Zion's Voice

Haftarah reflections 44 

Torah portion             Deuteronomy 3:23 to 7:11

Haftarah portion            Isaiah 40: 1-26      

 Listen to the Prophets

The Haftarah studies in Isaiah, which commenced last week, continue for the next seven weeks. Chapter and verse additions are a relatively modern convenience, and it has been observed that the 66 chapters of Isaiah appear to mirror the structure of our complete Bible, which has 66 books. The Hebrew Scriptures have 39 books, the Apostolic Scriptures 27, and Isaiah seems to have messages which appear to follow that kind of division. Our parashah today, Isaiah 40, begins a succession of, what are called, ‘comfort’ chapters. It certainly has the Messianic tone with which the Apostolic Scriptures commence..

“’Comfort, yes comfort My people’ says your God.”  Many Christian organizations working in Israel today use these words as a command of God to provide material assistance to those in need in the land. A noble work, and certainly well received by the needy there, and a work which has verifying authority in other Scriptures. But that is not the primary message of this exhortation of Isaiah. God has instructed Isaiah to “speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”  That is the message of comfort which Israel receives from Isaiah. And it is a message which has its fulfilment in the coming of Messiah.

Prophetic Scripture often has multiple fulfilment, and that is true of our parashah today. Messiah Yeshua came to this earth almost 700 years after this prophecy was given. History records that many tens of thousands of Jews came to faith in the first century c.e. (Acts 21). John the baptizer was that ‘voice crying in the wilderness’ of verse 3, and he was definitely one who said to the cities of Judah “Behold your God!” But this prophecy has elements which have yet to be fulfilled. Isaiah sees the time when “her iniquity is pardoned” completely. That could not be the case, when in the second century, Israel was completely banished from the Land of Israel by the Romans. That could not be the case when history records the pogroms and mistreatment Jews received at the hands of many nations to which they fled. And often, during the period known as ‘the inquisition’ given the option of abandoning their faith or being put to death. Being banished from Britain in 1290 by King Edward 1, a ban which remained until Oliver Cromwell in 1665. Banished from Spain in 1492, one day before ‘tisha b’av’, by Ferdinand and Isabella. Six million Jews put to death in the holocaust. If that does not constitute receiving “double for all her sins”, I am at a loss to explain it.

The prophet continues, “Behold the Lord God shall come with a strong hand”. One of the reasons many Jews could not see Yeshua as Messiah was that they did not see Him as the ‘strong man’ Messiah they expected, and still expect. They were, at that time, looking for a Messiah who would overthrow the tyrannical Roman rule to which they were subject. Isaiah describes such a Messiah in this parashah. All powerful, all mighty, all conquering, all caring, all protecting, all forgiving.

In praise of Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, the prophet writes eloquently “To whom then will you liken God?” Then in comparison to the most skilled artisans they could imagine, he describes, in simple language, the attributes of the One who is their redeemer.

“It is He who sits above the circle of the earth.”

“Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created all these things’”

It is He who created all things, He who put all things in right order, He who has the power of life and death, it is He, and He alone, who has the power to ‘pardon iniquity’.

What greater comfort can anyone receive than to know that one is pardoned of all iniquity? To have the barrier to communion with a Holy God swept away, cast into the depths of the sea, forgotten, as though that iniquity never existed.  There is NO greater comfort.

Isaiah is describing the conditions which are the hallmark of “The New Covenant”. He sees the time when men will live righteously before our Holy Creator, and with each other. “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” says Jeremiah 31:34

It is the time when Messiah Yeshua returns to rule and reign in Jerusalem. It is the time, of which, the Apostle Paul declares “All Israel will be saved”. It is the time when Israel will recognize Him, with eyes now opened.  And it is a time of joy for all Gentiles who are ‘grafted in’ to that ‘natural Olive Tree’, which is Israel.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah reflections 43

Torah portion                  Deuteronomy 1:1 to 3:22

Haftarah portion            Isaiah 1: 1-27 

Listen to the Prophets

Isaiah was from a respected family. He grew up in Jerusalem, and in addition to being well educated, was both familiar and maintained contact with, the royal court.

Isaiah’s prophetic writings extend for about 60 years from 740 b.c.e. He wrote at a time of great testing for his fellow Judeans. And Israel, their ‘cousins’ and Northern neighbours, were in desperate trouble due to idolatry and their wanton disregard of their covenantal responsibilities.

