TorahBytes: Mordecai (Tezavveh & Zakhor)

Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahashverosh, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews. (Esther 10:3)

This coming Saturday evening (March 3, 2007) begins the Jewish festival of Purim. Purim commemorates the dramatic events recorded in the book of Esther, when the Jews were facing extermination at the hands of the wicked Haman. One of the features of the book of Esther is that it never once explicitly mentions God. Yet the hand of God is so clearly evident in this story.

While this book of the Bible is traditionally known as "Esther", and while Esther certainly plays a most crucial role in the outcome of the story, it is actually Mordecai who is the true protagonist, for it is he who moves the story along. Please don't get me wrong. Esther, at the risk of her own life, was used by God to save the day. But as we shall see, the story is more about Mordecai than anyone else.

To begin with, Mordecai adopted Esther when her parents died. The quality of his care is underscored by the fact that she was one of the girls selected as a potential successor to the deposed queen. Even while she was in the palace he never stopped being concerned for her.

Interestingly, it is because he placed himself where he could most readily keep tabs on Esther, that he foils a plot against the king. Obviously he is a person who not only cares, but is willing to do something when necessary.

Mordecai is the one who precipitates the main events of this story. When Mordecai infuriates Haman, the king's top noble, by refusing to pay homage to him, Haman devises a plot to destroy, not only Mordecai, but all of Mordecai's people, the Jews. Mordecai was simply being a faithful follower of God by not showing respect to this enemy of the Jews (Haman was a descendant of Agag the Amalekite).

When the decree is issued to destroy the Jews, it is Mordecai's public display of grief that attracts Esther's attention, which in turn leads to her being informed of the situation. Mordecai then urges Esther to plead with the king for mercy, having discerned that her being made queen at this very time was no coincidence.

Mordecai's presence in the story is felt again when the king realizes that he never rewarded him for his uncovering of the plot against him. The timing of the king's reward emphasizes the absolute foolishness of Haman's plans through the mouths of his own wife and friends, who said to him, "Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him - you will surely come to ruin!" (Esther 6:13).

Once Esther accuses Haman in front of the king, Haman is executed upon the very gallows he had specially prepared for Mordecai. Mordecai provides the edict for the Jews' self defense. He also records the events and proclaims to the Jewish world the annual celebration we call "Purim," which refers to the lots that Haman drew to determine the date of his planned destruction of the Jews.

In the end Mordecai is made second in rank to the king. The book closes with what I read at the start:

Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahashverosh, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews. (Esther 10:3)

On one hand it may seem that it was Mordecai's personal convictions that created the trouble in the first place. But on the other hand, what actually happened was that Mordecai was used by God to expose great evil influence in the government of his day. In the end much good was accomplished.

While not everyone will have the same amount of influence as Mordecai, he illustrates the lives of all truly godly people. Should not our presence make a difference wherever we may be? As people called by the Messiah to be salt and light (see Matthew 5:13-16), our lives should confront darkness and evil everywhere. We should not be surprised when we stir up trouble among those who plan evil, as we work for the good of others and speak for their welfare.

TorahBytes: Mind the Detail (Terumah)

Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain. (Shemot / Exodus 28:30)

One of the features of the instructions God gave Moses concerning the building of the Mishkan (English: Tabernacle) is the amount of details. Details of what was to be made, the materials to be used for the items, precise measurements, quantities, the purpose of each item, and on and on. In the midst of these instructions God reminds Moses, "Set up the Mishkan according to the plan shown you on the mountain" (Shemot / Exodus 28:30). This seems to suggest that God not only gave him the directions which he recorded, but also showed him additional details to ensure that everything would be done exactly the way God intended.

Later on when we read about the actual building of the Mishkan and everything associated with it, we encounter these words several times: "...as the Lord commanded Moses." Clearly Moses and those assisting him were very careful to follow God's directions. I don't think we would expect anything but their attention to every detail. After all, if God is giving the instructions, they should be followed precisely.

Just as the Mishkan was designed to be God's dwelling, so under the New Covenant, it is we, his people, who are his dwelling (1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:21; Hebrews 3:6; 1 Peter 2:5). Do you think we can assume that just as God was concerned for precise detail regarding the Mishkan - a literal dwelling, so he is just as concerned for detail regarding his spiritual dwelling, which is us, both individually and corporately?

We don't need to assume anything, since the Bible is very clear on this. God is very particular as to the details of his spiritual dwelling. Every aspect of life that we can imagine is covered somehow by his Word. I am aware that it is not always easy to apply what God says to us in the Bible, but that should not stop us from being just as diligent as Moses was to make sure that we design our lives according to God's revealed plan.

We should therefore be careful to compare our own ideas of how to do life with what God has actually said in the Bible. Many teachers today are imposing their own ideas, that sometimes refer to Scripture, but contain elements that are nowhere to be found within its pages. Some people take certain aspects of biblical teaching, such as God's forgiveness, and create extreme notions very different from what God intended. Verses are often taken out of context in order to prove a teacher's own ideas, while few, it seems dare to compare these conclusions with what God actually says. Some people are experts at stringing verses together in a most impressive way, but only cloud God's truth.

The Bible is God's written Word to us. Through it we encounter God's intended design for us, his dwelling place. It is only as we are careful to mind every detail that we truly become the house he desires.

TorahBytes: Legalism (Mishpatim & Shekalim)

These are the laws you are to set before them. (Shemot / Exodus 21:1).

Legalism and legalist are terms I often hear among Bible believers, but I am not sure if they are always used correctly. Legalism is a system of thought whereby our spiritual state is judged on the basis of how well we abide by a set of rules. This was the approach of the Pharisees during the days of the New Testament. They filtered the Hebrew Scriptures though a legalistic grid. Their obsession with God's commandments was such that they tended to miss the heart of what God was actually saying through his Word. Because they viewed all of life as dependant on observing the commandments, it was necessary to determine what constituted valid observance. This led them to create a vast and complex system of interpretations. The legalism of the Pharisees was inherited by later Jewish scholars and became the foundation of rabbinical Judaism.

This system of thought is confronted by the New Covenant writers. They rightly understood that true spirituality is not based on observance, but rather upon trusting in God and his provision of salvation through the Messiah. This approach to spirituality is in keeping with that of the Hebrew Scriptures. Right relationship with God has always been on the basis of faith, not observance. The New Covenant writers confronted the bad spirituality of the Pharisees, not the legitimate faith of centuries of godly people.

Legalism is not simply about following rules. It is about the establishment of spiritual standards based upon rules. We should not equate keeping God's commandments with legalism. God gave us rules to follow. While we might discuss which of his rules are applicable today, he is a God of rules. He is not a God of rules only, but he does expect us to obey his commands.

