Not quite Jewish, not quite Christian … totally commited to Torah and Messiah Yeshua.
Monday, August 24th, 2009
I ran into a resource recently where emergency dental care is available to people through a ministry in our metro area here in the Twin Cities.
For uninsured people, dental care is one of the hardest things to find. I have, for example, a chipped front tooth while my wife’s mouth is a wisdom-teeth nightmare. It can be quite the expense, and it can also be challenging enough as it it. So it’s nice to have a ministry like that available; it’s something we don’t need ObamaCare for us to use.
Monday, August 24th, 2009
One of the amazing things about the Exodus is that the Children of Israel were more likely, when they left Egypt, to be found with a cache of loose diamonds on them, rather than with, say, a bunch of swords.
That’s what makes their victory in escape such a testimony to God. After all, without the L-RD, they would have been sitting ducks, rather than a people who crossed a sea bed on dry ground. That’s pretty amazing, which is what the L-RD wanted it to be: a testimony to His existence.
Thursday, August 20th, 2009
I had a chance to fill in for Rabbi Stan again at Beth Yeshua on August 15, making the message below my third-ever full-length sermon. I decided to build on the ideas I had explored in my Ekev commentary, only with a lot more freedom to go into the Brit HaDesha writings because it’s a sermon, not a Torah commentary. Anyway, here’s my third-ever sermon entitled, “Let’s Be Fruitful!” Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
Last week, we studied the parashah of Ekev and we found that the L-RD wants to bless us, but he can only do so when we obey him. We talked about how this teaching is reflected in the New Covenant writings, in the words of Yeshua himself. He compares Himself to a vine, the Father to a gardener, and us to branches and points out that any branch that does not bear fruit will be cut off, and that even those branches that do bear fruit will be pruned so they can become even more fruitful.
It was a sobering message that proves that the same God is present in both the Tenakh and the New Covenant writings, that this cliché about the God of Moses being only about law and judgment, while the God of Yeshua is a God only of love and grace, is nonsense for anyone who actually studies the entire Bible closely.
So we ended with the thought, “So let’s be fruitful!” And that’s a fine enough sentiment, but it’s not very concrete, is it? What does this state of being fruitful look like? What is it?
That will be the focus of our study today.
Now, in my study, I’ve found that there are at least three ways in which this concept of fruitfulness is expressed in the Bible: through parenting, through the gifts of the Spirit and through living out one’s faith in actions that draw others to the L-RD. Yet before we go there, let’s take a look at the word fruitful itself. According to Strong’s Bible Dictionary, the Hebrew word most often translated “fruitful” is:
H6509 parah
• AV – fruitful 19, increased 3, grow 2, beareth 1, forth 1, bring fruit 1, make fruitful 1; 29
Now, parah can also mean increased, but most often, it is translated as fruitful. Yet the definition we find here almost defines the word by its root, which isn’t always helpful, so let’s take at the root word, fruit, which is:
H6529 pariy
• AV – fruit 113, fruitful 2, boughs 1, firstfruits + 07225 1, reward 1, fruit thereof 1; 119
• 1) fruit 1a) fruit, produce (of the ground) 1b) fruit, offspring, children, progeny (of the womb) 1c) fruit (of actions) (fig.)
Now the picture is becoming clearer. As we begin to look at our first definition of being fruitful, we stumble across it right here in the definition for pariy: one way to be fruitful is to bear and raise children. This is a point of agreement, in some ways, with rabbinic tradition, as we read in:
Seder Nezikin (Damage); Avoth (Fathers); Mishnah 1
Moses received the Torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the men of the great synagogue. The latter used to say three things: be patient in [the administration of] justice, rear many disciples and make a fence round the Torah.
Now, I took this from the Soncino Edition of the Babylonian Talmud and notice this slightly different translation. While the traditional reading is to “make” many disciples, this edition translates “make” as “rear,” as in child-rearing. Certainly Jewish practice over the centuries has been that raising children in the ways of Torah is a part of being fruitful.
While many college kids tend to define ministry and missions as something that happens in a far-off country or remote island, like Argentina or Cuba or Kenya, what most experienced parents will tell you is that your mission field starts, most importantly, with your own children. In fact, it is one of the first commands the L-RD gives to mankind.
Genesis 1:27-28
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
It is a command that is later reaffirmed by God to Noah and his sons after the great flood. This sense of fruitfulness, of increasing in numbers, is seen as a primary source of blessing throughout the Torah. It is key to the promise God makes to Abraham, in which He promises to make the patriarch so fruitful that his descendants will outnumber the stars in the heavens. And the opposite is true as well; in ancient times those who were unable to bear children, to be fruitful and multiply their numbers, were thought to be under a curse, or at least under judgment, by the L-RD.
Now, Judaism considers having children a religious requirement, especially for their rabbis. Why? Because that is the best way to ensure that there will be another generation of Jews who will learn, study and dedicate themselves to the Torah of God. Despite being a requirement, Judaism also considers children a blessing and, “the greatest gift that God can bestow upon us.”