Our parashah opens with a tirade of judgment against Judah. There is not a comforting word on his lips. (well, perhaps one!) His education and his royal contacts ensured that he was well versed in the situation in the broader community in which he lived. He was certainly aware of the calamity about to visit Israel in the form of their Assyrian enemies. He also knew, from God, why these things were happening, and was commissioned by God to bring the warning voice to his own people, Judah.

The Temple which Solomon had built was now about 200 years old and was being seriously neglected. It was as though no-one cared. The priests were slack in their responsibilities, both to the people and to their care for the Temple. There was an outward appearance of ‘religiosity’ but inwardly they were self-seeking and neglectful. Then God visited Isaiah with a remarkable vision. He saw it all clearly. The light of God’s Spirit shone in to the dark corners of their life. Everything was exposed. God spoke, and still speaks, powerfully through this faithful man Isaiah.

“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” And more, “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear, your hands are full of blood.”

Such devastating condemnation from the Lord God Himself.

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away your evil doings from before My eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow”.

Then, for any with a modicum of decency, the words which may bring comfort. These words could be spoken by the Apostle Paul in the course of his evangelical missions to the Gentile nations, three quarters of a century later, but they were penned by Isaiah.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord, “though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

 “But if you refuse and rebel ………”

The message contained in this Scripture for us today?

God was inviting His chosen ones to review their lifestyle. Over many years, they had slipped into bad practices. There was a lackadaisical familiarity to their pretence at worship. O, they turned up alright, they brought the sacrifices, even going through the motions of praying. So what was the problem? They had lost sight of the basics of God’s intent when He gave them those instructions on how to live righteously with each other and before Him. They were selfish and self-centred, even self-seeking. They lacked sincerity in their worship. God saw it as a sham.

Their attitudes had become a barrier to communion with a Holy God. Is it possible that we may be similarly found wanting? The call of God, through the prophet is as relevant today as it was then. “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord, “though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

It is a precious characteristic of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that He does not cast us away. We may choose to leave Him, but He does not leave us. He gives us opportunity, as He did these Israelites in Isaiah’s day, to turn around so as once again to head in the right direction.

Moses said in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life”

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   42

Torah portion           Numbers 30 : 1 to 36 : 13

Haftarah portion     Jeremiah 2 : 4 – 28   and 3 : 4

(Two Torah portions are read together)

Listen to the Prophets

Last week, we ‘reflected’ on the clear call of God on the youthful Jeremiah. His calling was to be bold and outspoken in the things that God promised to show him. His boldness was born of the faith that God would protect him from those who would come against him.

It is immediately evident from this week’s parashah that Jeremiah had listened intently to the Lord! His message could not be clearer.

Tell them this, says the Lord (my paraphrase) “I remember you when you were a young nation. In your wilderness journey you relied on Me totally, I fed you, gave you water to drink. You were completely set apart (holy) to Me. Anyone who tried to hinder you I visited disaster upon them”.

The pain is palpable in the expression of disappointment as the Lord continues. As I read these words, I cannot avoid putting myself in the position of the hearers, because I too am one of the hearers. God caused Jeremiah to charge them with idolatry. There could be no worse charge. Commandment number one. “You shall have no other gods before Me”.

(I had an extremely personal encounter with God in 1999, when, for about 4 weeks, I was unable to walk and was confined to a hospital bed. It is too long a story to relate here, but I felt a compulsion to read Ezekiel. Eventually I got to Chapter 14. It was then that I had a conversation with God that changed my life. And it was all about idolatry.)

God hates idolatry. It is an abomination to Him. It was an abomination in the days of Jeremiah, and it’s an abomination today. An idol is anything, anyone, any place, any activity that hinders ones relationship with God (or takes time away from that relationship). That which one allows into one’s home, through the medium of television, or the internet, or books and magazines, can be idolatry. The simple test is to consider the time one gives to any of these activities, and compare that to the time that same person gives to communion with God. Because, where your treasure (and time) is, your heart will be also.

I wonder what words Jeremiah might use today, in our world, if God charged him with bringing the same message to us as he took to the Israelites. If one is diligent in the study of this parashah, one might actually find out!!