I have often heard legalism contrasted to grace. I think what is being communicated by this is the difference between a rule-oriented life and a grace-based life. Using the concept of grace this way, sounds as if it has nothing to do with righteousness or obedience to God. It seems many people think of grace as freedom from rules as if the grace of the New Covenant has to do with our free ticket of acceptance in the Messiah. Some proponents of this way of thinking give the impression that if we believe in Yeshua, God accepts us no matter how we live.

This is not the New Covenant concept of grace. Rather grace is God's empowerment to live the kind of life he desires and to do the things that he wants us to do. When we say we are saved by grace, we are not referring to God's mercy. While including his mercy, grace refers to our being made right with God based on what he has accomplished on our behalf rather than anything based on our own spirituality. This is how grace is in contrast to legalism.

Having received God's grace, we now can live godly lives. This same grace enables us to remain in right relationship with God even though we continually fail to fully live up to his righteous standards.

Where the Pharisees went wrong was that they thought that they could attain God's standard though their obsession with and adherence to his commandments. God had intended that the burden of his commandments lead his people to turn to him for salvation. But instead they formulated a system of righteousness based on the commandments, a system which became an additional barrier between them and God.

So let's not confuse legalism with genuine godly adherence to God's Word. As we rely on Yeshua for our right standing with God, we are enabled by God's grace to live godly lives.

TorahBytes: God Is Calling (Yitro)

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8)

Many people claim to have heard the call of God. This may be a foreign concept to you, or maybe not. Bible believers differ over whether or not this is a valid experience in our day. As for the Bible itself, it contains many examples of people who have been commissioned by God for this or that purpose. The majority of these examples are those where God spoke directly to individuals, telling them to do certain things. This would include Abraham (Bereshit / Genesis 12:1-3), Moses (Shemot / Exodus 3 & 4), Gideon (Shoftim / Judges 6:11-23), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-10) among others.

This week's Haftarah contains the account of the prophet Isaiah's commissioning by God, but the interaction is quite different from those previously mentioned. In Isaiah's case we don't read of God calling his name and giving him directives. He does have a vision of God, but he stands in God's presence like an observer, witnessing heavenly worship. As he sees what is going on, he experiences a great sense of his own unworthiness, which he then confesses. In response to that, one of the heavenly beings cleanses Isaiah’s mouth, thus removing his sin.

After this Isaiah hears God speak, but God is not addressing Isaiah. What he hears is an open question - God calling for someone he can send. The details of this sending are not given, just the request to which Isaiah responds with, "Here am I. Send me!"

Could it be that God is still speaking this way today? Is not God's heart crying out for those whom he can send to do his will in a confused and hurting world? I wonder how many are waiting around for something to compel them to do something of significance in the world. We might be waiting for permission from someone. We might be waiting until we feel competent. We are waiting, but are we listening?

Many are deaf to the voice of God calling out in this way. It might be that Isaiah couldn't hear until he confessed and was cleansed from his sin. Our disobedience and neglect of God renders ourselves deaf to the voice of God. Others of us, due to disappointment and/or failure, refuse to hear God speak, stopping up our ears, not willing to risk for God again.

But he is calling out. He is asking the same question that he asked in Isaiah's day, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

This is not to say that we should start doing all sorts of things in God's name. History is too full of this kind of presumption. When Isaiah heard God's request, he didn't just run off, concocting all sorts of elaborate schemes in hope of accomplishing his own version of God's will. Like the other Bible personalities mentioned earlier, God did personally commission Isaiah. But the details did not come until after Isaiah unreservedly offered his services.

God speaks to us in different ways. As in the days of Isaiah, he is still looking for people to send. If we, like Isaiah, could get honest before God about our life's condition, we just might find ourselves in a place where we will be able to hear and respond to his call.

TorahBytes: Feeling Hopeless (Be-shallah)

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (Shemot / Exodus 14:10-12)

In preparation for writing this week's TorahBytes message, I have been thinking about the people of Israel anticipating attack by the Egyptian army while they were camped by the Red Sea. What we tend to remember about this story is the great miracle of the parting of the sea, the people of Israel marching across on dry land (not mud - dry land!), and the Egyptians drowning when the waters returned. But to really appreciate this miracle, we need to first put ourselves in the shoes (or sandals) of the Israelites.

The parting of the Red Sea is the climactic event of a very long and difficult period in Israel's history - a history that was part of the very heart of the people camped by the sea that day. For many years they had been slaves, suffering under the cruel mastery of the Egyptians. They had been made to work hard under severe circumstances due to Pharaoh's fear of the possibility of Israel's participating in an uprising against him. Since subduing the people through suffering wasn't enough to alleviate his fears, for a time he decreed the murder of every Israelite baby boy.

When the day came for their deliverance under Moses' leadership, it was no smooth ride. At first their hard labor was increased. Then they lived through terrible plagues sent from God. While they were kept safe from the effects of the plagues, they, unlike ourselves, were not able to read the end of the story. What they saw was destruction, but no deliverance for another significant period of time.

Then the day finally came when they were able to leave. That might sound wonderful, and it was in many ways, but packing up and heading out into the unknown is never easy. I am sure there are people hearing or reading this who have experienced this first hand. The transition of leaving even a bad situation to go to a new one is a hardship. And remember the people of Israel were the victims of a cruel society. While they may have had some level of hope to encourage them on, I would expect that their psychological state would not have been all that good. Then, on top of everything else, they end up facing complete destruction at the hands of a cruel and powerful army with nowhere to go and next to no means to defend themselves.

Can we blame them for their sense of hopelessness? Even without the years of oppression, what would it take to face this situation with confidence? But then to realize that they faced this situation on top of everything else…I still can't comprehend it!

Having experienced deep discouragement, I know for myself what it's like to be in a hopeless situation. I could try to compare my life's struggles to that of the Israelites at the Red Sea and accept that it was way more hopeless than anything I have experienced, that is if you can have degrees of hopelessness.

This is all to say that they really were in a hopeless situation. Yes, they had God, but would we react any differently? I know that is not the end of the story, but in order to get the story's full impact, we need to start with catching the sense of their hopelessness.

So in the midst of one of the most dismal situations in recorded history, comes God's deliverance. First Moses speaks to the people with an amazing confidence (see Shemot / Exodus 14:13,14). Somehow he understood God's intent and his power, thus enabling him to encourage the people. But what he didn't understand was exactly what God was going to do. Instead of the kind of thing they witnessed in Egypt, where they found themselves stuck as oppressed victims, now they were to move forward into the seemingly immoveable obstacle. I don't blame Moses for not expecting this tactic (see Shemot / Exodus 14:15,16).

