Torahbytes: Messiah Reigns (Yitro)

For a child has been born to us, a son has been given us. And authority has settled on his shoulders. He has been named "The Mighty God is planning grace; the Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler." In token of abundant authority and of peace without limit upon David's throne and kingdom, that it may be firmly established in justice and in equity now and evermore. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall bring this to pass. (Isaiah 9:5, 6 [English 9:6, 7]; Jewish Publication Society, 1985)

This week's Haftarah includes a controversial passage from the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Various schools of thought have made much over the complex name given to the governmental leader described here. The actual identity of this king is not explicitly stated though it is clear that he inherits the throne of King David.

The main controversy surrounding this name is over whether it is a description of the king himself or simply a statement about God. In the original Hebrew it is: "pele yoetz el gibbor avi-ad sar shalom". Some translations give the name a sense of being a description of this king himself. We see this in most popular Christian translations, the English Standard Version being one example: "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." The translation I quoted from at the beginning of my message is a standard Jewish translation and gives the impression that the name is about God, not the king: "The Mighty God is planning grace; the Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler." That a person would be named in the fashion suggested by the Jewish translation is in keeping with many Biblical names. For example, the name "Eliyahu" (English: Elijah) means "The Lord is God," which in no way implies divinity status for this well-known prophet of Israel. "Joshua," the name of Moses' successor means "The Lord saves." While his name may foreshadow that God would work his salvation through him, Joshua was not the Lord. Therefore it is not reasonable to claim that such a grand name is necessarily a direct description of the person to whom it was given simply on the basis of the meaning of the name.

How this name functions is actually a secondary issue regarding its controversy. As far as this passage is concerned, more important than whether or not this king's nature is of divine origin, is the nature of his reign. Whatever the viewpoint or prejudices of the translators they are agreed that the reign of this king is far greater than any king of Israel before, during, or after Isaiah's day. This king's reign is permanent, perfect, and everlasting. These words are in keeping with many other passages in the Hebrew Bible that look forward to the establishment of the messianic kingdom - a kingdom, which in some ways hearkens back to the reign of David, the man after God's own heart, but on a much grander, global scale. A kingdom which would fulfill God's promise to Abraham that through his descendants all the families of the earth would be blessed (see Bereshit / Genesis 12:3). The name given this king hints of a rule that comes about not by human innovation and achievement, but by an act of God. It is a rule marked by God's restorative presence among his people and the world.

For many Jewish people these days are yet to be. While many consider the Messiah a legend, others continue to wait for his coming, something that the New Covenant Scriptures claim has already occurred. For some followers of Yeshua the fulfillment of Isaiah's words, though applying to Yeshua, are yet to be, which makes their view of his reign currently similar to those who deny that he is the Messiah at all.

But Yeshua is the Messiah, whose reign is currently far more like Isaiah's description than we tend to think. To deny this is to contradict Yeshua's own words when he said "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (see Matthew 28:18). If this wasn't true, we would not see the reality of the God of Israel demonstrated throughout the world as we do. Since his coming countless people, Jews and Gentiles, have been rescued by him from the clutches of the kingdom of darkness. Messiah reigns indeed!

Torahbytes: When Bad Things Happen to God's People (Be-Shallah)

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Shemot / Exodus 14:10-12; ESV)

Life can be difficult at times. Circumstances have their way of throwing all sorts of unexpected obstacles in our path. We may find ourselves climbing the ladder of success only to find ourselves at the dizzying height of the top of the wrong wall. Our mistakes, intentional or not, can hurl us to unanticipated and undesirable depths. Disappointments zap our energy away, at times to the point of despair, and we wonder if it will ever be worth trying again.

There is a startling statement found in the New Covenant writings that goes like this: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28, New American Standard Bible). This statement actually claims that there are some people in the world for whom God causes "all things to work together for good." Whatever your take on the Bible is, stick with me for a second. Do you see what this is saying! The Master of the Universe purposely ensures, for people who love him - the "called" part is not adding an extra category of person, but rather is simply describing one of the aspects of a person who loves God in that they are called according to his purpose - God ensures for these people the eventual positive outcome of every circumstance of life.

