Zion's Voice

Haftarah Reflections   30

Torah portion           Leviticus   19 : 1  to 20 : 27

Haftarah portion     Amos  9 : 7 - 15

Listen to the Prophets

Amos, the sheep farmer from Tekoa, a town just south of Bethlehem in Judea, was commissioned by God to take a strong message of warning to the wayward Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Our parashah today is set at a time when, as history records, there was precious little time left, probably less than 40 years, for the tribes of the North to repent of their wickedness and to turn again to the covenant promises which had been made by them and their forefathers before them. We are now in the reign of king Jereboam 2, almost 200 years after the separation of the tribes into North and South.

Jereboam 1, the first king of Israel, had set up two worship centres in that territory, one in the south at Bethel and one in the north at Dan. In both places he set up golden calves as emblems of worship in opposition to the Temple which Solomon had built in Jerusalem, and in defiance of God’s instruction regarding the place where He was to be worshipped.

God had sent several prophets to warn the people that they were heading for disaster. Ahijah, Jehu, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Hosea, Amos and Oded specifically. Isaiah, Jeremiah and others also had words of warning to the South, using the behaviour of these Northern neighbours as an example of the righteous judgement of God.

With that background, we may now understand the quite difficult language which Amos uses as he delivers this dire ‘final warning’ to this wayward people. Remember that there were several previous attempts by God to get these folk to change their ways.

“Are you not like the people of Ethiopia to Me, O children of Israel? Says the Lord. Did I not bring up Israel from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor (Crete), and the Syrians from Kir?”

A strong reminder that God had not only brought Israel to the Land. But also the Philistines and the Syrians !! The message being that NONE of them was given the right to unconditional permanency of possession. Only the Israelites were given the RIGHT to live in the Land, but that was specifically conditional upon adherence to living as God had instructed them. Follow me closely here. God declares that He has His eyes upon them, and unless they change their ways, He intends to remove them from the Land, but will not utterly destroy them. They are to be “sifted” as grain is sifted, yet not destroyed. For many, their disobedient arrogance will result in death (by sword at the hand of their enemies, the Assyrians in this case), because of their defiant response to the voice of the prophets, that “this calamity shall not overtake nor confront us”. (verse 10).

From verse 11, God tells Amos that the “sukkah” of David, now broken down and in desperate need of restoration, will be so restored. This is a direct reference to a future coming of Messiah. Including the return of Messiah which is still ahead of us today. There are some distinguishing characteristics of this dynasty which make it uniquely different to the first Davidic dynasty. It will be a permanent Kingdom. It will include believing Gentiles in its makeup. (the reference to Edom, gentiles, here is related to the prophetic pronouncement in Numbers 24:18)

It will herald substantial prosperity for those who are part of it. It speaks of the Messianic Kingdom. That is what is meant by the ‘plowman overtaking the reaper’ and the ‘hills flowing with sweet wine’. Our parashah concludes with a really up to the minute fulfilment of that prophecy made about 3,000 years ago. We are seeing the beginnings of that fulfilment in our time. God is calling His people back to the Land in unprecedented numbers. Not for their sake, but for His Holy Name’s sake, that the world may know that He is the Lord.

No one could possibly conclude that this is a particularly attractive time for Jews to return to Israel. Quite the opposite. Ebenezer Operation Exodus, a Christian ministry with a mission to assist Jews make Aliyah, was founded in 1991, during ‘the Gulf war’. Everyone trying to leave the Middle East as fast as they could. Gustav Scheller and his team of praying believers, answered the call of God to get into Israel at that very time, to pray there. The result, this God anointed ministry, assisting many tens, even hundreds, of thousands in the last 25 years. Jews who were desperate to escape tyrannical regimes in the former Soviet Union.

Amos couldn’t see this, but he faithfully warned the people of his day about God’s righteous judgement. And in that righteous judgement, God told of the restoration we see today. Amazing.

The word of God is precise. It is unfailing. It is challenging. Just as God warned the people of Israel to ‘get their house in order’, He is telling us today, through His word, ‘get your house in order’. The time is short. The clock of time is running down. No-one knows the timing but God Himself. It was exactly the same for the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom. We ignore the warnings of a righteous Judge at our peril.

What does the Lord require of us? “To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God”

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   29

Torah portion           Leviticus   16 : 1  to 18 : 30

Haftarah portion     1 Samuel  20 : 18 - 42   

Listen to the Prophets

This week’s parashah is full of emotion. Lots of different emotions. You may recognize jealousy, envy, anger, pride, gentle caring, love, loyalty, and maybe more. And in each of them, we can see good and bad outcomes.

