons for all to learn here. This is the word of the LORD. It is recorded in our Bible for a purpose, and it not just for historical information. It will accomplish the purposes for which God sent it, to me, and to you! (Isaiah 55:11).  Selah!

Nineveh is about to be shamefully and humiliatingly exposed for the ways in which it had treated others. And not least because they had turned their back on the offer of salvation set before them (Ch3 v 5). Furthermore, the prophet said, instead of mourning their demise, there will be rejoicing. The misery of their defeat is to be theirs alone (v.7). And we get a bit of a history lesson here in the reference to “No Amon”. A magnificent city in southern Egypt which was destroyed by the Assyrian leader Asburnipal in 663 BCE. The humiliating defeat of ‘NO Amon’ was to be replicated in Nineveh by the Babylonians. (v.8). The prophet reminded the people of Nineveh that ‘No Amon’, in all its glory, had some very powerful defenders. Egypt and Ethiopia. In the same way that Nineveh considered her defensive allies to be strong. Put and Lubim are identified by the Jewish historian Josephus as being in what we today know as Libya (v.9). And in a manner of mockery, the prophet describes the defences of Nineveh in disparaging terms. “All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs; if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater. Surely your people in your midst are women! (how politically incorrect today) The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies; fire shall devour the bars of your gates” (vv.12,13).  Enough to make a proud people bristle with anger. But that is just vanity against the proclamation of the LORD.

There are two ways in which this prophetic word may be seen. Maybe it is the LORD’s intent that we see, and take heed to both. The first, and most obvious, is in practical terms applying, as it does, to the fate which is about to fall on the hapless citizens of Nineveh. As we have commented earlier, it became their experience just a few short years later. It was a time of God’s judgement. The second way we may see this is also prophetic, but in the manner in which it speaks into our lives today. Certainly, we may not behave in the cruel manner of which these folk of Nineveh are accused. But if we honestly judge ourselves according to the principles of behaviour commanded by God, we would all assuredly fall well short. And that is part of the prophetic message, a time of accounting, a time of warning, and a time for readjustment to align ourselves with God’s will while we still have time to make such change. Let it not be said of us, as it was for these people of Nineveh, “Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; your nobles rest in the dust. Your people are scattered on the mountains. Your injury has no healing, your wound is severe. All who hear news of you will clap their hands over you, for upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?”

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”. (Isaiah 55:11).       

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 18

N A H U M

Nahum 1:1  to  1:15

We know very little personal detail about Nahum. He is described as an Elkoshite, but that reveals nothing that is positively identifiable about him. Was it his birthplace? His family affiliation? We simply do not know. It is thought that his name is a shortened version of ‘Nehemiah’. It matters little. The important thing about all the prophets is the message with which they were entrusted by God. And Nahum had a very important message indeed, from which we ourselves have much to learn.

God had given Nahum a vision regarding the Assyrian city of Nineveh. The same city which had caused Jonah so much grief, anger and even disappointment about 100 years earlier. It was a city of gentiles. They had repented of their sin as Jonah preached to them at that time, and God had stayed His judgement on them.  But in this vision, Nahum first saw the might, the compassion, and the love, of the LORD. “God is jealous, and the LORD avenges (but not without warning);  … The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not acquit the wicked”. We do well to consider that carefully ourselves. It is a timely message. Nahum is reminding us that God has a good memory! He has set standards for His people. He has reminded us in the Scriptures many times, through the prophets and the apostles, of His commandments and statutes. That word “acquit” (Heb ‘naqah’) literally means ‘to make clean’. There will be nothing ‘unclean’ in the heavenly realm.

“Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger?” These are rhetorical questions to which no-one has an answer. We know that there are none, and there is nothing, that can withstand the wrath of God. And we also know that “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him”. We have been ‘reflecting’ in recent weeks about the Israelites. The prophets were sent to warn them about the consequences of their idolatrous practises. They thought that God would not do what He was warning them He would. They had become complacent in their attitudes towards Him. And that was NOT because they were trusting Him, it was because they had moved away from Him. They treated their relationship with God and the covenant promises of both themselves and their forefathers with utter contempt. Very dangerous. A lesson for the wise among us today. However, this prophetic message is full of interest in that it seems to interweave both the pronouncements of doom upon the wickedness of Nineveh, and the counter expressions of blessing and hope for Israel. God not only judges, but He also saves.

“What do you conspire against the LORD?”  Echoes of Psalm 2 here. Such conspirators are doomed to failure. Just 40 years after Jonah’s ministry to Nineveh, and their repentance, the Assyrians had invaded the northern kingdom of Israel and taken the principal citizens captive. Were these cruel Assyrians plotting another attack, this time on Judah? “From you comes forth one who plots evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor”. The word translated ‘wicked’ is the Hebrew word “belial”. That has connotations of satanic influence over the leadership of Assyria. It is similar to the word God gave to Isaiah regarding these Assyrians (Isaiah 10: 5-7). They had numerical superiority, and had a perception of safety as a result. But in verse 12, the only time in this prophetic book that the words “Thus says the LORD” are used, God’s words are to His chosen. “Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more; for now I will break off his yoke from you, and burst your bonds apart.”

Then he switched back to address the Assyrians again. “The LORD has given a command concerning you: ‘Your name shall be perpetuated no longer. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the moulded image. I will dig your grave, for you are vile’.” A very strong pronouncement indeed.

And immediately back to His own. Now with the proclamation of salvation, similar to words spoken by another prophet. (Isaiah 52:7) A proclamation of the coming Messiah. “Behold on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace!” The Assyrians had been a disruptive and cruel enemy on their borders for centuries. God now declared the end of that terror (Nineveh fell to the Babylonians in 612 BCE and their king was put to death). But in making that declaration, there is yet another plea from God for the people of Judah to remain faithful to their covenant promises. “O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, perform your vows. For the wicked one shall no more pass through you; he is utterly cut off”. Surely an amazing example of words used by the prophet right at the beginning of this word. “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power.” He provided a release from the torment of an aggressor, displaying great power. At the same time, regardless of their continuing waywardness pleaded that they remember their commitments to Himself.

Because we know the rest of the story, we know that God’s patience with them also had limits. That has to be the greatest lesson for us to learn here. God has provided us with all the information we need about Himself, His ways, His character, His consistency, His love, His mercy, and His wonderful gift of eternal life. Take time to read Matthew 24. It includes the words of Yeshua “He that endures to the end shall be saved”. In athletic jargon, we are not in a sprint but in a marathon. It requires endurance and dedication. That’s what God was saying to these citizens of Judah.        

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 17

H O S E A

Hosea 13:1  to  14:9

Ephraim, as the strongest tribe, held a position of some respect. That tribe was exalted in Israel (the northern kingdom). But they died (no longer had that respect) when they not only joined in, but maybe even encouraged, the idolatry of Baal worship. Further, possibly compounding that error by making a business out of idolatry. They produced images of wood and silver as objects of idolatrous worship. So the prophet Hosea spoke to them “Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud and like the early dew that passes away, like chaff blown off the threshing floor and like smoke from a chimney”. Isn’t that a scathing and demeaning comment? Removed from sight, of no further value. So, exalted as they had been, they were to now be consigned to irrelevance. They had started out with such promise. God had blessed them with His care, and early provision, all the way from Egypt, and right up to their settlement in the land. “They were filled and their heart was exalted; Therefore they forgot Me.” How sad. In modern parlance, it’s akin to “biting the hand that feeds them”. The lesson that we may learn here is to always remember, with gratitude and thankfulness, all the blessings with which we have been showered at the hand of Almighty God. Most of us are good at seeking and requesting God’s blessing, but not quite so ready to offer thanks after the event. And what thanks was God was looking for? That they would live, as they had promised, according to His commandments. We might consider if that is what He expects from us too.

“The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; His sin is stored up”. That’s a worry don’t you think? We often fail to consider the fact that all our actions, yes, all of them, are ‘written in God’s books’. Revelation 20: 12 tells us “And I saw the dead, small and great standing before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books”.  And as that sinks in, read Matthew 7:21 -23. It is inescapable that because God is no respecter of persons, the rules which were applied to these dear folk to whom God sent Hosea, are the same rules universally applied to all men. It is the immense value of God’s written word that allows us to gain adequate warning of what God expects of those who are His. “Samaria is held guilty, for she has rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword, their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child ripped open”. This shocking statement describes the fate which was to befall these rebellious Israelites when, just a few short years later they would be overthrown and taken captive by the cruel Assyrian invaders. What a terrible price to pay for rebellion! That is NOT what God had planned for them, it was what He warned them would happen as a result of their rebellion. A careful reading of Revelation will not provide much comfort to any who may be alive in the days of the ‘great tribulation’ either.

“O Israel, return to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity; Take words (of repentance) with you, and return to the LORD. Say to Him, ‘Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips’.” 

The message which concludes this prophetic word of Hosea is timeless. It may be properly applied to all ages. God offers His hand of reconciliation. Hosea was a man who clearly understood the heartache of a husband married to an unfaithful wife. He could equate that to the heartache of God for His beloved Israel. For everyone who take the words of repentance to the LORD He says “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him. I will be like the dew to Israel;  He shall grow like the lily, and lengthen his roots like Lebanon”. Complete forgiveness. In the fulness of time God made that universal in the sacrificial death of Yeshua. And all that is required is to “take the words of repentance” to Him. It is personal. Hosea’s words are profound. They are words of great promise. Taking him at his word, and doing as he has said, will have life changing effect. “His branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon”.

The change in a person’s lifestyle habits will be evident. Ephraim shall say “What have I to do anymore with idols?” There comes the realisation of the futility and emptiness in idols of wood, stone, silver or anything else which man may allow to be an idol. Much of the prophetic word which Hosea was called on to deliver has dwelt on the consequences of idolatry. Now, focus is turned to the positive consequence of heeding those warnings and returning to a right relationship with God.

“Who is wise?  Let him understand these things”. Who is prudent? Let him know them”. They are presented as a challenge to our perception of all that has gone before. Human nature is such that the vast majority of us have a propensity to judge ourselves kindly … in a good light. Well on this occasion, the questions are answered for us to make judgment according to God’s way. We are asked to carefully consider the words of this prophecy of Hosea. It is presented so that we may each measure our own wisdom and prudence.

“For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them”. Selah!

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 16

H O S E A

Hosea 11:1  to  12:14

The heartache of the LORD is palpable in the opening words of our reading this week. “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son”. Keeping in mind the interchangeability of the words Israel, Ephraim Samaria and Jacob, as descriptors for these people, He goes on “I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them in My arms*(Septuagint), but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them”. And more sorrowful words followed as God considered what was to become of these wayward, unrepentant, people that He still loved. They would not be going back to Egypt, but to Assyria, and that after suffering much turmoil and deprivation.

The reflective sentiments of the LORD are so genuinely expressed here. “How can I give you up Ephraim? How can I hand you over Israel?” The LORD remembers the fate of Admah and Zeboiim. They were two of the cities that perished, to be seen no more, in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. To this very day, archeologists are attempting to discover the whereabouts and remnants of those places. The anguish of the LORD, in even thinking that such an end could possibly be chosen by His own people, instead of returning to Himself, retaining the relationship as Father and son, is heartbreaking. Then almost as a solution, certainly as a resolution, to that dilemma, the LORD makes His declaration. “My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst; and I will not come with terror”. The present judgement on these people is not the end of the story. God sees that there will be a reconciliation at some future date.

Does that mean that the LORD will withhold judgement? No it does not. The choices of the people are theirs to make. God does not interfere with that. The alternatives were clearly expressed (Deuteronomy 28,29). It’s the same today. The options before us are clearly spelled out. God’s way, which is the purpose and intent of the written word of our Bible, or our own way, which is decided by rejecting, or ignoring, that word. NO middle ground available. No ‘sitting on the fence’. What about those who haven’t heard? Is an often posed question. Well, that is for God to decide isn’t it? Completely beyond our control and influence. But we know that He is a just and righteous Judge. The  position of the people of the northern kingdom IS known, as is our own situation. And that is the issue before us in this reading.

There is a warning here too for the southern kingdom, Judah. They are not without fault. For the benefit of this nation, God recalled a brief history of their journey by referring to their forefather Jacob. He recalled how Jacob prevailed against his brother Esau in respect of the blessing of the ‘birthright’. How Jacob wrestled with the Angel of God at Bethel, and prevailed. In so doing received the blessing of God too. That blessing was not for Jacob alone, but for his progeny in future generations. However, God said, the judgement, shortly to fall on the northern kingdom, would also fall on the southern kingdom if they continued on the same destructive path of neglect of their covenant obligations as their northern brothers were doing. Then God got specific. What was it that caused Him such grief? “A cunning Canaanite! Deceitful scales are in his hand. He loves to oppress. And Ephraim said ‘Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labours they shall find in me no iniquity that is sin’.”

God had called Moses to lead them out of Egypt. He had provided Moses with His Torah. It was for their benefit and enlightenment. It showed them a clear  path, with ‘instruction for living righteously’ together, and with nations around them. They had willingly agreed to live that way, in part as an example to the nation’s around them. And now God charged them with the adoption of the practises of the Canaanites. Deceitful scales. Short changing their own. Bad enough eh? But even worse, they did not see any wrong in that. They thought it was good because they were becoming wealthy as a result! But God will not be mocked by such deviant behaviour. Consider our own ‘deviances’ today. They are just as condemning, but possibly less obvious. Cheating ones neighbour is very bad. Cheating the government is equally bad. “Chata”, the Hebrew word translated ‘sin’ in our Bible, is derived from an archery term meaning ‘to miss the mark’. Missing the mark is ‘missing the mark’.  One inch or one mile, it’s still ‘missing the mark’. And this passage of Scripture shows us that ‘missing the mark’ has consequences, for everyone who does so. That is what God commissioned Hosea, and other prophets, to tell the people, and us. “I have spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols throughout the witness of the prophets”.

“It is not the will of God that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). That is why God is so long-suffering in regard to the waywardness of the peoples being addressed by these prophets. We would be unwise to not apply that to ourselves. And so the final word for this week’s ‘reflection’ focusses on our responsibility. The warning bells have sounded. “Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly; Therefore his LORD will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him, and return his reproach upon him.”

May God give us wisdom to take stock of where we stand before Him. He has already done all He can to show us the way. The rest is up to us.

Shabbat   Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 15

H O S E A

Hosea 9:1  to  10:15

“Do not rejoice, O Israel, with joy like other peoples”. That is suggestive of the fact that there may well have been ‘mirth’, but it was not joyful. No real satisfaction to be gained. Why? Because there was no future benefit or purpose to be seen. Only more of the same, and at great cost. Both personal and corporate. Our text this week continues in the theme of reminding the people what they had done to incur the wrath of God. It is of great regret that, because we know the end of this story, we have to acknowledge the futility of appeals and warnings which were given to this northern kingdom. It would be uplifting if everything was put right and they all lived “happily ever after” wouldn’t it? So why are we given this account of God’s dealings with them, which, on the face of it, ended in failure. Well, there are at least two reasons. The first is to show that God is a promise keeper. The people were left in no doubt what the outcome would be if they did not heed the warnings. The second reason is that all who read this account will have no doubt about God’s character, and His requirement of those with whom He makes a covenant. What He opens, no-one shuts, and what He shuts no-one opens.

So we are the beneficiaries of Hosea’s prophetic pronouncements, and there is much for us to learn as a result. Whereas Hosea made a statement “You have played the harlot against your God”. We might read it as a negative commandment, as in “Do not play the harlot with your God”. Because the results of so doing are catastrophic. For these Israelites the pronouncement was “They shall not dwell in the LORD’s land, but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and shall eat unclean things in Assyria”. There are three important observations to be made here. We do well to note them. First the designation that the ‘land’ is the LORD’s. It was then, it is today. That land was designated, by the LORD, to be inhabited by a people who would be ‘different’ to the inhabitants of the nations around them. When the “spirit of harlotry’' took hold of the people, they were behaving no differently to the nations around them, and lost their privilege of occupancy. Second the return to Egypt, is a not a geographical relocation, but a reference to a return to slavery from which God had rescued their forefathers centuries earlier. Third the eating of unclean things in Assyria relates to a very different lifestyle change. God had specified, among other things, the dietary ‘laws’ applying to Jews. The literal meaning of ‘unclean’ is (phonetic Heb ‘Tawmay’ ‘foul’ or ‘disgusting’) But with that also is the estrangement from the familiar rituals which were part and parcel of their daily living. The ‘religious’ elements of worship they had already abandoned anyway. So their lifestyle choice came at a very high cost, physically and socially.

Almost like ‘rubbing salt into the wound’ the question is posed “What will you do in the appointed day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?” In our ‘christian mindset’, that may not register as important. But to the Israelites, even in their idolatry, and syncretism, the observance of the Sabbaths and Feast days was still part of their religious ritual. The same applies today even in the midst of a largely secular society which is Israel. The rituals of observance are important links to their heritage and culture. What did they say, or by their actions, think? “The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is insane”. It is a truth that very often one does not appreciate what one has until it is lost, or taken away. The true value of their relationship with YHWH Elohim was unappreciated. May God grant that we do not take His presence  among us so lightly.

There are so many lessons for us to learn from the attitudes of these people of the northern kingdom. We have the insight of history, which they did not have to the same degree. In spite of that, many of us still fail to grasp the message so clearly presented. God is not to be trifled with. “All their wickedness is in Gilgal, for there I hated them. Because of the evil of their deeds I will drive them from My house”. Gilgal was a worship centre of their idolatry. (Note for today:- Not all idols are made of wood and stone. Selah!  An “Idol” is defined as ‘an object of extreme devotion’, ‘ a representation or symbol of an object of worship’, ‘a false conception’, or ‘a false god’.) And God has the same attitude and reaction to idolatry today as He did in the days of Hosea.

Look at some more of the similes God used to show them what was before them as a result of their idolatrous ways.

Chapter 10:3,4. “We have no king because we did not fear the LORD”. All of their kings were ‘bad kings’. When the blind lead the blind, they all end up in the ditch Yeshua said in Mathew 15.

Chapter 10: 5,6. “because of the calf of Beth Aven”. Right at the beginning of their ‘independence’, they had worshipped the golden calves at Bethel and Dan. Take them with you into the coming Assyrian captivity as a gift to their king. Do not leave your emblems of idolatry in My land.

Chapter 10: 11. “Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh grain”. Then “I will make Ephraim pull a plow”. The first was unmuzzled and was free to eat while it worked. The second was harnessed and had to wait to be fed.

Chapter 10:13,14. “Because you trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men. Therefore tumult shall arise among your people”.

The descriptions in the text of our Bible are not recognised today because times and methods have changed. The message has not.  

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 14

H O S E A

Hosea 7:1  to  8:14

A note of explanation will be helpful here. The northern kingdom, Israel, was established by Jereboam 1, who became its first king, when the Nation was divided after the death of Solomon. Its capital city was called Samaria. The strongest tribe was Ephraim. The whole territory was, sometimes confusingly, variously, and interchangeably, called Israel, Ephraim, and Samaria. As we look at the text this week keep in mind that they are names for the same place.

Hosea, speaking the words of the LORD said “When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered, and the wickedness of Samaria. For they have committed fraud; A thief comes in; A band of robbers takes spoil outside”. Those are words which initially indicate a comforting intent at reconciliation. The LORD was ready and able to bring them back to Himself. But reconciliation required a co-operative willingness to be helped. They had already commenced a journey on the downward path. Then “a thief” arrived on the scene. I believe that thief to be the “spirit of harlotry” of which we spoke last week. Think of how a thief operates. Quietly, unnoticed, when least expected, without disturbance. The ‘modus operandi’ of thieves is well known. And yet they still succeed, unless there are effective detection methods in place to provide warning. Then Hosea continued “They do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness”. In the analogy of ‘the thief’, that means God, the householder, knows what has been taken. The lesson for us here is that ‘the thief’’ is still alive and well. And in the context of this passage of Scripture we ‘instal adequate detection’ by understanding what God requires of us when we put our trust in Him. YES, we do have a part to play, and God has provided all means to keep us safe.

But Israel had made wrong choices. Hosea cites a number of similes to describe their state of woe. Laziness of attitude by comparison to the baker’s oven. Heated to a fierce heat so that there was no need to attend to it by night, as a diligent baker would have done. Uneven heat indicating inattention. The way of a ‘cake unturned’. Burned on one side, undone on the other. There was an inconsistency about them. “Ephraim is also like a silly dove, without sense”. Matthew 10:16 describes the dove as harmless, but here the contrast is of ‘silliness' as in ‘unthinking’. Seemingly they had consulted with Egypt and Assyria to advance themselves, whereas their correct course was to be found in their relationship with the LORD. “Woe to them, for they have fled from Me! Destruction to them because they have transgressed against Me! Though I redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against Me. They did not cry out to Me with their heart when they wailed upon their bed”. The LORD was ready and waiting to welcome them to Himself. And YES, He heard their ‘wails’ of complaint, even distress. But He did not hear their call for help in the manner of ‘LORD, we have sinned, help us, what should we do?’ Followed by an earnest waiting for an answer from Him. In a sense, it was a sorrow in being found out! But not in wanting to change.

“Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My Torah”. Time is short now. The prophet Ezekiel gives us the framework. Twice (Chapters 3 and 33) he talks about watchmen, whose duty was to sound the ‘shofar’ of warning when danger approached their camp. The diligent watchman would sound a timely warning and absolve himself of guilt if an enemy overtook them. The delinquent watchman would have “blood on his hands” for failing to sound the warning. The enemy comes silently, swiftly, like an eagle stalking its prey. In this instance, we may assume that the enemy is “the spirit of harlotry”, because if the people had NOT “transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My Torah” they would not have fallen prey to idolatry. It is another timely lesson. We need to hear. We need to ensure that the sound of the watchman’s warning is sounded in our day. We are inundated with exhortations to worldliness. Our voice of protest is weak. Because we expect others to sound the trumpet of warning,  often, the result is ‘silence’.

“They set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, but I did not acknowledge them”.  These words were written when such offices were the norm in that society. Every city, it seemed, had its king. The record shows that in that northern kingdom, Israel, after the nation was divided, they had a succession of 19 kings. Not one of them chosen by God. Every one of them described as a ‘bad king’. That description denotes that they did not follow the commands and precepts of the LORD, other than by mere lip service. In the southern kingdom, Judah, over a longer period of time, they had 20 kings. Only 8 of them were described as ‘good kings’.

As we ‘reflect’ on their patterns of behaviour. The ways in which they failed to worship God as He intended. There must be a moment of quiet contemplation in which we try to discover if their mistakes, their contempt, their hardness of heart, is found in us today. That can be on two levels. Private and corporate. I have many times thought about the hierarchical (Nicolaitan) structures of worship we seem to readily embrace today. Care must be taken to ensure that we do not allow a ‘spirit of harlotry’ to surreptitiously invade that worship. God will not stop it. He didn’t stop the people of the northern kingdom. But He did judge them harshly.

Hosea sounded the ‘shofar’ of warning. It was a warning for them. And it is a warning for us.                           

Shabbat Shalom

RS

'Reflections' on the Writing Prophets 13

H O S E A

Hosea 5:1  to  6:11

Hosea is burdened by the role the priests took in bringing about the demise of the northern kingdom. “Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, because you have been a snare to Mizpah and a net to Tabor”. Both Mizpah and Tabor were most likely places of idol worship. The plea is for the people of the house of Israel to take note, because they are the ones who are about to bear the consequence of following the false teaching of the priests. And I find a salutary lesson for today right there. When the blind lead the blind, they both fall into the ditch (Matthew 15:14). There are plenty of “blind” Scripture pedlars (posing as priests) alive and well today. Anyone displaying a strong focus on (your) money should be viewed with caution. In any event it behoves each person to be diligent in their response to things taught by others. (YES, that does include what is written here. You are urged to diligently check the Scriptures for yourself.) In the case before us, Torah observance, which was the major issue, was clearly being wantonly disregarded. Idol worship, in a number of forms, being substituted. Today, we have even less excuse than did they, because we are privileged to have the word of God in printed form readily available. There is no excuse for our lack of discernment of false teaching, other than laziness. Not checking Scriptural truth for oneself is both unacceptable and dangerous. Beware of the ditch ahead.

“They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the LORD”.  The LORD had commanded Hosea to marry a harlot so that he would understand what it was like to be joined to an unfaithful wife. But now we are introduced to these people being consumed with a “spirit of harlotry”. That really speaks of a compulsion to unfaithfulness. An addiction. Can’t get way from it. I have discussed addiction with people who are gripped by substance abuse. In many cases there is a genuine desire to be rid of the addiction, but its power is too strong to be cast aside. It has become habitual. Wrong has gained a victory over right. That is the picture we are given here. That is why God’s judgement was to allow them to go their own way, even though it meant them walking away from His presence. The phrase in bold letters above might be put that “they no longer know the LORD”. Because we know that they once did. It is possible to find ourselves in the same situation. Think back to the time you first made a covenant of faith with God. (A Welsh evangelist I knew many years  ago used to say that our relationship with God was like riding a bicycle. You have to make progress, because if you stop you’ll fall off.) It is a description that appears to fit these Israelites doesn’t it? Make progress or fall off. They fell off. We should learn a lesson from that too.

“Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up”. This is an appeal to the people that they repent. The prophet Isaiah put it similarly. “Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool”. These words sound like they belong in the Apostolic Scriptures don’t they? But God is speaking in prophetic terms about a day far ahead for them. “After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight”. God had His eye on His own people, even when they had so disappointed Him that He had to let them walk away.

The pleas of God echo around the world. Their world. “O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away”. Do you feel the agony in those words? The disappointment expressed here is palpable. The people God described as His “special treasure”, and “the apple of My eye”, filled with so much promise, and now so utterly disappointing. And yet the words He uses are so comforting at the same time. The Apostle Paul, writing to the mixed “ekklesia” in Rome, said “have they stumbled that they should fall ? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness (restoration).”  As God continued to express His sorrow at their behaviour, He also began to show His understanding. “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more that burnt offerings”. King David had expressed the heart of God in his Psalm of contrition many years earlier. “For you do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart — These, O God, You will not despise”. It is the contrite heart. The understanding and knowledge of God, which allows us to know what pleases Him. We noted earlier that the people of the northern kingdom were charged with the fact that “they do not know the LORD”.

“But like men (Heb. Adam .. mankind) they transgressed the covenant, there they dealt treacherously with Me”. God knows the heart of mankind. He knows my heart, and yours. And with that knowledge He still sent Yeshua to this earth so that we could enjoy fellowship with Himself. His perfect plan for those who are His is that one day “All Israel will be saved”. (Romans 11:26) Those who join them in faith, that is faith in the One who is their anointed Saviour, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, will face Him who sits on that Great White Throne, and hear the words “well done good and faithful servant”.

It behoves all of us that ‘we get to know the LORD’. 

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 12

H O S E A

Hosea 3:1  to  4:19

We encounter a bit of a logistic problem at the beginning of our reading today. “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the LORD for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans”. Is this the same woman taken as a wife by Hosea at the beginning of this book? Or a different one. On this occasion we are told that Hosea paid a “bride price” for this marriage, and that he made a few stipulations about how his new wife should behave. We need to use a bit of logic here. It would appear that this particular section of Hosea’s prophecy provides something of a “bookend” to the beginning, as God sought to provide a simile between Israel’s behaviour and that of the idolatrous, wayward woman in question. The women are one and the same.

(Daniel Lancaster, in his Torah Club commentary “The Voice of the Prophets” makes an interesting observation (Hosea 2:16) on the use of the two different  words for ‘husband’ in Biblical Hebrew. “Baali”, a common name for ‘husband’, literally means “master”. “Ish”, also commonly used for ‘husband’, literally means ‘man’. Hosea tells his wife to call him ‘Ish’ (man) and no longer ‘Baali’ (master). In the same way, God tells the Israelites of that northern kingdom that they were to no longer to consider, or even mention, Him in any way as  ‘Baali’ (master). It was a significant downgrading of  that relationship.)

Chapter 3 of our text has a prophetic message of despair and then some hope. “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or scared pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward they shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days”. The phrase “ephod or teraphim” is reference to ‘totally godless’ in a broad sense. “Ephod” speaks of the Jewish priesthood, with which they were well familiar, and “teraphim” refers to the idol worship which was the cause of their demise. So in a ‘worship’ sense they would be left with nothing. But it would have been better without the ‘teraphim’ in the first place. Never-the-less, it was God’s purpose to punish their idolatry, but not to abandon them for ever. The reconciliation of which the prophet spoke would come when they sought the  LORD in humility and truth. I believe that will take place when Messiah returns to this earth the second time. During Yeshua’s first time on this earth, the “Samaritans” were still pagan, not counted with the Jews.

Chapter 4 provides an opportunity for lesson learning for any who wish to learn. It continues in the vein of cataloguing the charges against the people. It is relentless. As we consider these charges, it may be profitable to measure ourselves, our nation, as we stand along-side these ancient people, in order to judge for ourselves what God might say of us as He documents the behaviour which He found so distressing in them. Remember God is consistent and unchanging. “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed.”  What does God see in our nation? Well, this is what He said He would do. “The more they increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of My people; (this is specific to that generation in that they were eating the sin offerings of the people who individually sought forgiveness in such sacrifice) They set their heart on iniquity, and it shall be; like people like priest. (The ones who should have been crying out against such, the priests, were delinquent in that task)  So I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their deeds”. This is quite alarming. God expected the priestly class to speak out against such profanity. He considered silence to amount to complicity. Didn’t the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 2:5) tell us that all believers are ‘priests’? Now there’s a thought!

The prophet is directed to shine a light on the southern kingdom of Judah in the manner of a warning to them. It is evident that God had provided His final warning to Israel, but Judah still had a chance because they had not yet gone down the same path of idolatrous ‘harlotry’ as Israel. “Though you, Israel, play the harlot, let Judah not offend. Do not come up to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth Aven, nor swear an oath ..”.  Both Gilgal, in northern Samaria, and Beth Aven (‘house of deceipt’), a deliberate substitution of the name Bethel in the south of the country, were once places of Godly worship, they had now been given over to idolatry. The Judeans knew these places as they once were. In their former state of reverence before God. Whilst the injunction of God is not to even visit those places, it is further meant as a general warning not to go down that  same path of idolatrous worship. Among the reasons God gave was that it was a path of separation from Himself. “For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn calf; now the LORD willed them forage like a lamb in open country”. That separation meant that they were easy prey for whatever might befall them. The Apostle Jude has an interesting piece of advice for believers. The original Living Bible paraphrase puts it well. “Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and bless you”. (Jude 21)

We may not be able to readily identify the exact situation our text uses to illustrate the message. “Harlotry” may seem to be extreme. But it is how God saw that situation. It was the rejection of Himself, the deliberate act of disobedience to His commands and statutes, the failure to honour covenant promises, the rejection of multiple warnings. That is what the message of Hosea is all about.  And there is more to come. We would be wise to ask God to mercifully shine His light on us  …  while there is still time.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 11

H O S E A

Hosea 1:1  to  2:23

The name “Hosea” comes from the same Hebrew root word as Joshua and Yeshua. Its meaning is ‘salvation’, but the last two names carry the further meaning of “YHWH is salvation”. Hosea was called to deliver the message of God to the idolatrous northern kingdom when Jereboam 2 was king. Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah at the time of this ministry. A period from about 755 BCE to 722 BCE., when Jonah, Amos, Isaiah and Micah were also active. It seems that the LORD took time to convey His message to Hosea, because we are told that when the LORD began to speak to him He gave Hosea a most unusual command. “Go take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry”. Gomer was a ‘shrine’ prostitute in their mixed up world of Baal worship (which Jezebel had introduced). She would produce childen by Hosea who would also commit harlotry! (idol worship) But then God also gave him the reason for such a command. “For the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the LORD”.

It is obvious that the Israelites of the northern kingdom were viewed by God in that light, (prostituting themselves with Baal worship) and in order for Hosea to accurately and passionately convey that message, God wanted Hosea to have real life experience of what that felt like. Poor Hosea! It is a measure of Hosea’s commitment that he did exactly what the LORD commanded. He married Gomer. In the fulness of time, and in quick succession, Gomer bore three children to Hosea. Each were given a name which was full of meaning. A boy, Jezreel (God will scatter), a girl, Lo-Ruhamah (not loved), and another boy, Lo-Ammi ( not My people).

The words of Scripture are more eloquent than any commentary.

About the first child God said “Call his name Jezreel, for in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu (2 Kings 9,10) and bring an end (722 BCE) to the kingdom of the house of Israel. It shall come to pass in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel    (2 Kings 15:29).” Prophetic words which the people of that day were to experience for themselves.

About the second child God said “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away. Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by the LORD their God”. But that salvation would not be on a battlefield. Jerusalem was besieged by the Assyrians in the days of king Hezekiah (701 BCE) and God preserved them from that siege.

About the third child God said “Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people, and I will not be your God”. A sad indictment. But in spite of that God  said that they would continue to grow in numbers. This is consistent with the covenant promise God made to Abraham regarding their growth in numbers. “as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered”.  However, God said that other nations would not understand the wrath of God on them and would continue to consider them to be His people.

Then in amazing prophetic insight (verse 11) God said  “Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head.” This will be when the LORD makes ‘a new covenant’ with them (Jeremiah 31:31). The “One head” will be Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, in whose blood that ‘new covenant’ is guaranteed. And the “day of Jezreel” is a reference to the battle which ends all battles, which is to be fought in the valley of Jezreel in Samaria, just below Mount Carmel, close to Meggido.

As chapter 2 opens, Hosea uses the metaphor of a courtroom, as did Micah. God, ‘the plaintiff’, brings charges of harlotry against Israel. Charges which are plainly indefensible. The record of their syncretism is long standing, going back to the time when the first king Jereboam set up the golden calves in Bethel and Dan. To that had been added the worship of Baal when Ahab was king. (Elijah famously challenged them to make a choice on Mount Carmel). The charge goes on, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, I will also reject you from being a priest before Me; Because you have forgotten the Torah of your God, I will also forget your children”. This is the most serious charge against them. The idolatry they practised had distorted the very lifestyle they were supposed to uphold. Their priestly duty was to teach their children. They had not. Their covenant promise was to observe and obey the Torah. They did not. “The plaintiff” was also both the jury and the judge. He still is. And here is a lesson for us to remember.

The judgement of God was not without warning. Read again Deuteronomy 28 and 29 if any doubt remains about that. If anyone thinks Torah to be obsolete, which it isn’t, look again at Matthew 7:21-23, Hebrews 9:27, and Revelation 20:12. No-one is without warning, and the Judge has already pronounced His judgment, and has provided the means by which the penalty of His judgement may be forgiven. In the case of the northern kingdom He said “For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn calf; now the LORD will let them forage like a lamb in open country”.  No longer under the protection of His love and care. But free to go about their own devices, and then, alone, to bear the consequences of the stubbornness of which they had been warned.

Hosea took the message of God to Israel. They acted like the ‘unfaithful wife’, the hurt and disappointment of which Hosea was only too painfully aware. The question that poses is; What sort of a ‘wife’ am I?      

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 10

M I C A H

Micah 6:1  to  7:20

This third ‘reflection’ in Micah’s prophecy appears as though the scene is set in a courtroom. God is the plaintiff, uncertain as to the exact nature of the complaint against Him, the people appear as defendants. God wants to hear the details of their complaint before a jury. The jury is comprised of the mountains, the hills, the foundations of the earth, who were witnesses to the covenant God had made with the people centuries earlier. The covenant was wilfully broken by the people. What had God done to bring about such a situation?  His own character and reputation was at stake. At least that is how it appears to me!

“O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me” said the LORD. Then, by way of preamble He reminded them briefly of details of the journey He had safely brought them on to get where they now were. From bondage as slaves in Egypt. From the curse that Balaam of Moab had attempted to place upon them. His guiding influence on Balak in preventing him from uttering any such curse. His care of them, in food, water and protection during the long journey in bringing them into the land in which they now lived as free men. Then He posed some rhetorical questions. The sort of questions that a person might have asked of such a benefactor. They may be summarised as “How can we show our gratitude? What can we do to express our appreciation?”. The answer is simply and eloquently put. Words my late wife claimed to be her favourite Scripture text. (and on a quite personal note, in a more than six decade long marriage, I can testify, that is how she lived her life)

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD requires of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Of course, the whole prophecy of Micah, as with other prophets, was because that was NOT how people were living their lives. God reminded them of the injustices which had become engrained in their lifestyle. On account of which the judgement of the LORD was about to be delivered to them. They took advantage of the weak in their society, “wicked scales and deceitful weights” was the description. It was in stark contrast to their covenant agreement to care for and support such people. Micah knew the Scriptures. As did they. He reminded them of God’s warning to bring desolation, sickness and hunger upon them (Leviticus 26: 14 - 16) as a direct result of their disobedience. But the people had grown sceptical. “Nah! God wouldn’t do that to us!” They and their ancestors had been living in the land hundreds of years. Yes, they had seen the correction of the LORD. Yes, they had seen battles lost from time to time. And in very recent times they had seen the northern kingdom attacked by the Assyrians. But they had not seen “the arm of the LORD bared”. Big mistake. There is a loud and clear lesson for us in this if we are willing to learn it. Do not take God for granted. “What does the LORD require of you”.      It is printed in bold above. Read it again. Micah is addressing people who seemed arrogantly contemptuous of God’s requirement of those who are His. He really does expect that we live righteously.

Micah likens it to the owner of a vineyard, going late in the harvest time to see what had been left for the ‘gleaners’. The poor, the widow, the orphan, the stranger in their gates, the disadvantaged. NOTHING. Cleaned out by the greed of the owner. God describes it as an evil. Gifts for the ‘influential’ in the land, yes. Bribes for the lawmakers, yes. All scheming together at the expense of those who have nothing. “Son dishonours father, daughter rises against her mother … a man’s enemies are the men of his own household”. The greed and animosity even within families. It seems endemic in society, even today. When Yeshua commissioned His disciples (Matthew 10:35) it was this very Scripture that He used to describe what they would encounter as they went about their task of spreading the good news about Himself. But Micah, as he spoke for the person wronged, said “Therefore I will  look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me”.  This is the hope of those wronged and neglected by fellow man. Not looking to sinful man for assistance. Rather “I will bear the indignation of the LORD, (not you) because I have sinned against Him (not you) until He pleads my case and executes justice for me (which you have not). He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness”. (Because there is no righteousness to be seen in you, my neighbour.) What an indictment.