This is not to say that every circumstance of life is good. There is nothing here about making light of life's hardships nor is there any encouragement to play psychological games with reality. Bad things do happen to those who love God. But step back and look at the big picture: the end result of everything that happens to these people is good. You may have heard the saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, but this is better than that. It's not up to us to make the lemonade. God is the lemonade maker. Everything that happens to those who love God are like ingredients in his hands for eventual good.

Before we go further, this statement does not apply to everyone. This grand statement is designed to help those who have been made right with God through faith in the Messiah of Israel to engage life as we should. Those whose hearts are turned away from the Messiah have no such guarantee, but you can make that change right now.

Whether you just now decided to give your life over to Yeshua the Messiah or you have walked with him for years you can be certain that God is out for your good irrespective of whatever you may be going through right now.

We must be careful not to judge our circumstances wrongly. While some of the bad things that happen to us are our own fault, that doesn't nullify God's guarantee of eventual good.  God himself will often lead us right into difficult situations just like the people of Israel when they faced the Red Sea with the Egyptian army on their tail. They wrongly interpreted their circumstances to mean that God was out to get them. They couldn't see that they were on the brink of one of the most amazing things that has ever happened in history (if you don't know the story, go read it for yourself later).

We shouldn't play down how difficult it must have been for the people of Israel to keep a positive perspective in the midst of such an impossible situation. But that's the point. God wants us to trust him even when everything around us seems to be horrible with no way out. If Messiah was raised from the dead, then there is no situation in which his people may find themselves that cannot eventually result in our good. I think realizing that would make a big difference in our lives.

Torahbytes: Humility (Bo)

So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.'" (Shemot / Exodus 10:3)

The Torah paints a stark contrast between Pharaoh and Moses. This is more than simply a retelling of an historical event. It is an historical event like so many of the Bible's stories, but through the inspiration of God the desired impact upon the reader is clearly intentional. Elsewhere in the Torah Moses is said to be the most humble man of his day (see Bemidbar / Numbers 12:3). Pharaoh is confronted by Moses for his lack of humility. It is the humble whom God regards (see Isaiah 66:2). He gives his grace (his power for living) to the humble, while opposing the proud (see James 4:6).

The issue of humility has to do with human will. Our wills may be defined as that which drives how we live or, in others words, our wants. Our wills or wants are not the same as our decisions. We may want to do something, but may be thwarted in our attempt to do it. I may want to go buy something, but the store may be closed. I may want to pursue an occupation, but not be accepted by the school that claims to provide the training I require. I find it interesting that most of us learn to navigate life in such a way that most of the time we fulfill our wants. We quickly learn to avoid those things that thwart our wills.

This is not to say that it is never inappropriate to assert ourselves. The existence of obstacles in our lives is not necessarily an indication that our wants are inappropriate. Far from it! Sometimes the obstacles we encounter are geared by God to strengthen our wills and to learn not to easily back down when facing difficulties.

Humility is a way to describe the ease of which we give into obstacles. When we assert our wills, but encounter an obstacle, humility is a heart mechanism enabling us to give in and allow that obstacle to change our course of direction.

Some people are more naturally given over to humility than others. Some of these people may be characterized as "wimps" - those who regularly allow others and circumstances to direct the course of their lives. The last thing we would call Moses is a wimp. He was a man that faced all sorts of obstacles and difficult circumstances. The clash of wills between him and Pharaoh was of epic proportions. Why would Moses be characterized as humble and Pharaoh not?

The issue of humility here is not an analysis of an isolated human trait. Humility in the Scriptures is not a general statement of character. Rather it is primarily an issue of relationship to God. The Bible doesn't calls us to humility by itself as if we must learn to easily give up our wills to the whims of others or to accept every difficulty as God's direction in our lives. Rather it calls us to humble ourselves before God, so that when our wills clash with his, we readily give in to his wants. This is the person he gives grace to. This is the person he regards. This is the person Moses was. This is the person Pharaoh was not.