In brief, Samuel had been a good Judge over the Israelites for about 12 years. As he got older, his sons took on the role, but lacked the honour of their father. They were corrupt, took bribes and perverted the course of justice. So eventually, the people were so dismayed by the situation that they opted to have a king reign over them. Saul was chosen. Very early in his reign, Samuel, (who whilst technically no longer Judge over Israel, continued to exercise an influetial role as elder statesman) became aware of his shortcomings, and told him so. He went further and told Saul that God would choose another to replace him. That one was the youthful David, son of Jesse. At that point, the Scriptures tell us, the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul.

Then David’s popularity soared, with the conquest of Goliath, and his humble attitude. King Saul, now in the grip of a ‘troubled’ spirit, sought ways to dispose of David. He offered him his daughter in marriage. He reasoned that this would afford him influence in David’s life and plotted that he could then send David into the fierce battles with the Philistines, expecting him not to survive, but he did. And that increased David’s popularity. To cap it all off, Saul’s son, Jonathan became very close friends with David. Saul was extremely angry.

But as our parashah opens this week David had just put Jonathan ‘on the spot’ to find out if it were true that his father wanted to get rid of him. In great caution, and with much wisdom, David decided to absent himself, even though he was now the king’s son-in-law, from the family meal table at the next New Moon festival, whilst he awaited confirmation from Jonathan about Saul’s attitude towards him.

The rest of the story is very well known. Firstly, Jonathan himself almost lost his life when his father, Saul, threw a spear at him. Secondly, that gave Jonathan all the confirmation he needed about his father’s state of mind towards his close friend David. Thirdly, Jonathan warned David by their agreed signal with the arrows. And our parashah ends with the tearful farewell between the two friends.

The lessons we can take from this story are about guarding our emotions, on the one hand, and letting our emotions free on the other.

The problems emerged with Saul becoming inflated with pride. His appointment as king was certainly an honour. He was anointed by Samuel, and approved by God, for the task. But it was not too long before he saw himself as leader in his own right and by his own strength.

We learn an important lesson here. When God approves us for service in His Name, it is paramount that we recognize His authority. In God appointed roles, we have NO authority other than that which He ordains. Obedience to His precepts and commandments is a vital element in maintaining His approval. In Saul’s case, he knew that God had commissioned Samuel to convey His instructions. Saul ignored those instructions, thinking that he knew a better way. His lack of control, or inability to submit his emotions to God in obedience, gave rise to fierce anger. And isn’t Satan ready to jump in and revel in that situation?

When the correction came, Saul again sought to circumvent that outcome by getting rid of the person God had clearly chosen to do His work. Modern day examples of failure of this kind are all around us. And it is all centred in personal pride. Some greatly gifted young men and women have been effectively ‘sidelined’ by pride driven older people in positions of authority within our modern day church scenarios. Shame.

On the opposite side of the ‘coin’, we see great love and loyalty exhibited. Jonathan and David had developed a great friendship. Admiration even. That was birthed, in no small measure, by Jonathan observing the ‘mighty’ acts of courage and achievement which were obvious in David’s life. But in these, Jonathan could see the way God Himself was taking care of David. He recognized the anointing of God on his friend. And Jonathan wanted to be part of that.

Now this provides another lesson. Most of us are sensitive enough to see, and know, when God is at work in a person’s life. There is an aura, a presence, which can be felt when we are in the company of a person who is walking closely with the Lord. An anointing which is palpable. Jonathan knew it. It is a characteristic which cannot be faked. And when faking is attempted, it becomes all the more obvious.

Jonathan risked his life to shield his friend David. Satan is hard at work trying to pull down those who are in God’s holy service. We should try to emulate Jonathan’s example. It is not ‘blind’ loyalty which is required, but a discerning spirit.

God grant that we too may seek His face, be faithful to His calling, and supportive of those who are doing the will of Almighty God.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   28

Torah portion              Leviticus 12 : 1  to 13 : 59

Haftarah portion      2 Kings  7 : 3 - 20   

Listen to the Prophets

We need to understand the background to this parashah.

Elisha was prophesying in Samaria, the capital city of the Northern kingdom. God had given him insight into the thoughts of the king of Syria, so that all his plans were laid open to Elisha. The city was besieged by the Syrians, and that resulted in a severe famine there. We do not know how long this siege lasted, but we do know it brought the inhabitants to a perilous state. The price of the little food which was available was astronomic. Then the king of Israel was told that some were even resorting to cannibalism. He was distraught. And he blamed Elisha for their predicament, threatening to put Elisha to death if he could find him.

Then the king of Israel uttered words which have been oft repeated by those who are ready to blame Him for everything that goes wrong in society. In paraphrase he said “What sort of God is it that brings such things on us. I cannot worship a god like that”.

Elisha knows what the king has just said, and he counters with this:- “Tomorrow,  at about this time, a seah of fine flour will sell for one shekel, and two seahs of barley for one shekel”. Cheap as chips so to speak. (it is difficult to be precise, but my research suggests that a ‘seah’ COULD be about 5 Kg.)

