Reflections
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 35
E Z E K I E L
A ‘lament’ is a verbal expression of grief. God required Ezekiel to pronounce such a deep regret. It is historical. It’s about the past. But as is often the case, the past determines the future. So it was for the southern kingdom of Judah, The ‘mother’ refers to the nation, Judah. The ‘lions’ refer to her recent kings. All of them “bad” kings. Specifically, Jehoahaz, who only reigned for 3 months in 609 BCE, overthrown by Egypt’s Pharaoh Necho. Then Jehoiachin, unjust and cruel, who also only had a 3 month reign before being carried off to Babylon in a cage (2 Kings 24:6-15) in 597 BCE. He was held captive for 37 years. And finally, Zedekiah, bringing about the collapse of the Davidic dynasty in 586 BCE. By his treachery, he was responsible for the burning down of Jerusalem. But as to the future, the Davidic dynasty will be restored when Messiah Yeshua returns to sit on that throne.
In Ezekiel 14 we pondered the question “Should I let Myself be enquired of at all by them?” Which the LORD put to Ezekiel (a question which brought enormous challenge to my life, see “reflection” 33). Now the LORD is quite specific when some of the elders came to enquire of Him. “I will not be inquired of by you”. But He told Ezekiel to “Judge them, and make known to them the abominations of their fathers”. Abominations which evidently were continued by them. Hence the judgment. So it was that again God spoke to Ezekiel about the blessings He had promised to the Israelites. Bringing them out of slavery in Egypt. Giving them their own land which He described as “a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey’, the glory of all lands”. Not any land. The best that existed. And as He continued, we find an expression which provides a salutary lesson for each of us. “Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them”. Remember Malachi 3:6. “I am the LORD, I do not change”. So here is the lesson. There are NOT some rules for one, and different rules for others. For the Israelites, Deuteronomy 28,29 spelled out the blessings (for the obedient) and the ‘curses’ (for others). Those curses are activated by mans own choices. They are stated clearly upfront. No ambiguity. What Ezekiel was being told to say was already known by the Israelites. It was not a mystery. But that did not make any more palatable either. As we said earlier in this ‘reflection’ “the past (or even for us the present) determines our future”. That is an unambiguous fact of Scripture, proclaimed here by the prophet Ezekiel. “I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgements, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God”. Selah!
It must have been heartrending for Ezekiel to bring the words of the LORD to the people. He was one of them. He was captive in Babylon at the time. He is told to tell the people that a sword is already prepared, sharpened, polished, waiting to bring destruction to Jerusalem. Dreams turned into nightmares. As Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon prepared to go to battle, it seemed that he had two places to invade. Ezekiel is shown the alternatives. Rabbah of the Ammonites and Judah, where Jerusalem was fortified. At the junction of the two ways, a decision had to be made. Nebuchadnezzar turned to ‘divination’ for direction. But, Ezekiel knew that God Almighty was in control, because He told him so. The Judeans thought it was a false divination. That it would not happen. Speaking of Zedekiah, God said “Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end, thus says the LORD ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown; nothing shall remain the same”. God’s judgment cannot be stayed. It is as inevitable as night follows day. The Judeans did not believe it. And my dear friends, many, even those who claim allegiance to our God, do not believe it. (Matthew 7:21) It would be good to read again, from Ezekiel 3 and 33, the role we have as watchmen. It is an onerous duty to be called as a modern day Ezekiel.
As we near the end of this ‘reflection’, God, repetitiously, calls Ezekiel to be a judge. Pointing out over and again the abominations which caused Him to act against the people called by His name. Why? Why now? As I pondered this thought, it came to me that the abominable actions of people called by God’s own name, could not continue because of the damage being done to His NAME. God was effectively being mocked. He had intended the Israelites to be an example for good in the world. As He does US. Instead God’s very name was brought into disrepute. Pray that we are not guilty of the same offence, not by what we say, but by the way we live our lives before men. That was the ultimate sin of the Israelites. They belonged to the LORD, but acted as though they did not. The result for them? “I will scatter you among there nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the LORD”.
The people were about to experience the fire of the LORD. “I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no-one”. How sad. God looks, in every generation, for those who will ‘stand in the gap’ before Him. In our generation we have been called for that purpose. God grant that we diligently seek His face to understand the role He has allotted us to accomplish in His Name, by living righteously before men. May you find blessing in so doing.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 34
E Z E K I E L
The tone of God’s judgement against Judah appears to change. It was lack of attention to the covenant, to which they had agreed, which had been the focus of complaint against them. The idolatry, the rebellion, the defiance, and the attitude, which caused the anger of the LORD to be directed against them. The metaphor of the wood of the vine, useful for the purpose of bearing fruit, and for no other practical purpose, is graphic. When its fruit bearing is finished it is burned in the fire. Judah, indeed the whole of Israel, is likened to the wood of the vine. God chose them, nurtured them, raised them, for that very purpose. The ‘reflection’ Scriptures this week start with a bit of a history lesson for them. The first 7 verses of chapter 16 contain a survey of the time from Abraham to their departure from Egypt. The time when God was preparing them to be the “special treasure”, He had promised Abraham they were to be. The manifestation of that role was to come when they entered the land God had promised them. The language in our text is graphically descriptive. From an unattractive ‘waif’ to a ‘beautiful queen’. And now, some 800 years later, Judah, the southern kingdom, was about to feel the hot breath of God’s chastisement for their misdemeanours. Just as Israel, in the north, had done 120 years earlier. Humiliating exile from the land. A quite sad commentary. From “queen” to “waif” again. Is there a lesson for us in that? Am I the man God expected me to be when He called me into His service? Selah!