But even that is not the end. At the end of this sad lament, as the prophet laid bare the iniquity of that generation, and the inevitable judgment of God about to fall on them, there is hope. The Israelites of the northern kingdom, and the Judeans of the southern kingdom later, in their time, witnessed the judgment of the LORD on them. Our generation will also face the judgment of the LORD. But here is the good news. He provided a pardon.

“Who is a God like You. Pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger for ever. Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which YOU have sworn to our fathers from days of old”.

In His love, mercy, and grace, He sent Yeshua to settle our debt. Trust Him. 

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 09

M I C A H

Micah 4:1  to  5:15

The message of Micah suddenly changed. From issuing warnings and appeals to this wayward people, he spoke of days of triumph and glory ahead. “The mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains.” Mount Zion will be elevated both physically and spiritually to become the centre of worship once again. This time, still future our present generation, speaks of the millennial kingdom of Yeshua. And it is not for the house of Israel and the house of Judah alone. “Many nations shall come and say ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths’.” This identical prophetic announcement was given to the prophet Isaiah, with the slight difference that Isaiah said “all nations” (Isaiah 2:2). It will be a time of complete peace “Swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.” The Torah of the LORD will be the ‘law of the land’. Here’s the ‘rub’. It was available to the people who comprised Micah’s audience. They wilfully rejected it!! It was, and remains, God’s intent for those who are called by His name.

But then, Micah returns to the reality of his day. For the inhabitants of Judah, he saw their pain, and he saw their future. Prophesying an event which was still over 100 years into the future, he saw that they would be driven from the city (Jerusalem) and would dwell in fields. Not in their own land, but in Chaldea (now Iraq), Babylon the land of their enemy. Beyond that, Micah had a word much further into the future. “Now many nations have gathered against you, who said ‘Let her be defiled, and let your eye look upon Zion’.” Have you noticed how Israel’s enemies today rarely refer to ‘Israel', choosing rather to refer to ‘Zion’? “But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, nor do they understand His counsel; For He will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor”.

It’s an unfair match isn’t it? Almighty God, Creator of the Universe on the one hand. And on the other hand mankind, made by Him, known intimately by Him. The first, steadfast, sure, unchanging, omnipotent, omnipresent, all-knowing. The other, pumped up with self-importance, proud, intelligent, limited, driven by greed and hate. In the modern idiom, ‘it’s a one horse race’, one certain outcome. And yet, in this day and age, millions of people are prepared to ignore, or outrightly reject, the option of salvation and hope offered by our Creator, through the sacrificial death and resurrection of the only One able to make such offer. And that is exactly what the prophet Micah turned to next.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting”. There is no way that can be misunderstood. It clearly prophesies the place of birth of Messiah Yeshua. One of the 7 ’I am’s’ in John’s gospel is “I am the bread of life”. Did you know that Bethlehem (Heb. ‘Beit Lechem’) means ‘house of bread’?  Micah is privileged by God to announce the birth place of Messiah Yeshua. It is this knowledge which the ‘chief priests and scribes’ used to tell Herod, who was intent on ‘killing off’ the One he presumed came to usurp his authority,  where the newborn Messiah was born. As we proceed in our ‘reflection’ of  understanding this prophecy we need to keep a close eye on the text because the prophet continued with some statements (Micah 5: 3,4) which have a quite wide perspective, covering a time span up to the establishment of the coming Millennial Kingdom, ruled in peace by the One who was born in Bethlehem. Before then returning (Micah 5: 5-8) to the period in which we  can identify as the period in which we live today. And finally, in our text this week, (Micah 5: 10-15) covering the time of the last days immediately before the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom.

Now we need to understand that the prophet himself could not possibly have had any idea of the totality of things God revealed to him. But, because he lived in the time of the demise of the northern kingdom, he could envisage elements of his message being replicated in his day. Idolatry and disobedience to commands of Torah were evident. So for him, it was a message of urgency. His motive was twofold. Principally that he himself be obedient to a command of God of which he had no doubt. And in so doing, to urge the people to repent in order to avoid the devastation which that message proclaimed was about to fall on them. It was clearly a message for his time. But the mystery and power of the word of God is its ageless relevance. For that reason we may identify lessons for ourselves in this text.

The evidence that this prophecy is of God, is in the appearance of Yeshua, born in Bethlehem. The demise of the northern kingdom in 722 BCE. and the southern kingdom in 586 BCE. The dispersion of the Israelites from the land in 135 CE. All history for us. We may be assured then, that the prophecy of Micah 5: 3,4 about the Millenial Kingdom is also of Him. The events we see taking place in the world today are evidential of the signs we are told would occur in the last days. God has provided 16 writing prophets, 4 gospel writers and 5 Apostolic writers to ‘warn’ us to get right with Him. What more, I ask myself, could He possibly do to convince people, His own people, you and me, to be obedient to His commands?     

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 08

M I C A H

Micah 1:1  to  3:12

Micah lived in Moresheth, in a fertile agricultural region about 40 Km south west of Jerusalem. Somewhat like Amos, (who was called by God to take a message to the northern kingdom of Israel) he was called from his ‘day job’ to take the message of the LORD to the southern kingdom of Judah. God also raised up other prophets about this time, notably Amos, Hosea and Isaiah, Micah’s mention only of the kings of Judah, which is where he lived, span a time of between 750 and 686 BCE. This embraces the time of the captivity of Israel in the north, 722 BCE, by the Assyrians. It is probable that this event had already occurred, or was just about to, when this prophecy was given to him. Right at the beginning, however, we see that the message is a universal one. “Hear all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it!”.  The judgement of God will not be withheld. The first chapter of our text concerns the denouncement of sin against God Himself.

The broad message to all nations is that the judgment with which Israel and Judah are judged will be applied in like manner to all who transgress the laws of God. Idolatrous worship is the principal sin. That is what God will not overlook under any circumstance.  The very first commandment God gave to Moses on the mountain was “You shall have NO other gods before Me”. Carved images of wood and stone are the most obvious. But there are many other gods worshipped too. The list is almost endless. “For behold, the LORD is coming out of His place; He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.” That is, the places of idol worship. And horror of horrors, Micah 1:9, “the wounds of idolatry are incurable. For it has come to Judah; it has come to the gate of My people - Jerusalem.” Sense the anguish in the words of the prophet. This idolatry had come to the very central place of worship of God Himself. A salutary lesson here. In our day, the hierarchical structures within the modern day denominational church, supposedly designed for the worship of God, consists largely of a social, business model framework, which has largely lost focus on their main purpose. The worship and adoration of our Holy God. In many cases even denying the authenticity of the Word of God. LORD, have mercy on us!

The second chapter of our text concerns the corrupt practices of man against his fellow man. “Devising iniquity” is the phrase used. That is premeditated evil. Opportunistic crime is evil, but to me, premeditated crime seems worse. The victims of this greed and avarice are the poor, the needy, the widow, the orphan, those disadvantaged by circumstance. The most vulnerable. The very ones whom the Torah commands are to be looked after and cared for. And the response of the perpetrator? “Do not prattle”. A dismissive rebuke to those seeking to bring correction. No longer listened to. But the word of the LORD is “Do not My words do good to him that walks uprightly?”  Yes they do. As we ‘reflect’ on these ancient prophetic words we take careful note of them as we seek to walk uprightly before the LORD and our fellow man. They are words of eternal consequence and promise. This is perhaps exemplified when the prophet talks of a time we might recognise today (Micah 2:12,13). The re-gathering of both Israel and Judah together, one nation again. As it was in the time of King David. Now preparing for the return of their Messiah Yeshua.

The third chapter of our text is reminder that when God saw the evil of their deeds, which are graphically portrayed in the narrative, they refused to repent of that behaviour. But then, even as some say accusatively even today, God did not intervene when the oppressor came and took them captive. We need to understand that God abounds in love and mercy. That is why He sent his word by the prophets. To warn, to teach, to invite, to implore, transgressors to repent. And this message is sent to those who are His own. Those already living (albeit disobediently) under His protection and care. (as a young christian I was taught, as were countless others, that ‘once saved, always saved”. A done deal. Can’t be lost. It is dangerous theology. It often leads to ‘slackness’ and complacency. All of God’s warnings are to His own people, those He saved when He brought them out of Egypt. The prophets declare that they could be, and were, by disobedient choices as individuals, excluded from the family. The Apostle Paul affirms this (Romans 11:11-22). We should seek truth in the Scriptures, not be reliant on what we were errantly told by others. If the blind lead the blind, they both end up in the ditch!)  Now our text turns to the issue of false prophets. They were alive and well then, just as they are today. There is a good description of how to detect false prophets in Deuteronomy 13, and what to do with them. That may well be the reason why many of them teach that the Torah is obsolete!! Another falsehood.

False prophets are a scourge in the earth. The failure of believers to both detect them, and call them out, has given satan an enormous weapon to sow discord, division, and heresy into the body of Messiah. Micah was directed by the Spirit of God to speak unequivocally in opposition to such. “For truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin (the whole kingdom together).” The true prophet speaks both warning (when required) and encouragement. It is often the case that the false prophet “speaks peace when there is no peace”. Many times saying what people WANT to hear. Masquerading as “the Lord’s anointed”, and operating without a modicum of restraint or accountability, they are free to ‘peddle’ false doctrine. The answer? Do not fear to ask questions of them to determine the authority from which the message comes.”Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us”, said the false prophet, just before the unquestioning people were taken into captivity!!        

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’  on the Writing Prophets 07

A M O S

Amos 7:1  to  9:15

We get an amazing insight into the role of the prophet in this week’s reading. Amos heard from God, and faithfully delivered the message he had been given. In some way, perhaps a vision, a dream, a flash of great insight, Amos saw the result of his prophetic message. He understood the reaction of the people to that message. It may be that he gauged their response as being too dismissive. Whatever it was, he saw the result of the LORD’s judgment. Devastating. Famine caused by locusts eating the crops. Fire consuming all in its path. So he prayed. Those prayers became a two way conversation with the LORD. He prayed that the LORD would stay His hand in these judgements. And the LORD ‘relented’ and did so. A true prophet hears from God, and God hears from the prophet. A bit of a lesson for us here perhaps. Do we ‘wait’ on the LORD when we pray? Are we merely presenting before God our daily (or weekly) ‘shopping’ list? Do we present ourselves, with an open mind and an open Bible before the LORD when we pray?   Selah!

“The plumb line” is a metaphor for gauging the ‘true state’ of something. To see if that something is out of line. This is about the LORD’s final warning. The people knew what was expected. Amos’ message was the last warning, and now it was entirely up to the people to heed that warning and repent and turn back to their God. But then came the ‘false prophet’. Amaziah was the priest at Bethel, perpetuating the idolatry of the nation of the north. He sent word to the king, Jereboam 2, mocking and dismissing the words of Amos. And then he turned on Amos himself. “Go you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, and there prophesy. But never again prophesy at Bethel. For it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is the royal residence.”

In response to this outburst, Amos humbly declared his credentials. I paraphrase here.  ‘I was just an ordinary farmer breeding sheep, just like my father, with no thought of being a prophet. One day as I was going about my business, the LORD took hold of me and gave me a task to do. You are offended by it, but that is what the LORD told me to do. And now there is a bit more for you to hear. “Your wife shall be a harlot in the city; Your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword; Your land shall be divided by the survey line (the truth of this prophecy); You shall die in a defiled land; And Israel (the northern kingdom) shall surely be led away captive from his own land”.’ Amos had completed the task the LORD had set him to accomplish. He could do no more to assist the people of the north. But it was not the end of his encounter with the LORD. He told Amos more about His aggravation with the behaviour of the people and why His judgment would soon fall on them. Take heed here. There are lessons galore for those who wish to learn them.

Amos had a vision of a “basket of summer fruit”. It indicates a time of harvest. The LORD’s harvest for this people. “The end has come for My people Israel (the northern kingdom); I will not pass by them anymore.”  Then follows a series of instances where the people had shown greed for themselves and disregard for others. Looking forward to the end of the New Moon festival (a day of holiday) so that they could get back to trading “making the ephah small and the shekel large”. Falsifying the scales and thereby cheating the poor and the needy. “Surely I will never forget any off their works” said the LORD. There is the reference to the day becoming dark at noon. Some commentators consider this might have been during the solar eclipse of 763 BCE, but there is another day coming when this will also occur “in the last days”. Certainly, other events, due to the invasion and capture at the hands of then Assyrians were much closer to hand. “I will send famine on the land” is an interesting one”. It is a famine of being ‘cut off’ from the words of the LORD. No more access to the prophetic messengers where they would be exiled to. And more broadly, there was a day ahead, after the prophet Joel, when there was “biblical silence” for about 400 years.

However, the LORD’s message to Amos ended on a note of great sadness, followed by triumph.  Amos “saw the LORD standing by the altar”. That was normally the place where the people, through their offering of sacrifices, “drew near to God”. But this was the altar at Bethel. “Strike the doorposts, that the thresholds may shake.” As people sought to flee, there was nowhere for them to hide. No escape from the wrath of God. The picture we are given is graphic, and in the middle of that horror God reminds them who He is (Amos 9:5,6) “The LORD is His name” is the conclusion. “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on a sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob”. A glimpse of hope.

Amos 9:11-15 is prophetic of multiple events which have, and still will, be fulfilled. “The tabernacle of David” at that time was the Temple that Solomon built in 966 BCE. It was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, restored by Nehemiah in 515 BCE and later reconstructed by Herod, and destroyed again by Titus in 70 CE. It will be built yet again, and that will herald the imminent end of this age. “I will bring back the captives of my people Israel”. That started when king Cyrus facilitated the return of Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. BUT, the “main event” is taking place in our lifetime. “I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them says the LORD your God.”  We are privileged to witness this happening. It is another ‘warning’ from God. And Amos shared God’s message with me, and you.  Be blessed in heeding God’s warning.      

Shabbat Shalom.

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 06

A M O S

Amos 5:1  to  6:14

There is a degree of repetition in the warnings Amos brought to the northern kingdom. That has to be seen as ‘urgency’ of the message. There was but little time left for them to turn around and seek the forgiveness of the LORD. But isn’t that always the way? “He it is who opens, and no-one shuts, and who shuts, and no-one opens”. And the time is in God’s hands alone.

Our text today opens as though a funeral is taking place, and the deceased is a young woman who has not been able to enjoy the fulfilment of the life that she might have expected. Because we know how the story unfolds, which the people of that day did not, the prospect of seeing thousands die in the calamity which Amos warned would come upon them. And was scoffed at. In our own piety we may ask “why didn’t they just listen to the message?” And the answer is “because they were just like millions of people today”. Even many who claim to be believers, yet treat the word of God lightly.

“Seek Me and live” is the call of the LORD  the prophet exclaimed. Then listed places which had historical meaning to them. Bethel of course, rich in history but now a centre of idolatry. Gilgal, where those who were born during the wilderness journey were circumcised to the LORD. Beersheva, where some from the north were known to visit to worship there, even though Jerusalem was God’s appointed place. The house of Joseph is a way of describing the whole northern kingdom because the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh (sons of Joseph) were a major force there. Pieades and Orion speak of the might of God who ‘breathed the stars into being’, Creator of the Universe. It all speaks of the waywardness of these people in comparison to the might and steadfastness of God who was calling them to repent and turn again to Him.

The message would have been hard to listen to. Imagine, if you can, God sending a messenger to me. I am hearing a list of my faults and failures, some of which I may not even remember! And then realising that God keeps account. There is nothing hidden from Him. Then being told that things I thought important, or valuable, are going to crumble away. How many chances did God give them? This message was given to them at the time of Jereboam 2. He had authority. He it was who set the tone for the nation. He was their 13th king, and just like the twelve who preceded him, he was another “bad” king. He did ‘evil in the sight of the LORD”. We have the advantage of knowing the end of the story as far as this northern kingdom was concerned. That tells us that God withheld His judgment on the northern kingdom through the reigns of SIX more “bad” kings before He brought upon them the judgment of that warning. But don’t count on that as a pattern. God is the only One who decides timing of His judgement. And we have ample evidence in the Scriptures of His judgment being executed very quickly. (think about Nadab and Abihu, or Ananias and Sapphira) In this case though, God even told them where they would end up! “Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus.” That is where Assyria was.

The prophet Amos then turned his attention to Judah, the southern kingdom, at that time under the kingship of Uzziah. He was one of only 8 kings of Judah described as “good” kings. He was 16 years old when he became king and reigned for 52 years. Jerusalem was their capital. Solomon had built the Temple there. It was the place God had appointed David to establish as the nation’s place of worship. But they too had appointed 4 “bad” kings in their past, and would have another 7 “bad” kings in their future. Evidently, there was a perception of complacency on their part. Perhaps, partly, because of the reign of the good king Uzziah. “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, and trust in Mount Samaria, notable persons in the chief nation to whom the house of Israel comes!” The prophet Isaiah, writing about the same time as Amos, had a similar message (Isaiah 10: 5-11). Look around you was the message. Calneh (a city of Nimrod), Hamath (Syria) and Gath (Philistia) had all suffered the judgment of the LORD. “Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory?”  Ouch!! And this, as it later transpired was a very early warning for Judah. God’s judgement is fair and uniform. The same for everyone. It is only the timing which differs. And God’s timing is God’s timing. The lesson for us is to guard against complacency in our service and devotion to our calling, especially when things seem to be ‘easy’.

“The LORD God of hosts says: ‘I abhor the pride of Jacob, and hate his palaces; therefore I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.’” And for any who do not know, that’s exactly what happened to Jerusalem in the year 586 BCE at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. But we need to understand that God did not act in any sense of vengeance. Yes, He was angry with them. Yes, He did raise up the enemies of Israel to accomplish His promises. And yes, He did give them plenty of warnings. BUT, the catalyst for these actions was the wanton refusal of the people, “called by His name” to abide by their assent to keep the covenant God had made with them. The lesson. How many times do we need to hear it? God is a covenant keeping God. He was for the people of that day, and He is for people today. God has clearly set out in His word, as is quite evident from our ‘reflection’ today., He expects those who make covenant with Him to keep that covenant.

Take time to reflect on promises made to God. Consider what it is that He requires of those who belong to Him. And be blessed.      

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 05

A M O S

Amos 3:1  to  4:13

Having already spoken separately to the northern and southern kingdoms,  on God’s instruction, Amos now addressed them together. “The whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt”. The whole company had, to different degree, been neglectful and/or disobedient regarding their attention to keep the covenant they  (or at least their forefathers initially) had made in the very early days of their journey from Egypt. The ones who had been alive when they entered the land had confirmed that covenant, and every seven years since then they had heard the Torah publicly read to them at the Feast of Tabernacles in “Shmita” years. No-one could plead ignorance of the Torah.

“Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”  That is an interesting question. The premise is that since they were all aware of what God required of them, no-one could behave in a manner of disobedience without others being aware, and by default, if not corrected, become complicit in the disobedience. (A personal note here. In the ‘about the author’ page of these reflections, I mentioned an old Sunday school teacher’s advice to ‘nail your colours to the mast’. Firstly as a schoolboy, and later in my military service, I heeded that advice in declaring myself “a christian”. From that moment, both at school and in the Air Force, I didn’t need to remind myself about the behavioural expectations that confession entailed. I was surrounded by people who took every opportunity to let me know what was expected of me because of that confession of faith.)  The series of questions which follow indicate that while things happen, or do not happen, in nature, there is nothing that happens in Israel outside the sovereignty of God. “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets”. God has (present tense) His hand on Israel for good. That is His desire and purpose in His dealings with them. But they still have to make personal choices, as do we, by heeding or ignoring His commands, His statutes, and the many warnings delivered by the prophets.

The end of chapter 3 of the text, is prophetic of an event which occurred just 35 years after this warning was given. It begins “As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion two legs or a piece of an ear”. It is a graphic picture of a time following such a calamitous event. It speaks directly to the inhabitants of Samaria, the region of the northern kingdom which would be taken captive by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. It is like ‘picking up the pieces’. But there is more to this. “I will visit destruction on the altars of Bethel.” That is a place of great significance to Jews up to this very day. Abram set up an altar there. Jacob had his dream about the ladder there. That is where the ark of the covenant was originally set up. Bethel served the first generation of Israelites as an early point of communication with God upon their entry into the Holy Land. It was the focal point of their worship. But as the religious, cultural, and political life of the Israelites increasingly centred on Jerusalem, Bethel faded in importance to them. However, after Solomon’s death, the northern kingdom of Israel was established under king Jereboam. He established two centres of worship. He erected a golden calf in each. Bethel was one of them in the south of the kingdom and Dan the other in the north. This idolatrous corruption sealed its fate. By the time of Yeshua’s birth, Bethel had completely faded away as a place of importance. It is not mentioned anywhere in the Apostolic Scriptures.

Who, or what, are the “cows of Bashan”? It is uncomplimentary to say the least. “Bashan” is the easy part. It was an area to the north west of the country near Mount Hermon. It was fertile land and the source of significant wealth and prosperity. It speaks of a life of luxury. “Bring wine, and let us drink” is the clue to that. Words spoken by the wives of the landowners. It was the women living selfishly in their opulence who are the subject of this criticism. They are charged with “oppression of the poor and crushing the needy”. Taking advantage of their position. Lauding it over the disadvantaged. Very different to the behaviour commanded in the Torah, which specifies the way of righteous living, and to which they had willingly agreed.

There is a strong note of sarcasm from the prophet here. “Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes very three days (the commandment specifies three years!). . Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven .. for this you love, you children of Israel”.  The note of anger at their behaviour is palpable. What more could be said to get their attention? There had been mixed seasons of harvest says the LORD. Rain in one place and not the other. They had gone hungry. They had wandered from city to city to get food and water. “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities and lack of bread in all your places.”. No meat. No bread. “Yet you have not returned to Me” says the LORD. It was a recurring theme as the prophet spelled out the warning.

It goes on. But there is already enough said to give us a monumental lesson. They had been promised that in response to obedience to live righteously, to which they had agreed, they would be abundantly blessed. I believe we can gain insight into God’s ways here, even for ourselves today. The ultimate blessing of course is eternal life, but there is a life to be lived on earth too. And that should be where our relationship with God is evident. God is slow to anger, and abounds in mercy. BUT He expects us, as He did them, to turn to Him and seek His forgiveness as we repent of our sin. That is what He wanted of them. He wants no less of us.

The prophet speaks the word that God has sent. It is sent for a purpose. It will achieve that purpose. God said so.    Selah.       

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets. 04

A M O S

Amos 1:1  to  2:16

About the same time that God called Jonah to go to preach to the inhabitants of Nineveh in far away Assyria, He raised up Amos, a sheep breeder from Tekoa, not far from Bethlehem. His mission was to speak out against widespread abominations in surrounding territories and to both Judah in the south, where he lived, and Israel in the north. He was not to know that a mere 35 years later, that northern kingdom would be invaded by the Assyrians and the principal citizens taken away captive. To that extent, his calling was both timely and urgent. It was “two years before the earthquake”. The Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities IX 10:4) tells us that a significant earthquake happened in about 755 BCE. (also mentioned by the prophet in Zechariah 14:5), when king Uzziah usurped the priest’s office and went into the sanctuary to burn incense.

“Thus says the LORD: ‘For three transgressions, and for four, (of ‘Name’) I will not turn away its punishment, BECAUSE ..…”  That was the message Amos took to the various places named, which God had told him to proclaim. EIGHT regions in and around the land with whom God was offended because of their unacceptable behaviour. The same type of language is used in Proverbs 30: 18,21,29. Opportunities for them to change, a number of times, had been ignored. Warnings remained unheeded. The metaphor used here is that three times fills the cup of iniquitous behaviours to the brim and four makes the cup overflow! There is a moment when enough is enough. The consequences can no longer be withheld. Didn’t we read, right in the beginning of our Bible “My Spirit will not always strive with man.” (Genesis 6:3) just before Noah was told to build a big box that floated on water!!  “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” we are told (Hebrews 10:31). The task God assigned to Amos was to declare the consequences.

Damascus had “threshed” Gilead. A threshing sledge dragged over any ground is undiscerning. Chops up everything over which it is dragged. So had the Syrians, people of Damascus, treated the inhabitants of Gilead (Golan Heights). The gate bar of their great city would be broken and the inhabitants taken captive to Kir by the Assyrians. That happened just 25 years later.

Gaza was a city of the Philistines. As were Ashdod, Ashkelon and Ekron. They had taken captive many Israelites and sold them into slavery to the Edomites. In Zephaniah 2:4 we also read of this judgement. God declared that He would send fire to destroy its palaces. And He did. During the reign of Hezekiah, about 50 years later.

Tyre also took Israelites captive and sold them into Edom contrary to a covenant of “brotherhood” (which they broke) made earlier between the king of Tyre and Solomon, when he was buying timber for the construction of the Temple. Their punishment was the same as Gaza. That happened at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

Edom is destined for perpetual desolation for turning against the Israelites on their journey to the Land of Promise. This is also prophesied to happen when Yeshua returns, at the time of the great battles of Armageddon.

Ammon. Guilty of horrendous behaviour as they fought with the Israelites to ‘enlarge their territory’ at the expense of the tribe of Gad. Their main city Rabbah would be attacked, even through dissent from within (“kindle a fire”) and its palaces would be destroyed. It has been suggested that this actually took place at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar as he took Judah captive.

Moab. Descendant of Lot. There is no other reference to this burning of bones, but the LORD knew. We do know that Moab had a major role in corrupting the Israelites on the counsel of Balaam. But God only forgets what He chooses to forget.

Judah, the southern kingdom. Charged with laxity and disobedience in regard to Torah. This prophecy was fulfilled at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. The Temple was burned together with the whole of Jerusalem.

Israel, the northern kingdom. A list of misdemeanours as long as your arm! This was one of the first places to feel the wrath of God. Just 35 years after Amos delivered his message, Shalamanezer 5th, came, in 722 BCE., and took captive the whole kingdom. Now often referred to as the “lost tribes”.

So it was that the faithful, and unlikely, prophet Amos delivered the message of God. As we read the list above, we should get a clear lesson ourselves. God is not to be trifled with. What He says, He does. But not without adequate and timely warning. The writer to the Hebrews said “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after death, the judgement.” (Hebrews 9:27) Our Bible contains the record of God’s dealings with his people, and those who opposed them. The record is clear and unambiguous. Yeshua said “If you love me, you will keep My commandments”. (John 14:15) The Israelites confirmed their agreement in covenant with God, and broke it. God’s judgement is there for us to see as proclaimed by Amos.

We should very carefully remember who God is.     

Shabbat Shalom

RS

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets  03

J O N A H

Jonah  3:1  to  4:11

Can anyone imagine what Jonah must have thought when he found himself back on dry land? Did he even know exactly where he was? Questions questions. And we will never know the answers.

What we do know is that Jonah had an experience he would never forget, and God had an important mission for him to accomplish. So “the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, (archeologists have determined that it covered an area of about 8 sq. km. and God said it had a population of over 120,000 people) and preach to it the message that I tell you’”.

This is an artistic (Austen Henry Layard 1853) impression of what that city might have looked like on the banks of the Tigris river at that time. The city was said to be devoted to “the goddess Ishtar of Nineveh’” and was later mostly abandoned by the 12th century CE. The Islamic State (ISIS) bulldozed the site during their occupation of Mosul between 2014 and 2017 causing considerable damage to the ancient monuments there in their arrogant, brutal, and futile attempts to rewrite history.

We already know that God had earlier told Jonah to “cry out against it. For their wickedness has come up before Me”. And we also know that God had said that He would tell Jonah what to say to them. I speculate that Jonah 3:3 possibly indicates that Jonah first had a reconnaissance walk around that “great city” (three days) to find good places to stand and preach. One can only imagine that the Spirit of God was so powerfully evident in Jonah that he immediately had the attention of his audience wherever he proclaimed “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” It is amazing to me that the reaction to those words was “So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them”. In my minds eye, I can only think that there must have been more to the message than that surely. How many times in our own lifetime have we heard such doomsday proclamations without even a momentary ripple of reaction from people who hear such. That is why this as much more of a “God message” even though Jonah was the messenger. Cast your mind back to the time you had that personal encounter with God. The time when you came to faith in Yeshua. (In my case the messenger was Billy Graham, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that what he proclaimed was directly from the Holy Spirit of God to me.) However that may have occurred, it is (usually) the Holy Spirit of God operating through some human agency, or directly through His written word, or even a dream or vision which God uses to get your attention. Everyone who gets such a call makes a response, “Yes” or “No”. No middle ground. The people of Nineveh responded in such a manner that their king became aware (presumably he did not hear Jonah’s message personally) of the situation and also responded likewise. He ordered the people to fast and “let man and beast be covered in sackcloth (a sign of mourning and repentance), and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.”  And they did.

“Then God saw their works, (note this was not what they said, but what they DID) that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” Wouldn’t it be a lovely story if it ended  ‘And Jonah was delighted!’  Jonah had tried to avoid this mission. He had been thrown out of a boat. He spent three days and nights in a fish’s belly. He did what God asked of him. He risked his life to even go to that place of evil and violence. He told the people of Nineveh they would be ‘overthrown’. And all that was true. But he was angry. “It is better for me to die than to live”.  It was all about Jonah.

There are some extremely important lessons for us in this story of Nineveh and Jonah. The gospel writers, Matthew and Luke, both record declarations by Yeshua about Himself regarding those who seek ‘signs’, of his deity and His person. “No sign will be given  except the sign of the prophet Jonah” He said. Keep in mind that these signs are intended for the primary audience, the Jews. But believing gentiles may also find appropriate ‘signs’. The first and most obvious is in Matthew’s account. It refers to the 3 days and 3 nights Jonah was in the belly of the fish, and Yeshua being in the grave after His cruel death on a Roman cross. (making the Easter crucifixion timing look unlikely, a major stumbling block for Jews). It is a sign we ‘christians’ have difficulty explaining. The broader message of the sign of Jonah was in the anger of Jonah when God showed love and mercy to the people of Nineveh, Gentiles no less. It is just like the anger of the Pharisees and Saduccees when fellow Jews declared their faith in Yeshua. Even today. Luke makes a broader evaluation of the “sign of the prophet Jonah”. It is the message of compassion, mercy and grace of God to those who heed His word, turn from their wicked ways and seek His forgiveness. Thankyou LORD.

Be blessed as you consider for yourself the lessons God has for you in “the sign of the prophet Jonah”.           

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Image Reference: Artist's impression of Assyrian palaces from The Monuments of Nineveh by Sir Austen Henry Layard, 1853

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets  02

J O N A H

Jonah 1:1 to 2:10

“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before ME”.

Jonah lived in a small village about 3 Km from Nazareth, about 1000 Km west of Nineveh. Jonah, man of God’s choosing, packed his bag, and went in the opposite direction to Joppa, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea about 300 Km west of Nazareth, Joppa is about where the word “Palestine” ends, on the map. But even Joppa wasn’t Jonah’s intended destination. He bought a ticket for a sea voyage to Spain!!  Nineveh is where the modern city of Mosul is today in North East Iraq on the River Tigris.

The question that intrigues me is Why did God send Jonah to Nineveh? And, apart from the amazing outcome, (which is good enough reason in itself) there does not seem to be any other logical reason for that assignment. And that is exactly what Jonah thought too! Nineveh was a ‘large’ city in hostile Assyria. Less than 40 years later, it was those very people (the Assyrians) who invaded, and took captive the principal citizens of that northern kingdom of Israel where Jonah lived. But regardless of that, there are significant lessons for us to learn from this fascinating story. The prophetic books of Scripture are mostly regarding God’s message to the people called by His name, Israelites. Those prophecies contain warnings and promises in relation to their behaviour and lifestyle. This one is about the wickedness of the enemies of those people. There is another reason why this story is important for us. Yeshua, when asked by the Pharisees and Sadducees for a sign about Himself from heaven, said there would be “no sign given to them except the sign of the prophet Jonah”. (Matthew 16:4) So we have to look for the lessons in that “sign”.

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah”. We are not told how that came about, but Jonah was sure what that word was, because “Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD”. He was obviously very scared to engage in that assignment. Try to imagine what modern equivalent might be considered comparable. Perhaps being told to go to Mecca during ‘The Hajj” and preach the gospel to the pilgrims there? Whatever, Jonah boarded the ship, going in the opposite direction, and breathed a sigh of relief. Until the storm came and threatened the lives of those on board. It is a graphic story requiring little imagination. As the storm grew in intensity, through their own processes they discovered that Jonah was the probable cause “For the men knew that he had fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them”. And at Jonah’s suggestion, he was thrown overboard. Immediately, just as he had told the sailors it would, “the sea ceased from its raging”. The result of that perilous event was “Then the men (sailors) feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows”. A direct result of Jonah making a confession of faith, in spite of his attempt to disobey God’s instruction. God’s purposes will not be obstructed by anyone, but they may be delayed. God’s time and man’s time are not the same. God is timeless.

“Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights”. Jonah was as good as dead. No chance. Finished. In great despair Jonah cried out to the LORD. Who wouldn’t ?

Is this the “sign” that Yeshua spoke about to those Pharisees and Saducees? “Three days and three nights” sounds quite compelling. It certainly knocks a big hole in an “Easter” crucifixion. It also speaks volumes about the hopelessness of anyone consigned to “Sheol” (the world of the dead). Jonah himself, in his plea to the LORD said “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried”. He continued “I have been cast out of Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple”. It mirrors the experience of Yeshua at the hands of His Roman executioners. One of His exclamations from that Roman cross was “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?  My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me.” A cry of sheer desperation. There is a compelling lesson for all of us right here. How many of us, armed as we are with full knowledge of God’s call on our lives, as Jonah was in his day, and much later as the Apostle Peter was in Matthew 16  when asked “Who do you say that I am ?”, choose a path of disobedience to the call of God.

“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.” Is that the cry that we as believers should be making to the LORD? There are very few of us who do not, from time to time, need to be reminded of the purpose for which God called us to Himself. Jonah, out of desperation, called upon the LORD to have mercy on him. “So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land”. And so it was that Jonah was able to again hear that call of God, and fulfil the assignment to which God had called him. May that be our experience too.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Image Reference: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets   01

The Minor Prophets - Chronology

Background

After the death of Solomon about 930 BCE the nation of Israel became divided. (1 Kings 12) Ten tribes in the northern part, united under king Jeroboam 1 to form that which continued as “Israel”. Over the next 200 years, they had a succession of 19 kings, every one of which the Bible describes as a “Bad” king, because they continued to “do evil in the sight of the LORD” with idolatry. Two tribes under king Rehoboam, took the name “Judah” (the major tribe). Over the next 330 years they had a succession of 20 kings, of which only 8 are described as “Good” kings in that they followed the ways the LORD had prescribed for the people. The other 12 were just like the northern kings.

Keen Bible students will know that Almighty God told the Prophet Jeremiah that there is a New Covenant coming. That new and unbreakable covenant will be made with “The House of Israel” and the “House of Judah”. Guaranteed. When it is made, those “houses” will, once again be a united kingdom, reigned over by King Yeshua in whose blood the covenant is already sealed. And it will be ruled with ‘a rod of iron’.

During the times of the divided kingdoms, (1 Kings 12) the LORD raised up  many prophets to pronounce warnings to the people in an attempt to get them to live as He had prescribed. Perhaps the best known are Elijah and Elisha. Their ministry and record of their exploits is recorded in the Books of the Kings, but they did not write books which bear their name. But 16 of those prophets were “writing prophets’. It is the length of their writing which has resulted in them being described as “Major” and “Minor”. But they are of equal importance in respect of the tasks God gave them to do. The ultimate sanction of God for continued disobedience was banishment from the land. And in the event, our Bible records that “Israel” was removed from the land in 722 BCE, and “Judah” in 586 BCE.

This series of ‘reflections’ is focussed on the writings of those prophets who are described as “Minor”. It is my choice to look at each one in the chronological sequence of their writing, rather than the order in which those writings appear in our Bible today. Each of these prophets has a clear message for its intended audience. But as is always the case in the study the Scriptures, there is also a message for those who read these words today. God said to Isaiah “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”. (Isaiah 55:11)

There are 12 “Minor” Writing Prophets (approx dates)

Jonah. One of the better known of the Minor prophets because he spent time in the belly of a big fish! But there is more to Jonah than that. Wrote about 760 BCE when Jeroboam 2 reigned in Israel (2 Kings 14:25)

Amos. The sheep breeder from Tekoa, south of Bethlehem. Wrote when Uzziah was king in Judah, and Jeroboam 2 was king in Israel. About 760 BCE

Hosea. The prophet who married a prostitute! Ministry began about 755 BCE and spanned the reigns of both Uzziah and Hezekiah in Judah and Jeroboam 2 and possibly Hoshea in Israel. Isaiah was also ministering during this time.

Micah. Not much is known about this prophet except that he prophesied about 730 BCE, during Isaiah’s time, and addressed the woes of both Israel and Judah. Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah ruled in Judah during his lifetime.

Nahum. Hard to date. About 660 to 612 BCE. Nineveh was in trouble with the LORD again. Amon and Josiah were kings of Judah. Jeremiah’s ministry just beginning.

Zephaniah. About 612 BCE. Josiah was king of Judah. Very close to the time when the Babylonian exile of Judah began. The days now very short 

Habakkuk. Jehoahaz was king of Judah, even though he had two older brothers. The peoples choice, not God’s. About 605 BCE, the year that Daniel was taken captive into Babylon. Jeremiah was still ministering.

Obadiah. About 586 BCE. The major Babylonian exile began. Prophecy against. Edom

Haggai. Prophet to Zerubbabel who led the return from Babylon to Jerusalem. 520 BCE

Zechariah. 520 BCE. Prophecy of encouragement to the returning Judeans.

Malachi. About 430 BCE. Ministers God’s love to the Jews, and encouragement to continue to walk in His ways, pointing out the foolishness of neglecting God’s ways.

Joel. Another timing mystery. Thought to be around 400 BCE, but could be much earlier when Joash was king of Judah. But probably after Nehemiah was governor of Judah. The power of God is emphasised in natural disaster, and is very much seen as a prophet for today!