An officer of the king heard Elisha’s prophecy and ridiculed him. “even if it fell out of the sky it would never be that cheap”. Elisha, never shy or short of a comment, told the officer that he would see it with his own eyes, but he would not eat any of it. Another bold prophecy, since everyone was hungry.

So to the story, and the lesson, in this week’s parashah.

Four unfortunate men, stricken with leprosy, had been sent outside the gates of the city. This was strictly in accord with the Levitical law in order to prevent the spread of the disease. They were just as hungry as the people inside the walls of the city, and relied on those inside for their food. They had not eaten for some considerable time, and were obviously approaching desperation. They reasoned together. If we stay here, we die. If we go into the city, we die. If we surrender ourselves to the besieging Syrian army, they might feed us, if so, we live. If they don’t, we die. Better for us to take the one chance we have to survive. So they did.

When they arrived at the Syrian camp, it was empty of people. God had caused the Syrians to hear the sounds of a great advancing army. So they left in great haste and left everything behind. The four lepers set about eating the plenteous supply of food, and plundering the valuables. A short while into their binge, one of them stopped, called the others and said “what we are doing is not right”. The Spirit of God moved on them to see that they had found the means of survival available for the besieged city, but they were selfishly contenting themselves, and remaining silent. This was a day of good news, but they were keeping it to themselves.

An important lesson.

We might consider ourselves analogous to those lepers. We were lost, outside the camp, every option we had led to death, except one. In that analogy, the well-stocked Syrian camp, may be likened to the boundless grace of God, in Yeshua, who provided the means of our salvation. Many of us are content to ‘plunder’ the camp for all the goodies we can get, getting fatter, but not growing!  The voice of the Holy Spirit is prompting us in this parashah to consider if what we are doing is right. Should we keep this good news to ourselves, or should we, like the lepers in our parashah, go back to the city, and give them the good news that salvation is available to any who wish to step out of the starving city, and receive it.

Of course, in our story, eventually, the people heard the good news and rushed out to receive the food which was available.

The parashah ends with the confirmation of Elisha’s prophecy. In the gateway of the city, one seah of fine flour sold for one shekel, and two seahs of barley for the same. Such was the rush at the gate of the city that the king’s officer, who had been so sceptical, saw it all with his own eyes, but was trampled to death in the stampede of people.

Another important lesson.

God speaks as clearly today as He did in the days of Elisha. Often, that word comes as a still small voice, sometimes as a ‘rhema’ from the Holy Scriptures.  It could even be through a ‘reflection’ on this parashah! Occasionally it may come from a person with a prophetic gifting, but that is quite rare in our day, and we are cautioned in Scripture to test such prophets before we take notice of them. But however that word is received, it is very unwise to treat it with contempt. God’s Word will always accomplish the purpose for which it is sent.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   27

Torah portion           Leviticus `12 : 1  to 13 : 59

Haftarah portion     Ezekiel  45 : 16  to  46 :  18

Listen to the Prophets

Our parashah this week is set in the prophetic announcement of the Messianic Age Temple. Obviously not yet constructed. It presents challenges which most of us would rather not deal with! The whole vision of Ezekiel contains much detail and it is extremely difficult for us to comprehend. So we are left with a simple choice. God said it, so I believe it, OR Ezekiel got it wrong.

My conviction is that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable … etc”. Almost one fifth of Ezekiel’s message is taken up with this Temple vision. The conclusion I draw from that is the God considers it to be important.

The dilemma for many will result from teaching which has been prevalent in our churches over many years. That teaching concludes that Yeshua kept all the commandments, so a) we do not have to, and b) The “Old Testament” has been superseded by the “New Testament”. Both of those statements are demonstrably false. They do not have any foundation in the Scriptures. That teaching results from centuries of errant theology which commenced when the gentile believing community was severed from its Hebraic foundations. This has, in turn, resulted in a serious mal-nourishment regarding the Hebrew Scriptures in our churches today.

(It is somewhat ironic that the Torah portion assigned for this week’s reading deals with “uncleanness” and “leprous conditions”. What I have described above may be seen by some as analogous to both of those conditions in the church! Both conditions need to be dealt with so that healing may occur)

The parashah provides detail of the area assigned for this Holy place, the new Temple and its surrounds. It is an enormous tract of land. There is no need for me to dwell on that, other than to say that as you read the text, keep in mind that 25,000 cubits approximates to 12 Km. and 10,000 cubits would be nearly 5 Km. Those dimensions are approximate, but they provide an indication that it describes a future, rather than a former Temple district.