Try, if you can, to imagine the words of Jeremiah being addressed to us today. Instead of the violations of the idolatry of the Israelites, think of the modern equivalent, whatever that might be (the Lord will show you).

We have been brought into fellowship with Almighty God through faith in Yeshua, who gave His life for us. In so doing, the Lord “has brought us into a bountiful country, to eat its fruit and its goodness”. God surely has every reason to expect that we would then, not only be grateful, but would live our lives in honour of Him, and in accord with His precepts.

The first group of people to come under scrutiny are those who have authority. In our parashah it was the priests, followed closely by those who are teachers. Then rulers and prophets.

I dare to suggest here, that in our society today, the primary priestly responsibility belongs to men. Men who have families. Men are charged by God to lead their families, to set an example for wives and children. To be leaders in their own homes. (It is my observation that this is the pattern which is prevalent in God fearing Jewish families today.)

Next are the teachers. In our “modern day church age” that onus of responsibility has largely been abdicated by “the home priests” in favour of the professional pastor. It is a regrettable fact that many church pastors are inadequately versed in the fundamentals of God’s Torah.(teaching) And very few even realize it. Consequently, they can only teach what they themselves have been taught, and we, the laity, are given an extremely narrow version of the truth of God’s word. The word written about the teachers is “those that handle the law did not know Me”. That, my dear friends, is a heavy charge.

But there is even more.

It is imperative, if you are to get all that God intends for you out of this parashah, that you read it completely for yourself. But be warned, it contains words of strong rebuke for those of us who, having been given the privilege of entering this walk of faith with the Lord, have allowed “idols” to get in the way of our fellowship with Him.

Our parashah ends with a plea from God Himself.

“Will you not from this time cry to Me, ‘My Father, You are the guide of my youth’?”

Enjoy the fellowship with Him that began when you were first called into His family.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   41

Torah portion           Numbers 25 : 10 to 29 : 40

Haftarah portion     Jeremiah 1 : 1  to 2 : 3

Listen to the Prophets

The timeframe of the prophecies of Jeremiah are precisely noted in the life of the Israelites. It was a most turbulent time for them, spanning a period of about forty years up to the actual conquest of Jerusalem by king Nebuchadnezzar.

Jeremiah spoke prophetic warnings against Judah for about twenty years before the Lord instructed him to write on a scroll the words which He had given Jeremiah, so that they could be read out to the people in the Temple on a special day of fasting that had been set aside for the people. It is an interesting story, and you can read about it in Jeremiah 36. The end result of this was that king Jehoiakim burned the scroll which Jeremiah had written! (actually he dictated it to Baruch, his scribe) So God had Jeremiah write another scroll, to which he added some similar words of condemnation.

If you wonder, as I do, why Jeremiah was so bold in his behaviour to the king of the Land, the answer is to be found in our parashah today.

Jeremiah was a quite young man when God called him to his prophetic ministry. So young in fact, that Jeremiah at first objected on the grounds that he didn’t have enough experience to do the job God wanted done. But God knew His man. He spoke clearly to Jeremiah in assurance of support.

“Do not say ‘I am a youth’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you”, says the Lord.

Then we are told that the Lord put forth His hand and touched Jeremiah’s mouth, and said further, in part:-“See I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms”. And that is why Jeremiah was able to carry out his almost thankless task of bearing many dire warning messages to his fellow Judeans, including the king.

But the Lord wanted to show Jeremiah some detail of events about to unfold, in order to cement the picture in his mind, as he set about his appointed task. So Jeremiah was given two visions. The first that of an almond tree, and the second that of a ‘boiling’ pot. The almond tree is the first to blossom in the spring in Israel, so this vision spoke of a time very close at hand. The second, the boiling pot, spoke of confusion and turmoil, and it was noteworthy that in the vision this pot was facing ‘away from the north’. That is, that it was trying to get away from the source of the turmoil, which would come from the north.

There is no question that this vision was for the time in which Jeremiah lived, (the siege, and capture, of Jerusalem by the Babylonians is the event foretold) but it also has an application, borne out by other scriptures, of a time still future to us.

In our parashah today, Jeremiah was being prepared to speak to his fellow Judeans about impending calamity, as a direct result of their forsaking the covenant which had been made by their fathers, and verified many times in their history whenever they had called on God to get them out of a scrape with their neighbours. The main failing seemed to be their descent into idolatrous worship.