Through the centuries one of the most difficult things for God's people to learn has been that God is not predictable. He leads us into impossible circumstances and them comes through for us in ways we don't expect.

While God does the unexpected, he wants us to learn that he does indeed come through for us. It is good to learn to relate to the people of Israel in this story, not thinking that our outlook would have been any better than theirs. But the lesson of the story is that with God there is never any reason to lose hope - even in the most desperate of situations.

TorahBytes: Knowing God (Bo)

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD." (Shemot / Exodus 10:1,2)

One of God's purposes in displaying his wonders in Egypt was so that the people of Israel would know that he is "the LORD." Reading this in English gives the impression that they were to learn that God was the master or boss. But in many English translations when we see the word, "LORD," in all capitals, the Hebrew it represents is actually God's name, the letters of which are yod, hei, vav, hei. We do not normally pronounce this name, because in Jewish tradition it was believed that God's name was too sacred to pronounce. So instead the Hebrew, Ha-shem, meaning "The Name" or Adonai, meaning "Lord" was substituted. Therefore when reading English translations, the word "Lord" with only the "L" capitalized represents the actual Hebrew word for "Lord," while "LORD," in all capitals is God's name.

This is all to say that when God told Moses that one of the purposes of his wonders was so that Israel would "know that I am the LORD," he was not saying that he was trying to teach them who their Lord really was (which would be a good lesson too), but rather that they were to learn that he really is who is name represents.

This name for God, is derived from the Hebrew word for "to be" and is most likely related to God's revelation of his name to Moses at the burning bush, when he called himself, "I Am Who I Am" (Shemot / Exodus 3:14). I find the usual French translation for "LORD" with all capitals, "L'Éternel" much better as it means "the Eternal One." God's name expresses that he is the self-existing one: "who was, and is, and is to come" (Revelation 4:8). This is what God wanted his people to learn.

God desired to impress upon them that he was real. God is not a concept, nor is He an aspiration. He controls history. He is not a product of human endeavors. God gets involved in our affairs. He is not an impersonal designer, who put the Earth in orbit and just lets it run its course. He is a God of justice. How we live and how we respond to his directives matters to him. God is a God of power. He makes plans and sees them to fruition. He is personal. He calls people to engage him. Not only are our lives dependent on him, the quality of our lives is in direct proportion to the intimacy of our relationship with him.

This was the legacy God gave to the nation of Israel long ago: to tell future generations of the reality of the one true God. It is this legacy that we can all receive. It is this legacy that we all today are called to pass on to others.

TorahBytes: Whatever It Takes (Va-era)

But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. (Shemot / Exodus 7:3-5)

The deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt is a defining event, not just for the people of Israel, but for all people of all time. For through this great event we see the lengths at which God goes in his desire to free us from oppression. The story of the Bible is one of understanding the basis of the human predicament and how God has determined to resolve it. Our predicament is that mankind is basically broken. We are meant to live lives of an infinitely greater quality than has thus far been experienced. We are broken because of our alienation from our Creator, inherited from our first parents due to their disobedience.

It was God's determination from that very moment to restore the human family to right relationship with him. The history of ancient Israel illustrates the outworking of the restoration, the exodus from Egypt being a foundational part of that illustration.

One of the things we learn from this story is that God does whatever it takes to accomplish his purposes in and through his people. The time had come to deliver Israel from slavery. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, opposed God's plan. Moses was confronting a leader who was so stubborn that he was willing to bring destruction upon his nation and land rather than give in to God. And so God hit the Egyptians with plague after plague until his people were released from Pharaoh's grip.

Perhaps you may wonder if God was so able to rescue Israel from Pharaoh, why was it necessary to strike them in this way. I don't know. But he did. What we need to see is that God fights for his people. He does whatever it takes to ensure our freedom from oppression. Could he have done it any other way? Perhaps. But the main point is that he uses his power to rescue his people. We can take comfort in that.

As we think about this, there are some key principles to be aware of. First, God's timing is not our timing. Israel had suffered under the hand of Pharaoh a long time before God rescued them. I don't know why God doesn't come through for us in a more timely manner. But whatever the reason, he doesn't act according to our timetable. That means we need to learn to be patient as we wait for him to come through for us.

Second, his methods of deliverance are varied and most often unexpected. One of the things we see in the Bible is that while God's character is consistent, he does different things in different ways at different times. It doesn't help us if when we look to God for help in a predicament, we insist he does so in a particular way. As we look to him for help, we should expect the unexpected.

Third, God's deliverance of his people requires cooperation. Next week's portion includes the final plague where each Israelite was required to place the blood of a lamb on their doorway, so that the angel of death would pass over their house. It has become increasingly popular to presume God's favor regardless of how we respond to him. But failure to heed God's directions disqualifies us from receiving the benefit of his purposes in our lives.

Therefore when we are in a difficult situation, we should first ask ourselves the question, “Are we truly cooperating with God?” There may be something that he wants to bring to our attention. He may be trying to correct us or teach us a lesson. As we cooperate with him, knowing that he doesn't work according to our timetable and that he works in unexpected ways, we can rest assured that he will do whatever it takes to see us through.

TorahBytes: Change (Shemot)

And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. (Shemot / Exodus 3:9,10)

Believing in an all-powerful, all-knowing, loving God creates some difficult philosophical questions. Perhaps the most common of such questions has to do with how such a God could allow evil in the world. Perhaps, the answer to that question has something to do with God's giving human beings choice. How free is our ability to choose may be debatable, but clearly, as far as the Scriptures are concerned - we are not remote-controlled robots. Otherwise we could not be held responsible for our actions.

It seems to me, though, that some of us have been crippled by some of the philosophical musings over the relationship between God's sovereignty and our involvement in the outworking of history. In an attempt to adequately honor God's rule over the universe, some have been led to believe that all of life has been unalterablely predetermined by God. This way of thinking can tend to lead towards fatalism. Fatalism is the belief that the events of life have been so predetermined that there is nothing we can really do about it.

While the Bible clearly teaches that God rules over the universe and human history, it never sees life through a fatalistic lens. We never encounter a "what will be, will be" type attitude in the pages of Scripture. Far from it! Over and over again we read of God's expectation that people would interact with life's circumstances in such a way as to make a positive difference.

There is no sense of fatalism in the story of God's deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt. At first Egypt was a place of security and prosperity for them. But when a king arose who feared that they may one day help in the overthrowing of his rule, he severely oppressed them. We don't know exactly how long this terrible period lasted since the text doesn't tell us the precise timing of the beginning of the oppression. It had to be more than 80 years, since that's how old Moses was when he confronted Pharaoh and the oppression began prior to his birth. It could have been well over 300 years if it began not too long after the first generation living in Egypt died. However long the oppression lasted, it was a terrible time. Many Israelites lived their entire lives in bondage.