But then we have another dilemma. Who is “the prince”? The most obvious course is to consider that he is Messiah, and MANY commentators have made this conclusion. The main pointer being the fact that the “prince” appears to have exclusive access to the Eastern Gate of the Temple. But there are some difficulties with this conclusion. The first is immediately evident in the fact that this “prince” has only a relatively small allotment of land in the millennial kingdom. In Psalm 2 we read that “I have set My Kingdom My holy hill of Zion”. That is consistent with our universal belief that Yeshua will return to this earth to “rule and reign” in Jerusalem. The whole kingdom is His. In fact, the whole earth is His. So this apportionment of a quite large tract of land, which is in fact relatively small in relation to the whole, surely cannot be that of the King. One day we will know!!! I am not inclined to make this a point of dispute, but it is interesting.

The next issue which causes concern are the detailed instructions regarding the sacrificial system, no longer functioning today because there is no Temple in Jerusalem, which is evidently revived when the Temple described by Ezekiel is constructed.

Commentators are again divided on this. Why would there be a sacrificial system when the Messiah is reigning in Jerusalem? The answer is twofold. The first is fact. God has declared it in this word to Ezekiel. The second is speculative. They will be as a memorial to the finished work of Messiah.

Before we write off this second supposition, we should remember that when Yeshua shared His last Pesach seder with His disciples He instituted a memorial of that occasion. That memorial is called “Communion” or other names depending on the teaching of a particular Christian denomination. That memorial also varies in frequency in different congregations. My reading of the Scriptures cause me to see it as an annual memorial at Pesach. So the principle of memorial acts of celebration is not new. 

It is also worthy of note that there were several types of sacrifices, and none of them were for removal of sin, which is the unique characteristic of the sacrificial offering made by Yeshua. The Mosaic sacrificial system was introduced to allow the offeror to “draw near” to God. To recognize the ‘holiness’ of God, and to appreciate His unique status in their lives.

This parashah has probably raised more questions than answers. My ‘reflection’ on it has caused me to think more deeply, and to appreciate the wonder and majesty of Almighty God. I know He does all things well. My trust is in Him.

May the Lord provide insight into this Scripture, share it with someone and you will both be blessed.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   26

Torah portion           Leviticus 9 : 1  to 11 : 47

Haftarah portion     Ezekiel  36 : 16 - 38  

Listen to the Prophets

What a start to this week’s haftarah.

YHWH Elohim is telling Ezekiel that Israel behaved abominably when they were presented with the privilege of having a Land to call their own. God had pleaded with the Israelites to live righteously, with each other, and before Him, so that their example would be a ‘light to the nations around them’. Instead, God saw that their behaviour was outrageously bad. He describes it as like a discarded menstrual pad. Isaiah has a similar description of ‘all our righteousness’.  His use of the term ‘filthy rags’ in Isaiah 64 is precisely the same as that here in Ezekiel.

So God has given Ezekiel the reason why He chose to disperse the Judeans, which in Ezekiel’ day was to Babylon, where he himself was exiled. But the language of this message suggests that it is much broader in scope than just Babylon. The text indicates that the dispersion was to many nations. Our knowledge of history tells us that this is prophetic of another dispersion which took place about 750 years later, when the Romans expelled the Jews from the Land entirely in bout 134 C.E.

What follows is one of the most illuminating passages of Scripture, declaring the unfailing love God has for the Jewish people, and the reasons why He is restoring them to the Land, in spite of their many failings.

The predication is that the nations to which they were scattered would be somewhat puzzled by the fact that, even though they hold to their faith as Jews, they have been exiled from the Land. Our text tells us that God is vitally concerned that this amounts to a profanity to His Name. So, in the fullness of time, He has chosen to restore the Jews to their Land.

This is a great mystery to those in our churches who adhere to a doctrine known as “Replacement Theology”. It is a doctrine which sees the ‘church’ as having replaced Israel as God’s chosen ones. A brand new ‘special treasure’ if you will.

There are many places in the Scriptures which demonstrate this doctrine to be false. But none so clear as this haftarah parashah today. God clearly says that it is ‘not for their sakes’ that they are being restored to the Land, but “for MY holy Name’s sake”. Why is that important? That the world may know that I am the LORD. When will the world see that? When they see that YHWH Elohim is “hallowed” in you (Israel) before their eyes.

“Hallowed” means to respect, revere, honour as holy, consecrate.

We see the Jews returning to Israel in increasing numbers this very day. But the vast majority of those making ‘aliyah’ are secular Jews. They are returning to the Land in unbelief. But they are returning.

Now here is the prophetic message for us as we study this parashah. It is spelled out very clearly.

The plan of God for man is unfolding before our eyes. Be excited about it. Understand it. Get on board with it. Play your part in it. (The ministry of Zion’s Voice is literally “up to its neck” in supporting this move of God both by prayer, and financially.)

And this is the really exciting part.

When God’s timing is right, He “will sprinkle clean water on them” and “they will be cleansed of all their filthiness and idolatry”. And finally He says “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you”. At which time “I will cause you to walk in My statutes and you WILL keep My judgements and do them”.