Now here is a valuable lesson for us today.

God had already promised Jeremiah that He would be with him in all his encounters with the people. But now God goes a step further, and tells Jeremiah that when he takes the message of warning to the people, not only will they not listen to him, but they will ‘fight against him’.

One would have to be VERY sure of one’s relationship with the Lord to proceed with such a message wouldn’t one? Evidently, Jeremiah was super confident in his calling.

God assured Jeremiah that he would be absolutely “fireproof” in the face of the people. Look at the words God uses to describe the absolute imperviousness of Jeremiah to the attacks of those who come against him and why he should go with great confidence.

“Do not be dismayed before their faces (be bold and resolute) … For behold I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land- against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land”.

When we are called upon to speak in God’s Name, to ‘give a reason for the hope that is within us’, we should take example from the words God used to Jeremiah. We should speak boldly and with resolution, being assured that we are messengers of the King. In the face of concerted attacks on our heritage and lifestyle, our message in today’s world is both timely and necessary.

Most importantly, we should all be asking God, through the agency of His precious Holy Spirit, to guard us, keep us, fill us, and use us, according to His perfect will and purpose.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   40

Torah portion           Numbers 22 : 2 to 25 : 9

Haftarah portion     Micah 5 : 7  to 6 : 8

Listen to the Prophets

Micah, a so called “minor” prophet, had some amazing insights from God. He was given the task of warning the tribes of the South and the North to mend their ways or face the wrath of God. He tells us that he prophesied “in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah”. That indicates that he probably witnessed the fulfilment of his prophetic utterances in regard to Israel in the North, but not Judea in the South.

The really amazing thing about this prophecy is that even though there was an immediacy about it concerning the people amongst whom he lived and worked, there was also a future element, which we are yet to experience, but the signs of which are all around us.

And in the detail there are lessons for us today.

Our parashah today begins with such an announcement. “The remnant of Jacob” is certainly “among the Gentiles and in the midst of many peoples, like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass,” even to this very day. But there is also the immediacy in the fact that they were at that time moving around the various kingdoms of gentiles around them in conquering mode. They took with them both the blessing of their enlightenment to Almighty God and His ways, but also the harshness of a conquering invader.

However, Micah warns that all is not well with them. God’s intent was that they would be a light to the Nations. As we read the end of Micah 5 we see that they had absorbed many of the acts of pagan worship, which they were supposed to tear down. It seems (verses 10,11) that they were flushed with their own importance. They were reliant on military superiority (horses and chariots) for their successes, whereas God’s intent was that He would be their source of strength, and that fact would be obvious to the nations around them.

Do you see the parallels in society today? Even in our own lives?  Isaiah put it well :-  

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!” Isaiah 31:1

Many of us think we are pretty good at working things out for ourselves, neglecting the fact that God tells us He is a very present help in trouble. Read Psalm 46 and be encouraged.

Because we have the historical account of the events at that time and beyond, we are able to see how things actually turned out for these Israelites. These scriptures are here for a purpose, that we might know God in all His fullness. We see how He was so patient in sending prophet after prophet to warn and plead with them. These are not just ‘hints’ at the problems, they are bare facts of their failings. But before we get too carried away with their failings, we might take a moment to privately review our own position.

These prophets are still speaking today. We just have to read what they say and ask God to speak to us through their words. And He will.

Our parashah today ends with God calling the people to a very special court of justice. The people of Israel are on trial. God is the complainant. He calls the mountains and the hills together to form the jury. In verses 3 to 5 God lays out the charge as He tries to get Israel to let Him know how He has failed them. Of course, there is no failing in God’s part, and the people are guilty as charged.

The sentence is pronounced, probably the most quoted scripture in Micah’s prophecy.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you. But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

To understand the context properly, we need to read the full ‘charge sheet’ God had against Israel. Look back to Chapter 3 : 9 to 11. Micah tells them that ‘they abhor justice’ (they are to do justly) and ‘they judge for a bribe’ (they are to love mercy) and they proudly say “the Lord is among us so no harm can come to us” (they are to walk humbly with their God).