That Pharaoh was a strong leader committed to the prosperity of Egypt was a good thing. No leader should be expected to immediately give in to the wishes of a former renegade and supposed liberator. As a leader of his people, Pharaoh must stand strong against every true threat to his people. What became problematic for him was when his will clashed with the will of a higher authority to whom he was answerable. We cannot fault Pharaoh for not quickly acknowledging Moses' claim to be representing the Master of the Universe. But it was not until after seven of the plagues that God makes this statement regarding Pharaoh's refusal to humble himself before him.

Moses on the other hand was able to assert himself against all sorts of obstacles because of his humility toward God. Almost every time after he finally accepted his call to liberate his people, whenever he faced a problem, he would seek God's will and do whatever God told him. The humility that God is looking for is not a general demeanor toward life, but humility unto him and his will for our lives.

Is your will being thwarted? It may be that God is trying to tell you something. How long will you refuse to humble yourself before the Master of the Universe? But perhaps you are being thwarted in your legitimate attempt to do God's will. Ask him. Learn to do God's will in God's way in God's timing. Perhaps your will isn't being thwarted, but that's because you're not really living. You may be more like Pharaoh than you think, except you are deaf to what God is saying to you. Have you asked him lately?

Torahbytes: Do You Know God's Name? (Va-Era)

God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them." (Shemot / Exodus 6:2, 3; ESV)

The statement I just read often troubles readers of the Torah. When God appeared to Moses he told him that he did not make himself known to the forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, by the name (in Hebrew) yod, hei, vav, hei, often translated in English as LORD with full caps. This is sometimes written out as "Yahveh," or "Yahweh." This is where we get the mispronounced name "Jehovah". This name is derived from the Hebrew verb for "to be" and signifies God as the eternal Being, the self-existing one from whom all existence is derived. The reason why we don't use Yahveh or something close is that in Jewish tradition, God's name was considered so sacred that its use was reserved for very special occasions and even then by certain people. Since Hebrew is a consonantal language, meaning only the consonants are written out, the vowels for each word were to be remembered through oral tradition. In the biblical text the vowel sounds are noted through special markings. But these markings were added many years after the text was written down and were known only by tradition. The vowel markings for YHVH are most likely taken from the word "adonai", meaning "Lord." Using these markings was to signal the reader to say "adonai" whenever encountering YHVH in the text.

Be that as it may, our passage sounds as if Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn't know God by this name at all, but rather by "el shaddai" (commonly in English: "God Almighty") even though there are references to YHVH all through the stories of the patriarchs, including in quotes of the forefathers themselves.

There are two possible solutions to this issue. First, the use of YHVH in the earlier biblical period was introduced some time later by Moses or other editors of the Torah. According to this view, the forefathers had never once heard this name for God, but the stories are written using what later became the most widely used name for God. The problem with this explanation is that it runs counter to the usual care of the biblical writers to preserve correct uses of terms within their original time periods.

A better explanation is based on understanding that the way names in the Bible are used is primarily to describe something about the one named, rather than a simple designation. People in many cultures today tend to name children with particular names because they like the sound. An exception to that is naming someone after someone else. But even in that case the name simply functions as a designator, similar to how a serial number functions in order to differentiate individuals from one another. In Biblical times people are often named in such a way as to denote something about the person or in reference to an event of some kind. A person's name tells a story about the person or something about the context in which they live. Moses' name serves as an example of this in that it refers to his being taken from the water when he was found by Pharaoh's daughter. God's name as revealed to Moses is far more about the meaning of that name than its sound. It is possible that the forefathers were aware of this name even though they never experienced its full meaning.

Up until the time of God's deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt, his activity with people was for the most part intimate and personal only. While he did create the universe, instigated the flood and confused the languages at Babel, his work was limited to words of promise, warning, and guidance. It is with Moses and the exodus that we see the powerful hand of God at work favoring his covenant people. Through the plagues God judges Egypt, its leadership and its gods while revealing his loyalty to his chosen people. He doesn't sit idly by, simply offering words of encouragement. Instead he powerfully fights their battles by manipulating the forces of nature and twisting Pharaoh's arm, so to speak, in order to accomplish his purpose.

