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Luke 11:10
The one who seeks finds. Before entering the Promised Land, Moses sternly warned the Children of Israel, "When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of Adonai your God, so as to provoke him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And Adonai will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where Adonai will drive you. And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But from there you will seek Adonai your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 4:25-28). Judging by the 2,000 years exile that is now coming to an end, this prophecy has certainly been fulfilled. It is noteworthy here to notice that this scattering among the 'nations' where the Children of Israel were to ' serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell' was fulfilled by an exile in mostly Western and Eastern Europe which are all nations who, from the on-start of this exile, live various forms of Christianity. Have you seen the next verse? But from there you will seek Adonai your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 4:29). Oh, how the Father of all compassions never leaves us without a redemptive promise! We do not see it in the English text, but in Hebrew this whole section plays with the singular and plural form of the pronoun 'you'. Sometimes it refers to Israel as many people, sometimes as one nation, or one man. Does God mean that only if each and every one of the people of Israel seeks Adonai, they will find Him? Each and everyone yes, but we are also talking of Israel as a nation (Romans 11:26). Will Israel find its God again only if each and every Jew seeks Him with all their hearts? In the knowledge of humanity, Abba has established a system of redemption through the representation of a remnant (Romans 11:1-5). The first century C.E. has given birth to a vibrant and fruitful Messianic Jewish community that spread the teachings of Yeshua throughout Israel and the world of their day. This community almost died through persecutions, but resurrected in our days and we find in today's Jewish believers of Israel and of the exile, a vibrant messianic force ready to play its Endtime role (Revelations 7:4; 14:4). Yes, like James of old, those who seek with all their heart seek him in intercession for their fellow brother and sisters, and the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (James 5:16). Yeshua also reiterated Moses' words in, the one who seeks finds (Luke 11:10). May we by living a life of simple godliness inspire others to seek Him too!
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Matthew 19:14
Yeshua said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them. The Torah requires that we teach it to our children, and Grandchildren. Yes, after we are done raising our children, as Grand-parents we are also responsible to teach our Grandchildren. When we fail to do so, we break the system and eventually have a generation that does not know Torah, a world oblivious to God's ways. The ramifications of this are 'ginormous'. The idea is that the Torah contains within itself the message of godliness, ethics, godly living, warning, and prophecy for every generation. When we fail to pass it on, we break the chain and take a chance on those of future generations. Jewish sages declare that teaching the Torah to one's son is the one thing for which a man is rewarded in this world and in the World to Come. Our sages also lament that Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed only because people failed to teach Torah to their children; (may we reverse that trend!) In a world where the idea of faithful obedience to God's commandments is viewed as old fashioned and even according to some religious views: 'obsolete', I'd like to bring forth the fatherly advice of renowned Biblical sages such as Solomon who prefaced Torah teaching to his son with, My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and call insight your intimate friend, to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress (Revelations 17) with her smooth words (Proverbs 1-5).Solomon knew these things from his father David who taught him that, The Torah of Adonai is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of Adonai is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of Adonai are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of Adonai is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of Adonai is clean, enduring forever; the rules of Adonai are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Psalms 19:8-11). As Moses addressed his spiritual children in the desert he even assured them of the wisdom of Torah with, See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as Adonai my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as Adonai our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this Torah that I set before you today (Deuteronomy 4:5-8)? Our world falls deeper and deeper into moral darkness, abjectness, confusion, and instability as it distances itself from the Godly wisdom that would preserve it. As the two pillars of God's way and man's way grow apart, the roof suddenly falls on their temple of confusion (Judges 16:29-30). May we in our clinging to His commands be a light shining in the darkness, a witness to His greatness, order, beauty, and wisdom. 1 John 4:8