So that is a brief outline of where we will be looking, as well as Ezekiel and Daniel, for inspiration in our walk with God in this coming series of ‘reflections’. In many respects these are unfamiliar Scriptures to most believers today. But we may be assured that as we search those Scriptures, God has challenge and blessing in store for us.         

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  51

V’zot Hab’rakhah   (This is the blessing)

Deuteronomy  33:1 to  34:12

Moses died on Mount Nebo on the east side of the Jordan River. No-one knows where he was buried., except that it was in “a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor”. But before he died he blessed 11 of the 12 tribes of Israel. That blessing started with a general pronouncement about the LORD’s relationship to the whole congregation, and their acceptance of His authority.

In the map showing the land division among the twelve tribes, we note that Levi did not receive land, because the  Levites were spread throughout the other tribes as priests, but had 48 cities to live in. Joseph was represented by his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. And Simeon’s land is totally within the boundaries of Judah. Some have offered plausible, but speculative, theories about the reasons why Simeon is not mentioned in Moses’ blessings, but we simply do not know why that is.

The map shows that the original tribal allotment includes territory of modern day Jordan. That land was included in the 1921 “Balfour Declaration” as land set aside for the modern State of Israel, to which the ‘League of Nations’ agreed.

The tribal names of the sons of Jacob remain, even though those men were long dead and had been succeeded by their descendants when the land divisions were allotted. The pronouncement of his blessing of these tribes does not follow any recognisable order, even though Reuben, the oldest, was first mentioned. He was also the first to have a land allotment. The blessing of the Reubenites was in a form of prayer that they would survive in the land (on the east of the Jordan River) and grow strong in number.

Judah seemed to be destined for leadership as Moses prayed blessing on them. “Let his hands be sufficient for him, and may You be a help against his enemies.” We know that about 300 years later, after the death of King Solomon, that Judah gave its name to the southern kingdom which comprised the tribes of Judah (with Simeon) and Benjamin.

Levi, the tribe of priests, was to be scattered among the other tribes as they fulfilled their priestly duties. They provided, among other things, a judicial function. “Let your Thummim and your Urim be with your Holy one (the High Priest)”. These are objects, within the breastplate of the High Priest’s garment, through which God, by selection of the High Priest, confirmed His will and judgment on specific matters to the High Priest. Moses continued “For they have observed Your word and kept Your covenant. They shall teach Jacob Your judgements, and Israel Your Torah”.  Moses also prayed for God’s physical protection of the Levites.

For Benjamin, who was allotted territory which included Jerusalem, Moses prayed for their safety and peace.

Joseph, now represented by tribes which carried the names of his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, held a special place among his brothers. Moses asked for material prosperity and military might, recognising the depravation which he had earlier suffered in slavery in Egypt. But Ephraim would be militarily stronger than Manasseh, his older brother.(Genesis 48:20)

For Zebulun and Issachar, even though they eventually had landlocked territory, Moses prayed for blessing, particularly though trade in fishing!

Gad had a large territory east of the River Jordan, but was mighty in battle against the Canaanites.

Regarding Dan, Moses saw great military strength. They were the tribe that became discontent with their allotted territory and moved further north, as far as the border with Lebanon.

Naphtali, Moses prayed, would be favoured and blessed by the LORD.

Asher was seen as a tribe who would be blessed and favoured by his brothers. “As your days, so shall your strength be”, Moses prayed.

And finally, Moses prayed for them as a nation. “Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places.”

Moses was well aware that he was about to die. It was no surprise to him. God had called him to lead the people when he was 80. He was now 120. And I believe he died peacefully and entered the presence of the LORD his God. And the people mourned for him for 30 days. “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.” **

Then, the faithful Joshua, Moses assistant, who was “full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him”, took charge of the situation. And the children of Israel ‘heeded him’.    

Shalom

RS

**BREAKING NEWS:- Matthew 1:21 “And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call His name YESHUA, for He will save His people from their sins”. 

Image attribution: By 12 tribus de Israel.svg: Translated by Kordas12 staemme israels heb.svg: by user:יוסי12 staemme israels.png: by user:Janzderivative work Richardprins (talk) - 12 tribus de Israel.svg12 staemme israels heb.svg12 staemme israels.png, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10865624

Torah Reflection  50

Ha’azinu     (Listen)

Deuteronomy  32:1-52

Moses sang the song that God had taught him. And then he died. Well, soon afterwards anyway. There are three major songs in our Bible attributed to Moses. This one, one in Exodus 15 and Psalm 90. He might well have written Psalm 91 as well, but that is not clearly identified as such. And we find out in Revelation 15 that the angels who are given the task of pouring out the last seven plagues the earth also will sing this song of Moses. (they may well be singing it already)

It is a God honouring song, imploring the hearers to “Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice. Righteous and upright is He”. The hearers were about to go into the land God had promised them. The same promise had been made to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now they were on the threshold, waiting. They knew it would not be easy. There were battles to be fought, and won. There would be resistance and they had no idea of what obstacles they might face. But we saw in our ‘reflection’ last week, that they were told by Moses that God would go before them. That Joshua would lead them, and they were to be “strong and of good courage’. If we are looking for lessons for ourselves, we have one right there. Our God does not change. “Ascribe greatness to Him.” “His work is perfect.” He is righteous and upright”. “He does not lie”. And He goes before us.

We remind ourselves that, as we discovered in our ‘reflection’ last week, God taught Moses this song for a purpose. He knew that they would break their covenant and turn to ‘other gods’. He also knew that they would not forget this song, which Moses taught them before they entered the land. It was to be a reminder and a witness to the people of Israel of all that God had accomplished in and for them. The song contains words of candour which  will touch the heart of anyone with a glimmer of a conscience. “They have corrupted themselves; they are not His children, because of their blemish; A perverse and crooked generation. Do you thus deal with the LORD O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you?” Can anyone else see, as I can, the blindingly obvious parallel with our own situation today? This song is a timeless reminder of the love and grace which God has for those who are His. It is cutting in its clarity.

Nothing is done or said by innuendo or clever construction of words to bring thoughts of the past to mind. This song is direct and persuasive. Amazingly it covers what is for the people of that day, the past, the present, and the future. Concerning the past “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations”. God has provided the record of the past. It is written that all who read it might judge. Even though the people of that day did not have the  volume of the written word as we do today, they had the history of the Patriarchs, their forefathers.“He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye”. This was very modern history for these folk. Then the present, or at least seeing the very near days ahead “They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons, not to God. … of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and forgotten the God who fathered you.” These are words which would bring shame on any reasonable person. Such ingratitude is palpable. 

This song also has words for a future generation of Israelites. Things that were near at hand for them and some which are still being fulfilled today. “How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had surrendered them? For their rock is not like our Rock”. And “Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me”. (It is not difficult to put this into a very modern scene, as Israel today is surrounded by enemies, and has been ever since its modern resurrection in 1948. Consider how many times Israel has, and continues to, prevail against seemingly almost insurmountable superior numerical force) God then introduced a most unlikely weapon in His armoury. “I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation”. (Romans 11”11?) And in a kind of lament there is an appeal that they might acquire wisdom. “Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!”  And in a triumphant finale, the song comes to a victorious end. “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people’” This is a most direct ‘instruction’ and promise of God to gentiles. We are told to partake with God’s chosen, even when they have fallen into the chastisement of God for their covenant failure. Their restoration, and God’s provident atonement is assured by Him. It is such a tragedy that many believing gentiles today are so derisory in their comment and actions regarding Israel.

The sad end to our ‘reflection’. God told Moses “Go up this mountain, Mount Nebo … view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel as a possession; and die on that mountain and be gathered to your people .. you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there”. But good news for the people was that God had already promised to raise up another prophet like Moses for the people (Deuteronomy 15).   

But we still have one week left for Moses to bless the people he had led for the last 40 years.                   

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  49

Vayelech   (And (Moses) went)

Deuteronomy  31:1  to  31:30

Possibly the most enlightening, and yet the most disappointing speech ever made. Enlightening in its encouragement and optimism. Disappointing in its prophetic truth. A sad start as Moses said “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’”. We know that Moses was not in any way incapacitated (Deuteronomy 34:7), so the reference to “going out and coming in” is a statement of knowledge that his leadership duties were at an end, because that’s what God had told him. Then the encouragement. “The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy those nations from before you, and you shall disposes them. Joshua himself crosses over before you,  just as the LORD has said.”  The words which follow have been used as an encouragement to believers ever since. They are words appropriated by people of faith in a most personal way, and rightly so. But it is often forgotten that all the blessings and promises which God made to these Israelites were conditional upon their adherence and obedience to His commandments. That is an important lesson for any who personally take this encouraging Scripture as God’s promise to them. “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

But there was more to do. The Book of the Covenant, the Torah (God’s instruction for righteous living) was given to the Levites, the priests, and they were charged with a very solemn and interesting duty. We ‘reflected’ on the “Shmitah” year in “Torah Reflection 29” of this series. To this observance, the Levites were charged with another responsibility. At the time of the Feast of Tabernacles in “Shmitah” year, “Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully observe all the words of this Torah, and their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land which you cross Jordan to possess.” Every seven years the people were to be officially, ceremonially, and dutifully reminded of what God expected of them. Those over seven would hear it more than once! It was to be an ongoing ritual. Did you notice in those instructions that “the stranger within your gates” was also charged with “learning the fear of the LORD”? And “to carefully observe all the words of this Torah”?   Selah.

As gentiles, we are at some disadvantage in not having been taught some of these fundamental precepts. Moses had told them that each year God provided “appointed times”, ‘mo’edim’ in Hebrew, for His people to meet with Him. At the remembrance of His Passover, all over the world, wherever they live, Jewish parents recall His dealings with them, teach their children the history of that miraculous escape from slavery in Egypt, right up to this very point in our ‘reflection’ today, and beyond. And now Moses added the Feast of Tabernacles, every seventh year, as a time for reading the Torah to the whole congregation of the people. We who are “strangers within their gates”, are privileged to join in that memorial time if we so wish, but not many of us do. They are times of encouragement, uplift, and optimism, when we regularly recall the greatness and the reliability of our unchanging God. Learning what He requires of those who seek His blessing.

Moses took Joshua to the Tent of Meeting to be inaugurated as leader by the LORD in the sight of the whole congregation of Israel. (He had been anointed for that task (Numbers 27:18-23) but unlike Moses, who received instructions directly from God, Joshua was instructed through the “Urim” of the High Priest.) It was then that God appeared in the cloud above the door of the Tabernacle and gave Moses the disappointing news to which I referred at the commencement of this ‘reflection’. God told Moses that when the people lived in the land they were about to inherit, they would ‘play the harlot’ with the gods of the foreigners of that land. And even worse perhaps (or was it the same thing) “they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.” But disappointing as it is, it also speaks volumes about God’s love and grace towards these Israelites. Because in spite of this foreknowledge, He still allowed them to proceed as He had promised. But not without anger. We can probably all identify with the disappointment and even the sense of betrayal we feel when someone we love does something contrary to that which we thought was agreed. But we act without the foreknowledge that God had. The word “covenant” is not usually used in our everyday language today, but that is what a solemn agreement really is. A child does something against what was promised. A man does not do what he said he would do. A woman does things she promised not to do. Often, with the disappointment, comes anger.

God told Moses that many terrible things would happen to those people that He loved when they no longer enjoyed the safety of His presence among them due to their breaking of their covenant with Him. But even that was not to be the end. God told Moses that He would give him a song to teach the people. So He did. Moses wrote the song that very day and taught it to the children of Israel. God said “Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants.”

Then Moses called together the elders of the tribes and their appointed officers to tell them what would happen. The song Moses taught them would be a constant reminder to them. We will look at it next week.

Shabbat Shalom.

RS

Torah Reflections   “Tabernacles”

Torah portions   Leviticus 22:26 to 23:44  and Numbers 29:12 - 16

Haftarah portion   Zechariah 14 : 1-21

 The Torah of YHWH given to Moses

Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.

Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.

When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.

This festival is a happy occasion. It lasts for seven days and begins and ends with a Sabbath rest. Following just 4 days after the most solemn remembrance of Yom Kippur it is celebrated in a very special way in Israel particularly.  The festival is actually known by THREE different English names. Tabernacles, Booths and Ingathering. In Hebrew ”Sukkot”.

Each family builds a kind of makeshift shelter, which they call “booths”, outside their home. It is deliberately constructed so that the roof is lightly covered with palm fronds which easily allows those inside the shelter to see the sky above. Observant Jewish families then carry on all normal family activities in and around this shelter. That includes having meals and sleeping.  The purpose of these constructions is to cause the family to remember the time when their ancestors lived in this manner in their wilderness journeying’s from Egypt to the Promised Land. Naturally, there is also much storytelling and appropriate scripture reading to encourage and enlighten the experience for the children of the family.

As mentioned above, it is an especially joyful festival.

In terms of our understanding of the prophetic significance of this festival, we need to recall the teaching which accompanied the first two festivals of this season. TRUMPETS heralds the return to this Earth of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach in power and great glory. Then follow 10 days of putting things right, before we remember the very solemn festival of YOM KIPPUR which is prophetic of the Great White Throne Judgement.

As the old hymn puts it “When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there”. Well this festival is effectively the time for ‘roll calling’. Those who have been judged worthy at the Great White Throne Judgement are invited to attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. That is consistent with the joyfulness of the occasion isn’t it?  In fact, “the Bride” of the Lamb is the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21 : 9 – 27) and there is no place for impurity within its walls. Only those cleansed by the blood of the Lamb participate in the Marriage Supper.

There is ONE more activity associated with this festival in Judaism. On the last day of the celebration is the most joyous parading of the Torah Scrolls through the Streets in Jerusalem, and I suspect, but have not personally witnessed, in other Jewish communities. This is called “Simchat Torah” (Rejoicing in the Torah). It marks the fact that the whole cycle of reading the Torah starts again for another year.

Take time to study and learn the significance of all the “mo’edim” of the Lord. They are full of rich meaning and this festival has been singled out for special mention in the millennial Kingdom. Read it for yourself in Zechariah 14 : 16 -19. It forms part of the Haftarah portion for this week.

Why is this ‘mo’ed’ singled out?  For your thoughtful consideration, the first clue comes in Jeremiah 16:14,15. Probably the most memorable day in the Hebrew calendar superseded by a bigger event! Jews restored to the Land in preparation for the return of Messiah. Pesach (which includes Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits) no longer celebrated. Shavuot, traditionally the time of giving of Torah superseded by a New Covenant. Yom Teruah completed by the appearance of Yeshua as King of kings.(No third appearance expected)  Yom Kippur, already completed at the White Throne Judgement. And what remains is the joyful time when Yeshua Tabernacles with us for the rest of time. It is the ONLY festival which remains when Yeshua returns to reign.  Hallelujah, what a Saviour. Be part of “The great ingathering”.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  48

Nitzvahim   (Enter covenant)

Deuteronomy 29:9  to  30:20

“Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.”  This statement by Moses immediately follows the chapters in our Bible which specify the blessings and curses, which are presented as possible alternative outcomes for the people. Their choice. Much earlier, as they were about to begin the journey, the people had assembled at the foot of Mount Sinai and made their covenant. “All that the LORD has said, we will do, and be obedient” they declared. Many of those people had now died. Those assembled on this day as Moses spoke, were under twenty years of age at the time when their fathers stood at the foot of Mount Sinai.  They had all learned much about the LORD’s dealings with them in the past 40 years and now was the time for them to make their commitment, their covenant, with God.

There is an immensely important lesson here. The terms of the covenant are contained in “The Book of the Covenant” (Exodus 24:7) But that “Book” is NOT the covenant. The “Covenant” is an agreement. An agreement between parties to that Covenant. Almighty God is ONE of the parties. The people to whom Moses read the terms of the covenant in Exodus 24:7 were the other ‘party’ to that original covenant. Those over twenty had died on the journey. In our passage of Scripture this week, Moses offered the establishment of the same covenant with the new generation of Israelites. God has not changed, but the people have. Moses had spelled out the alternatives of obedience and disobedience. Moses can do no more. The choice is theirs to make. But now we may observe a relatively small but important difference. Speaking as from the LORD Himself  “I make this covenant and this oath, not with you alone, but with him who stands with us today before the LORD our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today  …  so that there may not be among you man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God”. It is an open covenant. God remains the initiator on one side of that covenant. Steadfast, true, unchanging. And on the other side, anyone who willingly agrees to do, and be obedient to, the terms of the “Book of the Covenant”.

God expected the people that He was leading into the land He promised them, to live according to His standards of righteousness. They were expected to be very different, in behaviour and worship, to the people they were to replace in the land of Canaan and the nations around them. A special people who would be an example to those around them. A witness and testimony to the God they served. But the LORD knew that they would be subject to all the pressures and wiles of the evil one, and that ultimately they would break the covenant which was set before them, and to which they willingly agreed. So it was that Moses wrote, in that same passage of Scripture, that because of their failure, a day would dawn when they would be dispersed from the land that they had not, at that stage, even entered. Then this. “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us, and to our children forever, that we may do all the things of this Torah.”  How good is that? Put very simply, I believe what Moses said 3,500 years ago was, these things are written for our understanding. Revealing Who God is. How He wants us to act and live, in righteousness (even spelling out what happens when people fail), so that we might learn, and not fall into the same error.

If that were the end of Moses’ revelation it would be rather sad. But it is not. Because Moses continued, revealing the prophecy which is being fulfilled in our lifetime. Even now, as we read this ‘reflection’. Reading the history, we can plainly see that our Bible records THREE major dispersions from the land. The first, in 722 BCE, when Shalmanezer V, king of Assyria took captive the people of Israel (the ten tribes of the northern kingdom). There is no record in our Bible of their restoration to their land. Then there was the Babylonian captivity about 586 BCE. There is much recorded in the Scriptures about that restoration, led by Zerubbabel and others about 70 years later. And finally, the great dispersion, about 133 AD after the Bar-Kochba uprising. It is the conclusion of this last event, identified as taking place just as the nineteenth century came to an end, (about 1890) under the visionary leadership of Theodore Hertzl, which most readily fits the scene referred to in our reading today. “.. that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you.” Now we need to understand that this is still ‘a work in progress’. The events under the leadership of Adolph Hitler provided a major stimulus to Jewish people to return to the land after 1947. But (in 2021) there are still as many Jews living outside Israel as there are within Israel. Never-the-less, the word of the LORD is “Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.” And furthermore, a future event. “And the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. And you will again obey the voice of the LORD, and do all His commandments which I command you today.”

An arrogant and self centred world operates without regard to the word of God so clearly stated. We have the immense privilege today of knowing the ‘end of the book’. But even some who call themselves ‘christian’ seem unaware of the role God has for those He has called by His name. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from every nation shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’”. (Zechariah 8:23) The wise will not wait until then!   

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflections    “Yom Kippur”

Torah portions  Leviticus 16 : 1- 34 and Numbers 29 : 7 - 11

Haftarah portion  Isaiah 57 : 14  to 58 : 14

The Torah of YHWH given to Moses

Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.

Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.

When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.

The 10 days between the Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur are referred to as “the days of awe”. In Judaism, they are days of intraflection and reconciliation … putting things right.. putting things right with God and putting things right with those we live with and associate with on a daily basis. In fact the Scriptures clearly tell us that we cannot be right with God, and be at odds with each other (Matthew 5 : 24).

Those who have visited Israel at this time of year will know that everything stops on Yom Kippur. It is a day of fasting and reflection.( It is the reason why, in 1973, the Arab nations around Israel attacked them on that specific day. There is No Radio, No Television, No answering phones.. NOTHING goes on). The Scriptures declared that all the people have a day of solemn rest and strict Sabbath keeping. A day to “afflict your souls”.

It was the one day in every year, appointed by God, for the Chief Priest to enter the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle and the Temple when they were functioning. The whole purpose of that visit by the Chief Priest was to ensure that he himself, and the Nation of people he represented, were made right with God in preparation for the year that lay ahead.

The awesome significance of this very special day is, regrettably, totally lost to the church. In addition to its special anointing by God, being set apart from all other days as it is, there is a unique event recorded in Revelation which we should all be acutely aware of. It is the day of the WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT. It is represented for us today by the day of Atonement. It is a special day ‘to put things right’.

Revelation 20 : 11 – 15 describes that day of Judgment. It needs no comment from me. The judgement is to determine who is right with God, and who is not. It is there for everyone to read, but before you read it I caution you to read Revelation 22 : 18,19 first. Many ‘Christians’ today have never taken time to even read Revelation, let alone try to understand its message. It is a letter written by Yeshua Himself, or at least dictated by Him to John.

The climax of the whole letter, in fact the climax of the whole message of the Scriptures comes in the next festival of the Lord, the Feast of Tabernacles, which is why these “mo’edim” of the Lord are so important to celebrate, be part of, and to remember.

I am saddened that the modern Christian church, which is largely ignorant of the “mo’edim” of the Lord, has missed a blessing which God intended us to enjoy.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  47

Ki Tavo  (When you have come)

Deuteronomy  26:1  to  29:8

Moses emphasised again the importance of the “tithe” when the people take up residence in the land of God’s promise to them. This gives us a clear and unambiguous view of the importance of this act of “tithing” in God’s economy. But we need to understand exactly what that means. We know from Malachi 3:8 that failure to “tithe” appropriately is considered by God to be ‘robbery’. Does anyone seriously contemplate robbing God? Of course not. But that indicates the substantial difference between a “God view” and a “man view” of the same situation. From a human perspective, we might categorise the failure to ‘tithe’ as forgetfulness, or if we are honest enough, as neglect. But not robbery. However, there is a bit more to this than meets the eye.

What is God’s view? He made a covenant with His people to care for them. Rich and poor alike. No respecter of persons. The covenant which the people readily agreed to keep was, “All that the LORD has said, we will do, and be obedient.” (Exodus 24:7) God then, had the right to expect that the people would perform that to which they had agreed. It was by this means that God would be able to fully keep His covenant promise to the people. Offering the “tithe” involved presenting one tenth of the produce of the land every third year to the LORD, so that those who were impoverished could be fed without begging. God gave them that provision as a right to them. It is, after all,  the LORD’s portion to give isn’t it? But if there was a deficiency, because the producers did not properly “tithe” the increase which God had given them, then God WAS robbed, and the poor had insufficient as a consequence. What does that mean for us today? What is the lesson we might take from this situation? Malachi 3:10 is so wantonly and deceitfully misapplied in many places today. It really is robbing God. And it is not the ones providing the “tithe” who are at fault. God’s intention was that the “tithe” be used to feed the poor and the disadvantaged. It surely was not to allow some of us to grow wealthy and build big churches, as the impoverished go hungry. This passage of Scripture might cause some to reconsider how ones personal “tithe” should be applied and distributed.

Moses continued his talk to the people “Keep all the commandments which I command you today”. First thing, when they get possession of the land they were to go to Shechem (modern day Nablus) in Samaria. They were to write the commandments of Torah on large whitewashed stones and set them up on nearby Mount Ebal. An altar was to be built and offerings made to the LORD. Close by is Mount Gerazim. The priests were to move among the people declaring what Moses commanded. “Take heed and listen, O Israel; This day you have become the people of the LORD your God. Therefore you shall obey the voice of the LORD your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today”.  After that the people were to be divided by tribal groups. Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar. Joseph and Benjamin were to stand on Mount Gerazim. These were to speak blessing on all the people present. Then on Mount Ebal, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali were to stand. This group were to warn of the curses which the people would encounter if they engaged in any of the sins which were spoken by them. To each of these sins, declared in a loud voice to the whole congregation, the people were required to acknowledge by saying “Amen” (so be it). Read the list in Deuteronomy 27:14-27.

The good news is contained in chapter 28 of our text. “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you this day, that the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God”. The recital of these blessings (verses 1-14) is a promise of God which indicated His wish for the people to live in peace and prosperity as the world’s leading nation. An example for other nations to see and aspire to be like. A nation which I imagine will be just like that which will be reigned over by Messiah Yeshua when He returns to this earth. “The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them”.

The exact opposite would follow if they did not do as the LORD commanded Moses to tell them. There are many and varied curses mentioned, which you should read for yourself. I note that in all this long list, the Hebrew word used is “a’rar” (bitterly curse). It is certainly not a light thing. And because we know the events which subsequently occurred, we are able to make judgement and observation of these curses from the well known historical happenings to these people and their descendants throughout many generations. Not only from the Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and the Kings, but also from more recent events within our own memory and even up to the present day, as the LORD has begun to regather His people back to their land.

As this ‘reflection’ draws to its close, it has to be on a note of caution. These writings of Moses were documented so that generations which follow should have understanding of the nature and character of our God. That includes any who, like us, claim faith in and allegiance to their God. Moses has been almost monotonous in his declaration of the need for them to observe and do what God has commanded. In Deuteronomy 28:64 they were told the unthinkable. Read it. And it is only now that that event is being reversed before our eyes. God says what He means, and He means what He says.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflections       “Yom Teruah”

Torah portions  Genesis 21:1-34  Numbers 29:1-6

Haftarah portion   1 Samuel 1:1 to 2:10

The Torah of YHWH given to Moses

Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.

Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.

When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.

This festival is known as “The Feast of Trumpets”, because God ordained that it was to be heralded by the blowing of trumpets, it is known as “Rosh Hashanah” because it brings in the civic New Year in the Hebrew calendar. It is a Sabbath, a Holy convocation, a day of rest. It is the first of a series of THREE festivals which closely follow each other at this season of the year.

Many, like me, believe that it is prophetic of the time of the Lord’s return, and there are good Biblical reasons for this. Others will say ‘no man knows the day nor the hour”, but an elementary knowledge of Judaic biblical history easily explains this. In Israel, even today, the beginning and end of festivals (Numbers 10:10) relies on the observance of TWO stars in the sky by TWO witnesses (and that is normally announced by the blowing of shofars).  The appearance of the New Moon heralds the beginning of a new month, again reliant on TWO witnesses. There are a number of good reasons why these observances could be one day or the next. “No man knows the day”. The presence of cloud will affect the precise timing of the first appearance of stars, “no man knows the hour”.

The most compelling reason is however because it is consistent with the evidential significance of the first FOUR ‘mo’edim’. Pesach, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits are perfectly fulfilled in the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. Shavu’ot, the traditional time of the giving of Torah to Moses on the mountain, is also the time of the giving of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem a mere 10 days after the ascension of Yeshua into Glory.

The Scriptures reveal that Yeshua will return with the sound of trumpets. (Matthew 24:30,31  1Corinthians 15:52  1Thessalonians 4:16)

It is certainly a time to watch and pray isn’t it? 

The Feast of Trumpets marks the beginning of a period of 10 days of preparation for the next solemn appointed time, the Day of Atonement. It is enlightening to read Revelation 18, 19 and 20 in conjunction with the reflection on these last three festivals. That passage of Scripture appears to fill in some detail of things to take place upon the return of Yeshua when He comes, not as the Lamb to be slain, but as King of kings and Lord of Lords in order to put into place the millennial Kingdom of God.

In concluding this reflection, please consider this thought. When God instituted the ‘mo’ed’ of the Feast of Trumpets, He could have had in mind not only the annual introduction of a New Year in the Hebrew calendar, but also the New Year which marks the commencement of Yeshua’s everlasting Kingdom.

I am saddened that the modern Christian church, which is largely ignorant of the “mo’edim” of the Lord, has missed a blessing which God intended us to enjoy.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  46

Ki Tetze    (When you go out)

Deuteronomy  21:10  to  25:19

The passage for study today finds us, initially, in quite unfamiliar territory. It deals with matters which, whilst evidently common more than 3,000 years ago, are in contravention of civil law in Western democracies today. What we can learn from this is that within the boundaries of common practice, fairness and courtesy to all, and especially to those disadvantaged for reasons not of their own making, was the required standard of behaviour within the nation God has called by His name. It is a good lesson for us to learn. Then immediately following that, we have some rather harsh instructions about dealing with rebellious children, or rebellious sons at least. Again outside the norms of today, but emphasising the need for parents to ensure that correct and effective disciplines are practised at home in early years of upbringing.

Looking after a neighbours property in the event of misplacement or loss, and then restoring it to him is commanded. Included in that is proffering helpful assistance when a neighbours animal has encountered accident. It also seems that “gender fluidity”, referred to in our passage as “an abomination to the LORD your God”, which is masquerading under the misleadingly named programme called “safe schools” in our society, has escaped the eye of those preparing education curricular today. All these things appear in our scriptures that we might learn and be informed of God’s mind on such matters. What does God think, I wonder, when those who claim to be faithful servants of His, blatantly ignore His commands and precepts? And when those who try to point out the error are branded “bigots”?

The more one reads into this week’s Torah portion, the more one sees how far our society today has strayed from that which God requires. Under the ‘law’ of God, which is described by inference in Deuteronomy 22, carnal knowledge constitutes marriage. We should all be alarmed at how far the society in which we all live has moved from that situation. The general acceptance of that in our society, speaks volumes for the great gulf which separates us from the ways of our God. Both nationally, and personally. It seems unfair that a person born from an illegal union, should be denied fellowship. I certainly do not understand it. But such is the “purity” requirement of our God, that such persons are treated like the Ammonites and Moabites. They were the people  who denied help and sustenance to the Israelites on their journey. They acted unkindly to the Israelites and were denied fellowship for ten generations as a result. The lesson I get from this is the realisation that “God’s ways are not our ways”, and they never will be. So we have to choose. Is it to be God’s way, or our way? There is no middle road, much as we might wish there were. It is relatively easy to accept that it was a choice for the Israelites to make, but somewhat harder to face the fact that the same choice is ours to make too.  It is interesting to me that the fellowship prohibitions which applied to the Ammonites and Moabites are more stringent than those which applied to both the Edomites, who refused, point blank, to allow the Israelites to pass through their land, and the Egyptians, who enslaved the Israelites. Their prohibition was for just three generations.

The social justice practices continue throughout this Torah portion. Many of the instances mentioned are foreign to our culture, but the principles remain. Matters of personal hygiene, ablutions, camp cleanliness and special areas are specified. Keeping the people free from infections and diseases was a priority. A slave who escapes to another family, presumably because of some unfair treatment or abuse, is to be offered protection. Harlotry, although present in their midst, is soundly condemned, and anyone seeking to benefit financially from such is expressly forbidden to offer such wages in offerings before the LORD. The principle we might learn from this is that any financial gain we may ourselves acquire by illegal means, by cheating, lying, deceit or other malpractice, is not to be presented to the LORD as an offering. (bluntly put, if you cheat on your tax, business expenses, social security, or anything else, the LORD doesn’t want any of it in the collection plate)

Don’t make vows to the LORD unless you are prepared to honour those vows fully and on time! There is no sin in NOT making vows, but there is if you do, and then not honour them. Pay your bills on time. This is both honourable and right. It is what God commands. In our text, families who used hired help were required to pay wages daily. God requires that we deal compassionately with other people. The Israelites, who are the subject of these instructions for righteous living, carried the name of the LORD on them. They were intended by God to be examples to the nations around them. We are no less if we claim to belong to God. How we behave in our society is on display every day. Sadly, most of us will have heard the unjust charge “if that’s an example of christianity, I want no part of it”. Yes it is often a lame excuse offered today  by a person defending some kind of non christian activity. But as believers, we put ourselves, by our actions, on display every day. God, in His infinite wisdom and love, set out for the Israelites a ‘code of practice’, in minute detail and form, how He expected them to live. It was good social practice for them. It was caring, fair and just. It was not arduous or difficult. It was good for every member of their society. And although the precise detail may be a bit different because of changes in society, the principles remain exactly the same and have not changed one iota.

Reading this passage without seeing the lessons for today can be a quite long boring chore, because relevance to life today can be hard to identify. But seen as God’s instruction for living righteously together, with appropriate parallels, there are many good lessons for us to learn.   

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   45

Shoftim   (Judges)

Deuteronomy  16:18  to  21:9

“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgement”. Then “You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” 

Can there ever be a more clear statement of intent? The LORD has laid out the rules and regulations to be followed. Wise men appointed to see to it that justice and fairness prevail within that society. One set of clearly defined commandments applicable to everyone. What could possibly go wrong? The heart of man, that’s what could, and did, and still does, go wrong. The rules have not changed. God has not changed. And man has not changed. That is why it is so important that we look, that we take note, and that we attempt, by  diligent attention, to live our lives as God intended.

The judgment for violation of the laws regarding worship are severe. Moses  said that sun, moon and star worship was an abomination punishable by death. It is idolatrous. Safeguards in the number of witnesses and higher courts of appeal were instituted in order to eliminate frivolous or mischievous accusations. The appointment of a king, with absolute power, was foreseen. But Moses declared that at that time, the LORD himself would choose the king. No-one who was a foreigner would become king over Israel. And there were specific qualities noted for such a king. He should not accumulate great wealth in the manner of other kings of nations around them. Many horses, which signify large armies, were mentioned. Many wives, which signify self indulgence, was mentioned. But most significant was the requirement that the king write for himself his own copy of Torah. That he become familiar with God’s ‘instructions for righteous living’. That he identify, and accept the conditions God has laid down for everyone. A man who is not ‘above the law’. At all levels, God was seeking to make this people, this nation, “His special treasure”, very different to the nations around them. And another part of that difference was in the role and status of the Levites, the priestly class among them.

For the people themselves, no worship involving ‘passing children through the fire’, no witchcraft, no fortune telling, no interpretation of omens or sorcery, no ‘spells’, no mediums or spiritists, no person who ‘calls up the dead’. (Benny Hinn supporters should be alarmed by his claims to have been inspired by many conversations he had with the dead Kathryn Kuhlman) Moses knew that the people had for many years relied on him to be the channel of communication between them and God. They needed to know that such communication would continue. So Moses made them that huge promise “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren, Him you shall hear.” Of course it was many years later that such Prophet appeared in the person of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. One who spoke to God, face to face. But there was a solemn warning by God attached to such appearance. He said “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.”  Take careful note. The LORD also declared at that time that some, who call themselves prophets, would claim to speak in His name. So He have a simple test which would allow people to identify such. If what such person speaks in His name, does not occur, then he has spoken presumptuously. He is to be ignored …. And put to death!     Selah.

The LORD also commanded that safe cities of refuge be built for people who have inadvertently caused the death of another person. Accidents do happen. And eventually, as the nation expanded, three more such cities were to be added. But anyone seeking refuge in such a city, having deliberately caused the death of another was to face the full extent of the law, and not be allowed such refuge. Do you get the impression, as I do, that this land was being designed by God to be a place of great safety, comfort, and righteousness. A very good place to live. It seems that nothing was being left to chance or even debate. The law was the law. It was, and is for those who fully comply, very protective of the rights of people to live in peace. We know that it didn’t work out that way, for reasons we have canvassed earlier. The covenant with God and agreed by the people was broken by them. The consequences are evident all-around us. But there is good news. God has promised a new covenant. One which will be unbreakable, cannot be taught, will be known by everyone from the least to the greatest, will be part of the DNA of people. It will be put in the mind of man, and written on the heart of man by God Himself. And it is coming when Yeshua returns to reign on this earth. I think it will be very much like God intended the Israelites to live in the land He promised them. But they missed that chance.

The remainder of our ‘reflection’ this week continues with very practical matters of living cooperatively with each other. Respect for each others land boundaries, caution placed on judges to diligently enquire about matters of complaint, false witnesses to bear the punishment of the one against whom he has falsely witnessed. Much practical counsel for dealing with civil matters. But also an acknowledgement that there would be battles for possession of the land. How to deal with those in present possession was spelled out. Taking of ‘booty’. Captives. Livestock. Clearing of land. Moses must have been a most remarkable man. Which is why God chose him to be leader.

Again, be blessed as you study this word.       

Shabbat shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   44

Re’eh     (Behold)

Deuteronomy  11:26  to  16:17

“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse’. Moses begins with a slight change in the message in this week’s portion of Scripture. There has been significant emphasis about the way in which God expected the Israelites to conduct themselves when they eventually entered the land. That does not change. Now we are told about the alternative in the event of disobedience to the commands of God. I take some licence here. My interpretation of this situation is that there are blessings which will accrue for obedience. They are undoubtedly favourable outcomes in the ways in which God has decided to provide blessing. In our text they are practical. Blessings of rain, fertility, crop production, livestock increase and resulting general ease of living. But a disobedient people, Moses said, would encounter a curse. The licence is in the difficulty I have in perceiving God in “punishment” mode here. I am aware of course that there were occasions when God did punish people for wanton and extreme disobedience, even to the extent of “swallowing them up into the earth”. In this instance however, I rather consider the “curse” here to be an absence of “blessing”. In this view, it may be seen as a natural outcome of ‘going it alone’. Without God. In the ‘christian’ view then, the ultimate curse, of eternity in ‘hell’ is the natural outcome of doing nothing to get right with God. But the blessing of eternal life requires active obedience to Almighty God. A positive response to live as He directs. Obedience to serve Him in the way He has directed.

(By way of illustration of this, we know that God told the people that they would be expelled from the land if they continued in disobedience. The two most remembered occasions were in 576 BCE, the “Babylonian exile” and 135 CE “Roman Expulsion”. Both were enforced by foreigners. Both the result of breaking covenant. Both events foretold and forewarned by God through the prophets. Both may be considered a ‘curse’ on the people. Both events avoidable through obedience. Both events followed by their return, orchestrated by a merciful God who has promised to never forsake His people)

The first task Moses assigned to the people was to destroy the high places of idol worship together with the idols themselves. Instead God would Himself provide the place where He would be worshipped. It would start with a location for the erection of the tabernacle which they carried with them, and later a more permanent Temple. “You shall not at all do as we are doing here today - every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes - for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you.” It seems to my mind that we might well consider that for today. There is much evidence that we seem to be quite good at “doing what is right in our own eyes”. But there is much more to consider too. The detail is there to read. The place for making offerings to the LORD. Who should participate and where. A caution about eating meat ‘with its blood’. Another caution about “prophets”. Evidently, there were people presenting themselves as spokespersons for the LORD. As there are today. Moses even considered the cases where a “prophet” spoke of things which actually happened. Surely a mark of a “true” prophet. But then the warning. Even in that circumstance, if the “prophet” used such occasion which caused the people to “go after other gods”  then that “prophet” is to be put to death “so you shall put away the evil from your midst”. Great care should be taken when wealth and prosperity are used as ‘magnets’ to attract people to ‘faith’. The Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy warned  “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Then in chapter 14 of our text, (with insensitivity to the modern reader!) Moses is at pains to provide a long list of the foods which they should eat, and others which are to be avoided. (With tongue firmly in cheek, I note that, unlike us today, Moses knew nothing about refrigeration!!) My choice is to trust God. Others have the right to disagree … not with me for I am of no consequence, but with Almighty God, who is. Then there is another vexed question for today. The tithe. Most of us are familiar with that greatly misapplied “tithing” text, Malachi 3:10. Here in our passage today, Moses gave the people the instructions about their “tithe”. Please read Deuteronomy 14: 22-29. Prepare for a shock, because you will never have heard this from a christian pulpit. I quote in part only. Each year “If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the LORD your God has blessed you, then you shall exchange it (your tithe) for money, take the money in your hand and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses. And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires and “have a party” (my paraphrase).” Then every THIRD year, store up your tithe within your gates, so that “the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates may come and eat and be satisfied , that the LORD your God may bless you all the work of your hand which you do.”  The tithe is for rejoicing before the LORD and to provide for those in need.