What had happened to these ‘chosen people’? Ezekiel continued the narrative. God blessed them abundantly. They began to understand and appreciate that there were safe arms of love and protection around them. Their enemies seemed to be powerless against them. Yes, they suffered some defeats, but were not overwhelmed. Until now. What had changed? Put as simplistically as it possibly can be, they took God’s protection for granted. In so doing, they forgot the most solemn promises of God (Deuteronomy 28,29) which required that they had an important role to fulfil, in order to enjoy the continuation of God’s unfailing blessing. There is a parallel we might make here. Their salvation, like ours, was freely provided for by our God. When they painted the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of their houses, their salvation was assured. When we put our faith and trust in the finished work of Messiah Yeshua, our salvation is assured. We enter into covenant with God. The Apostle John quoted Yeshua Himself when referring to the way we would be identified as His disciples. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”. That’s right, it’s that clear. That’s the same Yeshua who was “In the beginning”. (John 1:1) Taking Him for granted leads to a perilous outcome. Take time to read Matthew 7 : 20-23. ‘Lawlessness’ is a Greek translation of“Torahlessness”.
Ezekiel does not mince words. Chapter 16 describes the spiritual immorality of Judah. Comparisons are made with Samaria (the northern kingdom), with Sodom (completely removed from sight). Even the women of the Philistines were abhorred by their behaviour. “Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: Because your filthiness was poured ourt and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them, surely therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all this you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness”. Devastating humiliation before all those to whom God expected they would be an good example.
It sounds as though God was finished with them for ever doesn’t it? He had every right to be angry, and we have good reason to expect that they would experience the curses which follow disobedience to their covenant. Otherwise how can we have trust in His promises to us? But God had not finished what He wanted to tell them. “For thus says the Lord GOD: I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Never- the- less I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. … Then you shall know that I am the LORD”. That covenant, when it is made, will be unbreakable. “Not according to the covenant I made with their fathers”. (Jeremiah 31:31) And it will have the same Torah as the one they broke!
God then told a ‘parable’ for the people to consider. The parable of the two eagles. The first referred to the king of Babylon, who prevailed against Judah. The second eagle refers to Judah’s last king, Zedekiah, who turned to Egypt for help against the invasion of the Babylonians. That plan turned against them, and they ended up with two enemies! Two eagles instead of just one.
Our reading comes to an end on a note of great comfort. There is redemption for anyone who acts in accordance with the covenant they make. “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the fathers well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die. But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right; … If he has walked in My statutes and kept My judgements fait“hfully - he is just; he shall surely live! Says the Lord GOD”.
Our God is a covenant keeping God. Righteous. Upright. Just.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 33
E Z E K I E L
The LORD had shown Ezekiel, in visions, the wickedness and rebellion of the people. It continued further by revelation of 25 people, leaders no less, who were stirring the people up to fight against the insurmountable might of the armies of Babylon. They described the people as “meat in a cauldron”, from which there was no escape. By engaging in battle, many would unnecessarily lose their lives. In contrast, the prophet Jeremiah, also a priest, had counselled the people to go quietly, to avoid losing their lives in battle, and trust the LORD to bring them back (Jer 27:9-17). Ezekiel cried out to the LORD. “Ah, LORD God! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?” The LORD replied with words which are of immense comfort. They form part of a major theme of the prophetic message of Ezekiel, which is the faithfulness of God in keeping covenant with His people. That does not in any way diminish His anger at their disobedience, or reflect change in His attitude to their idolatry. “Although I have cast them far off among the gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone”.
The hostility was from Babylon, and that is where the vast majority were exiled. But it would appear that many others did not wait for that invasion, but took opportunity to escape to other neighbouring lands, even some very far away. The promise of the LORD to “be a little sanctuary” speaks of those who remain faithful in their observances and remembrances of the love, grace, and mercy of Him throughout their generations, even in foreign places. (It is notable that, with no temple available to them, the ‘synagogue’ as a place of worship and praise arose from that exile in Babylon. It is a characteristic of Jewish people to this very day. Readily identified in any community.) And in unambiguous language, the LORD continued “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel”. The covenant promise of the land, previously made with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is hereby verified yet again, to the people who are about to be exiled from the land. That’s the good news. But the LORD also said “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done”.
