Spiritual Growth Through The Deeds of Our Forefathers

"Spiritual greatness is inborn within each of us, and therefore, the goal of bringing it to the surface is within our grasp...When one aspires to the deeds of our Forefathers, he finds himself propelled along the path of spiritual growth because the opportunity truly exist to reach the loftiest level." (Praying With Fire, Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, page xxxiii)

Obedience to the commandments has a very tangible benefit that is almost never appreciated by the believer.  To the degree we perform the same obligations as Jesus and the prophets, we come to understand that we can achieve a similar level of spiritual growth.  As it is written,

"Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.  Then he prayed again and the sky poured rain and the earth produce its fruit." (James 5:17-18)

As you can see from the original quotation, I am just beginning the book Praying With Fire.  It is already convicting me that my approach to prayer is grossly inadequate.  Prayer is the principal way that the believer "draws near" to the LORD God, (Psa 145:18-19)(James 4:8).

"The Gemara says that prayer stands at the very heights of the world, yet it is ‘looked down upon and degraded by man.’"  While study of the scripture can bring us into the world to come, "prayer can provide all the necessities of this world, such as good health, a livelihood, peace of mind and spiritual growth."

I will let you know how the book turns out.  Have a blessed day and season during this time of family fellowship.  - Scott

 

 

 

   

How Many Eyes Does the LORD Have?

“For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2 Chron 16:9)

The Bible assigns human attributes to God including hands (Psa 110:1), feet (Psa 99:5), and eyes in the passage above.  Most believers would assume that the LORD has two eyes, but scripture actually provide a definitive quantity that is more than two.

 

“But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel – these are the eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth.” (Zech 4:10)

 

The answer is “seven…eyes of the LORD,” which some understand as complete and perfect viewing of the creation by the Creator.  The prophecies of Zechariah began in “the second year of Darius” (Zech 1:1), at a time when construction of the second temple had been stopped, (Ezra 5:1). The words of Zechariah and Haggai were given to encourage the faithful to continue the work on the temple despite the edict of the local authorities.  To this end, Zechariah saw “a plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel”, a sign to restart the construction, which would be completed “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit’ says the LORD of hosts,” (Zech 4:6).   Just a few verses earlier, Zechariah's prophecy is filled with a number of Messianic allusions.

 

“‘I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’” (Zech 3:8-10)

 

“The Branch” is a reference to Jesus, as Matthew recorded, “He shall be called a Nazarene” (Matt 2:23), which means shoot or branch.  The suffering of Jesus at the cross removed iniquity in one day, “once for all when He offered up Himself,” (Heb 7:27). The future reign of Jesus on the earth is reflected in scripture as a time of peace and prosperity when “each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree,” (Micah 4:4).

 

Zechariah’s vision also includes one stone that contained seven eyes. This is also a reference to Jesus as the apostle John wrote, 

 

“And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.” (Rev 5:6)

 

John witnessed seven eyes associated with the Lamb who was slain. These seven eyes are said to be  “seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” The words of John mirror the words of Zechariah, “On one stone are seven eyes…eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth,” (Zech 3:9 & 4:10), and the original words of Hanani the seer, “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth,.” (2 Chron 16:9).

 

Most believers have always appreciated that Jesus has His eyes on us, we just did not realize that there were a total of seven eyes. Now take the background of what you have just read and apply this understanding to a story from the gospel of John.

 

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ 48 Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ 49 Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’” (John 1:47-49)

 

The response of Nathanael, “You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel,” has always been surprising, even to Jesus if that is possible, “Because I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe?” We wonder why Nathanael responded in this manner? 

 

We understand that Nathanael was well versed in the Law and the Prophets (John 1:45), so he probably made a connection between the words of Jesus and prophecy, but which one?  Only a handful of verses in the Hebrew text talk about a person sitting under the fig tree. Further still, the only passage (that I know) that places sight ("seven eyes" (Zech 3:8) and "I saw you" (John 1:48) and the Kingdom phrase, "under the fig tree" (Zech 3:10)(John 1:48), in close proximity is contained in Zechariah.   If Nathanael was thinking about this passage in Zechariah, then the context of the passage would lead him to conclude that Jesus was the Branch, who believers know at the "King of Israel". 

 

Scott

Why the Law (Part 3 of ???)

THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW

No believer can dismiss the continuing relevance of the Law without first establishing the original purpose for God giving the Law. We are compelled to ask and answer the question posed by Paul to the Galatians, “Why the Law?” (Gal 3:19). Among the many benefits, the Law:

 

1) Reveals the nature of the Creator to the creation,

2) Teaches the creation the proper response to the grace given, and

3) Preserves the world until the coming of the Messiah.

 

The Law Reveals the Nature of the Creator: Since “God is spirit,” (John 4:24), “No one has ever seen God,” (John 1:18)(1 John 4:12). Therefore, the creation only comes to know God by the election of the Creator to reveal Himself to the creation; “the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever,” (Deut 29:29). God reveals Himself to the mankind in three ways.

 

1) God reveals Himself through the creation, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psa 19:1), and “Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made” (Rom 1:20),

2) God reveals Himself through His word, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” (Psa 119:105), and

3) God reveals Himself through obedience to His commandments, “He (the king) shall write for himself a copy of the law on a scroll…that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statues,” (Deut 17:18-20).

 

In the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel, there are “three starting points of contemplation about God; three trails that lead to Him. The first is the way of sensing the presence of God in the world, in things; the second is the way of sensing His presence in the Bible; the third is the way of sensing His presence in sacred deeds…These three are one, and we must go all three ways to reach the one destination.” (God in Search of Man, page 31) 

 

The Law is a fundamental component of God’s revelation; one said to contain “the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,” (Rom 2:20). We learn about the Creator both from the words of the Law and through acts of obedience to the commandments. The Law was present at creation, “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old,” (Prov 8:19). In the Law, the LORD speaks of His Own nature to the creation saying,

 

“The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keep lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of father on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” (Ex 34:6-7)

 

From the Law, mankind came to understand that the LORD is holy, righteous, and good because “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteousness and good,” (Rom 7:12). In scripture, God is shown as being faithful, merciful, and just because these are the “weightier provisions of the Law,” (Matt 23:23). The Law remains “a shadow of the good things to come” (Heb 10:4). Although the Law has many commandments, it is consistent with the unity of God that the word “Law” is singular because “God is one,” (Jam 2:19) (Deut 6:4) (Zech 14:9) (1 Cor 8:4-6) (Gal 3:20) (Eph 4:4-6) (Rom 3:29-30). In short, “the law of the LORD is perfect,” (Psa 19:7) since the “heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48), and the Son Who walked in obedience to the commandments was made perfect, (Heb 2:10). In turn, “through recognizing Hashem’s goodness a person comes to serve God.” (The Power of Teshuvah, Rabbi Hershey Klieman, page 197)

 

Believers are correct in asserting that Jesus revealed the Father to the creation, because “He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” (John 14:9). Jesus did reveal the Father, to the fullest measure, as the living word by living in obedience to the Law (Gal 4:4), and performing the works of the Father, (John 14:10). In Jesus, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,” (John 1:14) and the Word John referred to is Jesus Who walked in obedience to the Law. Only once in scripture did Jesus say, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you,” (John 13:34). This “new commandment” actually builds on the existing commandment, “love your neighbor as yourself,” (Lev 19:18). The newness comes in the demonstration of loving one another, “even as I have loved you.”

 

By living in complete obedience to the commandments, Jesus demonstrated the original intent of each commandment and revealed the nature and character of the Father to the creation. By “fulfilling” the commandments (Matt 5:17), Jesus become the perfect offering bringing salvation to all who believe.

 

The Law Teaches the Proper Response to the Grace of the Creator: “The word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it,” (Deut 30:14).