What a wonderful lesson this parashah can be for us today. We all have asked at one time or another what does the Lord require of us. Thank you Micah, for providing us with the answer.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   39

Torah portion           Numbers 19 : 1 to 22 : 1

Haftarah portion     Judges 11 : 1 - 33

Listen to the Prophets

Imagine, if you can, the period of time from the days of Martin Luther to today. Think of some of the amazing things that have happened in those years. Then try to imagine what might be included in an abbreviated history of that period. You may be sure that everything which would be included was both momentous and important.

After the Israelites began to occupy the Land of Promise, they were led by a succession of people who were known as “judges”, righteous living, honourable people, who feared God and kept His statutes. In all, the books of Joshua, Judges and the first part of 1 Samuel, occupy a time frame of about 450 years (approximately the same time as from Martin Luther to today). They recount illuminating events of history, and they are there for our example and edification. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”. (1 Timothy 3:16).

So as we look at the haftarah parashah today, be assured that this unusual story has important lessons for us to learn.

Jephthah was an outcast. His family resided in Gilead. This was what we today know as Jordan, just to the south of Syria. The circumstances of Jephthah’s birth, caused angst with his half-brothers, and even though Jephthah is described as a ‘mighty man of valour’, (read pretty tough) he chose to leave the family home rather than continue a squabble with his siblings.

He moved to the “land of Tob” (no-one knows the precise location of Tob, but it must have been close to a trade route and not very far from Gilead). There he befriended some “worthless men” and headed up a gang of thieves (bandits). We also know from later revelation in our parashah, that he had a degree of familiarity with the Ammonites (next door neighbours to the Gileadites).

For what seems the umpteenth time, the Israelites again lost sight of the covenant they had made with Almighty God and were serving the gods of the Baals and Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. And for that, they paid a terrible price.

God has allowed each of us the opportunity to serve Him, but always under His conditions. He also allows us to exercise ‘freewill’ to go our own way, and we often do, just like the Israelites in our parashah. The lesson from this story of Jephthah is that there is a price to pay. In their case, they were harassed by the Ammonites for another eighteen years. Left to their own devices they floundered, had trouble they couldn’t even imagine, until they again turned back to the Lord for help.

We may all have a personal story to recount of times when, having started out with good resolve to live righteously, we turned our back on God, at first slowly, a bit at a time, a compromise here, a compromise there, and before we knew it we were living in a ‘different kingdom’.

There is no doubting that God was angry with the Israelites. And yet, His mercy towards them knows no bounds. That, my dear friends is the nature and character of the God we serve. Do you remember the old hymn we used to sing:-

“His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men,
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.”

That hymn speaks of the love of God towards us who believe. But it doesn’t stop God’s disappointment and even anger at our behaviour when we forget the promises we made when we came to faith in Him.

Jephthah was invited back from his life of crime to lead the people against the Ammonites. He tried to reason with them. He tried to appeal to their sense of fairness. Nothing influenced a change in their behaviour towards the Israelites. We are not told what sort of an army Jephthah assembled, but we do know that the Spirit of God was with him, and the army of the Ammonites was defeated.

But even that is not the end of the story.

Jephthah made a promise to God. Read the account for yourself in (Judges 11: 30-35). It is very difficult for us to understand that part of the story, but the vow was made by Jephthah, not by God. Because he was a man of honour he kept his word.

One more ‘reflection’ regarding Jephthah. Read again the beginning of our parashah. What an unlikely person God used to rescue His chosen ones from unfaithfulness and chaos. Does it occur to you, as it does to me, that if God is able to use an outcast who gave his life to crime, He can use anyone He chooses. You see “man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart”.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   38

Torah portion           Numbers 16 : 1 to 18 : 32

Haftarah portion     1 Samuel 11 : 14 to 12 : 22

Listen to the Prophets

The faithful and righteous Samuel, prophet and judge of Israel, had succeeded Samson, the last of 12 judges, beginning with Othniel, who had ruled over Israel for more than 300 years.

In that time the people were first faithful to their promises to God, but then inevitably slipped into worship of other gods, got into serious trouble with their neighbours, became remorseful, called out to God for help, and invariably God responded by raising up another faithful “Judge” to lead them. After the death of Samson, the scriptures tell us that “there was no ‘king’ (leader) in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17: 6)

That was before God raised up leadership under Eli, followed by the very young Samuel as their leader.