But that aspect of being fruitful is rather self-explanatory. Now, let’s move on to the fruits of the spirit. The Greek word for fruit is karpos, according to the Strong’s, and among its definitions are these:
G2590 karpos
• 1a) the fruit of the trees, vines, of the fields 1b) the fruit of one’s loins, i.e. his progeny, his posterity 2) that which originates or comes from something, an effect, result 2a) work, act, deed 2b) advantage, profit, utility 2c) praises, which are presented to God as a thank offering
In light of what we’re about to discuss, I especially like definition 2c. You see, anyone can make a claim that they believe in God; they can tell you they are filled with the Spirit. But since belief depends on the position of one’s heart toward God, and since the Spirit of the L-RD is not a measurable substance, how does one know when such a claim is true?
Well, we are given a clue in:
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
So, there it is in black and white. It’s a familiar passage to most believers and it sounds so perfect, so ideal, that often the list is taken for granted. Yet how many of you know believers – maybe even the one staring back at you in the mirror each morning – who struggle with most of these? I know I do. Are we always as patient as we ought to be with others, for example? Are we gentle with each other, or harsh? Are we always in control of ourselves, or are we prone to outbursts?
But you see, this is only the end of an important passage of Scripture, and often the preceding verses are completely overlooked. So let’s back up now and take a look at:
Galatians 5:17-21
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Remember the insight Stan has given us into this passage in his recent teachings. What does Paul mean when he says, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law?” Does it mean the laws of the L-RD are done away with? Certainly not! It means that we are called to live to a standard far above the minimum standard described in the Torah. And if you are living above that minimum standard, you can’t be under it, right? But it is this list of bad fruit that I’d like to draw our attention to today.
You see, we are about to start the month of Elul in a few days and traditionally the month of Elul is to be a time of self-reflection in preparation for the fall festivals. It is a time when we examine ourselves – our lives, our behavior, our choices and our attitudes – as we prepare for the Day of Atonement. The process intensifies after Rosh haShanah and the Days of Awe that follow, leading up to Yom Kippur, but the month of Elul is the beginning of that time of reflection, assessment and repentance.
So, what better time could there be to look at these fruits of the Spirit – the good fruits that manifest themselves when we live by the Spirit, as well as the bad fruits – the sinfulness – that manifests itself when we are not living by the Spirit – and prepare to be honest with ourselves and with the L-RD about where we’ve fallen short and are in need of His healing and His atoning sacrifice?
The truth is, we all fall short somewhere. My list may be different from the next person’s, because our areas of weakness and vulnerability are not identical; but we all need atonement. Yet it’s important to distinguish between falling short on occasion, in moments of weakness, and what Paul talks about here. He says, “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.”
Take note of that. There is falling short on occasion, and what Paul calls, “Living like this.” In other words, living in a state of willing sinful behavior.
You see, this is where we differ from those who teach about grace and grace alone. We believe that what is done in the flesh still matters to God, even though our forgiveness comes from Messiah and not our own merit. What is done in the flesh is what can trip us up in our lives, our relationships, our witness and our ministry, if we slip into the kind of arrogance that says, “It doesn’t matter what we do, because we’re forgiven anyway.”
Here we read just the opposite, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God! See, we know that even Messiah Yeshua warned us that although the L-RD wants to bless us richly, He can and will do so only if we bear fruit, and if losing out on the kingdom is the alternative, well, I know I for one want to start bearing fruit!
As we read last week:
John 15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
So, let us ask ourselves, are we bearing fruit? And if we are, what kind of fruit are we bearing? Are we demonstrating the good fruit of the Spirit of the L-RD, the fruit which allows us to reflect the character of God to others? Or are we bearing the bad fruit of our old and sinful nature, the selfishness that leads to hypocrisy, disputes, anger, jealousy and every bad thing?
You see – and this is, I believe, important to realize – no matter whether we are led by the Spirit of the L-RD or our own selfish desires, we will end up being a reflection of someone. If we are led of the Spirit, we can rest peacefully in the knowledge that we are reflecting the character of the L-RD. But if we lead ourselves, if we allow selfishness to rule us, we will still reflect on the character of the L-RD, yet we will not be reflecting His character, but our own, and thus bring a bad report not only to our own name, but to His. This is why it is written, in:
Romans 2:23-24
You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
You see, whether we realize it or not, whether we accept it or not, as believers what we do reflects on God in the eyes of those around us. Those who say “the law has been done away with,” and intend by saying that to suggest that the Torah no longer applies – what is their source of a standard for holy living, or – to use a word familiar to Christianity – what is their standard for justification?
For those who cast aside the Torah, ultimately it becomes a completely subjective standard. But is that what God desires? Is a subjective standard part of His teachings or instructions? Or has the L-RD already given us a blueprint for what He finds holy, what He finds acceptable?
That is the point. We must allow the L-RD to tell us what His standards are; we cannot just make it up as we go along. After all, as the L-RD tells us in this week’s parashah, which Phil just did a fine job of commenting on:
Deuteronomy 12:4, 8-9
You must not worship the L-RD your God in their way … You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit, since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the
L-RD your God is giving you.
This is a direct response by the L-RD to the idea that it’s OK to worship the God in our own way, rather than His way, or to make up our own standards, rather than accepting His. He is opposed to that, and there is a limit to His patience with it.