 

In addition to displaying the attributes of God, the Law teaches the proper and appropriate response of each person to the grace shown by the Creator. Obedience “to keep the commandments” enables the believer “to walk in His (the LORD’S) ways,” (Deut 30:15, 13:5). The principle of “walking in His ways” runs throughout scripture, as John wrote, “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked,” (1 John 2:4). The translated words “to walk” are derived from the Hebrew word “halakaha,” meaning “the way to go,” and is seen as the practical application of the commandments to an individual’s life.

 

Obedience to the commandments leads a believer to a greater understanding of scripture enabling a person to hear from the LORD. This understanding is derived, in part, from the response the people gave in the wilderness to the words of the LORD, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!" (Ex 24:7, NASB)

 

The word translated as “obedient” comes for the Hebrew word “shema.” Shema literally means “hear” and is more frequently translated as “hear” throughout the Hebrew text. The more accurate rendering of this passage would be “we will do, and we will hear.” Although this translation appears backwards to our reasoning and that of the NASB, the rabbis saw significance in this word order.

 

The rabbis believed that performing the commandments reviled the deeper truths that God was conveying to His creation and would lead to understanding and obedience.

 

“A man should always occupy himself with Torah and the commandments, even if not for their own sake, for even if he does them with an ulterior motive, he will eventually come to do them for their own sake.” (Babylonian Talmud)

 

For this reason, each king of Israel was required to write a copy of the Law so “that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statues,” (Deut 17:18-20). “Learn by doing” might be our present day vernacular. The rabbis understood that obedience developed the believer’s ability to hear the LORD, just as practice gives the believer the ability to “discern good and evil,” (Heb 5:14).

 

While most believers understand the legal implications of the Law, few appreciate that the “Law is spiritual,” (Rom 7:14), instructing the obedient man to “not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit,” (Rom 8:4). The Law was delivered through Moses “by the finger of God” (Deut 9:10), which is identified as the “the Spirit of God,” (Matt 12:28)(Luke 11:20). Therefore, walking in obedience to the commandments is seen in scripture as walking by the Spirit, (Rom 8:4)(Gal 5:16). The close relationship between the Law and the Spirit is reinforced by the fact that both were given by God on the same day of Pentecost (Shavuot in Hebrew).

 

Scripture tells us that the Law is capable of teaching man how to walk in the ways of the LORD, (Deut 28:9). The Law is capable of increasing the longevity of life (Deut 6:2), bringing prosperity (Deut 6:24), and making men “holy to…God,” (Num 15:40). The Law can instill “righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all…the LORD our God…has commanded us,” (Deut 6:25, ESV). The Law exists as the primary component of “All Scripture,” that is… “God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16).

 

Paul called the Law, “a law of righteousness” (Rom 9:31), because there is “the righteousness…that comes from the Law,” (Phil 3:9). Personal righteousness came from “walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the LORD,” (Luke 1:6). “For it is not those who hear the Law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the Law who will be declared righteous,” (Rom 2:13, NIV). Zechariah and Elizabeth are given as New Testament examples of individuals who were declared “righteous” through personal obedience to the Law prior to the cross. Other examples include Mary, Joseph, and Simeon, who was “righteous and devout…and the Holy Spirit was upon him,” (Luke 2:25). Paul quoting the Hebrew text said this,

 

“Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the Law: ‘The man who does these things will live by them,’” (Rom 10:5)(Lev 18:5).

 

The phrase “live by them” is understood to mean that the Law is capable of giving eternal life, as it is written, “listen to the statues and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live,” (Deut 4:1). In the gospel of Luke, Jesus also relates eternal life to obedience of the commandments. “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 26 ‘What is written in the Law?’ he replied. ‘How do you read it?’ 27 He answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 28 ‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’ (Luke 10:25-28)

 

“Do this and you will live,” is a quotation of the original passage from Moses (Lev 18:5), and a response to the question of the lawyer, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The story in Luke frames the lawyer as a person who already possessed faith in God since his faith led him to seek out Jesus. Jesus then reinforced the principle of obedience to the commandments to make the man’s faith complete. Jesus’ obedience to the commandments is seen by John as the standard to which believers are called to walk. “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, " I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he bides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” (1 John 2:3-6)

 

Righteous Acts of the Law Preserve the World Until the Coming of the Messiah: “Why the Law? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to who the promises had been made.” (Gal 3:19).  According to Maimonides,

 

“The purpose of the laws of Torah…is to bring mercy, loving-kindness and peace upon the world” (Moses Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of the Sabbath 2:3)

 

From the beginning of creation, the LORD sought to dwell among His people. Before the fall, we are told that God was “walking in the garden in the cool of the day,” (Gen 3:8). After the fall, the sin of Adam created a barrier between God and His creation since God cannot dwell in the presence of sin. Although scripture provides examples of individuals who walked with God, such as Enoch (Gen 5:23), increasing sin in the world caused God to distance Himself from His creation. In the days immediately preceding the flood, “the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” (Gen 6:5). At that time, only Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

 

By the tenth generation after creation, the world became exceedingly wicked.  In addition to scripture telling us the world was wicked, the increasing age of the fathers at the birth of their righteous sons infers the progression of the world toward wickedness:  Adam (130 year old when Seth born), Seth (105), Enosh (90), Kenan (70), Mahalalel (65), Jared (162), Enoch (65), Methuselah (187), Lamech (182), Noah (500).  If the LORD had not brought the flood, the descendants of Noah would not have lived long enough to have righteous sons and the world would have become completely wicked. 

 

After the flood, we again see the progression toward wickedness repeated as the age of the fathers increased before the righteous son was born: Shem (100), Arphaxad (35), Shelah (30), Eber (34), Peleg (30), Reu (32), Serug (30), Nahor (29), Terah (70), Abram (100).  If the LORD had not interceded in the days of Abraham after the flood, God would have been obligated to destroy the world because of its wickedness, just as He had destroyed the world in the days of Noah, and about every ten generations thereafter. The world would have been destroyed before “the fullness of time” (Gal 4:4), designated by God as the time when He would send His Messiah into the world.

 

The flood removed the wicked from the world, but it did not solve the “evil inclination,” frequently referred to in the New Testament as “the flesh” (Matt 14:38)(1 Pet 3:18), that remained in the hearts of Noah’s descendants. “The flesh” is seen in scripture as the corrupt component of mankind (Gal 6:8), that constantly “sets its desire against the Spirit,” (Gal 5:17). The Spirit is seen in scripture as the Godly component that gives life (John 6:63), and is capable of overcoming the flesh, (Gal 5:16)(Rom 8:13). Without the Spirit, the world would rapidly descend toward judgment, (2 Thes 2:5). The Spirit was integral in the creation process and remains essential to preserving the creation.

 

To preserve the world, it was necessary for God to elevate righteousness in the world to oppose the wickedness that resided in the hearts of men. The source of this righteousness came through the Law. Although given to the Jewish people through Moses at Mount Sinai, the Bible implies that Abraham received a form of the Torah from the LORD, as is written, “Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statues and My laws,” (Gen 26:4-5). The phrase “My commandments, My statues, and My laws” is synonymous with the totality of the Law. As we have read in the Torah Club, 

 

“Traditional Jewish interpretation took this passage to mean that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob kept the whole Torah, despite the fact that the Torah had not yet been given.” (Torah Club 5, page 164) 

 

The Jewish sages identified three activities that preserve the world all originating from the Law. “The world endures because of three activities: Torah study, worship of God, and deeds of loving-kindness.” (Ethics of the Fathers 1:2) The study of the Law leads to the worship of the Creator and acts that mirror the character of the Creator, loving-kindness. As previously discussed, there is “the righteousness…that comes from the Law,” (Phil 3:9).

 

The Law was authored by the Spirit, fosters righteousness in the believer, and creates an environment for the Spirit to come upon individuals such as Moses and the seventy elders. The Spirit was subsequently passed on through the prophets and righteous individuals onward to the first century. The New Testament examples of Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna, Joseph, and Mary testify to this truth. Although not as widespread as is possible through the righteousness that comes from Jesus, the Spirit was active and essential in preserving the world prior to the cross.