My dear friends, this is the time when God will make that NEW COVENANT with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. The prophet Ezekiel is showing us that God is taking the Jews back to the Land so that He can enter into that covenant which they will NOT BE ABLE TO BREAK. Jeremiah said it, the writer to the Hebrews restated it, and Ezekiel is confirming it.

I would like to suggest that all who read this ‘reflection’ take time to read the parashah again. Marvel at the fact that we are seeing prophecy unfold before us, and determine to participate in God’s plan for Israel, by prayer, and by financially supporting those ministries which are front and centre in harmony with this prophecy.

Finally, as God leads us, let us be bold to speak. Let us be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within us. And, if I am correct in my ‘reflection’ on this parashah, we have found all the reason we need.

To His great Name be the glory.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   25

Torah portion           Leviticus 6 : 8  to 8 : 36

Haftarah portion     Jeremiah  7 : 21  to 8 : 3 and 9 : 22,23  

Listen to the Prophets

As we open the parashah this week we immediately become conscious of the anger of God towards the Israelites of Jeremiah’s day. The tone of this discourse is set by the words at the beginning of this chapter which precede this reading. God is telling Jeremiah that he should continue his warnings of judgement, but that the people would not listen. How sad and discouraging. But the faithful Jeremiah spoke anyway.

The corresponding Torah reading this week concerns the instructions regarding the various sacrificial offerings and the anointing of the High priest to accept such offerings.

To paraphrase this haftarah portion, God was saying, “When I brought you out of Egypt (and that was hundreds of years earlier), I didn’t demand that you make sacrifices, I wanted you to obey My voice, to live in harmony with Me, to be My people”.  Of course, God did introduce the sacrificial system of drawing close to Himself in Moses day, but by their wanton disobedience they were now seemingly making a mockery of those sacrifices. So God says “don’t offer them to Me, eat them yourselves”.

The whole tone is one of deep disappointment. Frustration even. Over the centuries, God had sent warning after warning through His servants, the prophets, the judges, and the kings. Still the people were “doing that which was right in their own eyes”

As I read this message, and a timely one it is, I think that very little has changed. Aren’t the same things happening today? Everyone apparently doing that which is right in their own eyes. It may even be considered worse, because in addition to the verbal warnings of the prophets to the people, today we also have the written record of all that God had taught the people who are called by His Name. If God was frustrated with them, how much more with those of us who this day take little or no heed to His word. Then heap blame upon Him for all that is wrong in our world.

When God promised Abraham that He would provide a land in which his offspring would live, it was so that those people would be a “light to the nations around them”. Furthermore God told them that the reason why the Canaanites were to be dispossessed of the land was because of their abominations, which included human sacrifice, gross sexual misconduct and lewd living. Hadn’t He even provided a solemn warning in the days of Lot, when, for the same reasons, He had completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? And now, Jeremiah is confronted with the same issues amongst his own people.

The Hinnom Valley, identified today approximately running from the Jaffa Gate, the Sultan’s Pool and joins the southern edge of the Kidron Valley, had a horrific history. Our text tells us that it would be known as the “Field of Slaughter”. It is the place where Judas Iscariot is said to have purchased a burial field with the ‘thirty pieces of silver’, and was well named the ‘field of blood’. It is a real place. It is not mythical. Here, was a place of sacrifice to Molech, where parents offered their children to be burned in the fire. Dreadful atrocities. It was here that some of the Israelites joined in this barbarous practice. This is the burden of Jeremiah’s task of warning in this parashah.

I also see a connection here with events still future to us. In Revelation 19 we read about the time when God will call the peoples of the nations to account. It will be a time of unspeakable slaughter as nations join in conflict with Israel. It is a time when the angel of God will call the birds to feast on the remains of those killed in the battle.(just as our reading this week declares) It hardly bears thinking about, but such will be the wrath of God on those who seek to destroy Israel in the last days.

But that is in the future. What about today.

Jeremiah’s message was prophetic of what would happen when the people continued in disobedience and idolatry. It did not have to be so. There was always the option of walking uprightly before the Lord. In all its history, there were times of great blessing for the Israelites as they walked obediently before God. Invariably, they were times when they had an upright and honourable leader. Not all leaders were honourable and the people suffered as a result.

Now here is the good news.

In His infinite love and grace towards us, God has provided the perfect leader for us today. His Name is Yeshua. The way has been made plain. The atoning sacrifice He made is complete. All that remains is our resolve to follow Him. To walk in obedience to His commandments. It is not “doing what is right in our own eyes”.

Just like the people in our parashah, we are presented with a choice between life and death. Choose life.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   24

Torah portion           Leviticus 1 : 1  to 6 : 7

Haftarah portion     1 Samuel  15 : 2  -  34

Listen to the Prophets

But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

This week we see the judgement of God in action. We are familiar with the ‘love’ aspect of God’s character, which even the world recognizes, and with which we readily identify. We are less able to fully understand the righteousness of God which is expressed in our parashah today. That is God, the righteous judge. But it is important that we do.