Then one day, according to the passage I quoted at the start, God began the process of their deliverance. According to his own words, God was concerned about their suffering. In response to their cries, he decided to do something about it.

We can ask why did he not act earlier or even why did he allow this to happen at all. A fatalistic perspective would conclude that, for some unknown reason, the long time of suffering was necessary until the time came for their deliverance. But that's not the story as we have it. God heard their cries and acted accordingly. There is no impression given that there was some sort of cosmic manipulation of events. By telling us that God was moved by his people's suffering, we see a very personal and relational outworking of what happened.

God doesn't expect us to always accept circumstances the way they are just because they are the way they are. The Israelites were never told to accept their bondage. Faith in God according to the Scriptures is never a resignation toward the status quo. Rather we are called by God to look to him to establish his will on earth. This is a process that he calls us to be part of both through prayer and through action.

When Yeshua provided his followers with his great model prayer, he included the words, "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). If we are to pray that God's kingdom should come and his will be done, then it is most reasonable to assume that his kingdom is not present as it should be, nor is his will being adequately done on earth.

Whenever we encounter life on earth not being sufficiently up to God's standard, we can assume that God wants change. How that change will come about is one thing, but just because things are the way they are does not mean we are supposed to accept them in the name of God's sovereignty. In fact it is his sovereignty that should lead us to seek him for that change.

TorahBytes: Extreme Forgiveness (Va-yehi)

But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. (Bereshit / Genesis 50:19-21)

It is common at this time of year to think about our lives and how we might better ourselves. I am sure that we all, if we looked back at the last 12 months, would find accomplishments and failures, good surprises and great disappointments. Whatever else we may have experienced this past year, I am sure that other people have not always met our expectations. In fact probably many of us have been severely hurt by others. Those hurts, if never resolved, can fester in our hearts and destroy our lives.

The concept of forgiveness is a key theme in the Scriptures. Not being an expert in comparative religions, I cannot assert with certainty that the Bible's understanding of forgiveness is unique, but from my life experience, I have never encountered anything quite like it anywhere else.

So crucial is this issue of forgiveness, Yeshua taught that God's forgiving us is dependent on our forgiving others:

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14,15).

Yeshua is clearly saying that if we want to be forgiven by God for our wrongs, then we must forgive others for the wrongs they have done to us.

Joseph, who lived over a thousand years before Yeshua, beautifully illustrates a lifestyle of forgiveness. Few of us have ever experienced the level of betrayal and malice that Joseph endured at the hands of his own brothers. Yet years later, when he found himself in a position of power in which he held the very lives of his brothers in his hands, he forgave them. Instead of paying them back for what they did to him, he provided for them and spoke kindly to them.

Joseph understood that it was not for him to avenge himself for the wrongs done to him. Justice was God's responsibility. He accepted his God-given place of responsibility of being their provider and loved his brothers as God wanted him to.

Joseph's example helps us to understand what forgiveness is all about. Through him we see that God calls us not to hold personal grudges against others or take God's place by punishing those who harm us. Forgiveness is like releasing people from their debts to us. Until we forgive it is as if they owe us something. Often what they owe us could not be paid back even if they wanted to. When we forgive, we allow ourselves to suffer the loss of being wronged with no further claim upon that person. When we forgive, we grant relational freedom to that other person.

As we forgive, according to Yeshua's teaching we put ourselves in a place where God will treat us the same way. We need to realize how destructive unforgiveness is. To think that God will hold us in the same kind of bondage that we can tend to hold others who wrong us, is a frightful thing. We are well advised to follow Joseph's example.

People wonder if forgiveness is something that should only be offered when others ask for it. But Yeshua also said,

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. (Mark 11:25)

If we don't want God to hold anything against us, we must not hold anything against anyone else. This sounds extreme. It sounds extreme because it is. It's extreme, because it is meant to be. Our tendency to wrong one another is so great, that it requires an extreme solution. Extreme forgiveness has not come without a price. It cost the Messiah his life, so that we can be free from the consequences of our own wrongs. If God, through Yeshua, so forgives us, the least we can do is so forgive others.

TorahBytes: Facing Reality (Va-Yiggash)

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. (Bereshit / Genesis 45:3).

Last week we looked at how Joseph's brothers didn't recognize him when they went to Egypt in hope of buying food during a severe famine. Not realizing who he really was had nothing to do with the fact that he was the one that held their wellbeing in his hands. I drew a parallel between their experience and how we, as Jewish people, when we look at Yeshua today, do not see him for who he is - the Jewish Messiah. While it may be tragic that, like Joseph, he looks like a foreigner, he is still our only true hope. In order to truly know God and experience his blessings in and through our lives, we must come to Yeshua even though he seems to be anything but Jewish.

In this week's portion Joseph, after more than one interaction with his brothers, finally reveals himself to them. At first, they are terrified. It would take some time - if ever - before they would become fully comfortable in his presence. But in order for them to receive his help, which would include provision of food as well as a place to live and prosper for the next few hundred years, they had to come to grips with a reality that they most likely would have wished had been very different from what they were facing.

Years earlier Joseph had told his brothers and father about his dreams, which suggested that he would rise to some sort of place of superiority over them. His brothers had already been jealous of him due to his special place in their father's heart. His dreams at the time only made matters worse. Their hatred boiled to the point that some of them wanted to kill him, but in the end he was sold into slavery. The brothers deceived their father by claiming Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Joseph in the meantime was taken to Egypt where he at first served as a slave until he was falsely accused of taking advantage of his master's wife. He spent the following several years in prison before the king of Egypt learned that he could interpret dreams. After he interpreted the king's own dreams about a coming famine and made a suggestion of how to prepare for it, the king not only released him from prison, but gave him a high ranking position with the responsibility of managing the nation’s provisions. It was during this famine that his brothers came to him in need of food not knowing who he really was.

I am sure that his brothers would not have written the story of their lives this way. Think how they must have felt standing before their brother whom they had mistreated, but now was in such a position of power over them. It was hard enough for them to hear his dreams many years before, but to actually be in that very situation must have been extremely humiliating.

Regardless of how humiliated and terrified they may have been, in order to get the help they needed, they had to accept their situation. They had to accept their brother's current place and position, humble themselves before him, and do things his way.

No matter how difficult this may have been for them, it was still God's way of taking care of them in their great need. No matter how uncomfortable they were at this point, they were encountering their solution, not further problems. What was now left for them to do was to accept what God was seeking to do in their lives.

And so the parallel for Jewish people continues. Even though we have centuries of negative feelings towards Yeshua and that the way he appears to us today is so foreign to us, he is our solution for our deepest needs. He is the only one who can satisfy our spiritual hunger. It is only through him that we can find lasting peace and security.