 

So “Why the Law?” The Law was given to elevate the righteousness and holiness of the Hebrew people. Through the Law, the LORD made a distinction separating the Hebrew people from the other nations in the world. “I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25' You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean… 26'Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.” (Lev 20:24-26)

 

By separating the Hebrew people from the other nations, the LORD protected the nation from the unrighteous and idol worshiping practices of the pagan world. Not just the dietary laws, but the entire Law of Moses was essential in protecting and preserving the nation. Without the Law, the nation would have quickly assimilated into the world.  The nation, which was essential to God’s plan for the coming of the Messiah, would have ceased to exist. Through the Law, individuals within the nation of Israel could walk with the Spirit in ways pleasing to the LORD as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” (Ex 19:9).

 

To the degree the nation was obedient to the Law and taught Gentiles in the ways of the LORD, the nation reflected the nature of the Creator and preserved the world until the appointed time when the Messiah was to come. Without the Law, the world would need to be judged and destroyed about every 10 generations before the coming of Jesus Christ to the earth.

 

The phrase “salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22), has numerous connotations and reaches its greatest fulfillment in the appearing and offering of Jesus on the cross. The phrase can also be understood as the faithful obedience of the Hebrew nation to the commandments that enabled God to place His Spirit on individuals within the nation, (Num 11:17). The Spirit then opposed the deeds of the flesh (Gal 5:16-17), to preserve the world. It was the faithful walk of the Hebrew people demonstrating the word of the LORD that elevated and preserved the world for 1500 years from the time of Moses, “until the seed would come to who the promises had been made,” (Gal 3:19).

 

At the appointed time, Jesus came and walked in complete obedience to the commandments demonstrating a perfect understanding and application of the Law, (Matt 5:17-18). Through his obedience and suffering, Jesus “fulfilled all righteousness” (Matt 3:15), was “made perfect” (Heb 5:8-9), and “perfected for all time those who are sanctified,” (Heb 10:14). Believers have access to the Spirit not because of our obedience to the commandments, but “apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe,” (Rom 3:21-22). As it is written of Jesus atoning work, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,” (2 Cor 5:21).

 

Does the righteousness that comes from Jesus and the giving of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost mean the Law no longer has value? On the contrary, receiving the Spirit does not remove the obligation of the believer to be obedient to the commandments of God. The Spirit is not given as a substitute for the commandments, but as a helper (John 14:16), to enable believers to walk in obedience to the commandments, as it is written,

 

“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh,” (Gal 5:16). Ezekiel prophesized of the Spirit Who was to be poured out on mankind by saying, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances,” (Ezek 36:27)(Ezek 11:19-20).

 

Prior to the offering of Jesus, obedience to the commandments elevated the righteousness of an individual and the nation allowing the people to receive the Spirit. The Spirit in turn preserved the world until the coming of the Messiah.  Although Jesus has come, the world must still be preserved until the return of Jesus.  This is accomplished through Spirit filled believers "who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit,” (Rom 8:4).

 

(See you soon - Scott) 

The Veiling and Future Revelation of God (Part 3 of 3)

I. In the Beginning
II. Before the Beginning, Formless and Void
III. Let There Be Light
IV. The LORD Surrounds Himself in Darkness On the Earth
V. The Self-Limiting of the LORD God in Creation
VI. The Word Became Flesh
VII. The Manifestations of the LORD
VIII. The Future Revelation of the Creator to the Creation

I have to begin with a quote I would have included earlier, but Teresa just found in her reading.

 

"In the full blaze of God’s light no free choice is possible. To get a world of free beings God had to hide his light. This is why ‘world’ in Hebrew is ‘olam’, which comes from a root meaning ‘to hide’.” (Strive for TRUTH, Rabbi Eliyahu E. Dessler, Parables and Meaning page 14). 

 

THE WORD BECAME FLESH

 

The Aramaic “Memrah” is consistent with the understood Greek concept of “Logos”. Logos is the power of the Creator working in the creation to accomplish the will of the Creator. “Logos” is translated as the “Word” in the gospel account of John and understood to be a reference to Jesus. In the fullness of time, the LORD sent forth the Son of God to earth to reveal the Father, (John 14:8-9).

 

When the apostle John wrote, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,” (John 1:14), he was building upon an understanding used over one hundred times in the Hebrew text such as, “The word of the LORD came to Abram” (Gen 15:1), “the word of the LORD came to Solomon” (1 Kings 6:11) and “the word of the LORD came to Isaiah” (Isa 38:4). The rabbis understood these passages to speak of some physical manifestation of the Creator since the “word of the LORD” was capable of instructing, questioning, and dialoguing with the prophet. The first use of the phrase, “The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision” (Gen 15:1), might provide an understanding for this type of visitation, “a vision”. The first appearance of the “angel of the LORD” came to Hagar, (Gen 16:10). To further add to the variety of manifestations, the LORD told Moses, “I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My Name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them,” (Ex 6:3).

 

The earthly life of Jesus was the manifestation of the infinite God within the finite creation as had occurred elsewhere in scripture, with the exception that God came dwelling in the flesh. As such, Jesus limited the totality of His “Godness” to dwell among the creation, as it written,

 

“You have made Him for a little while lower than the angels” (Heb 2:7), and “Although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men,” (Phil 2:6-7) and “Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was,” (John 17:5).

 

“Father, glorify Me…with the glory which I had with you before the world was” is a calling for the Logos to be restored to the fullness of the Godhead. Jesus is 100% God incarnate in the flesh, but He was not 100% of God because the totality of the Godhead had to limit Himself to come into the creation.

 

THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE LORD

 

The understanding that God appeared in scripture as the LORD, the Spirit of the LORD, and the Memrah of God are accepted Jewish concepts that mirror the Christian understanding of Father, Spirit, and Son. What differs between the Jew and Christian is how these appearances are defined. The Christian vernacular speaks in terms of three “persons” referred to collectively as the “Trinity”. The Jewish perspective speaks in terms of “Partzufim”, which imply faces, forms, configurations, or visages of a singular Divine. An alternate word might be “manifestations” or “aspects” of the one Creator, but not unique individuals. The writer of the Zohar said it this way:

 

“‘Hear of Israel; the LORD our God, the LORD is one’ (Deut 6:4), These three are one. How can the three Names be one? Only through the perception of Faith: in the vision of the Holy Spirit, in the beholding of the hidden eyes alone. The mystery of the audible voice is similar to this, for those it is one yet it consists of three elements – fire, air, and water, which have, however, become one in the mystery of the voice. Even so it is with the mystery of the threefold Divine manifestations designate by LORD God LORD – three modes which yet form one unity” (Zohar, Volume III Bo 43B. Soncino Press Edition, page 134, From Ben Burton)

 

An interesting parallel occurs in scripture with Satan. The Gemara defines the adversary in three terms: “Satan”, “the evil inclination (yetzer hara)”, and the “angel of death.” These three are considered as “aspects” of one identical force or being. Christian theology might define Satan in three terms as the “tempter” (Matt 4:3), the “accuser of our brethren” (Rev 12:10), and “death” (Job 2:6). Believers also recognize that Satan appears in the Book of Revelations as the force behind the first beast (the anti-Christ) that came out of the sea under the authority of the dragon (Rev 13:4), the second beast (the prophet) who comes out of the earth and “spoke as a dragon” (Rev 13:11), and the recipient of their collective worship (the dragon), (Rev 13:4). While believers might perceive multiple aspects of Satan’s influence, biblical scholars would never talk in terms of the “three persons” of Satan. So why is the Creator, who is greater, seen in this way in Christian theology?