And finally for this ‘reflection’, we find Moses reminding the people to keep the ‘mo’edim’ (appointed times) of the LORD. The detail is similar to that given earlier in Leviticus 23. Here in Deuteronomy there is the command that for three of these appointed times, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks  and Feast of Tabernacles, all the males of the community were required to present themselves before the LORD in the place of His appointment. Now note the condition. “and they shall not appear empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you”.  This is nothing to do with ‘tithing’. Three ‘gift days’ each year for the work of the LORD. Give as the LORD has blessed you. And as the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians “not grudgingly or of necessity”.

The LORD bless you as you study to understand His word. 

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   43

Ekev   (Because)

Deuteronomy  7:12  to  11:25

We did not comment on an important statement which appeared in the reading last week. Speaking of the children of Israel. “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers ..” Many people, even some who identify as christians today, have been unable to come to terms with that unambiguous statement of Scripture. As a result, a root of bitterness has developed and grown. And that, my dear friends, for those people, has become a stumbling block to spiritual growth. That constant attempt to justify personal prejudice against the clear will of God is debilitating. He requires that we accept that He alone is God. All the world is His, not just Israel. There is promise of blessing to those who bless whom God has blessed. Israel is special to Him. Get over it.

And for those who are ‘special’ to Him, that is followed up in the reading this week with “Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers.” The list of the blessings and care which God intended to shower upon this people is quite staggering. Fertility, fruitfulness of the land, food provision, health, wellbeing and multiplication of livestock are all included in the national blessing of this new nation of people. But over and again, Moses repeated the persistent message that obedience to the LORD’s commandments is a necessary pre-requisite for such blessing. This nation of Israel, living in their own land, was to be an example of the blessing which God provides for those who are His. A living testimony to the nations which surrounded them.

But as these words were being uttered, the people were still on the east side of the Jordan River. Moses was using the recall of God’s provision on their journey thus far to emphasise His ability to do what He said He would do. The land was still occupied by the Canaanites. Heathen idol worshippers. Those high places of worship had no role to play in the life of the Israelites. Their job was to occupy the land and remove all evidence of the culture of the people they were to replace. Can we see the parallels and the lessons for ourselves as we read this recital of God’s conditions to the Israelites? The imagery is of the journey we ourselves are embarked upon as we travel to our promised land. It is not too difficult to see the parallels, both in God’s requirement of us, or the blessings which are promised. Remember that He said. “I am the LORD, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)

There is the oft quoted promise of God, in the circumstance of their hunger and longing for variety of foods during their journey. “Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.”  For them it was a practical matter of satisfying hunger. God had promised to bring them to a good land, which they could not see. To live their lives in freedom, where previously, for generations, they had lived in slavery. That was their hope. It was all that kept them going. There was light at the end of that proverbial tunnel. So too for us in type. We live in the blessed expectation of eternal life with our God. That is the “word which proceeds out of the mouth of God”. That is His promise to us. But there is a road of obedience to Him to be followed to get to that place.

As Moses continued, he described the land the LORD had prepared for the Israelites. It was a good land. “A land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year”. This was in comparison to the only other land they knew, Egypt, which had to be irrigated by hand from the river. But again Moses was careful to emphasise the need for them to be obedient to the commands of God. “To love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Over and over again the same reminder. It must have been such a lovely productive land in those days. But because we know the way events unfolded, we see that after they were expelled from the land, due to their failure to keep covenant with God, the land became quite barren. So much so that in 1869, Mark Twain, in his book “Innocents Abroad” described it as ‘uninhabitable’! It had been drought ridden for 1800 years. Meaningful rain did not appear again until 20 years later as God prepared the land for the fulfilment of His prophecy of the return of the Jews from every corner of the globe.

We may do no better to conclude our ‘reflection’ this week than to sum up the whole of God’s requirement of these people, and in which I find no conflict with His requirement of us today if we are to receive His blessing. “And now, Israel, what does the LORD require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes, which I command you for your good?”  Why? “For the LORD your God is God of gods and LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”

Do we need any other reason to offer Him our praise and our worship?

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  42

Va’etchanan    (And I implored)

Deuteronomy 3:23  to. 7:11

A sad start to our ‘reflection’ today as Moses continued his account of the journey out of Egypt. He recalled for the people his pleading with the LORD to be allowed to go into the land with the people he had led for the past several years. The LORD”s answer was “Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.” Door closed. Memories of the letter to the church in Philadelphia. “These things says He who is holy, He who is true. (quoting Isaiah 22:22) He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”. When God closes the door, it remains closed. Then God instructed Moses to go to the top of Mount Pisgah and look all around, in every direction, and there to command Joshua about the task ahead of him, as he was about to take charge of the people, as Moses’ successor, to lead them into the promised land.

Immediately after this the tone changed. Moses concentrated on ensuring that the people understood exactly what they had covenanted with God to do. (Exodus 24:7) This was not the first time they had heard these things, and it would not be the last. But the very first statement was, and is, vital both for them and for us. “You shall not add to the word I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” If only “the church”, in all its hundreds of forms, could grasp the import of that command of God. Moses continued “Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say; Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’’ It is quite evident that in the development of church practice, there continues to be a wide diversity of interpretation and understanding. That is quite detrimental to the view of the world to “the church”. Adding to and taking away from the word, as best fits the particular emphasis of the leadership, is common. The multiplication of different groups each claiming to have “the truth” only serves to emphasise the error. It would surely make Moses ‘blush’. Please take time to ponder this in your heart, asking God to reveal the relevance of these statements of Moses to you today. It could well be that the division of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Apostolic Scriptures by the descriptors “OLD” and “NEW”  has much to answer for!  Just read John 1:1,11, and 14 to gain some perspective.

Of all the commandments the LORD gave Moses, of which he again reminds the people, and which he here describes as the covenant they are expected to keep (Exodus 24:7), he initially singles out the “Ten Commandments”. Yes, there are TEN of them, even though most Christians recognise only nine. (The remembrance and observance of the Sabbath being considered optional for christian believers). Idolatry in its many forms, but specifically the making of carved images as objects of worship is forbidden. “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” said Moses. And that too is a commandment largely ignored by large sections of the christian church. But all is not lost. God knows the heart of man. He was aware way back then of the frailty and propensity of man to deviate from His ways. From those very practices Moses declared “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice (for the LORD your God is a merciful God) He will not forsake you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.” That is a highly qualified statement (highlighted) What a mighty God we serve. And we have this word, His word, as our guide and instruction to know what He expects, and what is right in His eyes. But it would be remiss of me to not also quote the psalmist David, with specific reference to the comments in then first paragraph of this ‘reflection’ about God closing doors. “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us. Nor will He keep His anger forever.” (Psalm 103:8,9)

There is always so much teaching in these Scriptures. But perhaps the part which has been of greatest value to the Jewish community, in particular. is what has become known as “The Shema” in Chapter 6 : 4-9. The injunction is to “teach these words diligently to your children and to talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”  Can there be a more comfortable and safe place to learn the word of God? But no-one can teach what one does not know. It is such a sadness for christian believers that the chords of connection between these basic roots of our faith were so comprehensively broken at the Council of Nicaea about 1700 years ago. They can be restored.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sachs, former chief Rabbi in UK, has written “Shema Yisrael does not mean “Hear, O Israel”. It means something like “Listen, Concentrate. Give the word of God your most focussed attention. Strive to understand. Engage all your faculties, intellectual and emotional. Make His will your own. For what He commands you to do is not irrational or arbitrary but for your welfare, the welfare of your people, and ultimately for the benefit of humanity.”

God does and will bless those who diligently seek Him. He has made Himself known in His word.    Selah.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   41

Devarim   (Words)

Deuteronomy  1:1  to  3:20

As we begin to ‘reflect’ on this book of “words”, we remind ourselves of where we have come in the historic timeline. Our Bibles record that Abraham lived approx. 4,000 years ago. The events recorded in Numbers, on which we have just ‘reflected’, take us to roughly 3,300 years ago. And at this point Moses, in the knowledge that his life was soon to end, determined to make sure that the Israelites were reminded of all that God had accomplished for them since they left the slavery of Egypt a mere 40 years earlier. What Leviticus is to the priesthood, Deuteronomy is to the people. Both books are instructional. And neither involves any ‘journeying’.  Numbers 33 contains the summary of the wilderness wandering of the Israelites.

When they left Egypt, and began their journey, the LORD had taken time to explain to Moses, on the mountain, what He expected of this people called by His name, as He led them to the land He had promised to Abram hundreds of years earlier. And now, by walking up into the hills on the eastern side of the Jordan River, it was possible for them to gaze back over their encampment below, directly into the land God had promised them. They had been within a few days walk of that land when Moses was on the mountain hearing from God, but their failure to trust God at that time was why that few day’s journey had stretched out to 40 years. We remind ourselves that when Moses had conveyed to them what the LORD required of them, they had willingly agreed to “all that the LORD has said and to be obedient” (Exodus 24:7) and thus had made a covenant with Him. A salutary lesson for us if we too have ourselves made a covenant with God. He expects that we keep that covenant. Because He does.

And now, in the twilight of his life, Moses provided a ‘modern history lesson’ for them. Starting with the selection of trusted men from each tribe to act in impartial judgement over them, and eventually the selection of men to spy out the land God had promised them. But in spite of the promise of God to go before them and to give them victory over the Canaanites, they trusted the report of those men who saw defeat ahead, rather than that of Joshua and Caleb, who trusted God that victory was assured if they went in immediately. It was their lack of trust in God’s word, which amounted to rebellion against Him, which caused God to be angry with them and deny them entry to the land (those above 20 years of age at that time) and cause them to die during the next 39 years of their journey. Moses was not “pulling any punches” here because he knew that there were many challenges still to be faced by them, and their absolute trust in God was paramount for their success in conquering the land. We might conclude that it is the same for us in our walk of faith. Our tendency is to expect understanding, with our mind, what God is saying, rather than to believe, with our heart, that He is faithful in all His ways. And where He leads, He will protect, guide, and keep. The issue for us is to know when we hear from God, and not be following our own ambition. A different ‘spirit’.

Moses reminded them of what happened when they (the ones who voted against Joshua and Caleb) tried to ‘go it alone’, in their own strength, against his counsel. They were soundly defeated by the Amorites. He even told them that he too was now forbidden to enter the land on their account. Then Moses recalled other encounters with the Edomites, and the Moabites. The Lord had told Moses that their lands were not to be taken because the LORD had given those lands respectively to the descendants of Esau and Lot (who was also given the land of the Ammonites) as an inheritance. And during this whole trek, God had provided them with food and water, even their shoes did not wear out! Our text also tells us that it took 38 years of the journey for all the ‘over twenty year olds’ to die. The ones now left had not incurred the wrath of God for the disobedience at Horeb, and would be the ones to shortly enter the land.

Moses encouraged the people that as a result of their recent battles, the LORD had put great fear into the various kingdoms through which they had, and would, pass. They had already acquired substantial wealth by way of gold, silver, cattle, sheep, donkeys and even people to work for them. More would follow as they moved to accomplish that which God had in store for them. Their task was to remain faithful to the covenant they had made with God. Yes there was more to be done. Yes there were battles to be fought. Yes there were difficulties to be overcome. BUT, victory was assured “You must not fear them, for the LORD your God Himself fights for you”, Moses told them.

Read the account for yourself. It is an encapsulation of significant events in which the Israelites had been involved, with various outcomes, from which we can all learn valuable lessons. And if we don’t learn those lessons, then it is just another interesting, but unusual, story! From all that Moses has written, the overwhelming lesson for me is to observe the amazing relationship Moses had with his God. He was not perfect, but he was faithful, obedient, committed, humble, and reliant on God. It is probably overly ambitious to expect such a relationship with God for oneself. But the elements within that relationship are available aspirations for all. These accounts of God’s leading the people to the land He promised them are written for our knowledge and understanding of God Himself. How He relates, and what He expects. “I am the LORD, I do not change”. (Malachi 3:6)

The blessing is ours if we are willing to commit ourselves to the reading, study, and understanding of His word.        

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  40

Mattot/Massei   (Tribes/Journeys)

Numbers  30:1  to  36:13

Our ‘reflection’ opens today with details about some laws and practices which concern the relationships, in respect of contract and vow authority, between men and women (daughters and wives). Also, the importance of words used in making those promises (vows). The late David Pawson, who wrote several books, said that the book which brought him the most adverse comment was the one entitled “Leadership is Male”. He might have, but didn’t, use this passage of Scripture as the foundation for that book title. Here, the passage is used to illustrate the onerous task of care and protection which God has charged to the account of men. And there is a valuable lesson for us today in this regard. Regrettably, we may all know people, men, who have substantially abused this Godly role of care and protection, turning it instead into an issue of possessive obsession of control. This passage of Scripture does not rule out, or forbid, reasoned discussion between the woman and the man on any substantive issue in the proposed ‘vow’ in advance. We also note that the relationships relate to a man and an unmarried daughter, or a wife, living in the same home. The role of the man is intended to be exercised in love. And that for the benefit and protection of the woman, not for her imprisonment.

The LORD then restated His instruction about harassing the Midianites. We earlier noted that these Midianites had a distant blood relationship with the Israelites through Abraham. They were once a nomadic group, who could “pop up” almost anywhere, but they had also built cities to live in under kings. In so doing they also acquired great wealth. They were traders who travelled widely. They evidently were quite familiar with the Moabites and lived among them. If they became widely dispersed in Canaan too, and we know from the story of Joseph that they travelled through the land of Canaan, then they would become an obstacle to the Israelites in conquering that land. So Moses put together an army of twelve thousand men to war against the Midianites. I am not sure how long the battles raged, but all the Midianite males were put to the sword, including the five kings of their cities. In addition, we are told that the infamous Balaam also was killed with them. The whole story is contained in chapter 31 of our text. The end result was that the Israelites were much richer. gold, silver, bronze, tin, lead, and wood, as well as leather and woven garments. Additionally they acquired 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, as well as 32,000 young women who were unmarried. All this booty was equitably divided between the tribes. Half to the men who participated in the fight, and half to the remainder of the people. Then from each half, tribute was given to the High Priest, as a heave offering to the LORD, and a similar tribute to the Levites. Everyone thereby participated in the spoils of victory. And finally, the “icing on the cake” for the Israelites. The commanders of the fighting men came to Moses to report that they had not lost a single person in the fight. So they brought an offering of thanks and praise to God for His protection. A dress rehearsal. What an amazing illustration of God being among the people as they made the final preparation to go into the land. I can only find a simple lesson here. Moses. Obedient. Faithful. Speaking only that which God told him to speak. God give us grace to learn what you require of us, as Moses did.

The land on the Eastern side of the Jordan River was fertile and attractive to the heads of the tribes of Reuben and Gad, who, we are told had “a great multitude of livestock”. They decided that they would like to settle there, and came to an arrangement with Moses and Joshua which allowed them to so do. Their fighting men would accompany the other tribes when they eventually entered Canaan, to conquer it, but would then return to their families in their chosen place, which today is part of Jordan. Later they were joined by the half tribe of Manasseh in what is today part Jordan and part Syria. The whole journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan is recorded in Numbers 33. It is quite informative. The land God promised the Israelites, for occupation by the remaining 9 1/2 tribes is described in Numbers 34. Most modern Bible editions include a map supplement which allows the interested reader to follow the details visually. But there are some ‘reflections’ to be made about God’s instructions which were not observed by the Israelites and which have repercussions for them to this very day. It also provides us today with a solemn  lesson if we wish to learn it.

The vast majority of believers are acquainted with the phrase “be sure your sin will find you out”. Most think it to be a quotation from “somewhere” in the Apostolic Scriptures. It is in fact a promise of God, made to the Israelites in the very circumstance of driving out the enemy before them as they seek to conquer and occupy the land of God’s promise to them. (Numbers 32:20-22). Then in verse 23 Moses told the people “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out”.  There is no question that God is well aware of the sin of man. But man is not always aware of, or does not appreciate, the often immediate, consequences of such sin. 

“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.” (Numbers 33:55,56.) Our knowledge of the Scriptures tells that that is exactly what happened. The irritant, the thorns, the harassment, and later the expulsion from the land. Just as God said it would be.

How blessed are we that God gives us such warnings?

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  39

Pinchas    (Phineas)

Numbers  25:10  to  29:40

Balaam was hired by the Moabite king Balak to curse the Israelites. Under God’s control and direction, he was unable to so do. It is widely considered that he then offered counsel and advice to the Midianites and Moabites about the way in which their conduct with the Israelites could minimise the possibility of war between them. Idolatry and moral decadence, to put it politely. God’s anger was aroused, and Moses was instructed to hang those men of Israel who had so offended and compromised themselves with the women of Moab and Midian. Now Phineas, grandson of Aaron, was himself so angered that he took a javelin and personally killed Zimri, son of a family leader of the Simeonite tribe, together with Cozbi, a daughter of family head of the Midianites. At that the killing ceased, but by then, 24,000 men of Israel were dead.

As a result of the actions of Phineas, showing great zeal for righteousness as in “zeal with My zeal” said God to Moses, “I give to him My covenant of peace; and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel”. (I am reminded here of that great “faith” chapter, Hebrews 11, where we read “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” I wonder if the writer to the Hebrews, in addition to the giants of ‘faith’ mentioned, might also have had Phineas in mind when he wrote that!).  But God also had a word for the Midianites. They were descendants of the half brother of Isaac, same father, different mother. Moses was told to “Harass the Midianites and attack them; for they harassed you with their schemes by which they seduced you .. “ And as we will see again next week, Moses was faithful to God’s command of harassment of the Midianites thereafter. As we mentioned in our opening paragraph, Balaam was strongly suspected of being part of those schemes. I see an important lesson for us today right here. God had expressed His anger at the idolatry and other matters which were destroying the status of the Israelites in the eyes the people of Moab and Midian. They became almost indistinguishable from those around them. It might be called “assimilation”. As believers we are called to be ‘in the world’ but not ‘of the world’ aren’t we? And that is for “My holy name’s sake”. It is not for reward or acclamation (read Hebrews 11:6 in its entirety), but as a testimony to who we are in Him. Just like the Israelites of those days, we carry the mantle, the mark, the name, of Him who saved us. It’s not what we say that impresses the people we come in contact with. It’s what we DO, how we behave. And God sees everything.

Then Moses was instructed to take another census of the men who were 20 years old and above. Almost 40 years had passed since the last major census  and there had been many people die in that time. There now were 601,730 fighting men remaining. Those under twenty year olds who were there at the start were now almost sixty year olds. And they were the oldest of them, apart from Joshua and Caleb, (Numbers 14:38 and 26:64,65) because Moses too, would not complete the journey into the land of God’s promise, which was now very close. But Moses had one more very important task. The fair division of the land. God instructed him in the principles of the division, but the precise location was to be decided by casting lots. Only the Levites were excluded from land allotment. They were excluded also from the census of the fighting men. And there were 23,000 of them from one month old and above. As these matters were being discussed, five daughters of Zelophedad, a descendant of Manasseh, approached Moses with the fact that they had no brothers, and under the existing arrangement they would be dispossessed of any land inheritance. Moses enquired of the LORD, and the women were very pleased to be assured they would get their land within their tribal allotment!

There is yet more work for Moses to accomplish by way of teaching, but the LORD wanted to show the one He described as “His friend” the land which He had promised the people so many years ago. From the plains of Moab, God told Moses to go to the heights of the Abarim Mountain range, to the east of the Dead Sea. Its highest peak today is about 850 m above the Dead Sea,  and Mount Nebo is at the northern end of that range. It provided a good view westward across the landscape of Canaan. It is not difficult to imagine a day with no pollution giving extensive views over the land. And it was here that God told Moses that he would shortly be following his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron in death. I am always sad when I read that about Moses. Such a faithful servant of the LORD. But then I consider the crown of glory which surely awaits such a man. Another lesson. The writer to the Hebrews said “It is appointed to men to die once, but after this the judgement.” (Hebrews 9:27). Both parts of that statement are true. The death and the judgement. It was true for Moses, and it is true for us. The great lesson for us to understand is that God Himself is the Judge. He is gracious, merciful, and just. But He cannot look on unforgiven sin. (Revelation 21:27)

After that Moses spoke to the LORD about leadership succession. The LORD appointed Joshua, with the instruction that He would communicate through Eleazar the High Priest and the mysterious (to us) Urim. And finally, Moses was told to reinforce among the people the instructions relating to the “mo’edim’ of the LORD. The Sabbath, the beginning of months, Passover, Unleavened bread, Firstfruits (Feast of Weeks), Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, and Feast of Tabernacles. All are included. They must be important to God.

“So Moses told the children of Israel everything, just as the LORD commanded Moses”.  What a faithful servant of God.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   38

Balak     (Balak)

Numbers  22:2 to  25:18

“Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites”. Balak was the king of Moab. He was terrified of the Israelites. The Edomite king had refused to allow the Israelites to pass through their land, causing them to detour around it. (Numbers 20) The Amorite king, Sihon, had also refused to let the Israelites pass through his land, and the Amorites had been routed by the Israelites in a mighty battle. (Numbers 21) Moab was next in the Israelites line of travel. So Balak, got together with the elders of the Midianites (nomadic descendants of the son of Ketura, Abraham’s wife) and together they journeyed, with an appropriate fee, to South Eastern Syria near the River Euphrates to consult with Balaam. He was considered to have the ability to come and ‘curse’ the Israelites so that no harm would come to these Moabites. Note that the word used by Balak was “a’rar” (bitterly curse). Balak was convinced that Balaam had such power. “For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed” he said. Balaam obviously had gained that reputation. The story is worth reading in its entirety to get the sense of the mission Balak was proposing, and the reward he was prepared to pay to get it done. It is something of a surprise to many to find that Balaam’s response was always to consult the LORD to gain approval for his actions!

First up, the LORD told Balaam “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed”. And Balaam told the representatives of Balak exactly that. We might learn a lesson here. There are nations and people today (many of whom identify themselves as believers) who treat Israel with contempt (a curse). It is like “doing a Balak” over and over again. God has put His name and His blessing on Israel. He said so many times in His word. How blind we are sometimes! The second time Balak’s princes  approached Balaam, with an increased offer for his help, Balaam again consulted with the LORD who said “If the men come to call you rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you - that you shall do”. But Balaam didn’t wait to be called, he went on his own the next morning, and that displeased God immensely. Another lesson right here. If we have learned nothing else in these ‘reflections’ we have learned that God’s language is precise. What He says, He means. And what He means, He says. Let us remind ourselves once again of His words to the prophet, Malachi 3:6. “I am the LORD, I do not change.” Men are sometimes foolish enough to speak presumptuously in His name. Without His authority to so do. Very unwise. Balaam acted presumptuously. God stopped him. So Balaam had that amazing conversation with the donkey, saw his error, and decided to turn back. Then God gave permission for him to proceed with a condition, “only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.’  Oh that self appointed prophets in our day would take heed to that statement. So much division might be avoided.

Balaam was faithful to the injunction of the LORD. He told Balak to prepare seven altars of sacrifice, with seven bulls and seven rams provided as offerings  to the LORD. Then Balaam presented himself before the LORD again. And boldly spoke what God had told him. “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?”  We might conclude that Balak was not impressed! And said so. But he did not give up. He took Balaam to the heights of Mt Nebo from where they could look down on some of the huge number of Israelites in the plains below them. Another seven sacrificial altars were built. Same procedure. Again Balaam  spoke. “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make good? Behold I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.”  Dear friend, these words of Almighty God have not changed. Let them sink into your mind and heart.  Selah. But still Balak wasn’t finished. (Tongue in cheek .. he would be president of the United Nations were he alive today!)  Balaam spoke a third time. “The utterance of the man whose eyes are opened; the utterance of him who hears the words of God, and has the knowledge of the Most High … I see Him, but not now; I behold Him but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.”

This encounter took place BEFORE the Israelites had even entered the land of God’s promise. What an amazing prophetic announcement to the world. And not even an Israelite present to hear it. But those Moabites who did, were standing on a high mountain in Jordan, looking directly into the land, which today is Israel. “So Balaam rose and departed and returned to his place; Balak also went his way.” Nice ending. Well not quite. What follows, in chapter 25 of our text, is an account of great moral failure on the part of the Israelites. For reasons that are not immediately obvious, Balaam has been associated with this. There are places in our Bible which identify what is called “the doctrine of Balaam” (Revelation 2:14), and his identification with sorcery is sufficient to suspect Balaam of encouraging the Moabites to engage in practises of idolatry and adultery with the Israelites. And by this means weakening, and thus through compromise, ‘cursing”, the Israelites. It is certain, from the point of view of the Moabite king Balak, that this was a tactic that might have the effect of preventing the war which terrified him. In the event, it proved very costly to the Israelites, because God  visited a plague on them, in which 24,000 died. Furthermore, the Midianites also bore their share of the blame for that idolatry and adultery. Remember they were part of the first group who conspired with the Moabites to engage the services of Balaam.       

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   37

Chukat   (Ordinance)

Numbers 19:1  to  22:1

This is one of the most unusual sacrifices to understand. The sacrifice of the “Red Heifer”. It is also probably the most significant sacrifice. It has been ordained by command of God, and that is the only thing that matters, and the reason why it is so important. Most certainly for those Rabbis expectantly awaiting the construction of the next Jerusalem Temple. And yet the sacrifice does not take place in the tabernacle, and neither does it form part of any tabernacle or Temple service. Well, not directly. But it does have everything to do with the functioning and purity of the priests and those who wish to worship there. In fact, without this sacrifice, neither the tabernacle, nor the Temple which succeeded it, could function at all. It may even be said that the Temple is “Red Heifer dependant” in the broadest sense. The sages have determined that in all of history there have only ever been NINE such sacrifices, and those keen to get the Temple built and functioning again are scouring the world to find the TENTH Red Heifer.

But there are other significant procedural characteristics of this sacrifice which prophetically point to Yeshua Ha’ Mashiach. The first condition is that the animal chosen must be “without blemish” and one “on which a yoke has never come”. (The colour, “Red”, has been a major stumbling block in the search for such an animal in recent years, since animals designated “red” have also been found to have other colours mixed with hair on its coat. Hence not “without blemish”.)  The heifer was then presented to Eleazar, Aaron’s oldest surviving son, shortly to become the High Priest in Aaron’s place, who would take the animal outside the camp and slaughter it there. Doesn’t that speak of our Messiah, who was taken “outside the camp” to be slaughtered on that cruel Roman cross. Then the slaughtered Red Cow was reduced completely to ashes. Every part of it consumed by the fire. Our beloved Saviour was also (metaphorically) reduced to ashes when He was put into that tomb. And it was the ashes of that slaughtered animal that God chose to be the only way in which anyone could be rendered clean again. Our Saviour’s death, similarly, since there is no longer a Temple for the worship of God, is deemed by God to be the only way anyone can present themselves, clean before Him, to approach Him in worship. The writer to the Hebrews told us “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God”. (Hebrews 9:13,14)  The lesson for us is very clear. Just like the Israelites of old, God will not accept praise and worship from anyone who has not been rendered “clean”. And again we need to stress that this is a perpetual, regular, every time, situation. Only the perfect person remains perpetually “clean”. Have you ever met such a one? Every time one becomes “unclean”, one has to get “clean” again. Every time. Sin can only be ‘cleansed” by forgiveness through repentance and confession. I respectfully suggest that for most of us it is likely to be a daily matter to be dealt with.

But our Torah passage this week contains so much more for us to consider. The Israelites were close to Mount Sinai in the Wilderness of Zin. Kadesh was within that region and we look at some significant events which occurred there, we are told that was the place where Moses’ sister Miriam died and was buried. And it was there that the people had yet another complaint, again the shortage of water. It was not the first time. On the previous occasion, (see Exodus 17) God had instructed Moses to take his staff, the one which he had held out over the Red Sea on their flight from Egypt, and to strike the rock with it. Moses did that and water flowed copiously from that rock so that there was a plentiful supply for them all. On this occasion, Moses was told to speak to the rock in order to bring the water to the people. In his anger and frustration, Moses again struck the rock. Apart from the fact that that was not what he was told, there seems little to be angry about. But God sees it differently. It appears that Moses took the glory of that miracle to himself. Even unwittingly. And for that he would pay a significant price. The lesson. Do not take for yourself, actions or words that God has not told you. So often we hear “The Lord told me this or that”. It is a conversation stopper. More times than not they are presumptuous words. And God is displeased with such. Be careful, be very careful. Be honest, especially with yourself.

In the same chapter of our reading we have the refusal by the Edomites to allow the Israelites to pass peacefully through their land. The result. Edom is one of two places in the Scriptures which are destined to become desolate and uninhabitable. (Isaiah 34) “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”.  (Hebrews 10:31).

Then God announced to Moses that his brother Aaron had finished his work and was about to die. It was God’s judgement that Aaron, and later Moses, would not enter the land of God’s promise on account of ‘rebellion against My word’ at Meribah. So it was that there, on Mount Hor, the mantle of the High Priesthood passed to Eleazar. Moses and Eleazar, now wearing the High Priestly garments, rejoined the congregation. They mourned for Aaron for 30 days.

Our ‘reflection’ ends this week with the first sign of the Israelites having to fight in battle against their enemies to conquer the land God promised to them. A scuffle with the king of Arad brought more complaints against Moses.  God caused serpents to come among them. And later, victory over the Moabites. Read the account, and be blessed.    

Shabbat Shalom  

RS

Torah Reflections  36

Korach  (Korah)

Numbers 16:1  to  18:32

It is difficult to put a precise time on this rebellion, but it was not many weeks after the LORD had dealt with Miriam and Aaron over their dispute with Moses. Korah was a Levite, and he conspired with two others, Dathan and Abiram, who were Reubenites, to again challenge Moses’ authority. Were they brave? or foolish? Evidently they had ambition beyond their wisdom! The LORD had dealt decisively and quickly with Miriam and Aaron. Surely all the people would have known about it because Miriam was struck with a leprous condition and expelled from the camp for a week after her indiscretion. Never-the-less, the challenge was made. “You take too much upon yourselves, for the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them.” Now this was indeed true, but it was not about being holy (set apart), it was about leadership. These challengers wanted to have some part in the leadership of the people. And immediately we see a lesson for ourselves. It is God Himself who provides us with various ministry gifts. Every one of those gifts is important within a body of believers, but they are different for a purpose. The purpose is that the body has to be properly served according to God’s plan for growth in faith and understanding. That service for the LORD is distributed according to need. No-one is unnecessarily burdened thereby, but everyone is (or should be) involved. 

Note here the wisdom of Moses. No argument, no justification, no fuss. With a simple rebuke “you take too much on yourselves you sons of Levi!” Their own words quoted back to them, Moses said that they would go before the LORD the next morning for Him to settle their dispute. But then Moses reminded them of the task the LORD had assigned to them. It was a most honourable and important task. “Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself to do the work of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi with you?”  And then another question “And what is Aaron, that you complain against him?” Aaron was after all the High Priest, and the Levites had been assigned to him as helpers.

Dathan and Abiram and their associates had more complaints, about having left Egypt and having to “do it tough” in their wilderness camp. Moses became very angry and instructed them all (there were 250 of them) to present themselves before the LORD complete with incense censers, at the entrance to the tabernacle, the next morning.  Another lesson. When disputes arise, ask the LORD for the solution. In this case however, the LORD resolved the matter with a mighty display of awesome power. Please read it. The initial challenge resulted in the death of the 250 people who disputed Moses’ leadership, and another 14,700 lost their lives by challenging God’s response!!  As we have commented previously “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

So God then chose to give the people another resounding endorsement of His choice of leadership. A miraculous event was about to occur in the presence of the leaders of each of twelve tribes. Each tribe was instructed to bring to the tabernacle of meeting a rod of wood, and on that rod was written the name of the tribe. But on the rod of the tribe of Levi, Aaron’s name was inscribed. The rods were placed in the Holy Place as instructed. God told Moses “And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you.”  The next day, Moses presented all those rods to the people, so that they could see for themselves, The rod which bore Aaron’s name, had not only ‘budded’ but also “had produced blossoms and ripe almonds” That same rod, together with some ‘manna’ and the stones of the commandments, were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant as a permanent reminder of what God had done for the people after they left Egypt. It would be an understatement to say the people were fearful of the LORD. “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish.” was their lament. But that was not God’s plan. What God wanted then, is no different to what He wants today. A people respectful and obedient to His commands and statutes. Faithful in service, using the gifts and talents He has provided for the good of the whole community of faith. This word, on which we ‘reflect’ week by week, shows us His nature and character, His love, mercy and grace, as He communes and relates with His people. But we, like them, also have the option to be disobedient, and many of us are. If we learn nothing else, learn this, that disobedience also comes with consequences.

Our portion ends this week with the promise of God to care for those who are engaged in His service. Specifically, in this case, for Aaron and the priests who serve with him. All the offerings of the people, except those consumed by the fire of the altar,  was to be God’s gift of provision for them. “This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy (set apart) for you and your sons.”  That is a precious promise of God to those He called to serve Him. That is the prosperity God promised His closest servants. It is difficult to comprehend how that simple promise of God’s boundless provision has evolved into the system which has developed today for those who similarly have charge of God’s elect. Or is it just another invention of man ?

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflections   35

Shelach   (Continued)

Numbers  14:39  to  15:41

We ended last week with the LORD having pardoned the people for Moses’ sake, but without repentance by the people themselves, they were told that they would not be allowed to enter the land of God’s promise. “And Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.”  But it was too late. The next morning they arose early and went to the top of the mountain. They could see the way to travel and decided that they would go there anyway. Moses again spoke to them. “Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. Do not go up. Lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you.” Is this not yet another important lesson for us. How often do we attempt things in our own strength? Sure it might sound like a good idea, but did we check if that is what God wants. Did we pray about it? Did we wait for God’s direction?  The word records that in our text today they did indeed ‘go it alone’ and were soundly defeated as Moses had warned them.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses again. “When you have come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving to you ..”. Followed by another detailed set of instructions about how the various offerings made to the LORD were to be made. Burnt offerings, an offering of sacrifice, freewill offerings at the time of celebration of the “mo’edim” of the LORD, were all covered in detail. But then a statement which poses many questions today. It concerns those who were to bring the offerings. “All who are native born”, most people are  perfectly comfortable with. But “And if a stranger dwells with you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD, just as you do, so shall he do.” comes as a bit of a shock. But it goes on. “One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you , an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before then LORD. One law (Torah) and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.”

Now I confess to being brought to attention be reading those words. The statement is unequivocal, unambiguous, very plain, and easy to understand. At least that is how it seems to me. So why does it present such difficulty to so many of us? Well, first of all, the sacrificial system is no longer operative in our day so we couldn’t participate even if we wanted to. But the principle of participation, definitely in regard to the “mo’edim” is still with us. Some have argued that the statement only applies to those who choose to live ‘in the land’. And true enough the statement by the LORD at the beginning of chapter 15 says “When you have come into the land ..”.  But the addition of “throughout your generations” later, suggests a permanency to the command too. We note that no-where in the Scriptures has God ever annulled any of the commandments. It is a matter which I brought before the LORD with an open mind and an open Bible some years ago, and received from Him the answer to my question. If you are in any doubt, I commend you to do as I did.

The fact that the sacrificial system is no longer operational, a system which allowed the people to “draw near to God”, does not mean that we have no way of similarly ”drawing near to Him” today. The reasons for the need to “draw near” remain. They are many and various. Often unintentional sin might be the reason, as is described in our text. But we need to keep “short accounts” with God. That seems to me to be the prevailing message here. But the next matter addressed is much more serious. Described as “doing anything presumptuously”. And, as “despising the word of the LORD, and breaking His commandment”. How are we to interpret that today? It is easy to think that those things are not possible, but they are, and more frequently than one would imagine. In our text, the result was to be “completely cut off”. No more chances. How sad. An example is quoted of violating the Sabbath. Most today would consider that trivial. But not our God! It falls into the category of “despising the word of God”. So easy to fall into isn’t it?

But God is gracious. He provided them with the means of reminding them continually of His word. YES, continually. “Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments (it is called a Tzitzit today, which observant Jewish men, and some women, wear under their shirt) throughout their generations and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you do not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.”  Pretty simple eh! And in my personal experience very effective. I do not wear a Tzitzit. But the LORD provided me with a different memory jogger. Very effective, and it works all the time.

It is a truth that if you “train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). Many of the people who read this will have been brought up in a Christian home. As was I. But as I look back, the emphasis was primarily about attending church on a Sunday. (and I do not argue about that) It was expected that one would receive Christian teaching as a result. But churches vary considerably. Countless numbers of people have consequently fallen away. The foundation was not solid. And the Scripture quoted from Proverbs seems to apply only sometimes.  Friends, the basis on which that Scripture remains true every time is when that teaching is soundly based on the infallible word of God. Taking heed to such Scriptures that we have just ‘reflected’ upon.     

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflections   34

Shelach   (Send (men) for yourself)

Numbers  13:1  to  14:38

The time had come when preparations were to be made for the Israelites to go in and possess the land of God’s promise to them. They were still in the Wilderness of Paran, just a few days trek from its southern border. So God instructed Moses to send trusted men with leadership qualities. One representative (excluding the Levites) of each of the twelve tribes, to assess its potential for their occupation. (note that Joseph was now represented by his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh as tribes in their own right) The type of land. What it was capable of producing? Was it forested, hilly, flat?  Was it rich land with good soil or poor, rocky, barren etc.? And the people there. Did they dwell in fortified cities or camps? Were they well fortified? How should the Israelites plan to move in? Plenty of things to be assessed as they set out on their spying trip. They were gone for 40 days, bringing back with them some samples of the fruit, and declaring that the land was indeed as God had promised, “flowing with milk and honey”.(Exodus 3:8).