God is love. From the time the first generation of Israelites out of Egypt refused to conquer the Promised Land, the Ninth of Av (in the Jewish calendar) has been the 'Day of Woe' of Jewish History. As the second generation of Israelites out of Egypt arrives at the same spot where their fathers tested Adonai, Moses is determined not to have a repeat of the same situation. For five weeks he prepares the people for the conquest of the Land with a long exhortation called in Hebrew 'Sefer Dvarim': the 'Book of Deuteronomy'. In his exhortation Moses explains the Torah to this desert generation (Deuteronomy 1:5). In view of the upcoming battle with the Sons of Anak (giants), Moses reminds the people of their recent military victories, especially with the giant Og (Numbers 32:33). Herein is a lesson for us: to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, we must devote ourselves to the study of the Torah. Israel understanding and dedicating themselves to the Torah was essential to the successful conquest of the Land. The camp in the desert also counted other people from other nations, so ancient texts propose that when Moses 'expounded', or 'explained' the Torah, he did it in all the 70 languages of the world. This is reminiscent of the day of Pentecost where it is believed that God spoke the Torah in all the languages of the world through tongues of fire (Exodus 20:18). This also reminds us of the other Pentecost when God sent tongues of fire on the disciples of the Master enabling them to speak the mysteries of the Kingdom of God in the languages of all the pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the festival (Acts 2). This is usually referred to as the 'gift of 'tongues' or, 'languages'. Moses may not actually have spoken the sermon of the Book of Deuteronomy in all main 70 languages of the world, except prophetically. As the Children of Israel of old stood at the entrance of the Promised Land, we, in this 'Endtime', stand at the door of the Kingdom of Heaven established on earth as it is in Heaven, and most everyone in the world has access to the Book of Deuteronomy in his own language, just as if Moses spoke it to them. This teaches us another lesson. Sometimes in our hasty zeal to share the Words of the Kingdom, we forget to make sure to expound the Words in a 'language' that people understand. There is more to 'language' than linguistics. We may speak the same 'tongue', but if our body language, intonations, and style are proud and arrogant, we actually lock the message in a language foreign to the hearer. It has been said that 'love' is an international 'language', and love was the language of the Master, which He learned from the Father. As the Master emulated His Father in all things, may we also emulate the Master in learning to share the Word in the 'language' of love, which all men understand, love with our words, but also in deeds. Luke 10:42
but one thing is necessary… The Children of Israel set up camp on the East side of the Jordan in the Plains of Moab. A conquest of the Land was imminent. Moses remembered what happened 40 years earlier, on the date of the ninth of Av, three days from today, when the former generation refused to conquer the land. Moses understood that "Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint … (ProveArbs 29:18)". In other words, "without the Prophetic Word in our hearts to lead and guide us, we throw off the restraint to indulge in our own carnality, fear, and laziness, and we then lack the courage to do these things which we are to do. As a result, we perish. This is probably a good diagnosis of what happened to the first generation, and why they did not conquer the land. Moses was certainly not going to have a repeat of this. The Text tells us that he took it upon himself to expound this Torah to the people; he knew the Prophetic Word will give people strength and courage to conquer the Land (Deuteronomy 1:5). Moses sat down and made sure to ingrain in this new generation why they were there, and the reasons for the upcoming battles. Why did Moses need to 'expound'? The Torah seems to be skimpy on details. The plain literal text leaves much unanswered. The Talmud abounds with commentaries providing plausible answers, but Jewish sages always knew that when the Messiah comes, He will provide us with the final answers. They were right! Just as 3,400 years ago Moses undertook to elucidate the Torah to a second generation of Israelites out of Egypt; just as he sat to teach a people who had not seen Egypt about the plagues, the opening of the Red Sea, what happened at Mt Horeb and all the lessons learned in the desert; just as Moses explained to them the reasons why God saved them out of Egypt, immersed them into a new nation, gave them the Torah at Horeb; just as in the Plains of Moab he was getting them ready for the final step of their full redemption, for the conquest of the Promised land, Yeshua also came to us 2,000 years ago. He came to teach His generation, and through them, us. He started His ministry with John on the East side of the Jordan not far from where Moses was teaching the Israelites and He spent His life teaching people who haven't seen the miracles in Egypt, once and for all elucidating the Torah for them and for us, in order to prepare us for our final entry into the World to Come. The main component Yeshua used to elucidate the Torah for us was to remind us of the Father's love, mercy, and compassions (Exodus 34:6-7). People followed Yeshua wherever He went drinking His Words of wisdom. May we also, the generation of the remnant, take time from our busy schedule to sit at the feet Yeshua that He may elucidate the Torah for us and prepare us for the Word to Come. John 13:20