There is damning evidence of the deception which some “prophets” in the community had sought to elevate themselves in the eyes of the people. Claiming to speak in the name of the LORD. “You say, ‘The LORD says,’ but I have not spoken”. There is a huge lesson for us today right here. When anyone uses the words “The LORD told me” or similar, it is almost invariably used as a conversation stopper. The exact opposite is a better response. “How did the LORD speak to you?” would be better. As believers we have a responsibility to ‘test the spirits’. Do not be deceived, as were these people of Judah, by words spoken in the name of the LORD, when He has not spoken such words. The test? God will not speak anything which is contrary to His written word. “My hand will be against the prophets who vision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD God”. God used the example of a wall plastered with untempered mortar. When the rains came, the facade was washed away and the foundations exposed. Falsity. Ambitions of the fakes. Exposed for all to see.
Ezekiel then related an incident which the LORD used to speak directly into my heart several years ago. I was lying in a hospital bed at the time, immobilised. Trust me when I say that I was praying long and often for the LORD to heal me. It is quite personal to me, and it changed my life. YES, I am SURE it was the LORD who spoke. Some elders of Israel had come to enquire, to seek some counsel, from Ezekiel the priest. Read the story very carefully yourself (Ezekiel 14). The LORD revealed to Ezekiel that these ‘elders’ had “set up idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity”. Then the body blow. “Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?” Was the LORD saying that there are some (me specifically) that He was questioning if their requests should be heard? That my prayers were blocked from Him? That He was not even willing to hear about my pain? My inability to move? The good news for me was that God used that to change me, and to bring about my recovery. But MORE than that, I learned that God speaks through His word TODAY. All it takes is a desire to listen. “For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to enquire of him concerning Me, I the LORD will answer him by Myself”. Everyone of us is answerable directly to the LORD. Selah!
Finally, for this ‘reflection’, Ezekiel was told “When a land sins against me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it”. Nations are to receive the judgment of the LORD according to their faithfulness to the LORD whose land it is. All the world is His. But there is hope for individuals living in such faithless lands. “Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it (Jeremiah adds Moses and Samuel to that short list (Jer 15:1)) they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness”.
There is always a remnant. People who remain faithful. God grant that we may be numbered among them.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 32
E Z E K I E L
Our ‘reflection’ last week ended with God giving Ezekiel an unusual picture of the discomfort He wanted Ezekiel to know. Symbolic of the discomfort which would be Israel’s experience. Painful. It continued in our reading this week. Shaving the head. Symbolic of shame and humiliation to which Israel would be subjected. The hair, divided into portions, symbolic of the manner in which Israel would be treated. Some (vv 4 and 12) to die by ‘fire’ (pestilence and famine), by the ‘sword’ (dispersed and killed). Some (v 3) to remain as a remnant but subject to further calamity. “This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. (As an example and a witness for My holy name’s sake) She has rebelled against My judgements by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes …. therefore … Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations” (As an example and a witness for My holy name’s sake). Expressed in human terms, the disappointment of the LORD, evident in these words of His, by the extent of the failure of His own to keep the covenant to which they had agreed, is palpable. What a lesson that should provide for everyone who enters into covenant with Him.
It need not have been so. We are not reading the account of one suddenly and maliciously confronted, without warning, by an angry parent. The nation of Israel had received countless warnings. All unheeded. Defiantly ignored. For us it provides yet another opportunity to take stock. What can we learn from this message of Ezekiel’s? “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). The record of God’s dealings with His own are there so that we may know Him. That we may understand what He requires of us. Only the foolhardy, the stubborn, the rebellious, ignore such a clear message.
In chapter 6 of our text, Ezekiel is shown how displeased the LORD was with the desecration of the land. Worship of idols had been instituted. The ‘high places’ which had been established would be completely erased from the landscape. The bones of those who would lose their lives, scattered around those desecrated sites. And yet, in the midst of all this carnage, for His own purposes, a remnant would be left. “Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all there abominations. And they shall know that I am the LORD”. Then the LORD laments over the land itself. The entire land seems ripe for judgment. Is it the land which has swallowed up the people and caused them to stray? Or is it the people who have faltered, and in familiarity taken so much for granted, taking the land down with them? “Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land; the time has come, a day of trouble is near, and not of rejoicing in the mountains. Now upon you I will soon pour out My fury …. I will repay you according to your ways”. Such a sad end to the promise of freedom in their own land, to which their forefathers had looked forward, after centuries of slavery in Egypt.