The Amalekites were a nomadic people. They take their name from Amalek, a grandson of Esau. They had a history of enmity towards Israel. They were a people which chose to harass the vulnerable Children of Israel when they first left Egypt, The Israelites were vulnerable because they were in a desert place, water was scarce, and they pined for the security they knew in Egypt, even though they were in slavery there.

At the place where Moses struck the rock at Horeb, Amalek came and fought with the Israelites. The story is well known. As Aaron and Hur held Moses arms high, the Israelites prevailed, and when Moses arms lowered in fatigue, Amalek prevailed. In the end Amalek was defeated. Moses there declared that God was “Jehovah Nissi” (The Lord is my banner). 

But God said two things to Moses. Firstly, that ‘there would be war with Amalek from generation to generation’.  Secondly, that He would ‘utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven’.  The Amalekites joined in with Midianites, Moabites, Hittites, Edomites, you name it, anyone who had a battle with Israel. But here, in our parashah today, God said “enough is enough”.

Samuel called Saul, the recently anointed king of Israel, and told him that he was to take an army and ‘blot out’ the Amalekites. Everything. Let nothing remain. Saul assembled a large army of over 200,000 foot soldiers, and struck them. They were chased across the length of their territory, which was at that time part of Edom. Many thousands died in that pursuit, But Saul saw that there were good flocks of sheep and cattle. He could not resist the temptation. The weak ones were killed, but the good stock he decided to take back as booty. And for reasons that only Saul would know, maybe as an act of bravado, or gloating, or pride, he took the Amalekite king, Agag, captive too. Triumphantly, he trooped back with his booty. Up to the north of the country, Carmel, where he set up a monument to himself, then back east to Gilgal. A march of triumph and boasting.

But Samuel was in intimate communion with the Lord, who told Samuel that He regretted making Saul king. The whole episode was revealed to Samuel. He was distraught. All night long he cried out to the Lord. By morning he knew what to do.

He went to see Saul, who immediately put on a cheerful greeting and declared that he had done all that was asked of him. (There is a sequel to this story in the Book of Esther, which is recalled every year at the Jewish festival of Purim. The wicked Haman, who plotted the annihilation of the Jews, was an Agagite, so clearly, the commission Saul was given was not completed as instructed.) Then Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

The rest of the story you may read for yourself. It is quite graphic in its description of events, and part of the story contains a damning description of what had happened in Saul’s life. (1 Samuel 15: 17-19)

But we need to see the lesson here for ourselves today.

Most of us are delighted to receive the call of God on our lives. As in the parashah today, because of our gifting and experience, many are called upon to carry out specific work in God’s Name, which only they can do. It is also the case, that not everyone completes the task. ‘Things’ get in the way. In Saul’s case it was arrogance and pride. But there are many other pitfalls for the unwary.

In fact, we may be sure that all who come to faith in Yeshua are called to service. Many of us appear not to understand what that calling requires. Consequently there are tasks that are not completed. In simple terms it is our responsibility to seek the Lord on that. Dare I suggest that sometimes it may be as plain as "letting our light so shine before men that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father in Heaven”. The prophet Micah gave us another guide. “to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God”. King Saul was in no such doubt, but he failed the test. What a tragedy it would be, when called to account, thinking that we have completed our mission to hear the words “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

We will receive God’s blessing as we seek to do His will for us.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   23

Torah portion           Exodus 38 : 21  to 40 : 38

Haftarah portion     1 Kings  7 : 51 to 8 : 21

Listen to the Prophets

“So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished ..” But it was empty.

Solomon had put his very best into the work, He had recruited about 200,000 workers to carry out the various tasks required. It had taken about 7 years. All that work brought prosperity … for a lot of people … for a long time. (He also spent another 13 years building a home for himself with a separate place for his Egyptian wife). And so the House of the Lord stood, dominant, resplendent, magnificent, and beautiful, in its place of honour in Jerusalem. The place chosen by God Himself. Solomon called all the Elders of the people to witness the furnishing of the Temple. The priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, and Levites brought the other special furnishings, which had previously adorned the Tabernacle, into the new Temple. It was ready for service. But it was still empty.

The joy of the people was expressed in their sacrificial giving. Everything seemed in order. Sheep and Oxen, countless in number, all without blemish, being brought as an offering to the Lord in the place He Himself had chosen.

The Temple had an outer court, the court of the Gentiles. There was then a barrier (in Scripture called the ‘middle wall of partition’) beyond which only Jews were allowed. Within this space, and up a flight of twelve steps we find the most important building. Before it was the Court of Women, beyond which was the place where gifts and sacrifices were made to the Lord. Then came the Court of the Priests with its great Altar of Sacrifice and the Bronze Laver for the ceremonial washing of the Priests. Then a porch leading to The Holy Place. It contained the Altar of Incense, the Table of Showbread, the Seven Branched Golden Lampstand and a beautiful embroidered curtain. The curtain divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies, 9 metres x 9 metres and 18 metres high. Here rested the Ark of the Covenant containing the Tablets of stone given by God to Moses about 500 years earlier. What an impressive scene. Try to picture it if you can.