I wish the story of Yeshua and the Jewish people over the past two thousand years would be different from what it has been. But at the same time, we cannot change history. How the circumstances of life got to the present day is something we have no control over. To hear Yeshua say to us today that he is really one of us - our true Messiah - may be hard to take, but that doesn't change who he is. The sooner we can accept this, the better it will be for us.

I find that accepting things how they really are can be difficult for all of us. It isn't easy to face reality. We can be offended by how the world is and how our lives have turned out. We might have a hard time getting on with life, because it hasn't turned out the way we have expected. But instead of being offended by our failed expectations, we would do much better to face life and God as they really are.

TorahBytes: Appearances Can Be Deceiving (Mi-Kez & Hanukkah 8)

Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. (Bereshit / Genesis 42:8).

As a Jewish believer in Yeshua, this time of year is one of mixed emotions. The way the calendar has turned this year, we are in the midst of Hanukkah, which will end just a couple of days before Christmas. To me the most meaningful Hanukkah theme is that of no compromise. This is when we remember how the Maccabees stood against the pressure to conform to the ungodly ways of their Greco-Syrian oppressors. Even though many of their fellow Jewish countrymen were being swept away by Greek culture, they were the ones who led Israel back to faithfulness to the one true God.

For Jewish people, the Christmas season can seem reminiscent of the days of the Maccabees. All around us are the trappings of a foreign culture - more concerned with crass materialism than with the ways of God.

For the Jewish Believer Christmas time can be confusing. While the true meaning of Christmas has deep Jewish roots in that it is really about the coming of the Messiah, the way his birth is commemorated seems to be anything but Jewish. It is difficult for Jewish Believers to engage in Christmas while claiming to be true to our Jewish heritage. This is due to the abundance of non-Jewish cultural trappings that have become associated with this holiday.

Christmas is one of many examples of how faith in Yeshua as Messiah has been associated with not being Jewish. For many Jewish people resisting Yeshua and the various customs that have emerged among his followers is similar to the Maccabees' refusal to submit to the Greco-Syrian oppressors of their day.

That Yeshua has become so associated with things not Jewish is tragic. It is tragic for two reasons. First, the un-Jewishness of Yeshua has distracted many from understanding that he is the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures. When we fail to understand the Old Testament roots of the New Testament, we miss out on so much of what God has for us. Second, Yeshua's overly Gentile association gives the impression that he is irrelevant to Jewish people. It is for these two reasons that many of us have worked very hard at trying to restore Yeshua's fundamental Jewishness.

Still, for many Jewish people Yeshua is far more like a Gentile god than a Jewish Messiah. The current situation is similar to the experience of Joseph's brothers that we read about in this week's Torah portion. When they arrived in Egypt hoping to buy food during the famine, they would not have expected to see him, since they sold him into slavery so many years earlier. As he stood before them looking and sounding like an Egyptian, there was no way that they would have realized that he was their own flesh and blood.

That they didn't recognize him was understandable, but that didn't change the fact that he was the one that held their salvation in his hands. The day would come when he would reveal himself to them as their brother, but at first they had to relate to him as if he really was a foreigner.

This is similar to our current situation with Yeshua. We look forward to the day when the confusion regarding Yeshua's true Jewish identity will be removed - and what a day that will be! But until then, even though he doesn't look very Jewish, he is still our salvation. To be offended by the abundance of his non-Jewish cultural associations will only prevent us from benefiting from God's blessings through him - blessings that we and our people so desperately need.

No matter how much we try to present a very Jewish Yeshua to our people, for the time being he will continue to appear somewhat Gentile. Let that not stop us from introducing our people to him. For whatever he might look like, he still is the Jewish Messiah.

TorahBytes: Enough Is Enough! (Va-Yeshev & Hanukkah 1)

How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? (Bereshit / Genesis 39:9)

One of the central themes of Hanukkah (this year from December 16 -23, 2006) is the resisting of society's pressure to turn from God's ways. Hanukkah retells the story of the Jewish revolt against Greco-Syrian control that occurred around 165 years before the coming of Yeshua. The emperor sought to consolidate his rule by forcing his subjects, including his Jewish ones, to adopt Greek customs. Many in Israel submitted themselves to these pagan practices, until a priest by the name of Matitiyahu refused. A small Jewish army led by Matitiyahu's son Judah eventually defeated the large and heavily armed Greco-Syrian force.

People who have sought to please God have often faced pressure to conform to the dominant culture. Hanukkah is an example of when those who desire to stay true to God and his ways need to say "Enough is enough!" and take a stand against the culture. We are in those times again.

It is interesting that the beginning of Hanukkah this year coincides with the Torah portion containing the story of Joseph. Joseph also stood against the pressure of ungodly influence. In his case it was not a cultural thing, but rather a personal situation, where he was tempted to commit adultery with his master's wife. He knew she created a no-win situation for him. To do what she wanted may have provided temporary relief from his circumstances, but would have most likely cost him his life. But to resist her advances, besides being a difficult thing to do, would eventually cause him great trouble, which is in fact what happened. As it turned out she falsely accused him of the very thing she was tempting him to do. What made the difference for Joseph was that to give in to her would have displeased God - something that he was in no way willing to do.

Joseph's predicament illustrates for us what it means to stand against the pressure of a culture that constantly nags us into submission. But I believe we need to be like Joseph and say "Could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"

I fear that for many it is too late. Just like in the days of Hanukkah, many who claim to be part of the people of God have already given in to the prevailing culture. Having cast off the peculiarities of being people of faith, we have chosen to go after the customs of our day.

Here are a few examples of how we have been taken over by today's ungodly culture:

A growing number of so-called believers are ashamed of the exclusive nature of biblical faith. According to the Bible there is only one God and there is only one way to that God, the Messiah Yeshua. Yet there are those who have invented notions, claiming that there may be exceptions to this rule.

Less and less people regard the Bible's view of family, and children in particular, as God's model for living. Instead we go along with how the culture regards family, thinking that after two thousand years human beings have improved upon the teaching of the Scriptures.

North American affluence has become our preferred standard of living. How very different from the One who had no place to lay his head, who calls us to give up everything to follow him.

What does our obsession with entertainment say about our understanding of the stewardship of our time and money? We prefer to drown ourselves in diversions instead of spending our time in truly productive endeavors. Then, at the same time, we refuse to partake of rest and refreshment God's way.

We have exchanged God's version of love and sexuality for that of the world's. We disregard the sacredness of the marriage covenant, while pursuing relationships with selfish motives.