If only they had left it at that!! It’s the “good news, bad news” story isn’t it? They had also seen that the cities were large and fortified (remember they had been living as slaves in Egypt, and for the past year had been in the desert). That the people there were big and strong. And they were well spread out in the whole of the land they had seen, and was made up of a number of different people groups. The result. “We cannot possibly hope to conquer the land. It’s not all that good anyway, and the people are giants! We are like grasshoppers in their sight.” What a depressing report. But Caleb, the one who represented the tribe of Judah, spoke up. “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”  But the damage was done. The people were fearful. They wept and anguished over it all that night. Then the recriminations began. “If only we had died in Egypt! etc.” Then “let us choose another leader and go back to Egypt.” Moses and Aaron were distraught at the outbursts.

Joshua, (who had his name changed from Hoshea by Moses (Num 13:16)) the representative of the tribe of Ephraim on the spying trip, stood with Caleb. They tore their clothes in anguish. They could not believe what they were witnessing.  And together they spoke up. “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a ‘land which flows with milk and honey’. Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.” But fear them they did. And the people sought to stone them both. Then the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting. And all the people saw it.

What followed was another of those amazing conversations between the LORD and Moses. It is worthwhile reading it in its correct context. It is very difficult to imagine that Moses was actually telling God something He did not already know. I speculate here, but maybe God was ‘testing’ the wisdom of “His friend” Moses. In any event it is quite remarkable. And as it happens, God was merely delaying what He told Moses what He intended to do anyway, which was not to allow unfaithful and disobedient people from entering the promised land. He expressed His extreme displeasure “ How long will these people reject Me?”  As we go through this conversation we should look for the lesson for ourselves, there is one. (it is easy to think we would not have acted as these people did, but most of us do, every day). He continued “And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?” Is that lesson beginning to register? Moses continued to argue that if God were to follow through with His anger with them and immediately ‘cut them off’’, then that would be seen by their enemies as them being abandoned by God. And furthermore, His promise to ‘bring them to the land flowing with milk and honey’ would be seen as an empty promise. Moses reminded God that “The LORD is long-suffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression.”

In His mercy and grace, the LORD said “I have pardoned, according to your word”. But regrettably there was more to it. The lesson for us gets clearer as the LORD continued “because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see  the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected (treated scornfully) Me see it”. At first glance, it would seem that God was giving with one hand and taking away with the other. But that is NOT the case. God pardoned (by not ‘cutting off’ immediately’) these people, for His faithful friend Moses’ sake. But seeing the heart of the people, and the deep seated scornful attitude which remained, God allowed them to continue their life to its natural end, but He could not allow them to enter the land. Repentance is an act of a personal nature. No-one can repent for someone else. And that is the lesson we need to understand.

The judgement of God on them was that for every day those spies were in the land, God would let them be “be shepherds in the wilderness’. A journey to the land of promise, that could have been done in about ten days, was now going to take 40 years. One down, thirty nine to go!  But the people were not finished with their own plans even then. We’ll discover what they did next week.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   33

Beha’alotcha  (continued)

Numbers  11:1  to  12:16

Last week we ended with the Israelites making the first movement of their camp, and they were now in the Wilderness of Paran, to the west of where Eilat is today. Then the complaints began!

We need to keep in mind that there were a lot of people in that company. Six hundred thousand men of military age plus dependants. Close to two million altogether as well as their livestock. They would have been spread out over a sizeable area, and not all proceeding at the same pace. The LORD heard their various complaints, and was displeased. He sent fire around them and some who were at the fringes of the company got burned in the fire. “Moses, where are you? Help!” Can you hear their cries? Moses interceded on behalf of the people. The fire ceased. Does that give you a measure of the stature of this man? And the relationship he had with His God? It does me. But they were a mixed multitude we are told. All kinds of people. And they had different tastes and longings. The LORD was faithfully providing their daily provision of “manna” (a word which literally means ‘what is it?’) So they were not hungry, but they ‘craved’ a more varied diet, including meat and vegetables. The LORD’s anger “was greatly aroused” again. And Moses wasn’t all that happy either.

The exchange of words between the LORD and Moses is remarkable. “Why have You have laid the burden of all these people on me?” Moses asked the LORD. Then in paraphrase, the LORD said “I’ll give you help. Bring seventy men you know to have good standing with the people to the Tent of Meeting and I’ll talk to you there.” Which he did. The LORD continued “tell the people they’ll have their meat. Not for one or two days, but for a whole month. They will have meat until it comes out of their nostrils!”  Moses’ response was classic. “Where am I going to get all that meat? Shall I kill all the livestock. Can I produce all the fish in the sea to feed them? There are two million of them!! Then the calm of our LORD. “Has the LORD’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.” What followed was another miracle. First, the LORD came down in the cloud, took the Spirit that was in Moses, and placed the same Spirit upon the seventy elders who were gathered there with him. And they prophesied (I take that to mean they took the message of the LORD to the people with the same authority that Moses had). But it was a one time experience for them. And it was for a particular act of ministry. A lesson right there. We are taught that “receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit’” is a “whole of life, one time” single experience gift. “Have you been ‘Spirit filled’? is the question often asked. It is true that we can live by, and in, the Spirit.  That is what God expects of us. But it requires a way of life which is ‘God centred’ to maintain.  Selah.

Joshua, Moses’ assistant became alarmed when he saw two of the elders prophesying in the camp. “Moses, my lord, forbid them!” Was his cry. Moses responded “Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets, and the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”  Soon the whole area of the camp was filled with quail, brought in by an East wind from the LORD. We are told that he who gathered least collected 10 Homers, enough to fill a small pick-up truck!! And the people GORGED themselves. It’s called gluttony. And for that many of them died! Beware of the sin of gluttony.

Then we learn of the sin of envy and jealousy within the camp. From none other than Moses’ siblings, Miriam and Aaron! The excuse was regarding Moses’ wife, an Ethiopian woman. Evidently not Zippora the Midianite. But the truth is revealed to us in the very next verse of our text. They said “Has the LORD indeed ONLY spoken through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” In my imagination I can see the scene as the LORD hears this. Close your eyes, picture the scene. “YOU THREE, to the tabernacle of meeting, NOW.!!” When they got there, the LORD stood in the door of the tabernacle, in a cloud. WOW!!   Aaron and Miriam … step forward.  The LORD speaks.

“Hear now My words; if there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak to him face to face, even plainly, not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

The cloud left them. The LORD departed. And in an instant leprosy covered Miriam. “white as snow” we are told. Unclean. Destined to be put outside the camp. Humiliated. Broken. Aaron was dumfounded. Horror stricken. Pouring out his confession of sin and foolishness to Moses. What a scene! Then Moses in his own anguish for his sister, called out to the LORD. “PLEASE heal her, O God, I pray!”  (This is the first of only three places in the Scriptures that I can find anyone being ‘prayed for’ to be healed. In every other case of healing, it was the exercise of the GIFT of healing). The LORD in His mercy answered Moses by decreeing that she should be put out of the camp for seven days before being allowed back into the fellowship of the others. We have commented a few times previously “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”. What a way to learn such a lesson. Can we learn from it too? The whole congregation learned it, because they remained in that place for the whole time Miriam was ‘outside the camp’.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  32

Beha’alotcha   (When you light)

Numbers 8:1  to  10:36

After TWELVE consecutive days, on which representatives of each of the tribes of Israel had brought identical offerings for the dedication of the altar. Silver platters filled with fine grain mixed with oil as a grain offering. Gold pans filled with incense, one young bull, one ram, one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering. One kid of the goats as a sin offering. And as the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. Complete equanimity among the tribes.

Then Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with the LORD. And the voice of the LORD came to him from above the Mercy Seat which was on top of the Ark. I am continually reminded as I ‘reflect’ on these Scriptures of the meticulous detail of the LORD’S instructions in His communication with Moses. The artisans who had made the lampstand which now stood on the south side of the Holy Place had followed the instructions to the letter. But it seems that the LORD was not satisfied with the way the light was projected towards the Altar of Incence and the Table of Showbread on the north side. It needed to be turned 90 deg to be parallel with the side of the chamber! And this provides another lesson for us, if we needed it, to indicate precision in God’s instructions. Nothing sloppy, ambiguous or optional about God’s commands and statutes.

Two weeks ago, we ‘reflected’ on the fact that God had determined, following the last plague which was visited on the Egyptians, that the firstborn males of the Israelites were “consecrated to Himself “(Exodus 13), and that there was a 273 discrepancy in numbers between the firstborn males of the whole camp of Israel (22,273) and the number of Levites (22,000) who were 1 month old and above. In our text today, when the altar was dedicated for purpose, we have the account of the manner in which those Levites, (whom God had accepted in substitution for the firstborn males), were consecrated and prepared for the task of service in their tabernacle duties. They were first “ceremonially cleansed”. They were ‘sprinkled’ with water of purification. They were bodily shaved. They presented a ‘sin offering’ to the LORD, and had the whole congregation lay hands on them, before the High Priest made a ‘wave offering’ of them to the LORD. Finally, another ‘sin offering’, a ‘burnt offering’ and a ‘wave offering’. Only then did the LORD declare to the whole congregation that “They are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel.”  And He declared to the whole assembly “I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.” FIVE times He mentioned the whole congregation of people in that declaration. But the LORD had one more stipulation. They began their tabernacle duties at 25  years of age and retired from them at 50 years of age. No exceptions.

Exactly one year after the Israelites had left Egypt, in the Wilderness of Sinai, the Tabernacle was set up and functioning. (please note here that the events of Leviticus 9 could not have occurred before the tabernacle was functioning, indicating further that Leviticus is not a “journey” book and cannot be chronologically earlier than Numbers) The LORD instructed Moses that it was time to remember the Passover event in Egypt. It has been an annual remembrance ever since, but provision is made here for anyone who is not able to keep that remembrance on the appointed day, it is permissible not remember it one month later.

Instruction is also given about the function of the cloud that appeared over the Tabernacle when it was first set up. It would be their guide about when to move. By night that cloud had the appearance of fire. “Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the Tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up they would journey.” Two silver trumpets were made in order to warn the assembly about meetings at the Tabernacle, and to announce the setting off times of the tribes encamped on each side of the Tabernacle when the cloud moved. Just over one month after that first Passover remembrance, the cloud was taken up, and the long journey commenced, six tribes ahead of the Tabernacle and six tribes behind it. Everything in order.

Moses’ brother in law, Hobab, who evidently had been with the Israelites in Egypt, and was still with them. was invited to journey with them to the place God had promised them. A most interesting ‘side issue’ that has remained in the record of these times for our enlightenment. This one “alien” family in with a couple of million Israelites. So what? I hear. It speaks to me about the inclusiveness that God extends to those who willingly join in acceptance of, and fellowship with, God’s chosen. Moses was able to give Hobab assurance that “Whatever good the LORD will do to us, we will do to you.” Additionally to solicit from Hobab the benefits of his desert experience. Another provision of God’s grace to His chosen people. I sincerely believe that even, or perhaps especially, today, God is calling gentile believers to join with His chosen, in faith, to benefit from, and contribute to, the welfare, experience, and knowledge of Himself. It is part of His unconditional promise to Abram. “I will bless those that bless you.” There were complaints and grievances on that long journey. Moses bore the burdens and concerns of the people and interceded on their behalf. A mighty and effective leader. And God promised later, that He would raise up another such leader for the people. And He did.

Shabbat Shalom 

RS

Torah Reflection  31

Naso    (Take a Census)

Numbers 4:21  to  7:89

The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Their descendants were assigned the important duties of transportation of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Last week’s ‘reflection’ ended with the 2,750 members of the Kohathite family assigned the task of carrying the contents of the Most Holy Place. They were not allowed inside the Most Holy Place whilst Aaron and his sons were carefully wrapping those items, and even then those items were not to be touched by the carriers, but were borne on the special poles designed for that purpose. They had been given special dispensation from Almighty God Himself to carry out that task, which in normal circumstances would result in their being “cut off”, a death sentence, for approaching those holy things. Look at the detail given to Aaron and his sons in just preparing the items to be transported. Aaron’s son Eleazar was tasked with supervision of that most important work of the Kohathites with regard to the Most Holy Place.

Our reading this week continues with the additional census of the families of Gershon and Merari, which together numbered a further 5,830 men between the ages of 30 and 50. People who could be expected to be reliable and experienced. The total number of men assigned to transport the Tabernacle and its furnishings was 8,580 men. Aaron’s son Ithamar was given the task of supervising the work of the Gershonites, and  Merariites. An extremely good lesson in delegated authority.

Moses was then entrusted with the task of instructing the people regarding a number of other issues with which God knew they would be be confronted on their long journey to the land, and certainly after they arrived there to dwell. These instructions have never been revoked, but many of them are no longer observed in society today. However, everyone who experienced the Covid-19 plague, which China introduced to the world in 2020, would be quite familiar with the first instruction mentioned in our text. “Social distancing”. But of the extreme kind. Contagious and infectious conditions were to be removed to a place outside the camp to minimise the spread of those infections. It seems to have been most effective because we have no account of any such epidemic within the ranks of the Israelites during their long journey. We know from our earlier ‘reflections’ in Leviticus that there were means by which those who recovered were able to rejoin the camp on the evidence presented to their priest. It is similar, but different, to the clinical systems which operate today.

Then came a string of misdemeanours and their remedy! I note the wording at the commencement of this part of our text “When a man or a woman commits any sin …”. There seems to be no ambiguity does there? Otherwise the word “WHEN” would have been replaced with the word “IF”. God knows the ways of men (and women). “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:” said Jeremiah. “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways. According to the fruit of his doings.” That alone is well worth our pondering. But God is also gracious and loving, and in His instruction to Moses He included the path to forgiveness. And it was NOT “a once for all time” solution. In paraphrase here He said “The person who is the guilty party shall first confess the sin which he has committed. Then make restitution in full plus 20%. Then come to Me with the appropriate offering of sacrifice.” As I note the wording I perceive three important steps to getting right with God here. First to put things right with the one wronged. Second to make appropriate restitution. Third present yourself before a holy God for His forgiveness. EVERY TIME.

This Torah portion is well known for ONE important, oft quoted, section. We know it more commonly as “The Aaronic Blessing”. And a blessing it was, and is still today. In our churches now, it is very often used as a benediction or prayer. Each line being accompanied by the injunction and expectation that the Lord “MAY” do these things. But it is neither a benediction nor a prayer in the original. It is infinitely MORE than that. We remind ourselves of the circumstances in which these words were spoken. Firsly, they were spoken by their revered High Priest. A man they recognised as God’s representative in their midst. A man to whom they took their offerings of penitence. Trusted. At the same time, on a personal level, none of them knew where they were, other than it was a desert place. They did not know where they were going, except that it was a land promised to them by God hundreds of years earlier. And finally, they had no idea when they might arrive at their destination, wherever that might be!

And when Aaron was given these words to speak, he was also given the reason for speaking them. “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I WILL bless them.”  The words were positive words of PROMISE. “I WILL bless them.” So that was the spirit in which they were spoken. As they made that long journey to the land of God’s promise, these words went before them.

The LORD will bless you and keep you:

The LORD will make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you:

The LORD will lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you His Shalom.

Consider those words carefully. Ask God what He requires of you that you too may count on them as His promise to you on your journey of faith, as they were to those Israelites on their journey to their land of God’s promise.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflections  “Shavuot”

Torah portions         Exodus 19:1 to 20:23  and Numbers 28 :26 - 31

Haftarah portion      Ezekiel 1 : 1-28 and 3 : 12

The Torah of YHWH given to Moses

Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.

Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.

When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.

This ‘appointed time’ is fixed in relation to Pesach. Seven Sabbaths plus one day later.( In the Christian reckoning, it is called “Whitsun” and is seven weeks after Palm Sunday, but it bears no relationship at all to the ‘mo’ed’ of the Lord specified in Leviticus 23.) Some pretty exciting things happened at Shavuot, and the festival (also known as the Feast of Weeks) figures most significantly in the prophetic calendar as it relates to Yeshua.

Firstly, by Jewish calculation, and there is good evidence for it, this was the time when Moses was on the mountain communing with the Lord and receiving the instructions for righteous living, which we know as Torah. (see Exodus 19:1)  That, in my view is cause enough to celebrate. The very Word of God, which is ‘sharper than any two-edged sword’, came to us at this time of the year. An immeasurable blessing. My Bible tells me that Moses spoke “all that the Lord had told him” and wrote it in a book.(Exodus 24: 3 and 7). More importantly, that was the exact time that the first covenant was sealed, when the people voluntarily agreed as they said “all that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient”.

Secondly, according to Acts 1, Yeshau returned to His Father 40 days after his resurrection from the grave. But He told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem. Just 10 days later was the festival of Shavuot. Jerusalem was overflowing with people, there for the festival from all over the known world (as it is today for the three pilgrimage festivals). Then came a sound ‘like a mighty rushing wind’. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God, the One who points to Messiah, was sent to minister His blessing to those who would receive it.

The disciples, already emboldened at meeting the resurrected Lord Yeshua, were imbued with power from on high. No longer the ‘shrinking violets’ who were shattered by the death of Yeshua on that cruel Roman cross. They spoke boldly to the throngs of people in the Temple courtyard, and miracle of miracles, the foreigners present all heard these fishermen from Galilee speaking in their own several languages. It is almost impossible to imagine. But by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, over three thousand were added to the company of believers that very day. Now that surely is another reason to celebrate.

But there’s more!!   Both events related above did not stop.

Today, we have the precious Holy Scriptures, written in so many of the world’s languages. The faithful Jews who were entrusted with those Scriptures have carefully preserved them for our blessing and instruction down through the ages. In the early days, meticulously copying by hand every ‘jot and tittle’. Every yod and vav.

The Holy Spirit of God is alive and well in the earth today. His role on earth is to point us to Messiah Yeshua, by any and all means possible. He brings strength to the ‘weary’, comfort to the ‘afflicted’, guidance to those who seek, and blessing to all who ask.

So if any still wonder why we should celebrate Shavuot, I trust that this ‘reflection’ will provide some answers. But there is a much greater and compelling reason. God commanded it. His promise, is included in the introductory remarks of this ‘reflection’. He will be there to meet all who come. It is a special time. It has never been revoked.

You will be blessed as you meet together and thank Him for His unspeakable gift.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   30

Bamidar     (In the Wilderness)

Numbers  1:1 to 4:20

A brief word of explanation here. The history of the children of Israel, from God’s promise to Abram in Genesis 12, to their journey to and from Egypt, and the occupation of the land of God’s promise, is contained in just eleven Books in our Bible. Whilst the other 28 Books are instructional, and are written to the Israelites, they do not form part of their ‘journey’ to and in the land. Leviticus and Deuteronomy are not ‘journey’ Books, so the Book of Numbers takes up  the story of their ‘journey’ where Exodus leaves off.

God instructed Moses to take a census of all the men from each tribe who were 20 years old and above. The census was obtained by each tribal head reciting the names of those in their extended families who were in that category. These were all men who were judged by God to be capable of “going to war” in defence of the whole gathering. The total number, from which the tribe of Levi was excused, was six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. Quite an army eh! But it also indicates that whilst the land was a “promise” of God to them, there would be struggles and hard work, even battles to be won, to get there. Is there a lesson here? Our journey of faith today carries with it God’s promise of eternal life. (the proverbial promised land) Yeshua told us in Matthew 10 and 24 and in Mark 13 that “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” There are many trials, temptations, and struggles before us as we journey along salvation’s road. And certainly that was true for the Israelites on their journey.

Then each of the tribes were instructed to set up their camp, under their own banner, some distance from the Tent of Meeting. Each tribe in its allotted place. Three tribes on each side so that the Tent of Meeting was right in the centre. Close by were the tribe of Levi, who were charged with responsibility of caring for, dismantling, carrying, and remounting the Tabernacle and its furniture. Instructions were given for the order in which the tribes would set off when the pillar of cloud moved to a new place. Six tribes in front, Levites carrying the Tabernacle in the centre, and six tribes to the rear. Very orderly. It is noted that the census did not include women, people under 20, or the Levites. It is reasonable therefore to conclude that the body of people involved must have been close to 2 million!!

Moses then instructed Aaron and his two remaining sons regarding their duties as priests before the LORD, and appointed the whole tribe of Levi as servants of Aaron and his sons to do the work of attending to the Tent of Meeting and its furniture. But it was made clear to Moses that God had made the tribe of Levi His own. They were effectively a ransom to God for all the firstborn of the Israelites who survived the Passover plague, the death of the firstborn, on the night the Israelites left Egypt. And now it was time to take a census of the Levites. God was keeping account. But this census included all males one month old and above. And as the census proceeded, each family of the Levites were allotted a camping place near the Tabernacle, and given instructions about their particular responsibilities for movement of specific parts of the tabernacle and its furnishings. Very detailed and orderly.

The census of Levites ordered by God, showed that 22,000 males above 1 month old were counted. These were accepted by God in part substitution for the firstborn males who were saved during the Passover plague in Egypt. They  were consecrated to the LORD as a result, (Exodus 13:1,2) Then God told Moses to count the number of the whole assembly of Israelites who were firstborn males. There were 22,273 such, now consecrated to the LORD, who had not perished in the Passover plague in Egypt, Moses was commanded that a monetary amount of five shekels per person was to be given to Aaron as redemption money to make up for that 273 shortfall as compensation for not having the full number of consecrated persons to serve him in the work of the Tabernacle. The total sum (5 x 273) of 1,365 shekels was collected from the firstborn of the tribes and given to Aaron. There is a lesson here too. God gave what was His, all those consecrated to Himself, for the work in the Tabernacle. Many of us would have said “Oh! 22,000, that’s close enough.” Wouldn’t we? But God gives full measure every time. And it is quite reasonable to assume that that is what He expects of us too.

It is interesting that within Judaism still, as baby boys are circumcised on the eighth day according to God’s commandment, parents consider that these baby boys are rightfully God’s own. So they ceremonially give a five shekel coin to the Rabbi in order to ‘redeem’ that child back from God. And they are treasured as a result!

Now our reading this week concludes with another example of the meticulous way in which the Israelites were commanded to carry out their duties. The Kohath families, were assigned an important task. They were to carry the contents of the Most Holy Place as they moved from location to location following the pillar of cloud. Firstly, they were told to select only those between the ages of 30 and 50. People who could be expected to be reliable and experienced. Look at the detail given to Aaron and his sons in just preparing the items to be transported. Those assigned to this part of the transportation totalled 2,750 men. They were not allowed inside the Most Holy Place whilst Aaron and his sons were packing those items, and even then those items were not to be touched by them, but were carried on poles.

When we observe the care God takes with such instructions, we know that He wants us to take care too.       

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   29

Behar/Behukotai    (On the Mount/My statutes)

Leviticus 25:1   to   27:34

We come to the end of the commandments and judgments contained in this Book of Leviticus. Thus far they have been concerned with the daily activities and relationships within the camp of the Israelites as they prepare to journey through the wilderness towards the Land of God’s Promise to them. But now the LORD has a word for Moses about a time when that journey would come to an end and the Israelites would be dwelling in the land. They were not to know then that the journey would take another 39 years and that Moses would not actually be with them at that time.

Surprise, surprise! The first announcement regards the observance of the Sabbath! Not the weekly Sabbath this time, but a Sabbath rest for the land itself. The whole concept of land management, wherein they would be able to feed themselves and those who were the poor among them, is contained in these Torah commands (instructions for righteous living) of God. And they were quite different, even revolutionarily enlightening, compared to the practises of the nations around them at that time. (and we might note to land management practises the world over today) We already saw, in our passage last week, with the commandments of God regarding the observance of the “mo’edim” of the LORD, the directive about not harvesting the corners of the fields or gathering the gleaning from the harvest each year. These were left for the poor and the stranger among them to gather. But now God commands them, each seventh year, neither to plant crops nor to prune vineyards. But recognising that there would be produce which would grow of its own accord, none of that was to be harvested either. That was to be a part of God’s provision, without the need for anyone to work, for themselves, for the servants, for the poor, for the stranger, and for the field workers. God’s gift freely available to them for some food without any labour required to produce it. And it provided a year of rest from intensive working of the land itself. A year of recovery for the land. In Hebrew it is called a “shmitah” year.

BUT, there was another “Sabbath” to be observed too! This time it was to be a “Sabbath” of the “shmitah” years. After seven such “shmitah” years, on the “mo’ed” of Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement, at the beginning of the fiftieth year, a trumpet of Jubilee was to be sounded throughout the land. It was to be a year consecrated to the LORD, and a year of proclamation of liberty to all the inhabitants of the land. No sowing or reaping of crops and vineyards (note that this Jubilee year would be the second year in a row with no harvest). Land and possessions were to be returned to the original owner in the Jubilee year. Selling price of ‘land use’ was regulated according to the number of productive years left until the next Jubilee. But the seller could also redeem the ‘land use’ by repurchasing it at a price determined by the same formula, according to the number of productive years remaining to the next Jubilee. No opportunity for extortion or ‘market forces’ in God’s economy. No interest or usury at all. “The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.”

So how did they manage to survive? “So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety.” But what about those two years that the land is neither sown nor reaped? “Then I will command MY blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for THREE years. And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.” Plus, of course, what grows of its own accord. The lesson for us here is to note the options available to these people. In principle they are options available to us today, albeit in a different environment. God told them that if they did it His way, they would receive blessing. The blessing of protection and food. But, by inference, if they did it their own way, things would be more ‘difficult’. God expects, and requires, obedience from those who belong to Him. And there are consequences which accrue for disobedience. No surprises. Clearly spelled out for their attention. And OURS. God is a promise keeper, even promises we don’t like.

The list is long and graphic. But one which we observe to this very day, should be like a beacon demanding our attention. God promised to expel them from the land as a punishment if they wantonly disobeyed Him. It happened in 587 B.C.E., the Babylonian exile. And it happened again in 133 C.E after the Bar Kochba revolution, when the Romans expelled the Jews from the land. But those promises of expulsion came with yet another promise. It’s generational.  First read in full, Leviticus 26. You’ll be surprised. “Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God; I am the LORD.”

The details of the return from Babylon is recorded in the Scriptures. The return from “all the countries to which they were dispersed” is happening  before our very eyes today. It is prophecy, from this passage today, confirmed by many of the prophetic Scriptures later, which we are privileged to witness at first hand. If that does not speak to your heart about the faithfulness, the mercy, the grace, the wonder, of God, and the efficacy of the Scriptures, then  I wonder what will.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   28

Emor    (Speak)

Leviticus 21:1   to  24:23

The instructions God gave to Moses are specific and detailed. One cannot read Leviticus without being impressed by the detail. And this portion of Scripture begins with clear instructions to be given to the priests about potential ritual defilement through contact with the dead. It continues by describing the nature and characteristics of women who may be considered appropriate as potential wives for those of the priesthood. Then God spells out clearly why He has so commanded. “They (the priests) shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy.”  Most people are aware that the word “holy” simply means “set apart”, even different, or special, in modern day language. It is also notable that, although politically incorrect today, the people who are to be anointed as priests in Scripture are invariably male!! At the same time we take note that the priest “shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes”.

In slight digression, it is worth remembering that at the time the Israelites made their covenant with God, specifically in Exodus 19:5-8 God said “If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all the people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”  I have often wondered why observant Jews wear a Yarmulka (kippah). Could this be the answer?  And as for ‘tearing his clothes’, we touched on that in our ‘reflection’ just a few weeks ago (Torah Reflection 24)

One more observation here is that this whole passage relates to a priesthood for whom marriage is the ‘norm’. Our beloved Rabbi Sha’ul was unmarried, and, presumably, in response to some issues in the “ekklesia’ at Corinth chose to explain his position to them (1 Cor 7). It is indeed “taking a long bow” to make an inviolate doctrine out of that, especially in the light of some most  unsavoury outcomes. But there is no command about priestly celibacy given in the Scriptures. Neither, as far as I know, is it expressly forbidden.

This Scripture passage is primarily known for its detailed account of the “mo’edim” of the LORD, which appear in Chapter 23. I invite you first and foremost to take careful note of how these ‘appointed times’ are unequivocally described. “The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.”  Did you know that ‘convocation’ is described in the dictionary as “a large formal gathering of people”? And that in this context, ‘feast’ is described as an “annual religious celebration”? But in Hebrew, the word translated as ‘feast’ is ‘mo’ed’ (plural mo’edim) which means ‘appointed time’. So a more correct understanding would be “God’s own appointed times of meeting.” It begs the question, how many of us would miss an appointment with our monarch, Queen Elizabeth? Not many I suggest. But these holy weekly and annual appointments with Almighty God are largely ignored by christians all over the world!

In this passage there are EIGHT ‘feasts’ proclaimed. The first is a weekly holy convocation. The Sabbath. The other seven are annual convocations. It is regrettable that the significance of these “mo’edim” is largely lost to most of us in the christian church today, because they are each, in turn, prophetic of events in the life, death, burial, resurrection, and future return, of Yeshua, our Saviour.

Passover, is a festival of eight days duration. It starts on the fourteenth day, the time of the full moon, of the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Just as the blood of the slain lamb, put on the doorposts and lintels of the Israelites of the Egyptian captivity, became the sign of salvation for them, so the blood of our Saviour, shed for us at this precise “appointed time”, metaphorically appearing on the doorposts and lintels of our being, became the means of our salvation from the captivity of sin.

The festival of Unleavened Bread, the symbol of the sinless One, eaten for the next seven days, signifies the burial of Yeshua, taking our sin with Him. It is celebrated with a special Sabbath on the first and last days. It was during this period that our Messiah rose from that grave, having conquered sin and death.

Fifty days later, the Festival of Weeks is celebrated by bringing the grain offering before the LORD. It represents the presentation of the Firstfruits of the harvest, and is preceded (ten days earlier) by the bodily ascension of Yeshua to be with the Father, and coincides with the gift of the Comforter, The Holy Spirit, to men. It is also the ‘traditional’ time of the giving of Torah to Moses on the mountain.

There is an interesting commandment tucked in between this festival and the next three. “When you reap the harvest of your land you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.” There is a long interval between the festivals already mentioned and the next three.. Some have noted that this interval provides a timely gap for the reaping of believers, not of the Jewish faith, to be brought into the fold, before Yeshua returns.

The final three festivals, Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and Tabernacles are , in turn, prophetically symbolic of the return of Yeshua, The Great White Throne Judgement, and the Ingathering as in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Be blessed as you study, ponder, and observe these events.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   27

Acherai Mot/Kodishim   (After death/Holy)

Leviticus 16:1   to   20:27

The reading this week continues with the theme of “cleanliness” before the LORD. Two weeks ago, we read about the way in which God instilled a very strong sense of “reverential fear” in the people as He consumed the offerings on the altar with His own fire, and followed that by consuming the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, who stepped out of line by attempting to share the glory. Our reading this week picks up after that event. God was, and is, intent on instilling, in His people, the understanding of His holiness. Nothing ‘unclean’, no hint of sin, no person, however sincere, is to approach Him unless made ‘clean’ in His appointed manner. That fact is ‘blindingly obvious’ as we read this portion of Scripture.

(Ah! I hear. But that was the “old testament”, Jesus did away with all that.  Did He? Well, actually, Jesus did tell us when all that will end. And it will end. You can read it for yourself in Matthew 5:18. It will be “when heaven and earth pass away”. So as long as you and I are still living here, nothing of ‘God’s instructions for righteous living’ have yet passed away, have they? Or are the words of Jesus unreliable. Of  course not.)

But the events, about which God now instructs Aaron, apply to a ONCE a year observance, known in Hebrew, as “Yom Kippur”. An annual ‘day of atonement’. We will reflect on this in a bit more detail next week. It is most solemnly observed universally by Jews, but completely ignored by christians! (as indeed are all the “Feasts (appointed times) of the LORD”. That is in spite of the command of God that this ‘appointed time’, be a statute FOREVER. It is also clear from this passage of Scripture that the instructions applied equally to the Israelites AND the “strangers who dwell among you.” So Aaron, the only person allowed to enter the Holiest Place in the Tabernacle, the place where God said He ‘would dwell among the people’, was instructed about the manner of his approach to God. First he was to present the blood of a bull as a sin offering, and the blood of a ram as a burnt offering. He was also to completely wash his body and change his clothes to put on special linen garments. That required a physical cleansing in addition to his spiritual cleansing. Complete cleanliness. At the same time, he was to accept from the people offerings of TWO goats. One would be chosen, by lot, ‘for the LORD’, and the other as a “scapegoat” to ‘ritually’ take away the sin of the people  The detailed instructions are better read than told.

The lesson here for us however is clear, since we do not have the same procedures today, and the prophet Malachi informed us that ‘God does NOT change’, (Malachi 3:6)  that God is particular about the manner of our approach to Him. Now it is true, that confessed sin is covered by the atoning blood of our Messiah, Yeshua. For that reason, it is my conclusion, that in the same way that God required both a sin offering and a burnt offering from the people then, so He requires that we too come penitently before Him, cleansed from sin (both known and unknown) each time we come to Him with our offerings of worship, praise and intercessory prayer. No exceptions.

As chapter 18 of our text opens, there is a change of subject. Moses is told to remind the people of what they had left behind in Egypt, and to look forward to where they were going, Canaan. Both countries had similar idolatrous, and immoral, ways of life. “Do not walk in their ordinances”. Full stop. God is intent on teaching His people a new, a better, a more caring way to conduct themselves. We SHOULD be able to pick up a lesson here too. When we commit ourselves to God’s way, He expects that we turn our back on the ‘ordinances’ of the life we have been saved from. But since we are NOT physically going to another land, our charter is to live in accord with His ordinances, which are made clear as we continue our study of His word. “Do not defile yourselves with their perversions”, God says. And we know very well how grossly perverse nations and institutions have become in our modern world today as rebellion against the Creator of this Universe is quite blatant, even to being taught in our schools. “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgements, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you.” Can it be any more clearly expressed?

“You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” This whole Scripture passage is repetitious regarding holiness, being separate, being different, standing out, from those around us who are NOT of the kingdom of God. And there is much detail of practices to be avoided. The land of God’s promise is a land “flowing with milk and honey”. Good pasture to provide grain and food for the cattle. Good wild vegetation to provide for birds and insects. A good land. And then God returns to a familiar theme. Their own diet. “You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird , or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And you shall be holy to Me, for I. The LORD an holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.”

A number of times God returns to this theme of diet in the Scriptures. Is it possible that it might be important to Him? And yet, in our day, amongst believers, it seems to be such a contentious issue doesn’t it?. May God give us grace to understand.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection    26

Tazria/Metzora    (Conceived/Leprosy)

Leviticus   12:1   to  15:33

Ritual cleanliness after childbirth is a Biblical commandment. Forty days for birth of a boy, eighty days for a girl. Why? There has been much speculation as commentators have attempted to rationalise this. The truth is much simpler! Because God said so. And you will ‘scratch your head’ for a very long time before you get a better answer. And after the time God specified, whether for a boy or a girl, the resumption of attendance to her normal life of faith and obedience involved her presentation before the Priest with a burnt offering and a sin offering. The lesson. God would not permit ANY uncleanness to come before Him THEN, and He won’t permit it NOW. (even though the sacrificial system is no longer operative). It is good practice to seek God’s gracious forgiveness every time we approach Him for any reason.

The prevention of the spread of disease is extremely important for community health. (As I write this the world is grappling with Covid-19). Well, wouldn’t you know it, here in our Torah portion today, God assigned to the Priesthood the duty of disease control! And by extension, the skill and knowledge to be able to discern the difference between harmless malady, and dangerous signs of infection. The Bible defines the differences as between ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’. It is an example of ‘social distancing’ in the fact that the ‘unclean’ were not allowed to participate in the gatherings around the Tent of Meeting until the Priest was satisfied that infection was eliminated.

The whole portion this week concerns various ways in which ‘uncleanness’ is found within the community. It covers personal matters of disease, as well as the incidences of mould and deteriorating penetration of decay in clothing as well as housing. I was gratified to learn that losing ones hair (baldness) was not a reason for exclusion! And even more pleased to be in such good company as the prophet Elisha, no less!! But many things are included, with clear instructions how to proceed  to a position of “Cleanness”. Our Bible uses the word ‘leprosy’ many times in this passage, but a more inclusive word to use is probably ‘infectous sores’ which cover a wide range of conditions.

But the fact that these people were being instructed about matters which would also be applicable to the time when they would eventually arrive in that land of God’s promise, (they were not living in houses constructed of mortar and plaster in the desert wilderness) was in itself an indication that when God provides such instruction, those instructions have application to all generations. This may well be the major lesson that we can receive out of this specific passage of Scripture.

There are two problems for us to come to terms with. The first is that in our ‘christianity’, we have, in large measure, been conditioned to see the Torah of God as obsolete. We have been taught that it has no relevance to us today. We are told that we are “under the new covenant” (which hasn’t actually been instituted on earth yet). I have even heard it preached from a pulpit that “Jesus kept the Torah so that we don’t have to”. Well some of these instructions are of an extremely practical nature. Housing mould, for example, if you have experienced it, is very difficult to remove. It cannot just be ‘washed off’. It is described in this passage as a plague. The prescriptive treatment is carefully specified here. It is practical and it is effective, even to the extreme of tearing the building down and starting again!! It is equally effective today. The second problem is in the fact that we have been completely cut off from our Hebraic roots. As a result we seem to no longer give heed to the instructions God gave to the people for correct and righteous living, We have disregarded particularly those instructions of God which our culture finds ‘inconvenient’. These are God’s instructions. They are not suggestions which we may or may not choose to follow.

It is clear from our reading of the Scriptures, that on more than one occasion,  people suffering ‘leprosy’ were healed. They were changed from being ‘unclean’, and isolated from community, to becoming ‘clean’ again and re-entering society. And there is a notable difference between, for example, the healing of Naaman, the Syrian army commander, (2 Kings 5) and the healing of the faith filled ‘leper’ who presented himself to Yeshua.(Matthew 8) In the first example Naaman presented himself to Elisha the prophet with a gift of money (which Elisha quickly rejected).  He was told to wash in the Jordan River seven times. But Elisha was careful not to touch Naaman, in compliance with the laws we read in this passage. And as we know, Naaman was healed. But he was not an Israelite, and he was not required to show himself to a priest for confirmation of his new “cleanness”. In contrast, Yeshua reached out to the leper and touched him (an act which would immediately render Yeshua ‘unclean’). He then instructed the cleansed leper to ‘show yourself to the Priest’ in order to verify his new state of ‘cleanness’.