So again, how can we tell the difference between the appearance and the reality, between someone who serves the L-RD and is led by His spirit, and someone who only claims to do so, but is more committed to following his or her own desires? We are given another clue how in:
Hebrews 13:15-16
Through Yeshua, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
So there’s a clue right there! Praising the L-RD is a fruit of Spirit, and let me tell you, it’s not an easy one to fake for very long. I have a friend who was in a band, and his band was a band committed to honoring the L-RD through music. He told me the story of one of his bandmates who, although he claimed to be a believer, whenever they would perform, he’d start having attitude problems. These problems magnified to the point where he actually began cussing and taking the name of the L-RD in vain on stage.
Of course, he had to be let go from the band, but when my friend asked this guy what was up with all this weird behavior, his reply was, and I’m quoting him loosely here, “Well, I want to believe in God, but I really wanted to play in a band to attract women. So whenever I would try to join in praising the L-RD, I couldn’t. It’s like someone was preventing me from praising the L-RD and instead all these curses came out.”
Of course, such a tale is no surprise to those of us who understand what Yeshua meant when he said, in:
Matthew 7:16-18
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
So displaying the fruits of the Spirit in our attitudes, our behavior and our choices is another way to be fruitful in the eyes of the L-RD. The final way to be fruitful that I’d like to examine today is the one, however, that goes the deepest, and that’s being fruitful by our actions, by our ministry, by our example in ways that draw others closer to God.
You know, people hear the word ministry and they tend to freeze up, or they blow it off and say, “Well, I’m not a minister, so I don’t have to worry about that. I’m in sales” or “I’m an English teacher” or “I work in law enforcement.” But the truth is, no matter what we do to earn a paycheck six days out of the week, all of us who are believers are ministers in that we represent God to whomever we come into contact with.
This is why we want the holiness of the Sabbath rest not to be limited to the twenty-four hour period of the Sabbath, but to spill over into the mundane part of our week as well, so that we will remember the L-RD, honor Him and obey all of his instructions throughout the rest of our week, and so that we don’t misrepresent Him and bring dishonor to His name.
You know, many believers develop a misunderstanding of their relationship with the L-RD. Like the Israelites of last week’s Torah portion, they believe that they have come to rest in Messiah Yeshua by their own merits. Yet even Yeshua insists this is not the case, as we read in:
John 15:14-16
You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
Did you catch that? Yeshua does indeed call us His friends … if we do as He commands. What are His commands? They are the Torah, which He gave to Moses on Sinai. Furthermore, he stresses this: We did not choose Him. He chose us! This is the same message as the L-RD gave Moses to pass on to the Israelites before they were about to enter the land. We do not choose God; God chooses us. Not our merit; His merit. Not our righteousness; His righteousness. The same God, the same message, the same salvation, the same Messiah.
You see, obedience to the Messiah Yeshua and obedience to the Torah is the same thing. You cannot do away with one, without doing away with the other also. The Torah was spoken to Moses by the Messiah Yeshua, who as John reveals in his gospel is the very Word of God. Messiah Yeshua is the living Torah. They cannot be separated, and yet what do so many songs of praise say? “I choose you, L-RD.” Or “I lift You up, L-RD.” Doesn’t that fly right in the face of what the L-RD just told us?
Why does obedience come so hard to so many of us? Even Yeshua recognized this, when He said in:
Luke 6:46-49
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
This is what the L-RD means by fruitfulness. Do we just read the Bible like a good novel, to find out what happens? Or do we allow its instructions into our lives, to change how we interact with the world around us? Do we listen to Stan’s sermons each week because we like his speaking style or his method of teaching? Or do we actually allow the insights God has given him to shake us out of our passivity and make real changes to how we are living out our faith in Yeshua?
Let’s put this into concrete terms for a moment. Let’s imagine a scenario where we received a visitor here at Beth Yeshua. He comes in, he enjoys the music, the people he meets seem friendly, and the food down at the Oneg is pretty tasty. In fact, I can hear some stomachs growling out there right now. But anyway, when he goes back into the parking lot, let’s say he discovers a tire on his car has gone flat. It’s not safe to drive anymore and the nearest tire outlet is a bit beyond safe walking distance, especially with that busy highway to cross.
So, out comes one family and let’s say they planned to go do a great mitzvah, the Feed My Starving Children event. This stranger asks for their help, but this family doesn’t want to miss out on Feed My Starving Children, so they promise to pray for him and off they go.
Another family comes out and they have committed themselves to a weekly Family Night in their home. So, same story, they wish the stranger well, and off they go without lifting a finger to help.
Both of these families are doing good things; their other plans are not at issue. But are they doing the right thing by this stranger? Are they bearing what Yeshua calls “fruit that will last?” Are they bearing the fruit of the Spirit? Are they being fruitful in deed as well as word?
Let’s get to the point: if that’s all this person experienced during his visit here, and he ended up alone in the parking lot with a flat tire, having to call a secular friend to come and help him while we all go our separate ways doing our spiritual things and our mitzvahs and our other good works we already had planned – none of them bad in and of themselves, mind you – do you think that visitor will ever come back here? And then you have to ask yourself … is that what being fruitful is?