Perhaps one of the main driving forces behind these and other examples is today's value of being accepted by others. What kept Joseph was his primary commitment to God and his ways. When the temptation came to conduct himself inappropriately, his loyalty to God was the strong foundation from which he could not be moved. What a contrast to our own day where we tend to so easily go along with whatever is perceived as popular, so that we would not be viewed as weird.

Until we can stand up and like Matitiyahu say, "Enough is enough!" we will continue to be swept away by the pull of culture's powerful tide.

TorahBytes: Facing the Impossible (Va-yishlah)

In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. (Bereshit / Genesis 32:7)

This week's Torah portion contains Jacob's prayer of distress. Taking a close look at this prayer will help us to better express our needs to God. The passage begins with a description of Jacob's emotional state:

In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape." (7,8).

Jacob was very scared. Here is a man who has always been able to take care of himself, but now he was in great distress. It is too bad that, for some, it takes being in an apparently impossible situation before we call out to God. Still, some lessons are worth learning no matter how we learn them.

The first thing Jacob does is attempt to do whatever he can to minimize his losses in case his worst fears are realized, and his brother attacks him and his entourage. Doing what we can to help ourselves is not a bad thing necessarily. But note, Jacob's plan does nothing to alleviate his fears.

So he prays.

Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, (9)

That he prays at all is an important first step. For many to express a need like this is a big deal, since it is so difficult to admit weakness. While praying should be the easiest thing in the world to do, doing so for the first time for some of us may be one of the hardest things we may ever do.

Jacob prayed. He didn't wish. He didn't think. He prayed. Praying is not something done with the mind and heart only. It includes the mouth. Jacob was talking to God.

When he prays he doesn't address God as "my God," but rather as the God of his father and grandfather. This shows us where he was at in his relationship to God. No hypocrisy here. He knew he was not in right relationship with God, but that didn't stop him from asking God for help. You don't need to wait to get right with God before praying.

Jacob then recounts that it was God who led him into this situation:

who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper (9)

By mentioning God's prior communication, he is both acknowledging the reality of God in his life and expressing that God is the initiator of his circumstances. This is not blame as much as it is putting things in proper perspective. God is involved in our lives whether we acknowledge it or not. It would do us well to acknowledge his presence sooner than later.

Then Jacob expresses humility:

I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. (10)

While this may appear to be simply a form of address to a kingly figure, he means it. He realizes that the blessings that he received had actually come from God and that he doesn't deserve them. He realizes that even though he strove so hard to be successful, it was actually God who provided for him.

Then he comes to his request, admitting his fear and asking God to save him. Being honest with God is key to effectively communicating with him.

Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. (11)

His prayer ends with a most important statement:

But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.' " (12)

God had promised Jacob that he would bring him back safely to the land of his birth, yet by doing what God wanted, he found himself in a most dangerous situation. The situation appeared to contradict what God had promised him years before. But instead of neglecting what God had promised, it spurs him on to confront God with God's own words.

Yeshua taught his followers to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Knowing that God's will is not always done on earth, we need to confront the way things are, so that they will be what they should be. This begins with prayer. This is what Jacob did, whether he realized the process or not.

We should not be surprised by the impossible situations we find ourselves in. For it is God who leads us into these things, so that we would seek him in order that his will would be accomplished. These impossible things might be in our hearts or in our circumstances or both, which seems to be the case with Jacob. But whatever is going on, don't be surprised when God brings you to the end of yourself just so that you will truly seek him.

TorahBytes: Follow Your Dreams? (Va-yeze)

[Jacob] had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying." (Bereshit / Genesis 28:12,13)

A couple of weeks ago I heard Bruce Wilkenson, author of the book "Dream Giver" - a book I read a couple of years ago. His talk was a powerful reminder of some of the principles he explains in his book. Wilkinson's premise is that every single person has a dream or dreams in their heart. These dreams come to us from God. In order to live the life we were meant to live, we need to follow those dreams.

Before examining the Bible's perspective on this, we need to make clear that Wilkenson doesn’t mean "dream" in the technical sense. He is using it in the popular sense of heart desire. This is most likely what Martin Luther King Jr. meant in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He wasn't saying that he had a literal dream in which he saw the breaking down of racial barriers. He meant that he had a burning desire to bring racial equality into reality.

While this popular use of the term, "dream" is both common and clear, it does confuse the issue, since the Bible doesn't use these terms in this way. When the Bible refers to dreams, it means them literally, as is the case with Jacob in this week's Torah portion. This distinction between the popular use of these terms and how the Bible uses them is very important, especially if we are going to bring the God of the Bible into the discussion.

So does the Bible support the idea that everyone has a "dream" or heart desire from God? Are we responsible to discover that thing (whatever we call it) in order to live our lives the way God intends?

First, with regard to literal dreams, not all people ever receive them. While there are several examples of such things in the Scriptures, not everyone in the Bible has this kind of experience and nowhere are we told that dreams are a necessary aspect of a true life of faith. I do think that such things are more common than we might care to admit and that those of us who have been brought up within secular framework tend to filter out such phenomena, but that's a topic for another time. However, as common as such things may be, not everyone has them.

As for the dreams recorded in the Bible, they do not all have the sense of creating something hoped for in the individual, which is how we use "dream" in the popular sense. Therefore we should be careful when trying to apply the Bible's use of "dream" when referring to its popular use.

What then about the popular use of "dream," meaning desire? We read in the Psalms:

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

It is possible that what David is saying is that when we delight in God, then the desires of our hearts are the very things God himself desires. And when we have God's desires in our hearts, then we can expect him to accomplish them. But this doesn't imply that every desire we have is necessarily from God and automatically becomes that which we were meant to pursue.

This is what is missing from what I have observed from Wilkinson's teaching. While his book is helpful to understand the dynamics of living out our God-given dreams (more correctly "desires"), we need to find out how to discern those things in our hearts that are actually from him.

There are two key things that will help us in this: First, we need to realize that the communication of God's plans and purposes in our lives are primarily his responsibility. We are not required to climb mountains or swim oceans in our attempt to figure out God's will for our lives. The Bible illustrates that when God wants to communicate to people, he does, as he did in Jacob's case.

The second thing is something we can do and that is to get to know him better. The better we know him, the better prepared we will be to receive special assignments as they come, whether they come through dreams or not.

TorahBytes: Real Life (Toledot)

The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." (Bereshit / Genesis 25:23)

This week's Torah portion begins the story of Jacob. For the past little while I have been struck with how very far the writings of Scripture are from most of our religious experiences. I am not referring to the contrast of the Scriptures to any particular teaching or ceremony, but what amounts to a whole way of thinking. As I study the Bible, I get the impression that we seek to both know and communicate God in ways very different from how God did so through his written Word.