 

The writer of Hebrews speaks of the Creator appearing “in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son,” (Heb 1:1). The writer of Hebrew speaks of many portions (Greek = polupoikilos, colors) and many ways (Greek =poma, drink), suggesting variations of the Creator, but not unique individuals. Even the phrase “His Son” should be understood in the human terms often ascribed to the Creator elsewhere in scripture to assist in our understanding, such as “eyes of the LORD”, the “right hand of the LORD”, and the “footstool” of the LORD. Without question the LORD “tabernacled” among men, but as the Memrah of the LORD.

 

Jewish anti-missionaries have questioned the ability of God to dwell in the flesh. They should look no farther than the “Memrah” of God contained in the Aramaic Targums. If God can dwell in an early temple made by man, how much more in a temple (a body) made by God. If God is capable of dwelling in early temple, how much more is He capable of indwelling the believer.

 

THE FUTURE REVELATION OF THE CREATION TO THE CREATION

 

The LORD God has revealed Himself to the creation, “in many portions and in many ways,” (Heb 1:1). He spoke in visions to the prophets, face to face to Moses, in the flesh among the disciples who “saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth,” (John 1:14). Scripture also holds the promise of a greater revelation from God the Father during the future days of the Millennial Kingdom.

 

Yet, the nature of a finite creation ultimately limits the ability of the creation to receive revelation from the Creator. To quote from the movie "A Few Good Men",

 

“You want the truth (revelation from God), you can’t handle the truth (revelation).”

 

The limitations of a finite creation, by definition, limit the ability of the creation to receive the full manifestation of the Creator in the world. Mere mortals are incapable of receiving a greater revelation from the Creator, as the LORD told Moses, “You cannot see My face, for not man can see Me and live!” (Ex 33:20).

 

To receive a greater revelation from the LORD, the creation itself must be changed, as it is written, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable,” (1 Cor 15:50). The creation must move from a state of finite corruption into a state of perfection, “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality,” (1 Cor 15:53).

 

Somehow, and I am unable to comprehend the particulars, the redeemed of the creation will progress to a future time when,

 

“When all things are subjected to Him (the Son), then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him (the Father), so that God may be all in all,” (1 Cor 15:28).

 

As the creation moves toward unity with God, “so that God may be all in all”, then the LORD God will no longer need to limit the revelation of Himself to the redeemed. Believers are destined to move from the present reality into a future time of great illumination in the presence of the LORD and the Lamb. How great? No one knows, as the rabbis often said in relationship to the world to come,

 

“Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him,” (1 Cor 2:9).

 

The only thing for certain, “We will always be with the LORD” (1 Thes 4:17), to “behold the beauty of the LORD,” (Psa 27:4).

 

(Scott)

The Veiling and Future Revelation of God (Part 2)

   I. In the Beginning
  II. Before the Beginning, Formless and Void
 III. Let There Be Light
 IV. The LORD Surrounds Himself in Darkness On the Earth
  V. The Self-Limiting of the LORD God in Creation
 VI. The Word Became Flesh
VII. The Future Revelation of the Creator to the Creation

THE LORD SURROUNDS HIMSELF IN DARKNESS ON THE EARTH

When Moses desired to see the LORD he was told, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Ex 33:20). The LORD then placed Moses in the cleft of the rock and covered Moses as the glory of the LORD passed by. The LORD veiled Moses from His glory, but allowed Moses to see a limited form of the Creator as He passed by in front of Moses.

 

Since no man can see the fullness of the LORD God, “My face”, and live, the Creator must limit himself to operate within the boundaries of a finite creation. To accomplish this, David wrote that the LORD, “made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him.”

 

“He bowed the heavens also, and came down with thick darkness under His feet. And He rode on a cherub and flew; and He appeared on the wings of the wind. And He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.” (Psa 18:9-11)(2 Sam 22:10-13). A psalm of David about the LORD after he was delivered from the hand of Saul.

 

The believer might find it paradoxical to understand that the “Father of lights” (James 1:17), makes “darkness His hiding place” and surrounds Himself in a canopy of “Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.” If “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5), why is the LORD God compelled to surround His light in darkness?

 

Mere mortal men and women are not capable of dwelling in the presence and glory of the LORD God, as it is written, He “dwells in unapproachable light, who no man has seen or can see,” (1 Tim 6:16). If human beings are unable to stare at the sun, how much more beyond our power must it be to look at God Himself (Chul, 59b). Yet, the Creator desires to dwell among His creation and when He descends, “Clouds and thick darkness surround Him,” (Psa 97:2-3). After Abram “believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6), the LORD appeared to Abram surrounded by “great darkness,” (Gen 15:12). The writer of Hebrews describes Mount Sinai as, “a blazing fire…darkness and gloom,” (Heb 12:18). Notice the contrast of a “blazing fire”, while at the same time “darkness.”

 

Scripture takes a position that God has revealed Himself sufficiently for salvation, but not exhaustively that we should know all things about Him. Isaiah wrote of the LORD God, “Truly, You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, Savior!” (Isa 45:15). The Creator must hide Himself because the creation is not capable of standing in the presence of the creator. Further, the Creator limits His presence in the creation to give the creation the ability to act with freewill outside the overriding influence of the Creator, which would take away freewill.

 

Because the LORD hides Himself within the creation, we do not appreciate how close He resides, not far at all. If we could only peal back the darkness, pear into a different dimension, we would realize that God is right next to us, “the LORD is near,” (Phil 4:5).

 

THE SELF-LIMITING OF THE LORD GOD IN CREATION

 

When the infinite LORD God elects to manifest Himself in the finite creation, He must by design limit His Own nature. By example, the entire ocean cannot be poured into a cup, but a cup can contain a portion of the ocean. Likewise, a person can stick his finger into a cup, but the cup cannot contain the totality of the person. So it is with an infinite God in a finite creation.

 

When God appears in the Hebrew text He appears in a self-limited form often referred to as “the angel of the LORD,” (Ex 3:2)(52-times). Other titles include: the “glory of the LORD” (34), “presence of the LORD” (24), the “cloud of the LORD” (2), the “word of the LORD” (102), the “spirit of the LORD” (24), or simply “God”, “the LORD” and “the Spirit.” The writer of Hebrews describes these manifestations of God into the creation as “in many portions and in many ways,” (Heb 1:1).

 

The Jewish Targums, which are Aramaic translations of the original Hebrew text, often refer to this limited form of God that operates within the creation as the “Memrah” of God. The rabbis concluded a number of principles about the “Memrah” of God:

 

1. The Memrah was sometimes distinct from God and sometimes it was the same as God. This is reflected in the words of John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” (John 1:1).

2. The Memrah was the agent of creation, “All things were made through Him; and without Him was not anything made that has been made,” (John 1:3).

3. The Memrah was the agent of salvation, “But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God,” (John 1:12).

4. The Memrah was the means by which God interacted with mankind, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth,” (John 1:14)

5. The Memrah was the agent God used to communicated with man, “The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision” (Gen 15:1), “The LORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the LORD reveled Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD” (1 Sam 3:21), and “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him,” (John 1:18).

6. The Memrah was the means by which God conveyed His covenants, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ,” (John 1:17).

(to be continued - Scott)

The Veiling and Future Revelation of God (Part 1)

   I. In the Beginning
  II. Before the Beginning, Formless and Void
 III. Let There Be Light
IV. The LORD Surrounds Himself in Darkness On the Earth
  V. The Self-Limiting of the LORD God in Creation
 VI. The Word Became Flesh
VII. The Future Revelation of the Creator to the Creation

The first chapter of Torah Club 5 inspired me to dwell on the following...

IN THE BEGINNING

Fundamental to the Christian faith is a belief that the power and presence of God are without limit. The words often used to express these attributes of God are “Omnipotent” and “Omnipresent” meaning that the infinite power of God exists in all places at all times. Therefore, God cannot be isolated or confined to a single location, as it is written, “‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?’ declares the LORD” (Jer 23:24). In the words of Solomon, “Who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him?” (2 Chron 2:6).