But hold on. Along comes one more family. Let’s say they have a family reunion they want to get to. But they see this visitor has a flat tire and they put their plans on hold immediately. They offer him a ride to the nearest tire shop, wait with him while he buys a tire, and return to the parking lot to help him install it and get on his way.
The picture changes, doesn’t it? Now do you think this first-time visitor is going to come back? Probably. And it won’t be because of the good food or the intriguing teaching or the nice facility. It will be because he can say, “Here’s a place where the people who attend really live out their faith. Here’s a place where people think about more than themselves, their own needs and goals and plans. Here’s a place where faith goes more than skin-deep.”
That’s what being fruitful means. Here’s what we read to confirm this in:
Colossians 1:10
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
So, before we bring this to a close, I’d like to address some possible responses to the illustration I just outlined. Now, some folks will hear this story of a man with a flat tire and object, saying, “You can’t take him to a tire shop on the Sabbath! That’s violating the Sabbath by exchanging goods for services on Shabbat!” And yet even the rabbis teach that “the preservation of life comes before all the rules of the Torah.”
Hold on a second, some may say; this guy has a flat tire, sure, but his life isn’t at stake. So you’d still be violating the Sabbath. Yet consider this: perhaps it is the middle of winter and it is twenty below zero outside. Or perhaps it’s summer and there’s a violent storm on the way, or overbearing heat is an issue. Even if conditions are nice, what is happening to this stranger’s life while he’s stranded with a flat tire and no one offering to help him? Well, his life isn’t moving forward, is it? It’s on hold. Perhaps he has something just as important to get to, as important as anything other families are going off to do.
Whatever the justification might be, however, we come back to the basics of the scenario: without help, this man is stranded in our parking lot and needs to call a secular friend to get on with his life and he comes away not feeling great about Beth Yeshua. With help from someone here, his needs are provided for and he comes away feeling very good about Beth Yeshua. Which type of congregation would you rather belong to? Which do you think is bearing good fruit?
As you ponder that, I’ll leave you with these words from:
John 3:7-11
John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”
Shabbat Shalom.
Thursday, August 20th, 2009
There are no diet pills to be found on MessianicMusings.com, only solid Torah study and the like. Here’s my Ekev Commentary. Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
Our parashah for today is Ekev or “as a result” and covers Deuteronomy chapter 7, verse 12 through chapter 11, verse 25. The element that stood out most to me in this week’s reading is the remarkable consistency of the L-RD, both here through Moses and later, through the words of Messiah Yeshua. Contrary to what is popularly believed, the messages of Moses and Messiah Yeshua have far more in common than most people believe.
Let me get specific about what I mean here. In this week’s reading, Moses is still addressing the people of Israel, and he is talking to them about the prospect of entering the Promised Land. His concern is that they should not allow this gift the L-RD is about to give them to cause them to grow arrogant and consider themselves better than they are. We read this in:
Deuteronomy 8:11-18
Be careful that you do not forget the L-RD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the L-RD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the L-RD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
This lays out the problem and the primary concern Moses has for the children of Israel as they are about to enter the land. Although they are about to face enemies who are bigger physically and greater in number than they are, notice that not for a moment does Moses doubt their victory; he trusts in the L-RD completely to make them victorious and so their success is not a concern for him.
Instead, he worries that once they have succeeded and begin to enjoy the land and forget all they endured to reach that victory, they will forget to honor the L-RD who did all the work for them, and their hearts will turn to other gods.
If nothing else, this shows that even at this late date, Moses was inspired by the L-RD in the words he was speaking. In the flesh, the battle to come would seem to be a bigger concern; in the flesh, the enemy would seem to be the shadows cast by their mighty opponents and not a slothfulness in the wake of victory that would lead them down the path to idol worship; in the flesh, even Moses’ own death would seem to be a bigger concern. But Moses was not operating in the flesh; he was seeing these Israelites through the eyes of the L-RD and, informed by his own experiences leading them for so long, familiar with their actual vulnerabilities, inspired by the Ruach haKodesh, the Holy Spirit, Moses recognizes the real weak point in these people. The chink in their armor is not in the physical battles ahead that the L-RD has already promised victories over, but in the spiritual battle to stay faithful in the wake of victory, in the temptation of comfort and success.
This point is underlined again as we read on in:
Deuteronomy 9:4-5
After the L-RD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The L-RD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the L-RD is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the L-RD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Don’t let that slip by you. Israel is told very clearly here, it is not because of their righteousness that the L-RD is driving out their enemies from the land, but because of the wickedness of the people dwelling there. Had the people living in the land of Israel honored God, lived according to His commands and instructions, and followed him with their whole hearts, perhaps they could have dwelled in the Promised Land with the children of Israel. Yet they had not done this.
But the wickedness of the people dwelling in the land are not the primary focus of our discussion. Our focus is on the fact that the L-RD here tells Israel it is not because of their righteousness that the L-RD is driving out their enemies. Is the L-RD being especially condemning of the people of Israel here? No. He is being consistent. The L-RD is driving out those currently in the land because of their wickedness and He is telling the Israelites that if they, too, become wicked, they also will be driven from the land. That’s consistency.