This demonstrated to his people and the world that God was not limited in any way. The power of the God of Israel extended far beyond their own community into every aspect of creation. What Israel knew about God through the stories of creation, the flood, and Babel, became personally relevant to them as a people. Their relationship to God was not to be something of myth and legend, designed only to encourage them in difficult times, but they could count on God to fight for them in the midst of greatest difficulty.

There are people today that think it is essential to use God's actual name, thinking that something special would happen or that God would be more pleased with us if we did. But what God desires for us is that we would know his name in the way that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not. He is not far off, existing simply to warm our hearts through gentle reminders of intangible thoughts. But rather he is a God of action who wishes to powerfully break through into our lives in order to reveal his tangible reality to and through us.

Torahbytes: Roots of Relational Difficulties (Va-Yiggash)

Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father. (Bereshit / Genesis 44:33,34; ESV)

The story of Joseph is one of the longer and more involved narratives in the Bible. It is a wonderful story of God's providential hand at work in the midst of human jealousy and hatred. Every time I read it, one of the things I wonder about is what was Joseph really up to in how he dealt with his brothers during their two excursions to Egypt to buy food?

I don't think that he was just giving them a hard time in order to get back at them for what they had done to him. If that was his motive, he could have done so much more to hurt them and would not have been so generous to them. Yet he did seem to be up to something or else he would have revealed himself to them on their first visit instead of putting them through all he did. It is reasonable to assume that he could have been struggling with his own feelings, but it looks as if he was waiting for something particular to happen before he revealed himself to them. That something may be the very thing that did happen.

Some background: Joseph and his eleven brothers were the offspring of Jacob and four women: Jacob's wives Rachel and Leah and their respective servants Bilah and Zilpah. Joseph and Benjamin were Rachel's two sons and had a special place in Jacob's heart. We don't need to get into why that was right now. Suffice it to say that Joseph and Benjamin were uniquely precious to Jacob - something of which the whole family was well aware.

Joseph's brothers hated him because of their father's preferential treatment of him. Joseph's dreams which predicted his special position over his family further infuriated them. They hated Joseph so much that they sold him into slavery and deceived their father, telling him Joseph was killed by a wild animal. Their father was devastated by this news, which shouldn't have been a surprise given his well-known feelings toward Joseph. But note that the brothers couldn't care less about their father's feelings. So much had their hatred blinded them.

We pick up the story many years later as Joseph is overseeing Egypt's supplying food for the surrounding region during a severe and extended famine. His brothers are on their second excursion to Egypt in the hope of buying food. Joseph pretends to treat them with great suspicion, which results in Benjamin being taken to be Joseph's servant. When their brother Judah offers himself in Benjamin's place, Joseph breaks down and reveals himself to his brothers. But what was it about Judah's offer that touched Joseph's heart? It could have been Judah's willingness to selflessly give himself for Benjamin's sake, but his words indicate something else. What Judah said just before Joseph broke down was, "For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father." (Bereshit / Genesis 44:34; ESV). In other words, Judah couldn't bear what the news of Benjamin's plight would do to his father. Could it be that what Joseph was looking for from his brothers was a change of heart - not so much toward himself - but toward their father? Could it be that the wrongs done to Joseph were actually a result of the more serious wrong of their lack of honor toward and care of their father?

Whatever issues the brothers had with Joseph, if they had loved their father the way they should, they would have controlled their feelings toward Joseph. Don't get hung up on the fact that God used their evil actions toward Joseph for good. That God makes good come out of evil is no excuse for human misbehavior.

I don't know if the brothers ever consciously understood that the abuse of Joseph was rooted in their disregard for their father. In the same way I wonder how much of our relational difficulties actually have to do with issues relating to our own fathers, but we don't know it. God may want to use those difficulties to get us to deal with our relationships with our fathers. And in some cases getting our hearts right with our earthly fathers will also make a huge difference in our relationship with God.

Happy Hanukkah from Lord of the Rings

Near the end of the film version of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers," Frodo's loyal companion, Sam, encourages Frodo in their quest:

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.

Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo; the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end... because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?

Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

The story of Hanukkah is the story of a shadow that passed over the nation of Israel in the mid-second century before Messiah's coming. The Jewish priest, Mattityahu, father of Judah Maccabee, reflects on this shadow with these words:

Alas! Why was I born to see this, the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city, and to dwell there when it was given over to the enemy, the sanctuary given over to aliens? (1 Maccabees 2:7).

Yet in spite of the ruin - the shadow - he and his family stood for what was right, true, and good. After much struggle, the purity of the nation was restored and peace once again reigned in the land. The shadow had passed, but not on its own accord. The light of godliness had pushed back the armies of darkness and prevailed.

There is a shadow that grows over the world today. Too few perceive its presence or its power. Like in the days of the Maccabees, great numbers are being overtaken by it. Yet, in the end, it won't prevail; but who will stand against it?

The lighting of the Hanukkah lights not only reminds us of the exploits of brave people of God in times past, but calls us to be lights in our own day - lights that will prevail over this passing shadow.

Torahbytes: Dream Stories (Mi-Kez & Hanukkah)

For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. (Bereshit / Genesis 41:52; ESV)

A common theme in contemporary stories is "follow your dreams." The story of Joseph is a dream story, but it would be very difficult to come up with a dream story as different from the contemporary kind as this. Joseph was the favored son of his father. It was this along with his being favored by God by giving him dreams about his eventual exaltation, that embittered his brothers to him. Wanting to kill him, they ended up selling him into slavery. But God was with him and he was held in high esteem by his master. His master's wife also held him in high esteem, but in a different sort of way. Joseph's godly resistance to her advances led him to an indefinite stay in a dungeon. Things looked promising when he correctly interpreted the dreams of two of Pharaoh's ex-staff, who were prisoners along with him. Yet it would be two more years before the prisoner who was freed - just as Joseph said - mentioned him to Pharaoh, who himself had dreams he wanted interpreted. This resulted in more than Joseph's freedom; Pharaoh promoted him to second in command of all Egypt. Throughout this whole ordeal, Joseph never lashed out at others or strove to get his own way. He was faithful to God and in his service to others in whatever situation he found himself.

This is not a typical contemporary dream story, which usually sees the main character yearning for some wonderful goal and fighting great odds, overcoming overwhelming obstacles to achieve his dream. Sometimes the person isn't in touch with his dream until something sparks it alive. At some point, great discouragement overtakes him until he experiences a great turn around and rises to the occasion. Whatever he does, he certainly doesn’t bide his time and simply live life, waiting for God to come through as Joseph did.

In fact in most "follow your dreams" stories there aren't any real dreams at all. A dream in these stories is a figurative way to refer to desire. It's interesting how Bible believers tend to use "dream" in this same way just as non-believers do. Why can't we just call desires, desires and dreams, dreams? Joseph knew the difference; shouldn't we?

Another major difference between contemporary dream stories and Joseph's dream story is that the main character in Joseph's story isn't Joseph; it's God. While Joseph certainly wasn't altogether passive in his story, unlike contemporary stories, he is not trying to bring about the result. He simply lives life. God brings about the result; for after all, it was God who gave the dream. Joseph couldn't have guessed what his dreams meant. He may have had the impression just like his brothers and father did, that they implied his eventual exaltation over the other members of his family. But how? There was no way that he expected that he would be second in command of all Egypt. Even if he did, there was nothing he could do about it.

But if this was a contemporary story, he would have developed a plan, probably made friends with a fellow prisoner - an expert schemer, who would partner with him to achieve Joseph's dream of greatness. The actor who plays the friend in the Hollywood version might win an Academy Award in his role as the sacrificial friend who gives up his own dream so that Joseph may realize his.

But that's not how Joseph's dream story unfolds. Joseph's dream is realized through the involvement of God, who gave him his dreams in the first place. Every plot twist in Joseph's story came about as a result of God's intervention, not Joseph's ingenuity. He who gave the dream was the one who ensured it came to pass.

I wonder how much contemporary dream stories affect how we think we are to live life today. If we would focus more on being faithful to what God gives us to do and less on striving to achieve our desires, perhaps we might be in a place where God would entrust us with real dreams for a change.