In the Bible God often time revealed himself through the real-life experiences of everyday people. These people struggled with many of the same things that you and I struggle with. Yes, we read of remarkable happenings, but those remarkable happenings happened to ordinary people living otherwise normal lives.

The reason why it is important to understand this is because I believe God wants to do the same remarkable things today that he did in the Scriptures. God wants us to know him in the midst of everything we do. He is not committed to meeting us only in the context of congregational and religious life. He desires to come to us and work through us in every area of life.

The life of Jacob is but one of a great many examples of someone who is just like we are - if we are honest about ourselves. Many people have had a hard time with him, sometimes doubting his place as a Bible hero, because of how he deals with life. However I suggest that if we have problems with Jacob, then perhaps we are not honest enough about ourselves and our own flaws. Then there are those of us who are that honest, but then we may think that as a result we are beyond God's help and grace. The story of Jacob demonstrates what God wants to do in and through real people like Jacob - real people like you and me.

Jacob was a man of destiny. From before he was born, God had determined that he would be given a special place (25:23). Yet he believed, as did his mother, that he needed to strive after that place. To believe that God could and would act on his behalf to accomplish things that were contrary to his current circumstances was very difficult for him. He really believed that if he didn't protect his own interests and do whatever it took to succeed, then even those things that God himself promised to him would not happen.

Interestingly Jacob's mismanagement of his life did not disqualify him from those things that God destined him for. This does not in any way excuse his bad behavior. His manipulation of others would come back to haunt him time and time again. But God still had plans for him - good plans, including dealing with the very core of his being. The day would come when he would come to the end of his own resources and face God head on.

Jacob was real. He possessed none of the kind of fake spirituality that gives religion a bad name. While he tried to manipulate his circumstances for his benefit, when God brought him to the end of his own resources, he clung to God for dear life, which ended up being the thing that changed his life forever.

For us to grapple with the life of Jacob in order to understand the reality of God through him is no academic exercise. Nor is it a mystical experience detached from understanding. It is a journey into the real. Through Jacob we have the opportunity to also face our own limited resources and learn that real life is found in encountering God.

TorahBytes: Giving Up our Isaacs (Va-yera)

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." (Bereshit / Genesis 22:12)

For many, the Binding of Isaac is one of the most troubling of all stories in the Scriptures. That God would ask anyone to sacrifice his offspring is indeed troubling. However, I believe that Abraham knew that God would intervene. We have a hint of that when he informs his servants that both he and Isaac would return from worshipping God (see 22:5).

Whatever we think about the troubling aspect of this story, we need to be careful not to miss what is really going on here. Abraham's dreams were wrapped up in the life of this child. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, had been childless into old age. Yet God told Abraham that he would make him a great nation - a promise that Abraham accepted. Finally the child of promise was born, but then several years later, God called Abraham to give him up as a sacrifice, which created a most serious dilemma. How could Isaac be fully given over to God and at the same time be the channel of God's promises to Abraham and eventually to the entire world (See Bereshit / Genesis 12:1-3; 17:19)?

Abraham’s understanding of God was such that he was able to face this dilemma head on. He knew that he could trust God to do what he said he would do through Isaac, even if it meant bringing him back from the dead (see Hebrews 11:19). As it turned out, God stopped Abraham at the last minute, providing a lamb in Isaac's place.

What we see about Abraham is that he was able to completely entrust God with what God promised him. He knew that if the promises he received years before were really true, nothing could prevent them from coming to pass. This demonstrated that God was truly first in Abraham's life. Nothing, not even his beloved son, would ever be an idol to him.

This story illustrates our need to keep our dreams in perspective. God may give us an Isaac - a hope, a dream, or an expectation. When such things fill our hearts it is easy to lose perspective. We can begin to focus on them instead upon God who gave them to us. Unless we offer our Isaacs back to God, the dreams he gives us will eventually hurt us and others instead of being the blessings they are intended to be. It is not until we can demonstrate an Abraham-like heart that we are able to effectively steward those things that God has entrusted to us.

While we may not all be tested in this way, Abraham's experience should prepare us for when it does happen. Facing the loss of our dreams is not the end when it is God who is asking us to give them over to him. We can trust him just as Abraham did.

Of course our lives may be filled with dreams that are not from God. Just because we have an aspiration or a hope does not necessarily mean that they have been given to us by God. Whether or not you have a God-given dream is something that you yourself need to discern. Others may be able help you with this. But in the end it is you yourself who will need to know from God what is truly from him. If we are seeking to follow and please him, we shouldn't be surprised when he removes things, even good things from us. That is not the same as Abraham's experience. Giving anything up to God can be a challenge and requires faith, but this is not what we are talking about here.

But regarding those true Isaacs in our lives, note that once God saw Abraham's willingness to offer up his son, that was the end of it. I get the impression that some people think, even after we have fully given over our God-given dreams to him, we have to do it again and again. While it is necessary to be careful not to allow our Isaacs to become idols in our lives, God doesn't expect us to keep trying to kill them, as if they should never become reality. It's okay if your God-given dreams are important to you. It's good if your God-given dreams make you excited. It's godly to find pleasure in your God-given dreams. Handle your Isaacs with care, but don't keep trying to kill them, when God himself is keeping them alive.

Finally, when God calls you to give your Isaacs over to him, be assured that you can do it with confidence. You can have faith like Abraham that if God gives you a promise, he will bring it to pass, even when it looks as if it is about to die.

TorahBytes: Avram (Lekh Lekha)

The LORD had said to Avram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you" (Bereshit / Genesis 12:3).

I am so intrigued by Avraham (English: Abraham), who was originally called Avram (English: Abram). I don't know if it is because of his foundational place in the Scriptures as well in the history of the people of Israel and of all true followers of Israel's God, or because of how God has worked in my own life. There's also the fact that my true given name is Avram, named after my father's father.

When I was born, it was customary to name children after a deceased relative, then take the first sound of that name and give the child an English name based on that sound, which would then become the child's legal name. The Yiddish or Hebrew name would be referred to as the child's Jewish name. In more recent years I have thought of legally changing my name to my Jewish name. I consider it to be my actual name, while "Alan" is simply a tag of convenience given to me to help me survive in a non-Jewish environment.

The significance of my Jewish name didn't mean much to me until many years after coming to know God through the Messiah. It took me a while to understand why Jewish people had non-Jewish names, but it was much more than that. It would take years of walking with God to see how much I related to the father of our people. I am not saying that I am like Avram, except having gotten to know his God, I can relate to his life. The aspects of Avram's life that have become precious to me are aspects of godliness that I think all people of true faith should esteem.