They may be the chosen people, but as the L-RD warns them over and over again, there is to be one law for all the people; there is not to be a double-standard, where there is one set of laws for the Israelites and another for the servants and strangers living among them. Because they were strangers and servants in Egypt, the L-RD does not want them to do to others what was done to them; He is calling them to a higher standard, so that they might be an example to the nations and a testimony to who the L-RD is to all people.
However, we must be cautious in how we interpret passages like this. There is a great temptation these days, and many give in to it, to claim that through passages like this week’s reading, the God of the Torah is a mean, nasty, vengeful god who is not compatible with how God reveals Himself through the Messiah Yeshua. But is there any validity to this claim? Let’s compare this passage to the words of Messiah Yeshua.
We read this in:
John 15:1-2, 5-6
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
Did you notice what is being said here? Yeshua is using the imagery of an olive tree and is saying that branches that do not bear fruit, whether natural or grafted in, are cut off, thrown away, wither, tossed into the fire and burned. Is there a significant difference between this message, and what the L-RD says through Moses to the people who are entering the Promised Land?
No. It is the same message of consistency, spoken by the same God. There can be no double standards in the kingdom of the L-RD. Those who follow God and obey his teachings are blessed; those who rebel and persist in their sin shall be cast out. This image of the kingdom of God as a plant is also reflected in this passage from the book of:
Romans 11:16b-22
If the root is holy, so are the branches. If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
Does this sound like a different God to you, or a remarkably consistent God? I know it sounds like the same God to me. But that’s often not what is taught. Too often, what is taught is that the God of the Torah is all judgment and rules and punishment, while the God of the New Covenant writings is a God of peace and love and universal acceptance.
So we have seen that Yeshua spoke as much about the consequences of disobedience as did Moses. But was the God of Moses lacking in love as some would charge? That is a hard argument to make in light of what we read in this week’s parashah in:
Deuteronomy 7:12-15a
If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the L-RD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land–your grain, new wine and oil–the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. The L-RD will keep you free from every disease.
So the idea that the L-RD in the Tenakh is somehow lacking in love simply finds little support when one actually reads the Tenakh. There is as much of the loving and graceful side of God in the Tenakh as is found in the New Covenant writings, and there is as much judgment and condemnation of sin in the New Covenant writings as is found in the Tenakh. Those who teach otherwise haven’t been reading closely enough.
You see, there’s nothing wrong with God; there’s something wrong with our understanding of Him. There’s nothing inconsistent about God; there’s something inconsistent in our willingness to obey Him fully. When we experience grace initially, we understand the cost, but over time, we can slip into the arrogance that says, “It doesn’t matter what we do. We are forgiven no matter what.” But that’s not the truth. That’s not God’s message. Obedience must follow trust. Or as James would say, faith without deeds is dead.
The truth for the Israelites in this week’s passage is that it is not for the sake of their own righteousness that the L-RD cast their enemies out of the Promised Land, but because of their own wickedness; the truth is that if the Israelites fell into wickedness, the L-RD promises to cast them from the land in the same way.
As believers in Messiah Yeshua, these passages should be a warning to us to avoid that sort of prideful arrogance; we are in Messiah, we are part of the promise, only if we bear fruit. Yes, we have an inheritance in Yeshua, but we also must never forget that it is the L-RD who brought us here, who grafted us in, and if we do not bear fruit, we also can be cut off. As Yeshua Himself said, after all, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” So let’s be fruitful.
Shabbat Shalom.
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
Sometimes I think it would be easier to write about pop culture than the Torah … and some of my other blogs will attest that I make the attempt now and again. However, while it might be easier to write about cyber shopping phenomenons like Cyber Monday, it’s not as fulfilling as digging into the Bible and really trying to figure out how it was understood from a first-century perspective. Here’s my commentary on V’et’chanan. Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
Our parashah for today is V’et’chanan or “and I pleaded” and covers Deuteronomy chapter 3, verse 23 through chapter 7, verse 11. The most obvious passage in this week’s reading that jumped right out at me comes early in the parashah. Now, at this point, Moses is living out what the L-RD has told him will be his final days, and has broken the news to him that Moses himself will not be allowed to enter the promised land. This came about as a result of Moses’ own battle with his temper, which has been a lifelong struggle for him.
Because of his quick temper, Moses murdered and Egyptian guard and had to spend forty years in the desert, in Midian, allowing the L-RD to deal with him and heal him. Because of his quick temper, Moses destroyed the tablets of the Ten Commands the L-RD had written and the L-RD made Moses write them himself the second time. And because of his quick temper, Moses struck a rock twice to cause water to come forth, against the command of the L-RD, rather than speaking to it as the L-RD commanded.
So it’s clear that Moses’s anger is at the core of why the L-RD has decided not to permit Moses to enter the land. But has Moses accepted this? Is he at peace with it? In the way he addresses the Israelites regarding the L-RD’s decision, it seems he may not be. We read this in:
Deuteronomy 3:23-26a
At that time I pleaded with the L-RD: “O Sovereign L-RD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan–that fine hill country and Lebanon.” But because of you the L-RD was angry with me and would not listen to me.
Did you catch that? Because of you the L-RD was angry with me. Because of you the L-RD would not listen to me.