But as we look at our Haftarah parashah this week we discover that time has moved on and Samuel is now in advanced years. His sons, who might have been his natural successors, did not follow the Lord and were not considered suitable for leadership. The people wanted leadership security for the future. They observed that all the Nations around them had kings to lead them, and thus they decided that it would be best for them to have a king also.

It is a measure of Samuel’s standing before Almighty God that he was able to have dialogue with the Lord about the matter. God assured Samuel that he was not the problem, but the people were rejecting His authority. Most disappointing. (Read 1 Samuel 8:4-22 for the account of that conversation).

Eventually, Saul, a strong man, and something of a bully (1 Samuel 11:7) was made king. But the authority was still with Samuel, so he called an assembly of the people in Gilgal. This was the place, just north of Jericho, where the people first camped when they entered the land under Joshua’s leadership. It seems as though Samuel was saying “You have rejected the leading of the Lord in His appointment of leaders, so now we will go back to where it all started and you can try it your way”.

But Samuel had a few words of introduction to make! His speech called for a response from the people regarding his own leadership over many years. He challenged them to point out his failings as a leader, which they could not of course. His challenge, and their truthful observation about his leadership then enabled Samuel to give them a lesson about God’s faithful dealings with them over many hundreds of years. He reminded them that in spite of centuries of unfaithfulness, God had always protected them and delivered them from the hands of their enemies. The culmination of his speech about God’s faithfulness came when he told them (1 Samuel 12:12) that even though they seemed unable to recognize it, they had a King reigning over them all the time, and that was YHWH Elohim. Samuel had one final point to make. It is here that we might draw our lesson for today from this passage.

It may seem repetitious, and that is because it is, that Samuel assured them that in spite of their stubborn choice in asking for an earthly king for themselves, they could still find favour with God. But there was a condition attached. (see 1 Samuel 12: 14 and 24)

“If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God”

“Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you”.

It is unlikely that we would ask for an earthly king to reign over us, but there are plenty of other ways we have of rebelling against the commandment of the LORD. We are also pretty good at looking at the blessings offered to us in the Word of God, and thanking Him for them. BUT do we ever consider that there may be conditions attached to God’s promise of blessing?

How many times do we hear it today that “Jesus kept all the commandments, so we don’t have to, because we are ‘in Him’?

What a cop out that is. Didn’t Jesus tell us in John 14:15 “IF you love Me, you will keep My commandments”? Isn’t it Jesus who is the WORD, who was in the beginning with God?  Can we not see that the very commandments which were spoken to Moses on the mountain were spoken by HIM who is the WORD? They have never been annulled.

We worship a God who does not change. His dealings with the Israelites are written for our edification and example. There were plenty of gods to worship in the days of the prophets, and there are plenty of gods today, (and plenty of kings to follow too) BUT there is NO other God besides Him.    He is worthy of our praise, and He is worthy of our obedience.  Blessed be His Name.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Haftarah Reflections   37

Torah portion           Numbers 13 : 1 to 15 : 41

Haftarah portion     Joshua 2 : 1 - 24

Listen to the Prophets

High tension! Excitement, apprehension, curiosity, emotion, fear. Forty years of wilderness wanderings and now the Israelites were camped on the East of the Jordan River. They could see the land on the other side. The time had come for them to enter the Land promised to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. But Joshua, a competent and careful leader, decided to carry out one final reconnoitre of the territory before they crossed the river. Two of his trusted aides were sent to secretly spy out the land, especially the nearby city of Jericho. They chose the house of Rahab as their base. Surely they would not arouse any suspicion since Rahab, because of her lifestyle, probably had a motley variety of visitors to her house.  But they were wrong.

Someone had not only seen their arrival and deduced their origins, but carefully noted where they were lodging and reported the whole plan to the king of Jericho. End of mission! Or was it?

Rahab is probably the least likely person we might have chosen to be a part of God’s master plan. But God’s ways are not our ways. Much later, God would choose the great, great grandson of Rahab to be King of Israel. And of him it was written “man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart”.

Look at some of the quotes in our Bible about Rahab.

“And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.”  Joshua 6:23

“Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David, the king”.  Matthew 1:5,6

“By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.”  Hebrews 11:31

“Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?” James 2:25

Rahab, looked down upon by ‘normal’ society, certainly not one to be invited to one’s home for dinner. And yet used by God in the lineage of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. Mentioned amongst the ‘giants’ of faith in Hebrews 11. And in James Epistle, justified by an act of “works”!! She did something which demonstrated her faith.