When God called Avram, even though he was an old man, he was willing to venture into the unknown, the uncertain. He was willing to spend the rest of his life in an environment that was potentially hostile to him and his family. He was willing to trust God for things contrary to his life experience and natural occurrences. He was able to receive promises that seemed impossible. It was his willingness to be led into an alien land to live out his days as a stranger, which made him the foundation of great blessing for the entire world for eternity.

Avram was a man who, in response to God's call in his life, was willing to let go of the world he knew in order to embrace a life that God himself would give him. This is the essence of faith. This is the essence of godliness. It is the willingness to trade off the natural things in which we normally find security, for the supernatural unseen things of God. It is to live in this world, yet to be led in life by God's Word and not the standards of the societies in which we live. It is to accept that we are not of this world, but are actually ambassadors of heaven. We live in this world as representatives of our heavenly father. This is how Avram lived. This is how we are all called to live.

I suspect that in some way, each and every day, every follower of the Messiah hears God's voice to live like Avram. Each and every day we are called to make decisions based not on our natural perceptions, but upon the reality of God and his Word. Everyday we are called to be like Avram.

Image of God - Part 3

A misused biblical concept that has caused confusion is something the New Covenant writings call "the flesh." Depending on the context "flesh" can refer to one of several things. It could mean our physical bodies. It could refer to living creatures, both humans and animals. It could refer to human or animal soft tissue. The spiritual usage of the word refers to our human nature, but specifically that part of our nature that is prone to sin.

The Bible understands that human beings have a natural disposition that is contrary to God's character. We also come into the world under God's wrath. This is our inheritance from our first parents, Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God's directives in the Garden of Eden. Since then we have not been able to make ourselves right with God. Our lifestyles are the outcome of our state of alienation from God.

When God gave his commandments to the people of Israel, he was revealing his standards to us. One of the reasons for this revelation was to show us that we fall short of those standards and thus need his provision of salvation in order to be restored to a right relationship with him. There is nothing we can do of our own efforts that can bridge the gap between ourselves and God.

Where confusion arises is when we think of our personalities, abilities, and gifts as the flesh. While everything about us has been effected by sin, this should not be confused by our simple humanness. Our being human and much of what goes with that is not sinful in itself. Being a man or being a woman is not in itself sinful. The ability to sing or build things is not sinful. Appreciating a kindness or loving a child is not sinful. All these things are not what they should be due to the reality of sin, but the things themselves are not sinful.

The reality of sin in our lives does not fully negate the preeminence of the image of God. Every human being continues to reflect God is so many ways. It may be necessary to repeat that the our continuing to bear God's image does not make us right with God. Still, our not being right with God doesn't eradicate God's image.

TorahBytes: A Positive Perspective (No'ah)

To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. (Isaiah 54:9)

My wife and I are two very different people. That should be obvious, but it actually took me many years to realize that. I guess I was fooled by our great many similarities. We are both Ashkenazi Jews (our grandparents were from Eastern Europe), we grew up just a few blocks from one another. We frequented the same candy store (we love to reminisce over that one). We both came to know Yeshua as our Messiah in our late teens. We went to the same public school and Yiddish school after regular school three times a weeks for a couple of years. We weren't actually friends during that time, but got to know each other only after we both became believers.

So due to our similar background and experiences, we have more in common than many couples we know. She and I have also worked through many life issues together and are united on most, if not all, major life issues. That said, there are significant differences between us.

Perhaps the greatest difference has to do with how we look at life, which is a pretty big difference. One might say that she is a "glass is half full" kind of person, while I am a "glass is half empty" person. Please understand that I am generalizing. There are times when I am the one to see things in a more positive light (though I admit, that's a rare occurrence), but most often she tends to see things more positively than I.

Those of you who are more like me appreciate how I think I am the realist while she is simply naïve. At the same time, she thinks I am too quick to jump to negative conclusions. As it has turned out, sometimes she is more right, other times, it's me, sometimes it's a combination of both, and other times, we have both completely misread what's really going on.

Before I relate this to this week's Haftarah, I want to add that I believe that God has given the two of us unique gifts, which enables us to see things differently. Due to our human nature, we misuse those gifts, causing our perspectives to blind us to the reality of a situation. What we need to continue to do is learn how our differences complement each other, so that we can see things more accurately.

The downside of the way I tend to see things is illustrated by what happened when I first read this week's Haftarah. As I read the passage, the phrase, "the days of Noah" caught my attention. While I did notice that the point of the passage was positive (God was promising the people that the day would come when he would no longer be angry with them), I took the Noah reference as negative. I realize that I read the passage too quickly at first, but my assumption regarding the Noah reference led me to think of God's destruction through the Flood. I thought God was saying that just like he poured out his wrath upon the people of Noah's time, so he would pour out his love upon the people of Israel. Nice thought, but that's not what the passage actually says. The phrase "days of Noah" automatically made me think of the bad part of the story.

By the way, I tested my wife by having her read the passage and then asking her what "days of Noah" meant. Are you surprised that she knew that it had to do with the good, not the bad, aspect of the Noah story?

For me any mention of the Noah story immediately brings to mind the sinful nature of the human race, God's anger and his judgment. But the Isaiah passage showed me that I failed to catch the positive aspect of the story, which is God's commitment not to destroy the world by flood again. This experience made me see how I can miss the whole picture due to my tendency to think negatively.

God wanted the people of Isaiah's time to think about the "days of Noah" in a positive light. He wanted them to know that just as he had been angry for a time, but then committed himself to not judge the Earth in that way again, so he would be angry with Israel for only a time, but then would never be angry with them again. Through Isaiah, God was calling the people to see from a positive perspective.

God's desire for all people is not judgment, but salvation. His goal for all of us is positive, not negative. That doesn't mean that there is no negative aspects to how he deals with people. If we choose to ignore him, we will face judgment, but that's not God's heart's intent. His intent is positive. For me that's sometimes difficult to remember, but I am learning that my wife often does see things as they really are.

Image of God - Part 2

Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man (Bereshit / Genesis 9:6).

This is one of the things that God said to Noah after Noah, his family, and the animals left the ark. It is the basis for what is called "capital punishment." It is noteworthy that our responsibility to take the life of murderers is not based on vengeance toward them. It is not focused on the need of punishment, but rather upon the sacredness of life.

I suspect this sounds contradictory to some, who may wonder if life is so sacred, why would God direct us to execute murderers. But such is the seriousness of the offense. If someone would dare destroy the life of an image bearer, their own life must be required of them.

I didn’t really want to get into a discussion of capital punishment, but I wonder if our one of the reasons why certain societies have outlawed it is not because of valuing life more, but rather due to our losing sight of who we really are. Failing to sufficiently deal with murderers says more about how we view the value of the victims than it does about our concern for the perpetrators.