Then see the Priests bringing the Ark into the building, carefully placing the Ark inside the Holy of Holies, reverently backing out, through the curtain, through the Holy Place and into the Court of the Priests. Suddenly, without warning, the Shekinah of God filled the Place.

No longer empty, but filled with the very presence of YHWH ELOHIM.

The Priests were in amazement. They could no longer carry on with their tasks. The whole place was filled with the Glory of God.

What a picture.

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 3:16 declares that ‘we are the temple of God’. In Ephesians 2 he says that we are ‘being built together for a dwelling place of God’. It may be extremely difficult to see a comparison between that magnificent structure which King Solomon built, and that which we see when we look into a mirror! But, other than shape, size and appearance, there is actually no difference when we look to the purpose for which each was made. On their own, both are empty. It is when the Shekinah of God comes and dwells within them that they become the same.

In our parashah, when the Shekinah of God came into the Temple, ‘the glory of the Lord filled the House’. There was an immediate difference. It showed. The whole character of the place was changed. Everyone could see it, sense it, and experience it. It was an overwhelming, overcoming experience for those who witnessed it.

So here is both the lesson, and the challenge for us. There is actually one significant difference between the Temple of Solomon we have reflected on in our parashah, and the Temple which we are as individuals. In the Temple which we are, the presence of God requires an invitation. In His infinite love towards us, God has given us a choice, a free will if you like. But when God is in that Temple, there will be a difference. His presence will be seen. Others will notice.

What then is the evidence of God’s presence?

Simply put, we enter a different kingdom. We voluntarily move from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Light. We place ourselves under a different authority. As the Apostle Paul said to the Romans, “Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law (i.e. the law of sin and death) but under grace.” When the power of sin is broken, we will speak, act, and live differently. If that is not in evidence in our lives, a spiritual check-up would appear to be in order.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   22

Torah portion           Exodus 35 : 1  to 38 : 20

Haftarah portion     2 Kings  11 : 21 to 12 : 16

Listen to the Prophets

This week we look at some events in the life of King Joash, but we need a bit of background to appreciate what he did.

The infamous Jezebel had a daughter named Athaliah. She is described in 2 Chronicles 24:7 as ‘that wicked woman’, and so she was. During her time of influence she completely corrupted the Temple worship, even selling or donating the holy articles of the Temple to the Baals. When her son, king Ahaziah died, she then arranged to have all the royal heirs (her own grandchildren) killed off. As a result, she ruled in her son’s place. The only woman to be ruler of Judah. However, unbeknown to Athaliah, one of her daughters (or maybe step daughter), the wife of the High Priest Jehoiada managed to save the life of one of the grandchildren, the young, one year old baby Joash. She kept him hidden for about six years in the Temple accommodation. So our parashah begins with the succession to the throne of the seven year old Joash (also called Jehoash). He reigned in Judah for 40 years, and, in his very early years, under the Godly tutelage of Jehoiada.

Judah was ruled by 20 kings. Of those, only 8 are described in the Scriptures as ‘good’ kings. That is ‘they did what was right in the sight of the Lord’. Joash, as a young man, whilst under the instruction of the High Priest Jehoida, was a ‘good’ king.

However, due to the laxity of earlier generations of Israelites, and because earlier kings had not all been ‘good’, there were still many ‘high places’ of worship to Baal which still stood. They had not been destroyed as God had instructed in Deuteronomy 12: 1-4.

One consequence of their laxity was evidenced in the Temple.  Joash became aware that the magnificent Temple which Solomon had constructed, had not been properly maintained. It was in a poor state of repair. So Joash instituted a ‘building fund’ out of various gifts and taxes which the people payed into the Temple treasury. (We are not told the specific date, but it is fair to assume that this order was given whilst Joash was still very young and under the influence of Jehoida). Joash became king at age 7, and when he was 30 years old he discovered that the repair work had still not been carried out.

Evidently, the priests were not as honourable as we might have expected them to be. They had taken the money, but used it for their own purposes rather than the purpose for which it was provided to them.

(I sometimes wonder how the many televangelists and megachurch leaders today managed to become so obscenely wealthy!)

Anyway, the income flow to these priests was stopped. At the same time they refused to carry out the repair work. So Jehoida devised a scheme to put a large wooden box near the place where the people entered the Temple to present their offerings. A hole was cut in the top of the box to receive the money gifts, and it was periodically emptied by the king’s scribe and the High Priest and used to pay the artisans directly.

There is a most interesting comment, 2 Kings 12:15, which tells us that there was no requirement for an account from these workmen because they ‘dealt faithfully’.  The contrast appears to be that the priests originally tasked with the work had not ‘dealt faithfully’. Great testimony of these workmen.