 

Yet, we understand from scripture that God came into the tent of Abraham (Gen 18:1), the LORD appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Ex 3:2), and the LORD dwelled above the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies (Ex 25:22). The Creator also appeared in the Hebrew text as the “angel of the LORD”, the “presence of the LORD”, the “glory of the LORD”, the “cloud of the LORD”, “God”, “the LORD”, the “Spirit”, and “the Word”. Fundamental to the life of believers is the understanding that the LORD is capable of dwelling within the body of an individual person.

 

When scripture says, “the word of the LORD came to Abram” (Gen 15:1), or “the word of the LORD came to Isaiah” (Isa 38:4), the rabbis understood these passages to speak of some physical manifestation of the Creator to the prophet. Maybe the manifestation of the Creator was a “vision” like Peter received while on the roof of Simon’s house (Acts 10) or the manifestation may have been more tangible. When “the LORD appeared to him (Abraham) by the oaks of Mamre” (Gen 18:1), the LORD appeared in human form, which allowed Abraham to wash His feet (Gen 18:4) and set a meal before the LORD. Believers see this manifestation of God in the Hebrew text as the pre-incarnate form of the “the Word” (John 1:1), which we know from the Greek text as Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha-Mashiach).

 

The question naturally follows, how does an all powerful ever present God still walk on the earth and indwell believers? Said another way, how is the infinite capable of dwelling in the finite, while at the same time, continuing to be all-powerful and dwell everywhere? Let us turn to the creation story to begin our search for the answer.

 

BEFORE THE BEGINNING, FORMLESS AND VOID

 

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” (Gen 1:1-3)

 

Have you ever wondered, if God is all powerful existing in all places at all times, how was there ever a time and place when “the earth was formless and void”? Although the first act of creation appears as “Let there be light”, Torah Club 5 postulates an implied action that occurred before the giving of light. Since the LORD God is infinite and limitless, a place did not exist before the beginning for a finite creation to dwell in the presence of an infinite God.

 

“To make something that isn’t God, God had to create a non-God space. Therefore, the first step of creation required formlessness and void that resulted from the concealment of His presence.”

 

In short, the original “formless and void” was the “non-God space” where the LORD God elected to limit Himself in order to bring the creation into existence. A person might say that the LORD God humbled Himself, limiting the glory of His infinite nature in order to bring creation into existence. Rabbi Yochanon once made a statement appropriate to the creation,

 

“Wherever you find the greatness of the Holy One, blessed be He, you will also find his humility.” (b. Megillah 31a)

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Into this void of creation, the LORD God introduced Himself, “Let there be light.” Since the sun and moon do not exist until the fourth day, the original light is understood as “the presence”, “the knowledge”, and “the glory” of the LORD God, as the apostle Paul expressed in his writing to the Corinthians,

 

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ,” (2 Cor 4:6).

 

The original light of the Creator in creation is seen to diminish during the progression of the creation story. By the fourth day, the sun, moon, and stars become the predominant lights. The Hebrew sages saw this sequence and suggested that the light from the Creator diminished by one-seventh for each day of creation. By the time man is created, near the end of day six, the illumination of God in the creation has diminished to one-seventh of the strength at the beginning. This understanding is derived from the words of Isaiah who prophesied of a future time when...

 

“The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted,” (Isa 30:26).

 

Whether the original light from the LORD was diminished down to one-seventh or some other fraction, scripture strongly indicates that the LORD God willingly “veiled” His original presence as the creation progressed. An understanding that the Creator has limited His light, and therefore His presence and revelation within the existing creation, is supported by the expectation of a future greater illumination from the Creator. In the Book of Revelations, John wrote,

 

“The city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,” (Rev 21:22)(Rev 22:4-5)

 

In his vision, John sees a reversal of the original veiling from creation, a coming time of great illumination in the presence of the LORD. Until this future time, the “veiling” of the infinite LORD God is necessary for the Creator to interact within the boundary of a finite creation, as expressed by the authors of Torah Club 5,

 

“The LORD must conceal Himself to some extent in order to have any relationship with mankind and the rest of finite creation…creation can exist and God can interact with creation only because He has deliberately limited Himself through contraction of His infinite being.”

 

(to be continued - Scott)

WHY THE LAW (Part 2 of ???)

WHAT IS THE LAW?

If prompted to give a definition, most believers would define the “Law” in terms of the specific commandments contained in the Old Testament. In Hebrew tradition, there are 613 specific commandments given by God through Moses contained in the first five books of the Bible, referred to as the “Torah” in Hebrew and the “Pentateuch” in Greek. Of these commandments, 365 are positive, “thou shall,” while 248 are considered negative, “thou shall not.” “Love the LORD your God” (Deut 6:5), is seen as the motivation that leads to keeping the positive commandments, while “Fear the LORD your God” (Deut 6:13), reflects the reverence that leads to keeping the negative commandments. The two seemingly contradictory motivations are reconciled in the words of Moses,

 

“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?,” (Deut 10:12-13).

 

Some commentators subdivide the commandments into (1) Moral, (2) Civil, and (3) Ceremonial requirements to suggest that only certain commandments were carried through into the New Testament. The Bible does not make this division, although Moses did discuss the Law of the LORD in terms of “His commandments (eidot) and His ordinances (mishpatim) and His statues (chukim),” (Deut 8:11). Some translations render this passage as “Testimonies, Ordinances, and Decrees.” Testimonies are given to remind people of past events or important spiritual truths. Ordinances are self-evident ethical commandments like “Thou shall not murder.”

 

Decrees are considered to be the difficult commandments that test the believer’s faith because the underlying purpose is not apparent. One example often cited is Deuteronomy 22:11, “Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.” Since linen was worn by the priests when serving in the Temple, this commandment is often seen as a warning against mixing the holy and the common.

 

Jesus spoke of greater and lesser commandments (Matt 22:36), to recognize a priority within the commandments, but not to diminish the importance of any single commandment. On the contrary, Jesus said, “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches other to do the same, shall be call least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven,” (Matt 5:19).

 

From the Hebraic perspective, the “Law” is not limited to the 613 specific commandments, but includes all that is written in the first five books of the Bible by Moses. This is an important distinction, because the Torah contains not only the commandments, but also many promises from the LORD including His promise to never flood the entire earth again (Gen 9:15), the original covenants given to Abraham, (Gen 22:15-18), and “the covenants of promise” to Israel, (Eph 2:12). The apostle Paul tells us that Gentiles have been grafted into and obtain our salvation through the promises given to Abraham and the Hebrew nation, (Gal 3:7)(Rom 11:17).  If the Law ceases to exist, then the promises of our salvation are also negated.  Even the prophets are seen by the Rabbis as clarifying and illuminating the original writings of Moses, and would be rendered insignificant apart from the Law.

 

To discard the first five books of the Bible would nullify the promises that are foundational to a believer’s faith, the proverbial baby with the bath water so to speak. Further, the word of God is understood in scripture to be eternal, both creating and sustaining the present heavens and earth, (2 Pet 3:7). To discount any part of God’s word can be seen as endangering the continuing existence of the creation, as it is written, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away,” (Matt 24:35). Understanding the scope of the “Law” as including all the words of Moses will enable the believer to appreciate the continuing relevance of the Law.

 

One of the difficulties believers have in accepting the words of Moses as relevant for today originates in the translation of the word “Law.” The word “Law” is derived from the Greek Septuagint “nomos,” which conveys the burden of legal requirements and punishments. The original word in the Hebrew text “Torah,” from which “nomos” is derived, and is understood to mean “instructions or teachings,” such as in the statement, “My son, do not forget my teaching (Torah), But let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you,” (Prov 3:1-2).

 

The Hebrew word for teacher, “moreh,” is a derived from “Torah,” as in “the LORD…your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher,” (Is 30:20). What the LORD teaches is Torah. The word “Torah” is derived from the verb “yarah,” meaning “to cast, throw, or shoot.” “Yarah” is used as an archery term “to take aim, to shoot,” in order to hit a target. The opposite of yarah is “chata,” which means “to miss the mark,” and is translated in scripture as “sin,” as in, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Rom 3:23).