Now, the people of Israel were a handful. They were often rebellious and Moses complained about them to the L-RD. Despite being the chosen people, these descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were, as we all are, difficult. Ask any parent in an honest moment and they will admit that as much as they love their kids … they’re a handful. They’re frustrating, exasperating and even, at times, disappointing. That doesn’t change the love one holds – be it for one’s own literal children, or for the children of Israel as a people – but it does mean that it’s not always easy to show that love.
And here, in this passage, we witness some of the frustration in Moses that any parent will immediately recognize as something that pops up in themselves from time to time. In moments of frustration, we may share the truth in a less than loving way, and we may even slip into pointing fingers at others, rather than acknowledging our own shortcomings.
So, it’s not, “But because of my own temper the L-RD was angry with me,” and it’s not, “but because I struck the rock to bring forth water rather than speak to it, the L-RD was angry with me.” Is it? No, Moses says, “But because of you the L-RD was angry with me.”
Finger-pointing, rather than taking responsibility for one’s own actions, is a human gut-level reaction so essential to the sinful nature, it extends all the way back to the Garden. After all, when the L-RD asked for an accounting from Adam and Havah about what had happened while he was away from their presence in the Garden, what was their reply? Adam blamed Havah, Havah blamed the serpent, and the serpent, with no one left to blame, stayed silent and probably blamed God. None of them took responsibility for their actions. And why? Fear. Fear, rather than trust.
So how does this relate to Moses? Why would Moses blame the people of Israel for his own faults and shortcomings? Was it out of frustration only? Or could fear have played a role? Well, what did Moses have to be afraid of? After all, Moses has known God better than anyone else in history, apart from the Messiah Yeshua; he has known God face-to-face. God has shown Moses His glory and declared His very nature in front of Moses.
Well, Moses is not that different in that respect from Adam, and he fails in the same way as Adam, blaming others for his own actions rather than taking responsibility. Could it be that what Moses feared was that this error, this sin, might cost him more than a chance to set foot in the promised land? Or perhaps pure frustration over his punishment was the root cause for Moses blaming the children of Israel here.
Whatever the cause, however, the L-RD gives Moses an interesting response. We read this in:
Deuteronomy 3:26b
“That is enough,” the L-RD said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.
Can you imagine hearing that from the L-RD? To have Him be that direct and blunt? It would be shocking. It would be intimidating. And it would definitely guarantee that discussion on the matter was over.
You know, it’s an interesting word, enough. The Hebrew word used here, according to:
Strong’s H7227 rab
• AV – many 190, great 118, much 36, captain 24, more 12, long 10, enough 9, multitude 7, mighty 5, greater 4, greatly 3, misc 40; 458
As you can see, rab most often is translated as “great” or “many.” It is rarely used in this sense of the word. The NIV translates rab as enough, while the King James uses “Let it suffice.” Either way, it is a word that God rarely uses in this negative or corrective sense, as it is used here.
In the New International Version, the word “enough” appears only 98 times in all 66 books. In only four instances is “enough” used by the L-RD in a directed, corrective sense. In II Samuel 24:16 and I Chronicles 21:15, the L-RD uses “enough” in the same corrective sense as He does here, but His statement is directed at an angel, not a person. The corrective use of “enough” also appears in Ezekiel 44:6 and 45:9, but in those instances, the L-RD is addressing Israel as a nation, rather than addressing an individual.
Therefore, I can say with relative confidence that the L-RD here is addressing Moses in a rather unique and rare way. He is correcting Moses from a path of grumbling, complaining and desiring to enter the land even after the L-RD has told him, “No.” Is this sounding familiar yet?
You see, a few weeks ago, in the parashah called Balak, the non-Israelite prophet Balaam found himself in a similar situation, continuing to ask the L-RD for permission to do something long after the L-RD told him, “No.” In the case of Balaam, of course, the L-RD ultimately allowed Balaam to harden his heart and go his own way, but foiled Balaam’s efforts to damage Israel in the process.
Here, we can tell Moses is frustrated at the L-RD’s decision to not allow him to enter the promised land, because he continues asking. Yet, unlike the way in which the L-RD dealt with Balaam, with Moses the L-RD draws a line. “That is enough,” said the L-RD. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.”
If only the L-RD had been so firm with Balaam, perhaps instead of begrudgingly blessing the people of Israel, those words would have flowed freely from his mouth. Instead of joining King Balak, Balaam would have joined himself to the people of Israel! Yet with Balaam, the L-RD stayed silent and allowed Balaam – within limits – to pursue his own stubborn path, which led to his destruction.
Imagine if the L-RD had not spoken up like this with Moses! Imagine if Moses was allowed to go his own stubborn way, attempting to enter the land against the command of the L-RD! Would the L-RD have sent a sword-wielding angel after Moses to oppose him and strike him down, as with Balaam? If that had happened, what would it have done to all the rest of the work the L-RD had accomplished through Moses? Would the name of Moses be considered as blessed today as it is?
Yet praise God, we don’t have to wonder about such possibilities. Praise God, the L-RD did speak up. Praise God, when Moses became stubborn, rather than keep silent and allow Moses’ heart to grow hard, the L-RD spoke to him and said, “That is enough. Do not speak to me anymore on this matter,” words that the L-RD never spoke before, nor spoke again in all of the Torah, all of the Tenakh, all of the Brit HaDasha – the entire Word of God, the complete Jewish Bible. He spoke those words to angels, to nations, but nowhere in the Bible does the L-RD speak like that to any other individual.