So that is the story. What is our lesson?

Firstly, this whole episode arose because of the initial laxity by the Israelites in treating God’s instruction with contempt. The laxity at the beginning grew into habit and practice in succeeding generations. From time to time, God raised up men like Joash to call the people to account. Today, God is calling people within the gentile community of believers to remind us that His standards remain. He has not changed. His Torah has not changed. And one future day, that same Torah will be engraved on our heart so that it can no longer be broken, as it has been down through the ages. Have we developed habits and practices which are not biblical?

Secondly, God has not, and will not, give up on His people. His mercy and love cause Him to remain faithful to His covenant promises. Today we are privileged to participate in those promises through faith in Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. God is meticulously fulfilling His plan for mankind. He delights to use us in His service. But if we choose not to participate, or try to cheat, like the priests in our parashah did, God finds a way to get His work done without us. In that case, we are the losers.

There were ‘good’ kings and there were ‘bad’ kings. God used them all to further His plans. He still does today. We have a choice. Moses once asked the people “whoever is on the Lord’s side ... come to me”. The Levites answered the call and God used them in a very special task.

The call may still be heard. There is still much work to be accomplished.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   21

Torah portion           Exodus 30 : 11  to 34 : 35

Haftarah portion     1 Kings  18 : 1 - 39

Listen to the Prophets

The Sunday School teacher’s favourite story this week! Well, one of them.

After the death of King Solomon, the nation was divided, the North known as Israel, capital Samaria, and the South known as Judah, capital Jerusalem. There were 19 kings of Israel after Solomon. The Bible describes the whole lot of them as “bad kings”. Not a ‘good’ king amongst them. They did not worship in the appointed place (Jerusalem) and neither did they follow the commandments of Torah. King Ahab was the seventh of these kings, and he reigned for 22 years. The Bible says he was the worst of all. He led the people in the worship of the Baals and the Ashtoreths. His wife was the infamous Jezebel.

Elijah lived at this time, and he had plenty of run-ins with both Jezebel and Ahab. Because Ahab was so deliberate in his wilful denial of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and because he was leading the people in his rebellious worship of ‘strange gods’, Elijah, at God’s direction, pronounced to Ahab that there would be no rain in the land until he, Elijah, commanded rain. Three years later, our parashah this week picks up the story, by which time, the land was in serious drought.

It is evident in the text that Ahab had searched high and low to find Elijah. Had he done so he would undoubtedly ended Elijah’s life. But God had now determined that it was time for the rain to return. So Elijah was told by God to present himself before Ahab and make the announcement that rain was coming. Of course there was much more to happen, but the end result would be the return of the rain.

There are at least a dozen men called Obadiah in our Scriptures. The one mentioned in our text is not the prophet. He was a faithful servant of the Lord who served in Ahab’s court. Evidently, when king Ahab was in his most severe wrath because of Elijah’s pronouncement about the rain, he thrashed about at anyone who might be identified with Elijah. Obadiah made himself responsible for hiding 100 of these men in caves, and he fed them too.

Elijah sought him out and asked him to inform Ahab that he was ready to meet with him. Poor Obadiah was petrified. He thought that Elijah might not show up, and Ahab would take vengeance on him for misinforming him that Elijah was there.

What follows is the famous encounter, on Mount Carmel, with the 400 prophets of Baal. The story is so very well known, most can recall the fine detail! Perhaps less remembered is what happened to Elijah after that amazing demonstration of the power of Almighty God. He warned Ahab that the rain was coming and that he should get in his chariot and get out of there whilst he could. Ahab went home to Jezreel. Elijah, in the meantime, outran the chariot and got there first.

Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, made curses and death threats against Elijah, so much so, that Elijah feared for his own life and ran away. Continue reading into the next chapter to get the end of the story!

Now the lessons for us in this passage.

Comparisons with Elijah would be presumptuous. He is a giant of a man before God. He is one of only two men in the Scriptures who did not see death as we see it. (Enoch was the other). His name is linked with Moses. It was Elijah, with Moses, who stood on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17. It is Elijah who will herald the return of the Lord Yeshua.  So with that said, we know that Elijah was a human being, just like we are. He made choices to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and he did so with all his might. He committed himself to do whatever the Lord our God commanded. And, as our parashah today clearly indicates, it was not always easy. In fact, it was downright dangerous and frightening some of the time. But God used him. God blessed him. God took care of him.

Some words spoken to Solomon come to mind.

 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9

Few are called upon to acts of heroism and valour, as was Elijah, but there are many other instances of service used in the Lord’s Name. Dare I say it. The only thing the Lord seeks in us is that “loyal heart and willing mind”. He will do the rest according to His mighty power and His perfect plan.

Ask Him and He will show you what to do.

Shabbat Shalom

RS