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. When Moses starts his preamble to Deuteronomy, he speaks of the northern arc of the Euphrates in Lebanon that would form the Northern border of Israel as 'The Great River'. Why 'Great'? The Nile is far greater. The Euphrates is even mentioned last when listed in Genesis 2. The question is valid. Not only is the Creator familiar with the geography of His own creation, but so was Moses who in is former days campaigned for Pharaoh. In the eyes of God, authenticity is not ascribed in reference to size or any personal attributes; greatness is ascribed to a person or in this case a thing as per their affiliations. Here is how two renowned Rabbis from the Talmud put it: "Touch a person anointed with oil and you will also become anointed with oil" (Rabbi Shimon Ben Tarphon); also, "The servant of a king is like a king" (Rabbi Yishmael). We need to note here that being a king means to be anointed with oil, which is the literal definition of the word 'Mashiach/Messiah'. We can understand that if I shake hands with someone with oil on their hand, I automatically receive oil on mine We also know that the ambassador of a king carries that monarch's authority. In the same manner, not only is this River mentioned in relationship to Eden, but it 'touches' the Holy Land in that it is meant to form its northernmost border. In that it 'touches' the Holy Land, it also becomes 'Holy'. Of course it doesn't touch it right now according to the presently man-defined borders of Israel, but neither did it when Moses spoke these words in Deuteronomy. The greatness of the Euphrates was spoken of in a prophetic way. This is an important principle. Whereas this 'greatness by association' may seem like non-sense to our modern mind, it is the principle by which our Messianic faith works. When we reject that truth, we reject the spiritual mechanism that operates our faith. Messiah is the Servant of the great Monarch who has created heaven and earth; He Himself receives all authority from this 'Monarch' and part of this authority is then passed on to us when we confess His Name and put our faith in Him (John 5:27; Matthew 28:18; Matthew 19:28; Mark 13:34). In this manner, our 'holiness' is not a matter of personal goodness, but of association and relationship. Of course, any association or relationship carries in itself certain behavior requirements, which in the case of our relationship with Messiah is where the Torah comes in. The beauty of this whole principle is that the Master also said, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me (John 13:20). The Master left His glorious realm and came to us to live in a way that we could understand and receive Him and thereby return to the Father. May we also shape our lives in a way that others receive Him through us, and may also return to the Father! Luke 14:33
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. It was after that famous Pentecost when the Shekinah appeared on the disciples of the Master anointing them for the task at hand of revealing the Master to the whole world. Many of those who had come from abroad to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost decided to stay and learn from those who lived closed to the Master (Acts 2). To financially support the fledgling Nazarene movement, the Jerusalem disciples adopted a Kibbutz type of lifestyle (Acts 2:44-45; 4:13). Barnabas was the first to set the example setting his enormous fortune at the feet of the disciples. He received great honor for that! Those like Barnabas who gave all became destitute, but having nothing left, they had access to the common pot. It was not a communistic forced sharing of wealth; it was a voluntary work of love for the sake of the community. I heard it said one time that the difference between what the early Jerusalem believers did to survive and what is called 'Communism', is that the Communist says, "What's your is mine and I will take it at the point of a gun", but the Master's disciple says, "What's mine is yours and I will share it with you because I love you". Like the Master suggested, in general, the disciples adopted the 'word of honor' system. People were bound by their word not by vows or swearing to give all (Matthew 5:37). People declared by their own word of honor that this was all their possessions, and thereby had access to the common pot. No one came to check that what they laid at the apostle's feet was actually the sum total of their wealth. Asking someone to bind their word by swearing as suggested in Numbers 30:2 denotes of a certain lack of trust in one's integrity, and lack of trust is never healthy in any type of relationship. That is why I never understood prenups: right away it shows you don't trust each other! Why even get married? Ananias and Sephira decided to use this system of trust to their own advantage. They were going to pretend to share all and thereby have access to the common pot, but in actuality, they kept a hidden reserve. This was wrong in so many ways but mostly of breaking and taking advantage of the principle of trust built on the word of honor system. It was lying and in this case the same as breaking an oath. The Father saw through their wicked heart and executed them as they faced the disciples (Acts 5: 1-11). We may look at Ananias and Sephira with disgust wondering how one could do such things. In the same manner though, discipleship to the Master implies a promise to give all (Luke 14:33). It is not right when two partners decide to share all but one keeps a reserve. Yeshua gave His all, so likewise we owe Him our all. When we come to the Master with our lives, everything must be on the table. If we have 'reservations', He will surely find us out. By the way, it is the same in marriage: it doesn't work when one gives all and the other has 'reservations'. May our lifestyle always reflect our words! Matthew 5:34