It is because of that unique friendship, that unique intimacy, which was shared by the L-RD and Moses, that God decides to intervene. To no one else since the Garden, and until Yeshua, did the L-RD show His glory, communicate with face-to-face and speak without mysteries. And now He also gives Moses another rare gift; the gift of correction. We read this in:
Job 5:17
“Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
This verse gives us insight into the heartbeat of the L-RD’s relationship with Moses. He is treating Moses as a father would treat a son, as a mother would treat a daughter, as any parent would treat any child!
It is easy to wonder why the L-RD treated Moses differently than Balaam, until you think of it in these terms. You see, generally we are to care for everyone. But in practice, in daily life, we do tend to go more out of our way for family than we do for strangers.
If we see a stranger smoking, for example, we might complain or make a comment about cigarettes causing cancer, but if that person isn’t receptive, often we let it go. If we see a son or daughter or niece or nephew smoking, however, we don’t let it go. Certianly, we have more authority in a child’s life than a stranger’s … but we tend to also have a greater interest in seeing the self-destructive behavior stop.
It is not that different here with Balaam and the L-RD, versus Moses and the L-RD. Balaam may have been able to talk to the L-RD, but he did not seek unity with the people of the L-RD or to live in complete obedience to Him, even when the opportunity to join them was there. So, in what Balaam may have mistakenly assumed was grace, the L-RD allowed him to do as he wished, up to a point, and pursue his own desires to his own destruction. If Balaam had allowed the L-RD to control his life, to truly be his Lord, he would never have pressed God to the point of the L-RD allowing him to harden his heart and go his own way. He could have achieved intimacy with God that would have allowed the L-RD to say, “That is enough. Do not speak with me anymore on this matter.”
But that was not what Balaam chose.
What made the difference with Moses, caught in a moment of desire to enter the land overwhelming his judgment to accept God’s decision, is that Moses spent a lifetime – despite all his faults and his anger – seeking intimacy with the L-RD rather than His own way, obeying all the L-RD commanded him. He had made the L-RD truly Lord of his life, and in His kindness, God doesn’t allow Moses’ moment of weakness to destroy a lifetime of obedience. Like a loving, protective parent, He tells Moses, “That is enough.” Harsh words, proving His love.
Shabbat Shalom.
My 2009 Shoftim Commentary
Monday, August 24th, 2009
Here it is, my Shoftim commentary. Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
Our parashah for today is Shoftim or “judges” and covers Deuteronomy chapter 16, verse 18 through chapter 21, verse 9. While there are many potential topics one could discuss out of this week’s parashah, the one that I found most compelling are the requirements the L-RD establishes here for an earthly king ruling these people once they enter the Promised Land.
I find it compelling because it represents a tragic moment in the history of Israel, because it demonstrates how the L-RD desired for His people something far better, and how far they have fallen from that ideal. The L-RD’s ideal relationship to the people of Israel is actually set down in:
This is exactly the sort of relationship one would expect believers to desire with their creator. To have the L-RD dwelling among them and to be rightly related to Him is what we all want, what we anticipate will be the nature of the World to Come. And yet, that ideal relationship is not what came about; not because the L-RD failed to live up to His promise, but because the people – all of us – failed to live up to ours.
You see, the L-RD did not originally desire Israel to be like the nations that surrounded it. He wanted it to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation so that Israel would be an example to all the other nations of the Earth, and that all people would come to know the L-RD through them. In the L-RD’s original plan, there would be no earthly king or ruler in Israel; there would only be the L-RD in control, and all who lived in Israel would serve him faithfully. There should never have been a need to appoint an earthly king over Israel.
But things went astray almost from the start. The L-RD speaks to the children of Israel, giving them His Ten Commands by speaking to each of them directly at Horeb. And it was apparently a terrifying experience for most of the people gathered there, because, as we read in this week’s parashah, in:
So, the covenant between the L-RD and his people, in which the L-RD would dwell among them and they would be His people and He would be their God didn’t exactly work out as planned, did it? In a very brief amount of time, the people ask for a change to the terms of the covenant and the L-RD’s response is recorded here in this week’s parashah. He accepts their change; He shall no longer speak to them directly.
But now, instead of dwelling with them, instead of being their sole ruler, the L-RD begins to indicate here that their special status as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation has changed, also. Those terms won’t even be mentioned again in Scripture until the letter of first Peter.
Yet we also can observe in the text that another change has taken place; instead of not having an earthly king, as originally planned, the L-RD anticipates that they will indeed desire one. You see, not only have they replaced the voice of the L-RD speaking to them directly with Moses as the human mediator between God and man, but they also have displaced Him as their ruler.
In the passage I’m about to share from this week’s reading, we see the L-RD establish rules for how the people are to select an earthly king to rule them, and in much of the Jewish commentary on this passage I have studied, it is taken for granted by most of the rabbis that the L-RD desired and even commanded Israel to have a human king. And yet that assumption, I believe, is somewhat mistaken.