Obviously, Rahab was a woman of some perception. She had heard, as had everyone else, about the mighty act of God when He parted the Red Sea to facilitate the salvation of the Israelites from the hand of Pharoah. She had heard, as had everyone else, about the fate of Amorite king, Sihon, and of Og, king of Bashan, who had vainly attempted to hinder the passage of the Israelites on their journey (through the land we know today as Jordan).  So Rahab made a bold decision. A decision which saved her own life and that of her entire family. In effect she said “As for me and my house, we will be on the side of the Lord God of Israel” (my paraphrase).

Rahab took advantage of the revelation she had regarding those who opposed Israel, and those who joined them. It sounds rather ‘matter of fact’, but in effect that is what she did, as the Apostle James tells it.

So here is the lesson for us today. We have a Bible which tells us of God’s dealings with His people. There are stories galore of the miraculous events which brought those Israelites out of bondage in Egypt into a Land of their own. We might say that in a country such as ours, “everyone has heard it”. But not everyone is a “Rahab”. There are those who believe, and there are those who oppose. Even within the body of today’s church.

Many of the prophets we are ‘reflecting’ upon foretold the regathering of the Jews to their Land. An event we see taking place before our eyes today. That is practical. It is happening, and in increasing numbers. This is just one of the signs we are given which heralds the coming return of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach.

 At the end of the Book, Joshua issues a challenge to the people under his command. It is worthy of our attention. “ … choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve …. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”

Shabbat Shalom

RS

 Haftarah Reflections   36

Torah portion           Numbers  8 : 1 – 12 : 16

Haftarah portion     Zechariah 2 : 10 – 4 : 7

Listen to the Prophets

When studying the Scriptures, it is important to know the context of what one is reading. All the prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures were called by God to proclaim a timely message. Amazingly, the truth is that those very proclamations, made thousands of years ago, for a particular circumstance at that time, have application and relevance for us today.

Zechariah lived at the time of the Babylonian captivity. He was a contemporary of the prophet Haggai. He had witnessed the return from Babylon of Zerubbabel and 49,696 other people. He had seen the work of rebuilding the ruined Temple commence, and he saw that the building work was being hampered by opposition and other difficulties. His message was one of urgency and encouragement. And the good news is that a mere five years later, the work was completed. You may read the details in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

BUT, there is another dimension to this prophetic ministry of Zechariah. His words speak clearly of a future event, part of which we see happening today, and part of which is still future to us.

Our parashah opens with the rousing rallying call “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst”. A prophetic statement actually fulfilled when Yeshua was born. But as that prophetic statement continues, we see that there is more to follow, which is additional to the first part, which will be completely fulfilled at the return of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach to rule and reign as King of Kings in Jerusalem.

Before that mighty event occurs, there will have to be a Temple standing in Jerusalem once more. Ezekiel describes that Temple in great detail in chapters 40 to 48 of his prophecy. Our parashah contrasts the imperfect priesthood of the first Temple period, with the priesthood which will serve in the Temple when Yeshua reigns as King. Chapter 3 : 4 tells us “See I have removed your iniquity from you,  and I will clothe you in rich robes”.

This is consistent with Jeremiah’s announcement about the New Covenant isn’t it? He says in Jeremiah 31 ; 34  “… For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more”. Their iniquity was in breaking their covenant vows. They did not live according to the instructions of God, which they had promised to do.

Here is a lesson for us today. Before we get all self-righteous and judgmental about these Israelites, we would do well to contemplate the vows and promises we have made before a Holy God. If you are up for a shock read Matthew 7 : 23 again. The word translated “lawlessness” (greek. ‘anomia’, iniquity, unrighteousness, against the law) in our Bibles, is a clear reference to “Torah-less-ness” (against God’s instruction for righteous living).

The last 4 verses of our parashah are so clearly a prophecy about the Messianic Kingdom. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah all speak about Yeshua as ‘the Branch’. There is also some figurative language used, (which commentators more knowledgeable than I have difficulty explaining), and finally the promise that the iniquity of that land to be removed in one day. I believe the Apostle Paul made reference to this in Romans 11 : 26.