One year and two months (about 592 BCE) after the first vision, Ezekiel, the priest, was sitting at home with the elders of Judah when the LORD “fell upon him'. In visions, he was lifted up above the earth where he could see Jerusalem (Reminder:- he was in Babylon at this time, but the main populace was still residing in the land, which was not yet conquered, nor the temple destroyed, until 6 years later). The LORD showed him the abominations which were being committed by the elders, and others, who were saying “The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land”. What a mistake. But there was even worse. “Women were there weeping for Tammuz” (The Babylonian worship of Tammuz is connected with the basest of immoralities). Further, he was shown a picture of 25 men, facing towards the east, engaged in worship of the sun. In that vision, Ezekiel was shown why God was so angry with the people. “Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to to provoke Me to anger”. The LORD then commanded that a mark be put on the foreheads of “those who sigh and cry over all the abominations that had been done within the city”. Yes, even in the midst of these abominations, there are righteous people who will not suffer the judgement of those who are guilty. Another lesson. We observe events, attitudes, actions and even laws passed, today which are offensive, and at great variance with our faith. The God we worship is openly mocked. God is neither blind nor deaf. He sees and He hears all that is going on. But importantly for us who belong to Him, is that He also sees how we react, and how we behave, in the face of such “abominations”. When judgment comes, will He see His mark on me?
The final vision confirms the observation made in our previous ‘reflection’ about the identity of the “four beasts” and the chariots of judgement. For Ezekiel it was a confirmatory vision that he was still hearing from God. His mission unfinished. Much more to accomplish. The glory and majesty of God was lifted above the chaos and abomination of situation. But His judgment will still be proclaimed .
God grant that we understand the commitment we made when we chose to follow Him.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 31
E Z E K I E L
A “minor” prophet Ezekiel is not. God entrusted this man with prophetic messages of great significance. Some we are privileged to see unfolding before our own eyes this very day. Much of it (chapters 40 - 48) is still future to us. Both Ezekiel and Daniel are included in this series of ‘reflections’ even though they properly fit in with Isaiah and Jeremiah, and called “major” prophets. That terminology has nothing to do with the prophetic importance of their message, but relates to the length (number of words) of their contribution.
Ezekiel was a priest. A contemporary of both Jeremiah, also a priest who was about 20 years older, and Daniel, who was about the same age as Ezekiel. He is precise in his dating of his call to prophecy. He was among 10,000 who were taken captive to Babylon in 597 BCE (2 Kings 24). He then resided at Tel Abib, by the River Chebar, in his captivity. It was there that he had “visions of God” and the “word of the LORD came expressly to him”. Now what he saw is not easy to interpret. It has similarities to the scenes shown to John in Revelation. The description of the “four living creatures” is detailed, unlike anything seen by man on this earth. Able to move in any direction. The “wheels” are descriptive of a kind of chariot which moved effortlessly along with these “creatures”. It is emblematic of God’s omnipresence in judgement, here there and everywhere. Inescapable. In appearance like a man. But God is Spirit. We may conclude that this speaks of the One we identify as God the Son. Ezekiel was overwhelmed and fell on his face. “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD” he said. Then he heard the voice.
“I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day”. In preparation for his task, Ezekiel was given the vision of a “scroll of a book written on both sides”. A scroll is normally only written on one side. The vision is that the message was doubly full of “the lamentations and mourning and woe” that God wished to convey to the Israelites. But first Ezekiel was to “eat the book”. It is a good lesson. Before one can teach the word of God, one has to internalise its content. Be familiar with the promises, the judgements, commandments, statutes, precepts, and expectations written in that word. As God continued to give Ezekiel details of his assignment, it seems as though he was on mission impossible. “But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted”. But what I see is that God was intent on giving everyone the opportunity to get right with Himself. Every nation is made up of individual citizens. And whilst it is true that God deals with nations, He also deals with individuals. Ezekiel’s mission was not futile. God does not deal in futility.
In his many conversations with the LORD, Ezekiel is invariably referred to as “son of man”. It has no relevance to the message. “I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel”. That has great relevance. We are all “sons of men”. It is the message which has relevance. It did for Ezekiel, it does for us all. “Therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me”. This, my dear friends, is a universal message from the LORD. Ezekiel, (and by extension each of us), is charged with the role of messenger of the LORD. “When I say to the wicked, ‘you shall surely die’, and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I shall require at you hand. Yet if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.” The message of God is abundantly clear. His concern for Israel is a concern for each individual within that nation. Ezekiel’s charge, to “eat the book”, to go to the people, to provide warning out of his intimate knowledge of God and His word, is to ensure that no-one will be able to say “I didn’t know”. And IF such a person is able to say “I had a friend who was a believer but he never warned me”, God says the blood of that person will be required of the one who did not provide the warning. As I ‘reflect’ on this Scripture, the main message for me is my appointment as a “watchman for the LORD”.
Ezekiel, in his vision saw other unusual instructions. Confinement in his own house, bound with ropes, unable to speak. “But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them ‘Thus says the LORD’.” It appears to me like the old adage of parents to children “speak when you are spoken to”. Regardless of his knowledge and understanding of God, Ezekiel is told to speak only when God directs him. Today we might say that we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in our utterances. As God directs. It’s like an arrow, not a scattergun.