 

Torah can best be understood as teachings from God to enable the believer to hit the mark. The mark is life, “I set before you today life and prosperity,” (Deut 30:15), which was affirmed by Jesus, “I have come that they have may have life, and have it to the full,” (John 10:10). This is reflected in the common Hebrew dictum,

“The more Torah the more life.”

(to be continued - Scott)

WHY THE LAW? (Part 1 of ???)

I. What is the Law?
II. Salvation by Faith Leading to Works of the Law
III. The Purpose of the Law
- The Law Reveals the Nature of the Creator
- The Law Teaches the Proper Response to Grace
- Righteous Acts of the Law Preserve the World
IV. The Observance of the Law in the New Testament
- The Obligation Is Not the Same for Every Person
V. The Function of the Law in the Millennial Kingdom
VI. Typical Arguments Against the Law
- The Law Could Not Make Man Perfect
- Jesus Fulfilled the Law Resulting in the End of the Law
- Obedience is More Important Than Sacrifice
- The Law Was Temporary and Faded Away
- Jesus Set Believers Free From the Law
VII. The Continuing Importance of the Law
VIII. The End (Transformation) of the Law

It is almost impossible to discuss the original purpose and continuing relevance of “the Law” without upsetting someone. On one hand, most believers hold that the Law has been “abolished” because it was “fulfilled” by Jesus. In taking this position, believers ignore the historical usages of the rabbinic terms “fulfill” and “abolish,” and fail to consider that many promises of God, including the fundamental covenants given to Abraham, are contained in the first five books of the Bible, the Law. Further, abolishing any part of God’s Law runs contrary to the words of Jesus who said, “until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished,” (Matt 5:18). When we discount any part of God’s word, we endanger the continuing existence of the very creation (2 Pet 3:7), and come very close to discounting the Author of the word as null and void. The author of Hebrews considered this statement applicable at the time he wrote it,

“Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witness,” (Heb 10:28).

At the other extreme, some Gentile believers hold the Law as binding on all believers, but are inconsistent in living out the requirements of the Law in a Gentile world. The primary difficulties these believers encounter revolve around the keeping of Sabbath, the application of kosher restrictions, the laws of cleanliness, and the observance of the seven major festivals given by God in scripture.

A strong case can be made that many of Jesus’ Hebrew disciples and Hebrew converts continued to live in obedience to the Law. However, the Jerusalem council of Acts chapter 15 and the letters of Paul, primarily addressed to the Gentile audiences, make a strong case that Gentiles and Jews are not under the same standard of compliance to the commandments contained in the Law. Believers should appreciate that unity in Christ is through the Spirit and does not mean uniformity in all aspects of our faith.

(This post is several years in the making and subject to continuous improvement.  The discussion is much more complicated than quoting a few passages from scripture.  To do the study justice would probably require something equivalent to a college semester course so I will fall well short. - Scott)

YOU SHALL BE HOLY (Part 7 of 7)

I. What is Holiness?
II. Holiness is a Behavior Not a Covering
III. Teaching Holiness Through the Laws of Cleanliness
IV. The Consequences of Not Being Holy
V. The Challenge for the 21st Century Church
VI. You Are a Temple: The Call to Live as a Holy Person
VII. Do Not Wear Clothes of Wool and Linen Woven Together

DO NOT WEAR CLOTHES OF WOOL AND LINEN WOVEN TOGETHER

"Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled. 10 Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together. 11 Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together." (Deut 22:9-11) (Lev 19:19)

The principle of clean and unclean was given for the people of God to make a distinction between the things that are holy and the things that are common. A parallel to the cleanliness laws is demonstrated through the prohibition against wearing clothing of mixed fibers, planting different crops in the same field, or yoking different animals together. We might be able to reason that varying sizes and strengths make it impractical and potentially harmful to yoke an ox and a donkey together. One of these animals might be forced to carry a greater load, a load beyond its ability, causing injury to the animal.

We have a much greater difficulty understanding the concern about planting different crops in the same field or wearing a garment that is woven of both wool and linen together. (Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, although cotton is loosely referred to linen, but was not available to the Egyptians or Israelites.) The prohibition is not against wearing either linen or wool since both materials were worn by the people of Israel, (Lev 13:48). Nor is the provision against wearing a heavier wool coat over a linen undergarment. Nor is the provision against wearing mixtures of materials that are different from wool and linen such as wool and cotton. The commandment is specifically against wearing a garment containing a mixed material of linen and wool, but why?

Chances are that at any point in time most believers are wearing clothes that are a mixture of different materials. Manufacturers do this to achieve the desired properties of the garment they manufacture. People often avoid materials that are 100% cotton because they tend to shrink when washed. Materials that are 100% wool are warm, but they tend to itch. Materials that are 100% synthetic are sometimes too stiff or do not properly ventilate and tend to make a person sweat. So why does God instruct his people to not wear clothing that is made from the composite materials of line and wool?

In the commandments, the LORD provided beneficial ways of living while demonstrating His deeper spiritual truths. Paul used the prohibition against yoking a donkey and ox together, to tell believers, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers,” (2 Cor 6:14). The prohibition against mixing animals, seeds, and cloth are all part of the greater context of Leviticus chapter nineteen, “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy,” (Lev 19:2). Although believers are called to live in the world, we must guard against mixing with the ways of the world. Just like clean and unclean, the prohibition against mixing wool and linen is given to teach us and remind us of a greater spiritual truth.

In scripture, linen is the clothing that priests were commanded to wear when serving in the temple.

“Weave the tunic of fine linen and make the turban of fine linen. The sash is to be the work of an embroiderer. Make tunics, sashes and headbands for Aaron’s sons, to give them dignity and honor. After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests,” (Ex 28:39-42).

For this reason, David and all the Levites were clothed in linen when they brought the ark from the house of Obed-Edom to Jerusalem.

“Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the singers, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod.” (1 Chron 15:27)

Linen is consistently seen in the Bible as the clothing of the heavenly beings. The angels in the Book of Revelations who come out of the temple bringing judgments are said to be clothed in “shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests,” (Rev 15:6). The armies of heaven that return with the LORD are said to be “riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean,” (Rev 19:14). Finally, the saints of the Most High, the bride of the Lamb, are made ready by wearing “fine linen, bright and clean…Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.” (Rev 19:7-8).

Linen comes to represent the purity of heavenly beings and the purity of the saints who are called to be Holy as God is Holy, (Lev 11:44). When God instructed people to not wear garments that are a mixture of linen and wool, He provided a physical picture to remind us that the purity of our walk must not be polluted with the unholy things of this world. Remember, “Bad company corrupts good character,” (1 Cor 15:33). Like most instructions from God, the commandment to not weave a garment mixing wool and linen has both a literal meaning and a spiritual application.

Too often many believers do weave the fabric of this world deeply into their lives. As Gentiles, we may not be obligated to avoid clothing that is composed of a mixed fabric or to avoid planting two types of crops in the same field, but we are called to “Be holy, because I am holy,” (1 Pet 1:16). When our lives become mixed with the world we take on the appearance of the church of Laodicea in the Book of Revelations. The LORD advised the people of Laodicea to buy “white clothes to wear so you can cover your shameful nakedness,” (Rev 3:18). In effect, the LORD instructed the people of Laodicea to put on linen garments by performing righteous acts and living spotless lives free from mixing with the wool sins of the world.

Teresa and I had an interesting experience two weeks ago as we search for a new church home in Austin. We attended a church that has an auditorium, but no sanctuary. I do not mean to elevate the church building because it is sanctified by the people who attend who have studied the word, as it is written, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth,” (John 17:17). Yet in this church I saw an abundance of coffee cups, but few noticeable Bibles. Believers are called to be sanctified, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified,” (1 Thes 4:3).   Sanctification begins through the study of the word of God.  How important is sanctification?

“Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification (holiness) without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb 12:14).

 - Scott

YOU SHALL BE HOLY (Part 6 of 7)

I. What is Holiness?
II. Holiness is a Behavior Not a Covering
III. Teaching Holiness Through the Laws of Cleanliness
IV. The Consequences of Not Being Holy
V. The Challenge for the 21st Century Church
VI. You Are a Temple: The Call to Live as a Holy Person
VII. Do Not Wear Clothes of Wool and Linen Woven Together

YOU ARE A TEMPLE: THE CALL TO LIVE AS A HOLY PERSON

Now comes the most difficult part of the chapter. How do believers demonstrate holiness, especially those who have taken a position that the commandments no longer apply? To paraphrase Peter, “What sort of people are believers and how are believers demonstrating holy conduct and godliness?” (2 Pet 3:11).  In simple terms, what actions make the Christian unique and different from the rest of the world that will prevent believers from melting into the mass of humanity?

Since believers are often compared to the temple (1 Cor 6:19), let us take a few minutes to look at the temple and the articles in the temple. Every object that was dedicated for use in the temple became “HOLY TO THE LORD.” These words were engraved on the golden plate worn on Aaron’s forehead, (Ex 28:36). The phrase both reminded Aaron of the gravity of his responsibility to represent the people before God and the nature of the clothing he was wearing. The phrase “HOLY TO THE LORD” may also have been inscribed on other articles used in the temple to remind the user of their sacredness. Once an article of clothing or a vessel in the temple had been set apart for the LORD, it had to be handled in a manner that reflected the sanctification of the article. Remember, to be made “HOLY” is to set a person or object apart for the service of the LORD, (Lev 20:26).

When God commanded Moses to make implements for the temple, He gave specific instructions that those implements could not be carried beyond the boundary of the temple because they had been made holy. The articles in the temple became sanctified, as Jesus spoke, “What is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?” (Matt 23:17). Once an article is made holy, it can not be used for a common purpose. Elizabeth never said to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, “Could you pick up a few extra dishes from the temple while you are serving next week? We are having company the week after you return.” We know what happen to one man who took the vessels and utensils from the temple and employed them for common use; he was “weighed on the scales and found wanting,” (Dan 5:27).

As part of their inheritance, the priests received a portion from the altar of certain grain and animal offerings. Because these offerings had become holy by contacting the altar, the priests were commanded to take the offerings and “eat it in a holy place” (Lev 10:13), “for it is most holy,” (Lev 10:12). In other words, animals that were offered up on the altar, had to be eaten in the temple complex, with the exception of the Passover Lamb. Earthenware that had been used in the temple, but subsequently became contaminated was broken rather than relegated to a service outside of the temple, (Lev 11:32). While vessels of gold, silver and bronze could be washed (baptized) to restore their sanctification, washing was insufficient to restore common pottery because it was porous and could absorb contaminates.

Everything in the temple was Holy, was to remain Holy, and could not be taken beyond the boundary of the temple into an area that was not Holy. The phrase “be holy, because I am holy” predominately occurs in the book of Leviticus to remind the priests that their actions must reflect the nature of their calling and the environment of their service. The zeal of Jesus to overturn the money-changer tables reflects His desire to maintain the sanctity of the temple.

The scriptures tell us that Jesus “would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple,” (Mark 11:16). Apparently people traveled through the temple as a short cut to get from one side of Jerusalem to the other. In doing this, people diminished the sanctity of the temple by constantly mingling the common objects of life with the holy temple, ignoring the word of God to establish a “divide between the holy and the profane,” (Ezek 42:20). The imagery is unmistakable for believers. Believers are called “priests” (Rev 1:6), made holy by the blood of Jesus. The life of each believer should reflect this sanctified state. A life that constantly mixes the holy and the common profanes the name of the LORD, (Ezek 36:20-23).

When John tells us that “and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life,” (Rev 21:27), he is painting a picture of how the New Jerusalem will operate in a sanctified state like the temple. God Himself will dwell in the New Jerusalem and all the people who live there along with all the articles contained in the city will be “HOLY TO THE LORD.” The words of John are supported by Zechariah who wrote,

"In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO THE LORD.” And the cooking pots in the LORD'S house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 And every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts in that day." (Zech 14:20-21)

The phrase “HOLY TO THE LORD” is the same phrase inscribed on the head-piece worn by the High Priest and written on articles used in the temple. To inscribe this phrase, “on the bells of the horses," (Zech 14:2), requires horses to be located in a Holy place. Horses were generally not allowed in the temple complex. Inscribing “HOLY TO THE LORD” on the bells worn by horses implies that Holiness will extend beyond the temple complex to encompass all of Jerusalem. This understanding is supported by the words of Zechariah who told us that “every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of host.”

Just as in the vision of John, Zechariah is telling the reader of a future time when not only the temple, but all of Jerusalem will be 'HOLY TO THE LORD.'  Isaiah also foresaw this future time and wrote, “Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem,” (Isa 4:3).

The first century Jew went to great lengths to maintain the cleanliness laws, which are analogous to a condition of holiness. Devout Jews avoided people who were unclean and pressured their acquaintances to do the same. This position resulted in the criticism against Jesus for “eating with sinners and tax collectors” (Mark 2:16)(Matt 9:10)(Luke 5:30). Such people were generally unclean because they continually contacted unclean articles, people, and they did not worship in the prescribed manners.

This practice continues even today in the Orthodox Jewish community and runs contrary to our perception of social norms. Many people are offended by the apparent “standoffish” nature of Jewish people, not appreciating that they are trying to maintain a level of holiness because Jews, and Gentile believers, are both commanded to,

“Be Holy, for I Am Holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15-16)(Lev 19:20-21)

Maybe believers need to be a little more “standoffish” and practice some of the standards of holiness established by scripture and practiced by our forefathers. In a song of David, after the LORD had defeated his enemies, David said, “The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands,” (2 Sam 12:21). David understood that the blessings of the LORD were related to the holiness of David. Paul called believers to maintain a sanctified condition before God saying,.

"Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." (Rom 12:1)

"Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him." (Eph 1:4)(Col 1:22)(Heb 3:1)

“Therefore, ‘Come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the LORD. ‘And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,’ says the LORD Almighty,” (2 Cor 6:17-18).

If not greater obedience to the commandments, how will a believer achieve holiness.

(to be continued - Scott)

YOU SHALL BE HOLY (Part 5 of 7)

I. What is Holiness?
II. Holiness is a Behavior Not a Covering
III. Teaching Holiness Through the Laws of Cleanliness
IV. The Consequences of Not Being Holy
V. The Challenge for the 21st Century Church
VI. Living as a Holy Person
VII Do Not Wear Clothes of Wool and Linen Woven Together

THE CHALLENGE FOR THE 21st CENTURY CHURCH

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him,” (Eph 1:4)

If holiness involves being separate from the world, it becomes difficult to find holiness in many believers within the greater body of the church. Most believers are too assimilated into the world with few discernable differences from the world. If I asked the typical believer, “what makes you different from the world,” how would they respond?

Some believers might speak of their good deeds. While mitzvoth earn merit with the Father, there are many non-believers that perform good deeds for their fellow man. Even corporations perform their “civic duties” and movie actors and royalty are often depicted helping others in need. Theses acts alone do not make a person holy, especially if the balance of an individual’s life is worldly. Some people might say that they go to church or read scripture, but unless those actions are accompanied by a change in “behavior” (1 Pet 1:15), to quote Peter, even good deeds do not make a person holy.

The constant challenge among believers in the Church is to have an impact on the world, without the world having the greater impact on the Church. If the Church fails to maintain separation from the world, then the Church itself will ultimately assimilate into the world and cease to be a separate and unique entity. Therein lies the great danger. The present day Church is too much like the world. Believers too often go to the same places, laugh at the same jokes, watch the same worldly movies, maintain the same level of tolerance to drinking, accept immodest dress codes, and attend questionable social events.  Remember the warning of the apostle John, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world,” (1 John 2:15). What makes any believer different ?