So Zechariah seems to have been entrusted, by God, with a message of encouragement to the Temple builders who had returned from Babylon. At the same time, God chose this man to be the bearer of both good news, and a warning to the citizens of the world alive today.

The KING is coming. Make yourselves ready. As He said to Joshua the High Priest:-

 “If you walk in My ways, and if you keep My command, then you shall also judge My house, and likewise have charge of My courts:..”

And how is this to be accomplished?

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts”

What a mighty God we serve. And what a day that will be.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

 Haftarah Reflections   35

Torah portion           Numbers  4 : 21 – 7 : 89

Haftarah portion     Judges 13 : 2 - 25

Listen to the Prophets

In the Torah parashah (Numbers 6 see verse 2) we are given details of the instruction God gave regarding those who would take a “Nazarite vow”. It is a voluntary vow of (Heb. ‘nazir’) separation or consecration. An outward sign of that person’s vow was that during the period of the vow, he/she would not cut his/her hair. At the end of the vow period, a sacrificial offering was made to the Lord.

Our Haftarah parashah introduces us to a man from the tribe of Dan, named Manoa. His wife (name unknown) is one of at least SIX women initially described in our Bible as ‘barren’, childless, but who eventually bore children to their husbands. Not only that, but all those first born children were greatly used of God in fulfilling His purposes.

We must not minimize the anguish of the state of ‘barrenness’ for a woman. There were two attributes important to both men and women in the Bible. Firstly, premarital chastity, secondly marital productiveness. Well might we ponder how times have changed today, both in terms of expectation and general morality.

After the Israelites entered the Land of Promise, they were led by a series of Judges for approximately 400 years. Some were ‘good’ Judges and some were ‘evil’ Judges. It is an interesting fact that when the ‘good’ Judges were in power the Lord prospered the Israelites. When the ‘evil’ Judges ruled, God prospered the Philistines. This seemed to play out in area of the Sorek Valley where the land is most fertile and therefor prized as a possession by both Israel and the Philistines.

At the time of our story this week, the Israelites had been ‘delivered to’ the Philistines for the last 40 years. (This was about 320 years after the Israelites entered the Land, and about 50 years before the appointment of Saul as the first King of Israel). BUT, God had a plan of rescue for the Israelites.

Manoah’s wife was visited in the field, where she was either working or waiting for her husband, by a “man’, whom she immediately recognized as someone special. She instinctively knew that he was “a Man of God”. In her description of him to Manoah she used the Hebrew word ‘yare’. He looked ‘fearful’, ‘awful’, ‘terrible’, ‘awesome’, depending on which translation you use. It is the same word used in Proverbs 9:10. As in ‘the fear (‘yare’) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. That is why she did not have the presence of mind to ask Him any questions. She was totally awestruck.

Manoah’s response to her is exemplary. Look at it in verse 8. “Let’s pray about it” (my paraphrase). What a lesson that is for us. In truth, the finger is pointing directly at me in that statement, when I think of the many instances in my life when I did not consult with the Lord when I should have. (Just two weeks ago, in “Reflection” BEHAR, we saw Jeremiah receiving a word from the Lord, but waiting for a further word of confirmation before proceeding to act).

Almighty God in response to Manoah’s prayer sent His Angel a second time to confirm that this childless couple would have a son. A son who would live a “Nazarite vow” from his birth. That means he would be ‘separate’, ‘consecrated’ to God for the special task (which Manoah and his wife were not to know at that time) of rescuing the Nation from the grip of the Philistines.

Finally, in gratitude for the news they had received, Manoah and his wife first sought to offer hospitality to their visitor before asking the Angel of the Lord his name. In paraphrase again, he told them that whilst he would not eat their food, it would be appropriate to make an offering to the Lord. As for his name, well that is a secret (Heb, ‘pil’iy’).

They made an offering to the Lord. We can only wonder at what they felt as their visitor dramatically ascended into the heavens in the flame of the altar fire. They were frightened. They thought they would die because of what they had seen (they thought he was God Himself).

The last two verses of our parashah cover several years. Samson was born. As he grew up the Lord blessed him. We must assume that his parents trained him in the Nazarite way, because when he was an adult the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him. The rest, as they say, is history. The end of the story is deliverance from the Philistines.

What a mighty God we serve.

Shabbat Shalom

RS