The LORD wanted Ezekiel to feel the intensity of the sin of Israel and for Judah. The manner in which this was conveyed was by him making a clay portrait of the city. To metaphorically lay siege to the city. For Israel to feel the pain of lying on his side, without moving, for 390 days. Then for Judah, to lie on his other side for a further 40 days. His food was to be cooked over a fire made of human waste. Utterly defiled. It was a picture of what would happen to the Israelites in their exile from the land. Obliged to eat what the gentiles ate. Cut off from that which they were used to in the land of God’s promise. Free to live as God intended. Undefiled by pagan influence. They were to pay an enormous price for their disobedience to the covenant they had sworn to keep. The message of Ezekiel was for them. The application is for us.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTIONS PESACH
Torah Reflections “Pesach 2”
Torah portion Exodus 13 : 17 - 15 : 26
Haftarah portion Numbers 28 : 16 – 25
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
We come to the last day of the celebration and remembrance of “Pesach”.
The parashah narrative begins with the statement of fact that the Pharoah had finally agreed to “let the people go”. It continues with the story of the journey of escape from Egypt, and the drowning of the pursuing Egyptian army, and it ends with the provision of “sweet water” to drink out of the bitter waters of Marah. A fascinating story.
These events are well known. Even non-Christian sceptics are familiar with the story, so we do not need to re-visit the detail. But we need to find the lessons for ourselves as the story unfolds.
Last week we focussed on the prophetic significance of the whole season of the three Pesach festivals. This week we learn of the detail of the way the event unfolded for them in practical terms. In fact, as we arrive at the very end of the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” in our study this week, we see the hand of Almighty God, and a picture of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach in this parashah.
We could look at the provision of food, which rained down from Heaven each night, sufficient to satisfy each family for the whole day ahead. And that which was not eaten that day rotted before the next day! It was to be gathered and eaten FRESH each day (Miraculously, the same food lasted TWO days when the weekly Shabbat came around).
The Apostle John, in Chapter 6 from verse 32, records the words of Yeshua when He described Himself as “the Bread of Life”. He goes further by relating the “bread from Heaven” in Moses time with Himself.
“Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
It is not going too far to equate the Israelites need for a daily gathering of that bread, with our need today for a ‘daily gathering’ of the bread which Yeshua is. He taught us to pray ‘give us this day our daily bread’. I believe that this phrase has both a literal and a spiritual meaning. We need to gather our ‘bread’ DAILY, just as those Israelites did in our parashah.
We could look at the provision of water. Moses was told to strike the rock, out of which poured an abundance of clean fresh, life-giving water. Our beloved Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Corinth used a most interesting description of this water.
“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” 1 Corinthians 10 : 1- 4.
Paul is suggesting here that the miracle of the provision of water from the Rock extended to that Rock actually following them around!! The plain sense of this is that it was Yeshua Himself, there with the Israelites on their journeying’s in the wilderness who sustained them with life giving water. On another occasion, when Yeshua was attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, at the time of the water libation Ceremony in the Temple He said:-
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."” John 7 : 37,38
So then, as the “mo’ed” of Pesach concludes for another year, we remind ourselves that the Passover Seder which starts the celebration of this season always ends with the participants saying “Next Year in Jerusalem”. An anticipatory statement about the coming of Messiah.
So we who are believers in Yeshua, can see the way in which this “appointed time” of Pesach not only speaks of Yeshua perfectly fulfilling His role as the ‘Lamb that was slain’, but also throughout the whole parashah we have reminders of His role in our lives as the sustainer of our life.
For the believer, without Him there is no hope of life. With Him we have abundant life …. IF we choose to access it. Praise be to Him.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 30
D A N I E L
The revelation given to Daniel, of times still future to us, is quite amazing. Could there be anything more to tell? Daniel was so disturbed by what had been revealed that he had “mourned” for three weeks and hadn’t eaten all that well either. A few days later he was with friends, on the banks of the River Tigris, when he had another visionary experience. It seems that when Gabriel explained the events leading to what we know as “Daniel’s 70th week”, he hadn’t explained events closer in time. So he returned to fill in those details. Daniel’s friends, although not seeing Gabriel, were filled with terror, and fled! Daniel collapsed, but clearly heard the words spoken by Gabriel. “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you … for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come because of your words”. He then went on to explain that for three weeks (coinciding with Daniel’s ‘mourning’) there had been a “battle in the heavenlies” with satan’s emissary, called ‘the prince of the kingdom of Persia’ (see Revelation 16:14). We are given a small glimpse here of the battles which take place in the heavenlies, because Gabriel was left alone, but received help from Michael (Revelation 12:7). It seems fair to conclude from this that both satan and Almighty God, have angels responsible for the affairs of nations of the earth doesn’t it? That shows how important then it is for us to pray for our nation.
Now back to the vision of Daniel. What follows is a pre-event view of the future kingdoms which accord with the visionary statue of Nebuchadnezzar. The Medo-Persian empire, led by the powerful king Cyrus. Four kings who are prophesied to succeed Cyrus (now according to known history) brings us to Xerxes (In the book of Esther he is known as Ahaseurus). He had a disastrous military campaign against Greece in about 480BCE, and this began the substantial weakening of the Persian empire which eventually fell to Greece in 330BCE under the command of Alexander then Great. A good ancient history book can fill in the minutia.