But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all. We all sin with our mouths; and sad to say this sin often takes the shape of not keeping commitments, thus breaking promises and not fulfilling our vows. This can happen when we don't pay our bills on time, when we arrive late for an appointment, or break a resolution …Of course there are times when excuses can be made, but I would say that more often than not, we too easily rationalize our vow breaking with absolving justifications. This has for effect of exponentially multiply the sin, as now we are guilty of lying, deceiving, and making light of Torah commands. Others will see us as hypocrites and we will reap the sad result of losing their trust. The issue of not keeping one's word becomes all the more dreadful for spiritual leaders and teacher, which by the way pertains to every parent. The issue of vow-breaking is so serious in the Tanach that Yeshua advised us to not even make vows (Matthew 5:34), and James taught us to say, "If the Lord wills" (James 4:15). After all, why should we voluntarily and consciously add to our sinful state by making unprayerful vows which we may not be able to keep. Whereas right and wrong cannot be altered, the Father is aware of our human sinful nature. He has therefore provided us with a way out. The Torah teaches that a father or a husband has the right to absolve a vow foolishly made by his daughter or his wife on the day he hears it. This would apply if a daughter of a wife unwisely pledges money, or herself, or even binds herself for too long of a fast or a Nazarite vow which he knows would not be healthy or appropriate at the time for her. The father or husband can then annul the vow, but here is the twist: he will bear the guilt of its breaking, thus, we are introduced to the idea of vicarious suffering for sin (Numbers 30:15). This patristic male approach for the propitiation of the absolution of vows doesn't sit well in our 'modern' western society but we desperately need that Messianic male figure to stand for us and propitiate for our foolish vows. By way of our foolish words, we, the 'Daughter of Jerusalem', or the 'Bride of Messiah', have foolishly pledged ourselves to others and we need someone to free us from the traps of our own foolishness. In that way, the Father gave Messiah all power and authority to bind and to loose us from our sins, but like a debt, sin does not disappear: someone needs to bear the guilt for it. Its annulment still requires payment and in this case the payment is done through the suffering that was laid on Messiah. Every lie (and there are no such things as 'little' or 'white' lies), every broken promise, is an added stripe on the body of Messiah. I am reminded of a mother who couldn't get her son to stop being mean with his mouth. She then decided to have the little boy slap her hand every time he said something bad. At first he thought it was funny, but he loved his mother and he didn't want to hit her all the time, so he stopped being mean with his mouth James 3:2
And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. They say that 'communication is the essence of being human'. The truth of this statement is reflected in the fact that like a garden, communication allows for the growth of both good and evil, an attribute that also pertains to our humanity. That is why the way we communicate with each other is very important to God. He who created us demands that we perform quickly not only our vows, but according to all that proceeds out of our mouth (Numbers 30:2). Solomon, the wisest man in the world wrote many proverbs about the benefits and the pitfalls of speech (Proverbs 12:18), and Yeshua, the One wiser than Solomon, told us that we should mean exactly what we say (Matthew 5:37) which means that in essence, we shouldn't use the sarcasm, exaggerations, understatements, or double-speak which all political and commercial advertisements are guilty of. Furthermore, James, the brother of the Master teaches us that one's ability to yield to God is tested by his ability to hold his tongue in subjection to the Spirit of God (James 3:2), and Paul, Yeshua's emissary, teaches that our speech should be 'seasoned with salt, meaning 'gracious' and able to turn the bitter of tasteless into flavor (Colossians 4:6). The apostolic texts tell us quite a bit about the attributes that should be witnessed in the lives of the people allowed to lead (either teaching or worship) in the Congregations of the Master, and honorable and truthful speech seems to be at the top of list. This means no mocking, demeaning, disrespecting, and certainly no use of foul language. It is also the opinion of this writer that these attributes and habits should be an integral part of the private life of any person in a place of spiritual responsibility in the congregations. If their speech is contemptible in private and nice in public, they are just a fake, a sham, and no better than a regular con-man, one who pretends to be something he is not, which is also the definition of a hypocrite; and we know what the Master felt about those! Here is a story to illustrate the point between private and public life. A British soldier was one night caught creeping stealthily back to his quarters from the nearby woods. He was taken before his commanding officer & charged with holding communications with the enemy. The man pleaded that he had gone into the woods to pray by himself. That was his only defense. "Have you been in the habit of spending hours in private prayer?" the officer growled. "Yes, Sir!" "Then down on your knees & pray now!" he roared. "You never needed it so much." Expecting immediate death, the soldier knelt & poured out his soul in prayer, that for eloquence could have been inspired only by the power of the Spirit of God. "You may go," said the officer simply when he had finished. "I believe your story. If you hadn't been often at drill, you couldn't have done so well at review." Romans 11:16