There are two observations to make here. Firstly, the prophet Elisha was not a priest himself and was subject to the laws of Tazria. Which he observed. In the second case, Yeshua, whilst not functioning as a priest at that time, (later to take on Himself the title of our Great High Priest) presents a tangible example of fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53. Bearing our iniquity, ‘uncleanness’ , in His own body. Then to ensure that all that iniquity had indeed been removed, instructed the man to ‘show yourself to the priest’, in verification.

His shed blood is available to make ‘clean’ anyone who seeks it. Just like the leper in Matthew 8.      

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   25

Shimini      (Eighth day)

Leviticus 9:1   to   11:47

After their consecration, Aaron and his sons had remained in the Tabernacle for seven days. Then, on the EIGHTH day (for interested Bible students, the topic of the ‘eighth day’ provides a most instructive and informative study) Moses announced to Aaron that the “glory of the LORD will appear to you’. But before that appearance, there would need to be a cleansing. A complete cleansing. There were sin offerings for Aaron, and sin offerings for the people. There were burnt offerings for Aaron, and burnt offerings for the people. Grain offerings for Aaron, and grain offerings for the people. A wave offering and a sacrifice of a peace offering. The only offering not made that day was a trespass offering.

There was a point during this major offering of sacrifice, that Aaron lifted his hand toward the people and blessed them. A kind on new beginning for them all. Then suddenly “the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people”. Just as Moses had told them. It must have been a terrifying experience. Try, if you can, to imagine it. Standing there, at the door of the Tabernacle, being blessed by the High Priest, and then “fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar’. Those offerings Aaron had prepared as a sacrifice to the LORD, He TOOK, in the fire. An act of acceptance by Him. We can read that account now and see it in “ho hum” fashion, and as “just another of God’s miracles”. But it is NOT. This is God instilling in His people a “reverential fear” of Himself. The reverential fear of which, people, even today, should take very careful note. The awesome might and majesty of our God. The reverential fear which Solomon would later say is the “beginning of wisdom”. And of which the writer to Hebrews would comment “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”. The reverential fear which, regrettably, is nowhere, or perhaps rarely, to be found in our society today. And we are the losers.

That should have been the end of it. But it wasn’t. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, were so awestruck, that they took some incense, put it in a censer, set it alight and offered that as an offering before the LORD. That was NOT part of God’s command. This demonstration of awe and might by God was His alone. The people all around were on their faces in “reverential fear”. Nadab and Abihu wanted to share in the glory of the spectacle before them. And they did. The fire which had consumed the offerings on the altar, suddenly consumed them too! I can only try to imagine Aaron, witnessing this event, mouth open, looking at the spot where moments earlier his two sons had stood. But Moses knew. He turned to Aaron and said “This is what the LORD spoke, saying. ‘by those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy (set apart); And before all the people, I (and only I) must be glorified,’”. We would do well to let that sink in. It is a lesson we must all learn if we are to be in right relationship with Almighty God. Reverential fear.

God then spoke directly to Aaron regarding his own appearances before Him when he entered the tabernacle of meeting to perform his Priestly duties. He was to be completely sober, and in clarity of mind be able to “distinguish between the holy and the unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses”.  Remember, these were things they had already heard from Moses and had willingly agreed to in covenant with God. And shortly after God had spoken to Aaron, Moses had cause to address Aaron and his two remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar about the fact that they had not followed the correct procedure in dealing with the sin offering of the people. It was to be eaten by them in the tabernacle, which was symbolic of them literally taking the sin of the people. Instead they had burnt it all on the altar. But Aaron concluded that the sin offering was actually for the priests themselves, so that the correct procedure had been followed. These were early days for them, and they were all learning “on the job”.  Such was the care they took to carefully observe all that God had, through Moses instructed them. Another lesson.

My final ‘reflection’ on this passage notes the long list of animals, fish, and birds which were “kosher” (a word which simply means ‘proper’) food for them. These foods are mentioned again in Deuteronomy 14, And we have mention of clean and unclean animals in the story of the flood (Genesis 7). Now this is a huge issue for many christians. Often exacerbated by people who  mis-quote the Scriptures of Matthew 15 and Mark 7. In these gospel accounts the issue was about eating without washing hands, and hygienic as it is, that is not a biblical commandment. Christians also generally fail to grasp that these gospel accounts were written by Jews to Jews and for Jews. The customs and practises of the Jews ensured that the clear command regarding the dietary laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy were part of their culture. Built in to them over many centuries. So when the word “food” is used in Scripture it means just that. “Food” meant animals fish and birds which were ‘clean’. As well as grain crops of course. Full stop.

Even though I have a strong personal conviction that these commandments have never been abrogated, and am very comfortable with what the LORD has spoken to me in regard to that, I have also been an advocate, for a number of years, that we avoid divisive argument about this issue. If you have a personal concern about this matter, my strong recommendation is that you go before the LORD, with an open mind, and an open Bible, and ask Him to show you what you should do. If you are sincere, He WILL tell you.

Shabbat Shalom

RS                           

Torah Reflections   “Pesach 2”

Torah portion           Exodus 13 : 17  - 15 : 26 

Haftarah portion     Numbers  28 : 16 – 25

The Torah of YHWH given to Moses

We come to the last day of the celebration and remembrance of “Pesach”.

The parashah narrative begins with the statement of fact that the Pharoah had finally agreed to “let the people go”. It continues with the story of the journey of escape from Egypt, and the drowning of the pursuing Egyptian army, and it ends with the provision of “sweet water” to drink out of the bitter waters of Marah.  A fascinating story.

These events are well known. Even non-Christian sceptics are familiar with the story, so we do not need to re-visit the detail. But we need to find the lessons for ourselves as the story unfolds.

Last week we focussed on the prophetic significance of the whole season of the three Pesach festivals. This week we learn of the detail of the way the event unfolded for them in practical terms. In fact, as we arrive at the very end of the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” in our study this week, we see the hand of Almighty God, and a picture of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach in this parashah.

We could look at the provision of food, which rained down from Heaven each night, sufficient to satisfy each family for the whole day ahead. And that which was not eaten that day rotted before the next day! It was to be gathered and eaten FRESH each day (Miraculously, the same food lasted TWO days when the weekly Shabbat came around).

The Apostle John, in Chapter 6 from verse 32, records the words of Yeshua when He described Himself as “the Bread of Life”. He goes further by relating the “bread from Heaven” in Moses time with Himself.

“Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

It is not going too far to equate the Israelites need for a daily gathering of that bread, with our need today for a ‘daily gathering’ of the bread which Yeshua is. He taught us to pray ‘give us this day our daily bread’. I believe that this phrase has both a literal and a spiritual meaning. We need to gather our ‘bread’ DAILY, just as those Israelites did in our parashah.

We could look at the provision of water. Moses was told to strike the rock, out of which poured an abundance of clean fresh, life-giving water. Our beloved Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Corinth used a most interesting description of this water.

“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food,  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” 1 Corinthians 10 :1- 4.

Paul is suggesting here that the miracle of the provision of water from the Rock extended to that Rock actually following them around!!  The plain sense of this is that it was Yeshua Himself, there with the Israelites on their journeying’s in the wilderness who sustained them with life giving water. On another occasion, when Yeshau was attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, at the time of the water libation Ceremony in the Temple He said:-

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."”  John 7 : 37,38

So then, as the “mo’ed” of Pesach concludes for another year, we remind ourselves that the Passover Seder which starts the celebration of this season always ends with the participants saying “Next Year in Jerusalem”. An anticipatory statement about the coming of Messiah.

So we who are believers in Yeshau, can see the way in which this “appointed time” of Pesach not only speaks of Yeshau perfectly fulfilling His role as the ‘Lamb that was slain’, but also throughout the whole parashah we have reminders of His role in our lives as the sustainer of our life

For the believer, without Him there is no hope of life. With Him we have abundant life …. IF we choose to access it.  Praise be to Him.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflections             “Pesach 1”

Torah portion   Exodus 12 : 21  - 51    Numbers 28 : 16-25

Haftarah portion   Joshua  5 : 2  to  6 : 1

The Torah of YHWH given to Moses

Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.

Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.

When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.

This festival, known as “Pesach” (Passover), embraces THREE festivals in a period of eight days. The first of these remembers the actual day in history (the 14th day of the first month, Nisan) when the Israelites experienced the ‘salvation’ of the firstborn in their families by placing the blood of the Pesach Lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their houses in Egypt. The Lord ‘passed over’ their houses when He saw the blood.

It also is the exact Hebrew calendar date of the crucifixion of Yeshua. The Christian celebration of Easter (replacing Passover) was formalized at the Council of Nicea in the days of the Emperor Constantine of Rome. It signalled the official separation of the “church” from its Hebrew roots. (In my view one of Satan’s major victories over mankind).

The second remembrance is known as the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” which occurs on the very next day, Nisan 15. (It is a High Sabbath), and it lasts seven days, and begins and ends with a special Sabbath,  Note that there are always three Sabbaths during this Pesach festival.  The “High Sabbath” which marks the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, (and the Sabbath which marks the end of the festival, PLUS the normal weekly Sabbath). It is this “High Sabbath” which is the Sabbath mentioned in John 19:31 before which the Jews were anxious to confine Yeshua’s body to the grave. Then the ‘normal’ weekly Sabbath occurred immediately prior to the resurrection of Yeshua. This confirms the statement of Yeshua in Luke 11:29 (as well as in Matthew and Mark) when asked for a sign. Read it. The complete lack of understanding of this fact has caused conventional church teaching to major on an incorrect “Good Friday” crucifixion story !

Unleavened Bread is eaten during the whole eight day period of the Pesach remembrance. To Jews it is a remembrance of the fact that they ate unleavened bread, (as commanded in Exodus 12:18) as they fled from Egypt on the night of Passover. Leaven is a symbol of SIN, so to believers, the Unleavened Bread also represents the sinless body of the Messiah which was buried in the grave for three days and three nights.

The third festival in this Pesach season is the “Feast of Firstfruits”. It occurs on the day AFTER the weekly Sabbath in Pesach week. (Always a SUNDAY). It signified the beginning of the Barley Harvest and was celebrated by a priest waving an ‘omer’ (a measure) of Barley in the temple in Yeshua’s day. But it was also the day on which Yeshua was resurrected from the grave. Believers refer to it as Resurrection Sunday. (but in association with Easter rather than Passover!) It signifies that Yeshua became the “Firstfruits from the dead”.  (see 1 Corinthians15:23).

We should be grateful that churches worldwide (all varieties) remember the death and resurrection of Yeshua.  And that they do so sincerely. But more and more, many people are realizing that our roots are inextricably founded in Judaism and the Lord’s “mo’edim” (appointed times). Those that do then focus more on Passover than Easter.

In addition to your own church fellowship, this year, take the trouble to find a fellowship of believers who celebrate Passover, and join them in that celebration. You will be enlightened, blessed and immeasurably enriched as you do.

Chag Sameach   (Happy Holiday)

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection    24

Tzav      (Command)

Leviticus 6:1 to  8:36

A confession. The first TWO Torah portions in Leviticus deal with the FIVE different offerings which were to be made to the LORD. For the sake of clarity and convenience, I chose to deal with those offerings as a group in our ‘reflection’ last week, even though, in part, they are also covered in some detail in this week’s portion. But before that, there is an important item, which was not covered last week and to which I now refer.

“If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter  - if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.” (Leviticus 5:1) So what about it? Seems quite innocuous doesn’t it? In Matthew 26, we read that Yeshua stood “on trial” before Caiaphas, and that He remained silent. In desperation and anger Caiaphas said “I put you under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”  To have remained silent, Yeshua would have committed the sin referred to in Leviticus 5:1. But He remained “The Lamb without blemish”, by making that confession before his detractors. He bore appalling indignity and pain as a result. The enraged Caiaphas, “tore his clothes”. It has been observed that if these clothes were the ‘Priestly Garments”, Caiaphas immediately became disqualified from that office and could no longer perform the duty of slaying the “Passover Lamb”. But OUR Passover Lamb that year was Yeshua who offered Himself as the sacrifice for many. That is a reminder to us of how perfectly Yeshau upheld and practised Torah. Always our example.

In our portion this week we see examples of some matters which might require men to make a Trespass offering. AND make restitution to the value of 120% of the ‘damage’. We carefully note that this was a mandatory ordinance. It was, and still is. It has never been revoked. A solemn requirement, which is necessary for the functioning of an orderly society. Except, that there is no longer a place to offer such a sacrifice, which constitutes a humble act of repentance. However, we have the great privilege of having our Great High Priest before Whom we may repent, gain forgiveness, and out of a repentant heart, make appropriate restitution. As long as sin remains part of our society, the need for repentance also remains.

A lesson here. There was no provision for establishing a police force!! And what made it work was “the fear of the LORD”. And, my dear friends, when Yeshua comes to establish His rule on earth, there will again be NO police force. Why? Because we will live under a NEW covenant in “the fear of the LORD”. That new covenant cannot be taught. It will be put in our minds, and written on our hearts by God Himself. Unbreakable. And satan will not be around to cause disruption. Well may we ask “Where is the fear of the LORD today? Let that sink in. I provide a common example, which is rife in our society, even in people of faith. It is a trespass against the LORD. Cheating on pension and social security payments, including the non declaration of payments for work done by such recipients.    Selah!

It is also significant that the Priests, when presented with a variety of offerings, chose to deal with them in an orderly way, appropriating priority to some over others. Their priority order was:-

Sin offering and/or Trespass offering.
Burnt offering.
Peace offering and Grain offering.

This order is symbolic of the spiritual significance of the sacrificial system. First sin was dealt with. Then the worshipper committed himself completely to God. Finally establishment of fellowship between the LORD, the Priest and the worshipper.

Leviticus 8 repeats, but in more detail, the act of consecration of Aaron as High Priest, and his sons who might one day inherit that position. They were brought before the congregation of the people at the door of the Tabernacle of meeting of the people. It was a solemn moment of consecration. Everyone present witnessed the event. There were no secret ‘deals’. Everything was witnessed by the people, and I believe, as a result, Aaron was given clear authority and status to act as mediator of the people into the future. It is worthwhile for us to again make some comparisons between this ceremony and the experience meted out to Yeshua, as He was ‘prepared’, in full sight of all the people, to become mediator between God and mankind, for all time into the future. It was humiliating. It was degrading. It was devastating for His followers. But it was NOT the end. Aaron would serve faithfully and well as the High Priest for the rest of his life. Yeshua serves well for the rest of His life, which is a life of eternity. And we are His witnesses.

The ‘ordination’ of Aaron continued, Moses anointed him with oil, and sprinkled him with some of the blood of the sacrifice. Then the portion of the sacrifice, the ram of consecration, which Moses offered was eaten at the door of the Tabernacle until it was finished, and if any remained it was burned in the fire. None of that sacrifice left the Tabernacle. Aaron became the living representative of God, interceding for the people, acknowledged by the people and serving faithfully all his days. It is not easy for us, as gentiles, to identify with the sacrificial ordinances which were commanded by God. It is culturally foreign. BUT, it is not to be ignored. There are lessons to be learned, and we will benefit as we learn from them.  

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection     23

Vayikra     ( Called )

Leviticus 1:1  to  5:26

For the next seven weeks we will ‘reflect’ on this Book of Leviticus! Last week we came to the end of Exodus. The story of the formation of the nation of Israel, and their journey to the land of God’s promise began in Genesis 12 when God called Abram. It continued through Exodus, then it takes a short break, before picking the story up again in Numbers. The Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are largely instructional. Leviticus for the priestly group, and Deuteronomy for the people. Exodus closed when the Tabernacle was erected and fitted ready for service. Now Moses, following the instruction received on Mt Sinai, revealed detail about how God was to be served and worshipped, and how God expected them to use the Tabernacle in their walk, uprightly, before Him. There is much detail, often seemingly repetitious, quite unambiguous, easy to follow, spelling out the responsibilities of both people and Priests. It deals with the time on the journey they were undertaking, and the time when they would eventually reach the destination, the land of God’s promise.

The portion of Scripture today deals with various offerings the people might bring before the LORD, the reasons for them, and what is to happen to those offerings. There are THREE participants to these FIVE offerings. The one making the offering. The Priest who acts as an intermediary. And God, to Whom the  offering is rendered. The offerings are:-

The Burnt Offering

The Grain Offering

The Peace Offering, always referred to as “sacrifice of the Peace Offering”.

The Sin Offering

The Trespass Offering

These offerings fall into TWO categories.The first THREE mentioned above are ‘voluntary’ and willingly presented. The last TWO are mandatory. The first of them comprising just the offering itself, the second one additionally  involving a penalty of restitution. The actual detail is more easily read that explained, and I encourage you to do so. In this ‘reflection’ we will look at some features which provide lessons for us today, where they exist. The sacrificial system we are discussing came to an end when the Herodian Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Emperor Titus in the year 70 C.E. The Scriptures indicate that there will be yet another Temple constructed before the return of Yeshua to this earth, and that one will be desecrated by the ‘man of peace’ (the Beast) when he demands that he alone is to be worshipped there. It will be a time of dreadful persecution and even death for any who remain true to our faith.

The Burnt Offering may be of the herd (a bull) the flock (sheep or goat), or for the very poor a small bird (Dove or Pidgeon). A condition being that the animals must be ‘without blemish’. The lesson here is that we bring to God the very best we have to offer, not a ‘cast off’ or something of no further use to us. The Priest identified with that offering by placing his own hand on it before killing the animal, sprinkling the blood around the Alter, preparing it, and then Burning the whole animal (less the skin) on the Alter. The Priest had no part for himself (other than the skin). The purpose of this offering was to atone for unintentional sin in general, or an act of devotion or commitment.

The Grain Offering provided an act of devotion, or of thanksgiving for God’s bountiful provision. Also as an accompaniment to the peace offering. If it were the Priest’s own offering it was all consumed in the fire. If presented by another, only a token handful was burned and the Priest kept the rest. But it had to be consumed within the boundary of the Tabernacle.

The sacrifice of the Peace Offering was an act of devotion or for sealing a vow to God. Any animal without blemish together with a variety of breads , unleavened of course, was acceptable. The fatty portions, kidneys, lobe of the liver etc were to be burned (God’s portion). The High Priest was given the breast of the animal (a wave offering) and the right leg to the officiating Priest (a heave offering). The remainder was consumed within two days by the one making the offering.

The Sin Offering was for cleansing from unintentional sin, confession of sin, and forgiveness of sin. God’s portion was the same as the peace offering. If the offering was for the High Priest and the congregation itself, the rest of the animal was burnt outside the camp. In the rubbish dump. For other people, it was burnt on the altar and consumed by the Priests, but within the confines of the Tabernacle.

The Trespass Offering was for an unintentional event which the Priest deemed to require restitution, regarding “the Holy things of the LORD”. The Priest would asses the value of the ‘trespass’, and in addition to bringing a Ram without blemish, an amount of 120% of the assessed value was also to be paid. God again received the fatty portions as in the two previous offerings and the rest was to be eaten within the court of the Tabernacle.

Now another lesson. We need to understand that the outstanding element of this whole process was in order to ‘get right with God’. The sacrificial system provided for multiple opportunities to ‘get right with God’. They erred, they repented, they brought a sacrifice. NO, we do not any longer have to present ourselves with ‘the blood of bulls and goats’. We also acknowledge that Yeshua spilt His own blood as a ransom for our sin, ‘once for all time’, YES. But, just as in our ‘reflection’ above, there was no ‘once for all time repentance ’ for them. In our lives, there is no ‘once for all time’ repentance. In our ‘reflection’ God saw the repentant heart, and forgave them, every time. So for us, we know when we have erred. We repent. We bring our pleas before a Holy God. He accepts OUR sacrifice. The fruit of our lips. Seeking His forgiveness. His answer “It’s already paid for”.       

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   22

Vayak’hel/Pekuda     (Assembled/Accounts)

Exodus 35:1 to 40:36     Double portion this year

The portion this week starts with yet another reminder and command for the people to “remember and to observe” the Sabbath. Must be important eh? So much has been written about this down through the years which attempt to justify the change of the “seventh day” to the “first day”. This was formalised in 321 C.E. by the Emperor Constantine, and since then, the “church” has appropriated to itself the authority to make such changes to ‘festivals’ and ‘observances’ as it, in its consideration, deemed appropriate. Constantine has been categorised as wanting to put as much distance as possible between his faith (Christianity) and Judaism. He succeeded. But there is not a single shred of Scriptural evidence for such change. With the command given to Moses, were examples of practises, like work and lighting fires (presumably for cooking) which were forbidden on the Sabbath day.

Now it is true that in their enthusiasm to keep the Sabbath holy, the sages and Rabbi’s, over a long period of time, put many “hedges” and “fences” around the Sabbath which, to most protestant groups seem to be quite “over the top”. On a tour I took to Israel not many years ago, walking through the Jewish Quarter of the old city, one of our group was asked by a lady from one of the homes there if he were Gentile or Jewish. He is gentile. So she requested that he go into her home to turn on the cooker so she could prepare lunch!! A Rabbinic ruling which prohibits a Jew from ‘lighting fires’. There are many  other examples which could be cited. BUT, the principle is to ensure that the commandments of God are not violated. Why? Because the penalty for non observance was death. There is the other extreme too. The view of many Christians that God’s “Law” has been made redundant by the sacrificial death of Yeshua. And that flies in the face of Yeshua’s own declaration. Read it. (Matthew 23:2-4) “ The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat (in the synagogues and Temple as teachers) Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do (because it is correct teaching), but do NOT do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”  Hypocritical. Good time to take stock ourselves eh! Sabbath observance?? Anything else? Evidently Yeshua was a Pharisee both in teaching and in deed. Never once did He teach that the “law” was obsolete. He was “in the beginning” right?

Then followed the command, a repeat of one given in Exodus 25, about  willingly bringing offerings to the LORD. And we read “The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the LORD, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the LORD, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.” How many of our churches today would like to put this notice outside their buildings? “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. And the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done - indeed too much.” Bezalal was the chief artisan, but he too had plenty of help, and in the fullness of time, the work was completed.

There are many observations which might be made about this whole process of getting the tabernacle ready for worship of God. We will ‘reflect’ on this and see if there is a lesson for today in that process. Moses was instructed about when and in which order the many elements were to be set in place. “On the first day of the first month”, would be one year after they had left Egypt. First the Tent of meeting. The central structure containing the Holy Place, which had two ‘spaces’. In the inner ‘space’ only the ark of the Testimony. The item in which God said He would dwell among them. The message I get is PUT God first. Before everything else. Whatever He says to you .. DO. Then that space was partitioned off with a veil with access to it only through an intercessor, the High Priest. Who is our High Priest?    Yeshua Ha’Mashiach.

In the outer “space” there were three items of furniture. The Table. Destined to have on it the twelve loaves of the showbread. The Bread of the Presence. Consumed by the priests. God declared that His people were to be a “kingdom of priests”. By faith we who believe and trust Him are His people. We are to ‘feed’ on that “Bread of the Presence” that we might be sustained. The Lampstand. Giving light continually in the Holy Place. The light sustained by specially made oil. In Scripture, oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. We are told to “let our light so shine before men that they may see you good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) The Altar of Incense. Set immediately before the veil. Incense is a symbol of prayer and praise. That which is offered continually before our God. Our “sacrifice of praise offered continually” (Hebrews 13:15). The fruit of our lips. Then the screen which separates that Holy Place from the outer court was erected. Only priests were allowed past that screen. Then in the outer court of the Tabernacle were the Sacrificial Altar and the Bronze Laver.

But finally, I want to ‘reflect’ on the preparation of the High Priest for his task as Intercessor for the people. Read it carefully in Exodus 40:12-15. Aaron and his sons were brought before the ‘door of the tabernacle’. They were stripped and washed, publicly. Surely a humiliating experience. Then dressed in their Priestly garments ready to intercede for the people. I cannot help but draw a comparison between this and the public humiliation of our High Priest, Yeshua, as He was ‘commissioned’ for His task of representing us before the same God, He Who lived among the people, but now sits in the Throne room of heaven, where one day we will all stand before Him.          

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   21

Ki Tisa     (When you take a Census)

Exodus 30:11 to 34:35

The reading last week ended with the LORD instructing Moses that Aaron must make an annual “offering of atonement with the blood of the sin offering” on the altar in the Holy Place. Immediately after that, we find instructions regarding the taking of a census of the people. The census was related to the payment of a ‘half shekel’ ransom for every person over 20 years of age, as an offering to the LORD. The money so collected was “for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD , to make atonement for yourselves.”  So it was, that God ensured that they had means to maintain the tabernacle of meeting and repair or replace anything that needed attention. This was a duty entrusted to the High Priest, because it was he who had intimate knowledge of anything that might need attention. Much, much later, during the Roman occupation of the land, the collection of this annual census ‘tax’, (which became known as a Temple tax) was so lucrative that the office of High Priest was compromised. It became a much sought after political appointment, totally ignoring the command, in our portion today, that that office be held by a descendant of Aaron. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” said the Apostle Paul (1 Timothy 6:10). The compromise of the priesthood (and even some Pentecostal personalities in our day) has its origin right there.

So the High Priest was commanded how to dress, how to prepare, and how to perform his service to the LORD. And he was not the only one. “See, I have called by name Bezalel (Heb: ‘In the protection of God’) the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.” And Olihab of the tribe of Dan was appointed to assist him. “And all that I have commanded you they shall do.” What an assignment! So it was that the Tabernacle construction arrangements were in place.

And now, before Moses completed his 40 day sojourn on the mountain, God had one more instruction. It was not about the Tabernacle of meeting, but about the Sabbath. For the previous couple of months, God had provided the people with “manna”, that bread from heaven, and all of them were aware that on the sixth day they had to collect enough for two days. There was  none available on the seventh day. God Himself was resting that day. The example was before their eyes. But now God gave Moses specific instructions regarding Sabbath observance. “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.”  That is worthy of our complete attention. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been an annulment of that commandment. YES, it is part of the covenant the people made with the LORD, a covenant which, as a nation they broke (but not that part of it). But the commandment stands. The fact that they broke it does NOT annul it!! It remains “a sign that I am the LORD Who sanctifies you.”   Selah!

Then God gave Moses the “two tablets of the Testimony written with His own finger.”  Moses was on that mountain for two and half months. No mobile phone to keep in touch. It was a long time, and the people were concerned he might not return. Oooops!

Now the main reaction to the making of that golden calf is “Why on earth did they do that .. after ALL that God had done for them in the past few months. Bringing them out of Egypt and providing food and water for a start. The pillar of cloud and of fire. “  But Moses was the contact man, the connection, and he was not there. So they did the unthinkable. They created their own God. Is there a lesson there? We have the Bible, the account of God’s great dealing with His people. This ‘golden calf’ incident is part of it. We no longer have Moses to speak to us and for us. God has ordained that we have access to Him, through His word and by prayer. Our Moses if you will. His relationship with His people relies on the communication means we already have. So here are some questions. How much do we use those communication channels? And what happens when we don’t use them? I wouldn’t build a golden calf I hear myself saying. But look what God said to Ezekiel. “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?” (Ezekiel 14) Ouch!! Take time to examine yourself. Check what might be your “golden calf’, or “calves”. Trust me, this incident has many modern day applications. And if we follow the story before us we see that there are very serious consequences. Moses went before the LORD and made humble confession to Him, offering to bear the consequences himself. (That sounds a bit familiar to Christians doesn’t it?) God answered him “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.”

But the LORD is merciful and gracious. Moses met with Him again on the mountain and said “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.” The Lord said “Behold I make a covenant. I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation.” And more. He spoke about leading them to the land of His promise and warned them again that when He did they should tear down the idols and high places of worship of those idols “For I, the LORD whose name is Jealous am a jealous God.” And He does not change.                

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   20

Tetzaveh     (Will command)

Exodus 27:20 to 30:10

The LORD instructed Moses to make the furniture and the different utensils and articles of worship necessary to complete the Tent of Meeting. I find it interesting that God had already shown Moses what these things would look like (Exodus 27:8) as Moses was on the mountain, and now He was providing the construction detail. How thorough our God is. I see a lesson here. Imagine, if you can, that Moses, having been shown these articles, decided to work from memory to instruct the artisans. What might they have ended up like? Moses would surely have put a few of his own ‘touches’ to the design don’t you think? When we were called by God to be part of His family, we had a glimpse of a new life, we were enthusiastic to follow God’s plan for us weren’t we? He gave us all detailed instructions (actually written in a Book) to show us how to proceed. How often do we refer to those instructions I wonder? How much do we rely on our memory of an experience, sometimes decades ago, to walk the path of life? How much are we “putting our own touches” to the plan God prepared for us? Is the finished article exactly what God intended for us when He called us? Moses followed the instructions to the letter!

Aaron and his four sons were given a special assignment. As part of their recognition Aaron was to have special clothes. Holy garments. Colourful and distinctive. They were ‘for glory and for beauty’. In the desert! There was them .. and God. This was not for show for anyone else. This was personal. Them .. and God. Aaron was the one tasked with presenting sacrifices, gifts, offerings, and prayers on behalf of the people directly to Almighty God. I see an awesome sight enacted here, because the people did not SEE what went on in that Holy Place. Aaron went in alone in person. They went in “by faith”. What an incredible picture that is of OUR High Priest, Yeshua, interceding before Almighty God on our behalf, in person. Our trust, “by faith”, is in Him to represent us before the Father. Unworthy as we are. But a note of caution here. Read it. They are not my words, they are words spoken by Yeshua when He walked this earth, our Great High Priest, the One representing us before His Father in heaven. Matthew 7 : 20-23.

Image taken from https://www.slideshare.net/bishop01/the-garments-of-the-high-priest

The design of the holy garments and what each element represents is worth noting. The head band of gold inscribed with the words “Holiness unto YHWH”. On his shoulders, two onyx stones set in gold, each stone engraved with six of the tribes of Israel in the order of their birth. The breastplate of Judgement, fine woven linen, artistically decorated with coloured thread and   hanging on two gold chains. And on that twelve previous stones set in gold, engraved with the names of the twelve tribes. An amazing sight. Not for public gaze, but in order to present before Almighty God, the gifts, the sacrifices and prayers of the people.

Hidden inside the breastplate, the Urim and the Thummim. Stones which God instructed the High priest to use in the Judgement of the people. It is unclear how this worked, but some have speculated that they were a kind of  YES and NO indication as the High priest put his hand into the breastplate to draw one out as an answer to some alternative types of Judgement. Some might wonder about it, but the High Priest didn’t. They were there for the purpose of Judgement and that is what he used.

Around the hem of the blue robe (Ephod) was a decoration of pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, with golden bells in between each of them. The bells ‘tinkled’ as the High Priest walked, so that when he was unseen in the Holy Place he could be heard as he performed his duties. Perhaps the most interesting detail was that the Ephod was of ‘one piece’ with a hole at the top that the High Priest put his head through. It was a very strong construction. We learn later (Leviticus 10) that tearing that garment was expressly forbidden. A key factor relating to Caiaphas (Matthew 26:65) as he stood in judgement of Yeshua.

There are other ordinances specified relating to the High Priest, some relating to the consumption of the sacrificial peace offerings and the weekly loaves of bread which were to be placed on the table in the Holy Place. But the final word is that of the LORD Himself. “I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God when brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”

And friends, if we make a covenant with Him, as did the children of Israel, He will be our God too.       

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   19

Terumah     (Offering)

Exodus 25:1 to  27:21

“Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.”  Then followed the list of things that were acceptable to God. Do you ever wonder what the list would be today if God were to make such a request? One thing is sure, the conditions would remain the same. “Willingly given” would that condition. The Apostle Paul put it best in his second letter to the Corinthian ‘ekklesia’.  “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” And as we will discover in a later ‘reflection’ that is exactly what these Israelites did. But they were camping in the desert. Where did all those things come from? Ah! God had promised them that when they left Egypt they would not leave empty handed. And on the day they left He told them (Exodus 12:35,36) to ask for plenty from their Egyptian neighbours. Now we know why. God wanted to give a physical meaning to “being with them”. A tent of meeting to be set right in the centre of their camp. ‘Mishkan’ in Hebrew, a place of dwelling. A constant reminder, to them, of His presence.

The plan was not left to individual preference. The instructions were given in precise detail, and in modern times some have attempted to reconstruct this “Mishkan” using those precise plans. (I have visited two such places in Israel. One in Timnah in the desert north of Eilat, and the other in a ‘biblical garden’ at Eshel Hashomron Hotel in Samaria just outside the city of Ariel. I was surprised to note that they were markedly different in size, one from the other!!)  The design is quite simple in shape. An outer court shielded from the outside by a high curtain. A tent standing within that court. And within that tent another curtain (veil) which divides that tent into two separate spaces. The materials and the dimensions are precisely defined.

The whole “Mishkan” is approximately 50m x 25m in area. But the actual size is specified in ‘cubits’. The tent which comprises the two areas of the holy place is approximately 15m x 5m. But the first item described is the “The Ark”. The ‘box’ which is the most holy receptacle, to reside in the Most Holy Place.  It is ornately covered with a seat fashioned with two “winged cherubim”, one at each end, their wings extended to cover the seat itself. The whole ‘box’ designed in such a manner as to prevent anyone having to even touch it, borne on poles fixed to it through carrying rings. Both the ‘box’ and the poles overlaid with gold. It was from this “mercy seat” that “There I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two “cherubim” which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.”

Now the detailed instructions continue right to the end of this passage of Scripture. It is tempting to ‘skip over’ things, because we are never likely to have to build such a structure. But there are valuable lessons to be learned for those who wish to learn them. This is to be a place of meeting with a holy God. He is very precise about that meeting place. Nothing sloppy to be found there. Centuries later, the Holy Spirit revealed an interesting parallel to the Apostle Paul. The “Mishkan” had been replaced by a more modern and permanent structure, the Temple, which functioned in similar manner to the Tabernacle. And because we have the historical account, we know that even that Temple would be destroyed not many years later. Writing to the ‘ekklesia’ in Corinth, Paul said “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” So the question that every believer should be asking is this. If God was so precise and particular about the place where He would meet with His people, as in our passage today, and we learned in our passage last week that God does not change, do we have any reason to think that He is any less concerned now, than He was then, about His place of meeting?

Just last week, we saw how God gave the people Torah, “instructions for living righteously”. The covenant He made with them was conditional upon their adherence to those instructions. They agreed. It is comfortable to think that as gentiles we have no such commitment. Certainly no covenant was made with gentiles, so are gentiles free of any covenant responsibility? We are quite ready to see ourselves, as Christians, as the temple of the Holy Spirit aren’t we? And YES, as believers we are washed in the shed blood of Yeshua. John’s gospel, quoting Yeshua says, “IF you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” Twice in Matthew's gospel and once in that of Mark, Yeshua is quoted as saying “He that endures unto the end will be saved.”  Now putting all that together as I ‘reflect’ on the implications of a ‘holy place’ in which God meets with His people, I think we should be careful to order our lives in a way that ensures there is no deviation from the high standard which is expected of the meeting place which is prepared for God to talk with us.

Finally, there is to be light in the Tabernacle. It is to burn continually. Here again, not any oil will do. It had to be pure pressed olive oil. And this “shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.” There is a permanence about this meeting place. There are, in my view, both physical and metaphorical applications here. The physical is no longer with us, but Scripture is clear, it will be restored. The metaphorical, our body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, is always with us. Let us pray that God gives us wisdom to understand the conditions under which He readily take His place to speak with us.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   18

Mishpatim     (Judgements)

Exodus 21:1 to 24:18

Last week we looked at the instructions God gave to Moses ‘on the mountain’. Those instructions have NEVER been revoked. John’s gospel tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God.” Doesn’t that say that Yeshua, “the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us,” who was One with the Father, gave us the instructions for righteous living?” Has that changed? Have the “Ten Words” changed? Those “ten words” are often seen in two dimensions. The first four having a vertical relationship .. God and man. The last six, a horizontal relationship .. man with fellow man. Has that changed? Through the prophet Malachi, God declared “I am the LORD, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)     Count on it!

Now there are some, quoting Hebrews 8, who misunderstand the difference between Torah (instructions) and Covenant (agreement). There is a new (better) covenant coming. A new agreement which will be unbreakable. Not like the old, which was breakable, and was broken by the Israelites. And that NEW covenant will be made with the same people as the original covenant. In this week’s portion of Scripture, God puts a great deal, but not all, of the detail about the way He expects His covenant partners to live their lives. And that, to serve, in part, as an example and witness to the pagan nations living around them. Gentile nations. That’s us.

The detail contained in our text today makes excellent reading. It must be viewed as a contrast between living in an orderly and compassionate setting, opposed to a “survival of the fittest”, self absorbed and selfish society. These instructions are given to a people called to be a “Kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” First up it covers a situation of which we have very little contemporary knowledge. Servants and slaves, people sold into bondage. Those who are given in marriage, and the safeguards to protect their welfare. Killing, both accidental and intentional. Treatment of unruly animals. Theft of animals and property. And so on and on. Lending, sorcery, bribery, property taken as surety in a transaction, giving false evidence against another, treatment of widows and the fatherless. This is our God in action. Caring for everyone who belongs to Him. But it only works when we, who are His, live by His rules. And God is NOT to blame for those who deliberately choose not to.

But God is not only concerned with people, but with land use too. He is the originator of conservation and care for the land. And that is tied up with His instruction regarding the Sabbath. The seventh day. And for the land, the seventh year. A “Shemita” (release) year. Sabbath observation which God gave to Moses is pivotal to the health of both people and land. But, except in Israel,  it is totally ignored today, to our cost. So the LORD instructed Moses about land use. BUT they weren’t even in the land. And possessed NO land. And to my mind, as I ‘reflect’ on this, I see how God was PREPARING them for the future. Just as I believe He is PREPARING believers today, for the future. It may even be considered a time to “practise”. Getting ready. It’s God’s way.