In the complicated account related in Daniel 11:5-20, a period which covers about 200 years is prophesied. It relates to wars, disputes, alliances and changes which occur to bring about the replacement of the Greek empire with that of Rome. The ‘vile person’ referred to in verse 21 is none other than the Syrian persecutor of Israel called Antiochus IV Epiphanes. It was a period of great distress and bloodshed. A period prophesied in Scripture, but with no Biblical canon recording those events. Secular history does. It was a time when there does not appear to have been much ‘honour’ displayed. It was a time of ‘survival of the fittest’, or more appropriately perhaps, the one with the strongest army or the most devious methodology. The ‘defilement’ of the temple (v 31) is prophesied. It was actually a time of great stress for Israel. There was much division, largely between “Hellenised Jews” and “Pharasaic Jews” which is again prophesied (v 32). “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits”. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, in his book “Antiquities of the Jews”, credits the person called Judas Maccabeus with the overthrow of those who defiled the temple, around 165 BCE. The temple was re-dedicated and that event is now celebrated universally by Jews in the joyful annual festival called Hanukkah (Festival of Lights).
(In the interests of literary honesty, it is noted that Jewish scholars, using Jewish calendar historical dates to interpret Daniel 9 specifically, identify the destruction of the temple in 69 CE as the end of “Daniel’s 70th week”. The horrors of the FOURTH beast seem to be discounted to a degree. And life goes on as normal after that.)
As this prophetic book comes to a close, Gabriel returns to the matter of that “70th week”. Michael again has a role. On this occasion (of gentile invasion) to help, watch over, and support Israel. “And at that time your (Daniel’s) people shall, be delivered”. Or as Paul puts it “All Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26). It foresees a time of resurrection “Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt”. It is a description of Daniel 9 and Revelation 20. In my writing of these ‘reflections’ over a number of years, I have come to appreciate that it is often difficult to separate ‘the God view’ of time, from man’s view of time. In that inability, we can be easily be confused by events which we might see as sequential, but which may overlap or be separated by many years. I came to that appreciation especially in attempting to unravel the events of Revelation. So it is with Daniel too. “But you Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase”. I think that is an invitation to watch, to pray, to study, to seek wisdom, so that our understanding is enhanced. But our understanding, or lack of it, has no impact on God’s plan.
Daniel asked how long shall the fulfilment of these wonders be. He was shown “the man clothed in linen who held up his hands to heaven, who swore by Him who lives forever, and said ‘for time, and times, and half a time”. 3 1/2 years. Then what will happen? asked Daniel. “Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand”.
“Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the 1335 days”. That is just 45 days after the end. The time for transition, from this age to the next!!
May God grant us wisdom to understand, and be saved.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTIONS PESACH
Torah Reflections “Pesach 1”
Torah portion Exodus 12 : 21 - 51 Numbers 28 : 16-25
Haftarah portion Joshua 5 : 2 to 6 : 1
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
The regular sequence of Torah readings is interrupted this week because of the “mo’ed” of Pesach.
Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.
Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.
When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.
This festival, known as “Pesach” (Passover), embraces THREE festivals in a period of eight days. The first of these remembers the actual day in history (the 14th day of the first month, Nisan) when the Israelites experienced the ‘salvation’ of the firstborn in their families by placing the blood of the Pesach Lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their houses in Egypt. The Lord ‘passed over’ their houses when He saw the blood.
It also is the exact Hebrew calendar date of the crucifixion of Yeshua. The Christian celebration of Easter (replacing Passover) was formalized at the Council of Nicea in the days of the Emperor Constantine of Rome. It signalled the official separation of the “church” from its Hebrew roots. (In my view one of Satan’s major victories over mankind).
The second remembrance is known as the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” which occurs on the very next day, Nisan 15. (It is a High Sabbath), and it lasts seven days, and begins and ends with a special Sabbath, Note that there are always three Sabbaths during this Pesach festival. The “High Sabbath” which marks the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, (and the Sabbath which marks the end of the festival, PLUS the normal weekly Sabbath). It is this “High Sabbath” which is the Sabbath mentioned in John 19:31 before which the Jews were anxious to confine Yeshua’s body to the grave. Then the ‘normal’ weekly Sabbath occurred immediately prior to the resurrection of Yeshua. This confirms the statement of Yeshua in Luke 11:29 (as well as in Matthew and Mark) when asked for a sign. Read it. The complete lack of understanding of this fact has caused conventional church teaching to major on an incorrect “Good Friday” crucifixion story !
Unleavened Bread is eaten during the whole eight day period of the Pesach remembrance. To Jews it is a remembrance of the fact that they ate unleavened bread,(as commanded in Exodus 12:18) as they fled from Egypt on the night of Passover. Leaven is a symbol of SIN, so to believers, the Unleavened Bread also represents the sinless body of the Messiah which was buried in the grave for three days and three nights.