If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump. After Elijah is through with the contest of the prophets at Mt Carmel (1 Kings 18), he realizes that Jezebel who had been persecuting the prophets of Adonai does not appreciate getting some of her own 'medicine'. Discouraged and feeling that in spite of these glorious events, he was unsuccessful in bringing Israel back to her God, Elijah retreats in the desert and complains to God, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers." God denies Elijah the desired death but instead sends an angel to strengthen him. (Aren't we thankful for unanswered prayers sometimes?) The weary prophet then decides to return where it all started Mt Sinai. There he has conversation with the 'Word of the Lord'' who came to this prophet of doom and gloom in the 'still small voice'. The 'Word' then opens Elijah's eyes to see a 7,000 faithful man remnant for whose sake God will not destroy Israel (1 Kings 19: 1-18). This remnant principle is a very important one in the redemption program. Abraham understood it and even used it when pleading for the life of his nephew Lot. There Adonai who would destroy Sodom said, "For the sake of ten (righteous people) I will not destroy it." In his thesis on the subject of God not rejecting Israel in spite of unbelief, at the time when the Roman noose gets tighter and tighter around Israel, Paul comforts himself and others reminding us all of this remnant principle. At that time in Paul's mind the remnant is the Jewish growing community of believer. For their sake he says God had not rejected Israel (Romans 11:1-4). This represents a very different theology than the usual one claiming that God rejected His people to replace them with another. Even so in these ends of time Israel at large along with the world is sanctified before God by the 144,000 remnant of believers from all the tribes of Israel. They are called the 'firstfruit ' for the Lamb who is himself a 'firstfruit of those who have fallen asleep' (Corinthians 15:20; 15:23; Revelations 7:4; 14:4) Yes, If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches (Romans 11:16). From the beginning it was, is, and shall always be: redemption by representation. Another reality is that like 'Yeshua the Firstfruit', the firstfruit is also the one who takes the brunt of the punishment for the nation. Even though it did nothing to deserve such a fate, as the firstborn, it is consecrated to God and sometimes offered as an offering for the sanctification of the rest. May we when the time comes be willing offerings after the sample of the Master (Romans 12:1). Romans 12:1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Offerings in the Book of Numbers are described with three different terms: (1)My offerings (Korbanot), My food for My fire offerings, (3) My soothing aroma (Numbers 28:2). By these appellations, the Levitical worship system offers something to each of the senses. We touch and handle them; we smell them as they burn on the fire; we taste of the peace offering; and as the ceremonies are conducted we hear the priestly choir while our eyes witness the whole event. The wording used referencing to the offerings seems to indicate that God obtains sensory gratification from them. As we therefore read these and any other similar texts, we must understand that any wording crediting God with a body enjoying sensory activities is only a metaphorical and poetic tool employed solely for the sake of the human reader's understanding. When speaking of His Father, Yeshua said, "God is spirit (John 4:24)", and He defined "spirit" as incorporeal "a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." Luke 24:29). Here is a question: if an offerer was actually sanctified by the offering he could, at that moment, fearlessly enter the presence of God, but he still can't. Even in our redeemed state, we only enter the glorious Presence vicariously through the high-priesthood of Yeshua, the Messiah/Lamb (Hebrews 4:14-16). This reflects the idea of the Hebrew word 'korbanot' usually translated as 'sacrifice' or 'offering' and which means: 'a vicarious token by which I approach God.' So if God does not get any sensory gratification from these offerings that really do not perfect our conscience (Hebrews 9:9) enough that we may approach God, what are they for? At one points God even seems to refuse offerings (Micah 6:7). The delights our Father experiences through the offerings is that they represent a token of our submission and obedience (1 Samuel 15:22; Hoseah 6:6). One who offers is as one who offers himself. As Isaac with his father Abraham, as Yeshua with the Father, and as the innocent animals required to be calm and submissive before being killed may we, the firstfruit of the harvest of humanity (Revelations 7:4; 14:1, 4) when subjected to that same irrationality, by the mercies of God, present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship (Romans 12:1). |
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