Here they are, just a few months into their journey and God is giving instruction to Moses, as to how they should conduct themselves when they become a nation living in that land of Promise. He moves on. “Three times you shall keep a feast (mo’ed) to Me in the year.” These are times when God would require the males of each household to appear before Him at His appointed time, in the place of His choosing, to bring sacrifice and offering to Him. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the seven days immediately following Passover. The Feast of Harvest, seven weeks after Passover, at the time of the Barley harvest. And the Feast of Ingathering, in their Autumn (also known as Tabernacles). Each of these times have a prophetic significance in the life of Yeshua, and two of them have already been fulfilled. The last one, heralded by the sound of the Trumpets ten days earlier when Yeshua returns to this earth as King of kings, signifies that great ingathering of the faithful who are to be invited to the Marriage supper of the Lamb.  Then another amazing promise. “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.”

But there are a few conditions. In their case they were very real, practical obstacles. “If you DO all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemy,  and an adversary to your adversaries.” Should I expect God to have that relationship with me? Am I prepared to accept the conditions He put on these Israelites of old? It is often the case isn’t it? We are very happy to receive the blessing, but much less ready to accept the responsibility. As indeed did they  on occasions when ‘push came to shove’. But God was also cautious to let them know that conquering the land would not be an instantaneous event. It would take time. “Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and you inherit the land.” Exodus 23:31 broadly describes the extent of that land. “Red Sea to the Sea (Mediterranean), Philistia (Gaza) and up the coast, through the desert as far as the ‘River’ (Euphrates).” That is about FOUR times the size of Israel today!! That is the promise of a covenant keeping God.   Selah!

Our passage today comes to an end with the actual COVENANT . Referred to as “The Mosaic Covenant”. Moses wrote God’s instructions (Torah) in a BOOK. He called it “The Book of the Covenant”. Then he read it to the people. And they said “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.”  THAT IS THE COVENANT (agreement) they made.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   17

Yitro     (Jethro)

Exodus 18:1 to 20:23

It seems evident that Moses, presumably in order to give his FULL attention to the task the LORD had set him, had sent his wife and children back to Midian to be with Zipporah’s father, Jethro (earlier referred to as Reuel). News of the “exodus” had reached Jethro, so he accompanied Zipporah and her children to re-unite with Moses, after that battle with the Amalekites.

Jethro was a priest of Midian. A nomadic group, who had, many years earlier, bought Joseph from his brothers, and with whom Moses spent about 40 years. The last we hear of the Midianites is when Gideon drove them away (Judges 8:28). Interestingly, Midian was Abraham’s son, by Keturah, so there would have been a historic connection to the God of Abraham, and that comes out in Jethro’s actions. I speculate that his connection with Moses over a 40 year period would have strengthened that. In any event, the relationship was cordial and they shared fellowship in worshipping God together. Jethro  also observed Moses as he dealt with his daily counsel of the people. A good lesson here. “The thing that you do is not good.” WHAT? Moses is giving himself wholeheartedly to the service of God isn’t he? But in who’s strength was he so doing? Here then is a word to the wise.

“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 (Heb:Torah), and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.”  Then Jethro told Moses he should “select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, … and let them judge the people at all times …”  Moses time was to be spent in communion with God, but be available to these ‘elders’ for ‘grievous’ issues.

(Many churches today operate in a hierarchical business model, where a Pastor is the C.E.O.  and the Elders, if there are any, are the Directors. That is the model Jethro is wisely counselling Moses to avoid. The model here is a multiplicity of teaching elders. Almighty God being the source of that teaching through His word. It was NOT hierarchical in structure)

“In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt.” The sages have identified this as being coincident with the “mo’ed” of “The feast of weeks”, the time of the giving of Torah to Moses. Let us be clear about “Torah”. It is a word which refers to “teaching or instruction”. At it’s root it also has connection with archery, “yarah”, as in “hitting the mark”. By contrast, the Hebrew word translated “sin” is “chata”, another archery word meaning “to miss the mark”. But the “Torah” is NOT God’s covenant. It is God’s INSTRUCTION for righteous living. So what IS that covenant?

The camp of the Israelites moved on, and came to a place before a mountain. Mount Sinai. From that mountain, God called to Moses with some instructions. “Say this to the people, you have seen that I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to Myself.”  There was more. “IF you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant (which had not yet been made), then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for ALL the earth is Mine.” Moses called the elders (the teachers who had been appointed by him) and told them what had occurred. “Then all the people answered together and said ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do’.” That was the covenant made by the elders of the people. A covenant is an AGREEMENT, and this one was conditional.

What followed was a spectacular demonstration of the very presence of God on that mountain. The people had prepared themselves as God had instructed Moses, they washed themselves and their clothing, CLEAN as they stood before the mountain of God’s appearing. And they watched as Moses was called into the very presence of God. Fire and smoke. A loud trumpet blast. Warn the people. Then God said “bring Aaron with you, but no-one else.”

You shall have NO other god’s before Me

You shall not make any carved image to bow down to them.

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy.

Honour your father and your mother.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not. Bear false witness against your neighbour.

You shall not covet your neighbour’s house, wife or possessions.

These are God’s INSTRUCTIONS.  They are NOT suggestions. They form the basis of the civil, legal, and moral code of every modern Western civilisation. BUT even they are NOT the covenant. We will get to that next week! It would be rare to find anyone who does not recognise the ‘words’, often referred to as “The Ten Words”, which God spoke to Moses on that mountain. And most people would claim that they observe the generality of what is contained therein. But the fourth commandment is also almost universally ignored. The claim being that it has been substituted by another ‘day’. Friday for Muslims, Sunday for Christians. Friends there is no evidence in the Scriptures for the abrogation of ANY of those words which God spoke to Moses. It may provide an enlightening study to ponder why it is that this commandment of God, to ‘Remember’ here, and to “Observe” in Deuteronomy 5:12. is so lightly disregarded. Be blessed in your studies.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   16

Beshalach     (Sent out)

Exodus 13:17 to 17:16

So Pharaoh let the people go. Moses took the bones of Joseph with them as their forebears had promised they would. God directed the route they should go. The short route was along the coast, well north of the Red Sea. But that route involved possible conflict with the Philistines, which God said, might have been discouraging enough to cause the people to turn back. In continuation of His miraculous display of might and power, God caused a “pillar of cloud” to guide them by day, and a ”pillar of fire”, giving light, to guide them through the darkness. Eventually they came to a place where they rested, a place where they could see both the desert and the sea. Pi Hahiroth, on the eastern border of Egypt where the terrain was slightly elevated. Read the story. It gave them a good view of the advancing armies of the Pharaoh. At that sight, they had their first (of many) complaints against Moses. IN a most decisive statement of leadership and faith in God, faced, as they were, with overwhelming enemy force. Moses responded, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He WILL accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today (a very large force of armed men with chariots and horses), you shall see again no more FOREVER. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”  Just consider that.

Well, what followed is very well known by believers the world over. The “pillar of cloud” moved and stood between the Israelites and the Egyptians, so that the Egyptian armies could not see ahead. The “pillar of fire” went ahead of the Israelites giving light in the darkness. Then they came to the Red Sea. I do not need to add words to the text. God wrought another miracle. Summed up in the words “So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea  …  Not so much as one of them remained.” (Exodus 14:27,28) And the result of that was “Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.”  And that leaves a question for those who read the account of that miraculous event. What is MY view of the God who so miraculously saves His people in covenant keeping love?   Selah!

Moses’ reaction? And that of his sister Miriam? “I will sing unto 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.”  If you know the song from the “Scripture in song” days of the 70’s and 80’s  … sing it .. now! You will be in some pretty impressive company! We know that Moses wrote Psalm 90 and another song (Deuteronomy 32).  But we also read in Revelation 15, that “seven angels, having the seven last plagues, for in them is the wrath of God is complete.” sing the “song of Moses, and the song of the Lamb.” How about that?

With the threat of the Egyptians gone, they set out across a desert. No water. Anywhere. Eventually they came to an oasis, there was water. Undrinkable. Another miracle of God. The LORD showed Moses a tree, which when cast into the water made it drinkable. Perhaps we should remind ourselves that we are looking at a LARGE group of people here, well over a million, maybe 2 million, plus their cattle. But God needed to get some commitment from the whole group, so He said “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”  He then led them to a place, Elim, where there was plenty of water and some shade (but not much). “So they camped there.” At this point they were probably not much more than a couple of weeks into their travels. And they had no idea where they were going, or how long it would take. So when one is tempted to judge them harshly (and one is), try to remember their circumstances.

About a month into the journey the complaining started again. They recalled that they ate well when they were in Egypt (probably minimising some of the hardships). So the LORD told Moses how He would provide “bread from heaven” for the people, every day. Like food falling from heaven, appearing with the morning dew. And a double portion on the sixth day. This is the very first mention to the Israelites of the seventh day having something special about it! No food delivery. God was teaching His chosen people how to trust Him and learn about being special in His sight. The first steps of nationhood. Just one month after rescuing them from slavery in Egypt. “So the people rested on the seventh day.” (Exodus 16:30) And they still do, to this very day. So God instructed Moses to keep a”jar’”of that “bread” as a reminder in the future as to how they were sustained in the wilderness.

Two more miracles sustained them as they journeyed. As they moved along, the issue of water provision was a constant concern. In the first event, God told Moses to take some of the elders of the people as witnesses, and the staff which he had held over the waters of the Red Sea, then to strike a rock with it. Water in abundance gushed from the rock. Then later they were confronted by some hostile Amalekites. You know the story. Moses hands raised, the Israelites prevailed. Hands down, Amalekites prevailed. When the battle was won, Moses built an altar to the LORD. Jehovah Nissi. The LORD is my Banner. But that encounter also sealed the fate of the Amalekites for evermore. Perpetual conflict with the Children of Israel.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   15

 Bo    (Come)

Exodus 10:1 to 13:16

In early to mid April last year (2020), I, like most others around the world was self isolating because of world health issues. It was also the time of the feast of the Passover. How remarkable! Despite the current situation, all over the world, Jewish and Christian families who see themselves ‘grafted in’ to the ‘natural olive tree’, Israel, (Romans 11:17) are telling the story of this event in the Passover Seder (the telling).

“ Go into Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I might show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s sons the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and MY signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.” And friends, that is what Passover is about. That the world may know that “I AM THE LORD.” So be it.

We ended our ‘reflection’ last week after SEVEN plagues. Before the last six, Pharaoh had agreed to let the people go, and six times he broke his word. So Moses and Aaron went again to Pharaoh, reporting the words of God, and said “How long will you refuse to humble yourself  before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me .” Following that, and Pharaoh’s obstinance, the land was plagued twice more. First with locusts and then with darkness. Again, on each occasion, the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, were spared these plagues. Pharaoh’s reaction? “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”   Moses’ reaction?  “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.” I am reminded as I write of the occasion when Noah’s family were safely on board the “floating box”. God closed the door. I am reminded of the description of Yeshua in the letter to the church at Philadelphia (Rev 3:7) “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no-one shuts and shuts and no-one opens.” The door on Pharaoh was firmly shut, BUT there was one more plague to come, a devastating plague, the death of the firstborn. And having conveyed this message to Pharaoh, Moses left “in great anger”. However, this plague, in God’s plan, affected everyone, no exceptions. Both Egyptians and Israelites included. BUT there was ‘an escape clause’.

When our covenant keeping God visited Moses and told him His plan (Genesis 3:21) He told him that they WOULD leave Egypt, and they would NOT leave empty handed. Now back to our text. God told Moses “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he WILL let you go.” But two important actions for those who would escape the plague. First, He said “Let every man ask from his (Egyptian) neighbour and every woman from her neighbour, articles of silver and articles of gold.” And they did. More about that in a future ‘reflection’.

The second instruction was given so that it would NEVER be forgotten. It is remembered and told every year to this very day. God told Moses “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” It was to be a new beginning. So He instructed him to tell the people how they should prepare to avoid the plague. The instructions were quite precise. No misunderstanding. Everyone on the “same page”. It would be appropriate here to consider how these steps are replicated in the life of our Messiah Yeshua. Select a lamb without blemish (Yeshua rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9)) on the tenth day of the month, examine it carefully (He was examined by both Jewish and Roman authorities and found blameless) to ensure it is without blemish. Then at twilight on the fourteenth day kill (sacrifice) it, roast it, and eat it together in your family. (SO Yeshua became the embodiment of that lamb, and the conditions of salvation both then and now are the same for everyone.) As God continued his instructions, the blood of the sacrificed lamb was to be painted on the doorposts and lintels of each dwelling, as a sign that those within accepted the conditions the LORD had set. It was a sign of faith.

Now take careful note. We are often told that “An Angel of Death” passed through the land. That is NOT what the Bible says. “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night.” (Exodus 12:12).  “For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians.” (Exodus 12:23) This, my dear friends is the judgement of the LORD. It is not delegated to anyone. It will be the same as we stand before Him in the Great White Throne judgment. (Revelation 20:11) I said earlier that there were no exceptions, Egyptian or Israelite, and I believe that because salvation is offered to ALL. But in order to receive that salvation, God needs to see the SIGN. It’s what you DO, not what you SAY.

Well, there is so much more in this portion of Scripture. One question often asked is “Are gentiles allowed to keep Passover?” Certainly it is a solemn duty of Jews to observe the festival and pass on to their offspring the mighty act of salvation wrought on that first Passover. Most gentiles (Christians) don’t even know the date when Passover occurs these days. But some do. My understanding is that gentiles are NOT obligated to keep this festival. BUT, for those who claim to be “grafted in” to the natural olive tree, which is Israel, they may partake of the richness and fatness of that experience. (Romans 11:17). If you are not sure, go before the LORD with an open mind, and an open Bible, and ask Him. It is certain that this festival is an “appointed time” (mo’ed) of the LORD. A time when He has promised blessing to those who ‘turn up’. Because He certainly will.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   14

Vayera     (I appeared)

Exodus 6:2 to 9:35

“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as ‘El Shaddai’, but by My name YHWH I was not known to them.” So what is the difference? God is ONE. There are not TWO God’s at work here. IF you study the Scriptures carefully, you will discover a subtle difference. I confess that my research is not exhaustive, but what I found was that when God ‘appeared’ to these patriarchs, it was in a dream or a vision or a time of reflective contemplation. It was a time when covenantal promises were made. But when God ‘spoke’ to these same people it was in the vein of showing His mighty hand at work. It is a fact that some of the covenant promises were not seen by these patriarchs, but those same covenantal promises were, and are, being fulfilled, even in our lifetime.

Right at the beginning of this chapter we see different words used. “And ‘Elohim’ spoke to Moses and said to him ‘I am YHWH”.” What he was about to convey to Moses, regarding his leadership of the Israelites before Pharaoh, was in covenantal terms. In paraphrase, “I will do what I am telling you and you WILL see it happen, but I want Pharaoh to understand who I am too, so he has a few lessons to learn about Me on the way.” But Moses was unprepared for such a challenge and protested that he wasn’t eloquent in speech etc. so God said that his brother Aaron would be with.him to do the talking. Then another shock. “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and he will not heed you.”  Now friends, because we have the privilege of knowing the whole story, which Moses and Aaron did not, you have to try to imagine that magnitude of the task that God had set these men. The Pharaoh was the most powerful man in the land. He had enslaved the Israelites in hard labour. They were huge contributors to the economy of Egypt. And Moses and Aaron were to confront him knowing that he would refuse them their God commanded request. And HE would harden Pharaoh’s heart, making sure Pharaoh would say no!

But Moses, now 80 years old, and Aaron, three years older, went anyway. What incredible faith in their God. It is the kind of faith that God expects of ME, and ALL others who claim to belong to Him.    Selah!

As we proceed with the narrative, we need to keep in mind that this whole event, ALL of it, was designed by the LORD, to bring His own people from the place where He had sent them. It was God who had made provision for Jacob’s family, a relative handful of people, to be preserved in the face of severe famine. At first they enjoyed the best the land had to offer. They were comfortable. They prospered and grew large in number. Sufficient in number we have to conclude, for the LORD to establish them as an independent nation. BUT, God had to prepare them for the rigours of independence. He raised up a Pharaoh who began to treat them as ‘foreigners’. Eventually making them slaves to himself and the Egyptian people. Second class. Unwanted. Disposable. All the ingredients which caused them “to cry out to HIM.”

(Friends, it is happening AGAIN, in our lifetime. God is making His people ‘uncomfortable’ in the countries where they have been living ‘comfortably’. In accord with His many prophetic promises, He is calling them back to the land He promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  And in their thousands, they are going. Think about it please.)

Moses and Aaron, went into Pharaoh, and made the request that he allow the Israelites to leave Egypt so that they could participate in a festival of thanks to their God. “How do I know your God has sent you?” said Pharaoh, as God had told Moses he would. The first test was Aaron’s rod turning into a serpent which the “magicians” in Pharaoh’s court promptly replicated, only to see their serpents eaten by Aaron’s rod. But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard. The scene is set. Read the story , which in short form, finds a series of miraculous events taking place which have TWO outcomes. The events first, seven days later, each accompanied by the request to “Let My people go.”

1. Rivers turn to blood.  Replicated by the ‘magicians’. Pharaoh says NO.
2. Plague of frogs.  Replicated by the magicians, But Pharaoh agrees.
3. Plague of lice.  Magicians give up. Pharaoh agrees but again refuses.
4.  Plague of flies. Magicians tell Pharaoh ‘this is God’. Same response.
5. Cattle diseased. But NOT in Goshen. Same response from Pharaoh.
6. Plague of boils on Egyptians. The LORD hardens Pharaoh this time.
7. Plague of hail. Goshen excepted again. Some Egyptians recognise God’s authority in this. But same reaction from Pharaoh. His heart remains hard.

So now let us see the ‘outcome’ of these catastrophic events in Egypt, from which the Land of Goshen was spared. In the case of the Egyptians, and even in the household of Pharaoh, there were those whose hearts were NOT hardened, who recognised the hand of God, the God of the Israelites. More about them later. Importantly though, the reaction amongst the Israelites, is profound. They witnessed their God in action. This people, who had been comfortable in Egypt, but saw their circumstances change, were now ready to leave. Willingly. Enthusiastically. And under the leadership of Moses. In that united situation, God had prepared them, through trials and tribulations, to be ready to accept His authority and His leadership, the extent of which had still not been revealed to them.

The lesson for us. That is the kind of faith God expects of those who call Him LORD. But we have the advantage of knowing, from His Word, His nature, His character, and His expectation, because He has revealed Himself in His dealings with the people ‘called by His name.’ We will see how this event progresses next week.       

Shabbat Shalom.

RS

Torah Reflection   13

Shemot     (Names)

Exodus 1:1 to 6:1

“These are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt.”

Our reflection last week ended with the death of both Jacob and Joseph. The main narrative this week takes place approx. 150 years later. Scholars have calculated that the sojourn in Egypt lasted 215 years. (The 430 years being calculated from the time God made His promise to Abram in Genesis 12) During those 150 years the Israelites had maintained their unique identity. They had not assimilated into the general population. They were readily identified, and they were numerous. And then ..  “There arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” That was a “game-changer”. It may be perfectly understandable given the time which had passed, but it also has a meaning of ‘not respecting’, in the sense of ‘its time to move on’. Whatever the word, the new king was cautious about having such a large group of unassimilated residents with a capacity to ‘rise up’ in conflict with the Egyptian authorities.

So, as time passed, in order to keep the Israelites in check, the Pharaoh devised a plan to severely oppress them with hard labour. “So the Egyptians made the Children of Israel serve with vigour.”  The Israelites were forced to make their own bricks, and with those bricks to build cities for the Pharaoh. The work load was increased and the task-masters were cruel in their supervision. But then we are told “The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.” So the Pharaoh instructed the midwives to kill all the boy babies at birth. And when that scheme became ineffective because of the refusal of the midwives to kill the boys, the instruction was given to drown the boys in the river. It’s a truely horrible story and calls to mind a much more recent persecution of the Jewish people in the lifetime of some of us. But just as in that more recent horror, God is able to bring lasting good, fulfilling His purposes, out of the evil of men.

About 64 years after Joseph died, a baby boy was born in the house of Levi. He had an older sister called Miriam, A very well known story. Circumstances arose which saw that baby boy discovered by a daughter of Pharaoh in a basket on the river. How did the princess know Moses was a Hebrew? Genesis 17:9-12. She arranged for him, to be cared for, and eventually adopted him as her own, and called him Moses (“because I drew him up out of the water”). So Moses was brought up, from boyhood, in a situation of privilege. But he was still a Hebrew. One day much later in his life, when Moses was about 40 years old he saw an Egyptian beating one of the Israelites, Moses rose in defence of his compatriot, and killed the Egyptian, burying his body in the sand. Un-noticed he thought. Wrong. Next day he discovered that his deed of mercy was no a secret. The Pharaoh found out about it and sought to bring justice on Moses. So Moses fled the country to the safety of the land of Midian where Southern Jordan is today.

What seems like a bit of a “side trip” to the main story, we are given insight into the new life Moses gained by running away. Helping out the seven daughters of Reuel (also known as Jethro), who were shepherdesses, led to Moses meeting their father and living in that land, working as a shepherd, for the next 40 years. He married one of the daughters of Reuel, Zippora, and had two children, Gershom and Eliezer. But that was not the end. While Moses was living in that far country, the plight of the Israelites in Egypt got progressively worse. “The king who did not know Joseph” died. The bondage in which the Israelites were living was unbearable. They cried out to God. “So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.”

God miraculously visited Moses. A bush on fire but not consumed by the flames. A voice from within the flames calling his name. “I am the God of your father - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”. Moses shrank in fear. Read the words of the LORD which He spoke to Moses. “Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Wasn’t this is the same Pharaoh that sought to kill him? No. God assured him that “all the men who sought your life are dead.” Please read the story, it is compelling. But God has a bit more to say as Moses protested his unsuitability for the task. “What shall I say to the people if they ask me who sent me?” .. “I AM WHO I AM” tell them “I AM has sent me to you.” Then the shock, “But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.”  What an assignment. Hold on, I haven’t finished. “So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go.” Then an impossible promise. “And it shall be when you go, that you shall not go empty handed.” Read Exodus 3:22.

On his way back to Egypt, at God’s direction, Moses’ brother Aaron came to meet him,(Exodus 4: 14-16) and Moses shared with Aaron all that the Lord had told him. Together they confronted the Pharaoh with the request that he let the people go to hold a feast to their God in the wilderness. He refused, and even put more onerous work on the people. It seemed to Moses that he had brought more harm on his people as a result of their approach to Pharaoh. And our reading ends in a note of despair. But God hasn’t even started yet!!

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   12

Vayechi     (It came to pass)

Genesis 47:28 to 50:26

It is important to remind readers that these ‘reflections’ are just that. They are highlights the LORD has quickened to me as I seek Holy Spirit guidance and write. There is no suggestion that these writings are a “commentary” on the Scriptures. The LORD will show you other, and possibly different, lessons as you study these passages for yourself. I pray readers will be blessed by these writings, but there is greater blessing in studying the word for oneself.

And so it is that we come to the end of the beginning. The family of Israel, now residing in the territory of Goshen in Egypt, and finding great favour with the Pharaoh and his Prime Minister, Joseph, prosper and multiply. Jacob had been in Goshen for 17 years and was nearing the end of his life. He called Joseph and made him promise that he would not be buried there, but be taken back to Canaan to be buried with his forebears.

Then “it came to pass”, that eventually, Joseph was summoned to his father’s side because he was very close to death. He took with him Manasseh and Ephraim, Joseph’s two sons who were born to him before Jacob arrived in Egypt. Amazingly, but in God’s perfect plan, Jacob ‘anointed’ them as his own. They were to take their place as equal with Reuben and Simeon (and others) as heads of the tribes of Israel, in due time, in place of their father Joseph. (We note that there were 12 brothers, but in time Levi was given no land inheritance and neither was Joseph. Their land allocation was given to Manasseh and Ephraim. Future children of Joseph were not afforded such privilege). But Jacob, who was virtually blind at this time, had one more surprise for Joseph. It seems a small matter, but it was both unusual and prophetic in the circumstance. Manasseh was the firstborn, so Joseph placed him adjacent to Jacob’s right hand, and Ephraim to his left hand. In blessing the boys, Jacob crossed his hands, to place  his right hand onto Ephraim.

In spite of Joseph’s attempted correction, Jacob said “I know my son, I know he (Manasseh) also shall become a people, and he also shall be great’; but truly his younger brother (Ephraim) shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”  Now it is true, that about 1,000 years later, the Northern kingdom of Israel (the ten tribes) including Ephraim, were captured by the Assyrians (Shalamanezer V) and have been referred to ever since as “the lost tribes”. Some have argued, from this blessing of Jacob, that the ‘many nations’ actually includes what is known as “British Israelites”, and even America (Pilgrim fathers). But of course, such conclusion requires quite inventive thinking!

In addition to the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh, the main content of our reading this week relates to the blessings which Jacob spoke to his own sons. He blessed them in the order they were born from the oldest to the youngest. Because we are privileged to have knowledge of future events, we can see how the LORD gave Jacob wisdom and insight into that future in each blessing. It has long been said that much care should be given in the words used to utter blessing over anyone. A word of caution. Do not speak presumptuously the first words that enter your mind. Ask the LORD to speak through you, that HIS words are heard, not yours.

“Gather together and hear you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father”  Hear and listen. They are not the same thing.

Reuben. “Unstable as water, you shall not excel” Why? Genesis 35:22. Be sure your sins will find you out.

Simeon and Levi. “Cursed be their anger,  it is fierce; and their wrath for it is cruel I will divide them and scatter them in Israel.” Genesis 34:25-31.

Judah. “You are he whom your brothers shall praise; The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, .. and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.” A prophetic description of the One who shall arise from Judah.

Zebulun. “Shall dwell by the sea and become a haven for ships.”

Issachar. “He saw that rest was good and the land was pleasant.”

1 Chronicles 12:32

Dan. “Dan shall judge his people.”  Genesis 30:6

Gad. “A troop shall tramp upon him, but he shall triumph at last.” Genesis 30:11

Asher. “Bread from Asher shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties.”

Naphtali. “Is a deer let loose; he uses beautiful words.”

Joseph.  Well it is a LONG blessing. “Joseph is a fruitful bough … his branches run over the wall … the arms of his hands were made strong” And much more praising the attributes of the one who is seen by most as a ‘type’ of Messiah. And so he was for his family.

Benjamin. “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey. And at night he shall divide the spoil.”  Judges 21: 20,25

And when Jacob had completed his blessings and comments about his children, he died. His body was enbalmed, and after 70 days of mourning, Joseph and his brothers, together with a company of the house of Pharaoh, took his body to Hebron, where he was laid to rest with his wife Leah.

Joseph lived for many years after that, But before he died at the age of 110 years, he extracted from his brothers the promise to one day take his bones back to the land of his birth. His tomb, recently desecrated by some  angry Palestinians, is situated in Shechem, modern day Nablus.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   11

Vayigash     (Came near)

Genesis 44:18 to 47:27

Joseph made a plan which he was sure would bring Jacob, his father, to ‘famine safe’ Egypt. He had successfully arranged for his younger blood brother, Benjamin, to be brought to Egypt. He then thought that if he could now arrange to keep Benjamin there, his father Jacob could be persuaded to come to Egypt to retrieve him. But, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who had taken Joseph to Egypt about 40 years earlier, had a better plan. And it came as a big surprise to Joseph. Judah, the brother who had organised the sale of Joseph to the Midianite traders, had seen at first hand the distress that had been caused to their father Jacob, and could not bear the thought of what the loss of Benjamin would do to him, not to mention the fact that it was Judah who had made himself guarantor for Benjamin’s safe return. So Judah made an impassioned plea to Joseph to allow Benjamin to return to his father, and he, Judah, would remain as Jacob’s slave. That impassioned plea melted Joseph’s heart.

What happened next is, I believe, prophetic of an event still future to us. Joseph cleared the room of all his advisers and officials (gentiles). Then in the intimate privacy of “family only”, he revealed himself to his brothers. It was the special Zechariah 12:10 moment for that particular family. Prophetic of the time when “.. they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an 0nly son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”  There were tears, LOUD tears (so that those who had been dismissed from the room heard them). The brothers were in shock and dismay. The full revelation of their past deeds and actions would have brought deep regret and sorrow. And IF that was the end of it they would be looking for somewhere to hide I suspect. BUT, it was not the end. In “messianic” type, Joseph embraced his brothers in forgiveness. “God has been in control all the time.” he said “It was God who orchestrated events so that you can now experience the salvation He had planned for you from the beginning.”  What a moment that was. And what a moment that will be!

As the narrative continued, the Pharaoh, probably in gratitude for the wisdom and leadership he had seen in Joseph, joined in the ‘moment’. As I ‘reflect’, I see this as a kind of Zechariah 8:23 moment. “In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”   “Selah”.  In any event, it was the time when Almighty God advanced His plan to make Israel into a nation that would belong to Himself and provide a pattern for the world to see. A pattern which is still evident to believers to this day.

The Pharaoh opened his heart with generosity. He instructed Joseph to load up carts and donkeys with provisions, changes of clothes, and money, for a return journey from Egypt to Canaan. In addition he told Joseph that when his family arrived they would be given “the best of the land” on which they could settle. What a blessing. A note and a lesson here. In eschatological ‘type’ for christians, Egypt is considered the land “from which we come’ in order to arrive ‘in the promised land’. Bad place to good place. But Genesis 12:3 is a conditional, but irrevocable promise of God. “I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you.” In our text we have a monumental example of Egypt blessing Jacob (Israel). Right at the very foundation of that nation. We cannot, in our day, see that Genesis 12:3  promise happening can we? But now look at Isaiah 19. Take time to read it all. Our God is a faithful God. Trust Him.

When the sons of Jacob returned to their father and related their experience “Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.” Another note. We say we believe in miracles don’t we? But what is our immediate reaction when we hear about them today? Jacob was confronted with a miracle here. I think it was a very human reaction. Then he saw the evidence, the carts, the donkeys, the provisions for the return journey. And his spirit revived. And there is nothing wrong with asking to see the evidence. In another place the bible implores us to “test the spirits”. That is NOT doubting God, its doubting men. (Revelation 2:2)

So began the long trek from Shechem to Egypt. The journey took them by way of Beersheva. It was the place where Jacob once lived with his father Isaac. The place from where he had set out to find his wife Rachel. He offered sacrifices to God there, and yet again, God spoke to him in a dream. “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”

So knowing that he would not return alive, Jacob with his family of seventy persons (Genesis 46:27) took the journey to re-connect with Joseph, and begin a new life, not knowing the future, trusting God s promises. Some have observed that the number did not include Jacob himself, nor Joseph and his family. Whatever, it was a relatively small number of persons with which to start a nation!! When they arrived, Pharaoh lived up to his promise, and they settled in the land of Goshen, part of the territory of Egypt which was suitable for both crops and livestock.

We have to marvel at the way our God cares for those who belong to Him, even when we sometimes don’t understand the steps on the way. 

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   10

Miketz     (At the end)

Genesis 41:1 to 44:17

Joseph had been unjustly imprisoned in a dungeon within the home of the captain of the guard. And, because of his diligence and hard work, was put in a position of some authority in that dungeon prison. Circumstances had arisen in which he became an interpreter of the dreams of the Pharaohs’ baker and butler who were also in that place for some reason. But in spite of Joseph’s request to them, upon their release, to bring his case before their Master, the Pharaoh, they had forgotten him.

Our ‘reflection’ this week begins two years later, by which time Joseph was 30 years old. Then the Pharaoh also had a dream, in fact two dreams, which troubled him.“The magicians” were called in, but they were unable to interpret the meaning of those dreams. It was then that the butler remembered about Joseph. To his enormous credit, when confronted  by Pharaoh about his ‘gift’ as an interpreter of dreams, Joseph said “It is not in me (to interpret dreams); God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace (the interpretation).” A good lesson to learn here. How many of us would have taken the opportunity to ‘big note’ ourselves in order to curry favour with the king? Joseph is recognised by many, because of what happens later in these recorded events of history, as a ‘type’ of Messiah. His preparation for that role is clearly illustrated in the fact that he sought no glory for himself, just like our Messiah Yeshua much later, who gave ALL the glory to His heavenly Father. Truly a servant of the living God.  Selah!

Now the details of the story are well known, but the key to it all is expressed by the Pharaoh when he said “Can we find such one as this , a man in whom IS the Spirit of God.” And so it was that Joseph, the prisoner, became Joseph, the Prime Minister. Such was Pharaoh’s trust in Joseph, that when he was petitioned for food by those suffering from the famine in the land, he said “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.”  But the famine was not confined to Egypt alone, so people from all the lands around them came to Egypt to buy grain. That included ten of Jacob’s sons. Only the youngest, Benjamin, was not required by Jacob to make the long journey.

From this point onwards, it is possible to recognise the way in which Joseph typifies the characteristics of the coming Messiah, Yeshua. And remember that these events took place some hundreds of years before the Israelites were even considered to be a separated nation, led out of Egypt, through the God appointed leadership of Moses. Now, as is the case in most allegories, the detail cannot be completely lined up. But there is enough for us to see the connection. And the first sign we have is that when the brothers turned up in front of Joseph (from his viewpoint unexpectedly), they did not recognise him at all. But why would they? He was a 17 years old boy when they sold him to the Midianite traders. They are faced now with a VERY powerful man, of about 45 years of age, well dressed, speaking a different language, totally in charge of everything and everybody in his Governor’s palace. An awesome sight for sure. A man who had the power to listen to them or to dismiss them. But he immediately recognised them. He recalled the way they had treated him when he naively shared with them his dream all those years ago.

Joseph had acquired great wisdom in the course of the last 30 or so years. That wisdom, came under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, and was responsible for his elevation to his present lofty position. So he began to search for information about his family. I try to imagine what it must have been like to have been separated from ones family for such a long time, having had such a variety of experiences, good and bad, which that family had no knowledge of, and suddenly be confronted by the very ones who were responsible for that separation. Think about it! Thus it was that he discovered that both his Dad and his younger brother were still alive. He was desperate to reconnect with them! So he devised a plan, and put them in prison for three days to think about it. Absolute power!!

The story is a very interesting read, and is quite well known, and the detail is worth reading again. But I am focussed in this ‘reflection’ on the ‘messianic’ similarities in this narrative. The brothers had presented themselves to Joseph as buyers of grain. When they arrived back to their home they had both the grain and their money in the grain sacks!! It was a salvation act .. and it was FREE. On their second visit, when they brought Benjamin with them, they tried to return the money. Joseph said “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has GIVEN you treasure in your sacks.” But that wasn’t the end of it. Joseph was now re-united with his blood brother, Benjamin, but the family was incomplete. It was necessary to bring Jacob, their father, and the rest of the family to Egypt, and to the safety of food supplies. The whole family was in need of salvation.

The scene changes a little now. And the allegory referred to earlier is not consistent with scene before us I know. The father, Jacob, is in distress because he has been separated from his beloved young son Benjamin. Joseph knows this of course and devises a plan to bring his father to the son. But in order to get the whole picture of how Joseph is a “type” of Messiah, we have to wait until next week.

I commend that you read the whole story of this event in order to appreciate, and see for yourself, how God Almighty works in unimaginable ways to save His people.         

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   09

Vayeshev     (He commanded)

Genesis 37:1  to  40:23

“Jacob dwelt in the land (Canaan) where his father (Isaac) was a stranger”! Sounds a bit odd to us, but what it means is that Jacob took up permanent residence where his father Isaac had lived as a visitor. Putting it another way .. Jacob came HOME!

In Genesis 36, we are given a complete genealogy of Esau. The chapter ends with the statement that “Esau was the father of the Edomites” He had left the “land where his father was a stranger” and took residency in another country. An immediate distinction between the paths these twin brothers took in their lifetime. A distinction which continues to this very day!

Jacob’s family now consisted of his wife Leah, the two ‘handmaids”, Zilpah and Bilhah, and their collective TEN sons and one daughter, as well as Joseph and Benjamin who were born to Rachel (who had died in the childbirth of Benjamin). PLUS an unspecified host of servants. As the story unfolds in this week’s portion of Scripture, please understand that the pace of the events recorded is quite rapid. It’s a bit like watching a movie in ‘fast-forward’ mode!

Rachel was the love of Jacob’s life. Joseph, her firstborn, was only 17 years old. Benjamin, still a child. That was the basis of Jacob’s ‘favouritism’. But although it is not possible to determine precise birth dates, it seems likely that Reuben, the oldest, might only have been 8 or 10 years older than Joseph. And he assumed leadership. Joseph’s prophetic dream is one of the best known stories in the Scriptures. The angst of his older siblings quite well understood. Joseph’s mistake!!?? He shared the dream with his brothers. They were angry. Angry enough to kill him. But Reuben’s leadership stalled them. So they took Joseph's fancy coat and put him in a hole in the ground. Reuben must have been distracted by some other event  because he was not present when Judah, the fourth oldest, concocted the plan to sell Joseph to some passing Midianite traders (Ishmaelites). When the distraught Reuben returned they put blood on the coloured coat in pretence that Joseph had been mauled by a wild animal. And that’s what they told Jacob.

God really does “work in mysterious ways” doesn’t He? Just think for a moment how you would view this event if that was all there was to it, and the brothers had ‘got away with it’. How could anyone possibly imagine how Almighty God could fulfil His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob without knowing how this remarkable event became pivotal in God’s plan for His people (“the apple of My eye”).

A lesson for us to learn right here. IF God is our refuge and strength. IF we believe God is a promise keeping God. If we believe that God is working out His purposes in His own way. THEN in ALL circumstances of our life … YES, in ALL circumstances, We have to trust Him. Even when we think we understand, and when we KNOW we don’t.

So the young Joseph was forcibly taken to Egypt and sold into slavery in the household of the Captain of the King’s guard, Potiphar. As years rolled by, Joseph worked hard at the tasks he was assigned. He gained promotion in that household and eventually was entrusted with complete responsibility of running the place. He also seemed, at least to the wife of the Captain, to be a very handsome man. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” says the old English proverb. Thus it was that poor Joseph ended up in prison!

Another lesson. Ecclesiates 9:10 says “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” It is advice I have given, both to my children and their children. Joseph certainly did and (apart from the ugly devious behaviour of Potiphar’s wife, which curiously seems to have had a significant role in the plan of God), gained great blessing as a result.