The third festival in this Pesach season is the “Feast of Firstfruits”. It occurs on the day AFTER the weekly Sabbath in Pesach week. (Always a SUNDAY). It signified the beginning of the Barley Harvest and was celebrated by a priest waving an ‘omer’ (a measure) of Barley in the temple in Yeshua’s day. But it was also the day on which Yeshua was resurrected from the grave. Believers refer to it as Resurrection Sunday. (but in association with Easter rather than Passover!) It signifies that Yeshua became the “Firstfruits from the dead”. (see 1 Corinthians15:23).
We should be grateful that churches worldwide (all varieties) remember the death and resurrection of Yeshua. And that they do so sincerely. But more and more, many people are realizing that our roots are inextricably founded in Judaism and the Lord’s “mo’edim” (appointed times). Those that do then focus more on Passover than Easter.
In addition to your own church fellowship, this year, take the trouble to find a fellowship of believers who celebrate Passover and join them in that celebration. You will be enlightened, blessed and immeasurably enriched as you do.
Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday)
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 29
D A N I E L
Daniel was a Bible student! He had read that the Babylonian captivity (as it became known) would last for 70 years (Jeremiah 25: 11.12). After which, the Babylonians would themselves feel the heat of God’s wrath. It seems that the faithful Daniel was keeping track of the years. Darius, the Mede, was ‘made king’, presumably by Cyrus, when the Babylonians were overthrown by the Persian Empire. Daniel judged that the “captivity” of the Judeans, was about to come to an end. So what did he do? “Then I set my face toward the LORD God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.” “Fasting” is familiar to us, even today, but “sackcloth and ashes” is not. It is a sign, to others, of deep mourning, sorrow, and even repentance. That is what Daniel felt as he approached the LORD. He was acutely aware of the righteous judgment of the LORD in expelling the people of Judah from the land. He took nothing for granted. He did not think “ho-hum”, we’ve done the time, now let’s get back to normal. Daniel had acquired a deep sense of awesome reverence towards His God. If we learn nothing else from this prophetic book, we will have done well to learn that. And practise it.
The prayer of Daniel recorded here is worth reading … many times. It begins with ‘confession’ of known sin. It does not appear to be his ‘personal sin’ but ‘national sin’ that is confessed. There is enough in the text that has gone before to suggest that Daniel himself was pious in his own observances and attitudes towards God. He was not a self righteous man. Another lesson. “O LORD, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those whom love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgements.” It is unusual to hear such prayer today. Most of us have little or no concept of obedience to the precepts and judgments of God. It is somehow taken for granted that “going to church” is suffice. It is man that looks at appearance. God sees the heart. As Daniel continued, he considered their neglect of the warnings of the prophets who spoke in the name of the LORD. He saw that it was to their shame that God, in righteousness, had driven them out of the land, because of their unfaithfulness. They had not walked in conformity and obedience to the Torah of God, given to Moses. The curses contained within that Torah had been justly visited on the people as a result. But Daniel also knew the heart of God. “O LORD hear! O LORD forgive! O LORD listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name”. A heartfelt plea for compassion.
The response from God did not take long. At the time of the evening offering (of prayer and thanksgiving) that same day, the man Daniel identified as Gabriel, who was sent by God Himself arrived again. “O Daniel, I have now come forth to to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision”. That vision is the one recorded for us and which begins in Daniel 7:13.
I am very conscious that a number of learned people have written books about this. It has caused division in some circles, and profound joy in others. I have no wish to participate in controversy, but I share what God has shown me as I ‘reflect’ on these matters. It is also difficult to not be influenced by the various interpretations which have been offered by others.
There is general agreement that the word “weeks” is not literal to our understanding of a week of seven days. It is derived from the Hebrew word “shab’ua” which has a meaning of “sevens”. But the word “seventy” is literal. So it has been regarded that the text refers to “seventy sevens”. The text also clearly refers to the appearance of Messiah Yeshua on earth. This is mentioned by Gabriel in his explanation to Daniel. We KNOW exactly when that occurred in relation to the time of Daniel’s life, so it is a small jump, with a bit of arithmetic, to deduce that the “seventy sevens” refers to “sevens of years”, which is 490 years. The commencing point is “from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem”. Then, until Messiah comes, “there shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks”. So that means 49 years, plus 434 years. A total of 483 years from the command to restore Jerusalem until the “Messiah is cut off (from the earth “but not for Himself”)”. Please excuse the fact that I am not going into dates here for convenience sake (my own!). Those calculations have been verified many times. In very broad terms there is universal agreement of dates. Starting when Nehemiah received Artaxerxes authority to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, to the crucifixion of Yeshau. 483 years exactly. So we are left with another seven years. Those seven years are always referred to as “Daniel’s 70th week”.