Fifty years ago, the more conservative elements of the Church of Christ generally prohibited drinking, forms of dancing, immodest clothing, inappropriate social gatherings, and the like. The modern Church mocks that type of behavior as outmoded relics from an uptight generation. Laugh as we may at those “hedges,” as the Pharisees would call them, these restrictions kept the greater body of believers from quickly dissolving into the greater mass of humanity, assimilating believers into the body of non-believers. What can we point to today that we can call a hedge?

My brothers and sisters, the church is in great danger of disappearing by assimilating into the world. This process may reflect the beginning of the great apostasy spoken from the mouth of Paul, a time when the “man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship,” (2 Thess 2:3-4). The “man of lawlessness” is a descriptive name indicating that this man will not follow the law or the commandments, nor will he permit anyone to follow the commandments. The commandments separated the people of God from the rest of the world keeping the nation of Israel and the Church holy and unique, a distinct people for the LORD God. This man’s desire is to do away with the things that separate making all people the same. In this condition, NO ONE WILL BE HOLY.

Remember that “The Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good,” (Rom 7:12). In other words, the Law has the power to make us holy, in that, the obedience to the Law separates us from the people who are not obedient to the law, i.e., the lawless. For this reason, Paul warns that in the latter days many believers “will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires and will turn away their ears from the turn and will turn aside to myths,” (2 Tim 4:3).

A recent article from MarketWatch.com entitled, "10 Things Generation Y Won’t Tell You," lists the general beliefs of children born to baby boomers. Many of these beliefs are not conducive to holiness. For examples, Millennials are said to value “equality and diversity,” which means that all lifestyles and attitudes are acceptable. This blending of all lifestyles runs counter to a position calling for separation, or holiness, and accepts gay marriage, abortion, and other social positions that run counter to scripture. Millennials also tend to be a generation of people that dress and act any they want because, “This is me, and I will go out and represent me true to who I really am.” In other words, Millenials do not feel compelled to any higher standard than the one they personally establish. Many Millenials find the standards and teaching of the church at large, weak as it often is, as too restrictive and intolerant. The expectation of the apostles was for believers to maintain a lifestyle separate from the world. This is reflected in the words of Peter asking the rhetorical question,

“What sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God,” (2 Pet 3:11).

So what sort of people are we called to be?  People whose lives reflect “holy conduct and godliness.”

(to be continued - Scott)

YOU SHALL BE HOLY (Part 4 of 7)

I. What is Holiness?
II. Holiness is a Behavior Not a Covering
III. Teaching Holiness Through the Laws of Cleanliness
IV. The Consequences of Not Being Holy
V. The Challenge for the 21st Century Church
VI. Living as a Holy Person
VII Do Not Wear Clothes of Wool and Linen Woven Together

THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT BEING HOLY

Why does the LORD God desire His people to be holy? Said another way, what are the consequences for people who are not concerned with maintaining a state of holiness? The Book of Nehemiah ends with the condition of a people who are quickly losing their holiness:

“In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading the wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food. Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the Sabbath, even in Jerusalem.” (Neh 13:15-16)

Nehemiah witnessed a large disregard for the Sabbath. As Gentiles, we might think this is no great sin, yet it is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments given to maintain a separation between the Jewish people and the rest of the world. In other words, the Jewish people were not maintaining their holiness by maintaining the Sabbath, but were becoming common with the world. What do you think would be the consequences of their behavior?

“In those days I saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people…Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me. Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priest hood and the Levites.” (Neh 13:23 & 28-29)

The cause and consequence seem straight forward. The Jewish people stopped performing the commandments that were given to keep them holy, a separate and distinct people. As a result, they begin socializing with the nations of the world to the point where even a son of the high priest was marrying the daughter from a foreign nation. If the people of Israel did not return to the commandments, if they did not become holy, the nation would melt into the mixing pot of the world, cease to be a separate and distinct people, Jesus would not have come, and Gentile believers would lack a redeemer.

The man who restored holiness to the people was the prophet Ezra. It is said of Ezra by the later Rabbis, he “was worthy that the Torah should be given to Israel by his hand, were it not that Moses had forestalled him…(since) when the Torah had been forgotten by Israel, Ezra came up from Babylon and restored it.” This high praise of Ezra has some merit in that Moses gave the Torah and Ezra restored the Torah.

The Bible records how on the first day of the seventh month, “Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding,” (Neh 8:2). Ezra stood on a wooden podium (Neh 8:4), then,

“Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up, Then Exra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground…they read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading,” (Neh 8:5-8).

Ezra understood that it was necessary for national survival that the people commit themselves to the study and application of the words of Moses. Ezra is credited with establishing the weekly Torah portion (parasha) readings that lead the nation through a complete reading of the five books of Moses each year. When believers read the Bible on a regular basis, they follow a pattern established centuries ago, a pattern that would have been followed in the first century synagogues that Jesus attended. The readings of Moses were later expanded to include portions of the prophets, referred to as the Haftarah. Four hundred years after Ezra, in the synagogue in Galilee, Jesus was called upon to read the weekly portion that had been determined centuries earlier.

Tradition relates that, before his death, Ezra was instrumental in the formation of the “Keneser ha-Gedolah.” This name is translated as “The Great Synagogue” or “The Great Assembly”, or even "The Men of The Great Assembly" since it consisted of officials to act for the whole assembly of Israel, (Ezra 10:14). The Great Assembly existed from the middle of the fifth century until about 200 BC, although some believe it may have ended as early as 300 BC.

By tradition, the Great Assembly consisted of 120 scribes, sages, and prophets, “men who were family heads, one from each family division, all of them designated by name,” (Ezra 10:16). These included the men listed in Nehemiah 10:2-29, along with Ezra, Mordecai, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malichi. The Great Assembly is credited with the inclusion of Ezekiel, Daniel, Esther, and the Twelve Minor Prophets in the biblical canon; the establishment of Purim as a Jewish feast; and the development the Jewish liturgy of prayers and blessings. The Great Assembly left the nation with three overriding principles to govern the continued development of faithfulness among the children of Israel: 

Be deliberate in judging, 
Raise up many disciples, and 
Make a hedge around the Torah.

Believe it or not, the policies of Ezra designed to establish holiness within the Jewish people received much criticism through the centuries and even today. To quote Abraham Cohen,

“Ezra’s policy has been criticized and condemned by Christian theologians – also by Jews occasionally – as responsible for the narrowness which, they allege, characterizes Judaism as a religion. But in retrospect it is evident that the policy was dictated by the circumstances of his age. Professor G.G. Moore has justly remarked, ‘The separateness of the Jew was one of the prime causes of the animosity towards them, especially in the miscellaneous fusion of peoples and syncretism of religions in the Hellenistic kingdoms and the Roman world; but it accomplished its end in the survival of Judaism, and therein history has vindicated it.’”

The efforts of Ezra and his contemporaries was to combat the normal forces of history where minorities melt into the existing majorities. Of all the ancient civilizations of history, only the Jewish people survive to the present as a separate and distinct people. The Jewish people survival was only possible through their adherence to the commandments, which separated them from the other civilizations of the world.

Throughout the Hebrew text, God establishes laws and judgments to keep the people of Israel separated from the other nations. Circumcision, cleanliness, kashrut, and the keeping of Sabbath are all intended to maintain a level of separation between the people of Israel and the surrounding nations. To the degree this separation was maintained, the people of Israel remained a unique people. However, from time to time when these walls of separation were torn down, the people would begin to assimilate with the nations around them. Over time, many Jews ceased to be a separate and distinct people dedicated to the LORD God. In history when complete assimilation was close, the LORD God brought persecution on the Jewish people from the days of Egypt to Spain to Germany in the 20th century.

(to be continued - Scott)