To really get a good handle on this, I’ll share the first verse as it is rendered in the Complete Jewish Bible by David Stern, because I believe it captures a level of meaning missed by the NIV rendering. We read this in:
Pay close attention to how that last sentence is phrased. The Torah here does not say, “When you have entered the land, I, the L-RD, want you to set up a king over you, like all the other nations around you.” No. It is not the L-RD’s desire that is being communicated here. Instead, it is the desire of the people to be like the other nations, rather than set apart and unique, as the L-RD originally desired them to be! So the L-RD here is anticipating this further distancing that’s coming between the L-RD and his chosen people.
It’s another step away from how God wanted things to be. So while some scholars and rabbis will argue that the L-RD commanded Israel to select a king over them when they entered the Promised Land, that’s not exactly correct. Instead, it is as though the L-RD is saying to them, “Well, this is what you want to do… so if you’re going to insist on doing things this way and being like other nations around you and having an earthly ruler over you… then fine, here’s how I want you to do it.”
Let’s take that mindest into consideration as we study the rest of the passage. We continue on, going back to the NIV, in:
What I find interesting about this passage is how the L-RD continues to find a way to work with the Israelites and keep His promises to them, even as they fail over and over again to keep up their end of the agreement. Here he warns them of the dangers to having an earthly king, the ways in which one can go astray, and we know from our knowledge of Israel’s history that everything the L-RD warns about here is fulfilled in those who sit on the earthly throne of Israel. Solomon, for example, is the most notable fulfillment of what can happen if a king ignores the commands the L-RD gives here and takes many wives. Indeed, Solomon’s heart was led astray by his many wives, just as the L-RD predicts. And that’s just one example.
But the thing that really captures my attention here, because I think it really presents a picture of the promise rather than the curse, a picture of the Messiah rather than a picture of the ruler of this evil age, is where it talks about the scroll requirement for each king of Israel.
The command here says that he who is an earthly king over Israel must write out a copy of the Torah on his own, carry it with him always and read it daily. Can you imagine what that must have been like?
We at Beth Yeshua go through the Torah once a year, using the reading schedule developed by the rabbis called parashahs. It’s what we base our Torah commentaries on each week. When one first comes into the Messianic movement, it can seem like a daunting task! I mean, getting through those five books the first time – it took me two or three years to do it successfully, so that I didn’t get off track, fall behind, or give up part way through the year.
But when you really think about it… even the longest parashahs are maybe four or five pages in length. That’s not even one page of text per day! And all we’re doing when we do this is, we read it. And once we finally accomplish this, it becomes second nature and we feel closer to the text each time we go through it again.
Some of you may not yet have reached this point, but trust me, persevere and you’ll get there.
But this was not the case for the human kings of Israel. Not only were they expected to read the Torah daily, but they had to write out their own copy of it in their own hand! And this was not an era of copying and pasting off the Internet into a Microsoft Word document. There were no typewriters or even ball-point pens!
No, a Torah scroll is made from the skin of an animal, and carefully written out by hand. Furthermore, it must be copied precisely; if an error was discovered by a soferim, and it was a minor error, it had to be repaired; if it was an error to the name of the L-RD, that entire section of parchment would be discarded and redone. So it was very exacting.
Now ask yourself: how well would I know the Torah if I had to make my own copy and write it out by hand, like the kings of Israel were supposed to do? I suspect one would grow even closer to the Torah than they do by reading it; they would gain a closer appreciation for it simply by writing it out.
You know, I went to college for creative writing and one time I decided to type out the first chapter of a published novel, just to see what it felt like to craft words that were deemed good enough to be published. In doing so, I began to notice things my eyes skipped over when merely reading the chapter; I observed the author’s economy of language more than ever before, and gained an appreciation for how he built suspense in the scene with each word.
It’s the same with the Torah. Writing it out – each and every word, without error – would have made the person who did it come to a very deep and personal appreciation of Torah. So you may think, “Wow! The kings of Israel really must have known Torah well to have written out their own copy by hand and then read it daily.”
And they did. We know David, at least, followed this command of the L-RD from hints in his instructions to Solomon while David is on his death bed, urging his son to follow the L-RD in all his ways.
And yet, we know that even this closeness with the Torah did not prevent men from falling into sin, did it? Even David was led astray by the temptation of Bat’Sheva. Solomon ended up even worse. And then we read this tragic turning point in:
This was written of Jehu even after he cleverly destroyed many of the priests of Ba’al. By his actions, Jehu appeared to be a king faithful to the L-RD and familiar with his Torah, and yet this is his epitaph. The path of appointing earthly kings only gets worse for Israel as time goes on, as we read in:
You see, they continued to drift further and further, failing to obey even the command to consult the L-RD and set up as king whomever He appoints. So none of Israel’s kings ever really fully live up to the L-RD’s ideal. But this picture of a king who is so close to the Torah is indeed a picture of the Messiah Yeshua. He is the perfect fulfillment of this command, because he is the living Torah. This is why we should seek to observe the Torah and not rely on grace in a way that cheapens it. As Solomon wrote in:
This week’s reading is a reminder never to turn a deaf ear to the Torah of God, for when we do, we also turn a deaf ear to Messiah Yeshua, who is the living Torah.
Shabbat Shalom.
Tags: Shof'tim, Torah commentary
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