But there are some very important observations to be made about the way Joseph conducted himself. Not only did his industry, faithfulness, honesty and conduct bring significant reward to himself, but the whole household, from the Master of the house to the other servants also prospered. Joseph’s wisdom in his handling of the affairs of the house, showed in such a way that the Master of the house observed the “the LORD” was with him. Joseph’s testimony was obviously not in words alone, but in his actions. It showed.

Even so, the false accusations made against him, caused an enraged Potiphar, without enquiry apparently, to have him sent to prison. What an injustice! How could God allow such a thing to happen? Commonly used words eh? Look back a few paragraphs. God’s ways are not our ways.

Well, the portion concludes this week with Joseph still in prison … but practically running the place. “And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his (Joseph’s) doing.” Why? “Because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.”  What an amazing testimony of faith in God.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   08

Vayishlach     (He sent)

Genesis 32:4 to 36:43

Jacob had concluded his non-aggression arrangement with Laban, so free of that worry, he turned his attention to another! His brother Esau. The brothers had not seen each other for twenty years, and yet Jacob somehow knew where his brother was. So he sent some men to announce that he would be returning to his own country, with much wealth and possessions, and he wanted to “make friendship” with his brother again. Guilty conscience? Sad about the past? Fearful?  Tricky? We can only speculate.

At this stage, Jacob and his entourage were about 20 miles east of the Sea of Galilee, north of where Amman is today. Esau and his family were several miles south of there, somewhere in the region of where Petra is today in Southern Jordan. So when Jacob’s men returned from their mission, in paraphrase they said :- “There is good news and bad news. The good news is that Esau is so pleased that you are coming that he has decided to come to meet you half way! The bad news is that he is bringing 400 of his men with him!!” To say that that put “the shivers up” Jacob is probably an understatement. So he set about making contingency plans to survive.

Let’s look at a lesson here. Just last week we read in Genesis 28:15 that God spoke to Jacob in a dream, “behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land: for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” That was 20 years earlier. In those 20 years God had blessed Jacob with two wives (and their handmaids), eleven sons and a daughter, a countless flock of sheep etc. etc.. PLUS, He had spoken to Jacob in a dream again (Genesis 31:11-13) telling him that it was time to return to his homeland. What more could God do? So here is the lesson. Is there something that God has spoken to me? To you? Does it matter to God what time has passed since He promised to “never leave us nor forsake us”? Was it good prudence or lack of trust that caused Jacob to make these contingency plans? Are WE making contingency plans to do things “our way”? Or is our trust in God’s promises to us? When God dispersed the Israelites from the land, after many warnings, for their wanton disobedience to the covenant they had made, and rejection of Messiah Yeshua who had come to restore “the lost sheep of the House of Israel”. He had also told them that a day would come when He would restore them to that land. That restoration is happening in our generation, and it started in 1948. Our God is a promise-keeper, as we will see as we continue our ‘reflection’.

Read Genesis 32 to see how Jacob carefully planned his protective strategy for his meeting with Esau. However, Jacob, in his fear of what now might befall him, remembered the promises God had made to him all those years ago.  So in humility he prayed to the God of Abraham and Isaac “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed this Jordan with my staff (and nothing else) and now I have become two companies (alluding to his great blessing of wealth and possessions). Deliver me I pray …”  Then he acknowledged his fear and reminded God of His promises. God, in response, planned one more encounter with Jacob!!  The day before meeting Esau, Jacob sent his whole family over the brook Jabbok and remained behind alone. Jabbok means ‘emptying’. At this point there was a ford across the river, which, because it is shallow, flows faster, as it continues and ‘empties’ itself into the River Jordan some miles away. But scholars have shared another meaning to this place. The ‘emptying’ is applied to Jacob, who that night encountered the LORD again, and ‘emptied’ himself as he ‘wrestled’ with “a MAN” until he received an assurance of the promised blessing on his life. For his trouble, Jacob received a new name and a hip joint dislocation!! But his life was changed.

Jacob’s reunion with his brother Esau went surprisingly well. Was that another example of God’s protection in answer to Jacob’s prayer?  We are not told anything more about the 400 men accompanying Esau. But Jacob still remained cautious about going along with Esau’s invitation to go back to Edom with him. The result was that Esau left, with the gifts Jacob had offered him, and journeyed the 250 Km or so back to his home, whist Jacob promptly led his family about 200 Km in the other direction, to Shechem in Canaan (Nablus today). Thus God completely fulfilled the promise He had made to Jacob 20 years earlier. But there is an important detail in our text. Genesis 33: 19,20 tells us that Jacob bought and paid in full for the land on which his family settled. So just as his grandfather Abram had paid for the cave at Machpelah, and never re-sold it, so Jacob acquired the parcel of land in Shechem and it too has never been re-sold.

There is much more to be studied in this account of God’s dealings with the ‘flawed’ Jacob. As I ‘reflect’ on this passage, and the evident shortcomings in Jacob as a person, I take enormous hope and encouragement. Jacob was used by God to be the father of all the tribes of Israel, ‘flawed’ as he was. But we saw how Jacob, in fear for his life, humbled himself in prayer, then held on to that MAN as he wrestled with Him, until he received God’s blessing and guidance. Then , because we know how the story unfolds, we know that God used Jacob as part of His global promise “that in you, will all the nations of the earth be blessed.”

And that, my dear friends, is US. You and me. And finally, this thought. If He can do that in Jacob, He can do it in anyone  … can’t He?

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection   07

Vayetze     (Went out)

Genesis 28:10 to 32:3

Last week we ended with Jacob being sent away, with Isaac’s blessing, to find himself a wife out of his own ‘family’ in Padan Aram. That was the place from which his mother Rebekah had come. Esau, on the other hand, having missed out on the ‘blessing of the firstborn’ from Isaac, in colloquial terms, ‘spat the dummy’, and married a daughter of Ishmael. The gulf between the brothers was widening. Although the main division we see in our modern world is that between Isaac and Ishmael (with their respective family groupings), Esau, it seems, rebelliously joined the Ishmaelite group and is now recognised as the father of the Edomite nation (southern Jordan today).

Isaac and his family had settled just south of Beersheva. Jacob dutifully “went out” on his journey towards Haran, today in southern Turkey, the place where Abram dwelt after leaving Ur of the Chaldeans. It was a distance of just over 1,000 Km. !!! (Imagine walking from Sydney to Brisbane or Melbourne). Jacob laid down to sleep after a long day walking, and he had a dream. There wouldn’t be many who couldn’t relate the story quite well. But there a few observations which some may not be familiar with.

First, there was a ladder between earth and heaven. Angels of God were ascending and descending. Some commentators have seen significance in that order. That they first ascended indicates that their ‘station’ was on earth, presumably doing their allotted task among men. Were they reporting on their activity? Well we don’t know, but the concept is interesting.

Second, the LORD stood at the top of the ladder and addressed Jacob. “I am the LORD God of Abraham (Jacob’s grandfather) and the God of Isaac (his  father); The land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants … and in you and your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; For I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

Third, the content of God’s promise to Jacob is in almost identical terms to that which He had previously spoken to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) and to Isaac (Genesis 26:2-5). It is for this reason that our God is frequently referred to as the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”. They were uniquely privileged to receive the “land promise” directly from God Almighty. And to each of them that promise was extended to their ‘descendants’. Pass it on!!

Fourth, Jacob has gained a bit of a reputation as a ‘tough negotiator’. Not least because of the ‘birthright’ deal he did with his older brother Esau! Some have even labelled him a “bit tricky!” And here again, as we have just noted, God had made an amazing promise to Jacob. In paraphrase “I’ll be with you wherever you go and I’ll bring you back again.” It’s a promise that many Christians today hold on to as applicable to themselves. But it was not quite good enough for Jacob!! His response was to add conditions onto God’s promise. Jacob said, again in paraphrase “IF you stay with me, feed me, clothe me, look after me, and bring me back to my father’s house in peace, THEN You can be my God!  AND if you do all that, of everything you give me, I’ll give a tenth back to You.”

The rest of our portion shows how God led him directly to the family of Laban, Rebekah’s brother. It begins with meeting some shepherds at the well where the sheep drank water each day. Those shepherds identified Laban’s daughter Rachel (who was a shepherdess) and so it was that Jacob later met Laban, Now, if the comment earlier about Jacob being “a bit tricky” was true, it is also true that in Laban, Jacob met his match! Please read the story to get the message! However, in spite of that, Jacob ended up with two wives, Leah and Rachel, lots of children, who would become leaders of the tribes of Israel, plenty of servants, and a large flock of sheep. But he was twenty years older than when he first met Laban!!!! Although Jacob and Laban parted in strained circumstances, the LORD also ensured that His promise to Jacob (see Genesis 31:24) remained intact.

But now we need to find the message for ourselves today from this fascinating account of Jacob’s twenty year search for his wife.

The first thing I note is that Jacob honoured his parents in undertaking the journey they had instructed him to make. It was not easy, and required patience, persistence, and hardship at times. But in so doing, he was blessed by having a life-changing encounter with the LORD. He met the wife of God’s choosing, and he became the father of the boys who headed the tribes of Israel, ‘the apple of God’s eye’.

The second thing I note is that, although his conditional acceptance of God’s promise seemed to be arrogant and presumptuous, he never-the-less kept his word to the LORD. He never forgot the faithfulness, love, and mercy of God in bringing him through those twenty difficult years.

The third thing I note is that all of us who have had an encounter with God, have received His promise to us, of never leaving us nor forsaking us. That is a priceless promise. BUT it comes with a responsibility. To order our lives in a manner which brings glory to His name. Keeping our part of the arrangement, as did Jacob. The LORD bless you as you seek to honour your covenant with the LORD.     

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  06

Toldot     (Descendants)

Genesis 25:19 to 28:9

God had chosen Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife, and at 40 years of age, he married her. Good start eh! But we are not told how old Rebekah was! And the Bible doesn’t tell us, simple as that. What we are told (Genesis 24:8 and 24:58) is that Rebekah willingly consented to the marriage. Speculation beyond this is unprofitable, even though the sages have postulated on this matter for centuries. It is also speculated that Rebekah was barren for the first 20 years of that marriage, and this brings us to a salient point in the story.

There is little doubt that Abraham would have shared with Isaac the promise God had made to him about his descendants being numerous! Isaac’s mother was 90 when God miraculously intervened in the matter of Isaac’s birth. Now, the very next generation is beset with the same issue. Infertility. Their marriage has not produced any children. At stake here is Isaac’s relationship with God Almighty. There is no suggestion of going down the path that Abraham and Sarah had gone, which resulted in the birth of Ishmael. Our text in Hebrew uses the word “ ‘aqar” to describe the childlessness of the marriage, and that word is equally applicable to both male and female incapacity!!

So Isaac “pleaded” with the LORD. A good lesson from our portion today. The first ‘port of call’.  Perhaps a lesson Isaac had learned at the feet of his esteemed father Abraham. Much later Psalmists make many references to the quality of reliable “refuge” and “comfort” which is to be found in the LORD. And then we read “and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” Isaac was 60 years of age when Rebekah gave birth.

The rest, as they say, is history!! The story is well known, but some of the detail is not as clearly understood as it should be. The LORD clearly knew the future, which He revealed to Rebekah. Multitudes of people who identify as “Christian” today appear to not grasp the effects on our society of this seemingly simple act of the birth of twins, and the revelation God gave to Rebekah about the future for each of them. “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” There are those who see it as a prophetic announcement by the Almighty. Which it is. Others might interpret it as ‘foreknowledge’. What we all know, or should do, is that in His infinite and perfect plan, God made everlasting unconditional covenants of promise with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (the younger twin). And God IS working out His purposes for the world in direct fulfilment of those covenants.

The birthright (law of succession) belonged to Esau. But chapter 25 of our text ends by telling us “Thus Esau despised his birthright.” The Hebrew word is “bazah”, it means ‘disesteem’  or ‘disregard’. And for that he paid a very high price!! But there is a bit more to this situation. Some time later, when Esau was 40 years old, he married two Hittite women, Judith and Beeri, in defiance of the wishes of Isaac and Rebekah. How do we know this? Look at Genesis 26:35. “And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah”. He later again took another ‘foreign’ wife, this time a daughter of Ishmael. Esau  seemed to be very rebellious. He is recognised as the father of the Edomites. But that is a digression from our portion today.

There was a famine in the land. Just like his father before him, Isaac took his family down into Philistine country to survive. To Gerar, which borders Gaza. And just like his father before him, he too tried to pass off his wife as his sister. And again Abi-Melech, king of Gerar, just as had happened to Abraham, blessed Isaac with safely of residence. Isaac planted crops and reaped a bumper harvest, so much so that the Philistines envied him. They had stopped up the wells which Abraham had dug there. So Isaac moved further into the valley of Gerar and dug open the wells which Abraham had dug years before. That caused more quarrels about the water! So eventually, Isaac moved yet again, to about 20 miles south of Beersheva, and again dug a well. He called the place Rehoboth (meaning ‘open spaces) and said “Now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful the land”. And so they were.

Our final comment on this portion has to be about the blessing which Isaac proclaimed over Jacob. The circumstances are dubious, many would say even fraudulent. We know the story. The blessing in part said “ May God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let the peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!.” That blessing, having been proclaimed, could not be revoked.

Enter Esau. I am your firstborn, “Bless me father”. Too late. But Isaac has some words, with the same introduction, but a very different meaning, for Esau. “By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck.” (i.e you will put some distance between you!) And so it was.

God has provided all of us who are His, a birthright. Guard it. Honour it. Esteem it highly. Do not treat it lightly. Learn the lesson of Esau.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  05

Chayei Sarah    (Life of Sarah)

Genesis 23:1 to 25:18

What an interesting title to this week’s Torah reading! The life of Sarah. The first sentence tells us that Sarah lived 127 years. And the second proclaims her death!! It is not unusual today for a funeral to be principally about remembering the life of the deceased. In Sarah’s case, apart from mentioning her in relation to her burial place, her name is not used again in the whole reading. Nothing! Of course we can all recall things about her from our previous Scripture readings. For me, perhaps the standout is the degree of faith she shared with her husband Abram. After all, she too left her home and followed the LORD’s instructions to journey to a land she did not know. But she will always be remembered as the elderly lady, unable to bear children, chosen by God to miraculously bear ONE child only. That child became the grandfather of the 12 boys who each became head of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, the nation called by God to be His “special treasure” and “the apple of His eye”’

There is often speculation regarding the timing of some events in the Scripture. Rabbinic reasoning is that Sarah’s death, at the age of 127 years, is closely related to the anxiety she experienced at the Lord’s testing of Abraham with the ‘binding of Isaac’. Most people consider Isaac to have been about 12 years old at the time. But if the Rabbi’s are correct, Isaac would then have been a 37 year old man! And certainly, the sequential timing of the two events favours the Rabbinic view.

I find it interesting to look at a map of the area where events occurred in Scripture. At the same time, reference back to genealogy, specifically Genesis 10, (after Noah) in order to provide a framework to see how the names we encounter fit into the picture. But none of that alters the general thrust of the message contained in the reading today. Abraham was in Canaan, a foreigner (Hb. ‘ger’) from the ‘other side of the river’ (Euphrates) and he had developed a good relationship with his Canaanite neighbours. He needed a place to bury his beloved Sarah, so he negotiated, not for ANY burial sepulchre, but the best available. “The cave of the field of Machpelah”’. It was not cheap, but Abraham paid without bargaining. It is one of three well known places recorded in Scripture where land title was purchased from the landholder. The others being the site of Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem, and Araunah’s threshing floor in Jerusalem. They have never been sold back again!

Eventually, the “cave of the field of Machpelah” became the final resting place of the bodies of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives Sarah, Rebecca and Leah. (Rachel is not buried there) Later Herod built the huge wall around the ‘cave’ and over time it has become the enormous building, known as the “Tomb of the Patriarchs” which still stands on that site today. It functions mostly as a mosque, with a quite small synagogue adjacent to the main building, and Jews are allowed access to the main building on ten days each year. (On a visit to friends in Kiryat Arba on one such day, a few years ago, my late wife and I were privileged to witness the awe in which this place is held by Jews today).

We are then told that Abraham was ‘advanced in age’, and he wanted to make sure that his son, Isaac, had a wife of ‘correct lineage’!  Taking up the timing issue again, it does seem a bit premature for Abraham to be caring about a wife for a 12 year old boy doesn’t it? In any event, he was concerned. In those days, “putting a hand under one’s thigh”, was considered an intimate gesture which confirmed a promise, and Abraham’s ‘governing servant’ was placed under such promise. It was a solemn oath. Little did that servant know that God had preceded him in that mission. It was a “done deal” as the words came out of Abraham’s mouth. Don’t you marvel, as I do, at God’s ways. The story is a most interesting one and worthy of your careful attention. Read it yourself. Abraham wanted all the possibilities covered. Isaac’s wife was to come from Abraham’s own family, BUT Isaac was forbidden to go there himself. Why? Because Abraham believed God. And God had said (Genesis 12:7) “To your descendants I will give this land”. At that particular time there was only ONE descendant. Isaac. And Isaac had not yet heard that promise directly from God. It was vital that he did. The whole future plan of God depended on it. And, by Abraham’s reckoning, Isaac’s wife could not possibly come from an idolatrous Canaanite family. The mixture would be wrong.

So Rebekah, a daughter of Abraham’s nephew, was the young lady who met Abraham’s servant at the watering place. What a coincidence!!! Abraham’s old servant was praying for some guidance at the well. “How am I going to know the person I am supposed to find?” I imagine him thinking. Wham! There she is standing in front of him. No short list. No choice. No ambiguity. Thank You LORD. The young Rebekah invited Abraham’s servant, who by this time was so sure that his mission was prospering, that he presented costly gifts to the young lady in thanks for her kindness. It was shortly after this that we meet Laban. Rebekah’s brother. We will meet him again later in this series. He, seeing the costly jewellery, and I suspect, having an eye for business, ‘gushed’ to offer hospitality and friendship to the new visitors. And so it was, that this story had a happy ending. Rebekah, God’s choice of a wife for Isaac, returned with Abraham’s servant.

But the elderly Abraham then re-married and produced many more children. He eventually died aged 175 and was buried, with his beloved Sarai in “the cave of Machpelah”.                          

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  04

Vayera      (And He appeared)

Genesis 18:1 to 22:24

There are three times recorded in Genesis when the LORD appeared to Abraham. This is the second of those appearances.

Abraham sat in the door of his tent in the heat of the day. The text suggests he was perhaps ‘nodding off’! When he looked up, there were three men standing looking at him. Abraham ran towards them and bowed, addressing them as “my Lord” (Adonai is actually a plural word). The text makes it clear that even though there are different words used for “God” in this encounter, the common source is of God Almighty, and His purpose was to convey the news that the promise of a natural born child, previously conveyed to Abraham, was about to be fulfilled. Sarah overheard the announcement and couldn’t avoid a chuckle! That chuckle was countered by an amazing insight, which we do well to remember, perhaps especially in our day when we consider what is happening in the world today. “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”  Of course the answer is “NO”, but we also need to be mindful that God unfolds His plan in His own time, and not in a timeframe which we often expect because of our sincere supplication.

Again it is manifestly evident in the text that God had determined that His judgement was to be brought on the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Why? Because “their sin was very great”, AND there had been an “outcry to the LORD” against it. Was that outcry from righteous people praying for change? We can only speculate. It certainly gives enormous  encouragement to us to bring before the LORD matters which we can plainly see wrong and gravely sinful in our society today doesn’t it? Then an amazing dialogue occurred.

Why was God concerned about revealing to Abraham His intention to bring judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah?  The “great and mighty nation”, which God had promised Abraham would spring from his loins, was unfulfilled at this stage. (I now take a bit of licence here, and disagree if you wish. But roll forward 4000 years to the time when God (in the person of Yeshua) came and dwelt bodily amongst us, for a comparison.)  Abraham was righteous, God was faced with the judgement of severely unrighteous men. And NOT for the first time. What would a righteous man make of that judgement? Abraham was representative of a future nation of ‘priests’ before God. How would they prosecute judgement when faced with rank unrighteousness? Is that unrighteousness to be tolerated, or dealt with? As I pen this ‘reflection’, that is what I perceive to be God’s motive. But I may be wrong!! In any event God entered into dialogue with Abraham .. and Abraham was honest, and generous, in his attitude. (The Bible records another account similar in nature which God had with Moses after the exodus from Egypt .. Numbers 14)  The dialogue which ensued appears to see God ‘giving ground’ in the light of Abraham’s concerns about numbers. The final number of “righteous men”,  in order that the community avoid the severe judgement, TEN, is the minimum number much later decreed by the Rabbinate to be sufficient (and necessary) to be a “minion” to form a Jewish synagogue congregation.

The text, Genesis 18:19, says “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”  It is from that statement that I have taken my licence!

Of course, we must acknowledge that God knew exactly how many ‘righteous’ men were there, but it seems to me that He wanted to ensure that Abraham (and those considered righteous who came after him) would accept the ‘fairness’ of the judgement. (my earlier reference to 4000 years later alludes to the fact that God, in the person of Yeshua, took on human form and had no cause, then, to determine what man might think about His judgement. He had become ‘flesh’ and dwelt among them. BUT we also know that unrighteous men do, and always will, consider God’s judgements to be harsh and inappropriate!!) Whatever God’s reasons, that’s what happened. Then followed the well known account of the judgement of Sodom and Gommorah

Isaac, the son of God’s promise to Abraham, was born when Abraham was 100 years old. How precious would that have been to him? But Abraham had another son, Ishmael, born about 14 years earlier as a result of Sarai trying to ‘help God out’ in providing Abram with an heir. The enmity which developed between the mothers of those two boys, passed to the sons, and remains to this very day. The enmity runs very deep, and is unlikely to end until God again intervenes by sending His Son, Yeshua, back to this earth as the King of kings. And that is another story, an event, still future to us, which will happen as sure as night follows day.

But God had one more test for the faithful Abraham. It is impossible for any father to imagine a more daunting test. MOST fathers would fail the test upon its suggestion. “Offer your son to Me as a burnt offering”. What would you think went through Abraham’s mind at that point? Again, I take licence here, because it is impossible to know. But shock and horror would be a first guess. God knew that there was a day coming when He Himself would have to make such a sacrifice. Was there a man on the earth who would do such a thing? Well we know the story. Abraham was such a man who FULLY TRUSTED his God.   Selah!  What an example he is.

What God expects of us is to put our trust in Him. No more, no less.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  03

Lekh - L’kha     (get yourself out of here)

Genesis 12:1 to 17:27

Just as Noah was a man of great faith, we are now introduced to the person God anointed to be the head of the one family to whom the rest of the Scriptures relate. Dr. Marvin R. Wilson, in seeking to expound the Jewish roots of the Christian faith, wrote much about him in his outstanding volume “Our Father Abraham”. A good read for those interested in the roots of our faith.

He was Abram, son of Terah, citizen of Ur of the Chaldeans. Terah took Abram and his wife Sarai (who had no children) and Abram’s nephew, Lot, intending to travel to Canaan. But they got no further than Haran in what is today, Syria. It was there that Terah died. (Legend has it that Terah made and sold idols for a living. It is speculated that this is how Abram abandoned the family idolatry and sought a new faith. He certainly was a man who heard from God and understood what he heard.)

It is a little known fact that Noah was still alive for almost the first 60 years of Abram’s life, and the lives of Abram and Shem (Noah’s son) overlapped for over 150 years. And that provides a possible answer to the question as to how Abram knew about YHWH Elohim doesn’t it? Neither Noah nor Shem would have remained silent about their experience of God. Turn back to Genesis 9: 25-27 and understand the way the Canaanites bore the curse (Hebrew “A’rar”) which Noah placed on them. In the event, we do know  that God spoke directly to Abram, and Abram not only heard God’s voice, but he was obedient to it. His destination? The cursed nation of Canaan!

Read the promises God made to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. They are staggering in scope and content, and I can only imagine that Abram was overwhelmed at the thought. But in verse 3, the English language uses the same word, “curse”, in translation of two different Hebrew words. “A’rar” which is a ‘bitter curse’ for the first, and “Qalal”, for the second, meaning ‘treating one lightly’ or ‘treating with contempt, or disregard’.

So now we get a glimpse of things to come. Abram is sent by God to the nation which was ‘bitterly cursed’ by Noah. There he is to establish a family,(nation), blessed by God, but with the added promise of ‘bitter curse’ on anyone (nation) who treats that family of Abram lightly, or with contempt. And if there is doubt in anyone’s mind, we read in Genesis 12:6 that Abram came to the place (known today as Nablus) called Shechem, which is built in a valley. High above Shechem is the township today called. Elon Moreh. It was there, with a commanding view of the surrounding area, that God appeared to Abram, and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” (I have had the personal experience of standing on the heights of Elon Moreh. To the North, Mount Hermon. East is the Jordan and beyond. South is the Negev. And west is the Mediterranean. It is a LOT of land, substantially more than that which is called Israel today.)

So Abram travelled through the land. He eventually, due to severe drought in the land, ended up in Egypt where he had that amazing encounter with the Egyptian Pharaoh over the identity of Sarai as his wife. (Rabbinic literature  also identifies Sarai as a half sister to Abram) A consequence of this encounter with the Pharaoh seems to be that Abram acquired significant wealth in terms of silver and gold besides sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels and servants. Thus it was that Abram and his entourage returned to Canaan, specifically to the area near Bethel where he had earlier set up an altar of worship to God.

Some time later, Abram and his nephew Lot went their separate ways and that’s a whole new story. Read it in Genesis 13 and 14. Abram moved further south and dwelt near Hebron. Lot got into trouble with four local kings and  lost his possessions, which Abram recovered and in the process met with the mysterious ‘Melchi Tzedek”, of whom much is written. (but not here!)

The remainder of our reading is pivotal to our faith as believers. It is here that we come to terms with God’s salvation plan for mankind. It is where Almighty God puts His credibility at stake, so to speak, by making that unconditional covenant promise to Abram, by which an elderly, barren woman, Abram’s wife Sarai, would give natural birth to her only son. It is a staggeringly challenging proposition. How easy it is today to take it all for granted because we know the end of the story .. BUT before it happened!! That’s a different matter. Genesis 15:6 says “And he (Abram) believed in the LORD, and He (the LORD) accounted it to him for righteousness.” Faith is counted as righteousness by Almighty God. And today, it is faith that God actually did what He promised to do which is counted as righteousness to those who believe and trust His word.

It is a measure of the enormity of what God requires of us in faith to read the account of how Sarai (and Abram) sought to give God a ‘helping hand’ in this, resulting in the birth of Ishmael. Abram was 86 years old at this time. And it was another 14 years before the child of God’s promise, Isaac, was born.

Genesis 17 gives us the account of the conversation God had with Abram as He was about to fulfil His promise of providing a naturally born child to him. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, and Sarai to Sarah. At the same time God promised to establish His covenant with the as yet unborn Isaac, and his offspring, in perpetuity. LORD, give us faith to trust you, as did Abraham, that it may be counted as righteousness to us.         

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  02

Noach     (Noah)

Genesis 6:9 to 11:32

Such was the state of mankind, with its contempt for God, violence, anarchy, evil thinking, disharmony, corruption, ‘thoughts of the heart continually bad’. Verse 12 informs us that “God looked upon the earth and behold it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.” And that is what forms the catalyst for the events which follow.

We ended our ‘reflection’ last week with a quotation. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth”. And the very last verse of last week’s reading said “ But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD.”

Perhaps the most valuable comment of Noah in all the Scriptures is found in the very first verse of this week’s reading. “Noah walked with God.” It’s a most challenging lesson for any who read this passage. I ask myself, do I “find favour” in the eyes of the LORD? Would the people I relate to day by day know whether or not I “walk” with God? Am I “swimming against the current” (as Noah obviously was) or am I “going with the flow”? God, and ONLY God, knows.

So God told Noah to make a BIG box of gopher wood, three stories high, with compartments inside it. Now there wouldn’t be a child anywhere, who ever attended a Sunday School, who couldn’t recite to you the basics of the events which follow. But there are a few details which are worthwhile commenting upon because they have significant relationship to the future.

For example, in Chapter 7:2, we find a distinction about the numbers of animals between “clean” and “unclean”. It is the first reference to this distinction in the Scriptures. Much may be made of this, but to many people the distinction passes without comment. But in Genesis 8:20 we find that it is only the clean animals which are offered as burnt offerings to the LORD in thanksgiving for their preservation from the flood.  Much later of course, when the people had ceased being ‘vegetarian’, God declared that ONLY the ‘clean’ animals were prescribed as ‘food’ for His people. (That list is documented in Deuteronomy 14 for those interested.)

Rev William Morford, in his enlightening translation of the Scriptures, “One New Man Bible”, draws attention to the Hebrew word “kopher”, translated as “pitch” in Genesis 6:14. It is a perfectly good and logical translation of that word. However, it also has a meaning ‘ransom’, even ‘atonement’ (covering). So Morford draws attention to the function of that box made of gopher wood as the means of salvation (atonement) for those who were privileged to be included as passengers in that box during those terrible days of judgement.

Then in Genesis 7:16 there is a simple phrase full of meaning. “And the LORD shut him in.”  In His instruction to Noah, God specified that there should be a “pethach” in the side of the gopher wood box. That is literally an ‘opening’, a place of entry. Now I need to be careful here. Because in my mind’s eye I see an opening which is unrestricted. I presume that there were no guards preventing entry. But the only ones who actually passed through that entry opening were those who, by faith, trusted that God would perform what He had been warning that He would do for many, many years. Again, in my mind’s eye, I envisage scornful watchers, ridiculing those who did enter through that opening in the gopher wood box. And suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, so to speak, the opening was no more there! “The LORD had shut them in.” Then it began to rain!!! And in addition, “the fountains of the great deep were broken open”.

Does that present a picture to you, as it does to me, of a day still future which ONLY God knows, when the door to salvation will be closed? And then it will again (metaphorically) begin to rain!

The end of our reading contains a genealogy of the period from ‘the flood’ judgement right up to Abram. In addition to the covenant to never again ‘flood’ the earth, and its accompanying sign of the rainbow. (hasn’t that been hijacked in recent times by a quite rebellious group of people) God declared His control over the elements in saying “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.” It also contains some detail about God’s dealings and covenants with the faithful Noah, which has been ‘codified’ into what has become know as “The Noahide Laws”. Much of which now forms part and parcel of our present day legal code.

The seven ‘laws’ are:-

Not to worship idols.
Not to curse God.
To establish courts of justice.
Not to commit murder.
Not to commit adultery, bestiality, or sexual immorality.
Not to steal.
Not to eat flesh torn from a living animal.

God was totally in control of this earth then, and He is totally in control of the earth now .. in spite of what the climate alarmists tell us!!

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflection  01

“B’reshite”    (In the beginning)

Genesis 1:1 to 6:8

“In the beginning”.  O what disputes people have about this! Does it really matter when that ‘beginning’ was? What is infinitely more important is that God, our God, YHWH Elohim, was there “creating the heavens and the earth”. And the ONE sent to this earth to redeem sinful man, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, the Apostle John tells us, was there too. (John 1:1).

For those who choose to keep the Sabbath on the day appointed by God for so doing, it is carefully noted that our Creator Himself set the standard, after completing His perfect work of creation in six days, then rested of all His work on the seventh day. So here we find, very early in the Scriptures, the example of Sabbath keeping.

The account of that creative event is very well known and recorded for our information and understanding in the first two chapters of our reading. Then chapter 3 provides the account of what we know as ‘the fall of man’. In  that account we become first introduced to the person of satan. Beautiful, cunning, deceitful, persuasive, attractive, friendly, tempting, invoking doubt. Since God created all animals, and there was no ‘fear’ present in that lovely garden, we can accept that the serpent was chosen by satan to convey his deceitful message. For his part in that deceit, that creature’s squirming in the dust, is the result of God’s judgement on him. The abhorrence which most people feel when confronted by a snake is also probably indicative of the untrustworthy  and potentially deadly character ascribed to snakes in general.

The narrative provides enough information to show us that God had been quite clear and unambiguous in His instruction to the people He had created. “There is a garden full of food for you to eat”. They were vegetarians! “But there is one tree, the fruit of which is forbidden, because eating that fruit will cause you to die!!”  Well, because we know the story, we know that they did eat that fruit, and we also know that they did not actually “die” as we know death today. So what was this death that they experienced? My thought on this is that ‘death’ caused them to be separated from their Creator. They were, in effect, cut off from all the contact they had, up until that moment experienced at the hand of their Creator, without any real understanding of what it involved and how important it was to their existence. (on a most personal level, I can attest to the devastating effect of death which caused separation from my wife of 64 years. But her death also hugely affects my ongoing life)

I have often commented on the fact that there are lessons for each one of us to learn from every encounter with the Scriptures. This may be one of them. Jealously guard and appreciate every moment you have with your spouse! Take care not be distracted by “that serpent” who may appear in all sorts of guises offering seeming attractions which God has clearly forbidden to us in His word. His instructions are not mere ‘suggestions’ !! There are consequences for disregarding those instructions.

At the commencement of this new reading cycle, which for many people is an annual series of reminders of God’s instruction for living righteously with Him and with their fellow citizens, we should briefly survey what is covered in this Torah. In essence, it is the story of one family. A family called by God for His own reasons and purposes to be a light to the nations.

Today’s reading takes us from antiquity to a point where God seemingly despaired of the disobedient and unrighteous ways of mankind. And in our reading next week we discover the tragedy which befell mankind as a result. Over the course of the next twelve months we will ‘reflect’ on the way God led and nurtured a people to have fellowship with Him and to be an example to other nations of how He expects those who know Him to order their lives. And finally, just as God provided a warning to these people of His first creation that in their disobedience in eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they would die (to Him), so a warning is provided to those with whom He had made a covenant, of the blessings which accrue from obedience and the curses which accompany disobedience.

The results of disobedience to the commands of God, for the believer, are not threats. They represent an honest appraisal, by God, to any who would take heed, of what the future will look like. On the one hand blessings, and on the other hand curses. Read the passage carefully today. Take note of what happened to the one aiding the deceit of satan. Take note of the assignment of childbearing and subservience to the man given to the disobedient woman. Take note of the life of toil and hardship in providing food assigned to the man. Take note of the change from the garden with plentiful food readily available.  These are a direct result of disobedience to God’s command. These provide a timely lesson for everyone who reads the account in today’s reading.

Chapter 5 contains a genealogy of the descendants from Adam. They lived long lives and beget many children. Read the list. They all died after several hundred years. But in chapter 6, at the end of the week’s reading we find God saying “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was continually only bad … and God was grieved in His heart.” What a sad state of affairs.

Do you ever wonder what God thinks of our present generation?

Shabbat Shalom

RS

A “reflection” to end the reading cycle           Joshua 1:1 -18

This week sees the end of the annual reading cycle. The final parashah for the year. Moses had just died. The faithful Joshua, son of Nun, colleague of Caleb, is appointed by God to lead the new nation of Israel into the land of Promise. God had appeared to Abraham at Elon Moreh on his journey south. There, from that mountain location, Abraham was able to see the extent of the land. It was much larger than the nation we know as Israel today. To my mind it seems symbolic. Abraham shown the extent, but not the detail, of what God had promised him. And as we begin our journey into Torah again next week, a new year of readings, and a new year of discovery of what God has in store for us. It looks like a huge undertaking. But as we look, week by week, at the detail God had in store for them, and for us, we will be blessed.

God showed immense faith in Joshua. The promises of God, given at this inauguration were unequivocal, unconditional, and plain. “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you (not will give you, but have given you) as I said to Moses.” It was a done deal. ‘From the Euphrates River, all the land of the Hittites, to the Mediterranean.’ The Hittites were descendants of Heth, they were an important Canaanite group, and their land was extensive. It was a Hittite, Ephron, who sold the ‘cave at Machpelah’ to Abraham as a burial place!

Now it is interesting that the Land of Promise is specified in a number of places in Scripture, (students among us, look at Genesis 15, Exodus 23, Numbers 34, Deuteronomy 11 and Ezekiel 47), so here in Joshua 1 it seems that the Lord instructed Joshua that in order to possess the land all he had to do is to set foot in it. He cannot, (i.e. will not be able to), take more than is promised. I am reminded of that injunction in the Living Bible paraphrase of Jude 20 “Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and protect you”.

However, from other Scriptures we know that the Canaanites would not simply walk off the land, they would have to be driven out, sometimes with  significant  loss of life. But God had not finished with His proclamation to Joshua. He went on to bolster him with many encouraging statements. They are words which are often appropriated to ourselves as a timely encouragement for the fulfilment of some perceived God given task. Perhaps we should take careful note of the relationship God had with Joshua before making overly presumptive claims for ourselves! But they are very encouraging words anyway. Just look at them. “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life” “As I was with Moses, so shall I be to you” “I will not leave you nor forsake you”
 

These are immensely reassuring words from Almighty God. They are words, which, to a lesser person, might engender pride and even arrogance. But not to Joshua. Because there is an over-riding clause in this encouragement. When we presumptuously appropriate these promises to ourselves, we should, but often do not, look at the condition God made for the success which Joshua was to enjoy.

“Be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do all the Torah which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go”. And if that was not enough, the Lord continued “This Book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.”

Dear friends, God is not encouraging Joshua to fight battles, to do exploits, to clear the Land of the Canaanites, to lead a great army in warfare, or even to stand before the people in judgement. This is an encouragement to Joshua to be strong and faithful to God’s Word. To have the courage to stand up to the dissenters in his midst. To put scoffers in their place, so to speak. To be strong in upholding the Torah of Moses before the people. Inevitably, that would require Joshua to be an example. Unwavering. Steadfast. Consistent. When we see such a record of God’s promises to His servants, like Joshua, are we ready to also take on board the conditions under which such promises are given?

If you doubt God’s righteous judgement in His promises, move on a few chapters and read how and why God chastised the people by defeat in the battle for Ai.

As we enter a new year of study in God’s Word, let us covenant with Him to learn the lessons which are contained therein. Let us ask God to prompt us by His Holy Spirit, to be the kind of believers, doers of His Word, that He has called us to be.

Shabbat Shalom 

RS

Torah Reflections                “Tabernacles”

Torah portions              Leviticus 22:26 to 23:44      and         Numbers 29 :12 - 16