Now there is another ‘prince’ mentioned. One who will destroy the city again. “He shall confirm a covenant for one week (Daniel’s 70th week); but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.” This is the prophecy about the arrival of “the man of peace”. He is the one who will demand worship of himself. He is the one who will be “different to all the beasts that went before it”. This is the FOURTH beast of Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7).
For those living at the time of his appearance, it will be the ultimate test of faith. A test that has been foreshadowed in the life of the faithful Daniel, from whom we have much to learn.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 28
D A N I E L
Continuation of ‘reflection’ (27 A) on the FOURTH beast of Daniel’s vision.
It is appropriate to consider the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in conjunction with this ‘vision’ of Daniel’s which we are seeking to understand. We recall that the great statue consisted of different substances (gold, silver, bronze, iron, and a mixture of iron and clay) for parts of the body as they went from head to foot. It is generally understood that the kingdoms, which started with Babylonia at the head, were successively replaced by the empires of Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. FOUR distinct periods of time. Four empires led by ambitious, fearsome, and often very cruel people seeking some advantage to extend their influence in the world as they saw it. The Roman Empire was, and is, quite diverse in its structure, and in one or more of its forms its global influence still exists today. Consider the far-reaching arms of the Roman Catholic Church. It still extends to the far corners of this earth. Consider also the Byzantine empire of Islam, which has flourished in conjunction with Rome, both within and beyond the boundaries of this Roman empire. The line between the Roman and Byzantine empires is somewhat blurred. It certainly IS different, and has superseded the first 3 mentioned kings above. For a time, Rome represented in the statue as IRON. But morphing into feet made of IRON and CLAY. A mixture. It is out of this final scene, the feet, that the fearsome FOURTH beast is expected to come. Is it from the Roman side? or from the Islamic side? Speculation is interesting, but futile. That is another “secret thing that belongs to the LORD”, for now.
Look again at Daniel’s description of the vision that he was shown. “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke into pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows”. To the avarice and greed of the kings that had gone before, this king added a menace which is terrifying. This beast “was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them”. It is worth noting here that many sections of the ‘church’ today preach a doctrine of “rapture of the saints”. It is not in the Bible in the form it is taught. (Read 1 Thessalonians 4:16 with Daniel 11 and Revelation 20:5) But it is a comforting doctrine, readily accepted because it conveniently declares ‘the church’ to have left this earth before this beast appears. The Scriptures noted above do not support this doctrine. A simple question comes to mind. Where do the “faithful martyrs” of the ‘tribulation’ come from? You know, the ones who reign with Messiah Yeshua in the Millenial Kingdom. It matters little what you or I think. This prophecy of Daniel is given to us, as with all the Scriptures, so that we may prepare ourselves for that which God says will happen.
Daniel had yet another vision. It seems to complement the first. But deals with the process of the overthrow of kingdoms. Babylonia was already replaced by Medo-Persia, which was the empire in which Daniel now lived. It is represented by the ram with two horns. One higher than the other. The lower horn of the Medes and the higher representing the Persians. The male goat with the “notable horn between the eyes” represents Greece, which was to supersede the Medo-Persian empire, which it did. That ‘male goat’, Greece, grew very great. Then its ‘large horn’ broke and was replaced by 4 other ‘notable ones’. Out of one of them came a ‘little horn’ of great influence. By this time, the Helenistic empire had been succeeded by the Roman empire. This “little horn” is considered to be Antiochus Epiphanes, (about 400 years later) who ruled the Syrian division with much influence over Israel. (More detail appears later when we ‘reflect’ on Daniel 11.) It was Antiochus Epiphanes who desecrated the temple. His overthrow is celebrated today in the festival known as Hannukah. He is seen as a ‘type’ of ‘anti-christ’ due to that desecration, which lasted precisely as the Scriptures prophesied, 2,300 days. Then ‘cleansed’ again for worship of Almighty God.
But there is much more to this. What happened towards the end of the Greek empire and the rise of the Roman Empire is a picture of another event which is still future to us today. As at this time, it is not possible for the temple to be desecrated because it no longer stands. It was destroyed about 70 CE, by the Roman General, Titus (later to become Emperor). So a new temple will be built. The Angel Gabriel, who appeared to Daniel as a man, was instructed to ‘Make this man understand the vision”. So Gabriel confronted Daniel whilst he was in a deep sleep with his face to the ground. Stood him upright, and said “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be”. (the word ‘indignation’ (‘Heb, za’am’) is curious. It relates to a time of God’s anger at sin. Hence ‘indignation’). So, as in many cases of prophetic utterance, God has given us, through Daniel, and by definable history, a picture of the events of the future. There is much more to be revealed, and we will ‘reflect’ on those events in coming weeks.
Much of our Scripture writings deal with the prophecy of Messiah Yeshua coming to this earth, bringing salvation and hope to the faithful. Daniel was given a vision beyond that. To the final “Yom Teruah”. The sound of the trumpet which will herald His triumphant return.
Shabbat Shalom
RS